Category Archives: Diet And Food

With the easy availability of health-related information on the internet, it has become easy to get confused. Today, people have become more conscious about their health than ever.

Many of them are keeping themselves fit by following the balanced diet hacks and tips present on the internet. But this has given birth to lots of fake information and misconceptions about health and wellness. Therefore, it becomes important to consult a health expert who is qualified and can provide the right information, which is practical and logical, rather than sensational.

Today, were going to have a look at the inspirational life of Dietitian Lavleen Kaur from Chandigarh who is changing the way people think about dieting.

Dr. Lavleen Kaur is an award-winning dietitian, clinical nutritionist, and a lifestyle coach who is changing the lives of hundreds and thousands of people around the world. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, she currently provides personalized programs to clients and patients across the world through a mobile app and her clinic.

She founded the clinic Diet Insight in Chandigarh in the year 2014 on the idea of helping people realize the power of food and if the intake of can help heal prevailing lifestyle disorders like diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, thyroid and PCOD.

She holds a masters in Food and Nutrition. Also, she completed her post-graduation in Health and Family Welfare from Punjab University. In just six years of starting her clinic, she has had over 10,000 satisfied clients from all corners of the world. Her coaching is purely based on balanced healthy food and nutrition. She believes in creating a healthy lifestyle rather than promoting quick weight loss diets, pills or use of supplements.

Through her Diet Insight Clinic, she provides various programs for patients. From common problems like weight loss, weight gain, to specific issues like kids nourishment, pre-wedding, and pregnancy care, she provides loads of personalized diet plans. Further, she posts simple and entertaining videos on Facebook and YouTube to educate the masses about various diet tips in a fun way. This helps her to connect and engage with the audience on a personal level.

She has won many accolades and awards recently for her impeccable work in the field of diet and nutrition. One such recent award is the Most Promising Youngest Dietitian by International Healthcare Awards, Malaysia, in the year 2016. She received the honors from the Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Lavleen Kaur knows well how to handle her professional and personal life. Her mobile app and online consultation process gave her an ample amount of time to spend with her family and children. She is a mother while at home and a head dietitian as well as an entrepreneur when in the clinic.

Being a lifestyle coach, she also gets to interact with people who need assistance in maintaining their overall wellness. Under her Therapeutic Program, she gives consultation to special types of groups of people who are having diabetes, thyroid, or blood pressure.

Kaur handles her patients with extra care and in a professional approach. Her clients become a part of her family. She has a small team of professionally qualified dietitians and nutritionists who are available to assist people throughout their journey with them and keep them constantly motivated and goal-oriented.

In todays era, there are many dietitians and nutritionists making claims of quick and easy methods of weight loss and taking advantage of peoples emotions. While a person may lose weight following these fad diets, not only these methods are dangerous in the long run, but they deprive you of the food thats in your kitchen that your ancestors have been eating since decades. This is where Kaur steps in and educate the people to follow a diet that is sustainable. She is known for her dietary advice that does not feel like being on a diet, because there are no restrictions. She focuses on lifestyle change measures rather than counting the calories!

With her special guidance program, she helps patients to overcome such problems or diseases with the help of real food that is easily available in Indian kitchens. Her clients get results gradually as she focuses on identifying the root cause rather than suppressing the symptoms. However, the results stay permanent since no quick fixes are used. She believes that to lead a healthy lifestyle, you must focus on four aspects. These are stress, sleep, water intake, and exercise. If anyone of these is an imbalance, youre not going to see the results youre aiming for your health.

The impact of her videos on social media is incredible. People feel so connected with her that they call in just to hear her voice and give her blessings for the work she is doing. When asked on what has been her biggest achievements, Lavleens humble response was I get my reward every day when I feel the happiness of my women clients who conceive naturally, when I see my patients drop medicines, and when I see my clients spreading the learnings further in their community.

The award-winning dietitian is one of the most trusted dietitians in North India. We believe this trust comes from the connection that she is able to build with people and feel their worries. As an entrepreneur, she is trying to expand her reach to the global audience especially Indians abroad via the mobile app Diet Insight, which makes it possible for anyone from anywhere to connect with her and her team to get the advice that matters.

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Lavleen Kaur, an award-winning Dietitian, Lifestyle Coach transforming lives through her unique dietary advice - The Statesman

Its painful, leaves marks, cannot be hidden with makeup and you think youre too old to get it. Adult acne can be quite a hassle, and most people who do get it, immediately assume that its because of something they ate. Now, most doctors usually dont agree with this assumption and are more likely to ask you to get complete blood work done to find out the underlying cause behind adult acne.

This is because medical opinion and most researches, like a study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology in 2018, indicate that adult acne has a higher prevalence among women above 25 years than men in that age group -- and that the primary cause is endocrine disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In other cases, adults with a history of dermatological disorders and skin diseases since adolescence continue to be more prone to acne even when theyre middle-aged.

Does diet have anything to do with acne?

A new study published in JAMA Dermatology in June 2020 indicates that consuming certain foods has a higher likelihood of causing adult acne. The study involved the observation of 24,542 French adults between November 2018 and July 2019. The participants were given a questionnaire at the beginning of the study where they were categorised into three groups: people who had never had acne, those who had past acne (but not at present) and those who had acne currently.

A 24-hour dietary record of the participants was taken once every six months on a random basis. The participants reported everything they ate from midnight to the following midnight and were even asked to share portion by measuring exact grams and litres. Of the 31,539 individuals who completed the questionnaire, only 24,452 were finally included in the study because they had completed at least three dietary records, had a normal calorie intake, and had reported their acne status. About 75 percent of the participants were women.

Milk, sugar and fat is the enemy of glowing skin

The results of this one-of-a-kind nutritional survey of adult acne showed that participants who had acne currently consumed considerably more of the following foods compared to those who had never had any acne:

The same people also consumed considerably fewer amounts of the following foods when compared with those who had never had acne:

Of course, single-day measurements need adjustments. And once the researchers made those adjustments, they found that three foods were independently associated with current acne: Milk, sugary beverages and fatty and sugary products. These three foods have something in common, and thats the fact that theyre high in carbohydrates and saturated fatty acids.

The results of this study clearly indicate that adults with an unhealthy dietary pattern who eat more carbs and saturated fats in the form of milk, sugary foods and drinks, and fatty foods are at a much higher risk of suffering from adult acne. Now, if youre in this group and have acne -- have it looked at by a dermatologist in case it is because of an underlying cause. But in the meantime, you know just what you should stop eating, right?

For more information, read our article on Acne: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

Updated Date: Jun 12, 2020 12:05:58 IST

Tags : Adult Acne, Blood, Dermatology, Endocrine Disorder, Fatty Foods, Health, Milk, Myupchar, NewsTracker, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Reuters, Sugary Beverages

Originally posted here:
Diet and adult acne: New study shows how theyre connected and which food to avoid - Firstpost

What type of protein is best for human health? (Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

We need protein because it is a vital component of our muscles, hair, nails and collagen a connective tissue protein that holds your body together. Protein is also needed to make your brains messengers (neurotransmitters), hormones, red blood cells and DNA. Another important role that protein plays is in maintaining a healthy immune system.

But not all protein is created equal. Each protein molecule is made up of small building blocks called amino acids. We can make some amino acids ourselves but there are nine that the body cannot make, so they must be obtained from the diet. These are called essential amino acids. A varied plant-based diet provides more than enough protein and all the essential amino acids in sufficient amounts (1, 2, 3, 4).

All plant wholefoods contain all essential amino acids. However, some plant foods contain less than perfect amounts of one or more amino acids they do not lack them altogether, they simply contain less than the ideal amount. Because of that, it was suggested that we should always combine certain plant foods to ensure the optimal amino acid intake at every meal. This theory has long been rebutted science has proven that protein combining is absolutely unnecessary, provided you eat a varied diet with enough calories and not just one plant all day every day (1, 5).

Meat contains all the essential amino acids in sufficient amounts, which is why some people believe its a better protein source but it certainly isnt good for your health. Excess animal protein has been linked to some cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and kidney damage more on this below.

An average person needs 0.8 gram of protein daily per kilogram of bodyweight (or 0.36 gram per pound). So for example if you weigh 70 kg/ 155 lb, you need around 56 grams of protein a day. If youre building muscle, do challenging physical work or train hard, youll need to increase your protein intake up to 1.4-2 g per kg of body weight daily.

Its so easy to get enough protein on a plant-based diet that protein deficiency is virtually unheard of in developed countries. In fact, most of us get too much protein thats how easy it is.

Excellent sources of protein include soya products (edamame beans, tofu, tempeh, soya milk, soy yogurt), black beans, kidney beans, baked beans, lentils, chickpeas, whole grains and products made from them (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, wholemeal bread, oats, quinoa, buckwheat), nuts and seeds of all types. Plant protein powders may also be useful if youre busy, prefer liquid meals or want to increase protein content of your meals.

Tofu is an excellent source of plant-based protein(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Foods are not just single ingredient items. Protein-rich foods also contain many other nutrients, other compounds and sometimes toxins, too. Thats one of the reasons why plant and animal protein have such different health effects.

Plant protein usually comes together with fibre, antioxidants, complex carbs, beneficial phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals a health-promoting package. Animal protein usually comes with some vitamins and minerals, is devoid of fibre, but has plenty of unhealthy saturated fats and a diverse mixture of toxic and cancer-causing compounds (6, 7).

Another reason why plant protein is beneficial for us whilst animal protein can cause harm is the different amino acid proportions. Animal protein containing more sulphur amino acids than plant protein these form sulphuric acid in the body which is very strong. Your body neutralises it by using calcium readily available in the blood or muscles but if there is a consistent supply of animal protein, theres too much acid in the body and some calcium may be released from the bones (8).

Animal protein also sends the kidneys into overdrive for hours after ingestion their blood vessels dilate and let some protein molecules through into the urine (9). The kidneys should not let any protein through so protein in the urine is a sign of abnormal kidney response. Plant protein doesnt trigger this response and has been recommended over animal protein for people at risk of or suffering from kidney disease for many years (10, 11).

Lastly, theres one more reason why animal protein is bad news for our health - it contains high amounts of phosphorus and these can, over time, lead to kidney and bone mineral disorders (12). Plants also contain phosphorus but its bound in a hard-to-digest form so much less of it is absorbed by the body in a nutshell theres no risk of excessive intakes.

Kidneys are our trustworthy filtration system, removing waste products from the blood and excreting them in urine. If we eat foods that dont put an extra strain on them, they work well. However, animal protein makes them work hard and it may result in a reduced filtration capacity and some molecules leaking through not ideal. If we overload them daily, theres a higher chance we develop kidney disease. Data from a study spanning over 23 years suggest that animal protein from red and processed meat in particular seriously increases the risk of kidney disease later in life (13). The same study also revealed that plant protein from pulses and nuts has the opposite effect it lowers the risk and seems to have a kidney-protective effect. And a recent review agrees, plant-based diets significantly lower the risk of kidney disease and can even halt the degree of damage in people with compromised kidney health (14, 11).

The higher volumes of acid resulting from animal protein also stress the kidneys. On the other hand, plant protein producing much less acid is not only gentler on the kidneys - it also helps us not to waste calcium to neutralise large amounts of acid, which is important for healthy bones (15, 16, 11).

Several studies highlighted that its because plant protein comes with a number of other nutrients that it has such a beneficial effect on our kidneys and bones (17,18, 19, 20).

You can reduce yourrisk of heart disease by swapping outanimal protein in favor of plant protein(Photo: Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Plant protein is also great for the heart. If you swap plant for animal protein, it markedly lowers your risk of heart disease (21). Its not only the effect of the protein but the whole plant foods that support a healthy heart and circulation. Substituting plant protein for animal protein decreases cholesterol and other fats in your blood and helps to keep your blood vessels healthy (22).

And theres yet another reason why animal protein is bad news insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Its a growth hormone naturally produced by your liver, vital to childhood growth and stimulating cell growth and reproduction in adults. However, IGF-1 also promotes cancer cell growth and thats why increased IGF-1 levels are dangerous (23). Scientists warn that whey proteins from dairy products cause a rise in insulin, IGF-1 and growth hormone levels in the human body (24). The association between IGF-1 and cancer is the strongest for prostate cancer (25) and there is also substantial evidence for the same mechanism and breast cancer (26).

Plant protein doesnt stimulate these changes and vegans have been found to have significantly lower levels of IGF-1 than meat-eaters (27, 28, 29).

We have billions of bacteria in our guts. They help us process food and our diet determines which bacteria species thrive and which do not. These bacteria are also called gut microbiome and they have a huge influence on our immunity, gut health, inflammation and energy levels. Some are good and beneficial, others not so much and can even produce toxic by-products.

Animal products rich in protein and fat promote the bad bacteria that release toxins into our bloodstream. Some of these bacteria use a meat compound - carnitine - as an energy source, and produce trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) as a waste product. TMAO is a dangerous substance that stimulates the build-up of cholesterol plaques in your blood vessels (30). It means a regular meat intake increases your risk of heart disease through yet another mechanism.

Plant wholefoods, rich in plant protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates feed the good bacteria that have a positive effect on our health (31). Thats why vegan diets keep your gut wall strong and healthy, lead to lower levels of body inflammation and a stronger immune system (32, 33, 34).

The health consequences of consuming animal or plant protein cannot be more different. Whilst plant protein offers a vast array of benefits, animal protein harms our health.

A comprehensive study spanning over two decades found that animal protein increases the risk of premature death by up to 23 percent (35). Do we need another reason to switch to a wholefood plant-based diet for good?

1 Marsh KA, Munn EA, Baines SK. Protein and vegetarian diets. Med J Aust. 2013;199(S4):S7S10.

2 Clarys P, Deliens T, Huybrechts I, et al. Comparison of nutritional quality of the vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diet. Nutrients. 2014;6(3):13181332.

3 Karlsen MC, Rogers G, Miki A, et al. Theoretical Food and Nutrient Composition of Whole-Food Plant-Based and Vegan Diets Compared to Current Dietary Recommendations. Nutrients. 2019;11(3):625.

4 Mariotti F, Gardner CD. Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets-A Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2661.

5 Hever J, Cronise RJ. Plant-based nutrition for healthcare professionals: implementing diet as a primary modality in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):355368.

6 Abid Z, Cross AJ, Sinha R. Meat, dairy, and cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100 Suppl 1(1):386S93S.

7 Sacks FM, Lichtenstein AH, Wu JHY, et al. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association [published correction appears in Circulation. 2017 Sep 5;136(10 ):e195]. Circulation. 2017;136(3):e1e23.

8 Rodrigues Neto Angloco L, Arces de Souza GC, Almeida Romo E, Garcia Chiarello P. Alkaline Diet and Metabolic Acidosis: Practical Approaches to the Nutritional Management of Chronic Kidney Disease. J Ren Nutr. 2018;28(3):215220.

9 Kontessis P, Jones S, Dodds R, et al. Renal, metabolic and hormonal responses to ingestion of animal and vegetable proteins. Kidney Int. 1990;38(1):136144.

10 Moorthi RN, Vorland CJ, Hill Gallant KM. Diet and Diabetic Kidney Disease: Plant Versus Animal Protein. Curr Diab Rep. 2017;17(3):15.

11 Rose SD, Strombom SJ. A Plant-Based Diet Prevents and Treats Chronic Kidney Disease. JOJ Urology & Nephrology. 2019;6(3).

12 D'Alessandro C, Piccoli GB, Cupisti A. The "phosphorus pyramid": a visual tool for dietary phosphate management in dialysis and CKD patients. BMC Nephrol. 2015;16:9.

13 Haring B, Selvin E, Liang M, et al. Dietary Protein Sources and Risk for Incident Chronic Kidney Disease: Results From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. J Ren Nutr. 2017;27(4):233242.

14 Kim H, Caulfield LE, Garcia-Larsen V, et al. Plant-Based Diets and Incident CKD and Kidney Function. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019;14(5):682691.

15 Knurick JR, Johnston CS, Wherry SJ, Aguayo I. Comparison of correlates of bone mineral density in individuals adhering to lacto-ovo, vegan, or omnivore diets: a cross-sectional investigation. Nutrients. 2015;7(5):34163426.

16 Burckhardt P. The role of low acid load in vegetarian diet on bone health: a narrative review. Swiss Med Wkly. 2016;146:w14277.

17 Dai Z, Butler LM, van Dam RM, Ang LW, Yuan JM, Koh WP. Adherence to a vegetable-fruit-soy dietary pattern or the Alternative Healthy Eating Index is associated with lower hip fracture risk among Singapore Chinese. J Nutr. 2014;144(4):511518.

18 Sahni S, Mangano KM, McLean RR, Hannan MT, Kiel DP. Dietary Approaches for Bone Health: Lessons from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2015;13(4):245255.

19 Gluba-Brzzka A, Franczyk B, Rysz J. Vegetarian Diet in Chronic Kidney Disease-A Friend or Foe. Nutrients. 2017;9(4):374.

20 Kalantar-Zadeh K, Moore LW. Does Kidney Longevity Mean Healthy Vegan Food and Less Meat or Is Any Low-Protein Diet Good Enough?. J Ren Nutr. 2019;29(2):7981.

21 Richter CK, Skulas-Ray AC, Champagne CM, Kris-Etherton PM. Plant protein and animal proteins: do they differentially affect cardiovascular disease risk?. Adv Nutr. 2015;6(6):712728.

22 Li SS, Blanco Mejia S, Lytvyn L, et al. Effect of Plant Protein on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017;6(12):e006659.

23 Jenkins PJ, Mukherjee A, Shalet SM. Does growth hormone cause cancer?. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006;64(2):115121.

24 Melnik BC. Evidence for acne-promoting effects of milk and other insulinotropic dairy products. Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program. 2011;67:131145.

25 Travis RC, Appleby PN, Martin RM, et al. A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data Reveals an Association between Circulating Levels of IGF-I and Prostate Cancer Risk. Cancer Res. 2016;76(8):22882300.

26 Bradbury KE, Balkwill A, Tipper SJ, et al. The association of plasma IGF-I with dietary, lifestyle, anthropometric, and early life factors in postmenopausal women. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2015;25(2):9095.

27 Allen NE, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Key TJ. Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men. Br J Cancer. 2000;83(1):9597.

28 Allen NE, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Kaaks R, Rinaldi S, Key TJ. The associations of diet with serum insulin-like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002;11(11):14411448.

29 McCarty MF. GCN2 and FGF21 are likely mediators of the protection from cancer, autoimmunity, obesity, and diabetes afforded by vegan diets. Med Hypotheses. 2014;83(3):365371.

30 Koeth RA, Lam-Galvez BR, Kirsop J, et al. l-Carnitine in omnivorous diets induces an atherogenic gut microbial pathway in humans. J Clin Invest. 2019;129(1):373387.

31 Tomova A, Bukovsky I, Rembert E, et al. The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets on Gut Microbiota. Front Nutr. 2019;6:47.

32 Glick-Bauer M, Yeh MC. The health advantage of a vegan diet: exploring the gut microbiota connection. Nutrients. 2014;6(11):48224838.

33 Craddock JC, Neale EP, Peoples GE, Probst YC. Vegetarian-Based Dietary Patterns and their Relation with Inflammatory and Immune Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2019;10(3):433451.

34 Rinninella E, Cintoni M, Raoul P, et al. Food Components and Dietary Habits: Keys for a Healthy Gut Microbiota Composition. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2393.

35 Virtanen HEK, Voutilainen S, Koskinen TT, et al. Dietary proteins and protein sources and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109(5):14621471.

See the original post here:
Vegan Or Animal Protein? The Science Shows Which Is Better - Plant Based News

Slaughterhouse workers are dying - but is meat really an 'essential' product? (Image: Rob Halhead. Do not use without permission)

I last ate meat on Thanksgiving Day, 1968. I'd been looking into vegetarianism, but at not quite 19, I wanted to practice adulting and make a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner in my tiny apartment.

Baking a turkey seemed intimidating so I opted for Rock Cornish game hens. Expecting to look proudly at my decorated table, I could instead see only six tiny corpses. I was done with meat. Eventually, fish, eggs and dairy products fell away, too.

How much being vegan contributes to my being healthy and medication-free at 70 is open to debate, but when it was announced in late April that U.S. meat-processing workers would have to report for duty despite the obvious danger of COVID-19, I was taken aback.

Slaughterhouses were deemed 'critical infrastructure'. Providing 'protein' to Americans was crucial, even if it meant that many more workers were likely to contract the disease and some would die.As one who hasn't eaten beef, pork, or poultry in over half a century, I realize that eating meat is conventional, but hardly essential.

Protein is in every plant food: beans, peanuts, whole grains, leafy greens - even the humble spud. This macronutrient is so easy to get that a person eating a standard Western diet typically consumes twice the recommended amount, which can lead to problems from kidney and liver disorders to increased cancer risk.Even vegans, eating no animal products, easily meet their protein needs by consuming adequate calories from whole plant foods.

Eating meat is conventional, but hardly essential(Image: Rob Halhead. Do not use without permission)

A substantial body of science attests to the benefits of this way of eating, and this dates back to a groundbreaking study led by Dean Ornish, MD, published in 1990. It was first to show that a low-fat, plant-based diet, moderate exercise, stress management, and group support could not simply prevent but actually reverse coronary heart disease.

Later work by Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD, at the Cleveland Clinic produced the same results using diet alone. It is important to note that heart disease was then, and is now if you exclude COVID-19, the number one cause of death in the U.S. and the UK.

More recent studies have shown that a diet based on whole plant foods can control and in some cases reverse not only heart disease but also hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, among the underlying medical conditions that make COVID-19 more serious.

A diet that eliminates animal food and most 'junk food' has also been shown to be protective against conditions as diverse as Alzheimer's, erectile dysfunction, and certain autoimmune conditions. Knowing this, it is deeply troubling when an industry, and a government, require workers to risk their lives in the short term to provide a product that is risking consumer lives, and quality of life, in the long term.

There has never been a better time to look at our food choices and their myriad ramifications. Raising animals for food on the scale it's done today is an environmental disaster, consuming one-third of the world's water, ravaging rainforests for grazing land and to grow feed crops for livestock, and turning the American plains not into amber waves of grain for people to eat, but to feed to doomed cows, pigs, and chickens.

We also know that the novel coronavirus is almost certainly zoonotic in origin. This is also true of MERS, SARS, swine flu, the ominous avian flu - even the 1918 flu epidemic was believed to have originated on a farm in Kansas. Modern agriculture, with animals confined indoors, ups the odds for infections, viral and bacterial.

While these arguments might be compelling, so is the lure of meat. It's good news, then, that mouthwatering offerings from Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and the like are meat. Plant meat. They grill and sizzle and satisfy our taste for that umami flavor. While certainly not 'health foods', these do provide as much protein as a beef or turkey burger, and they're cholesterol-free.

Pythagoras to da Vinci to Gandhi showed us that ditching meatwas the right thing to do(Image: Rob Halhead. Do not use without permission)

But even before turning from meat was easy or convenient, it was the right thing to do. Our predecessors from Pythagoras to da Vinci to Gandhi showed us that. It's been known for centuries that meat is not necessary and even schoolchildren can define 'vegetarian' and 'vegan'.

But as long as meat is seen as essential for the rest of us, we're still asking people to make a sacrifice, even as they tear into an Impossible Whopper. I believe we combat this most effectively with our ordinariness, e.g., "I'm vegan. My husband is 'vegan at home' and the kids are vegan and doing fine. I hold down a job, travel for work twice a month, and love country music."

This kind of real-life resume, with the specifics differing for each of us, says: "Meat is not essential - not for health, and not for living a normal, happy life."

The more we can dissipate the "essential" message, the closer we come to a vegan world, one in which today's threatened slaughterhouse workers have good jobs in the new plant meat industry, or elsewhere in healthy economies that are part of healthy societies.

It's a world in which people who find the thought of killing an animal unpleasant, find it unacceptable to expect someone else to do it for them. In this world, you don't have to be 'outdoorsy' to know that we depend on Mother Earth for everything and anger her at our peril.

While a largely vegan world might not be heaven on earth, it's our best shot at life on earth, and that is really enough.

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Meat Is Not 'Essential' - Yet We Are Risking Lives To Produce It - Plant Based News

Dear Readers: As scientists work tirelessly to find a treatment and a vaccine for the coronavirus, a common supplement has come to light as a possible aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be in your medicine cabinet, and your kitchen almost certainly contains a food that is fortified with it. It's vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine" vitamin.

Observational studies have discovered that countries with high death rates from COVID also have high rates of vitamin D deficiency. Keep in mind that observational studies do not show cause and effect. The same observation was made with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and vitamin D deficiency. However, supplementation of the vitamin did not significantly reduce the risk of CVD (1).

The primary function of vitamin D is to lay calcium to the bones, thereby strengthening them. It also has a role in the immune system. It monitors the release of inflammatory molecules; thus, it manages the body's response to an infection. In this manner, vitamin D could lessen the severity of a COVID infection.

Another possible role of vitamin D is in the prevention of respiratory infections. Martineau et al. concluded in a meta-analysis that vitamin D supplementation was safe and effective against respiratory infections. They described that patients who were severely deficient in vitamin D had the most benefit (2).

Our bodies manufacture vitamin D through sunlight exposure, but the amount produced varies. People with dark skin do not absorb as much sunlight as those with light skin; therefore, the production of vitamin D is often insufficient. Furthermore, some areas of the world do not receive enough sunlight to produce adequate amounts of the vitamin in the residents. Consequently, these countries tend to have higher rates of vitamin D deficiency.

It is advisable to obtain all nutrients from your diet, but this isn't always practical. In the US, milk and dairy products are fortified with vitamin D, and of course, there are natural food sources. Fatty fish, such as salmon and rainbow trout, egg yolks, and cod liver oil are healthy sources of vitamin D.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units) for people who are seventy years or younger, and 800 IU daily for those over the age of seventy. It's easy to think if a certain amount is healthy, then more must be better. However, it is possible to get too much vitamin D since it is stored in body fat. The main consequence of overdoing it is the buildup of calcium in the blood, which causes nausea, vomiting, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity may also lead to kidney stones.

Is there a role for vitamin D in the treatment of COVID? Simply put, it is too soon to tell. More studies need to be performed to determine if there is a valid link. If you are concerned about your vitamin D status, talk to your doctor. A simple blood test can determine if you need a supplement.

Until next time, be healthy!

Dear Dietitian

Originally posted here:
Dear Dietitian What are the impacts of vitamin D on COVID-19? - Kiowa County Press

Getting older under the harsh glare of Hollywoods critical gaze is no easy task. But as Helen Mirren snappily reminded us, You only have two options in life: Die young or get old.

While it would be a stretch to call 41-year-old Kourtney Kardashian old, she is the eldest of the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, and since she has shared so much of her life with fans through reality TV, people are watching her approach to aging particularly closely. Many stars are able to age with grace, and some seem to defy the very rules about what it means to grow older.

Fans are convinced that Kardashian is among these age-defying celebrities. Recent photos of her have stars saying shes at her best.

RELATED: Why Some People Are Bummed Kourtney Kardashian Might Never Get Married

Kardashian has opened up about her health habits in the past. She used her platform, Poosh, to explain her diet preferences.She feels she is at her best when she is following the Keto diet.

She also believes in starting her day off right with a nutritious and filling breakfast. A typical choice includes avocado smoothies with Stevia for added sweetness.

She likes to eat simple, protein-heavy meals like chicken or salmon for dinner, and she often eats shredded vegetables to mimic the texture of the carbs she eschews when sticking to a low-carb diet. In addition to trying to adhere to the Keto framework, Kardashian has also spoken out as a proponent of intermittent fasting.

In this diet, people only eat during a small window of the day and avoid food outside of it. This often means going 12 to 14 hours without eating anything.

RELATED: Kourtney Kardashians Son Mason Disick Is Going to Spill Familys Secrets When Hes Older, Fans Think

In addition to a strict diet, Kardashian has also told fans about her exercise routines. She frequently boasts the benefits of wellness for the mind and the body and has shared her favorite yoga poses.

Shes a proponent of sticking to a routine workout. She says that working out was modeled for her throughout her life, and that fitness has been a focal point for her famous family.

After her oldest son, Mason, was born, Kardashian became more focused on her own health and fitness. The star has made her focus a central theme of Poosh. Healthy living gets a bad rap; its as though if you careaboutwhat you put in or on your body, then youre not sexy or cool. But this just isnt true, and Poosh is here to prove just that, Kardashian wrote on the site.

Kardashian is now 41 years old and the mother of three children. Fans are incredibly impressed with what her devotion to health and fitness has achieved and think the star is looking better than ever. A Reddit thread centered around a recent picture of the star and was titled simply Wow.

She will always be the most stunning Kardashian sister!! one fan wrote. Another agreed, pointing out that Kardashian has a very natural look: Is that linen? What a look! Shes so beautiful, and by far the most natural, and stunning, sister!

They were impressed with everything about the photograph: the clothes, her hair, and the impressively fit body she presented. She is just gorgeous. Her body is out of this world! one fan chimed in. One fan even joked that looking at Kardashians fit figure inspired them to take a look at her their own choices. Me: puts other half of brownie in the trashthe fan wrote.

Kardashian has been devoted to health and fitness for years, and fans definitely think its paying off.

Continued here:
Kourtney Kardashian Looks Better Than Ever at 41 and Fans Are Jealous - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged shoppers to seek out food and drink that boosts the immune response, according to research from Unilevers CMI People Data Centre & CMI U-Futures.

The research reveals that interest in and consumption of foods that support the immune system, as well as supplements like vitamins C and D, has increased. Unilever suggests that this is a global trend. In the US, vitamin supplementation jumped 15% in the space of a month, in Brazil consumers are eating more fruit rich in vitamin C, while in Japan immune-boosting yogurts are proving popular. The desire for health and wellbeing post pandemic is a consistent trend across all markets, Unilever concluded.

According to the company, the connection people are making between what they eat and their personal health has reached new heights. Having an optimally working immune system is more important than ever. The way our body deals with an infection is influenced by many factors of which the nutritional status is a critical element, Dr Angelika De Bree, global nutrition director, explained.

And these changes are here to stay, Dr De Bree believes.

One of major lifestyle changes we see is an exponential growth in attention to health and wellbeing with immunity being the epicentre of this attention. We think that the heightened interest from consumers in staying healthy is here to stay. In that sense, we belief that health and wellness will indeed become more mainstream.

While trendy ingredients like turmeric or rhodiola might be making a big splash on social media in the short-term, Dr De Bree suggests that to tap into this demand in the longer-term food makers need to tackle the underlying consumer need-state through innovation.

While at the moment focus may shift to particular ingredients that are positively associated with immunity, experts highlight the complexity of the immune system which is a complex system of molecules, cells, tissues and organs, she noted.

Each element of this system is influenced by a wide range of health and wellbeing factors, the Unilever nutrition expert told this publication. This includes weight and physical fitness, mental health, sleep and nutritional intake, among other things.

Whilst some ingredients might be trending now, we can imagine that holistic health for holistic immunity is here to stay and thereby a new need state for consumers. We can help our consumers by providing relevant products and inspiring recipes that help them in a simple manner to support their immune system, she said.

Dr De Bree said Unilever has been working on this healthy shift for about one year.

A key element of our force for good strategy has been boldly healthier. This calls for more plant-based and fortified products and recipes, that at the same time have acceptably low levels of sugar, salt and fat, she elaborated.

COVID-19 has acted as an accelerator of these trends and Unilever intends to use its innovation might and powerhouse brands from Magnum ice cream to Knorr stocks - to respond.

Then came COVID-19, creating the biggest disruption in our lifetimes with tectonic shifts in consumer behaviours and reminding us of the importance of health. Our research shows this has resulted in a spiked interest by consumers for health and immunity.

Experts agree that a diet that is mainly based on plants, with some animal-based products delivers the key nutrients that are needed to optimally support the immune system. If eating such a diet is not possible, for example because it is not available, fortified products may be a good solution. This shows that with our strategy focused on positive, more plant-based nutrition, we are well positioned to serve the current needs of consumers.

Basing its approach on scientific consensus, Dr De Bree continued: We see various areas where Unilever can play an important role.

Unilever will further accelerate its plant-based offerings and leverage its shelf-stable brands such as packaged soups to deliver food that is rich in critical macronutrients.

The company has also set a target of providing 200bn servings of products that deliver at least one critical micronutrient that is important for holistic health and immunity, Dr De Bree revealed. Currently 2bn people around the globe suffer from malnutrition and as a consequence may be immuno-compromised. Vitamin A, D, zinc and iron are amongst these critical micronutrients. These are also the micronutrients that are heavily researched in light of preventing a severe COVID-19 infection and/or treatment when infected, she noted.

Across Unilevers Food and Refreshment business, the company is working to deliver products that are more nutritionally dense and support health and wellbeing.

Our Foods and Refreshment business is uniquely positioned to lead purposefully in the space of holistic health and immunity, Dr De Bree said.

Our biggest food brands (Knorr: Reinventing Food for Humanity; Hellmanns: Taste the Waste) offer thousands of products and recipes which are nutritious, affordable and made with sustainably sourced ingredients.

Our tea and herbal category delivers healthy hydration through Earths most sustainable plant-based drinks. Our recently acquired Horlicks brand offers beverages designed to support the nutritional needs of children, supporting their growth and development; as well as adults. And also ice cream plays a big role in offering people a little happiness through responsible treats, she detailed.

Dr De Bree said that Unilever believes the majority of its brands are well-positioned to respond to health and wellness concerns. We believe the potential to leverage wellness sits in the balance within our portfolio, she explained.

Within its Foods portfolio, Unilever is focused on meeting growing demand for nutritious snacking options and plant-based alternatives.

The companys blockbuster brands have already responded by rolling out plant-based alternatives. Magnum Vegan ice cream and Hellmanns Vegan mayonnaise continue to be popular, the company noted.

It has also extended its reach in the meat-free space through the recent acquisition of The Vegetarian Butcher. This business is growing at a record rate, reflecting a sustained consumer trend, according to Unilever.

This does not mean Unilever is pivoting its portfolio towards plant-based at the expense of other options, Dr De Bree was quick to emphasise. Plant-based (or plant-forward) does not mean exclusivity. Moving towards more plant-based eating is generally healthier for people as well as for the planet. This does not mean that we will not offer choice. For example, as long as consumers still enjoy regular dairy ice cream, this will be something we will cater for.

Knorr is another brand that is focused on improving population health and here the company has seized the fortification opportunity. Last year, Knorr launched Future 50, an initiative that encourages consumers to eat a more diverse, plant-based diet by providing healthy and nutritious recipes. Knorrs Immunity Meals recipes are also a source of micronutrients to support the immune system, such as Vitamin C and D.

Meanwhile, in the groups Refreshment division, tea has seen a spike in demand as consumers turn to Liptons Immune and Daily Support, seen particularly in the US, and Pukkas immunity range, Unilever claimed.

Elsewhere, India and other South East Asian markets have seen a jump in demand for beverage-based nutrition brands, such as Boost and Horlicks. Both beverages are designed to support the nutritional needs of toddlers and children. They also fulfill an adults nutritional needs. Horlicks enhances womens bone health and contains zinc, which is clinically proven to boost the immune response.

Our brands are well suited to provide more plant-based products and inspire consumers to eat more plant-based through recipe suggestion.

Some products are specially formulated including fortification to meet nutritional needs that support health and immunity. Some are intrinsically good such as our [herbal] teas, Dr De Bree observed.

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Unilever eyes potential in wellness: 'We are uniquely positioned to lead purposefully in the space of holistic health and immunity' -...

The uncertainty of life due to the coronavirus scare has left all of us shaken. The growing numbers of infected cases every day, the Whatsapp forwards highlighting the instability and inefficiency of the medical set up, increasing work pressure, lack of personal space are some common concerns that are pulling us all down. Quite often we feel pangs of anxiety, not knowing how to calm our nerves.

For example, you are worried about losing your job, and then imagine that if it happens, how will you manage your finances, which snowballs into higher anxieties that get difficult to handle.

Mental health experts worldover are reporting a spike in calls and queries about anxiety, depression, feeling of loneliness and other issues, not only among adults but even the youth. And this sense of instability is disturbing our sleeping patterns too because bedtime is the time when your mind relaxes and focuses on what is worrying you.

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Suffering from night anxiety? We tell you ways to control it - Times of India

A second extra budget to finance additional steps to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the current fiscal year that passed the Diet on June 12 comes to a whopping31.9 trillion yen ($297 billion).

It includes 10 trillion yen worth of reserve funds that can basically be used to cover any unexpected expenses.

This extra budget, formulated to cure the nations enfeebled economy, could give the government unprecedented funds to spend as it likes without being checked by the Diet.

By giving a free hand to the government in using such a vast amount of taxpayer money, the Diet has done something that blatantly violates the principles of fiscal democracy. It also negates thejustification for its own existence.

The Constitution requires any state budget to be authorized by the Diet. A reserve fund that can be spent upon the responsibility of the Cabinet is only allowed as an exceptional funding means to provide for unforeseen deficiencies in the budget.

Given this constitutional provision, there is no doubt that any reserve fund must be used in a restrained manner.

There is no legal provision that sets a clear ceiling on the amount of a reserve fund. Controversies flared in the past over the appropriateness of massive reserve funds.

A dispute raged, for instance, over a 1-trillion-yen reserve fund included in the initial state budget for fiscal 2009 as part of emergency financing measures in response to the economic downturn triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008.

Kaoru Yosano, the finance minister at the time, defended the fund, saying it was not outstandingly large (compared with past reserve funds) in terms of its ratio to the total budget, which amounted to 88 trillion yen.

But this time, the size of the reserve fund is by far the biggest in the nation's history. It is 10 times larger than the one in Yosanos spending plan.

Of this amount, 5 trillion yen is to be spent to support troubled small and midsize businesses and help companies avoid cutting jobs, according to the government. But no specifics have yet to be provided. The government has said nothing about the remaining 5 trillion yen except that the money will be used to deal with the effects of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Despite all this uncertainty and vagueness, all the opposition parties with the exception of the Japanese Communist Party voted for the second supplementary budget along with the ruling coalition.

Even though the spending plan includes outlays for measures that need to be implemented immediately, such as expenditures to subsidize rents paid by small and midsize firms, the opposition lawmakers, as well as the ruling camp, fully deserve to be criticized for defaulting on their constitutional responsibility as members of the Diet to check budgets.

In stressing the need for the gargantuan reserve fund, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government needs to take unprecedented steps to ensure that the nation will overcome this once-in-a-century national crisis.

If so, the administration should first ask the Diet to extend the current regular session beyond the June 17 expiry of its term to ensure it can make a swift response to any emergency.

The Constitution mandates the Cabinet to get subsequent approval of the Diet for all payments from the reserve fund. But this 10 trillion yen appropriation is no ordinary reserve fund.

The government should clarify in advance how the money will be spent and obtain Diet approval. In case additional spending is necessary, the government will be able to submit a third extra budget to the Diet swiftly if it is in session.

Diet deliberations in recent days have underscored the vital importance of rigorous Diet monitoring for proper expenditures by the government.

Doubt is only deepening over the governments plan to contract out the administrative work for a program to help cash-strapped businesses survive the current crisis.

An appropriation to pay up to 300 billion yen in fees for a contractor to handle the administrative work for the Go To Campaign" to support the tourist industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors, has drawn much criticism, forcing the government to suspend the process of recruiting the contractor. But the government has yet to say how it will review the contract.

The first and second supplementary budgets allow the government to spend more than 57 trillion yen, a scale of extra expenditures without precedent, to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a tremendous amount of government spending outside the original state budget requires more transparency than ever before.

The Abe administration needs to continue responding to public doubts and suspicions over these spending blueprints without closing the session in haste.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 13

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EDITORIAL: Where are the checks, balances on massive extra budget spending? : The Asahi Shimbun - Asahi Shimbun

Researchers have discovered a new set of signals that cells send and receive to prompt one type of fat cell to convert fat into heat. The signaling pathway, discovered in mice, has potential implications for activating this same type of thermogenic fat in humans.

Thermogenic fat cells, also called beige fat or beige adipocytes, have gained attention in recent years for their potential to curb obesity and other metabolic disorders, due to their ability to burn energy stored as fat. But scientists have yet to translate this potential into effective therapies.

The challenge of activating beige fat in humans arises, in part, because this process is regulated through so-called adrenergic signaling, which uses the hormone catecholamine to instruct beige fat cells to start burning energy. But adrenergic signaling also controls other important biological functions, including blood pressure and heartbeat regulation, so activating it in humans with agonists has potentially dangerous side effects.

Heat map of thermogenic fat cells (artistic rendering). Credit: Illustration by Life Sciences Institute multimedia designer Rajani Arora.

In a new study scheduled for online publication today (June 12, 2020) in the journal Developmental Cell, a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute describes a pathway that can regulate beige fat thermogenesis independently of adrenergic signaling. Instead, it operates through a receptor protein called CHRNA2, short for Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 2 Subunit.

This pathway opens a whole new direction for approaching metabolic disorders, said Jun Wu, an assistant professor at the LSI and the studys senior author. Of course, this cholinergic pathway also is involved in other important functions, so there is still much work to do to really figure out how this might work in humans. But we are encouraged by these initial findings.

For their study, Wu and her colleagues blocked the CHRNA2 pathway only in adipocytes in mice, and then fed the mice a high-fat diet. Without the CHRNA2 receptor proteins, the mice showed greater weight gain than normal mice, and were less able to activate thermogenesis in response to excess food intake.

Wu believes the findings are particularly exciting in light of another research teams recent discovery of a new type of beige fat that is not regulated by catecholamine. This newest study from the LSI indicates that this subpopulation of beige fat, called glycolytic beige fat (or g-beige fat), can be activated through the CHRNA2 pathway.

Many patients with metabolic disorders have catecholamine resistance, meaning their cells do not detect or respond to catecholamine, said Wu, who is also an assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the U-M Medical School.

So even if it could be done safely, activating that adrenergic pathway would not be an effective treatment option for such patients. This new pathway, with this new subtype of beige fat, could be the beginning of a whole new chapter for approaching this challenge.

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Reference: Adrenergic-Independent Signaling via CHRNA2 Regulates Beige Fat Activation by Heejin Jun, Yingxu Ma, Yong Chen, Jianke Gong, Shanshan Liu, Jine Wang, Alexander J. Knights, Xiaona Qiao, Margo P. Emont, X.Z. Shawn Xu, Shingo Kajimura and Jun Wu, 12 June 2020, Developmental Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.017

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, Chinese Scholarship Council and Michigan Life Sciences Fellows program.

Study authors are: Heejin Jun, Shanshan Liu, Jine Wang, Alexander Knights, Margot Emont, X.Z. Shawn Xu and Jun Wu of U-M; Yingxu Ma of U-M and Central South University, China; Yong Chen and Shingo Kajimura of the University of California, San Francisco; Jianke Gong of U-M and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Xiaona Qiao of U-M and Fudan University, China.

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Researchers Discover How to Turn On the Heat in Energy-Burning Fat Cells - SciTechDaily