A Healthier Toothpaste; Lung Capacity and Age; Benefits of Cold Water; Crackers to Love

Lightbulbs & Pearls | 010

Dec 01, 2023

A Healthier Toothpaste

As time goes on, it seems like there are more and more products that we’ve come to think of as healthy that—alas—are not. Fluoride may be falling into that camp. While there isn’t conclusive scientific evidence that it is detrimental enough to be on an official warning list, credible anecdotal writings link the ingestion of fluoride to varying amounts of toxicity and adverse effects that range from mild GI upset to more deleterious neurotoxicity resulting in memory loss and cognitive issues. With fluoride snuck into our water (a practice that Europe and many countries around the world have banned…why would that be?) and other ingestibles such as soft drinks and fruit juices made with fluoridated water, it’s nearly impossible to control our exposure.

So several years ago I decided to look for an alternative to the typical toothpaste on our supermarket shelves and discovered that Japan had a very different gold standard for oral care: hydroxyapatite, which is the same substance as the structure of teeth. It was first pioneered by NASA in the 1970s to remineralize astronauts’ teeth after being in zero gravity. Since the 1980s, studies have demonstrated the hard-to-pronounce ingredient significantly reduces the formation of cavities and can restore, remineralize, strengthen, and even repair teeth. It has also been shown to desensitize overly sensitive teeth, gradually whiten teeth, and improve gum health.

There are many upsides to using a hydroxypatite toothpaste or tooth powder with none of the possible toxicity downsides associated with fluoride. Plus, the majority of these products are more “natural” than conventional fluoride toothpaste, meaning fewer and possibly higher quality ingredients. Personally, I use tooth powder from Living Well with Dr. Michelle (which I love) because the glycerin in toothpaste can hinder proper absorption of the active ingredient.

Lung Capacity Diminishes With Age

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I heard in passing that lung capacity diminishes with age. Although I didn’t specifically know this before, in thinking about it, it explains a lot of the health and respiratory issues that people may experience as they get older. The European Respiratory Journal article Exercise, Aging, and the Lung claims that both pulmonary function and aerobic capacity start to slowly diminish as early as age 25, each declining by as much as 40% by the age of 80. That’s huge!

Reduced capacity and respiratory function contribute to many different health issues on a multitude of levels, from reducing our ability to simply maintain the energy and stamina needed to perform everyday tasks, to preventing us from effectively coughing and clearing the airways, which can lead to an increased risk of pulmonary infections and ailments.

Although some ebbing may be inevitable, the good news is that we can mitigate severe decline. Lifestyle habits, such as not smoking and avoiding chemicals in the home in the form of cleaners, scented candles, and personal care products, can make a difference: whenever possible, opt for all-natural solutions. Physically, abdominal fat can hamper the diaphragm’s ability to fully expand, so maintaining a low weight is essential to ensure proper function.

But perhaps the most proactive thing you can do is to exercise regularly: incorporating cardiovascular and aerobic exercises such as playing a racquet sport, swimming, and hiking, as well as strength and resistance training with weights, bands, or body weight. The latter is of particular importance in supporting the body’s life-giving smooth muscles, which operate many involuntary organ functions including opening and closing the airways in the lungs. It’s imperative to keep these muscles strong.

This underscores the importance of regular, consistent movement of all kinds as part of a healthy lifestyle. While it’s never too late to start, on the flip side, you really can’t start early enough! So grab your kids, relatives, or family friends and get moving!

The Benefits of Cold Water

Full confession: I love, love, love to sit in hot water or take a steaming hot shower, to the point that my skin turns slightly red. While it’s comforting and relaxing, I also know that it has a few downsides, especially for the skin and hair. For instance, hot water opens the pores, depletes the skin of natural oils, and roughs up the hair cuticle, while cold water preserves natural oils, closes the pores, and smooths hair cuticles. But that's just the tip of the cold-water-benefit iceberg.

For years my husband has sworn by cold water plunges to aid in recovering from intense hikes and runs, even if it’s simply resting his feet in an icy stream water after a long hike. But now, I’m seeing such a steady stream (see what I did there?) of articles and posts touting the benefits of cold-water showers and ice plunges, that I figured I should consider them as part of a longevity lifestyle plan. Some of the advantages of this chilly practice include:

Improve circulation, which can strengthen the integrity of the cardiovascular system
Bolster immunity by boosting the lymphatic system, which disposes of the body’s toxins
Reduce stress by increasing our bodies’ tolerance to the oxidative stress that cold water produces
Combat depression by stimulating the brain’s “blue spot,” decreasing anxiety and giving your mood a lift
Reduce inflammation by constricting then expanding the blood vessels, thereby bringing oxygen to the cells

I admit that I’m a baby about being in cold water, especially in the fall and winter months, so I’m taking appropriately baby steps…I’ve been finishing my hair in a final cold—ok, cool—water rinse and I’m trying to stay under that frigid stream for about 15 seconds. I’ll shoot to work up to 30 seconds, then a minute…brrrr. Apparently, it should stretch to 2 or 3 minutes…we’ll see. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get to the point where I could actually sit in an ice bath, but it’s something to aspire to and I know that I would be healthier for it.

Bellissimi Crostini

Even though I have reduced my consumption of gluten products to twice-a-week treats (Saturday night pizza and Sunday morning farmers market sourdough bread toast), every now and again I have a craving for a couple of crackers with goat cheese or just dipped in olive oil. But finding a simple, somewhat healthy cracker that tastes good is a challenge. There are two ingredients that I want to avoid: industrialized seed oils such as canola, safflower, and vegetable; and wheat and grain products sprayed with the carcinogenic glyphosate—commonly known as Round-Up weed killer—which sadly is widely used in non-organic farming on nearly all U.S. crops.

After trying a handful of gluten-free crackers made from almond meal and other alternative flours—many of which still had questionable oils and filler ingredients and none of which quite hit the spot—I decided to zig and look instead for minimal ingredient crackers, preferably made with olive oil and optimally with organic flour. Not surprisingly, the olive oil crackers I was finding were all from Italy. (Side note, I’m married to a native Roman…quite appropriate!) Although they weren’t specifically labeled “organic,” I recalled reading that Italy has tight restrictions—as well as outright bans—on the use of glyphosate. So, chances are, the amounts of glyphosate would be significantly less, if at all.

Then I realized that flour in Italy is also a very different product than flour in the States. Most of the flour we use is from a hard-red wheat high in protein (gluten) that has been further industrialized to be hearty, thus creating digestion issues. In Italy—for baked goods other than pasta—they use a soft wheat that is lower in protein, and thus lower in gluten, which I find is much more digestible and causes less bloating and other issues.

Happily, I found a couple of simple, minimal (under 5) ingredients olive oil crackers that both satisfy the occasional craving and are tasty enough for even my husband to enjoy. And I've noticed something really interesting: for some reason, I’m able to stop after eating a couple of crackers, while with other big-name brands, I felt compelled to eat the box. Why would this be? I can only attribute it to the absence of two things: addictive ingredients such as sugars and industrialized oils that are engineered into the majority of our packaged foods; and, a high level of gluten, which actually makes us hungrier.

A couple of the brands that I like are Isola, Casa Milo, and I’m absolutely enamored with these paper-thin “feathery light” crackers by Mitica of Sardinia.

Buon appetito!