As researchers turn their attention to the Japanese diet, miso is getting the spotlight. Miso is a fermented soybean paste found in the Asian section of the supermarket aisles. It can be used for marinades, dressings or most commonly to make soup. It has a delicious savoury flavour known as ‘umami’, but it seems that miso brings more than just good taste to the table.

Miso is a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, copper, zinc and manganese. It contains both prebiotics (food that promotes the growth of good gut bacteria) and probiotics (beneficial bacteria) as well as isoflavones which are important compounds for many of the beneficial effects of miso.

A study in 2022 showed that the isoflavones in miso may lower the risk of heart disease by reducing both blood pressure and cholesterol.

It is also thought that miso may ease menopausal symptoms in women as well as reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Other studies suggest eating miso leads to fewer digestive upsets and possibly helps with weight control.

Miso is generally safe, but some people do need to be careful. One serve of miso soup contains 1-2g of salt, so if you are on a low-salt diet, you will need to factor that in. Miso can also interfere with some medications such as thyroid tablets and warfarin. Finally, if you are allergic to soy proteins, you cannot have traditional miso products, although there are some new soy free chickpea versions available.

A chair is just the beginning

Even the best chair in the world cannot solve your ergonomic woes if you have developed bad habits. Ensure you also:

• Sit up straight with weight distributed evenly between your legs – never cross your legs!
• Have your keyboard and mouse close, so you do not have to lean forward to use them. Make sure you can type with your wrists straight and resting on the desk.
• Place your monitor about an arm’s length away from you, with the top taskbar level with your eyes.
• Invest in a laptop stand and separate keyboard if you use your laptop for prolonged periods.
• Aim to take a break every 30 minutes or so – setting a timer can be helpful. This is the best way to reduce muscle fatigue.

Pay attention to the small things.

If it is a colleague and you know they always get a flat white at morning tea, perhaps grab one on your own coffee run and drop it off to them. Small gestures of care can help more than you realise.

Be available.

Your friend may not be asking for your help, but they may well value your presence. You might be a non-judgemental listener for their vent, or you might reach out via a no-pressure text message ‘no need to answer this, but I am thinking about you and wanted to say hi’.

Educate yourself.

If you know that your friend is going through a particular issue, learn about it. Not necessarily to tell them what to do, but more to help you understand their experience better.

Get specific.

Depending on your relationship, this may be as simple as taking a ‘just do it’ approach – drop by on bin night and take the wheelie bins out to the curb. Drop off some groceries to the front door. Offer a specific type of help “We drive past your street on the way to school in the morning, would it help if we picked up Sam on our way through?’

Be patient but remember your boundaries.

You can only control your own actions and responses, not anyone else’s. It can be frustrating to think you know what someone needs ‘if only they would listen’.

If it is getting too hard to continually cover the same ground, it is okay to recognise your limits and put in some kind boundaries. Equally, if you have offered help and they have said no, it is important to respect their decision.

What to ask yourself before jumping in

1. Why do you suspect they need help?

What feels like chaos to you may not be experienced by your friend in the same way. If it is simply a case of “I would not do it that way’, it is not necessarily helpful to step in. You cannot decide what is best for someone else and you cannot control others. If they are expressing distress or overwhelm and seem stuck, that is a different situation.

2. Why are they finding it difficult to ask for help?

Sometimes people have strong feelings about asking for help. They think it makes them seem weak or incapable of solving things for themselves. Sometimes they are so overwhelmed by their situation they cannot find the words to express their needs. Try to get a feel for whether they want help but do not know how to ask, or if it is more of a case they prefer to come to their own solution in their own time.

The building blocks of hope

Hope has been described as ‘optimism with a plan’, but it is more than just hoping for the best. Charles Snyder, a prominent hope researcher, outlines hope as having three main components.

This helps break hope down into its parts so you can see what skills to develop on your way to being more hopeful.

1. Goals: thinking in a goal-oriented way

Using goals as a tool to move forward rather than staying stuck is a practice you will be familiar with in many aspects of your life. To set goals, you need to have a good understanding of your current situation as well as the creativity to imagine new possibilities.

2. Pathways: finding different pathways to achieve that goal

Whilst creativity is important in setting goals, it is also vital to find pathways to your goal, especially if you come up against barriers along the way. Perseverance, problem solving, and flexibility will help you achieve your goal even if ‘plan A’ does not work out.

3. Agency: believing you can instigate change.

Having confidence in your ability to create change is at the core of agency, but without self-compassion it is entirely possible that you will fall at the first hurdle, and then stop trying out of shame or fear of failure. Self-compassion allows you to view your missteps more kindly, making you more likely to take necessary (calculated!) risks to get you where you want to go.

What gets in the way of hope?

Getting stuck thinking about difficult things that have happened in the past or worrying about the future are known to impact your ability to feel hope.

Practising mindfulness, grounding yourself in the her and now can help quieten those worry voices. When you start feeling overwhelmed by the ‘what ifs’, try asking yourself ‘what now?’.

Return your attention to the present moment, with the ‘5,4,3,2,1 meditation: name five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.

Calming your brain will boost your creativity and problem-solving, helping you build hope rather than staying stuck in fear.

Type 2 diabetes risk factors

As with most things in life, there are some things you can change, others you cannot.

Factors like your age (type 2 diabetes risk increases as you get older), family history or ethnic background contribute to your risk of diabetes but are out of your control.

Your lifestyle is something you can change and is the thing experts want you to pay close attention to. Being overweight, smoking, lack of physical exercise, eating an unhealthy diet, and having high blood pressure are all risk factors you can do something about. Even small changes will reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes or improve your control of your blood sugar if you have diabetes.

What can you do?

Moving your body for 30 minutes every day will significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A brisk walk, an online exercise class or playing sport are all simple and effective types of cardio exercise. Doing weights once or twice a week is also helpful as increasing your muscle mass improves your blood sugar levels.

Eat a healthy diet. Concentrate more on vegetables, fruit and wholegrains, lean protein like fish, lean meat, nuts, tofu and diary options like milk, yoghurt, or calcium-rich plant-based options.

Avoid highly processed food and try to reduce your saturated fat intake.