HEALTH - IS PLANT BASED MEAT BETTER FOR YOUR HEART?

Plant-based meat alternatives, despite being ultraprocessed, may be healthier for the heart than meat, a new report suggests

A review of previous studies found that risk factors for heart disease, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and body weight, improved when various animal-based meats were replaced with a substitute made from plants, according to the paper, published Wednesday in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 

“Plant-based meat is a healthy alternative that is clearly associated with reduced cardiovascular risk factors,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Ehud Ur, a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

The new research, which reviewed studies published from 1970 to 2023, also found a wide nutritional variation in the meat substitutes, such as in the amount of sodium and saturated fat they contained.
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YOUR MARRIAGE

Is Marriage Harder Than It Was 10 Years Ago?
Marriage might be the oldest institution in the world, but it's struggling to adapt to the pressures of modern life.

According to Toronto-based registered psychologist Adisa Azubuike, marriage is harder today than it was just a decade ago.
Azubuike has been practising psychotherapy and counselling married couples for 25 years. He said that the problems faced by married couples are becoming more pronounced.

"There are more distractions for couples," Azubuike told CTV's Your Morning(opens in a new tab). "The phone is ubiquitous."

Azubuike said it is more common for couples to scroll, alone, on their phones than it is for them to walk together or talk.

People also have higher expectations for their marriages today, Azubuike said, with both men and women getting married later. According to Statistics Canada, the mean age for people getting married for the first time was 31.2 in 2020, up from 29 years in 2000. Azubuike said older people are often more entrenched in their lifestyles and might be less flexible when learning to compromise in new partnerships.

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FINANCE AND INVESTING TIPS FOR THE SANDWICH GENERATION

33% OF THE ‘SANDWICH GENERATION’ ARE HOMEOWNERS BECAUSE OF THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE

While 1 out of every 6 Americans are considered part of the sandwich generation, being caught in the middle can have its benefits.

• The sandwich generation, or those who are taking care of their children (younger than 18) and parents/grandparents at the same time, encompasses 17% of Americans, according to new research from Realtor.com. The study found that being in the "middle" has led to homeownership for a third of the group.
  

  "Unfortunately for home shoppers, affordability is still a big challenge in the current housing market, but for the sandwich generation, family support is providing a helping hand when it comes to finances," says Laura Eddy, vice president of research and insight for Realtor.com.
  
  "Over half of adults within the sandwich generation who receive financial support from family members report that this support is helping them to afford a home, while a little less than half (47%) said the support helped them save for retirement."

  Not confined to one demographic, those who identified as part of the generation spanned multiple age groups, with millennials taking up the largest share at 36%, followed by Gen Z at 30%, boomers at 17%, and then Gen X at 16%.
  
  Between men and women, men were more likely to say they support both children 18 and younger and parents/grandparents, with more than half (56%) identifying as part of the sandwich generation versus 44% of women.

  Nearly half (47%) of the generation say their caregiving circumstances have impacted their finance.

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YOUR KIDS

HOW TO FIND AND PREPARE A BABYSITTER

Where can I find a babysitter? And how do I instruct them?

Finding a qualified babysitter takes time and effort. You’ll want to find someone who is mature and friendly, has common sense, and is genuinely fond of children.

But your reward is knowing that your child is in capable hands – and you’ll have a chance to take care of an errand, recharge or reconnect with a partner

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The recommendations of people you know and trust are your best bet for finding a reliable and capable babysitter, says Amy Frias, a CHOC community educator. If you’re new to the area and don’t know how to find a sitter, here are some things you can do:

• Ask your neighbors or coworkers if they have recommendations.

• Ask at your place of worship.

• See if staff in your pediatrician’s office has suggestions.

• Check with your local YMCA, community hospital, or American Red Cross chapter for a list of babysitters. Many will have completed a babysitting safety and infant and child CPR courses.

• If your child is in a daycare or after-school care program, ask staff members if they babysit or have recommendations.

• If you are part of any local online parenting networks, ask the group.
  
  How to interview a babysitter

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CARING FOR PARENTS

Grandparents Are Getting Older, On Average. Here's Why That Matters.

Demographic shifts may mean changing roles for grandparents within family networks.

Kathy L. is a 46-year-old mother of three in North Carolina. Five years ago, she moved her family back to her hometown in order to help care for her aging parents, but for the past year and a half, the family has devoted significant time and resources to caring for her husband’s aunt, who has dementia.

Her children were ages 15, 11 and 9 when the aunt came to live with them last summer.

“Our family hit a breaking point,” Kathy L. told HuffPost.

“Dementia patients can often get aggressive because they are confused/scared and don’t know what’s going on,” she explained. While her two older sons were able to handle the aunt’s outbursts, her youngest child struggled. Kathy L. said her 9-year-old daughter was “crying every day and was terrified to say or do anything that would set her off.”

In addition, her husband was granted power of attorney for his aunt, taking care of her finances and clearing out and selling her home.

In spite of these challenges, Kathy L. says the experience of providing this care wasn’t all negative. “I also feel very honored to be able to help,” she said. “There are a lot of layers of feelings involved.”

People like Kathy L. who find themselves in the dual — and at times competing — roles of providing child care and elder care simultaneously are sometimes referred to as the
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YOUR JOB

60% of people who work multiple hourly jobs are women: ‘They will do what they have to do’

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