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Environment Scores in the Red

From the long list of environmental indicators we report on, we use seven to calculate an Environmental Condition Score (ECS) for each region, as well as nationally.

These seven indicators high temperatures, river flows, wetlands, soil health, vegetation condition, growth conditions and tree cover are chosen because they allow a comparison against previous years. In Australia's dry environment, they tend to move up and down together, which gives the score more robustness. See the interactive graphic below to find the score for your region.

Environmental condition scores by local government area, and values for each of the seven indicators. See more data on http://www.ausenv.online.

Nationally, Australia's environmental condition score fell by 2.3 points in 2019, to a very low 0.8 out of ten. This is the lowest score since at least 2000 the start of the period for which we have detailed data.

Condition scores declined in every state and territory. The worst conditions were seen in the Northern Territory (0.2 points), New South Wales (0.3 points) and Western Australia (0.4 points), with the latter also recording the greatest decline from the previous year (-5.7 points).

What is most striking is that almost the entire nation suffered terrible environmental conditions in 2019. In each case, the changes can be traced back to dry, hot conditions. Only parts of Queensland escaped the drought.

Comparing local government areas, the worst conditions occurred in Armidale and Gwydir in northern NSW. In contrast, Winton and Townsville in Queensland escaped the overall poor conditions, thanks to the beneficial impact of high rainfall early in the year although those same events also caused floods killing around 600,000 livestock.

Extreme Drought and Extreme Heat

So what exactly happened in Australia in 2019 to cause such widespread environmental damage? There were several causes.

Across most of Australia, the environment was already reeling from poor conditions in 2018. Also, cool temperatures in the Indian Ocean delayed the onset of the monsoon in northern Australia and reduced the flow of moisture to the rest of the continent, creating hot and dry conditions. Average rainfall was a mere 229 mm across the continent, the lowest in more than 119 years and probably longer than that.

The heat was also extraordinary. The average number of days above 35C across the country was 36% more than the average for the 19 years prior.

Values for 15 environmental indicators in 2015, expressed as the change from average 2000-2018 conditions. Similar to national economic indicators, they provide a summary but also hide regional variations, complex interactions and long-term context. ANU Centre for Water and Landscape Dynamics

In eastern Australia, arid and hot conditions pushed farmers and ecosystems deeper into drought. In many regions, dryness and declining protection from wind erosion created the worst soil conditions in at least 20 years. Consequences included several dust storms and widespread dieback of forests, especially in NSW.

The severe drought also affected inland water systems, especially the Darling River and its tributaries. Town water supply reservoirs ran out of water, the rivers stopped flowing, and the heat turned the remaining pools into death traps for fish.

Other rivers in northwest Australia, southeast Queensland and northeast NSW also saw their worst flows in 20 years.

Unprecedented Fires

Of course, 2019 will be remembered as the year of unprecedented bushfires. Nationally, the total area burnt was not unusual, not even when the fires of early 2020 are included. But this is only because fire activity was much below average in northern Australia, where ongoing dry conditions left little vegetation to burn.

The extent of forest fires last year was unprecedented, however. As predicted well in advance, the tinder-dry forests in eastern Australia provided the fuel for a dramatic fire season that started in September. Between then and the first month of 2020, vast areas of forest in New South Wales, eastern Victoria, Kangaroo Island and the Australian Capital Territory went up in flames.

The fires destroyed more than 3,000 homes and directly killed 33 people. Indirectly, the most hazardous air quality in living memory created major but poorly known health impacts. The fires also damaged the reliability of drinking water supplies.

The ecological damage was also profound. Fires raged through ecosystems poorly adapted to fire, from rainforests in tropical Queensland to alpine vegetation in Tasmania and the Snowy Mountains of NSW. It remains to be seen whether they can recover. Across NSW, 35% of rainforests were turned to cinders.

About 191 species of animals and plants saw more than one-third of their living area burnt, among them 52 species that were already threatened. Thankfully, the last remaining stands of the prehistoric Wollemi pine and the rare Nightcap Oak were saved.

Even before the fires, 40 plant and animal species were added to the threatened list in 2019, bringing the total to 1890. Following the fires, more species are likely to be added in 2020.

We're Not Doomed Yet

Last year was neither an outlier nor the "new normal" it will get worse.

Greenhouse gas concentrations continued to increase rapidly in 2019, causing the temperature of the atmosphere and oceans to soar. Australia's population also continued to grow quickly and with it, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, and our demand for land to build, mine and farm on.

Whether we want to hear it or not, last year represented another step towards an ever-more dismal future, unless we take serious action.

The current coronavirus pandemic shows that as individuals, and collectively, we can take dramatic action once we acknowledge the urgency of a threat. By comparison, addressing environmental decline will cost less, whereas the long-term costs of not acting will be far greater.

There is much we can do. In the short term, we can help our natural ecosystems recover from the drought and fires. Government agencies and land owners can cull and manage invasive species in fire-affected areas from weeds, to foxes, cats and feral horses and stop damaging logging in fire-affected areas.

Individuals can do their bit. We can donate money or time to organizations committed to helping ecosystems recover. Record what you see on bushwalks to help environmental managers monitor and assist ecological recovery.

But the damage of climate change is not limited to natural environments. We must get serious about curbing greenhouse emissions. Humanity has the tools, technology and ingenuity to do it and Australia, one of the countries worst affected by climate change, should lead the world.

Beyond that, individuals can also make a contribution: recycle and reuse rather than buy new, choose low-emission and renewable energy technology and reduce waste it can save money even now. Let governments and politicians hear your voice. Try to convince friends and family that things need to change.

In the long term, we must find a more balanced relationship with the natural world, understanding that our own survival will depend on it.

The full report and webinar are available here.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

More:
How to Stay Healthy at Home During the Coronavirus Lockdown - EcoWatch

The UK government's guidelines on how individuals should respond to the coronavirus pandemic has changed sharply over the past week - from one symptomatic member of a household self-isolating for seven days, to whole families self-isolating for fourteendays, tothe wholesale closure of pubs, cafes and offices and the 'shielding' of at-risk groups:those with heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and compromisedimmune systems are being asked tostay home for twelveweeks.

We now have an almost complete lockdown.People need to work from home wherepossible and tostop non-essential contact with others, but the repercussions of this for vulnerable peopleliving alone are as daunting as the threat of the coronavirus itself.The reality is that many of these people maybe at home alone, isolated and without any human contact.

This plan hinges upon isolating vulnerable individuals for three months while proposingthat the collective action of people working from home while avoiding pubs and restaurants willflatten the curve. With one group ofpeople supposedly out of harm's way, another group can - in time -move back into public life tostimulate theeconomy: everyone wins, at least hypothetically.

Nature

Meanwhile, the internet abounds with articles about theearth being the beneficiaryof the coronavirus lockdowns in China and Italy. But there has been littlereflection on the ethics of advocatingsocial isolation as a form of environmental repair.

CNN points out one of the unexpected results of the lockdown in Chinas Hubei province is ecological healing: the average number of "goodquality airdays" increased21.5 percentin February,

Many more media outlets have run similar pieces on the unintended profit of thecoronavirus, on the way thatthis virus is curbing carbon emissions, and even on whatclimate changecan teach us in fighting COVID-19. But are these truisms reason to push for social isolation as the future model for greener practices by both individuals and businesses?

We must ask ourselves if the human cost of undoing ecological damage need come in the form of Wuhan-styleconfinementor even in the lighter version that we see under Johnsons leadership, which asks that the elderly and infirm pay the price of this virus throughisolation? Are we not missing the forest for the trees?

Distancing

Institutions are laying the groundwork for telecommuting - working from home - at pace, having posed barriers to these 'reasonable adjustments' for disabled people and pregnant people for decades.AsLaura Elliottrecently noted, Apparently, accessibility really does matter, but only when its isnt 'just'disabled people asking for it."

TheEquality Act 2010notes that these reasonable adjustmentsnecessitate changes to policies, working practices, physical spaces, and the provision ofspecific equipment andsupport.

As more people isolate, communities arebecomingincreasingly mindful of the fear that elderly feelin leaving their homes to go shopping. As a result, there a movement isemerging that is expanding the social distancing model to incorporate the safe-keeping and health of the elderly and at risk groups. These acts of solidarity are organised underthe banner of mutual aid,where neighbours shop for the elderly and at risk members of their community.

Mutual aid demonstrates that physical distancing need not come at the cost of a sense of community.

Behaviours

It is indisputable that many of our everyday habits in the Global Northhave contributed to climate change, weare at odds overhow best to make change and facilitate healing without compromising on community. The question is the degree to which moderating individual behaviourswill effect change; how do we balanceindividual and socialneeds; what shape might more systemic change take?

Installingsmart metersin your home orsolar security camerasoutside it might help with your ecological footprint, but nothing will approximate the kind of improvements thatparts of Chinasaw last month. Certainly, solar and wind power are part of the equation, but our habits must also change in tandem with green technology. In short, we must make more drastic changes to how we can curb climate change without reverting to the pandemic model of green evolution.

While this novel coronavirus is forcing us into behaviours that are having a positive knock-on effect to the environment, we must be sceptical about the suggestion that we can only reducecarbon emissions by restricting movement.We must be even more wary of the suggestion that the elderly and other at-risk individuals make such sacrifices as if their lives and freedomsare dispensable for the greater good.

As a freelance writer who often works for weeks without having much social contact outside my family, I am acutely aware of the importance of social connection.Yet, as I am in the midst of my fourth week of quarantine, I have had much time to reflect upon the pain of social isolation - particularly as amother,having experienceda similar sort of isolation while parenting and cut off from social interaction.

This quarantine, however, takes things further, especially when coupled with the anxiety that many are experiencing as they worry about their families,communities and the economic impacts of quarantine.

Change

If Covid-19 is evidencing the ecological benefits of staying at home, we need to analyse what we can do better toachievethe same result without isolating ourselves. We also need to think about what and who is at stake here and how that drives change:it was only when the stock markets in Milan, New York and London started to crash that companies began toaccommodate widespreadtelecommuting.

It iscertainly not -as Drew Arellano recently suggested - thathumans are the virus and COVIDs the cure. This is a cynical and lazy approach to what we are getting wrong.

We might begin with scaling up individual change to the level ofpolicy change.For instance, we mustreimaginewhat and how weeatbyunderstand the links between the emergence of zoonosis due toagricultural intensification and environmental change,and the negative Global Health Impacts (GHIs) of diets that include animal products. We need to take widespreadtelecommuting as a prompt for reimagining work, and the piecemeal renationalisation ofpublic transport as a prompt for reimagining travel.

In the end, Covid-19 is giving us much time in the coming weeksand possibly monthsto rethink everything about how we behave in the world. Lets not pretend that we can or want to live without each other.

Instead we need to face the obstacles that keepus from creating a greener and happier future head-on,for that day when we can eventually step outside and breath a collective breath fresh air.

This Author

Dr Julian Vigo is an independent scholar and filmmaker who specialises in anthropology, technology, and political philosophy. Her latest book isEarthquake in Haiti: The Pornography of Poverty and the Politics of Development(2015).She is a contributor toForbes,Quillette,TruthDig,Dissident Voice,Black Agenda Report,The Morning StarandThe Ecologist.

Read more:
Home alone: coronavirus isolation and ecology - The Ecologist

I've learned a lot over the last few months about new ways of eating. I'm not a doctor and my intent is not to push a popular diet on others; however, I am excited to share what I've learned about the process of change.

My goal is to inspire and encourage other busy executives and leaders to make changes in their lives. I've found that change (especially when it's controllable) often yields greater happiness. That's what happened to me, and I'd like to pay it forward. It's clear that the more satisfied we are individually and as leaders, the better we can contribute at work and at home.

My journey began on December 23, 2019. While eating dinner with my family, I turned on a Netflix documentary called What the Health. I was so fascinated by the show that I watched The Game Changers right after that. I was intrigued by the stories of those who had switched to a plant-based diet and no longer suffered from stomachaches, which Ive endured since childhood. I had never made such a drastic change before and was willing to begin my own eating experiment. Within a few weeks, I quickly felt positive impacts from my new whole foods lifestyle.

We all face change in our lives, whether its a big change (like working from home during a pandemic) or a small change (like starting a jogging routine). Whatever you are facing in your life, here are my top 10 lessons for personal and professional growth:

Don't hem and haw when faced with change. As Nike says, just do it. Hesitation often leads to doing things the same old way and expecting a different result. Make the decision to start. If you're unhappy, then give yourself permission to modify or stop what you're doing without any guilt. There's no one right or wrong way to do anything. Make your own path and do so with purpose.

Everyone has opinions, and they often don't hold back. That's OK, but surround yourself with like-minded people. It makes the journey more enjoyable.

I didn't realize how many plant-based food options there would be in restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, etc. Even fast food and chain restaurants are catering to vegetarians and vegans. Starbucks recently announced that it's adding oat milk to its menu in 1,300 stores.

As I discussed in a recent article, personalizing the customer experience is a smart business strategy to differentiate your brand. In the context of change, this also reinforces my point. When you commit yourself to making a change and keep your eyes open, you'll see many opportunities all around you.

I've found that when we overthink or overcomplicate a task, it leads to accomplishing nothing. So, break down tasks in the pursuit of change. Remember that every action counts. If you only have 30 minutes to exercise instead of your usual hour, for example, commit to it for half an hour rather than pushing it off for another day or never.

There's an inspiring line in the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley: "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." I first heard this quote in the movie Invictus, which my friend had recommended to me and I now recommend to others.

You control your destiny. The choices you make today impact tomorrow. Build your self-confidence and believe you can make positive changes. That's when you will do the unimaginable.

Since switching to my new diet, I am more mindful when shopping, cooking and eating. I now read food labels, which I had never done before. I'm tasting so many new foods and trying restaurants I'd never visited. My diet requires me to get more creative, and that makes life more fun. So slow down and enjoy the little things about the change you're making. I've found that being mindful about positive change amplifies happiness.

When making a change, communicate to your friends and family that you need their support. Leverage communities on Facebook, Instagram and other social platforms there is so much knowledge-sharing to go around. Find a partner and hold each other accountable. I would never have continued my plant-based lifestyle had my husband not done it with me.

With any new habit, it's normal to feel doubtful and fearful of the unknown. Recognize that it's OK to feel that way, but move forward without letting it hold you back. You'll be glad you did. If you need inspiration, I recommend reading Feel the Fear...and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

Conquering anything challenging, whether it's a new diet or exercise plan, or a new job or project, can feel overwhelming when you first get started. Practice does make perfect and becomes rewarding. Be intentional and focused on your purpose by reminding yourself of the "why" behind the change every day.

As human beings, we're all experiencing life in different ways. Take the time to ask questions and share your experience. Read books. Listen to podcasts and TEDx Talks. You may be surprised when something you already know resonates in a whole new way. Epiphanies happen when least expected.

What changes have you made and how has it affected your perspective? Which tip above resonates with you most, and what would you add to the list?

View original post here:
Making A Big Or A Small Change In Your Life? 10 Effective Ways To Do It - Forbes

Ive been thinking back to just a few years ago: it was a simpler time, when, at a nice family dinner, my conservative dad could reasonably scoff at the veggie option on the menu, and I, a worldly college sophomore, could reasonably look down my nose at the menus meat. It was an era of balance and harmony, when animal and plant proteins fit neatly into their own categories, and God looked down on it, and it was good.

Then along came the Impossible Burger, a veggie burger that bleeds, thanks to a crafty concoction of beet juice and other things. And when my college co-op ordered them in bulk, raw and frozen, my frantic attempt to cook one why was it still pink?! left chunks of plant goo hopelessly crusted on to a previously well-seasoned cast-iron pan.

So began an era of food-group-bending products that would lead us to todays screwy world, which includes meat grown in laboratories and full-muscle steaks made out of mushrooms. And, try as I might to understand that theres nothing creepier than mass animal slaughter and planetary devastation in the name of continuing to eat Big Macs all of this not-quite-meat business is really creeping me out.

Thinking about cultured meat or full-muscle mushroom steaks makes my calves tingle (weird, I know) and my throat constrict (rendering said meat unswallowable, probably) essentially how Id react to seeing real blood or exposed bone. Which is ironic, because theyre the only kinds of meat that dont involve those things.

Im not saying its logical. Im just saying I cant be the only one.

With this in mind, I decided to reach out to some experts people in the business of fake meat, people in the business of not-fake meat, and people in the business of eating meat to see if my reaction is normal (although Ill admit that I never really expected the queasy-calves thing to be).

Im certainly not the first to worry about this uncanny valley situation. Like the robot face thats just a little bit too close to the real thing for comfort, modern meat dupes might be disturbing precisely because theyre almost meat. Almost, but not quite.

The culinary biochemist Ali Bouzari captured my jitters about faux flesh in a video interview with Wired: This better behave exactly like a chicken nugget in every way, shape, and form, or Im going to freak out.

Some of the good folks behind cell-based meat (the artist formerly known as lab-grown meat) argue that their invention totally avoids the uncanny valley. If they take a cell from a prime, field-raised, happy, healthy chicken and culture it in the lab, the resulting flesh will taste like prime, field-raised, happy, healthy chicken, they explain. (And one can assume that if they take a cell from one of those sad chickens from the Tyson commercials and culture it for mass consumption, itll taste, well, sad?)

Its not just exactly like meat, they explain. It literally is meat. Its just grown in a big blob inside a humongous metal vat. How can that be creepy?!

Still, get them off script for a minute and even the most staunch defenders of cell-based meat admit that theres something strange about it.

Josh Tetrick, the founder of Just, Inc, which has recently added cell-based meat to its repertoire of plant-based (and chuckable!) liquid egg, has plenty of examples of people not quite knowing what to do with cultured meat. One woman, surprised by her first bite of Justs cell-based chicken, exclaimed: It tastes like chicken! (It is chicken, Tetrick said.)

When Just serves that chicken, as one does, surrounded by bread and mayonnaise and lettuce in the form of a sandwich, people unfailingly pick it apart to get at the meat itself like some sort of toddler Sherlock Holmes. Some vegetarians, who are purely in it for ethical reasons, refuse to eat the cell-based meat at all, Tetrick says, despite the fact that it ostensibly fits into their worldview. Its just too close to the real thing.

But thats all well and good with Tetrick: he doesnt really care if vegetarians eat his poser protein. His mission is to tackle the climate crisis, and people who already forgo meat arent going to make any less of a dent if theyre suddenly eating a whole bunch of chicken out of a vat. To make a difference, he needs to convert the carnivores.

Im sorry to rain on that parade, but according to a 2018 survey conducted by Surveygoo (its a thing), its actually the vegetarians and vegans who are hungry for a cell-based meat option. Among Americans in general, 40% said they would eat cell-based meat but half of vegetarians and over 60% of vegans were willing, which sounds like there may be more enthusiasm in the non-meat-eating community.

I get that: for a lot of vegans and vegetarians, it would be pretty sweet to eat meat that doesnt have all the ethical and climate baggage. For people who are already happy with the real thing, whats the point?

Granted, peoples thinking may be changing. In the two years since the survey was conducted, weve seen an explosion of diets that aim to pare down or eliminate meat consumption. 2019 was the year of the vegan. Meanwhile, the Impossible Burger made it to American mainstays like Red Robin and Burger King (and did remarkably well, other than that whole lawsuit thing). Colonel Sanders even went Beyond Chicken.

And now, a company called Meati is vying for the attention of Americas carnivores with its whole-muscle steak, cultured to mimic animal flesh from the fast-growing, fibrous root structure of a mushroom. Its founder, Tyler Huggins, hopes to roll out the product in steakhouses with chefs who built their careers on meat. And hes got a sales pitch that he thinks will appeal to his family and friends in rural Montana: Unlike Impossible and Beyond, which sacrifice health for flavor (though not any more than a beef burger does), Huggins says that Meati is healthier than the real thing.

While climate considerations or animal welfare concerns might not convince everyone, the prospect of a red-meat substitute that wont increase your risk of heart disease is like having your steak and eating it, too.

Huggins isnt convinced by my uncanny-valley hypothesis, either (though he did say his company is moving away from the whole-muscle lingo, which made my calves relax just a little). In fact, he said, its real meat thats creepy.

Theres fat in there, theres gristle in there, theres cartilage in there, theres all kinds of weird stuff, Huggins said. The more I start analyzing animal-based meat, it starts to weird me out more and more. Ours has the good things that people like about meat, but not the bad things.

Sigh. Of course these guys dont care about the uncanny valley. They literally live and work inside it! Theyre, like, five minutes away from starring in a disconcertingly agrarian Uncanny Valley Farms commercial! What would they know?

In search of a more objective opinion, I called my dad, the aforementioned conservative guy from rural Washington state who was known to feed me entire boxes of Hamburger Helper when I was a kid.

Id put anything in my mouth, he told me.

Noted. But he did admit: I might get creeped out the more I knew about it.

Good point, Dad. Americans are weirdly divorced from where our meat comes from. We buy it from grocery stores wrapped up like a fruitcake. We avoid animal-rights protesters carrying slaughterhouse footage on iPads like the plague.

If meat that falls into the uncanny valley forces us to start making conscious decisions about what, exactly, were putting in our mouths well, I guess Ill just have to get a stronger stomach.

This story originally appeared in Grist

Original post:
Is fake meat getting too much like the real thing? - Getaka.co.in

Since its launch in 2012, the Gut Microbiota for Health (GMFH) platform has been committed to sharing knowledge and raising awareness about gut microbiota and its importance for our health, ensuring the information available on the platform is both trustworthy and complete. As the food we eat plays an essential role in maintaining the diversity and proper functioning of our gut microbiota, a focus is on the influence of foods, nutrients, and dietary patterns on human health linked to their effect on the gut microbiota.

While Gut Microbiota News Watch is dedicated to expanding knowledge about gut microbiotas importance for health among society in general, Gut Microbiota Research & Practice is dedicated to promoting debate among researchers, scientists and healthcare professionals. This year weve integrated Food 4 Gut Health in GMFH as a way to enrich current content with science-backed information on diet, nutrition and the gut microbiota. Food 4 Gut Health Twitter and Instagram channels will help to engage and promote debate with digital opinion leaders and dietitians on nutrition and gut health-related topics.

Prof. Paul Enck has undertaken the role of head of editorial since the early stages of the project and on behalf of the GMFH team we would like to thank him for the involvement and constant support in the project. Last October marked a change, however, as Rene van den Wijngaard took over as editorial lead for the GMFH publishing team.

The GMFH Editing Team spoke to Paul Enck and Rene van den Wijngaard about the evolution of the GMFH project, highlighting the milestones achieved and news to come.

Paul Enck: I have learned that the delicate balance between novel scientific finding that may outline important future options in medical diagnosis and therapy, and the demand of the public for the latest and hottest developments in medically and socially relevant areas (such as nutrition), yet beyond easy understanding for most, requires responsible journalists and (social) media able to communicate with both the scientific community and the lay public. This is what GMFH has achieved.

Prof. Dr. Paul Enck

P.E.: Having participated in the birth and contributed to the growth of GMFH over the past decade has given me intense pleasure, not only because GMFH kept pace with the explosion of knowledge in the area of (gut) microbiota & health, but also because it moved the field forward itself and became a leading information source for experts as well as those that lost track of the latest developments and need guidance. While nobody can predict whether past growth will continue in the future, and at the same speed, I believe that GMFH has not yet reached its summit, and I wish GMFH the support to be able to continue all the way along.

Rene van den Wijngaard has been appointed by the Gut Microbiota & Health Board of Directors to replace Paul Enck. After one year working as a duo, Rene van den Wijngaard has taken the position as the new editorial head in October 2019. Working at the Academic Medical Center at University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), his main research focus is the role of immune cells and gut fungi in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Rene van den Wijngaard:

I think it is important to keep in mind that a lot of clear cut evidence showing a direct link between gut microbiome alterations and diseases/disorders comes from animal studies. In human it is much more difficult to distinguish cause from consequence and most study results merely show correlations between so called dysbiosis and a wide range of diseases. Our readers should keep in mind that, although the field is most promising, science has only just begun to address causality in patients.

It is also important not to underestimate the complexity of the gut microbiome. Because most studies focus on bacteria only, one may forget that the human gut also harbors yeasts, viruses, protozoa and archaea that may all contribute to health and disease. In science, in order to move forward, we often oversimplify but in the end the bigger picture has to be taken into account as well. This may shift our way of thinking when identifying possible culprits.

Rene van den Wijngaard

Last but not least, current research activity is adding another degree of complexity by addressing metabolic activity. In the early days of the microbiome boom presence or absence of certain species was regarded enough to presume relevance. Now, metabolomics provides an accurate picture of the microbiomes physiological state, and metabolites are being investigated in relation to host health and disease. This recent development not only shows the forward movement of the gut microbiome field, but also indicates that earlier interpretations should be regarded with caution.

During the last 8 years, GMFH has built a huge community with more than 85,000 scientists, health practitioners and lay public interested in science-based information regarding the latest developments on gut microbiota and the role of diet, prebiotics and probiotics in keeping it healthy.

Aware of the current overload information with the gut microbiota, our aim is to keep our readers up-to-date on the latest facts and news about gut microbiota in and easy-to-understand language. We develop updated gut microbiota-related articles, event reports, e-learning activities and infographics close to our community main interests in the field of gut health.

Our publishing team looks forward to continued coverage from the front lines of gut microbiota science! Thanks for being part of our community.

Here is the original post:
GMFH: Making gut microbiota science accessible with stories based on facts - Gut Microbiota for Health

Houseboundduring coronavirus-related shutdowns,many Michiganders may be donning their chef hats, maybe for the firsttime.

But the art of whipping together a delectable dinner using ingredients on-handisnt easy, and staying healthy and preserving food while doing it is evenharder.

Sophie Eganis the author ofHow To Be A Conscious Eater. She says theres two crises society facestoday.

Theres alack of food literacy and confidence in the kitchen, and this is understandable. - Sophie Egan,author

Cristin Young

Egan.

Above all Ithink what the virus shows us is how interconnected we are as aglobal community, says Egan, The climate crisis is also an emergency, [even though]its slower moving and may beharder tosee.

But, she says people have an opportunity to meet these challenges: three times a day. For Egan,the three biggest things anyone can do to eat consciously are to waste less, eat a plant-rich diet and support soil healththrough buying organic or regeneratively grownfoods.

But first, Egan says home chefs should switch theirmindset.

Theres alack of food literacy and confidence in the kitchen, and this is understandable, says Egan. Television and social media can make cooking feel intimidating, but it doesnt have tobe.

Egantalks with WDETs Annamarie Sysling about some of the important culinary tips laid out in her book and explains how they can be incorporated into life during the Coronaviruspandemic.

WDET is here to keep you informed onessential information, news and resources related to COVID-19.

This is a stressful, insecure time for many. So its more important than ever for you, our listeners and readers, who are able todonate to keep supporting WDETs mission. Please make a gift today.

Egan says the secret ingredient to cooking at home are the ones in you already have inyourpantry.

A good rule of thumb is, do you have that ingredient in your pantry? Egan says, pointing out that when cooking at home these days, you have to make do with what youhave.

To simplify things, Egan, a busy mom, says she prefers working worthfive ingredients or less during theweek.

Her second piece of advice:A good knife goes a longway.

Egan notes thata good knife isnt the same as an expensive knife. Just make sure youreworking with a sharp utensil. Itll make a really bigdifference.

Choosing a recipe for a home-cooked meal can present its ownchallenges.

Egan points out while fewer ingredients in a recipe may seem preferable, it doesnt always equate withhealthiermeal.

For example, salsa contains several ingredients, but many are spices thatcontribute to texture andflavor.

Becauseingredients go in descending order by weight, the first ingredient is the most important, Egan says. For packaged goods, she says youwant it to be a whole, plant-based food you recognize like peanuts oroats.

For canned food, Egan says to pay special attention to the nutrition facts on the label, especially the saturated fat andsodium.

Our pantries are where we spendtime, but Egan says the freezer is an under-utilized,additional storagespace.

Think about our freezers, theres an abundanceof opportunityto make food last longer, shesays.

When shopping,Egan says, frozen organic produce is less expensive and just as nutritious as the fresh option. The same goes for wild-caughtseafood.

Read the original post:
The 'Conscious Eater's Tips On Cooking In the Age of Coronavirus - WDET

What corn dishes were cooked in Soviet times, and still are?

Until the late 1950s, the Soviet corn crops were very modest. The situation changed after Nikita Khrushchev visited a US corn farm in 1959 and made the acquaintance of farmer Roswell Garst. After that, the "queen of the fields" sprung up everywhere in the Soviet Union, even in northern climes, despite being a fair-weather crop. Corn flakes, cornbread, corn sticks, corn on the cob, and canned corn all appeared in the diet of Soviet citizens. After Khrushchev was deposed, the corn campaign was curtailed, yet the product remained part of the national diet.

The famousBook of Tasty and Healthy Food, published in the Soviet Union in 1952, contained only three recipes for canned corn. The best was for the following curious snack.

How to prepare:Lightly fry finely chopped onion (1 pc) in vegetable oil, add corn (1 can), tomato puree (2 tbsp), salt, and sugar. Mix everything and simmer for five minutes. During this time, wash and slice some apples, remove the cores, and bake in the oven. Makegrenki(croutons) from white bread. When serving, place the corn on the dish in a heap interspersed with croutons. Add the apples and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Years of active propaganda resulted in a significant expansion of the corn repertoire. As such, later editions of theBookincluded recipes for corn soup and cutlets.

How to prepare:Run corn (1 can) through a grinder or blender, put in a pan, add 3 cups of water, and boil. Separately, lightly fry flour (2 cups) with vegetable oil (2 tbsp), dilute with hot milk (3 cups), boil, mix with the corn, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Run the soup through a sieve, heat, add salt, and season with more vegetable oil (2 tbsp). Serve with grenki or, yes, cornflakes.

Read more: 10 tasty Russian soups you should try for lunch

This recipe was relatively new to the Soviet Union, but blended seamlessly into the Russian culinary tradition with its fondness for cutlets, vegetable fritters, and potato pancakes.

How to prepare:Put canned corn (120 g) in a pan, pour in milk (50 ml), and boil. Next, add semolina (10 g) and butter (25 g), and simmer for 5-10 minutes. After that, remove the corn from the stove, and mix with egg (1 pc), a pinch of sugar, salt, and chopped parsley. Shape the mix into cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs, and fry on both sides. Serve with smetana.

Zapekanka is very relaxed about ingredients and is easily made from leftovers which was handy in Soviet times. It remains popular to this day.

How to prepare:Brown finely chopped onion (1 pc) and white mushrooms/champignons (100 g) in a large frying pan for 2 minutes. When the onion becomes transparent, add minced meat (700 g) and mix thoroughly. Add boiled carrots (2 pcs), canned peas (100 g), canned corn (100 g), and tomato sauce (1 tbsp) to the minced meat. Season with salt and pepper, mix and leave for 3 minutes.

Cook potatoes (10 pcs) and mash with a mixer, having added milk (100 ml), smetana (100 g), butter (100 g), as well as salt and pepper. Put half the mash in a mold greased with vegetable oil, and smooth out. Lay the minced meat with vegetables on top, then a second layer of mash. Bake the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes at 180C.

The late Soviet era saw the appearance of various salads made with canned fish, sprats, or crab meat, together with eggs, cucumbers, and corn. The most popular was crab salad.

How to prepare:Boil rice (100 g) in slightly salted water. Finely chop crab meat (200 g) and cucumber (1 pc), fresh or pickled. Hard-boil eggs (3 pcs), peel, and crumble. Mix the crab meat, cucumber, eggs, rice, and corn (100 g) together. Season the salad with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.

Read more: How the Soviet Union fell in love with imitation crab meat

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5 Soviet canned corn dishes that you can cook right now - Russia Beyond

Being alone successfully is a strategy that can be learned. Just a few behavioural techniques will make working home alone bearable and even productive, writes Jo Maher

As working at home becomes the new norm, Ive seen countless social media comments and blogs on how people in various professions such as the armed forces have coped with extended periods alone or away from civilisation. Strange as it may seem, my education career has also been marked by periods of isolation.

It turns out good isolation practice is also learned. From being quarantined with colleagues in Zambia during the swine flu outbreak, to having to work at home as a result of various joint surgeries, Ive learned a few coping strategies worth sharing, in the hope of saving readers the steep learning curve involved.

First and foremost, structure is essential. For me, its not about writing a timetable (though it may be for you, especially if you have children). I am not naturally someone who likes rigid structure if I can avoid it. I find physical cues are most helpful to help my mind switch between tasks. I wear smart/casual clothes as a cue that it is work time, and, as funny as it sounds, it helps my dog as well. She genuinely knows the difference between outfits. A pair of jeans means walk time. I suspect the same is true for any company you might keep while working from home.

One golden rule I have set up with my friends and family another cue is that a phone call is to discuss serious topics and concerns, while a social media call is exactly that, a social catch-up to focus on positives. If you havent yet downloaded the Houseparty app, or another like it, on your phone, do. Its a great way to bring people together. (Wine is preferable throughout.)

Next, managing the small things gives you a sense of psychological control and promotes mental wellbeing. I set my workstation up in the same place each day and I mirror my work times, even down to sticking to the diet that I would have at work, in order to avoid unnecessary snacking.

Ive also found it helpful to add in things I would not have time to do at work, such as five-minute rehabilitation breaks every hour, to breathe, relax, stand up, move around. I avoid the living room until at least 8pm every day, because in my mind this is an evening relaxation space. Walking the dog also helps to change the scenery.

My experience of surgical recovery has been one where my wife and family have supported me for the first week or so, but as you become more able to do things for yourself, people migrate back to their other commitments, and rightly so. The same is likely to be true in our current circumstances even if other commitments get thin on the ground. Contacting friends is hugely beneficial for you and them alike. Dont wait for others to contact you. You get out what you put in! Adapt to others patterns, and let them know how to adapt to yours. It made a huge difference to me.

Contacting friends is hugely beneficial dont wait for others to contact you

In the coming weeks and possibly months, many will be isolating with families and children in the house. In this case, it is vital to find ways to adapt for them as well as to them. Checking in with people in a similar position to yourself to share tips can really help too. Colleagues both close and distant can provide great support, and its worth remembering that talking to someone who isnt as emotionally involved in your situation can provide much-needed objectivity when the going is tough.

Looking out for other people can be challenging if you are not looking after yourself. Keeping yourself physically and mentally well is essential. Access your support networks through your colleagues, family and friends and do not be afraid to ask for help, even on the small things. I have lost count of how many staff put my suit jacket on for me when I had my arm in brace!

Its together that well get through this. Stay safe.

Read more:
Reflections on isolation and support networks - FE Week

Welcome to Part 3 of our series on Keto and CrossFit. In case you missed it, Part 1 covered the background on keto, whether it could work alongside CrossFit and some keto and CrossFit studies. In Part 2, we explored how keto affects strength, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and endurance in athletes, all key components in CrossFit.

So far we have explained how, compared to a traditional diet, keto can result in much better body composition, lean mass maintenance or gain, no loss in performance, a better hormonal profile, and the ability to create glucose from protein, fat and lactate very efficiently via a process called Gluconeogenesis.

In this article, we are going to look at the impact of indirect measures that keto has for an athlete. The things that happen outside the Box but can still have a huge impact on overall performance and well-being.

Overall, well detail why keto can improve metabolic efficiency and cover the magic effects of ketones (BHB and acetoacetate) on inflammation, oxidative damage, mental health and even sleep.

Many metabolic changes begin to occur when you become a fat burning machine via nutritional ketosis. These changes result in metabolic flexibility, in which an individual is able to burn both fat and carbs for energy efficiently to attain optimal health and athleticism.

Energy Metabolism Study #1: Insulin, ketone bodies, and mitochondrial energy transduction

This study was done in rats, so we cant and wont draw too many conclusions from it, but it does demonstrate that the addition of ketones to insulin and glucose results in a 36% increase in efficiency of the working rat heart.

This means the amount of energy created from the oxygen consumed increased, making the heart work more efficiently. The study finds that the ketones and insulin seem to make the mitochondria work more efficiently.

Getting more work out of the heart with less energy demand is a big win in my books.

Energy Metabolism Study #2: Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood Villains of Human Metabolism

This study results in many interesting claims and findings, but we will just focus on a couple. First, lets look at the energy produced from glucose versus the energy produced from ketones:

Thus, BHB is a more efficient energy source than glucose on a gram for gram basis.

Another interesting note is that:

Quoting the study, this is what the scientists found regarding the creation of energy (ATP):

It has also been claimed that carbohydrate provides the only macronutrient substrate whose stored energy generates ATP non-aerobically. This is not the case, however, since several studies have shown that amino acid catabolism also provides a source of anaerobic energy production.

This might be news to most people reading this article, but the traditional viewpoint is that only glucose produces ATP without the input of oxygen (non-aerobically). As exercise gets more intense, the body uses the non-aerobic metabolism more and more.

The fact that amino acids can contribute to this form of metabolism means we dont need to rely 100% on carbohydrates for ATP production (without the input of oxygen) for high intensity exercise. This is pretty revolutionary, and warrants further investigation.

Energy Metabolism Study #3: Novel ketone diet enhances physical and cognitive performance.

The start of the study reads:

Ketone bodies are the most energy-efficient fuel and yield more ATP per mole of substrate than pyruvate and increase the free energy released from ATP hydrolysisKetones may also be beneficial for muscle and brain in times of stress, such as endurance exercise.

This study compared rats fed a carbohydrate-based diet vs a high exogenous ketone (ketone supplement) based diet. They found that rats on the high ketone diet could run 32% further on the treadmill and solved a maze 38% faster than the control diet.

The scientists found that the novel ketone diet, therefore, improved physical performance and cognitive function in rats, and its energy-sparing properties suggest that it may help to treat a range of human conditions with metabolic abnormalities.

By using ketones as fuel, you are using the most energy-efficient fuel on the planet, improving neural health, and can benefit muscle and brain during times of high stress (for example a WOD).

Energy Metabolism Study #4: Nutritional Ketosis Alters Fuel Preference and Thereby Endurance Performance in Athletes

For this study, 39 high-performance athletes were given a supplemental ketone ester-based drink to determine the effects on physical performance and fuel selection preference.

We show how this unique metabolic state improves physical endurance by altering fuel competition for oxidative respiration. Ketosis decreased muscle glycolysis and plasma lactate concentrations, while providing an alternative substrate for oxidative phosphorylation. Ketosis increased intramuscular triacylglycerol oxidation during exercise, even in the presence of normal muscle glycogen, co-ingested carbohydrate and elevated insulin.

In English, ketones resulted in an improvement in physical endurance by reducing the need for glucose and reducing the build-up of lactate (commonly thought of as that muscle burn during intense exercise). It is possible the lactate was being shuttled to the liver for gluconeogenesis, as we spoke about in the last post.

The body relied more on fat, including fat within the muscle, to fuel exercise, and less on the limited stores of glycogen. The scientists concluded: These findings may hold clues to greater human potential and a better understanding of fuel metabolism in health and disease.

Its important to note, however, that these biochemical advantages of ketosis in humans were found using a ketone ester-based form of nutrition instead of placing the athletes on a caloric or carbohydrate restriction to produce ketones.

Performing at a high level, but still sparing muscle glycogen means that the athlete will have more fuel in the tank for the highest energy outputs. Decreased lactate may also mean less of that muscle burn, and the athlete may potentially be able to exercise a little longer.

The increase of fat usage within the muscle also contributes to glycogen sparing (the use of non-carbohydrates as a source of energy during exercise so that the depletion of muscle glycogen stores is delayed), and could be very beneficial. This would mean there is more glucose in the tank for those harder efforts.

Another important part of recovery is inflammation or oxidative damage. Find out how the ketogenic diet affects these parameters

Read the rest here:
The Ketogenic Diet and Recovery for CrossFit (Part 3) - BOXROX

Lean out, tone up, get ripped... they all mean the same thing: body recomposition.

If you've ever said something like "I want to tone up" or "I want to lean out," you were referring to body recomposition, even if you didn't know it. Body recomposition -- or altering your physique by burning fat and gaining muscle at the same time -- is a different approach to health and fitness than the typical weight-loss mindset.

Many people think that true body recomposition is impossible because of this conundrum: To reduce your body fat, you have to eat fewer calories than you burn. But to build muscle, you have to eat more calories than you burn.

Your body is smarter than you may give it credit for, however, and by keeping a close eye on your diet (specifically when you eat what) and your training, you can absolutely lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

Read more:The best at-home fitness equipment in 2020

Body composition refers to your body fat percentage and lean mass percentage.

Your body composition is the ratio of fat mass to lean mass in your body. Sometimes, body composition is used interchangeably with body fat percentage, but body fat percentage is just one part of your overall body composition.

Lean mass includes muscle, bones, ligaments, tendons, organs, other tissues and water -- in other words, everything that's not body fat. Depending on what method you use to measure your body composition, you may see water as its own percentage.

Read more: The best body composition scales for 2020

Body recomposition refers to the process of changing your ratio of fat mass to lean mass -- that is, losing body fat and gaining muscle mass. The goal of body recomposition is to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, unlike the traditional approach of "bulking and cutting" in which you intentionally put on a lot of weight first (muscle and fat) and then go through an intense calorie deficit.

When your goal is body recomposition, ditch the scale and use a tape measure for a better idea of your progress.

Body recomposition isn't about weight loss; it's about fat loss. On a body recomposition plan, you may maintain your current weight or even gain weight -- remember hearing "muscle weighs more than fat"?

Muscle tissue is in fact denser than fat tissue: The more muscle mass you gain, the more you'll weigh, even if you lose fat at the same time. What changes, instead of weight, is your physique. As you progress through body recomposition, you may notice changes in your body, such as an overall firmer look or that your clothes fit differently.

For example, I weigh exactly the same now as I did before I started exercising and eating healthy. I wear smaller clothes, however, and my body has more muscle tone than it did before. I also feel much stronger than before I began a strength training program (a nonaesthetic benefit to body recomposition). So you can ditch the scale, because it doesn't differentiate between fat loss and muscle loss, and weight loss isn't the primary goal with body recomposition.

There's one caveat to consider, though: If you want to lose a large amount of body fat and don't intend to put on much muscle mass, you may lose weight in the long run.

Read more: 6 health metrics that are more important than your weight

Because you're trying to do two things at once -- lose fat and gain muscle -- you can't treat a body recomposition plan like a fad diet. Healthy weight loss and healthy muscle gain both take a long time on their own: Put them together and you're in it for the long haul. The slow, steady process of body recomposition offers sustainable results, though, so you'll enjoy your new physique for as long as you maintain healthy habits.

Body recomposition is a fine balance between building muscle and losing fat.

Body recomposition truly comes down to your specific health and fitness goals. Unlike traditional methods of weight loss -- such as very low-calorie diets or periods of really intense cardio exercise -- there's no real protocol for body recomposition.

There are basic guidelines to follow. To successfully change your body composition, you need:

Read more: 20-minute high-intensity interval training workouts to burn fat

Fat loss ultimately comes down to your calorie maintenance. To lose fat, you must eat fewer calories than you burn. Cardiovascular exercise, or combined cardio and resistance exercise, alongside a healthy diet still stands as the best techniques for fat loss -- there's just no way around the science.

Read more: Eat more, weigh less: These high-volume foods will fill you up on fewer calories

Building muscle requires resistance training.

To build muscle, focus on two main factors: weight training and protein consumption. Strength training is essential to changing your body composition -- your muscles won't grow if you don't challenge them.

Additionally, you can't build muscle without being in a caloric surplus, so you must eat more calories than you burn to promote muscle growth. While all macronutrients are important, protein is especially important for building muscle. Without enough protein, your body will struggle to repair the muscle tissues that get broken down during weight training.

Plus, studies show that a high-protein diet can help with losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. Research shows that, while in a calorie deficit, consuming more protein than you normally might can help preserve your lean body mass (a.k.a. muscle mass) than being in a calorie deficit without changing your protein intake.

In people who have already been following a strength training program, increasing protein intake and following a heavy weightlifting routine leads to improvements in body composition.

Read more: The 7 most important strength-training moves for building muscle

Body builders are known for their ability to achieve insanely lean and muscular physiques. This obviously isn't everyone's goal, but it's a good example of what's possible with body recomposition.

It sounds confusing that you have to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose fat, but you have to eat more calories than you burn to build muscle. It's actually pretty simple when you learn about the concept of calorie cycling: modifying your calorie and macronutrient intake to match your goal for the day.

The first thing you need to do is figure out your maintenance calories, or how many calories you burn on a day you don't exercise. You can see a certified personal trainer, dietitian or other health professional to find this number, or you can use an online calorie calculator.This one from Mayo Clinic uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which pros consider the gold standard.

On days that you do cardio exercise, you should consume enough calories to meet your maintenance number. Consuming maintenance calories on a cardio day ensures that you're in a slight deficit to promote fat loss, but not in a deficit so large that your body starts using muscle tissue as fuel. We want the muscle!

Read more: Should you lift weights or do cardio first?

On days that you do a strength training workout for 30 minutes or more, eat more calories than your maintenance number with a focus on protein. Depending on how much muscle you want to put on and how quickly you want to gain it, add 5% to 15% to your maintenance calories.

On days that you don't work out at all, eat slightly less than your maintenance calories -- decrease that number by 5% to 10%. This number is called your "rest day calories."

If you're still confused, think of it this way: Every day, you consume new calories and your body must decide what to do with those calories. Your body essentially has three basic choices: immediately burn the calories for fuel, use them to repair and build muscle tissue or store them as fat.

If you're looking for a body transformation, you definitely don't want to store calories as fat. But you do want your body to use new calories to repair the muscles you broke down during weightlifting workouts.

So, you'll eat more calories (and protein) on weight-training days so your body uses those calories and nutrients to fuel muscle repair, and thus muscle growth. And you'll eat fewer calories on cardio days and days that you don't work out because you want your body to use the fat it already has as fuel -- not to use new calories as fuel.

By combining these two tactics, you can successfully achieve body recomposition.

Ready to hit the gym? Make sure you get the best pair of shoes for your workout.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

The rest is here:
Body recomposition: How to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time - CNET

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