Silvie+Maryl – Holistic Living, Plant-Based Diet, Recipes, Love & Relationship, Healthy LifestyleTips

Nutrition: We now know that spices have antioxidants – oregano and others typically used in the Mediterranean diet – but who’s got the most? According to research published in the Flavour and Fragrance Journal, cloves are king when it comes to these benefits. “Out of the five antioxidant properties tested, cloves had the highest capacity to give off hydrogen, reduced lipid peroxidation well, and was the best iron reducer”, said Juana Fernandez-Lopez, one of the authors of the study. The researchers hope that the high antioxidant properties of this and other spices will make the food industry consider them for usage in preserving food, instead of using synthetic chemicals that cause toxicity and other side effects. But, until then, you can just make some clove tea for yourself and enjoy the taste as well as the benefits.

Love: To thine own self be true, said Shakespeare – and it turns out he was right, if you want a good relationship. A new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences examined how dating relationships were affected by the ability of people to see themselves clearly and objectively, act in ways consistent with their beliefs, and interact honestly and truthfully with others. The conclusion: If you’re true to you, better romantic relationships will follow. “If you’re true to yourself, it is easier to act in ways that build intimacy in relationships, and that’s going to make your relationship more fulfilling,” said Amy Brunell, lead author of the study. Authenticity also leads to acting less destructively with your partner, feeling like your relationship is more positive, and a sense of general personal well-being – for both men and women. Sign us up, Sherlock.

Parenting: Put those dancing shoes on…on the baby, that is. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition, researchers have discovered that infants respond to rhythm and tempo of music and find it more engaging that speech at an early age, suggesting babies may be born to dance. “Our research suggests that it is the beat rather than other features of the music, such as the melody, that produces the response in infants,” said Dr. Marcel Zentner, “We also found that the better the children were able to synchronize their movements with the music, the more they smiled.” Guess you better play that funky music for your baby, white boy.

Diabetes: Men, good news for you. According to research published the journal Nutrition and Metabolism, selenium may be a key nutrient in protecting you against diabetes. The study that included both men and women found that men whose plasma selenium concentrations were highest had a significantly lower risk of developing dysglycemia over the following years. The same did not happen for women, which may be due to many factors like possible differences in how men and women’s bodies process this trace mineral. Looking for a selenium source? Brazil nuts are the highest by far, containing almost ten times the amount found in either tuna or beef.

Psychology: Bullies can be shy, too, says a study. According to research published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, there is a subset of adults diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder who, rather than manifest their anxiety with inhibitive or submissive behavior, act out violently. Parents and teachers might think their kid is a bully because he has a conduct disorder but it may actually be extreme fears of being judged that is the cause, says researcher Todd Kashdan. “In the adult world, the same can be said for managers, co-workers, romantic partners and friends. It is easy to misunderstand why people are behaving the way we do and far too often we assume that the aggressive, impulsive behaviors are the problem. What we’re finding is that for a large minority of people, social anxiety underlies the problem,” said Kashdan. He also said training people to be more self-disciplined in all aspects of their lives improves will power and may be a technique to modify this behavior.

Sex: Cat calls hurt everyone, says a new study. Research published in the journal Sex Roles found that the actions of one sexist man affects not just the woman he is making remarks to, but also female bystanders, whose feelings and behavior toward men in general are greatly impacted by this indirect action. “Women are obviously implicated because they suffer direct negative consequences as targets of prejudice and, as the current work demonstrates, indirect consequences as bystanders. But sexism also harms men as well. Whenever a single man’s prejudiced actions are attributed to his gender identity, male perpetrators impact how women view and react to men more generally,” said Stephanie Chaudoir and Diane Quinn, authors of the study.  In other words, sexist remarks ruin it for the offended woman, other women witnessing, and the men who will then be judged by these women according to one sexist man. Help a sister – and a brother – out and keep it respectful.

Green Living: The latest survey of existing data about the hazards of plastic to human health and the ecosystems we depend on are sobering. According to research published in the Annual Review of Public Health, the annual production of plastic would fill a series of train cars encircling the globe. Adverse effects to human health remain unclear and controversial, though BPA and phthalates used in making stuff like water bottles and food packaging can leach out over time and are known to be toxic. As recently as this January, the FDA has expressed concern for potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. The author of the study said that we are at a critical time to change into more healthy and sustainable materials to replace plastic and its harm to us and the environment.