How to slow down and eat more mindfully

Plus: Jet lag tips from our readers

View this email online September 17, 2023 Participate in Public Media Giving Days Next week, we are celebrating Public Media Giving Days. Our work is only possible through the help of listeners, readers and supporters like you. We don’t have investors, owners, or shareholders. We hold ourselves accountable to you. If public media has ever made a positive impact in your life, we hope you’ll consider donating and supporting our mission. Every single gift makes a difference. Donate today. by Andrea Muraskin This week: It’s booster season and we’ve got the deets on the new COVID shots that began rolling out this past week. And: Why you should give mindful eating a try. Plus: Combating America’s “loneliness epidemic”, one friendship at a time; and your advice on hacking jet lag.  The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images As much as we’d all love to “go back to normal,” COVID cases are on the rise again, and so are hospitalizations and deaths. The good news is that new booster shots are available starting this week. And it should be easier to keep track of your vaccine schedule going forward, because barring a scary new variant, the government’s plan is now to roll out a new booster every fall, just like the flu shot. In fact, you can get your booster and flu shot in the same visit, if you like.  The updated shots are approved for everyone ages 6 and up, and they’re "very closely matched to all the circulating strains," says Andrew Pekosz, a virologist and immunologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. While the government is no longer providing free shots for all, people with health insurance should be covered. Free shots are still available for children and adults who don’t have insurance – though if you’re uninsured you should check to make sure you head to the right location.  NPR senior editors and science correspondents Maria Godoy and Rob Stein spoke with experts to bring you what you need to know to decide whether, where and when to get boosted.  Plus: Coronavirus FAQs: How worrisome is the new variant? How long do boosters last?   Newsletter continues after sponsor message Scarfing down your food? Here's how to slow down and eat more mindfully katesea/Getty Images My aunt, a dietitian, once observed that pretty much everyone in our family finishes a meal in ten minutes or less. Scarfing down our food probably accounts for some of the sounds heard and smells smelt(?) following family dinners, and we’re certainly doing our part to keep the makers of Pepto Bismol in business. I rarely pay attention to how fast I’m eating, unless I happen to be sharing a meal with someone who eats at a slower pace. More often I’m reading an article or watching something on YouTube, obliviously chomping away.  Speedy eating accounts not just for discomfort and gas but also for expanding waistlines, according to Lillian Cheung, who researches mindfulness and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The ideal amount of time to allow for a meal is 20 minutes, Cheung tells Life Kit host Marielle Segarra, because it takes about that time for your body to get the signal to the brain that you are full. Inhaling your food often leads to overeating, Cheung explains, because you think you need to eat more before that feeling of satiety kicks in.  As an antidote, Cheung practices and advocates for mindful eating, which involves using your senses to enjoy the food, paying attention to how eating makes you feel and taking time to express gratitude for your meal. And that means no screens or multitasking – and setting boundaries between work and mealtimes, she says. In addition to improving digestion by slowing down the meal, there’s evidence that mindful eating can improve mood and reduce stress. Here are five tips from Cheung on how to become a more mindful eater. Also: A neuroscientist tackles 'Why Diets Make Us Fat' Because We're Free to All Because we're freely accessible to everyone, your support ensures quality news and shows are available to you and people who can't afford to get past the paywalls imposed by for-profit companies. We depend on people like you taking a voluntary action: donating. Your donation sustains independent reporting and creates a more informed world.  It takes all of us. Help today.  Donate Now Chipping away at the 'epidemic of loneliness,' one new friendship at a time Priyanka Dayal McCluskey/WBUR When I was a kid in summer camp in the 1990s, a favorite song to sing was “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King. The chorus begins: You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am/ I’ll come runnin’ to see you again. In the pause after the word “name,” everyone would shout the name of a dear friend, who was often seated right beside them.  Fast forward to today and my relationship with many friends is more along the lines of You just text me, and I’ll text you back in one to seven days, hopefully.  Americans’ social networks are shrinking, according to Daniel Cox, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who studies friendship. About half of American adults reported feeling lonely, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. And as NPR has reported, people who are socially disconnected have a 29% higher risk of heart disease, a 32% greater risk of stroke and a 50% increased risk of dementia for older adults. Given these stats, some social service agencies are stepping in to try to fill the connection gap, as WBUR’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey reports. A Massachusetts-based initiative called the Friendship Project was launched during the pandemic to reduce social isolation — particularly for people with disabilities or mental health conditions — by helping them build relationships with others.  Jason Silverman, who has Down Syndrome, typically spends his mornings watching TV. He looks forward to the days when Melissa Mills, a Friendship Project volunteer, takes him to the gym to work out. Another program matches volunteers with older adults and people with serious health conditions for weekly phone calls. Friendship Project leaders are working with some health insurers  to expand the initiative beyond people with disabilities and mental health conditions. Learn more. Plus: Five easy tips for making friends as an adult ✈️😴Jet lag tips from our readers! In August, we shared some advice for how to mitigate jet lag from sleep researcher David Stevens and NPR’s international desk. We also asked for advice from readers, and the response was robust. Here are some of your hard-won tips and suggestions.  Meals are important. Choosing easy to digest and hydrating foods is important. Hydration is absolutely critical. Planes are like being in the desert.  – Ted Finn, Dover, Mass.  I have used accupressure to fight jet lag. Flew to Bali: 12 time zones (west) and 30 hours transit time. I arrived only two hours out of sync. – Steve Sexmith I recently flew overnight from Chicago to London in economy. I would try to book the 787 Dreamliner every time in the future if possible. It is the only plane I have found that has seats in economy which not only lean back but the actual seat part shifts forward. With a pillow placed behind my lower back for lumbar support, top part of seat wrapped around for neck support, eye mask on, and ear plugs in, I comfortably slept in a 45 degree angle position for the long portion of the flight. I’m 5 ft. 10 and had ample room. By far, the most blissful overnight economy flight sleep I’ve had.  – Kip Long Adjusting your sleep schedule is fine if you're retired, but if you work, or if you have kids, good luck. If you're a senior citizen like my wife and myself, our sleep is terrible in general, our best advice is to just power through, and shift as quickly as possible. – Tim Strane A few of you called our attention to the fact that there’s a whole book on this subject: Overcoming Jet Lag, written by Dr. Charles Ehret and Lynne Waller Scanlon back in 1985. Ehret was a World War II veteran and molecular biologist who developed his method at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. He did groundbreaking research on the study of light and circadian rhythm adjustments. Ehret developed a “jet lag diet,” alternating feast days (high calorie) and fast days (low calorie) in the days before your trip, and then eating on the schedule of your destination once on board. “I have made at least 150 trips overseas since the early 80s, and have used Dr. Ehret's suggestions religiously. It really works, and doesn’t enable the complete avoidance of jet lag, but reduces it considerably,” writes Leon Mayeri of Berkeley, Ca. Kathy Pflugrad tried the diet on a flight from Florida to South Korea. “I got to Seoul in the morning, spent a busy day, and didn't get tired till 7 PM. Slept well that night, and did fine the rest of the trip,” she writes.    Before you go: Yuuji/Getty Images How umami overcame discrimination and took its place as the 5th taste Unraveling long COVID: Here's what scientists who study the illness want to find out  A popular nasal decongestant doesn't actually relieve congestion, FDA advisers say We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots. Yours mindfully,  Andrea Muraskin and your Shots editors Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Headline goes here What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: shots@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy