MindQuest Life Strategies - Professional Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy in Ipswich and SuffolkTidBits of the mind - the blog of this that and the other mind, health and wellbeing related






Superfoods for the brain... and musings about edamame


16.09.2011

I did not particularly envisage tid bits of the mind as a food blog, but flicking through the latest issue of Natural Health magazine I came across a feature about the latest superfood that is taking the country by storm: the (not-so-)humble edamame bean.

Looking like a sugarsnap on steroids, edamame beans apparently provide 25% of our recommended daily iron intake in just one portion (not sure how many beans count as one portion but, as you will see further down, err on the side of caution!). Effectively young soy beans, edamames sport the usual superfood credentials: high in fibre, protein (twice as much as any other pulse), essential fats and minerals. Cleverly they are also full of isoflavones, which can help protect bones from osteoporosis and might keep artery walls flexible while reducing blood pressure. Additionally they are also packed with folic acid, which can not only reduce the risk of neural tube effects such as spina bifida in babies, but also gives you strong hair and nails. Ha! What's not to like?!

Apparently edamame are now so part of our diet that they are staple stock in supermarkets. Ok, not in my local ASDA or Tesco. But maybe I just thought they are GM mange tout and anyway I am now traumatised from my encounter with edamame, which took place in the rather more swanky surroundings of a fusion restaurant: Along with cocktails arrived a plate of...beans: " How very different " I thought " Mange tout and cocktails! What happened to the old peanut? Or olives? " . Thankfully I did not bust my cool credentials but kept schtumm, as my friend enthusiastically exclaimed: " Edamame! I lost so much weight when I was on a diet with them! " . Aware that these shiny green marbled are this-moments-superfood I tried them: taste-wise the effect was boiled beans without dressing. Which might explain the weight loss effect as the overall blandness does nothing to encourage going for seconds.

It should have put me off but hey, it did not. Which was not good because said beans' isoflavones, proteins and general goodness did not take kindly to being mixed with something as mundane as alcohol. The effect was probably akin to what happens in a vodka distillery. I was in pain. I sat doubled-over on a friend's couch, contemplating a visit to A&E. Only the unhealthiness of a can of full-fat coke managed to probably evaporate the evil super-beans and put me out of my stomach-cramped misery. Not to be repeated.

For tried and tested superfoods that boost your brain rather than do your head in (sorry...) try:

Nuts, broccoli, sage, blackcurrants, oily fish, (pumpkin) seeds, blueberries, tomatoes, leafy greens and avocados.

And ok; edamame are probably really good, too...combined with suitable foods.

Howling at the Moon - how full moon nights affect us

13-9-11 keywords: full moon, lunar effect, psychology, bipolar

Were you affected by the full moon yesterday? A sleepless night, strange dreams? Or even a rapid increase in body hair that seems to moult off today? Maybe you noticed people behaving more erratically than on non-full moon days?

The illuminated disk of a full moon floating serenely across the night sky still holds as much fascination nowadays as it did in earlier times, when werewolf tales and mysticisms abound:

We still believe the full moon triggers an array of erratic behaviours and strange events: more homicides, more fights, more dog bites, traffic accidents and emergency room admissions. In 2007 several UK police departments increased staff numbers on full moon nights to cope with higher crime rates (unlikely to happen with all the cuts nowadays). The irresistible pull of the full moon is even rumoured to increase birth rates. In fact, the very term ‘lunatic’ is coined by the name of the Roman moon goddess: Luna.

But before you brace yourself for the next full moon – there is actually no evidence that the lunar lunacy effect exists. Sorry!

A 1985 study by psychologists Ivan W. Kelly (University of Saskatchewan), James Rotton (Florida International University) and astronomer Roger Culver (Colorado State University) came up empty-handed when they looked for evidence of the lunar effect. I know, bummer...

Even research that seemed to prove the moon's influence upon us mortals fell short on closer investigation: A 1982 study of the relation between the number of traffic accidents and the full moon did indeed show an increase in accidents. However, during the period of the study, most full moon days fell on a weekend, when more people drive. Re-analyzing the data with the weekend-driver effect taken into account, the lunar effect vanished.

However, an intriguing idea might explain how all the myths surrounding a full moon started:

Before the advent of modern times and subsequent general 24/7 light, the bright light of the full moon might have deprived people of sleep – including those with severe mental disorders. While sleep deprivation can leave even the best of us jittery, it often triggers erratic behaviour in people with certain psychological disorders such as bipolar disorders or schizophrenia. Which might have caused people in long-bygone eras to associate a full moon with a surge in bizarre behaviour.

Then again, next time, on a full moon night, when you discount that hairy four–legged creature trotting down the street as the neighbour's Alsatian, remember that science might have just overlooked that tiny bit of evidence that might just prove the transformational influence of that white disk...

A blog about psychotherapy? Why?!

Ah no – not another blog! After stoically dodging the trend and even muttering that there is just no necessity for everybody to broadcast their thoughts on all and sundry I’ve succumbed…here’s my first blog post.

Why have I decided to join the bandwagon?

Basically I got asked so many questions by my clients where I later on thought that the topics might be interesting to a wider audience. I also get very excited by all the new (and not so new) developments in the fields of psychology, mind, neuroscience, mind-body-link, spirituality and general health and well-being. Generally I was quite content rambling away about it at friends and family, until their suggestions to go and write a blog instead couldn’t be ignored anymore.

So here it is: Tid bits of the mind.

Enjoy!