#how much DHA to take

[supp-up]

Workout Nutrition DIY: Control Cortisol, Sleep Better, and Heal [Here’s How].

Workout Nutrition DIY: Control Cortisol, Sleep Better, and Heal [Here’s How]. #cortisol #sleep #supp_up #heal #workout #gymrecovery #fishoil #dha

We’re back at it again only this time, we’ll look into how to control cortisol levels, sleep better, and heal, with one essential nutrient you might be missing. If you’re new to the SUPP UP. blog or haven’t read the last few posts, in the last Workout Nutrition DIY, we ran through the benefits of creatine outside the gym. We deep dove into research on why creatine supplementation is useful when…

[abbotjack]

God I hate to be that person but ughhhhhh I love that jack fic where they find out reader is pregnant and I'm CRAVING a second part to that (if you're u to of course). Like, how it'd be during her pregnancy, him being sweet but also worried and protective. Omg I need more soft jack w a baby on the way!!!!!

The Camouflage Onesie

part two of he begins to notice (read this first!)

content warnings: pregnancy, medical references, nausea/morning sickness, sexual content (explicit but consensual), body image changes, hormonal shifts, domestic intimacy, emotional vulnerability, labor and delivery scene, emotionally intense partner support, and high emotional/physical dependency within a marriage. yeah. pregnancy

word count : 5,735

WEEK 5

The test turned positive on a Sunday. By Monday morning, the entire medicine cabinet had been rearranged like it was a trauma cart.

Your moisturizer had been nudged over to make room for prescription-grade prenatals, a bottle of magnesium, a DHA complex, and—of all things—two individually labeled pill sorters with day-of-the-week dividers. One pink. One clear. Yours and Jack's, apparently.

You found him in the kitchen at 6:42 a.m., already in scrubs. He was calmly cutting the crusts off toast while listening to NPR and making a second cup of coffee for himself.

When he turned, he gave you a long once-over—not in a critical way, but diagnostic. Like he was scanning you for vitals only he could see.

“You’re flushed,” he said. “And your pupils are dilated. You feel dizzy yet?”

You furrowed your brow. “No?”

“Good. You’re hydrating better than I thought.”

You blinked. “Jack, I haven’t even said good morning.”

He walked over and handed you a glass of room-temp water. “I’m loving you with medically sourced precision.”

You stared at the glass. “This isn’t cold.”

“Cold water upsets your stomach. Lukewarm helps with early bloat.”

“Jack.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”

He tilted his head. “I’ve watched septic patients stabilize faster than accountants facing a positive Clearblue. I know exactly what this is.”

You pressed your hands to your face and groaned. “You’re not going to hover this much every week, are you?”

Jack leaned down, brushing a kiss over your shoulder. “No. Some weeks I’ll hover more.”

“I made your appointment already,” he said, voice casual. “Friday. Dr. Patel. 3:40.”

You blinked. “You didn’t even ask me.”

“She owes me a favor,” Jack said. “Got her niece into ortho during the peak of the shortage last year. Trust me—she’ll take care of you.��

You frowned, stunned. “How did you even pull that off so fast?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Sweetheart. I’m an ER doctor. I have connections. I can get my wife seen before the week’s out.”

Your eyes welled up suddenly—caught off guard by how steady he was, how sure. You were still half-floating in disbelief. Jack was already ten steps ahead, clearing the path.

WEEK 6

You learned very quickly that pregnancy was a full-time job—and Jack approached it with quiet precision.

The first time you dry-heaved over the kitchen sink, he didn’t rush in with a solution. He didn’t lecture or hover. He just stepped into the room, leaned against the counter, and waited until you looked up.

“Still thinking about that leftover pasta?” he asked softly.

You made a face. “Don’t say the word pasta.”

He crossed the kitchen, wordless, and pulled open a drawer. Out came a wrapped ginger chew. Then he disappeared down the hall.

When he returned, he had your cardigan in one hand and a bottle of lemon water in the other.

You blinked at him. “What are you doing?”

Jack handed you the water first. “You always run cold when you’re nauseous. But I know you’ll refuse a blanket if you’re flushed.”

You stared.

He draped the cardigan over your shoulders.

“You okay?”

You nodded slowly. “I think so.”

“Okay,” he said. “Let me know when you want toast.”

You half-laughed, half-cried, wiping your eyes on your sleeve. “You don’t have to be this gentle every second.”

Jack leaned in. “I’m not being gentle. I’m being exact. There’s a difference.”

Later that night, you sat curled up on the couch, still wrapped in the cardigan, while Jack quietly swapped your usual diffuser oil with something new.

“Peppermint,” he said when you asked. “Helps with queasiness.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And the bin next to the couch?”

“Let’s call it contingency planning.”

You smirked. “You’re really building systems around me, huh?”

Jack looked at you—soft, certain. “No. I’m building them for you.”

He moved across the room and brushed your hair back off your forehead, thumb pausing at your temple like he could smooth out whatever discomfort lingered there.

“You’re not the patient,” he murmured. “You’re the constant. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep the ground steady under your feet.”

You didn’t have a clever reply.

You just pulled him onto the couch beside you and tucked yourself into his chest—grateful beyond words that this was who you got to build a life with.

WEEK 9

Jack was folding laundry on the bed when you walked into the room barefoot, carrying a bowl of cereal and wearing his old college sweatshirt.

You caught his glance. “What?”

He shook his head, smiled a little. “Just thinking you wear my clothes better than I ever did.”

You rolled your eyes, but your smile gave you away. He set a towel down. Reached for your bowl as you sat on the edge of the bed.

“I got it,” you said.

“I know,” he murmured, holding it anyway while you shifted the pillow behind your back. Once you were settled, he handed it back.

You took a bite, then glanced at the basket of half-folded laundry.

“You know that’s mostly my stuff, right?”

Jack looked at the pile. “It’s ours. Who else is gonna fold your seven thousand pairs of fuzzy socks?”

You laughed into your spoon.

He leaned against the dresser and just looked at you for a second. Not in a way that made you self-conscious—just soft. Familiar.

“You’re quieter this week,” he said.

You shrugged. “I’m tired.”

He nodded. “Want to go somewhere this weekend? Just us?”

“Like where?”

“Nowhere big. Just—out of the house. We could rent a cabin. Lay around. Sleep until noon. Let you pretend I’m not watching you nap like it’s my full-time job.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You do that now?”

“Not always. Just when you start snoring like a golden retriever pup.”

“Jack.”

He grinned, walked over, and kissed your temple.

“Alright, no trips. But at least let me cook something tonight. Something warm.”

You sighed. “You already do too much.”

He looked at you seriously then, crouched a little so you were eye-level.

“I don’t keep score,” he said. “I’m your husband. You’re growing our kid. If all I have to do is make dinner and fold socks, I’m getting off easy.”

WEEK 14

By week fourteen, the second trimester hit like an exhale.

You weren’t queasy every morning anymore. Your appetite returned. You could brush your teeth without gagging. And Jack, for the first time in weeks, actually relaxed enough to sit through an entire episode of something without checking on you mid-scene.

You were curled on the couch together—your head in his lap—when he slid his hand beneath your shirt and rested it on the soft curve of your stomach.

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re subtle.”

“I’m consistent.”

You snorted. “You’re clingy.”

His thumb brushed just under your ribs. “I’m memorizing.”

You shifted slightly, tucking your feet closer. “You already know everything about me.”

Jack looked down at you, the corners of his mouth twitching. “I know the before. This part? This is new.”

He went quiet, and you could feel the shift in him—something deeper, more reverent than before.

“I’ve seen pregnancy before,” he said. “But I’ve never… watched it happen to someone I come home to.”

You turned your head to look up at him. “You okay?”

Jack nodded slowly. “I just keep thinking… you’re building someone I haven’t met yet. And I already know I’d give my life for them.”

Your throat tightened. You reached for his hand where it rested on your stomach, lacing your fingers through his.

“We’re doing okay, right?”

Jack bent down, kissed your forehead. “You’re doing better than okay.”

You smiled. “We’re a good team.”

“The best,” he said. “Even if you keep stealing all the pillows.”

You laughed. “You sleep like a corpse. You don’t need them.”

He grinned. “You’re getting cocky now that the nausea’s eased.”

“You’ll miss her when she’s gone.”

“No, I’ll just be glad to have you back.”

You rolled your eyes. “You have me.”

Jack kissed you again. Longer this time.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I do.”

WEEK 15

It started with the baby books.

Not the ones you bought. The ones Jack picked up—three of them, stacked neatly on the nightstand one morning after a grocery run you hadn’t joined him on.

You noticed them after your shower. He was still in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, humming something that definitely wasn’t in tune. But the titles made you pause.

“‘What to Expect for Dads,’” you read aloud, holding the top one up when he walked in. “You going soft on me?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Hardly. Just figured if you’re doing the building, I can at least read the manual.”

You smirked, flipping through a page. “You’re the manual.”

“I’m the triage guy. I don’t have maternal instincts. I have protocols.”

You leaned back against the headboard. “You’re being humble, but you’re gonna ace this.”

He shrugged, crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed. “I just want to know what’s coming. I’ve done newborn shifts. I’ve handed babies to people shaking so hard they could barely hold them. But this? This isn’t a shift. This is us.”

You touched his arm. “You’ve already done more than I can even keep track of.”

Jack looked at you for a long moment. Then placed his hand over yours. “I don’t want to just be useful. I want to be good. For both of you.”

You didn’t know what to say.

So you leaned forward and kissed him—gentle, deep. His hand slid to your stomach as naturally as breathing.

You pulled back just enough to whisper, “You already are.”

That night, when he thought you were asleep, he cracked open the book again.

And stayed up past midnight reading about swaddling, latch cues, and the difference between Braxton Hicks and the real thing.

WEEK 16

Jack stood in the doorway of your office for almost a full minute before saying anything.

You looked up from your laptop, eyebrows raised. “What?”

He didn’t move. Just scanned the room—your desk, the bookshelf, the little armchair in the corner that you never actually used.

Then, finally: “Is our house big enough for this?”

You blinked. “For what?”

He gestured vaguely toward your belly, then the room. “All of it. A baby. Crib. Noise. Diapers. More laundry. Less sleep.”

You smiled gently. “I thought we were turning this room into the nursery.”

“We are,” he said quickly. “I just… I keep running scenarios in my head. And this place felt huge when it was just us.”

You closed your laptop. “Jack.”

He looked at you.

“We’ll figure it out. We already are.”

He crossed the room, leaned against your desk. “I’m not trying to panic.”

“I know.”

“I just keep thinking about how everything’s going to change. I want to make sure we still feel like us once it does.”

You stood and wrapped your arms around his waist, head resting against his chest. “We will. You think too far ahead sometimes.”

“That’s my job,” he murmured.

“And mine is reminding you that it’s okay to not solve everything all at once.”

He kissed the top of your head. “I know. I just want it to be enough.”

WEEK 19

Jack was unusually quiet on the drive to the anatomy scan.

Not anxious. Just focused in a way that told you his brain had been working overtime since the moment he woke up. His hand rested on your thigh at every red light, thumb tracing small circles against the fabric of your leggings.

“You good?” you asked, turning down the radio.

He glanced over, nodded once. “Just running through the checklist in my head.”

You smiled gently. “You’re not at work, babe.”

“I know. But I’ve never seen one of these as a husband.”

You reached over and laced your fingers through his. “You don’t have to be perfect today. You just have to be here.”

He gave you a look. “I am here. That’s the problem. I’m so here I can’t think about anything else.”

The waiting room was dim, quiet, and smelled vaguely like lemon disinfectant. Jack sat beside you, legs spread in his usual posture, one hand on your knee. His thumb tapped once. Then again. Then stopped.

The tech was warm, professional. She dimmed the lights. Asked if you wanted to know the sex. You said yes before Jack could answer.

You held your breath as the screen lit up in shades of blue and gray.

“Everything’s looking healthy,” the tech said. “Strong spine, great heartbeat, long legs.”

Jack tightened his grip on your hand.

“And it looks like you’re having a girl.”

You exhaled all at once. Then laughed. Or maybe cried. It blurred together.

Jack didn’t say anything right away. Just stared at the monitor, jaw tense, eyes glassy.

You turned to look at him. “Jack.”

He blinked. “Yeah.”

“You okay?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I just—” He swallowed. “She’s real.”

The rest of the appointment was a haze—measurements, murmurs of “good growth,” the gentle swipe of gel off your stomach. Jack didn’t let go of your hand the entire time.

That night, you came out of the bathroom in an old t-shirt and found him standing at the dresser, staring down at something small in his hand.

You stepped closer. “What’s that?”

He held it up without looking—one of the newborn onesies you’d bought weeks ago in a moment of cautious optimism. Light yellow. Soft cotton.

“You think she’ll fit in this?” he asked.

You smiled. “They’re tiny, Jack. That’s kind of the whole point.”

He nodded but didn’t move.

You wrapped your arms around him from behind. “You’re allowed to feel everything. It’s a big day.”

He turned, wrapped his arms around you carefully. “I think I was more afraid of not feeling it.”

You pressed your forehead to his. “You’re allowed to be happy.”

“I am,” he said, voice rough. “I just keep thinking about how I’m going to keep her safe. How I’m going to teach her to breathe through chaos. How I’ll probably mess it up a hundred times.”

“You’re not going to mess it up.”

He looked at you. “You really think that?”

“I married you, didn’t I?”

Jack smiled for real then. “You’ve always been the smarter one.”

You rolled your eyes. “But you’re the one who’s going to end up wrapped around her finger.”

He kissed your temple. “That part was inevitable.”

WEEK 25

Jack convinced you to finally start looking at houses.

You’d been reluctant—emotionally attached to the place you’d built your early marriage in, skeptical about change when everything in your life already felt like it was shifting—but Jack had waited. Quietly. Patiently.

And then one morning, while you were brushing your teeth, he leaned in behind you, kissed your shoulder, and said, “You deserve a bigger closet.”

That was how it started.

Now, you were standing in a half-empty living room with sun pouring through tall windows and a sold sign posted out front.

Jack had just gotten off the phone with your realtor. “It’s official,” he said, sliding his phone into his back pocket. “Inspection cleared. We close in three weeks.”

You blinked. “We really bought a house.”

He walked over, wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, rested his chin on your shoulder. “Correction: we bought your dream closet.”

You laughed. “You think you’re funny.”

“I know I am. Also, there’s a window bench in the nursery. You don’t even have to try to make it Pinterest-worthy.”

You leaned into him, eyes scanning the bare walls. “I can already picture her here.”

Jack pressed a kiss to your neck. “I already do. I see her trying to climb that windowsill. Leaving fingerprints on every square inch of the fridge. Falling asleep on the stairs with a book she couldn’t finish.”

Your throat tightened.

You turned in his arms. “You really love it?”

He looked at you seriously. “I love what it gives you. I love that it lets you breathe. And yeah—I love that it’s ours.”

Later that night, back in your current house, you sat on the floor with your laptop open, scrolling through registry links and bookmarking soft pink paint samples. Jack handed you a cup of tea, then lowered himself on the couch beside you with a quiet grunt.

“Is it weird that I already want to be moved?” you asked.

He shook his head. “No. It’s called nesting. I read about it in that chapter you skipped.”

You shot him a look. “You’re the worst.”

“I’m the one folding swaddles while you build spreadsheets. This is our love language.”

You leaned into him, content. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

WEEK 27

You’d been on your feet all day—organizing documents, boxing up odds and ends, making lists of what needed to be moved and what could be donated. Jack told you to slow down three separate times, each time gentler than the last.

But now, at 8:43 p.m., you were barefoot in the kitchen, half bent over a drawer of mismatched utensils, when he walked in, tossed a dish towel on the counter, and said, “Okay. That’s it.”

You looked up. “What?”

Jack didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. He crossed the room, took the spatula from your hand, and gently nudged you toward a chair. “Sit. Let me take over.”

You blinked at him. “I’m fine.”

“You’re stubborn.”

You folded your arms. “Same thing.”

Jack crouched in front of you, resting his forearms on your knees. “You’ve done enough today. Let me be the husband who makes you sit down and drink something cold while I finish sorting forks from tongs.”

You softened, your fingers drifting to his hair. “I know you’re right. I just feel useless when I’m not doing something.”

“You’re 27 weeks pregnant,” Jack said, voice warm. “You made a person and folded three boxes of bath towels. That’s two more miracles than anyone else managed today.”

You exhaled and leaned back.

Later, when you were curled on the couch with a glass of iced water and your feet propped on a pillow, Jack settled next to you and tugged a blanket over both of you.

“House is gonna feel real soon,” he said.

You nodded. “She’s going to be born there.”

Jack’s arm slid around your shoulders. “We’ll bring her home to that nursery. Hang that weird mobile you picked that I still don’t understand.”

“You said it was ‘avant-garde.’”

“I was being polite.”

You smiled, tired and full. “We’re really doing it, huh?”

“We are.”

You rested your head on his chest. Jack’s hand drifted instinctively to your belly, and stayed there.

“Hey,” you said after a minute. “Thanks for making me sit.”

Jack kissed the top of your head. “Thanks for letting me.”

WEEK 30

You caught him standing in the doorway of the nursery around 9:00 p.m., arms folded, shoulder braced against the frame like he was keeping watch.

The room was nearly done. Diapers in bins. Chair assembled. Books on shelves. But Jack wasn’t looking at any of that. He was staring at the window, like he was imagining the light that would come through it in the early mornings.

You leaned against the opposite side of the doorway, watching him.

“What’s going on in that head?” you asked.

He glanced over at you. “Just thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

Jack cracked half a smile but didn’t move. “I keep picturing her. Not just baby-her. Grown-up her.”

You walked toward him. “What version?”

He tilted his head. “Seventeen. Wants to borrow the car. Has someone texting her who I probably don’t like.”

You laughed. “You’re already dreading a boyfriend?”

“I’m already dreading anyone who gets to be in her world without knowing what it cost us to build it.”

That stopped you.

Jack finally looked at you then—really looked. “She’s not even born yet and I already know I’d lay down in traffic for her. And I know how fast people can break things they don’t understand.”

You rested your hands on his chest. “You’re not going to be scary.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Well. You’ll look scary. Army vet. ER attending. Perpetual scowl. Built like you bench-press refrigerators for fun.”

He snorted. “Thanks.”

“But you’ll love her in a way no one will mistake for anything but devotion.”

Jack leaned down, pressed his forehead to yours.

“I’m not good at soft,” he murmured.

“You’re good at us,” you whispered. “That’s all she’ll need.”

He pulled you into his arms then, one hand resting flat against the curve of your belly. “She’s gonna hate me when I make her come home early.”

“She’s gonna roll her eyes when you insist on meeting everyone she ever texts.”

Jack grinned. “Damn right.”

You laughed into his shirt. “You’re so screwed.”

“I know.”

But he held you a little tighter. Didn’t say anything else. Just stood there in the dim nursery, one arm wrapped around the two of you, as if holding his whole world in place.

WEEK 32

You’d read the pregnancy forums. The blog posts. The articles with vaguely medical sources claiming the third trimester came with a spike in libido. You thought you’d be too sore, too tired. Too preoccupied.

What you hadn’t expected was the absolute onslaught.

It was like your body had one setting: Jack. Crave him. Need him. Get him here, now, fast.

He’d just gotten home from a late shift, dropped his keys in the bowl by the front door, and disappeared into the shower while you laid in bed attempting to not whine out loud. That resolve lasted six minutes.

When he walked into the bedroom, towel low around his hips, water dripping down his chest, you didn’t even mean to say it:

“I’m gonna die.”

Jack froze.

He crossed the room in seconds. “What is it? Where’s the pain?”

You were already on your back, one hand pressed to your belly, the other covering your eyes.

“Not pain,” you groaned. “Just hormones. God, Jack—this is insane.”

He crouched beside you. “You need to describe what’s happening.”

You peeked at him from under your hand. “I need you. I need you.”

Jack stilled. Blinked. Then dropped his forehead to your shoulder with a long exhale.

“Christ. You scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, laughing into your wrist. “I just—I’m desperate. I thought it would go away. It’s not going away.”

He lifted his head. Smiled. “Desperate, huh?”

“You’re not helping.”

“I think I am.”

Jack kissed your temple, then your cheek, then hovered over your lips. “You sure you’re good?”

You reached for him. “No. I’m feral.”

He didn’t waste another second.

What followed wasn’t frantic—it was focused. Jack stripped you with efficiency and reverence, lips brushing every newly sensitive part of you. Your belly. Your hips. Your breasts. He murmured to you the whole time—gentle things, grounding things.

“You’re beautiful like this,” he said, kissing the swell of your stomach. “You’ve been patient. Let me take care of you.”

“Please,” you whispered. “I feel insane.”

“I know. I’ve got you.”

He slid inside you slow, controlled, the way he always did when he wanted to make it last. But tonight, there was something more behind it—urgency without rush, intention without pressure.

You clawed at his shoulders, moaning into his neck. “Jack, Jack—”

“Right here.”

“I missed you today.”

“I missed you too. I always do.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, legs tightening around his waist. The angle shifted, and everything inside you splintered.

“Oh—God—don’t stop—”

Jack groaned, teeth catching your jawline. “You feel so good, sweetheart. So damn good.”

He guided you through it, one hand braced behind your head, the other cradling your hip like you’d break without it. When you came, it was with his name on your lips and tears at the corners of your eyes.

He followed seconds later, low and deep and steady, body shaking over yours.

Afterward, he didn’t move. Just curled around you, one arm anchored under your shoulders, the other stroking your belly in long, soothing sweeps.

“Still dying?” he asked eventually.

You huffed a laugh. “Little bit.”

Jack smiled into your shoulder. “Guess I’ll keep checking your vitals.”

He pulled back just enough to kiss your chest, then your stomach, whispering something you couldn’t hear but felt down to your bones.

When you shifted against him, needy again already, he looked up with a low laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Jack,” you breathed, “I’m not done.”

And Jack—predictable, capable, ready-for-anything Jack—just grinned.

“I never am with you.”

The second round was slower. Deeper. You rode his thigh first, panting against his neck, clinging to his shoulders while he whispered filth in your ear—soft, low things no one else would ever hear from him. He touched you like he already knew exactly what you’d need next week, next month, next year.

And when you collapsed against him again, trembling and sore and finally, finally full in every sense of the word—he kissed your forehead and said, “You’re everything.”

“I love you,” you whispered.

Jack tucked your hair behind your ear and kissed your cheek.

“Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

WEEK 35

The third trimester had turned your body into a full-time performance art piece. You were a living exhibit on discomfort, hydration, Braxton Hicks, and the high-stakes negotiation of shoe-tying. You’d stopped fighting the afternoon naps, started rotating three stretchy outfits on a loop, and made peace with the fact that gravity was no longer your friend.

Jack had adjusted too.

Without comment, he now drove you to every appointment. Without asking, he refilled your water before bed. Without blinking, he gave up half his side of the bathroom counter for the ever-expanding line of belly oils, cooling balms, and half-used jars of snacks.

But tonight?

Tonight he came home to find you crying at the kitchen table over a broken zipper on the diaper bag.

“Sweetheart.”

You looked up, cheeks blotchy. “It broke. It broke, Jack. And it was the only one I liked.”

“Hey, hey—breathe.”

You sniffled. “It had compartments. It had mesh.”

Jack took the bag gently from your hands, and examined the zipper like it was a patient in trauma.

“Looks jammed,” he said. “Not broken.”

You stared at him. “You don’t know that.”

He looked up. “I do.”

He walked over to the toolbox without fanfare, and returned two minutes later with a small pair of pliers. Thirty seconds after that, the zipper slid closed like nothing had happened.

You burst into tears again.

Jack set the bag down and pulled you into his arms. “Hormones?”

You nodded into his chest. “I love you so much.”

He smiled against your hair. “You want to take a bath?”

You sniffed. “Will you sit on the floor with me?”

“I’ll bring the towel and everything.”

Which is how twenty minutes later you were in the tub, steam curling around the mirror, your swollen belly just breaching the surface, while Jack sat on the floor, reading your baby book aloud like it was scripture.

“She’s the size of a honeydew,” he said, tapping the page. “Still gaining half a pound a week. Lungs developing. Rapid brain growth.”

You hummed. “She’s been moving a lot today.”

He smiled, reached over, and rested a palm over your belly. “She likes the sound of your voice.”

“She likes pizza. She tolerates me.”

Jack leaned over and kissed your temple. “She already loves you.”

You sighed, settling deeper into the water. “She’s going to love you more.”

Jack’s voice went quiet. “That’s not possible.”

You looked over.

He was watching you like he was memorizing the moment. Like he knew it wouldn’t last forever and wanted to hold every second of it.

“She’s got the best of you already,” he murmured.

You shook your head. “You’re the one who’s been steady through everything. She’s gonna know that.”

He kissed your hand. “She’s gonna know we did it together.”

And you believed him.

Even through the tears, the discomfort, the slow shuffle from couch to fridge to bed—you believed him.

WEEK 36

Jack came home with a basket.

Not from the store. Not from a delivery service. From the hospital. Carried under one arm like it was made of glass.

You were on the couch, half-watching a cooking show, half-rubbing the spot where the baby had been kicking for the last ten minutes straight. Jack came in, dropped his keys, and didn’t say anything at first.

He just set the basket on the coffee table and said, “Robby made me promise I wouldn’t forget to give this to you tonight.”

You blinked. “What?”

Jack gestured toward it. “It’s from the ER.”

Inside: a soft blanket. A framed photo of the team crowded around a whiteboard that read “Baby Abbot ETA: T-minus 4 weeks.” A pair of hand-knitted booties labeled “Perlah Originals.” A stack of index cards, each one handwritten—Dana’s in looping cursive, Collins’s in all caps, Princess’s with hearts dotting the i’s. Robby’s simply read: Your kid already has better taste in music than Jack. Congrats.

You turned one of the index cards over, reading Dana’s note about how you were going to be the kind of mom who made her daughter feel safe and loved in the same breath.

“I didn’t know they even noticed me,” you whispered.

Jack rubbed slow circles against your bump. “They notice what matters to me.”

You looked at him.

He shrugged. “You’re my wife. You’re not just around. You’re part of everything.”

The baby kicked again. Hard enough to make you gasp.

Jack smiled, leaned in, and kissed the place she’d just moved. “She agrees.”

WEEK 38

You’d read about nesting, but you thought it would look more like baking muffins at midnight—not following Jack from room to room like his gravitational pull physically outweighed yours.

He didn’t seem to mind. He’d brush his hand down your back every time you passed, help you off the couch like you were recovering from surgery, and kiss your temple every time he walked by.

By Thursday, the baby bag was packed and parked by the front door. You’d zipped it, unzipped it, and re-packed it twice just to check. And when Jack got home that evening, he nodded at it, then set something down beside it with a quiet thunk.

You glanced over. “What’s that?”

“My go-bag,” he said simply.

You raised an eyebrow.

Jack nudged it with the toe of his boot. “Army-issued. Carried this thing through two deployments and six different states. Thought it’d be fitting to bring it into the delivery room.”

You blinked. “You packed already?”

He nodded, unzipped the top, and tilted the bag open for you to see: a clean shirt, a hand towel, a toothbrush, a few protein bars, and a worn, dog-eared paperback you recognized instantly.

“That one?” you said, surprised. “You always said you hated it.”

“I did,” he admitted, zipping the bag shut again. “But it’s your favorite. I read your notes in the margins when I miss you on long shifts.”

You crossed the room and leaned into him. “You’re something else.”

WEEK 40

You woke up at 2:57 a.m. with a tight, rolling wave of pressure low in your spine. It wrapped around your middle like a band and didn’t let go.

Jack was already shifting beside you. Years in the Army meant he didn’t sleep deeply—not when he was home, not when you were pregnant.

“You okay?” he asked, groggy but alert.

You exhaled shakily. “It’s time.”

He sat up immediately. “How far apart?”

“Six minutes.”

“Let’s move.”

By the time you got in the car, the contractions were coming faster—steadier. Jack didn’t speed, but he gripped the steering wheel like the world depended on it.

You were wheeled in through the ER doors—because of course you were going into labor at the hospital where Jack worked. Princess met you at triage with a knowing smile.

“She’s in three,” Princess said. “Perlah’s setting it up now.”

You were halfway into the room when Jack froze.

He turned to Collins at the desk. “Patel?”

“Stuck behind a pileup on 376,” Collins said. “She’s trying to reroute.”

Jack muttered something under his breath and scanned the monitors. “Where’s Robby?”

“Down in trauma. He’s finishing up a round.”

Jack didn’t wait. He left you in Princess’s care and went straight for the trauma bay.

Robby was wiping his hands on a towel when Jack stepped in. Hoodie half-zipped. Scrubs wrinkled. Wide awake.

“She’s in labor?”

“She’s in active labor,” Jack said. “And Patel’s not gonna make it, but—”

“You want me in the room,” Robby finished.

“I need you in the room.”

Robby dropped the towel. “Done.”

When Robby stepped into your room, you exhaled like someone had lifted a weight off your chest.

“Hey, doc,” you muttered through a contraction.

“You’re in good hands,” Robby said, glancing between you and Jack. “You’ve got half the ER out there whispering about it.”

“Tell them if they bring me chocolate, they can stay,” you joked.

Perlah dimmed the lights. Princess wiped sweat from your forehead. Robby took your vitals himself and kept your eyes steady with his.

Hours blurred together. Jack never left your side.

“You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

“You’re doing perfect.”

“She’s almost here.”

Then everything started to move faster. Robby gave a nod to Princess and Perlah.

“One more push,” he said. “You’ve got this.”

Jack leaned close, his forehead against yours. “Come on, sweetheart. Right here. You’ve got her.”

And then—

A cry. Loud. Full. Brand new.

“She’s here,” Robby said quietly.

Jack didn’t move at first. Just watched. His eyes were wet. His hand covered his mouth.

Princess handed her to you, swaddled and squirming. Jack kissed your forehead and brushed a tear off your cheek.

“She’s perfect,” he whispered. “You did it.”

Later, after they’d cleaned up and the room was quiet, you watched Jack walk over to the bassinet. He held up a camouflage onesie.

“Oh my God,” you said. “Seriously?”

He looked over, completely straight-faced. “This is important.”

“You’re impossible.”

He kissed you once, then again. And held her like he’d waited his whole life.

[susansontag]

this is for my vegans and vegetarians

I’ve only done very cursory research into this but from my understanding it will be incredibly difficult for us non-fish eaters to be getting the appropriate omega-3s (EPA and DHA). we can get ALA from certain foods, and our body can convert that into the other two, but in reality it’s pretty shit at it in basically everyone (there’s some evidence the body starts converting more ALA into the other two in vegans and vegetarians, but there’s not a lot of research on this yet I don’t think). basically all of us should be taking a vegan (so, algae/algal oil, which is where the fish get it) supplement that specifically prioritises EPA and DHA. if anyone has any points on this from more reading they have done, please respond, but this is my current understanding.

omega-3s is especially important in conjunction with the (much easier to find/consume in our modern diets) omega-6s, and the ideal ratio for omega-6:omega-3 is 1:1, but in reality most could do with getting closer to 2-4:1. I don’t know how this breaks down into grams and milligrams per day btw, there will be guides online. our modern diets have some of us having waaay more omega-6s than omega-3s (like a 15:1 ratio) and this is bad because omega-6s are pro-inflammatory and need to be balanced out by anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

I’m going to try and consciously consume less omega-6-heavy things, seeing as it’s easy to consume anyway, and I have ordered an algal oil supplement to help me getting those trickier to consume omega-3s (EPA and DHA). I think most vegans and vegetarians could benefit from starting to do this, because basically all plant-alternative sources of omega-3s sans algae are mostly, if not all, ALA (basically converts nothing into EPA+DHA, and even worse if there is a high presence of omega-6s than there should be, which is true for most people), and loads of naturally occurring plant based omega-3s have omega-6s too, which will further your imbalance.

[incorrectsibunaquotes]

Honestly, I think I’ve discovered the actual reason Amber and Alfie don’t work in HOA like they work in the original HHA or DHA. And it’s not entirely due to the actual canon events that are written for this version of the pairing (the dating handbook, Amber’s “no” to Alfie’s attempt at breaking up, forcing Amber into the trial relationship in the first place, etc., etc.), though it certainly doesn’t help. It actually comes down to how their characters were adapted for the English version of the show, and how they are fundamentally different than the OGs.

I’ll start with Alfie first. Alfie in HOA is a goober. He’s doofy, well-meaning, and most importantly childlike. Not even just childish, but childlike. He’s boyish and bubbly, and he certainly makes some weird, sorta sexual comments (especially in S1), but on the whole he’s quite an innocent character. Essentially, he reads as very young. Which he is, especially at the start of the show where he’s probably supposed to be about 15/16, but could even be as young as 14.

Appie, on the other hand, is also a goober. But a different type. He’s honestly way more like Jeroen than Alfie is like Jerome, meaning he’s a something of a womanizer, a bit douchier, and on the whole reads a lot older than Alfie, which I’m almost certain is canonical across all characters (with HHA characters supposedly ending the show at the age of 19, with the timeline across the 4 seasons being only two years— three at most).

The few things character-wise both Appie and Alfie share intrinsically are that they’re besties with Jeroen/Jerome who doesn’t always treat him well, his love for a good practical joke, and (in earlier seasons) his pining for Amber. Of course, Appie also goes through phases of being a bit of a ladies man (see his random interest in Mara), but on the whole these things are constant. But already, the English version of the character is a lot more twinkly eyed and is like “Amber’s really pretty, I hope she notices me” as opposed to the Dutch “Damn she’s hot, lemme tap that”. It’s very subtle, because he’s obviously not a sleazy, bad guy, but it’s though being friend zoned by Amber (for the whole series) that Appie begins to loosen up and be less of a sleaze and more of the silly and whimsical guy we know him as; that’s because of Dutch Amber’s characterization.

I’ll come back to why all that matters, after I discuss the Ambers. (For the sake of keeping track, I’ll refer to them by their last names). Rosenbergh is a rich, pretty, ditzy party girl, but she’s incredibly perceptive. She sniffs out bullshit in an instant, especially with the Mick and Mara situation, but overall she has wicked foot-in-mouth syndrome and just sorta blurts out the first thing that pops into her head even if it’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever heart in your life. She’s extravagant, over-the-top, full of whimsy, and is downright silly. Rosenbergh is simultaneously a ditz and very smart. Simultaneously is the key word here.

Millington is not. She is a much more toned down version of her OG counterpart, and I think that is mostly due to the different actresses takes on the character. This isn’t to say, Millington isn’t any of the those of adjectives I used earlier, but the difference between the English and the Dutch versions of the character is that while Rosenbergh is both smart and ditzy, Millington is simply smart and plays at being ditzy. At least that’s how it reads, and how it reads is incredibly important in this case. Millington would never be caught dead in some of the situations Rosenbergh found herself in, because she’s a fundamentally more uptight version of the character.

So why does all this matter? Because the version of Alfie that we get from the very start is far more like Appie after a good hunk of his subtle character development— far more like Amber Rosenbergh. Amber Millington, on the other hand, is not the type of girl to ever mesh that well with a wild, goofy personality like Alfie’s. She’s just not. Alfie would work super well with Rosenbergh, however, because she’s this whimsical girl with a lot of heart. It’s why Appie works so well with her, too.

This isn’t a diss of HOA!Amber, by the way, because her English characterization is a masterful adaptation of the OG, but there’s a reason why even in S3 of HOA, at the supposed established point of Amfie’s relationship, they still feel so estranged from each other. At the end of the day, Millington has a different outlook on life and an entirely different mindset than Alfie. This isn’t to say they couldn’t work ever, but they’re just not the same pairing that Amber/Appie are.

It also didn’t help that Amfie had no best friends era. Like, sometimes I think we forget that Amber and Appie didn’t get together until the reunion movie. Like they weren’t a canon couple in the series. He liked her, but she didn’t like him back and they were besties. Their chemistry was chaotic and silly, and they had to grow into each other for them to work. Which is why they work. Amber and Alfie never did that, and part of me wonders if that wasn’t entirely because of the plot the English writers put down for them, but rather because the ways Ana and Alex played the characters off each other just didn’t allow for it.

Which brings me to my last point: Willow. Arguably, Willow is more like HHA!Amber than HOA!Amber is, and that’s all because of the magic word I’ve been using this whole, poorly-written essay: whimsy. Willow is the glitterbomb to Alfie’s fuse. Their dynamic feels exactly the same as Appie and Amber because Willow is the writers’ second attempt at having Amber Rosenbergh in the picture, and that’s why Walfie works so much more naturally.

Anyway, this got long and I’m sure I missed stuff but yeah. TL;DR: Amfie was unable to replicate Ampie bc they’re just different

[devoted1989]

3 vital nutrient supplements vegans need

1. LONG CHAIN OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS

There are 2 types of omega 3 fatty acids:-

* ALA is an ESSENTIAL omega 3 fatty acid that can only be obtained through the diet alone.

* DHA and EPA are non-essential, meaning the body can produce its own through our ALA omega fats. However, they are still essential in the sense that we need them in our body. Non-essential in the sense that we don’t need to consume them from outside sources. Animal products are naturally high in these two, and so are a direct source with no need for conversion.

Lots of plant foods contain ALA such as chia, flax, hemp seeds, walnuts, and soy products. You would think that we could make plenty of our own DHA and EPA from these, but this is not actually the case. Unfortunately, the conversion rate for plant based ALA into EPA is only around 5% and the conversion to DHA is practically zero.

This is the reason why studies show that vegans are consistently lacking in these vital nutrients.

Possible symptoms of low omega 3

* Dry or flaky skin, hair and nails

* Depression

* Confusion

* Night blindness

* Cardiovascular problems in the long term

Luckily, you can easily buy an omega 3 specially designed for vegan and plant based diets, therefore this should be an easy problem to fix.

2. VITAMIN D

Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D and the ones that do are mostly fish, seafood or egg based, and therefore not eaten on the plant based diet. Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide problem among meat eaters and plant based eaters alike, but worse so for the latter.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the sunshine, then you may not need to supplement vitamin D (though do be mindful of the fact that as a plant based eater you won’t be getting ANY through food). But, if you are not getting a good 15 minutes of midday sun on at least a quarter of your body every day then you may need to supplement, even if it’s just low dose.

Don’t forget to be mindful of the fact that it may not be good for you to have such exposure to the mid day sun anyway.

For the rest of us who live in less sunny climates, then a supplement of 1000 iu daily is a must. Vitamin D3 is the most highly absorbable form.

Possible symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency

* Low immunity

* Low energy

* Aches and pains in the bones due to lack of absorption of calcium (vitamin D is needed in the body to absorb calcium).

* Depression and low mood

* Slow healing times

* Bone loss

* Hair loss

* Muscles aches and pains

3. VITAMIN B12

Vegans and plant based eaters who do not use a B12 supplement are among the highest group to be deficient in this nutrient. Although it can still be found in spirulina, chlorella, unwashed organic vegetables (though, who’s going to eat an unwashed carrot?), certain mushrooms, fortified nutritional yeast, and other fortified, processed vegan foods.

But, you may find that you probably still aren’t getting enough due to how much, and how rarely you eat these foods.

Possible symptoms of low B12 levels include:-

* Low energy and fatigue

* Weakness

* Pale skin

* Unexplained pins and needles

* Changes in the way you move around and walk

* Mouth ulcers

* Disturbed vision

* Dizziness

* Breathlessness

* High temperature

* Depression

* Anxiety

A good B vitamin works well and covers all bases. It’s best to use one that is predominantly B12 with smaller doses of the other B’s. Sometimes taking this supplement every other day is enough, especially if it’s good quality and pretty high dose to begin with.

Other nutrients you may need

* IODINE – Found in seaweeds and iodised salt.

* IRON – Found in beans, green peas, nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, fortified cereals and nut milks.

* CALCIUM – Found in Green leafy veg, watercress, broccoli, butternut squash, oranges, tahini, sesame seeds, figs, chickpeas, fortified tofu and nut milks. Remember you need adequate Vitamin D to absorb calcium properly.

* ZINC – Found in wholegrains, nuts, seeds (especially pumpkin seeds, wheatgerm, legumes).

By Zest Forever.

[santmat]

Hedonists and Gnostic Cave-dwellers Somewhere in Time By James Bean

The classic Gnostic soul struggled against the cruel hand of fate, astral archons (rulers), principalities, powers, emperors, and bishops. The Gnostic teachings from the Coptic/Greek period have quite an ascetic tone. "The material universe is evil", "be not of this world." Holy texts were studied by Pachomian monks living in caves not far from Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The discovery site of the Gnostic Gospels was near those caves. On the walls of some of those caves are examples of graffiti: crosses and fish symbols. After the Fourth Century, Gnosis mostly disappears from the scene in the Roman Empire due to extreme persecution from those who paid lip-service to phrases like "love your enemies", and' "turn the other cheek", but they had no concept of democracy and freedom of religion -- freedom for all religions. The Library of Alexandria was burned, the Nag Hammadi Library, buried.

In the East however, Gnosis continued to develop and evolve, taking on more of an ecstatic, poetic ethos during the medieval period. The type of Eastern Gnosis I follow isn't so ascetic as Nag Hammadi mysticism. After all, the lower material universe is no longer a "prison" for those who can freely come and go as they please. This changes everything. I know of some mystics that are very otherworldly and yet can also enjoy looking at the stars, feasting on great Indian food, love the ocean or a beautiful sunset. Very out-of-this-world during meditations, and at the same time, we come to see the Light of God everywhere, within everyone, in this outer plane of existence as well, all as a result of those advanced meditation experiences. "His Presence fills the Three Worlds". (Adi Granth) Such extremists we humans are, either hedonists or cave-dwellers. We were meant to go from state to state, from the world of action to the world of contemplation, from the waking state to the dream state to the unconscious state of deep sleep, and there is also the Fourth State beyond. This too can be divided into several levels or states: astral, causal or akashic, mental, etheric, and spiritual, the True State (Timeless, Sat, Haq, "Spirit and Truth". Full circle we come. The spiritual state can also be perceived as four different stages, ranging from the "drop" (the soul) remaining separate, to "nearness", and all the way to that of Oneness or merging into the Divine Ocean (Kaivalaya, Anadi, Anami, Ra-Dha-Swam-I, the "Nameless One in the Eighth").

Know also that the Reality has described Himself as being the Outer and the Inner, Manifest and Unmanifest. He brought the Cosmos into being as constituting an Unseen Realm and a Sensory Realm, so that we might perceive the Inner though our unseen and the Outer through our sensory aspect. (Ibn `Arabi, "Ibn Al `Arabi - The Bezels of Wisdom", Paulist Press) Not an easy balancing act, this concept of having one's feet upon the earth and yet one's third eye-soul ascending through various realms going toward the Great Light during practice each day, yet everyone will make it back there eventually. It's simply a matter of "time" and how receptive we are to this experience during the present life. Some are in a hurry to return while others travel much much much more slowly. It was for the sake of the God-conscious beings that our True Lord created this earth, and began this play of birth and death. (Guru Nanak) To Him We Shall Return I died as mineral and became a plant; I died as plant and rose to animal, I died as animal and I was a man. Then why fear disappearance through death? When was I less by dying? Next time I shall die To soar -- with angels blessed, But even from angelhood I must pass on; All except God doth perish. When I have sacrificed my angel soul, I shall become what no mind ever conceived. What you cannot imagine, I shall be that. Oh! let me not exist, for non-existence Proclaims in organ-tones, 'To Him we shall return.' -- Rumi "We have come from the Light and will return there again." We're already in heaven if we did but know it. A great Master by the name of Huzur Baba Sawan Singh was once asked, "How long does it take you to go to Sach Khand (the spiritual realm, Sat Lok)"? He closed his eyes for fifteen seconds, and then opened them again, saying, "just that long". This is the real Secret. Thy Light is within the beings, And the beings are all within Thy Light. O supremely Incomprehensible Lord, Thou Art perfectly filling all things. It is the Light that lives in every heart, And Thy Light that illuminates every soul. It is only through the guru's teachings that Light comes to be shown. (Guru Nanak, Peace Lagoon translation of the Adi Granth)

[hat0nie]

Thing's Rambles #1: Eggs

Eggs! You know them, you love them—at least I hope so, considering how awesome... Food?... They are. I think eggs are a category of their own. Ah, whatever, we're going out of topic.

(long shtick about eggs below, will bore u to death)

One of the reasons eggs, chicken eggs specifically, are so crucial to the past and modern day is because the birds who lay them can do so indefinitely as opposed to other birds who only lay a certain number at a time. So long as their nest is empty, presumably taken by predators (humans), then they can lay just about every day. In the industry, male chicks are basically useless, which results in a mass crush every day. Fortunately, scientists are working on changing the sex of the chick in the eggs. However, I don't know anything about that yet.

Speaking of eggs, a man somewhere in the 1970's conducted the '7 Country Study', his conclusion being that eggs raise the chances of CVD (cardiovascular disease, AKA heart attacks) by 17% due to the SatFat (saturated fat) and cholesterol. This, of course, raised panic and attention in the public, especially when the government set guidelines for saturated fat and cholesterol. While this link isn't necessarily 100% false, it is a clunking argument. Especially in comparison to the other study linking IR (insulin resistance) to CVD, which is also linked to high sugar and high carbohydrate consumption. And while it's still not an all-time cause, it's still true 90% of the time. Remember the '7 Country Study' I mentioned prior? It was actually conducted in 22 countries, except 15 of them proved to be against what the study was about, so he ditched them. What's even more baffling than this is that even after 50 years of study after study after study, these government guidelines are still in place. Eggs do not cause CVD, rather the exact opposite, and then some more.

I'm not completely sure what the nutrients that specifically fight against CVD are (mainly because they have unpronounceable names), but eggs still carry massive benefits for your skin, muscles, bones, organs, and even your brain! This is because of the many vitamins (especially vitamin B) and high protein. Time for the main part.

Laying it all out front, a whole egg contains: Vit A (has a part in yolk coloring), Vit E (good for the heart and skin), Vit K1, Vit B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and Vit D. Those are just the vitamins. Eggs also contain DHA (omega 3), which is for the brain; folate for degenerative disease; choline to burn fat and help against fatty liver; and lutein and zeaxanthin, which are beneficial for your eyes. 

And then protein—my favorite part. It's amazing, really, because of its ability to help build protein tissues and the percentage of egg protein made into our protein. In comparison, we get 17% of its protein from soy, 16% from whey, 32% from meat or fish, and a whopping 48% from eggs. You can really see the difference between egg yolk and egg white when you take into consideration that egg white's percentage is merely 17%. 

Alright, so now that we know we get a lot of protein from eggs, what do we do with that protein? 

Well, how it works is that when our body receives protein, it either invests it into tissues (skin, muscles, bones) or energy (glucose). The ratio of how much protein is invested in tissues to glucose is actually dependent on the meal from which the protein is extracted. For example, when you get protein from meat, 30% of that protein goes into the development of your skin, muscles, bones, joints, etc. (tissues), and 70% of the protein becomes glucose (energy). For eggs, it's 49% for tissues and 51% for glucose, ranking it as the highest rate of protein for tissues, but only after breastmilk, which is a whole different and fascinating discussion.

So far, we've talked about why chicken eggs are special, scandals against them, and the great yet still incomplete benefits of them. Lastly, we will talk about egg quality.

-Is the price difference between cheap and expensive eggs worth it? 

Absolutely! You'll be getting more bang for your buck. In fact, some suggest that buying the cheap ones makes you gain 40–60% less worth. 

-Types of eggs: Pasture eggs are definitely the best type. The others are free-range eggs and no-cage eggs, etc.; eh, most of these are just marketing terms anyway. 

-Yolk color; do they matter? Well, yes, but actually, no. They do, sure, but you can't really be too sure since farmers are prone to using artificial coloring. 

-Grades: grade B eggs, grade A eggs, and grade AA eggs. Do these actually matter? 

No. Grades are mostly based on cosmetics, which can hardly matter much when you whisk them up for baking. Plus, your grocery eggs are probably already grade A eggs.

All in all, the quality of eggs depends on what the chickens are fed and if they're ethically raised, but you can't control those factors. But what can you control? The way the eggs themselves are prepared.

Dr. Berg suggests the best method is cracking the egg on a lit pan, waiting until the whites turn into their white color but not too much, and then scrambling them. This way, you can optimize how much nutrition and protein you can squeeze out of your egg. Too tedious? Just scramble them normally. 

I think the best part of eggs, despite how beneficial they are, is how relatively cheap and accessible they are. Don'tcha think?

P.S. Remember that omega 3 I told you about? The one that's good for your brain? That's a good omega. What's not a good omega is omega 6, specifically the oil restaurants use to fry eggs and such. This one actually increases the risk of CVD.

Time for fun facts! 

Fun fact: The egg white has no fat.

Fun fact: You can get 101% of the choline that your body needs in a day with just 4 eggs.

Fun fact: 90% (approximate guess) of the good stuff is in the yolks, so yeah, you're going to have to eat them.

Fun fact: This text is over a thousand words long! Congrats on reading that much!

[scarletlizzard]

Let's all pretend I'm not doing a night shift when I read the ask reply (it's 4 in dha morning). 🤫

Yes, I understood your responses weren't towards me. I was just getting you to act up but then phew phew phew happened.

Anygays, how was your day?

-✨

Understood

No worries I usually will act up anyways to get little brits attention, it truly doesn't take much

Good how aboutyou?

[themomsandthecity]

Are European Baby Formulas *Really* Better Than Ones Made in the US?

I live my life by the Reddit Click Theory (something I just now invented on the spot), which states: the number of clicks it takes to get to a piece of information on Reddit is directly correlated with its status as a conspiracy theory. One click? You're probably safe. Five clicks? You're in anti-vaxxer territory. Anyway, as I Googled "best baby formula" to feed my twin boys, Reddit threads professing the life-altering magic of HiPP, Holle, Kendamil, and other European baby formulas kept rising to the top. Upon further research, it became clear that there is a fairly sizable faction of parents who prefer the standards of European Union baby formulas to American recipes. "We dug into this trend in 2019, prior to the infant formula shortage," says Dina DiMaggio, MD, FAAP, medical research director at Bobbie Labs, an offshoot of the organic formula brand that supports research on infant feeding. "Our research, which focused on New York City-based parents, found that 20 percent of families were using illegally imported European infant formulas [bought through unregulated third-party websites]." Parents who utilize EU formulas regularly cite that the EU has stricter standards for baby formulas than in the United States, with non-GMO, grass-fed dairy, and organic ingredients being frequently thrown around. If you look at third-party sites, this is echoed in the reviews, which bemoan the use of corn syrup, pesticides, and sugar levels in American formulas. "The rise in this trend came while consumers were beginning to understand the difference between EU and US regulations in other product categories," says Dr. DiMaggio. "Just as people were taking a closer look at what was in the products they were purchasing for themselves, it's natural that they started to do the same for their babies." What Are the Main Differences Between EU and US Formulas? In scrutinizing labels, I found that both EU and US formulas contain the same key ingredients: a milk source (usually from cows; though sometimes sensitive formulas are made from goat's milk), lactose, vegetable oils, and whey protein. As with labels for personal care products, ingredients for baby formulas are listed with the ingredient that's in the largest quantity in the formula at the front of the label. Related: The Best Baby Formula of 2023, According to Reviewers Largely, the differences between formulas can be attributed to requirements that the Food and Drug Administration - which regulates baby formula in the United States - sets for brands to meet versus what the EU requires its formulas to meet. "Both the FDA and European Union have specific and strict standards for infant formula with nutrient requirements and labeling laws," says Anthony Porto, MD, FAAP, MPH, Chief Medical Director at Bobbie Labs. Let's take a closer look at where the regulating bodies' standards differ, shall we? 1. DHA The EU requires DHA - an omega-3 fatty acid that plays an important structural role for brain, skin, and eye development - to be between 20 to 50 milligrams per 100 calories; however, the FDA and US formulas have no DHA requirement. Though, importantly, many formula companies in the U.S. still enhance their formulas with DHA. 2. Carb Sources There are also differences in sugar in the varying formulas. "The EU also has a limit on how much of the carb source can come from an alternative sugar source other than lactose, which is the sugar found in breastmilk," says Dr. Porto. 3. Iron Most US formulas include more iron than formulas made in Europe.This is because the FDA requires US formulas to meet certain requirements for the level of 30 nutrients, one of them being iron. Formulas in the US are fortified with iron at 12 mg/dL. Okay, So What Should I Buy? Which formula to buy for your babe is a deeply personal decision. "It's important to remember that both US and European formulas provide safe and healthy nutrition for… https://www.popsugar.com/family/european-vs-american-formula-49314493?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[fakeosirian]

It's interesting that you give Fabian a dead father. In my remake idea, that's part of his backstory as well. There are some differences, but that's spoilery and I really would like to see it made, so I'm keeping the details to myself.

In fact, in my version, I explore his and Nina's backgrounds a lot more (mainly because on rewatches of S1 and 2 of HOA I've noticed how underdeveloped they are from a character standpoint at different points).

I pretty much have plans to explore each character in more detail, particularly around midseason. It starts during the time when Patricia's been kidnapped, but I'm replacing the school play for something that's a bit more emotional (parents visiting day). I'm also looking to adapt a darker iteration of it that includes elements from HOA and some stories that weren't adapted from HHA (i.e. the Joyce/Mick relationship and maybe even a variation of the Jimmy story mixed in with a bit of Eddie's story with Patricia, albeit with a sadder outcome).

In my version, the parents and their relationships with their kids sort of will help set up the seeds of my version of S3 (which only keeps the RFS being alive, the descendants, and the concept of Ammitt, but the roles each character plays are different and the execution is different because I'm not doing the Sinners plot because I feel the characters involved were sort of cornered storywise that season). It's mostly gonna be setting up the descendants plot. I don't have a complete sense of how things will go beyond the fact that the Tears of Gold do factor into it and the keys that KT had (though her character has been replaced by someone who homages both her and Eddie, but their character is more tied to Nina and Fabian, maybe Mara instead of Nina depending on if Nina stays that long, as I know I'm making Mara the Osarian as a sort of reverse homage to HHA and DHA).

gonna respond at length under the cut below because i do have. thoughts. i'm assuming because you sent this as an ask instead of making your own post that you're seeking feedback on this? lol

(fwiw i appreciate getting random asks like this a lot so my takes aren't meant to be discouraging! always the biggest advocate of Go Do The Damn Thing re: writing and you sound very passionate about this idea and tbh you have enough to just start, my comments notwithstanding, so GO DO IT !!!)

also another disclaimer up front that i've only seen the first season of HHA over a year ago now and not a scrap of DHA so i can't really speak to those comparisons/content? but one day... i will

so i'm just gonna flat out disagree on nina and fabian being underdeveloped in s1/2 because i'm the Nina And Fabian Are Not Boring Because They're Insane, Always Have Been (Especially When They Seem 'Normal'), And Are Lowkey The Most Toxic (Affectionate) Couple In The House blog. with several posts on this topic. and 70k+ of posted and unposted fanfiction revolving around that. this is my entire brand at this point.

i won't belabor that point with an unsolicited and detailed rebuttal because it's not the main focus here and i will get lost in the weeds, but if you want my thoughts in the context of what you're proposing here send me another ask (or if you're comfy off-anon and don't want it public then shoot me a dm?) and i got you. otherwise i may just make a more general post later myself lol

re: parents visiting day, not gonna lie, idk why you'd remove the play entirely to do that. seems like a bit of a waste of arguably the best arc of s1 outside of the finale and a very key moment for several plot threads overlapping/interacting with one another, as well as just...not being mutually exclusive with what you're proposing? at least of what you've described. a dedicated parents visiting day may enhance certain things (joy's appearance would be more interesting, possibly some stuff with patricia) and leave others neutral/very similar with a chance of slightly higher-feeling stakes at most (mick/mara stuff tbqh) but would make the absolute best and most important/essential to the movement of the season elements of the play plotline very very very hard to implement. specifically, you'd have to find a replacement or alternative means of delivering the whole hamlet bit they pull on the society (including all of the exposition it serves and the short time limit/high stakes it imparts to the stealing-back-the-ankh-pieces bit), so maybe i'm just a shakespeare nerd, but that alone makes it not worth it to scrap imo.

also have to mention that the original play plotline does do a lot of work to set up many characters' relationships with their parents (and also how that relates to their explicit or implied class status). easy examples off the top of my head: mara's remark about her parents always sending a card late (and not showing up), jerome's comment back that she's lucky to even get that lol, alfie feeling pressure to stay 'dressed smart' in his uniform, and frankly, other characters besides jerome not talking about their parents coming at all is characterization. (especially when we know that patricia's relationship with her parents is very hostile and dismissive from the phone call she has with her mom about joy from before the play plotline, which would obviously explain why they aren't there.) and frankly. we don't need an entire plotline to tell us more about this. imo. it's pretty clear and i don't really know what else you could do with this that doesn't feel like switching the focus of the story too much off of the mystery and interpersonal relationships between the characters we do have, and we have Plenty to balance lol.

the absence of detail, when implemented very deliberately, can tell you just as much (or more) about a character as the presence of it, and tbh that sort of "you have to put the effort in/trust the show/work with it to find the really cool subtext" quality that s1 has is one of my favorite things about it. so i personally wouldn't find adding a new plot beat on top of what's already extant there necessary at all — putting that aside, though, i can see how adding more explicit detail for more characters would be appealing, but at least imo, it's not something that requires a new scenario. sort of reinventing the wheel, especially when there's lots of space in the dialogue for additional references. (now if you really are married to this idea in full, i'd suggest doing it in s3, since a) there is literally a family visit day as a primary plot beat and b) the opportunities for a worthwhile conflict in that arena are at their peaks...)

re: your bits on season 3 though, i agree with you on the sinners as plot devices having a tendency to paint characters into corners! during my recent rewatch, i softened a bit on that stance, but fundamentally the mechanism there is a buildup to one of the best possible character moments each of the sinners could have (a test that they fail due to traits they've had all along/have managed poorly because a) they're teens b) in life threatening situations and c) that's the nature of a hubris plotline that's just what the conflict is and it's a feature not a bug lol) followed by what feels like a cartoonish and unsatisfying caricature of those very traits that were working so well before that. that being said...idk after my rewatch, i've sort of decided that season 3 just needs to be read very differently than s1 and s2. (and s1 and s2 need to be read differently from one another as well!)

what i mean by that is they're just. different genres of campy thrillers. s1 is a slow burn mystery-thriller with a cult aesthetic, s2 is an adventure-thriller that flirts with either indiana jones (more comedic/action-y stuff) or weirder stuff like zero escape (escape room-esque puzzles solved through wit with existential horror elements), and s3 is just straight up classic B-horror (think invasion of the body-snatchers, which they straight up homage/reference several times over). with that in mind, the sinners feel less like reductions/flattenings/insults to particular characters and more like the horror elements they're meant to be (and thus are tragic because you're robbed of those characters' true presence, and the further characterization of them is done through absence, as well, similar to my above point. the jerome and sinner!alfie conversation re: willow breakup is a great example of that.). i'm still not the hugest fan — see my sinner writeup on the two very small changes i'd personally make for further thoughts — so i can see why you'd be tempted to take them out, but it's really not a failure of writing quality on s3's part as much as a stylistic/tonal choice that's not your taste (if i may be so bold as to assume. lol. because that's what it is for me.)

also uh, not sure if i'm reading you right here, but if you're taking out KT and eddie entirely, you do you but this was the wrong blog to propose that on lol. i don't have any take on that past "no," but again, could be a taste thing there/i love them a lot. you'd have to really beef up your plans for patricia without eddie, and even though you're already making a lot of (potentially interesting sounding? not enough detail for me to make that call but you have me intrigued) changes to s3's base structure/point, a looooooooooot of s3 REQUIRES nina's absence to function on a very basic level. kt is no nina replacement because if she was, the season just...wouldn't work. but i'll save that for a follow up, same as the nina and fabian characterization thing lol.

mara osirian...hard to comment on with no details of what you'd do about it, so let me explain what i mean by that. i love switching around who the paragon and osirian are myself, but maybe unpop opinion idk, it really needs to be justified by novel directions for the plot to go as a direct cause-and-effect process re: the change/new and surprising character relationships and interactions/the (inevitably new) themes implied by that relationship for me to be interested, especially about changing who the osirian is (not because eddie NEEDS to be in s2, but because frankly, it could have easily been anyone with how late it's introduced, and ultimately it functions as deciding who the protag of s3 is. once you're already changing that much, s3 is going to be unrecognizable anyway, and thus needs more detail to justify why that person).

fwiw, nina and mara are FASCINATING as subtle mirrors of one another in characterization that literally NEVER interact directly, so her being nina's osirian has a LOOOOOOOOOT of potential on the face of it, but for that same reason, requires equal measure reasoning + fresh ideas for how they'd interact that aren't obvious in the canon material. (esp since mara's whole bit is not being involved in sibuna till TOR beacuse she'd throw off the dynamic/balance too much, at least imo.) not a reason not to try — in fact, this is the thing i REALLY think you should go for out of everything you've proposed here — but something to consider.

hope that wasn't too verbose! this was really fun to think over and respond to! i've written this up while on the train home so thank you for giving me an activity to make it fly by!!

[healthyheynutrition]

How to Spot Fake or Ineffective Omega-3 Supplements Online

Today, many people buy health products online. It is easy and fast. But sometimes, this can bring problems. Some products are not real. Some are not good. This is true also for omega-3 supplements. Many people want to buy these for better health. But they do not always know how to check if the product is good or bad. It is important to learn this so we can stay safe and not waste money.

Some sellers use big words like “extra strong” or “high quality” on the label. But these words do not always tell the truth. For example, some bottles say they have 1000 mg fish oil in one capsule. But this number alone is not enough. We must check how much EPA and DHA is inside. These are the most helpful parts of omega-3. If the amounts are very low, then the product may not help much. Many low-quality omega 3 supplements look good but give very little benefit.

Price can also show if a product is real or not. Good fish oil costs money to make. If a product is very cheap, we must ask why. Maybe the company used poor quality fish. Or maybe they did not clean the oil well. Some cheap omega 3 fish oil capsules even have no real fish oil. Or the oil is old and not fresh. When oil gets old, it can smell bad and may not be healthy to take.

Many people look at online reviews before they buy. This can help. But sometimes, reviews are not true. Some are fake. Some people write a review after just one or two days. That is not enough time to know if the supplement works. It is better to read reviews that talk about results after weeks. If many people say they feel nothing or get stomach pain, maybe the product is not good. Also, too many perfect reviews may not be real.

When the product comes, we can check more things. If the capsules smell strong or fishy, this may be a bad sign. Good fish oil should not have a strong smell. The oil must be fresh. If the bottle is clear or light in color, the oil can spoil from light. That is why dark bottles or sealed packs are better. These help keep the oil fresh and safe. When reading product details online, it is smart to see if they talk about how they pack the product.

Some products say “marine source” but do not tell the fish type. This is not clear. It is better when the label says the name of the fish. Also, it is good when the company tells how they clean the oil. If they use special methods to remove bad things like metals, it means the oil is safer. If there is no information, it may not be good oil. A good omega 3 fish oil capsules product will show these facts clearly.

[symphonyclinic]

The Road to Silky Skin: What to Look Forward to in Your First Session of Laser Hair Removal 

Body hair that is excessive is an issue that continues to recur, particularly when fashion-conscious remedies like shaving, waxing, or threading are not permanent. In an effort to try to make something more permanent, laser hair removal in the region is the way forward. One of the best clinics to go to is Symphony Clinic because of their modern technology and great care to meet your needs.

What makes laser hair removal permanent?

With laser hair removal, the light energy is focused to kill and or stop the hair follicles from growing. Laser hair removal, as opposed to other forms of hair removal, enjoys a much more efficient and longer clearance duration. That is why it's a top preference for women and men looking for smooth, silky, flawless skin.

Why Symphony Clinic for Dubai Laser Hair Removal?

Cutting Edge Technology:

Symphony Clinic employs the most up-to-date, FDA-approved lasers designed to offer safe, effective, and mostly painless. They can be applied on any complexion or skin type and yield maximum results while minimizing discomfort.

Trained Medical Professionals:

All of the treatments at Symphony Clinic are administered by DHA-approved professionals with experienced dermatologists and laser technicians on hand. This guarantees that each of their treatments is safe and successful, with individually tailored personal attention given to each client.

Complete Treatment Solutions:

Maybe you're searching for full body laser hair removal or a focus on small areas such as a face, under arms or bikini line. We offer personalized solutions according to your requirements at Symphony Clinic. Sessions can be adjusted according to your skin type, color of the hairs, and preference.

Comfort and Convenience:

Treatments are brief and take 30-60 minutes or longer, based on the location. There is no down time, and you will be able to go back to your lifestyle immediately following treatment.

Evidenced Results:

Symphony Clinic patients are always submitting feedback of high satisfaction levels, where most are able to achieve noticeable hair regrowth diminishment in a few sessions. Symphony Clinic's excellence in client safety standards has made it rank as one of the best permanent laser hair removal clinics in the region.

Advantages of Permanent Laser Hair Removal

Permanent silky smoothness and confidence

Ingrown hair and skin irritation prevention

Safety and efficacy for any skin type

Least discomfort through cutting-edge cooling technology

Less number of sessions for lasting results

Getting Started

Begin your journey to hairless skin with a consultation at Symphony Clinic. Your hair and skin type will be assessed by the expert present, and you will be informed on what you want to achieve. You and the expert comprise a personal treatment plan together. You will also learn how to prepare ahead of the sessions and what to expect after the session to benefit the most.

Conclusion

Laser permanent hair removal is ideal for anybody wanting to be hair-free and have the confidence of possessing smooth, glowing skin. Symphony Clinic offers the latest technology, medical expertise, and patient-focused facilities to achieve the best results. Book your appointment now and start your hair-free life with Symphony Clinic.

[adamvital]

A Handy Guide to Selecting the Optimal Hospital in Garhoud, Dubai

Where your health or that of your loved ones is concerned, picking the appropriate hospital is crucial among the decisions you have to make. Garhoud is a well-established locality in Dubai that contains some of the most esteemed healthcare centers that address various medical requirements. But how do you choose the best Hospitals in garhoud? What do you look for apart from up-to-the-minute infrastructure and a hygienic atmosphere?

This handbook analyzes the most critical considerations to take into account when selecting a hospital in Garhoud so you can make a well-informed, confident decision.

Reputation and Accreditation Matter

One of the earliest things you can investigate is the reputation of the hospital. Hospitals with a good track record of positive patient feedback and official recognition by healthcare organizations generally have higher standards. Accreditation by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or global organizations such as JCI (Joint Commission International) is a good indicator that the hospital adheres to strict healthcare practices and safety measures.

Interview locals, check Google reviews, and browse healthcare forums to see how the hospital is perceived by the community.

Variety of Medical Specialties

You want to select a hospital that offers a wide range of services under one roof. Even if you're traveling for a particular health issue, having several specialties available makes continuing or unplanned care more convenient.

For example, if you’re looking for orthopedic care but might need rehabilitation or neurology consultation, having those departments within the same hospital simplifies the process. It also means your case can be reviewed more efficiently through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Qualifications and Experience of the Medical Staff

Doctors, nurses, and specialists form the core of any good hospital. Search for hospitals in Garhoud that have highly qualified professionals with a lot of experience in their respective fields. You can normally get this information on the hospital's website.

Ensure the hospital has consultants who are board-certified, and read patient reviews of individual doctors. Professionalism, empathy, and communication skills are as important as clinical expertise.

Advanced Technology and Equipment

Contemporary medical care is highly dependent on sophisticated diagnostics and technology. The top hospitals in Garhoud have the latest machines for imaging, diagnostics, and minimally invasive procedures. These devices tend to result in more precise diagnoses, quicker treatment, and quicker recovery.

If you're considering surgery or advanced diagnostics, it's worth inquiring about the type of equipment they have, if they provide robotic surgery or digital imaging, and how they keep up with technological trends.

Cleanliness and Hygiene Standards

You can learn much about a hospital during your first visit. Take note of the cleanliness of waiting areas, bathrooms, and patient rooms. Cleanliness, coupled with proper maintenance, lowers infection risks and aids in a more pleasant healing experience.

Hygiene is particularly important for patients who have compromised immune systems, recovering from surgery, or suffering from chronic diseases.

Patient-Centered Care

The top hospitals keep patients ahead of paperwork. The hospitals where doctors take the time to explain diagnoses and treatment options, where staff are friendly, and where nurses are caring rank high.

Respect for cultural sensitivities, individualized treatment plans, and emotional support constitute patient-centered care. In multicultural Dubai, those hospitals that talk effectively in a variety of languages can be particularly beneficial.

Accessibility and Location

Garhoud is conveniently located near Dubai International Airport and has excellent transport links. However, depending on your situation, proximity can still be a factor—especially in emergencies. Consider how far the hospital is from your home or accommodation, and whether they provide services like ambulance transport or home care follow-ups.

Insurance and Cost Transparency

Even though Dubai has a strong health insurance market, not every hospital takes all insurance companies. Always check that the hospital you're looking at is in your network. Also, the hospital must have clear pricing and treatment plans so that you're not surprised with extra bills.

Request an estimate before you have any procedure, and make sure you know what is and isn't included.

Emergency Services

Medical emergencies are unforeseen. The top hospitals in Garhoud must have a well-equipped emergency department open 24/7. Verify if the hospital possesses an intensive care unit (ICU), trauma center, and 24/7 access to critical specialists such as cardiologists or anesthesiologists.

Response time and emergency care availability can be a matter of life and death.

Post-Treatment Support and Rehabilitation

Healthcare doesn't stop once you are discharged from the hospital. Good hospitals also offer follow-up care that could be in the form of physiotherapy, nutrition consultation, or mental health counseling. If you're experiencing surgery, chronic pain, or recovery from an accident, find facilities with in-house rehabilitation programs.

Opt for a hospital that guarantees continuity of care and checks on your progress even after discharge.

Conclusion

Choosing the Hospitals in garhoud is not merely a matter of picking the nearest one to you or the largest building you can see. It's a matter of matching your medical requirements with the strengths of the hospital—be it specialist doctors, technology, or caring attitude.

Adam Vital Hospital is dedicated to providing world-class healthcare with a personal touch. Whether you require cutting-edge orthopedic treatment, spine care, or sports rehabilitation, their expert team is there to assist you in healing and thriving. Call Adam Vital Hospital today to schedule a consultation or take a tour of their facilities. Your well-being is worth nothing less than the best.

[vantage-nutrition]

Understanding Dietary Supplements: Benefits, Types, and Considerations

In today’s health-conscious world, dietary supplements have become a staple in many households. Whether you're trying to boost immunity, improve gut health, enhance athletic performance, or fill nutritional gaps, dietary supplements offer a convenient way to support overall wellness. But with a growing market and countless products, it’s important to understand what dietary supplements are, how they work, and what to consider before choosing the right one for your needs.

What Are Dietary Supplements?

Dietary supplements are products designed to supplement the diet and provide nutrients that may be missing or insufficient in a person’s regular food intake. These nutrients can include:

Vitamins (like A, C, D, E, and B-complex)

Minerals (like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc)

Herbs and botanicals (such as turmeric, ashwagandha, or ginseng)

Amino acids (like L-carnitine or glutamine)

Enzymes, probiotics, fatty acids, and more

They come in many forms—capsules, tablets, powders, soft gels, gummies, and even drinks. Some supplements are single-ingredient, while others are blends designed for specific health goals.

Why People Use Dietary Supplements

There are several reasons why millions of people incorporate dietary supplements into their daily routine:

1. Filling Nutritional Gaps

Even with a balanced diet, many individuals fall short of essential vitamins or minerals. For example, vitamin D deficiency is common due to limited sun exposure, and iron deficiency affects many women and vegetarians. Supplements help bridge these gaps to maintain proper body function.

2. Supporting Specific Health Goals

Dietary supplements are often used for targeted benefits such as:

Improved immunity (vitamin C, zinc)

Bone health (calcium, vitamin D)

Heart health (omega-3 fatty acids)

Joint support (glucosamine, chondroitin)

Mental clarity (ginkgo biloba, DHA)

Energy and stamina (B-vitamins, iron)

3. Managing Health Conditions

In consultation with healthcare providers, some people use supplements to manage chronic conditions like high cholesterol, inflammation, digestive issues, or menopause symptoms. For instance, probiotic supplements can help restore gut flora after antibiotic use.

Types of Dietary Supplements

The supplement industry offers a wide variety of products categorized by function or nutrient type. Some common types include:

Multivitamins: Provide a mix of essential vitamins and minerals in one convenient pill.

Mineral supplements: Such as iron, magnesium, or calcium, often prescribed for deficiencies.

Herbal supplements: Used for traditional and natural remedies (e.g., echinacea, milk thistle).

Omega-3 fatty acids: Found in fish oil capsules and used for heart and brain health.

Protein powders: Popular among athletes for muscle building and recovery.

Specialty supplements: Such as collagen for skin and joint health or melatonin for sleep.

Are Dietary Supplements Effective?

When used correctly, dietary supplements can be effective in promoting health and preventing nutrient deficiencies. However, they are not a substitute for a healthy diet or lifestyle. Their effectiveness depends on:

Quality of the product

Proper dosage

Absorption and bioavailability

Consistency in use

It’s essential to choose well-researched, third-party tested supplements and follow dosage recommendations for safe and beneficial results.

Safety and Precautions

While supplements are generally safe, misuse can lead to side effects or interactions with medications. For instance, taking too much vitamin A can be toxic, or combining blood thinners with high-dose omega-3 supplements may increase bleeding risk.

Before starting any dietary supplement, especially if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or on medication, consult your healthcare provider. Always buy from trusted brands that are transparent about their ingredient sourcing and manufacturing practices.

How to Choose the Right Dietary Supplement

Here are a few key tips to make informed choices:

Identify your health needs: Are you looking to boost energy, support digestion, or improve skin health?

Check for certifications: Look for third-party testing (like NSF, USP, or Informed Choice).

Read the label: Check for ingredient dosages, serving size, and any added fillers or allergens.

Research the brand: Reputable companies provide transparency, clinical research, and quality assurance.

Future of Dietary Supplements

As the demand for wellness solutions grows, the dietary supplement market is evolving with new trends such as:

Personalized nutrition through DNA or lifestyle assessments

Plant-based and vegan supplements, including veg omega-3 capsules

Liquid-filled hard capsules for better bioavailability

Sustainable and clean-label formulas to match eco-conscious consumer values

Innovation in formulations, delivery systems, and scientific research is making supplements more effective and accessible than ever before.

Conclusion

Dietary supplements are a valuable tool for maintaining and enhancing health, especially in today’s fast-paced world where diet alone may not meet all nutritional needs. From essential vitamins and minerals to botanical extracts and probiotics, supplements offer targeted support for various health goals. However, their effectiveness depends on informed use, quality sourcing, and individual needs.

By choosing wisely and consulting with healthcare professionals, you can safely integrate dietary supplements into your lifestyle to achieve better well-being, naturally and proactively.

[drgerrynastasiachiropractor]

Experience Expert Chiropractic Care in Dubai for a Healthier You

If you're experiencing back pain, neck stiffness, joint issues, or headaches, chiropractic care in Dubai may be the solution you need. This natural, non-invasive treatment is gaining popularity across the UAE for its effectiveness in promoting overall well-being. With top-rated clinics, affordable chiropractic Dubai price options, and exciting chiropractor deals, residents and visitors alike are discovering the benefits of chiropractic therapy.

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic Care Dubai involves manual adjustments and techniques to align the spine and restore balance to the nervous system. Chiropractors focus on relieving pain, improving posture, and enhancing mobility without using medications or surgery.

Whether you're suffering from chronic pain, recovering from a sports injury, or simply looking to improve your posture and lifestyle, chiropractic care offers a tailored approach to your health.

Why Choose Chiropractic Dubai?

Dubai is home to several internationally trained chiropractors who use the latest diagnostic tools and techniques. Clinics offer state-of-the-art facilities and personalized treatment plans designed to address each patient's specific needs.

Benefits of Choosing Chiropractic Dubai:

Certified and experienced professionals

Holistic and drug-free treatment options

Treatment plans for all age groups

Advanced equipment and modern techniques

How Much Does Chiropractic Dubai Price?

The chiropractic Dubai price varies based on the clinic, location, and number of sessions required. On average, a single session can range between AED 200 to AED 500. Some clinics offer initial consultation packages at discounted rates, especially for new patients.

Factors Affecting Chiropractic Dubai Price:

Chiropractor’s experience and specialization

Duration and complexity of treatment

Whether additional services (e.g., x-rays, posture scans) are included

Chiropractor Deals and Packages

Looking for chiropractor deals? Many Dubai clinics offer cost-effective packages, including:

Free first consultation

Discounted rates for multiple sessions

Corporate wellness programs

Family packages

Always check for seasonal promotions or bundle offers to get the best value for your money.

Conditions Treated with Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic Care Dubai is suitable for treating a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, such as:

Lower back pain

Neck and shoulder tension

Headaches and migraines

Sciatica

Postural problems

Sports and work-related injuries

Choosing the Right Chiropractor in Dubai

When selecting a chiropractor, look for:

DHA (Dubai Health Authority) licensed practitioners

Positive patient reviews

Transparent pricing and treatment plans

Clean, professional facilities

Scheduling a consultation can help you understand what to expect and whether the clinic is a good fit for your needs.

Also check:

Is Chiropractic Care Right for You? What Experts Say Based on Your Condition

Chiropractor Dubai: Natural Pain Relief for a Healthier You

Conclusion

Whether you’re managing chronic pain or aiming for better posture, chiropractic Dubai offers reliable, holistic solutions. With competitive chiropractic Dubai price options and value-packed chiropractor deals, it’s easier than ever to take control of your health.

Don't wait until pain interferes with your daily life—explore the benefits of Chiropractic Care Dubai and feel the difference after just a few sessions.

[darkmaga-returns]

Story at-a-glance

Omega-3 fats like EPA and DHA offer heart benefits, but excessive intake, especially from supplements, increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a heart rhythm disorder

High doses of omega-3s, particularly from supplements, can disrupt heart cell function and electrical signaling, triggering AFib. However, low doses from food sources are generally safe

Natural omega-3s in phospholipid form (found in krill oil and wild-caught fatty fish) are more easily absorbed than the synthetic triglycerides in many fish oil supplements. Rancid omega-3 supplements could be harmful due to oxidation

Studies suggest that daily omega-3 intake exceeding 1 gram, particularly from supplements, may increase AFib risk, especially in those with pre-existing heart conditions. Lower doses and whole food sources appear safer

Prioritize omega-3s from fatty fish like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel and herring. If supplementing, choose krill oil or high-quality, low-dose fish oil, and consult a healthcare professional, especially if you have health concerns or take medications