Last week, a study published in the journal BMJ Open revealed that a whopping 60% of calories in the average American's daily diet come from "ultra-processed" foods, which are pretty much exactly what they sound like: processed foods that contain additives—like hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and emulsifiers—with long names you don't recognize.

The researchers also found that these ultra-processed foods account for 90% of the added sugar we consume, increasing our risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Yikes. In an interview with HealthDay News, lead study author Euridice Martinez Steele stressed the importance of cleaning up our diets. "There is one relatively simple way to avoid excessive added sugar—not replacing real food with ultra-processed food and drink products," she said.

RELATED: 20 Foods You Should Always Have in Your Kitchen

Luckily, creating homemade versions of your favorite treats is easier than you might think. And you don't need to swear off conveniently-packaged snacks altogether, says Health's contributing nutrition editor Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD. You just need to read the labels carefully: "My take is, if the ingredient list looks like a recipe you could have made in your own kitchen, you're on the right track."

Here, Sass points out the six worst ultra-processed foods in your pantry right now, and healthier versions you can buy—or make at home—instead.

Chips

The most notorious offenders, says Sass, are brands that contain artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. (That means anything neon-orange is out.) Your best bet is a basic kettle chip with just three simple ingredients: potatoes, olive or sunflower oil, and salt. Other good options include organic blue corn chips and popcorn, which is low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with antioxidants. Or better yet, go the DIY route. Baked kale chips are easy to make, as are oven-roasted sweet potato chips. Follow the the step-by-step instructions in the video below.

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RELATED: How to Make Zucchini Oven Chips

Packaged snack cakes

Those plastic-wrapped cakes that seem to last for months years in your pantry are packed with sugar and preservatives (hence their longevity). Whipping up your own sweet treats is a better option, says Sass. You can use a nutrient-rich alternative to white flour, such as chickpea or almond flour, and also cut back on sugar and butter with healthier substitutions. Sass recommends replacing half of the sugar in the recipe with pureed fruit (mashed bananas and date paste both work well); and swapping each tablespoon of butter with a half tablespoon of avocado. (Check out this video for more smart baking swaps.)

Craving a sweet fix, stat? "I love to take fresh fruit—berries, slices of pears, whatever is in season—and warm them in a skillet with a little lemon water," Sass says. "Then I'll make homemade crumble with almond butter, oats, and cinnamon and sprinkle it on top of the fruit."

RELATED: 34 Easy Swaps to Make Every Meal Healthier

Certain breads

You already know to avoid ultra-processed white bread in favor of fiber-rich whole grain breads that offer a slew of good-for-you perks. But picking the right loaf can be tricky because even healthy-seeming varieties can contain additives: "Bread is one of those foods where reading the ingredient list is really very important," Sass explains. In general, she recommends looking for a whole grain or gluten-free, or even grain-free bread that doesn't have any artificial additives or preservatives. When in doubt, check the frozen foods section, Sass says. It makes sense: Some of the healthiest breads "need to be frozen because they don't contain any preservatives," she explains.

Diet soda

Yes, you've heard it before. But seriously, it's time to ditch your diet soda stash once and for all. Besides the fact that diet soda has zero nutritional value, it contains artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, and has been linked to headaches, depression, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. If you can't get used to plain old H2O, opt for sparkling or flavored water. "Just be sure to choose one that contains only carbonated water and natural flavors," says Sass.

RELATED: 9 Low-Fat Foods You Shouldn't Eat

Frozen pizza

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a minimally-processed version of pre-made pizza. The best alternative, says Sass, is making your own dough. She bakes a light, flaky crust from chopped up cauliflower that pleases even diehard pizza fans, and loads it up with veggies and fresh greens. This video shows how simple it is so make your own cauliflower crust pizza.

Candy

First, the bad news on candy: Most of the movie theater brands you know and love contain high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors. But the good news, is there are better options out there. "Seventy percent dark chocolate is a great alternative to candy," Sass says, noting that it's a good source of magnesium and antioxidants, which can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. For a bite-sized treat, she likes Dagoba Organic Chocolate Chocodrops ($8; amazon.com). "Some of my clients keep a bag in the freezer and grab a small handful of the frozen chips when they're craving something sweet," she says. And if you prefer gummy candies, Sass recommends a German brand called Seitenbacher Gummi Fruit ($20 for a dozen 3-oz. bags; amazon.com). "Their sweetness comes from real fruit juices, such as apple and beetroot," she says.

A team of engineers at the University of Delaware is developing next-generation smart textiles by creating flexible carbon nanotube composite coatings on a wide range of fibers, including cotton, nylon and wool. Their discovery is reported in the journal ACS Sensors where they demonstrate the ability to measure an exceptionally wide range of pressure — from the light touch of a fingertip to being driven over by a forklift.

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Lab-based mimicry allowed an international team of physicists including Carnegie’s Alexander Goncharov to probe hydrogen under the conditions found in the interiors of giant planets — where experts believe it gets squeezed until it becomes a liquid metal, capable of conducting electricity. Their work is published in Science.

Itching, blisters, sores and inflammation are a continuous and debilitating source of pain, shame and misery for many people who struggle with the allergic skin disease known as eczema, researchers say.

And a new study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, suggests that many of those battling moderate-to-severe eczema suffer from an inability or reluctance to engage in activities and socialising, which leads to a considerably diminished quality of life.

Life dissatisfaction

For some eczema patients, their quality of life is poorer than those who have a wide range of other chronic health issues, including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, the researchers added.

“The more severe the atopic dermatitis [eczema], the worse the overall health, quality of life and life dissatisfaction,” said study author Dr Jonathan Silverberg.

“I see some of the toughest cases of atopic dermatitis around, so I can’t say I was terribly surprised by this,” Dr Silverberg explained. “But I think most people who don’t live with atopic dermatitis are surprised to hear just how debilitating it can be.”

Dr Silverberg serves as director of the Northwestern Medicine Multidisciplinary Eczema Center and the Contact Dermatitis Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago.

Cause remains elusive

According to the National Eczema Association, roughly 30 million Americans, ranging from infants to seniors, suffer from one of several different forms of the skin disease.

The exact cause remains elusive, and there is no known cure. And though topical drugs and immunotherapy can help manage the condition, treatment is complicated by the fact that “no two eczema patients are exactly alike,” Dr Silverberg said.

“For most patients, flares can come for no apparent reason at all,” he noted. “Many patients are looking for that one (environmental) trigger they can avoid to cure their atopic dermatitis. For most, it doesn’t exist.”

And that means that patients with different triggers and different degrees of severity and symptoms will require a different “tailored treatment approach” for what will likely end up being a long-term chronic disorder, said Silverberg.

Dissatisfied with life

The survey of just over 600 eczema patients (with mild, moderate, or severe disease) revealed one all-too-common thread: a broad dissatisfaction with one’s life.

Nearly three-quarters of those polled were white. Just over half had mild eczema, nearly four in 10 had a moderate condition, and just over 8% described their condition as severe.

Pooled together, about one-quarter said they were in fair health, while nearly 16% described their overall health as poor, the findings showed.

Among those with severe disease, about 35% said they were either in fair or poor health, while almost one-third said they were somewhat or very dissatisfied with life.

But even among those with mild eczema, nearly 18% said they avoided socialising because of their appearance, while 23% limited their daily activities. Those figures shot up to 40% and 43%, respectively, when moderate and severe patients were included.

The most effective way patients can limit eczema’s impact on quality of life is to “seek care earlier and aim for tighter control of their symptoms,” Dr Silverberg advised.

Good news for eczema patients

“Some patients may say to themselves ‘it’s not so bad’, and not seek care,” he said. “Then they end up suffering in silence as things worsen and they eventually get to a point of desperation, and at that point have a much harder time treating their disease.”

The impact that eczema can have on life satisfaction is not lost on Dr Richard Gallo, chairman of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.

“We have long known that eczema has an enormous impact on the quality of life, not only for the patient but also on parents of children with eczema,” he said.

Still, “there is good news for eczema patients because of new scientific understanding of the cause and treatment,” Dr Gallo added. On that front, he highlighted work currently underway exploring the potential benefits of using probiotics applied to the skin.

But, Dr Gallo said, “eczema is complex and patients really need to talk carefully to their doctor to understand the type and causes of their eczema.”

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Standard chips are about as nutritious as the bags they come in. Start with these benefit-packed raw ingredients and you’ll be munching guilt-free.

What to buy

Beetroot: Kettle chips? Pah. Aside from stamina-raising nitric oxide, beets boast vitamin C and iron (for increased energy and immunity), as well as the phytonutrient betalain, which helps your body detoxify – and turns your fingers pink.

Sweet potato: Ja, we said no potatoes. But as any nutritional hipster knows, these are no ordinary spuds: More sight-saving vit A, C, fibre and cancer-fighting phytos, fewer kilojoules and carbs.

Read more: 6 food combinations that are insanely good for you

Kale: A veritable vitamin alphabet: A, C, heart-protecting K, plus some of those phytonutrient things. The flatter Tuscan and Red Russian varieties roast more evenly and hold coatings better.

How to prep them

Preheat your oven to 175°C. Chop the veg into crisp-size pieces. If you’re using beets or sweets, a mandoline is both time efficient and OCD-satisfying. Just mind your fingers.

Read more: Get all the nutrients your body needs by stocking your cupboard with these five foods

For max crunch, ensure the veg is dry by using a salad spinner, tea towel or air and patience. Toss in olive oil to amp up the nutrients and guarantee crispiness.

What to put on them

Spread the veg out on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then sprinkle evenly with sea salt and your seasoning of choice to add further benefit as well as flavour.

Cumin: This earthy, Asian spice suppresses fat tissue growth – definitely worth having in your pantry.

Parmesan: A light dusting makes the veg’s disease-curbing carotenoids more easily absorbed.

Read more: 5 food myths your parents told you and the ones you should stop believing

Cayenne pepper: By now we shouldn’t have to tell you that this spikes your metabolism. Right?

How to cook them

Put the tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they look, well, crispy. Let them cool before eating, but be sure to eat them the same day or they’ll lose their crunch.

^{This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za}

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When Heather, 33, started experiencing paralyaing anxiety triggered by public speaking at her job, she knew she needed something different than the Xanax she was already taking.

While she had been able to count on the prescription drug for other situations, it was no match for speaking in front of crowds.

“It only calmed me down a little,” says Heather, who lives in New York. “I really felt like I needed a massive tranquiliser to not want to jump out of the window during a presentation.”

But she was surprised when her doctor prescribed propranolol – a beta-blocker, typically used to reduce blood pressure – for her anxiety.

“It truly is a magic pill,” Heather says, adding that she even uses it for conference calls that tend to instigate her anxiety. “It doesn’t necessarily alleviate your nerves, but any symptom you may experience – for example, your heart pounding out of your chest – is totally eliminated. It’s the best kept secret.”

Uh, wait, what are beta-blockers?

Beta-blockers are typically used to manage abnormal heart rhythms, reduce high blood pressure or treat angina (chest pain). They work by blocking the body’s beta receptors, which are stimulated by epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline), explains Dr Sanjiv Patel, cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

Basically, beta-blockers help your heart beat slower and with less force, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

But, while they’re typically used to treat heart and blood pressure issues, beta-blockers can also be used to treat glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, tremors, migraines and – you guessed it – anxiety, says Dr Patel.

Beta-blockers also come in different formulations – non-selective and selective – which dictate what they’re used for.

Selective beta-blockers, like atenolol, work specifically on the heart, according to the NLM, while non-selective beta-blockers (like propranolol, which Heather takes) work on a variety of receptors, opening them up to more general uses like anxiety.

Read more: 8 things to know if you’re dating someone with anxiety

So, beta-blockers can really help with my anxiety?

Well, it depends on what type of anxiety you’re experiencing.

“One of the more common off-label uses for beta-blockers is in the treatment of performance anxiety,” says Dr Wilnise Jasmin, a board-certified family medicine doctor and a current preventive medicine trainee at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Beta-blockers act on the sympathetic portion of the nervous system, which is responsible for your ‘fight’ reaction in the fight or flight response.”

That “fight” response, is what makes you feel the more physical symptoms of anxiety – the pounding heart, the shakiness, the profuse sweating – which beta-blockers, well, block.

“Since beta-blockers work by blocking the effects of epinephrine – also known as adrenaline – this slows down the heart, reducing the feeling of one’s heart pounding, tremors, or sweating,” says Dr Ashwini Nadkarni, an associate psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School.

That’s how they worked for Heather, who says her symptoms were so severe she struggled to hide them in public.

“It didn’t matter if the presentation required me to speak for 15 seconds or 15 minutes, I wanted to die before and during,” she says, adding that alternative relaxation methods, like deep breathing, were never an option.

That’s because even if she did achieve a level of calm before a presentation, the symptoms would reappear the moment she was in front of people. “Once you’re up, your body just panics and there is nothing that deep breathing or meditation can do for you.”

Read more: How these 4 common antidepressants and anxiety meds affect your body

Should I consider beta-blockers for my anxiety?

If you experience the occasional bout of performance anxiety, you might want to consider talking to your doctor about beta-blockers to help manage the physical symptoms. But, for other types of anxiety – generalised, social, etc. – beta-blockers may not be enough.

That’s because beta-blockers don’t treat the more mental aspects related to anxiety, like persistent and excessive worrying, suggests Dr Nadkarni

Another thing to consider about beta-blockers: They’re a legitimate medication (they are used for heart conditions, after all), so they’re not something to be taken lightly. They also come with some very real side effects, including dizziness, tiredness and difficulty breathing, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

They’re also only available via prescription, so, you kind of have to talk to your doctor about them, anyway.

As for Heather, she says her now-and-then use of beta-blockers has been a lifesaver. “Propranolol taught me that I can say three sentences out loud in front of an audience without dropping dead and I’m much better now,” she says.

And, while she doesn’t use them quite as often anymore, she still keeps them on hand, in case of emergencies. “I still carry them in my purse just in case,” she says.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com}

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A cancer drug can unlock the liver’s ability to regenerate, early stage research suggests.