health Archives - Page 6 of 22

Get All The Benefits Of Bone Broth–In A To Go Cup!

Bone broth or liquid gold?

Drinking bone broth offers many health benefits. Want a better digestive system? Drink some bone broth. Something to help ease the joint pain? Drink bone broth! When added to a health diet the health benefits of bone broth are endless.

nona lim broth cup with leaves in the background — *One great cup with so many health benefits!*

Bone broth’s inflammation reducing qualities come from the high amount amino acids in every cup. These special acids provide glycine which helps you sleep better, can reduce inflammation, increase stomach health, and can even aid a healthy weight-loss routine.

In addition to keeping your stomach healthy, the high protein content decreases hunger cravings. No more late-night snacks full of empty calories!

Bone broth is also pumped full of collagen! Have wrinkles? This nutrient-dense liquid does wonders for the body and wonders for your look! Collagen has been known to fight the signs of aging it keeps you looking, and feeling, younger longer!

With all the vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids, no wonder we call it “liquid gold.”

Bone Broth Has Been Known To

Boost Immunity – Studies have shown that bone broth boosts immunity in humans and animals.
Fight Inflammation – Amino acids such as cystine, histidine, and glycine, reduce inflammation.
Build Muscle – The amino acids found in bone broth can stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
Strengthen Bones & Teeth – Bone broth provides all the necessary vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin D, zinc, and more, for bone health and formation.
Improve Hydration – Electrolytes and carbohydrates from vegetables added to bone broth can rehydrate better than water alone.
Improve Mood – When your gut is happy, then you are happy. Bone broth supports a healthy gut biome. The broth reduces gut inflammation and fosters more healthy bacteria. When the gut is healthy, it sends happy signals to the brain, elevating your mood.
Fight Aging – The collagen from the bone reduces fine lines and wrinkles, and promotes healthier hair, skin, and stronger nails.

These are just some of the benefits that bone broth offers. The list goes on! However, it is difficult to get good quality broth without some effort. We think we found something good in Nona Lim.

*Nona Lim offers a variety of easy to heat and sip bone broths!*

If you know anything about bone broth, you probably also know the amount of time it takes to make. Roasting and boiling bones to draw out the flavor and nutrients can take hours! And while it is definitely worth the wait, there is a better way to reap the benefits!

If you don’t have 10+ hours to steep good broth, we have found the perfect thing- Nona Lims Heat & Sip Cups.

Our team snagged a few different broth flavors from Nona Lim, a company providing bone broth cups. The company’s owner found inspiration in her Asian heritage, using fresh, high-quality ingredients to bring the magic of bone broth to people who don’t have the time to make it themselves.

Nona Lim Reviews:

The Ease

Need a snack? Or in a time crunch and need something warm? These Nona Lim soup cups are what you are looking for.

The recyclable (or reusable) cup is environmentally friendly and easy to hold. The design resembles a coffee cup and lid with a cardboard sleeve, making it easy to hold in one hand and sip.

It’s a simple process to enjoy:

First, you shake up the contents in the cup.
Then you remove the lid and seal.
Microwave for 3 minutes.

3 minutes and done! Place the lid back on the cup, let it cool, and then begin enjoying the benefits of delicious bone broth!

to-go cup of nona lim bone broth — No need for a spoon! Just heat and sip!

The Taste

The company offers 8 different soup flavors, and 4 of them are bone broth. We tried 3 flavors: Ginseng Chicken Bone Broth, Turmeric Chicken Bone Broth, and Shiitake Beef Bone Broth.

And we did find a company favorite. The Turmeric Chicken Bone Broth was most loved by everyone. This flavor contained a great set of simple organic ingredients: chicken bone broth, water, goji berries, ginger, kosher salt, and turmeric. It was the perfect balance of spices, not overwhelming at all. One coworker stated it was “full-bodied and the most flavorful.” It definitely left us wanting more.

The company prides itself on using the best ingredients without additives or preservatives, and it shows.

The Rates

When it comes to the ease and comfort of these cups, everyone agreed they were convenient.

taste testers for broth in an office — *Bottom line? Nona Lim is a tasty addition to a cupboard, but maybe not so much for the wallet.*

While the bone broth was great by itself, everyone agreed it would make a fantastic soup base, adding more ingredients like fresh carrots, garlic, and noodles to enhance the benefits (and the tastiness).

The consensus was that it was a bit costly in organic for an every day addition but definitely worth it once in a while. Luckily we later learned that Nona Lim can be found at more affordable retailers, like Walmart, for a much better price that makes these cups a no brainer!

It was amazing to discover that bone broth had so many benefits for your joints, aids in sleep, promotes weight loss, and more. Everyone wants to be healthier quicker and Nona Lim’s broth can help.

In Remembrance of Pearl Harbor

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” –Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressing the US Congress

USA Hawaii O'ahu, Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial. — *People from all over the world come to visit this memorial.*

Pearl Harbor is a US naval base in Hawaii. Many people lost their lives that December, and we hold the 7th in remembrance of the dead. However, we understand the attack only from a romantic version of those events–either through short lessons in a history book or from the feature film. If you look closer, the event is much more complicated.

Before the Attack

The US and Japan had strained relations before any aggressive action was taken. In 1937, Japan showed hostility towards China, and in response, the US put trade embargos in place to show that we didn’t support those actions.

While both Japan and America engaged in peace talks, neither would budge on their position.

The US put their Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Even though it was an improbable target (The island is 4,000 miles from Japan.), there were cautions from inside the American navy.

Theoretical naval games were played years earlier, and the results were that Pearl Harbor was a dangerous weakness. Admiral James Richardson took information from these games and protested when the entire Pacific Fleet was moved there. However, President Roosevelt went ahead anyhow, going so far as to remove the Admiral from his office.

Honolulu, USA - January 13, 2014: USS Arizona Memorial Entrance, Pear Harbor, Hawaii, USA — *The Arizona sustained the most damage–and the most loss of life.*

The Japanese sent a message to their American embassy 30 minutes before the attack. This was to declare war on America, thereby removing the evils of a surprise assault. However, the message was not only translated too late, but it was also confusing in its meaning:

“Thus the earnest hope of the Japanese Government to adjust Japanese-American relations and to preserve and promote the peace of the Pacific through cooperation with the American Government has finally been lost.

The Japanese Government regrets to have to notify hereby the American Government that in view of the attitude of the American Government it cannot but consider that it is impossible to reach an agreement through further negotiations.”

We can infer this meaning retrospectively, but the last two paragraphs of the message still seem deliberately unclear.

What Happened

The plan was to destroy the American Pacific Fleet, or at least cripple it enough that Japanese interests in the South Pacific would be unbothered.

The attack started at around 8 a.m. and continued for around 2 hours. Because of their intelligence gained from a spy, the Japanese knew where to strike and planned accordingly. Three waves came in, prioritizing targets like the battleships and the airfields.

The most devastating losses were sustained by ships like the USS Arizona. An 1800 pound bomb struck the ship, detonating their forward ammunition magazine. The ship sank with over 1,000 people trapped inside.

That was only one large event in a catastrophic attack. Twenty ships sustained intense damage and over 300 planes were destroyed. Even worse, 2403 people lost their lives that day.

The Aftermath

pearl harbor veterans talking at a memorial event — *Veterans fought on the front lines and experienced so much. Take time to thank a veteran you know on their memorial event.*

Pearl Harbor recovered from the assault quickly. While the military fleet was crippled, the support facilities were relatively untouched. (The repair docks, shipyards, and oil storage) Another strange stroke of luck was the strength of our aircraft carriers. They ended up being a huge asset during the war, and most were absent during the attack.

The most influential part of this day was the US entering World War II.

The attack unified the US, giving a solid reason for joining the war effort. The next day, President Roosevelt got the go-ahead from Congress to declare war on Japan. As Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy retaliated by declaring war on America. With this domino effect, we entered one of the world’s darkest conflicts.

Pete Buttigieg’s Plan To Expand Health Coverage

Following the recent democratic debates, Mayor of South Bend, IN, Pete Buttigieg has sparked conversations lately. The democratic debate found disagreements and controversy revolving around healthcare.

drawing of a person walking down a road with 3 paths in arrows — *Pete Buttigieg wants to create healthcare that provides people with the option of choosing private health insurance or government healthcare.*

Very few wanted Medicare For All, while the majority thought it should be up to the people whether they wanted private or government health insurance. Buttigieg introduced a middle-ground approach, allowing people to opt into the government health insurance while allowing them to keep private plans. The main point was to give people an option.

Options

Buttigieg’s proposal would not force people into a government health plan. He prefers that it be an option for the public to enroll or not. The idea behind the options is that it would force private insurance companies to compete with the government plan on price and coverage, hopefully bringing down the costs. He puts a lot of emphasis on giving Americans their right to choose and trusting them to make the right choice for themselves.

“For years, Washington politicians have allowed the pharmaceutical industry, giant insurance companies, and powerful hospital systems to profit off of people when they are at their sickest and most vulnerable,” he said. “My ‘Medicare for All Who Want It’ plan will create a health care system that puts power in the hands of each American.”

Promoting His Proposal

The mayor sponsored this proposal on Facebook saying, “Medicare for All Who Want It will create a public alternative, but unlike the Sanders-Elizabeth Warren vision, it doesn’t dictate to the American people and risk further polarizing them.” Another ad simply states, “I trust the American people to make their health care decisions for themselves.”

The Operation

The uninsured and low-income Americans who live in states without expanded Medicaid would be automatically enrolled in the government plan. Also, people with access to an employer’s plan would be able to join if that offered coverage is too expensive.

Buttigieg’s government’s plan would cover all of the 10 essential health benefits, including emergency services, hospitalization, and maternity care, which are currently mandated by the ACA. The mayor also wants to boost federal subsidies by capping premiums at 8.5% of income, and the base of subsidies would be on the Gold Plan’s cost, rather than the Silver Plans.

A slver key with a green tag on it that says "health" — *“Hospitals, not patients, should bear the responsibility of verifying that their providers are included in their insurance networks, whether for private plans or public programs.”*

One last thing that Buttigieg would like to include in his plan, is to get rid of “surprise” medical billing. This occurs often when patients visit a doctor or hospital only to receive a hefty bill in the mail because they were out of network.

His game plan is to ensure that in-network hospitals be billed as just that–in-network. This is to be done even if the doctors and labs are out of network. “Hospitals, not patients, should bear the responsibility of verifying that their providers are included in their insurance networks, whether for private plans or public programs,” reads Buttigieg’s plan.

The mayor’s plan will cost about $1.5 trillion over 10 years, but he is hopeful that the American people will be happy with his proposal. The reason being that they will not be forced into government healthcare. The candidacy is still in its early stages, so only time will tell the future of America’s healthcare, under Buttigieg’s plan or another.

Get Ready For The 2020 Health Insurance Tax

Insurers were given a pass in 2019 by Congress regarding their annual health insurance tax. The reason was that the government was concerned about consumers’ out-of-pocket costs. However, if the ACA’s health insurance tax resumes as planned, this ‘free pass’ might be over and insurers will face a $15.5 billion tax bill in 2020. The health insurance tax

Silhouette of a man holding another man upside down with money falling out. — *Insurers might face a $15.5 billion tax bill in 2020, meaning health insurance premium costs will go up at least 2% next year.*

was created to fund the implementation of the ACA’s marketplace exchanges. For consumers, this means that insurers will raise premiums by more than 2% if the tax is implemented by the IRS.

Health Insurance Tax Over The Years

Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting recently analyzed the projected impact of the health insurance tax on health insurer premiums over the next 10 years. They found that premiums are likely to increase by 2.2% in 2020.

The tax started at $8 billion in 2014, increased to $11.3 billion for 2015-2016, and had a suspension in 2017. The tax was then reinstated at $14.3 billion in 2018, and then given another suspension for the year of 2019.

Who It Applies To

A fully-insured health plan is the more traditional way to structure an employer-sponsored health plan. With a fully-insured health plan: The company pays a premium to the insurance carrier. The health insurance tax applies to all insurers offering fully-insured coverage. This goes for :

on-exchange and off-exchange individual markets
large and small group markets
insured public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

The Rise In Premiums

Premium increases will vary by state. However, premiums are expected to increase annually anywhere from $154 to $479. A person in the individual market can face a $196 increase. A person in the small group market can expect a $154 increase, while a family of 4 faces a $479 increase. As for families in the large group market, the increase for an individual will be about $158, while a family faces a $458 increase.

Two arrow signs in yellow. The top one says health and points right, the bottom one says illness and points left. — *The rise in premium costs might cause a lot of people to opt out of insurance, throwing off the risk pool.*

The Outcome Following The Tax

If the tax is implemented and is as high as almost $16 billion, then increased tax burdens on small employers will follow. Fully-insured small employers will face the repercussions, while private and self-insured public employers will not. Employers are not the only ones who will have to pay for the tax increase. State taxes will go up for everyone in order to cover the increased tax on Medicaid.

More importantly, many people might opt out of insurance due to the increase in premium costs. Healthier individuals opting-out will cause an imbalance in the risk pool, meaning higher premiums for the (less healthy) people who are insured.

As of now, there is no definitive answer if the tax will be implemented in 2020. Congress is considering bipartisan legislation that would suspend the tax through 2021, but it is not a guarantee. If the health insurance tax is implemented, insurance rates and premiums will be more expensive than it already is.

Men’s Health: Where to Begin

It’s Men’s Health Awareness Month, and guess what–a majority of men don’t prioritize their health. As a man working on this, I’ve found this problem stems from a low prioritization of our own bodies. We take care of our careers, our family members, and our relationships first, but we place our own physical health last. This even extends to gym-goers and bodybuilders. Sure, we have Crossfit and a mountain of protein supplements, but many people get critically injured with Crossfit, and many of those vitamin supplements are still full of sugar or dairy–things that contribute to poor health.

jogger running for men's health down a street — *Jogging is a great way to stay fit. If you don’t like this, swimming, cycling, or rowing are great cardio substitutes.*

Statistics show that on average, men die five years earlier than women. This has to mean something, if not a warning sign to take care of ourselves. (Or it’s evidence that women are truly the strong ones, but we won’t get into that here.)

People are dying in droves because of poor health; we just aren’t aware of how bad our habits are. First, we have to look at what exactly is killing us, then we can take steps to prevent it.

What Is Killing Us?

Modern technology has eliminated many threats that killed us even 50 years ago. Unfortunately, these are the main issues that we still have to worry about:

Diabetes
Suicide from depression
Prostate cancer
Cardiovascular disease

Not the sexiest list, is it? When men talk about how they want to die, it usually doesn’t involve taking their own life or a sudden heart attack. However, we don’t have threats in contemporary life like wars or fighting off bears. (If we must look at traditional “masculine” ways of dying) Our new enemies are food and mental illness.

doctor doing blood pressure for men's health — *It’s better to take preventative measures than to visit a doctor when it’s too late.*

Do you know which on this list is killing one-entire-third of Americans? It’s not diabetes, which is what all of our commercials seem to talk about. It’s heart disease. However, we don’t see that on the news. While cardiovascular health is an issue for both men and women, for now, we’ll focus on what men can do to stave off this incredible killer.

Luckily for overall men’s health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression are connected. Scientists are finding that our gut flora, the bacteria living inside our digestive system, has a role to play in our mental health. So, taking care of what we eat can influence our mental wellbeing. This will simultaneously solve most of these issues except for prostate cancer.

Besides the digestive issues, we really need to start talking about our feelings and teaching these habits in our male children. It’s no longer okay to brush off serious mental illness as stoicism. Masculinity can be just as powerful when we take our emotions in hand and learn to deal with them in healthy ways.

For the prostate problem, we have another solution here that we think you’ll like.

So, we know now that the fight for our lives resides on our dinner plates. What’s next?

What Can We Do?

It’s not just our diets; we must get involved with overall well-being. This means not only watching our diets and exercising regularly but also taking our mental health and emotional intelligence in hand. It’s no longer excusable to blame others for our vices.

This means scheduling doctor visits, both to a physician and a therapist. It also means not eating all those wings and drinking 70 beers (At least not every week, you can keep Superbowl Sunday. We’re not heartless.) While your buddies may look at you funny for ordering a salad every other party, your heart health is more important than fitting in. If they are truly your friends, they’ll support your healthy habits.

man squatting heavy weight and straining for men's health — *Lifting weights teaches a good lesson: strive for failure for that is how you improve.*

And you should get them involved too! Maybe schedule gym visits all together and work out with fitness in mind, not just huge biceps and washboard abs. While they are nice to look at, your external muscles need to be built well. With so many exercise and men’s health programs out there, you can afford to be choosy. Look into which ones support a whole-body experience and not just getting you ripped as soon as possible. Look for workouts like this one here.

The bottom line for men’s health is this: get to a doctor and ask for a no-nonsense laundry list for what you need to improve your health. Most likely, this is going to involve throwing some green stuff onto your plate and generating a sustainable workout routine at the gym. You can do Crossfit if you want, but seriously be careful with that program. After that, read some books over emotional intelligence, you’ll be surprised at what you can learn. Involve a therapist if you believe professional help is necessary, but most likely, just understanding how you think can make a huge difference. We can make our society a healthier place, as smarter, more aware individuals, and as men.

Fitness Goals vs. Nutrition

America is currently in a love/hate relationship with food and our fitness goals. There is a tremendous amount of apps out there in regards to weight control. With the volume of nutrition programs, diet books, and health ads, we seem to be in a war with how to handle our bodies. Worse yet, we have an obesity epidemic. NCBI says, “The latest estimates are that approximately 34% of adults and 15–20% of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese.” That’s over a third of people.

What can we do? Science tells us food is the key to losing weight, gaining weight, or maintaining. What we eat (and when) are paramount to fitness. Of course, exercise is a major part of a balanced lifestyle. (On this note, try adding this to your workout.) However, with certain fitness goals, you need to eat certain things.

What to Eat to Lose Weight

There are so many diets available and each person needs to tailor their own weight loss plan. No two bodies are exactly alike. One of my friends can eat Oreos by the sleeve and still has trouble keeping weight on, while another watches her diet, exercises, and continues to struggle. Your fitness goals don’t have to be a huge battle.

Studies tell us the surest path is just a numbers game. While it’s not fun, the best way to think about it is the food pyramid. It’s the one you’re probably familiar with from earlier nutrition classes.

food pyramid for your fitness goals — *The food pyramid! Does this look familiar? It’s got the recommended allowance of food intake for maximum nutrition.*

Just cut out the top and bottom, focusing on the center portion. This leaves you with a large portion of your nutrition focused in leafy greens, healthy meats, and dairy products. With these, be sure to choose whole foods because ones may contain inflammatory additives that, while delicious, may affect your health. A great diet for this if you need an idea is a Mediterranean diet. Another option is to be aware of your eating times; fasting has been studied more in recent years and has shown great results.

Sugars and starches are the main cause of inflammation, weight retention, and other health problems. Humans evolved for a specific diet, and recent years have provided a cornucopia of delicious, cheap, sugary-starch foods that have taken us away from what our bodies naturally need. Our bodies were just not made to handle that, and we haven’t caught up physically for this fierce influx of food that’s just not good for us in gargantuan amounts. In this case, fat is not the enemy; sugar is.

Focus: Whole foods, leafy greens, healthy portions of meat. Less oil, no sugars, no starches. Also, make sure to track your progression with body fat.

What to Eat to Gain Weight

If you’re on the opposite end and are working to gain weight, you may have an easier time with this. You’ll still have to follow some rules so that you’re putting on healthy weight instead of empty pounds. Start a food journal and set goals with what you’re consuming.

measuring food for losing weight — *It doesn’t have to be a fight with food. Just be mindful of what works and what doesn’t.*

The best way is by putting on muscle, lean or otherwise. The solid rules are to eat more small meals throughout the day and watch your alcohol intake. Your nutrition and fitness goals are more important than a quick buzz. Your friends will understand.

You can involve more of the food pyramid with gaining weight, eating from the entire selection. Of course, sugars and starches may be involved, but take care not to overindulge. Choose many high fat and protein foods like nuts or milk. Also, fill up with whole grains like oatmeal, or use rice. Smoothies/shakes can be helpful as well. Here’s a great resource for recipes and tips for those wanting to be healthier.

Focus: Use healthy protein shakes, dairy, nuts, and involve a good balance of the entire food pyramid. Find your body weight to grams of protein ratio.

What to Eat to Maintain Weight

This diet is more of a lifestyle, and it includes elements of the first two. Reaching your goal weight is a short term path, but to maintain it, you must think long term.

fresh nutritious food for weight management — *Your best bet is to stick with vegetables. Learn to eat a variety of beautiful, natural colors.*

Like the “losing weight” section, you must reduce sugars and starches in your diet, but you don’t have to eliminate them. When losing weight, that’s the goal, but if you’re maintaining, it’s fine to include them. The same goes for the “gaining weight” section, focus on filling up throughout the day with nutrient dense foods, but you don’t have to eat quite so much.

Keep a food journal (with a fitness goals section) so you’re aware of what’s going into your body and how it makes you feel. If you’re like my friends from earlier, you can inhale an entire sleeve of cookies and be okay weight-wise, but does that actually make you feel energized and happy? If it’s something you’re okay with, then eat what you’d like. Food should not be the enemy here, but a partner through the day.

Focus: Be aware of the food you’re consuming. As long as you’re eating whole, nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, fish, and eggs, you can safely consume moderate amounts of sugar & starch. After all, life is meant to be enjoyed.

Tag: health