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On behalf of the roughly 97 million active dieters that contribute to the infamously indecisive weight loss industry every year, Ladders began our interview with renowned dietitian, Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, by asking if it is actually possible to canonize an official one size fits all diet? Or if she reasoned that a person should consult with a nutritionist to optimize results? Surprisingly, Glassman doesnt think you have to do either in order to be healthy. In her estimation, securing a successful personalized diet is as simple as learning how to listen to your body.

There are many routes and byways to up-keeping your proverbial temple but some basics need to be established first and foremost. Ladders inquired what those might be in Glassmans privileged estimation.

Whole grains, fruits, veggies, proteins, healthy fats, and dairy, Glassman explained to Ladders. Basically whole, real foods define an overall healthy diet. Consistently following a healthy diet isnt a black or white thing. Its all about learning to tell the difference between hunger, cravings, and thirst.

If youre like me, you might be surprised to learn that the contrasts that distinguish thirst and hunger are extremely subtle ones. When our normal fluid levels drop by a mere 1% to 2% the symptoms that signal this often closely resemble hunger pangs. What you end up with over the course of a 24-hour day are intermittent periods where were either eating or not eating for the wrong reasons: boredom, miscommunication, or poor self-control.

Generally speaking, a person should be eating three meals a day with two snacks for when they feel a little hungry, Glassman told Ladders.

Its perfectly healthy to eat whenever you feel even a little bit hungry. In addition to the whiplash, trend diets encourage us to think meanly of eating. Eating is a vital, culturally and socially significant experience. Its okay to revel in it and customize it and even possible to do both while being able to fit into your levis.

To this, Glassmans celebrated school of thought intends on wounding the last line of defense that stands between public perception and the conclusion of a national obesity crisis. Its not that people dont know how bad sugar and processed meats are for them, its more that not enough are aware of the panoply of worthy alternatives that are currently available. Dispelling cultural classics like a bowl of cereal and a Cheeseburger with fries is a formidable task, which is why Glassman has devoted a reasoned effort to amending the hits as opposed to doing away with them wholesale.

For example, everybody loves a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but really what youre getting is sugar and sugar and then unhealthy fats and sodium, Glassman explained to People. Her alternative retains all the essential flavor profiles of the traditional snack while maximizing eachs nutritional potential.

You start by ditching the processed white bread, which is packed with additives, and replacing it with sprouted grain bread, which is lower in carbs, higher in protein and fiber in addition to boasting a much lowerglycemic index compared to other breads. Next, you swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even natural peanut butter. Both are incredible sources for healthymonounsaturated fats and vitamins. Lastly, instead of jam consider fresh fruit that you can either slice or mash, to top your nutrient-loaded power snack.

Younger generations are more aware today. Thats why theyre leaning more toward personalized plant-based diets, said Glassman of the frequently reported Millennial-specific fixation with health fads.

One of the most exciting predictions from the erudite dietitian regarding the future of diet trends was that the future of dieting sort of requires its votaries to abstain from diet trends. National polls and surveys suggest a burgeoning custom of cherry-picking the essential parts of the acclaimed submissions in accordance with interception and a general adherence to greens. A person that is taking up a diet with their cognitive well-being in mind, for example, would do well to consider anti-inflammatory foods according to Glassman, anything that contributes to a healthy gut community, think yogurt, cheese, dairy, nuts. Remember, how quickly you lost weight as a result of a particular regimen says nothing about its sustainability.

If your druthers command a buzzy name for the dietary horizon, Glassman motioned theflexitarian diet on several occasions. Essentially though, the diet is just a chic way of referring to a sober health-conscious personalized diet. A flexitarian is a mostly-vegan that occasionally consumes meat or fish. Ultimately, as far as disease prevention and longevity is concerned, nothing really beats a plant-based diet. Weve known that for some time. The newest addition simply states, excluding moral reasons and preexisting conditions, enhancing an otherwise vegan diet with limited meat intake might be advisable-environmentally and somatically.

Returning for a moment to Glassmans philosophy of reanimating standards in service of overall health, adding a touch of animal protein to the already vibrant plant-based diet, extends the canvas that much more.Every food group has its role to play in delaying our march back to the maggots though living longer shouldnt be the only concern of a diet plan.Listening to your body commands one to condition a harmonious liaison between our culinary wants and needs.

Flexatarian, Im a big fan of it, Glassman told Today a year ago, when she first suspected the trend to take hold of Millennials and Gen Zers going into the 2020s. You are a vegan most of the time. Youre eating lots of vegetables, and healthy fats from nuts and seeds but when you want to have maybe a piece of grass-fed steak or even just a piece of steak at a restaurant, or you want to have eggs, you can. It allows room for these other kinds of food without being so hardcore. You have to remember, men that follow a vegan diet are likely to live nine years longer and women six years longer than their meat-eating counterparts.

Link:
Dietician says this will be the biggest diet of 2020 and can add up to 9 years to your life - Ladders

DEAR ABBY: My companion of many years and I are retired and live a few hours away from some of his family. When one of them plans a visit, she always insists on taking us out for a meal. She doesnt ask if we would like to eat out but rather commands it. Then she insists on paying for the meal.

I enjoy cooking and visiting with family during and after meals. I know what our dietary restrictions are, and most restaurant meals do not meet those requirements, which include low sodium, fat and sugar and no gluten. According to my companion, Im a good cook, and he enjoys everything I make.

I know I should say something, but what? I need a suggestion on how to deal with the situation without hurting anyones feelings. -- THANKS, BUT NO THANKS

DEAR T.B.N.T.: This relative may not mean to seem overbearing and may only be trying to be nice. Thank her warmly for wanting to take you to dinner, but tell her no. Explain that because of medical reasons, both of you must strictly limit the sodium, fat, sugar and gluten in your diet, which is why the two of you have decided it is safer to eat at home, where you can control what goes into your food. Then invite her to join you because you would love to see her and spend time with her while shes in town.

DEAR ABBY: I am in a difficult situation. My dear friends and bosses, Rebecca and Caesar, are selling their home. They had offered to sell it to me and, at the time, I was interested in buying it. Then I did the one thing I never thought I would do. I found love. Because its no longer just me, their house wont work for us. I was honest with my friends. They have been giving me the silent treatment ever since, and its causing problems at work. What is a girl to do? -- IN LOVE IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR IN LOVE: Recognize that Rebecca and Caesar are understandably upset that what they thought would be a quick and easy sale has now become more complicated. Explain to them again that you didnt mean to cause them a problem, but your circumstances changed. And if they continue to take out their disappointment by punishing you at work, look for another job.

DEAR ABBY: I agreed to pay for a cellphone for a friends daughter while she went to school in the U.S. She was supposed to be here for three years. WELL, it is now year four, and shes planning to stay here after graduation. How do I tell her that I am not willing to continue paying for her phone after graduation? -- TRIED TO HELP IN TEXAS

DEAR TRIED TO HELP: You have several choices. You can tell her parents, write to her or call her on the cellphone you have so generously underwritten. And after you deliver the message, you should be thanked for your generosity not only by her but also her parents.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Originally posted here:
Dear Abby: Couple with diet restrictions tired of being bullied into dining out - OregonLive

There are several well-known factors that contribute to aging: smoking, stress, sun exposure and genetics, among them. But what you may not realize is what you put on your plate can also cause you to look beyond your year.

Everything that goes into your mouth affects your aging cycle, says Tina Martini, chef and author of "Delicious Medicine: The Healing Power of Food." Among the offenders are alcohol, refined sugar, and over-processed and fried foods.

When you eat fresh foods, as close to nature as you can get, you can slow down the effects of damage to your cells, thus slowing the aging process, she says.

Fried Foods

One of the main damaging factors is acrylamide, an organic compound that is produced during the frying process of some starchy foods. This has led the American Cancer Society to recommend limiting French fries, potato chips, foods made from grains breakfast cereals, cookies, toast because they tend to have higher levels of this chemical.

Acrylamide can affect the skin in the same way that sun damage does, says Martini.

Reduce your exposure by soaking raw potato slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes and draining before frying or roasting. Also, when cooking, choose boiling or steaming to stop acrylamide from forming.

Refined Sugar

Sugar is the main source of energy for our bodies, but it can also contribute to a process called glycation. The excess sugar molecules attach to proteins, creating "advanced glycation end products" or AGEs, which are linked to the loss of collagen. Losing collagen can lead to wrinkles and creepy skin.

Remove processed sugary foods from your diet and eat fresh vegetables and fruits, says Lorraine Kearney, BASc, NDTR, an adjunct lecturer at the City University of New York. To get the maximum nutrients from fruits enjoy them whole instead of dried, blended or pureed.

Snack on organic peaches, cherries, apples and strawberries as they can help to fight the signs of aging.

Enriched and Fortified Foods

You will often find the words enriched and fortified on labels of prepackaged foods. Those words generally mean that all the nutrients were removed during processing, and the manufacturer put back what they deemed important. A diet high in processed foods can lead to oxidative stress, which occurs due to an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body and may lead to cell damage.

Eating a diet rich in colorful foods increases the amount of nutrients the body needs to heal on the cellular level, Kearney says.

Stock up on fresh and antioxidant-rich foods like blackberries, blueberries, beets, bell peppers and radishes as they mitigate the effects of oxidative stress.

Alcohol

While drinking some alcohols in moderation is known to have beneficial health effects, overuse can cause wrinkles, puffiness, inflammation and dehydration.

While you should always remain hydrated, be extra mindful when consuming spirits; and instead of having a full glass of wine, enjoy a spritzer made with seltzer. Staying hydrated not only keeps your skin supple but also flushes toxins from the body.

Skin care is very important in protecting our skin, but its really the moisture in our bodies that keeps us radiant, says Martini.

Read more:
Fruits of youth: Consider this your guide to an anti-aging diet - Bloomer Advance

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare disease in which blood clots are formed in the small blood vessels of the kidneys, leading to symptoms such as hemolytic anemia destruction of red blood cells thrombocytopenia, or a low platelet count, and kidney failure.

Although aHUS is a genetic disease, it is commonly triggered by various environmental factors including eating certain foods. Foods also can cause flare-ups that can be either mild or severe.

Here are some pointers about food that you should keep in mind to help prevent or at least minimize aHUS flare-ups.

You should avoid contaminated food under all circumstances. Food and water contaminated with a type of bacteria called Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli can cause the acquired illness typical HUS. Symptoms of typical HUS are similar to those of aHUS and include hemolytic anemia, kidney failure, and long-term neurological complications.

Maintaining proper kidney health is important for reducing the severity of complications in aHUS. Try reducing your total daily salt intake to 5 to 6 grams per day (about a teaspoon). Its also important to keep yourself well-hydrated by drinking at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily.

While any food can potentially trigger an allergic reaction and consequently an aHUS flare-up certain foods areknown to cause the majority of allergic reactions. These foods include milk and milk products, eggs, sesame seeds, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish. It is important to identify the types of food to which you might be allergic and make changes to your diet accordingly, as even a small quantity of these foods can cause an aHUS flare-up.

To ensure good nutritional intake, it is important to find appropriate substitutes for foods to which you are allergic. You can create a safe dish by substituting good alternatives for allergy-causing ingredients. For example, cow milk may be substituted with rice milk or oat milk.

Your doctor or a dietitian will be able to provide a personalized diet regimen keeping in mind your susceptibility to food triggers. Make sure you follow this diet plan strictly and get approvals from the dietitian before incorporating any changes to your diet.

Some foods can trigger a very severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. Epinephrine (adrenaline) provides a first-line treatment in the event of anaphylaxis. If you are susceptible to allergic reactions, it is advisable to have an epinephrine auto-injector handy.

Delayed administration of epinephrine in the event of anaphylaxis can result in the risk of hospitalization and other adverse effects, including death. Therefore, it is important that you and your family members familiarize yourselves with the operation of the epinephrine auto-injector so that it can be used immediately in case of an emergency.

Last updated: Nov. 6, 2019

***

AHUS News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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zge has a MSc. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Leicester and a PhD in Developmental Biology from Queen Mary University of London. She worked as a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the University of Leicester for six years in the field of Behavioural Neurology before moving into science communication. She worked as the Research Communication Officer at a London based charity for almost two years.

The rest is here:
aHUS and Diet: What Should I Eat and What Should I Avoid? - aHUS News

A scientifically ideal diet designed for maximum nutrition and environmental sustainability would be unaffordable for over 20 percent of the worlds population, a new study has found.

Published in the Lancet journal in January, the specially tailored planetary diet was created with not only health but the environment in mind, looking to feed a population of 10 billion by 2050 while reducing diet-related disease and ecological damage. The meal plan called on the worlds eaters to double their consumption of fruits, vegetables and nuts, while largely doing away with the meats and sugars that now dominate the Western diet.

However, the special diet would cost an average of $2.84 per day for each individual, according to a new Lancet Global Health study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. That accounts for nearly 90 percent of the daily per capita budget for those living in many poorer countries, making the diet too expensive for at least 1.6 billion people, most of whom are located in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The true number of people unable to afford the diet may be even greater than the Lancet study suggests if other expenses are considered in addition to food.

The actual number must be higher, since people need to spend at least some money on other things such as housing and clothing, as well as education, healthcare and transportation, Will Masters, a senior author of the study, told Reuters.

After signaling some approval for the meal plan, the World Health Organization abruptly reversed course earlier this year on the heels of criticism from Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italys representative to international organizations in Geneva. Cornado warned that the diet would bring serious economic disruptions, wipe out traditional dishes and cultural heritage, and said the plan risked the total elimination of consumers freedom of choice.

Given its cost, the planetary diet is an unlikely end-all be-all for the problems surrounding the worlds food supply, but the issues it sought to address are far from trivial. The recent Lancet study noted that more than 2.5 billion people suffer some form of malnutrition worldwide, with another two billion overweight or obese, adding that current food production methods also pose risks to the health of the planet.

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Ideal science-based sustainable diet too expensive for every 5th person on Earth study - RT

By PTI

WASHINGTON: A diet intended to improve both human and planetary health would be unaffordable for at least 1.58 billion people worldwide, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to a study.

Earlier this year, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health published recommendations for a universal diet that addresses both human and planetary health, according to researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in the US.

The Commission suggested that adherence to this diet could ensure that our future food systems can sustainably and nutritiously feed the estimated population of 10 billion people in 2050.

ALSO READ:Millets, answer to tackle malnutrition, climate change

The new study, published in The Lancet Global Health on Thursday, sought to address what many felt was one of the main components lacking in the creation of the recommended diet, namely affordability.

"When formulating this pioneering benchmark diet -- addressing individual health outcomes as well as the health of the planet -- the Commission deliberately did not take its cost into account," said senior author William Masters, an economist at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in the US.

The research team also found that the EAT-Lancet diet was 64 per cent more costly than the lowest-cost combination of foods that would provide a balanced mix of 20 essential nutrients.

The EAT-Lancet diet has higher quantities of animal-source foods and fruits and vegetables than the minimum required for nutrient adequacy, and much higher quantities than are now consumed in low-income countries.

"We found that the global median of the proposed diet would cost USD 2.84 per day.

In low-income countries, that amounts to 89.1 per cent of a household's daily per capita income, which is more than people can actually spend on food," said Kalle Hirvonen, the lead author and development economist in Ethiopia at the IFPRI.

ALSO READ:Human activity is responsible for climate change

"In high-income countries, we found that the EAT-Lancet reference diet would cost 6.1 per cent of per-capita income, which is often less than what people now spend on food," Hirvonen said.

In Africa south of Sahara, nearly 57 per cent of people earn less than the local cost of the EAT-Lancet diet, in South Asia 38.4 per cent, Middle East and North Africa 19.4 per cent, East Asia and Pacific 15 percent, Latin America and Caribbean 11.6 per cent, Europe and Central Asia 1.7 per cent; and North America 1.2 per cent.

The EAT-Lancet Commission diet consists of large amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grain, legumes, nuts and unsaturated oils, some seafood and poultry, and little to no red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables.

Fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods are often the most expensive components of a healthy diet, but prices vary widely around the world, report the researchers.

To compute the affordability of an EAT-Lancet diet in each country, the researchers drew on retail prices for standardized items obtained through the International Comparison Program, a collaboration between the World Bank and country statistical agencies.

They used prices for 744 food items in 159 countries, from which they could identify the lowest-cost combination of items in each country to meet EAT-Lancet criteria.

They then did the same for nutrient requirements and compared the cost of food in each country to survey data on household expenditure and income per capita from the World Bank's PovcalNet system.

"Although 1.58 billion is a lot of people, it is actually a conservative lower limit on the total number who cannot afford the diet recommended by the EAT-Lancet Commission.

The cost of food preparation and of non-food necessities ensure that an even larger number of people cannot afford that kind of healthy diet," said Masters.

"Even if many poor consumers were to aspire to consume healthier and more environmentally sustainable foods, income and price constraints frequently render this diet unaffordable," said Kalle Hirvonen at IFPRI.

"Increased earnings and safety-net transfers, as well as systemic changes to lower food prices, are needed to bring healthy and sustainable diets within reach of the world's poor," Hirvonen said.

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You could probably not afford a diet that's good for both you and the planet: Study - The New Indian Express

While the news landscape might be a noisy hybrid of information war and geopolitics, the dairy, seafood and meat industries are wanting to make a point about misinformation too.

It seems every month a new diet is preached to us on television and in glossy magazines; the latest fad to get us all thinner and fitter while saving the world. The list is getting long. We now have lacto-vegetarians, flexitarians, keto diets, ovo-vegetarians, fruitarians, paleo lovers, freegans, vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and many others. Exhausting.

But hold everything there. According to the new Waitrose Food & Drink report (a swanky supermarket in the UK) a new diet rising in popularity is "seaganism." No, this is not when you can "eat everything you see", rather than consuming a plant-based vegan diet and having the odd cheating fish dish to get a boost of omega 3.

Perhaps seaganism is a good thing? According to ourworldindata.org, a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions come from food, and more than half of those emissions originate from animal products. Better to eat fish than a hamburger it seems. Right?

Go deeper into these one-sided magazine articles and internet diet pages, however, and there seems something fishy going on. The ethical brigade might need to take a closer look.

A vegan-meets-seafood diet like this might lower risk of heart disease and reduced inflammation, as fatty seafood contains vitamin D and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids but both wild fishing and aquaculture farming result in a notable carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions. Consumer-led overfishing and bycatch are both serious problems in the fishing industries. Not to mention you're still eating animal product.

This also brings up the whole issue of the anti-red meat agenda. A 2018 report by British company Compare the Market Ltd. found that the UK's vegan population has increased by 600 percent since 2016. But is being a vegan actually healthier and better for the planet? A study by the University of Oxford might have concluded last month that healthy diets are best for the environment, but tell that poor Peruvians and Bolivians, who can no longer afford quinoa, due to western demand for their staple grain raising its price beyond their reach.

The meat industry wants to fight back. This autumn, Quality Meat Scotland launchedtheir"Meat with Integrity" campaign to counter vegan propaganda. Highland farmers argue that the public is being told the wrong information.

With both meat-eaters, vegans and now "seagans" critical of scaremongering claims, the public is confused. Charities and activists want to separate fact from fiction, while realising that the misinformation about what we eat seems to work both ways.

Vegans are not always right and meat can be healthy. In other words, eating locally sourced meat is better for the environment and carbon footprint than eating avocados from South America or cashew nuts from India.

The truth is, that vegan foods on our shelves can be far from natural, highly industrialized, highly manufactured, often owned by huge multi-national companies and as demand goes up, rainforests are destroyed. So perhaps in that case, eating locally sourced fish or meat as we have done for thousands of years, is stable and sustainable as long as it's done in proportion. Maybe it's best we all grow our own food in our back gardens and balconies.

With many wanting to live a greener life, caring about animal welfare or wanting to lower carbon footprint going, green is gathering steam but it's important we get our information correct. But in this mass media madness and mixed-up world of information war, that might be somewhat difficult. In spite of all the wrong information out there, seaganism and new fads aside, it's healthy to question not only what we eat, but also how it gets to our table.

ByMartyn Andrews,RT senior culture editor

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Excerpt from:
The rise of 'Seaganism': As another diet fad enters the market so does food propaganda - RT

There are several well-known factors that contribute to aging: smoking, stress, sun exposure and genetics, among them. But what you may not realize is what you put on your plate can also cause you to look beyond your year.

Everything that goes into your mouth affects your aging cycle, says Tina Martini, chef and author of "Delicious Medicine: The Healing Power of Food." Among the offenders are alcohol, refined sugar, and over-processed and fried foods.

When you eat fresh foods, as close to nature as you can get, you can slow down the effects of damage to your cells, thus slowing the aging process, she says.

One of the main damaging factors is acrylamide, an organic compound that is produced during the frying process of some starchy foods. This has led the American Cancer Society to recommend limiting French fries, potato chips, foods made from grains breakfast cereals, cookies, toast because they tend to have higher levels of this chemical.

Acrylamide can affect the skin in the same way that sun damage does, says Martini.

Reduce your exposure by soaking raw potato slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes and draining before frying or roasting. Also, when cooking, choose boiling or steaming to stop acrylamide from forming.

Sugar is the main source of energy for our bodies, but it can also contribute to a process called glycation. The excess sugar molecules attach to proteins, creating "advanced glycation end products" or AGEs, which are linked to the loss of collagen. Losing collagen can lead to wrinkles and creepy skin.

Remove processed sugary foods from your diet and eat fresh vegetables and fruits, says Lorraine Kearney, BASc, NDTR, an adjunct lecturer at the City University of New York. To get the maximum nutrients from fruits enjoy them whole instead of dried, blended or pureed.

Snack on organic peaches, cherries, apples and strawberries as they can help to fight the signs of aging.

Enriched and Fortified Foods

You will often find the words enriched and fortified on labels of prepackaged foods. Those words generally mean that all the nutrients were removed during processing, and the manufacturer put back what they deemed important. A diet high in processed foods can lead to oxidative stress, which occurs due to an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body and may lead to cell damage.

Eating a diet rich in colorful foods increases the amount of nutrients the body needs to heal on the cellular level, Kearney says.

Stock up on fresh and antioxidant-rich foods like blackberries, blueberries, beets, bell peppers and radishes as they mitigate the effects of oxidative stress.

While drinking some alcohols in moderation is known to have beneficial health effects, overuse can cause wrinkles, puffiness, inflammation and dehydration.

While you should always remain hydrated, be extra mindful when consuming spirits; and instead of having a full glass of wine, enjoy a spritzer made with seltzer. Staying hydrated not only keeps your skin supple but also flushes toxins from the body.

Skin care is very important in protecting our skin, but its really the moisture in our bodies that keeps us radiant, says Martini.

Read the original post:
Fruits of youth: Consider this your guide to an anti-aging diet - Elk Valley Times

A man who dances the tango rules the world, says Tommy Chong, the reefer king of Cheech & Chong fame. Hes not speaking about his younger yearsChong is still doing the tango now, at 81, after first showing off his abilities in season 19 of Dancing with the Stars. He attributes his long-enduring physical fitness to genetics, among other factors; while chatting with me on the phone from a casino, he sounds as sharp as ever, his voice warm and rumbly.

When hes not lighting up the slot machines or dancing the night away, Chong sticks to his bread-and-butter: stand-up and sketch comedy, and advocacy for the legalization of marijuana. Weed, he says, has played a central role in his relatively good health over the years, and helped him cope when he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016. (He is now in remission, and feeling great.)

During our conversation, Chong expounds on the health benefits of marijuana, his all-time favorite ways to exercise, and he also unveils what is, by far, the worlds most ingenious solution for beating the munchies.

GQ: If youll allow it, I was truly taken aback to learn youre 81you look great! Do you maintain a wellness or fitness regiment?

Tommy Chong: Well, when I was a kid, I played football, which is what got me interested in exercise. Its where I learned about calisthenics, and running, and lifting weights. Its a combination of weightlifting and spiritual wellness for me.

When did you start lifting weights?

Ive been lifting weights since I was 15 years old, but trust me, I was not a natural at it. I ended up moving out to Hollywood to do a movie, and I signed up with a trainer. It was this guy named Vince Gironda, and he had a special at his gym: 25 bucks and well get you in shape for a movie. He got me in the best shape of my life for Up in Smoke. He gave me a big lecture on how to maintain a diet and such. Ive just been following that routine to this day. Oh, and I invented a knee machine for myself.

A knee machine?

Yeah, I grew up poor so everything that cost moneysports like golf, or skiing, or whateverI didnt try out until later in life. When I started skiing, I realized I couldnt ski on moguls because it takes a lot of balance and its a big stress on your knees. So I invented this knee machine, I call it the bouncer. Its a skateboard stretched between four springs on a frame, and I just bounce on it like Im going over moguls. I should really put it on the market once I get it all togetherafter all, Ive only been working on it for 30 years now! It helps me with my circulation, and thats a huge part of keeping yourself healthy. I use that, and do a lot of walking, and have my tai chi, which is tango.

Tango? Like, the dance?

Yeah, Im a tango dancer. Ive been studying tango for years now. I love it. Ive tried to tell everybody about it, but people wont listen to me. Ive walked into classes and just had a blast dancing with people. With tango, the male dancer has to know what hes doing, because hes the lead. When I was on Dancing with the Stars, the pros they partner you with will back-lead the dance. So Ive been trying to get rid of that habit and learn how to lead the dance for the last couple of years. Thats why Im still taking lessons and classes, because you never stop learning to dance. My wifewho is gorgeouslikes to dance tango as well. Its fun, and it keeps things exciting. My other bit of advice for old guys is to check out the new fashion magazines, and do what they say.

Dance is such a wonderful exercise, and I dont think people always realize that.

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Tommy Chong: The Real-Life Diet of the Man Who Knows the Secret to Beating the Munchies - GQ

CILENTO She wrote the most significant chapter in the culinary history of Italy, and didn't even know it. And all because of a respect for tradition and visceral love for her land: Cilento.

Located in the southwestern province of Salerno, Cilento is the envy today of countries like the United States and Russia, where globalization has caused a spike in instances of obesity and chronic diseases. It's also where maid and top-chef Delia Martinelli, 82 with her ladle and pots returned Italy to the top of a singular ranking as the country with the best cuisine in the world, both in terms of taste and health benefits.

For more than 30 years, from 1965 to 2000, she was the maid of the Keys household. It's a surname that in Pioppi, a small fishing village with some 200 inhabitants in the dead of winter, is as well known as that of Vassallo, the mayor of a neighboring commune gunned down in 2010 by members of the Camorra crime syndicate. A surname that, for adepts beyond the village borders, is code for the Mediterranean diet, which is more a way of life than a simple dietary regimen, and was recognized in 2010 as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

Feeding the family

It was in this capacity that Donna Delia found herself as a living witness to what became the career of Ancel Keys, the American physiologist who died a centenarian in 2004 after having chosen this stretch of Salerno shoreline as his dwelling of choice for four decades: for work and for pleasure.

Aside from eating well, we move a lot and we are never alone.

Arriving in Naples in the 1950s, where rates of cardiovascular-related deaths were very low, the doctor decided to remain in Campania and to settle in Pioppi for extended periods of the year, taking many of the local dietary habits as his own. It was here, nestled between the steep hill of Pollica and the deep blue sea, that the scientist reached his most significant conclusions.

Comparing the dietary habits and rates of cardiovascular disease of the inhabitants of Salerno with those of six other nations, Keys showed that the main risk factors for heart and artery health are found, in addition to smoking, in the levels of animal fat present in the diet. He also discovered, interestingly enough, that the poor often eat better than the rich.

Thus, the myth of the Mediterranean diet was born, characterized by a large consumption of plant-based foods. Olives, chestnuts, figs, endives, Cicerale chickpeas and Controne beans are distinctive elements of the diet during this season. But in the fields and on the boats, the work is year-round: cultivating wheat, caring for lemon trees, picking vegetables and bringing anchovies to shore.

In Cilento, where Delia's son and his wife run a small trattoria often frequented by researchers from the oldest and most prestigious European and American universities, traditions persist. Signora Delia answers the phone at 7 p.m., but it is still early for dinner. "We eat little in the evening: some anchovies with lemon, a piece of bread, a glass of wine and fruit," she says.

Delia Martinelli Photo: A Casa di Delia Facebook page

Plenty of time, then, to reminisce. "When I arrived at the Keys house, I was 25 and had never been out to work before. But it didn't take me long to get acclimated. I was a housekeeper, like so many others, who took care of all the household chores. I immediately understood, however, that Mister Ancel and his wife Margareth were very interested in my cooking," Delia recalls.

We're not used to having rag often in my house.

That interest seemed strange to someone who recognized as tradition what two Americans considered an absolute novelty. After a few weeks, the "Kissi" couple, as Delia pronounces it, began to ask so many questions about the dishes that ended up on their table every day.

"The professor loved lentil and bean soups, but also anchovies and garden olives," she says. Delia cooked with what the vegetable garden offered, nothing more. "We used simple sauces as condiments, every now and then seasoned with fish. We're not used to having rag often in my house."

What she did use were lots of anchovies, which made their way into the dishes just hours after being unloaded from the boat of Signore Giannino, Delia's husband. "He spent a lifetime at sea," she explains. "He would go out every night and came back in the early morning when I was ready to start work at the Keys house."

Nourishing the heart

Delia gave a lot of herself to the Keys, but the exchange of knowledge went both ways. You can hear it in the way she talks about kilocalories, food pyramids and preventive medicine. And on the subject of why people in Cilento live longer than average, her ideas are clear.

"Aside from eating well, we move a lot and we are never alone," she says. "Having the ones we hold dear close to us is like eating a sweet every day" the difference being that such emotion nourishes the heart without expanding the waistline.

The ultimate goal is to establish a research institute on the Mediterranean diet in Pioppi.

For this reason, in an attempt to recover a lifestyle that is now largely lost in Italy, there are ever more legions of tourists choosing to immerse themselves in one of the 80 communes of Cilento National Park, Vallo di Diano and the Alburni mountain range. Their mission: a return to the origins.

"The Mediterranean diet must become a model of social, economic and cultural development," says Stefano Pisani, who took over as mayor after his predecessor, the fisherman Angelo Vassallo, was killed in a Camorra ambush in 2010. "Health advantages aside, this lifestyle has reduced our impact on the environment. Joining our cause means defending the planet during this crucial phase, in light of the ongoing climate change."

Considering that on the other side of the Atlantic, people are ready to spend hundreds of euros to receive a bottle of extra virgin olive oil pressed in Cilento, the ultimate goal is to establish a research institute on the Mediterranean diet in Pioppi.

"All this acquired knowledge must be integrated into the technological developments of our era, so that we don't lose it," continues Pisani. Something almost unimaginable for Nonna Delia, though it is already done by way of history books.

"I never would have imagined it, but I've lived like a queen here in the heart of Pioppi."

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