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28-year-old beauty queen Zoiey Smale, who was set to compete for an international title next month, has decided to instead hand back her crown in an effort to share an important message.

Smale, who won Miss United Kingdom in June, was gearing up to head to Ecuador for the final round of another title competition when the UK size 10 (US size 6) pageant contestant was told that she needed to lose weight. In a recent interview with Daily Mail, Smale shared that this advice was passed down from the director of the international program. 'She said to me "They want you to go on a diet plan and they want you to lose as much weight as possible for the finals." I was like, "pardon?"

Instead of succumbing to the pressure, Smale decided to take a stand and remove herself from the pageant altogether. She also decided to share her experience with the public on Facebook. After being asked to lose weight and go on a diet plan for an international competition, I have withdrawn. Some of you may think this is cowardly, however I don't think it is the right to have my face representing a pageant ethos I do not believe in. I will be handing back my crown and wish the new title holder the very best of luck, she wrote in a note that she posted publicly.

Smale shared that she has had amazing experiences throughout her pageant career, but is disheartened by the body shaming that comes from some of the pageant directors. It saddens me that even still, there are pageant directors who believe you must be skinny to be beautiful. She continues on, I don't believe anyone should be able to manipulate you and dull your sparkle.

Smale let the pageant directors know that if they do not wish to include her in the pageant because of her size it is their loss. To conclude her note, Smale expresses her gratitude to everyone who has supported her throughout her pageant career, and signs off with a message of self-love. All in all we never know when our time on this earth is up.. so love yourself, eat a bit of cake and laugh until your belly hurts, she wrote.

Her post has since gained tons of positive feedback online, and Smale continues to spread her message on body positivity to the public.

Body shaming is a major issue, especially in the world of pageantry. Were hopeful that Smales powerful message will continue to push this discussion even further, and open the doors to a more welcoming environment for all shapes and sizes.

The Lookbook is Bravo's home for inspiring content and experiences that feed fashionistas with a steady diet of share-worthy styles, personalities, and industry news. Like us on Facebook to stay connected to our daily updates.

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A British beauty queen says she gave up her crown after a pageant organizer told her she needed to drop some weight to compete at an upcoming international competition.

Miss United Kingdom hands back crown after being told to lose weight Play Video - 1:12

Miss United Kingdom hands back crown after being told to lose weight Play Video - 1:12

Zoiey Smale, 28, of Northampton, England, won the title of Miss United Kingdom back in June and was set to advance to the Miss United Continents pageant in Ecuador in late September.

Smale told TODAY that she recently received a call from her national director who informed her the international director of the competition wanted her to lose weight and go on some sort of diet plan.

I was so upset and shocked because I had worked so hard in the run up to the national title. I took some time to think about my decision. Do I go anyway out of protest? Or hand my title over. I made the decision to hand my title over as I didn't want to support a company who didn't love me for me, the mother of one said.

Requests for comment from the Miss United Continents pageant were not returned.

Smale recently took to Facebook to write about her decision, noting she has been competing in such contests for over a decade.

Some of you may think this is cowardly, however I don't think it is the right to have my face representing a pageant ethos I do not believe in. I will be handing back my crown and wish the new title holder the very best of luck, wrote Smale, alongside a photo of her in a blue gown and her crown.

I love me and will not change for anyone. My body has carried me through my 20+ years of being on this earth, allowed me to have a career I am very proud of, carry a child and the best thing of all, my body has never given up on me, she added.

Similarly, last year, Miss Iceland, Arna r Jnsdttir quit the Miss Grand International beauty pageant after she was also allegedly told to lose weight.

Supporters took to Smales Facebook page to applaud her decision to quit the competition. You should be very proud of who you are and what you do to inspire others not to be afraid of being true to themselves, wrote one person. Absolutely disgusted that anyone feels they have the right to tell anyone how they should look, least of all someone with a perfect figure in the minds of many. Proud of you for standing up for what's right wrote another.

Smale told TODAY that she hopes young women learn from her decision. I hope others can see it's not okay to be treated this way and the number on a clothing label doesn't define how successful you will be in life, she said.

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Beauty queen hands back crown after being told to lose weight ... - Today.com

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So many of us have grown up buying into the diet myth, which teaches us that we have to lose weight and get a perfect body in order to have the life of our dreams.

But for curve model, top beauty influencer, and makeup artist Lauren OLeary, the exact opposite has been true!

Rather than putting off living the life of her dreams until she felt she had the perfect body, she decided to learn how to accept the body she had. Lauren cultivated a more loving, positive mindset about herself and her body. This has proven to be jet fuel for her in achieving her career goals and creating a life that she loves!

Lauren first began struggling with body image in high school, when she developed an eating disorder. Her family put her in an inpatient treatment program out of concern for her well-being.

At that time, I didnt think I had a problem at all. I looked around at the other women in treatment and thought, Oh, theyre way worse off than me, Lauren recalls of her time in treatment. She completed her treatment program and went on to graduate high school.

Lauren first moved to New York City at 18, and at that time, she was still struggling with her eating disorder. Working as a straight size (a.k.a. skinny or normal) model, Lauren felt like she was struggling to maintain balance and was experiencing many health issues due to her malnutrition. She wound up going home to heal, and to be surrounded by friends and family.

While she was away from New York City, Lauren enrolled in college and went back to working at M.A.C., where she was inspired to pursue a career in the beauty industry. After overcoming her eating disorder, as well as some tumult in her romantic life, Lauren made the decision to give life in New York City another shot.

This time, the city opened its arms to Lauren! During the past three years, she has thrived as a makeup artist, working with major clients such as Guess, Maybelline New York, and others. She has done makeup for an impressive roster of celebs, including Nikki Taylor and Cindy Crawfords kids, Kaia and Presley.

This past year, Lauren also got the courage to get back in front of the camera again, this time as a curve model with New Yorks TRUE Model Management.

I feel like its just such a different experience altogether. Im so much more confident now with who I am and where Im at, Lauren gushes of the contrast between her recent modeling, and modeling back when she was thinner.

Lauren is living proof that losing weight is not a prerequisite to living a life you love, as so many of us have been taught over the years. To hear more of Laurens story, check out the latest episode of the Healthy at Any Size podcast! To connect with Lauren and see more of her work as a model, an influencer, and a makeup artist, follow her on Instagram at @laurenolearybeauty.

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This Model Proves that Losing Weight isn't the Key to Living Your Dreams! - HuffPost

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Honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers tending larvae on brood comb. The larvae that will grow up to be workers have a plant-based diet of a mix of honey and pollen. Stephen Dalton/Minden Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers tending larvae on brood comb. The larvae that will grow up to be workers have a plant-based diet of a mix of honey and pollen.

When a female honeybee hatches, her future holds one of two possible paths within the hive's caste system. She will become either a worker bee or a queen bee. And her fate is determined in part by the food she eats as a larva.

Larvae that are fed mostly a bitter type of pollen combined with honey, a mixture called "beebread," grow up to be worker bees. They are generally sterile and destined for a life of housekeeping tasks. Future queens, on the other hand, grow up on royal jelly a goopy, yellowish substance rich in proteins, sugars and fatty acids that is secreted from the glands of worker bees. The queen's sole task in life is to make more bees. She also lives a longer life and has a stinger she can use more than once without dying.

So what is it about the two different diets that determines the caste of bees? It's a question that bee researchers have puzzled over for a long time. A study published Thursday in the journal PLOS Genetics suggests that the plant-heavy diet of a future worker bee helps prevent it from becoming a queen.

One difference between beebread and royal jelly is that the former has a higher concentration of tiny pieces of plant genetic material called microRNAs. These molecules are known to influence the expression of genes. "Plant microRNAs play important roles for the plant development and physiology," says Chen-Yu Zhang, a biochemist at Nanjing University in China and an author on the new study. "One set of the microRNA we tested is also important to the plant to make their flower bigger, more colorful."

And their past research also showed that differences in the plant RNA content of foods changed gene expression in honeybees and fruit flies. So they wondered: Could plant microRNAs influence development in honeybee larvae?

To answer the question, they created a synthetic beebread in the lab, adding microRNAs to it that they extracted from pollen in flowering plants. Larvae that ate this synthetic beebread weighed less, were shorter and had smaller ovaries compared with those that didn't eat it. In other words, they were more like worker bees.

And the larvae that were not fed beebread (with the added microRNAs) grew up to be more queenlike. They had bigger bodies and larger ovaries.

"Plant microRNAs really mediate the honeybee caste formation," says Zhang. The molecules seem to slow the growth of the bee larvae, keeping their ovaries so small that they are sterile.

Gene Robinson, director of a genomic biology institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, says this new study is exciting. It raises the possibility of a new component of honeybees' diets that might be influencing their social fate.

"As we've gone into the genomic era in the past 25 years, the interest increasingly is understanding the molecular basis for these nutritional effects," he says. But "exactly how are the substances in the bees' diets engaging with internal systems, molecular pathways, to actually flip the switch?"

The new study also looked at how these microRNAs could be affecting the bees' development. Their findings suggest that one of the microRNAs targets a specific gene called amTOR, which has been shown to influence the development of queen bees. They also suspect that other plant microRNAs and RNAs also influence bee development.

A big question about the new study is whether these small microRNA molecules can survive in the larvaes' digestive tracts long enough to alter gene expression. The researchers' previous work suggests they can, but some researchers have expressed doubt over their claims.

However, Zhang and his colleagues stress that RNAs are probably not the only factor determining a bee's fate. The nutritional content of royal jelly, for example, may also play a role in helping honeybee larvae become queens. And p-coumaric acid, another plant-based compound present in honey, also seems to change gene expression to nudge bee larvae toward developing into worker bees.

Robinson says future research on this topic should delve further into understanding how these plant microRNAs "take the long and winding road" to being eaten by bee larvae and then influencing gene expression in them. "That's an amazing journey," he says. "And so we need to understand that whole process."

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The Divisive Diet of Honeybees: Why Some Will Never Be Royals - NPR

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Over the years, Robert Kushner has seen many obese patients get tripped up trying to keep pounds off because they rely on fast food, juggle too many tasks and dislike exercise.

So Kushner, an obesity expert, began helping patients plan diet and physical activity around their lifestyles and habits.

We dont necessarily put people on any specific diet; it really gets to what is their life, what are their struggles, he said. We believe obesity care cant be inconsistent with culture, family or how you lead your life.

He recently suggested that a patient split meals with his wife when they dined out, rather than each having large portions or avoiding restaurants entirely. When the man said he was uncomfortable sharing a meal with his wife when the couple was out with friends, Kushner said to do it anyway.

I said, Its a strategy that works whether youre with other people or not. ... Be assertive, said Kushner. I think people dont think about it because they just arent raised to share.

The patient kept track of the foods he was eating, learning to avoid larger portions and fattening dishes. He has lost 15 pounds in six months, cutting about 500 to 700 calories per day.

More than a third of U.S. adults are obese, according to a 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kushner, who directs the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said he realized in the 1980s that obesity was a looming problem. He started combining diet, nutrition, exercise and behavioral changes into a plan for patients.

Since then, whats changed is the maturity of the area, understanding more about the effects of stress and sleep on body weight, and some of the behavioral-change techniques have expanded, he said.

In addition to promoting good sleep habits and stress management techniques such as meditation, Kushner and his colleagues suggest bariatric surgery for patients with a body mass index of 40 or more and for some who are less obese but who have medical problems such as Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and heart disease. They also recommend medication for patients with BMIs as low as 30 who have additional medical problems or have failed to lose weight despite lifestyle changes.

While studies havent generally proved that lifestyle changes are effective for weight loss, Kushner said patients often have trouble shedding pounds unless problems like stress are managed.

Kushners approach proposes gentler, moderate changes. Rather than tell patients to cut out every unhealthy food they love, Kushner suggests focusing on alternatives with higher fiber and water content but fewer calories. (Think beans, vegetables, salads, fruits, broth-based soups and whole grains such as oatmeal.)

For the couch potato who finds exercise overwhelming, Kushner advises walking for short periods, building up to three 10-minute brisk walks daily to boost your energy level and mood while you also burn calories.

He also suggests that dog owners walk their pet for 30 minutes daily rather than leave Fido in the back yard. Kushner found that dog-walking helped overweight and obese people lose weight in a study, and he wrote a book about it Fitness Unleashed!: A Dog and Owners Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together with veterinarian Marty Becker.

I call it an exercise machine on a leash, Kushner said. It is a way for people to think about moving their body around in a fun way.

Most of his patients lose about 10 percent of their body weight (some more than 20 percent) after six months and keep it off during the program, Kushner said.

Patients say they feel understood and more motivated as they are given personalized direction to make positive changes in their lifestyle, he said.

Kushner created a questionnaire to screen patients for traits that prevent weight loss such as eating whats convenient rather than planning healthy meals or having an all-or-nothing mentality traits that Kushner and colleagues found in a study to be strongly linked with obesity.

Once you take the quiz and know your factor type, I can personalize a plan to help you lose weight and keep it off, Kushner said.

Another way Kushner hopes to help patients tackle obesity is by teaching medical students about treating and preventing it. He found in a recent study that the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination was focusing much more on diagnosing and treating obesity-related illnesses, such as Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, than on how to counsel patients on diet, physical activity, behavior changes, the use of medications and bariatric surgery.

But Kushner said his approach isnt only about weight loss.

We know that as little as 5 to 10 percent weight loss will improve the health and well-being of individuals and can also improve blood sugar, blood pressure, the fats in your blood, arthritis or reflux symptoms, as well as your mood and energy level.

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Imagine a new study, published, one presumes in Road & Track, or Car and Driver, purporting to show that square wheels outperform round wheels.Imagine the attendant headlines: Everything Thought Known About Wheels Proves Wrong! and Wheel Guidelines Need Radical Change!

Would such headlines, in fact, cause you to abandon everything you knew about wheels based on a lifetime of evidence and experience?Or, would you say: that cant possibly be true, and just go about your business?Or, might you say, well, wait just a darn minute and look further into the study, to see how such a preposterous claim could be justified in the first place?

I am guessing one of the latter options in the case of wheels.I only wish we would roll the same way when it comes to news about diet.Well come back to that momentarily.

First, I want to establish that my imaginary study, and its entourage of imaginary headlines, could, indeed, be feasible if there were money to be made confusing people perennially about the proper shape of tires (as there certainly is with regard to diet).How?

Well, as the headlines told you, square tires were compared to round, and square won.What the headlines didnt tell you was that the square tires were made from state-of-the-art tire materials, such as vulcanized rubber.And, perhaps though square, the corners were gently rounded.The round tires were indeed round- but made out of porcelain, presumably because the study result was chosen in advance to favor the square tire industry.The porcelain tires all shattered to smithereens at the first rotation, leaving those cars stranded with no tires at all.The cars on square tires lumbered along clumsily, but they did at least move- and so, they won!The difference was statistically significant.

The above study is just the nonsense it seems.If, however, there were industries that could profit from confusion about the best shape for tires, I would not be shocked to see it.We get just such diverting nonsense about diet week after week.

The latest is the media coverage of a study called PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology), which ranges from mildly hyperbolic to patently absurd.

The study itself is impressive in scope, and I commend the many investigators involved for their good intentions, and massive efforts.In brief, PURE was designed to look at health outcomes associated with variations in lifestyle, and in the current batch of papers diet specifically, in countries not well represented in prior work of this type, and across the range from high to very low socioeconomic status.

A total of 18 countries with a particular focus on the Middle East, South America, Africa, and South Asia- and about 135,000 people participated.Participants were enrolled as long ago as 2003, or as recently as 2013, and were followed for about seven and a half years on average.Dietary intake was assessed with a single food-frequency questionnaire at baseline.Another dietary intake tool, 24-hour recall, was used in a sub-sample, and the correlation between the two was marginal, suggesting considerable inaccuracy in diet reporting.

Three PURE study papers were just published in the same issue of The Lancet, one reporting health outcomes (cardiovascular disease, non-cardiovascular disease, and mortality) associated with intake of vegetables, fruits, and legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.); the second reporting on the same health outcomes with variation in the three macronutrients- carbohydrate, protein, and fat- as a percent of total calorie intake; and a third looking at variation in blood lipids and blood pressure in relation to nutrient intake.

There were two main findings that have spawned most of the mainstream media coverage, and social media buzz.The first was that, while health outcomes improved and mortality declined with higher intake of vegetables, fruits, and legumes- in multivariable analysis adjusting for other factors, that benefit peaked at about 3 servings per day.This has been widely interpreted to suggest that, at odds with conventional wisdom on the topic, more is not better with regard to vegetables, fruits, and beans.

The second finding garnering media attention was that across countries, the higher the intake of carbohydrate as a percent of calories, the higher the rates of disease and death; whereas the higher the percentage of calories from fat, the lower these rates.

Lets take these in turn.

Regarding vegetable, fruit, and legume (VFL) intake:

The researchers found that those with the lowest intake (about 9000 people) of vegetables, fruits, and legumes also had the lowest intake of total calories, starch, and meat- indicating that in the many poor populations included in this study, people were simply food-deprived, and hungry.

Those with the highest intake (about 11,000 people) of VFL had nearly twice the total calorie intake intake of the lowest group; smoked about half as often; and were 6 times more likely to have gone to college- and were more likely to exercise (even though the poor likely did manual labor at work).

In other words, the lowest levels of VFL intake represented a fairly desperate socioeconomic status; the highest intake, more than 8 servings daily, meant privilege, and choice.

What have the crazy, hyperbolic headlines NOT been telling you?Roughly 8% of those in the lowest VFL intake group died during the study period; whereas only 3% of those in the highest VFL intake group died- despite the fact that the highest VFL intake group had a slightly higher mean age at baseline.Overall, and rather flagrantly, mortality was LOWEST in the group with the HIGHEST intake of VFL. The lowest levels of heart disease, stroke, and mortality were seen in those with the HIGHEST intake of VFL.

What, then, accounts for the strange reporting, implying that everything weve been told about vegetables, fruits, and beans is wrong?These benefits were adjusted away in multivariable models.When this method of statistical analysis was applied, the health benefit expressly attributable to VFL seemed to peak at about 3 servings per day.That, however, is fundamentally misleading- and the headlines, quite simply, were written by people who dont have a clue what it really means.

Those people in PURE with the highest VFL intake were ALSO benefiting from less smoking, more exercise, higher education, better jobs, and quite simply- a vastly better socioeconomic existence.A multivariable model enters all of these factors to determine if a given outcome (e.g., lower death rate) can be attributed to ONE OF THEM with the exclusion of the others.The exclusive, apparent benefit of VFL intake was, predictably, reduced when the linked benefits of better education, better job, and better life were included in the assessment.

This no more means that VFL was failing to provide benefit in those with more education, than that more education was failing to provide benefit in those eating more VFL.It only means that since those things happen together most of the time- its no longer possible to attribute a benefit to just one of them.Really, thats what it means (and with all due respect to the miscellaneous headline writers untrained in the matter, I am qualified to say so).

The country-specific presentation of data showed the same gradient, with the lowest intake of VFL in the poorest regions and countries, including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

Based on their multivariable models, the authors suggest that there is no clear benefit from eating more than 3 servings of VFL per day, and they propose a public health advantage in that conclusion: 3 servings a day, rather than 5, 7, or 9, represents an approach that is likely to be much more affordable for poor people in poor countries. Unfortunately, those same models could be used to make the same case about education: there is no clear, exclusive benefit (among those eating the most vegetables, fruits, and legumes daily) from more education- so lets forget about college!That, too, should make things easier for the poor.I appreciate the good intentions- but the message is, simply, wrong.

What about the study of macronutrients- carbohydrate, protein, and fat?

Lets start with dietary fat.Baseline fat intake by country ranged from a low of about 18% of calories, to a high of about 30%.All of these values are considerably lower than current, average intake in the U.S. and much of Europe.

Those countries with the lowest intake of dietary fat also had the lowest intake of protein, suggesting these were people with food insecurity, having trouble obtaining adequate food intake, or dietary variety.

Saturated fat intake ranged across the countries studied from about 6% of calories to a high of about 11% of calories, again all lower than average levels in the U.S. and much of Europe, and actually very close to recommended levels.Headlines encouraging populations that already eat more saturated fat than this to add even more are not merely unjustified by anything in the study, they are egregiously irresponsible.

Unlike dietary fat, which the investigators examined in all of its various categories, carbohydrate was all lumped together as a single class.This produced an apparent paradox in the data: disease and death went down with more intake of vegetables, fruits, and legumes- but up with carbohydrate.Whats the paradox?Vegetables, fruits, and legumes all are comprised overwhelmingly of carbohydrate.

What explains away the apparent paradox is that vegetable, fruit, and legume intake were apparently highest in the most affluent, most highly educated study participants- while total carbohydrate as a percent of calories was highest in the poorest, least educated, most disadvantaged.In those cases, carbohydrate was not a variety of highly nutritious plant foods; it was almost certainly something like white rice, and little else.

The highest intake of carbohydrate as a percent of total calories was associated with lower intake of both fat and protein, and was associated with higher mortality.However, much of the increase in mortality was from non-cardiovascular diseases.

So, unless you are prepared to believe that eating only white rice is the reason you are likely to be gored by a bull and bleed to death- this study doesnt mean what the headlines say it means!

The findings actually suggest that intake of carbohydrate as a percent of total calories was highest (e.g., a diet of white rice and little else) where there was the most poverty, the least access to medical care, and the greatest risk of dying of trauma, infectious diseases, and so on.

Non-cardiovascular mortality went down as total protein intake went up across the study populations, too.Do you think this means that eating more protein prevents you from bleeding when gored by a bull- or that people in places with access to more dietary protein are less likely to be gored by a bull in the first place, and far more likely to have life-saving surgery if ever that should happen?

An alleged surprise in the PURE data is that higher intake of saturated fat was associated with lower mortality overall.Here, too, however, higher saturated fat intake- which occurred together with higher protein intake- was associated with much reduced risk of non-cardiovascular death.So, does eating more saturated fat protect you from dying when run over by an ox- or does being in a place with access to more saturated fat (i.e., animal food) in the diet mean you eat the ox before he can run you over?And, that, if ever he does run into you- theres a hospital somewhere reachable?

To be quite clear about it, there was no adjustment for, or even mention of, access to a hospital or medical care in the PURE papers.

The researchers examined the replacement of carbohydrate as percentage of calories, with fat as a percentage of calories, but did not report variation in total calories, or the degree to which very high intake of carbohydrate as a percent of that total correlated with very low calorie intake overall, and malnutrition.Looking across the several papers, it is apparent that correlation is strong.There was also no examination of what replacing one kind of fat with another did to health outcomes, a kind of dietary variation that might have more to do with choice, and less to do with socioeconomics.This is an odd omission.

On the basis of all of the details in these published papers, the conclusion, and attendant headlines, might have been: very poor people with barely anything to eat get sick and die more often than affluent people with access to both ample diets, and hospitals.One certainly understands why the media did NOT choose that!It is, however, true- and entirely consistent with the data.

Also, by way of reminder: the HIGHEST levels of both total fat, and saturated fat intake observed in the PURE data were still LOWER then prevailing levels in the U.S. and much of Europe, providing no basis whatsoever for headlines encouraging people already exceeding these levels to add yet more meat, butter, and cheese to their diets. Absolutely none.

As noted, the work represented by PURE, and the apparent intentions of the investigators, appear to be quite commendable.There is, however, something very odd about the timing of this observational study- independent of its rather obvious failure to address the massive impact of poverty on health outcomes.

What is odd in this case is the publication of an observational study to refute the findings of many intervention trials, including randomized controlled trials.As a rule, observational studies are used to generate hypotheses, and intervention trials- especially RCTs- are used to test those hypotheses.Observational studies come first, and only suggest associations; intervention studies come after to confirm or refute.

Personally, I have long been a proponent of observational epidemiology.I argue routinely that what we know reliably about diet, and many other things such as putting out fires, can come from sources other than randomized trials.Generally, the most complete and purest of understanding comes when insights born of diverse sources, from intervention trials to the common experiences of a culture, are combined, and aligned.Still, it is very odd to go back to observational data once the intervention trial data have already been filed.

A number of the researchers directly involved in PURE have spent their careers, long and illustrious for some of them, nearer the beginning for others, criticizing just such observational methods.Certain investigators involved in PURE have been among the more vocal and high-profile critics, for instance, of Ancel Keys and the Seven Countries Study (SCS), impugning both on the basis of overtly false accusations about lapses and improprieties, but also on the basis of an undeniable truth: the SCS was observational epidemiology, not a randomized controlled trial.

There is a truly enormous difference, though, along with many lesser ones, between the SCS and PURE: a gap of more than half a century!

Planning for the SCS goes back some 60 years.At that time, not only did we not have RCTs to tell us much about diet and health outcomes; we did not yet even know that diet and lifestyle had any appreciable effect on the most common of such outcomes, namely heart disease.The primary question Keys and colleagues set out to address had nothing to do with any particular nutrient; it was far more fundamental.Keys was among the first to suspect that variation in diet and lifestyle produced variation in heart disease risk, that coronary disease was not simply an inevitable consequence of aging.

Perhaps it seems incredible to you now that there was ever a time we doubted a role for diet and lifestyle in coronary disease, but that simply indicates how far we have come in the last half century, how big a gap that truly is given the pace of progress.So, again, an observational study now, especially by researchers prone to propound the advantages of randomized trials, is rather odd- because we have accumulated many such randomized trials in the decades since the SCS.

We have randomized trials to show that a shift from a typical American diet to a diet richer in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds- and consequently reduced in refined carbohydrate, added sugar, and saturated fat- slashes rates of type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults, far more so even than the best of medications.We have randomized trials to show that shifting from a standard, northern European diet rich in meat and dairy, to a Mediterranean diet with less of those and more vegetables, fruits, olive oil, legumes, and seafood- causes the rate of heart attack to plummet in high-risk adults. We have intervention trials to show that diets in which whole, wholesome plant foods predominate can cause coronary plaque to regress, and heart attack rates to plummet.

We also have, along with simple observations of both longevity and vitality in populations around the word that eat diets of wholesome foods, mostly plants, in various sensible and balanced combinations- an intervention study at the population level shifting diets away from meat and dairy, toward more produce, whole grains, and beans, and resulting in more than an 80% reduction in heart disease rates, and a 10 year addition to life expectancy.

We have also seen what has happened in India and China with transitions to higher intake of processed foods, meat and dairy- and away from diets of simple plants in their native state: massively more obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease in general.We have a massive study in the entire U.S. population showing that more meat, especially processed meat, and more intake of processed foods, salt, and sugar, and less consumption of produce means more risk of premature death.

In other words, past the hype and headlines, the apparent paradoxes and puzzles, what PURE means is that: poor people with poor diets and barely enough to eat, and living in places with limited if any modern medical care- are more likely to get sick and die than people living in better circumstances.With all due respect to the researchers, and none to the promulgators of massively misleading media coverage- we knew that already.

Who eats mostly plants?Two kinds of people: those who have choices, and choose plants for the many benefits; and those who have no choices at all.The former enjoy excellent health.The latter eat what they can get their hands on, struggle against the forces of poverty, and routinely die young.There is a correlation between meat intake and coronary disease; but there is also a correlation between the affluence that allows for meat intake in the first place, and access to a cardiac catheterization lab.In general, those people living in places with more cardiac cath labs have more chronic disease, but avoid early death due to the advent of advanced medial care.

Before concluding this admittedly long column, one final note about the alarmingly bad timing of the PURE publications.These papers were released concurrently with the devastation in Houston, and the Gulf Coast, of Hurricane Harvey- the greatest rain event in the recorded history of the continental United States.The unprecedented rainfall is related to climate change, which in turn is monumentally influenced by global dietary choices.How appalling that the PURE findings were not merely misrepresented to the public in irresponsible reporting pertaining to human health effects, but in reporting that ignored entirely the implications of that bad dietary advice for the fate of the climate, and planet.

This week, as last, round tires are reliably better than square, assuming both are made of the same materials.This week as last, whole vegetables and fruits are reliably good for you, and for the most part, the more the better.The benefits of that produce, however, do not preclude the benefits of an education, a job, and medical care- nor vice versa.

This week as last, summary judgment about carbohydrate is entirely meaningless, because that term encompasses everything from green beans to jelly beans, arugula to added sugar, and subsistence diets of white rice and little else.The vegetables and fruits, as well as the whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds in the mix are this week as last- good for you.

This week as last, some fats are good for you, some are bad, and some are relatively neutral; but in all cases, it depends on what you eat instead of what.This week as last, the best sources of the most beneficial dietary fats are nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and if from animal foods- then fish and seafood.

This week as last, observational epidemiology has merit in elucidating new hypotheses worth testing in intervention trials, but plays no legitimate role at all in displacing answers already predicated on just such trials.

This week as last offering up each new study out of context is like trying to make sense of an entire puzzle by examining each piece in isolation.Why we treat diet this way is the puzzle to me.As long as we do so, we can expect to make about as much progress as cars on porcelain tires.

Senior Medical Advisor, Verywell.com

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Diet And Health: Puzzling Past Paradox To PURE Understanding - HuffPost

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As the CEO of SoulCycle, Melanie Whelan obviously spends a lot of time on a bike, which she balances with apple pie, burrata, and olive-oil cake. I love the experience and purpose of gathering everyone in the kitchen, or around the barbecue outside, she says. My kids like to help, and its nice to have something to do where were all equally skilled. (Her sons 8 and her daughters 5, so shes maybe selling herself short here.) This week, Whelan dined at her favorite restaurant, Nobu, before decamping to the Hamptons for a picnic on the beach, grilled corn with Old Bay, and frozen yogurt thats too good to be true. Read all about it in this weeks Grub Street Diet.

Thursday, August 24I start most days with a workout. Today, however, I didnt have enough time to take my usual class before an early meeting, so I made my favorite Gradys Cold Brew at home with a splash of almond milk and brought it along. I also start most days with a Lemon Popper, which is a Whelan-family classic. When we first got our SodaStream, my kids were obsessed with creating new recipes using all of the flavors. They created our signature family drink, which is 90 percent seltzer water and 10 percent limeade, and dubbed it the Lemon Popper. I feel like it should be trademarked because weve really spread the word about the Lemon Popper and have turned so many of our friends onto it. So, I had a Lemon Popper and threw a banana in my bag for later.

I was meeting with a candidate for our marketing team at 1 p.m. at our offices, so I offered to bring in smoothies for lunch. I like that you only need one hand to drink them, so I can multitask and work on something else at the same time. We have two Juice Press locations within one block of our office, so Im a frequent customer. I chose the F&%*ing Genius and our candidate got the Nurse Ginger Greene.

Each month, we celebrate our employees birthdays that fall during that month and we always have a different party theme. Today, we had the August birthday party, which was themed camp, so we had classic favorites like smores, chips, and candies in fun buckets, lake water (really an Arnold Palmer), and trail mixes. I didnt get to enjoy the treats because I was heading into a 5:30 p.m. 40th-birthday ride for a colleague, but took a sneak peek and grabbed some red Swedish fish for later.

After the ride, I met my husband at our favorite spot, Nobu. It used to be three blocks away from our apartment, but we recently moved to the Financial District, so we sadly dont go as often as we used to. It was our last night in the city before heading to the Hamptons for the last week of summer, and I was craving my usual order. My husband makes fun of me because I get the same thing every time. Dont need a menu. Its always the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeo, black-cod butter-lettuce wraps (no crunchy on top), and a spicy tuna hand roll without rice.I also got a tequila on the rocks with a splash of lime because, you know, its Thursday.

Friday, August 25My morning started with an early coffee that was scheduled at Tarallucci E Vino in Union Square. Im a creature of habit and go there all the time for meetings because its across the street from SoulCycle Union Square, has great booths for quiet meetings in the back, and its in such a central spot. But, when I pulled up, I was surprised to see that it was closed for last-minute renovations, so I went over to the W Union Square.They have a great fruit bowl and juices from Liquiteria, so I got the All Greens and a cold brew with almond milk.

After that, I went into the office for a day of internal meetings and grabbed a LaCroix pamplemousse (my favorite flavor) before heading up to our sixth floor to meet with the retail, development, and finance teams. We have summer Fridays, but I usually work a bit later, so I grabbed an RXBAR for the train and decided to save my calories for dinner that night with my family.

When I got in, my family and I went over to Cove Hollow Tavern, which is an adorable little spot in East Hampton. We always try to keep Friday nights for just us and make a commitment to spend the time together as a family, regardless of everyones schedules, so we can recap the week. My son loves their buttered pasta, and my daughter always goes for their burger with fries. I started with the ahi tuna, sneaked a bite of my kids fries, and then got the grilled halibut. It was delicious, and they presented it on a cedar plank, so it looked beautiful, too. To me, presentation is everything. And again, I sneaked a bite of Davids hanger steak. I also had a glass of cold Chardonnay, while my kids enjoyed Charlotte Temples our version of a kids cocktail named after my daughter seltzer water with cherries.

Saturday, August 26I went to an early SoulCycle class in our East Hampton studio. David and I have this thing called the parent handoff where one of us rides in one class, the other one brings the kids to the studio, and in the 15 minutes between classes, we swap, and the other parent rides in the second class. Its foolproof and works every time. So while he was in class, I took my kids to Carissas Breads, which opened next door to us earlier this summer.We grabbed some pastries and iced coffees and then stopped by the Balsam Farm Stand in Amagansett to pick up a bunch of stuff for the weekend. Lots of fresh fruit, veggies, and of course, the Blue Duck apple pie. Its incredible, and we never walk out of Balsam without one (or two). I recently discovered the gluten-free apple tart one of my best friends has celiac so we picked one up for her.

When we got home, we started on lunch. Ive been really into spaghetti squash lately, so I roasted some of the vegetables from the farm stand, mixed that with the spaghetti squash, and threw together a quick kale salad. For my kids, it was PB&J all day.

In the afternoon, I took a few bites of Halo Top mint-chip ice cream. I had heard so much about it and needed to try it.Its definitely not ice cream, but itll do the trick.

That night, we went to the beach for fireworks. Its an annual tradition, and a lot of our friends go with their kids, so its always a really fun night. I packed a massive cooler with grilled chicken, turkey sandwiches, Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn (my favorite), chips, pretzels, guacamole, hummus, you name it. I also stopped by the Red Horse Market to get a ton of prepared food.I grabbed a couple of pizza slices, some salads, and more chips because you can never have too many bags of chips. We set up a little picnic area on the beach, and I picked at our entire spread, but ended up mostly eating the grilled chicken and a million baby carrots and chips dipped in hummus.Literally, 1 million.

Sunday, August 27Sunday breakfast is a family tradition. Whether were in the city or the Hamptons, we always make pancakes together on Sunday. This week was chocolate chips, and my daughter, Charlotte, was very strategic about the location of each chocolate chip in each pancake (princess smiles). We also made happy trail mix, a family staple, which is Honey Nut Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Chex, raisins, dried cranberries, coconut strips, and chocolate chips.Im not a huge cook, but I love cooking with my kids, and we end up spending so much time in the kitchen.

After a late-morning SoulCycle class, we had a friends birthday party in the afternoon in Sagaponack. As expected, knowing them, they had it catered for three times the amount of people who were there. I had grilled chicken and vegetables, and also some corn. I love corn on the cob.

That night, I went to the Girls Who Code event in Water Mill. Cocktail party canaps are not my jam, and I was trying to balance on heels in grass (#outfitfail) before hurrying home for a family dinner. We put salmon and turkey burgers on the grill, and also corn on the cob with Old Bay seasoning. Im originally from Maryland, so it really doesnt get any better than Old Bay and corn on the cob. We dropped David off at the Jitney, and then I took the kids to Scoop Du Jour where we met some friends. I always go for the vanilla-Heath-bar-crunch frozen yogurt. Its insane, I dont know how they do it, but I have my suspicions (not frozen yogurt).

Monday, August 28Days like today are my favorite. I get to wake up, cook a full breakfast for my kids before they head off to camp, and spend time together in the kitchen brainstorming all of our plans for when they get back from camp. I always try to get protein into their meals, so I made my moms world-famous cheesy scrambled eggs. Its all about the milk-to-yolk ratio. And as soon as you add the cheese, you pull the eggs out, and let them melt outside of the pan. That recipe requires real presence; its a ten-minute activity that youve got to be game-on the entire time. For me, I poached eggs in a separate pan with an egg poacher, which is the best $25 Ive ever spent. We all had a smoothie that I made using fruit from the weekend.My go-to recipe is kale, spinach, half a banana, almond milk, chia seeds, and a little PB2 powder, but for the kids, I have to keep it all fruit.

I had two meetings in the morning, one in East Hampton and one in Bridgehampton, and then I ran over to Sag Harbor for Pilates. I grabbed the Green Hornet smoothie at Jacks with a friend before I headed back to pick up my kids from camp.

For dinner, I met some friends at the Crows Nest. They have the most amazing view of the sunset, and their grilled octopus is incredible. We shared burrata as well (because who can pass up ordering burrata if its on a menu?), and the meze platter. Since I drove out to Montauk, I made the excuse that with no cocktails, I could compensate by splurging on dessert with a few bites of the olive-oil cake.

Tuesday, August 29Similar morning to the day before: I made my kids scrambled eggs and went to Jacks in Amagansett for a meeting. I had a cold brew with almond milk and the sunrise muffin, which Im obsessed with. Its packed with all these veggies like zucchini and carrots, and also grains and nuts. After that, I went to Stuarts, the best seafood shop on the East End, and picked up a ton of food for a dinner were having with some of the SoulCycle team.

For lunch, I made a big salad with fresh veggies and a turkey burger on top. Im also really into kombucha, so I grabbed a Health-Ade Pink Lady kombucha. Then, I got started on cooking dinner the menu included caprese salad, seaweed salad (fine, this was store-bought), Davids famous lobster with sriracha and chili paste, grilled swordfish, and grilled steak. Also, Lemon Poppers for everyone. As much as I love the summer diet, Im really looking forward to getting back to the city and ordering some Thai takeout.

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SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan Makes Pancakes on Sunday No Matter What - Grub Street

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A beauty queen headed for an international competition has returned her crown and withdrawn from the pageant after being told to lose weight by its organizers.

Zoiey Smale, who was named Miss United Kingdom in June, was slated to compete in the Miss United Continents pageant scheduled for September, 2017 in Ecuador. Instead, she handed over the title she won earlier this summer and pulled herself out of the competition after she was asked to lose weight and go on a diet plan, the 28-year-old explained in a Facebook post.

It shocks me that there are still pageants out there who only view size 00 girls as role models, Smale said. Let me tell you something, pageant girls are more than just a number on a clothing tag. Real queens empower others, are intelligent and help communities come together.

As a member of the pageant community for more than 10 years, Smale recalled amazing competitions and lamented over international pageant directors bullying aspiring girls into believing the only way to be successful is to be thin.

I was branded fat because I was a size 10, the pageant winner and mother wrote. I actually believed that I was so disgusting that no one would ever love me. How sad is that?

Still, shes come a long way over the course of her career.

I love me and I will not change my body for anyone, she continued. If a pageant doesnt want to utilise my capabilities because I am a size 10 then its their loss.

Smale noted that her decision to quit was met with the backing of thousands of people.

Knowing that you have the support of the masses means more than any title could bring, she wrote in a separate post Wednesday. At the end of the day, a crown is a crown and girls that chase that are doing it all wrong ... Be the change and always help others.

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Beauty Queen says she refused pageant title after being told to lose weight - New York Daily News

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The first time I went to an endometriosis support group, one word came up a lot: Diet. I quickly learned how certainfoods dictatethe symptoms we suffer, or worsen our condition. Glutenconsumption can lead to inflammation and bloating, coffee and dairy can wreak havoc on your hormones, red meat is a big fat no-no, and the list goes on.

For a while, I was reluctant to make huge changes to the way I ate. Why would anyone voluntarily give upextra-cheesy pizzas or banish ice cream from their freezers? Could Igive upmy morningcoffee? However,the worse I felt after eating certain foods, the more I thought about it. Now, its been four months since I decided to follow anendo diet. Following is what Ive learned:

Gone are the days when I could fixmyself a quick sandwich or grabanything on the go. My diet is almost completely plant-based and gluten-free. Lunch means coming up with ways of making bread usingwheat-free flours, rememberingnot to reach for cheese when thinking aboutsandwich fillers. I even cried about this two weeks ago first-world problems anyone? Mostpeople dont blink when choosingfood. Endometriosis will make youconsider eachingredient of every meal. Its fine if it makes you a bit cranky.

Most of the foods an endometriosis sufferer should avoid are the onesI love. I havent wiped out all of my favorites.Sometimes its cheese on my fries, others times its spoiling myself with a more digestible sourdough-based pizza. As long as Iconsider these as treats, its fine. The more tasty alternatives I find, the easier it becomes. Also, coconut-based ice cream is the work of gods.

Avoiding gluten or dairy left me less bloatedalmost overnight. However, it tooktwo months before I noticedany bigchanges to my general health. My energy levels are higher and the usualmidday slump seems to have gone. My daily bouts of nausea have practically disappeared, and during my period I now only spend one day in bed on average, instead of three or four.

You can still go out and enjoy life, but its helpful if you plan your outings. Look up menus online for gut-friendly options, and be prepared to talk about your dietary needs withothers. Not everyone will understand, but those who dont will just have to miss out on spending time with you and some really good food, because

I recently discovered a recipe for a vegan nut butter pie that tastes like Oreo cookies. Plant-based food has come a long way since we first began hearing about it. Recipesby fellow endo-sufferers, likeJessica Murnane, and countless gluten-free and veggie cookbooks make producing delicious dishes easy. (Word of warning: My kitchen has never been messier.)

Its not so much a diet, but a change in lifestyle. It took me a while to notice anychanges. But after four months, I dont miss the bloating or the stabbing pains in my stomach. The increase in my energy levels makes me see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Life with a chronic disease may be something I actually can do.

***

Note:EndometriosisNewsis strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice,diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician orother qualified health providerwith any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those ofEndometriosisNewsor its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to endometriosis.

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After 4 Months on an Endometriosis Diet, Here's What I Learned - Endometriosis News Today

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Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what fit people in different fields eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of a sub 2:10 marathon runner.

No athlete diet is created equal. For Olympian and professional runner Diego Estrada, the key to nutrition is about being happy and not stressing over small details. Sure, he could keep count of every calories, log each time he decided to indulge in a Dennys Grand Slam breakfast, or even limit himself from Mexican food, but he would be miserable while doing so, which would make the high-intensity training sessions he endures that much more difficult. Currently in the final stages of training for the Oct. 8 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, he hopes to set a personal best after having to will himself through 20 miles of last years race on a severely twisted ankle; still managing to be the first American to cross the finish line, finishing eighth overall in 2:13:56. We caught up with Estrada to discuss his goal for this years marathon, training, giving into his cravings and more.

GQ: Youve mentioned your personal goal of finishing the marathon in under 2:10. As of right now, do you feel confident in being able to achieve that mark?

Diego Estrada: I think Im light years ahead of where I was last yearand I thought I was ready last year. Now, the key is to not overdo it. Just kind of cruise it in but make sure Im not too rested. I think that, based on how training is going, I think Im right inline for my goal in trying to [finish] in under 2:10.

Does last years finish disappoint or motivate you?

I think it motivated me because there were some obstacles along the way. I stepped on a water bottle six miles into a 26-mile race, so the fact that I finished [was good]. I wasnt satisfied with the time and I wanted better just because I could have finished sixth. I moved up to sixth with about 200 feet to go, and I couldnt put pressure on my foot anymore.

Its not like youre running the local marathon. I dont know when is the next time Ill be top five in a world major marathon and that was a good opportunity. So it just motivates me to make sure that I can reinforce everything in my body, so that Im ready to go mentally, physically and I can try to accomplish my goal in finishing really high in a world major. Theres the Olympics but this is kind of its own Olympics. Its prestigious. Its a world major marathon and if you can medal in one of these, to me, its almost like medaling in the Olympics.

You train in Flagstaff, Ariz. Im not too certain about the climate but how do you go from preparing there to trying to brace for Chicago when the weather can be at its most unpredictable in October?

Flagstaff is at 7,000 ft. So you have to slow down a bit in training than you would here in Chicago. The weather, I think, is very similar. Its very unpredictable in Flagstaff. It goes from 80 degrees to 50, monsoons and thunderstorms. The weather doesnt bother me. When it comes to Chicago, whether its hot, cold, rainy or whatever, it doesnt really concern me. I prepare by dropping to lower elevation. Ive been waking up around 3 A.M., driving around 4, doing these hard workouts down in a place call Camp Verde, which is 3,000 feet and it feels just like sea level. So Im just making sure that Im able to change pace,s and Im not just putting in the effort, but Im actually running the goal pace in training because its one thing for your lungs to have the capacity to maintain.

Its a different thing when you dont have the neuro system and muscles firing. It feels easyonce youre fitto run four 4:50 miles but once you get past 10:15, it just has to come like second nature, like breathing. You cant be sprinting, forcing or trying to get on your toes. It just has to be natural.

While your diet isnt necessarily the strictest, from college to now being a professional, were there any substantial changes you had to make?

In high school, my mom would cook most of the meals. Im Mexican, so these were healthy meals. When I went to college, we had the dining rooms, which was alright, but the remaining years, you have the freedom, money deposited into your account from scholarships. So you start overdoing it with the McDonalds, KFC, and my diet was nasty. I collapsed my lung in college and I still kept my ways. I started getting injured, and it wasnt until my first year as a professional where I saw that the fitness and requirements are at a different bar. I was training really hard because thats all I had to do but the nutrition wasnt there. My body shut down, my cortisone levels were really high and I would have sweaty palms. Basically, my body was saying no more. Even my testosterone and everything else was just dropping.

From then on, its not like I went to a strict diet. I just dont go get fast food anymore. I do consider Potbellys or Subway to be fast food, but its a healthier option. Its weird because I used to love certain burgers, but now Im disgusted. Not to say anything against them and the taste but its a reminder of what I endured when my body shut down. I dont count calories. I eat when I want to eat, which is small meals throughout the day.

If I go to a restaurant, Im most likely going to get a to-go box. Five weeks out, the big thingwhen I ran my first marathon at the Olympic trailsIm normally 135 pounds for my race weight. I dropped down to 120. I was training like an animal. Ive never trained that hard. The training was there but my body had nothing to feed on after 15, 16 miles. You go from glycogen to carbs, and then your body needs fat and there was no body fat there. My body cramped up, I dropped out and I remember going to Chicago last year and it being five weeks out, Coach [Joe Vigil] was on the phone with me every other day making sure I ate enough. So from personal experience with it being five weeks out, I make sure that I overeat. I want to be close to 135 because its hard to keep that weight when youre training so much. I just want to be a little bit fat because I know Im going to need some fat the last six miles.

Whats a typical training day for you?

Lets say its an easy day. Typically, Ill wake up, have a cup of coffee. I cant function without it. Some oatmeal or cereal and then Ill be out the door to run. Ill come back, probably eat a sandwich, banana, or a PowerBar. Ill take a nap, wake up and do the same thing as in the morning. Ill have some coffee, cereal, or oatmeal, go for a run and then later for dinner, Ill have whatever Im craving. Throughout the day, Ill snack on little things. I like pistachios and strawberries. I grew up in Salinas [California], where the agriculture is really big. So I need to have some strawberries.

On a typical workout day, lets say its now when Im dropping down to a lower elevation, I wake up at 3, coffee and then Ill be more specific. Ill have some kind of nutrition bar to make sure my stomach is set; maybe a bagel. Ill make the drive to trainingits like a 50-mile drive. After [training], Ill have a protein shake immediately in my car. Ill probably stop at Dennys and get whatever Im craving because its difficult to eat after a hard session because your stomach doesnt want anything. Ill try to get some breakfast, drive up the mountain, take a nap and then from there, its whatever I can eat.

But I try to up the hydration because Ive made the mistake of thinking Im fine post workout but if the hydration isnt there, it impacts the recovery. The muscles fatigue and youll feel that burn in your muscles longer.

"Towards the end, you need a little bit of caffeine, in my opinion. Not necessarily for the energy boost, but you want your mind to stay sharp. They say that your mind will give up before your body and thats very true in a marathon."

Are there any tweaks or adjustments you make the week of a long run?

I think everyone calls it carbo-loading and they stuff up with carbs. Some of my sessions are so hard; theyre probably as demanding as the marathon itself. I just try to repeat the routine. I dont try to do anything special. Its such a long race and if something goes wrong, say I overload, I might blow up out there. Ive heard stories of people overdoing the carbs and I think Ive found a fine balance where I keep my same diet. It doesnt change that much. Its either Mexican food, pasta, and occasionally some Red Lobster.

Im alone right now. Nobody is with me and Im just training all alone with my dog. Sometimes, Im tired and I just dont want to cook. Thats basically my dietsome seafood, Mexican, and pasta. I keep it the same but the night before, theres got to be some pasta. Its almost like Ill lose my confidence if I dont have some pasta the night before.

Whats your go-tos at Red Lobster?

I usually go with the wood grilled lobster, shrimp, and salmon.

Hydration would seem like the most critical aspect in completing a marathon but what else are you putting into your body throughout 26 miles?

You need calories and carbohydrates. Nowadays, with technology and everything being so advanced, you can drink something that will give you the right amount of energy and carbs, so theres not really much to think about. Every 5K, what Ive been doingwhat I did the first successful one because the first one I did, I just put fluids out there because it was so hotits just been regular fluids. It can be Gatorade or any type of sports drink that your body can handle.

The second stop would be like an energy gel. Every 10K was a gel, but I did make sure to throw in two gels for the last 35K and 40K, which is roughly 23 and 25 miles, just to make sure my body held up. Towards the end, you need a little bit of caffeine, in my opinion. Not necessarily for the energy boost, but you want your mind to stay sharp. They say that your mind will give up before your body and thats very true in a marathon.

As far as recovering after a marathon, are you trying to maintain weight or do you get a couple of weeks to let yourself go?

Its nice if I can put on some pounds and extra weight. Its nice after a marathon, because I can take two to three weeks off and maybe put on five to seven pounds. I think it helps my body. Since high school, some people would see running and look at it as you have to be skinny, but I always think about that human diagram and its all muscular. I always think of that as what you want to be as a distance runner. You want to be muscular and powerful because the lighter you get, the less output you have. If you look at the worlds best athletes, theyre athletically fit. You never see a skinny guy.

Are there any nerves still involved before that starting gun goes off?

I used to get nervous but now I dont. I got to a point, maybe a year or two ago, where I started second guessing myself, questioning why dont I get nervous and do I enjoy it anymore? I think in college, it was all so new to me. Now, I train so hard. My coach is 86-years-old, has a doctorate degree, and hes trained Olympic medalists. If he says Im ready, then Im ready. So, I guess Ive learned to trust the work.

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The Real-Life Diet of Diego Estrada, Olympic Long-Distance Runner - GQ Magazine

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