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Dan Buettner grew up in Minnesota during the 1960s, where he was fed a high-carb diet of bright yellow macaroni and cheese and sweaty red hot dogs wrapped inside flaky croissants.

"We didn't know better," he said.

But when the cyclist and storyteller started traveling around the globe, and into the homes of people in locations where elders routinely live to see their 100th birthday in good health the world's "Blue Zones," as he calls them he noticed something distinct about the ways that they were all eating.

The fare was nothing like his Midwestern childhood diet of processed foods, but Buettner noticed that each Blue Zone kitchen did have a few staple ingredients in common. Like his own meal plans, they were all fairly high in carbohydrates, but these Blue Zone diets centered on carbs of a different kind.

"The four pillars of every longevity diet in the world are whole grains, greens, nuts, and beans," Buettner said. "When you crunch the numbers, it's very clear that it's a 90% to 100% plant-based, very-high-carbohydrate diet. About 65% carbs, but not simple carbs like muffins and cakes complex carbs."

Buettner's chronicled some of his favorite recipes from each of those regions in a new Blue Zones cookbook, featuring dishes from Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.

Staples of the Blue Zones include hearty soups filled with beans and herbs; fermented breads like sourdough; and wine. Westend61 via Getty Images

Whether the cuisine is from the sandy western shores of Costa Rica or industrial church kitchens in California, it is loaded with beans.

Beans are a high-carbohydrate, high-fiber food that many dieters have recently criticized, as they're nearly impossible to eat on high-fat, low-carb diets like the trendy keto plan.

"You can get very successful with a diet if you tell people they can eat what they like to eat meat or cheese or eggs and all that," he said. "I draw from people who've achieved the health outcomes we want. And I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that they're eating about a cup of beans a day."

His favorite bean dish is a Greek "longevity stew," loaded with fennel, black-eyed peas, olive oil, tomato, and garlic.

The diet plan lines up with much of the scientific research suggesting that people who eat more vegetables and other plants while consuming little to no processed or red meat are less likely to die earlier (and more likely to have healthier hearts) than people who routinely fuel up on animal products.

In the Blue Zones, there are no banned foods. Instead, the environments people live in promote their good health almost effortlessly. There's no weighing ingredients or worrying about the amounts of carbs, protein, and fat to include in a day's meals.

Yet there are certain things that people in Blue Zones don't eat very often. Chief among the rarities are dishes high in saturated fats and sugars, including meats, dairy, and desserts.

On average, people living in the Blue Zones eat meat about five times a month. It's usually a three- to four-ounce cut of pork, smaller than an iPhone.

When it comes to bread, Blue Zoners tend to favor fermented varieties like sourdough over plain white yeasted slices, and they pair small amounts of pasta and grains with other staple ingredients like fresh greens or beans.

"When you combine a grain and a bean, you get a whole protein," Buettner said. This means that, much like any meaty dish, a plant-based meal can feature all the essential amino acids that help the body grow and repair itself, but "without the saturated fat, without the hormones," he said.

In addition to focusing on plant-based foods, people in the Blue Zones also tend to cherish the importance of lifelong friendships, move around consistently each day (every 20 minutes or so), and live with purpose. These built-in support systems are key components of longevity too, Buettner believes, and just as important as the good food.

"We keep beating this dead horse of diets and exercise and supplements," he said. "It's Einstein's definition of insanity."

Dan Buettner. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

If you'd like to try the Blue Zones eating routine, Buettner suggests finding a few plant-based recipes that you really like and making it a habit to cook them for yourself again and again. None of the recipes in his book include any meat or eggs, and most shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to prepare.

"The secret to eating for 100 is to find the plant-based foods heavy with beans and grains and vegetables, and learn how to like them," Buettner said. "If you eat a Blue Zones diet religiously, it's probably worth eight to 10 extra years of life expectancy over a standard American diet. You take those years and you average them back into your life? It gives you about two hours a day to cook."

See more here:
The longest-lived people run on a high-carb diet, and it's a big part of their secret to living to 100 - INSIDER

The Diet will convene on Jan. 20 for a 150-day regular session that will put priority on early passage of draft budgets for the current and next fiscal years, government officials said Friday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will deliver his policy speech on the first day of the Diet session, which will last through June 17, along with the foreign, finance and economy ministers. The Cabinet approved the schedule Friday.

The speeches will be followed by questioning by ruling and opposition party leaders in both houses from Jan. 22 to 24.

Abe has been increasing his calls for an active debate on constitutional reform, a long-held goal of the prime minister and his Liberal Democratic Party.

But the outlook remains uncertain as opposition lawmakers are set to grill the government over its handling of guest lists for an annual publicly funded cherry blossom viewing party at the center of a campaign scandal as well as a casino-bribery scandal involving LDP lawmakers.

The governments Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatch to the Middle East for an intelligence-gathering mission is also expected to come under intense scrutiny amid U.S.-Iran tensions.

Read more from the original source:
Draft budgets and constitutional reform in focus as Japanese Diet gets set to open Jan. 20 - The Japan Times

In a blow to gym vloggers who pretend to be scientists everywhere, the paleo diet may not be all that paleo. According to a new study, humans were eating carbs up to 170,000 years ago.

The paleo diet is based on the assumption that modern farming and agricultural practices dont match up to what the human body was made to digest. It therefore cuts out many carbohydrates: legumes, pulses, grains and even white potatoes, depending on what kind of paleo you are.

Paleo enthusiasts suggest we should return to the eating patterns of our ancestors in the Paleolithic period (spanning from about 2.5m years ago to the end of the last Ice Age, around 9,600 BCE), which usually means eating mostly meat, fish, nuts and vegetables.

But scientists from the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at Wits University in Johannesburg recently found evidence that southern Africans were cooking starchy plants hundreds of thousands of years ago. (In case youre wondering whether a starchy plant really is a carb, the charred remnants of the plant they found is nicknamed the African potato.)

This is not the first time such evidence has arisen: previous studies have shown that our ancestors were eating starchy grains over a million years ago. There is also a body of evidence showing that humans didnt necessarily evolve to eat meat.

Then again, proponents of the paleo diet call their ideology theoretical in nature and wide for interpretation, so that information probably doesnt matter too much.

The [paleo notion] of following these very specific, restrictive guidelines really doesnt hold weight, says Meredith Price, a registered dietitian from New York. There is no scientific proof this was the way we ate, because it wasnt.

Price says there are many benefits to eating whole grains, legumes and other things restricted by the paleo diet such as good heart health and reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. Although there are ways to get the nutrients found in these carbohydrates elsewhere, she asks, whats the point in making it so difficult?

We are talking about a group of people who did not live past the age of 35, says Price.

Of course, a movement trying to limit the refined, sugary, processed foods we are fed in abundance shouldnt be vilified we all agree those are bad for us. But Price emphasises that many of the benefits touted by the paleo diet seem to be about cutting out sugars and processed food rather than healthy carbs such as grains.

And while a minority of paleo enthusiasts argue that carbs are not at odds with their diet, its hard not to think of the diet as little more than reimagined carb-phobia. Maybe the best indication of this is the beef within the paleo community over the humble potato. Paleo extremists will tell you potatoes are forbidden, and argue that: Paleo is all about eating only those foods that people living the pre-agricultural age could have eaten.

Seeing as potatoes were first domesticated between 8,000 and 5,000 BC, this seems like bad science but then again, what about basing a modern diet on the proposed practices of cavemen doesnt?

See the article here:
Paleolithic diet may not have been that 'paleo', scientists say - The Guardian

You are what you eat. The food the body is fed either makes or breaks one'shealth, especially when aiming to ward off diseases and cancer. There is no prescribable anti-cancer diet that can protect the body entirely against cancer.

However, eating a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help fend off cancer in the long run, although not immediately. Avoiding exposure to toxins, not succumbing to stress, not drinking and smoking are other correlated factors involved in preventing cancer.

Here are some of the few changes you can make to adopt an anti-cancer diet.

Stay away from toxins and actively detoxify

The first step towards protecting the body against damage from free radicals is to eliminate toxins from entering the body through various products that we use on a daily basis without giving it much thought.For example, several seemingly harmlessbeauty products contain carcinogens sometimes. Hence, it is best to use shampoos and conditioners after checking their ingredients to ensure the products do not contain toxins.

Moreover, use household cleaners that do not contribute to indoor air pollution. Instead, use alternate homemade products without chemicals. Avoid overusing medication such as paracetamol because it can increase the risk of liver disease.

Consuming food after heating plastic or microwaving plastic material could cause interferencesin the functioning of the neuroendocrine system. Intermittent fasting helps cleanse the body of toxins, especially through the skin, kidney, respiratory and digestive tracts. Furthermore, green juices, raw foods, lightly steamed vegetables and drinking alkaline water aids the process of detoxification.

Avoid burnt food

Acrylamide is formed on fried food and exposure to the chemical can increase the risk of cancer. Avoiding foods high in starch content and processed food also lowers acrylamide exposure.

Cakes, fries, crackers, chips and cookiescan be problematic in the long run. High temperatures and heating the food for a long period of time also increases acrylamide levels as well. Boiling and steaming are safer methods of cooking.

Avoid processed food

Refined food products, sugary drinks, frozen food, unhealthy vegetables and other processed food cause health problems if consumed excessively. Due to low costs and availability, wheat and corn are subsidized and sold as refined food products in the U.S.

These manufactured products contain pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals, hence not consuming them is the best practice. Organic and whole grain products can be added to the anti-cancer diet to keep the body healthy and intact.

Eat food with cancer-fighting properties

To actively fight the possibility of cancer, eat several cancer-fighting food, particularly broccoli, sprouts, cabbage and kale. Cruciferous vegetables are full of antioxidants that help fight breast, colon, prostate and rectal cancers.

Foods high in vitamin C and A are powerful antioxidants that protect the immune system against various diseases. Garlic, green tea, olive oil and oolong tea reduce inflammation and also prevent damage to the immune system, thereby preventing cancer. Calcium-rich foods combined with vitamin D3 prevent breast and ovarian cancer.

Nature's grocery store has an aisle full of cancer-fighting foods to add to your diet. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

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Anti-Cancer Diet: Everything You Need to Know - Medical Daily

With the new year comes new resolutions, especially in our eating lifestyle. The introduction of the Impossible meats in 2018 forged the way for many longtime vegans and hard-core carnivores (doctors orders) to follow a plant-based, vegan diet, while some with goals to shed a few pounds turned their taste buds to trying foods with more protein and less fat, like seafood. Regardless what diet trend youll be following in 2020, heres a list, although not comprehensive, of local restaurants serving dishes full of substance but not lacking in flavor.

Rare Society offers followers of this diet craze a meal high in lean protein and fat with dishes ranging from filet mignon carpaccio and Scottish salmon to dry-aged pork chop and prime porterhouse steak. They can be topped with sauces like the house TRG crack sauce or bearnaise sauce, and served with sides like truffle creamed spinach, roasted mushrooms with thyme, garlic and egg yolk or cheesy broccoli. 4130 Park Blvd., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 501-6404. raresocietysd.com

Impossible Burger.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Corner Drafthouse chef Ruben Zamarripa offers two items not listed on the menu but are available upon request. For a dish with all the flavor of wings without the meat, try the roasted buffalo cauliflower, tossed in buffalo sauce and topped with scallions. Hold the blue cheese crumbles and replace the ranch dressing with Vegenaise for dipping, or eat them plain. Missing meat? Try the Impossible Burger, a veggie patty with soyrizo, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. Substitute the aioli and cheddar cheese with Vegenaise and vegan cheese. 495 Laurel St., San Diego. (619) 255-2631. thecornerdrafthouse.com

Portobello Burger.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Bier Garden offers a variety of menu items that can be prepared vegan upon request like the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich, piled high with grilled portobello, heirloom tomato, pickled red onion, arugula, roasted red pepper and a fig spread. Order with no cheese to make this entre completely vegan. The sauted edamame can be ordered as-is, with garlic and soy sauce topped with kosher salt. 641 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. (760) 632-2437. biergardenencinitas.com

Tortilla Soup.

(Kelly Bone)

The Westgate Hotel executive chef Fabrice Hardel has crafted a menu for every diet type, including vegan. Selections include a freshly baked bread dipped in seasoned olive oil, sun-dried tomato umami and green olives, and a traditional tortilla soup (sans the chicken and cheese) a corn, tomato, vegetable broth, topped with ribbons of smokey guajillo chili. 1055 Second Ave., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 238-1818. westgatehotel.com/dining/the-westgate-room

Smoked Carrots and Baby Beets.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Trust chef Brad Wise knows his way around vegetables and has created several simple but flavorful dishes like the smoked carrots and baby beets served with grains, aged Manchego cheese, red onion, smoky yogurt, tarragon and pistachio; and the wood-grilled cauliflower with golden raisins, mint, serrano aioli, black lentils, cilantro and curry vinaigrette. Indulge in a Trust favorite, ricotta agnolotti (pasta) served with sunchokes, black garlic streusel, black truffle and basil-scented panna (italian cream). 3752 Park Blvd., San Diego. (619) 795-6901. trustrestaurantsd.com

Pan con Tomate (bread with tomato).

(Haley Hill Photography)

For all of the herbivores, Zinqu suggests its pan con tomate, a baguette rubbed with garlic and tomato and topped with tomatoes and avocado. The French bistros Le Bowl hits all the major food groups for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians by offering a full meal of brown rice, avocado, tomato, arugula, Comt (a French cheese), cilantro and sriracha. Want dessert? Share a pear tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. 2101 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. (619) 915-6172. lezinque.com

20|Twentys menu is nearly all gluten-free.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Diners looking to avoid gluten will have their plates full at 20|Twenty nearly all the menu is gluten-free. Executive chef Julian Quinones has created plates like roasted beets and seasonal citrus with wild arugula, fennel, red onion, almonds, citrus tarragon vinaigrette and aged Fiscalini cheddar; and entrees like the Diver scallops with grilled king mushrooms, asparagus, tomato confit and sweet potato romesco (sauce); or the 16-ounce Cooks Ranch Heritage pork porterhouse with apple relish, cabbage and sweet potato hash, apple-sage gastrique (flavoring) and pork demi-glace. 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. Reservations: (760) 827-2500. 20twentygrill.com

7 Mile Kitchens Duck Confit Pizza.

(Casey Figlewicz)

7 Mile Kitchen offers ample choices for gluten-free dining, including smoked wings in lemon herb or spicy buffalo sauce, plus an entire list of artisanal wood-fired pizzas made with a gluten-free crust and topped with Brie, arugula, duck confit and a blueberry balsamic gastrique (flavoring). They also offer gluten-free gelato for dessert. 5420 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. (760) 827-2514. 7milekitchen.com

If you love pasta, then order Monellos gluten-free pasta served with your choice of gluten-free tomato-based sauces: marinara and arrabbiata (a spicy sauce made with red chili peppers). The menu also includes several gluten-free entrees, like roasted pork shank and mashed potatoes; and salmon fillet in a white wine and lemon-caper sauce served with roasted tomatoes and mashed potatoes. 750 W. Fir St., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 501-0030. lovemonello.com

Torta Caprese, flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream.

(Bencotto)

Bencotto offers a Milanese meal for gluten-free watchers. For pre-dinner munching, start with sliced-to-order formaggio cheese, salumi meats and prosciutto di Parma. Order the gluten-free pasta with your choice of marinara or arrabbiata gluten-free sauces. Sink your sweet tooth into an Italian, soft, flourless, chocolate-almond cake served with whipped cream. 750 W. Fir St., Suite 103, San Diego. Reservations: (619) 450-4786. lovebencotto.com

Macarons come in seasonal flavors.

(Patisserie Melanie)

Patisserie Melanie chef Melanie Dunn says gluten-free patrons can indulge in any of her traditional macarons made with seasonal flavors like chai tea, Earl Grey, espresso and matcha. Other options include any of Melanies caramels, which come in sea salt, espresso and cinnamon, as well as her seasonal jam collection featuring orange, peach and pear. 3788 Park Blvd. Suite 4, San Diego. (619) 677-2132. patisseriemelanie.com/menu

Fort Oaks Seafood Tower comes in two sizes.

(Jim Sullivan)

At Fort Oak, pescatarian options for seafood enthusiasts run the gamut. Choices include the seafood tower (offered in two sizes), served with oysters, clams, prawns, Jonah crab claws, Maine lobster, lobster hamachi poke, scallop aguachile and marinated tuna; the garlicky hearth-grilled prawns with Namasu pickles, salt and pepper lime and a kimchi-aioli dipping sauce; and the Baja striped bass with Brussels sprouts, roasted pear, charcoal turnip, preserved orange and a scallop beurre blanc sauce. 1011 Fort Stockton Drive, San Diego. Reservations: (619) 722-3398. fortoaksd.com

A large portion of JRDNs menu is dedicated to the sea and offers seafood lovers and pescatarians an ocean of choices like the ahi tuna nachos (wonton chips), topped with avocado, mango, Fresno chili, chives, shiso, cilantro, sriracha aioli and sesame seeds. Drink a glass of white wine or ros with an entree of scallops, served with mushroom jam, smoked mushroom consomm, tempura enoki mushrooms and kohlrabi (German for cabbage turnip) fondant. 723 Felspar St., San Diego. Reservations: (858) 270-2323. t23hotel.com/dine

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The Dish: New year, new diet? 13 eateries got you covered in 2020 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Eggs are bad for you."

"No, now eggs are good!"

Butter is back?

A quick online search of the nutritional benefits and risks associated with many fatty foods could leave anyone confused about fat. Although humans need to consume a certain amount of fat, not all fats are created equally. It's important to emphasize healthy fats and keep unhealthy fats to a minimum, but that requires knowing the difference and how they fit into a healthy diet.

No matter the diet, carbohydrates, proteins and fats are necessary and important, each in their own way. Each of these three macronutrients nutrients that people need in large amounts provide energy to the body, but they also have other functions.

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. Proteins are made up of amino acids to build cell structure and enzymes.

Fats which often get a bad rap are needed to store energy in the body, build hormones and more. They're also the body's go-to energy source after carbs. Aside from providing energy, fats also make up fat-soluble vitamins, cholesterol and many of the hormones circulating through our bodies. Some even form the membranes surrounding all of the body's cells.

But what exactly are fats? Also called triglycerides, fats are made up of a backbone with three fatty acids attached. Fatty acids vary in characteristics that determine the role they play in food function and health. Importantly, saturated fatty acids tend to be unhealthy, while unsaturated fatty acids are the healthy fats necessary for certain body functions.

Saturated fatty acids take a linear shape and can pack tightly with other saturated fatty acids, allowing them to build up and form plaques in the body. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and include animal foods like butter, lard and the fat in meats, as well as certain tropical vegetable oils like coconut oil. "Partially-hydrogenated" vegetable oils listed on food labels are also saturated fats.

Trans fats are human-made and similar to saturated fats. These have been shown to cause heart disease and increase risk factors for related conditions. They've been banned from food production in the United States since May 2018.

Unsaturated fatty acids do not cause the same health risks, because they have a bend, or kink, in their structure, making them more fluid and unable to pack together like saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and take the form of plant oils such as those derived from soybeans, olives, corn or canola. Unsaturated fats are also found in whole foods such as avocados.

There are some unsaturated fats humans must consume as their metabolisms cannot make them. They're called essential fatty acids. These are linoleic acid and linolenic acid, otherwise called omega-6 and omega-3, respectively. Common sources of these unsaturated fatty acids are corn, safflower and soybean oils, as well as flaxseed oil and walnuts. Other types of unsaturated fats include DHA and EPA, which can be found in fish. Many studies have shown the health benefits of consuming fish.

Walnuts are a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids.

Fats have some very important functions. In fact, people could not live without them. So why are some people so afraid of them?

Older studies showed a correlation between diets high in fat and various chronic diseases. Health recommendations based on those early studies focused mostly on reducing fat intake altogether, but didn't sufficiently consider what types of fats may be contributing to high disease rates. There is now more research on how different kinds of fats affect these diseases, both positively and negatively.

Instead of shaming fat altogether, newer research helps guide recommendations on the types of fat and the amounts that should be consumed. The Dietary Reference Intakes advise that fat consumption falls within 20-35% of total calories, and that saturated fats should always be limited to 10% or less. Overall, Americans consume too much saturated fat and not enough unsaturated fat. The majority of the saturated fat in diets comes from prepared dishes, like pizza, burgers and sandwiches, soups and pasta dishes.

More important than individual nutrients is an overall healthy eating pattern. Certain dietary patterns are associated with having good health, including diets lower in fat and added sugars and high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fiber. These patterns include consuming healthy fats such as vegetable oils, avocados, nuts and fish.

In addition to helping with bodily functions, fats are useful in the culinary world. They contribute to mouthfeel and texture, flavors, serve as emulsifiers and help with heat transfer during baking, cooking or frying. Our diets would not have the same variety or be as tasty if all fat were eliminated.

So, instead of focusing on removing fat, it's appropriate to enjoy a bit of butter or eggs, avocado on a salad or a nice piece of fish. Variety and moderation is what counts, even for fats.

Link:
Healthy Fats And Where They Fit In A Balanced Diet - WisContext

Though plenty of vegetarian and vegan diets dont include anything made to imitate meat, meatless meat and plant-based protein are nothing new. Ask anyone whos ordered mock duck (aka seitan) in their pad Thai. Cartoonist Maki Naro outlined the history of mock meat for The Nib, from tofu in ancient China to the peanut-butter-and-seitan mix Protose, developed by John Harvey Kellogg (yes, the Kellogg of cereal-brand fame) in the early 1900s. But in the past few decades, as Naro points out, meatless meat has gotten a boost from unabashed capitalists, who sensed a growing interest in eating less meat and flexitarian diets and decided the existing beans and lentils and seitan werent enough.

Hence the rise of plant-based meat substitutes, which promise to mimic the texture, and even the bleeding, of real meat for those who cant do without those specific oral sensations. In the public imagination, the term came to the forefront mostly where applied to fast-food patties, with Impossible Whoppers and Impossible White Castle sliders, Dunkin Beyond sausage breakfast sandwiches and KFC plant-based fried chicken. A decade ago, a meatless burger patty would have been advertised as vegetarian or vegan cuisine, but now, its all plant-based. And that has turned it into a phrase that means everything and nothing.

Usage of plant-based is now expanding from shorthand for meat substitute to refer to just about everything, including products that were already vegan or vegetarian (aka, made of plants) to begin with. Case in point: a PR email I got from Ancient Harvest about its line of plant-based pasta. Pasta is traditionally made from wheat flour. And in case you havent cast your gaze upon a golden field lately, wheat is a plant. All pasta is plant-based. The company specifies that its POW! Pasta brand is made from other plants chickpeas and lentils so that it is both gluten-free and full of protein. Which is great! But plant-based as a descriptor of ingredients doesnt technically differentiate it from any other pasta.

Instead, plant-based contains within it a host of other implications, whether its that the food in question is full of protein or is low-carb or uses healthier ingredients. Take the emergence of plant butter, aka margarine, an emulsion of plant oil and water thats been around (and much maligned) since the 1950s. Plant butter is only new in that now it more often uses olive oil than vegetable oil, but mostly its a rebranding to obscure a product with which customers may have negative associations. By futzing with the assumed connotations of plant-based (i.e., a meat substitute made from plants), brands can use the buzzword to their advantage, and stretch it to cover almost anything but meat. But describing a product as specifically plant-based when the product its riffing on is also plant-based is redundant at best and cynical at worst, an attempt to sell customers something new thats not really that new. Or just confusing to someone like me, who is left wondering why some plants dont count as plant-based.

Though meat-free eating has been common in numerous cultures, labels and identities began to harden in the 20th century. The phrase vegan was coined in 1944 to stand for non-dairy vegetarian, and the Vegan Society soon declared that it opposed the use of any animal products in any capacity, not just in food. As Ethan Varian recently wrote for the New York Times, the word vegan has an inherently political connotation. To identify as vegan is to concern oneself with animal rights, with the conditions of slaughterhouse workers, and with the environment. It is not inherently healthier (as endless op-eds about Impossible Burger being no better for you than beef will point out), but health isnt the point; harm reduction is.

The term plant-based was coined in 1980 by biochemist Thomas Colin Campbell, who employed it to present his research on a non-animal-product diet in a way that he felt wouldnt be clouded by politics. He went on to advocate a diet of whole foods, though not everyone who eats a plant-based diet focuses on unprocessed and nutritious food. Instead of a collective ethical movement, the phrase has come to signal health and the individual, factors which, according to Naro, are why most people give up meat. Of course, thats a veneer a bowl of mashed potatoes or a bag of Takis technically qualifies as plant-based, though these items probably arent what people think of when they think healthy. But the term doesnt come with the baggage of vegan. Using plant-based allows people to feel theyre not joining a specific group for eating a specific way, says Varian.

Marketers have seized upon eaters desire to appear healthy but relaxed by capitalizing on that buzzword. A Google search brings up plant-based celery juice, pumpkin seeds, tofu, oatmeal, and black beans, all of which espouse their plant base or plant-based protein, and all of which have always been made from plants (or are plants outright). The carton of almond milk in my fridge says its plant-based, even though by purchasing almond milk, I presumably know its not dairy. In fact, saying plant-based instead of vegan sometimes obscures things while a vegan product would not contain dairy or animal products, plant-based allows for the possibility that there could be other things on top of that base.

And plant-based is also getting political. At last nights Golden Globes, organizers served an entirely plant-based dinner to attendees as a way to draw attention to climate change, not just for the health of its stars. More plant-based products are including gestures toward sustainability and the environment in their marketing. And with interest in a plant-based diet steadily growing, it behooves any plant product to advertise itself as such, even if thinking about it for two seconds would probably remind you that pasta or chips or beans are and always have been plant-based.

What we eat has as much to do with global supply chains and tradition and economics and ethics as it does our own bodies, and side-stepping serious thought about where ones choices fit into that web makes less sense than ever. Plant-based could become the new vegan, or it could wind up diluting a message of collective action in favor of individual choice under capitalism. It remains to be seen what plant-based will become. But rest assured that in a few years, a different vague term will probably take its place.

The freshest news from the food world every day

See the article here:
The Plant-Based Diet: What Is It? - Eater

Immediately after the Broncos 2019 season ended, running back Phillip Lindsay started thinking about how he can improve this offseason to go into the 2020 season with a better body.

Im going to go and get healed up, Lindsay said on Dec. 30. Then Im going to start my plan for next year with my dieting and everything and go from there.

Lindsay (5-8, 190 pounds) has gained 2,485 yards from scrimmage and has scored 17 touchdowns since signing with Denver as a college free agent out of Colorado in 2018. He plans to tweak his diet this offseason.

I think Im going to take a couple things out of my diet and see if it helps me out just in general, Lindsay said. I just want to eat cleaner this year coming up and thats throughout the offseason. Honestly, its harder to eat clean during the season because youre getting banged up and hit so much.

Im just trying to stay consistent with what I do and go from there.

Lindsay has missed just one game over the last two years and he is yet to fumble in the NFL. The running backs new diet will aim to help him stay healthy and productive going into next season.

Excerpt from:
Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay aims to 'eat cleaner this year' - Broncos Wire

Go Mediterranean.A Mediterranean dietvegetables, olive oildependably provides some protection against depression, anxiety, and elderly cognitive decline. If you cant swing Mediterranean, aim for a diet full of fresh fruits, veggies, and grains, which is also associated with higher reported happiness and lower rates of depression. Scientists have no idea why: Most diet research is observational, so the findings are associations and not causations.

If you have a mood disorder such as anxiety and depression, eat carefully. Poor diets are associated with worsening mood disorders.The brain is dependent on nutrients, including lipids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, as are gut hormones, neurotransmitters, and microbesso, yes, evidence indicates that bathing your brain and gut in bad food, or too little food, can rock your troubled mood and stress levels into the abyss.

No, superfoods are not a thing. Avocado or pomegranate or acai will not boost your mood. For now, you can ignore touts of specific superfoods altogether, because theres little science supporting them. Common beliefs about the health effects of certain foods are not supported by solid evidence, write the researchers.

Except for B12. All youve heard about the wonders of vitamin B12 is true: Low B12 causes fatigue, lethargy, depression, and poor memory, and is associated with mania and psychosis. Other supplements, such as vitamin D, show inconclusive evidence. The key detail to understand is that many claims are based around deficiencyof a nutrientand most Americans arent truly deficient in these nutrients.

No, you cant treat your ADHD or spectrum disorder with food.Though promising small studies on elimination diets and supplements exist for a variety of disorders, essentially none are long-term, randomized and controlled research. (Placebo groups dont work so well when participants can see exactly what theyre eating.) Many studies are also based on personal reports of mood and behavior, not biomarkers, making them difficult to replicate or draw conclusions from.

The take-home message: Stay tuned. Nutritional psychiatrists have been creating large cohorts for long-term diet studies, which will eventually lead to experimental trials using food as a treatment; eventually, there will probably be clinical trials. Until then, ignore the hype.

Read this article:
Nutrition studies: 5 dietary habits for better mental health - Fast Company

In global diets, meat is not necessarily the main driver of dietary carbon emissions, finds a new study published in One Earth. Instead, factors like higher sugar and alcohol consumption, and dining out more frequently, could be an unrecognised source of carbon emissions in modern diets.

Looking at Japan, a team of British, Japanese, and Norwegian researchers on the new paper carried out an analysis on the diets of over 60,000 households spread across the country. This intensive survey revealed that families whose diets had the highest carbon footprint werent actually eating more meat than others.

Instead, this higher emissions profile could be explained by greater consumption of fish, vegetables, sweets, alcohol, and eating more frequently at restaurants. These high-impact families spent over three times more on alcohol, twice as much on sugary products, and double the amount on restaurant food, compared to households with a lower carbon footprint, the study found.

In fact, meat consumption was almost identical across the population the researchers studied and interestingly, the differences in emissions couldnt be explained by other social factors such as age, sex, or household income.

What differentiates the highest and lowest [carbon footprint] households is rather spending patterns in unexpected categories: fish, vegetables, alcohol, confectionery, and dining out, the researchers write. While fish and vegetables are lower-emissions alternatives to red meat, they still have a climate impact in high quantities and contribute to emissions from food waste. Sugary products and alcohol come with an associated production emissions cost. And, dining out on restaurant food comes with the added emissions generated by cooking and lighting which is higher than it would be if people made home-cooked meals.

What makes the results more surprising is that in Japan, food consumption is largely in line with broad international dietary recommendations for climate mitigation: the typical Japanese diet tends to include more fish and vegetables, and less red meat. Yet despite this, it doesnt necessarily translate to a low-carbon diet.

That dismantles the notion that simply reducing meat consumption globally as mandated by influential pieces of research like the recent EAT-Lancet Commission report is a clear route to reducing our collective dietary footprint. Instead, the more complicated truth seems to be that meat isnt always the biggest emissions driver in national diets, as is commonly believed and the way we target emissions-reducing policies should take the nuances of global diets into account.

Importantly, the researchers emphasise that these findings dont mean that reducing red meat consumption doesnt count: in fact, the emissions impact of Japanese diets could still be notably cut by eating less red meat. But in addition, they suggest that awareness campaigns about the carbon footprint of different foods, plus a potential carbon tax on luxury products like sweets and alcohol, could uniquely reign in national dietary emissions.

Japan presents a unique dietary case, in many ways so these findings wont necessarily translate to other countries. But it does reveal something crucial in an era of emissions-focused dietary recommendations: that there are important differences in national diets, which mean that global approaches to reducing emissions may not always find their mark.

It would indicate that more care should be given before prescribing national policy based on global data, the researchers write.

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Meat isn't always the biggest driver of - Anthropocene - Anthropoce

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