Nature Knows - Natural Nootropics

If you think of the produce section as a treasure trove of healthy jewels, ruby-colored pomegranates are prized gems, but they’re often overlooked for bigger, more popular prizes. It’s easy to see why: they are a bit confusing. Even healthy eaters struggle with knowing how to cut a pomegranate or what the heck to do with it. If you’re unfamiliar with the fruit, pomegranates are red fruits traditionally grown in the Mediterranean region (the land of so many healthy foods). Inside, it’s full of seeds called arils, which are the main edible part of the fruit. Pomegranates are super sweet, with a slightly tart taste.

In addition to being eaten whole, enjoying the fruit in its juiced form is one of the most popular ways to consume it. You’ll often find pomegranate juice right in the refrigerated section of the produce area at the store. You can also make it yourself using fresh pomegranates by seeding the pomegranates and then blending the seeds and pulp using a blender until the consistency is smooth.

Besides being a sweet sip, there are also many benefits to pomegranate juice. Here, registered dietitian and Verywell general manager Rachel Berman, RD, explains the benefits as well as any side effects to be aware of. Plus, ideas for creative ways to sip on it at home. 9 pomegranate juice benefits that make it a delicious and healthy drink:

1. pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants.

Berman says that one of the differences between consuming pomegranate juice versus the fruit in its whole form as that you’re losing out on some of the nutrients, including fiber and vitamin A. But pomegranate’s high antioxidant content isn’t lost at all when you enjoy it as a beverage. “Pomegranate juice is a rich source of punicalagins , which are powerful antioxidants,” she says. Punicalagins have been linked to helping reduce the risk of certain types of cancer , according to scientific studies. 2. It may improve brain health

One scientific study of adults with mild memory complaints found that participants who consumed pomegranate juice did better on memory tests than those who didn’t. The reason for this is likely due to the fact that the antioxidants help with blood flow to the brain, which is good for cognitive function. Another study on rats found that consuming pomegranate juice was linked to reducing inflammatory markers in the brain, suggesting another link between the juice and brain health. 3. it helps reduce inflammation

Another pomegranate juice benefit thanks to its high antioxidant content is that it can help reduce inflammation, fighting free radicals in the body that can cause damage to your body’s cells. This is connected to everything from rejuvenating skin to warding off chronic diseases, including cognitive impairment. 4. It offers some Immune-Boosting Vitamin C

Berman says that while store-bought pomegranate juice tends to have lost some of the fruit’s vitamin C content (eight ounces typically has 0.25 milligrams of vitamin C , while a cup of the fruit itself has 18 milligrams of vitamin C ), if you make your own, much of it can be retained through the pulp. This means that sipping fresh pomegranate juice can potentially help boost your immune system , in conjunction with other healthy habits, of course. For extra immunity benefits, add a bit of ginger and turmeric .

Looking for other healthy, immune-boosting foods? Check out the video below: 5. pomegranate juice is good for your skin

The combined powers of the punicalagins and vitamin C make pomegranate juice a pretty fantastic beauty beverage. Vitamin C helps with collagen production , which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles from the inside out. And because punicalagins help fight free radicals, it helps rejuvenate the skin. 6. it helps promote good sleep

While you’ll reap the benefits of pomegranate juice any time of the day, its magnesium content ( 17 milligrams a serving ) makes it a particularly good pre-bedtime drink as magnesium is linked to promoting good sleep . 7. it helps with muscle recovery from workouts

The high magnesium content in pomegranate juice also makes is a great post-workout recovery drink. Scientific studies have linked magnesium consumption with helping muscles better repair from the wear and tear of strenuous workouts. 8. Pomegranate juice Has potassium

One serving of pomegranate juice has 214 milligrams of potassium , part of the 3,500 milligrams you want to aim to get a day. Potassium is an important nutrient for heart health, connected to lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. It also helps keep sodium levels balanced. 9. consuming pomegranate juice regularly Is Good for heart health

Is there anything this stuff can’t do? Pomegranate juice is linked to lower cholesterol and blood pressure if consumed regularly. This is likely because of those all-so powerful antioxidants, which can potentially reduce the amount of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in the body. Are there any side effects of consuming pomegranate juice?

Because pomegranate juice is so sweet, many healthy eaters may wonder if the sugar content impacts the health benefits. (It has about 31 grams per eight ounces, depending on the brand.) Berman’s verdict: Don’t obsess over it. “Sugar in fruit is totally natural and nothing to be concerned about in moderation,” she says. But it’s a high dose in one serving, so just be aware of what other sources of sugar you’re consuming that day.

While the sugar content is nothing to worry too much about, there are other factors to keep in mind when consuming pomegranate juice. Like with any food, some people could be allergic . Signs of this typically include itching, swelling, a running nose, and trouble breathing. If you experience any of these symptoms after drinking pom juice, it’s best to steer clear.

If you plan to make pomegranate juice a regular part of your wellness routine but are taking any other medications or supplements, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor first —just to be safe. Fun ways to get the pomegranate […]

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The debate over whether we should be allowed to rock out at our desks has been raging for decades. Now science is providing some answers – and they’re not what you think .

The weapon was initiated at precisely 10:30 in the morning. It was 23 June 1940 and World War Two was in full swing. The Germans had already invaded vast swathes of continental Europe; in the preceding weeks, 10,000 British troops had been captured in Normandy .

Now the BBC had been asked to get involved. Their powerful intervention was completely invisible, yet capable of infiltrating the minds of thousands of people all at once, all over the country. Over the next few years, it arguably helped to win the war.

This was the “ Music While You Work ” programme – a brainchild of the UK government, which thought that broadcasting live, upbeat music in factories twice a day might help to step up the pace of work and get the military the munitions they so badly needed.

It was a hit. In a report on the show’s success, BBC executives cited the numerous letters and reports they had received from managers nationwide. One described its impact as “incalculable”, while another estimated that, for an hour or so after a session of music, output at their factory increased by 12.5-15%.

Fast-forward eight decades and working to music is extraordinarily common; one 2019 survey of 2,000 Britons found that around half regularly listen to music while they work – with two out of five believing that it helps them to get more done. And as headphones have become standard work accessoriesand productivity playlists have racked up millions of views on YouTube , some companies have started to broadcast music over entire workplaces.

Michael Vettraino, who founded the London-based music consultancy MAV music, says the company has helped to introduce background music to several offices. While their main focus is on providing bespoke playlists for restaurants, casinos and hotels, recently they have branched out into supplying offices, many of which are introducing music for the first time.

“Our clients have told us that it’s increased their productivity when they’ve had the right music playing in the office, in terms of staff motivation,” says Alex Hill, who works as MAV’s head of music and operations. They are always careful to factor in the demographics of their audience – their age, etc. – and fit the music to how they’re likely to be feeling at different times of day.

“When you’re concentrating you’ll want calmer, more relaxing music and at the end of the day when you’re feeling tired, you’ll want something more upbeat. We know that a graphic design agency in Shoreditch is going to want very different music to a high street bank Gloucester. But if you get it right, it should hopefully help people to work harder.”

But can this really be true – or is it wishful thinking? It’s a perennial debate and one that’s almost as divisive as whether reclining your seats on an airplane is OK or what colour that notorious dress is .

The ‘Mozart effect’

Some of us feel that blasting out tunes in the workplace is an inalienable right; the teenager inside us swears they can’t concentrate without the dulcet tones of Kanye West or Taylor Swift ringing in their ears. One despairing worker took to social sharing site Reddit to vent about a colleague who gets into the zone each morning by playing mariachi band music .

Others take cocooning their brains from distraction extremely seriously, booking conference rooms for parties of one, constructing passive-aggressive emails about noise in the office and donning headphones while secretly listening to nothing. The billionaire Bill Gates reportedly gave up music and television at any time of day for five years in his 20s to help him focus.

Our clients have told us that it’s increased their productivity when they’ve had the right music playing in the office, in terms of staff motivation – Alex Hill

“ Historically, music and work have always been intertwined,” says Karen Landay, a former professional violinist and graduate student at the University of Alabama who has authored a review on the subject . “Think about romantic visions of peasants singing as they harvest, or sea chanteys sung by sailors as they work on their ships. And since most people enjoy listening to music of some kind in at least some contexts, it’s perfectly natural to feel that music must have some sort of positive impact on our work.”

There are two possible ways that music might be beneficial in the workplace: by making us smarter, or by making us feel good, and therefore helping us to plod on with otherwise boring tasks.

The best-known example of the first is the “Mozart effect” – broadly the idea that listening to a piano sonata devised by a genius can make you one too. The phrase was popularised after a 1993 paper claimed that people perform better on certain spatial tasks , such as folding paper, after listening to Mozart for 10 minutes.

The concept has spawned a whole industry of products, such as headphones that mothers can use to play Mozart to their unborn children. It sounds farfetched, but more recent studies have hinted that there might genuinely be something unusually beneficial about his music.

For example, research conducted in 2015 compared the impact of Mozart’s “K. 448”, a composition for two pianos, with Beethoven’s equally celebrated “Für Elise”, a solo piano piece. It turns out that while Mozart’s sonata increased “alpha band” brain waves – which have been linked to memory, cognition and problem solving – Beethoven, oddly, had no such power.

There’s also the discovery that mice who were subjected to 10-hour recitals of Mozart’s K. 448 for 10 weeks were significantly better at navigating a complex maze than ones which had to listen to Beethoven’s Für Elise instead.

So, with some famous composers’ work having clearer cognitive benefits than others – what are we to believe? There is another explanation, in which […]

Read more at thebftonline.com

There are plenty of reasons people choose to start working out. While some do it simply because they like it, others might be doing it because of some health issues or to improve their general health. However, no matter the reason people choose to exercise, the fact is that all of us sometimes need a bit of extra help and motivation.

That’s why so many people choose to listen to music while working out. The fact is that listening to music can – in fact – improve your workout. Here’s how.

Various styles of music have different effects on people. While you may enjoy the edgier tones usually associated with grunge or punk, our mom – for instance – may think you’re crazy. But the fact is that familiar tunes have a positive effect on our mental state. When you hear the songs you recognize – and particularly those you enjoy, your brain will boost your dopamine levels. The happier you are, the more motivated you’ll be to work out. That’s why you should allow your favorite tunes to motivate you and get you going. If your preferred workout is running, for instance, you can find a lot of excellent running watches that have the option to play music. Either through MP3, offline or some of the music streaming platforms, these will allow you to vibe with your favorite tunes while breaking some sweat.

Some studies suggest that people who enjoy the same type of music are generally more compatible. And since music is such a medium that really has the power to bring people together, it can seriously affect the way we approach our exercising efforts. Aside from boosted motivation, music can also make us feel a bit competitive. So, for example, if you and your friends or gym buddies are working out together while listening to some of your favorite tunes, you may notice that you begin to push yourself to do a bit more. By gradually increasing the pace of your exercise, you’ll slowly start to reap greater benefits and get more out of your workout.

On a similar note, music has also proven to be boosting people’s physical performance. Those who create a workout playlist and truly get lost in the tunes report that they have a far easier time working out. It’s simple, really – when you’re listening to music, your brain tends to get distracted, and you start paying more attention to the beat and the lyrics. And since your body has excellent muscle memory, this doesn’t prevent you from performing proper exercises. It just makes the entire experience feel significantly easier and interesting.

Finally, every person that’s working out has their own pace that naturally feels good. So, when you find the music whose beat matches your natural workout pace, you’ll feel much more in tune with your body when exercising. For instance, if you have chosen cycling as your preferred form of exercise, listening to music that has between 125 and 140 beats per minute (bpm) will help you reach and maintain your ideal tempo more easily. For treadmill exercises, the most sustainable bpm is somewhere between 123 and 131.

So, the next time you feel a drop in your workout motivation, get your wireless ear pods in and allow your favorite beats to get you moving. If working out is a necessity for you – and not passion – combining it with something you thoroughly enjoy – like listening to music, will make the entire experience far more pleasant and enjoyable. Not only that but it will help you keep pushing forward even when you don’t really feel like it, which will only benefit you in the long run.

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