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Thanks to a growing interest in all things fermented, sourdough is more popular than everand for good reason. The perfect piece of sourdough is chewy and distinctively tangy, more complex in flavor than white bread, and healthier, too.

Raw sourdough is home to the same bacteria that are in yogurt, Lactobacilli, which consumes the flour in the same way as yeast, breaking down some of the gluten proteins while the bread rises. Because of this, some people who struggle to digest gluten find that they can tolerate sourdough bread. The longer the bread rises, the lower the gluten content will be. (That said,store-bought sourdough typically still contains plenty of gluten.)

Fermentation helps lower the breads phytic-acid content, explains Lori Nedescu, a registered dietitian and professional cyclist. Phytic acid is an antinutrient that inhibits the bodys ability to absorb minerals by bonding to them, and its present in most flours. Ultrarunner and registered dietitian Kylee Van Horn explains that phytic acid binds to iron, zinc, and calcium, which can be a concern for those eating a lot of seeds, grains, and legumes at each meal.Lessening the phytic-acid content in a food can help increase absorption of these essential minerals, she says. And athletes, especially those eating vegetarian or vegan diets, are particularly at risk for developing deficiencies.

Research also shows that the carbohydrates in sourdough digest slower, which means you wont get a blood-sugar spike or the subsequent crash. Keeping your blood sugar stable will not only help your energy levels and mood throughout the day, but it can help prevent cravings from happening, says Van Horn. Simple carbohydratesrefined sugars, white flour, white ricecan cause a quick burst of energy for the body, but the body simultaneously releases a burst of insulin, which utilizes those sugars quickly. This causes a quick blood-sugar drop, which leads to hunger, jitteriness, trouble concentrating, and a dropin energy.

Good sourdoughwhich will be more rustic and less processedis my first choice when it comes to bread, Nedescu says.Opt for homemade or bakery-fresh loaves, Van Horn adds.Commercial companies typically use a small amount of starter but then add commercial yeast and other flavors, like vinegar, to give it a sour taste, she says. The very short leavening process means it doesnt have the same health benefits.

Learning to bake sourdough is a great at-home projectfor athletes and foodies alike, but it does take time to perfect the process. It seems simpleall you need is a starter, flour, salt, and waterbut the process is trickier than you might expectand requires patience to get right. Baking is a chemistry experiment, and sourdough is one of the hardest types of bread to perfect, since its yeast-free rising can be influenced by temperature, altitude, and the quality of ingredients, among other factors. Read on to learn how to start your own sourdough journey.

(Photo: Ina Peters/Stocksy)

The first thing youll need is a sourdough starter, which replaces the yeast you would add to typical bread dough. It looks a little like yogurt, but its just flour, water, and salt that has been left at the right temperature to encourage the wild yeast found naturally on flour to ferment. Precise measurements are key with sourdough baking, so youll also want to buy a food scale to measure your ingredients in grams. (You can find one for under $10 here.)

Most bakeries will give you a small sourdough starter if you askas will sourdough-baking friendsor you canbuy one on Amazon. Its easy to do it yourself, too. In a one-quart mason jar, combine 60 grams of whole-grain flour and 30 millilitersof warm water, and let it sit at room temperature, with the lid loose. After two days, stir in 40 millilitersof warm water and 40 grams of flour to feedit, says baker and bikepacker Karlee Gendron, who teaches a sourdough cooking class at Fort Whyte Farms in Alberta.

Thencontinue to feed it with 40 millilitersof water and 40 grams of flourdaily, which is a standard feeding schedule for any starter kept at room temperature.Youll notice it bubblingthat means its beginning to ferment! Ataround seven days (or by the time your starter is bubbling consistently), its ready to use in baking.

Outgrowing your mason jar? Skip to the sourdough pancake recipe below or discard some of the starter, but dont stop feeding it.Each day before feeding, I recommend discarding about two tablespoons of starter in the jar, or you will eventually run out of room, Gendron warns. Oryou could take it out and use that for something like pancakes, or give it to a friend to start their starter.

You can slow the fermentation process by storing your starter in the fridge and feeding it only once per week. But be sure to take your starter out of the fridge at least two days prior to baking. Youll want to feed it twice a day and wait until its actively bubbling again before beginning the baking process, Gendron says.

Baking sourdough takes a couple of days, though your actual time in the kitchen will be minimal. Youll need a Dutch oven: these heavy cast-iron pots hold in heat and trap steam for the perfect baking environment for bread. If you dont have one, you can use any ovenproof heavy pot with a tight-fitting lidor a baking stone with an inverted roasting pan (as a makeshift lid), but cast-iron does make a difference.

Below, Gendron shares her favorite way to turn a sourdough starter into an edible loaf of bread. She has perfected her recipe after years of trial and errorand emphasizes that baking sourdough is hard to get right. Expect a few imperfect loaves before you nail it.

Ingredients

Directions

Day One:

Mix leaven: Add 200 milliliterswarm water (roughly 80 degrees), 200 grams flour,and 50 grams starter to a container and stir. Cover with cling wrap or a tea towel, and let sit approximately 12 hours.

Day Two:

Add 250grams of the leaven to a large mixing bowl. Pour in 700 millilitersof warm water, and mix with your hands until the leaven is dispersed. Add one kiloof flour and mix with your hands until combinedand no dry flour is left. Cover your bowl with a towel or cling wrap, and let it sit for 45 minutes in a warm spot to rise. Mix 20 grams salt with50 millilitersof warm water, dissolving the salt. Pour this over top of the dough, and squeeze the dough with your hands to incorporate the salt water throughout. Cover for 30 minutes, then fold the dough every 30 to 45 minutes, repeating four times (this step takes around three hours). Then let it rest one to two hours untouched and covered. Lightly sprinkle flour on the counter, and cut the dough into two equal halves. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a loose boule, and let them rest on the counter, covered with a tea towel, for30 minutes. Place into heavily floured bowls, and leave the dough covered in the fridge overnight.

Day Three:

Place the Dutch oven (lined withparchment paper if so desired) in the oven,and heat to 500 degrees. Place the bread into the Dutch oven by flipping the bowl over atop it, notingthat the side of bread facing up in the bowl will be the bottom of the bread in your Dutch oven. Score the top of the bread in the Dutch oven by making two slashes, then cover it with the lid. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, then reduce the temperature to 475degrees and bake for 20 minutes with the lid off. (If using a thermometer, the bread should reach 200 degrees.) Cool for one hour, and enjoy!

Use the same first steps in the bread recipe, but instead of putting the bread in the Dutch oven on day three, grab your favorite pizza sauce and toppings, then follow these steps:

Once the final shaping is finished, divide the dough into rounded one-pound pieces, cover,and let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, placing a pizza stone in the oven to heat up at the same time. Dust a cutting board with cornmeal and flour, and press the dough rounds flat until theyre a half-inch thick.Pick up the dough and stretch it using the back of your knuckles, rotating the discaround your hands.Once the dough is at your preferred thickness for a pizza crust, lay it back on the flour-and-cornmeal-dusted cutting board, and assemble your desired toppings.Slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone and bake for about eight minutes, turning the pizza 90 degrees about four minutes in.Cut and serve.

That extra starter can make delicious pancakes, with the perfect amount of tartness to cut through the sweet berries or maple syrup that you put on top.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the starter, egg, and sweetener (if using). Add the flour and milk as needed to achieve your desired consistencythicker batter makes thicker pancakes. Heat a griddle overmedium heat, and pour the batter in three-inch circles, flipping them when theybeginto bubble. Serve with berries, syrup, or Greek yogurt for a breakfast protein boost.

As you prepareyour first few loaves, you might make some common mistakes that lead to dough that doesnt rise or bread thats too dense. Here, Gendron explains some easy fixes for the most frequent sourdough mishaps:

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Everything You Need to Know About Sourdough Bread - Outside Magazine

There are many athletes who work hard on their sport.

Then theres Ian Roach.

From reading books, getting private lessons, analyzing video of his swing, staying after practice daily, hitting the weight room and more, the Putnam County senior does whatever it takes to improve his golf game.

Ive studied (golf) like Im studying for a masters degree almost, Roach said.

The many hours spend studied the game and working on his swing has paid off for Roach.

He led the area in average by two strokes with a 36.8, won the Kewanee and Rock Falls invitationals, placed third in the Tri-County Conference Meet, won the Class 1A St. Bede Regional with a 75, finished second in the Aquin Sectional with a 76 and placed fourth at the state meet with a two-day score of 147.

For all he accomplished this fall, Roach is the NewsTribune Boys Golfer of the Year for the second season in a row.

He set really high goals for himself and came really close to getting exactly where he wanted to be, PC coach Chelsi Straughn-Niewinski said. He wanted to contend for a state championship, and he ended up in fourth place so he did pretty well for himself. He worked really hard and spent a lot of time on the golf course all summer and all fall. He definitely earned it.

Hes said it so many times that theres nothing in this world he loves more than golf, so he just wants to be the best he can be at it. He enjoys it so spending hour upon hour on it doesnt bother him. He can play all day and be happy. He has a strong desire to succeed at it so he just works and works and works.

His work has helped Roach come a long way when he started in the backyard with his dad coaching him.

He gave me the baseball grip just thumb over thumb, Roach said. He told me to keep my head down on the ball. Those were my main swing thoughts.

Since he really enjoyed the game, Roach wanted more than that.

At age 10, at the urging of former PC girls golf coach Eric Ciucci, he started golfing in more competitive tournaments.

Roach read Tiger Woods book, taking lessons from the golf legend and adapting them to fit himself.

He gave tips about his diet and tips about how to practice, what not to eat during practice and all that, Roach said. I took notes from that and was creative with it for myself. I wanted to make sure I was not just trying to emulate Tiger but trying to be me, see what worked for me and just get confident with it.

Roach, who hits the weight room hard in the offseason, follows a certain diet - not super strict - that consists of plenty of lean chicken and pork along with drinking plenty of water while e avoiding drinking anything with too much sugar while on the course.

As a freshman, Roach started seeing Butch Haverland, the director of golf at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill, the site of the John Deere Classic.

I was a mid-80s golfer when I met him and at the end of the year I credit my regional and sectional scores to him because my short game and swing was so much better, Roach said. Hes definitely the reason why my mental game is better. Ive learned so much from him that I can do things without him and just look myself and know that Butch would want me to do that.

With all of his research on diet, swing speed and body rotation along with the lessons learned from Haverland, Roach spent hours on the course fixing his own swing.

It was just getting comfortable, Roach said. There were a lot of times wed get done with practice and I would play well, but there were some shots where I thought, I just cant have those. I didnt want those shots in the tournament. Sometimes Id get stumped and stay because I really cared about the tournaments. I didnt want to have an elongated period of not knowing what Im doing then go to a tournament and try to figure out what Im doing.

So after practice, Roach would set up his phone in the umbrella holder of his push cart, take a swing then watch it back and repeat as many times as necessary.

I do what feels best first then go off of how it looks, Roach said. If it feels good but it doesnt look good on the plane all those things for consistency I know about I have to change it.

I would say looking at my swing definitely helped out with 90 percent of what I did along with a tip from my friend (and teammate) Ben (Cyr) or a tip from my coach.

But no matter what fixes Roach makes to his swing or how much he improves, hes never satisfied, and he plans to keep working as he continues his career at IVCC before pursuing a career in golf.

The thing about golf is you can get so much satisfaction from the work you do, Roach said. You can always get better. I look at my rounds and think, I could have taken three shots off. Even after Kewanee (when I shot a 67) I thought of strokes I could have taken off.

BOYS ALL-AREA TEAM

Kevin Chlum can be reached at 220-6939, or at kchlum@shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @NT_SportsEditor.

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2019 Boys Golfer of the Year - LaSalle News Tribune

The Warriors Insider Podcast

LOS ANGELES --The history of Warriors basketball in the Bay Area is rife with throwaway seasons, including two in which they posted 17 wins and two more with 19 wins. Not once in those 57 years, though, have they lost more than 80 percent of their games.

That inglorious standard is within stumbling distance this season. At 2-9, the Warriors are on pace to finish 15-67. Thats not to say they will. With enough progress and development, they could push their win total deep into the 20s.

That requires a significant upgrade from the pillow-soft defense theyve exhibited thus far.

We just havent found an identity defensively, coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. We dont expect to be the best defensive team in the league, but I dont think we should be the worst.

The Warriors are, 11 games into this transitional season, the worst defensive team in the NBA. In a 30-team league, they are No. 30.

As they stroll into Staples Center to face the Lakers on Wednesday night, the Warriors rank dead last in defensive rating (117.0), in defensive efficiency (1.136), in field goals made per game by opponents (44.7) and in largest average deficit over the course of a game (19.5 points).

Theyre No. 29 in effective-field-goal defense (56.4 percent), just ahead of the last-place Kings.

The lapses and indifference cant be hidden, and they are spotlighted in team video sessions. Its a team game, particularly on defense, but the Warriors wont get much better on that end unless point guard DAngelo Russell and primary center Willie Cauley-Stein are appreciably more effective.

For us to be the team that we need to be, weve got to be super pesky, super aggressive, out in passing lanes, Cauley-Stein said. Our defensive mistakes need to be being aggressive and not just not knowing where to go.

When I asked Cauley-Stein about his thought process when Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drove in for a soaring dunk off a halfcourt set Monday night, the 7-footers reply was try to just put a body in front of him and make him miss it.

Thats not what happened. Cauley-Stein stood flat-footed and watched Mitchells highlight. In fairness to Cauley-Stein, he was nudged toward the baseline by Utah big man Rudy Gobert. But there was no aggressive effort to defend what should be his domain.

Asked, also, there was no indication that Cauley-Stein felt his domain was violated by Mitchell.

Theres no comeback, he said. Its a play-on. Theres probably 200 plays that happen in a game. Its not a touchdown. Its two points. You probably go down and probably score a 3-pointer right afterward.

Its one of them things like, yeah, you want to protect the paint but were also fouling too much. Guys are getting downhill. We have to figure out a way to play without our hands and just being in the way and making dudes miss. Thats where were trying to go to now, is making it extremely difficult.

Though Cauley-Stein looks and runs the part of a rim protector, his resume protests otherwise. In 199 games over four seasons in Sacramento, he totaled 228 blocks. For perspective, Andrew Bogut, who considered the paint his domain, had 227 blocks in 137 games in his last two full seasons as a Warrior.

Understand, blocks are not the only stat, or even the primary stat, that matters. The key is presence, which is best built by consistent assertiveness, a level of resistance that discourages driving.

Cauley-Stein arrived with the reputation of being relatively soft in the paint, uninclined to consistently make others feel his presence. If this continues, so will the dunks.

Willies added quite a bit since his return from injury, Kerr said. Just the size, the rebounding, the ability to change shots at the rim is really important for us.

But this is a teamwide exercise, all five guys being on the same page. Being aggressive, taking teams out of their comfort zone. I dont really look at it as one position. Its all five guys communicating, talking, playing with aggression, playing with force and doing it as a unit.

Which brings us to D-Lo, whose apathetic defense is attracting such derisive nicknames as Angelo and Lo --as in no D.

In his first four NBA seasons, Russell was hounded by coaches and teammates --including as a rookie by Kobe Bryant when the two were Lakers --to work harder on defense. Show more fight. Be more engaged. Take pride. And there were stretches in Russells past, with the Lakers and the Nets, when he played respectable defense.

Indeed, his 110.2 rating last season in Brooklyn was superior to Dennis Schroder (110.3) and Mike Conley (110.8), to players generally considered solid defenders.

Russell now is in his fifth NBA season and first as a Warrior, and both the eye test (indifference and/or immobility) and sheer statistics (119.0 defensive rating) point to steep regression. Only two rotation players in the league, Collin Sexton (121.0) and Jordan Clarkson (119.5), both Cavaliers, finished last season with a worse rating.

After the loss to the Jazz the other night, Draymond Green, general of defense for the Warriors, was probed for his thoughts on fixing the defense.

That all starts at the point of attack, he said. One thing weve been good at over the years is guarding the pick-and-roll with two guys. If you can guard the pick-and-roll with two guys, maybe two-and-a-half guys, you give yourself a lot better chance at taking the 3 out of the game, and also dunks out of the game.

Its not one person in particulars fault. Its just something that weve got to continue to get better at as a team.

The Warriors team defense is so incredibly poor that their players are saddled with the seven worst defensive ratings in the league. Rookies Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole are at 119.4. Veteran wing Glenn Robinson III, cooked repeatedly by Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins despite everyone in the league knowing he always goes right, is at 118.9. Rookie Ky Bowman is at 118.5, two-way guard Damion Lee and veteran wing Alec Burks are both at 117.8

Why is Russell, who made his first All-Star team last season, defending at the level of rookies learning the ways of the NBA and guys trying to prove they can contribute in the league?

Perhaps because hes focused on scoring, especially now, with StephCurry and Klay Thompson out for at least a few months. His scoring is needed to keep the Warriors in games, and its conceivable that he simply lacks thejuice to contribute at both ends. An old quote might provide a clue.

I wanted to play defense in L.A.," Russell told ESPN in August 2017, shortly after being traded to the Nets. "But I felt like I had to score every chance I got for us to be relevant."

[RELATED:How Russell is back to torching opponents in mid-range game]

Can he be blamed if he feels that way with this group of Warriors?

The outlook, then, is grim. The Warriors want no part of being the worst team in franchise history. If they cant do better on defense, they invite that possibility.

Go here to see the original:
Warriors must fix ugly defense to avoid hitting rock bottom - NBCSports.com

Twenty years ago, I wrote my first book about why women cant have it all, or at least all at once, despite what the culture tells them. (Hint: Its because no one, male or female, can perform two full-time jobs simultaneously without the bottom falling out.)

At the time, the so-called Mommy Wars were raging. Women everywhere whod been sold a bill of goods by their feminist mothers and mentors were either lamenting the futility of being able to successfully work full-time outside the home while maintaining a healthy marriage and family life, or they were defending their choice to work full-time by insisting children do fine in round-the-clock substitute care.

Since then, the messages to women about how to have a happy lifeas it relates to love and sex, work and familyhave merely served to make women miserable. Not only are they unhappier than their mothers and grandmothers ever were, theyre significantly more stressed out; much more so than men.

None of this has done anything to help men and women find their way to one another. Dating in America is all but dead, and marriage is at an all-time low. While theres more than one reason for this sad state of affairs, at the heart of it are the lies feminists have been telling for years. Here are four, in no particular order.

It started with a seemingly comical phrase Gloria Steinem didnt coin but repeatedly used during the height of the 1960s feminist movement: A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. Its still alive and well today, whether its Jennifer Aniston talking about how women dont have to fiddle with a man to have that child or Emma Watson talking about self-partnering. Over time, as women began to make their own money and take advantage of the newfound birth control pill, they came to believe that women dont need men.

They were wrong. Biologically, women are wired to depend on menregardless of much life has changed. Most women still want to be mothers, and when they do they become vulnerable. Even today, women know instinctively that they will ultimately need a man if they want to have a family and if they want the option of being home at all, if only for a period of time.

Indeed, research shows that what matters most to womeneven to those who are economically independentis knowing they have a man on whom they can rely. Its the feeling of being safe and in good handsyes, even financiallythat matters most. That is whats known as hypergamy, and it is alive and well in 2019.

The precise moment in history when the relationship between the sexes took a nosedive is when women began to have sex like a mancasually, with no strings attachedunder the guise that women are no different from men and are thus just as capable of having casual sex. Consider this ridiculous Bustle article asserting, based on a dubious study, that men and women are now equally likely to pursue a hookup if approached the right way.

From college campuses to our nations boardrooms, many women today have learned to pursue sex the way men often do: no commitment necessary. And theyre getting burned.

If theres anything that proves this in spades, its the so-called campus rape crisis and the excesses of Me Too. For if it were true that women are just like men in their ability to disentangle sex and emotion, why would campus flings and office dalliances become a cause for the courts rather than a welcome ride?

Its not just our sexuality that confirms the disparate natures of women and men. Parenting proves it in spades. Once a baby arrives, a womans nurturing gene almost always kicks in. Providing for her child emotionally is her first instinct, which is why going back to work so soon is heart-wrenching for mothers.

A fathers reaction is different: his first instinct is to support the family financially. It is not his sole contribution, but its first on his list. Simply put, that men and women may both becapableof performing identical tasks doesnt mean they want to do them with equal fervor. Desire matters.

The biological clock may be politically inconvenient, but that doesnt make it any less real. The ideal age for a woman to get pregnant is 25, noted Gillian Lockwood, medical director at the Midland Fertility Clinic in the U.K., recently: The bleak reality is that the chance of IVF working with your own eggs once you are 40 is absolutely abysmalIn what other branch of medicine would we let, yet alone encourage, patients to pay for an elective operation with a less than five percent chance of working?

Because of this, it stands to reason that men can postpone marriage longer than women can. But we dont tell women this. Instead, we pretend they can map out their lives with career at the center, as men do, as though they wont hit a point in which their ability to conceive will invariably clash with a career. Articles abound with the goal to obscure the biological reality that its easier for women to have babies in their twenties and early thirties.

We lie to women, in other words, to further a political agenda. In doing so, feminists get what they wantfor women to reject maternal desire and to instead produce in the marketplacebut women dont.

Indeed, after decades of following the cultural script, women can often no longer find husbands. Or they cant have babies. Or if they do get married and have babies, they cant stay home with them because they mapped out a life that supported an entirely different goal.

Of all the lies feminists tell, the idea that career success is more fulfilling than marriage and family is by far the greatest. It is almost impossible to convey the depth of this lie, for it too began in the 1960s, this time with Betty Friedans insistence that being a wife and mother is akin to being in a comfortable concentration camp. Since that time, American women have been walloped with a steady diet of words and images that drive Friedans argument home.

Humans are pack animals: we need to feel part of the group to feel good about ourselves. Some of us are content to stand apart from the crowd, but most are not. Ergo, cultural messages matter.

Women are surprised to discover that work isnt nearly as satisfying as they were led to believe.

Since mothering is no longer revered or understood to be something a woman would want to do, let alone should do, women are surprised to discover how heart-wrenching it is to leave their babies and return to work. Theyre surprised to discover that work isnt nearly as satisfying as they were led to believe.

This same sense of unease is felt by single women who cant find a man with whom to settle down. Careers arent fulfilling at all, it turns out, if you wind up in bed at night alone.

Too many women map out their lives with work at the center and eventually wish they hadnt. Sadly, my inbox is loaded with emails from women who tell me they wished someone had told them this sooner.

So, here I am saying it as loudly as I can. Women have been lied to for years, and thats why theyre so unhappy. There is only one solution. Flip your prioritiesput love and family, not work, at the centerand you will win in the game of life. Thats what I did, and it made all the difference.

Read more here:
4 Feminist Lies That Are Making Women Miserable - The Federalist

Spring is the season of new life, milder days and stronger rays of sunshine.

Its also that time of the year marked by an influx of pollen; when trees, grasses and weeds release these tiny grains into the air to fertilise other plants. For people who suffer from hay fever (also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis) spring can ignite a pollen allergy. It can cause a runny nose, watery or itchy eyes, poor sleep and a decline in general health.

According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, allergic rhinitis which includes hay fever and other non-seasonal reactions affects almost two in every 10 people living in Australia and New Zealand.

Apples alsocontain the antioxidant quercetin, natures anti-histamine, which has been shown to have an anti-allergy effect particularly against hay fever.

Theres currently no cure for hay fever so it's advised to seek medical advice on how best to manage your individual case of hay fever to reduce the severity of symptoms.

However, if youre looking for a 'cause no harm' method to improve your hay fever management, then eating foods containing natural anti-histamines and anti-inflammatory agents might be a reasonable thing to try.In addition to a medically advised treatment plan, a balanced diet featuring the following foods may help to prevent or reduce hay fever symptoms in some people - all things remaining equal.

While we all know an apple a day keeps the doctor away, an apple a day can also help keep hay fever at bay, head of Nutrition and Dietetic Medicine at Endeavour College of Natural Health, Jaime Doumas, tells SBS.

Apples also contain the antioxidant quercetin, natures anti-histamine, which has been shown to have an anti-allergy effect particularly against hay fever.

A study from Czech Republic, published in the journal Molecules in 2016, confirms that quercetin yields an anti-allergic immune response. The research suggests that quercetin can inhibit histamine release, decrease a pro-inflammatory response and suppress inflammatory mediators. These effects can assist with calming the symptoms of hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, as well as other allergic responses.

Onions also contain quercetin, which makes it an ideal food to incorporate into soups, tarts, salads and other meals, as part of a balanced diet.

The reason onions help mitigate hay fever is because they contain quercetin, a water-soluble flavonoid that contains antihistamine and anti-inflammatory qualities,says qualified nutritionist, Adele Hamilton ofAnima Balance tells SBS.

Onion also features in homoeopathy an alternative medical system founded by German physician Samuel Hahnemann around 200 years ago as a food that can help relieve the symptoms of hay fever.

The reason onions help mitigate hay fever is because they contain quercetin, a water-soluble flavonoid that contains anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory qualities.

The homoeopathic remedy, Allium Cepa, is derived from red onion. Hamilton, who is also a homoeopath, says that Allium Cepa (potentised red onion)is often used in homoeopathy to reduce common symptoms like irritable and watery eyes, and burning discharge from the eyes and nose.

As is the age-old belief in homoeopathy, like is meant to treat like. So onions which make you cry and irritate both the eyes and the nose are used by homoeopaths to battle hay fever.

However, there is little clinical evidence to suggest that the homoeopathic remedy is effective in treating all people for the symptoms of hay fever.

So it might be an idea to consult a doctor before commencing a course of homeopathic treatment or just consume a quercetin-rich red onion as you would normally as part of a balanced diet.

Doumas explains that vitamin C is another natural antihistamine.

Vitamin Cmay potentially reduce the severity of allergic reactions and decrease your histamine production, slowing down your body's overreaction to environmental triggers like pollen.

Its good to eat plenty of vitamin C rich foods such as kiwi fruits, broccoli and strawberries, which work to support the bodys immune system and reduce the symptoms of hay fever, explains Doumas.

A diet high in omega-3 can also help reduce the effects of inflammation, so be sure to include lots of oily fish, such as salmon and sardines in your diet, Doumas says.

For a plant-based source, eat a handful of nuts and seeds each day and include walnuts and almonds.

Green tea may provide some relief of hay fever.A Japanese study from 2002identified a potent compound in green tea that blocks a key cell receptor involved in producing an allergic response.

The researchers say the compound, methylated epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), could block the production of histamine and immunoglobulin E (IgE) that are responsible for triggering and sustaining an allergic reaction.

The effect was demonstrated on human blood cells.However, more research is needed to demonstrate how much green tea people need to drink to create this effect.

Originally posted here:
What to eat to tackle hay fever symptoms - SBS

JINJU, South Korea K-pop stars are loved, and even worshipped, around the world.

BTS fans, who are in their millions, call themselves the "Army" and once flooded a Korean restaurant with one-star Yelp reviews after its owner said another band was better.

Other hardcore K-pop fans also pool their money together to buy presents including billboard ads in Times Square for their idols in a practice based on the Korean word "jeogon," which means "tribute to the king."

EXO performs at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong in August 2019. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images

But behind the scenes, the reality is different.

Insider spoke to members of Great Guys, an up-and-coming boyband consisting of nine men in their 20s, after their performance at the Korea Drama Festival in Jinju in early October.

What they shared was a life of strict gym schedules, diets, and forced singledom far from the glitz and glam they show on stage.

"Gym, studio, bedroom that's my life circle," said Ho Ryeong, one of the band members. "We are now preparing for our new album and are actually quite busy."

"Honestly, we don't have much time for eating," he said. "Nor are we free to eat what we want."

Another member, Jae I, chimed in: "That's the hardest part. It's not easy to follow a diet, but [I suppose] it's not impossible either."

It's a testament to the pressures of maintaining the intense beauty standards of the K-pop industry: idols must look and stay beautiful, young, and in good physical shape. That usually ends up in severe diets and exercise regimes.

Great Guys at the Korea Drama Festival in Jinju, South Korea, in October 2019. Komeil Soheili/Insider

One famous K-pop diet, known as the "Paper Cup Diet," involves eating nine paper cups the size of the ones you'd find by water coolers worth of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables every day. Discussion of this diet is also popular among on pro-anorexia forums.

Way, a former member of K-pop band Crayon Pop, told Insider in a separate email: "We weren't allowed to eat midnight snacks. Other snacks like chips and candy weren't allowed, so we would sneak out and eat it."

"Since they kept telling us not to, that made us want to eat more. We would secretly buy it and eat it in the bathroom," she added, laughing.

Way, a K-pop star formerly of Crayon Pop. WayLand/YouTube

Gym routines are also grueling. "We used to dance with 4 kg (8.8 lbs) of sandbags on our feet for several days," Way said. "Our teacher wanted us to get used to the sandbags, so without it our dances would look lighter [in the performance]."

It's worth noting that these beauty standards affect other industries in South Korea too: The country's flight attendants often turn to cosmetic surgery to be beautiful and thin, to increase their odds of securing jobs.

Last year, a news anchor made headlines for refusing to wear contact lenses and false lashes, and opting to present with her glasses on instead.

An ad in South Korea for cosmetic surgery. Getty Images

An unwritten rule in K-pop is that idols must also give up on having a love life if they want to be successful.

Being single makes them appear more accessible to their fans. This, the theory goes, means more devoted fans, which means more income for the group and record label.

This is also why K-pop groups are either all-male or all-female, too so fans don't suspect band members are dating each other.

"Before I made a name [for myself], I couldn't meet my family or friends," Way told Insider. "All our team members were living together in an apartment with a living room and two rooms, so all the time we would be available and at work."

"We even needed to give our phones to the [record] company," she said. "We could hardly meet even our close relatives."

Children practising choreographed K-pop dance moves in Seongsu-dong neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. Komeil Soheili/Insider

Donghwi, another member of Great Guys, also told Insider: "None of us are in a relationship."

When Insider asked him to clarify whether he and his bandmembers don't want partners or aren't allowed them, he said: "Both! We shouldn't, but also, we don't want to [date anyone]."

"We agreed not to have a girl in our lives, so we can focus more on our mission," he added. "We love our fans, that's enough for us."

"If things go well, we can stay like this forever. We are happy as long as we are doing what we love."

Great Guys seems to be enjoying their path to fame so far, which helps them bear the hard parts of their life. But not all K-pop stars have shared the same optimism.

K-pop star Sulli, who died in October 2019. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/Getty Images

Less than three weeks ago, South Korean police announced that 25-year-old K-pop star Sulli was found dead in her home. Police are still investigating her cause of death, but are working on the assumption that she killed herself.

She was one of the few K-pop artists who had tried to deviate from the K-pop mold, and was chastized for it.

She made her relationship with her boyfriend public. She dared walk out of the house without a bra departing from K-pop's squeaky-clean image. She spoke openly about her mental health: in 2014, she put her career on hold after suffering physical and mental exhaustion.

In return, she got cyberbullies. In the wake of her death, one fan re-posted a video from Sulli's last Instagram Live, where she said: "I am not a bad person. I'm sorry. Why are you saying bad things about me? What did I do to deserve this?"

Fans and stars alike have urged K-pop record companies to take mental health more seriously, and treat it as less of a taboo.

Earlier this year BTS was allowed an "extended period of rest and relaxation" in the words of the wildly successful group's record label during which band members got to visit museums, go to concerts by other groups, and go fishing, Billboard reported.

Members of South Korean K Pop group BTS pose for photos during a press conference to introduce their new album "Map of the Soul: Persona" in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Jo Soo-jung/Newsis via AP

Quitting K-pop isn't an option for many stars too record companies tend to have a financial hold on their stars.

A typical contract between record companies and their stars involves the company paying for the expenses of booking concert venues, traveling, and food, and expecting them to be offset by the earnings. But if the expenses end up being more than the earnings, then stars have to pay them back.

As Way explained: "Idols with the false hope of a bright future increasing their debt to the company until they eventually lose everything ... Once, I needed to sell my belongings, [including] my laptop and beloved piano, to survive."

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, K-pop is "shifting from 'potential' to 'power player'" in the global music industry. It is becoming more important than ever to protect its stars.

See more here:
Grueling gym routines, restrictive diets, and no dating: K-pop stars tell us about the dark side of their industry - INSIDER

Jennifer Lopez is mostly known as an actress, dancer, and singer. But if youve followed her closely throughout her decades-long career, you know that shes a bit of a foodie, too.

Though she tends to follow a strict diet, the Goin In singer will occasionally pig out on a variety of foods. She eats everything from pizza and steak to octopus and less popular fruits. But, like everyone, J. Lo has her limits.

Heres the one food youll never catch Lopez eating.

In a 2013 interview with CBS News, the Get Right singer told host Gayle King that she cant stand exotic foods. These are usually unusual or taboo meats, vegetables, fruits, or spices.

I dont like the exotic kinds of food like snake like venison and things like that, Lopez said. It gets too weird.

But Lopez reportedly has some weird food habits herself. According to multiple reports, she has to have her coffee stirred counterclockwise. Its unclear why she allegedly has to have it this way, but if its not, she reportedly wont drink it.

Lopez follows a clean diet complete with plenty of protein, fruits, and vegetables. She tends to eat chicken, fish, smoothies, oatmeal, salads, and eggs.

I have her eating very clean because she needs really good fuel for all the things that shes doing, her trainer, Tracy Anderson, previously toldPeople. Its all organic and its all very well thought out, with the balance of very high quality proteins and a lot of nutrient-dense food everything is fresh.

Lopez steers clear of alcohol and caffeine. But on the rare occasion that she does want coffee, she always reaches for decaf (before stirring it counterclockwise).

Though she generally follows a strict food regimen, the Im Real singer doesnt totally deprive herself of her favorite foods.

Throughout the years Ive learned the importance of maintaining a healthier [] diet, shepreviously told People. I still eat some of the foods I love, but in moderation. I dont deprive myself.

When shes ready to pig out, Lopez loves Puerto Rican food and chocolate chip cookies.

I happen to know a woman that loves cookies and I meanloves,her fianc, Alex A-Rod Rodriguez, revealed in a November 2018 episode of Shark Tank. Jennifer eats a cookie every night before she goes to bed.

Rodriguez also said during a 2017 appearance on The View that Lopezs other guilty pleasure is chocolate chip ice cream.

Speaking of Rodriguez, he and Lopez often do diets and cleanses together. In February of 2019, the couple went on a 10-day, no-sugar, no-carb detox. After completing the challenge, they celebrated by having a feast.

According to People, they chowed down on fried and sweet plantains, pizza, fries, veggies, and more.

But they didnt waste any time getting back in the gym to work it off. Learn more about Lopezs workout routine here.

See the original post here:
The 1 Food Jennifer Lopez Will Never Eat - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

What food is truly sustainable? The McCartney family, rapper Loyle Carner, chef Douglas McMaster and climate activist Anna Taylor tell all

The Sunday Times,November 10 2019, 12:01am

The McCartney family are passionate about the planet. From the Meat Free Monday campaign Sir Paul launched with his daughters Stella and Mary to Stellas Today for Tomorrow award for young activists combating climate change, they wear their eco-credentials on their sleeve.

It was their idea to bring together a group of like-minded people to discuss sustainability and in particular how we think about the future of food. Its a hot topic right now, with the exhibition Food: Bigger than the Plate at the V&A and the publication of the Jonathan Safran Foer book We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast.

I love that book, exclaims Stella McCartney. Ive just collaborated with him on a new collection. Perhaps surprising, given that

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Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.

Read more from the original source:
The Future of Food: the McCartneys' tips on how to eat more sustainably - The Times

The oldest-known living person is Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who is a mind-boggling 116 years old. But if you askDavid Sinclair, hed argue that 116 is just middle age. At least, he thinks it should be. Sinclair is one of the leading scientists in the field ofaging, and he believes that growing oldisnt a natural part of lifeits a disease that needs a cure.

Sounds crazy, right? Sinclair, a Harvard professor who made Times list of the100 most influential people in the world in 2014, will acquiesce that everyone has to die at some point, but he argues that we can double our life expectancy and live healthy, active lives right up until the end.

His new book,Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Dont Have To ($28, Atria Books), out this fall, details the cutting-edge science thats taking place in the field of longevity right now. The quick takeaway from this not-so-quick read: scientists are tossing out previous assumptions about aging, and theyve discovered several tools that you can employ right now to slow down, and in some cases, reverse the clock.

In the nineties, as a postdoc in an MIT lab, Sinclair caused a stir in the fieldwhen he discovered the mechanism that leads to aging in yeast, which offered some insight into why humans age. Using his work with yeast as a launching point, Sinclair and his lab colleagues have focused on identifying the mechanism for aging in humansand published a study in 2013 asserting that the malfunction of a family of proteins called sirtuins is the singlecause of aging. Sirtuins are responsible for repairing DNA damage and controlling overall cellular health by keeping cells on task. In other words, sirtuins tell kidney cells to act like kidney cells. If they get overwhelmed, cells start to misbehave, and we see the symptoms of aging, like organ failure or wrinkles. All of the genetic info in our cells is still there as we get older, but our body loses the ability to interpret it. This is because our body starts to run low onNAD, a molecule that activates the sirtuins: we have half as much NAD in our body when were 50 as we do at 20. Without it, the sirtuins cant do their job, and the cells in our body forget what theyre supposed to be doing.

Sinclair splits his time between the U.S.and Australia, running labs at Harvard Medical School and at the University of New South Wales. All of his research seeks to prove thataging is a problem we can solveand figure out how to stop. He argues that we can slow down the aging process, and in some cases even reverse it, by putting our body through healthy stressors that increase NAD levels and promote sirtuin activity.The role of sirtuins in aging is now fairly well accepted, but the idea that we can reactivate them (and how best to do so) is still being worked out.

Getting cold, working out hard, andgoing hungry every once in a whileall engage what Sinclair calls our bodys survival circuit, wherein sirtuins tell cells to boost their defenses in order to keep the organism (you) alive. While Sinclairs survival-circuittheory hasyet to be proven in a trial setting, theres plenty of research to suggest that exercise, cold exposure, and calorie reduction all help slow down the side effects of aging and stave off diseases associated with getting older.Fasting, in particular, has been well supported by other research: in various studies, both mice and yeast that were fed restricted diets live much longer than their well-fed cohorts. A two-year-long human experimentin the 1990s found that participants who had a restricted diet that left them hungry often had decreased blood pressure, blood-sugar levels, and cholesterol levels. Subsequent human studiesfound that decreasing calories by 12 percent slowed down biological aging based on changes in blood biomarkers.

Longevity science is a bit like the Wild West: the rules arent quite established. The research is exciting, but human clinical trials havent found anything definitive just yet.Throughout the field, theres an uncomfortable relationship between privately owned companies, researchers, and even research institutes like Harvard: Sinclair points to a biomarker test by a company called InsideTrackeras proof of his own reduced biological age, but he is also an investor in that company. He is listed as an inventor on a patent held by a NAD booster thats on the market right now, too.

While the dust settles, the bestadvice for the curious to take fromLifespan is to experiment with habitsthat are easy, free,and harmlesslike taking a brisk, cold walk and eating a lighter diet.With cold exposure, Sinclair explains, moderation is the key. He believes that you can reap benefits by simply taking a walk in the winter without a jacket. Hedoesnt prescribe an exact fasting regimenthat works best, but he doesntrecommend anything extremesimply missing a meal here and there, like skipping breakfast and having a late lunch.

Lifespan is a timely book, but its not necessarily an easy read. The science is dense, and even listening to Sinclair explain it on podcasts and during presentations doesnt help cut through all of the nerd speak. But if youre even mildly hopeful about dunking a basketball at the age of 50, or hiking the Appalachian Trail at 70, or blowing 100 candles out on your birthday cake someday, you might consider making room for Lifespan on your bookshelf. Theres enough useful information to make it worth your time.

Read the original post:
This Scientist Believes Aging Is Optional - Outside

news, health,

According to my kids, who are vigilantly counting down, Christmas is just over six weeks away. The amount of times they told me this correlated with the amount of Christmas parties we added to our November-December calendar in the past week. This time of year can feel like an uphill battle as far as your health and fitness go, but it doesn't have to be. Food planning plus quick and adaptable workouts could be key. If you are normally an early morning exerciser but extra evening catch-ups are making it harder to get up, do your workout at lunchtime instead. Or break your session into smaller parts. Instead of one hour each morning, you might do 15-20 minutes in the morning, at lunch and in the afternoon or evening. You might only have 10 minutes to spare but that is still better than nothing. Sometimes, when I am really time poor, I will squeeze three rounds of fitness in while making lunches in the morning or cooking dinner at night. Example 1: 10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 lunges, 10 rows, 30 second hover/plank or 10 opposing single arm and leg extensions. That's one round. Your rest time is food preparation time. Then go again. Example 2: 30sec wall squat hold, 20 shoulder throws with light weights (like straight punches, alternating arms), 50 mountain climbers, 20 lunges with a knee raise, ab rotation with weight. Instead of 45-minute all over workouts, do smaller workouts that target specific body parts like Monday leg strength, Tuesday arms, Wednesday cardio and core, Thursday legs, Friday arms, weekend cardio and core. Legs: three rounds x 45 seconds each of squats, dead lifts, walking lunges, lateral leg raises (make it harder with a band), glute bridge. Arms: three rounds x 45sec each of push-ups, bent-over rows with triceps kickback, shoulder press, lateral raises, biceps curls. Cardio and core: three rounds x 45sec each of mountain climbers, ab crunch, skipping, opposing single arm and leg extension, burpees. Get more physical activity into your jam-packed day by riding or walking to work (or parking further away to increase the walk) and scheduling walking meetings at work. Keeping the diet healthy can be tough this time of year. It is when meal planning really comes to the fore. Make meals that will last a couple of nights. Eat before you head out to a Christmas catch-up function where food is supplied and healthy options could be non-existent. If it is a family affair, I always make sure I take along an adequate amount of fresh fruit, salad and raw vegetables for the kids to snack on. Make smoothies. This is a quick way to get a serve or two of fruit and vegetables into your and your family's day. My favourite is frozen mango, frozen banana, baby spinach leaves and milk or water. The festive season is a wonderful time to catch up with friends, family and work colleagues but it does not have to be to the detriment of your health and fitness if you plan ahead and modify. Variety Santa Fun Run, The Station, December 8: The event has 5km and 10km courses and is fully inclusive and family friendly. And what more incentive is there than that every participant gets a Santa suit to wear included in their entry fee. Across the Harbour Swim, Newcastle harbour, January 26: It is the only legal way to swim across our busy harbour. Choose between the 700-metre single crossing or 1.4km double crossing. Nobbys 2 Newcastle Ocean Swim, Nobbys beach, January 25: A 2km ocean swim between two of Newcastle's most iconic beaches. With three weeks until summer, it is circuit time. 10 exercises, three times through. Work 45 seconds, rest 15. Add a one or two-minute break between each round. Workout 1 (strength and cardio): Squats, mountain climbers, shoulder press, skipping, bent-over row, 10-metre shuttle run, weighted ab rotation, plyometric lunges, push-ups, burpees. Workout 2 (strength): Squats, push-ups, lunges, upright rows, dead lift, shoulder press, bent-over row, wall squat hold, ab crunch, glute bridge. Workout 3 (cardio): Pick 5 exercises and do six rounds. Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au. Renee Valentine is a writer, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/ikLFZZUcNnvgygfqz78ZET/4cad5bf6-fa15-4ed0-90a1-f538b16a00f8.jpg/r0_198_5130_3096_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

November 11 2019 - 5:00AM

Finding right balance in the festive season | Health and fitness

+2

According to my kids, who are vigilantly counting down, Christmas is just over six weeks away.

The amount of times they told me this correlated with the amount of Christmas parties we added to our November-December calendar in the past week.

This time of year can feel like an uphill battle as far as your health and fitness go, but it doesn't have to be.

Food planning plus quick and adaptable workouts could be key.

If you are normally an early morning exerciser but extra evening catch-ups are making it harder to get up, do your workout at lunchtime instead. Or break your session into smaller parts.

Instead of one hour each morning, you might do 15-20 minutes in the morning, at lunch and in the afternoon or evening. You might only have 10 minutes to spare but that is still better than nothing.

Sometimes, when I am really time poor, I will squeeze three rounds of fitness in while making lunches in the morning or cooking dinner at night.

Example 1: 10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 lunges, 10 rows, 30 second hover/plank or 10 opposing single arm and leg extensions. That's one round. Your rest time is food preparation time. Then go again.

Example 2: 30sec wall squat hold, 20 shoulder throws with light weights (like straight punches, alternating arms), 50 mountain climbers, 20 lunges with a knee raise, ab rotation with weight.

SNACK RIGHT: Cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers offer an easy and healthier bite on the run or for kids at Christmas parties.

Instead of 45-minute all over workouts, do smaller workouts that target specific body parts like Monday leg strength, Tuesday arms, Wednesday cardio and core, Thursday legs, Friday arms, weekend cardio and core.

Legs: three rounds x 45 seconds each of squats, dead lifts, walking lunges, lateral leg raises (make it harder with a band), glute bridge.

Arms: three rounds x 45sec each of push-ups, bent-over rows with triceps kickback, shoulder press, lateral raises, biceps curls.

Cardio and core: three rounds x 45sec each of mountain climbers, ab crunch, skipping, opposing single arm and leg extension, burpees.

Get more physical activity into your jam-packed day by riding or walking to work (or parking further away to increase the walk) and scheduling walking meetings at work.

Keeping the diet healthy can be tough this time of year. It is when meal planning really comes to the fore.

Make meals that will last a couple of nights. Eat before you head out to a Christmas catch-up function where food is supplied and healthy options could be non-existent. If it is a family affair, I always make sure I take along an adequate amount of fresh fruit, salad and raw vegetables for the kids to snack on.

Make smoothies. This is a quick way to get a serve or two of fruit and vegetables into your and your family's day. My favourite is frozen mango, frozen banana, baby spinach leaves and milk or water.

The festive season is a wonderful time to catch up with friends, family and work colleagues but it does not have to be to the detriment of your health and fitness if you plan ahead and modify.

Variety Santa Fun Run, The Station, December 8: The event has 5km and 10km courses and is fully inclusive and family friendly. And what more incentive is there than that every participant gets a Santa suit to wear included in their entry fee.

Across the Harbour Swim, Newcastle harbour, January 26: It is the only legal way to swim across our busy harbour. Choose between the 700-metre single crossing or 1.4km double crossing.

Nobbys 2 Newcastle Ocean Swim, Nobbys beach, January 25: A 2km ocean swim between two of Newcastle's most iconic beaches.

With three weeks until summer, it is circuit time. 10 exercises, three times through. Work 45 seconds, rest 15. Add a one or two-minute break between each round.

Workout 1 (strength and cardio): Squats, mountain climbers, shoulder press, skipping, bent-over row, 10-metre shuttle run, weighted ab rotation, plyometric lunges, push-ups, burpees.

Workout 2 (strength): Squats, push-ups, lunges, upright rows, dead lift, shoulder press, bent-over row, wall squat hold, ab crunch, glute bridge.

Workout 3 (cardio): Pick 5 exercises and do six rounds.

Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au.

Renee Valentine is a writer, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.

More here:
Health and Fitness: Six ways to balance out the festive season - Newcastle Herald

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