Some people eat for pleasure. Some people eat for function. Given the typical trade-off involved, everyone has to decide which one they value more.

Stress-fasting is a lot more healthy than stress eating. Let the body work itself out.

Today I made the world a better place by working out and eating my greens.

The pandemic has prompted a surge in cooking as people spend more time at home and are wary of going out. Some have taken up cooking as a hobby, while others have resorted to it as something even more vital. I myself have spent more time in the kitchen since the pandemic broke out, spatula and saltshaker in hand, than the rest of my life put together. I find cooking to be viscerally satisfying and an opportunity to create meaningful experiences with those around me. Growth in this area has beyond doubt been one of the pandemic’s biggest legacies in my life.

This backstory motivated me to reach out to my friend and travel companion, Frankie Isabelle. When he isn’t doing bicep curls or philosophizing about the state of world affairs, there is a good probability you can find Frankie in the kitchen cooking up some fire. Frankie has a reputation in our friend group as “the best cook of the bunch” and is known for making lavish preparations, complete with herbal tea, spice-induced aromatherapy, and ethnic cuisine. He contends that if cooking for you is all about the eating, then you may be missing the point. Frankie shares his experience, gleaned from his upbringing, travel, and observation, that could transform the way you view one of planet earth’s most ancient arts.

Tell the people a little bit about your background.

I’m the oldest of three brothers. I come from a Mediterranean background. My mother’s family is Lebanese. My father’s family is Italian and Irish. A friend of mine always jokes that the Irish are the only Mediterranean people north of France. I was born in strip-mall hell, Columbus, Ohio, which was really not such a bad place before all the yuppie gentrification projections turned the city into a giant shopping mall. These days they say that Columbus will be a Smart City. I guess that means it will have dumb residents.

In some Middle Eastern households, the kitchen is considered a feminine space. How does that stereotype square with your experience growing up in the US with an ethnically Lebanese mom?

I have never experienced the kitchen as a strictly feminine space. One thing I have noticed with the women in my family is that they do not like anyone near the kitchen when they are cooking. Asides from this, my mom was the breakfast specialist, and my father seemed to enjoy cooking, as well. In any case, he was always the grill master, and often cooked dinner. Growing up, both of my parents worked long hours, and I often had to fend for myself. Nevertheless, I do appreciate when people make me food, and I feel especially gratified when a woman makes me food.

When I was 17 years-old—and with the infinite wisdom of a 17 year-old—I decided to become a vegan. Nobody in my family was very interested in cooking vegan. Fortunately for me, Lebanese cuisine is easily adapted to a vegan diet, so I didn’t have a very difficult time at family meals. I’m talking about Loubieh bi Zeit (green beans in olive oil); Tabbouleh (vegetarian salad); Fattoush (bread-based salad); Bamieh (okra); and Warak Enab (stuffed grape leaves)—all mainstays of any Levantine kitchen. The problem was that this food was never enough to maintain my weight, and so I had to learn creative strategies for satisfying my body’s needs. This is where my interest in cooking really took off.

Most people assume that vegans are health-conscious people. All right–fair enough–but that doesn’t mean they want to eat limp kale for every meal. So, the question for me was really, how I do I create savory dishes that pack the same punch as animal based foods? Now that I’m no longer vegan, I still love to cook, but for a different reason: most of the Frankenfood for sale at restaurants and grocers has little nutritional value and is often toxic. Cooking our own food affords us greater control over the quality.

What makes a successful experience in the kitchen?

My best experiences in the kitchen are when I’m able to be creative with what’s at hand. And the only way for that to happen is to take risks, make mistakes, and improvise. With enough time you will be able to establish your preferred flavor profiles. My go-to consists of lemon, salt, pepper, onions, and garlic. As a cook, you will need to discover what combinations work best for you.

I do consult recipes because I am curious how certain things are made, but I am never constrained by them. A lot of people don’t cook because they lack the knowledge or are afraid to mess up, and there’s no excuse for either. If you feel uncomfortable, plan ahead so that you have what you need. Personally, I’ve never been a rule follower, and nobody in my family could ever give me any straightforward answers when I asked them how they made a particular dish. It was always, “I don’t know, I’ve made this my whole life,” or “a little bit of this and a pinch of that,” or “taste it as you go”.

For some people, cooking is transactional. They cook in order to eat. You, on the other hand, take a more holistic view. Can you speak to the psychological or social benefits of cooking?

When we develop the capacity to realize our desires in the world around us, we become more confident and aware of our own needs and interests. The same thing applies to cooking. Any time you eliminate the gap between production and consumption, you are moving in the direction of health.

The best part about cooking is the meal, and not just the eating. I use the word meal because it implies a social element. Sharing food is a way for us to reconnect with our communal nature and to make contact with other vital needs that are ignored or considered less than “essential” by the modern world. In my experience, the happiest cultures recognize the implicit connection between social harmony and shared meals. Take the Mediterranean world, for example. Hosts take the initiative, and guests are not allowed to self-serve. The goal is to establish a rapport and to break down the barriers that stand in the way of genuine connections. Would you like coffee or tea? How does the food taste? Is it salty enough? Sweet enough? Sour enough? In the context of a meal, valuable insight can be gained. Do they eat slow or fast? Do they put their elbows on the table? Are they particular or easygoing? And so, in these cultures, food and its prerequisites are a socially meaningful experience, and cooking can be a tool to create the connections that are so important to our well-being as a species.

You spent a part of this summer with the Amish. What did you take away from that experience?

I was struck first by the structured approach of the Amish. They pray before each meal starts and after each meal ends. They eat together, unlike most Americans. Compared to the Amish, my eating habits were a bit decadent, and I gained a reputation as something of a foodie. “You like to eat good, Frankie”, they always told me. I worked hard that summer, but I never took breaks shorter than an hour. Fortunately, the Amish like dessert, so they were also quite fond of afternoon naps.

To my mind, eating should be a pleasurable experience, not a mere transaction to gain the calories we need to survive. In the United States, there’s very little concept of quality. Everything is about quantity. We are always in a rush. And our relationship with food is mostly passive and consumptive. We have lost touch with what makes us feel good. And one of the things that makes us feel good is eating from our own labor and sharing the fruits of our effort with those around us. In the Arabic world, a greedy person is said to have a big stomach (baá¹­no kbir), while a virtuous person is said to “eat from his fatigue” (yakol min taÊ¿abo). This is something that is a lot easier to achieve on a farm, and it is one of the reason why I think the Amish are so content with their simple lifestyle.

What is your favorite dish to cook?

I don’t have a favorite dish, but my favorite utensil is bread. I love it, for example, when everyone eats from a common bowl or dish. Potlucks have a similar appeal. When we eat this way, we function in the context of other people and their needs, and this forces us to develop more self-awareness.

During the last year, a lot of people have taken up cooking as a hobby or cooked more due to the limitations of eating out. How has the pandemic affected your culinary habits? 

We saw the panic buying that took place. Every animal on the earth knows how to get food, except for people. When supply chains get disrupted, fear sets in. The Amish taught me a lot about hunting and agriculture. They know where food comes from because they live off of the land. Knowing how to produce your own food is not only empowering, it’s also vital to a well-lived life. There’s plenty of studies where lab animals demonstrate greater satisfaction upon acquiring their own food rather than having it delivered pre-packaged and pre-dosed. The less dependent I am on the marketplace, the more confident and healthy I feel.

What advice would you give people just learning how to cook or people with an interest in cooking but don’t know where to start?

Start with what you already know—everybody knows something—and cook only the meals that you like. If you cook something that you don’t like, either don’t cook it again or change how you prepare it. As you do this, your repertoire will expand. That’s it. If your really struggling, watch some videos online, and if you still can’t figure it out, you never will. Eat out or find a partner who likes to cook. You should also know every ingredient you put into your body. Stay away from processed foods.

The last thing I will say is if cooking feels like a chore, it’s probably because you are not working in harmony with your needs. You work mechanically and consume compulsively. This is a social problem that has no easy answers, and each person must find a solution suitable to their particular circumstances. Let food be your guide. If you have time to cook and share a meal, then you are moving in a direction of balance and stability. Lastly, don’t be so hard on yourself. Relax, and take your time.

There are two types of people in the world: those who relish spicy food and everybody else. Most people can only relate to one or the other type. If you like spicy food, then how can anyone enjoy plain white rice? And if you don’t like spicy food, then you can’t rationalize the appeal of self-inflicted pain. Isn’t food supposed to make you feel good? As it turns out, science has a lot to say about people who simply can’t get enough heat. If this describes you, one or a combination of the following headings may apply.

Spicy food and I have a close relationship—an obsessive one, in fact. If it’s spicy, I want it. I want to sweat and shake and go half blind from the searing pain . . . which, now that I put it that way, seems really suggestive. But spicy stuff is addictive. That’s a known fact of science.

Maureen Johnson, American Novelist

1. You Are a Thrill-Seeker

A Penn State University study discovered a relationship between thrill-seeking and preference for study foods:

Using Arnett’s Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS) test — one that determines one’s level of risk taking behavior — they surveyed the participants first on their preferences to thrill. The questions included things like listening to loud music, watching highly suspenseful movies, public speaking, gambling and standing on the edge of something high and looking down. Their results were compared to their preferences for spicy food. Unsurprisingly, those who scored higher on the AISS test had higher preferences for spicier foods.

Source: Elite Daily

There is something about the pain of spicy food, knowing that it’s not going to kill you, that makes people feel alive and satisfies their thirst for adventure.

2. You Have High Testosterone Levels

This 2015 study found a correlation between male salivary testosterone levels and preferences for spicy food. The latter was measured in terms of the quantity of hot sauce that participants voluntarily consumed with their food.

Participants included 114 males between the ages of 18 and 44 recruited from the community. They were asked to indicate their preferences regarding spicy food and were then asked to season a sample of mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and salt (control substance) prior to evaluating the spiciness of the meal. A positive correlation was observed between endogenous salivary testosterone and the quantity of hot sauce individuals voluntarily and spontaneously consumed with a meal served as part of a laboratory task. In contrast, significant correlations were not observed between testosterone and behavioral preference for salty foods. This study suggests that behavioral preference for spicy food among men is related to endogenous testosterone levels.

Whether or not spicy food increases testosterone levels or men with higher testosterone levels simply have a preference for it is unclear. What is clear is there is a strong association between the two.

3. You Are Highly Sensitive To Reward

According to the experts, sensitivity to reward “refers to the degree to which an individual’s behavior is motivated by reward-relevant stimuli and is believed to be regulated by the behavioral activation system. . .” (source). An example of a reward is the pleasure experienced by eating good food, working out, or the endorphins released after exposure to spicy food. People highly sensitive to reward live by the motto, “No pain, no gain” (e.g. David Goggins), while those less less sensitive to reward make do with neither.

In a 2013 study entitled “Food Quality and Preference,” researchers discovered a positive correlation between sensitivity to reward and spicy food preferences (source). For these individuals, spicy food is worth consuming because it triggers the release of happy hormones comparable to a runner’s high.

For all you spice aficionados reading this post, I’m curious what it is about the chili pepper that whets your appetite. Let me know what the research cited above got right, wrong or neglected to address.

My mom is a nutritionist and is constantly raving about the health benefits of Magnesium. Magnesium has been in favor with health professionals for a long time. It used to be recommended to treat a host of illnesses. According to Doctor Emily Deans at Psychology Today, “Magnesium is an old home remedy for all that ails you, including ‘anxiety, apathy, depression, headaches, insecurity, irritability, restlessness, talkativeness, and sulkiness'” (link). For Magnesium’s biological function, I will leave that to the experts over at the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association:

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body after calcium, potassium, and sodium. Magnesium activates more than 600 enzymes and influences extracellular calcium levels. It is essential for the stability of cell function, RNA and DNA synthesis, and cell repair, as well as maintaining the antioxidant status of the cell. It is an important cofactor for the activation of a wide range of transporters and enzymes. Also, magnesium-dependent kinases are responsible for the activation of up to 30% of the functional body proteins. Approximately 40% of total body magnesium content is intracellular, and almost 60% of magnesium is present in bone and teeth, with less than 1% in extracellular fluids.

We naturally obtain Magnesium from our diet, but most people don’t get nearly enough. Martha Shrubsole, PhD, a research professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center told Healthline,

A lot of people have received recommendations from their healthcare providers to take vitamin D supplements to increase their levels based upon their blood tests. . . In addition to vitamin D, however, magnesium deficiency is an under-recognized issue. Up to 80 percent of people do not consume enough magnesium in a day to meet the recommended dietary allowance (link).

Magnesium-deficient individuals obviously stand the most to gain from supplementation but the four benefits outlined below apply to everyone.

1. Magnesium Improves Sleep Quality

In an 8-week study conducted on the elderly, Magnesium supplementation dramatically improved sleep quality.

As compared to the placebo group, in the experimental group, dietary magnesium supplementation brought about statistically significant increases in sleep time (P = 0.002), sleep efficiency (P = 0.03), concentration of serum renin (P < 0.001), and melatonin (P = 0.007), and also resulted in significant decrease of ISI score (P = 0.006), sleep onset latency (P = 0.02) and serum cortisol concentration (P = 0.008). Supplementation also resulted in marginally between-group significant reduction in early morning awakening (P = 0.08) and serum magnesium concentration (P = 0.06). Although total sleep time (P = 0.37) did not show any significant between-group differences.

Researchers concluded

Supplementation of magnesium appears to improve subjective measures of insomnia such as ISI score, sleep efficiency, sleep time and sleep onset latency, early morning awakening, and likewise, insomnia objective measures such as concentration of serum renin, melatonin, and serum cortisol, in elderly people.

Magnesium has been described as the original chill pill and has long been prescribed to treat insomnia.

2. Magnesium Helps Optimize Vitamin D Levels

I talk a lot on this site about the power of Vitamin D in human health. Humans have a Vitamin D receptor in almost every cell. Vitamin D is a key to testosterone, athletic performance, and overall health, and there are ways to optimize it without direct sun exposure. It is a well-known fact that Magnesium plays a vital role in Vitamin D optimization. According to the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association:

The adequate balance of magnesium and vitamin D is essential for maintaining the physiologic functions of various organs. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphate balance to maintain healthy bone functions.1-6 Skeletal muscles, heart, teeth, bones, and many other organs require magnesium to sustain their physiologic functions. Furthermore, magnesium is needed to activate vitamin D. Abnormal levels in either of these nutrients can lead to serious organ dysfunctions.

It is also well-known that Magnesium deficiency impairs the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D. Doctors regularly recommend Magnesium supplementation for Vitamin D-deficient patients who do not respond to Vitamin D supplementation alone. According to Healthline,

Researchers also have noted variations in vitamin D synthesis, with some people failing to raise their levels of the vitamin even when taking high-dose supplements. Dr. Qi Dai, the lead author on the latest study and a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said their research explains why. ‘Magnesium deficiency shuts down the vitamin D synthesis and metabolism pathway’ (link).

3. Magnesium Raises Total and Free Testosterone Levels

This study studied the effect of Magnesium supplementation and exercise on total and free testosterone levels. It measured testosterone levels resting before supplementation, exhaustion before supplementation, resting after supplementation, and exhaustion after supplementation in three study groups, two of which supplemented with varying amounts of Magnesium. The researchers concluded that “supplementation with magnesium increases free and total testosterone values in sedentary and in athletes. The increases are higher in those who exercise than in sedentary individuals.”

In another study done on ZMA supplementation (Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B-6), participants who took 450 mg of Magnesium aspartate over an 8-week period observed a substantial 25% increase in free testosterone levels. We don’t know the precise role Magnesium played in this experiment given the presence of two other minerals. However, based on other studies like the one cited above it is safe to conclude that Magnesium increases testosterone levels.

I have taken Magnesium on and off for years and have noticed an increase in energy and gains. I have also noticed a dramatic increase in libido.

4. Magnesium Improves Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

A controlled study gave Magnesium to adults who were experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression. After the 6-week intervention, patients reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety on Patient Health Questionnaire. The researchers concluded “Magnesium is effective for mild-to-moderate depression in adults. It works quickly and is well tolerated without the need for close monitoring for toxicity.”

For more discussion on the relationship between Magnesium and depression, see Doctor Emily Dean’s article on Magnesium for Depression (link).

Where to Buy Magnesium:

When purchasing Magnesium, be mindful of bioavailability. Bioavailability affects how much of the mineral your body can absorb and use. Magnesium oxide is quite common but does not get absorbed by the body as well as Magnesium citrate. For online purchases, my #1 recommendation is Amazon’s Solgar Magnesium Citrate, Highly Absorbable, Promotes Healthy Bones, Non-GMO. It’s Magnesium citrate, puts out a strong dose at 400 MG, and is the best bang for the buck.

For a ZMA supplement with 450mg of Magnesium that was found to increase free testosterone by 25% in the study cited above, check out MET-Rx ZMA Supplement 90 Capsules. You will be hard-pressed to find a better value product.

Conclusion:

There are a plethora of research-backed reasons for supplementing with Magnesium. I’ve focused on four of them in this article–improved sleep quality, Vitamin D optimization, increased testosterone levels, and improved symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Magnesium is one of the few supplements I’ve taken regularly over the years (Vitamin D and Zinc round out the trifecta). Decide for yourself in consultation with your doctor whether this super mineral is worth adding to your dietary regimen.

Zinc is one of those minerals you’ve probably already heard your doctor talk about. Zinc is involved in manifold bodily processes ranging from cell division and cell growth to wound healing and the breakdown of carbohydrates. We naturally obtain Zinc from out diet, but many people do not get enough. According to Medical News Today, 1.1 billion people worldwide are deficient in the mineral (link). These people obviously stand the most to gain from supplementing Zinc, but the benefits of Zinc are for everyone.

1. Zinc Improves Sleep Quality

This study examined the effect of zinc supplementation on the sleep quality of nurses in an intensive care unit. Researchers found that the intervention group (those who supplemented Zinc) scored higher on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which measures things like sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbances. The supplemented group also scored lower on sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and subjectively rated their sleep quality better than the control group.

Other recent studies have come to the same conclusion. A review of the literature observed, “Recent research has concluded that zinc serum concentration varies with the amount of sleep, while orally administered zinc increases the amount and the quality of sleep in mice and humans.”

2. Zinc Raises Testosterone Levels

This study put sedentary men through a 4-week cycling routine and found that exercise decreased thyroid and testosterone levels. However, in the group that supplemented Zinc, thyroid and testosterone levels were substantially higher. The researchers concluded, “The results indicate that exercise decreases thyroid hormones and testosterone in sedentary men; however, zinc supplementation prevents this decrease.”

In a second study from 1996, dietary zinc restriction in young men resulted in a decrease in serum testosterone levels. The researchers also found that supplementing Zinc in elderly men who were moderately deficient in the mineral resulted in an increase in serum testosterone levels.

In a third study done on ZMA supplementation (Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B-6), participants who took 30mg of Zinc over an 8-week period observed a substantial 25% increase in free testosterone levels. This is something to keep in mind even though we do not know the precise role Zinc played given the presence of two other minerals.

It may follow from the data above that Zinc increases free testosterone in normal adults and testosterone in exercise and Zinc-deficient groups.

3. Zinc Improves Sperm Health

A meta-analysis of the scientific literature found that Zinc supplementation improved sperm health and several markers of fertility. The researchers observed, “Our meta-analysis results indicated that the seminal plasma zinc concentrations from infertile males were significantly lower than those from normal controls. . . Zinc supplementation was found to significantly increase the semen volume, sperm motility and the percentage of normal sperm morphology. . .”

Zinc is also known to increase libido (start taking it and you’ll know exactly what I mean). This may have to do with the combined effect of benefits #1, #2 and #3.

4. Zinc For The Immune System

Zinc’s vital role in immune system health has been well documented. Zinc researcher Ananda Prasad summarized research done on Zinc and immune function: “The zinc-deficient patients had severe immune dysfunctions, inasmuch as they died of intercurrent infections by the time they were 25 years of age. In our studies in an experimental human model of zinc deficiency, we documented decreased serum testosterone level, oligospermia, severe immune dysfunctions mainly affecting T helper cells, hyperammonemia, neurosensory disorders, and decreased lean body mass” (link).

I have not come across any studies demonstrating a supplement-induced increase in immune system function in people not deficient in the mineral. To my mind more studies would need to be done to confirm this link. However, the immune system is a primary reason a Zinc-deficient individual should consider supplementation. Immune system function also happens to be the benefit most commonly touted on most Zinc products.

Where To Buy Zinc:

You can get Zinc on the cheap at any store that sells supplements or online at Amazon. My favorite Zinc product is Nature’s Wonder Zinc 50mg Tablets. I used to take 50mg of Zinc Gluconate every day for years when I was hitting the gym heavy, but now I take it about every two or three days. For a ZMA supplement with 30mg of Zinc that was found to increase free testosterone by 25% in the study cited above, check out MET-Rx ZMA Supplement 90 Capsules. You will be hard-pressed to find a better value product.

Conclusion:

Zinc supplementation is widely recommended for its many health benefits. My late uncle who was a medical doctor surprisingly didn’t give much health advice. But he did tell me and all my brothers to supplement with Zinc on the daily. After reviewing the medical literature, I can see where he was coming from.