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According to a study in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, intermittent fasting, an eating habit wherein participants partition their normal diet with regular intervals of fasting, provides a valid albeit apparently not superior option to continuous calorie restriction.

With the popularity of dieting as a way to lose weight and become healthier, intermittent fasting has become one of the more popular options. When paired with another dieting plan, it can be an especially effective way to reach a desired weight.

Junior communication major Max Grueshaber heard about it through browsing the internet for ways to lose more weight after he had hit a wall with the weight he lost on another plan. The features that appealed to him were the flexibility and challenge accompanied with intermittent fasting, which he has experimented with extensively.

There are various methods, such as blocking out a time each day for eating, eating normally for five days a week and fasting two days, or fasting every other day.

He opted to block out time each day, picking the 20:4 plan, in which he fasts for 20 hours and eats 12-4 p.m.

I hardly ever ate breakfast as it is. The little time window gave me the opportunity to eat either right before I went to work or during the time I would usually have a break, he said.

Being able to alter the plan around a schedule makes it simple to incorporate into a college students busy life. Junior public relations major Stefanie Delrosso who used to participate in intermittent fasting, enjoyed working out in the morning, but preferred not to eat beforehand. Thus, the 18:6 plan was the optimal fit for her, with an eating window of 1-7 p.m.

It was just what worked best with my schedule. To keep track of it, I was hungry by 1 and then at 7 I would make sure I had dinner and then Id just be done, she said.

Intermittent fasting isnt as simple as sticking to a schedule though, because eating junk food during the allotted eating times can be counterproductive.

According to Christine Haar, director of the dietetic internship program at BGSU, overcompensation during eating windows can actually lead to weight gain. She used the term adherence. Adhering to the specific method and refraining from overcompensation and unhealthy foods are as important as the schedule itself.

Haar recommends above ground, non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes as a healthy food option, as well as physical activity, to see the desired results that one would expect.

As an addition to his intermittent fasting, Grueshaber started on the Keto diet, focusing on high fats and low carbs.

When paired together and with regular exercise, you can see some serious results, he said, reflecting on the weight he lost and increase in energy he gained. I wasnt as fatigued after a long day at work, a workout or school.

However, Delrosso, while she saw physical results she liked, disliked the unhealthy mindset it gave her. She cited the desire to challenge herself by pushing back her eating window, the trouble she had while going out to eat with her friends during fasting windows and the general stress accompanying the clock-watching eating habit as reasons for discontinuing her intermittent fasting in September of her sophomore year.

It got too obsessive, she said.

Whether or not intermittent fasting can work for someone ultimately depends on personal preference, Haar said.

Is it something I can fit into my day easily? Will I become too obsessive and focus on the time constantly? Will I be able to power through the fasting without breaking rules? These are some of the questions to take into consideration while participating in intermittent fasting. With his 20-hour fasting window, Grueshaber has found that the hunger can be unbearable. However, he was able to find ways to keep himself goal-oriented and not stray from his schedule.

To ground myself I just look at old pictures or pump myself up to remind myself to keep grinding, he said. Hunger is mostly a mental game and two days is the hardest.

Eventually, the challenge became enjoyable for him.

The challenge for me is half the fun, he said.

Now, Grueshaber has begun to see admirable results, dropping about 40 pounds over four to five months.

I would always recommend this to anyone who would like to lose weight, and its pretty effective if done right, he said.

Dieting habits can be an effective way to lose body fat healthily, and intermittent fasting, while not for everyone, is one of many options to achieve this. However, its emphasis on an eating schedule over restricting particular foods may be a key to its accessibility and appeal.

Youre not being told what to eat, per se, Haar said. When to eat might be a lot easier for people to adapt to than what to eat.

Read the original here:
Intermittent fasting: An accessible alternative to dieting - bgfalconmedia.com

Robbie Balenger never intended to run across the country when he first laced up his shoes six years ago. Back then, he was simply looking for stress relief from his hectic career in the restaurant business.

But in May, he crossed a finish line in Central Park, marking the end of a 3,275-mile journey from coast to coast. That's an average of 45 miles, or more than a marathon and a half, every day, for 75 days in a row.

And, he did it all on a diet of entirely plant-based meals, he told fellow plant-powered ultramarathoner Rich Roll in a recent podcast interview.

Balenger isn't the first to tackle impressive mileage without eating animal products. Vegan ultra runner Scott Jurek has broken multiple records, including the fastest time to complete the 2,189-mile Appalachian trail.

Balenger said he hoped to continue raising awareness of the benefits of going plant-based, even for elite endurance athletes.

"My motivation was from an advocacy standpoint to promote a plant-based lifestyle, and to really show what is possible on a plant-based diet," Balenger told Runner's World.

Balenger stopped every five miles to refuel on high-fat, high-carb meals and snacks. In all, he said he had to eat a whopping 8,000 calories each day just to sustain his body through the serious strain of daily ultramarathons. For comparison, most people require between 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day to meet their energy needs.

In the mornings before he began running, Balenger said his breakfast was typically oatmeal loaded with chia seeds, bananas, maple syrup, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, along with a cup of coffee.

Four times a day, he consumed 1,000-calorie smoothies made of Soylent meal replacement powder, with added coconut milk, chia seeds, bananas, and veggies. He avoided drinking plain water, instead hydrating with electrolyte powder that also added additional calories.

"When you're doing something like this, you need to get those calories whenever you can and wherever you can," he told Roll.

Day 40: 45 miles. Again! . The accumulating exhaustion has me searching for additional calories every day. This means eating @nadamoo throughout the day instead of just for dessert!!! Im also adding coconut milk to almost everything. . Some fun facts: today was my last full day in Oklahoma, and it feels like Ive been here forever. Tomorrow, I will run in three different states in one day, OK, KA, and MO. This has only happened one other time when I popped into TX for a few steps while crossing from NM to OK. . The story of the day is pure exhaustion. It feels like the fatigue is accumulating and I spend my days looking forward to going back to bed. Or just hanging out in the camper socializing and feeling human again. Maybe thats a missing piece here: feeling like a human. . Im hoping that as I run through smaller states, I will feel like Im getting somewhere. As it is now, I just feel like I have so many more days to go, and that Ive already been doing this Transcon for so long! 40 days. Thats no joke. . Some good news is that physically, Im holding up! Im also sleeping well, usually getting at least 8 hours. Im just waiting to wake up magically with more energy one of these days! . #plantpoweredmission #transcontinental #coasttocoast #enduranceathlete #nomeatathlete #runlong #endurance #plantbasedathlete #plantpoweredathlete #runforever #trailrunning #mindfulrunner #runlife #runhard #roadrunning #justrun #runfree #runtoinspire #onrunning #runninginspiration #ultrarunning #ultrarunner #ultrarunninglife #runfar #liveyouradventure #correresvida #soycorredor #runnersworld #runforlife #runpassion @ultrarunningmag @trailandkale

A post shared by Robbie Balenger (@robbiebalenger) on Apr 25, 2019 at 6:08am PDTApr 25, 2019 at 6:08am PDT

For meals, Balenger said he stuck to easy-to-digest carbs like cold pasta tossed in olive oil, potatoes, and quesadillas with vegan cheese. Initially, his favorite meal was a vegan banh mi sandwich, but Balenger said bread quickly got soggy and was hard to manage.

"Bread was not working for me," he said on the podcast.

Balenger told Runner's World he supplemented with energy gels and ended the day with double serving of a vegan camping meal, or pre-made, dehydrated food designed for backpackers, and a cold IPA.

Balenger also had dessert at the ready. Non-dairy ice cream company NadaMoo sponsored his trek, as did the nonprofit Switch4Good, which encourages people to give up dairy and adopt a plant-based diet.

Read more:

Ultra-marathoners ditch their healthy diets during races, subsisting on chips, Coke, and Twinkies. The strategy reveals a nasty truth about processed food.

3 marathoners who are breaking stereotypes about what runners look like

What vegan athletes like UFC fighter Nate Diaz eat for protein, from lentils to oats

See the original post:
Vegan Robbie Balenger ran across the country on 8,000 calories a day - INSIDER

In 2004, I was the only vegan in the village, says Fiona Oakes, a multi-world-record-breaking marathon runner. But now you see vegan runners everywhere.

An animal lover who set up her own animal sanctuary, Oakes started a running club called Vegan Runners in 2004. The idea came about after she saw the long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe on TV and spotted an opportunity. Oakes was a good runner and thought that, if she got faster, she could end up alongside Radcliffe at the start line of the London marathon, on national television, with the words Vegan Runners emblazoned across her vest.

It was a way of showcasing the cause, she says. Id been vegan since I was six years old. Id lost my kneecap from an illness when I was 17 and been told I would never run again. If I could do this as a vegan, it showed that anything was possible.

Back then she was a lone crusader, trying to introduce people to the word vegan in a positive way. Rather than cause disruption and be in peoples faces, by running, I was leading by example and generating interest in a positive way, she says.

She went on to twice finish in the top 20 in major marathons, with a personal best of two hours 38 minutes, and also won the north pole marathon. Oakes powerful example has seen the Vegan Runners steadily increase their numbers over the years. But with the interest in veganism growing, partly in response to the global climate crisis, the clubs numbers have swelled exponentially in the past three years; there are almost 4,000 today, with more than 40 local groups across the country, their distinctive tops unmissable at races.

Club activities vary at each branch, but typically involve weekly training runs and group attendance at events such as local parkruns usually with a visit to a vegan cafe afterwards.

Understandably, members are expected to be vegan not just in their diet but in their choice of clothing. Oakes says that the expectation is for members to be living a fully plant-based lifestyle.

Mike Exton from Sheffield joined Vegan Runners in June. Although he is vegan, he primarily joined because the training runs were local. I do find it a little tricky being pigeonholed as a vegan runner, he says. But he feels more comfortable wearing the Vegan Runners vest now than he might have done five years ago, as veganism has become less weird.

In many ways its just another running club, he says, though we do tend to chat about food, recommending things to try and getting advice on nutrition.

Lisa Gawthorne joined Vegan Runners in 2018. She says it is great to be surrounded by like-minded people and that the club forms a really kind and compassionate running community.

I think its important to bounce off people who are going through similar things to you and to share experiences, she says. This may include tips on nutrition or the best vegan running shoes. It all helps. Most running shoes that dont use leather or suede are vegan, but sometimes the glues used in shoes can be made from animal products. The Vegan Runners website has a helpful guide to which brands are fully vegan.

Gawthorne has been vegan for 16 years and is an international road runner and duathlon athlete. She believes being vegan has helped her to perform at such a high level. It improves recovery time, is better for the digestive system and promotes better sleep, she says. I have never had as much energy as I have since moving from a vegetarian to a vegan diet.

Not everyone shares this view. Tim Noakes, a South African sports scientist famous for his promotion of a high-fat, meat-rich diet, says a vegan diet is incomplete in so many ways. In time, a truly vegan athlete will run into trouble unless they are sourcing additional animal-based nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, choline and probably high-quality proteins from somewhere else, he says.

Dietitian Renee McGregor, who works with international ultra-runners, says that while it is possible to be vegan and a good runner, it needs a lot of careful planning. In my clinic, many of the athletes that come in with relative energy deficiency have become vegan, she says, adding that the high intake of fibre more common in a vegan diet can impact the absorption of nutrients such as iron and calcium, as well as displace energy intake.

There are not enough long-term studies to show how vegan diets impact athletic performance, which leaves us with a battleground of anecdotal evidence. Some of the worlds leading long-distance runners swear by the meat-heavy diet promoted by Noakes, while others are vegan, spearheaded by the legendary ultra-runner Scott Jurek, whose seven consecutive victories in the most competitive ultra-marathon in the US, the Western States 100-mile endurance run, make the case that a vegan diet doesnt have to be incompatible with running.

For Oakes, proving this to the world is what gets her out of bed on cold mornings. It gives me a reason to get up and train, she says. To show what is possible, and to promote what I believe in.

More:
Vegan runners: can a plant-based diet provide what you need to compete and win? - The Guardian

To the Editor:

Re Go Ahead. Eat Your Holiday Feelings, by Christy Harrison (Sunday Review, Nov. 24):

Emotional eating is when you are hungry from the heart, not the stomach. There is a large spectrum of problematic eating behavior: overeating, compulsive overeating, binge eating, bulimia, self-starvation, laxative abuse, orthorexia (an obsession with eating foods that one believes are healthy), compulsive exercise and chronic dieting.

No matter where people fall on the spectrum from an 80-pound anorexic to a 450-pound binge-eater their relationship with food and their bodies is fueled and driven by emotions too hard to digest: depression, anxiety, frozen grief, trauma, anger, sexual abuse, feelings of abandonment and rejection.

Ms. Harrison tries to normalize the humanity of overeating: We all do it, and it is often fueled by restrictive dieting and undereating. But she does not go far enough. She minimizes the truth that many people suffer from eating disorders that are psychiatric disorders and require a full scope of treatment interventions, including nutrition support, psychotherapy and sometimes medication for depression and anxiety.

And lets remember: Everyones eating problem is as unique as a fingerprint. One size does not fit all.

Mary Anne CohenBrooklynThe writer is director of the New York Center for Eating Disorders.

To the Editor:

Re Banished for 5 Years, Youth Football Roars Back in a Texas Town (front page, Nov. 17):

The human capacity for self-delusion is profound and resilient. But especially when it concerns the health of children, we must be relentless in pursuit and acceptance of the truth.

There is a growing body of evidence that American football is highly toxic for the brain, especially the preadolescent brain. Recent studies have indicated that boys who begin playing tackle football when very young are at much higher risk of developing brain-wasting chronic traumatic encephalopathy in later life.

No appeal to cultural norms or character formation can justify such a risk. Adults who encourage young boys to play a sport that is so insidiously damaging are engaging in child abuse.

David HaydenWilton, Conn.

To the Editor:

Re What if You Always Had Friday Off? Why Dont You? (Business Day, Nov. 11):

I used to work as a computer animator. I noticed that animators are far more productive when working in union shops. In businesses with 10-to-12-hour days, less was accomplished.

The pace was slower because people werent fresh, and they naturally slow down to survive the longer hours. In the eight-hour shops, we came in fresh, eager to work and easily worked harder to accomplish goals in shorter hours.

J. HauptmanNew York

More:
On Emotional Eating - The New York Times

My father passed away in October 1986 from a heart attack at age 49.

That was his last in a series of major and minor cardiac events. I was 21 years old when he died. At the time I perceived my father to be old (as do most children).

Now, at age 53, its an odd perspective to look back at his passing and reflect on where he was in his stage of life and career and consider his outlook on the future.

My family has a history of heart disease and my father was no exception. As an engineer for General Electric, he worked long, hard hours and traveled frequently.

Physical activity, nutrition and doctors visits were not high on his priority list. I call this attitude the I feel fine so I must be fine mentality.

He enjoyed eating the crispy skin off the Thanksgiving turkey, fat from a well-cooked steak and ladles of cream sauces all the good-tasting stuff that was loaded with calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.

When my father had his first heart attack, the doctors found he had extremely high blood pressure and major blockages in all four of his arteries. By that time, too much damage had been done to his heart and there was nothing they could do for him. Still, my father started eating better, took up golf, spent less time at work and focused on reducing his stress.

Its important to remember that during my fathers lifetime, 1937 to 1986, company wellness programs did not exist. He grew up with exercise guru The Jack LaLanne Show, hula hoops, calisthenics, the sauna suit, vibrating belts and other early fitness trends and fad diets. Most centered on the external appearance of fitness but lacked a focus on inner fitness, the biometric and lifestyle measurements that truly determine if one is healthy.

You would think I learned something from his experience, but youd be wrong. When I was young I felt indestructible.

I had a high metabolism and didnt gain weight no matter what or how much I ate. The good news: I was physically active in soccer, aerobics, long-distance running, weight lifting, competitive Taekwondo and many other activities.

The bad news: my diet was significantly less than stellar. It wasnt unusual for me to have fast food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late-night snack all in the same day. I inherited my fathers I feel fine so I must be fine mentality.

In 1993, after eight years in the Air Force, I returned to civilian life to work at a large insurance carrier, where I learned about health care claims, annual employee benefit renewals and risk management, which drive and control an employers health insurance costs. I began to understand that the overall health of a workforce can affect an employers health care costs.

I learned about the decisions that organizations must make about health insurance cost sharing, like imposing premium increases, and that employee benefits are a large part of the workforces total compensation. I observed how employees who do not take responsibility for their personal health can cause others who do to pay more for their own health care benefits, something that always struck me as unfair.

At age 35, I finally visited my doctor for an annual physical, and the results were not good. My total cholesterol was over 300, my HDL was low and my LDL and triglycerides were high. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

While this was an aha! moment, I should have seen it coming. I knew that I had a family history of high cholesterol and most men on my fathers side of the family died young from cardiac-related causes. But I felt fine so I must be fine.

My doctor prescribed cholesterol and thyroid medication. I began to focus on nutrition and continued to be physically active. After one year, my numbers started to improve, but even now I still have work to do. Progress, not perfection.

While conditions like these may take years to produce symptoms and can initially go unnoticed, they are still incrementally causing damage to ones health and well-being. This is why its so important to focus on preventive measures to manage a disease before it has the chance to cause a major medical event.

After my father had his first heart attack, he was released from the hospital and sent home. He walked slowly so as not to raise his heart rate. One day I watched him spend 20 minutes walking up 15 steps in our house. When we lose our health its the simple things we take for granted that are impacted the most.

Seeing first-hand the impact of how an undiagnosed heart condition affected my fathers health helps me stayed focus on wellness. In every wellness program participant, I see someone whose life can be positively impacted.

I often reflect on what would have happened if my fathers company had a wellness program. Knowing him, he would have been one of those people who wouldnt want to participate. Because he was too busy. Because he didnt have the time. Because it didnt make sense; he felt fine. Because he had too many other things to do. Because it was his choice how he managed his health, not the companys.

While all of this may be true, I think that if he had participated in a wellness program, gotten his blood work done and learned about his high blood pressure and high cholesterol before he had a heart attack, he would still be here today.

So I ask you, whats the downside of participating in a wellness program?

Gary Cassidy is the director of employee education, communication and wellness for Camden, New Jersey-based insurance broker Corporate Synergies.

Continue reading here:
Please Tell Me Why Worksite Wellness Programs Are a Waste of Time and Money - Workforce Management

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a preliminary finding that implicates a vitamin E additive as the potential cause of lung injury from THC vaping.

The agency examined fluid samples from the lungs of 29 patients with vaping-related illness and found vitamin E acetate in all 29 samples. This is a major development in the search for answers, and it was of great interest to me generally as a public health researcher.

Even more, it was of special interest to me because I previously researched vitamin Es role in lung health and development. For three years, as a post-doctoral research fellow, I studied the role of vitamin Es typical role in lung health, lung development and the epidemiology of childhood lung diseases when it is absorbed from our diet.

Vitamin E comes from oily foods in our diet. It has also long been known to be important for child development, especially in the womb, where it contributes to healthy lung and nervous system growth, among other things. Vitamin E has eight different isoforms, or types, and each may do slightly different things in our bodies. The kind of vitamin E you get from your diet can therefore vary widely based upon the types of oily foods that you eat.

When we eat vitamin E, it is absorbed by our gastrointestinal tract along with fats. It then travels throughout our bloodstream in the fatty molecules called cholesterol. Finally, it is taken up into our bodys fatty tissues and cellular membranes.

Once incorporated into the body, vitamin E serves as an antioxidant, protecting us from some of the harmful effects of our metabolism and respiration. Antioxidants stabilize what are called free radicals, unstable and highly chemically reactive compounds with extra electrons generated by our metabolism. Free radicals, when left unchecked, can destabilize other molecules around them and cause cellular damage.

When vitamin E comes into contact with certain kinds of free radicals, it transfers that instability onto itself and neutralizes those free radicals.

So, in the aftermath of the vaping illnesses and deaths, an important question emerges: What happens if, instead of eating vitamin E in your diet, you inhale vitamin E, along with a vaporized solution of THC?

I have no idea.

There are only a tiny handful of studies in which someone tried to nebulize, or vaporize, vitamin E in experiments related to lung health. All were animal studies with a small sample size, and none were combined with a THC vaping fluid.

Its also not clear in this case why vitamin E acetate was added to the vaping fluid, but reports suggest it is used as a cutting agent to make the THC oils less thick. Perhaps someone thought it was safe to do this in an inhaled product because vitamin E was a natural vitamin. Importantly, however, many substances that are helpful when taken orally can be harmful when inhaled.

The fact that vitamin E typically has to travel in fat-soluble lipids may perhaps provide a clue as to the harms vitamin E acetate can cause when vaped. Physicians have long known that inhaling oils and other lipids can lead to the deposition of oily droplets in the lungs. They also know that this deposition can in turn can lead to inflammation and the potential for permanent lung scarring, respiratory failure or death. Its not a good idea to consistently inhale particles like small solids or oily liquid drops into your very delicate lungs.

We all know what it feels like to choke on something large enough to block our windpipe. But a small, inhaled particle can go past the large airways and lodge in the tiniest airways and the alveoli that transfer oxygen into our bloodstream, causing damage to these fragile structures.

We may not notice right away that we are being harmed. Only tiny segments of the lung are affected, and our lungs are designed to have some reserve capacity.

But over time, as these small injuries add up, more and more lung tissue becomes involved, and symptoms develop. Such injuries can become fatal. For example, think of the diseases caused by asbestos, silica from sand blasting, coal dust and tobacco smoke.

So, perhaps a vitamin E additive could cause damage in a similar way in this context.

In addition, I believe this is actually a symptom of a broader problem, brought about in part by the 1994 law that allows dietary supplements and some devices to go to market without meeting stringent safety and efficacy standards. Supplement makers dont have to provide evidence that their products work, and the FDA allows them to monitor the safety features themselves.

Its a good business for the manufacturers; dietary supplements sales are estimated to be worth about US$120 billion by 2020. But it may not be good for the American public. By taking untested products, or by using products that are safe in one context but not studied in another, consumers end up participating in millions of uncontrolled experiments in which safety data are frequently absent. There is minimal quality control, minimal oversight and minimal knowledge of what might happen.

Any type of minimally regulated product that we inhale into our lungs on a regular basis clearly deserves a special level of scrutiny before use. I would argue that any inhaled product should have to demonstrate significant safety data prior to being allowed on the consumer market. Do these products even work? How do they work? If they do work, whats the right dose so that its safe, but still effective? How long can you safely use it? Without that knowledge, we are sailing in dangerous waters with no map.

So, until the day that our poorly regulated, uncontrolled market of self experimentation in lung health comes to an end, I will share a motto that experiments and experience have equally proven to be true. If you want your lungs to outlast your hair, please dont inhale anything but air.

[ Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter. ]

Read more:
Vitamin E and vaping injuries: What's safe in your diet is rarely safe in your lungs - The Conversation US

Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, talked about her growing food empire and played with puppies in New York's Bryant Park. USA TODAY

Food Networkwants to move from your TV to the kitchen.

The cooking-centric channellast month debuted Food Network Kitchen, an app that combines a library of its shows and recipes with live cooking classes taught by its famous chefs. You can make pancakes on Sunday morning with Bobby Flay or Thanksgiving stuffing with Alex Guarnaschelli, asking questions about best practices along the way.The app ($6.99/month) also allows you to order ingredients for the recipes.

It's an ambitious way for the network to evolve as Americans change how they cook and where they get their food content, be it Netflix's food competition series or the delightful YouTubelibrary fromBon Apptit magazine. Now, instead of just watching Ina Garten roast her famous chicken, you can ask her about the one you're roasting at home alongside her.

Bobby Flay makes Buttermilk Pancakes with Blackberry-Blueberry Butter and Cinnamon Maple Syrup on Food Network Kitchen Live.(Photo: Brian David Photography)

But how easy and practical is it to actually cook in real time with a professional chef? How watchable is it? Is it a better option than all those food blogs I find when I google "easy chicken dinners"?

As a hobby cook and TV critic, I wanted to find out just how good the new app is, both for cooking and entertainment.

More: 'Fat and happy, thats my motto:' Scott Conant dishes up decadence at USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience in Chicago

First I had to pick a recipe. I have dietary restrictions requiring the Ketogenic diet, so it was a little difficult to find a meal with a live cooking class that would work for me (the only diet with its own section is vegetarianism). I settled with a replay of a class with Ree Drummond(aka The Pioneer Woman), who taught me how to make "Lower Carb Eggs Benedict," because I've never made the signature breakfast dish before. If Food Network Kitchen is going to be effective at teaching cooking, it has to get me to a halfway-decent hollandaise and poached eggs, at least as well as "The Joy of Cooking" would.

Ree Drummond's dish Lower Carb Eggs Benedict.(Photo: Anders Krusberg)

After choosing my recipe, I tried to use the app's integrated shopping function, which allows you to orderthe ingredients of your recipe through Instacart, Amazon Fresh or Peapod. This didn't work so well for me. I'm a frequent Instacart user, yet the integration never opened the Instacart app on my phone, only the mobile website in a Safari browser window. It also didn't translate all the ingredients correctly (eggs somehow became egg noodles) and I had to delete pantry staples Ialready had, such as white vinegar and salt. I ended up ordering the ingredients manually through Instacart as I would for any other recipe.

Two hours later, I had my suppliesand my stove ready to go.I brought my iPad into the kitchen, pulled up Drummond's course and began. I prepped all of the ingredients as directed on the class page(separated eggs, melted butter, minced garlic). But after I pressed play,I discovered Drummond had prepped some items but chopped others during the class. She also had a pot of water already simmering for poaching eggs, which I didn't, and I had to pause the lesson to avoid falling behind.

More: 'Queer Eye' host Antoni Porowski dishes (get it?) on new cookbook, love and Taylor Swift

As someone who usually reads recipes once or twice before I start cooking, just following Drummond's verbal instructions was scary you want to look at the screen without burning yourselfbut ultimately successful. Drummond walked me through two tasks making hollandaise and poaching eggs that are notoriously tricky for home cooks. But for me, they were easy, and achieved on the first try. She didn't move too fast, although the number of steps she did at once such as leaving the bacon to brown on the stove while blending the hollandaise was more than I usually do. But I'm happy to try to pick up this time-saving habit.

Some key parts of the recipe appear on-screen but are left out of the verbal instructions:At what heat to saut the kale that replaces the English muffin, or how much white vinegar to add to the egg-poaching water.They were a little too easy to miss, and I had to rewind the video twice to make sure I was on the right track. However, if I incorporated this kind of cooking into my everyday life, I'm pretty sure I could adapt to paying attention to the screen when necessary.

Ree Drumond walked me through cooking this Low Carb Eggs Benedict. How did I do?(Photo: Kelly Lawler/USA TODAY)

Overall, I burned nothing, consumed no raw eggs or meat, and finished almost at the same time as the professional chef. I'm almost ashamed to admit that keeping up with Drummond gave me a slightly greater sense of satisfaction than just following any old recipe. I didn't just cook; I cooked professionally. And, critically, my dish tasted delicious when I ate it for lunch.

Other than the classes, the app is a lot of fun to play with. It offers many videos you can see in other places (on TV orInstagram)that are classic Food Network, but the best videos are the kitchen-specific ones, whether or not you catch them live.

More: Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond on food, puppies, keto diet and why she's not like the Gaineses

They have a laid back, loosey-goosey vibe, from a producer shoutingaudience questions at the chefs off-mic to how frequently the chefs mess up while multitasking. It offers a more real view of their personalities that hyperedited TV shows and shiny, slickInstagram posts lack. Flay gets adorably flusteredwhen he drops an egg. Guarnaschelli cheekily blames audience members when she burns toast.

Alex Guarnaschelli gets cooking on Food Network Kitchen Live.(Photo: Brian David Photography)

As a one stop-shop for all my cooking needs, the app doesn't get it all done. It lacks the ability to bookmark recipes for later use, despite its big library. And although Thanksgiving is on everyone's mind,it's a bit too holiday-centric right now, with other types of meals not as prominently featured.

Inevitably, Food Network Kitchen isn'tall that revolutionary. It's really just a combination of Facebook Live andPinterest. But that's not a bad thing! The internet has given rise to an incredible number of recipes, blogs, videos and hacks for home cooking, and trying to find something to make for dinner on a Tuesday can be overwhelming. The app offers a clean, easy-to-use, and most importantly,funway to spice up getting dinner on the table.

If you're already paying for a meal kit, online cookbook or similar service, your money won't buy you much. But if you adore all things Food Network and love to cook, the price tag might be worth it.

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Food Network Kitchen app test drive: Cooking eggs benedict with the Pioneer Woman - USA TODAY

Crohns disease is an inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Together with ulcerative colitis, Crohns is one of the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohns affects approximately 500,000 Americans and is a chronic, lifelong condition that typically alternates between periods of relatively stable or absent symptoms (remission) and periods of symptom flare-ups that can last for days, weeks, or even months.

The goal of treatment is to induce remission and then to maximize the chance that patients stay in remission. However, almost everyone with Crohns disease will experience a flare-up at some point. If you have Crohns disease, it is important to understand what you can do to reduce the risk of a flare, to recognize symptoms of a flare, and to manage flares when they do happen.

Flare-ups can be triggered by a variety of factors including changes in diet, new medications, infections and antibiotics, stress, and changes in the underlying disease itself. In some cases a specific trigger can be identified, but in many cases the trigger remains unknown.

Symptoms of Crohns disease can vary widely. Some people primarily have abdominal pain and diarrhea, while others may have lack of appetite, nausea, or abdominal distension, and still others may have less specific symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, mouth ulcers, or eye symptoms.

The key is to have a good sense of your baseline symptoms at remission, and how your Crohns disease manifests when it is more active. A number of smartphone apps, including Oshi: IBD tracker and myColitis, can help patients better monitor their condition, prompting you to track things like bowel movements, symptoms, and medications. The Crohns & Colitis Foundation has developed an easy-to-use symptom tracker. These types of records can help you provide your gastroenterologist with a more complete picture of your disease activity between office visits.

You should contact your doctor if you think you are experiencing a flare so he or she can test to see if the flare is due to an infection, or determine if any new medications or exposures, such as recent antibiotics, might have triggered the flare. In the absence of infection or another reversible cause of the flare, your gastroenterologist may recommend a treatment course of corticosteroids, either topical (applied to the lower colon through enemas or suppositories) or systemic (body-wide).

Symptom flares can also indicate a change in your bodys response to your current treatment. For example, each year a portion of patients who take either immunomodulator or biologic medications such as infliximab (Remicade) or adalimumab (Humira) stop responding to their medication. Sometimes a major symptom flare can signify that these medications are no longer working. Your doctor can perform tests to confirm if this is the case and, if necessary, switch you to a different medication.

There are a number of additional measures you can take to help manage flares when they do occur.

Avoid NSAIDs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) can impair the ability of the GI tract to protect and heal itself, and can precipitate a flare. If you are having pain, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead of NSAIDs.

Quit smoking. Smoking is a strong risk factor for developing Crohns disease and can also set off a disease flare. Quitting smoking is strongly associated with fewer flares, decreased medication requirements, and reduced risk of surgery.

Reduce stress. Although stress does not directly cause Crohns disease, it does strongly impact IBD symptoms. Many people with Crohns disease find the regular use of stress management and stress reduction techniques to be helpful. These can include meditation, deep breathing, biofeedback, yoga, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Simplify your diet. There is no specific diet that prevents or cures Crohns disease, but you may identify specific foods that tend to worsen your symptoms. Keeping a food journal can help you make these connections. There are also several general principles that help most patients feel better when they are experiencing a flare:

Minimize caffeine and alcohol. They may make symptoms worse during a flare.

Most people with Crohns disease will experience a flare at some point, even if they take their maintenance medications as directed. Carefully monitoring and tracking symptoms every day will help you recognize a flare-up when it begins. Let your gastroenterologist know about a flare-up and to be sure to follow recommendations for medications and tests. Dietary and lifestyle modifications can also help manage flare-ups when they do occur.

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Living with Crohn's disease: Recognizing and managing flares - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health

Australia produces some of the best food in the world, from the fresh produce we grow, to our award-winning dairy, world-class wine and the coffee we brew. But, increasingly, Australians are recognising foods impact beyond its ability to contribute to a delicious meal.

Australians want to eat more sustainably. Dr Denise Hamblin, of market research firm Colmar Brunton, says there is rapid movement towards choosing food that supports a healthier planet. As we see social values moving, we also see diet and food preferences changing, she says. Were looking for a better way of doing things and were courageous enough to scrap the old methods and start fresh.

In fact, research shows that making good choices for our bodies is almost always better for the environment, too. So, what should be on our plates?

In a nutshell, we should be eating food that is more nutritious and has a smaller footprint. CSIRO researchers call this a higher quality and lower emission (HQLE) diet. Compared to eating lower quality and higher emission diets - usually those with lots of processed junk food - an HQLE diet cuts greenhouse gas emissions by almost half, CSIRO research has found.

Principal Research Scientist from the CSIRO, Brad Ridoutt says Dairy in Australian diets represents around 10% of the carbon footprint and around 15% of the water footprint, which in other words, means that 90% of greenhouse gas emissions are coming from other kinds of foods.

Weve also looked at the water footprint of plant alternatives and some have a lower water footprint, and some have a higher water footprint - so even if you stop drinking cows milk, its not that simple and there are trade-offs . Its best if you can consume an appropriate amount of food and avoid wasting it, he says.

A sustainable diet considers the whole life cycle of food, from paddock to palate. Food production is a complex system that includes farming, logistics, processing and distribution - and thats just to get it into the store. With so many working parts, making the right choices in the supermarket aisle can be tricky.

The CSIRO recommends we make three fundamental shifts:

1. Think about what your body needs and stick to it. We should be aiming for smaller serving sizes with higher value. Australians perform poorly when it comes to getting the right balance. The bigger the serving, the higher the impact on the environment and our health.

2. Eat in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines. That means eating a wide variety of food from five groups: wholegrains; vegetables and legumes; fruit; dairy; and lean meat, fish and nuts. And it means consuming fewer chips, lollies and soft drinks. Tools such as the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score can show you how you measure up.

3. Reduce your food waste. In Australia, 3.7m tonnes of household food waste ended up in landfill in 2016-17 thats a waste of food, but also of the environmental impact of making it.

The food system is estimated to account for 19-29% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, Dr Maartje Sevenster, from the CSIROs Climate Smart Agriculture group, says the relationship between food and the environment is complicated.

Just looking at the percentage contribution doesnt tell the whole story, she says. While the food industry contributes relatively high emissions, it has positive impacts, too, from employment (agriculture is the biggest employer in the world) to our mental wellbeing. With no alternative to food, its impossible to cut emissions entirely. Instead, we need to think about how we can eat more efficiently for our health, and in a way that justifies the environmental and economic impacts.

The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health says drastic changes in diet, food waste and production practices are required on a global scale. As well as having a positive impact on climate crisis, this shift would be likely to result in significant health benefits and reduce the worldwide burden of disease.

The EAT-Lancet report recommends setting boundaries for food production in a number of areas, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use and cropland use. Ideally, it says, world agriculture will shift from carbon contributor to carbon sink - absorbing more than it emits.

Climate health would not be the only benefit - eating this way is actually better for our bodies. Research shows that adopting an HQLE diet could reduce current adult mortality rates by as much as 23.6%.

What does all of this mean for the way we eat? In Australia, farmers are finding innovative ways to be more sustainable from the very beginning of the cycle.

Sevenster says sustainable agriculture has a dual benefit. Its on the boundaries of environment and economy, she says. Farming more sustainably, through innovation and land care, often makes better financial sense, too.

Dairying contributes about 1.6% of Australias total greenhouse gas emissions, and the industry has committed to keeping its nutrient-rich products on the menu while lowering its environmental impact. Dairys sustainability goals include taking stewardship of natural resources to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and reducing water use by 20%. Its all about striking the right balance between impact and output.

This activity aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), which take an inclusive, big-picture approach to sustainability. Sustainable practice builds on itself - every innovation drives global progress forward.

True sustainability provides food and nutrition security for current and future generations. It meets multiple UNSDGs - not just zero hunger but also clean water and sanitation, life on land, and responsible consumption and production.

Hamblin says consumers really want this level of equity, and are tired of waiting. Were looking for absolute transparency and honesty in everything, from the animals and staff involved in creating a product, to where and how it is made and the impact on the environment, she says.

Sustainability starts to come out as really important because we are seeking fairness.

Its true: a sustainable diet means cutting back on the sweet stuff we love and reducing some other macronutrients but there is still plenty to enjoy - and cheese lovers will be pleased to find dairy is still on the menu. For inspiration, check out EAT forums tasty, healthy and planet-friendly recipes.

The upshot? Choose a diet that minimises your environmental impact by opting for one that is composed predominantly of foods with high nutritional value and small carbon footprint.

Your body will thank you - and so will the planet.What matters to you, matters to us too. Learn more about Australian dairy from Dairy Australia.

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Turns out eating healthy is good for the planet's health too - The Guardian

NEW YORK (AP) Ree Drummond known for her Food Network cooking show, ``The Pioneer Woman wont follow diet trends to sell cookbooks.

I have found that I have to be authentic to me, otherwise it wont work. My interest will fizzle. I stay most passionate when its something thats really going on in my life, she told The Associated Press.

For instance, Drummond tried the Keto diet this year, but didnt stick with it. Still, she does offer Keto-like recipes in her latest cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier, to reflect public interest in the diet.

It was a little too hardcore for me to sustain, but thats what was behind the handful of lower-carb recipes in the cookbook. Just on those days or weeks when you want to kind of make slightly smarter choices, those are the recipes that reflect that, she said.

But I call them lower carb because Im not making any Keto gods happy.

Drummonds cooking is all about making your stomach happy. Shes generally known for hearty fare, along with rich desserts. Surprisingly, though, bread is not her strong suit.

I can kind of muddle through ... But I just dont have the artistry to make a really great loaf of bread. So thats going to be my lifetime goal, she said.

Her cookbook includes step-by-step visual guides with her recipes.

Its the style that I used when I first started food blogging back in 2007. I just decided to take pictures of the steps as I cooked, Drummond said. I had no idea if anybody would be interested, but I posted them and the people who read it at the time said, Hey, do another one. And so that became my style.

Her brand continues to grow each year. She started as a stay-at-home married mom to four children on her ranch in Pawhusaka, Oklahoma, blogging about motherhood and simple recipes. Now she has a hit show, a collection of cookbooks and childrens books, and a houseware line at Walmart. She was even featured on the cover of People magazine.

I blogged on a whim, but I blogged about things that made me tick. Like, my kids. I wrote funny stories about raising them in the country, she said. Its kind of crazy what has happened since then. But its helped me enjoy the ride because, you know, just make all the plans you want and then pop popcorn and sit back and watch. You never know what will happen.

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'Pioneer woman' sticks to her groove with new cookbook - Associated Press

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