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What if you stopped obeying a list of rules about what and how much you eat? Intuitive eating aims to help people do just that, working to heal their relationship with food after a lifetime of off- and on-again dieting.

There are 10 different principles that characterize this practice, which was defined by registered dietitian nutritionists Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. The basic idea is that it is possible to let go of the belief system that dieting is beneficial and necessary for a healthy lifestyle. It encourages the honoring of hunger and cravings and challenges beliefs about good and bad foods. Food is meant to become neutral for those practicing intuitive eating, explains Devrie Pettit, the RD behind Happily Fed. This can give you more freedom while making decisions about food, allowing you to eat what sounds satisfying and what makes your body feel good.

Related: Intuitive Eating Is the Anti-Diet to End All Diets

It sounds pretty great, right? The idea of never dieting again is incredible, but it could also make you feel nervous, too. Surely unconditional permission to eat doesnt apply to everyone, right? If you feel skeptical that intuitive eating is a good fit for individuals with a chronic illness like diabetes, you are definitely not alone.

Intuitive eating is for everyone.

Its a big myth that intuitive eating isnt appropriate for everyone, says Cara Harbstreet, RD, of Street Smart Nutrition. It was created by two dietitians for the very purpose of supporting health and well-being, so its a natural complement to the interventions or management plans for chronic diseases.

Removing food rules may feel risky for someone with a chronic disease. It may seem that doing so could contribute to out of control eating behaviors or worsened symptoms. While some may initially experience intensified cravings and feel they are eating more than normal, this is a pretty normal first step toward a healthier relationship with food, according to Harbstreet.

Unconditional permission to eat is often misconstrued as free and open access to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, says Harbstreet. And perhaps on the surface, yes, this is a process one must go to in order to rebound from years of dieting and restriction.

She adds that, with time, practicing intuitive eating can take on the form of learning to honor when you are hungry and when youve had enough. Youll feel OK eating a snack even though it was unplanned, allowing yourself to eat foods because they bring enjoyment, and eating during times previously seen as off limits, like right before bed.

Try the fur cure. Simply petting an animal can decrease the level of the stress hormone cortisol and boost release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, lowering blood pressure and heart rate and, possibly, elevating your mood.

Additionally, this evolving relationship with food is a chance to see it for what it really is.

When you neutralize all food, you dont see it as good or bad, and you come to realize that all food serves a purpose, says Pettit. Food can provide nutrients, energy, or just taste good. Some foods encompass all three purposes.

This means that, once you allow yourself to consider all foods, you can choose what sounds good to you, what you have available and time to prepare, and what feels good in your body.

Intuitive eating isnt just an OK choice for individuals with diabetes, it can be incredibly helpful in managing the chronic illness for the long term. As an example, the principle of Making Peace with Food is important to individuals with diabetes, says Harbstreet.

So often, foods with carbohydrates are vilified or avoided, she explains. Which creates a cycle of deprivation and intense cravings or binge eating for many people.

Related: How You Can Reverse Type 2 Diabetes, According to Experts

This is just one example. It is possible to see how other principles like, Exercise Feel the Difference, could be a good fit for someone coping with diabetes. Additionally, there is a big mindset shift that comes with adopting intuitive eating as a lifestyle, as Harbstreet points out.

Rather than use scare tactics or fear to motivate someone, IE offers support, encouragement and non-judgment to allow room for learning and mistakes, she says. Ultimately, its a more compassionate way to help people with diabetes feel empowered and confident in their ability to do whats best for them and their bodies.

Another aspect of this mindset shift is letting go of the expectation that weight loss is the goal for someone with diabetes. Pettit is quick to explain that becoming smaller isnt necessary, that it isnt possible to make accurate assumptions about how a person eats or moves based on their size or appearance. It is also true that it is completely possible to improve blood cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure levels because of new, health-promoting behaviors without seeing the number on the scale change.

The biggest misconception is that weight loss automatically equals better health, Harbstreet adds. I find that although this may be the case for some people, its usually a temporary fix and it removes attention from the other healthful behaviors that are also important.

So, how exactly should someone with diabetes get started with intuitive eating? The first step is to find an IE coach who is also a registered dietitian to visit with about first steps. This person will help you as you face the challenges of completely changing how you think about food and health and they can keep your medical providers looped in so you dont get conflicting advice, according to Harbstreet.

Additionally, Pettit offers a few specific tips for the process. She encourages individuals in these circumstances to make sure they are including foods they love to eat and choosing meals, snacks, and exercise routines that are sustainable because they work well with your existing lifestyle. Intuitive eating embraces gentle nutrition, so it is OK to keep in mind basic principles as you build a meal. For example, pairing protein, fats and carbohydrates together is encouraged by Pettit.

Lastly, although this is a practice that is for anyone, it might not be the very first step for specific people. If you are critically ill or in recovery for an eating disorder, there may be additional healing that needs to happen on the road towards an intuitive eating lifestyle. This is why reaching out for professional support is so important as you work on embracing a less judgmental approach to food and exercise, whether youre chronically ill or trying to break free from years of cyclical dieting.

Find out what celebs are saying about diet cultureand why it can be toxic.

Read more here:
Intuitive Eating: Can This Anti-Diet Work for Diabetes? - Parade

Fitness for many is a difficult journey especially when trying to focus on one particular area - such as belly fat- and getting little result.

Exercise and diet both play a crucial role in ensuring you get the results you want.

For so many of us, there are two major factors that prevent us from getting a workout in: time and space,Grincerisaid.

Scheduling time to work out is one thing that takes a lot of organisation and dedication, but finding the physical space to work out should be a no-brainer.

For most, finding the time to go to the gym, especially once winter is in full swing, can be extremely difficult.

Withblastsof cold weather, motivationcandrop and gym membershipsgoto waste, butGrinceriexplained you can do a simple belly fat burning exercise from the comfort of ones home.

DON'T MISS

He said: Working outdoesnt require a huge studio, a spacious backyard, or even the need to move your furniture around, he said.

According to Grinceri, there are four essential moves that use gliders and light ankle weights that each target the core and can be doneina teeny tiny apartment.

These are the top four moves recommended bythefitness specialist.

1. Torso Twist

Angelo Grinceri said: With light ankle weights on, tap right toe in front and put hands behind your head.

Pull belly button in towards the spine as you lift leg up to a soccer kick and rotate torso before bringing to starting position.

Lean body back after restarting each repetition. Repeat 8times on both sides.

2. Rotation Lift

Take one arm straight out at a diagonal and opposite leg out to the side. Lift knee as you squeeze abs, bringing arm to knee and twisting.

Lift and reach back to starting position. Repeateighttimes on both sides, he explained.

3. V-Up

Angelo recommended a V-up as one of the moves a slimmer should do to ensure natural belly fat burning to occur.

He said: Starting on your butt with legs out in a V-position. Lean back and lift knees up slowly as you squeeze core tight before bringing legs back down. Repeateighttimes.

4. Plank Hover

Start in a plank position with both feet on one glider, keeping abs tight and elbows in line with shoulders.

Shift chest forward, bringing it in front of elbows before returning to starting position. Repeateighttimes.

Angelo trained at theGreys Institute of Physiotherapy alongside doctors; armed with the knowledge of how each tiny muscle connects to the bone and how each joint moves. He trained here with his childhood friendStephen Pasterino and founder of the method.

Hisapproach to health and wellness is all about longevity and preparation. He believes we should participate in exercise that prepares the body for all of lifes daily requirements, mainly ones that improve how well we get from place to place (such as walking!)Angelo uses his background in human performance and pilates to stimulate and tone every muscle in the body while challenging balance and coordination.

Angelo regularly treats fans to workout videos and fitness images on his personal Instagram.

As a teenager, he became obsessed with bodybuilding. He lifted heavy weights with basic movement patterns, never stretched, and subsequently felt terrible, with back pain. So he then reviewed his fitness lifestyle and started to replace every piece of it with a more holistic option.

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Star fitness specialist gives his top tips on burning belly fat without going to the gym - Express

Diet plays an essential role in lowering blood pressure and a growing body of evidence recommends certain foods for their blood pressure-lowering properties.

One study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, makes a strong case for supplementing a diet low in saturated fats with walnuts to help lower blood pressure.

In a randomised, controlled trial, researchers examined the effects of replacing some of the saturated fats in participants' diets with walnuts.

Saturated fat is the kind of fat found in butter, lard, ghee, fatty meats and cheese. Eating a diet high in saturated fat is associated with raised levels of non-HDL (bad) cholesterol, a waxy substance found in your blood that is tied to cardiovascular complications, explains the British Heart Foundation.

They found that when participants ate whole walnuts daily in combination with lower overall amounts of saturated fat, they had lower central blood pressure.

READ MORE:High blood pressure: The surprising food that could lower your reading

Read more:
High blood pressure: Include this snack in your diet to lower your reading - Express

By Elizabeth PennisiNov. 14, 2019 , 2:00 PM

Nancy Moran has found clues to evolution in some unlikely places. Some 20 years ago, living in Arizona, she would frequent a Mexican restaurant in Tucson for more than its food. She regularly climbed the fire escape behind it to visit the upper branches of a hackberry treealong with all the insects lurking there. One night, she reached into the foliage and scooped up a nondescript bug that helped change the way she and other biologists think about the evolution of complex life.

The sesame seedsize bug she nabbeda psyllid, which causes the plant stems or leaves it feeds on to form hard nodules called galls around the insectharbored symbiotic bacteria that appear to capture a key stage in the evolution of the cell. Their genomes are so shrunken, Moran found when she returned to her lab and analyzed the bug's microbial cargo, that they seem to be losing their ability to live on their own. They may be on their way to turning into organelles, like mitochondria and chloroplasts, which originated as symbiotic microbes early in the history of life but ultimately became dependent wards of the cell.

Moran, an evolutionary biologist now at the University of Texas (UT) in Austin, has built a career from groundbreaking findings made in plant-dwelling insects. Her work on psyllids, aphids, and other sap-sucking insects has uncovered intricate, intertwined relationships with internal bacteria, which help them survive on a meager diet of plant juices. Moran is "one of the people who pioneered symbiosis as a field and did so with rigorous work and creativity," says John McCutcheon, a former postdoc and now an evolutionary biologist at the University of Montana in Missoula.

Today, such symbioses are widely recognized for creating life as we know it. Energy-producing mitochondria power all complex cells; chloroplasts, where photosynthesis takes place, make plant life possible. The cementing of other host-microbial alliances enabled animals to expand what they could eat, diversify into new species, and conquer almost all parts of the planet. We humans are increasingly aware that communities of microbes in our guts, on our skin, and elsewhereour microbiomeshape our physical and perhaps even mental well-being.

Moran, who received a MacArthur "genius grant" early in her career and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004, has developed her own vital partnership. She has teamed up with Howard Ochman, another UT biologist, for more than 20 years, both personallythey married in 1998and professionally. She has dedicated her career to symbiosis; he has ranged more widely but has contributed fundamental principles about how microbes evolve. "This is quite the power couple," says biotechnologist Andrew Ellington, a UT colleague.

After decades uncovering the evolutionary roots of symbiosis, Moran now looks to microbial communities for ways to address today's challenges. She's studying the gut bacteria in bees, which depend on microbial guests to thrive. That new system, she hopes, will suggest ways to stop the decline of the bees and other pollinators and perhaps yield a simple model for exploring the roles of gut microbes in people.

Honey bees need their gut bacteria to thrive and keep their hives healthy.

While playing outsidewith her seven siblings or hanging out at the Dallas, Texas, drive-in theater her father ran, the young Moran would collect bugs, leaves, and flowers wherever she could. "I was known as the kid who liked plants and insects," she recalls. Her favorites were the tarantulas. (Yes, the entomology Ph.D. knows they are spiders, not insects.) She kept them in jars and fed them crickets. Her family accepted her hobbies, fretting only when, at age 9, she convinced a friend they should test whether the poison ivy next to the school playground really could cause a rash. "That was a horrible disaster," Moran recalls.

Yet she was slow to realize that she could make a career of biology. At UT, she majored first in art and then in philosophy. But an introductory biology class, a university requirement, had an enduring impact. "Once I learned about evolution and natural selection, I decided this was the most interesting thing to spend time on," Moran says.

As a graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Moran trained with the famous 20th century theoretical evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton, and they became close friends. "We talked about everything big ideas and what kinds of science make a difference in understanding the evolution of life," Moran says. Entomology remained her first love, however. Every free moment she wriggled into bushes, looked under leaves, and peered into flowers to see what new insect species she could find.

After she took a faculty job at the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1986, a phone call from Paul Baumann, a microbiologist at the University of California (UC), Davis, helped her link her two scientific passions. Baumann was studyingBuchnera, a once free-living bacterium now found solely inside aphids. In the 1960s, a German biologist named Paul Buchner had cataloged these endosymbionts and written a tome with intricate illustrations of where they lived in the aphids, as well as in lice, beetles, and other insects. Buchner suggested those symbioses were essential, life-long relationships that had existed for millions of years.

If so, the microbes and the insects must have evolved togetherand their DNA should tell the tale. To test the idea, Baumann needed Moran's aphid expertise. By sequencing the genomes of various aphid species and theirBuchnera, Baumann and Moran built family trees for both organisms, and found that the microbes had diversified in step with the insects. Using various aphid fossils to date the trees, they found that the partnership began some 200 million years ago. Since then,Buchnerahas passed from one aphid generation to the next, coevolving with its host.

Aphids dine on sap they suck from a plants phloem, or circulatory system, but that diet lacks key nutrients. The insects rely on internal bacteria called Buchnera to convert amino acids in sap, such as glutamate, into ones they are missing. The bacteria, in turn, benefit from other nutrients and shelter provided by the aphid.

C. BICKEL/SCIENCE

For the next 15 years, Baumann, Moran, and their colleagues used similar DNA analyses to document equally long-term relationships between bacteria and white flies, spittlebugs, cicadas, leafhoppers, and psyllids. Some partnerships dated as far back as 270 million years, they concluded. The work "established that symbiosis is a central part of evolution that goes way back," Moran says. She and other biologists propose the microbes helped the insects exploit new food sources and habitats, resulting in a rapid diversification that paralleled the diversification of flowering plants.

"Having her as an organismal biologist and him as a microbiologist was really helpful for the field," McCutcheon says.

The sequencing also suggested why such partnerships have persisted for so long.Buchnera, for example, has genes that enable it to make amino acids not available from sap or from the aphid's own metabolism, compensating for the insect's poor diet. Meanwhile, living in the protected environment of the aphid's specialized bacteria-carrying cells,Buchnerahas lost essential genes, so it has to rely on the aphid to make up for those losses. In the late 1990s, this interdependence seemed remarkable, and it helped reshape how symbiosis was viewed.

Moran's genomic approaches to symbiosis have since inspired many researchers, says Angela Douglas, who studies insect-microbe interactions at Cornell University. Twenty-five years ago, "We were the crazy people" for thinking symbiosis was so important, she recalls. Today, such close connections have proved to be the rule for many host-microbe partnerships.

Moran's later work in insects confirmed the power of symbiosis. She, McCutcheon, and others found that some insects can't survive without multiple symbionts. In the glassy-winged sharpshooter and the cicadaboth also sap-sucking insectsone symbiont supplies eight of the 10 essential amino acids missing in their diet, and another symbiont supplies the other two. In other sap-sucking insects, symbionts serve additional functions, Moran and her colleagues discovered. In aphids, a symbiont makes the insect less susceptible to parasitic wasps by carrying a virus that's toxic to the wasp's young. Other symbionts improve the aphid host's tolerance for high temperatures, enabling it to thrive in new environments. That work illustrated the complexity of microbial partnerships and hinted at the spectrum of advantages that microbial guests confer, a theme increasingly evident in studies of the human microbiome.

A room full of plants teeming with aphids keeps Nancy Moran and her team well-supplied for experiments.

Moran also unexpectedly discovered that deleterious mutations are often common in the hosted microbes, suggesting symbiosis isn't always a win-win for both partners. The microbial genomes were naturally decaying through time for two reasons: The bacteria lacked a sexual phase of reproduction, which could recombine DNA and replace bad genes, and only a few of the bacteria trapped inside an aphid pass along to the next generation, a winnowing that further restricts recombination between microbes. The buildup of mutations steadily erodes the number of working genes in the bacteriaBuchnerahas just 600 genes compared with the 5000 or so poweringEscherichia coliand make those that remain less functional. "The insect is basically relying on a symbiont that's falling apart," Moran says.

She and Japanese colleagues later identified one way aphid endosymbionts cope with the decay: by making a lot of heat shock proteins, which can help stabilize faulty proteins produced from the mutated genes. Another bulwark against decay, Moran suggests, is what's known as horizontal gene transfer, in which essential genes from the partner microbe or outside microbes migrate to the host genomeas genes from mitochondria did. That way they can benefit from the host's sexual reproduction, which enables intact copies to replace mutated ones.

Moran's groundbreaking paper on gene decay came out in 1996. Her lab in Arizona was thriving, but her associate professor's salary barely covered her bills. "I was broke," she recalls, and nearly overwhelmed being a single mom. Divorced for the second time in early 1997, with a 5-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old stepdaughter, she struggled to balance work and family life. "If you have kids, you are not allowed to fall apart," she says. Yet she couldn't travel to scientific meetingskey to any young professor's career.

The MacArthur grant she received in 1997, which paid more than $50,000 annually for the next 5 years, lifted those burdens. She immediately hired a housekeeper and reduced her teaching load.

At the time, Ochman was studying bacterial genomes. Curious to meet this newcomer to microbial evolution, he prodded organizers of one of the exclusive Gordon Research Conferences to invite Moran. So few women were present that Ochman knew exactly who she was. With characteristic directness, he walked up and asked what she was doing with the MacArthur money. Moran, who tends to be reserved, was charmed. They married 14 months later, and he followed her to the University of Arizona. In 2010, Yale University recruited them to set up a center on microbial diversity. In 2013, the couple moved back to Moran's home state.

She says their shared passion for evolutionary biology and Ochman's encyclopedic knowledge of the field have aided her immeasurably. He "has had a huge positive impact on my science."

Nancy Moran met her husband Howard Ochman, who studies microbial evolution, at a scientific conference and their professional and personal lives have become deeply intertwined.

Early on, Ochman had been puzzling over two microbial mysteries: why genomes ofE. colistrains can vary in size by as much as 50%, and how other bacteria abruptly change from benign to pathogenic. By scrutinizing the microbes' genomes, he found that they readily gain and lose genes by swapping them with other bacteria or with their hosts. Such horizontal gene transfer could help explain the genome size variation, how bacteria pick up genes for toxins or other weaponsand also how a symbiont such as the ones Moran studies might shift essential genes to its host.

Moran and Ochman have offices less than 100 meters from each other. He often pops in on her, whether to discuss a possible grant proposal, go over the latest data, or just have lunch. "We spend 18 hours a day together," Ochman says. Yet their personalities are a world apart. Boisterous and impulsive, Ochman jumps quickly into new topics (ape microbiomes recently). Steadfastly loyal, Moran picks a questionor a partnershipand works on it thoroughly. "She is more logical and takes a more long-term view," Ochman says.

Moran's continued insect collecting led her to examples of bacterial symbionts with such tiny genomes that they are inextricably tied to host cells. One wasCarsonella ruddii, from that psyllid from the Mexican restaurant, which proved to have just 160,000 bases compared withE. coli's 5 million bases andBuchnera's 640,000. Other genomes were even smaller. The findings have convinced her that no clear dividing line separates organelles and endosymbionts. "My view is that these words are just labels," she says.

Honey bees have become one of Moran's enduring interests, prompted by her hypothesis that gut bacteria might play a role in the well-documented decline in the bee population. Her team's early work showed the honey bee gut contains eight species of bacteriaa manageable number compared with the hundreds typical of the mammalian gutand that every honey bee around the world has the same set. A student in her lab at Yale figured out how to grow each of the eight kinds in the lab; in contrast,Buchneracontinues to be unculturable.

Nancy Morans molecular and microscopy studies of aphids (in dish) have uncovered key principles of symbiosis.

By isolating pupae before they emerge, Moran's team can keep worker bees from inoculating the young bees with the bacteria. The resulting "microbiome-free" bees, the group found, vividly demonstrate the importance of these microbial guests. Lacking their usual microbiomes, the bees gain less weight, are more susceptible to pathogens, and die sooner. Hives decline.

Recently, Moran's graduate student Erick Motta showed that bees with an intact microbiome become more susceptible to pathogens when exposed to glyphosate, the herbicide marketed as Roundup. Glyphosate has been considered harmless to insects and other animals because it affects an enzyme that only plants and microbes use. But through its effects on microbial guests, the compound may harm insects as well, the work suggested. (When this work was published last year, Roundup's maker issued a statement saying: "No large-scale study has ever found a link between glyphosate and honey bee health issues.")

To Moran, the honey bee microbiome is complex enough to stand in for the human microbiome but simple enough to be dissected in a way the human counterpart cannot be. Moran's work on bees "has been some of the most reliable, clearly articulated work" on gut microbes, says Jon Sanders of UC San Diego, who studies human microbiomes. He expects the honey bee studies will yield insights into how gut microbial communities in general function.

The bee work led to other payoffs after Moran started to work with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). which sought proposals to harness microbial systems. At first she hesitated: "The purpose was to engineer something, rather than simply to understand something, as had been true for all my work up until then," she explains. But she, UT bioengineer Jeffrey Barrick, and Ellington got DARPA funding to devise methods to alter the bee microbiome in ways that would change the insect's traits. Such tinkering might make bees more resistant to stresses, for example, which could help preserve the vital pollinators. To show a proof of principle, UT graduate student Sean Leonard recently engineered a bacterium from the bee gut to produce RNA that increases production of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter. Preliminary results suggest those bees are better learners as a result.

Colleagues are curious to see what Moran learns next from honey bees or any of the insects whose inner lives she probes. "She's not just a one-hit wonder," says Ute Hentschel, a marine biologist at GEOMAR-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany who studies sponge-microbe symbioses. "She has an amazing capacity to focus things so that [new insights] precipitate out."

Moran believes that, like most complex partnerships, the unions between insects and microbes will take a lifetime to unravel. "The host and the symbiont communicate in ways we don't understand," she says. "We're working to figure that out."

Originally posted here:
A love of insects and their microbial partners helped this biologist reveal secrets of symbiosis - Science Magazine

A new study has revealed that millions of Brits dont know what they should be eating to have a healthy, balanced diet

When it comes to food, many Brits are left scratching their heads. Balanced diets and portion sizes could have millions of Brits left confused, a new study has revealed. Looking at the responses of 2,000 British adults, researchers revealed that almost half of us have no idea how much protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugar, dairy, fruit and veg we are supposed to be eating.

A further 49% said they dont understand what a correct portion size would look like, leading to an overwhelming nine out of 10 admitting their diet probably lacks balance. Its no wonder, with a third of adults not eating fruit each week and nearly half (46%) consuming no vegetables at all on a weekly basis. Just a fifth of us are cooking our meals from scratch - and even then, we do it twice a week or less due to the time it takes out of our already busy schedules.

The study went on to reveal that many of us are favouring foods with little-to-no nutritional value. On average, British adults are eating sugary foods four times a week, and resorting to foods high in saturated fats three times a week. Current expert advice suggests we shouldnt be having more than 11% saturated fat from our total daily calorie intake, while sugar should be 5% or less.

Its not all bad news; research revealed that we are consuming plenty of milk, yoghurt and cheese, all of which can be great sources of protein - an essential component in supporting muscle mass - as well as calcium - an important part in maintaining our bones and teeth.

To help us better understand food and nutrition throughout our lives, a group of nutritionists, researchers and health professionals have joined together to form the Food Advisory Board.

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a nutritionist who carried out the study, spoke on behalf of the board: People are being continuously bombarded with nutritional and dietary information. This is leaving them confused as to what they should and shouldnt eat, and ill-informed about the impact dietary restrictions, or fad diets, can have on their health. To ensure you get the key minerals and nutrients needed for maintaining good health, it is recommended you eat a healthy, balanced diet.

This should contain at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, as well as starchy carbohydrates, choosing higher fibre or wholegrain varieties and potatoes in their skins. It should also include dairy products, such as milk or yoghurt, protein, such as lean red meat, beans, pulses, fish, eggs, and small amounts of unsaturated oils or spreads, like rapeseed or olive oil. There is no need to cut out food groups to be healthy.

While vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets are hitting the headlines more than ever, research suggests that few of us are keen to give up on meat entirely. This is despite the health benefits these plant-based diets can offer, ranging from decreasing high cholesterol, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease - not to mention the environmental benefits.

Eating a balanced, healthy diet isnt just vital for our physical health it can have a significant impact on our mental health too. Our diets can have a huge impact, from helping reduce symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) to boosting fertility, reducing high blood pressure to combatting tiredness and improving our skin.

According to professionals from Nutritionist Resource, the three most important things to keep in mind when trying to eat healthily are to:

By focusing on these three areas, you can feel more energised, achieve a better balance, and feel healthier. Through focusing on all-round good health and benefits over short term changes, you can achieve a more sustainable lifestyle that puts your wellbeing first and starts framing food choices in a more positive way.

If you struggle with making healthy food choices and creating a balanced diet, working with a nutrition professional can help. Providing insights into the impact that food and nutrients have on health and wellbeing, speaking with a nutritionist can help you to improve your mood and overall health, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Working with a professional will also help ensure that you are making safe lifestyle changes that are right for you.

A nutritionist can help you to assess your current eating habits and identify any areas which may be negatively impacting your health. They can help you to develop the confidence in making healthier food choices, by helping you to learn more about what your body needs. Tailoring your food to help manage any diet-related or long-term illness, a nutritionist can help take the hard work out of planning healthy meals, as well as helping you to navigate the multitude of conflicting information available on what you should (and shouldnt) be doing and eating.

To learn more about what makes a balanced diet, and to discover how a nutrition professional can help you, visit Nutritionist Resource.

Continued here:
Do You Know What You Should Be Eating? - Happiful Magazine

Collagen powders

Like protein powder, collagen powder can be combined with hot or cold liquids to add nutrition to your diet.

To add to anything: Vital Protein Collagen Peptides

This is probably one of the most versatile collagen peptides products on the market. This flavorless collagen peptide powder is easily dissolvable in hot and cold liquids and can even be added to things like salad dressing, soup, coffee, and pancake mix. Vital Protein Collagen Peptides is also Whole30-approved and Paleo-friendly.

For on the go: Vital Protein Collagen Peptide Powder Stick Supplement

If you like to drink protein shakes after a workout, you know it can be annoying to lug around a big tub of collagen peptides protein powder. That's why these 10-gram powder sticks by Vital Protein are a great option for busy people, gym-goers, and those who want to continue taking collagen peptide while traveling.

For gut support: Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Collagen

Fans of Ancient Nutrition love that this collagen protein powder not only helps with joint and skin health but also seems to help gut conditions, like leaky gut. We like that it's hormone-free, cage-free, and cruelty-free, but we should warn you that this bone broth collagen protein powder has a pretty polarizing taste. While some users have been able to mask the taste with other flavored powders, some have a hard time stomaching the bone broth flavor.

Capsules, pills, and gummies

If you're already take a daily vitamin or supplement, it will be easy to add one more capsule to your routine.

For healthy hair and nails: Codeage Multi Collagen Protein Capsules

We like these collagen peptides protein capsules because they're made from hormone-free, grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine. They're also non-GMO and preservative-free. Users have noticed that their nails and hair grow back faster and stronger with Codeage, and those who suffer from joint pain have also experienced improvement with their pain levels.

A vegan option: Garden of Life Organic Plant Collagen Builder

If you'd prefer a plant-based collagen supplement, this is a great option. Users say that it helps fight hair loss and strengthens nails. We love that it's certified USDA Organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher. This supplement also contains high polyphenolic pomegranate to protect against UV rays and help support skin health.

An affordable choice: Youtheory Collagen Advanced with Vitamin C

This collagen-peptides and vitamin C supplement is designed to fight the effects of aging by improving skin, hair, nails, tendons, and ligaments. Users have noticed reduced joint pain and plumper skin after taking this product. Be aware: Some find these penny-sized pills too big to swallow.

To fight wrinkles: Sanar Natural Premium Collagen Peptides Pills

These collagen peptide pills from Sanar Natural use a specially designed wrinkle formula to improve the look and feel of skin. But even with its wrinkle-fighting focus, these pills should still reduce joint pain. Users love the way their skin looks when taking this product. And we love that you only have to take one easy-to-swallow pill rather than the two- to three-pill doses that some other brands require.

A tasty alternative: MAV Nutrition Extra Strength Collagen Gummies

These delicious collagen gummies are made with Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Biotin, Zinc, and Selenium to improve the look and feel of hair, skin, and nails. These gummies are great for people who are looking to reap the benefits of collagen without downing big pills or adding collagen powder to their morning coffee. Users routinely notice stronger nails and shinier hair after taking these gummies.

Liquid-based collagen

Liquid-based collagen is an easy, convenient option for those who prefer not to take the time to mix powder.

For aching joints: Heivy Liquid collagen supplement collagen drink

This liquid collagen supplement is specially formulated for joints and bones. Users say daily consumption of this supplement has helped with joint pain and improved some joint performance. Unlike many collagen products that are made from bovine parts, Heivy Liquid collagen is made from marine fish collagen.

A hydrating drink: Vital Proteins Collagen Water

It's easy to add collagen to your diet when it tastes like flavored water and comes in a bottle that's easy to grab and go. This collagen water includes 10 grams of collagen per bottle and is sweetened with whole-food ingredients no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. Choose from a variety of flavors like strawberry lemon, blackberry hibiscus, and blueberry mint.

Bone broth

Many bone broth drinkers swear by its immune system-boosting powers, and it can be enjoyed on its own or used as the base of a soup or stew.

For cold days: Bare Bones Beef Bone Broth

Some of us prefer to eat our nutrients rather than take a supplement. Bone broth is an excellent source of collagen, and it makes a good pick-me-up on a cold winter's day. This shelf-stable bagged version is very drinkable and makes a tasty base for a variety of soups.

For a little variety: Kettle & Fire Bone Broth Variety Pack

If you're new to bone broth and not sure whether you prefer beef or chicken or if you're a regular bone broth drinker who likes to change it up this variety pack is the perfect way to add naturally occurring collagen to your diet. Users who practice intermittent fasting find this broth to be suitable, and the flavor is enhanced by the addition of vegetables and herbs.

So, does incorporating collagen products work?

Yes, they will have a positive effect on certain aspects of your self-care routine but they aren't going to be a miracle cure. We spoke to a nutritionist who said the biggest effects will be seen in joint strength (especially for those who workout regularly or have extreme joint issues). The benefits on skin elasticity and nail strength are marginal for most. Like most things in the supplement world, people who have bigger issues will benefit the most.

Read more here:
This trending product promises to improve your skin and fingernails, but does it work? - Chicago Tribune

Opinion Nov 14, 2019 FEATURES, Opinion

By Ember, Contributor

cw: fatphobia, disordered eating

Food is what fuels our bodies. So why is it that there is an ever increasing rise of popularity in dieting and diet culture? A movement that encourages us to deprive ourselves; to aspire to be thin. To put it plainly? A hatred for fat bodies that results in widespread disordered eating.

The way we frame different topics and discussions is very important. This especially applies to the way we talk about food, our bodies and other peoples bodies.

Caloric science is based on outdated Western scientific methods from the nineteenth century by Wilbur Atwater. It is the estimate of how much energy is contained in a portion of food by burning it in a tank submerged in water, and measuring how much burning the food increased the temperature of the surrounding water.

However, it is hard to accurately predict the energy stored in food; our bodies do not work as simply as a furnace burning fuel. There are many factors that influence the calories of the foods we eat, like how the food is prepared, if cellulose is present and how much energy it takes to digest the food.

Not to mention, there are additional factors that affect digestion, such as metabolism, age, gut bacteria and physical activity. Labels on food do not accurately represent what were putting into our body nor what were getting out of it.

Ever since Canada enforced the Healthy Menu Choices Act back in 2016, which requires food establishments to list the amount of calories in their products, there has also been an increasing number of discussions surrounding the negative impact of the addition of calories to menus.

Another measurement that is often used to determine how healthy we are is body mass index, even though it is an inaccurate measurement of health for multiple reasons. It was meant to analyze the weight of populations, not individuals, and doesnt take into account whether mass is fat or muscle. As a result, BMI is a biased and harmful method to gauge health.

Along with measurements like calories and BMI, language surrounding food can also be dangerous. You may hear things like carbs are bad, or you may hear discourse on healthy versus unhealthy foods, cheat days and clean eating, to name some examples. This language can contribute to the notion that we should feel bad for eating food, when it simply is a way to nourish ourselves and additionally, something to enjoy.

Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like nothing tastes as good as skinny feels stem from conflating health and weight, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.

Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like nothing tastes as good as skinny feels stem from conflating health and weight, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.

Hannah Meier, a dietitian who contributed to a project tackling womens health, writes about how society glorifies dieting. In Meiers article titled A Dietitians Truth: Diet Culture Leads to Disordered Eating she writes, I was half-functioning. I remember filling pages of journals with promises to myself that I wouldnt eat. I planned out my week of arbitrary calorie restrictions that were shockingly low and wrote them all over my planner, my whiteboard, the foggy mirror in the bathroom.

For many of us, the mindset of diet culture swallows you whole, consumes your every thought and waking moment, then spits you out like rotten food.

Oftentimes, people arent advocating for diets because they want to be healthy. Instead, they often feel passionate about dieting because of their hate and disdain for fat people since they associate being fat with unhealthy, unhappy or unlovable.

Its also important to note that views on fatness and fat bodies change depending on the time period and culture; renaissance paintings often depict fat women in angelic and celestial aesthetics. As well, certain cultures, both past and present, value fatness as a symbol of privilege, power, wealth and fertility.

Diet culture, eating disorders, and fatphobia are so tightly knit together that they are like an ill-fitting sweater woven by your grandmother that you didnt want or ask for. Sometimes you think about wearing it, to make things easier or simpler. But it wont. You will only become a shell of your former self; a husk that is barely scraping by.

Any joy derived from depriving yourself is temporary. A scale will weigh how much of you is there, but it wont weigh how much of you has been lost to an eating disorder. It is a mental illness, a distortion of reality and external factors that influence how you think. You cant just stop having an eating disorder on a whim.

Calorie counting isnt healthy, demonizing certain foods isnt healthy and having preconceived notions about someones health based on how their body looks isnt just caring about their health. Stop calling food unhealthy or healthy, start calling it nourishing or not/less nourishing. Eat food that makes you happy and makes you feel good. Bodies are so many things, including wonderful and complex. You only have one so treat it with kindness.

Read this article:
OPINION: You can't spell diet without ED - The Silhouette

Canadian pediatricians and family doctors are being encouraged to speak up about alternative treatments that many parents of children with autism seek out, because those therapies are often unproven and even potentially harmful.

In a new position statement, the Canadian Paediatric Society,a voluntary professional association that represents the country's 3,000 pediatricians, describes the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as "rapidly evolving," and says it can "divert time, emotional energy, and financial resources away from more effective conventional treatments" for autism.

"Clinicians must remain familiar with current evidence in the rapidly evolving field of CAM therapies," the statement says, "and be ready to help families distinguish between proven and promising therapies and those that are unproven, potentially harmful, and expensive."

The statement was drawn up by CPS's autism spectrum disorder guidelines task force, which also authored advice to physicians onearly detection and standards for assessing autism.

Task force member Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, a developmental pediatrician in Edmonton, said his fellow physicians must tread carefully when talking to parents, because complementary health practices are very prevalent, and some parents may not disclose relevant informationif they feel judged.

"We walk a fine line," he said.

The task force identified unproven complementary treatments such as vitamins and restrictive diets, herbal supplements, special diets, CBD oil, antibiotics and antifungals.

Zwaigenbaum also warned that blood detoxification (chelation) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are considered risky.

"We do really need to find that sweet spot between giving accurate information and highlighting potential risks," he said. "At the same time, doing it in a respectful way so that we're not coming across that somehow parents aren't sufficiently informed to be making good decisions for their children."

The list of CAM treatments identified by the pediatric society isn't exhaustive. It doesn'tmention, for example, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, bleach, electrodermal screening, as well as otherunconventional tests ordered by alternative health practitioners.

There are no regulations in Canada governing what qualifies as an effective treatment for autism.

Speech therapy, counselling and applied behavioural analysis are among the accepted forms of conventional treatment. However, there is no universal approach to autism treatment.

New Brunswick physician Dr. Philippe Chouinard said that can make parents vulnerable.

"That's where a lot of alternative treatments will prey on parents' fear and concern for their child's future."

Chouinard has young patients with neurodevelopmental issues and has been outspoken about what he calls pseudo-scientific treatments.

He said he wanted the pediatric society's position statement to go further in addressing the long-term impact of some alternative therapies on children, who often don't have a say in their own treatment.

"It's not always free of physical or emotional consequences. I would have liked to have them focus more on those risks, which they don't seem to state."

The family doctor said another issue that should be addressed is how doctors sometimes don't offer parents of children with autism a lot of hope, which could drive them to unproven alternatives.

"When we talk about autism, we tend to focus a lot on the deficits. We have to focus on autism as a series of cognitive strengths and challenges."

As a parent of a child with autism, Sandra Hart of Innisfil, Ont.,said her son's family doctor didn't discourage alternative therapy. But Hart admits she may not have disclosed everything to him.

"You know, we get judged for everything we do as special needs parents. It comes with the territory."

In2008, Hart took herson, Christopher, who was nine years old at the time andhad severely limited verbal skills, to a chiropractornorth of Torontowho claimed he could "correct" autism with cranial "adjustments."She also took Christopher to seea practitioner of electrodermal testing, whooperated out of the chiropractor's office.

Hartestimates she spent more than $5,000 on the chiropractor over the course of ayear and hundreds of dollars more on testing that resulted in her buying multiple nutritional supplements for her son.

"The chiropractor just kept saying, 'Well, you know, we need to go a little bit further. You know, he's doing so well, let's just keep it going.' It wouldn't have stopped had we not stopped it ourselves," said Hart.

The added expenses required making some sacrifices, she said.

"We were a single-income family so that I could stay home and work with Christopher," Hart said."I'd never complain about it, but we did do without."

Hart said she had no way to tell whetherthe treatments were helping her son expand his verbal skills, as he was also seeing a speech therapist at the time.

She feels she was taken advantage of.

"It's desperation. There was no guidance before, from anybody."

She said she's pleased the pediatric society is encouraging physicians to talk to parents about the usefulness of particular CAM treatments.

Cathy Wright of Torontosaid she had to take out a line of creditto help pay for alternative therapies for her son Isaac, 24, when he was a child. She estimates she paid up to$10,000 over the years, excluding food for special diets that a naturopath recommended.

At times, Wright said,it seemed the mainstream health-care system had "written off" Isaac,and that there wasn't much more that could be done to help him.

"You feel inadequate as a parent if you can't do everything possible," she said.

Wright paid for chelation therapy, frequent vitamin B12 injections, homeopathictreatment and a battery of expensive tests that she now says "tell you a lot of bullshit about your kid."

Wright is skeptical the new recommendations fromthe pediatric society will discourage parents from trying costly but unproven alternative therapies.

"There isalways going to be a market for this kind of thing."

Originally posted here:
Why doctors need to walk a 'fine line' when talking to parents about alternative therapies for autism - CBC.ca

Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images Find out how the activist, model, author,TV personality and mommy of two eats.Chrissy Teigen has lived a whole lot of life in her (almost) 34 years. She's been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, food blogger turned best-selling cookbook author, an entrepreneur, TV personality, social justice activist, Twitter comedian and a proud mama of two kids. Oh yeah, and she's married to PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, John Legend.

While Teigen used to be a big advocate for low-carb dieting and focused on maintaining a "model weight," a lot has changed in recent years. Since becoming a mom and a major influencer in the world of food, Teigen has let her passion for cooking, being with her family and enjoying life take priority over an exact number on the scale.

"Since I was 20 years old, I had this weight in my mind that I am, or that I'm supposed to be," Teigen told Women's Health. "I've been so used to that number for 10 years now. And then I started realizing it was a swimsuit-model weight. There's a very big difference between wanting to be that kind of fit and wanting to be happy-fit."

Teigen doesn't look like a glowing goddess by cooking from her Cravings cookbooks every night (after all, her recipes can be pretty indulgent), but we can appreciate her more down-to-earth food and wellness philosophy. Here's what she eats in a day to stay glowing, fit and healthy:

Chrissy loves a savory breakfastthis morning she shared a picture of her eggy avocado toast via Instagram stories. Teigen told Shape that she has to have eggs every day. While she's unashamed of her love for a Sausage, Egg and Cheese McMuffin from McDonald's, she loves to whip up a hearty farmer's breakfast plate at home with eggs, sausage or turkey bacon, sliced avocado and grilled tomatoes. Just don't forget the hot sauceTeigen loves condiments, especially Cholula.

Teigen is also a fan of savory oats in the morning, and our Sriracha, Egg & Avocado Overnight Oats is the perfect combo of her favorite breakfast foods. Serve it up with some turkey bacon, and you have a seriously amazing and hearty way to start the day.

In case you didn't know, Chrissy really loves chicken. Like a whole lot. While fried chicken is one of her all-time favorite foods, we're pretty confident she doesn't eat her chicken fried at every meal. I mean, her book is called Cravings for a reason. You can find her noshing on grilled chicken salads with all the toppings, coconut-chicken curries or a sandwich.

If you really want to lunch like Chrissy, you'll opt for chicken thighs over breasts since they pack more flavor. Our Thai Yellow Chicken Thigh Curry is the perfect 30-minute meal, since it's nourishing and ultra-comforting. You can also make it ahead and pack leftovers for lunch.

While Teigen loves all kinds of food, there are a few that make their way into her daily routine. She told Shape that she loves snacking on avocado halves with a little salt and pepper. (We're guessing there's likely some Cholula around for this snack, too). She's also been known to sip on bone broth between meals when she was nursing her second child, Miles.

And while Chrissy is queen of many things, one of her greatest specialties may just be the midnight snack. She famously told PEOPLE earlier this summer that she loves a ham and cheese sandwichmade with Velveeta slices and mayofor a bedtime snack.

"I eat half of it before I fall asleep and then I wake up three hours later, maybe around 3:00 A.M. and I eat the other half. It's just become a thing and I cannot stop." Teigen said.

Dinnertime is typically Teigen's biggest and most exciting meal of the day. She has a huge respect for her mom's cooking (you've likely seen her on Instagram or on Chrissy's new site), and one of her absolute favorite dinners is her mother's branzino with lemon, garlic and rosemary. Yep, she eats the whole thing.

She also loves Frito Pie during football seasonyou can watch her make it on Instagram under her "Cravings" highlight. Teigen also recently toldFood & Wine that she and her husband have been dining on his Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe at least once a week. Oh, and don't forget pasta. Teigen's Lemon Arugula Cacio e Pepe is a favorite from her first cookbook.

Cheer on the Seattle Seahawks with Chrissy by whipping up our Firehouse Frito Pie, with all your favorite toppings. Oh, and you'll definitely want to be generous with the cheese.

This section almost seems irrelevant for Teigen, because unlike many celebs out there, Teigen is more focused on promoting body positivity than an ideal these days. She doesn't starve herself or wait for a "cheat day" to binge on junkshe lets her body (and cravings, of course) guide her.

Earlier this year, Teigen shared via Twitter that she was still 20 pounds heavier than before having her second child, but wasn't going to hold herself to an unrealistic number she used to always have in her head because she loves food too much (especially since her lowest weight was when she was suffering from postpartum depression after having her daughter).

Both of Teigen's cookbooks involve enjoying life's greatest pleasures, and to her, that sometimes includes fast food, specifically from Taco Bell or McDonald's.

"I get haters who ask why I would eat that kind of meat?" she tells Delish. "There's a balance with anything. When I cook, everything is organic and very clean; I'm meticulous and kind of insane about it. But sometimes you just want a Doritos Locos Taco."

"What I love about Chrissy is she's very transparent and real with her fans. It's clear that she LOVES food and isn't afraid to eat itwhich feels really refreshing coming from a supermodel," says Lisa Valente, M.S., R.D. and nutrition editor for EatingWell. Valente adds, "It's clear that she's getting fruits and vegetables into her diet, in addition to some of the more indulgent foods she enjoys. I love that she celebrates food."

However, no one's diet is perfect, and Valente just has a slight concern over this whole bedtime ham sandwich thing.

"The one place where she may want to make a dietary change, if she hasn't already given it up or cut back, is her nightly ham and cheese sandwich. Not only is it processed meat, I don't know that it's safe to be eating a sandwich that's been left unrefrigerated for more than two hours. It's also probably not great for her teeth, if she doesn't get up and brush them afterwards."

It's important to remember that following someone's diet doesn't mean you will automatically look more like them. As gorgeous and glowing as Chrissy is, what works for her body, palate and schedule may not work for yours. I think I can speak for Chrissy here when I say that as interesting as it is to learn about what our favorite celebrities eat, we all need to find our own way to being healthy and balanced.

Gallery: These 40 fit celebrities over 40 will inspire you to hit the gym (Prevention)

Read the original:
What Chrissy Teigen Eats in a Day to Stay Fit and Glowing - msnNOW

Its been a rocky past couple years for Schoolboy Q but being back on the road now for the gangsta rappers first headlining tour in nearly as long has him feeling sentimental. It was fun, man! I missed it so much, the South Central, Los Angeles-raised MC said, calling from his home in Calabasas, Ca., the morning after a gig in Houston where he said the the crowds were moshing so hard it reminded him of the raucous early shows around his 2012 breakout independent album, Habits & Contradictions. I wasnt even really going to tour this year, Q, who spent much of the past year raising his infant daughter, explained. I was just going to wait until next year, put out another album and figure it out then. But I just had to get out there. I gotta get out the house and get my creative juices going.

See the article here:
Schoolboy Q is back on the road, a place he missed, free of depression and full of new music - Chicago Tribune

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