Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

If you’re looking for a tasty way to hydrate in warm weather, a juicy melon is the ticket. Melons are low-calorie, high-water content foods that also provide high doses of certain vitamins, minerals and important phyto-nutrients. Nutrients in Powerhouse Melons Cantaloupe: vitamins A and C, carotenoids, folate and potassium Honeydew: vitamins B and C, potassium and copper Watermelon: lycopene, vitamins A and C, and potassium To pick the perfect melon, gently rap it with your knuckles. If it makes a dull thud, it’s full of juice, and ripe for consumption. As refreshing as it is to bite into a melon, don’t limit yourself to snacking on chunks or wedges. Melons make great ingredients for salads, like the popular combination of watermelon and feta over arugula. Honeydew pairs well with cilantro and lime for a twist on salsa. And there are few easier appetizer recipes than melon and prosciutto, a centuries-old Italian antipasto that’s ideal for entertaining. Here’s a crunchy take on this tasty dish to serve at your next cookout or dinner get-together. The ingredients can be multiplied as needed. Melon and Prosciutto 4 slices prosciutto 1 small ripe cantaloupe, seeded and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces Preheat your oven… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Relationships are a necessary part of healthy living. Though no relationship is perfect, an unhealthy relationship can cause discomfort and harm, says the University of Washington. The school mentions signs of an unhealthy relationship: Neglecting yourself or your partner. Feeling pressure to change who you are or quit activities you enjoy. Frequently feeling the need to justify your actions. Feeling obligated to have sex. Feeling a lack of fairness and equality. If a partner tries to harm you physically or sexually, get help without delay.

The food-mood connection isn’t all in your head. In fact, there’s even a name for it — nutritional psychiatry. Scientists in the field are actively looking for connections between diet quality and mental disorders to help treat or even prevent these illnesses. One research review found that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish may reduce depression risk, with special emphasis on getting the omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Aim for a 3-ounce serving of halibut, salmon, herring, mackerel, oysters, sardines, trout or fresh tuna a few times a week. More Omega-3 Sources Walnuts Flaxseed Chia seeds Pumpkin seeds Other studies have zeroed in on nutrition shortfalls and found a link between depression and deficiencies in vitamin D and the B vitamin folic acid as well as omega-3s. Folic Acid Sources Oranges and grapefruit Strawberries Broccoli Leafy greens If you don’t get some daily sun exposure, it can be hard for your body to make the vitamin D it needs. You can get some D in wild salmon, sardines, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified milk. Talk to your doctor about a blood test to measure your level and determine if you also need a supplement. How to put all these findings together? Following the classic Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduced risk not only of depression and cognitive impairment, but… read on >

The rise in colon cases among younger adults that’s been seen in the United States is also occurring in wealthier nations worldwide, new research shows. In the decade leading up to 2014, the number of cases of colon cancer among people under 50 increased by 3% a year in Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and by 1% per year in Britain. The increase was most pronounced among those aged 20 to 29, noted a team led by Dr. Marzieh Araghi, from International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. Among twenty-somethings, colon cancer cases rose by 18% a year in Denmark and 11% in Norway, according to the study published May 16 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hematology. “Although the incidence of colorectal cancer in adults younger than 50 years remains much lower compared with that in older age groups, our findings are of concern and highlight the need for action to counteract the rising burden of the disease in younger people,” Araghi said in a journal news release. The increase in cases among the young runs counter to declines in colon cancer among people over 50, the researchers pointed out. For example, between 2004 and 2014 cases of colon cancer fell each year among people over 50 — by 2% in Australia and Canada, 3% in New Zealand, and 1% annually in… read on >

Athletes are supposed to be strong and self-assured, so many don’t seek help for mental health issues, a new study finds. It’s not just the stigma of mental illness that prompts many to tough it out alone, but also busy schedules, gender stereotyping and lack of understanding about mental health issues. That’s the consensus of researchers from Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States, who looked at 52 studies covering more than 13,000 elite athletes in 71 sports. The findings were published May 16 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. “Athletes fear, possibly rightly so, that disclosing mental health symptoms or disorders would reduce their chances of maintaining or signing a professional team contract or an advertising campaign,” the researchers said in a journal news release. It’s up to coaches and sport-governing bodies to help remove the stigma of mental illness and encourage mental well-being, the study authors added. As many as one in three elite athletes suffers from mental illness. The demands of training to improve performance heighten the risk, the researchers noted. Stigma was the most common factor in not seeking help, the investigators found. Mental illness was seen as a sign of weakness rather than the “hallmark of a winner,” according to the report. “Coaches could be important agents for supporting positive mental health attitudes within the elite athlete environment, including… read on >

Java junkies can sniff out even tiny amounts of coffee, and the more they drink, the better they can smell it, British researchers say. It’s a discovery with powerful implications for treating people addicted to substances with a distinct smell. “The higher the caffeine use, the quicker a person recognized the odor of coffee,” said study leader Lorenzo Stafford. He is an olfactory expert at the University of Portsmouth, in England. Not only could the regular coffee drinkers among the more than 90 volunteers quickly detect the aroma of a heavily diluted coffee chemical, their ability to do so increased with their level of craving, the findings showed. “The more they desired caffeine, the better their sense of smell for coffee,” Stafford said in a university news release. It’s the first evidence that java junkies are more sensitive to the smell of coffee, according to the study published recently in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Researchers had wondered if coffee drinkers and non-drinkers responded differently to the smell, and whether cravings might be related to an increased ability to detect it. Describing caffeine as the “most widely consumed psychoactive drug,” Stafford said the findings suggest that changes in the ability to detect smells could be a useful index of drug dependency. The study authors said their work could lead to new methods of aversion… read on >

Suicide rates are on the rise among American children, but the increase is greatest among girls, a new study finds. “Overall, we found a disproportionate increase in female youth suicide rates compared to males, resulting in a narrowing of the gap between male and female suicide rates,” said study author Donna Ruch. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Americans aged 10 to 19, with rates historically higher in boys than girls. However, recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a greater increase in suicide rates among girls than boys. In this study, the researchers examined data on youth suicides from 1975 through 2016. The findings showed that youth suicide rates for both sexes fell in the early 1990s. But they have increased for both sexes since 2007, with larger increases among girls than boys, particularly among girls aged 10 to 14. Rates of female suicides by hanging or suffocation are approaching those of males, which is troubling considering the “gender paradox” in suicidal behavior, according to study co-author Jeff Bridge, director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research. Females have higher rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior, such as thinking about and attempting suicide, but more males die by… read on >

Coupons, samples, branded hats and T-shirts: When teens use or wear promotional items from companies that make alternative tobacco products like electronic cigarettes, they are more likely to try those products, new research shows. The study included 757 California teens, aged 13 to 19, who were followed for a year. At the beginning of the year, none of them had ever used alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, pipes and hookahs. However, 81 owned items that promoted tobacco products, including 52 who owned promotional items for e-cigarettes. During the next year, 129 participants (17%) started using alternative tobacco products but not traditional cigarettes, and 12 began using traditional cigarettes alone or in combination with alternative tobacco products, the findings showed. Before adjusting for other factors, the researchers found that teens who owned promotional items were 2.3 times more likely to try alternative tobacco products than those who did not. After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, maternal education level and baseline alcohol and cigarette use, teens who owned promotional materials were 2.1 times more likely to begin using alternative tobacco products. Among teens who tried both alternative tobacco products and cigarettes, the influence of owning promotional materials was not statistically significant, the researchers said. The findings were published online May 17 in JAMA Network Open. “The increase in use of alternative tobacco… read on >