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TUESDAY, Feb. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The great outdoors can soothe the soul, but new research suggests that working outside might also guard against breast cancer.

The study wasn't designed to say how working outside affects chances of developing breast cancer, but vitamin D exposure may be the driving force, the researchers suggested.

"The main hypothesis is that sun exposure through vitamin D production may decrease the risk of breast cancer after age 50," said study author Julie Elbaek Pedersen, of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a host of diseases and conditions including breast cancer.

Vitamin D is often called the "sunshine vitamin" because your body produces it when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet B rays. The body mainly makes vitamin D in the middle of the working day so outdoor workers are exposed to considerably higher levels than those who work indoors, Pedersen said.

"Women who work outdoors may regularly be exposed to sunlight and thereby have more sufficient long-term levels of vitamin D compared with women working indoors," she said.

You don't need much sun exposure to make adequate amounts of D. "Maximum daily vitamin D levels are secured after only minutes in the sun in the summertime, and more time will not increase the levels further," Pedersen said.

In recent years, the push to wear sunscreen and avoid sun exposure to stave off skin cancer has led to concerns of widespread vitamin D deficiency. But "spending limited time outdoors in Denmark or countries with a comparable latitude may be compliant with most advice regarding sensible behaviors in the sun [use of sunscreen, seek shade particularly around midday and avoid spending prolonged time in the sun] to reduce skin cancer risk," she explained.

When researchers compared data including work history from women younger than 70 with breast cancer from the Danish Cancer Registry to their same-aged counterparts who were cancer-free, they found that working outdoors was not associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in general. But it did lower risk among women who developed cancer after age 50.

Women who reported on-the-job exposure to sunlight for 20 or more years were 17% less likely to develop breast cancer after they turned 50, and those women with the highest level of cumulative exposure to sunlight throughout their life were 11% less likely to develop this cancer, the study authors found.

The new study did have some limitations. There was no information on vitamin D through diet or use of supplements, leisure-time sunlight exposure, or other lifestyle factors that may increase risk for breast cancer, such as the use of birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, obesity and lack of exercise.

The findings were published online Feb. 2 in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

Breast cancer experts urged caution in interpreting the findings.

"Looking at actual vitamin D levels in coordination of lifestyle in women might be the only way to prove the higher vitamin D levels decrease the risk of breast cancer," said Dr. Stephanie Bernik, chief of breast service at Mount Sinai West in New York City. "Perhaps women that have occupations that place them outside are exercising more and leading healthier lifestyles," she speculated.

If the findings are validated, this is good news, said Dr. Alice Police, the Westchester regional director of breast surgery at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

"The results are very hopeful that spending some time outside can lower your breast cancer risk," Police said. "You don't have to spend a lot of time outside and, in the summer, you may store up enough vitamin D to keep you safe throughout the winter," she said. "Go outside and take a walk. This is something we all can do for our mental, physical and breast health."

More information

Learn more about breast cancer risk at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Julie Elbaek Pedersen, MSc, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen; Stephanie Bernik, MD, chief, breast service, Mount Sinai West, and associate professor, surgery, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York City; Alice Police, MD, Westchester regional director, breast surgery, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Feb. 2, 2021, online

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Could Working Outside Help Prevent Breast Cancer? - HealthDay News

Soul food is the traditional cuisine of African Americans (1).

Sometimes simply referred to as Southern food, soul food was carried to the North and rest of the United States by African Americans leaving the South during the Great Migration of the early to mid-20th century.

Meals range from simple family dinners of rice and beans, fried chicken, and collard greens with ham hocks to tables loaded with candied yams, smothered pork chops, gumbo, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler.

Soul food is an integral part of Black food culture and often evokes strong feelings of home, family, and togetherness.

This article explains the basics of soul food, explores whether its healthy, and provides simple tips to boost the nutrition of soul food dishes.

The Southern diet, which is often associated with soul food, contains organ meats, processed meats, eggs, fried foods, added fats, and sweetened beverages.

This eating pattern is tied to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, and mental decline (2, 3).

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), African Americans ages 1849 are twice as likely to die from heart disease as white Americans. Black Americans ages 3554 also have a 50% higher likelihood of high blood pressure than white Americans (4).

While social and economic disparities play a significant role in these disproportionate disease rates, dietary choices may also contribute.

However, this doesnt mean that all soul food is unhealthy. Nutrient-rich dishes and leafy green vegetables are also staples of soul food.

Many items commonly associated with soul food are linked to an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Yet, soul food can be made much healthier by emphasizing the traditions nutritious dishes.

Soul food embodies numerous legacies, traditions, and practices passed down from generation to generation.

Creating a healthier soul food plate does not mean abandoning this rich heritage.

In fact, making small modifications to recipes and cooking methods may help boost dishes nutrient profiles while maintaining flavor, richness, and cultural traditions.

Traditional African diets are plant-based and included a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, such as leafy greens, okra, watermelon, whole grains, and black-eyed peas (5, 6).

In traditional societies, meat when consumed at all was eaten in very small quantities and often as a seasoning (7).

Diets that include plenty of plant foods are associated with more moderate body weights and decreased disease risk (5).

Furthermore, a meta-analysis in people who ate leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, such as collard greens, kale, turnip greens, and cabbage, indicated a 15.8% reduced risk of heart disease, compared with a control group (8).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that people make at least half of the grains they eat whole grains (9).

Whole grains are the entire grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. They may play a role in weight management, gut health, and the prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even colorectal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers (10).

Examples of whole grains are whole wheat, brown rice, oats, sorghum, millet, fonio, and barley.

Some soul food entres like macaroni and cheese, cornbread, and rice dishes are made from refined grains, which have had their nutrient-dense bran and germ removed during processing and are thus not as nutritious as their whole grain counterparts.

In addition to containing high sodium processed meats like ham hocks, soul food often uses seasoned salt, garlic salt, and cajun seasoning. These foods and spices contribute to the overall amount of sodium you consume.

Excessive sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and premature death (11, 12).

Evidence suggests that African Americans are more sensitive to the blood-pressure-lowering effects of decreased salt intake. Reducing your dietary sodium intake may result in a 48 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure the top number on a reading (11).

Seasoning foods with aromatic veggies like onions, garlic, and celery, as well as herbs and spices, not only reduces sodium content but also boosts the antioxidant content and flavor (13).

Cooking methods affect both the nutrient composition of a meal and disease risk.

Observational studies in postmenopausal women associate fried foods like fried chicken, fried fish, and fried potatoes with a higher risk of all-cause and heart-related mortality (14).

High heat cooking methods, such as frying, baking, roasting, and grilling, may introduce chemicals like acrylamide heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (15, 16, 17).

HCAs and PAHs are associated with an increased risk of cancer. They may also increase diabetes risk (17, 18).

While boiling and stewing are healthy alternatives for cooking meats, grains, and vegetables, they may result in a loss of nutrients like vitamin C, lutein, and beta carotene (19).

If you opt for boiling or stewing, you can still glean some of the lost nutrients by adding the nutrient-rich liquid or potlikker into other dishes.

Modifying recipes by substituting healthier ingredients for high fat, high calorie, high sodium options is an effective way to honor family traditions without giving up on flavor.

Food is deeply intertwined with celebration, family, emotion, legacy, and identity.

On occasion, give yourself permission to enjoy your favorite dishes.

In situations with multiple favorite dishes, watch your portion sizes. A good rule of thumb is to make non-starchy veggies half of your plate, starches a quarter of your plate, and protein sources the last quarter of your plate.

You can increase the nutrient content of soul food by favoring nutrient-rich dishes, swapping out unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones, choosing cooking methods other than frying, cutting back on salt, and eating more whole grains and plant foods.

Excerpt from:
What Is Soul Food? Cultural Importance and Nutrition Tips - Healthline

The fashion designer Norma Kamali stays young in looks and spirit, but not for lack of effort. Ms. Kamali, who is best known for the archetypal sleeping-bag coat that debuted in the mid-1970s, is serious about her skin care her wellness line, Normalife, was introduced last year and, perhaps more important, about her diet and fitness regimen. She details her philosophy of aging with power in her new wellness book, I Am Invincible, out this month, and shares some of her secrets below.

Im 75 now. My routine is pretty simple. I have three steps I do every day and night. Its clean, exfoliate and put on some of my Normalife Glow, which is a moisturizer and tanner in one. As you get older, you realize less is more. They have to be really great products, of course, but you dont need so much.

I actually dont use eye cream. I use my moisturizer for everything. After all these years of using 59 million products, I realized that from a sustainability point of view, having just a few products do all of these things is pretty wonderful. I think of my mother. My mother used Ponds Cold Cream, and she had the most gorgeous skin. She never washed her face with soap, ever. She used Ponds to take off her makeup and to moisturize her skin.

As far as SPF goes, I have issues with some of the ingredients. I use only mineral-based SPFs, and I think the ones from Europe are quite good. I also like the Pipette Mineral Sunscreen. But Im not using SPF every day.

Im aware that Im going against the current with that conversation. If Im on a boat, then, sure, Ill put it on. But I wouldnt do it every day. I dont feel good about putting that kind of stuff on my skin when Im taking such good care of it in every other way.

Its shocking I even have eyebrows because I shaved them for many years. I was really out there with makeup. I used to wear red nails and red lips. I did eye shadow all the way up to there.

Now its very low maintenance. I tweeze and let the natural shape go and brush them up with NYX Tinted Brow Mascara in Brunette. I use a little mascara currently Im using Cover Girl Exhibitionist Mascara in Black Brown. Sometimes I wear a little liner but mostly not.

Then I use Hurraw! Its a plant-based balm, and it comes in different flavors. This one is Cherry, and I do it on my lips. Its a translucent stain. Then I put it on my face, my cheeks. Its just the right shade of pink. I also use Glow if Im going out. It develops more as the night goes on. I put it everywhere except under the eyes. Im Lebanese and Spanish so we have circles there. Sometimes I use Glossier Stretch Concealer in G10, especially in the winter, to counteract that.

I still dye my hair. My whole conversation is about aging with power, and people say to me, Why dont you wear your hair gray? I just dont feel gray. I feel this. Gray hair is a whole other commitment, and I would immediately put color on the ends, and Id just look like a fool. I have this amazing woman, Afaf Benjelloun, who approaches color from a safety perspective. Ammonia really gets to me. She uses dyes that are ammonia free.

With shampooing, the secret is less is more. But the truth is, because I work out a lot and sweat like crazy, I have to do something. I rinse my hair, but I might only put on conditioner. I like the Morie Mineral Hair Growth and Repair Mask for that.

If Im washing, I do the Morie Mineral Hair Repair Shampoo. Ive stopped blow-drying my hair I used to blow-dry and iron everything but now I have to figure out what my hair wants to do. It wants to frizz up even though my hair is straight.

So I have an oil May11 Hair Oil and I put on the teeniest amount. Actually I put it on before I go into the shower. I just rub it in and put on a shower cap, and that limits my frizzies. If its really humid out, you can put it on again. Sometimes I take a little oil and put it on my ends, wrap my hair and sleep with it on.

I cut my bangs myself, and I havent cut my hair since before last March. Im going to wait until Covid is over and then celebrate by cutting my dead ends off.

I love having a scent thats calming, like youre floating on a cloud, on my pillow. I dont use candles. I use oils that I experiment with. Patchouli is always a favorite, and I love rose and lavender and gardenia.

Working out and having a good diet its the biggest self-esteem booster you can have. More than any beauty routine, to be honest. As you go through the decades, there are demands on the body and mind. You cant cheat that often.

My thing is if I see bread, I need olive oil, and I eat the whole loaf. And I have been known to do that. But I do it only one day. Im not a drinker. I made a choice to part ways with alcohol in my 40s. Drinking alcohol is like drinking sugar. Sugar is not only not healthy but extremely aging. If Im going to drink and have sugar, Im going to age really quickly.

Working out is also critical to good skin. It doesnt matter what kind of exercise. Its blood flow. If you exercise every day, youre doing yourself a favor. The thing I love the most is freestyle dancing. I just love it. If there is good music, hours could go by. To me thats a great way to work out. But I feel like Im not really working out unless I do something else with it.

The Physique 57 method is so effective. You can design the body you want. There are some intense classes, and I watch on demand. Ive also tried Alo Yoga classes on demand. I love working out, its important for my head. All these Zoom meetings where Im sitting on my butt are not making me happy at all.

And then sleep is incredibly important. Probably out of the pie of sleep, diet and exercise, sleep is 50 percent of the pie. Your sleep is restoring everything that happened to your body, every cell in your system. The healthier you are, the healthier you look. And if the authentic you can look really good without makeup, that is incredibly empowering.

I have veins that you can see on my face, and I get them zapped at the dermatologist. I also do acupuncture face-lifts. I swear by them. My friend gave me the name of a doctor, Dr. Jingduan Yang, whos based in Philly. We ended up writing a book together. Its not about pulling your face way back. Its about looking fresh, like you just went on vacation. I havent been able to do it with Covid, which is driving me crazy.

As long as its not permanent, Ill try anything. Ive tried Botox, Ive tried the micro-needling and the blood facial called PRP. Im OK with lines and crevices in my lips. I havent done filler for those. I once posted an Instagram photo of myself, and this girl messaged me: I know how to get rid of the lines on those lips.

Im not against any of that. If there was something amazing that didnt make me look like I was in the witness protection program, Id try it. But also if I didnt have lines on my face, Id look like a fraud. How does a 75-year-old have no lines?

Continue reading here:
Norma Kamalis Skin Care and Aging Secrets - The New York Times

Do you know the average calories in beetroot juice? 5 other ways to include the root vegetable in your diet  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: The food we eat has a direct impact on our health, and if nutritionists and health experts are to be believed, eating according to seasons, and eating foods that are locally available in a particular season is the best way to eat. During the winter season, especially in India, there is an abundance of nutritious vegetables. It is one of the best seasons for adding as many vegetables in your diet as possible. Apart from the beautiful leafy greens, root vegetables such as carrots, radish, and beetroot are also seasonally available during the winter season.

Many people enjoy beetroot for its unique taste, and the colour it can provide to even the simplest and most boring dishes. Beetroot has a rich red colour, which when mixed with foods can make them bright and colourful, increasing their appeal. Beetroot juice is also consumed very fondly by people, as it is known to be nutritious and has many other health benefits.

Beetroot juice is made with beetroot, ginger, and some salt and black pepper for seasoning. It can also be consumed without these ingredients. One cup of raw beets has 58 calories, and 13 grams of carbs. A glass of beetroot juice is likely to have 100 calories. However, beetroot juice does not contain fibre, which is otherwise an essential part of the root vegetable.

While beetroot juice is not unhealthy, it does not contain the fibre from beetroots which is an important part of the root vegetable. Therefore, here are 5 other ways you can include beetroot in your diet.

Beetroot parathas Beetroot parathas can be made easily by pureeing, or shredding beetroot and making a dough out of it with flour. You may use wheat flour or even multigrain flour. Beetroot parathas are a great breakfast option to add more nutrition to your diet.

Beetroot in salads One of the best ways of consuming beetroot is to eat it raw in salads. Beetroot gives a great colour to an otherwise green, or boring salad. The raw beetroot is also rich in fibre which aids digestion and weight loss.

Beetroot in sandwiches You can add beetroot to sandwiches. It can be added raw or even cooked. Beetroot gives a great crunch to burgers and sandwiches.

Beetroot for colour Many people add beetroot to their recipes for extra colour. You can add beetroot to pasta, rice, and almost any other food for a pink-red colour to make it more interesting.

Beetroot chips Beetroot chips can be made easily at home. They work as a great healthy snack option, especially when they are baked and not fried.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Do you know the average calories in beetroot juice? 5 other ways to include the root vegetable in your diet - Times Now

Is a low-fat diet better than a low-carb diet? Here is what you must know about it   |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: Weight loss diets have become a common diet option for people in recent times. Various types of diet methods have emerged to facilitate weight loss while keeping into consideration peoples requirements, health status and needs. Low-carb and low-fat diets are some common diets that aim at improving health through methods of dietary control and restriction. The effectiveness of the two is often debated upon and it makes people sceptical about choosing the best one out of the two. Several factors must be considered when picking an ideal diet. For instance, a low-carb diet could be helpful for people working on a weight loss diet, but it can also offer health benefits to people who suffer from diabetes. This implies that there is not just one factor that contributes to the effectiveness of a diet.

A diet that includes the consumption of foods that are low in carbohydrate content, and rich in fat, fibre, and protein is called a low-carb diet. Some popular diets that work on the principle of low-carb include the ketogenic diet and the Atkins diet. The foods that could be eaten on this diet include foods such as chicken, salmon, beef, eggs, pork, trout, walnuts, yoghurt, cheese, spinach, berries, broccoli, butter, and olive oil.The foods that must be avoided on this diet include sugars, processed foods and foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Refrain from eating foods such as ice cream, soft drinks, candy, fruit juices, pasta, rice, bread, and wheat.

A diet that includes the consumption of limited fat content is known as a low-fat diet. It is one of the most widely preferred diets for weight loss. You can make your diet low-fat by making certain alterations to the preparation method as well as making changes to the foods you consume. Foods that must be eaten include low-fat foods such as spinach, broccoli, kale, cabbage, beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, quinoa, mushrooms, and garlic.When on a low-fat diet, you must avoid foods with high-fat content such as whole milk, butter, oils, chocolates, and nuts.

Both low-fat and low-carb diets can benefit health. While a low-fat diet can help improve levels of cholesterol, a low-carb diet can help improve levels of blood sugar in the body. There have been studies to compare and study the effectiveness of low-fat and low-carb diet with emphasis laid on weight loss. Some studies are as follows:

Despite low-fat diet being a more common method opted by people, both low-fat and low-carb diets offer their set of benefits. However, a low-carb diet may offer better and more effective weight-loss benefits as compared to a low-fat diet. Depending on your requirements, you can pick a diet that you think would be best for you. Before making a decision, make sure you consult a professional to maximise the results and prevent any adversities from coming up.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Is a low-fat diet better than a low-carb diet for weight loss? Here is what you must know - Times Now

Choosing to avoid meat and eat a plant-based diet has never seemed so virtuous and necessary. Between the intrinsic cruelty of industrial livestock production and livestocks climate footprintestimated by the U.N.s Food and Agriculture Organization to be 14.5% of all greenhouse gases world-wide, significantly greater than that of plant agricultureit has become increasingly difficult to defend the place of meat and animal-sourced foods in our diets. Jonathan Safran Foer, the novelist turned animal-rights activist, may have best captured this thinking in his 2019 nonfiction book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. As he writes, We cannot keep the kind of meals we have known and also keep the planet we have known. We must either let some eating habits go or let the planet go. It is that straightforward, that fraught.

An essential part of this argument is the proposition that animal-sourced foods, and particularly red and processed meats, arent just bad for the planet but harmful for the people who eat them. As the journalist Michael Pollan famously urged in his 2008 bestseller In Defense of Food, that is why we should eat mostly plants. This has become the lone piece of dietary counseling on which most nutritional authorities seemingly agree. It creates a win-win proposition: By eating mostly (or even exclusively) fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, while getting our proteins and fats from plant-based sources, we maximize our likelihood of living a long and healthy life while also doing whats right for the planet.

But is it that simple? A growing body of evidence suggests it isnt, at least not for many of us.

The other food movement that has won increased acceptance over the past decade is the low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic dietketo, for shortwhich has emerged as a direct response to the explosive rise in the incidence of obesity and diabetes. More than 70% of American adults are now obese or overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; nearly one in 10 is severely obese, and more than one in 10 is diabetic. An unavoidable implication of these numbers is that the conventional wisdom on weight losseat less, move your body morehas failed tens of millions of Americans.

These are the people who, sooner or later, may well experiment with alternative approaches, venturing into the realm of fad diets. They may try plant-based eatingvegetarian or even veganand if those dont return them to health, try keto or one of the many variations on low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets, from the original Atkins diet to the South Beach diet to paleo to the latest trend, carnivore. If they find that an unconventional approach works for them, allowing them to achieve and maintain a relatively healthy weight without enduring hunger, that will be their motivation to sustain it. But because this way of eating is most easily accomplished with animal-sourced foods, they may come to believe that whats good for them (and even their children) isnt good for the planet.

Original post:
The Keto Way: What If Meat Is Our Healthiest Diet? - The Wall Street Journal

Suzi Gerber, aka Chef Suzi, knows a thing or two about sticking to a healthy diet. In college, she ate vegan but it was anything but healthy whole foods (more like dairy-free ice cream). She had all sorts of health issues, debilitating pain and fatigue, and eventually learned she was dealing with an autoimmune disease. To ease her chronic pain and exhaustion, she went on a healthy, whole-food plant-based diet and immediately felt better. But it wasn't until she worked in a restaurant that she learned how to make plant-based nutritious gourmet food. Now, 50 pounds lighter and with much to teach, she has launched Plant-Based Gourmet, a brand and a book, to let others learn how to eat this way.

When Suzimade herswitch to a whole food plant-based approach that emphasized nutrition and low-carb eating, she lost 50 pounds andbecame an expert on the joys of eating a healthy, wholesome plant-based diet that allows for weight loss, the nutritious way.She is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and can help others learneverything they need to knowabout eating this way, for health and feeling better in your own body, and yes if weight loss is the goal she can help with that as well. One thing Suzi believes: You don't have to sacrifice taste and enjoyment of food to be healthy, but you do need to be clear about your intentions. She has a new book out, Plant-Based Gourmet, that will help anyone who wants to make the switch to a healthy, plant-based diet full of delicious, nutritious foods, cook themselves amazing meals. She lost 50 pounds eating this way and is happy to share her secrets to healthy weight loss success. Her 3 tips to making habits stick are here.

Today is the perfect day to re-ignite your healthy resolutions and stoke the flames of an energetic, active, healthy body, fueled by plant-based foods.

The Beet: Changing Habits is hard!I tried to give up sugar and wine and pasta and bread and all the usual junky snack foods, and I am not succeeding. How can I stick to it?

Chef Suzi: To make those changes, which are ambitious, you can do it, but you need to plan ahead, get rid of all the junk in the house, and assemble your team or community. Then tell people who you need so they can help you succeed. Here are the three tips to change your habits for good.

You may think that craving came out of nowhere, but chances are you had a sneaky sugar today and didn't know it. And that makes you want more. So you need to either eat whole foods or look at the label.

So often there are hidden sugars in the food we eat. You pick up salad dressing, turn it to look at a label, and think,Well! What do you know? There is sugar in everything, even so-called healthy foods. How well do you know what is in your food? You may be getting sneaky sugar in your food. This is more damaging than just the added extra calories. It tells your tastebuds that sugar is normal, so you need to reset your tastebuds to stop seeking sweet.

This comes back to what I call Nutrition Literacy.When you go plant-based, suddenly you are looking at every nutrition label. So it is like a college education in what's in your food.

In the store read every ingredient. You'll ask yourself: Why does this have milk protein (casein) in it or high fructose corn syrup? What you discover is, you are eating sugar all the time. And when you are eating sugar all the time your baseline of what is sweet goes up. So you crave it. Don'tget your sugar unintentionally which is generally what happens, since it's in everything. If you decide to have sugar (as a treat) do it when it's time for a sweet treat.

When you learn to avoid sugar, your baseline for sweets is going down. And your overall sugar needs and intake are going to go down. So you avoid the sugar rollercoaster.

I may or may not be working on this in my next book! People the world over eat savory breakfasts. It's only Americans who think breakfast has to be sweet. Instead try eating Shakshuka, savory waffles. Savory oatmeal. I like to make it with vegetable broth, so you get rich nice flavors and vitamins and minerals off the bat. (You may think this sounds gross but it's really delicious and you get used to not having the sweet taste, which is the whole point. I add in some turmeric, and even green peppers, sweet potatoes, and oats or daring chicken or Gardein chicken. It's like a big bowl of savory comfort. And when you eat it it's like a rice dish and has savory fiber. This is also perfect when you are trying to hold off on breakfast and have it as a brunch-time meal.

(One side note about rice. Dr. Greger just posted an article warning about the arsenic content in rice... so I want to make 2021the year of the oat.)

Another way to go with savory breakfast is to use JUST egg and make yourself a plant-based scramble or omelet with peppers, or if you like tofu, create a new fun dish, like chili rellenos for breakfast. The point is you can play around it. For the classic eggs and bacon crowd, there are premade JUST Egg folded eggs and plant-based bacon, all of which you can buy in the store. Or make your own plant-based bacon with carrots orshitake mushrooms, sliced thin and spiced up. The secret to bacon is the spices. Marinade and spices, rich smokey flavors. If that is what you're going for you want to fill yourself up and stave off hunger and sweet cravings until your next break. Try things, as long as you're eating food that is savory. Skip anything sweet. You will find whattastes good to you.

Who are you on this journey with? Who are you going to beeating with? Ask them to support you, or better yet to come along with you. Can you get your partner to think this is an adventure? If they have no interest in going plant-based or they are not interested in any type of diet then how can you encourage them to look for new fun things to eat?

This is also where social networks can be helpful. Find your favorite influencers or bloggers and follow them. People should find a community, of like-minded healthy people, like on Facebook join a group of plant-based people to share their struggles and triumphs with. Nothing gets more likes than a post that says "1-month plant-based!" And Instagram, especially, has a lot of inspiration from other influencers who make beautiful vegan or plant-based foods and share them.

There is research that tells us: Vegans and vegetarians are much more likely to know other vegans and vegetarians. Healthy people tend to know other healthy people. Athletes know other athletes. The benefit of a healthy network is you feel like you belong to something bigger than yourself. Your family might not get it, or even resist what you're doing. But you can feel totally within your "new normal" when you join other plant-based people and share food pictures or recipes. Also, your family is watching, and if you feel better or look and act like your best version of yourself, they will take note of that. You can be the agent of change and lead by example. You can be the one who can help others get healthier. Think about a time when everyone smoked. Someone woke up one day and said: "I'm quitting, and you should too." You can do that now with your dietary choices. You can say: I think we should give up meat and dairy and see how we feel.

This is what happened to me, someone who lost 50 pounds! I am now someone that people know who made a diet change and it produced results. So now you know someone who changed and got healthier. That would be me.

Sometimes you get resistance. Try this. Sit down with your loved one and say: "Can you support me on this? Can you try this with me? You can help me be healthier? I want to make this change. Can you support me in this, or even join me in this?"

Landmark research shows support helps people achieve their goals. Tell your loved ones that too. Among dieters, they looked at those eating plant-based and animal-based diets. those that were in the supported groups, vs. the unsupported groups did better, no matter what diet they were on. Behavioral science is really critical there. Understanding where your battles are is really important. Understanding where we have barriers is important. Then figuring out how to work around them.

Find your advisor, someone who knows more than you do. You call someone for tech advice and for investment advice. We do that in our lives. Find your pack leader and ask for advice. Or once you get further along and understand what works, you can be the pack leader. You may take the flack. But you can be the one who is influencing everyone else in your circle.

My sister is 10 years older, she was the first vegan I know. She went vegan in the early 90s and I followed suit. And she is one of the most vocal people about what she eats. Eventually, I did my own version of plant-based. You have to stay in your own lane and think that it works for everyone in different ways.

We think of changing our diet as being super strict for one month of the year, and then January is over and we have a slow backslide until bathing suit season when we get serious about losing weight again. But generally, we go back to our old unhealthy habits in between. I want to take the guilt out of it and I want to put the yoyo back in the closet. This kind of all or nothing thinking is a trap. We should be as healthy as we can be and forgive ourselves for those times when we may eat sweets or drink or do whatever it is we resolved to give up.

Most diets fail, and resolutions especially, because people on them say: I won't eat sweets for a month and it's an awesome challenge. But the reality is that is difficult to sustain. What works is trying to be healthy most of the time, but keeping everything in balance. You can ask yourself, "Am I going to have a cake today? "If it's your birthday or your sibling's birthday, maybe yes. But tell yourself,I can have it today and not tomorrow. If I have cake today it doesn't mean I am hopping on the cake train and my diet is smashed and over. Everything about food is not absolute. If you consistently eat healthier, eat a whole food plant-based diet, full of healthy fiber, your satiety cues are going to adjust and you will feel full with less food.

You have to work out an in-between state of all or nothing. Tell yourself I am going to be 85 percent healthy. Once you find what works for you, then you can stay healthy. Most of the important lifestyle changes are not talked about in absolutesyet diets usually are. Think of it: Whole 30 or keto or vegan, none of them leave room for life to be imperfect. But it doesn't work that way. If you allow yourself a small bit of somethingit works ouot better. Instead of I am not drinking! Then if you do decide to open a bottle of wineyou'll probably want to drink the whole bottle of wine. If you tell yourself I don't eat potato chips and you have a bag in the cupboard, you'll eat the whole bag. But if you tell yourself you can have a little wine it's fine (not talking about alcoholics here but casual drinkers), and if you just have a few chips you can stay on track. Be consistently healthy and consistently active, and you will be able to keep it up.

I tell myself this: I want to stay on track and be healthy and lose weight. But if I want a small treat or piece of cake,I am going to allow myself that and then check back in and say, that was enough. Now I want to be healthy again. I can have Chinese food and order my favorite dishes, and then tomorrow go back to salads again. That's how you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, or keep the weight off.

Fiber is probably one of the most important signs of a healthy diet. People put a lot of emphasis on protein but it's almost impossible to get all your daily fiber unless you are eating vegetables and fruits. The recommendation is 25 grams to 35 grams a day, but more is even better. Fiber is found in foods like leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, and nuts or whole grains are essential to a healthy diet. Fiber binds to fats and carries them out of the body. In your gut, think of fiber as the container that literally binds with fat and carries that fat out of the body. It can also coat the lining of the small intestine and helps the body not absorb calories. So it slows the burn, which is a good thing.

Fiber improves the body's metabolism because it slows down the rate your body absorbs glucose and fat from your food. Think of it this way: As you eat a whole meal with fiber, instead of the stomach emptying fast, and all those calories being stored because you can't use them all at once, instead, with fiber you are only absorbing a bit at a time. It is like logs on a fire, it keeps you burning longer than paper or a match (carbs burn fast). So fiber creates that outcome you want: burn steadily and never have your insulin spike. With fiber foods, you burn a little bit now and a little more later, and so on. It keeps your blood sugar level. So after a salad for lunch, you will feel energized, satisfied, and fueled up and not experience that sugar crash at 3:30 p.m. that leads you to seek out carbs or sweets. You feel great for hours.

Fiber helps you build abetter relationship with the body. Because you are not on this rollercoaster and you feel calm and steady. Half of what you eat you absorb and half you don't and it changes the way your body absorbs food.

Lemon water does a similar thing: It slows down the rate that carbohydrates are absorbed. Everyone knows the way carbs are absorbed. You get this sugar spike followed by a crash, so you feel low and tired, Fiber, and lemon water, starts to break down food slower, so you feel less spiking, less crashing and more time to steadily absorb what you eat.

It means that you have a battery, instead of a lightning bolt, and you are drawing energy from it a little bit at a time. This allows you to stick with your healthy diet and feel great. And ultimately that's the point.

Read more here:
5 Tips to Stick With a Healthy Diet by Chef Suzi, Who Lost 50 Lbs - The Beet

Using a body mass index (BMI) calculator can help a person determine whether their weight is within the recommended range for their height. However, BMI calculations have several important limitations in everyone, including men.

BMI is one measure of body size. It is a calculation of a persons body mass based on their weight relative to their height.

Doctors generally consider people whose BMI is within the normal range to have a healthy BMI. Individuals below this range may have underweight, while those above this range may have overweight or obesity.

However, BMI may not be the most accurate indicator of whether a persons weight is healthful for several reasons.

This article explores what BMI is and looks at how to calculate it. It also considers the recommended BMI ranges, the potential limitations of using BMI as an indicator of health, and tips to maintain a moderate BMI.

A BMI calculator for men assesses a mans target weight range based on his height.

Doctors use the same calculator for all people over the age of 20 years. The calculation is the same regardless of age, sex, race, body composition, and other factors.

It is possible to calculate BMI by dividing a persons weight in kilograms (kg) by their height in meters squared (m2).

For example, a person who is 5 feet 6 inches (or 66 inches) tall has a metric height of 1.6764 m. If that person weighs 150 pounds, their metric weight will be 68.0389 kg. To calculate their BMI:

Many health advocates argue that BMI is not a good measure of whether a person has a moderate weight.

Some argue that even if a person has overweight or obesity, this does not necessarily reveal much about their health.

A handful of recent studies support this claim, so a person should not use BMI as the sole measure of their health.

Some shortcomings of BMI include:

The BMI ranges are as follows:

BMI does not take into account body composition, age, race, sex, athletic involvement, or other factors. It does not assess lifestyle, diet, or anything else that may help mitigate the potential health effects of having a high body weight.

A persons ideal BMI does not change with various health conditions. However, certain health issues may affect their ability to maintain a BMI within the recommended range.

For this reason, it is sometimes important to discuss weight changes, diet, and exercise with a doctor.

People should discuss their BMI with a doctor if:

Not everyone can maintain a BMI in the normal range, even with a healthful diet and plenty of exercise.

Elite athletes with high muscle mass, for example, may fall into the overweight range.

Similarly, being in the normal range does not necessarily mean that a person is healthy. People who eat unhealthful foods and never exercise may still have a moderate BMI.

For this reason, the best strategy is to focus on promoting general health.

For most people, this will make it easier to attain a BMI in the normal range. People looking to promote their health can try:

BMI is one way to assess a persons weight and predict how it might affect their health.

In the absence of other measures, however, it does not reveal much about a persons well-being.

A person who wants a better understanding of the possible effects of their weight on their overall health should discuss these concerns with a doctor or dietitian.

More here:
BMI calculator for men: What a healthy BMI is and how to measure it - Medical News Today

In politics, any idea can be pressed into service if it fits a purpose. The one I have in mind has been snatched from its Republican originators and is now at work on the left wing of the Democratic Party.

The idea is starve the beast. It came from one of President Ronald Reagans staffers and was used to curb federal spending.

It was a central idea in the Republican Party through the Reagan years and was taken up with vigor by tax-cutting zealots. It was on the lips of those who thought the way to small government was through tax cuts, i.e., financial starvation.

Now starve the beast is back in a new guise: a way to cut dependence on oil and natural gas.

This is the thought behind President Joe Bidens decision to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, bringing oil to the United States from Canada, even after the expenditure of billions of dollars and an infinity of studies.

It is the idea behind banning fracking and restricting leases on federal lands. Some Democrats and environmental activists believe that this blunt instrument will do the job.

But blunt instruments are unsuited to fine work.

It also is counterproductive to set out to force that which is happening in an orderly way. The Biden administration shows signs of wanting to do this, unnecessarily.

Lumping coal, oil, and gas as the same thing under the title fossil fuel is the first error. In descending order, coal is the most important source of pollution, and its use is falling fast. Oil continues to be the primary transportation fuel for the world. World oil production and use hovers around 100 million barrels a day and that has been fairly steady in recent years.

In the United States, the switch to electric vehicles is well underway and in, say, 20 years, they will be dominant. Likewise, in Europe, Japan, and China. That train has left the station and is picking up steam.

Government action, like building charging stations, wont speed it up but rather will slow it down. The market is working. Willing buyers and sellers are on hand.

Every electric vehicle is a reduction in oil demand. But the world is still a huge market for petroleum and will be for a long time. What sense is there in hobbling U.S. oil exports? There are suppliers from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria keen to take up any slack.

Natural gas is different. It is a superior fuel in that it has about half the pollutants of coal and fewer than oil. It is great for heating homes, cooking, making fertilizers and other petrochemicals. Starving the production just increases the cost to consumers.

The real target is, of course, electric utilities. They rushed to gas to get off coal. It was cheaper, cleaner, and more manageable. Also, gas could be burned in turbines that are easily installed and repaired. Boilers not needed; no steam required.

But there are greenhouse gases emitted and, worse, methane leaks at fracking sites and from faulty pipelines throughout the system. These represent a grave problem. Here the government can move in with tighter regulation. If it is fixable, fix it. But methane leaks are no reason to cripple domestic production.

The question for the beast-starvers comes from Clinton Vince, who chairs the U.S. energy practice and co-chairs the global energy practice of Dentons, the worlds largest law firm. He asks, Is it better to sell natural gas to India and China or to let them build more coal-fired plants? Particularly if carbon-capture and sequestration technology can be improved.

If we are to continue to reduce carbon emissions in the United States, we need to take a holistic view of energy production and consumption. Does it make sense to allow carbon-free nuclear plants to go out of service because of how we value electricity in the short term? A market adjustment, well within government purview, could save a lot of air pollution immediately.

The hydrocarbon beast doesnt need to be starved, but a diet might be a good idea.

Read more:
Don't Starve the Energy Beast When a Diet Will Do InsideSources - InsideSources

FUPA is the slang term for belly fat, with the acronym standing for fat upper pubic area. Some people may find fat around the belly the most difficult type of fat to lose.

The scientific word for FUPA is panniculus, which refers to a growth of dense, fatty tissue on the lower abdomen that sometimes hangs over the pubis and genitals.

This article explains what FUPA is, what causes it, and how a person can reduce it.

It is not possible to lose weight only in one area of the body. No exercise or diet will have this effect. As a person loses weight, it will reduce fairly proportionally all over the body.

However, certain exercises and dietary changes can help a person reduce body fat.

If a person wants to reduce fat in the upper pubic area specifically, they can consider a surgical or nonsurgical procedure.

Workouts targeting the lower abdominal muscles (abs) will help work and strengthen the deeper core muscles.

Below are some exercises that focus on and strengthen the lower abs.

People may initially find this position challenging, but with practice, they can extend the length of time they hold this pose.

People new to abs exercises may wish to start by performing this move with one leg at a time.

This exercise also requires an exercise ball.

The hundred is a classic Pilates exercise.

Those who find this too challenging can try the bent-knee version instead:

A person will need an exercise ball to perform pike rollouts. These are available to use in many gyms.

Performing this exercise might be more comfortable on an exercise mat.

People can take other steps to reduce their body fat, including the FUPA.

There are many myths about cardio for fat burning.

Some people say that high intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most effective approach. HIIT involves short bursts of intense cardio that a person alternates with brief periods of rest.

Others state that a moderate cardio level that someone can sustain for longer periods will keep them in the fat-burn zone.

However, most research in this area has shown that exercise type does not have a significant effect on fat loss.

In a 2017 study comparing HIIT with moderate intensity training, all of the participants lost weight, but the difference was negligible between the two exercise groups.

As there may be little difference between the fat burning capabilities of different types of exercise, a person should choose the cardio exercise that they most enjoy. Options include walking briskly, running, cycling, and joining a group exercise class, among many others.

A common saying states that abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Losing the FUPA is the same. Even those who start working out intensely and regularly will likely also need to change their diet to see a significant difference in their belly.

If a person cuts 5001,000 calories a day from their typical diet, they may lose about 12 pounds (lb) a week. Eating healthful foods, such as nuts, lean protein, and vegetables, while avoiding sugary or processed foods will make it easier to create a calorie deficit.

The only way to remove fat from a specific area of the body is with a medical procedure. These can be surgical or noninvasive.

These medical procedures do not require any surgery, anesthesia, or recovery time.

CoolSculpting is one such option. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved this method, which uses ultracold temperatures to freeze fat cells through the skin. The freezing destroys the cells, which the body removes in the urine over the next few weeks.

CoolSculpting might be a good option for those looking to tighten and tone small pockets of fat.

Surgical procedures will produce more dramatic and rapid results in a specific area of the body.

Some surgical options to reduce the FUPA include:

Having a moderate amount of fat in the upper pubic area is normal and natural, despite what popular culture may sometimes suggest.

Fat in this area may develop during puberty as a natural part of body growth. Female bodies generally have a higher percentage of body fat than male bodies and distribute a greater proportion of it around the hip area.

Several factors can cause a FUPA to increase in size, including weight gain and body fat distribution changes.

As a person ages, it is common for the body to start holding more fat around the stomach than in other areas of the body. Certain life changes, such as menopause, are associated with weight gain and changes in body fat distribution.

Adults in the United States gain an average of 12 lb of body weight per year. This rate of weight gain may lead people to develop overweight or obesity as they age. Obesity comes with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health conditions.

People can classify belly fat as either subcutaneous or visceral, depending on where the body stores it. Subcutaneous fat sits right under the skin all over the body, and a person can pinch it. Meanwhile, visceral fat is located in the abdominal cavity between the organs.

Studies have linked visceral fat to an increased risk of several diseases. This fat releases more detrimental hormones and proteins into the body than fat elsewhere. These substances can trigger low level inflammation, which is a risk factor for heart disease, and cause blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.

In a FUPA, the fat is just under the skin, so it is subcutaneous fat rather than harmful visceral fat. However, developing a larger FUPA may indicate general weight gain, which could include visceral fat. The presence of visceral fat may also cause the lower belly area to protrude, making a FUPA appear more prominent.

It is important to accept that the body will naturally change with age. However, people should be aware of these changes and, if necessary, make adjustments to their diet and exercise to avoid the health risks associated with excess weight gain.

The FUPA is an accumulation of fat right above the pubic bone.

The best way to lose it is to focus on losing weight across the body as a whole by consuming a healthful diet and increasing cardio workouts to create an overall calorie deficit.

While it is not possible to lose weight only in a specific area, there are ways to strengthen certain parts of the body with exercise. Lower abdominal exercises will help tighten and tone the area above the pubis.

People who only want to remove fat from their lower abdomen can consider a few surgical and nonsurgical procedures.

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How to get rid of FUPA: Exercises, dietary tips, and more - Medical News Today

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