The benefits of being all in for almonds

Eating more nuts can help you enjoy increased longevity

From the time Greg and Duane Allman formed the Allman Joys in 1965, they were masters of harddriving, soulful rock ‘n’ roll! “The High Cost of Low Living,” from The Allman Brothers Band’s 2003 album, made it clear that they had not chosen the most healthful route through life.

More almonds and more joy (although we don’t recommend the candy bar) could have provided greater longevity. That mighty nut packs dynamite health benefits; plus, joy helps you live longer. A 2015 study in Social Science & Medicine found that happiness is related to longevity: Compared with the happiest folks, people who were unhappy were 14 per cent more likely to die over the course of that study.

So we’re beating the drums for enJOYing almonds (walnuts, too). Eating around an ounce delivers six grams of protein; 37 per cent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin E; 20 per cent of magnesium; 3.5 grams of fibre; and a small dose of copper, vitamin B-2 and phosphorus. Almonds (walnuts, too) do more than lower lousy LDL cholesterol and protect your heart; they battle metabolic syndrome, elevated glucose and Type 2 diabetes. Two ounces of almonds daily for two weeks did the trick in one study.

Can’t you just hear the band singing “Never Knew How Much (I Needed You)” and “Change My Way of Living”? Too bad they weren’t thinking about how smart it would have been to add some almonds (and joy) to their set list.

MAKE SURE THE CLIMAX TO YOUR NEXT MEAL ISN’T AN UPSET STOMACH

In the BBC-3 series “Climaxed,” miniepisodes explore hit-and-miss relationships between people after they have sex. One four-minute taste of Sam ‘n’ Ella reveals a sure way to taint an intimate occasion: Clueless guy Sam plays a video game immediately after rolling over.

Well, Salmonella is another way to poison yourself and your near-and-dear. So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had to investigate Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal, pre-cut melon, eggs in a shell, dried coconut, chicken salad, Kratom, raw sprouts and frozen shredded coconut for widespread illness and even death because of Salmonella contamination.

But as frightening as that sounds, the main cause of postmeal bellyaches (and worse) for the 48 million Americans who experience a food-borne illness every year is the way they handle food preparation!

U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists did an observational study and found that most tummy-turning germs such as Salmonella are spread from raw meat (turkey burger, in this case) to salad, refrigerator handles and even spice containers, because almost no one washes his or her hands! Out of the more than 1,200 opportunities to wash hands that the researchers observed, people used the effective germ-removing technique only three per cent of the time!

So, if you don’t want the climax of your next home-cooked meal to be widespread nausea, lather up for 20 seconds after you touch raw foods (meats and eggs especially), getting the backs of your hands, between fingers and under nails, too; and use a meat thermometer to verify meat has reached a safe-to-eat doneness (info at USDA.gov).

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

Now here’s a tough study to get funded: Is it true that people who try eating popcorn with chopsticks will find new delight in their popcorn? That’s just what two researchers, one from Ohio State and the other from the University of Chicago, did! And what they found went further than chopsticks and popcorn. They discovered that consuming familiar things — food, drink and videos — in new and different ways can “disrupt adaptation and revitalize enjoyment.”

Make Sure There’s a First Time (Again) for Everything

If you renew your experiences, you can power your desire to become healthier and happier.

• Bored with your regular gym workout? Take a new class; try new machines.

• Losing your interest in cooking? Experiment with new recipes.

Bringing a “first time” perspective to the experience can send boredom packing and increase your commitment to healthier, happier life choices.

You also can use this mantra to help you break bad habits, like hitting the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. Take time before you get there to plan ahead for a new experience. Read the healthy meal listings; decide to order a new taste treat, such as chicken salad with unsweetened iced tea. Or if you’re a couch potato, decide to turn off the TV and take a walk after dinner — then focus on finding three new things in your neighbourhood you never noticed. Before you know it, you’ll be so committed to the walk that you’ll want to change it up so it becomes renewed and more exciting!

SMOOTH SAILING — AND SAFE DRIVING — AFTER CATARACT SURGERY

Cleopatra and her crew, floating down the Nile on her royal barge from Aswan to Khartoum, had to watch out for the six cataracts that could damage their craft and send them into the roiling waters. To this day, these sometimes-shallow, sometimes-rocky stretches of white water between Egypt and Sudan cause terrible accidents.

Cataracts that cloud the lens in your eye badly enough to interfere with you cruising down the highway can be the cause of bad accidents, too, according to a study in JAMA Ophthalmology. Luckily, the researchers found that getting a cataract removed significantly reduces your risk of being a danger to yourself or others while you’re navigating your vehicle through traffic.

Researchers tracked 559,546 patients 65 years and older who underwent cataract surgery and found that traffic accident rates fell nine per cent postsurgery. (In that group there were 2.34 crashes per 1,000 patients annually before surgery and 2.14 crashes per 1,000 patients afterward.) Having that many fewer crashes prevents injury to drivers as well as passengers and folks in other vehicles, and saves millions of dollars in health-care costs and billions of stressrelated moments.

Is your world looking a little less sharp? A simple eye exam can tell if you have a cataract; the lens-replacement procedure itself is usually swift (10 minutes) and effective. For a simple procedure when you have no other relevant health problems, the complication rate is below two per cent getting lower all the time.

Once you have the procedure done, you’ll be ready to cruise the Nile — and your hometown highway — safely.

TELLING HIDDEN TRANS FATS TO GET LOST!

“Lost in Translation” is a 2003 Sofia Coppola film about a once-was movie star (Bill Murray) who lost his twinkle, until he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in a hotel in Tokyo. Their friendship is powerful and disruptive, and it’s hard to know exactly where it will lead them.

Fortunately, you know exactly where the result of “lost trans fats” will lead you: Away from a major cause of heart attack, stroke and maybe brain dysfunction and cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration has banned these hydrogenated oils from foods — sort of. They did say that what’s already been manufactured with trans fats may be sold to consumers, and they extended the date for some food companies to find a substitute that preserves texture, taste and shelf life. So it seems like a trans-fat-free grocery store would be complete by 2020. Right?

Not so fast. Turns out trans fats are present naturally in some foods — notably, beef, pork, lamb, butter and milk, all animal proteins that also are loaded with highly inflammatory, heartclogging saturated fat.

How do they get there? Bacteria in animals’ stomachs hydrogenate the fatty oils that they consume through their feed. One study found that eating lots of natural or artificial trans fats (that comes to just under four per cent of your daily calorie intake) is equally likely to up your risk for heart disease.

So if you want trans fats to get lost for good, KO red meats and dairy from your diet. Then, bodywide inflammation and increased risk of chronic diseases (and wrinkles!) is what you’ll lose in your transition!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.