Category Archives: Diet And Food

POURING coffee into her handbag and using toothpaste for soap - this is what it's like to have dementia.

Life can be a puzzling struggle for 65-year-old Christine Karanges but she's determined to live the best she can, no matter what the disease does to her.

She helps raise money for dementia charities and even spent four years writing a book about her experiences with dementia.

"I was diagnosed when I was 58, the mother of 10 says.

"I knew there was something wrong with me but the mental health clinic thought I was crazy.

"I was losing myself, getting off at the wrong bus stop, trying to pay people at the shop when I'd already paid them, pouring coffee in my handbag, putting my keys on the bin.

"Once I even washed myself with toothpaste.

Ms Karanges is one of 413,000 Australians living with dementia.

NewsRegional analysis of Alzheimer's Australia data shows about 3393 Northern Rivers residents have the disease, costing our region about $120 million a year

By 2056, there will be 7638 local residents with dementia and by that stage the fatal illness will cost our region about $271.5 million annually.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain.

It is the second leading cause of death in our country.

Changing the way we live can reduce the impact of the disease

University of Canberra research shows if Australia can reduce the number of people with the disease by 5%, the country would save $120 billion by 2046.

"A whole-of-community approach to risk reduction, and better coordinated care, along with a boost to research, is going to be needed if we are to curb the rise in people living with dementia by 2056, UC National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) Professor Laurie Brown said.

Alzheimer's Australia national CEO Maree McCabe said getting more Northern Rivers residents to reassess their diet and exercise levels would help reduce the disease locally.

"Dementia has a significant impact on the economy and there are also significant personal and social impacts, Ms McCabe said.

"The main way to lower the cost is reduction and prevention.

"There is evidence that diet and exercise are important in reducing your risk of getting dementia.

"We know that if we can delay the onset of dementia by just five years there would be millions of people who would ... never get dementia.

Local dementia professional Dr Hugh Fairfull-Smith said a new dementia screening service was helping local residents with the disease get an "adequate diagnosis.

"There are three geriatricians in the health district who are doing the diagnosis, the Northern NSW Local Health District geriatrician said.

"The screening service means GPs send us a letter about their patients so a neuropsychologist can do some basic testing to give us an indicator as to whether the person has a real memory problem.

"That helps us work out whether the person needs more tests and whether they have dementia.

Breaking down the barriers and reducing stigma

STIGMA is one of the hardest things to overcome for people with dementia and for their carers.

Misconceptions about the disease can have a major impact on how our community responds to people with the disease and negative attitudes can lead to residents with the illness avoiding vital socialisation activities.

"Most people are still quite capable of doing loads of things after they are diagnosed, Dr Fairfull-Smith said.

"It's about not trying to make someone an invalid when they are not in that position.

"It can take 10 or so years before you get to that point.

Dr Fairfull-Smith said the region had support services and education programs including activity groups and socialisation options.

He said caring for carers was once of the most important things our community could do for those with dementia.

"Carers have to change and adapt, Dr Fairfull-Smith said.

"Not everyone wants time out - there's no blanket thing that helps everyone all the time so it's a case of having a range of options available for them.

"Education and counselling are important for carers - it's important for carers to get together and share experiences.

"That's more powerful than coming to see the doctor.

Caring for a loved one with dementia is the hardest thing

NOT being able to hold a conversation with her dad is the hardest part of watching dementia take hold, Karen Bond says.

Ron Rendell, an electrical engineer in his younger years, is a smart and doting dad who loves a chat with his family.

But a series of silent strokes eight years ago left the now 84-year-old with vascular dementia.

While Ron's wife Ivy is his primary carer, his daughter Karen, Karen's husband Royce and her brother Aaron Rendell are always willing to lend a hand.

"The loss of the ability to communicate has been very hard - dad can express himself using hand and arm gestures but he cannot explain what he may want or need, Karen said.

"This was especially difficult as up until about a year ago he was alert mentally and able to drive safely.

"Dad was very distressed about the illness and its effect - he was in tears as he tried to explain to me once how he felt about it.

As the caring role becomes more difficult for 82-year-old Ivy, the family has had to make a difficult decision.

"We are currently in the process of putting dad into full time care in a dementia unit because he is requiring a much greater level of care than what mum can provide, Karen said.

"We know this is potentially quite confusing and distressing for him and fear it may cause another downhill slide in his condition.

Despite the hard times, Karen said it was vital for others to realise that people with dementia deserved to lead fulfilling lives.

"Although the effect of the disease is horrible, the people who have it are not, she said.

"They can be wonderful to be around and usually react quite positively to attention.

"They react well to visitors who can provide interest and stimulation to their day.

Christine faces everyday challenges with a little help from family

Despite to the challenges thrown up by dementia, Christine Karanges is still able to look after herself with a little help from one of her children and a part-time carer who helps her with housework and takes her shopping.

She said she was determined to avoid moving into a nursing home.

"I went into an aged care home when I was 60 but after 18 months I nearly did the unthinkable - I nearly took my own life, Ms Karanges said.

"Now I live in my own unit.

"I don't want to go back to the home but it's getting to the stage where my health issues mean I might have no choice.

Before then though, Ms Karanges says she's got her heart set on ticking a few things off her bucket list - going to Grafton's Jacaranda Festival and Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers.

"I was always a keen gardener, she says.

Her book, Tears and Laughter of Dementia and Alzheimer's: The Christine Karanges Story, may be available from your library.

Dementia village offers a new way of living

AS our dementia rates increase over the coming 40 years, aged care providers are looking to find innovative ways to care for people with the disease.

Leading the way is the Sunshine Coast's NoosaCare, which plans to open Australia's first dementia village in the near future.

The concept will provide accommodation, support, stimulating environments and fun social options - including a caf and a bar - for people at every stage of the disease.

The idea is to ensure residents can live safe fulfilling lives with plenty of stimulation so they can stay healthier longer.

Based around a similar village in Holland, the facility builds on NoosaCare's innovative 32-bed memory support unit that boasts its own beach, river, rainforest and rural settings.

"We want to provide our residents with the same sort of lifestyle they had while living in the community, NoosaCare manager Sandra Gilbert said.

"The aggression and medications have dropped dramatically since we opened the memory support unit - people who come to visit it say it's peaceful.

"You don't know who the staff are and who the residents are.

Plans for the village are before the Sunshine Coast Council.

"The memory support unit is quite ground-breaking and if I opened another tomorrow I could fill it tomorrow afternoon, Ms Gilbert said.

How toy dogs, cats and babies are changing lives

REALISTIC baby dolls and robotic pets that purr and bark are improving the lives of people with dementia.

Diversional therapist Jenny Hamilton discovered the benefits of "activity and care products when she was supporting her own mother through the middle to late stages of dementia.

Ms Hamilton operates a business called Just a Memory Australia to supply her innovative products to aged care services across the country.

The cats will purr when petted and they even roll over for a belly rub.

The dog toy barks and has a heartbeat.

The toys "fall asleep when they are not being handled.

Ms Hamilton said the toys helped people with dementia communicate with others and they stirred up long forgotten "deep emotions of nurturing.

She said the toys also reduced anxiety and distress and brought back positive memories.

"People with dementia don't seem to mind that they are not real, she said.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA?

SOURCE: http://www.fightdementia.org.au

- NewsRegional

Read more:
The puzzling truth behind Lismore's hidden epidemic - Northern Star

krutar/shutterstockIts no secret by now that eating too much salt can wreak havoc on your body.But what the heck is iodized salt, and should you be buying it?

For starters, iodine is an element that regulates your thyroid glands, stimulates brain development, and naturally detoxes your body.Most adults need about 150 mcg of iodine per day in order to avoid a deficiency, according to experts.Thankfully, the National Institutes of Healths Office of Dietary Supplements say that Americans and Europeans arewhats called iodine sufficient, meaning their dietis varied enough to provide the necessary levels of iodine. Thats true even if they dont use iodized salt, according to the Institutes research.

But dont relaxjust yet. Iodine deficiencies can be pretty scary, and if you are pregnant, you need to be particularly cautious. The need for iodine increases during pregnancy, because low iodine levels can endanger your babys mental development. Doctors often advise pregnant women to eat dairy products and take vitamin supplements, but you should see your own doctor before making any radical changes to your diet. (Still, you can safely stick with these snacks to eat while pregnant.)

For everyone else, you need not worry too much about your iodine levels. And while its true that you can get your daily intake of iodine from iodized salt, thats not alwaysthe healthiest solution. To reach the recommended level, you would need to eat more than half a teaspoon of iodized salt a day, which is two-thirds of the daily amountof sodium (1,500 milligrams) recommended by the American Heart Association. (These are thesigns youre eating too much sodium.)

Experts recommend gettingyour iodine from food, instead.Good sources of iodineother than iodized salt, of courseinclude fish, dairy products, grains like bread, and fruits and vegetables. Multivitamin pills and seaweed are also rich in iodine. Make any or all of these foods a staple in your diet, andrest assured youre well on your way to an iodine-sufficient life.

Now that your mind is in the kitchen, check out the real difference between baking power and baking soda.

See original here:
Iodized Salt Is No Longer a Required Part of a Healthy DietHere's Why - Reader's Digest

Losing weight is tough. It would be easier if a benevolent someone concerned about your health controlled exactly how much you ate and how often you exercised, right? Thats the situation for most dogs and cats in the United States, and yet the majority are overweight or obese.

As with our own dieting woes, the unpleasant prospect of the simple solution feeding our furry friends less makes us reach for alternative, quick-fix strategies. Many pet parents have turned to radically new menus. These grain-free, all-meat and raw-food diets are inspired by the meals eaten by wild relatives of our fidos and felixes.

But are these diets really better for our pets? Veterinarians and pet nutrition researchers say probably not.

According to clinical veterinary nutritionists at Tufts University, grain-free foods were one of the fastest-growing sectors of the pet food market in 2016. All I ever hear is, oh, on a good diet, its grain free, said Dena Lock, a veterinarian in Texas. The majority of her pet patients are overweight.

Why have these pet diets become so popular?

Its a marketing trend, Lock said.

Grain-free is marketing. Its only marketing, said Cailin Heinze, a small-animal nutritionist at Tufts Universitys Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. A lot of foods market themselves by what theyre not including, and the implication is that the excluded ingredient must be bad.

Grain-free is definitely a marketing technique that has been very successful, said Jennifer Larsen, a clinical nutritionist at the University of California Veterinary School in Davis. (Disclosure: I went to graduate school at the University of California at Davis, but studied plants, not pets.) People think that if they pay a lot for food and there are a lot of exclusions on the bag, that the food is healthier, but theyre buying an idea, she said, not necessarily a superior product.

There is absolutely no data to support the idea that grain-free diets are better for pets, Heinze and Larsen noted.

Some pet owners have a false impression that grains are more likely to cause an allergic reaction, but its much more common for dogs to have allergies to meat than to grain, Heinz said. Chicken, beef, eggs, dairy and wheat are the most common allergies in dogs. And its not that theres anything particularly allergenic about these foods, she said, theyre just the most frequently used ingredients.

Marketing campaigns such as Blue Buffalos Wilderness or Chewys Taste of Wild claim that their grain-free, meat-forward formulations better reflect the ancestral diets of our dogs and cats evolutionary predecessors, but the veterinarians I spoke with also questioned this logic.

For one, our pets wild cousins arent all that healthy. People believe that nature is best, Larsen said, but animals in the wild dont live that long, and they dont lead very healthy lives.

For dogs, we know that they have diverged from wolves genetically in their ability to digest starches. Dogs arent wolves, said Robert Wayne, a canine geneticist at UCLA. They have adapted to a human diet. Research in Waynes lab showed that most wolves carry two copies of a gene involved in starch digestion, while dogs have between 3 and 29 copies. According to Heinze, the average dog can easily handle 50 percent of its diet as carbs.

For cats, this argument makes a little more sense. Cats are carnivores rather than omnivores, so they have higher protein requirements than dogs, but cats can digest and utilize carbohydrates quite well, said Andrea Fascetti, a veterinary nutritionist at the University of California Veterinary School in Davis.

Many grain-free pet foods are made with starch from potatoes or lentils and they may be higher in fat. If you cut grains but increase calories, your pet is going to gain weight, Heinze said.

Dogs and cats also have a drastically different lifestyle from wolves or tigers. Pets are almost always spayed and neutered which is in itself a risk factor for obesity. And most live inside or in pens, so their energy needs are reduced dramatically.

In the wild, wolves and feline predators eat the hair, bones and cartilage of their prey, not just meat. For pet owners who do choose to feed their animals an all-meat diet, its essential to add supplements to make sure their pet isnt missing out on key nutrients such as calcium, Fascetti said. And theres the environmental impact to consider: Pets consume a quarter of all animal-derived calories in the United States.

Experts especially caution against feeding pets raw meat. Its not uncommon to find things like salmonella and E. coli and listeria in raw meat, Larsen said. There are a lot of microbes present in our farming systems, and unlike when an animal is hunting in the wild, there are many opportunities for bacteria to contaminate meat between the time an animal is slaughtered and when it reaches our kitchens.

Even if eating contaminated meat doesnt make pets sick, it poses a health risk to pet owners and their children who handle the pet food and waste. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration both warn against feeding raw meat to your pets, and I really cant advocate it, because its not safe for the whole family, Heinze said.

But what about all those benefits you hear about from feeding a raw diet, like shiny coats and less frequent stools? I cant tell you how many clients send me pictures of poop, Larsen said. But changes to a pets bathroom habits dont have anything to do with their food being raw.

Raw diets tend to be lower in fiber, and high fiber probably results in larger stools. But we dont have a sense of whether stool quality and quantity correlate with health, Fascetti said. And that shiny coat probably is because of high fat, Heinze said.

If pet owners wish to formulate their own diets, they should work with their veterinarian and a board-certified nutritionist. If youre feeding your pet a balanced diet such as in a commercial chow, obesity is the biggest nutrition issue pet owners should worry about, Heinze said.

We want our pets to enjoy what theyre eating, so many foods and especially treats are formulated to be high in fat, Larsen said. Most people dont realize that a milk bone has about as many calories as a candy bar, Lock said.

I know the struggle. My own hefty husky mix stares at me with her big brown eyes and licks the window whenever she wants food. Ive taken to calling the dental chews I buy her guilt-a-bones, because I cant help but give her one every time I leave.

But studies have found that feeding dogs to maintain a lean body weight has positive effects on their overall health and can even increase life span. This is also the case in mice and rats, and we believe that these findings apply to cats as well, Fascetti said.

Theres no one magic diet for every animal. These experts strongly recommend working with a veterinarian to find a diet that works for your pet. When it comes to navigating marketing claims in the pet food aisle, Lock suggests finding a company that employs a veterinary nutritionist and does feeding trials. Try not to get too hung up on the no list, Heinze said. Claims like no gluten, no grains and no soy generally mean no science.

The fork ratings are based primarily on food quality and preparation, with service and atmosphere factored into the final decision. Reviews are based on one unsolicited, unannounced visit to the restaurant.

Read more:
Grain-free pet foods are no healthier, vets say - WatertownDailyTimes.com

Fitness guru Paul MacGregor explains how adopting a healthy diet can help you lose weight in the long term

OKAY. We have talked about having a healthy diet over the past few months, and, although I thought this was an easy idea to understand, it seems to have confused a lot of people, judging by the amount of emails Ive had.

Dieting is a way to lose weight over a fairly short term, and by definition the fact that we go on a diet means that we will come off it at some point. The obvious question is then what next? When I talk about a healthy diet this is not a short term plan it is a plan that will make you healthier, happier and fitter for the rest of your life. An example of this is a client who has been on a diet trying to lose weight for a wedding. Wedding over, diet

When I talk about a healthy diet this is not a short term plan it is a plan that will make you healthier, happier and fitter for the rest of your life. An example of this is a client who has been on a diet trying to lose weight for a wedding. Wedding over, diet finished, weight back on. The whole point of the exercise was missed. Does that ring any bells? Im sure you have a friend who has done the same.

Im asked a lot: What is the best diet? What is the best way to lose weight? The answer is easy change to a healthy diet. You may not get results as quickly as by starving yourself, but it is a much better way to become healthier, and you have a lot more time to get to your target weight. A weight-loss

A weight-loss programme should have you shedding no more than two kilos per week, and one kilo per week is even better. So when you work out how long it will take before you can get into those jeans, that is how long it will take.

If that isnt quick enough for you, you should have started earlier! A weight-loss programme should be advised by a qualified health professional, not by friends at the pub or colleagues at work. What works for someone may not necessarily work for you.

What works for someone may not necessarily work for you.Even your health professional may need to try more than one approach, but they have the science to rely on. The internet,

The internet, magazines, and other people are full of information about diets and ways to lose weight, and although these may seem to have credible statistics behind them they may not be right for you. Become healthier forever, dont diet to lose weight.I also often hear I just want to tone up, I just want to lose a bit off my bum, or I just want a bit of a six pack. But working to lose weight off one part of the body is impossible in a healthy and non-surgical way. Everybodys body is different and we all store fat in slightly different ways. Fat is stored in various parts of our body and depends on age, sex, lifestyle and many more factors. Hormones can play a huge part in fat storage and where it is placed.

But working to lose weight off one part of the body is impossible in a healthy and non-surgical way. Everybodys body is different and we all store fat in slightly different ways. Fat is stored in various parts of our body and depends on age, sex, lifestyle and many more factors. Hormones can play a huge part in fat storage and where it is placed.

Fat is stored in various parts of our body and depends on age, sex, lifestyle and many more factors. Hormones can play a huge part in fat storage and where it is placed.

Once again (this just seems to keep coming up) a healthier balanced diet can help with this problem a lot easier than having to do 100 ab crunches every day. Our bodies are very complex machines and are unique. For instance, a vitamin deficiency can be the cause of fat being stored in certain places. So with the best will in the world, until you solve your vitamin problem you just aint going to shift it.

For instance, a vitamin deficiency can be the cause of fat being stored in certain places. So with the best will in the world, until you solve your vitamin problem you just aint going to shift it.It is always worth seeing a nutritionist who can help you with these problems and advise you on a more balanced diet. Adding certain foods to your diet may the problem alone. You never saw that one coming did you??!!

Adding certain foods to your diet may the problem alone. You never saw that one coming did you??!!

So its simple. Get healthy. Get qualified professional help. Up your exercise. Sleep more and avoid stress. Doing that will make you happier and healthier. Its that simple. If you need help you can email me at wearefitandhappy@gmail.com

If you need help you can email me at wearefitandhappy@gmail.com

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Ditch the fad diets and lose weight in the long term - Gibraltar Olive Press (blog)

Jamie-Lynn Sigler admits she didnt have the best eating habits growing up.

In the current issue of PEOPLE,the Entourage and Sopranos star opens up about how, as a mom, she had to go against the grain of her own childhood palate for the sake of her sonBeau Kyle, 4 this month.

I would drink a lot of soda and eat sugary things, explains Sigler, 36. Vegetables and fruits were never things I reached for.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter.

RELATED VIDEO: Jamie-Lynn Sigler Opens Up About Baby Bedtime Battles that End in Tears

But about a year after welcoming Beau with husbandCutter Dykstra in August 2013, the actress realized her son was looking to her for guidance on how to model his own food choices.

He was always looking at my plate to see what I was eating, so I made a conscious effort to change, Sigler tells PEOPLE.

FROM PEN:Former Bachelorette Deanna Stagliano is Already Dreading her Infant Sons Future Wedding

RELATED:Jamie-Lynn Sigler on Parenting with Multiple Sclerosis: My Son Gives Me a Reason to Look Forward to Every Single Day

The star who announced last month shes expecting a second son says Beau likes to help, so she found something they could make together: smoothies.

I just hold the blender and he throws the ingredients in, says Sigler. Beau feels so involved and has a nutrient-dense, filling meal before he goes to school and I have some of it too!

For more from other celeb parents about fun activities to do with your kids, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

Here is the original post:
Jamie-Lynn Sigler Reveals How She Changed Her Diet for Her Son: He 'Was Always Looking at My Plate' - PEOPLE.com

This is the diet that has absolutely nothing to do with eating but thats proven to be way more effective in getting you healthy than any other regimen.

According to a study published in The Lancet, sleep is crucial for metabolic function and hormone stability. Hormones and metabolism play a pivotal role in health, affecting everything from diabetes prevention to heart disease risk.

When participants sleep was restricted, they experienced an increase in stress hormones and a decrease in the speed of their metabolism.

Another study found that a lack of sleep contributed to a sharp decrease in leptin the hormone responsible for regulating fat storage. They also witnessed an increase in ghrelin a hormone that increases appetite.

If youre not sleeping enough, youre obviously going to be tired. Your body is going to get stressed and start sending signals to your body to put on weight. The weight, from your bodys perspective, is there as a reservoir of energy. When you feel tired, its suspicious that it might need it.

You dont have to cut the carbs off your hamburger, start drinking wellness shots that taste more like grass than juice, or choke down harsh sips of apple cider vinegar to foster a better relationship with your body.

All you have to do is simple: Sleep.

Not before you eat, not excessively, not five times a day, or whatever other wild ideas are ricocheting through your mind.

Just sleep enough. And sleep well.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Thats where the concept of the diet comes in. Diets are often seen as temporary a short-term set of rules to carry you through a healthy change or two that hopefully sticks after its over, when the clock strikes midnight and boom you can eat pasta again.

With food, diets dont work. Theyre often extreme, restrictive, and leave you drooling desirously over a cupcake you never even blinked at before. That doesnt happen on a sleep diet. You dont crave consciousness when you start to get enough sleep. If youre somehow taking it to the extreme (i.e., getting too much sleep) youll just wake up. Its the equivalent of accidentally eating a doughnut if youve gone too far and prohibited dessert.

The sleep diet, if done effectively, works. Its just not easy. Heres how to do it:

1. Set a time frame for the diet. One week is a good place to start.

2. Set your own rules. How much sleep do you want to get each night? Figure out the bedtime you would need to follow to accomplish the desired number of hours. Write it down.

3. For the time frame of your diet, stick to your bedtime. Thats the only rule to which this diet adheres. Its easy to remember, but surprisingly difficult to do.

But before you say, No, I cant do that, think about it for a second. Is it any harder than a typical diet? With those, you often have to eliminate entire sectors of your life. Happy hour with your coworkers? No drinking. Birthday cake with the kids for their birthday? Not for you!

Why do we perceive sleep as more extreme than those other restrictions restrictions that arent even all that good for you?

Sleep, on the other hand, is great for you. With a few extra hours of rest under your belt, youre likely to gravitate naturally towards your healthiest weight and feel much better, too.

If youre having trouble actually falling asleep once youve turned the lights out, try one of these natural remedies to help you sleep well.

More here:
A Sleep Diet Is the Number One Way to Your Healthiest Body Yet - The Daily Meal

This is scary to consider, but what if we still haven't seen the best of David Johnson? What if Johnson, who cemented his status as the best all-around back in football by leading the league in yards from scrimmage last year, is still getting better?

It's certainly possible. According to the Cardinals' running back, he feels more energized and less fatigued this summer after he changed his diet a month ago.

As ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported on Thursday, Johnson eliminated meat from his diet and switched to a plant-based diet after he watched two documentaries on Netflix.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Johnson said. "I thought it would definitely be hard just because, as Americans, we're taught to eat a whole bunch of meat. It's not even just eating meat, it's the portions. What I've learned is that we're taught eating like 24 ounces of steak is a manly thing, when really you're only supposed to eat 8 to 10 as a portion."

The two documentaries? "What the Health" and "Forks Over Knives."

Johnson did introduce meat back into his diet, though, after he lost too much weight. According to ESPN, he reported to training camp at 223 pounds. Still, he's not consuming large portions of meat anymore.

"We've learned that meat is bad for you," he said. "But it's really where you get the meat from and how much you eat of that meat in each sitting, because most Americans eat lunch, dinner, supper and it's always meat and it's always a huge portion. We're just learning about that stuff."

Johnson will need to be at his best this year if he's going to meet his goal of becoming the third player in NFL history to accumulate 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He'll also need to be energized as the Cardinals are aiming for Johnson to average 30 touches per game, which has only happened once in NFL history.

Johnson is hardly the only NFL player to cut back on meat. According to Tom Brady's personal chef, 80 percent of what Brady eats is vegetables. The other 20 percent is lean meat. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers once told ESPN that he eats a "vegan diet with some red meat at times and some chicken." Colin Kaepernick's vegan diet has been well documented.Those are just a few examples.

One person who won't be joining in on the plant-based approaches? Johnson's coach, Bruce Arians. On Friday, Arians told ESPN he followed a vegan diet for 27 days due to his doctor's orders. When he was asked what he enjoyed about the diet, Arians said, "Nothing."

Read more:
David Johnson eliminated most meat from his diet after watching two documentaries - CBSSports.com

I have always enjoyed the chicken versus egg question. Which came first? One chicken or egg question I hear quite frequently, in my line of work, is the sugar or depression question.

Was it the depression that, through the act of self-medication, caused increased sugar to be consumed? Or was it the act of eating sugar that caused the depression?

It seems this chicken or egg question has been answered by a recent study, titled the Whitehall II study. A research team from the University College of London collected data on over 10,000 men and women over the course of 30 years.

Their analysis compared amounts of sugar intake with the time of the diagnosis of depression or other mood disorders.

According to their data, high sugar-intake caused the changes in mental function that we call depression and mood disorders.

I would be very slow to hang my hat on one study.

However, it does, once again, place emphasis on the fact that a diet high in sugar can be detrimental far beyond concerns of the waistline.

Next time you're feeling down, and feel the need to self-medicate, go for a walk outside or play a game with a loved one. The side effects of this form of self-medication have benefits that far outweigh any risks.

Read the original here:
Study touches on how diet high in sugar might affect mood - Idaho State Journal

Today is National Ice Cream Pie Day. (Its also the third week of National Crayon Collection Month, but whos counting?) You know whose arteries ice cream pie is good for? No one. Plain and simple. But Habit, one of the latest disrupters in the food tech sector, suggests we rethink the very notion of foods that are good for everyone or bad for everyone. Its part of a movement toward what is called personalized nutrition.

Habit, based in the San Francisco Bay area, tests for biomarkers and genetic variants using samples you provide, then generates a personalized report about how your body responds to food. Its your unique nutrition blueprint. Then the company pairs you with a nutrition coach and offers you custom-made meals, containing your ideal ratio of carbs, fats and protein, delivered to your home. All in the name of sending you on the path to a new you.

[Breakfast was the most important meal of the day until America ruined it]

I had to see for myself. So I endured the home test and shipped off my blood and DNA samples. (Gulp.) Then the companys chief executive walked me through the results of my newfound eater identity, and I observed how the diagnosis began to affect my relationship with food. Heres what happened and what it could mean for the future of eating in America.

Digesting the news

The Habit home kit is not for the faint of heart. After fasting for 10 hours, you answer lots of deeply personal questions, scrub DNA samples from your cheeks and puncture your fingertips with a self-pricking button (technical term: lancet). This sounds rough, but my lowest moment is actually chugging their special Habit Challenge Shake. It clocks in at 950 calories, 75 grams of sugar and 130 percent of daily saturated fat intake. It has a taste and smell I can only liken to Kahla. It makes me feel god-awful while drinking it nose pinched, pinkie out, face scrunched and even worse afterward. It was bad enough I had sacrificed my Saturday morning frittata ritual.

By the third blood sample, my dining table looks like a crime scene. Ive got bandages on two fingers, mini disinfectant pads strewn around, and cherry red blood dripping down my forearm. Im angling my elbow like a helicopter hovering over the little blood collection card, just trying to fill the darn box one last time so I can move on with my day. Finally, I pack it up and mail it all off in a rather alarming biohazard bag. The whole ordeal takes about three hours and costs $309.

[No food is healthy. Not even kale.]

Im told Ill receive my results in a few weeks. While I wait, I wander back to the Habit website and take a closer look at those pages and pages of fine print. I start to have second thoughts at sentences like, You may experience stress, anxiety, or emotional or physical discomfort when you learn about health problems or potential health problems.

Then theres this: Recommendations regarding diet provided to you may or may not be beneficial to you and may cause or exacerbate certain medical problems.

Say what?

Thankfully, when the results come in, I get labeled a Range Seeker. In official Habit-speak, it means you can be flexible with your macronutrient intake and thrive on a range of foods. Well, thats a relief.

[Heres how much giving up beef helps or doesnt help the planet]

There are seven Habit types, each with dozens of more specific sub-variations, varying from Slow Seeker (best suited for foods rich in fiber and carbs that are absorbed slowly) to Fat Seeker (fat is a valuable fuel source for you). Along with receiving your tribal designation, youre assigned a personalized eating plan, depicting your ideal plate, suggested nutrient goals and daily calorie target.

Id be lying if I said the results havent been affecting my food choices, or at least the way I feel about my food choices. For instance, since being told I have a genetic risk variant associated with slow production of omega-3s, I have been seeking salmon like a grizzly bear. Apparently, Im also genetically predisposed to caffeine sensitivity. Many a morning, this news has me sitting at my desk thinking I must be tripping out on my cup of joe despite the fact that I have consumed the exact same amount of coffee every day of my adult life.

Conviviality, an endangered species

On the face of it, personalized nutrition makes sense. Why wouldnt I want to understand the unique dietary yearnings and land mines of my own DNA? Many people seem to feel that the existing national dietary guidance of one-size-fits-all has failed them. Theyre sick, and theyre confused about what to buy and what to order.

But in reducing food to individualized nutrient optimization equating food with fuel, really what are we sacrificing? What are the implications for our food culture and the future of dining? Oh, gosh, Id love to go out for sushi with you, but I have to scurry home to my prearranged Range Seeker box in the fridge.

[Why your humble bowl of oatmeal could help feed a growing planet]

Neil Grimmer, Habits founder and chief executive, recognizes that food is social. He tells me that it knots us together culturally, so Habit is in the process of facilitating online communities for people with the same Habit type. Through a private Facebook page, they could share tips and the like. Its better than going it alone, I guess, but a far cry from actually sharing a meal.

Remember the $300 you put down for the home test? It includes a coaching session, so a nutritionist helps you put all your information into practice. During my session, Jae Berman, a registered dietitian, nutritionist and head coach of Habit, is a great help. But things dont look so rosy when I ask her how Im supposed to integrate Habit into regular life.

The family conversation has been one of the most common questions we have gotten, she says. It doesnt occur to me as a problem because I just want people to take ownership of their story ... have the empowerment to say, This is what my plate looks like; thats what your plate needs to look like, and move on. Even, she says, if that means everyone at the table eating something different. Have you ever tried being the short-order cook in that scenario? It all but requires outsourcing the meal making.

Imagine, Berman says, a mom whos stressed out, with kids running around, a husband who is a rail, all the while she has no time for herself, is struggling with her weight, and trying to figure out what on earth to cook for dinner. Most people dont want to talk about uncomfortable things, Berman says. But let your kids eat mac and cheese, let your husband do what he needs, and let you have this plate for your dinner. You dont need to do anything its going to show up at your door.

This desire to customize our food experiences stems from the uniquely American trait of individualism. Often subconscious, its a desire to be exceptional, distinct from those around us, as opposed to being part of a larger collective. By contrast, many other cultures around the world are characterized by interdependence. It turns out, individualism shapes our eating habits in stunning ways, from the rise of solo dining to customization as a firmly expected attribute of eating out.

Habit is the latest example of a new technology enabling that innate premium on personalization, and over time, these tools are pulling us further and further from the table. Think smartphones making us feel less alone while eating alone, and mobile ordering apps allowing us to tailor our meal delivery times and our restaurant orders with greater precision. With roughly half of all eating occasions now taking place when were by ourselves, were getting less and less practiced at eating with others.

This reality has major implications for our food culture, and for the rising rates of social isolation in the United States. You know what the single greatest predictor of happiness is? Social connectedness. And guess what: Its one of the greatest predictors of longevity, too.

Of course I want people to eat food thats right for them. But we also have to ask ourselves: Which is really going to make us live longer, and live better? The ability to pay more granular attention to our triglyceride levels, or the more holistic benefits of eating with family and friends?

My grandmother turned 100 this year. Between the birthday parties and the bridge club, her standing dinner dates and the three times a day she picks up her neighbors in their retirement home hallway to take their walkers down to the dining hall, a thriving social life is Almas secret to a long life. Whether Im chomping on my salad, face glued to my iPhone, or waving off her breakfast offer by citing the low-glycemic Kind bar I just finished off, she tells me time after time: Shed take the cake and the friendships any day.

Egan is author of Devoured: How What We Eat Defines Who We Are (William Morrow/HarperCollins), recently released in paperback.

See the article here:
I sent in my DNA to get a personalized diet plan. What I discovered disturbs me. - Washington Post

At 75 years young, Annette Larkins says the key to radiant youthfulness and physical vitality is a raw vegan diet.

"I know that I'm not going to live forever, but I'm forever trying to live well," Annette said.

She's been a vegetarian for 54 years, but over the last 30 years she has perfected her raw vegan diet. Her plant-based diet does not include any animal products. The food she eats is unprocessed and uncooked. Her dishes include vegetarian nut loaf, zucanni chips, and savory okra crisps. Annette says it's never too late to reap the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

"If you eat something in it's natural raw state, opposed to processing it and cooking it, I think it stands to reason that you'll get more nutrients, Annette said. Your enzymes are intact. That's why I eat the way I do. I may not be considered vegan in all areas because I do consume honey."

Annette has written three journey to health books and appeared on multiple television and radio shows, including "The Steve Harvey Show" and the "Tom Joyner Morning Show."

"I don't consider it a secret. It's my lifestyle," Annette said.

Most of her vegetables and cooking ingredients are grown in her backyard in Miami-Dade County. Growing season in South Florida is from October to May. During this time Annette's garden is full of lettuce, tomatoes, and ginger. Caring for her garden keeps Annette busy.

"You know, I get in like 1,800 steps per day," Annette said.

Amos Larkins is Annette's husband. At 84 years old he takes medication for high blood pressure and diabetes. He only recently caught the vegan bug after 58 years of marriage. Amos wishes he started decades ago after noticing a big difference.

"Oh my God, everything is better. My blood pressure everything," said Amos.

Published at 4:57 PM EDT on Aug 18, 2017 | Updated at 6:45 PM EDT on Aug 18, 2017

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75-Year-Old Woman Defies Aging Process With Raw Vegan Diet - NBC 6 South Florida