Quick and Dirty Tips

Become a Smarter Worker....By Doing Jigsaw Puzzles
How Many Credit Cards Should You Have for Good Credit?
Do Fermented Vegetables Increase Your Cancer Risk?

Become a Smarter Worker....By Doing Jigsaw Puzzles

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 01:00 PM PST

In a world where demands on workers are higher than ever, it can be hard to stay on top of your game each and every day. These days, employees are required to work longer hours, stare at screens for pretty much all of the day, and often get very little time to unwind and decompress from the stressors of their roles.

According to The 2019 State of Employee Communication and Engagement study conducted by Dynamic Signal, a whopping 63% of US workers are ready to quit their jobs due to stress, which is a stark reminder of how unhappy a workplace many businesses have become.

With that in mind, sometimes the best way to overcome obstacles in life isn't by working harder; it's by working smarter. By doing so, you can save on energy, reduce stress levels, and even boost productivity. It's a win-win all the way around. So, this begs the question: how can you train your brain to work smarter on everyday tasks?

3 Frequently Asked Questions About Math Puzzles

Well, look no further than the humble jigsaw puzzle. Invented by a London mapmaker back in 1760, these classic pastimes provide many benefits that help keep your brain sharp and can help you perform your very best while at work. In fact, playing free online jigsaw puzzles for just a few hours per week can even protect you from serious brain-related illnesses later in life. On that note, let's jump right into it and check out the five top benefits.

Increase problem-solving abilities

According to Graduate Land, problem-solving is one of the employers' most highly rated skills since the core ingredients are relevant to virtually any job role. In other words, if you can program your brain and learn how to solve complex problems in one area, the chances are you will also be able to do the same on another unrelated problem. It's all about your aptitude for assessing situations, analyzing information, and generating various concepts to solve the issue.

What You May Not Know About Crossword Puzzles

As it turns out, playing jigsaw puzzles is an excellent way to develop problem-solving skills. They provide a platform for you to practice the concept of trial and error. This is where you learn the value of formulating theories, testing hypotheses, and...

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How Many Credit Cards Should You Have for Good Credit?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:10 AM PST

Have you ever wondered, "How many credit cards should I have? Is it wise to have a wallet full of them? Does having multiple credit cards hurt my credit score?"

If you've been following this blog or the Money Girl podcast, you know the fantastic benefits of having excellent credit. The higher your credit scores, the more money you save on various products and services such as credit cards, lines of credit, car loans, mortgages, and insurance (in most states).

Even if you never borrow money, your credit affects other areas of your financial life.

But even if you never borrow money, your credit affects other areas of your financial life. For instance, having poor credit may cause you to get turned down by a prospective employer or a landlord. It could also increase the security deposits you must pay on utilities such as power, cable, and mobile plans.

Credit cards are one of the best financial tools available to build or maintain excellent credit scores. Today, I'll help you understand how cards boost your credit and the how many credit cards you should have to improve your finances.

Before we answer the question of how many credit cards you should have in your wallet, it's important to talk about using them responsibly so you're increasing instead of tanking your credit score.

5 tips for using credit cards to build credit

Make payments on time (even just the minimum)
Don't rely on being an authorized user
Never max out cards
Use multiple cards
Keep credit cards active

A common misconception about credit is that if you have no debt you must have good credit. That's utterly false because having no credit is the same as having bad credit. To have good credit, you must have credit accounts and use them responsibly.

Having no credit is the same as having bad credit.

Here are five tips for using credit cards to build and maintain excellent credit scores.

1. Make payments on time (even just the minimum)

Making timely payments on credit accounts is the most critical factor for your credit scores. Your payment history carries the most weight because it's an excellent indicator of your financial responsibility and ability to pay what you owe.

Having a credit card allows you to demonstrate your creditworthiness by merely making payments on time, even if you can only pay the minimum. If the card company receives your payment by the statement due date, that builds a history of positive data...

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Do Fermented Vegetables Increase Your Cancer Risk?

Posted: 30 Nov 2021 03:10 PM PST

Nutrition Diva listener Brian wants to know:

"Do the benefits of fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi outweigh the risk of getting stomach cancer. I understand that Koreans, who eat a lot of kimchi, also have the highest rates of stomach cancer. So, I'm wondering whether increasing our consumption of these products in order to help the beneficial bacteria in our guts is worth the risk."

Brian is right: People in Asian countries, where fermented vegetables make up a large part of the diet, do have higher rates of stomach cancer than elsewhere in the world.

What are the main risk factors for stomach cancer?

Fifty years ago, stomach cancer was the most common type of cancer diagnosed worldwide. And the good news is that the global incidence of stomach cancer has declined significantly over the last decades. This is due in part to declines in smoking, which is a significant risk factor for stomach cancer. It's also due to better detection and treatment of h. Pylori, a bacterium that commonly infects the digestive tract and can cause stomach ulcers as well as stomach cancer. H. Pylori is readily eradicated by antibiotic therapy and now that we know to look for it, and how to get rid of it, ulcers and stomach cancer are far less common.

What's the link between fermented veggies and cancer?

However, the incidence of stomach cancer remains high in Korea and elsewhere in Asia. And, believe it or not, the very high consumption of fermented vegetables is thought to be one contributing factor. This is a little confusing because eating more vegetables is a good way to reduce your risk of cancer. And, as Brian points out, fermented vegetables also contain probiotic bacteria, which foster a healthy gut.

At the same time, fermented vegetables contain nitrosamines. These compounds, which are by-products of the fermentation process, can have carcinogenic effects. Here in the West, the primary source of dietary nitrosamines are cured and processed meats. In Korea, where total nitrosamine intake is much higher, the primary dietary sources are smoked or salted fish and fermented vegetables.

The traditional Korean diet is also much higher in sodium than the typical Western diet (which is not exactly low in sodium), and this may be another contributing factor to the high rates of stomach cancer. Sodium, in high amounts, can irritate the lining of the stomach and perhaps make it more vulnerable to the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the traditional Korean diet, while high in fermented and pickled vegetables, may be quite low in fresh vegetables. The nutrients in fresh vegetables, especially vitamin C, can neutralize the nitrosamines in the digestive tract. And...

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Food And Recipe Fusion

Wednesday, December 1, 2021