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Processed Foods Are Adding to the Number on the Scale: New Study

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Processed foods

A new study found processed foods may actually have a more profound impact on weight gain than initially thought. Ultra-processed items led to weight gain within just two weeks. Because these foods are typically cheaper, individuals who are unable to buy organic, more expenses foods may have the highest risk of obesity due to the foods they can afford.

Previous Findings

Processed foods include things like soda, packaged snacks, meat nuggets, many frozen meals, and other foods high in additives.

Previous studies have linked processed foods to obesity, intestinal inflammation, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and possibly even death. Despite these findings, processed foods still make up 57.9 percent of the food intake in the United States.

“Previous studies have found correlations between ultra-processed food consumption and obesity,” Kevin D. Hall, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said.

Hall and his colleagues led the most recent study to compare unprocessed and processed foods. The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. 

The Latest Study

To conduct the study, the research team took a look at 10 men and 10 women. All study participants stayed at the clinical center for 28 days. Half of the individuals involved in the study were given ultra-processed food for the first two weeks of their stay. The rest of the participants received unprocessed foods during the two-week timeframe. After two weeks, the groups switched.

All of the participants ate three meals each day. Researchers instructed them to eat as little or as much as they’d like. Snacks and bottled water was available to them throughout the day as well.

What they found was that individuals on the ultra-processed food diet ate around 508 calories more every day than when they were eating unprocessed food. Because of this, each of them put on about 2 pounds, most of which was body fat. Those on the unprocessed food diet lost 2 pounds during the two-week timeframe. They also saw an increase in gut hormone peptide YY. This hormone typically decreases hunger.

Why Are Processed Foods Bad?

The weight gain seen in the study participants may come from several factors, according to Hall. Individuals in the processed food group ate much faster, consuming an additional 17 calories per minute than their unprocessed counterpart.

“Ultra-processed foods contribute to more than half the calories consumed in the USA, and they are cheap and convenient options,” Hall stated.

Because it accounts for such a high amount of the U.S. population’s food intake, Hall is pointing to socioeconomic changes as an answer.

He concluded the study’s paper by saying, “However, policies that discourage consumption of ultra-processed foods should be sensitive to the time, skill, expense, and effort required to prepare meals from minimally processed foods — resources that are often in short supply for those who are not members of the upper socioeconomic classes.”

What do you think about the latest findings about processed foods? 

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How Mental Health Issues Impact Finances

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How Mental Health Issues Impact Finances

I have struggled with chronic, recurring major depression. So, I know firsthand that mental health issues can impact finances. In other words, mental health challenges not only cost us money, but they also affect how we deal with money. Different conditions can impact people’s saving and spending in their own unique ways. Awareness of those challenges can help us to manage our finances better, despite the challenges.

The Cost of Mental Health Issues

Before we delve into how each diagnosis affects a person’s experience of money, it’s worth noting that mental health issues, in general, affect people’s finances. Dealing with those challenges can be costly. In my case, I needed weekly therapy as well as medication to get through the worst of times. Whether or not you have health insurance, those costs can add up.

Moreover, I needed things that can’t quite be tallied up in exact dollars and cents. For example, I needed a strong support system, which meant that I needed to put in time with friends. Until I learned how to structure friend time around cheap and free events, I spent a decent amount of money on meals and movies together. I don’t regret the cost because it helped build the connections.

I also needed a healthier diet with a focus on nutritious foods. Again, I’ve found ways to cut those costs over time, but buying healthy foods started as an expensive adjustment. Nevertheless, it was wholly necessary for my mental health. In the beginning, I also needed regular yoga classes, because that was the only way I could get my body moving. These days I can do yoga at home and take walks for free, but in the worst periods of depression, I needed to pay for classes to motivate me to go.

Each person finds different things that they have to pay to have strong mental health. People with specific mental health challenges each need their unique combinations of treatments, resources, and quality-of-life purchases. For example, I don’t do well living with other people, so I have to find a way to afford to pay to live on my own. Other people are in the opposite boat; living with people saves them money but also helps their wellbeing. Each person is different, but there is no denying that there’s a financial cost to starting and maintaining mental health treatment.

How Depression Impacts Finances

Each mental health issue requires its own treatment. More than that, though, a specific issue can cause a person to deal with money in unique ways. It’s not just the cost of treatment; it’s that the condition affects one’s ability to earn, save, and spend money. Depression often particularly affects people’s ability to earn money. If you don’t feel like you can even get out of bed to take a shower, how are you going to drag yourself to a job? If you do manage that, how will you be productive once you are there? Many people with depression end up losing time at work or quitting work for a period of time all together because it’s just too hard.

How Unipolar Depression Impacts Finances

Depression isn’t just one condition. We’re learning more and more about this every day. For now, we at least understand that depression exists on a spectrum. At one end is ongoing major depression, also known as unipolar depression. At the other end is bipolar depression, previously called manic depression. There are many different forms of depression in the middle, each of which may impact finances in its own way.

When you think of a classic stereotype of depression, you’re thinking about unipolar depression. It’s characterized by a lack of interest in things and a constant “depressed” mood. Additional symptoms include changes in eating and sleeping (typically overeating and nighttime insomnia combined with daytime hypersomnia), inability to concentrate, and thoughts of suicide and death. Clearly, this kind of depression impacts your ability to earn money. If you don’t even want to live, how can you care about working? If you can’t concentrate or remember things, it’s pretty hard to be productive at work.

Often, people with depression will lose time at work. Not only does this impact earning, but it also impacts saving. I, personally, had to dig into my savings and get loans to be able to pay for my treatment and other needs. I was able to maintain part-time work, but I just wasn’t as productive as I am when I’m at my healthiest, and my depleted savings account reflected that at the time.

As for spending, depression didn’t drive me personally to change my spending much. However, it greatly impacted my emotions around spending. Depression eats away at self-esteem and provokes a lot of shame and mental rumination. I thought a lot about my spending, about my inability to earn well or save money, and most of my thoughts were self-shaming. Of course, that only worsens depression. It’s a bad cycle. I had to learn to be gentle with myself about money as part of my process of getting out of depression, which was the only way I could get back on track with earning and saving money.

How Bipolar Depression Impacts Finances

Bipolar depression is characterized by mania. There may be periods of depression, which can affect finances in the same way as unipolar depression does. However, there are also manic periods, during which a person might feel euphoric, giddy, or anxious. They may experience delusions of grandeur or get unrealistically excited about a major project.

Bipolar depression specifically affects spending. In manic phases, people may engage in impulsive, reckless behavior. Gambling, buying and using drugs, and binge shopping can all lead to financial ruin for people enmeshed in a manic period. Of course, when people are doing those things, it can also impact their job security, which could also affect earning money. Likewise, manic periods can cause problems in some housing situations, and changes in housing can have financial repercussions.

Some people don’t engage in obviously reckless behavior like this. However, their delusions of grandeur can lead to high spending. For example, someone who has a brilliant idea for a new invention might quit their job and take out a large loan to fund that idea. When the mania passes, the idea fades, and all of that spending was for naught.

People with both unipolar and bipolar depression may have disorganized finances. During depressive periods, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by money. Therefore, you might not want to deal with it at all. This can lead to failure to pay bills, using high-interest credit cards because you don’t want to deal with switching and other similar issues. In manic periods, you might just not care about that stuff, racking up bills without attending to paying them.

How Other Mental Health Issues Impact Finances

Depression is just one type of mental health issue. Each type affects finances in its own way. Some other examples include:

  • OCD can cause excess spending. For example, if you have contamination OCD (related to anxiety about germs), then you might use a bar of soap only once before replacing it with a new soap bar.
  • OCD can also lead to job loss. For example, if you have a detailed routine before leaving for work, then it can cause you to be late one time too many.
  • ADHD can lead to disorganization and procrastination with money matters.
  • Social anxiety sometimes causes spending on items or experiences to help a person feel like they “fit in.”
  • Research indicates that people with schizophrenia often have limited financial capacity, meaning that some may need assistance with money matters. One study found that 84% of people with schizophrenia say that their mental health issues cause problems with their finances.
  • People with hoarding disorders sometimes also have spending issues. In some cases, this is due to compulsive shopping. However, spending money on extra storage space is another big culprit.
  • People with substance abuse issues can have financial problems due to spending money on their addictions. In some cases, the lack of money can lead to theft and other financial crimes.
  • People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder may use money to control others.

Of course, these are all just examples of how mental health issues might impact finances. Everyone’s symptoms are different, as well as how they handle those symptoms. Someone with major depression, OCD, or another condition can still hold a successful high-powered job. Just because you have mental health issues doesn’t mean you’ll have financial challenges. Certainly, you can’t assume that someone else will have specific issues because of their condition. However, if you deal with mental health issues, it can be helpful to know what some of the common money issues might be so that you can keep an eye out for them in your own life.

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Here’s How to Prevent Dementia

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Prevent dementia

Dementia is a crippling disease that impacts more than 50 million people worldwide. It has been estimated that it may cost the world economy $1 trillion by 2050. Because of its massive impact, health officials have been working diligently to find treatment and prevention methods. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released guidelines to help prevent dementia.

The Perils of Dementia

Each year, another 10 million people develop dementia. Currently, it is an incurable condition. Researchers are constantly working on a way to treat it without any luck. Instead, they’ve switched their focus to preventative measures.

Many different health conditions and factors contribute to your risk of developing dementia later in life. Although age is a factor in developing the debilitating disease, it is not a normal part of aging and it isn’t inevitable either. WHO estimates that one-third of dementia cases could be prevented.

“In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia. The scientific evidence gathered for these guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain.”

The organization released a 100-page report with various recommendations for people to consider.

How to Prevent Dementia

WHO’s advice is common sense: take care of yourself in your younger years to prevent dementia. The health organization suggests getting an appropriate amount of exercise and having a social life. You should also avoid bad habits such as drinking too much alcohol, overeating, and smoking. Additionally, you should treat any existing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Some research suggests sticking to a Mediterranean diet may be another preventative measure. More importantly, you should eat well. However, Vitamin B and E, and fish oil pills won’t do anything to help prevent dementia, though they claim to.

“There is currently no evidence to show that taking these supplements actually reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and in fact, we know that in high doses these can be harmful,” said Dr. Neerja Chowdhary of the WHO. You should get these nutrients through food instead.

There are no games or activities that will help you prevent dementia either, despite claims. There is also a lack of evidence to prove antidepressants will help reduce your risk of dementia as well.

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Low-Dose Aspirin Has Been Tied to Bleeding on the Brain

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Low-dose aspirin

For decades, doctors have instructed individuals to take low-dose aspirin to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. Not only has that proven to be less than effective, but recent studies have found taking low-dose aspirin can increase your risk for bleeding on the brain.

Low-Dose Aspirin Concerns

Individuals with a low body mass index (BMI) and people of Asain decent have the highest risk of bleeding within the skull due to low-dose aspirin (between 75 and 100 milligrams). Functional dependency and death are both linked to bleeding within the skull.

The study, which was published in JAMA Neurology on Monday, took a look at 13 clinical trials involving 134,000 patients. All of the patients were without a history of stroke and heart disease. Individuals who took a placebo had a 0.46 percent risk of having a bleed on the brain. On the other hand, those who took a daily dose of aspirin had a 0.63 percent risk. With that difference, an additional two people out of every 1,000 experienced intracerebral hemorrhage.

This comes just after new guidelines from the American Heart Association in March. In individuals who have already experienced a heart attack or stroke, a doctor may prescribe low-dose aspirin to prevent another. It may also be prescribed for individuals with a high risk of cardiovascular disease and low risk of bleeding. Again, this is only as a preventative measure.

In healthy, elderly people, low-dose aspirin did not prolong life. It instead is linked to major hemorrhages.

The best way to help prevent cardiovascular disease is by taking better overall care of your health. Maintain a healthy weight, don’t smoke, and eat plenty of veggies. Additionally, cut down on the sugar and trans fats. These steps are really the best way to prevent heart disease.

If you’re taking low-dose aspirin, consider talking to your doctor about whether or not you should stop before taking yourself off the medication. Always consult your doctor with any concerns you may have. 

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10 Reasons You’re Not A Millionaire

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millionaireThere seems to be an impression that the only reason that people aren’t able to become millionaires is that they don’t work hard enough. The truth is that hard work has very little to do with becoming a millionaire. That’s not to say that you don’t have to work hard. You do. But you also need to avoid the many pitfalls and bad financial decisions which end up being the real cause that most people aren’t able to build wealth. The truth is that you don’t have to have a huge salary to gain assets in excess of a million dollars, but you do have to make good financial decisions (and avoid making bad ones).

It’s important to note that a single issue is likely not what’s keeping you from millionaire status, but a combination of several of the actions and decisions you’ve made. And, yes, there are exceptions to the rules, but then there are also people who win the lottery — and would you really bet your retirement on winning the lottery? Here are 10 reasons that could very well be a contributing cause of why you’re not currently a millionaire:

You Spend More Than You Make

There are no secrets, and there certainly is nothing magical, when it comes to the basics of personal finance. In order to keep your finances in order, you need to spend less than you earn. If you fail to do this one simple thing, it doesn’t matter how much money you make, you’ll always find that you don’t have enough money to make ends meet. It also goes a step further than this. Spending less than you earn is not enough in itself to build wealth. You have to also actively save and invest a portion of all the money that you make. Most people recommend this amount to be 20% of your income. If you aren’t putting aside 20% of every paycheck you receive and placing it into long-term savings and investments, chances are you aren’t going to become a millionaire.

You Try To Meet Other’s Expectations

There is nothing which will keep you from reaching your financial goals faster than trying to live up to other people’s expectations instead of your own. This is more commonly known as trying to “keep up with the Joneses.” The simple fact is that if you’re trying to live like a millionaire before you have the resources of an actual millionaire, it’s not likely that you’re ever going to become a millionaire. Instead, you will simply be building up a lot of debt and wasting money on things to impress people who probably won’t be impressed anyway. Trying to keep up with the Joneses when your salary can’t compete with the Joneses is a sure way to sabotage the chance of building wealth.

You Don’t Pay Yourself First

One of the most fundamental steps that you can take to ensure that you put away money for yourself is to pay yourself before you pay anybody else. If your goal is to save 20% of your income, you need to pay yourself that 20% from your paycheck before you pay any other bills or expenses that you may have. If you try to pay yourself after you pay all your other expenses, you’ll inevitably fall short at the end of the month from time to time (if not always), and fail to save as much as you had hoped. By paying yourself first, you make the commitment that wealth creation is an important part of your overall plan, and not something that hopefully gets accomplished after everything else.

You Have Kids

This probably isn’t going to be the most popular item on the list of why you’re not a millionaire, but the hard, cold truth is that children are expensive. Very expensive. The costs associated with kids can be mitigated to some degree if you have already built some wealth and have planned the cost of having children into your budget, but that often isn’t the case for many couples. Having children when you are young with a limited income will greatly affect your ability to build wealth. With compound interest being so important to wealth creation, and a cornerstone of it being that the sooner you begin saving and investing, the better, the fact is that it’s nearly impossible to put money aside when you’re young with children. When this is the case, all the extra money you have inevitably ends up going toward the children’s care instead of being invested for wealth creation.

Your House Is Too Big

Some people assume that purchasing a big house is a good investment. While this can be the case, purchasing more house than you can afford is a good way to make sure that you’re unable to create real wealth. The problem is that when you buy big, your expenses for the house are also bigger. A large house will mean bigger tax payments, more expensive upkeep, more stuff purchased to fill the house, higher insurance payments and all around more expenses than if you purchased a house that actually fits your needs. The real way to build wealth is to purchase a house that fits your needs and budget, and take all the savings that you gain from not buying the large house to invest and create wealth.

You Replace Things Too Soon

Just because there is a newer and shinier version of the gadget that you purchased a year or two ago doesn’t mean that you need to buy that new gadget. If you’re the type of person who is constantly replacing products that still have a useful life in order to buy the supposedly latest and greatest gadgets, chances are that you’ll have a difficult time building the type of wealth that you want. Those who create savings to invest do so by getting great value out of what they buy by using their purchases for the entirety of the items’ useful life. People who are able to afford the newest and shiniest things by upgrading every year are those who have already built their wealth, not those that are currently trying to.

You Let Others Take Charge Of Your Finances

There is nothing wrong with getting the opinions of others to help you lay out a plan to build your wealth, but it’s important to be an active participant in this planning. Giving full control to somebody else to handle your money is a sure way to make sure that you fail to build the wealth that you hope to create. Creating wealth and keeping it means that it’s necessary for you to understand the financial decisions which are being made, and periodically reevaluating them to make sure that they are meeting the goals that you have set. Giving full control of your finances to somebody else creates a situation where you’re no longer in control of your financial future, and the only one who you can truly trust to be looking out for your best financial interests is yourself.

You Fail To Take Care Of Your Health

There is nothing which will drain your wealth more quickly than getting sick. While you may not be able to control all aspects of your health, there are certain steps that you can take to make sure that you’re as healthy as you can possibly be. Eating right, getting exercise, taking preventative measures, getting annual check-ups and taking care of medical problems before they become truly serious all put you in a position to live a healthier life. The better you take care of her health, the better the chance that you will be able to create wealth, and keep that wealth as you age.

You Get A Divorce

Just as getting married can be a wonderful way to help build wealth, getting a divorce usually has the exact opposite effect. In fact, getting a divorce is one of the best ways to destroy the wealth that you have built up to that point. That’s not to say that you should stay in marriage solely for financial reasons, but it’s important to know that divorce is usually a giant wealth destroyer, and getting a divorce will hamper the best-laid plans to become a millionaire.

You Have One Or More Bad Habits

A bad habit is anything that takes money away from you without giving more in return. The classics are smoking, gambling and drinking alcohol, but a bad habit could just as easily be that daily expensive cup of coffee or the three sodas that you drink each day. It doesn’t even have to be buying things. Being lazy and sitting in front of the TV five hours a day instead of working on making yourself better is also a bad habit that hurts wealth creation. Depending on the number of bad habits you have, and how much they cost you on an ongoing basis, these alone could be keeping you from becoming a millionaire.

(Photo courtesy of Enkhtuvshin)

The FDA is Calling For Stronger Warnings on These Sleeping Pills

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Sleeping pills

Millions of Americans rely on sleeping pills and other aids to treat insomnia and get the rest they need. However, these medications don’t come without their own problems. Food and Drug Administration officials are calling for a “black box” warning (the strongest existing warning label) on some of the most common sleep aids.

Why Are Popular Sleeping Pills Getting a “Black Box?”

Although individuals taking sleeping pills have been warned of possible side effects for years, it has become evident that many people are having bad experiences on the medication. The new labels and patient guides the FDA is proposing will detail the more dangerous side effects that have been seen.

In most cases, individuals taking sleep aids such as Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata, wake up while sleeping. When they wake, they perform regular tasks like they would while awake during the day. Some instances have led to people driving vehicles or walking down the street while they are asleep.

“They wake up for some reason during sleep and they exhibit behaviors we would perform while awake, like walking, eating, potentially even driving,” Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic said. It isn’t clear why some individuals have adverse reactions and others do not. There is a possibility that some individuals are prone to those kinds of sleeping disorders.

FDA officials are now saying the three drugs zolpidem, eszopiclone and zaleplon should not be given to anyone with a complex sleep history. This includes individuals with a history of sleepwalking. While the more extreme side effects are relatively rare, many of them can be life-threatening.

Talk To Your Doctor About Concerns

The new black box requirement has stemmed from a recent FDA safety review. After the review, the FDA found 66 cases where patients engaged in some kind of life-threatening behavior while they were asleep (under the influence of the sleep aid). People observed suffered from serious falls, burns, car crashes, lost limbs, and even near drowning. Of the 66 cases identified by the FDA, 20 individuals died.

All in all, this is a good reminder that sleeping pills are not the only answer when it comes to sleep disorders and insomnia. “Ten to 15 percent of adults in America have a chronic insomnia disorder and very often they’ve been treated with these medications as first-line therapy,” Foldvary-Schaefer said. “Other treatments, not medicine but behavioral therapies, work as well, if not better, long-term.”

Those having trouble sleeping should try meditation or other relaxation techniques prior to bedtime. You can also try to make an overall better sleeping environment for yourself.

Most importantly, if you have concerns about your behavior while taking prescribed sleep medication, talk with your doctor about your options. 

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