Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Insight creates new memories in the brain

Scientists have visualized - for the first time - how the brain recombines memories of past events when these are complemented by new information.

Ben And Jerry's Sells Charoset-Flavored Ice Cream In Israel

Keeping kosher for Passover may be a little more bearable this year, at least in Israel. The mensches over at Ben and Jerry's released a charoset-flavored ice cream that, thankfully, has all the credentials to be eaten over the Jewish holiday.

For those who are unfamiliar, charoset is a traditional dish consumed at the Passover Seder. It is typically made from finely chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon and sweet red wine. It's meant to symbolize the mortar used by Israelites to make bricks while they were slaves in Egypt. Despite its dark historical reference, charoset is pretty tasty.

ben and jerrys charoset

According to Avi Zinger, a long-time Ben and Jerry's licensee in Israel, many of Israel's supermarket shelves are rid of non-kosher products four weeks before Passover begins. Around the holiday, Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shops limit their flavors to about 10 varieties (they temporarily nix the non-kosher selections) and include a special, limited-edition batch flavor. This year's is charoset.

"This is a very busy time in the stores," Zinger wrote in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post. "People are coming in and are very upset to see such a small selection. We usually add another special flavor for the holiday. We have been doing this for many years." The first special flavor featured in Israel's Scoop Shops was Vanilla Matzoh Crunch, which mixed chocolate covered matzoh with pure vanilla ice cream.

I'm really enjoying this #charoset flavored #BenandJerrys! #pesach

A photo posted by @freevees on




This year's charoset flavor earned extra attention because, in addition to being served in the Scoop Shops, the clever treat was also packaged in pints. The magic that is social media came into play, too. According to Zinger, "The news started to surface when a customer put a picture of the pint on Facebook, a Jewish newspaper in the US put a
post on their Facebook, and then the American Ambassador in Israel posted in on Twitter." Ah, the power of social media and an annually-eaten Jewish delicacy.

Zinger reported only a few hundred charoset pints are left out of the near 4,000 originally produced. He's confident that the remaining pints will sell out before Passover begins later this week. Since the flavor is only available in Israel, we weren't able to spoon ourselves a taste.

Elli Fischer tried the ice cream in 2012, before it was available in pints, described it as "quite tasty" but lacking in its charoset taste. "From what I can tell, it’s vanilla-based with apples and cinnamon, and lots of walnuts," he wrote for The Times Of Israel.

If the idea of charoset ice cream is tickling your fancy beyond belief, you might try concocting your own this Passover season by mixing your favorite, kosher-for-Passover vanilla ice cream with your Bubbe's charoset. She always makes too much anyway, doesn't she?

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7 Signs You're Secretly Sleep-Deprived

You can function just fine on 6 hours of sleep a night...or so you think. Here's how to tell if you're secretly sleep-deprived.



By Corrie Pikul


1. You’re clicking your pen and tapping your feet.

woman thinking pen

What's happening: When you move your muscles, you cue your brain to stay alert, says Hans P.A. Van Dongen, PhD, assistant director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University. So if you’re fidgety and restless and feel as if you you can't sit still or would rather (always) stand, Van Dongen says that "it could be your brain's way of trying to keep you awake."

What else you should know: Fidgeting could also be a sign that you've had too much caffeine. The recommended daily limit is 500 to 600 mg, or about 4 cups -- drinking more than that is another less-than-subtle sign that you need more rest.

2. You’re lapsing, you don't know you’re lapsing and you don't know even know what the heck lapsing is.

What's happening: Lapsing, in technical terms, is when parts of your brain take a stealth catnap. When you’re exhausted, the sections that control attention and response time start taking breaks from processing new information, explains Van Dongen. These "mini-sleeps" could be as short as half a second, and you may not even notice that you've fallen into them.

What else you should know: Van Dongen suggests a lapsing test: Sit in a dark, quiet area while holding a pencil in one hand. Set a timer for 5 minutes, and just relax and breathe. If the pencil drops, that's a clear sign you and your brain need more sleep.

3. You're having trouble swiping your office ID, balancing your coffee and making it through the door before it closes again.

woman balancing coffee

What's happening: This combination of simple tasks, done in sequence and under a time limit, is a fine test of your psychomotor skills and coordination, which are some of the first things to go when you skimp on shut-eye. In one 1997 study, researchers found that a person who has gone for even one night without sleep is about as impaired on early morning hand-eye coordination as someone who has a blood alcohol level of .10 percent, also known as legally drunk.

What else you should know: Sleep deprivation doesn't have the same effect on the parts of your brain that handle critical reasoning, so even if you're having trouble with appliances, you still may have no noticeable problem with writing a strategy memo or analyzing reports.

4. You act like Mrs. Silly Pants at breakfast.

What's happening: Your brain is having trouble telling you how to behave, so you're more reactive to stimuli from your surroundings. The sun seems so bright and cheerful, the coffee tastes soooooo good and that cat going nuts with the empty cereal box is just hi-larious.

What else you should know: Staying on an even keel will be your big challenge today, says Van Dongen. Your mood will probably go from goofy to grouchy as soon as something doesn't go your way.

5. ...and you're a hot, emotional mess for the rest of the day.

angry woman

What's happening: Watch out, coworkers, spouses and innocent bystanders: Weakened emotion-regulating systems in the prefrontal area of the brain may make it hard for you to control and express your feelings. For example, if someone criticizes you, it will upset you more than usual, says Van Dongen, and you'll be more likely to say or do something you'll regret. Research from William D.S. Killgore at Harvard Medical School also showed that two nights without adequate sleep was associated with a reduced tendency to think positively and a lack of willingness to take action to solve problems. "Thus, sleep-deprived individuals appear to be more easily frustrated, intolerant, unforgiving, less caring and more self-focused than when fully rested," he wrote. In other words, you're acting kind of jerky.

What else you should know: While caffeine may give you a shot of adrenaline, studies show it's often ineffective at fixing the other emotional glitches brought on by sleeplessness.

6. You're craving carbs -- big time.

What's happening: Research has shown that just one night of meager sleep lowers levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin and boosts levels of hunger-increasing ghrelin. The body wakes up craving quick, easy energy: That choco-chunk muffin will do, thank you. Volunteers in one study at the University of Colorado at Boulder who got 4.5 hours (or less) of sleep also reported feeling more ravenous than those who got the magic 7 hours.

What else you should know: Eating breakfast within an hour or so of waking has been shown to increase alertness and improve cognitive performance. So embrace the carbs, but make sure they're the slow-dose kind that won't cause you to fizzle (steel-cut oatmeal is a great choice).

7. You get a second wind at 9:30 p.m.

woman evening home

What's happening: Your body is keeping you up for that last stretch of the evening so it can get you back into a rhythm, says Rafael Pelayo, MD, a sleep specialist at the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Center and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science. He says that what often happens is the patient who's been running on empty will promise herself she'll go to bed early. "Early" rolls around and she feels fine, so she keeps getting things done...but then ends up with only 6 hours of sleep (again). When she snoozes through her alarm, she tells herself everyone has trouble getting out of bed.

What else you should know: We fall into our deepest sleep during the two hours before our natural wakeup time, Pelayo says. So put down the to-do list and pick up the toothbrush: It's still easier to force yourself to go to bed than to force yourself to wake up (starting with 15 minute increments can help).



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Ben And Jerry's Sells Charoset-Flavored Ice Cream In Israel

Keeping kosher for Passover may be a little more bearable this year, at least in Israel. The mensches over at Ben and Jerry's released a charoset-flavored ice cream that, thankfully, has all the credentials to be eaten over the Jewish holiday.

For those who are unfamiliar, charoset is a traditional dish consumed at the Passover Seder. It is typically made from finely chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon and sweet red wine. It's meant to symbolize the mortar used by Israelites to make bricks while they were slaves in Egypt. Despite its dark historical reference, charoset is pretty tasty.

ben and jerrys charoset

According to Avi Zinger, a long-time Ben and Jerry's licensee in Israel, many of Israel's supermarket shelves are rid of non-kosher products four weeks before Passover begins. Around the holiday, Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shops limit their flavors to about 10 varieties (they temporarily nix the non-kosher selections) and include a special, limited-edition batch flavor. This year's is charoset.

"This is a very busy time in the stores," Zinger wrote in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post. "People are coming in and are very upset to see such a small selection. We usually add another special flavor for the holiday. We have been doing this for many years." The first special flavor featured in Israel's Scoop Shops was Vanilla Matzoh Crunch, which mixed chocolate covered matzoh with pure vanilla ice cream.

I'm really enjoying this #charoset flavored #BenandJerrys! #pesach

A photo posted by @freevees on




This year's charoset flavor earned extra attention because, in addition to being served in the Scoop Shops, the clever treat was also packaged in pints. The magic that is social media came into play, too. According to Zinger, "The news started to surface when a customer put a picture of the pint on Facebook, a Jewish newspaper in the US put a
post on their Facebook, and then the American Ambassador in Israel posted in on Twitter." Ah, the power of social media and an annually-eaten Jewish delicacy.

Zinger reported only a few hundred charoset pints are left out of the near 4,000 originally produced. He's confident that the remaining pints will sell out before Passover begins later this week. Since the flavor is only available in Israel, we weren't able to spoon ourselves a taste.

Elli Fischer tried the ice cream in 2012, before it was available in pints, described it as "quite tasty" but lacking in its charoset taste. "From what I can tell, it’s vanilla-based with apples and cinnamon, and lots of walnuts," he wrote for The Times Of Israel.

If the idea of charoset ice cream is tickling your fancy beyond belief, you might try concocting your own this Passover season by mixing your favorite, kosher-for-Passover vanilla ice cream with your Bubbe's charoset. She always makes too much anyway, doesn't she?

Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.

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