Search Weight Loss Topics:

Page 159«..1020..158159160161..170180..»

Home » Diets that Work » Page 159

I am sitting at a kitchen worktop in the airy offices of San Francisco food startup Eat JUST. As a vegetarian, Im in angst about what is being gently turned over for me in the fryer by one of the chefs. Sitting beside me, the companys CEO Josh Tetrick tries to put my moral dilemma into perspective. Youre not my target market, he says. Its people who are eating meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The product in the fryer is JUSTs prototype chicken nugget, which costs about $50 to make. It is manufactured from what the industry calls cultured, cell-based or cultivated meat (though the outside world knows it more commonly as lab-grown meat). Not to be confused with meat that is plant derived, it is produced directly from animal cells with little need to raise and no need to slaughter actual animals. It is a technology with the potential to fundamentally change the world significantly replacing the way meat is produced now with a kinder and less environmentally damaging alternative.

Cultured meat is a colossal market opportunity says Bruce Friedrich, co-founder and executive director of the Good Food Institute (GFI), a nonprofit organisation that promotes cultured meat and plant-based meat. Even a tiny bite of the $1.4tn annual global meat market would be a lot.

No cultured meat products are on the market yet and nor has it been approved in any country but they are expected to begin trickling into high-end restaurants over the next couple of years. A plethora of companies are at various stages of scaling up production and several have done public and private tasting of various prototypes. They are working on everything from chicken to beef to fish and have both humans and pets in their sights.

The GFI estimates that since San Francisco Bay Area-based Memphis Meats the first startup was founded in 2015, a total of 60 enterprises now make up the market with cultured meat as their sole business focus; collectively they have raised nearly $140m in disclosed funding. That comes mostly from venture capitalists but also from agriculture multinationals such as Tyson and Cargill.

Should cultured meat be allowed to be called meat at allif it hasnt been harvested from a whole animal?

JUST, which isnt included in the GFIs figures because it also makes vegan egg and mayonnaise, announced it was pursuing cultured meat in mid-2017, though it does not disclose what proportion of the $220m-plus it has raised in funding it is directing to its cultured meat endeavours. Meanwhile regulators are working on the approvals process and labelling requirements. Tetrick says JUST is ready to release its chicken nuggets in some high-end restaurants in an Asian country as soon as it has the thumbs up from the countrys regulator, with whom it is in dialogue. Chicken is considered easier in part because the vaccine industry has been using avian stem cells to produce vaccines for years: there is existing knowledge to draw on.

Establishing this industry isnt easy, however. While companies work out technicalities, voices raising concerns about the technology and its implications are coalescing. It is also clear there is no agreed position on whether the material itself even counts as meat. Cultured meat is in a process of becoming, sums up Neil Stephens, a sociologist at Brunel University, London, who has been studying the area for over a decade and co-founded the group Cultivate to help build discussion of the technology. It might become a stable category as meat, but its not there yet.

To a certain extent, the science of culturing meat is relatively well understood. The process begins when a cell is taken from an animal and grown up in a lab to permanently establish a culture (called a cell line). The cells can come from a range of sources: biopsies of living animals, pieces of fresh meat, cell banks and even the roots of feathers, which JUST has been experimenting with. Cell lines can either be based on primary cells for example muscle or fat cells or on stem cells. Stem cells have the advantage that with different nutrients, or genetic modifications, they are able to mature into any cell type. There is also no limit to how long stem-cell lines can live, so it is possible to use them indefinitely to produce a product. Once a good cell line for example, one that grows fast and is tasty has been selected, a sample is introduced into a bioreactor, a vat of culture medium where the cells proliferate exponentially and can be harvested. The resulting meat cell mush can be formed into a plethora of unstructured items, from patties to sausages with or without other ingredients added for texture. Conventional meat has a variety of cell types from which it derives its flavour, including both muscle and fat, and the companies are trying to broadly replicate that.

JUST isnt specifying how the cell source for the particular nugget I am about to try was obtained it gets its cells in many ways but I am assured the process didnt involve any slaughter, which is why I think I am on safe ground eating it. For most people, notes Tetrick, it wont matter how the cell is obtained. It is also not disclosing whether it was grown from a primary cell or a stem-cell line (which it doesnt genetically modify). And I dont know the exact type of chicken cells in the final product.

When I do bite into the nugget which I am told is about 70% chicken, on a par with a premium chicken nugget it has a dense texture and a mild, somewhat creamy flavour that reminds me of a pressed chicken sandwich I once bit into by accident. It also contains an amount of JUSTs own mung bean protein isolate for texture along with water, oil, salt, pepper and, this being a nugget, breading.

Yet while establishing cell lines is one thing, scaling them up for mass production at a competitive price is another. The problem is that the culture medium needed for the cells to grow is expensive and animal cells can take time to proliferate. And there is no guarantee that a small operation will work at large scale.

Compounding the challenge is the need to develop good alternatives to foetal bovine serum (FBS). Derived from the blood of cow foetuses, it is often added to culture media where the growth factors it contains work their magic. But its use is a nonstarter for an industry trying to take animals out of the equation and many companies are hard at work producing their own alternatives. All of the companies have pledged that they will not sell products that involve FBS in the production, notes Friedrich.

A further aspiration of the companies is moving beyond mush. Technologies such as 3D printing and edible scaffolds may enable this and there have been early demos. But producing, say, a fillet is much more difficult than ground meat.

There is also the challenge of getting consumers over the yuck factor. Stephens notes that the people prepared to try it tend to be educated, male and young and that it is they who could help normalise it. Tetrick thinks the answer will ultimately come down to making products that are tasty and affordable and, in the early days at least, educating people about the process and the benefits, which he notes would also extend to safer products because faecal contamination would be eliminated, as would antibiotics (sterile conditions would stop bacteria and viruses taking hold, and if they did, any contaminated batches could be discarded).

For a technology with such far-reaching implications for everything from rural livelihoods to human identity, critical public discussion and debate to date have been relatively limited. But that may be changing.

The website Clean Meat Hoax was launched last year by an informal group of 16 animal rights scholars and activists. It rails against cultured meat on the grounds that it still suggests that meat is desirable, and that animals are a resource people can draw on. It contrasts with the more pragmatic position other animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) have taken in favour of the technology on the grounds that animals lives will be saved. What is incredible to me is how uncritically this technology is being celebrated and I dont think thats an accident we dont want to consider the possibility that we can stop eating animals, says site founder John Sanbonmatsu, a philosopher at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile an advertisement in Brussels metro stations designed to undermine cultured meat contrasts a barn of cows surrounded by greenery to a meat lab surrounded by transmission towers. It is the work of the European Livestock Voice campaign set up last year by a number of European farming industry groups to stress the potential social impacts of upending the meat industry.

Other voices, meanwhile, dont reject the technology wholesale but have concerns over certain aspects.

What to make ofall the company founders who would be vegan if they didnt eat their ownproduce?

Michael Hansen is a senior scientist in the advocacy division of the nonprofit organisation Consumer Reports, which compares consumer products. He worries about the potential for bioreactor contamination but also wants more transparency from the companies on their science. How, for example, are they dealing with cells that spontaneously mutate? And what are the implications of the fact that immortal cell lines could, with their uncontrolled growth, be defined as cancer cell lines? He would also like to see data on how end products compare compositionally and nutritionally with the conventional versions. You would think they would put samples out for somebody to test but all we have are assertions, he says.

The environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth (FoE), meanwhile, is keeping an open mind but stresses that the technology must not distract from existing, proven solutions to helping the planet, such as reducing reliance on animal feed produced on cleared ecoregions, cutting down food waste and supporting healthier diets. It also notes that it is extremely energy intensive to produce cultured meat and that the sustainability claims made by the companies will also need proper assessment. (JUSTs facilities are currently powered by electricity from the grid, but it plans to be more energy efficient in the future).

Perhaps more significantly for the companies, there remains the question of whether cultivated meat should be allowed to be called meat at all if it hasnt been harvested from a whole animal. The United States announced last year that cell-cultured livestock and poultry products would be regulated jointly by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture but further detailed requirements along with labelling rules are awaited.

So far, the industry has done a good job of arguing that its products are meat. While debate continues within the cultured meat industry about exactly what adjective to put in front (clean meat was dropped because funders in the conventional meat industry didnt like the dirty connotation it gave conventional meat), the meat is a constant which asserts its claim to be either a subcategory of meat or just meat. I actually think the word meat does more work [than any of the adjectives], says Stephens. And if Tetrick has his way, using any sort of prefix wont be necessary for long. Phones were only called Smartphones at the beginning, he points out. As something normalises you drop it. At the end of the day this thing is going to be called meat.

But others dont want it to be called meat at all.

Steered by the so called barnyard lobby, which represents the meat, livestock and poultry industries, over 30 US states have considered or are considering so-called truth in labelling laws aimed at preventing words such as meat, beef or pork being used to describe cultured meat (the laws often also target plant-based products). So far, laws have been passed in 12 states. Under Louisianas new law, which takes effect later this year, meat would specifically exclude anything that was a cell-cultured food product grown in a laboratory from animal cells. While state laws will be superseded when federal labelling rules for cultured meat come in, it doubtless sends a strong message to regulators as they decide.

Yet, notes Friedrich, whose GFI is challenging various pieces of state legislation in court, the outcomes could be really bizarre if cultivated meat cannot be called meat. Some people have meat allergies Its a consumer safety issue, he says.

If meat were to removed from the name, it would be a blow to an industry that believes that being recognised as meat is the most likely way to change the world. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that last year cultured meat companies came together to form their own lobby group.

Meanwhile, whats a vegetarian to do where cultured meat is concerned? And what to make of the many company founders, including Tetrick, who would be vegan if they didnt eat their own products? For the UK Vegetarian Society, there isnt enough information yet to decide whether cultured meat can be considered vegetarian. There are still questions to answer, it says, adding that those questions centre on production, ingredients, provenance and ethics. In contrast, for the UK Vegan Society, it is definitively not a vegan product because the initial cells are taken from animals. We may need a new word for people who eat exclusively cultivated meat, says Friedrich.

Certainly, from what meat is to what it is to be vegetarian or vegan, cultured meat is blowing apart our existing categorisations. Meat cell product, anyone?

Cats and dogs consume more than 25% of the US meat supply. Pet food company Because Animals wants to see those diets replaced with meat grown in the lab. Pet food has a huge environmental footprint, says Shannon Falconer, co-founder and CEO. The company plans to launch a mouse meat cat treat made of 10% mouse cells as its first cultured meat product. It demonstrated a prototype last year. Culturing rabbit meat for dog food is next. It is a more natural diet for them that is more compatible with their digestion, says Falconer.

Wild Earth, a San Francisco Bay Area-based startup, also set out culturing mouse meat for cats but changed course after its market research showed many pet owners were alarmed by the prospect and didnt understand the concept. They thought we were killing mice and putting them into cans, says Ryan Bethencourt, co-founder and CEO. (Jokingly, Bethencourt codenamed the would-be product Jerry, inspired by Tom and Jerry cartoons.) It is now working on growing chicken and fish for dogs and cats instead. The vision is for a premium raw product in the first instance, appealing to those who feed conventional raw meat to their animals.

Bethencourt wonders whether pet food might be a gateway for cultured meat. People have shown greater willingness to be innovative with pet food, he says, citing the popularity of cricket treats for dogs. Pet food isnt so steeped in taste and tradition. The biggest market driver is expected to be pet owners wanting to avoid contaminants such as euthanasia drugs, which can get into pet food in the animal flesh that goes into the ingredients.

But cultured meat is not likely to be approved for pet food ahead of human food pet food regulators take their cues from human-food regulators. Meanwhile the industry has some advantages. Creating texture or perfecting taste is less important. And people are used to pet food being a blend of different ingredients. Percentages of cultured meat also dont have to be as high. Financially its going to be more feasible to be a pet food company, says Falconer.

The rest is here:
Out of the lab and into your frying pan: the advance of cultured meat - The Guardian

Fad diets are extremely popular for losing weight.

They typically promise rapid weight loss and other health benefits, yet often have no scientific evidence supporting their use. In addition, they are often nutritionally unbalanced and ineffective over the long term.

However, there are some fad diets that have been found to produce weight loss in high-quality, controlled studies.

Whats more, these diets can be healthy, well-balanced and sustainable.

Here are eight fad diets that actually work.

The Atkins diet is the most famous low-carb weight loss diet in the world.

Created by cardiologist Robert Atkins in the early 1970s, the Atkins diet claims to produce rapid weight loss without hunger.

It consists of four stages, including an initial two-week Induction Phase that restricts carbs to 20 grams per day, while allowing unlimited amounts of protein and fat.

During this phase, your body begins converting fat into compounds called ketones and switches to using these as its main source of energy.

After this, the Atkins diet asks its followers to gradually add back their carbs in 5-gram increments in order to determine their critical carbohydrate levels for losing weight and maintaining the loss.

Studies that compared the Atkins diet to other diets have shown it to be at least as effective and frequently more effective for weight loss (1, 2, 3, 4).

In the famous A TO Z study, 311 overweight women followed the Atkins diet, the low-fat Ornish diet, the LEARN diet or the Zone diet for one year. The Atkins group lost more weight than any other group (4).

Other controlled studies have shown similar results with low-carb diets based on Atkins principles, along with improvements in heart disease risk factors (5, 6, 7, 8).

You can read all about the Atkins diet here.

Like Dr. Atkins, Dr. Arthur Agatston was a cardiologist interested in helping his patients lose weight sustainably and without going hungry.

He liked certain aspects of the Atkins diet, but was concerned that unrestricted use of saturated fat might increase the risk of heart disease.

Therefore, in the mid-1990s he created a lower-carb, lower-fat, high-protein diet called the South Beach Diet, named for the area in South Florida where he practiced medicine.

Although Stage 1 of the diet is low in carbs and very low in fat, the diet becomes less restrictive in Phases 2 and 3, which allow limited quantities of all types of unprocessed foods while keeping protein intake high.

The diet encourages a high intake of protein, because protein has been shown to burn more calories during digestion than carbs or fat (9).

In addition, protein stimulates the release of hormones that suppress hunger and can help you feel full for hours (10, 11).

A large review of 24 studies found that high-protein, low-fat diets led to greater reductions in weight, fat and triglycerides and better retention of muscle mass than low-fat, standard-protein diets (12).

There are many anecdotal reports of weight loss on the South Beach Diet, as well as a published 12-week study looking at its effects.

In this study, pre-diabetic adults dropped an average of 11 pounds (5.2 kg) and lost an average of 2 inches (5.1 cm) off their waists.

Additionally, they experienced a reduction in fasting insulin levels and an increase in cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that promotes fullness (13).

Although the diet is nutritious overall, it requires an unwarranted drastic restriction of saturated fat and encourages the use of processed vegetable and seed oils, which may lead to all kinds of health problems.

You can learn more about the South Beach Diet by reading this article.

Vegan diets have become very popular among people looking to lose weight.

Theyve been criticized for being unbalanced and extreme because they contain no animal products. On the other hand, they have also been praised for being an ethical, healthy way of eating.

Importantly, vegan diets can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on the types of foods they contain. Its unlikely that you can lose weight while eating large amounts of processed foods and beverages.

However, studies have shown that vegan diets based on whole foods can lead to weight loss and may reduce several risk factors for heart disease (14, 15, 16).

One six-month controlled study of 63 overweight adults compared the outcomes of five different diets. Those in the vegan group lost more than twice as much weight as those in any of the other groups (15).

Moreover, longer studies have shown that vegan diets can yield impressive results.

In a two-year controlled study of 64 overweight older women, those who ate a vegan diet lost nearly four times as much weight compared to the low-fat diet group (16).

To learn more about how to safely and sustainably lose weight on a vegan diet, read this article.

Although the ketogenic diet has been called a fad diet, there is no denying it can be very effective for losing weight.

It works by lowering levels of insulin and shifting your primary fuel source from sugar to ketones. These compounds are made from fatty acids, and your brain and other organs can burn them for energy.

When your body doesnt have carbs to burn and switches to ketones, youre in a state called ketosis.

However, unlike the Atkins and other low-carb diets, ketogenic diets dont gradually increase their carbs. Instead, they keep carb intake very low to ensure followers stay in ketosis.

Indeed, ketogenic diets typically provide less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, and often less than 30.

A large analysis of 13 studies found that ketogenic diets not only boost the loss of weight and body fat, but may also reduce inflammatory markers and disease risk factors in those who are overweight or obese (17).

In a controlled two-year study of 45 obese adults, those in the ketogenic group dropped 27.5 pounds (12.5 kg), and lost 29 inches (11.4 cm) from their waists, on average.

This was significantly more than the low-fat group, even though both groups were calorie-restricted (18).

Moreover, even when calories arent intentionally restricted, ketogenic diets tend to reduce calorie intake. A recent review of several studies has suggested that this may be because ketones help suppress appetite (19).

Read this article to find out more about how a ketogenic diet can help you lose weight.

The paleo diet, short for the paleolithic diet, is based on the diets that hunter-gatherers ate thousands of years ago.

Paleo has been classified as a fad diet because it restricts many foods, including dairy, legumes and grains. In addition, critics have pointed out that it isnt practical or even possible to eat the same foods that our prehistoric ancestors did.

However, the paleo diet is a balanced, healthy way of eating that eliminates processed foods and encourages its followers to eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods.

In addition, studies suggest that the paleo diet may also help you lose weight and become healthier (20, 21, 22).

In one study, 70 obese older women followed either a paleo diet or a standard diet. After six months, the paleo group had lost significantly more weight and abdominal fat than the other group.

They also had a greater reduction in triglyceride levels in the blood (21).

Whats more, this way of eating may promote the loss of visceral fat, the particularly dangerous type of fat found in your abdomen and liver that promotes insulin resistance and increases the risk of disease.

In a five-week study, 10 obese older women who ate a paleo diet lost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and had a 49% reduction in liver fat, on average. In addition, the women experienced reductions in blood pressure, insulin, blood sugar and cholesterol (22).

You can learn more about the paleo diet and how it can help you lose weight here.

The Zone diet was created in the mid-1990s by Dr. Barry Sears, a US-based biochemist.

It has been classified as a fad diet due to its premise that a strict ratio of protein, fat and carbs is required for optimal weight loss and overall health.

This eating plan specifies that your calorie intake should be made up of 30% lean protein, 30% healthy fat and 40% high-fiber carbs. In addition, these foods are to be consumed as a prescribed number of blocks at meals and snacks.

One of the ways the Zone diet is proposed to work is by reducing inflammation, which allows you to lose weight more easily.

Studies to date suggest the Zone diet can be effective for losing weight and reducing blood sugar, insulin resistance and inflammation (23, 24, 25).

In a controlled, six-week study of overweight adults, those who ate the Zone diet lost more weight and body fat than the low-fat group. They also reported a 44% reduction in fatigue, on average (24).

In another study, 33 people followed one of four different diets. The Zone diet was shown to help participants lose the most fat, and to increase the ratio of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids (25).

You can learn more about the Zone diet by reading this article.

Looking at the initial stages of the Dukan Diet, its easy to see why it is often classified as a fad diet.

Developed by French doctor Pierre Dukan in the 1970s, the Dukan Diet consists of four stages. It starts with the Attack Phase, which consists almost entirely of unlimited lean-protein foods.

The rationale for this very high protein intake is that it will lead to rapid weight loss as a result of boosting metabolism and significantly decreasing appetite.

Other foods are added with each stage until the Stabilization Phase, where no foods are strictly off-limits, but high-protein foods and vegetables are encouraged. The final phase also requires that you eat only Attack Phase foods once a week.

As extreme as this diet seems, it does appear to produce weight loss.

Polish researchers assessed the diets of 51 women who followed the Dukan Diet for 810 weeks. The women lost an average of 33 pounds (15 kg) while consuming about 1,000 calories and 100 grams of protein per day (26).

Although there isnt much research on the Dukan Diet specifically, studies have found that similar high-protein diets may be effective for weight loss (27, 28, 29).

Indeed, a systematic review of 13 controlled studies found that high-protein, low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets for producing weight loss and reducing the risk factors for heart disease (30).

If you are interested in learning more about the Dukan Diet, read this article.

The 5:2 diet, also called the fast diet, is a type of intermittent fasting known as alternate-day fasting.

On this diet, you eat normally for five days a week and restrict your calorie intake to 500600 calories for two days each week, resulting in an overall calorie deficit that leads to weight loss.

The 5:2 diet is considered a form of modified alternate-day fasting. By contrast, some types of alternate-day fasting involve going without food for a full 24 hours.

The extremely low calorie allotment on the two fast days has led some to classify the 5:2 diet as a fad diet.

However, the evidence supporting the health benefits of alternate-day fasting is growing, and it seems to be a legitimate option for weight loss (31).

Research suggests that alternate-day fasting doesnt cause excessive calorie intake on eating days. This may be due to the release of peptide YY (PYY), a hormone that makes you feel full and helps you eat less (32).

Importantly, alternate-day fasting hasnt been shown to cause greater weight loss than standard diets containing the same number of calories.

However, several studies have found that both approaches can be effective for losing weight and belly fat (33, 34).

Whats more, although it isnt possible to completely prevent loss of muscle while losing weight, alternate-day fasting seems to be superior for maintaining muscle mass when compared to conventional forms of calorie restriction (33, 34).

You can learn more about the 5:2 diet by reading this article.

Fad diets will always be popular, and new plans will continue to be created to address peoples desire to lose weight quickly.

Although many so-called fad diets are unbalanced and dont live up to their claims, there are several that actually do.

However, just because a diet is effective for weight loss doesnt mean it is sustainable long-term.

To achieve and maintain your weight loss goal, its important to find a healthy way of eating that you enjoy and can follow for life.

Read the original here:
8 "Fad" Diets That Actually Work

By the time you read this, it will all be over: the advice about what to do in January. Either youll still be sticking to your resolutions, food- and exercise-wise, or you will have already abandoned them unless, like me, you didnt make any, for which reason you will be currently neither glowing nor guilty. Regular readers will know that I like nothing more than to sit atop my spike; after the holidays, I could hardly wait to get back to work. But I also find the winter hard enough without depriving myself of things.

Still, it was worse than ever this year: the advice, I mean. We were assailed from all sides, Veganuary joining Dry January as the latest thing. Looking over, if not exactly reading, an article in one newspaper were all 3.3lb overweight, it said, and should drastically reduce our salt intake; we should also, in the interests of avoiding cancer, make sure our roast potatoes are golden yellow rather than brown I was beset by the same anxiety I sometimes experience in a supermarket: even when it comes to self-improvement, the multiplicity of choice is overwhelming.

Its my conviction that the only truly sustainable diet in terms of the environment, and of ones health is an enjoyable diet. But what, really, constitutes enjoyment these days? In Alan Bennetts latest diary in the London Review of Books there is an interesting bit 11 February, 2019, if you want to look it up where he ponders his childhood memories of food. As a boy who lived through the war, people expect him to recall doing without: the particular hunger that comes with missing things, or being told one cannot have them (rationing, remember, did not end until the summer of 1954, by which time he was 20). But seemingly, this is not so.

What I dont recall, he writes, is any longing for food (or for elaborate food) that coloured the everyday. On the contrary, what sticks in the mind is how tasty some very ordinary meals were: the first new potatoes, for instance, so delicious one would save them up till last when having ones dinner (ie lunch). Even the nowadays unfashionable and reviled Spam and corned beef, he reports, seemed good then; certainly, he liked both more than the stewing steak provided by his (very scrupulous) butcher father.

Shop as little as possible, eke things out. Think of less as more; turn one thing (chicken) into another (risotto)

Lots of people did feel badly off in the 1940s and 50s, of course. Think of Elizabeth David, reducing her sister to tears when she came home one day with tomatoes; in her wartime diary, Vere Hodgson writes of how refreshing it was even to see a bit of orange peel on a pavement. But you get the point. Choice works both ways; even as it expands your universe, it somehow shrinks it, too. I often crave hummus, or the sweet-sour sharpness of various combinations of chilli and lime and fish sauce: things I hardly knew as a child. But I never really long for, say, the shepherds pie on which I grew up until, that is, the moment when one appears before me, at which point I remember how delicious and comforting it is. How can so few un-exotic ingredients taste so good in this combination? Well, they just do.

One trick when it comes to restoring the pleasure principle in the kitchen is to have weeks when you shop as little as possible, and really eke things out. Use whats in your cupboard; try to think of less as more; turn one thing (chicken) into another (risotto, say). At new year I served mushroom soup to friends, and of all the things I made that night, it was the one they seemed to like most. I gussied it up with leftover cream and a dash of ancient brandy, and served it in teacups to make it look dainty. But in the end, its most important ingredients were a few tatty corner shop mushrooms, a clove of garlic and a stock cube.

What made it so good? Two things, I think. The first was that I cooked the mushrooms for ages, patience doing the work of a more elaborate recipe. The second had to do with yes novelty. Mushroom soup? The last time anyone had eaten such a plain and wholesome dish was 12 months before, when (apparently) I dished up exactly the same thing.

More:
The only diet you can stick with is one you can enjoy - The Guardian

If you're one of the 95 million US adults with a total cholesterol level higher than 200 mg/dL, you might be wondering what measures you can take to lower your cholesterol.

Medication isn't right for everybody, and making changes to your lifestyle, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and getting regular exercise, may be more important for you. Here's what you need to know.

According to Steven Reisman, MD, a cardiologist and director of the New York Cardiac Diagnostic Center, the best way to lower cholesterol is with lifestyle modification through diet and exercise.

Reducing saturated and trans fats, while introducing soluble fiber and healthier fats, is key to adopting a heart-healthy diet. As far as exercise, aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity five times each week walking, biking, jogging, or exercise classes should work.

If you're a smoker, giving up the habit can also get your numbers under control. That's because smoking lowers HDL, which is considered good cholesterol. You'll want higher levels of HDL to remove LDL from the arteries, which is considered bad cholesterol.

To lower LDL cholesterol, Reisman says to reduce your consumption of saturated fats, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products. You'll also want to minimize trans fat and partially hydrogenated oil in your diet, especially fried foods.

The next step is to eat foods that are considered heart-healthy. "Foods with monounsaturated fats are beneficial because they can decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL)," says Reisman. Foods with monounsaturated fats include:

Including polyunsaturated fats may also reduce the risk of heart disease and help lower your LDL cholesterol, says Reisman. Look for foods that contain an important type of polyunsaturated fat omega-3 fatty acids. These include:

Finally, Reisman says soluble fiber can also reduce LDL cholesterol. Some of the best foods to eat for added soluble fiber are:

Sasan Massachi, MD, a primary care physician specializing in internal medicine, says that patients are typically advised to adopt a lifestyle modification program for three months, focusing on a healthier diet and regular exercise. This is followed up with cholesterol tests after three months to gauge results.

"If patients reduce their cholesterol adequately and are not in any danger of cardiovascular diseases, and they commit to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regimen, we have them follow up in three to six months for additional cholesterol tests," he says.

Overall, how quickly you can reduce cholesterol will depend on your total cholesterol level, your family history, any pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, and the type of diet and exercise program.

If your levels are already closer to a healthy range, and you don't have any pre-existing conditions, it may take less time.

"For some patients who don't respond well to lifestyle changes, it is necessary to take medication," says Massachi. This may include those with a family history of high cholesterol and those who also have cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

In these cases, Massachi says taking cholesterol medication can lower your cholesterol levels, and also help manage other pre-existing conditions. You should talk with your doctor if you think this might be the right option for you.

See the original post here:
How to lower cholesterol with the right diet and exercise regimens - INSIDER

All eyes were on Adele when she posted a photo of her incredible weight loss back in October. Her dedication to a new fitness routine has contributed to her goal to stay healthy, but Adeles trainer attributes most of her weight loss to a strict diet. Does it involve green juice? Yes. Does it cut your coffee intake? Nope!

Shes working out, but I think 90 percent of it is diet, Camila Goodis, one of Adeles trainers who deems herself the Brazilian body wizard, said on the show Lorraine according to The U.S. Sun.

Its called the Sirtfood dieta diet designed to activate sirtuins, which are proteins that have been shown to regulate metabolism, inflammation, and lifespan. The two-phase diet lasts a total of three weeks, then its all a matter of packing as many sirtfoods as you can into your meals.

The first phase lasts three days and restricts calorie intake to 1,000 by consuming three green juices and one sirtfood-rich meal a day. The calorie intake is upped to 1,500 for the next four days. Those days involve consuming two green juices and two meals a day. In phase two, you eat three meals made of sirtfoods and one green juice for two weeks.

OK, but what are sirtfoods? Kale, blueberries, walnuts, onions, and strawberries are a few. Other top contenders include red wine, dark chocolate (85 percent cocoa), and coffee. TBH, sounds like my kind of diet. It's something to try!

Continue reading here:
Adele's Trainer Revealed The Diet Behind Her Weight Loss - Delish

Its Jan. 17, and if youre still sticking to your New Years resolution to eat better, chances are youre on one of two trendy diets: Keto or Whole30.

The Keto diet involves limiting carbs, and instead focusing on fatty foods like avocados, fatty meats and cheese. Whole30, meanwhile, is a 30 day diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, quality meats, fish, nuts/seeds and healthy fats.

Cher Heather Carr joined us on 9NEWS at 4 p.m. to give a cooking demonstration of one Keto-friendly recipe, and one for those on Whole30. Scroll down for her two recipes, and watch the video above to see Carr work her magic!

Accompanied Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Garlic Roasted Radishes and Grilled Avocados

Serves 4 portions

Beef tri-tip

24 oz Beef Tri-Tip, whole muscle

1 tsp Oregano, dried

1 tsp Parsley, dried

1 tsp Thyme, dried

tsp Basil

tsp Granulated Garlic, dried

4 oz Beef Tallow

Crispy brussel sprouts and garlic-crusted radish

12 oz Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and halved

10 oz Red Radish, trimmed and quartered

1 tsp Garlic, Minced

3 oz Avocado Oil

To Taste Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Grilled avocado

2 ea Avocado, halved and pitted

To Taste Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Method of Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for herb crust and coat tri-tip until all surfaces have been covered. On a baking sheet, place the tri-tip and cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until surface of tri-tip has browned. Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees and finish cooking until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees for medium-rare. Remove and let tri-tip rest for a quarter of the cooking time to allow for the meat to relax and moisture redistribute. Slice into 2-3 oz pieces, being careful to always cut again the grain. Chefs Note: Tri-tip is a unique cut of beef that requires you to rotate while carving to ensure you are going against the grain with each cut.

Return oven temperature to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, toss brussels sprouts, radish, minced garlic, avocado oil and salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes and rotate pan 180 degrees and gently mix vegetables and return to oven for additional 15-20 minutes or until brussels sprouts are crispy and radishes are potato-like golden brown.

On a high heat grill, placed halved and pitted avocados. After 2-3 minutes depending on the grills heat, rotate 45 degrees to get beautiful and even grill marks. Serve grilled avocados by carefully slicing sections vertically and removing flesh by using a spoon to scoop out. Garnish sliced beef with avocado slices and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Accompanied by Grilled Jumbo Asparagus, Blackberry Demi, Pea Sprout Salad

Serves 4 portions

Crispy Berbere Barrmundi

24 oz Barramundi, skin-on when possible in 6 oz potions

2 tsp Berbere Spice, ground

2 oz Beef Tallow

Grilled Jumbo Asparagus

2 bunches Asparagus, jumbo with bottoms trimmed

1 oz Avocado Oil

To Taste Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Blackberry Demi

6 oz Blackberries, fresh when possible

3 oz Beef Tallow

3 oz Carrots, peeled and dice

2 oz White Onion, diced

2 oz Red Beet, peeled and diced

2 oz Broccoli, small florets

2 oz Shiitake Mushrooms, quartered

1 oz Garlic, minced

1 oz Tomato Paste

32 oz Water

tsp Pectin

1 g Xanthan Gum, optional for viscous sauce

Pea Shoot Salad

1.5 oz Pea Sprouts

ea Lemon, zested and juiced

tsp Avocado Oil

To Taste Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Method of Preparation

In a hot saut pan with tallow, place seasoned barramundi skin side down. Sear skin until completely crispy approx.. 4 minutes. Turn over each piece and cook until internal temperature reach 135 degrees F. Set fish aside to rest.

On a high heat grill, add asparagus that has been tossed in avocado oil with salt and pepper. Turn asparagus over and continue grilling until both sides are fully marked. Remove from heat, asparagus will continue to cook and become tender while resting.

In a sauce pan over high heat, melt beef tallow and saute onions and garlic until translucent. Begin adding remaining vegetables and blackberries and saut to remove excess liquid approx. 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and water to the sauce pan and bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by half and then remove from heat. In a blender, puree sauce until smooth and return to sauce pan. When liquid has come back to a simmer, whisk in xanthan gum and pectin. Remove from heat and allow to cool while stirring frequently to avoid clumps in sauce.

In a small bowl, toss pea sprouts with lemon zest, juice, avocado oil, and salt and pepper. Serve on top of crispy barramundi as a garnish.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS

Link:
Still sticking to that New Year's resolution diet? Here are 2 healthy recipes - 9News.com KUSA

A friend of mine recently posted an article from The New York Times about the wellness industry and how its basically a big marketing scheme that targets entitled white women.

Here in Aspen, we are all about wellness. Its not just an industry here its a lifestyle. Theres a whole culture surrounding this concept of self care, which is really just a phrase that has been coined by entitled white women so we can be totally selfish and then be able to justify it.

You could even argue that an entire culture has evolved from the idea of wellness, and that Aspen has been on the forefront of this concept long before it became a trend. Still, its everywhere, from that bag of gluten-free potato chips (potato chips have been gluten free, hello) to grossly overpriced athleisure labels who can now charge a hell of a lot of money for a pair of glorified tights.

But I have to admit, this article got to me. It made me immediately defensive, especially the idea that much of wellness is based on pseudoscience. I have learned in numerous ways that what you eat has a huge impact on your health.

But out here in the world, we are bombarded even with all these trending diets. Everything is gluten-free this, vegan that, Paleo or Keto. These are elimination diets that cut out foods that are deemed bad for us. Then comes a slew of products that meet the requirements of said diet, but whos to say theyre any healthier than what we started with?

It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that its absolutely ridiculous that we have the luxury to eat in these highly discriminating ways when there are people starving in the world. Its also occurred to me that its super annoying when youre out to dinner with that girl that spends 20 minutes requesting all kinds of substitutions not because she has any real allergies, but because she wants to be able to continue to squeeze into a size 4.

On the other hand, I have learned enough to understand there is a lot of toxicity in our food and it does make sense to try and avoid it. But lets be honest: my biggest motivator has always been to look good and to squeeze into a size 4 (all right, 6). Why sugar coat it?

As I get older though, my health has almost (but not quite) eclipsed my vanity. Having a baby at the late age of 45 created a few problems. That pesky gestational diabetes came back a check-up last year revealed that my average blood sugar was too high. I also have some issues around hiatal hernia the result of my stomach having been stretched from pregnancy and now putting pressure on my diaphragm, a condition that gets painful if I eat too much sugar. Theres also the little problem of being 10 pounds heavier now than I was in my early 40s. It seems as though we gain about 10 pounds for every decade after the age of 30. The women I know who are in their 50s, 60s and 70s and are still thin achieve that by not eating very much at all.

I once asked my friend Dana how she stays so thin in her late 60s. She leaned closer and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, Im always hungry.

Theres also the pressure of living in Aspen, a place where people are not only beautiful but also high-achieving in everything they do, especially when it comes to athletic prowess. Set foot into any fitness studio and youre bound to find a majority of well-coiffed, well-dressed, artificially young-looking people who are extremely fit and extraordinarily thin.

My friend had posted this article after I had just signed up to do a 30-day cleanse through a multi-level marketing company that sells nutritional products. For a cool $300, Id ordered a month worth of this companys various powders and teas that would help me detoxify and lose weight.

Id done this program once before and lost 14 pounds. Over time though, once I started eating actual food again, the weight creeped back on. The box arrived late, several days after the start date to the group cleanse. Still, Id peruse the private Facebook page that had been set up as an online support group, and discovered people were mostly interested in finding products that were cleanse approved.

Check out this amazing breakfast I had this morning, one wrote. A gluten-free bagel with eggs, tomatoes and avocado. You dont have to feel deprived.

Below that were a series of comments about how the gluten-free bagels were actually chock full of ingredients that werent allowed on the cleanse.

Then there were the comments about how the companys various cleansing products were causing bloating and abdominal discomfort, followed by more comments about how to use the companys other products to counteract the side effects caused by their products in the first place. You should double the amount of the fiber powder to help with the bloating caused by the protein powder, one wrote.

It occurred to me that a lot of these people were missing the point. Yes, a month spent guzzling various protein drinks, fiber formulas and detox teas might help generate a little weight loss, but you cant live that way forever. You also have no idea what those products are really made of, unless you take them to a lab to be tested. When the box finally came, I sent it back.

I realized maybe that article had a point. Wellness is an industry, and us Aspenites are precisely its target market. I guess its a matter of truly understanding what The Aspen Idea of mind, body, spirit is all about. I guess Im lucky enough to spend the rest of my life trying.

The Princess is eating vegan this month. Email your love to alisonmargo@gmail.com.

Follow this link:
Aspen Princess: Chasing The Aspen Idea through another 'wellness' run - Aspen Times

Published: February, 2020

Q. My family tends to be long-lived. I hear longevity is due to our DNA, and I also hear it's due to lifestyle. Which is it, and how do they make us live longer?

A. Both DNA and lifestyle can affect longevity, and they both do so in the same way: by altering our body chemistry. DNA controls the production of each of the natural chemicals in our body. It controls both the shape (and, hence, the effectiveness) of each chemical, and also controls how much of that chemical is made. So, it's not surprising that DNA could affect longevity. In the past 20 years, astonishing progress has been made in understanding the body chemistry that controls the aging process. And that knowledge has allowed scientists to extend the life of various animals through simple genetic manipulations.

Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.

Read the original:
What has the most impact on longevity? - Harvard Health

Its that time of year again. Yes, it is New Years resolution time. Was making a will one of your unfulfilled resolutions from past years? Is it on your to-do list for 2020? The good news is that with a modest investment of time and effort, you will be able to check this off your list in just a couple of weeks and you wont even have to go to the gym to get it done!

Estate planning is personal to every family. Only you understand your familys priorities well enough to make the proper decisions. Legal and financial professionals are essential to understanding the best strategies, but the final decisions about what is right for your family can only be made by you.

No surprise, but estate planning ranks right near the top when it comes to the most frequently broken New Years resolutions. You might say it is somewhere between flossing every night and losing twenty pounds. Compared with many such resolutions, however, estate planning is an entirely unique challenge with consequences for failing to follow through.

So give this years resolution some legs!

Here are six basic topics to help organize your approach:

First, a health care directive or a health care power of attorney and living will allow you to appoint a person you trust be your health care agent and let them know in writing what your wishes are so that if you become disabled, he or she can speak with the doctors and make decisions to make sure that the treatment you receive is consistent with your wishes.

Second, a power of attorney allows you to appoint a person you trust to handle your financial matters in the event you become unable to do so.

Third, a will or trust allows you to specify what happens to your property when you die. Deciding which tools (wills or trusts) are right for your situation depends on your familys assets and goals.

Fourth, checking the titling of assets is important. The way that your assets are titled affects the way they can and will be transferred to others. Knowing whether they are owned individually, jointly or in common is critical in making planning decisions.

Fifth, retirement and long term care planning means making a realistic assessment of the resources available for your support and care as you age. How soon you plan to retire and the state of your health will factor into your planning. Pensions, retirement accounts, social security, veterans benefits, and Medicaid as well as long term care insurance can all play a part and should be considered in your planning.

Sixth, having a conversation with your parents to make sure that they have addressed these first five topics may be difficult, but is important for your familys financial and emotional well being. It is important to ensure that their wishes for care and medical treatment are known to family members so that siblings dont end up arguing about what mom would want in the hallway of the hospital. Also important is discovering what additional planning might need to be done to provide for aging parents long term care. If additional resources are going to be necessary, the sooner the rest of family knows and can plan to help out, the better.

For many of us, the task of putting together an estate plan is one of those to-dos that never seems to get done. Not planning has a funny way of becoming planning by default. This can lead to some painful results. There is no time like the present to plan for tomorrow. Start this year with a win by taking the necessary steps to help secure your familys future.

James M. Miskell received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1993. His Asset Protection, Estate Planning and Elder Law practice has offices located in Lawrenceville and Johns Creek. He offers educational workshops and free consultations to assist clients as well as fellow professionals in creating individualized solutions. Visit his website: http://www.LetsTalkEstatePlanning.com.

Original post:
A 2020 New Year's Resolution That Doesn't Involve Working Out or Dieting - Gwinnett Citizen

ADELE'S former personal trainer has revealed the strict diet the singer was on to help her lose seven stone.

Camila Goodis - known as the Brazilian body wizard - revealed the gruelling 1,000 calorie a day regime Adele used to shed the pounds on Thursday's Lorraine.

7

As well as consuming half the recommend 2,000 calories a day for women andbeing strict about her meals, Adele also stuck to daily workouts to shed the pounds, she claims.

"She's working out but I think 90 per cent of it is diet," she told Lorraine.

"It's a good diet to shed the weight. The first week is intense, green juices and only 1,000 calories," she said.

"She doesn't look too thin - she looks amazing."

7

Pilates trainer Camila Goodis, 36, trained Adele, 31, alongside Robbie Williams wife Ayda Fieldat their Los Angeles home.

She said: "When she came for a work out I didn't know it was her and when she left I thought 'Oh it looks a little bit like Adele'.

"She looks amazing - she's changed her lifestyle and diet."

Adele told a holidaymaker on her recent getaway to Anguilla that she a lost a staggering seven stone.

The singer was said to have opened up to a fan about her weight loss while holidaying with Harry Styles and James Corden on the Christmas Caribbean trip.

7

Adele shocked fans as she showed off her newly slim and trim figure alongside her English pals earlier this month.

The mum-of-one looked carefree grinning ear to ear while taking in a little sun on the sand.

And now a fan has claimed the star was just as pleasant when she approached them for a chat and discussed her weight loss on the beach.

Lexi Larson told People magazine: "Adele came over and sat down next to me and my friend and was like, 'So what can I do for you girls?'

7

7

"We were so excited. We were talking to her for a little while, and then she got Harry Styles to come over and sit with us also. We took a picture with Harry, and we talked to them for 15 minutes probably.

"She said she lost something like 100 pounds, and that its such a crazy positive experience."

The lucky holidaymaker added that Adele "seemed really confident" as she chatted to fans at Blanchards beach shack.

The Hello hitmaker went on to get pictures alongside Harry, but refrained from getting any solo shots as she was joined by her seven-year-old son Angelo.

7

7

Adeledebuted her incredible weight loss at Drake's birthday party in October, just weeks after she filed for divorce from Simon Konecki.

She is said to have shed the pounds by working out with US trainer Dalton Wong, who also trains her friend Jennifer Lawrence - and following Joe Wicks's Body Coach plan.

A source told The Sun: Adeles been secretly working with these personal trainers.

Shes not the sort to exercise in front of others, so she follows regimes and plans at home, using their videos and tutorials."

smokey simon Simon Cowell shows off weight loss as he puffs on a cig after BGT auditions

'BLOODBATH AND MURDER' Stormzy slams Shakespeare and calls him a 'bad influence' on kids

Exclusive

'HINDERED ME' Salma Hayek claims Weinstein boycotted her film after refusing to be 'sexier'

MODERN ROMANCE Ariel Winter makes her relationship with Luke Benward Instagram official

Exclusive

GET-UP PANIC Masked Singer star in Queen Bee costume suffered crippling claustrophobia

Exclusive

ANT HALF BAD Ant's ex Lisa made 64k a MINUTE during 8hr divorce talks over 31million deal

Earlier this week, The Sun revealed the star has also been working out with pilates instructorCamila Goodis.

She was introduced to the fitness professional by Robbie Williams' wife Adya.

Brazilian Camila has told how Adele hates exercise and believes her recent body transformationis down to 90 per cent dieting.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Camila said: I trainedAydafor a long time and it happens that they are good friends so I did Adele when she was there inRobbies house. I dont believe she liked exercise much but she has changed her lifestyle and I believe that 90 per cent was dieting.

Got a story? email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220.

We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.

Read more:
Adeles trainer reveals 1,000 calories a day and green juice diet that helped her shed SEVEN stone - The Sun

Page 159«..1020..158159160161..170180..»

Home » Diets that Work » Page 159