Category Archives: Diet And Food

By now, it's no news that eating a predominantly plant-based diet may be key to staving off chronic disease in the long run. Now, two new studies suggest that switching to a plant-based diet may also benefit pregnant mothers in the immediate term by keeping their blood pressure levels in check.

Investigators at the Medical College of Georgia and the Medical College of Wisconsin recently reported in the journals Acta PhysiologicaandPregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women's Cardiovascular Healththat gut microbiota help regulate our immune system response.

Gut microbiota contain trillions of microorganisms that help us digest food and may play a role in impacting mental processes like mood. This is because gut bacteria manufacture about 95% of the body's supply of serotonin, which affects your gastrointestinal activity and possibly your mood. These microorganisms thrive on both prebiotics and probiotics, both of which are primarily found in plant-based foods.

So if gut microbiota may be able to impact our mood, then it makes sense that it might also impact other things, like protecting us from high blood pressure (hypertension), right?

Essentially, researchers discovered that diet intervention can help improve gut microbiota and protect against hypertension, even when dietary salt consumption is high. Here's how they came to this unexpected observation.

Rodents that were in the Dahl salt-sensitive group were essentially bred to develop hypertension and progressive kidney disease on a high-salt diet. The rats were all fed a milk-based protein diet, but some were then switched to a grain-based diet. Keep in mind that both diets are relatively low in sodium.

However, when both groups were fed a high-salt diet, the rodents that had switched to a grain-based diet developed significantly less high blood pressure and related kidney damage than those on the milk-based protein diet. This led researchers to believe that developing hypertension is not only about sodium consumption but also about everyday dietary choices.

"The animal protein amplified the effects of the salt," Dr. David L. Mattson, senior author of the study and a longtime hypertension researcher, said in a statement.

"Since the gut microbiota has been implicated in chronic diseases like hypertension, we hypothesized that dietary alterations shift the microbiota to mediate the development of salt-sensitive hypertension and renal disease," the authors wrote in the journal Acta Physiologica.

In fact, the gut microbiome was entirely different between the two groups of rats, yet their genetic material was virtually identical. Interestingly enough, when the rats that were fed the grain-based diet received a transplant of the gut microbiota from the rats eating the milk-based protein diet, they experienced increases in blood pressure.

When the reverse was performed, the rats that were eating the milk-based protein diet didn't experience any benefits from the other group's microbiota. This is because the new microorganisms couldn't flourish in the face of the animal-based protein diet, researchers speculate.

When both groups of rodents gave birth, those that were on the whole-grain diet were protected from preeclampsia, a condition in which a pregnant mother develops high blood pressure that can lead to serious or even fatal complications for both her and the baby. On the other hand, more than half of the rodents that continued on the milk-based protein diet developed the condition.

"This means that if mom is careful with what she eats during pregnancy, it will help during the pregnancy but also with her long-term health and could provide protective effects for her children," Dr. John Henry Dasinger, postdoc and one of the authors of the study said in a statement.

The researchers noted that this finding reinforces the message that both physicians and scientists have been sending mothers-to-be for decades: Diet matters during pregnancy.

Bottom line: These animal studies suggest that eating a primarily plant-based diet before and during pregnancy may help reduce a mother's chances of developing preeclampsia. However, keep in mind that these studies were conducted on rats, so human trials would be needed in order to confirm the validity of their findings.

Of course, anyone may benefit from incorporating more plant-based foods into their diet, while also cutting back on foods that are salt-laden and processed. For more, be sure to check out the 14 Best Low-Sodium Canned Soups for Heart Health, Approved by Dietitians.

Read more:
This One Diet May Prevent High Blood Pressure, New Study Says | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

There's a new trend taking over TikTok and it's got everyone brewing up a new concoction called Proffee, which is a combination of protein powder and coffee (usually cold brew). Coffee has been known to speed up metabolism and help you burn fat when your body is at a calorie deficit, and help you crush a workout. Meanwhile, protein has been shown to help your body feel full, and also build lean musclethat will burn more calories at rest. So it makes perfect sense that someone got the smart idea to add protein powder to their coffee and call it Proffee. Now the Proffee trend is exploding on TikTok and media outlets are covering it like this is the solution finally to boosting your metabolism, burning fat faster, and losing weight.

While the idea that Proffee can help you burn fat and lose weight may be rooted in truth, or at least backed up by solid scientific findingsbased on reliable peer-reviewed research, it doesn't come without a catch. When you add two positives, you don't necessarily end up with a double positive. In math, a double positive is a negative. Here, we looked closer at the research and found that it comes with a double shot of caveats that are worth considering before you add protein powder to your next cup of joe. Heres the long-playing story and the one that may not fit on TikTok but will inform you before you try this silver bullet for magical shrinkage.

Keep in mind that coffee is already asuper drink that has been extensively studied and shown to help promote weight loss, fat burning, and raise metabolism, even before you add a scoop of protein powder. Coffee is full of healthy antioxidants and it has even been shown tomobilize fat cells, which if this takes place in the bloodstream when you are at a calorie deficit, will prompt your body to burn fat for fuel, according toa scientific study.

Scientific Fact 1: Coffee speeds up resting metabolic rate. Coffee does speed up metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the body, studies have shown. However, you have to drink your coffee black, with no sugar, calorie-filled creamer, or with any other calories that can counteract the effect of caffeine as it works on a cellular level. Coffee is full of antioxidants that are great for you, but adding syrupy sweetness or even dairy to your latte is not going to help if your goal is the shed pounds.

Scientific Fact 2. Coffee promotes weight loss. Respected researchers at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that if you drink four or more cups of black coffee a day it appears to help you shed a modest amount of extra pounds, but it doesnt work for obese patients and the effects may be detrimental to anyone who finds that much caffeine an anxiety stoker. Plus drinking that much can disrupt sleep which can cause appetite to soar, thereby undermining your best efforts.

Avoid drinking caffeinated coffee after 3 p.m., suggests registered dietitian, Lauren Armstrong. Studies have shown that the caffeine from coffee can impact your sleep up to six hours after drinking it which results in you missing out on an hour or more of sleep.

Scientific Fact 3. Caffeine works best when taken after a meal, not before. Heres a crazy study: The University of Bath researchers looked at what happened when you drink coffee before or after breakfast, and especially when you've had a terrible night's sleep. Coffee after breakfast appears to speed up metabolism, but drinking coffee before you eat, especially after a bad night's sleep, appears to raise blood sugar, up to 50 percent more than if you had just eaten the calories without the java, a study found. So this makes sense since you can think of coffee as an amplifier: It stokes what's happening in the body, boosts cell function, even if that means boosting your blood sugar surges.

Scientific Fact 4: Caffeine boosts sports performance. Heading to the gym, or doing any aerobic-style workout, gets boosted by drinking coffee first.These studies have been on male and female athletes given caffeinein advance of aerobic tests and it turns out that caffeine is a powerful performance enhancer. It works to increase your aerobic capacity and help bring more oxygen to your muscles, which makes you feel like a rock star in spin class. But do this in moderation since caffeine also drives up adrenaline levels and youre already getting your heartbeat up just by pedaling to the music.

Scientific Fact 5. High-protein diets boost weight loss.First,studiesshow that protein helps make you feel fuller longer. But high-protein diets are known to help dieters lose weight if they also cut way back on carbs. If a normal carb ratio in the diet is about 60 percent and protein is 30 percent and fat is 10 percent, when dieters switch this around to be more protein, only 10 percent carbs, and the rest fat, they will burn the fat as fuel, which is why keto diets work. You release ketones and the protein allows those to get burned first.

Scientific Fact 6: Most Americans get way more protein than they need in a day. According to studies, Americans eat more food than they need, protein included, like 70 percent more protein than is recommended. So if women need about 46 grams of protein a day (more if they are active) and men need 56 grams (also bump that up to about 70 if youre a gym-goer or training for an event) then adding protein to your coffee may be redundant.

According to a study called "A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats, published in the scholarly journalNutrition and Metabolism,on the role of protein in weight loss: "General dietary guidelines for adults suggest an acceptable macronutrient distribution range of 45 to 65 percent of total energy from carbohydrates, 20 to 35 percent from fat, and 10 to 35 percent from protein, with a recommended dietary allowance of 46 and 56 grams per day, or 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, of protein for females and males, respectively. A diet is therefore considered high in protein if it exceeds 0.8 g/kilograms of body weight or the habitual 15 to 16 percent of total energy." This study adds: To promote satiety and not lower metabolic rate, protein is the most satiating of macronutrients. "An ideal weight loss strategy would promote satiety and maintain basal metabolic rates despite a negative energy balance and reduction in fat-free mass."

The facts are in, but the jury is out. One thing to consider:As with any dietary choice, it often depends on what you would have eaten instead. If youre adding a single scoop of protein powder to your coffee, then that extra jolt of protein and caffeine may help you lessen your intake of carbs or other morning foods, which you would have had instead. If you skip the bagel or croissant or stay away from Captain Crunch, then this could be a good strategy to get the home fires burning nice and strong, full of protein that can keep you feeling satisfied, and help you recover from a workout.

Bottom line: Dont believe everything you see on TikTok. Take your protein in small doses, or better yet from the food you eat, in the form of legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains like quinoa, and vegetables. For a full list of the top vegetables with the most protein per serving, check out this list. Coffee is a stimulant, not a weight loss aid. If you feel jittery or anxious, dial it back. And of course, before you do anything new or to the extreme, check in with your trusted health care provider. As for weight loss? Simple whole foods that are plentiful in season right now are a great place to start.

Still want to try Proffee? Our take: Just don't overdo it. If you are powering up the protein you could end up with well more protein than you need in a day, since most powders contain anywhere from 20 to 25 grams of protein in a serving, which can lead to excess calories (which of course is detrimental to your wellbeing and can undermine your efforts if weight loss is the goal). More proteinis not better, and too much can be more than your kidneys can handle. Eat your protein in the form of whole foods. Exercise gently. You'll see results.

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What Is Proffee? Can It Help You Lose Weight? The Scoop - The Beet

By Heather Eicher-Miller, Associate Professor of Nutrition Science, Purdue University

Originally printed in the May 2021 issue of Produce Business.

The nation has thousands of food pantries, places that give cash-strapped people free food with few questions asked. These organizations can occupy everything from an entire building to a literal pantry as in a few shelves in a church basement.

Most of the estimated 300 million Americans who relied on food pantries in 2017 experienced food insecurity, meaning that they didnt have access to enough food. Even before the pandemic hit, up to half of the people who use food pantries live in food insecurity that is so severe that they sometimes skip meals or dont eat for whole days at a time.

Food pantries get the food they give away from many sources, sometimes making it hard to control nutritional quality as they seek to obtain the right quantity of food. And getting enough healthy food to give away is challenging.

I am a nutrition science researcher who studies what food-insecure Americans eat. My team and I have recently completed several studies on rural food pantries in Midwestern counties. We found four signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people.

Food pantries are an important source of food.

People typically receive a bag or box containing enough food to serve their family three meals for about three or four days. Most people who use food pantries visit multiple pantries. About half make more than five trips a month to pick up food.

Whats in those boxes and bags accounts for an estimated 36% of what the people who pick them up eat, according to our recent article in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Having access to enough food is critical, but the variety, nutrients and quality are also important for long-term health. We asked 613 U.S. Midwestern food pantry clients about the amounts and kinds of food they ate and where that food came from. We found that compared to supermarkets, other stores and restaurants, food pantries provided the most fruit, something that most people in the U.S. at all income levels need to eat more of every day.

Likewise, Americans generally get too little fiber, calcium, vitamin D and potassium, making these nutritional deficits a public health concern even for people not facing economic hardship. We found that the amounts of these nutrients in the items from food pantries were also highest or tied for the highest compared with all other food sources in the diets of people who visit food pantries.

Even so, Americans who use food pantries dont get enough of these nutrients. Another concern is that provisions from food pantries tend to contain too much sodium, something most Americans need to curb.Its easier to eat right when your diet includes a lot of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Making more trips to food pantries often means better nutrition.

Going more than once a month, rather than once a month or less, is linked with a higher-quality diet, or doing a better job of meeting the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the science-based dietary guidance that the federal government maintains to promote health.

For example, the average American would get a failing grade, with a score of 59% for their consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein, along with sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. People who rely on food pantries fare even worse.

Those using food pantries once a month or less would score 39%, while those visiting more frequently would score 44%. Higher dietary quality, even just a 5 percentage point gain, may improve someones health and help stave off chronic diseases.

Eating a wide variety of food helps meet basic nutritional needs. The day after visiting a food pantry, people ate two more kinds of food compared with what they ate the day before.

Specifically, people who visited a food pantry ate more fruit, including whole fruits such as eating an apple as opposed to drinking a glass of apple juice. Eating more whole fruits is especially helpful because they have a lot of fiber and other nutrients that can help prevent cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

Dr. Eicher-Millers research is focused on food insecurity, which affects 12% of U.S. households and creates uncertainty regarding the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods. Her work has documented immediate and chronic adverse dietary and health outcomes associated with food insecurity among diverse populations. Her efforts to evaluate and create evidence-based interventions, programs, and policies has reduced food insecurity and improved access to resources which enhance health.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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Four Signs that Food Pantries Improve the Diets of Low-income People - Produce Business

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- More and more Americans are seeking out healthier, greener and more ethical alternatives to meat, but are plant-based alternatives like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat truly nutritious substitutes?

The answer is yes, according to new research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It found the imitation meats to be a good source of fiber, folate and iron while containing less saturated fat than ground beef. But the researchers said they also have less protein, zinc and vitamin B12 and lots of salt.

"Switching from ground beef to a plant-based ground beef alternative product can be a healthy choice in some ways," said lead researcher Lisa Harnack, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, in Minneapolis.

Her advice: Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose a product that best matches your health and nutrition goals.

For example, if you're limiting sodium to control high blood pressure, steer clear of products that are high in salt, Harnack said.

"If you're watching saturated fat intake for heart health, read the label to make sure you're choosing a product that is low in saturated fat," she said. "A few products contain as much or nearly as much saturated fat as ground beef."

For the study, Harnack's team used a University of Minnesota food and nutrient database that includes 37 plant-based ground beef alternative products made by nine food companies.

The products analyzed are from Amy's Kitchen, Inc.; Beyond Meat; Conagra, Inc.; Impossible Foods Inc.; Kellogg NA Co.; Kraft Foods, Inc.; Marlow Foods Ltd.; Tofurky; and Worthington.

Although these plant-based products can be healthy alternatives to beef, Harnack hopes their manufacturers will make them even healthier by keeping salt to a minimum.

"Food companies should work to optimize the nutritional quality of their products, especially with respect to the amount of salt and other sodium-containing ingredients used in formulating veggie burgers and other plant-based ground beef alternative products," Harnack said.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, reviewed the findings.

She noted that the World Health Organization has classified processed meats (deli meats, bacon and sausage) as potentially cancer-causing, and red meat (veal, lamb, beef and pork) as probable cancer-causing substances, due to the processing, compounds in the meat and cooking methods.

"Limiting consumption of red and processed meats significantly lowers one's intake of saturated fat," Heller said.

The sodium in some plant-based imitation meats may be moderate to high, but if most of the foods people eat are less-processed ones, it should not be a problem, she added.

"All in all, eating more plants and fewer animals is good for your health and the health of the planet," Heller said.

But "meat alternative" is not an ideal term, she added, because it sets up expectations of taste.

"While some plant-based 'meats' come close to the taste and texture of real meat, the idea is that these foods offer a different choice for protein, not a one-on-one swap out for meat or other animal foods," Heller explained.

Many options exist for those seeking a more plant-based diet, she said.

"Whole foods are best, but there is plenty of wiggle room to include plant-based meat, dairy, poultry and egg alternatives," Heller advised. "On a daily basis if we eat a balanced, more plant-rich diet, we should be able to meet our nutrient needs."

The findings were published June 15 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

More information

For more on plant-based diets, head to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

SOURCES: Lisa Harnack, DrPH, RD, MPH, professor, division of epidemiology and community health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis; Samantha Heller MS, RD, CDN, senior clinical nutritionist, NYU Langone Health, New York City; Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, June 15, 2021

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How Healthy Are the New Plant-Based 'Fake Meats'? - WebMD

Epilepsy is a common long-term brain condition. It causes seizures, which are bursts of electricity in the brain.

There are four main types of epilepsy: focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown. A persons seizure type determines what kind of epilepsy they have.

Different types of seizures affect the brain in different ways. For example, focal seizures affect only one part of the brain, whereas generalized seizures affect the entire brain.

To be categorized as having epilepsy, a person must experience two or more unprovoked seizures. Some people can receive an epilepsy diagnosis if they have had one seizure and a doctor thinks they have a high likelihood of having another.

Read on to learn more about the different types of epilepsy and how to manage them.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. Its primary identifying factor is recurrent, unprovoked seizures.

Abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures. This brain activity affects how a person feels, acts, and behaves. Depending on the seizure type and severity, a person may or may not lose consciousness.

Before doctors can diagnose a person with epilepsy, they need to decide if a seizure is provoked or unprovoked.

Many things cause seizures. These include head injuries, toxins, tumors, and infections. Doctors must rule out these potential causes before diagnosing someone with epilepsy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 3.4 million adults and children with epilepsy in the United States. Although it is common, doctors are still finding out more about this chronic disorder.

There are several types of seizures. A person with epilepsy can experience one or multiple types of seizure.

The three primary seizure types are:

The four different types of epilepsy are defined by the type of seizure a person experiences. They are:

Each type of epilepsy affects the brain differently. This means they have different identifying factors and treatments.

People with this type of epilepsy have generalized seizures. These affect both the left and right sides of the brain. Additionally, these seizures may be either motor, which involve physical movement, or non-motor, which do not.

If someone has a motor seizure, they may experience:

Non-motor seizures are also called absence seizures. Symptoms may include:

Generalized epilepsy usually starts during childhood. However, it can also affect adults.

Learn more about epilepsy in children.

People with focal epilepsy have focal seizures. Unlike generalized seizures, focal seizures only affect one part of the brain. They can start in one area and move to others.

These seizures can begin with an aura, which are minor symptoms signifying the seizures onset. This can feel like an uneasy feeling in the stomach, similar to the feeling of riding a rollercoaster.

As the seizure progresses, a person can experience motor and non-motor symptoms. Some motor symptoms of focal seizures include:

Non-motor symptoms do not affect how someone moves. However, they may cause confusion or changes in emotions. Some non-motor symptoms of focal seizures include:

Learn more about focal seizures.

Someone with combination epilepsy has both generalized seizures and focal seizures. Therefore, they can experience a mixture of the symptoms discussed above.

Combined epilepsy is linked to Dravet syndrome, which is a rare, lifelong form of epilepsy. It is usually caused by a mutation in the SCN1A gene. Because it is often misdiagnosed, people who think they or a family member may have these seizures should contact a doctor.

If doctors do not know where seizures originate, they will diagnose a person with unknown epilepsy.

People with unknown epilepsy can have a combination of motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor seizures often present as tonic-clonic (previously referred to as grand-mal). These seizures can have the following symptoms:

These seizures usually last 13 minutes. If they last more than 5 minutes, call emergency services immediately.

Unknown epilepsy also presents with non-motor symptoms. These can include:

Learn more about tonic-clonic seizures.

Although epilepsy is a seizure disorder, this does not mean that every seizure is a sign of epilepsy.

A person can have provoked seizures, which are seizures due to a cause other than epilepsy. Some examples of things that could induce a seizure are:

If a seizure is solely due to one of these causes, the individual does not have epilepsy.

However, if none of these possibilities prompted the seizure, the person may have epilepsy. To make an epilepsy diagnosis, doctors must first find out if someone has had a seizure. Doctors then determine what type of seizure it was.

Doctors can determine whether a person meets the diagnostic criteria through medical history details, EEG tests, blood tests, and brain imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI.

There are different types of treatments for epilepsy.

Doctors typically use medication to control and stop epileptic seizures. Some drugs work for only one type of seizure, while others can control various seizure types.

A doctor prescribes medications based on a persons seizure type, medical history, and age. If the medication does not help someones epilepsy, doctors may prescribe a different drug in place of, or combined with, the first medication.

Most people who have epilepsy have a good response to this form of treatment.

Some people have drug-resistant epilepsy. This means they cannot control their epilepsy using the first two medications prescribed. Around 33% of adults and 2025% of children with epilepsy do not respond to their first-line treatment and must consider other options.

A doctor will discuss various treatments a person can try. These may include:

Surgery: This option typically works best for people who have seizures originating from one part of the brain. It involves safely removing the focal point, or the part of the brain where the seizures start.

Dietary changes: Some diets may help control seizures. Recommended diets include the modified Atkins diet, ketogenic diet, and low glycemic diet. These diets should be carried out with support from a registered dietitian.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): This therapy treats people with focal seizures. It works by sending mild electrical pulses through the vagus nerve, which leads to the brain. Over time, it changes how brain cells work.

Other options, like behavioral therapy and CBD oil, may help with treating drug-resistant epilepsy.

Learn more about natural remedies for epilepsy.

People with epilepsy must be consistent with their medication and/or treatment regimen. They should also try to avoid seizure triggers. Because triggers vary from person to person, a person can keep a diary of seizures to record possible triggers.

Children with an epilepsy diagnosis often outgrow it with age. For those whose epilepsy continues into adulthood, or people diagnosed later in life, it is very possible to live a normal life with epilepsy. Two-thirds of adults with epilepsy no longer experience seizures as a result of an effective treatment plan.

Learn more about epilepsy in children.

Anyone who suspects they have had a seizure should seek medical attention. A doctor can determine what caused the seizure, the type of seizure it was, and discuss appropriate next steps.

In many cases, epilepsy can be effectively treated and managed with seizure medication. Receiving an accurate and timely diagnosis is essential.

Epilepsy is a common seizure disorder. There are four main types of epilepsy: focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown.

A doctor generally diagnoses someone with epilepsy if they have had two or more unprovoked seizures.

Medication is the most common treatment, and two-thirds of adults with epilepsy live seizure-free because of it. If medication does not work, other treatments are available. These include surgery, brain stimulation, and a modified diet.

People with epilepsy must be consistent with their medication and visit a doctor if their seizures appear to worsen.

Although it is uncommon for epilepsy to go away on its own, proper treatment can control the seizures. It is very possible to live a normal, full life with epilepsy.

Read more from the original source:
4 types of epilepsy, their symptoms, and treatments - Medical News Today

With summer and swimsuit season rolling in, you might be in search of some easy ways to make your everyday diet choices help you feel your best. Well, here's some sunny news: According to a dietitian at a weight loss clinic in one of Florida's hottest beach cities, your metabolism ramps up as soon as you take your first sip of coffee, which can set you up to eat healthier, burn more calories, and even lose weight.

Keep reading to find out how coffee helps you burn fat, even when you're not moving. And for more, make sure to check out Making This One Change to Your Diet Could "Reprogram" Your Metabolism, New Study Says.

Donald Mankie is a registered dietitian at the Sarasota Memorial Bariatric and Metabolism Center who just spoke to Sarasota Magazine to answer the burning question about whether coffee fuels metabolism. Mankie told the local outlet: "The stimulating effect is definitely there." (In fact, this has been demonstrated in a number of great studies.)

Related: Sign up for our newsletter for the latest healthy eating and weight loss news.

Mankie said that in the simplest sense, coffee helps your metabolism because its caffeine gives you more energy. He noted that "caffeine can reduce the perception of fatigue" during exercise, which might simply give you that extra "oomph" to power through your workout to maximize your output.

RELATED:Eva Longoria Reveals the Exact At-Home Workout She Uses to Stay Fit

According to Mankie, coffee can also keep your metabolism raised even when you're not hard at work, thanks to "thermogenesis," which is the body's process for producing heat.

As Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic,has said, caffeine amps up the amount of energy your body uses even when you're inactive and this translates to the burning of a greater number of calories than baseline rest levels. (Read more about thermogenesis, and another drink that drives it, here.)

Anyone who's ever hit pause on their exercise routine, whether for illness or any reason, might know how amazing it feels to complete that first workout after a break. Part of that is from the endorphinsmood-boosting chemicalsthat the body produces during exercise.

Mankie said that similarly, coffee increases endorphin production, which can "produce an increased feeling of wellness and excitability," as well as "improve concentration, energy levels, and mood."

RELATED: Are You Unhappy? Walk This Far Before Breakfast, Says Science

These days, there are a lot of cool ways people are maxing out their coffee routine to make it work for their nutrition and well-being goalslike this creative coffee/protein shake combo.

For more healthy eating and weight loss news, keep reading:

Here is the original post:
One Major Effect Coffee Has on Your Metabolism, Expert Says | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Dr. Peter Barkett, Special to Kitsap Sun Published 1:35 p.m. PT June 17, 2021

Lately, Ive been thinking about routine maintenance, paying attention to keep things running effortlessly. This spring I had some trouble with my lawnmower. The machine had been so reliable that I took it for granted. I had been delinquent on some routine maintenance items and had hoped I could push them off a bit longer. Then the lawnmower just quit on me. While I had it in the shop my grass grew 6inches.

When it comes to power tools, a bit of preventive maintenance keeps them running better and longer.

The whole incident got me thinking because it happens to be mens health month, and if our lawnmowers need some regular care, how much more important is our own self-care?

Generally speaking, men have a tendency to focus on work or to-do lists. We tend not to admit when we feel worn down or need to recharge our batteries. We also have a bad habit of avoiding healthcare providers.

Its important to get in for routine wellness checks, but seeing a doctor isnt the only way to start taking care of your health. For this months column well cover self-care inspired by mens health monthbut applicable to everyone.

My young sons play a game in which they pretend to be sports cars and zip around the yard then pull up next to me, pretending to have run out of gas. My role is to fill up their tanks with premium gasoline so they can take off again for more laps chasing each other. Machines need gasoline but people need fuel, too, and the fuel we choose matters. High-quality fuel provides our bodies with the vitamins and minerals they need while avoiding excess sodium, sugarand unhealthy fats.

My patients often ask me what type of diet I recommend. There are lots of good diets out there. Whichever diet you choose I encourage you to eat mostly plants (i.e. fruits and vegetables) with as little processing as possible. Such a diet is naturally low in the things we want to avoid salt, sugarand unhealthy fats. It is also high in the things our body needs vitamins and minerals.

Eating right helps maintain a healthy weight and reduce the likelihood of blood pressure and blood sugar problems. Still, it is tough to do it all the time. So, if you are like me and have trouble giving up an unhealthy food completely, try limiting the portion size or the frequency of eating that food. For me, that means eating all the right things six days per week and giving myself a break on the seventh day. That grace day gives me extra flexibility if I am out at a restaurant or eating at a friends home, but enough structure to eat the right things most of the time.

I have a generator, and if I start it up every three or four months, it works great. If I forget about it for 6-12 months it takes quite a few more pulls and some tuning up to get it running again. When I go long stretches without exercise, I tend to have a similar reaction. Exercise not only keeps our bodies in good running order, its important for maintaining a healthy weight, promoting cardiovascular health, and boosting mental health.

Exercise can take many forms, but the key is getting approximately 150 minutes per week (e.g. 30 minutes per day for five days per week). Walking is a great form of low-impact exercise, and we have lots of parks and hikes here to take advantage of. Walking has the added plus of being beneficial for many forms of musculoskeletal low back pain. Many of my patients suffer from joint pains of the knee or hip, and walking can be difficult for them. In those cases try other low-impact activity like swimming, stationary bicycle, rowing machineor the elliptical.

Have you ever needed to use a cordless drill for a project and gotten everything ready to go only to realize that the battery is completely drained? A cordless drill is useless without a charged battery. Charging a battery is a pretty good analogy for the role of sleep in human health, but sleep actually does quite a bit more than just charge our batteries. Sleep is a critical step in memory consolidation. Hormone levels change and reset when we sleep. There have been large studies done showing improved health outcomes for those who are able to get quality sleep during overnight hours.

Our understanding of what goes into a good nights sleep has grown. In healthcare, we recognize that good sleep habits and practices are important, and we call these sleep hygiene. Some of these seem obvious like getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night, having a predictable bedtime, and making sure that the bedroom is dark and quiet. Others are not as obvious. Looking at television, computer, or smartphone screens in the time immediately before bed can interfere with your ability to have high-quality sleep. Alcohol before bed also increases the chances of waking up during the night. Over time, good habits are reinforcing and lead to more consistent high-quality sleep by training our minds and bodies to fall into beneficial patterns.

Good self-care can support mental health. There are also some other good ideas worth trying to promote mental wellbeing. One of the easiest things to do is to take time for gratitude. Saying or writing down what you are grateful for on a regular basis can shift our own attitudes and influence the way we perceive the world around us and our own experience of it. Building in time to be in nature or to pursue a creative endeavor can provide a sense of inspiration and reinvigoration. Another worthwhile habit is volunteering for a worthy cause. Volunteering connects us to other people and to a sense of purpose that can both give back to our communities and enrich our own lives.

When I go to work, I want to be the best doctor I can be for my patients. That requires staying up to date with the latest medical research and standards of care. I want to be the best husband and father. To do that I need to intentionally let go of what happened in the office when I drive home and focus on my family. To be the best version of ourselves for ourselves and those we care about requires first paying attention to some self-care.

The recommendations here are straightforward, but it can be tough to make these habits stick. Over the years I have made lots of self-care plans that never really took hold. The times I have been successful are the times that I have told someone else about my plan or enlisted someone else to participate with me. When my wife knows I have committed to a healthy diet, she can keep me honest. When I have a regular Saturday morning bike ride with a friend, it wont fall by the wayside. If you have struggled to make time for self-care in the past, try enlisting an accountability partner.

Some of us have gotten out of routines or had to establish new ones in the last year. By focusing on self-care, were doing the regular maintenance needed not just to maintain a functioning body and mind, but to thrive and be our best.

Peter Barkett, MD, practices internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente Silverdale. He lives in Bremerton.

Peter Barkett(Photo: Contributed)

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During men's health month, a reminder that self-care maintenance helps us thrive - Kitsap Sun

You dont stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running, Christopher McDougall.

Biology is working against us as we age, making it harder to stay fit much less compete at a high level. Our cardiac output falls and our VO2 max starts to drop. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise. It's commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes. Aging muscles also lose mass and elasticity.

As athletes age, they are more likely to suffer injury and illness. OK, enough of the downside.

Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship on May 23 at age 50, becoming the oldest winner in the 161 years of major championship golf. In February, Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback to start and win a Superbowl at age 43. Meb Keflezighi won the 2014 Boston Marathon just two weeks shy of his 39th birthday. Serena Williams continues to compete at the highest level of professional womens tennis at age 40, while the sport is dominated by players in their late teens and early twenties.

Kathy Martin is not a professional athlete. Shes known as the Running Realtor. She took up running in her 30s on a whim to join her husband. Her first run with him lasted one city block.

However, she didnt quit and the next day she ran two blocks, then three and eventually a mile. Shes now over age 65 and recently ran a 5k race at a 6:26-mile pace.

She has set running records from 5k to 50k since she turned 40.

How do these folks continue to compete at such a high level at their respective ages, and what can we learn from them?

First, being over the hill doesnt mean being over the cliff. Staying physically active, getting enough sleep, taking care of any medical conditions, and challenging your body through some type of regular physical activity is critical to maintain your fitness level. High-intensity workouts can improve your VO2max. Lifting weights can help maintain muscle mass. Stimulating your mind by being a life-long learner can make a big difference, too.

Mickelson added meditation to his training routine and considers coffee a health drink. I havent read how he lost weight, but he looked lighter than in recent years.

Keflezighi added elliptical and core training to his regimen to avoid injury. Williams is a strict vegan during the tennis season and an advocate for high-intensity workouts. Brady trains all year long and is obsessive about his diet.

Food first. Adequate fuel is the key to being a lifelong athlete and a healthy adult. Not just for a few months but a steady lifestyle. As we age, we should be focused on consuming foods to enrich our body and mind.

Many health experts promote the Mediterranean diet a diet that's rich in vegetables, berries, fruit, whole grains, and healthy fats and proteins. While there is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet, the main components include:

Be consistent. Athletes who have long careers stay consistent with their training and health habits. Indeed, a study from the University of New Mexico showed as much as 70% of age-related decline is because of deconditioning rather than the aging process itself.

There may be all sorts of reasons you have become deconditioned, but the good news is the body adapts.

Ruby Ghadially decided to run a mile at age 57. It took her 15 minutes. Now, at age 63, she recently ran a 6:09 mile for a track club in San Francisco. A teammate of hers took up running after a divorce at age 51 and is now an accomplished runner at ag 61. For that matter, my wife, Kathie, a self-proclaimed non-athlete, started running in her mid-30s after a divorce. She became a top Masters runner in the Central Florida area for years. (We met in a race a few years later.)

The best things you can do to be a lifelong athlete, or healthy adult, is to have a healthy diet and be consistent with your training. If you arent an athlete, no worries. Thats just a word and a mind-set. The main thing is to keep (or start) moving forward.

(Patrick Johnson, RN, BSN, MPA is the former public health director in Haywood County, N.C. He worked in public health for 36 years in Florida and North Carolina. He retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Nurse Corps in 2013 as a Colonel after 27 years. Col Johnson is an Iraq war veteran and has run over 400 races from 5k to marathon. Hes been a vegetarian for 35 years. Hes also bounced back from a heart valve repair, a severe stroke, a seizure disorder and still battles atrial fibrillation and retirement. He continues to run, hike, lift weights, stretch, meditate and tries to work out four times a week. One workout is my trail maintenance morning with the Carolina Mountain Club on the Mountain to Sea Trail in Haywood County. If you are interested in checking it out go to CarolinaMountainclub.org and look for the volunteer link. You wont regret it.)

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What can we learn from the aging athlete? - The Mountaineer

A new study of over 300,000 female participants found that diets high in meat, dairy, and processed sugar increased ones relative risk of breast cancer by as much as 12 percent. The joint research conducted by the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the World Health Organization, and the Imperial College in London concluded that the inflammatory properties of these foods caused this spike in cancer risk.

Chronic inflammation is the precursor to many serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Certain foodsincluding meat, dairy, and processed sugarshave been shown to increase inflammation in the body. When certain foods are eaten regularly, the temporary (acute) inflammation induced by these foods can become chronic, creating a prime environment for the development of cancer.

Researchers collected food frequency surveys from the 318,686 women participants for a year. The inflammatory nature of each diet was determined by the frequency of certain foods. Diets high in meat, butter, margarine, frying oils, and processed sugar were marked as inflammatory. Researchers found that participants who consumed the most inflammatory foods increased their relative risk of breast cancer by upwards of 12 percent.

In lieu of concentrating on a specific nutrientsuch as saturated fatas previous research has done, this study looked at dietary patterns. The goal was not to create fear around individual nutrients but steer the conversation toward habit change.

People consume food not nutrients, thus examining overall dietary patternsrather than single components of dietscan lead to more accurate conclusions when analyzing associations with a health outcome such as breast cancer, Carlotta Castro-Espin of the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the author of the study explained.

Plant-based diets have been linked to decreasing cancer risk as well as lowering levels of inflammation. Researchers point to the high antioxidant content of fruits and vegetables to explain the anti-inflammatory properties of whole, plant-based foods. Compared to the Standard American Diet (SAD) heavy in animal products, a whole, plant-based diet contains 64 times the amount of inflammation-fighting antioxidants.

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Study of Over 300000 Women Links Meat and Dairy with 12 Percent Increased Breast Cancer Risk - VegNews

Like many people, 37-year-old Jonathan Sanchez thought the pandemic would be a few weeks maybe even a month of readjustment. And like so many others, it wasnt until it started dragging on and on that the Omaha, Nebraskabased financial advisor began to feel the effects of uncertainty and anxiety.

Then his wife got COVID-19 and he had to switch gears into being a solo caregiver for son Theo, age 7, and daughter Alexis, age 5. Just as he began to adjust, he got furloughed.

In a situation like that, where you dont know when things will end whether my wife will get better, whether my job will come back, how bad the virus will get its really tough, he says. Its depressing. I tried to stay busy, but theres only so many chores you can do every day.

On top of all that, he was hearing from relatives and friends in California about attacks on Asian Americans. Whenever he had to go downtown or shopping, he started to feel unsafe, to the point that hed constantly be making sure he knew where the exits were in case he had to run.

RELATED:Whats Driving the Surge in Anti-Asian Crimes, and How Can We Help the Victims?

As Asian Americans, were worried for people we love, and also for our kids and ourselves; its a terrible feeling, he says. So, I made sure to communicate with my wife about how I was feeling about all of this, and we started talking to a counselor together.

An outcome of those sessions was learning effective ways to give and receive love from one another, and that felt like a turning point for Sanchez. They made simple changes like using more words of affirmation and were more aware about supporting one another, he adds.

That was probably the biggest thing I learned this past year: how to ask for help, he says. Not even in huge ways, either. For example, I try to get my daughter ready in the morning, but Im terrible at pigtails. So, I ask my wife to do them. Even something that small makes us feel like were working together as a team, its a little win. And when you have those little wins all day, they add up.

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What Self-Care Has Looked Like for 3 Dads During the Pandemic - Everyday Health