Tausi Insider

Photo : Timolina ( Shutterstock ) Protein is great. Our bodies are largely made of protein, and if you lift weights, I bet you already know that eating enough protein is important for building muscle. But what if you just want to be healthy in general? What if you don’t even care that much about being healthy, but want to avoid overeating? Protein is important for you too. A new study has put the spotlight on a lack of protein as a potential driver of overeating. Its findings give more support to an existing concept called the “protein leverage hypothesis.” This is the idea that we will eat until we get enough protein, and so if our diet is made of low-protein foods , we may end up eating a lot of food, and thus a lot of calories, just to get our fill of protein. Sometimes people call this “protein hunger.” Why protein is important Our bodies don’t just need protein to build new muscle tissue. We also need protein to heal and repair damage. Our bodies continually break tissue...

Photo : ArtOfPhotos ( Shutterstock ) Getting a good meal of carbs and protein after your workout is a great way to fuel yourself and support your goals , whether you’re training for strength, endurance, or both. But what if you don’t have the perfect post-workout meal lined up? Is your workout wasted? 02:50 Chopping Basics Wednesday 11:09AM 01:38 How to Retire in Phases Wednesday 10:53AM You can’t “waste” a workout Before we get into whether the “anabolic window” is real, we need to address a pervasive myth: People will tell you with a straight face that you’re “wasting” your workout if you don’t fuel properly before or after. There is no such thing as wasting a workout . I literally cannot imagine a way to cancel out the effects of a workout. Exercise triggers many adaptations within our bodies: It puts processes into motion that build muscle, adjust the sensitivity of our cells to insulin, helps manage our mental health, and more. Exercising without eating properly is like ha...

Given how we use the words “sadness” and “depression” in everyday life and in pop culture, it can be hard to differentiate one from the other. Even though they might seem similar, they’re not. Experts say it’s like comparing a single star to a constellation. Understanding what separates sadness from depression is important, as it can help people know w hen to seek professional help and prevent needless suffering. Experts who spoke to TausiInsider described sadness as a normal emotional state that all people experience in their lives following a loss, disappointment, or other upsetting events. Depression, on the other hand, is a mental health condition characterized by a persistent sad mood or loss of enjoyment for most of the day and nearly every day for at least two weeks, according to Dr. Kathryn Gordon, a clinical psychologist and author of The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook . One of the biggest differences between sadness and depression is how long the person’s experience persist...

Photo : Giampaolo Nitti ( Shutterstock ) Do you have a picture in your mind of “healthy” eating? Does it include fruits and vegetables? You’re doing great. Now, just go ahead and eat— wait, what are you doing? You’re worried that some aren’t the healthiest vegetables? What is wrong with you? That’s the reaction I had on seeing the New York Times had posted a quiz entitled “Is This Vegetable Healthier Raw or Cooked?, ” and it’s the same reaction I have any time I see one of those “14 Healthiest Vegetables” lists that every health-adjacent website seems to have published. Eating vegetables is the healthy thing here. Getting picky about specific vegetables is toddler brain stuff. Each time we see two alternatives pitted against each other in the name of health, the implication is that we should choose the “better” of the two and avoid the one that is “worse.” But even more harmfully, these comparisons send the message that whatever factor we’re judging matters . Most of the ti...

Photo : Ground Picture ( Shutterstock ) If you’re taking the time out of your day (and the copay out of your wallet) to go see a doctor, you should be able to trust that they’re going to do a good job when it comes to managing your health. So consider these questions to know whether you have a good doctor, or whether you should think about finding somebody new. Can you trust them enough to tell the truth? Every doctor’s visit starts with you explaining why you’re here—or with the provider and their staff asking questions about how your health has been lately. You need to be able to trust your doctor enough to give honest answers, even if that means revealing details about your personal life, or admitting that you haven’t been following their prior advice. Do they take you seriously? This is related to how much you trust your doc, but consider this question on its own. Do you feel like your doctor actually listens to what you’re saying, and takes your concerns seriously? Do you hav...

Photo : Ground Picture ( Shutterstock ) This year’s flu season is shaping up to be especially bad, with the current weekly number of cases at extraordinarily high levels. Meanwhile, doctors are seeing a surge in respiratory syncytial virus , more commonly known as RSV, which generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms in adults, but can be especially dangerous for very young children and the elderly. This RSV surge has already led to an unusually high number of hospitalizations , mostly in young children. These surges in flu and RSV infections are happening at an earlier time of the year, and at higher levels than is typical. There are a lot of unknowns about why flu and RSV are at unusually high levels. However, one thing is for certain: “Just because we wore masks all this time, it didn’t mean that we hurt our immune system,” said Raywat Deonandan , an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa. “Your immune system is not like a muscle, where if you don’t use it, you lose it.” If...

Photo : VGstockstudio ( Shutterstock ) If you have a vagina, you’ve probably been told that it’s an absolute must to pee immediately after having sex to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). But it turns out there isn’t a lot of evidence to support this idea. There is shockingly little research on the question of whether this oft-repeated advice actually works. One study in a journal called Evidence Based Practice found that, overall, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. But that’s just one study, and the results didn’t point strongly in either direction. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not include peeing after sex in its tips for preventing UTIs . Here’s what they do recommend: Wash the skin around the anus and the genital area. Drink plenty of fluids (including water) to flush bacteria out of your urinary system. Empty your bladder as soon as you feel the urge or about every two to three hours. They point out that factors like being pr...

Photo : SKatzenberger ( Shutterstock ) You may have heard of people—elderly folks in particular—getting a heart attack from shoveling snow. But what’ s so dangerous about shoveling? And is everybody at risk, or is this pretty rare? Here’s what you should know. Snow shoveling is hard exercise The connection between shoveling and cardiac events is real. The American Heart Association cites several studies that found higher rates of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths after snowstorms. Shoveling is hard work, and it can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to rise far higher than levels that are considered safe for sedentary people with heart conditions. Cold temperatures also seem to make chest pain more likely, possibly because your arteries can constrict in the cold. Who should check with a doctor before shoveling? You may have heard the advice to check with a doctor before beginning an exercise program. We have more information on that here : most people don’t need ...

Photo : Mariana Serdynska ( Shutterstock ) The days are getting shorter and with the darker days, some people feel their mood getting darker, too. While some people thrive in the spirit of the cozy season, getting their hygge on , others find themselves feeling sad, withdrawn, or even depressed during the winter months—even children are not immune from the “winter blues.” We spoke with Dr. Hansa Bhargava, chief medical officer at Medscape Education about what to do if your child seems more down than usual this winter. The difference between winter blues, SAD, and depression SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder , is a condition that creates a feeling of depression associated with a season, usually but not always winter. Children can get SAD , but a diagnosis usually comes after symptoms have been occurring seasonally for at least two years. Depression, or Major Depressive Disorder , is another diagnosis, and is a persistent feeling of sadness or despair. Adults and children can al...