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Readers reply: what are thoughts? Where do they come from – and where do they go?The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts Nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. Photograph: Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images
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The internet is distressed by this diagram that shows why Jerry's hallway could not exist by all known logic.
Like, how did she hear Jo? And what else has she heard?
It can be tempting to feel like it's too late to get in shape.Middle-aged adults who were never self-proclaimed "health nuts" from the start may feel like the time for major lifestyle changes has passed. However, new research from the American Health Association (AHA) suggests that this point in life might be the perfect time to create a healthy meal plan and pick up a new gym routine.Using data from the Framingham Heart Study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the new study revealed that eating healthy and exercising regularly in your midlife may be significant for maintaining your heart health in your golden years. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now).Specifically, the research found that adopting these two lifestyle habits midlife can lower your chances of metabolic syndrome, a group of harmful conditions that can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other serious heart conditions. The question is, what should you be eating if you want to protect your heart?"I would recommend eating just a wide variety of fruits and vegetables," Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RDN, AHA volunteer expert, and former chair of the AHA's Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, told Eat This, Not That! in an interview. "But, you know, [you] have to eat other things as well…whole grains, nuts, and seeds."Dr. Kris-Etherton also recommends focusing on including other plant-based foods into your diet like nut and seed butter varieties, such as almond butter and sunflower seed butter. Without a doubt, it's much easier to follow a healthy plant-based diet when you're cooking at home. If you're dining at a restaurant, it can be a bit more challenging to find healthy foods on the menu that aren't doused in salty seasonings and sugary sauces.However, Kris-Etherton reassures that it's possible. "A lot of restaurants now are featuring some of the ancient grains on their menus, and one, in particular, is quinoa," she says. "And that would be a really good side dish or a main dish, along with lean protein foods and fruits and vegetables."Of course, diet is just one piece of the puzzle. It's also key to get plenty of exercise and to keep your workouts varied."People need both aerobic exercise and strength training," said Dr. Kris-Etherton. "And so people should exercise at least 150 minutes per week, and that should be of moderate physical activity, so get out there and walk. Then, don't forget the strength training twice per week."She noted that while the association has not issued any guidelines regarding how long you should spend on strength training, it should be a key part of your exercise routine.For more tips on what to eat to keep your heart healthy for as long as possible, be sure to check out These Are the Two Best Diets For Heart Health, According to Doctors.
Right now, the coronavirus is the #1 health concern in the land, but keeping your heart healthy should also remain paramount: Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in America, according to the CDC, with 655,381 dying from it yearly. And since COVID-19 can cause heart problems, it makes sense to make sure your ticker is ticking properly. "Even if we feel healthy now, the point of this is to avoid a heart attack in the next 10 to 20 years," says cardiologist Tarak Rambhatla, MD, about the importance of yearly physicals to suss out potential issues. "If we have underlying cardiac risk factors that we don't realize, those can progress to real disease in 10-15 years," he says. "If you at least know those numbers, it will give you a good framework for identifying risk factors [for heart attacks and disease]." Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Signs Your Illness is Actually Coronavirus in Disguise. 1 Get Your Flu Shot Flu? And heart health? What's the connection? This: Adults over 65 are more likely to experience fatal flu complications, including heart attacks. That's why cardiologists like Allen J. Taylor, MD, Chair of Cardiology at the MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute, get flu shots every year. "Many individuals are unaware that their risk of a heart attack increases by up to 10 times in the days and weeks after an acute flu infection," he says. A flu shot can also ensure you don't get the flu on top of coronavirus, a potentially deadly double-threat. 2 Moderate Your Stress Levels "Stress hormones can cause an increase in cortisol which causes an increase in visceral fat (fat around your organs) which directly impacts heart health," says Andrea Paul, MD. Stress can increase adrenaline, a hormone that kicks in your "fight or flight" response—and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Keeping those numbers elevated creates an inflammatory response in the body, which in turn can cause heart issues, including heart disease and even heart attacks. 3 Unglue Yourself From Your Phone Cardiologists—like most of us—are glued to their phones. While they have to be available for work reasons, they also know the value in shutting down.And they're right: A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that "constant checkers"—or people who are always looking at social media, email, and other apps on their smartphones—are more stressed than those who aren't. "Take a holiday from your smart devices on the weekend," recommends Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and American Heart Association volunteer expert. "Choose a weekend day to take a break." 4 Avoid Toxins "Chemicals in processed foods, pesticides, alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, and sweeteners all put strain on the cardiovascular system," says Shae Leonard, a licensed Physician Assistant and functional medicine clinician. "This causes oxidative stress leading to vessel damage, deposit buildup, and cardiovascular disease." 5 Pay Attention to Your Blood Sugar "Increased blood sugar is where it starts (leads to oxidative damage to arteries, endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, and eventually plague and cholesterol buildup/blockages," says Leonard. "Get lab work done regularly to strive for optimal levels not just 'normal' or 'within normal limits'; this is not optimal." 6 Get a Good Night's Sleep "Always allow enough time to sleep 8 – 9 hours each night," says Dr. Beverly Yates. "Create and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Go to sleep at the same time each night and awaken at the same time each morning." 7 Push Away From the Table "Pay attention to whether you are hungry when you eat. Pause frequently when eating so that your body has time to notice whether you are full," says Dr. Poston. "Keep track of your eating habits to see if you are eating out of boredom or to ease stress." 8 Exercise "Any amount of exercise is better than none at all," says Leann Poston, MD. "Set a goal whether it is steps per day, climbing stairs, or just participating more in any activity that gives you pleasure and requires movement." "The best exercise for your heart is the exercise you will actually do," says Dr. Yates. "Consistency matters." 9 Drink Coffee Worried that your morning cup—or three—of joe will hurt your heart? Don't be. "Fortunately, coffee is still OK and even somewhat protective for heart disease and diabetes," says Richard Collins, MD, a cardiologist based in Littleton, Colorado.A recent study conducted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London found that even drinking as many as 25 cups of coffee a day won't impact your heart. While most of us don't drink that much, another study by German researchers found that drinking four cups can help endothelial cells—or cells that line the inside of blood vessels—function better, which in turn can help the heart pump blood more effectively. 10 Don't Forget About Your Vitamins "The most important dietary stress leading to heart disease is a deficiency of B12 and folate. A deficit in either of these causes an increase in the cellular waste product homocysteine," says Sheldon Zablow, MD. "As this toxin increases, it causes inflammation of the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels in the heart and it increases the thickness of the blood. This combination causes an increase in blood clots which leads to heart disease and strokes."RELATED: What Taking a Multivitamin Every Day Does To Your Body 11 Limit Sodium While the American Heart Association recommends 2,300 mg of sodium a day maximum, the average adult consumes more than 3,400 mg. This can spell trouble for your health because sodium is one of the leading contributors to high blood pressure, one of the risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks.Avoid those risks by limiting added salt as much as possible."For packaged foods, the nutrition fact panel may be useful in identifying lower sodium products, and for menu items, diners can request sodium content information," said the study's lead researcher, Lisa J. Harnack, Dr.PH., professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "Also, if you frequently add salt to food at the table or in home food preparation, consider using less." 12 Don't Smoke "Over time, smoking contributes to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries) and increases your risk of having and dying from heart disease, heart failure, or a heart attack," says The NIH. "Compared with nonsmokers, people who smoke are more likely to have heart disease and suffer from a heart attack."RELATED: The Easiest Way to Avoid a Heart Attack, Say Doctors 13 Avoid Heavy Alcohol Drinking While a few drinks can be good for heart health, such as raising your "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels, if you don't already drink, your heart shouldn't be a reason to start. "Regular or high alcohol use can hurt your heart and lead to diseases of the heart muscle, called cardiomyopathy," says WebMD. "Drinking alcohol regularly also can raise your blood pressure." 14 Invest in Self Care "My best advice to myself, friends/family and patients is to take a hard stance on 20-30 minutes of self-care which can take the form of meditation or relaxation other than screen time," says Sonal Chandra, MD. "This self-work takes precedence over any other work—the rest can wait!" So follow those fundamental mitigation measures for your heart, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
In brief: The Book of Difficult Fruit; Early Morning Riser; Sex Robots & Vegan Meat – reviewsA foray into the world of tricky fruit, unquiet life in small-town Michigan, and a savvy guide to the science of life Katherine Heiny: ‘Anne Tyler with added grunge’. Photograph: Leila Barbaro
Chick-fil-A's popularity has been well-documented. For six consecutive years, the Atlanta-based chain has taken first place on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index. Then a few years ago, Business Insider and Foursquare went so far as to name it America's favorite fast-food restaurant, publishing a map that showed Chick-fil-A as the most popular chain in 39 out of the 50 states.But if you look at this map more closely, you might notice an interesting outlier: almost the entirety of the East Coast is blocked out as "Chick-fil-A-states," except for one. The state of Vermont. And not only is the chain not popular in the state—it has no locations there at all. In fact, Vermont is the only mainland state without a Chick-fil-A restaurant. (RELATED: 7 New Fast-Food Chicken Sandwiches Everyone's Talking About.)There are a few possible explanations for this. Perhaps Vermont is too sparsely populated to be an attractive place for Chick-fil-A to bring its business—by a 2021 estimate, Vermont is the second least populous state in the U.S. There's also the fact that Chick-fil-A is notoriously selective in its application process, granting franchises to only about 1% of all applicants. It's possible that Vermont has simply failed to produce a competitive candidate. Yea, that could make sense.On the other hand, its absence from the Green Mountain State might have something to do with the chain's history of legal trouble in Vermont. In 2011, Chick-fil-A became entangled in a trademark dispute with a popular Vermont silk-screen artist Robert Muller-Moore. Moore had designed the "Eat More Kale" slogan on behalf of a farmer friend, with the goal of promoting Vermont's agriculture and produce. But when he attempted to trademark it, Chick-fil-A contested his application, claiming the slogan infringed on their own popular "Eat Mor Chikin" trademark.A three-year legal battle ensued, during which the residents and even heads of state weren't shy in expressing whose side they were on. Muller-Moore received public support from Vermont's governor, and ultimately claimed victory in 2014, when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved his application.Could the "Eat More Kale" dispute be the reason Chick-fil-A has yet to open a restaurant in Vermont? While Muller-Moore has heard "neither hide nor hair" from Chick-fil-A since 2014, they popped back up on the state's radar in 2016, when they debuted a kale salad side dish served with—wait for it—maple vinaigrette. Maple is one of Vermont's major exports, and the move was seen by some (including Muller-Moore) as an overt jab at the state.Whatever the case may be, Chick-fil-A remains an immensely popular fast-food chain, and with plans to open a location in Helena, Alaska, they are quickly closing in on a complete national presence. Before they can get to fifty states, though, they may have to patch things up with Vermont. For more on the latest fast-food trends, check out 9 Best Limited-Time Fast Foods on Menus Right Now, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
Food marketing is so ubiquitous, we almost don't notice it anymore—all the ads in everything from grocery stores to magazines to billboards, and even on some gas pumps—but it turns out that it's succeeding, maybe a little too well.A new study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology looked at how responsive people are to food marketing messages, and whether their buying habits might sync up based on weight. Turns out, that's true.Researchers followed three groups: people with severe obesity before and after weight-loss surgery; people with obesity who weren't having surgery; and people categorized as normal weight. Each group was shown a breadth of branding and advertising messages and asked to estimate the calorie content in the foods and beverages they were being shown. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now).Everyone in the study underestimated the calorie contents, but the effect was more significant in people with obesity. To delve deeper into whether this had an impact on actions, researchers asked participants to choose a portion of French fries based on different wording. For example, the amount of fries in a "mini" size were actually the same as one labeled "small.""This is a marketing tactic that makes larger portions seem more reasonable," says lead researcher Yann Cornil, PhD, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business. "Those with obesity were more likely to follow this labeling as opposed to the actual information about quantity, and that could lead to them eating more than they'd planned."By contrast, those in the normal-weight group were much less responsive to this marketing and tended to choose their fries portion based on actual quantity rather than labeling.The good news, Cornil adds, is that weight loss seems to have an effect on those who are more prone to these marketing tricks. The group of participants who went through weight-loss surgery became less responsive to this marketing over time. A year after their surgery, their amount of responsiveness was about the same as those in the normal-weight group.Keep in mind that the reasons are complex, says Cornil. For instance, people who experience weight loss have several physiological shifts—including hormonal changes and improvements to gut health—that could make them less likely to respond to food marketing. At the same time, they usually have a higher desire to change their habits and that could make them less prone to unhealthy food messaging.Whatever the reason, it's helpful to remember that food marketing is exactly that: advertising designed to get you to eat more, all the time. And as you lose weight, it seems to lose its power.For more, be sure to check out 10 Worst Snacks That Should Never Be In Your Pantry.
Glenda Jackson: ‘Awards should be something you share… the camaraderie was absent’. Her performance in Elizabeth Is Missing won the veteran actress a Bafta and an Emmy – and she hasn’t missed dressing up for the virtual ceremonies
In the late 1990s, McDonald's was riding a wave of growth that had lasted some four decades. The beloved burger chain was adding new locations every year, and during that time, a new type of McDonald's restaurant started to proliferate—one located inside Walmart centers.While the partnership between the two American giants yielded strong results for a while, the concept started to lose steam by 2010. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of McDonald's locations in Walmart had gone from 875 to around 630, according to Grocery Dive. And that was only the beginning. (RELATED: 7 New Fast-Food Chicken Sandwiches Everyone's Talking About.)Just in the past year, some 100 McDonald's units situated inside a Walmart have shut down, according to East Idaho News. The shuttered Walmart restaurants represent nearly half of all closures the fast-food chain had undergone during that time period. With more closures planned through this summer, it is estimated the chain will have about 150 remaining locations inside the big-box stores.This trend isn't surprising at all. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically curtailed in-store shopping at Walmart centers nationwide and moved the retail experience online. But even before the pandemic, in-store McDonald's locations have always seen lower traffic compared to stand-alone units, especially those with drive-thru locations, which account for some 95% of McDonald's in America, according to East Idaho News.And it's hardly a regional issue. In recent weeks, a McDonald's located inside a Walmart in Camden, Del. shut down, as did several such units around Bradenton, Fla., and in Idaho. For more on the most shocking fast-food chain closures, check out 10 Biggest Restaurant Chain Bankruptcies of 2020. And don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha N Blain review – a resounding history of African AmericaIn this rich anthology spanning 1619-2019, no fewer than 90 writers, historians, lawyers and activists challenge the myths of America’s past Ibram X Kendi, the book’s co-curator: ‘an able navigator of race relations’. Photograph: Jeff Watts/AP
He's "united in grief" with the rest of the royals.
Kyle Abraham’s When We Fell review – study of stillness and isolation in black and whiteAvailable onlineThe choreographer’s unhurried movements are rendered exquisitely on film by cinematographer Ryan Marie Helfant for New York City Ballet Space to move… the first scene of When We Fell is filmed in the lobby of the David H. Koch Theater in the Lincoln Center. Photograph: PR
‘We’ve been inundated’: England’s beauty salons say cash-splashing clients excited to return. Clamour for salon appointments comes as uncertainty remains over new rules on shorter, basic treatments
Romeo & Juliet review – Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor are outstanding. National Theatre/Sky ArtsBuckley and O’Connor head a terrific cast in this imaginatively pared down, made-for-TV production
Me and my ‘she shed’: women on the joys of their garden retreats. Move over man caves! Now women are discovering what a life-saver their own private sheds can be
Shark sketches, dinosaur drawings… My two-year-old thinks I'm a genius. My son’s ecstatic response to my drawing skills leaves me in no doubt – Damien Hirst would be blown away
Anita Sethi: 'I wanted something joyous to come out of this horrific experience'The Mancunian author on becoming a victim of a race-hate crime, walking the Pennine Way – and the memoir that followedRead an extract from I Belong Here by Anita Sethi Anita Sethi photographed near Edale in the Peak District, Derbyshire. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer
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