Category Archives: Diet And Food

Its the end of a warm January day in Zimbabwes Lower Zambezi Valley, and, as the sun sets on the regions great river, the temperature is just starting to cool. Its a welcome relief for the Akashinga rangers; the all-women anti-poaching unit is wrapping up a long day out on patrol, protecting the bushs local wildlife. They sit nestled around the campfire stove, and begin to devour a humble, yet satisfying camp-cooked meal. Locally-sourced vegetables, rice, fresh grains, and beans fill the pots and skillets in front of them, prepared, like they are everyday, under the loving supervision of Nicola Kagoro, the camp kitchens founder and head chef.

Kagoro enjoys the hard-earned meal with her friends and colleagues, before she heads home. She has a plant-based cookbook launch to prepare for, and as a passionate gardener, who wants to spend more time teaching children how to grow their own fruits and vegetables, she also has community projects to plan. So she says her goodbyes and sets off, ready for another evening of making her little slice of the world a better, more plant-based, place.

Kagoro, who goes by Chef Cola, was raised in New York City, but now lives back in Zimbabwe where she was born. Her culinary career began in South Africa, after a hospitality course landed her an internship in a Cape Town five-star hotel. And it was there, working in a restaurant called Plant, that she discovered veganism. It literally fell into my lap, she told LIVEKINDLY.

Once I started working for a 100-percent vegan restaurant (I was basically working six to seven days a week) I spent a lot of time eating vegan, plant-based food, she added. So it ended up being a routine and a lifestyle.

Now, plant-based food education is at the heart of Chef Colas mission. Indigenous African plant-based food education, to be exact. None of the Akashinga rangers eat meat on her watch, and she wants to extend her influence further afield.

Her dream is to prove to the communities she works with that food can be delicious, nutritious, and satisfying without animal products. And arguably more important than any of that, she wants to show that plant-based food can provide them with a tangible connection to their ancestors.

Chef Colas camp kitchen, called Back to Black Roots, caters to the growing group of Akashinga rangers day-in and day-out. (Its a hefty task; in 2020, there were 171 rangers, staff, and trainees in the unit, and by the end of this year, there is expected to be 160 new trained rangers.)

To do their job, each must be in peak physical condition, and food plays a vital role in that. Chef Cola takes her job very seriously. No matter what, 365, Im thinking about the Akashinga Back to Black Roots kitchen, she said.

But while the kitchens sole purpose is keeping the women of Akashinga nourished, its other mission is to show people how many on the African continent used to eat, prior to colonization (hence the name, Back to Black Roots). Veganism is something that everyone seems to think its not African, said Chef Cola. [People think] were introducing it to Africa. But its actually the other way around.

And the chef should know, because plant-based diets go way back in her own family. After researching her great grandmothers diet, who lived to the age of 100 and something, she discovered there was no meat there at all. But her mothers generation, she noticed, was big into animal products.

I realized, this woman doesnt eat meat, she recalled. She never ate meat. She was strictly on a vegan diet. I looked into my moms generation and I realized, no. Theres a difference here because my mum and my uncles, theyre eating meat. And that generation seems to not be reaching that 100-year gap. The difference is diet.

After learning about how her grandmother used to eat, Chef Colas own diet began to take on a whole new meaning. Being plant-based became about identity a link to those who came before her.

Many long-established African dishes are completely vegan. Traditional Zimbabwean cuisine, for example, includes meals like mupunga unedovi, which comprises just three simple plant-based ingredients: long grain rice, salt, and peanut butter. Theres also muriwo une dovi, which is essentially leafy greens in peanut butter.

Veganism to me now means culture and it means heritage, Chef Cola explained. I believe that my ancestors were plant-based and vegan. Through colonial practices, we developed meat-eating practices. We used it for more money, like herding more cows for money basically. [But] veganism was something that my ancestors were a part of. Its part of my heritage, its now part of my culture because Im getting a connection to [my ancestors].

But plant-based diets havent been phased out completely. There are many people, like some in rural Zimbabwe for example, who still follow plant-based diets. But the issue, Chef Cola says, is that some are ashamed of this way of eating. They think meat equals wealth, she explained.

They [often] eat soy chunks, and they call it nyama, which means meat, she said. In their head theyre eating meat, but theyre actually not.

[I] tell them youre actually on a vegan diet, she added. Because its not like youre slaughtering those two little chickens that you have, or that goat running around. Youre not doing that. And you dont have a fridge or electricity to keep things like milk and eggs. You dont do that. So youre actually on a vegan diet. Once they actually start looking at it like that, some people get upset because meat equals wealth.

Part of Chef Colas mission is to show people that there is no shame in following a plant-based diet.

Before the pandemic, she was working on community development, creating projects like gardens. When the world opens up, she intends to create community gardens in schools. (When we spoke earlier this year, that was all on hold while the schools were shut due to COVID-19.) One of her passions is working with children, and trying to make them understand what veganism, and being plant-based, is about.

She wants to encourage more to try out the lifestyle, and see that plant-based diets are not only traditional, but theyre healthy and affordable too. Her new cookbook coming out this year is called African Vegan on a Budget, and features traditional, indigenous, accessible, and affordable African vegan recipes.

Shes confident that her work will pay off. In the future, she sees mass diet change but also, more people getting back to basics by growing their own food. A lot of people are cutting down on the meat, and turning to vegan diets or vegetarian diets, she said. So I just hope that the future will bring more gardens, and more gardening for more people. Even those living in the city center.Chef Colas African Vegan on a Budget cookbook is slated for release in November 2021.

Link:
Meet the Chef Bringing Traditional Plant-Based Diets Back to Africa - LIVEKINDLY

Sherra Aguirre has a family history of high blood pressure that is so dramatic, it has cut short the lives of two cousins and left her parents tied to daily medication. She saw these circumstances ascautionary tales and decided to do everything she could to offset a family history that illustrated what can happen when this condition goes unchecked.

Known as the Silent Killer, high blood pressure affects 108 million Americans, or nearly half of all adults, has no symptoms, and can lead to strokes, heart attacks, andsudden death. That's the bad news, but there is good news as well, since lifestyle choices can have a major impact on who suffers from high blood pressure, and how to bring it under control. Studies have shown that getting daily exercise, practicing mindful de-stressing techniques, and eating a diet rich in plant-based foods and low in animal products such as meat and dairy can help to lower blood pressure naturally, bringing this untamed assailant to its knees.

One thing Sherra Aguirre learned in her journey to find natural solutions to high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is that diet, above all else, can help roll back the symptoms and lower blood pressure to healthy levels, and now sheis aiming to help others, especially in the African American community, learn the power of eating a mostly plant-based diet to prevent and treat high blood pressure since this type of diet has proven to be powerfulon lowering blood pressure as drugs.

Aguirre is a health enthusiast and food justice advocatewho is passionate about empowering othersespecially communities that are at high risk for diabetes and heart diseaseto maintain good health at every age. She eliminated symptoms of her hypertension, despite the fact that her family tree isrife withcasesof heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. She switched toa whole plant-based diet and ditched her meds completely, and feels better than everthanks to her new way of eating.

Aguirre hopesher book, Joyful, Delicious, Vegan: Life Without Heart Disease,will empowerothers to beat back hypertension and heart disease, by providing simple, effective ways to preventand reverse heart disease, despite family history.The book is aimed at anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy, symptom-free life, especially African American women and other communities who are at high risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Sherra: As I turned thirty, I started to notice that after my fast food lunch usually burgers, fried chicken, or pizza my energy would tank and I had to struggle through the afternoon at work. I started to make changes based on what I ate and how I felt afterward. I eliminated fried food first, then beef, and eventually all meat. I continued to eat fish and dairy until in my fifties my blood pressure started to creep up, despite a mostly vegetarian diet. I had read enough to know that although I was on the right path and I had to go further. I was also very sympathetic to the animal rights argument.

Sherra: Hypertension, strokes, aneurysms, and heart attacks are common on both sides of my family. For as long as I could remember both my parents were on high blood pressure medications. Some of the deaths of close relatives were both sudden and untimely, as was the case with a cousin, who came home from work with a splitting headache, went to bed, and never woke up. Another cousin was on his way to a vacation with his wife and dropped dead of a heart attack at the airport. Both were in their forties, were on medications for high blood pressure, and thought their conditions were under control.

Sherra: The first benefit was an increase in energy, followed by greater mental clarity. The latter however may be debated by my family.

Sherra: The biggest challenge for me was finding vegan recipes and restaurant options that were heart healthy, i.e. oil-free, low sodium, and free of processed sugar. This is super important for the prevention or reversal of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Ultimately the best solution for me was learning to make delicious vegan food in my own kitchen that I loved and that loved me back.

Sherra: The biggest triumph for me was reversing my hypertension symptoms with a whole plant-based diet, despite a lengthy family history of heart disease.

Sherra: I love to have a small handful of raw nuts, usually walnuts or pistachios. I have to remember not to overdo it!

Sherra: I eat two good size meals each day that I really enjoy. It is not something I recommend however it works well for me. In Joyful, Delicious, Vegan: Life Without Heart Disease I do recommend listening to your body. When I wake up, I am not hungry. Mornings are my creative time and I express that energy in meditation, yoga, and in planning my day to include the insight from this process.

I have my break-fast from noon to 1:00 pm which is a big plate of whatever fresh fruits are in season and in my fridge grapefruit, apple or pear slices, blueberries, blackberries, melon, mangoslices, etc. with a bowl of steel-cut oats or granola with raisins, and sometimes a green smoothie. Buckwheat pancakes are a weekend favorite!

My dinner, which I eat between 7 and 8 pm, is based around a main course salad with various salad greens, fresh veggies, avocado, nuts, seeds, and a homemade dressing, all colorful and hearty. My sides are typically lentils, beans or black-eyed peas over rice or quinoa and with cornbread or corn tortillas. My favorite dessert is chocolate chip and raisin oatmeal cookies made with almond butter and maple syrup!

Sherra: In my book, I explain why donts dont work."To make any positive change sustainable you have to focus on where you want to go and not on what youre leaving behind. Focus on finding delicious plant-based foods that you enjoy and not on what you cant have. There are tips and strategies to make that journey successful and fun.

Many friends and family members are more open to eating plant-based because they see the health benefits, and theyve tried vegan food that they love. I am happiest that my two granddaughters are on the path. One has been vegan for a year and the other is mostly plant-based. Compassion for the animals and the environment are big motivators for them.

Sherra: Self-compassion makes compassion for every life, and for Earth itself, natural and joyful.

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What to Eat to Lower Your Blood Pressure, From a Woman Who Did It - The Beet

Tammara Thibeault is a young vegan boxer who is out to show the world that you don't need to eat meat or dairy to get protein and train for your sport at the highest levels. The24-year-oldboxer istraining intensely for the Tokyo games and eatsa strictly vegan diet and says she hopesis toraise worldwide awareness about the nutritional and overall health benefits of living plant-based.

Im proof you can get all the nutrients you need if youre living plant-based, Thibeault, who is boxing for Canada, asserted. Three years ago, I started slowly cutting meat out of my diet and one day I realized I didnt have any meat at all in my refrigerator. I feel better when I dont eat meat. Its better for your health and the environment.

Thibeault started boxing at age nine,as a way to spend more time with her brother and her father, former professional football player Patrick Thibeault, who used boxing to stay in shape during his off-season. Calling herself "too stubborn to not be good," the now 6' and 165-lb Thibeault used her "smooth-boxing"styleto win countlessearlyaccolades, including a bronze at the 2019 World Championships, and a gold at the 2017 Continental championships, as well as a silver at the 2019 Lima Pan Am Games.

Watching the very first women's Olympic boxing competition at the London 2012 games is what inspired Thibeault to strive for Olympic glory, said the boxer, who just signed on as an official ambassador for Vejii, the online marketplace for vegan and plant-based food products.

Even though Im favored for a medal, I dont consider it my primary focus, she explained. My main focus is not the result. Its to go there and perform well. The results will just come with it. Its about being the best me I can be. If I can excel in my sport and use my voice as a platform for other positive things, Ill say Ive done everything I set out to do.

One of the issues Thibeault is most passionate about is the healthy and environmental benefits of reducing meat intake without suffering from any lack of dietary options which is where she andVejiifound common ground. Im really excited about working withShopVejii.combecause I feel like a lot of our values align. I

She adds that she is working "to show people theres an easy way to have plant-based options in their diets. Its possible to have it all.

"My goal is to show people that they can still eat the dishes they love even if they switch to plant-based. You dont have to eat rice broccoli and chicken every day to be healthy.

"Tammara's commitment to her community, the planet, and her sport are truly inspiring. We are proud to align ourselves with athletes who align so well with our corporate mandate, said Vejii CEO Kory Zelickson of bringing Thibeault aboard as their newest brand ambassador.

Thibeault says that beyond boxing shes committed to making a difference wherever possible. She is currently finishing her bachelors degree in Urban Studies with a minor in Spanish at Concordia University and will then go on to earn a masters degree in architecture, specializing in sustainable housing.

A lot of people see me as just a boxer, but my goal is to do humanitarian work in Central America and help with the housing crisis." She says she hopes her work will somedaymake a difference. "Everyone has to do their little parts. Even if we can convince people to try one vegetarian meal per week without changing their overall diets, it will go a long way.

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Female Boxer Wants to Show You Can Win Olympic Gold as a Vegan - The Beet

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Following his huge victory over Drew McIntyre on the April 26 edition of Raw, Braun Strowman has been added to the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash on May 16.

It's been a long road back to the top for The Monster Among Men, who hasn't held world title gold since dropping the Universal Championship to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam in August. Despite being on and off television throughout the past year because of various injuries, he's back and better than he's been in some time.

He joins McIntyre and Bobby Lashley in the WWE Championship picture. Those two have been holding down the fort on Raw in 2021. Adding Strowman to the mix makes matters more unpredictable come WrestleMania Backlash, when the three of them will collide in what should be a thrilling Triple Threat match.

Strowman's return in the the most impressive shape he's been in has also been encouraging to see. He's proved that he can hold his own among the elite in the ring on Monday nights so long as the booking doesn't fail him.

Ahead of his upcoming world title opportunity, Strowman took the time to talk to Bleacher Report about his journey over the past year, feuding with Shane McMahon, getting in peak physical shape and more.Check out the complete audio of the interview on the next slide, and read on for the highlights.

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Strowman failed to capture the Universal Championship on countless occasions before finally winning it from Goldberg at WrestleMania 36. He went on to have a solid albeit unspectacular reign that didn't feature much of note outside of his feud with The Fiend.

However, a lot has changed for him over the past year, specifically with how his character has been presented. He feels way more like a main event talent now than he did when he was universal champ, and he's excited for the opportunity to show the world he's ready for that spotlight again.

"It's just solidifying what I've been saying for months and months and months: The Monster is back on the top of the food chainwhere he belongs," he said. "It's been a long, hard road to get back into the title picture and stuff like that, but I'm looking forward to it."

Strowman referred to the WWE Championship Triple Threat at WrestleMania Backlash as a "battle of titans," and with no rules involved, it's going to be as big as it gets.

He's had a handful of singles matches with both men since 2018. In addition to beating Drew McIntyre on the April 26 edition of Raw, he also has worked well with Bobby Lashley any time they have shared a ring.

Thus, he isn't taking either of his adversaries lightly.

"Bobby and Drew have been able to bring even more of a monster out of me than anybody else has in the past," he said. "I know what they're capable of. I know how devastating both of them can be with the Claymore and The Hurt Lock. Unfortunately, I've been on the receiving end of both of them, and I don't look to end up that way this time. ... It's King Kong meets Godzilla meets The Incredible Hulk.

He expects Lashley and McIntyre to put aside their differences and join forces simply to eliminate him from the equation. Fighting from underneath is rare for him, but if it means taking out two top talents at once, he's prepared for any possibility.

"On any given day, they have pushed me to the limits," Strowman said. "They are both very, very dominant, dominant athletes. I won't give either one of them an inch. [As far as] who's stronger and who's badder. They're both badasses. Let's be real."

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Getting a significant singles push during a pandemic when there are no fans in the building isn't ideal, but Strowman wasn't about to let that opportunity to pass him by.

Winning the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 immediately made him the face of Friday Night SmackDown. Through no fault of his own, his reign was underwhelming because he didn't have many credible challengers and the show was light on star power at the time.

He returned to Raw in the 2020 WWE draft but had to take time off for a brief period at the end of the year to nurse nagging injuries. He seems to have picked up right where he left off and is a nice fit for the WWE Championship picture.

"What an honor it's been, through all this crazy stuff, to be able to represent the company and push forward through uncharted territories," Strowman said. "It was a struggle to figure out and get everything and keep our show going last year at the beginning of this pandemic. It was a learning process for everybody.

"Being thrown right into the fire, per se, and taking the company on my back, doing my best to keep carrying it forward, it was an honor to do it," he continued. "I feel like it was well-earned. I don't think I deserve anything. I believe I've earned everything that I have in my life, and that's why I think I've been in the positions that I am and continue to be put in the positions that I am."

He also acknowledged the record he apparently set on Monday's Raw in competing in a singles match, a tag team match and a Handicap match in the same night. That likely wouldn't have happened if the company didn't view him as a top talent on the Raw roster.

Having fans in attendance at WrestleMania 37 gave him the fuel he needed to keep moving forward and served as a reminder for why he got into the business. That said, his night on The Grandest of Them All almost looked a lot different because of a snafu that occurred during his entrance.

"I'll be honest, they blew so much CO2 smoke on the stage when I came out that I couldn't see anything, so I froze," he laughed. "I was afraid I was going to walk off the stage. We're talking like a 15-foot drop, so I just stood there. I didn't know where the ramp was. I didn't know anything. I could hear the people rumbling a little bit because they knew I was somewhere in that smoke, and as that smoke dissipated, the crowd just came alive, and I've got goosebumps right now thinking about it.

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Strowman's Road to WrestleMania this year wasn't without its flaws as he settled into a storyline with Shane McMahon.

Considering he walked out of WrestleMania the year prior as the universal champion, a meaningless midcard feud with Shane felt like a significant step down for him. That isn't even including the many awful segments they found themselves involved in on Raw leading up to the pay-per-view.

To their credit, they went out at WrestleMania 37 and had a perfectly serviceable Steel Cage match. Strowman enjoyed the experience of working with the son of WWE chairman Vince McMahon and revealed that they both wanted it happen a lot sooner than it did.

"It was a seed that had been planted for a while," he said. "Shane and I have wanted to do one for quite a few years now. Behind the scenes, we have a very good relationship, and let's be real: Shane's a lunatic. That works great with my style because I don't go out there and think about anything. I just do it. It ended up working out well."

Although The Monster Among Men finds himself embroiled in the WWE Championship scene, he likely would have gotten a shot at the strap months ago had it not been for an untimely injury. He brought up how he benefited from being away from the championship chase for a while.

"I was in the title picture all of last year," Strowman said. "Sometimes fans are fickle, and it's hard to keep them happy. One minute, they wanted you to be champ. And the next minute, they hate you and don't want you to be champ. I was thinking of something: 'How can I stay relevant and do something to better our show and help our product without being in the title picture?'

"I feel like everybody always wants to be champ. Everybody wants to be in the title picture. Not always is that what's best for our show. You have to take a step down and figure out how to fill in the gaps that need to be filled to make our product full, and that's what I felt like I needed to do at that point."

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Another positive that stemmed from Strowman's recent absence from WWE TV was that he was able to return in phenomenal shape, possibly the best he's ever been in during his time with the company.

His transformation in recent few months has led to some of his best work in recent memory. Although he didn't give too much insight on what he's been eating exactly or what his workouts consist of, he did admit that consistency is key.

"I try to tell people with getting in shape and working out that only 15 percent of it is done in the gym and on the treadmill," he said. "It's 85 percent mentally and preparation in the kitchen. I've always known how to eat, but at the end of the day, let's be real, healthy eating isn't always the most tasty stuff. I like cheeseburgers and pizza and cake and all those other things. But it was buckling down and telling myself, 'Hey, you can't have that.' It's not a diet; it's a lifestyle."

Adopting a better outlook on his health and making an effort to eat more nutrients has helped him tremendously in getting him to where he is today physically. After going through some personal hardships, he knew changes were needed and that his quality of life was of utmost importance.

He couldn't be more grateful for the many motivational messages he receives regularly from fans, telling him that they are inspired by his journey.

"Being fortunate with my strongman background, I know some of the top bodybuilders and nutritionists in the world and have been able to pick their brains and learn stuff," he said. "My whole life, it's been about getting in all these calories and pick up as much weight as I can. It gets to a point where your body can only take so much of that.

"Now it's training and teaching the muscles to do different things. I don't have to be picking up cars every day like it was when I was doing strongman. Every once in a while, I may flip one over if I lose my temper. Now, I lift weights because I want to look good naked!"

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It's no secret that Raw has been struggling creatively throughout the pandemic era, but the problems affecting the product have been prevalent a lot longer than that.

The April 26 episode, for example, was arguably among the weakest in recent memory. Of course, the Superstars aren't to blame for that because they are simply attempting to make the most of what they are given.

Strowman has bounced around from brand to brand since 2019 and has been there for Raw's highest of highs as well as its lowest of lows. When asked to name an aspect of Raw that he feels doesn't get the credit it deserves from fans, he was quick to point out how the entire roster works tirelessly to entertain despite the circumstances.

"The boys and girls in the back, we all work really, really hard," he said. "It's been a little chaotic because everything's been all over [the place], and people get sick and things change last minute. And part of me enjoys that, I'm not going to lie.

"This past Monday was a prime example. Everything was crazy because people got hurt, people were sick and stuff changes. All of a sudden, you're in three matches in an hour and 10 minutes' worth of a three-hour show. You're freaking out, but when you get out there and get it done and hit a home run, it's such a satisfying feeling."

As for what he feels could be changed or improved upon with Raw, he stressed that live television is a difficult business to be in, with ratings not being what they used to be. Putting together three-hours shows on a weekly basis is bound to take a toll, and enticing new viewers to stick around is a tall task.

"It's a tough time right now. With how technologically advanced, everybody is and the media and stuff like that," Strowman said. "It's a challenge for everything that's on television to try to draw live viewership. I'll be honest, I haven't even had cable in my house in the last decade. I keep up with our shows via our apps and social media.

"I think we're doing a good job with everything that's out there in the world, with everything at everyone's fingertips. I think we constantly go above and beyond to do everything we can to keep our viewers entertained and to draw in new viewers and demographics."

Catch Braun Strowman in action on Monday nights on WWE Raw at 8/7c on USA Network.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website,WrestleRant, and subscribe to hisYouTube channelfor more wrestling-related content.

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Braun Strowman Shoots on the Last Year in WWE, Diet and Fitness Habits, More - Bleacher Report

Whether you're taking the plunge into veganism, or trying to figure out if some of the reported health benefits of yogurt are actually true, people have a variety of reasons for giving up yogurt. This popular dairy product is made through the bacterial fermentation of milk and can be made with a variety of flavors and toppings. It's an easy, healthy breakfast or snack option for some, but for others, it can be affecting their bodies in negative ways.

While there are some benefits to giving up yogurtespecially for those who are lactose-intolerantthere are perks attached to continuing to eat the delicious dairy product. It's good for your health, and you might just run into a future royal while at a yogurt shop. By giving up yogurt, you could be missing out on some of the beneficial nutrients that come with enjoying a bowl of yogurt regularly.

Here's what you need to know about giving up yogurt, and for even more healthy eating tips, be sure to read up on our list of The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

A 2009 study from Future Medicine suggests that as people age, they more frequently suffer from lactose intolerance, which means their bodies are ill-equipped to digest lactosethe main carbohydrate found in dairy products. Lactose intolerance can lead to a host of symptoms, including inflammation.

Giving up yogurt can help to reduce inflammation, according to Heather Hanks, a nutritionist with Instapot Life.

"Many people do not realize that they are sensitive to dairy, and although yogurt is better tolerated because it contains probiotics, it can still be a source of inflammation if you are sensitive to cow's milk," Hanks says. "Additionally, many brands of yogurt contain added sugars, so giving up yogurt with cow's milk and added sugars could also help reduce inflammation in the gut, improving total body health."

Here are 9 Signs of Lactose Intolerance You Should Never Ignore.

It's well-known that yogurt helps you stay, well, regular. Yogurt is packed with probiotics, which are live microorganisms that are beneficial for digestive health. The food not only aids constipation in eaters, but it can also help prevent diarrhea, according to Harvard Health.

With all of the digestive help that comes with yogurt, it's safe to say that consumers might get a bit irregular once they give yogurt up. Hanks recommends finding probiotics in other food sources to help maintain regularity.

"If you have been using yogurt to help stay regular, then you may find that taking a probiotic supplement or getting your probiotics elsewhere, such as in sauerkraut, can help," Hanks says. Or turn to one of these 11 Probiotic Foods for Gut Health That Aren't Yogurt.

Those who have a sensitivity to dairy products don't only have symptoms in their digestive systems. Dairy sensitivity can also be shown through acne outbreaks in those who consume dairy products. A study from the University of Copenhagen linked dairy consumption in people ages 7 to 30 and an increase in acne. So giving up yogurt, as well as other dairy products, might just lead to the end of acne problems for some.

"It doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth a trysimply lowering that dairy intake may just lead to clear skin," says Kathryn McDavid, CEO of Editor's Pick.

Here are 10 Foods Making Your Acne Even Worse.

Calcium is one of the biggest benefits of consuming dairy products. The mineral is responsible for so many of the body's functions, including being a pretty big component of the makeup of our teeth and bones. So when you're cutting yogurt from your diet, make sure you have another source of calcium in there to take its place, because it's vital to maintaining health.

"By removing yogurt from the diet, one is potentially reducing their protein and calcium intake, both of which are essential for building and maintaining strong bones," says Christine Randazzo Kirschner, RD, nutritionist, and co-founder of Amenta Nutrition.

Calcium also has additional benefits that need to be considered when cutting yogurt from your diet, according to Kirschner.

"Calcium also helps blood clots, is essential for cardiac function, keeps nerves working properly, and may help reduce blood pressure," Kirschner says.

We're all typically looking for a little more pep in our step once we hit the middle of the day, and instead of getting caffeine jitters from having your second, third, or fourth cup of coffee for the day, another way to get more a bit more energy is by cutting out your daily yogurt, according to Niyla Carson, a nutritionist at Fast Food Menu Prices.

"Yogurt contains amino acids, which basically makes us a bit lazy," Carson says. "So, if we cut off our daily dose of yogurt, our energy for the day might go up a bit."

In particular, Greek yogurt contains tryptophan, a type of amino acid that is found in many high-protein items like turkey, chicken, and eggs. Tryptophan helps to produce melatonin, a hormone that helps put you to sleep. This is also why some dietitians recommend enjoying yogurt as a sweet treat at the end of the day.

Along with yogurt, here are the 40 Best and Worst Foods to Eat Before Sleep.

Did you know several store-brand yogurts contain more sugar than a Twinkie? If you find yourself reaching for yogurts with candy or sugary-flavored yogurts on the shelves, it's likely that giving up yogurt will help you decrease the sugar intake in your diet.

"Although healthy yogurt options don't have many additives, make sure to watch out for those with high sugar content, as it could do more harm than good," says Carson.

A study by the Poznan University of Life Sciences found that even in women who are not committed to a regular diet, cutting out some excess sugars can lead to a more healthy lifestyle.

There are a lot of benefits to eating yogurt, and one of the largest ones is that it contains a lot of calcium and a lot of protein, both of which are extremely important for maintaining proper dental health.

"Calcium works by maintaining bone density and protein strengthens your gums," says Max Harland, the CEO of Dentaly. "Plus, yogurt's high probiotic content promotes healthy bacteria in your mouth that eliminates issues like bad breath."

Harland also said that yogurt helps to balance the pH in mouths, which helps lead to fewer cavities.

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Side Effects of Giving up Yogurt, According to Science | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

With more than 1 billion people worldwide living with obesity and predictions that 50% of American adults will have obesity by 2030, a physician-owned company is aiming to soon provide doctors with an easy-to-use tool to help diagnose and treat this global public health epidemic.

Phenomix Sciences was founded by National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded obesity experts and Mayo Clinic physician-scientists Andres Acosta, MD, PhD, and Michael Camilleri, MD, in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2017. Health2047, the wholly-owned innovation subsidiary of the AMA created to overcome systemic dysfunction in the U.S. health care, recently launched the company.

Through a decade of research, Drs. Acosta and Camilleri identified four obesity phenotypes and treatments that work best to help patients fight obesity based on which phenotype or phenotypes they have. Work is well underway to make the company's MyPhenome test commercially available by the end of 2021. The test allows a physician to order a blood test that identifies the phenotype or phenotypes the patient has, giving the physician and patient a roadmap for how best to help the patient lose weight and keep it off.

Drs. Acosta and Camilleri led a team that co-wrote a recent study in the journal Obesity showing the prevalence of obesity phenotypes and their association with weight loss. In 450 patients, 27% had more than one phenotype and only 15% didn't show signs of any of the phenotypes. It found that this individualized treatment was associated with a 1.75-fold greater weight loss after a year. Dr. Acosta recently took time to speak with the AMA about his research and Phenomix Sciences.

AMA: Why you were interested in this research?

Dr. Acosta: On average, the adult with obesity is trying four to five diets per year. And unfortunately, most people lose some weight initially and then regain it all back, or they may not lose any weight. We keep thinking that one treatment is going to fit all people. But when we go to the real world, unfortunately a new diet or new medication works great for a few and very bad for the majority.

So, how do we actually address this problem that the one-size-fits-all approach is not working? We decided to take a step back and actually study what we're calling obesity types or obesity phenotypes. We decided to look at the components of food intake and energy expenditure.

AMA: Your team has discovered four primary types of obesity, as explained at the Phenomix website. Tell our physician readers more about these phenotypes.

Dr. Acosta: The first one is patients who do not feel full. These are the patients who keep coming for seconds and thirds within a meal. They just don't have that sensation of fullness. We call that "Hungry Brain" because the signal is supposed to come from our stomach to our brain, and the brain needs to say, "I feel full, stop." That signal is wrong in these individuals.

The second group of individuals is folks who eat, feel full, but then within an hour or two they feel hungry again. These patients have a problem with their gut. The gut needs to send signals to the brain and tell the brain, I want to stay feeling full because I need time to digest my meal. Unfortunately, these signals are not coming out of the gut to the brain. We call that "hungry gut."

Then there are the folks who are eating for their emotions. They have a good day, they want to eat something. They have a bad day, they want to eat something. And they look for food to cope with life. We call that "emotional hunger."

The last group is what brings most of my patients to the clinic. They are the ones who come in and say "Doc, I have a problem with my metabolism." This group should be burning more calories and they're not. They're just storing those calories. We call this the "slow burn" phenotype.

And your question may be, when we ask about phenotype, who cares what phenotype I have? It matters because we have multiple studies all the way from randomized placebo-controlled trials, observational studies, and now a trial that was developed in the clinicreal world evidence.

It matters because we can actually select the right therapy for these individuals and enhance the amount of weight loss and not only enhance it a little bit, but actually almost double the amount of weight that they're going to lose with these interventions. It identifies who is going to be successful with a tailored approach and walks away from this one-size-fits-all approach.

AMA: Can you give me an example of some of the different ways a physician would approach treatment once they know the phenotype?

Dr. Acosta: Based on our current studies, particularly the initial randomized placebo-controlled trials that we performed, we came up with a working hypothesis or a working algorithm that physicians can use. I've been using it in my clinic to help us guide therapy. So, for example, patients with a hungry brain will have their unique, hungry-brain diet to help make them feel full for the purpose of getting to that sensation of fullness.

Then the FDA [Food and Drug Administration]-approved medication that will likely work the best for these patients, as we've shown in our studies, is phentermine-topiramate extended release. We have also FDA-approved devices, and I think most likely they will respond better to a vagal B block or an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. And the surgical approach that most likely will be successful in this is the laparoscopic sleeve.

For patients with emotional hunger, I think it's essential that these patients have a diet that is low on calories, and they really focus on trying not to seek food to cope with their emotions. It's when cognitive behavioral therapy and group therapies might be ideal. And then we have a medication that is FDA-approved for obesity, which is now naltrexone bupropion sustained-release, and this may likely be the best medication.

AMA: If I'm a practicing physician, how will Phenomix work?

Dr. Acosta: The hope is that within the next six months, Phenomix will have these tests commercially ready. You will be able to reach out to Phenomix Sciences and set up a way to order the test. My hope is that this will be as simple as doing a lipid panel. The physician orders the test, the physician gets the results, and then, together with the patient, there's a discussion about what is the best option for the patient, and what the patient wants to do.

AMA: How do you believe this will change the way obesity is understood and treated by physicians in practices across the country?

Dr. Acosta: It just is a game changer in the conversation with our patients, because I see all sorts of patients struggling with obesityrural, urban, all ethnicities, all raceswho feel they are failing. We keep telling them, "You need to be healthy. You need to lose weight." They try and they fail.

So, when suddenly you tell your patients, "Hey, hold on, I think your lack of success is because there is a problem in your brain that is not allowing you to feel full. Let me help you with a tailored diet, let me help you with a medication, let me help you with surgery," the conversation changes as to what the underlying problem is. We remove the stigma about obesity and we start talking obesity as a disease.

Also, we help physicians who are very busy, who need to address multiple problems during a clinical visit by giving them the tools to say, "Let's focus on this problem of obesity with this solution and with this follow-up," just as we do for every other disease.

My huge hope and wish is that these phenotype-guided approach will help insurance companies to say: We should cover obesity. We should take obesity seriously. We should cover reimbursement for obesity so physicians can address it.

AMA: What excites you the most about the technology and the ability to treat people on such an individualized level?

Dr. Acosta: It is how my patients are changing the conversation about this topic. It's not aboutdid I lose weight? Did I gain weight since the last appointment?

It's about my hungry brain, it's about my hungry gut, it's about my underlying pathophysiological problem. My patients are coming back and telling me, "This is working. Or, no, it's not working, and I'm still struggling. How can you help?"

I love this patient of mine who came in one day and told me, "For the first time in my life, I know what it is to feel full. You have changed my life."

AMA: How has Health2047's partnership helped Phenomix?

Dr. Acosta: We are academicians and physician-scientists in academic settings. We are doing all the discoveries and it takes sometimes more than a decade to translate to help patients. I was extremely excited when we started talking with Health2047 and learned how they're helping physician-scientist entrepreneurs like myself by bringing the resources needed to accelerate the translation of these technologies from a lab and academic setting to the real world, so patients and physicians can benefit from that.

I think that's what we have achieved and what we are achieving. Health2047 has brought a significant amount of resources to this technology, and to the company to develop the technology. I'm honored to have them as partners in this company and this endeavor.

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Q&A: How new blood testing could help doctors better treat obesity - American Medical Association

Several aquaculture initiatives aim to reverse the decline of the Totoaba, a fish species that is only found in Mexican waters and has nearly been fished to extinction.

Karlotta Rieve

Endemic to the Sea of Cortez (which is also known as the Gulf of California) Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) can grow to two metres, weigh 130 kg and live to 30 years. The species was listed as critically endangered in 1976. Although fishing for the species has been prohibited since then, poaching has dramatically increased, due to the value of the species on the black market.

However, it is not the meat the fishermen and smugglers are after, but the fishs exceptionally large swim bladder. Dried, it is considered a gourmet food and highly sought by Asian black market, where it is known as fish maw. With prices reaching $9,000 per kilogram, it is often termed the cocaine of the sea.

The illegal fishing methods used to catch Totoaba are also considered to be the main reason for the decline of the critically endangered Vaquita, a charismatic dolphin-like mammal that shares the same habitat as the Totoaba, but that is another story. What this article aims to highlight is the exceptional work both public and private aquaculture institutions in Mexico are doing to restock the Totoaba in the wild and ultimately build a sustainable commercial aquaculture sector around it.

Karlotta Rieve

There are currently three hatcheries in the country that work with Totoaba, both for restocking purposes and for commercial aquaculture production the faculty of Marine Sciences in Ensenada of the State University of Baja California (UABC), the Aquaculture Institute of the State of Sonora (IAES) and the private aquaculture enterprise Earth Ocean Farms.

Dr Conal True and the research team from the UABC were first to spawn the Totoaba successfully in captivity and have since spearheaded the academic research into the species. They released the first juveniles 15 years ago and their restocking programme has since greatly contributed to stabilising the wild Totoaba stocks. Ensuring genetic diversity and traceability of the Totoaba coming out of the institute's labs has always been high on the agenda. Thanks to genetic markers they found a few Totoaba that were part of one of the first generations to be released 15 years ago have now become wild broodstock. And the researchers continue to look for more recaptures.

The Mexican federal government and the state of Baja California have invested close to $5 million in a new campus hatchery capable of producing 1 million juveniles a year once it is in full operation. Housed in a 3000 m2 building, with more than 1000 m3 total tank volume it includes modern lab facilities, a pilot feed production unit and teaching spaces. Another major objective of the new hatchery is to train future aquaculture professionals in both Totoaba early stage rearing and on-growing techniques. The university staff are convinced that the new laboratory will prevent the extinction of the Totoaba for good.

This guarantees adequate and also state-of-the-art installations to support both scaled production and research in Totoaba for another 20 years, at least from the public side, says Dr True, who has dedicated 28 years of his academic career to hatching and raising the species.

The number that will be released for restocking purposes depends on the assessment of the wild population. Through breeding a large variety of families and continuous recapture studies, the team aim to ensure genetic diversity. They expect to be releasing less than 200,000 juveniles annually into the Sea of Cortez. Consequently, the majority of the fingerlings produced in the new hatchery are destined for private grow-out facilities, which aim to produce Totoaba as a commercial aquaculture species.

Karlotta Rieve

Earth Ocean Farms, which is located in La Paz, in Baja California Sur, has been trailblazing the commercial efforts of cultivating Totoaba for more than eight years now, using pioneering submersible offshore cages, the latest breeding technologies and best-practice processing techniques, for which they were recently BAP certified.

Besides selling Totoaba in restaurants and retail outlets across Mexico, they have from the beginning supported the restocking of wild populations by releasing thousands of juvenile Totoaba into their natural habitat and working with local schools to educate the upcoming generations on the importance of wildlife preservation. So far, Earth Ocean Farms has released over 100,000 juveniles back into the wild and is committed to the protection of this unique Mexican species.

Further north in the Sea of Cortez, in Baja California, a new company has joined the efforts of turning the Totoaba into a popular farmed consumer fish. With a concession to farm the species on 52 hectares off the coast of San Felipe, Aquario Oceanico started pilot operations three years ago. They source their juveniles from the new hatchery at the UABC and transport them a few hundreds kilometres across the peninsula, in collaboration with the university. Much of the expertise and some of their farm tech, like the sea cages, originally came from a tuna ranching businesses in Ensenada.

Equally the grow-out feed is specially sourced from a company in Ensenada that specialises in marine feed diets that include wild-harvested kelp from the Pacific coast. Again, the credit for finding an adequate diet for this unique species goes to research conducted at Mexican universities.

Karotta Rieve

According to the experts Totoaba are well suited to aquaculture, due to their relatively fast growth rates, reaching a commercial size of 3 kg in only 18 months, if given the right feed formulation and feeding regime. Furthermore, the Mexican culinary industry now recognises the high quality white flesh of the Totoaba as an exciting new product. Yet, the main constraint is still that none of the commercial grow-out farms are able to sell Totoaba products anywhere outside of the country, due to the trade ban for the species.

These companies therefore depend strongly on the status of the wild population of Totoaba, which, as some studies indicate, has reached a stable level. Yet, due to the uncertainty of the commercial regulations around this species and to ensure profitability of the business, Earth Ocean Farms has successfully diversified its portfolio, adding Pacific red snapper, while Acuario Oceanico has begun developing oyster farming beside their Totoaba cages. Both these products are eligible for international sale.

Nevertheless it is clear that, alongside the academic institutions in the country, the main objective of these companies is to ensure that responsible aquaculture can mean a bright future for a unique species like the Totoaba - both in the wild and on farms.

With a strong interest in the future of food supply, Karlotta is currently deep-diving into the aquaculture industry, eager to understand the potential and challenges of farmed seafood better. As a freelancer she usually works with mapping innovation trends for corporates and connecting them to startups in the food and retail world

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Can aquaculture save a species from extinction? - The Fish Site

For decades, the causes of obesity and the most effective way to lose weight have been the subject of fierce debate among scientists and healthcare professionals.

According to one theory, known as the carbohydrate-insulin model, food and drink that contain large amounts of carbohydrates cause a spike in circulating insulin levels.

The hormone drives fat cells, or adipocytes, to store the excess calories, which reduces the availability of these energy sources for the rest of the body.

This, in turn, increases hunger and slows metabolism, which leads to weight gain over time.

Dietitians often cite the carbohydrate-insulin model to explain the success of high fat, low carbohydrate diets such as the ketogenic diet.

Unlike carbohydrates, dietary fat does not cause a spike in insulin levels immediately after a meal.

On the other side of the debate, the energy balance model makes less of a distinction between fat and carbohydrates.

This model focuses instead on the balance between total calorie intake through eating and drinking, and total calorie expenditure through physical activity.

According to this model, if calorie intake exceeds expenditure, the result will be weight gain over time. But if expenditure exceeds intake, the eventual outcome will be weight loss.

Writing in the journal Science, two scientists argue that the carbohydrate-insulin model is overly simplistic.

John Speakman, from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, and Kevin Hall, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, MD, do not dispute the success of high fat, low carb diets for some individuals.

They also acknowledge that insulin plays an important role in body fat regulation.

But they question whether the effect of insulin on adipocytes after eating food high in carbohydrates is solely responsible for weight gain.

They write:

[W]e propose that the role of insulin in obesity may be better understood by considering its action on multiple organs that is driven by factors mostly independent of carbohydrate intake. Reconsidering the role of insulin may improve our understanding of the causes of obesity and its treatment.

They cite a 2020 study in mice that compared the effect of 29 different diets on body fat.

Of these, 16 diets maintained a constant intake of protein while varying the relative contribution of fat and carbohydrate to total calorie intake.

The carbohydrate-insulin model predicts that the more carbohydrates are in a diet, the higher insulin levels will climb after eating.

As a result, according to the model, the mice should lay down more fat and increase their total calorie intake.

However, after 12 weeks roughly equivalent to 9 years in humans mice that ate high carb diets consumed fewer calories and had gained less fat and overall body weight.

This was despite having higher circulating insulin levels following eating.

Acknowledging that studies in mice may not reflect what happens in humans, the authors cite research in people that produced similar results.

For example, another recent study compared the effect of two diets on people with excess weight.

Each diet lasted for 2 weeks. One comprised around 10% carbohydrate and 75% fat, while the other consisted of approximately 75% carbohydrate and 10% fat.

Participants were allowed to eat as much or as little as they wanted.

As predicted by the carbohydrate-insulin model, the high carb diet resulted in a larger spike in insulin levels following meals.

However, participants on the high carb diet consumed fewer calories and reported that they felt just as satisfied after eating compared with those on the low carb diet.

Only the high carb diet resulted in a significant loss of body fat.

Speakman and Hall argue that insulin affects many organs around the body, and not just after mealtimes.

They write that its role in regulating body fat is best understood as part of a dynamic network of factors controlling and mediating the effects of energy imbalance.

For example, they say high insulin levels, combined with signals from fat tissue, tell the brain to reduce energy intake when the amount of body fat rises above a critical threshold.

David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA, a leading proponent of the carbohydrate-insulin model, questioned the research cited in the article by Speakman and Hall.

He told Medical News Today that the study in mice was strongly biased because the low carb diets contained large amounts of saturated fat.

In rodents, saturated fat causes severe inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, precluding a meaningful test of the [carbohydrate-insulin model], he said.

He added that other studies have found that rodents on high carb diets rapidly develop obesity.

He also challenged the validity of relatively short studies in humans, such as the 2-week study cited by Speakman and Hall, which he said do not give the body sufficient time to adapt to the change in nutrients.

His own meta-analysis suggests that longer studies consistently show higher energy expenditure on low carb diets.

Several reviews of clinical trials have shown that low carb, high fat keto diets promote weight loss.

Prof. Naveed Satar from the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Science at the University of Glasgow in the U.K. told Medical News Today that low carb diets can help people lose weight.

He believes the diets owe their success to lower total calorie intake as a result of reduced appetite, but not from how some experts envisioned the workings of the carbohydrate-insulin model.

People who go on low carb diets tend to eat less as they increase protein intake, which tends to suppress appetite a little, he explained.

He added that his own research suggests that the excess calorie intake of individuals with excess weight tends to come from fat rather than sugar.

This suggests that, along with reduced calorie intake, reduced fat intake should remain an important component of weight-loss diets.

Continued here:
Should we rethink the role of carbs in obesity? - Medical News Today

The ketogenic, or keto, diet has a lot of people talking, so we wanted to know what the hype was about and what you should know about the hot diet.

We turned to Maria Petzel,senior clinical dietitian for the Pancreas Surgery Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center and an emeritus member of PanCANs Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, for answers.

Petzel: What many people are calling a keto diet lately is actually just a low-carb diet more like Atkins or South Beach.

A true ketogenic diet, which is designed to achieve ketosis, must be extremely low in carbohydrates (about 5 10% of calories would come from carbs), controlled in protein and extremely high in fat.

In a low carb diet like the South Beach Diet or Atkins Diet, about 20 30% of calories come from carbs, and protein isnt restricted.

In comparison, in a typical healthy diet, 45 65% of calories come from carbohydrates.

Petzel: The key to burning body fat is to eat fewer total calories (from any source) than you take in. For those losing weight on a ketogenic diet, it is because they have a deficit of calorie intake compared to calories burned. Often, being in ketosis will suppress the appetite, leading to lower total calorie intake in general.

PanCAN: Is It Safe?

Petzel: We do not know much about the long-term effects of the diet. There are concerns that it could be harmful to the heart and liver. The lack of fiber in the diet can lead to issues with constipation, which could exacerbate other conditions like diverticulitis.

Following a diet that basically cuts out an entire nutrient category and therefore almost all grains, beans and lentils, most fruits, and some vegetables can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Petzel: If patients are on pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, they will likely need to adjust their enzyme consumption to account for the increased dietary fat. Higher fat diets, like keto, can be harder to tolerate for some patients with pancreatic cancer, even with enzyme adjustment.

Also, the level of fat required for a true ketogenic diet has the potential to displace adequate protein intake.

Overall, the ketogenic diet poses a high risk of weight loss in patients, especially for those experiencing fat malabsorption.

We recommend that adults eat a plant-based diet that includes a wide variety of plant proteins from nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, whole grains, non-starchy vegetables and fruit, Petzel says. We recommend adults get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, along with plant proteins and whole grains adding up to at least 30 grams of fiber per day. Research supports this as the optimum diet for weight management and cancer risk reduction.

And its important to talk to your doctor or dietitian before making changes to your diet especially for pancreatic cancer patients.

Continued here:
Things to Know About the Ketogenic (Keto) Diet Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Perhaps youve heard someone bemoan the quarantine 15 gained during lockdown, or of struggles to flatten the curve of a body that looks different after a year inside.

It was inevitable. The pandemic has made us more sedentary, and many of us have sought comfort in eating. We are languishing, as Adam Grant wrote recently, living in the void between depression and flourishing the absence of well-being. And where theres insecurity and unhappiness, there are companies looking to make money. So here come the weight-loss profiteers, the misery merchants dressed up as purveyors of wellness.

Theyre looking to make back whatever money they missed out on during 2020 and then some. In a normal year, the weight-loss business ramps up in January and goes strong through spring and into summer. Last year was not normal. There was stress snacking and procrasti-baking. There was no shedding for the wedding in a year when most weddings were postponed or drastically downsized; no pre-high-school-reunion crash diet or worrying if Grandma would body-shame you at Thanksgiving. The closest we got to beach season was tut-tutting at the Kardashians private-island getaway last fall.

And honestly, with a pandemic to worry about, getting bigger didnt seem like an especially big deal. Its no surprise that many weight-loss companies took a financial hit. According to Marketdata Enterprises, a research firm, the overall U.S. diet industry reached a new peak of $78 billion in 2019, but it lost 21 percent of its value in 2020.

Was that dip matched by concurrent weight gain among Americans who suddenly couldnt make it to their weekly weigh-ins or stock up on their meal-replacement shakes? Depends on whose data you believe. A study published in the journal Obesity found a global decline in some healthy behaviors: Respondents ate more processed food and exercised less. And a recent survey from the market research firm Ipsos found that about a third of Americans said they had gained weight during the pandemic.

But research from a company that makes internet-connected scales, Withings, painted a different picture. The French company analyzed data from five million smart scales, hybrid smartwatches and smart thermometers, and found that people actually lost weight in 2020, or were more likely than in other years to hit their weight-loss goals, if they had them. (Of course, those who own such devices are a self-selecting group that most likely were trying to lose weight.)

In any case, the weight-loss industry isnt going to let a lack of data dull its zeal to convince Americans that yes, we got fat, and that now we need to get up off our couches and get back into shape by buying their app, or signing up for their meal-delivery service or enrolling in their program. These corporate entities have been joined by the freelance scolds, the people who are not going to miss a chance to feel superior to their friendly neighborhood fatties. Magazines are full of diet-app roundups. Here is the famous physician wagging her finger at Krispy Kreme for offering free doughnuts to the vaccinated.

My Twitter feed is suddenly full of ads for intermittent fasting apps; on Instagram, its wall-to-wall shapewear and fat-shredding supplements. Then theres the Facebook friend who really wants to talk about the Keto diet, or Optavia, or the Beachbody plan, and would be happy to bring me into the fold. (Yes, the weight-loss industry has branched into multilevel marketing.)

You can consume a lot of this marketing without ever hearing the words weight or diet or calories. The diet industry has gotten impressively subtle, even as its incessantly in your face. Buzzwords like wellness and strength have replaced diet and calories. Its all about being the best you that you can be a you that is significantly thinner than the you right now.

I have one word for you: Resist.

As we should all know by now, diets dont work in the long term. Studies show that 41 percent of dieters gain back more weight over the next five years than they lost, and that dieters are more likely than nondieters to become obese over the next one to 15 years. For some, the language of diet culture can be downright dangerous, contributing to life-threatening eating disorders.

Theres nothing wrong with taking action to improve your health. Want to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, or get back to regular workouts? Go for it. Get outside, now that we can do that again. But you dont need to enroll in a program, download an app or buy frozen meals to do any of this.

After everything weve endured and as the crisis still rages around the world each of us should cherish the body that got us through it, rather than punish it for failing to fit into last years skinny jeans.

Jennifer Weiner is the author of the upcoming novel That Summer.

Originally posted here:
Opinion | Post-Covid, the Weight Loss Industry Wants You to Diet - The New York Times