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Dec 18

Time-restricted dieting can lead to weight loss, lower blood pressure – The Spokesman-Review

Intermittent fasting has shown success in helping people lose weight, but some people can find it difficult to eat normally most days and then severely restrict their food intake other days. A new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism offers an alternative time-restricted eating.

Time-restricted eating allows you to eat the same every day, but you limit the time during which you can have food to a 10-hour window. So if your first meal is at 8 a.m., your last calories for the day will need to be consumed by 6 p.m. For the next 14 hours, you fast.

The new study is small, following 19 people for three months. At the time of enrollment, all participants met three or more criteria for metabolic syndrome:

Waist circumference of 102 cm (men) or 88 cm (women)

Triglycerides of 150 mg/dL or higher (or on drug treatment for elevated triglycerides)

Reduced HDL-C below 40 mg/dL (men), 50 mg/dL (women) (or on drug treatment for reduced HDL-C)

Elevated blood pressure, systolic blood pressure of 130 or higher and/or diastolic blood pressure of 85 mmHg or higher (or treatment with an antihypertensive drug with a history of hypertension)

Elevated fasting glucose of 100 mg/dL or higher (or drug treatment of elevated blood glucose)

Participants logged the timing of their meals and sleep in the MyCircadianClock app. They were encouraged to stay hydrated during their fasting periods.

We didnt ask them to change what they eat, NPR reported Pam Taub as saying. Taub is a cardiologist at the University of California, San Diegos School of Medicine and an author of the study. Nonetheless, study participants consumed nearly 9% fewer calories.

In addition to weight loss a 3% reduction in weight and 4% reduction in abdominal visceral fat Taub said study participants cholesterol levels and blood pressure improved.

We are surprised that this small change in eating time would give them such a huge benefit, Satchidananda Panda, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a co-author of the study, told NPR.

When you go into a fasting state, you start to deplete the glucose stores in your body, and you start to use fat as your energy source, Taub said. You can read the full study here: https://bit.ly/2YEhHZW.

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Dec 18

What is the Mediterranean Diet? Plan, Food List, and Using It for Weight Loss – Parade

The Mediterranean diet has gained popularity as a heart-healthy diet that is both enjoyable and satisfying. While many diets are restrictive, making certain food groups off-limits, following a Mediterranean eating plan allows for individuals to eat a variety of foods and doesnt encourage calorie restriction.

Often associated with olive oil and salmon, this is a diet that actually embraces many different kinds of foods while providing a shortlist of foods to avoid eating on a daily basis. Youve probably heard your friends and family, or maybe even your doctor talking about the Mediterranean diet. Whether your goal for changing the way you eat it lowering blood pressure, increasing energy, or losing weight, here is what you need to know about adopting a Mediterranean diet.

Our deep dive into the Mediterranean diet begins with a geography lesson. The name of the diet refers to its origin in the Mediterranean Basin, or the land that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea. Historically, this is an area of the world that has been associated with certain patterns of eating, which includes fish, bread, wine, and oil, and very little meat, according to the Iranian Journal of Public Health.While different eating patterns emerged, this basic diet of bread, wine, and oil spread throughout Europe thanks to its adoption by Christian monks.

Over time, this diet has evolved to include fruits and vegetables as major components. Even though it has ancient roots, it became the subject of research in the second half of the 20th century when Ancel Keys conducted a famous study of health habits and cardiovascular health on all seven continents.

Related: Michael Psilakis Busts Myths About Mediterranean Cooking in Live to Eat

Perhaps the most well-known health benefit of following a Mediterranean diet is reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. In 2015, researchers conducted a large study involving 7447 individuals who were considered to be at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.Those who adopted a Mediterranean diet, some with the addition of extra nuts and others with the addition of extra virgin olive oil, all showed to experience fewer cardiovascular events over the course of the study when compared to their cohorts.

Additionally, the participants who adopted this diet were observed to have lower blood pressure, reduced insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and reduced oxidative stress. All around, consistent use of this diet, without the restriction of calorie intake, has health benefits for the whole body.

The primary benefit of the Mediterranean diet is heart health. However, it does contain far less saturated fat and sugars than most Americans typical diet, and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and legumes over meat and dairy. If your diet is already fairly low in fat and sugar, you may not see as many weight loss benefits as someone who is making a more drastic change. The Mediterranean diet is a fantastic foundational eating plan, though, so if you use it for a starting point, then keep an eye on your overall calorie intake, it can be an excellent way to lose weight.

While some diets encourage restriction of calories or prohibit certain foods, this isnt the case with the Mediterranean Diet. Instead, it is a fairly well-rounded nutritional plan that is safe because of how it approaches healthy eating. Lowered calorie intake or extreme restriction can put individuals at risk for disorder eating patterns. The great thing about the Mediterranean diet is that is generally focused on what you can eat, not what you cant eat. It also doesnt require you to eat very little or count calories.

Additionally, this diet includes foods known to be associated with heart health. While a diet like keto encourages increased intake of fat, this is a diet the embraces all food groups in moderation but limits saturated fats, meats, and processed grains.

The only risk worth noting is associated with an increased intake of wine. Even though red wine is embraced by proponents of the Mediterranean diet, it generally isnt recommended that people increase their alcohol intake in hopes of improving their health. While many people might be able to safely navigate the addition of a daily glass of wine, others may not be able to practice moderation, as pointed out by Time.

If youre interested in giving the Mediterranean diet a try, here are the foods you want to stock up on before getting started:

Produce is central to any healthy diet, so it is no surprise that this eating plan encourages plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Carb lovers, we have good news for you. Grains like rice, pasta, oatmeal, and whole-grain bread are part of daily eating.

Olive oil is an iconic part of this diet because it is an unsaturated fat. It is encouraged in place of butter or other saturated fats. Nuts are another source of healthy fat encouraged on the Mediterranean diet.

This diet is limited in meat but encourages seafood twice a week as a source of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Followers of the Mediterranean diet are encouraged to drink a glass of red wine a day, but should proceed with caution.

As a diet that emphasizes treating plants as a major source of nutrients and calories, it may not be surprising the legumes are a big part of following the Mediterranean way of eating. Lentils, cannellini beans, and garbanzo beans are all great additions to your shopping cart.

Related: 15 Ways to Get Your Five Servings of Vegetables a Day

Heres a partial list of staple foods on the Mediterranean diet to get you started.

When it comes to the recommended foods to eat while on this diet, a good white bean or minestrone soup checks nearly all the boxes. Kale White Bean Soup includes lean protein from legumes and plenty of vegetables. Sub out the coconut oil for olive oil and youve adapted it into a Mediterranean diet approved meal.

A quick and easy recipe like Crunchy Hummus-Crusted Fish with Roasted Broccoli and Olives is just about as good as it gets when on the hunt for heart-healthy meals that you can make in half an hour. Salads can be jazzed up with fresh vegetables, an olive oil dressing, and beans. Eating fish at least twice a week doesnt have to be boring, bookmark plenty of inventive recipes, like these Cashew-Crusted Salmon Skewers.

The great thing about snacks on this diet is that they can be fairly simple. Keep roasted nuts on hand and youll always have an option you feel great about. Another simple option is whole grain bread with a little nut butter or mashed avocados.

Snack time is also a good time to increase your veggie intake, keep hummus on hand an cut up some fresh vegetables on the weekends to snack on all week long.

Breakfast on the Mediterranean diet is likely going to feel like a step away from traditional, American breakfasts. Eggs are encouraged on this eating plan, but only a few times a week. Other options include oatmeal topped with nuts, nut butters, or fruit. Greek yogurt also makes for a great breakfast that provides lean protein and can be sweetened with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey.

Generally, the Mediterranean diet is a low-sugar diet. Processed carbs and sweets arent encouraged as part of everyday eating. That being said, there is definitely room for nutritious desserts. Many of them include fruit, like these goat cheese stuffed figs, drizzled with honey and topped with walnuts. Delish!

While certainly not as indulgent, sprinkling apples with cinnamon is a good way to satisfy a craving for after-dinner sweets without changing your commitment to tenants of the Mediterranean diet.

Regular consumption of red meat is discouraged on the Mediterranean diet, but not prohibited. Generally, it is recommended that red meat be reserved as the occasional treat. Additionally, processed carbohydrates and saturated fats are not a part of daily eating when following the Mediterranean diet.

Find out about Noom, the weight-loss app taking social media by storm.

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Dec 18

Is the keto diet healthy? Cancer researchers study effects of keto – TODAY

The low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet has become hugely popular over the last few years. For many people, the keto diet including variations such as keto cycling or the less restrictive lazy keto has become the go-to eating plan for weight loss and fighting disease.

Two years ago, I interviewed cancer specialist Dr. Patrick Hwu of MD Anderson in Houston about his research into what he calls the fat-burning metabolism diet, or fat-burning diet. Hwu, a tumor immunologist, has been following the ketogenic diet himself for six years, long before it was trending on social media.

As a leading cancer doctor, he has many patients asking him for the ideal diet while they go through treatment and he often suggests keto.

Hwu emphasizes that more research is needed to determine the ideal diet for cancer patients, but as he has seen in himself, the keto diet has been shown to improve biomarkers associated with heart health.

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Keto is a diet that was developed decades ago and originally used for patients with severe epilepsy, some of whom were on the diet for life with no evidence of harm. It consists of low carb, high fat and only moderate protein intake, as opposed to the Atkins diet. Keto isnt as meat-heavy as commonly believed. Hwu relies on certain go to foods like full-fat regular cream cheese, sour cream and avocados as staples. He also consumes a lot of green vegetables and cauliflower.

Since starting the keto diet, Hwu has dropped 25 pounds and has maintained the weight loss. His blood pressure, triglycerides and sugar levels have all decreased, which are healthy signs. His biomarkers, including lipid profile and blood pressure have been excellent, he said.

There have been a number of studies that show the connection between obesity and certain cancers. Hwu feels that keto makes sense because his patients are not hungry on it, it manages their weight and blood sugar levels and keeps insulin and IGF-1 levels low two proteins that have been shown to drive some cancers.

I feel that fat intake has been overly emphasized as a negative factor and that a high intake of carbs and the subsequent spikes in insulin and IGF-1 (an insulin-like hormone in the blood) that they cause are more harmful to health overall, Hwu said.

Hwus colleague, Dr. Jennifer McQuade, an assistant professor and physician scientist in Melanoma Medical Oncology at MD Anderson says they are currently conducting both human and animal studies of the effects of diet, including the ketogenic diet, on cancer. In addition, they are testing a plant-based high-fiber diet aimed at the gut microbiome, which has been shown to impact response to immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that utilizes the patients own immune system to fight the disease. They expect results from the studies early next year.

Recent work from the laboratory of Lew Cantley at Cornell has shown that the ketogenic diet can improve cancer control in mice treated with a type of targeted therapy that can cause elevated levels of insulin.

The MD Anderson researchers will test the ketogenic diet in cancer survivors to see if it lowers insulin and IGF-1, they will then move on to combining with targeted therapy.

The keto diet research will be prepared in an MD Anderson kitchen and provided to the patients in a controlled setting.

Meanwhile, Hwu would like to see a greater variety of keto-friendly offerings in grocery stores because the key to sticking with keto is having enough substitutes, so you never feel deprived.

You can bake almost anything with almond flour," said Hwu, "and stevia, erythritol and monk fruit are all safe sweeteners.

Kristin Kirkpatrick

Kristin Kirkpatrick is the lead dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a best-selling author and an award winning dietitian.

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Dec 18

How to avoid the ‘Chick-fil-a’ effect and other healthy diet tips – Advocate Media

Registered dietitian Caroline Susie, who is a Lake Highlands High School alumna, works for a global healthcare company, advising clients of all sizes on how to improve their diets. Shes also shared health tips on episodes of Fox 4s Good Day. The best tip I can give: Dont take nutrition advice from Dr. Google or an influencer on social media.Work with a registered, licensed dietitian. Dietitians have degrees in nutrition, have completed a 1,200-hour supervised internship, passed national boards and complete ongoing continuing education. Look for RD or RDN in title, or when in doubt, ask Susie says.

Load up on H20

Hydration is so important, especially as we age, as water contributes to almost every function in our bodies.Research shows that having a glass of water before each meal can result in consuming fewer calories at the meal.To increase your water consumption, use a water tracker, get a cool water bottle, and vary your water flavors by making spa water, adding citrus or cucumbers.

Focus on adding foods, not eliminating

When you eliminate a specific food or food group from your diet, you cant help but think about it 24/7. I call this, the Chick-fil-A effect.What is the day of the week you always want Chick-fil-A? Sunday [when the fast-food restaurant is closed]. So instead of restricting yourself, focus on adding foods to your diet. This positive mindset will help you make healthier choices and feel good about them.

Dont fear carbs

Yes, its true, not all carbs are created equal, but to simply demonize the entire food category is not fair. We have decades of research associating complex carbs with decreased risk of developing heart disease, stroke and chronic conditions.Some great choices of complex carbs include whole-grain bread and beans, brown rice and fresh fruit.

Naturally occurring sugar is just fine

Remember back in the 90s, when we were so terrified of fat?Well sugar is the new fat.But here is the secret: Sugar is not the bad guy.In fact, naturally occurring sugar occurs in two forms: fruit [fructose] and milk [lactose]. In addition to natural energy, fruit and milkprovide a host of other nutrition benefits like vitamin A, C, D and calcium. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, watch your portion sizes.

Choose lean

Lean protein is not only an essential nutrient imperative to many bodily processes, but research shows that consuming lean protein contributes to satiety, that feeling of staying fuller longer. Reach for fish, lean beef, Greek yogurt, chicken, pork, cottage cheese, eggs, peanut butter, tofu and shrimp.

The perfect pair

I tell all my clients to always pair complex carbohydrates with lean protein at every meal and snack.The complex carbs provide energy, while protein provides that feeling of fullness.Pair them to balance out blood sugar levels. This will prevent you from being hangry later.

Stock up

Your freezer is your best friend. Stock up on healthy foods such as frozen veggies, fruits, grilled chicken and fish. These can save you in a time pinch.

Eat more veggies

Sneak veggies in everywhere.Add veggies to your eggs. Top your sandwich with spinach and a slice of tomato. Puree veggies into your marinara sauce. Incorporate a small salad with lunch and dinner, or try adding more veggies into soups and chilis. Try the crudite approach: finger friendly veggies such as mini peppers, carrots and cucumbers, served with a low-fat dip.

Make exercise a habit

Every step counts. Even if you only have 10 minutes, get moving. Your exercise goal is 150 minutesof moderate intensity exercise per week. Yes, brisk walking counts and yes, you can break this up into 10-minute segments. Schedule exercise into your day. Invest in a wearable device like a Fitbit for motivation. Find a group of friends who can hold you accountable. Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Follow @CarolineSusieRD on Twitter and Instagram or check out her website for more tips.

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Dec 18

The top ten exercises to help you lose weight fast – which burns the most calories? – Express

For many people, exercise is an important part of their lifestyle and is key for those hoping to lose weight. Moving more can help burn off extra calories with will help burn fat more quickly. What are the top ten exercises to burn calories?

In order to shape up, dieters must burn more calories than they take in.

A healthy diet plan will help those hoping to lose weight keep on top of their progress.

Combining this with regular exercise can speed up results, according to Healthline.com.

The website said: How much weight you lose depends on the amount of exercise youre willing to commit to and how closely you stick to your diet.

READ MORE: Eddie Izzard weight loss: Comedian ditched one food from diet plan to slim down

If you really want to see results reflected on the scale and continue to make progress over time, you need to commit to working out at least four to five days per week.

Most exercise enthusiasts are willing to dedicate one hour to a gym class.

If spending that time working out, dieters can maximise their weight loss by picking the right exercises.

In fact doing one workout in particular could burn nearly 1000 calories in just one hour.

DON'T MISS

Running - 965

Water polo - 839

Bicycling - 710

Calisthenics - 710

Circuit training - 710

Jump rope - 671

Stationary bicycling - 622

Rowing machine - 622

Aerobic dance - 587

Swimming - 587

Comparing various sports, high cardio exercises came out as the most effective for burning calories.

Running came out on top, burning nearly 1,000 calories in just one hour of the sport.

The amount of calories actually burned can vary depending on the weight and height of the slimmer.

Factors including the pace and intensity of the workout will also make a difference.

When trying to lose weight, following an intermittent fasting diet plan can boost the metabolism, Corin Sadler, nutritional therapist and product developer at Higher Nature, explained.

He said: Research suggests with no change at all to diet, i.e. the same amount of calories, simply delaying breakfast by 90 minutes and having dinner 90 minutes earlier might have an effect on dietary intake.

Those who changed their mealtimes were found to have eaten less food overall than the control group and lost an average of two percent body fat than those left to eat at unrestricted times.

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Dec 18

Vegan diet: One thing to know before converting to veganism – NEWS.com.au

Theres so much to think about when starting the vegan diet and it can get a little confusing to know how much of food groups a person will need to eat. With so many vegan type diets and know how articles online, its easy to miss the important considerations a beginner will need know. But getting it right can make all the difference, so here are some tips to think about before embarking on your first vegan diet.

MAIN NUTRIENTS TO KEEP IN MIND

Iron is one of the main nutrients to keep in mind when starting a vegan diet. The types of food groups to satisfy the level of intake is through plant-based foods like legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds, whole-grains, dried fruits and dark green, leafy vegetables.

Accredited practising dietitian and Spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia Melanie McGrice said the iron level intake is generally around 18mg for women aged 19-50.

From having a handful of seeds, youre going to get maybe 1 or 2mg of iron but not the full 18mg and so thats where its about the whole of your diet and planning for each meal. Ms McGrice said.

For men aged 19-50, the adequate intake for iron is 8mg.

Dietitians Association of Australia reports the type of iron in plant-based foods (non-haem iron) is not easily absorbed, so in order to boost the absorption of iron in plant-based foods is to include food meals rich with vitamin C. This would mean including berries, citrus fruit, Kiwi fruit, capsicum, tomatoes and broccoli.

Along with iron, nutrients such as B12, Calcium, Omega-3 fats, Zinc and Choline will need to be kept in mind according to Ms McGrice.

REPLACEMENTS AND PLANNING IS KEY

Sustaining balanced nutrients while on a vegan diet can be hard to do, especially if youre starting out for the first time. Many people worry about getting enough iron intake or if they get enough protein. But according to Ms McGrice, replacements and planning is key in getting the adequate intake.

According to practising dietitians, this diet involves food groups like fruit and vegetables, bread, cereals, and grains, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, dried beans), soy food like tofu and tempeh, and nuts and seeds.

Ms McGrice said its beneficial to really plan out your diet each day to make sure that nutritional needs are met. Its not about eating these food groups on its own but food groups that are complimentary as well.

Instead of having dairy, youll be having dairy alternatives such as soy milk and for Omega 3 options include foods such as chia seeds. Ms McGrice said.

With calcium it will be about having something like tahini and green, leafy vegetables and for iron, seeds are a good source, she said.

Zinc in plant-based foods are commonly found in legumes, nuts, seeds and oatmeal, and for a balanced intake of Choline, it appears in plant-based foods in small amounts.

Its beneficial to know food groups that contain these nutrients and by eating a well-balanced vegan diet with plenty of whole foods such as tofu, quinoa, and broccoli, its ensuring the daily requirements that are rich in resources.

I guess the key thing is that youre not going to get all of your nutrients just from one of those food types, Ms McGrice said.

The best way for a nutritional balance is ensuring to have complementary proteins within the same meal, she said.

COMMON MISTAKES

There are common mistakes made that affect nutrient adequate intake according to Ms McGrice. Sometimes these common mistakes can be tricky, even for those who have been and currently are on vegan diets.

Not having complementary protein in food groups within each meal is a common mistake its the kind of thinking that theyre going to meet the entire nutrient needs just by eating one food group with a particular nutrient, Ms McGrice said.

Just because someone eats a cup of broccoli doesnt mean that theyre going to meet all of their calcium needs. As mentioned before, its better to plan each meal with complementary proteins.

Ms McGrice said its easier to make an appointment with an accredited practising dietitian to help you to design a plan thats best for starting a vegan diet for the first time.

Or attend a vegan support group and get some practical tips to help you through the process, said Ms McGrice.

POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS

A vegan diet, if not done correctly, has potential for negative side effects.

Iron and B12 deficiency are a common, negative side effect if the nutrient requirements are not met according to Ms McGrice. The body cant make iron itself, so food is needed.

Having an annual blood test is a good idea to check your nutritional profile, Ms McGrice said.

The main cause for iron deficiency, according to Ms McGrice, can be caused by not eating enough iron rich foods. Some people, like children and teenagers, and pregnant women need more iron than others.

Vitamin B12 is needed to help the blood form and for the brain and nervous system to function properly.

The common symptoms of B12 deficiency include tiredness, light-headedness, rapid heart rate, easy bruising and bleeding, weight loss.

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Dec 18

More forest patches, healthier diets – Forests News, Center for International Forestry Research

Poor diets have become a major global health concern, as people with overweight or micronutrient deficiencies have come to outnumber those who are hungry or under-nourished, according to a leading scientist.

Forests have been observed to improve the quality of diets among tropical rural populations, but until recently, there was not much evidence to show how.

As it happens, tree cover matters, but so does the size and arrangement of forest patches across landscapes, according to new findings by the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and partner organizations.

The diversity of peoples diet and their likelihood of eating fruits improves the greater the tree cover is, and the higher the number of forest patches is says lead author Laura Vang Rasmussen from UBCs Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences. Fruit and vegetable consumption are important indicators of varied, well-balanced diets, but people do not eat enough of them, especially in Africa.

To better understand how forests patterns affect what people eat, researchers selected five countries with tropical forests Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia where there is geo-localized data on household food consumption. The results come from linking World Bank surveys with information on forest cover and configuration from global datasets.

BREAKING MYTHS

More blocks of forests were observed to be associated with more diverse diets in three (Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia) and four (Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania) of the countries, respectively. The absence of significant associations in Malawi might be related to the fact that fruit is more widely consumed in this country, as compared to the others.

Our next research step is to tease apart the mechanisms linking forests and diets, beyond the obvious provision of wild food, Vang said.

Despite the need for more research to explain the results, authors noted that forests patterns affect wildlife movement, pollination, seed dispersal and even peoples access to forest resources. For example, smaller patches might better support peoples diets if they tend to collect food and products along forest edges.

Tree cover also matters because forests contribute to diets in a number of ways: they provide fodder for livestock, which is a source of meat and dairy products; offer services such as pest control and nutrient recycling that can boost crop production and quality; and provide wood fuel to cook foods such as beans.

For Vang, the findings also challenge the idea that people who are wealthier and better connected to markets have more diverse diets.

We found that families in the middle wealth group were not eating more fruit than poorer households in two of the countries. Given the importance of fruit for health outcomes, this challenges the widely held assumption that promoting income-generating opportunities is enough to improve diets, Vang said.

Recognizing the role of forests in food security and nutrition matters because agricultural intensification does not necessarily lead to better diets, either. In fact, intensive agriculture may usher in monoculture cash crops, resulting in poorer diets and health.

HEALTHY LANDSCAPES AND PEOPLE

For the authors, evidence that forests influence fruit consumption calls for more research on how best to conserve forests in landscapes, taking into account regional differences.

Vang will devote the next five years to further unpacking the links between forests patterns and diets, and will also study how they change over time with funding from the European Research Council. There is still a knowledge gap on potential trade-offs between forest conservation, food production and securing high-quality diets, she said.

She also noted that increased agricultural yields alone cannot address the widespread problem of well-balanced diets, which means there is a need to bring together the agricultural and forest sectors to advance quality diets in rural Africa and beyond.

In the paper, researchers call for a food security and nutrition strategy that maintains or increases access to forests, while diversifying agricultural production, bringing income-generating opportunities and increasing access to bio-fortifications.

It is in everybodys best interest to promote healthy landscapes as the basis for healthier diets for rural people, Vang said.

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Dec 18

What You Need to Know About the Carnivore Diet – San Diego Entertainer Magazine

Weve seen some pretty crazy diets through the years, but the carnivore diet is among the strangest. As youd expect from the name, the diet consists entirely of meat and animal products, completely excluding all other foods. Proponents of the diet say it can aid in weight loss, mood issues, and blood sugar regulation among other health-related benefits.

The carnivore diet is an elimination diet that is one of the most restrictive nutrition plans out there. The foods allowed are only meat, fish, and other animal foods like eggs and certain dairy products. This means that every single food not falling under these characteristics are excluded, meaning all fruits, vegetables, and grains are out of the question. The diet draws inspiration from the belief that the modern high-carb and refined sugar diet is responsible for the majority of chronic disease and inflammation.

Following the carnivore diet is relatively straightforward, with followers recommending that a diet should include beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, organ meats, salmon, sardines, white fish, and small amounts of heavy cream and hard cheese. Butter, lard, and bone marrow are also allowed. There are no specific guidelines regarding total caloric intake or how many meals to eat per day, but it is recommended that meals should include fatty cuts of meat in order to maintain daily energy needs.

Many people turn to the carnivore diet as it has been reported to be highly effective for weight loss. Studies have shown that a diet rich in protein and low in carbs can help promote weight loss. A high-protein diet can leave you feeling fuller after meals, leading to reduced caloric intake. Protein can also lead to an increased metabolic rate helping your body burn more calories.

With the complete elimination of carbs and refined sugars, which are high in calories but essentially nutritionally baseless. These foods can prove to be detrimental to people who struggle with diabetes, weight, and inflammatory issues.

Nevertheless, the carnivore diet is not without its risks. The diet is especially high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, all of which can contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and other problems. The diet is also one of the most restrictive out there, meaning your body will not receive micronutrients, beneficial plant compounds, and fiber easily obtained in normal balanced diets.

While the carnivore diet has plenty of anecdotal reports of users hailing it as the superior diet for weight loss, the sheer restrictive nature of it leaves much to be desired. There has been little to no clinical research into the long-term effects of following the diet, so anyone thinking about trying it out should proceed with caution.

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Dec 18

Meghan King Edmonds Details Her Daily Diet as She Struggles to Put on Weight – Bravo

Meghan King Edmonds has had enough of people telling her to "eat a burger." Whether the comments are well-intentioned or not, The Real Housewives of Orange County alum has seen plenty of them that address her too-thin appearance,so she decided to address her recent weight loss head-on with a candid blog post.

As anyone who's been keeping up with Meghan's life could have guessed, the mom of three has been feeling an undue amount of stress lately and she's lost her appetite.

Between coping with her son's brain injury and a divorce that blindsided her, "Im not hungry," Meghan wrote. And that doesn't mean that she's not trying.

"This is the first time in my life Ive counted calories and its in the opposite way most Americans do so," she wrote. "Ieat breakfast every day. Thats easy. Lunch is hard because its an annoyance: a stop in the middle of the day when Im on a roll. So when I eat lunch I really go for it all the carbs and all the protein. I dont snack never have. Dinner can go either way. The kids are asleep so I have time to eat and I do but usually Im not very hungry."

And once more, for the record: "But I digress," Meghan wrote."I agree, Im too thin ...The best is yet to come. (Including love handlesthose are coming soon. Okay I take that backmaybe not love handles lets not get crazy but some meat on the old bones.)"

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Dec 18

This Intersex Runner Had Surgery to Compete. It Has Not Gone Well. – The New York Times

Annet Negesa had just finished training in Kampala, Uganda, in June 2012 when she received a call from a doctor from track and fields world governing body. He told her that she would no longer be competing in the London Olympics because her testosterone levels were too high for competition.

I went back into the house and started crying, she recalled.

Negesa was 20 at the time and one of the top athletes in her country, a promising middle-distance runner who had set a national record for 800 meters earlier in the year at a meet in Hengelo, the Netherlands. She was a three-time national champion and took home a gold medal at the 2011 All-Africa Games. The Uganda Athletics Federation named her athlete of the year.

World Athletics, formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations, or I.A.A.F., track and fields world governing body, did not catch Negesa using performance-enhancing drugs. Rather, she is an intersex athlete.

She identifies as female and was born with external female genitalia but also with internal male genitalia that produce levels of testosterone that men do. According to sports officials, that gave her an unfair advantage over most women in some events.

What makes Negesa different from so many other intersex athletes is that she tried to alter her body with surgery so she could continue to compete. Negesa claims that a doctor for World Athletics recommended the surgery. The federation denies this.

For seven years, Negesa, 27, refused to speak about what happened. But time did little to assuage her grievances.

Now I see my body as different, very, very different, she said. I dont know how to talk about it.

The years since the surgery have been a struggle. Negesa has battled persistent headaches and achy joints. Her postoperative care, she said, has not included the kind of hormone treatment that might have helped her body adjust to the change.

What happened to Annet is dangerous, and happened because she wanted to compete, said Payoshni Mitra, a researcher and activist on gender and sports who has lectured on the topic of intersex athletes.

For the past decade, Mitra has stood alongside numerous athletes with naturally high testosterone levels, including Caster Semenya, the South African middle-distance champion, and Dutee Chand, the Indian sprinter. Negesas case, however, was one of the most difficult ones for Mitra to reconcile because Negesa opted to have surgery.

For years, World Athletics has struggled to create rules that maintain a level playing field for the overwhelming majority of women with only female genitalia without impinging on the human rights of intersex people, who account for roughly one in every 2,000 births. A study this year found that female athletes with male testosterone levels are overrepresented in womens middle-distance races.

World Athletics, in a decade of research, found that nearly seven in every 1,000 elite female athletes are intersex athletes with levels of testosterone within the male range. Some endocrinologists have concluded it remains unclear whether high testosterone gives athletes a competitive edge, but many scientists believe it does.

After years of litigation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in May upheld World Athletics testosterone restrictions for female athletes in races with distances from 400 meters to the mile. The court ruled by a 2-to-1 vote that the restrictions were indeed discriminatory but also a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the World Athletics goal of preserving a level playing field in womens track events.

Most women, including elite female athletes, have natural testosterone levels of 0.12 to 1.79 nanomoles per liter, World Athletics said, while the typical male range after puberty is much higher, at 7.7 to 29.4 nanomoles per liter.

Intersex athletes who want to participate in middle-distance womens track events must take hormone-suppressing drugs and reduce testosterone levels below five nanomoles per liter for six months before competing, then maintain those lowered levels.

But Negesa, the eldest of nine siblings raised in a village in Jinja, Uganda, southeast of the Nile, had a much more invasive intervention after she learned in 2012 that she could not compete.

She said a World Athletics physician, Dr. Stphane Bermon, told her she needed to undergo medical treatment and was given surgery as her first option: a gonadectomy to remove her internal testes.

I love my sport so much, thats why I decided to go for the surgery, she said in a recent video interview from Germany, where she now lives.

After Negesa appeared in a documentary on German televisions ARD network in October, World Athletics issued a statement denying that it participated in or recommended a specific treatment to Negesa.

Dr. Bermon has never met the athlete in question and was not at either the consultation in Nice nor the surgery she speaks of in Uganda, the statement said. Through a World Athletics spokesman, Dr. Bermon declined to comment.

Negesa said she traveled alone to Nice for medical tests soon after learning she could not compete. She recalled having her body measurements taken by two doctors who spoke in French. Negesa speaks Swahili and English.

It was so weird, she recalled. I was shy.

She returned to Kampala for treatment, and paid $900 for the procedure.

On the morning of her surgery in Kampala, she had little knowledge of what she was about to undergo. Doctors had told her that it was a simple surgery and that she would return to competition in a few weeks.

I woke up in the morning feeling cuts on my body, she said. I felt so scared. I didnt know that I was going to be cut open.

She hasnt returned to the sport and has suffered from depression and joint pain since the operation.

Negesas medical record from the Womens Hospital International & Fertility Centre in Kampala was reviewed by The New York Times and confirmed that World Athletics, then known as the I.A.A.F., recommended a thorough medical examination, citing the high levels of testosterone in her body. The report states that after her testing in Nice she had a gonadectomy in Kampala. The document states that her surgeon in Kampala, Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, did not start her on hormone therapy because he was awaiting further discussion with Dr. Bermon.

Dr. Tamale Sali declined to comment.

In 2013, Dr. Bermon, now director of the World Athletics health and science department, published a report citing four unidentified athletes from developing countries who were referred to hospitals in France for naturally high testosterone levels.

I think I was the first one, Negesa said of the four athletes cited in the study. She said Dr. Bermon was the World Athletics official who first called her in 2012.

After Negesas appearance in the German documentary in September, 25 French athletes wrote to World Athletics, the International Olympic Committee and the minister of sports and health calling for an investigation.

The French minister of sports and minister of health opened a joint investigation in October.

In its statement, World Athletics said it does not advise athletes on preferred treatments and did not do so in this case. The global federation has never forced any athlete affected by its regulations to undergo surgery, nor paid for any of their treatment.

In March, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned World Athletics attempt to regulate female athletes testosterone levels. And in May the World Medical Association advised physicians around the world to abstain from implementing the new regulations.

They are assigned female at birth and have grown up to have a female gender identity, so theres no question that they belong in that category, said Katrina Karkazis, a fellow at Yale Universitys Global Health Justice Partnership.

Negesa said that returning home, where L.G.B.T. individuals are openly condemned, would lead to imprisonment or death.

She filed for asylum in Berlin in September, and was granted it this month.

She runs every day, with the hope of one day returning to international competition. Her next step, though, is litigation. I need to take them to court, she said of World Athletics, for violating my human rights.

See the original post:
This Intersex Runner Had Surgery to Compete. It Has Not Gone Well. - The New York Times

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