Most of the Ted Talks I post are about fifteen minutes long, but here is a shorter talk that still packs quite the punch. David Brooks gives a great five minute talk on two types of virtues; the dichotomy he describes between Adam I and Adam II really rang true for me. I constantly catch myself caught up in my Adam I virtues–striving to get into this or that program or wanting to get a certain grade. While Adam I certainly has a role in our lives, it is important to respect and nurture the virtues of Adam II in order to live a truly rich, fulfilling life. I plan to do a more in-depth post on this in the future, but for now…here is the amazing 5 minute Ted Talk!
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Can you think of moments where one Adam takes over in your life? How do you handle those moments?
A recipe that includes the word “milkshake” in the title sets a high bar, but I assure you this will not disappoint!
This is Designer Protein’s newest line of protein, “Native Whey.” This protein is cold filtered from non-GMO, grass-fed milk that has no antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. A lot of whey is a result of the leftover product of cheese-making, but native whey is different and processed at lower temperatures and is not exposed to ingredients involved in the cheese-making process. Native whey also more leucine, a crucial branched chain amino acid, and glutamine that most whey proteins. Leucine is an essential amino acid shown to help in muscle protein synthesis (aka turning that hard work from exercising into muscle) .
Beyond the nutrition, the powder tastes amazing. My mom, who hates the taste of stevia usually, really likes the flavor! That’s a win in my book. Without further ado, here is the recipe:
Combine all ingredients in high powered blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy! For a thicker, more decadent shake, add another tablespoon of cocoa powder. A note on the cocoa powder: NuNaturals is one of my favorites and using a Dutch-processed cocoa is a must to get the same rich flavor!
So many people live their lives pursuing perfection, I have addressed this topic in depth before, but believe it is worthy of endless discussion. One of my good friends passed this Ted Talk on to me after we chatted about the value of self-care. I love this talk’s approach to self-love through self-care practices; the notion of self-love can often feel so abstract, but thinking of it in terms of self-care is very helpful and concrete. This talk touches on so many issues–body image, social media, relationships–so fluidly. I hope you enjoy!
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Do you think of self-care as self-love in action? Do you agree with Iskra?
We know that nutrition plays a large role in our health, but in all honesty, I don’t think we truly know much more than that. What about nutrition science, you ask? Well, it’s not simply science. It’s also a lot of lobbying, policy, Dr. Oz, and business interests. For example, the dairy industry has convinced us that milk is a necessity for healthy growth and bones, yet there are few real, reputable studies to back the claim. Large scale studies have shown that female milk drinkers even face an increased risk of fractures later in life. Keep in mind that milk is not necessarily related to the increased risk, but it certainly shows that drinking milk may not have the protective power we are told it has.
This problem extends far beyond “Got Milk?” campaigns; there are so many misconceptions surrounding nutrition, especially when nutrition is so heavily influenced by business interests. Since March is National Nutrition Month, I thought this was the perfect time to share my thoughts on the current state of nutrition. And it’s a mess.
While I am not a nutritionist or registered dietitian, I do consider myself a scientist and strive to be an informed consumer, but being an informed consumer is FAR from easy. Those nutrition articles in Shape magazine, or even in reputable news sources or some research journals, are not always accurate. Those clinical studies shown on websites may not be factual. Many companies hire an external group to conduct studies, which means that many of those studies are funded by the brand and designed in a way to produce the most convincing results to support the product’s claims.
Mark Twain said it first.
I feel like this post has been a bomb of negativity, but I think it is so important to address. My advice for you is to always look for scholarly sources (peer-reviewed medical journals) for information, and make sure to read the note on any potential conflicts of interest the study or researchers might have. Beyond that, listen to your body. All of the nutrition advice in the world can’t compare to the specific ways your body functions. I think this is part of the challenge in the field, everyone’s body is different. We process and metabolize foods so differently depending on genes, the bacteria in our gut microbiome, or our past dietary choices. Keep this in mind, and take those nutrition articles with a grain of salt–something that may not be so bad for you after all.
References:
Michaëlsson, K., Wolk, A., Langenskiöld, S., Basu, S., Lemming, E. W., Melhus, H., & Byberg, L. (2014). Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies. Bmj, 349, g6015.
Now I am a self-proclaimed Positive Psychology addict, but this Ted Talk by researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi gives information that everyone can appreciate. The idea of flow is that moment when you “lose yourself” in something you love; it is a combination of skill and a challenge that extends a little further than we were able to go in the past. As a college student thinking about the next step I want to take in life, I am thinking about what activities put me into a state of flow and how I can find a career to match.
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What activity puts you in flow? Has it changed over time?
Growing up, I would often walk to Panera after school and get a cinnamon crunch bagel and I would get hungry again an hour later. Looking back now, I cannot say that I’m surprised. Those gigantic, refined flour, sugar-laden treats are are not exactly a wholesome snack–they pack 430 calories and 32 grams of sugar. That is eight teaspoons of sugar. Now I don’t want to demonize sugar or bagels, but so many of our modern day products have ballooned in size; a plain bagel twenty years ago was about half the size of today’s bagel.
Luckily, not all bagels are created equal and there are some great options out there that pack a great nutritional punch and taste amazing.
Enter: Western Bagel. The brand was generous enough to send me a sample pack of their Perfect 10 line bagels,which comes in Healthy Grain and Everything flavor.
Curious where the name comes from? Check out the nutrition stats:
The bagels have a whopping 19 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber–that’s what I would call a filling, healthy afternoon snack!
You can make it sweet with jam (I love Nature’s Hollow)…
Or savory…
It goes without saying that my freezer is fully stocked and ready; these are the perfect on-the-go snack for a long day at school or at work.
Use code “Hannah15” for 15% off your order! Note that you must finish making an account and refresh the page (logged in) before you can apply the code.
