Category Archives: Diet And Food

Greshams Law states that bad money drives out good money, but anyone who has spent time around Washington, D.C., knows that this law can safely be applied to information too bad information tends to drive out good information. Such is the case with Americas assessments of other countries military and economic power. Defense spending is one of the most commonly used measures for gauging a countrys potential military power, setting expectations of what the military balance might look like in the future. It helps give us a sense of how much of a states economic power is being converted into military power. Well, in theory it should, if we knew how to measure it right, but comparing defense spending across countries is a complicated task. As a consequence, the United States doesnt really know where its military expenditure stands in relation to that of its principal adversaries, what kind of military capability theyre getting for their money, and whether the balance of power is likely to improve or worsen over time.

Policymakers are barraged by a daily stream of think tank reports, academic writing, and media stories competing for their perceptions. For example, by cherry-picking a few gross measures, including military expenditure, a recent RAND report caricatured Russia as a weakling rogue state. Major newspapers generate erroneous headlines: many ran stories asserting that in 2017 Russian defense spending declined by a fifth . In our experience, both in Washington and London, decision-makers have little time to investigate or read and tend to believe many of the headlines they come across. Indeed, rarely does a discussion take place on Russia or China without a series of assumptions being voiced based on questionable assessments of relative power when it comes to GDP, defense spending, or demographics.

Of course, a necessary precursor to finding measures that matter is knowing how to measure in the first place. This is a challenge we hope to briefly take up here. It is hardly an academic question. Strategic implications abound for Americas pursuit of a favorable regional military balance in Europe and decisive military advantages over its adversaries. In our view, despite its tremendous size, U.S. defense spending does not actually dwarf that of the rest of the world. This also raises some uncomfortable questions about the ability of the United States to attain deterrence by denial against competing revisionist powers. The disparity is especially evident when looking at the case of Russian military expenditure, which is much larger than it appears, though a fair assessment of Chinese defense spending would also yield pessimistic expectations about the future balance of military power.

Why Russia Gets More Bang for the Ruble

Based on the annual average dollar-to-ruble exchange rates, Russia is typically depicted as spending in the region of $60 billion per year on its military. This is roughly in line with the defense spending of medium-sized powers like the United Kingdom and France. However, anybody familiar with Russias military modernization program over the past decade will see the illogic: how can a military budget the size of the United Kingdoms be used to maintain over a million personnel while simultaneously procuring vast quantities of capable military equipment?

Russian procurement dwarfs that of most European powers combined. Beyond delivering large quantities of weaponry for todays forces, Russias scientists and research institutes are far along in development of hypersonic weapons, such as Tsirkon and Avangard, along with next-generation air defense systems like S-500. This volume of procurement and research and development should not be possible with a military budget ostensibly the same size as the United Kingdoms. When theory checks in with practice, the problem with the approaches that return such answers is plain for anyone to see.

The reason for this apparent contradiction is that the use of market exchange rates grossly understates the real volume of Russian military expenditure (and that of other countries with smaller per-capita incomes, like China). Instead, any analysis of comparative military expenditure should be based on the use of purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates rather than market exchange rates. This alternative method takes differences in costs between countries into account. As we demonstrate, despite some shortcomings, PPP is a much more methodologically robust and defensible method of comparing defense spending across countries than the method of comparing spending using the market exchange rates that are commonly used by think tanks and academics. Using PPP, one finds that Russias effective military expenditure actually ranged between $150 billion and $180 billion annually over the last five years. That figure is conservative; taking into account hidden or obfuscated military expenditure, Russia may well come in at around $200 billion.

To put it simply, calculating Russian military expenditure based on purchasing power means that the United States spends only about four times more than Russia on defense, rather than ten times more when using market exchange rates. But this remains a crude comparison. The gap is even narrower when one digs into the differences in how this money is spent. At nearly 50 percent of federal budget spending on national defense, a large proportion of the Russian defense budget goes to procurement and research and development. By comparison, in other countries with large defense budgets, procurement spending tends to be much lower: in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, spending is at about 2025 percent.

Unlike some other large military spenders for example, Saudi Arabia and India Russia also produces most of its weaponry itself and does not buy its equipment from countries with higher costs. This means that effective Russian military expenditure is much larger given that a ruble spent at home buys considerably more than a dollar spent abroad. And, despite Russias largely stagnant economy, this higher level of spending has proven far more durable than media narratives have suggested.

Perhaps most importantly, the more methodologically sound approach to comparing defense spending based on PPP illustrates that the gap between U.S. expenditure on the one hand and that of Russia and China on the other has closed dramatically over the past 15 years. Today, when taken together, spending by Russia and China is roughly equal to U.S. defense expenditure, with Russia representing a much larger share than previously recognized.

Figure 1: Russian military expenditure as a share of U.S expenditure (percent), 20052018 (Richard Connolly)

Getting Defense Comparisons Right

Much of this confusion over the relative scale of Russian military expenditure is explained by differences in how analysts choose to measure military expenditure. When U.S. dollars calculated at market exchange rates are used to measure military expenditure across countries, the data can fluctuate wildly over time, more often than not due to changes in relative exchange rates rather than because of any changes in a given countrys military expenditure. This was vividly illustrated in 20142015 when the ruble depreciated sharply vis--vis the dollar, largely due to collapse in the global price of oil. Russian military expenditure, calculated at market exchange rates, was presented as having declined, even if in ruble terms, military expenditure was in fact growing briskly.

But exchange rate volatility is hardly the main reason why market exchange rates should not be used to measure military expenditure in Russia, China, or any other country. This is because converting military expenditure measured in national currencies to a common currency usually the U.S. dollar at market exchange rates conceals important differences in purchasing power across countries. Many goods and services have different relative prices within a country, with non-traded goods and services being relatively less expensive in poorer countries. This can result in military expenditure being drastically understated in countries with lower income levels, and correspondingly lower costs, than the United States.

Comparing defense expenditures using market exchange rate methodologies results in a parade of erroneous figures, which can be observed in annual think tank assessments, such as those made by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) or the International Institute for Strategic Studies flagship publication The Military Balance. The problem was best illustrated earlier this spring when SIPRI announced that Russian defense spending in 2018 had fallen behind Saudi Arabia and France to sixth in the world at $61.4 billion. Similarly, a chapter in The Military Balance comparing defense expenditure shows Russian expenditure to be a paltry $45 billion based on constant 2010 market exchange rates, less than that of the United Kingdom. These of course are remarkable assertions. One need not be a Russian military analyst to have a general appreciation for the fact that the Russian armed forces, including conventional and nuclear components, are vastly larger in size, greater in fielded capability, and in a higher state of readiness than those of France or the United Kingdom.

The most appropriate method for taking differences in relative costs across countries into account is, therefore, to use a PPP exchange rate. Today the International Monetary Fund calculates an implied PPP exchange rate of 23.4 rubles to the dollar. Given that the actual market exchange rate is 65 rubles to the dollar, this would suggest that the value of economic activity in Russia is over two and a half times larger than implied by the prevailing market exchange rate.

An equally important problem is how one compares GDP and relative living standards. Russias economy, which may seem to be closer to the size of South Koreas based on simplistic conversions at current market exchange rates, is more accurately reflected as the sixth largest economy in the world. This is because while market exchange rates are appropriate for measuring the value of internationally traded goods, PPP rates should be used when measuring non-traded goods and services. It is precisely these non-traded goods and services that tend to dominate military expenditure in countries like Russia that have sizeable and largely autarkic defense industries.

A Closer Look at Russian Defense Spending

In a recently published research paper sponsored by CNA, Russian military expenditure is calculated using PPP exchange rates that account for differences in the cost of inputs in Russian rubles. The use of purchasing powerbased estimates reveals not only that the level of Russian military expenditure is considerably higher than market exchange ratebased estimates suggest, but that this level has been much higher than commonly estimated since the 1990s.

Second, PPP-based estimates show that the rate of growth of Russian military expenditure was slower than suggested by market exchange ratebased estimates.

Third, Russias rate of growth in military expenditure since 2005 was also lower than that of other powers, such as China and India. This is partially due to the fact that Russia started from a higher base, but it also reflects the fact that China, India, Saudi Arabia, and many other non-Western powers have been engaged in a robust expansion of military spending.

Fourth, after adjusting PPP-based estimates of total military expenditure for imported military equipment, Russia has held a steady position as the worlds fourth largest military spender, behind the United States, China, and India.

As a middle-income country with lower costs, Russia spends much less maintaining its military than Western states, with about a third of its force made up of conscripts. Even if a conscript force performs worse, on average, than an all-volunteer force, conscripts can readily achieve a states military objectives because military operations are performed by specific, operationally assigned forces in defined geographic areas, not by notional forces logged in Excel spreadsheets of nationwide capability. Russias 2014 Crimea operation and 2015 intervention in Syria illustrate this point. As a result, the Russian General Staff gets a lot more capability out of its military expenditure than many other higher-cost militaries. While some countries like India may effectively spend more on paper based on PPP, the reality is that the Russian defense budget over time allows Moscow to wield a much bigger and pointier stick.

Russias state armament program has been hampered by two factors: a messy divorce with Ukraines defense sector and the loss of access to certain enabling technologies imported from the West. This led to major delays in several sectors and costly efforts at import substitutions, chiefly of components from Ukraine. However, this has over time made the Russian military industrial complex much more self-sufficient and even less dependent on imports than it was before sanctions were imposed, making PPP even more useful for measuring the true level of Russian defense spending. Furthermore, the Russian state has made sure that the defense sector is on a diet in terms of the profits it is allowed to make from state defense orders. While this led to a debt bubble within the Russian defense industry, it also suggests that the state is able to get more output from the defense sector relative to other sectors of the economy.

Although the level of Russian defense spending is higher than many previously thought, it is also true that it is declining as a share of GDP. The Russian government has chosen to let defense expenditure plateau for two reasons: first, because a large amount of equipment was successfully procured between 2011 and 2016, resulting in significant modernization of a previously aging force; and second, to avoid the sort of runaway defense spending that contributed to the Soviet Unions economic ruin. But this slowdown in the growth of defense spending should not be confused with slashing defense spending to levels that might drastically reduce Russias military capability. There is no evidence that such steep reductions are taking place. Instead, Russia is charting a middle course, not killing itself with unsustainable Soviet-style spending on defense, but equally avoiding painful reductions in order to meet the reformists demands.

Better Data for Better Strategy

During the Cold War, estimating Soviet defense spending proved one of the most hotly contested subjects within the U.S. defense community because it was an essential input into U.S. strategy toward a superpower adversary. Differing estimates of Soviet expenditure were produced by the CIA, which based its estimates on a wealth of unclassified and classified material, and the analysts located outside the intelligence community who relied on open-source material. As the Soviet economy stagnated in the 1970s and 1980s, debates over the ability of the Soviet economy to support the burden of the countrys vast military expenditure intensified.

This conversation is no less important today. The strategy community needs better measures and a smarter conversation on military expenditure. Overestimating or underestimating adversaries can lead to the misallocation of scarce resources or bad strategy. President John F. Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan both entered office mistakenly believing the United States was falling behind its Soviet adversary the opposite was true. Perhaps more dangerously, relying on simple but often distorted measures of relative capabilities raises the prospect of U.S. policymakers, like their British counterparts a century before them, failing to appreciate the erosion in their own countrys military power.

It is certainly possible to be better at assessing Russias military expenditure than it was 30 years ago. Although it is true that the Russian defense budget has become increasingly opaque in recent years, America has much better information today on the state of the Russian economy and its defense spending than it did when trying to assess the Soviet Unions capabilities.

Unfortunately, greater information has not translated into better analysis or more informed discourse among policymakers and academics alike on the real balance of power between the United States and its supposed competitors. Measuring military power is fraught with difficulty because it can be so context-driven and scenario-based. But if Russian defense spending is much larger than meets the eye, it suggests that the United States will struggle to maintain a favorable balance of power over time given increased pressure from China. The U.S. defense budget is not as vastly superior as it seems, and given the numerous contingencies Washington faces, U.S. military expenditure by itself will not naturally confer the ability to deter Russia in Europe. Simultaneous pursuit of deterrence by denial against both countries near their borders, seeking to prevent so-called faits accomplis via direct defense, is likely to prove an unaffordable and unrealistic strategy for the United States.

Meanwhile, those interested in the structural distribution of power, particularly realists, need to look again at their arguments, which bend towards the conventional wisdom that Russia is a tiny economy in decline. A fixation on China in strategist circles overlooks the simple fact that while Russia is certainly not going to be the worlds next superpower, it remains one of the largest economies and has a defense budget sufficient to maintain a military capable of challenging the United States conventionally. Beyond military expenditure, many of the other parameters used to set expectations of a countrys rise or decline, such as demographics, require greater scrutiny as they are probably based on equally questionable data. The truth is that at times defense economists are decidedly lazy in how they measure power, compare key national indicators, and form their expectations about the future balance. There is also a tendency to assume that rise and decline are secular trends, i.e., that China will continue rising as Russia declines. The historical track record of these two powers suggests otherwise.

Russian military expenditure, and as a consequence the potential for Russia to sustain its military power, is much more durable and less prone to fluctuations than it might appear. The implication is that even at its current anemic rate of economic growth, Russia is likely to be able to sustain a considerable level of military expenditure, posing an enduring challenge to the United States for the foreseeable decades. While ours is an exploratory analysis, it suggests that Russian defense spending is not prone to wild swings, nor has it been dramatically affected by changes in oil prices or U.S. sanctions. Given the disparity in national budget allocations, even as European allies increase their defense spending, Moscow is not going to struggle in keeping pace.

Michael Kofmanis director and senior research scientist at CNA Corporation and a fellow at the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute. Previously he served as program manager at the National Defense University. The views expressed here are his own.

Richard Connolly is director of the Centre for Russian, European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Birmingham and senior lecturer in political economy. His research and teaching are principally concerned with the political economy of Russia and Eurasia.

Image: Kremlin

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Why Russian Military Expenditure Is Much Higher Than Commonly Understood (As Is China's) - War on the Rocks

Looking for a new diet to kickstart serious weight loss? The keto diet is probably on your list of eating plans to consider.One of the most popular diet plans, the keto diet promises rapid weight loss by turning fat into energy (and lets face itwho doesnt need more of that?). Other benefits of the keto diet include clearer skin, better heart health, and lower cancer risk.

If this sounds like the #dietwin youve been looking for, youve come to the right place to learn all about it. Here, well go into more detail about what is the ketogenic diet, how it works, and what you canand canteat if you follow the keto diet. And before you ask, yes, weve even included some keto recipes for you to try, including desserts! Consider this the keto diet for beginners.

The ketogenic diet is similar to the ever-popular South Beach diet of long ago. Its a high-fat, low-carb plan that is meant to put your body into a state of ketosis in order to burn more fat faster. What is ketosis? Its what occurs when your body doesnt have enough glucose to burn for energy, so it begins to burn fat instead, resulting in a build-up of ketones in the body. In most cases, people get enough glucose through sugar or starch (i.e. carbs). But the keto diet excludes those foods, which depletes the bodys glucose stores and forces it to burn fat for energy.

Related: Whole30 vs. Keto Face-OffWhich Low-Carb Diet Is Better for Losing Weight?

Following a ketogenic eating pattern allows you to sustain energy, mood, and cognitive focus without relying upon regular meals for energy, asserts ancestral health movement leader Mark Sisson, whose book Keto for Lifecomes out later this month. Whats more, he says, fat and ketones burn more cleanly in the body, delivering a host of health and disease protection benefits.

When your body burns fat for energy, like it does on the keto diet, one of the biggest benefits youll experience is weight loss, especially at first as your body enters a state of ketosis. But if youre able to carefully plan and execute your keto diet plan, youll enjoy other benefits, too. Dr. Josh Axe, creator of DrAxe.com, co-founder of the company Ancient Nutrition and author of Keto Diet, Keto Diet Cookbookand the upcoming Collagen Dietbrings us a few below.

Because the keto diet is chock full of healthy fats and proteins, youll feel fuller, longer.

According to the Perfect Keto website, youll enjoy a constant, steady stream of keto energy instead of dips throughout the day because youre not spiking your blood sugar levels.

Ketones supply your brain, muscles and organs with a steady source of energy, says Dr. Axe. This can also lead to enhanced focus, attention, memory and potentially problem-solving and learning capacity.

The diet offers protection against a broad range of neurodegenerative disorders, Dr. Axe says, including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke.

According to Dr. Axe, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets are safe and effective when it comes to reducing blood sugar fluctuations and insulin resistance in diabetic and prediabetic adults.

Like anything that sounds too good to be true, there are some drawbacks to the keto diet, ranging from temporary annoyances to dangerous conditions. When you first transition to the keto diet, you can expect symptoms like excessive fatigue, dehydration, dizziness, weakness, decreased concentration, sweats and cold-like symptoms, says Emily Tills, a registered dietitian. Thats because the body is almost going into a starvation-like state.

This is often known as the keto flu.

More seriously, the keto diet can cause increases in cholesterol levels, so its definitely not a good option for anyone with existing high cholesterol. If you have a history of heart disease or heart attack, I would strongly encourage you to find another change to make with your food, rather than adding in more fat, Tills advises.

And Lisa Richards, author of The Candida Diet, agrees: Anyone with kidney disease, pregnant, nursing, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, or anyone who has had their gallbladder removed should not follow keto. Fluctuations in chemicals and hormones can exacerbate these conditions, she says.

Related: If Youre One of These 6 Types of People, the Keto Diet May Be Bad for You

Finally, its important to understand that following the keto diet without proper guidance and careful planning can lead to a life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis. Thats when the body produces dangerous levels of ketones, which can cause your blood to become acidic. It can lead to kidney failure, coma and even death if left untreated. So its important to seek the guidance of a dietician if youre unsure.

Admittedly, the keto diet can be a bit difficult to follow in the long run. Thats mostly thanks to how different it is than the diet that most Americans are used to. As a result, there are several different types of ketogenic diets you can choose from, ranging from super restrictive to somewhat forgiving. Dr. Axe breaks down the different types of keto diets below:

Focuses on minimally-processed whole-foods, including plenty of healthy fats/oils, quality meats/protein in moderation, and lots of non-starchy vegetables, herbs, spices bone broth and probiotic foods.

Involves eating very low-carb most days of the week, but intentionally increasing carb intake 1-2 days per week in order to replenish glycogen stores and prevent side effects like fatigue.

Includes a bit more protein and carbs than a traditional keto diet, allowing for more flexibility and food variety. One drawback is that it may not be easy to stay in ketosis while following a modified plan, however some feel its a healthy and sustainable way to eat long-term.

This is a keto diet with a mostly plant-based or pescatarian twist. Its a great fit for people who want to experience the benefits of keto but still want to eat a largely plant-based diet.

Eco-Keto is a catchy way of describing an eco-friendly, ketogenic diet. Most people interpret eco-keto as being totally plant-based, aka a vegan keto diet.

The best keto foods are those that are low in carbs and high in fat and protein. But that doesnt give you carte blanche to tear through a whole sleeve of Oreos. Dr. Axe says, A clean keto approach is a ketogenic diet that focuses on whole foods, including plenty of healthy fats/oils, quality meats/protein in moderation, and lots of non-starchy vegetables.A few simple steps can make your kitchen keto-friendly before you start the diet.

Olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and avocado oil

Grass-fed meat, pasture-raised poultry, cage-free eggs, all types of wild-caught fish and seafood

Butter, heavy cream, sour cream, organic cheese, full-fat/unsweetened yogurt, kefir, milk.

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and other cruciferous veggies, all types of leafy greens, asparagus, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and carrots

Almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pistachios, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, nut butters and seed butters, chia seeds and flaxseeds

Hot topic alert! Theres quite a bit of debate when it comes to foods to avoid on a keto diet. Thats because many followers struggle with the restrictive nature of the diet, so they sometimes turn to processed food thats technically allowed since its high in fat but low in carbs. Other followers, like Sisson, vehemently oppose this practice, insisting that it misses the entire point of the keto diet.

The Internet buzz about dirty keto is a great example of how NOT to do keto. Blending diet orange soda, heavy cream and ice into a slushy might be zero carb, but it offers little nutritional value and will not necessarily support internal ketone production. The prevalence of processed and packaged snacks labeled keto is pause for reflection, as we should better emphasize whole foods as close to their original state as possible, he says.

Other foods to avoid on the keto diet include fruit of all types except berries, all types of sugar, including honey, agave, and cane sugar, foods made with grains or grain flour, all products containing corn, and snack/junk foods.

Yes, the keto diet is restrictive. Yes, the list of food you cant eat is extensive. But, were here to tell you that it can be done. After all, well sign up for any diet that successfully hides cauliflower in mac and cheese! Weve listed some of our favorite keto dinner recipes below, as proof that you can enjoy delectable food while following the keto diet.

Cauliflower mac and cheeseEasy, cheesy and simply delicious, cauliflower mac and cheese is one of the most popular keto recipes out there. Sign us up!

Buffalo shrimp lettuce taco wrapsYou wont miss the carbs in this clever lettuce wrap, with buffalo-flavored shrimp and all the toppings you could ever want.

Citrus marinated grilled chickenCitrus has a way of adding an abundance of juicy flavor to meat, which is why this citrus marinated grilled chicken is one of the best keto recipes in our opinion.

Start your day off right the keto way with a few of our recommendations for the best keto diet breakfasts.

Low-carb breakfast casseroleCheese, bacon and mushrooms combine for a perfectly delicious and filling keto-approved breakfast casserole.

Keto almond flour pancakesBet you didnt know you can still enjoy this breakfast classic on the keto diet, but you can! Here, almond flour is the perfect substitute for unhealthy enriched flour.

Keto pumpkin muffinsWhether youre welcoming fall or just a huge fan of muffins (and whos not?) we love these keto-approved pumpkin muffins that whip up in a jiffy!

Its hard enough to follow a diet plan, but when the munchies hit? All bets are off! Thats why weve included some of our favorite keto snacks for you to browse through, hopefully before snack time rolls around. With just a bit of advance planning, you can keep one of these delectable goodies at your fingertips to snack on between meals.

Low-carb, keto protein cookie dough bitesThese yummy treats are held together with collagen, which benefits hair, nails and joints. Well call this a double win.

Heavenly cream cheese dark chocolate keto fudgePerfect for a holiday gathering or an office party, no one will guess these sneaky treats are keto-friendly.

Pickle roll upsWe cant think of a better snack than pickles, and good newstheyre keto-approved! These rollups feature corned beef and cream cheese wrapped around a pickle for the perfect pick-me-up.

Diets that cut out all the yummy food simply arent sustainable. After all, sometimes you deserve a sweet reward! Check out our short list of some of the best keto diet desserts weve seen.

Chocolate keto pieThere are no two ways about it: this pie looks simply amazing. With a stunning presentation and even better taste, its the perfect choice for a holiday gathering or simply to enjoy on your own.

Chocolate peanut butter cheesecakeHeres another of our favorite keto-approved desserts that you wont be able to get enough of. This peanut butter cheesecake will melt in your mouth, and its guilt-free, too!

Keto blueberry cobblerThis keto-friendly blueberry cobbler is the perfect choice for a simple, mid-week dessert. Almond flour keeps the crust in line with keto guidelines, and is the perfect backdrop for delicious, juicy berries.

Find out what celebs and influencers who have tried the keto diet have to say about the process with these keto quotes.

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What is the Keto Diet and How Does It Work? Here's the Ultimate Keto Guide for Beginners, Including Exactly How to Get Started - Parade

From the likes of Kareena Kapoor Khan to Alia Bhatt, homemade food has quite a many takers in Bollywood. Tamannaah, again, is a staunch supporter of this healthy eating hack. She also gave a low-down of her meals, adding that she likes to indulge in something nutritious every three hours. Here is a sample of her everyday diet!

"Breakfast is a muesli bowl, which has granola, dates, almond milk, nuts, berries, and bananas. I eat poached eggs or omelet with a lot of veggies too. For lunch, I eat daal, brown rice, and vegetables. I snack on nuts before my workout, and for dinner, it is eggs, idli or dosa. I need to have yogurt in every meal, as it helps me stay focused during long shoots, especially in summers. Im also big on being hydrated at all times, so loads of juices, soups and of course, three liters of water."

Previously, Tamannaah also dished out some of her favorite go-to hacks for those on a busy schedule, adding that she likes to start her day with a handful of soaked almonds in the morning. At the same time, a healthy and replenishing snack like yogurt keeps her well during her hectic shoot hours!

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Fitness is just like brushing your teeth: Tamannaah Bhatia dishes out her diet and workout secrets! - Times of India

16 December 2019 Geneva.A new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries food systems. This is especially important in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new four-paper report published in The Lancet. More than a third of such countries had overlapping forms of malnutrition (45 of 123 countries in the 1990s, and 48 of 126 countries in the 2010s), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and east Asia and the Pacific.

Undernutrition and obesity can lead to effects across generations as both maternal undernutrition and obesity are associated with poor health in offspring. However, because of the speed of change in food systems, more people are being exposed to both forms of malnutrition at different points in their lifetimes, which further increases harmful health effects.

We are facing a new nutrition reality, said lead author of the report Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization. We can no longer characterize countries as low-income and undernourished, or high-income and only concerned with obesity. All forms of malnutrition have a common denominator food systems that fail to provide all people with healthy, safe, affordable, and sustainable diets. Changing this will require action across food systems from production and processing, through trade and distribution, pricing, marketing, and labelling, to consumption and waste. All relevant policies and investments must be radically re-examined.

In a Lancet editorial accompanying the report, Dr Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, says: Todays publication of the WHO Series on the Double Burden of Malnutrition comes after 12 months of Lancet articles exploring nutrition in all its forms With these and other articles across Lancet journals throughout 2019, it has become clear that nutrition and malnutrition need to be approached from multiple perspectives, and although findings have sometimes converged, there is still work to be done to understand malnutritions multiple manifestations With 6 years remaining in the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), this Series and Comment define the future direction required to achieve the global goal of eradicating hunger and preventing malnutrition in all its forms.

Globally, estimates suggest that almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight, and more than 150 million children are stunted. However, in low- and middle-income countries these emerging issues overlap in individuals, families, communities and countries. The new report explores the trends behind this intersection known as the double burden of malnutrition as well as the societal and food system changes that may be causing it, its biological explanation and effects, and policy measures that may help address malnutrition in all its forms.

The authors used survey data from low- and middle-income countries in the 1990s and 2010s to estimate which countries faced a double burden of malnutrition (ie, in the population, more than 15% of people had wasting, more than 30% were stunted, more than 20% of women had thinness, and more than 20% of people were overweight).

In the 2010s, 14 countries with some of the lowest incomes in the world had newly developed a double burden of malnutrition, compared with the 1990s. However, fewer low- and middle-income countries with the highest incomes were affected than in the 1990s. The authors say that this reflects the increasing prevalence of being overweight in the poorest countries, where populations still face stunting, wasting and thinness.

High-quality diets reduce the risk of malnutrition in all its forms by promoting healthy growth, development, and immunity, and preventing obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) throughout life. The components of healthy diets are: optimal breastfeeding practices in the first two years; a diversity and abundance of fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, fibre, nuts, and seeds; modest amounts of animal source foods; minimal amounts of processed meats, and minimal amounts of foods and beverages high in energy and added amounts of sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, and salt.

Emerging malnutrition issues are a stark indicator of the people who are not protected from the factors that drive poor diets. The poorest low- and middle-income countries are seeing a rapid transformation in the way people eat, drink, and move at work, home, in transport and in leisure, said report author Professor Barry Popkin, University of North Carolina, USA. The new nutrition reality is driven by changes to the food system, which have increased availability of ultra-processed foods that are linked to increased weight gain, while also adversely affecting infant and pre-schooler diets. These changes include disappearing fresh food markets, increasing supermarkets, and the control of the food chain by supermarkets, and global food, catering and agriculture companies in many countries.

Exposure to undernutrition early in life followed by becoming overweight from childhood onwards increases the risk of a range of non-communicable diseases making the double burden of malnutrition a key factor driving the emerging global epidemics of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Negative effects can also pass across generations for example, the effect of maternal obesity on the likelihood of the child having obesity may be exacerbated if the mother was undernourished in early life.

Despite physiological links, actions to address all forms of malnutrition have historically not taken account of these or other key factors, including early-life nutrition, diet quality, socioeconomic factors, and food environments. In addition, there is some evidence that programmes addressing undernutrition have unintentionally increased risks for obesity and diet-related NCDs in low-income and middle-income countries where food environments are changing rapidly.

While it is critical to maintain these programmes for undernutrition, they need to be redesigned to do no harm. Existing undernutrition programmes delivered through health services, social safety nets, educational settings, and agriculture and food systems present opportunities to address obesity and diet-related NCDs.

The report identifies a set of double-duty actions that simultaneously prevent or reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies leading to underweight, wasting, stunting or micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity or NCDs, with the same intervention, programme, or policy. These range from improved antenatal care and breastfeeding practices, to social welfare, and to new agricultural and food system policies with healthy diets as their primary goal.

Continuing with business-as-usual is not fit for purpose in the new nutrition reality. The good news is that there are some powerful opportunities to use the same platforms to address different forms of malnutrition. The time is now to seize these opportunities for double duty action to get results said Professor Corinna Hawkes, Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London, UK.

To create the systemic changes needed to end malnutrition in all its forms, the authors call on governments, the UN, civil society, academics, the media, donors, the private sector and economic platforms to address the double burden of malnutrition and bring in new actors, such as grass-roots organizations, farmers and their unions, faith-based leaders, advocates for planetary health, innovators and investors who are financing fair and green companies, city mayors and consumer associations.

Given the political economy of food, the commodification of food systems, and growing patterns of inequality worldwide, the new nutrition reality calls for a broadened community of actors who work in mutually reinforcing and interconnected ways on a global scale, says Dr Branca. Without a profound food system transformation, the economic, social, and environmental costs of inaction will hinder the growth and development of individuals and societies for decades to come.

Notes to editors

Funding for the preparation of the Series was provided by WHO, through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as some additional funding through the National Institutes of Health, the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health led by the International Food Policy Research Institute, and from RTI International.

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More than one in three low- and middle-income countries face both extremes of malnutrition - World Health Organization

Eating chili peppers regularly as part of the Mediterranean diet has been linked to a lower risk of dying early and from cardiovascular disease in a study.

Scientists looked at data collected between 2005 and 2010 on 22,811 men and women living in the mountainous Molise region of southern Italy. The chili pepper is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and used to flavor traditional food in southern Italy, according to the authors of the paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The diet earns its name from the lifestyle traditionally followed by the populations of the Mediterranean basin. It is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Olive oil provides the biggest chunk of fat, while fish, eggs, wine and poultry are consumed in moderation.

The participants filled in questionnaires about what they ate at the start of the study, which the researchers used to place them into four categories: those who never or rarely ate chili peppers; those who ate them twice a week; between twice and four times; and four or more.

By the end of the study, 1,236 of the volunteers had died. Eating chili pepper regularly, at least four times per week, was linked with a 23 percent lower risk of dying of any cause compared with those who never or rarely ate chilis. Participants who often consumed the spicy fruit also had a 34 percent lower chance of dying of cardiovascular disease.

Past studies suggest capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers which makes them spicy, could carry health benefits, the authors of the paper explained. More research is needed to explain what is behind the link and to characterize the potential role played by capsaicin, the team told Newsweek in a joint statement.

First author Marialaura Bonaccio, an epidemiologist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands; Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano, senior investigator and president of Italy's I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed; and Dr. Licia Iacoviello, professor of public health at the University of Insubria, Italy, spoke to Newsweek.

"The strength of the association between chili pepper and cardiovascular mortality risk is quite strong, but also the risk reduction toward total death risk is actually surprising," they said.

The study was limited, however, because it was observational. That means the researchers didn't control what participants did, but simply examined data collected on them. In addition, as the dietary data was only collected once, it's not clear if what the participants ate changed over time. But the researchers said they performed statistical analyses to make sure their findings were as robust as possible.

So should we increase our intake of chili peppers in response to the study? No, the authors said. "Diets should not be treated as drugs," they argued. "We should not talk in terms of amounts per day, as if we were dealing with drugs, rather our effort should be addressed to promote a global healthy lifestyle, starting from diet.

They continued: "We may encourage people who usually add chilis to their food to continue in doing so, since now there is a good scientific evidence for this. Moderation is an important characteristic of [the] Mediterranean diet. If people dislike chili, well, they should just follow a healthy Mediterranean diet."

"This study contributes to increase the knowledge on how healthy lifestyles, such as diet, act in improving our health," the researchers said: "This is of crucial importance especially at a time when pharmacological treatments are systematically preferred to healthy changes in lifestyles."

This study is the latest to link the Mediterranean diet to better health. Earlier this year, separate teams of researchers found it appeared to help with sleep, and may prevent depression.

Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State and Fellow of the American Heart Association, who did not work on the research, told Newsweek: "It's too simplistic to say that incorporating chili peppers alone can lower your risk of a heart attack, especially if they are just added to a poor quality diet.

Certainly chili-peppers can be part of a healthy eating pattern that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, whole grains, lean protein and fish, limits foods high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and minimizes trans fats, sodium (salt), processed meats, refined carbohydrates and sweetened beverages. The overall eating pattern is most important for decreasing risk of cardiovascular diseasenot just a single food."

Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School, Aston University, U.K., who did not work on the study, pointed out in a statement that the paper doesn't prove that eating chili peppers improves health. It "hints that those who were following a more traditional Mediterranean diet seemed to benefit less than those not following this type of diet," he said.

"This could suggest it is how chilis are used as part of an overall dietary pattern and lifestyle. It is plausible people who use chilis, as the data suggests, also used more herbs and spices, and as such likely to be eating more fresh foods including vegetables."

Mellor went on: "So, although chilis can be a tasty addition to our recipes and meals, any direct effect is likely to be small and it is more likely that it makes eating other healthy foods more pleasurable."

Ian Johnson, nutrition researcher and emeritus fellow at the Quadram Institute Bioscience, who also didn't work on the paper, said in a statement the paper was of high quality and based on a large population.

Johnson also argued the link is likely down to some other dietary or lifestyle factor related to eating chilis.

Original post:
Eating This Many Chili Peppers Linked to Lower Risk of Dying From Heart Disease - Newsweek

Various studies have affirmed that red wine can benefit the circulatory system, thanks to the antioxidants in the grapes. Now a group of researchers has concluded that grapes might do wonders for the nations traffic arteries in winter and put them on a lower-salt diet.

In two years of laboratory testing, a deicing compound with a grape extract outperformed standard salt-brine solutions and others that use the increasingly popular beet juice which New Jersey uses when its especially cold the group reported in a paper published in the December issue of the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.

While "not a silver bullet, said study coauthor Xianming Shi, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and a national expert in winter road treatments. Its one step.

That would be one step toward . curbing salt use. Salt is tough on roads, not to mention vehicle undercarriages, and a threat to groundwater, so road departments and researchers have been looking for alternatives and finding some unusual ones.

Salt use has long been controversial. In the mid-19th century, New Yorkers complained that it ruined the streets for sleigh traffic.

It remains on the road-treatment table, however, because it is relatively inexpensive, although costs have been rising; plentiful; and it works.

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Traditionally, it has been used as deicer, designed to melt ice and snow. But an anti-icing movement has gained traction in the last 15 years, with more highway departments pretreating roads with a liquid/salt brine well before anything frozen falls from the skies.

The brine typically is a mix of water and plain old salt, with splashes of magnesium chloride in some cases.

The concept of concocting an ice-melting slurry has paved the way for experimentation with unlikely snow-fighting ingredients as researchers look for other options to keep roads, and the environment, as safe as possible.

PennDot has considered a variety of additives, and commissioned a study by Temple University researchers. The agencys conclusion? Salt is the most affordable and effective solution for winter highway maintenance, said spokesperson Alexis Campbell.

Pennsylvanias and other highway departments are being shortsighted, counters Shi. He coauthored a separate study that said salt use causes $5 billion in road and collateral damage annually.

By buying the more expensive product you save money in the long run, he argues. The hidden costs are not fully integrated into that decision-making."

Road departments would be better off going green by mining agricultural products from local sources that could not only serve as salt substitutes in the brine formulas but could make them more effective, ultimately reducing the need for salt on roads.

He gained a measure of celebrity five years ago while doing research for Alaska, where it does tend to get cold, by cooking up an effective ice-melt recipe that included leftover barley residue from vodka distilleries.

Polk County, Wis. where it got down to 17 below zero on Wednesday morning had substantial economic and salt-saving success for more than a decade with salt from cheese rinds, said county highway department chief Emil Moe Norby.

So just how might these alternatives work, and are they any better than plain rock salt?

The brine before the storm

When snow is in the forecast, the telltale signs of brine are appearing ever-more frequently on the roads in the form of what looks like plow (think agriculture, not snow) rows.

Usually that brine is a little less than one-quarter salt, or about eight times saltier than the average ocean.

Sparing our readers the physics, salt works by lowering the freezing temperature of water. Brine is preemptive.

It is still salt, with attendant harmful collateral effects, but it keeps snow and ice from bonding on the road surface; it tends to stay put, instead of bouncing around; and it can be a low-grade epoxy for the subsequent showers of salt crystals.

Laboratory studies have determined that various additives, such as Shis milled Concord-grape waste powder, could reduce the use of salt and lower the temperature at which snow and ice would freeze, and be gentler to the environment.

Using a recipe that was just under 1% of grape extract reduced the freezing temperature to 11 below, his team found

Norby, despite not wanting to indulge in upmanship, said his cheese variant could go even lower.

Looking for a way to cut back on salt and sand, Norby came up with the idea of experimenting with the salt brine that was a local dairys waste product.

He visited the plant and took home two 12-ounce containers of the brine and was sold on the concept after it survived two consecutive nights of low temperatures of 21 below.

The state environmental department signed off on the agreement, and the solution was strained and pumped into trucks and delivered to his plant. All his crews had to do was filter the mixture to remove any solid whey products.

He said the results were astounding, and he was able to cut back salt expenditures by 30%. And, no, it did not leave a cheese odor.

Unfortunately, the county is not using it this winter: The dairy was bought by a bigger outfit that closed the plant during the summer.

A public works in progress

That state of winter-road treatments has been ever-evolving.

Its part art, its part science, says David Hunt, communications director for the Wisconsin highway department.

New Jersey has found that a recipe that includes sugar-beet juice not only lowers the freezing temperature but its stickiness helps paved surfaces retain salt, said Transportation Department spokesperson Steve Schapiro.

No one has yet found that silver bullet, department officials say, and whats more, winter storms are idiosyncratic.

There is no single and ready-made best method for all circumstances, Shi and his associate wrote in that 2014 paper.

For example, plain salt isnt effective when the temperature drops below 15 degrees. Freezing rain and sleet present different challenges from snow. Brine is a waste when a storm starts as rain.

And while the alternatives might show promise, highway-treatment experts agree that salt will remain a significant part of roadbed diets for the foreseeable future.

Originally posted here:
To treat icy roads, highway agencies look to grapes, cheese, and vodka as alternatives to salt - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kumail Nanjiani looks like a new man after months and months of training and a strict nutrition regiment, which he says was no walk in the park ... for him or his wife.

The actor -- most famous for scrawny physique in "Silicon Valley" and "The Big Sick" -- posted two shirtless photos showing his now-ripped torso, and he's clearly been working out. He's got a six pack, a toned chest and super veiny arms now. Perfect for his new role in Marvel's upcoming "Eternals" movie -- in which he plays one of the superheroes.

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Kumail writes, "I never thought Id be one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless, but Ive worked way too hard for way too long so here we are." He went on to say he wanted to transform himself after being cast in the "Eternals" flick, adding, "I would not have been able to do this if I didnt have a full year with the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world." That would be Disney, of course ... also Marvel.

The guy also kept it real about the process, copping to the fact that he gets why he never looked like this before ... it's a ton of work, and requires Mickey-like resources to maintain.

Kumail went on to shout out a bunch of trainers and nutritionists who helped him along his journey ... and also his wife for putting up with his endless bitching about training and dieting.

Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek and a ton of other A-listers have also been announced as cast members for the new hero saga. Looks like it's shaping up well so far.

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Kumail Nanjiani Got Jacked for 'Eternals,' Keeps It Real on Process - TMZ

Nuts: Roasted chestnuts are a great suggestion. And nuts too as long as not salted are a good snack.

If youve had a big lunch, whats a better alternative to a turkey sandwich supper?

Give your body time to rest and recover. What I find is that its not the meal itself that is usually the biggest problem, its the cravings it creates following the meal. So opt for a lighter meal. Maybe soup, scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado, or some smoked salmon, poached eggs and asparagus, which is enough to keep you satiated but not to trigger the cravings at the next meal.

Lastly, if you fall off the diet wagon over the festive period, knowing that you can climb back on it is the most important thing. Dont beat yourself up and find the balance between indulging and overindulging. To get back on track, I would suggest:

1. Set fresh goals for 2020

2. Clean out the pantry

3. Get on top of your social calendar

4.Adopt a Mediterranean style of eating

View original post here:
How to have a merry 5:2 Christmas - the dos and don'ts of festive fasting - The Telegraph

With an increase in environmental awareness, some pet owners are opting for sustainable pet food and thats where insects come in! Several Dutch companies are harvesting grubs to make eco-friendly alternatives for pets, but are insects really worth all the hype?

Veganism is surging in popularity at the moment, but what about a plant-based diet for your pet? The meat industry is one of the worlds most polluting and through their meat-based diets, pets contribute to the environmental impact, too.

One study published in PLOS One estimated that pet food is responsible for around 25% of the environmental impact of the meat industry regarding land use, water, fossil fuels, phosphates and pesticides.

But veganism can be problematic for pets. Dogs and cats are carnivores by nature Meat delivers certain nutrients which dogs and cats cant make by themselves, says Ronald Corbee, a specialist in veterinary and comparative nutrition at Utrecht University.

Dogs and cats are adaptive carnivores, which means it is possible to take meat out of their diet. But making sure they get all the nutrients they need without meat is difficult, especially for cats who have strict dietary requirements.

These nutrients have an influence on body-functions, says Corbee, and in the long-run deficiencies can develop and that can cause adverse health effects.

The role of insects

So what is a environmentally friendly solution for your meat-loving pooch? That is where insects come into the picture.

The demand for sustainable alternatives has paved the way for companies like Protix that harvest the protein from insects to make a sustainable pet food, aquaculture and livestock feed. This summer, Protix opened the worlds largest insect farm in the south of the Netherlands and things are moving fast, with over 40 insect-producing companies in Europe and five in the Netherlands alone.

The insect farms themselves are far from traditional. The Protix facility is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and the farm looks more like a factory from the future. Eggs are laid by flies in breeding chambers bathed in neon green, artificial light. These are set at a temperature and moisture level optimal for the tropic black soldier flies, the insect of choice at Protix.

When these eggs hatch, the larvae is grown at the right temperature in big crates that are stacked on top of each other until they are ready to be turned into a protein paste.

Good grub?

Studies shows that insects are digestible and palatable for pets and insect protein has already been approved by the EU for pet food.

But some researchers think we need more data. Guido Bosch, an assistant professor at the animal nutrition group at Wageningen University says there definitely needs to be more research. I think, its a risk that they are taking. There should be more data on the long term effects of insect-based pet foods, he says.

In the US, he points out, AAFCO testing protocols involve testing foods on pets for at least six months while monitoring the impact on health. For companies without the proper research, there can be problems, he said. It can be opportunistic, and it might backfire on you if you dont have your homework done regarding nutritional quality and safety.

Companies like Protix feed their insects food waste to increase the sustainability of their company and Corbee agrees that research is limited. There is still a lot of things we dont know, he said. If we look at the studies done on insect protein in dogs and cats, there is not much out there yet. But its developing.

Sustainability

When comparing the insect industry to conventional meat industries, Protix argues that the difference is huge, the biggest of which is land usage.

Insects grow really quickly and they do not need much space to do so. You can grow one ton of insects in 14 days using a land area of only 20 square meters, says company marketing chief Elselina Battenberg. This is important since more land is used for grazing animals than any other purpose.

Water use and methane emission are much lower compared to traditional meat industries. There is also zero waste since all the waste products created in the farm are used for compost or fertilisers.

Per year, Protix is able to produce enough protein to feed five million salmon and produce 250 million eggs laid by chickens fed with insect protein. This means that Protix is both sustainable and able to compete with the mainstream industry.

But there are problems with sustainability for insect-producing industries too. Pet food producers who use sustainable insect protein can choose to add in extra animal-based ingredients to their products.

Both Bosch and Corbee point out it is common to coat pet food blocks with chicken fat or something else tasty for pets. So while companies like Protix can be dedicated to sustainability, it is important consumers are aware of what pet food producers do with the insect proteins.

In addition, while insects are more sustainable than the conventional meat industry, the meat used in pet food is usually a by-products that can not be consumed by humans

These parts have a low environmental impact and if you look into life-cycle analysis, then you can say that by-products have lower environmental footprint than the main products like meat, Bosch says. So if you want to say that insects are more sustainable then you have to compare them to these by-products and not to meat. And thats the tricky part.

Elselina Battenberg believes that the ultimate goal for insect-protein producers is to change the traditional meat industry all together. The development of insect protein in pet food and animal feed helps spurn on new discoveries in sustainable protein for humans, too.

There is a lot of work to be done to make the food system more in balance with nature, she says, and its very exciting to work on that.

DutchNews.nl has been free for 13 years, but now we are asking our readers to help. Your donation will enable us to keep providing you with fair and accurate news and features about all things Dutch. Donate via Ideal, credit card or Paypal.

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Kerri Kopp is an admitted Diet Coke fan. But even she has begun to dabble in something new from her team at Coca-Cola (KO).

I am a Diet Coke loyalist, and have been for many, many years. But when I reach for a flavor variety, I like the strawberry guava right now, Kopp, group director of Diet Coke, told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

Kopp is referring to Cokes new popular flavored Diet Coke line in sleek slim cans that were released in January 2018. And to be sure, that Diet Coke strawberry guava sheds light into one powerful trend in consumer products land at the moment.

Welcome to the Golden Age of the SKU, or more formally known among grocery store managers as stock-keeping units. SKUs are used for inventory purposes and to identify products being sold in stores. For instance, Coca-Cola Classic is one thing, but the 12 oz can and the 16 oz can would be considered two separate SKUs. Then add a 12 oz Coke Zero and a 16 oz Coke Zero and now were up to four SKUs.

Tasked with boosting sales and profits, executives at Americas biggest consumer packaged goods brands have begun inundating supermarket aisles and online shops with new products to satisfy needs that many people didnt even realize they had. Some of the snazzy new products are pretty impressive, and of course more often than not targeted to growing millennial families, folks that are environmentally conscious, workout enthusiasts and a yawning nation of snackers.

Newly designed Diet Coke cans, including the new flavors of Diet Coke, are shown in this photo, in New York, Monday, Jan. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

How about Kimberly-Clarks Huggies Special Delivery diaper? Dubbed the perfect diaper, the product is partially made out of plant-based materials and sugar cane. What millennial family isnt going to bite on that marketing hook going down the aisle, even if the diaper sells at a premium price to run of the mill doody rags? A one-month supply box of the Huggies Special Delivery diapers costs about $43.99 on Amazon and Walmart. Its one of Kimberly-Clarks most lucrative new products in years, CEO Mike Hsu recently hinted to Yahoo Finance. Kimberly-Clark (KMB) did not return a request to be interviewed for this story.

Or, take a ganderor sipof PepsiCo (PEP) Gatorades recent release of Bolt24. It promises advanced 24/7 hydration, has no artificial sweeteners or flavors and fewer carbs than standard Gatorade. Its targeted to workout buffs that arent keen on traditional Gatorades high carb count and artificial sweeteners and colors.

In 2020, Gatoradewill debut its first-ever caffeinated drinkto capitalize on the surging market for energy enhancing products, Gatorade Senior Vice President Brett OBrien told Yahoo Finance on Friday.

Again, SKU madness.

SKU madness has been a 2019 thing as the consumer economy has held strong. Consumers are armed with more cash, and consumer companies are coming up with new flavors and products to get people to spend.

(David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

But this wasnt the case in 2018. Last year, the Food Retailing Industry Speaks study reported a noticeably large dip in SKU counts. This years survey showed a slight uptick from that level, to 33,055.The Speaks study is a comprehensive annual research report that analyzes the state of the food retail industry.

Story continues

According to data compiled by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen, overall SKU counts at retailers actually declined in 2018 compared to a few years ago, as retailers moved to cut underperforming products from shelves. However, SKU counts are back on the rise.

The continued growth of omni-channel strategies and the popularity of smaller format stores appears to be having an impact on the average number of SKUs offered in typical food retail formats. These SKU counts have been on a general decline for the past decade, as assortments are optimized, according to The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2019 study. However, the picture is not one of a straight year-by-year decline.

While companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have added SKUs where it makes sensesee Gatorade and Diet Cokesome categories have seen a reduction in SKU counts. Big brands are more about swinging for home-runs in an emerging consumer case than blanketing aisles with products that are only slight upgrades.

It varies by category and some household categories have definitely contracted as a result. You just dont need that many flavors of bleach, Mark Baum, FMIs chief collaboration officer, told Yahoo Finance in an interview. Think about the chip aisle. We all love the chip aisle, and thats why thats an expandable category. So, weve gone from lets say a traditionally an end cap [the end of grocery aisles or edge of a display], to more than an entire aisle [at the store]. This is a really expandable category, again driven by consumer preferences.

Case in point of innovation down the chip aisle: a barrage of protein chips from upstart brands such as Protes and Quest. PepsiCos Frito-Lay is one of the bigger potato chip brands that is constantly releasing new seasonal chip flavors. In late August, a limited-edition Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Lays flavor hit store shelves.

A display of PepsiCo Frito-Lay potato chip snacks in a supermarket in New York. (Photo by Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty Images)

You can think about swinging for home runs down the candy aisle, too.

Candy giant Hershey (HSY) has been one of the more aggressive consumer products companies this year to bring new innovation to market. Or, in other words, clever and well-thought out new SKUs. Introductions have included Reeses Thins that target calorie counting snackers and Hershey Kisses with pretzels, because who isnt bullish on crunch nowadays.

One of the things we start off with is to look at the portfolio we have. We have a company that has been around for 125 years with iconic brands, and we continue to believe that the core of our portfolio really can continue on for that next 125 years if we find new ways to take our core and connect it with consumer needs, explains Hershey Vice President and General Manager of U.S. confection Chuck Raup. Reeses Thins fulfills what we call off the clock me time. What that really is at the end of the day a consumer has all their jobs done, there is this off the clock me time where I get to enjoy. Thats an underdeveloped opportunity for us.

From what consumer brands are reporting in their quarterly results this year, the proliferation of SKUs has helped the top and bottom lines. Coca-Colas third quarter sales and earnings beat Wall Street estimates on the back of new flavor variations of Diet Coke, smaller can sizes and zero sugar options.

Coke Zero Sugars volume alone is up 14% year-to-date through the third quarter.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told analysts that product innovation has played a major role in helping the legacy Coke brand stay relevant among consumers.

Consumer-centric innovation has been a key factor, especially over the last few years. This includes smaller packaging such as mini cans, which are growing at a rate of more than 15% year-to-date in the U.S., Quincey said.

Coke Energy is yet another new SKU for Coke. After successful tests in Europe this year, it will hit U.S. shelves in 2020. The goal: give someone more of a caffeine kick than a traditional can of Coke.

Over at PepsiCo, it highlighted mid-single digit revenue growth and improved market share trends for Gatorade in the third quarter. Innovation was the big reason why.

Were very happy with Gatorade. And with the performance of Gatorade in the sports drinks category, this quarter reflects both the additional investment weve made on core Gatorade, the great innovation behind Zero, which is really a very well received incremental innovation to the category, and now were starting to make some additional investments in that category with Bolt24. Were testing and learning and there will be a bigger roll out of that brand next year, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told analysts.

Shelves of sports drinks for sale in Winn Dixie. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Laguarta noted sales of Gatorade Zero have topped $500 million since its launch in May 2018.

As for Hershey, retail sales of Reesesa $2 billion a year plus businesssaw sales rise more than 6% in the quarter. In a nation of calorie cutters, thats impressive growth for good old fashioned chocolate.

The explosion of new products and flavors is unlikely to slow down anytime soon.

Consumer products companies are sitting on an ever rising amount of data on shopper habits, which is in large part fueling the introduction of, say, a seltzer with caffeine meant to be a zero calorie morning pick-me-up. More data, the easier it becomes to anticipate new consumer needs.

The needs of consumers also continue to evolve as they work longer hours to support growing families or near retirement.

Athletes needs are evolving so our portfolio needs look different from how it did 10 to 15 years ago, Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Hartshorn told Yahoo Finance in an interview. There are so many micro needs of various athletes. Thats our job, were constantly talking to athletes about how we can serve them.

In other words, expect more Gatorade flavors, more currently unforeseen profits from consumer products companies and who knows, maybe even higher stock prices.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and co-anchor ofThe First Tradeat Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter@BrianSozzi

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Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter:@heidi_chung.

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From fruit-flavored Coke to Hershey Kisses: The reason behind the flavor variety boom - Yahoo Finance