Category Archives: Diet And Food

In the diet world, a new buzzword is emerging: lectins. Have you heard of lectins? Ten years ago, you probably hadnt heard of gluten, either. Going lectin-free is primed to become the next big thing in dieting, but this diet seems more fad than fact.

Lectins are a type of protein found in many foods including grains and beans. As isolated compounds, they have been researched for many years and can have positive and negative health effects. While some lectins are highly toxic, others are benign.

The problem is that online health gurus are painting all lectins with the same brush, and playing up the negative effects without the evidence to back it up. Saying all lectins are poison is akin to saying that you shouldnt eat button mushrooms because some foraged mushrooms are toxic. It makes no sense.

What the online rhetoric doesnt mention is that North Americans actually dont ingest a lot of lectins, so the problems they cite linking lectins to obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammation may be way overblown. Before you fall for any pseudo-advice, here are the facts.

Theres more than one type of lectin, and different ones can do different things. Scientists are still trying to map out all of the lectins and what they are capable of. And unlike handy lists of how much iron or vitamin C is found in certain foods, there arent easy-to-access lists of the amount of lectins in food, and what each one does.

Without getting too technical, lectins help cells stick together. Research shows that lectins may have some benefits they are antimicrobial, help the immune system and have anti-cancer potential. But the same stickiness also makes them act as anti-nutrients, which hinder the bodys absorption of certain vitamins. High intake of lectins may damage the lining of the intestine, which lets proteins cross into the bloodstream undigested. This could cause an allergic reaction or increase risk of developing autoimmune diseases.

Its critical to note that the majority of lectin studies have been done with isolated lectins, not actual foods, and have been conducted in test tubes or in animals, not in people. So how can these online health gurus conclusively link lectin-containing foods to certain health issues when clinical trials in humans have not even been conducted yet?

Many rely on what we know for sure: Some lectins are toxic. But no one eats those! For example, lectins in raw or undercooked kidney beans can cause symptoms that mimic food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea. But that doesnt mean no one should eat any beans it just means we cant eat raw kidney beans.

Have you ever crunched into a raw kidney bean? I didnt think so. Hard as rocks, all beans and lentils would be inedible in their raw form. Boiling beans for 30 minutes eradicates most, if not all, of the lectins. Note that soaking beans overnight does not remove enough lectin, and dont rely on slow cookers when cooking beans from scratch the machine doesnt get hot enough to destroy lectins. Prepared properly, beans have low lectin levels and are safe to eat.

Grains can also be boiled to reduce lectin content. Think about quinoa, rice and barley boiled first, then eaten, right? Fermenting and sprouting foods can also help reduce lectin content. Friendly bacteria in the fermentation process digests the anti-nutrients, and can reduce lectins by up to 95 percent.

Articles that promote the lectin-free diet cite it as a miraculous cure-all for arthritis, multiple sclerosis and even cancer. Thats the first sign its a fad overblown promises of astonishing health benefits before any clinical proof exists.

The next sign of a fad is a long list of foods to eliminate. Whats not allowed on the lectin-free diet? Whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, dairy, eggs and fruit theyre all out. Thats pretty much my entire grocery list. Obviously, this diet is not sustainable, and it unnecessarily cuts out a wide range of nutritious ingredients.

Its also a likely fad when everyone regardless of age, health status or medical needs is advised to follow the same diet. How can one diet work for everyone? Finally, its a fad when scare tactics persuade you to spend money on supplements. Of course, anti-lectin advocates sell expensive pills (just $79.95 a month) that claim to neutralize or reduce the negative effect of lectins.

If you have digestive issues and are particularity sensitive to beans or grains, avoid them. But please, dont suddenly eliminate all lectin-containing foods from your diet because an online article told you that they are bad for you. The amount of lectins found in the normal food supply is too low to be a real health concern.

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'Lectin-free' the latest bad diet fad - Concord Monitor

When you eat, the food does not simply nourish and fuel you and all the activities of your busy life; you also feed the billions of beneficial bacteria living in your gut. The makeup of your gut microbiota has the potential to change rapidly, depending on your diet. According to one study, it only takes three to four days for changes to occur, although this occurred much faster with animal-based rather than plant-based diets.

When there is imbalance in the microbiome with more pathogenic than commensal bacteria, which is known as dysbiosis, health issues arise, often stemming from inflammation associated with metabolic endotoxemia. There are ways to manage this with your diet -- but the wrong diet leads to it arising. Knowing more about what contributes to and mitigates metabolic endotoxemia has the potential to prevent and treat many of the common chronic illnesses plaguing Western society today.

What Is Metabolic Endotoxemia?

Metabolic endotoxemia begins with the gram-negative bacteria residing in the gut. These bacteria have lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as endotoxin, in their cell wall. When LPS enter the bloodstream, which could be due to intestinal permeability and/or an excess of LPS, it contributes to low-grade inflammation as the body's natural immune systems work to rid the body of the harmful endotoxins. This inflammation is associated with many chronic illnesses including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic disease, infertility, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.

The diet plays a key role in whether you have high levels of circling endotoxins. Your microbiome always has a certain level of gram-negative bacteria and pathogenic varieties. However, the commensal bacteria typically outnumber them, keeping them from triggering an immune response or otherwise causing an issue. However, when there is a shift toward pathogenic species, then more LPS circulates, causing inflammation. The makeup of the bacteria directly relates to the diet.

Certain bacteria prefer to consume protein, sugar, or fat, while others like carbohydrates in the form of fiber. As such, if you consume a high-fat diet, you end up with more bacteria that like fat, while if you consume a lot of fiber, you end up with bacteria that thrive on it. The bacteria that prefer fat and sugar, typical of the western diet, produce more toxic metabolites. This could be one reason why the typical American diet contributes to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic illnesses. Alternatively, high-fiber diets feed the commensal bacteria, which produce the beneficial metabolites and other protective properties. There are some specific instances in which the diet contributes directly to the development of metabolic endotoxemia.

High-Fat Diets and Endotoxemia

The fuel source most commonly correlated with an increase in the bacteria that produce endotoxins is fat. According to one study, consuming a high-fat diet for four weeks led to a two to three times higher level of plasma LPS concentrations, thanks to an increase in the proportion of LPS-containing bacteria. In this animal study, mice consumed a control diet or a high-fat, carbohydrate-free diet consisting of 72 percent fat from corn oil and lard, 29 percent from protein, and less than 1 percent from carbohydrates for a period of four weeks. The high-fat group had higher levels of LPS compared to the control group. Then, the researchers created a situation mimicking chronic metabolic endotoxemia through continually infusing LPS subcutaneously for one month. The group consuming the same 72 percent high-fat diet had a 2.7-fold increase in endotoxemia, compared to just a 1.4 fold increase in those consuming a 40 percent high-fat diet, demonstrating a dose-related response. The increased levels of LPS correlated with increased body weight and insulin resistance.

Another study supports these findings, demonstrating that mice treated with antibiotics consuming the same high-fat diet as other mice had smaller sized adipocyte, or fat cells, than those who were not treated. For this study, the high-fat diet also constituted of 72 percent fat from corn oil and lard, 28 percent protein, and less than 1 percent of carbohydrates and lasted for a period of four weeks. Treating the mice with antibiotics also improved glucose tolerance compared to the non-treated group.

It is not just in mice that this occurs; one crossover study placed eight healthy human subjects on a typical Western diet for a period of one month and then after a one-month washout period, the same subjects consumed a prudent style diet, which had more fiber and less fat. For this study, both diets had similar caloric intake (2209 for the Western-style diet and 2214 for the prudent-style diet). The Western-style diet was made up of 40 percent of calories from fat, 40 percent from carbohydrates, and 20 percent from protein. It contained 12.5 grams of fiber and 20.8 percent of total calories from saturated fat. The prudent-style diet had 20 percent of calories for fat, with only 5.8 percent from saturated fat. It contained the same amount of protein and 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates, with 31 grams of fiber. Consuming the Western style diet led to a 71 percent increase in the levels of endotoxins in the blood. Conversely, consuming a prudent-style diet correlated with a reduction in endotoxins of 38 percent.

These changes can occur quickly. One study found that within just one day of switching from a low-fat, plant-based diet to a high-fat, high-sugar diet reflecting the Western diet led to changes in the microbiome in humanized mice (germ-free mice colonized with adult human fecal microbiota).

The type of fat consumed plays a key role in the effects on the microbiome. One study found that increasing the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio led to more LPS-producing and other pro-inflammatory bacteria in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation. Conversely, low ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids increased the number of LPS suppressing and anti-inflammatory bacteria, mitigating the effects of fat on the makeup of the microbiome and leading to little to no systemic inflammation. Ideally, you want your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 to be as close to 1:1 as possible, while most western diets have a ratio closer to 25:1. This study also demonstrated that the impact on the gut microbiota was due to the fatty acid composition of the gut tissue rather than the direct metabolism of the fats by the bacteria in the gut.

Although many of these studies point to a problem with fat, it does not mean you have to completely avoid fat for your gut health. Instead, choose healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids.

When discussing high-fat diets, it is important to discuss the popular ketogenic diet, which has been shown to be beneficial in several chronic illnesses. There are limited studies reviewing the ketogenic diet's influence on the microbiome, especially compared to other diets. One study found that the ketogenic diet reduced inflammation in mice with acute endotoxemia. Other studies have found the ketogenic diet to alter the microbiome. A study on humans consuming the ketogenic diet for three months found a statistically significant increase in Desulfovibrio species, which is a sulfur-producing bacteria that might contribute to dysbiosis. Evidence is limited at this point as to the effects of the ketogenic diet on the microbiome and metabolic endotoxemia, particularly in the long-term.

Nutrient Deficiencies and Endotoxemia

It is not just about feeding the bacteria the right food; dysbiosis and metabolic endotoxemia can also arise through poor gut health. Issues such as intestinal permeability play a role in leading to systemic inflammation. When you are deficient in certain nutrients, it can set the stage for these gut problems, causing a domino effect that ultimately ends with one of the chronic issues listed above.

According to a review study, the major nutrients that affect the gut and microbiome, and for which a deficiency might contribute to metabolic endotoxemia, are vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and polyphenols. This review points to vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin A deficiencies' roles in impacting the epithelial cells of the gut, which is how a deficiency contributes to increased intestinal permeability.

Polyphenols, which are known for their beneficial antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cancer-fighting properties, as well as their ability to protect against diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, also can mitigate metabolic endotoxemia. There are four main classes: stilbenes, phenolic acids, lignans, and flavonoids. Although there are many different structures, no food has just one type; instead, these different classes act together in a synergistic manner to provide the health benefits. Some foods rich in polyphenols include green and black tea, coffee, red grapes, chokeberries, bilberries, dark chocolate, flax seed, plums, blueberries, black beans, and olives. You might be familiar with some of the different categories of polyphenols, including curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins, apigenin, chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, rutin, and ellagic acid, especially as many of these have been extensively studied for their health benefits.

The small intestine absorbs only a small amount, less than 10 percent, of polyphenols, leaving around 90 percent for the microbiota to metabolize. This means that the microbiota is essential for providing many of the health benefits of polyphenols. Additionally, intake has the potential to alter the gut microbiome makeup through inhibiting the growth of certain pathogenic bacteria while not affecting the growth of the commensal species.

So, how can you mitigate the risk of developing metabolic endotoxemia? First and foremost, through concentrating on feeding the good bacteria and not the bad while also ensuring that you create a healthy environment in your gut for your friendly bacteria to make a nice home.

There are four main categories of action for preventing and/or treating metabolic endotoxemia:

There are many different dietary approaches to supporting one or more of these components:

Overall diet: The first place to look for preventing or reversing metabolic endotoxemia is your overall diet. Based on the studies above, you want to avoid consuming lots of highly processed carbohydrates, sugar, alcohol, and unhealthy fat.

Instead, you want to choose a high-fiber diet rich in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. One study found that substituting whole grains for processed grains led to more bacteria belonging to the genus Lachnospira, which is known to produce the beneficial SCFAs, and a decrease in the Enterobacteriaceae, which are known to be pro-inflammatory. Another study also demonstrated that consuming whole grains led to alterations in the gut microbiome and a related reduction in inflammation.

Additionally, you want to opt for healthy fats and aim for an omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio as low as possible, ideally 4:1 or lower. Care should be taken when choosing to consume a ketogenic diet, as there is insufficient evidence at this juncture to determine the impact of this high-fat diet on the microbiome and metabolic endotoxemia. Work with a health practitioner to see whether this dietary approach is for you and whether or not it needs to be tailored. Some people are doing not a strict ketogenic diet, but a modified one, which takes into account more vegetables.

These dietary changes can have wide-reaching effects. One study incorporated a gut bacteria restoration program known as the Gut Makeover to restore health. This diet incorporated cutting out highly processed carbohydrates, grains, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners and promoting the consumption of fermented foods and vegetables. Although it was a small study with just 20 participants, there was a significant reduction in symptoms for all participants. The reduction in symptoms went beyond just any gastrointestinal symptoms; it included significant increases in emotional wellbeing and cognitive function.

Prevent and Treat Vitamin/Mineral Deficiencies: As discussed above, certain nutrients have the capacity to negatively impact gut health and the makeup of the microbiome. Therefore, it is beneficial to prevent deficiencies, primarily through consuming a nutrient-rich, plant-based diet. Taking supplements as needed also helps to mitigate a deficiency, especially when there are absorption issues.

Prebiotics: Sometimes, the fiber you consume is not enough to reduce metabolic endotoxemia. That is where prebiotics come into play. These are non-digestible fibers that fuel the commensal bacteria in your gut and as such have the capacity to alter the makeup of your microbiome to increase the levels of commensal bacteria. In one study, participants who had type-2 diabetes either consumed 10 grams of inulin, a common prebiotic, or 10 grams of maltodextrin as a control. Those who consumed inulin experienced a significantly decreased in their fasting blood sugar levels, as well as inflammatory markers, LPS markers in the blood, and HbA1C levels. Other prebiotics, including galactooligosaccharides, have shown similar promise in reducing inflammation.

When consuming prebiotics, always start slowly and build up to the recommended dosage. This reduces the uncomfortable side effects, which might include excess gas and bloating.

Probiotics: Altering the gut makeup through taking probiotics is another way to reduce metabolic endotoxemia. Bifidobacteria have been shown to reduce systemic inflammation and improve metabolic function in mice consuming a high-fat diet. This occurs partially through altering the makeup of bacteria in the gut, lowering the levels of LPS-producing bacteria and other pro-inflammatory bacteria. Consuming bifidobacteria along with a high-fat diet has also reduced the levels of endotoxemia and improved the makeup of the gut bacteria in mice.

Fermented Foods: Traditionally fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and yogurt have numerous health benefits. Many of these might be connected to the beneficial microbes in fermented foods. Furthermore, these foods have nutrients that promote gut health, such as polyphenols and prebiotics, enhancing the health benefits.

When choosing fermented foods, it is important that you select varieties that incorporate the traditional fermenting process. Many foods commercially marketed go through a different process, which does not have the same beneficial components as fermentation.

Polyphenols: As discussed, the polyphenols in plant foods might provide protection against metabolic endotoxemia. Polyphenols are found in plants, including vegetables, nuts, herbs, tea, cocoa, and fruits. One study reviewed the benefits of cranberry extract, which is very rich in polyphenols, on the gut microbiota. The researchers found that in the mice that consumed a high-fat diet, high sucrose diet with the addition of cranberry extract had less visceral obesity and gained less weight than those that consumed the same diet without the cranberry extract. Additionally, the mice had lower markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. One way in which cranberry produced these benefits was through increasing the number of Akkermansia bacteria, which degrade mucin and are linked to protection against metabolic syndrome.

It is super easy to take advantage of the polyphenols in food: eat a wide spectrum of colorful, plant-based foods. Some of the foods and beverages richest in polyphenols per serving include green tea, red wine, flax seed, olive oil, berries (including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and elderberries), plums, apples, artichoke heads, coffee, hazelnuts, pomegranate juice, spinach, and black beans.

Cocoa: Although fat and sugar, ingredients often included in chocolate treats, might contribute to dysbiosis and metabolic endotoxemia, you do not have to completely forgo your chocolate addiction. One study found that cocoa reduced the level of endotoxins in the blood by 40 percent, thanks to its rich polyphenol content. In this study, mice were fed a high-fat diet, a low-fat diet, or a high-fat diet with 8 percent unsweetened cocoa powder. In those who consumed the cocoa powder, there was not only a reduction in endotoxins; there was also an improvement in the gut barrier function and a reduction in inflammatory markers, among other improvements.

The way to benefit from the many benefits of cocoa and its rich flavonoids is to choose pure cocoa or dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa and minimal sugar and other added ingredients. Also, limit your consumption to a few squares per day as part of a generally healthy diet.

There are other actions you can take to fight against metabolic endotoxin. For starters, healing any gut inflammation or intestinal permeability with products such as berberine, glutamine, whey protein, and/or curcumin can go a long way towards mitigating some of the issues that coincide with endotoxemia. Some of these might also have a direct effect on the makeup of the microbiome and mitigate the amount of LPS in the bloodstream, reducing the inflammation that contributes to chronic disease.

These nutrients, herbs, and food sources have the capacity to provide numerous benefits to your gut health, mitigating metabolic endotoxemia and thereby helping with diseases to which the systemic inflammation either triggered or exacerbated. However, that does not mean you need to go out and buy all of the products in one fell swoop.

The best action is to start in the simplest place: change your diet to a predominantly plant-based diet with lots of fiber and colorful food. Add some probiotics if you feel you suffer from dysbiosis. If you know you are deficient in certain vitamins or minerals, then supplementing might help as well. Once you have started to provide the right substrates to fuel your bacteria and keep your gut healthy, then you can determine whether or not something else is missing, or if an anti-inflammatory herb might help, and incorporate it to continue to reduce the effects of endotoxemia.

Be sure to make the changes, especially those beyond just to your diet, under the supervision and counsel of your doctor or another medical professional, especially if you are on medication for any serious illness, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, an autoimmune condition, or cancer.

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What You Need to Know About a High-Fat Diet - HuffPost

Because summer is barbecue season, its the time of year when children are most likely to eat a meal cooked by their father. Where are fathers the rest of the year? Ive spent three years studying this question, speaking with more than 100 mothers, fathers and teenagers in the Bay Area. I found that dads not only do less meal-preparation work; they also put moms in a nutritional and emotional bind.

Feeding a family is hard work. For one, it takes time. Grocery shopping, planning and cooking meals, packing snacks these tasks consume hours each week.

But time is just one part of the story.

In the families I met, moms and dads often thought differently about feeding kids. Both parents wanted their children to eat healthy. But moms were more likely to see themselves as the parent responsible for achieving that goal.

Feeding a family is psychologically and emotionally draining. Day after day, someone has to plan what everyone will eat, coordinate schedules and mealtimes, navigate allergies and taste buds.

In the United States, that someone is almost always mom. Even in families where both parents work full time, mothers still spend significantly more time than fathers doing food-related work.

When it came to modeling good eating habits, dad was the fun parent. Dad didnt force Brussels sprouts down anyones throat, and children could always count on dad for junk food. As one teenager told me, If I want some chips or cookies, Ill ask my dad to get them for me. Then, my mom usually finds out and gets mad.

Dads willingness to give kids unhealthy foods frustrated the moms I met. It also put moms in a tight spot.

Many moms wished they could give dads more food responsibilities. But moms feared that the more that children dined with dad, the more french fries they would eat and the fewer greens they would get. Rather than offering relief, the idea of fathers being in charge only made moms more anxious.

Its not that dads were deliberately trying to make moms lives harder or compromise their childrens diets. The fathers I spoke with were loving, committed caregivers who wanted the best for their children.

So then why did they feel off the hook for their childrens diets?

One reason is that food means different things to moms and dads.

Feeding and caring for childrens health is central to motherhood. Moms are continually judged by themselves and society by how they feed their families.

Feeding kids traditionally has been less central to fatherhood. Being a good father is about many things, but getting kids to eat vegetables is not generally one of them. As one mom told me: My husband will go through the drive-through because its quick and its easy to do. He thinks he did what he needed to do.

Most families considered fathers absence from the kitchen normal. Dads said that moms did the cooking because their maternal instincts made them better attuned to childrens dietary needs. As one father explained, My wife is more aware of recommendations and what should be followed. Im much more if you can keep it down and it doesnt make you obviously ill, then its fine.

Similarly, moms saw dads nonchalance about healthy eating as typically male. As one mom described her husband, He is just like every father. He just buys whatever the kids ask. ... He wouldnt even read the label.

Do fathers just have the wrong biology for feeding families? Of course not.

No one is born knowing how to shop and cook for a family. The mothers I spoke with also had to learn these skills. Even the most natural-seeming feeding activity, breastfeeding, must be learned.

Whats more, when cooking is a profession, men dominate. How can fathers be incapable of cooking a healthy meal at home when most of the top chefs in the world are men?

There are many reasons why mothers have long been responsible for food in families. But I encountered an alternative when I met families where fathers and mothers shared this work. I spoke with fathers who were seasoned grocery shoppers and healthy-meal aficionados. And because they saw themselves as responsible for their kids diets, they approached feeding in a way that offered moms relief rather than grief.

Feeding a family is about nutrition and health. What parents feed their children sets them up for a lifetime of eating habits. But feeding a family is also about gender equity.

Children watch what their parents do. Many daughters observe that being a mother means cooking and caring for the health of others. Sons learnbeing a father means leaving that work to your wife. If we want our children to grow up believing that men and women are truly equal, then its time to consider modeling something different at home.

This summer, lets reimagine how parents can share the responsibility of feeding families. Fatherhood may mean barbecuing one season of the year. But wouldnt it be great if it meant working together with mothers to feed kids healthy meals year-round?

Priya Fielding-Singh is a doctoral candidate in sociology at Stanford University. To comment, submit your letters to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.

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Dads should take more active role in families' healthy eating - San Francisco Chronicle

Thanks to an overabundance in her herb garden, Alyssa Milanos family is getting a hint of mint in every dish this summer, whether they like it or not.

My mint is out of control right now, so I basically put it in everything, Milano, 44, tells PEOPLE. It doesnt matter what it is, its getting mint in it.

The Charmed and Whos The Bossstar incorporates the refreshing herb into her club soda and into summer dishes like her go-tofresh watermelon, feta cheese and cucumber salad.[Its] super easy to make and super delicious, she says.

Milano follows a low-carb diet a lifestyle she has maintained through Atkins after looking for a way to shed thebaby weight following her last pregnancy.The last 20 pounds were kind of stuck and I couldnt get them off, says Milano, a spokesperson for the diet company. I did some research and Atkins had such a great community and tools to help you through it, and for me, thats really what made the difference.

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The actress and her husband David Bugliari, 38, avoid items like rice and pasta, instead opting for high-protein meals and healthy fats.We feel satisfied, she says. Were not stripping our kitchen bare and saying, We cant eat this, we cant eat that.'

When it comes to family dinners with her two children,Milo, 5, and Elizabella, 2, Milano says the kids dont question why Mom and Dads plates dont match their own.Its just been part of their life that we eat slightly different, she says. I dont think kids diets should be structured like that.

From PEN:Oprah Shares Some Of Her Favorite Foods For Weight Loss

But there isnt a drastic disparity between what she serves her kids and what she makes for herself. Milano modifies her favorite recipes to suit everyone (picture taco night as hard corn tortillas for the little ones and lettuce cups for the grown ups).Its super easy to modify for us and still eat as a family, she says.

The actress, who will appear later this summer in Netflixs Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later,typically starts her day with a vegetable omelet, followed by a salad with grilled fish for lunch and a dinner made up of some kind of protein with vegetables.

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To Milano, barbecuing is the best thing about summer, mostly because extensive modifying isnt necessary. I love to grill chicken or fish, she said. I love grilled vegetables because I think it gives it a little bit of a smoky flavor, and you do some olive oil with salt and pepper and its just delicious.

As for sweets or guilty pleasure foods, Milano simply doesnt have time for that. To even think about having junk food would completely throw a wrench in my entire day I would want to take a nap because my blood sugar would drop, she said. I have to maintain eating healthy and a certain amount of energy to work the way I work and also to be such a proud mommy.

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Alyssa Milano Puts This Homegrown Ingredient In 'Everything' - PEOPLE.com

Q: Is it possible to have a healthy vegetarian or vegan pregnancy?

A: The short answer is yes, absolutely, said Dr. Shannon M. Clark, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can still get all the nutrients you need, but you cant be cavalier.

There have not been any randomized-controlled trials, the gold standard to prove cause and effect, that looked at the effects of a vegetarian or vegan diet on pregnancy. However, a 2015 review of 22 observational studies on vegan and vegetarian pregnancies discovered no increase in major birth defects or other serious problems in offspring or mothers. The review, published in BJOG, an international journal of obstetrics and gynecology, included only healthy women. The authors said more research is needed to determine whether expecting women who have certain health conditions can safely continue a plant-based diet.

In its position paper on vegetarian diets, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the nations largest organization of dietitians, said a plant-based diet is healthful and nutritionally adequate for pregnant women, as long as theres appropriate planning, since pregnant women who dont eat meat may be at risk for deficiencies in certain nutrients, especially iron and vitamin B12.

Iron is crucial because women build up blood volume during pregnancy, and deficiencies can lead to anemia, which increases the risk of having a low birthweight baby, and increases the risk of preterm labor and delivery, explained Clark, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

So during pregnancy, vegetarians and vegans should take special care to eat plenty of iron-rich foods, like dried beans and peas and fortified cereals. Because the iron in plant-based foods is not as easily taken up by the body as the iron from meat, you should cook them, soak them or eat them with foods high in vitamin C to increase absorption, said Susan Levin, director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group that promotes a plant-based diet. Prune juice is also high in iron.

B vitamins, including vitamin B12 and folic acid, are also critical in pregnancy. Vitamin B12 is not found in plants, but it is in tofu, soy milk, some cereals and nutritional yeast, which some vegans eat as a cheese substitute. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects to the spine and brain, which occur in the first month of pregnancy, so the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that any woman of childbearing age take a daily supplement containing at least 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.

A plant-based diet may even have upsides. A vegetarian diet in the first trimester was linked to a lower risk of excessive gestational weight gain, and maternal diets high in plant foods may reduce risk of complications, including gestational diabetes Levin said.

Still, pregnancy can throw curve balls. When Clark discovered she was carrying twins, she was transitioning to a vegan diet after a year of vegetarianism but almost immediately experienced severe nausea and gastroesophageal reflux and lost her appetite.

I broke my vegetarian diet because I needed my babies to grow, she said. Being underweight can be just as detrimental to a pregnancy as being overweight.

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Can you have a healthy vegetarian or vegan pregnancy? - MyAJC

The Sun Herald

He helped bring thousands of job to Stennis in 1978, and his legacy will live on The Sun Herald Jerry Reshew's work to bring Naval Oceanography to the Coast remains a lasting legacy for the man and Stennis Space Center. Reshew was born in New York City, but made Diamondhead his home for many years before dying on June 23. He was 88.

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He helped bring thousands of job to Stennis in 1978, and his legacy will live on - The Sun Herald

The current governments philosophy that its not its job to create an even playing field for health care recipients is at the core of why Republican policies remain the most punitive and regressive of any policies in the civilized world.

Even countries with autocratic leaders realize that health care must be engineered to protect the citizens, and thus, even sustaining the rule of those leaders. Of course, this is not universally the case, and much coverage is not sufficient. But in the U.S., that citizens would allow this condition to fester and exist is beyond my furthest imagination, voting against your own best interests. America yet again shows why its brand of democracy is vulnerable in the extreme to simply awful ideas just like anywhere else.

Creating a system where good health care coverage is strictly a choice if you can afford it, is insane. When you look at the obesity problem in this country and the problems with mass food production and nutritional levels found, especially in processed foods, you realize that the problem is endemic and pervasive regardless of the organic foods movement and much better information on proper diet. That movement has created a much better understanding of the relationship between diet and long term health. However, most of the country cant be bothered. Thats unfortunate.

I have long been a champion of good health and proper eating, beginning with my sojourn in Paris in the late 1960s. Escaping the American diet I grew up with was seismic. France seemed much more primitive in its lack then of large supermarkets, but the local corner bucherie (beef, veal), charcouterie (pork) or the marches aux legumes (vegetables), taught me to appreciate and understand what respect for food was all about. What better education than in France? But why pay attention to better information elsewhere, or even competent information right here, when our appetites for instant gratification steer us easily off course. The pharmaceutical industry is making a killing off our bad eating habits. The health care industry has mushroomed in recent decades simply due to bad lifestyle choices.

I am 74 years old, 6-foot, 2and weigh 185 pounds. Ive suffered one heart attack and that was about four years ago. I exercise three or more times per week including swimming, walking, weights, and now kayaking. I eat a diet thats well rounded and fairly simple. I like whole grains in any form, fresh vegetables galore, seafood of any size and variety, sea vegetables, any fruit grown. As a chef for 40 years, my favorite origins for recipes were France, Japan, Indonesia, America, Italy, Morocco, the Middle East, Mexico, and very much the Caribbean with its mix of Indian, French Creole, Spanish, and Asian as well.

In the U.S., theres a new fad diet in the pipeline constantly, it seems. If we are to be proper consumers, we need new ideas to consume, whether they help us or not. Its big business. The president likes fast food apparently. That may account for the fact he cannot assess reality as it needs to be assessed. It might be tempting to bandage up the great dysfunction in Washington with the idea that diet has contributed to this dysfunction. A proper study needs to be done.

No one needs better nutrition than our congressmen and senators if they are to have the neurons firing on all six. Looking at the current historical model, I might safely wager that a lot of diets are sketchy, unbalanced, on the fly, interrupted, and very likely badly prepared. This is not meant to be a broad generalization, but lets look at the state of affairs. I would concur that many times amazing results have been produced under sketchy conditions with judgment in the balance. But whenever Im under duress, correct eating is my priority.

Europe takes care of its populations with mostly universal health care as a right. Here it is a viewed as a privilege. Even Obamacare has to defer to private practice and special interests. If Republicans have their bill passed, coverage will be seriously reduced. The current idea of a pooled resource of funds to spread out the coverage more equitably will be eliminated. The very wealthy will get billions in tax breaks in the range of $37,200 a year, while the average wage earner gets $300. The Congressional Budget Office report predicts a 45 percent reduction in health care spending by 2026. Trumps bill cuts $610 billion from Medicaid and $839 billion from health care coverage resulting in 23 million Americans losing coverage. Then theres the $64 billion cuts for Social Security Disability insurance. Cue up Sicko, the film by Michael Moore.

So much money is spent in the country on bad food. I say that unequivocally. Yet were a free market system with regulations on food under attack. Were in an era where all the sensible laws and regulations regarding most life in general are under siege by this administration and its dismantlers of the so-called Administrative State. No sensible European country would allow such destructive legislation. Food and health are so inextricably entwined. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price offers the very worst in health and human services ideas, and the agriculture secretary post remains in limbo. But we know the winners. And their actions will exclusively benefit agri-business, and big corporations at the expense of our nations health.

Remember President Kennedys physical fitness programs in the 1960s? Remember Michelle Obamas crusade for proper school lunches? Look at our new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Now theres an advocate for improving food in our local schools. Not! Shes too busy dismantling public education. Schools do have some local autonomy, but as budgets get hammered even further, and schools have to drop programs and courses, lunches continue to suffer nationwide. Kudos to the schools that chart their own course and know that proper nutrition is a key to learning. When they partner with local growers, the whole community gains and prospers.

Face it. Were not in the shape we should be in when diabetes is the seventh biggest killer in the U.S.

We allow a charlatan to become president of the free world. We take away or greatly reduce funding for all the essential programs, safeguards that make life possible for the average American.

We witness a concatenation of disclosures pointing to improper actions by the administration. Alas. Its a circus without a tent. We have only each other to hold onto, hold tight to the shore as the stream careens over the falls.

A playwright, Harris has been a well-known chef for 40 years in Franklin County. He lives in Shelburne Falls.

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My Turn/Alan Harris: Why can't GOP see connection between health care and a healthy nation? - The Recorder

At Elf his favorite restaurant in L.A. Photo: Bradley Meinz

Long before Eric Wareheim had a scene-stealing role on Master of None, he performed comedy with Tim Heidecker, and this month, they kick off the Tim and Eric 10th Anniversary Awesome Tour (and in September, their horror show Bedtime Stories premieres on Adult Swim). Wareheim, like his fellow Master of None co-stars, is serious about food and wine so much so that he created his own, Las Jaras Wines. This past week, he enjoyed fried chicken and burritos in Los Angeles, while celebrating the Fourth of July with Krispy Kremes and late-night burgers. Read all about it in this weeks Grub Street Diet.

Thursday, June 29 Im deep in rehearsal mode for the Tim and Eric 10th Anniversary Awesome Tour right now. Day in and day out, Im singing and dancing, dressed in silver spandex, so eating yummy things is my reward at the moment.

Ive been making soft-boiled eggs in the morning. (From Cookbook, of course. The only place to get the most perfect meat and produce in Echo Park. Each item is specially curated for maximum flavor and freshness. Marta is my queen, and Ill worship her for eternity.) I toasted a piece of bread, cut em up into a lil-soldier shape, and started my dipping!

For lunch, I had a huge juice with kale and beets. Last night was rough and I needed a detox. So L.A., I know.

For din-din, I went to a crazy-good Peruvian spot called Pablitos Kitchen. I first tried this place with my Peruvian friend Cynthia, and she gave it a huge two-thumbs-up review. Im talking really fresh and wonderful lomo asado (steak and fries with a brown gravy), mixed ceviche, papa a la Huancana (potato with a special mustard sauce), and of course the wild-seafood fried rice.

Post-dinner drinks with friends. We popped open a few bottles of Las Jaras ros and ascended into wine heaven on a warm L.A. night.

Friday, January 30 Woke up early to review a few cuts of my new series, Tim and Erics Bedtime Stories. The show is pretty frightening, so I needed some good old-fashioned comfort food. That means Night + Market Song! My typical order is the world-famous fried chicken, some crab fried rice, and string beans. This place is everything to me. Fresh, lively street-style Thai served up with the best in natural wine. The combination of the two makes me do backflips down Sunset Boulevard in front of all the hipsters trying to get a table.

Before dinner, I had a few glasses of Broc Cellars Ros at Bar Bandini. This place is a mecca for natural wine in a city that has very few cool bars.

Then, I went across the street to my fave restaurant in town, Elf. (Wolvesmouth is a tie, actually.) Elf is an incredible, vibe-y vegetarian spot with a Moroccan twist. I slammed some tasty Cruse sparkling wine while nibbling on an avocado-tahini pure with roasted garlic and freshly made pita. For the main course, I had the roasted mushrooms and the tomato tart. Every bite in this spot feels blessed by a magical garden fairy. Ive been going here for ten years, ever since I moved to L.A. The menu has evolved in a slow and sophisticated manner. Makes being vegetarian fun.

Saturday, July 1 Kitchen Mouse with my sister and niece. My sister is raising her kid vegetarian, and luckily, we live close to the coolest veggie spot in Highland Park. I always have to get the vegan chilaquiles. This place would make any meat boy go veggie.

Saturday night was crazy. My crew headed to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a screening of Dirty Dancing. We brought enough natural wine to get the whole place lit. Cheese and meat from Cookbook, Jen brought a fish spread and fresh figs, and Bert brought delicious Cuban treats from Gigis.

The place erupted into a full dance party for the closing scene, followed by a beautiful fireworks show.

Later that night, we had a swim party and decided we needed chicken wings, so we Postmated Comfort L.A. This spot is freaking fantastic. They use Marys organic chicken and have a special sweet-and-spicy sauce they serve with the wings. We ordered all the sides as well, including the collard greens and banana pudding. Yes, of course we all pretended to be dead when the delivery man arrived, freaking the fuck out of him and ourselves at 3 a.m.

Sunday, July 2 Beach Day! Golden Bird fried chicken on the beach. This was a new level for us. We go to the beach every Sunday, but this was the first time we paired that experience with my favorite fried-chicken place in L.A. They double-fry their chicken, giving it a super-crisp, thick crust. We paired that chicken with sparkling ros from the Loire.

Sports Meal (our reward dinner for taking down so many ROMLs at the beach) was at El Tarasco in El Segundo. A perfect wet burrito after a day in the sun. This place is like a dive bar with your classic Mexican favorites.

Monday, July 3 After that weekend, I needed to get some greens in my system! M Cafs spicy tuna roll and the 2 Deli special: peanut kale and soba noodles. This is the best way to start a new week. Power food that tastes so yum.

Every Monday, I have a night with my friend Sam called First Fish. We pretend that if we get there early, we get the freshest catch. So we headed to our local spot, Sushi Gen. I always start with chutoro, uni, snapper, and some soft-shell. Otokoyama, please!

Tuesday, July 4 Fourth of July! I started the day with an M Caf salad that I didnt eat yesterday. Not very exciting, but I knew the rest of the day would take me to the next level.

Summer Slam pool party: Jason made his amazing tacos. The secret is getting the tortillas from El Azteca and using that Niman Ranch meat. Other highlights were Krispy Kremes with American flags drizzled on them. And a badass smoked-fish spread I created from, where else, Cookbook.

I watched the neighborhood explode with fireworks, then went back to my place to grill burgers at 2 a.m.! Chef Dave, from Okonomi, worked that grill like a boss.

The United States had a good run, folks.

Its our weekly ranking of the citys most important restaurants.

Maybe its time to stop trashing Merlot.

Organizations are using the technology to depict conditions livestock endure.

He was reminded emphatically that Miller Lite is a bad beer.

A little Bach apparently encourages everybody to chill the eff out.

The topping on this cobblerlike pie is a savory, cheesy streusel that even holds up in the fridge for a day or two without getting soggy.

A critic and a former regular check in on the reborn version of the room where the power lunch was invented.

He vows to consume this f**king god-awful crime against pizza if enough people donate to a charity.

Cheap prices are creating a new golden age of meat.

Only minor problem: Its majority-funded by the liquor industry.

Filled with fresh produce, charred-carrot tacos are great for summer.

It gives me access to everything without having to dump anything out.

Island Oyster and Pilot are your new seafood and day-drinking destinations.

Coco Loko is basically marketed as Four Loko for your nose.

He sold his entire collection of vintage bourbon.

An improvisatory recipe that became an icon.

Read more:
Eric Wareheim Wants His Chicken Double-Fried - Grub Street

By Cara Rosenbloom By Cara Rosenbloom July 6

In the diet world, a new buzzword is emerging: lectins. Have you heard of lectins? Ten years ago, you probably hadnt heard of gluten, either. Going lectin-free is primed to become the next big thing in dieting, but this diet seems more fad than fact.

Lectins are a type of protein found in many foods including grains and beans. As isolated compounds, they have been researched for many years and can have positive and negative health effects. While some lectins are highly toxic, others are benign.

The problem is that online health gurus are painting all lectins with the same brush, and playing up the negative effects without the evidence to back it up. Saying all lectins are poison is akin to saying that you shouldnt eat button mushrooms because some foraged mushrooms are toxic. It makes no sense.

[To improve your diet, know these four food myths]

What the online rhetoric doesnt mention is that North Americans actually dont ingest a lot of lectins, so the problems they cite linking lectins to obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammation may be way overblown. Before you fall for any pseudo-advice, here are the facts.

Lectins 101

Theres more than one type of lectin, and different ones can do different things. Scientists are still trying to map out all of the lectins and what they are capable of. And unlike handy lists of how much iron or vitamin C is found in certain foods, there arent easy-to-access lists of the amount of lectins in food, and what each one does.

Without getting too technical, lectins help cells stick together. Research shows that lectins may have some benefits they are antimicrobial, help the immune system and have anti-cancer potential. But the same stickiness also makes them act as anti-nutrients, which hinder the bodys absorption of certain vitamins. High intake of lectins may damage the lining of the intestine, which lets proteins cross into the bloodstream undigested. This could cause an allergic reaction or increase risk of developing autoimmune diseases.

Its critical to note that the majority of lectin studies have been done with isolated lectins, not actual foods, and have been conducted in test tubes or in animals, not in people. So how can these online health gurus conclusively link lectin-containing foods to certain health issues when clinical trials in humans have not even been conducted yet?

Many rely on what we know for sure: Some lectins are toxic. But no one eats those ! For example, lectins in raw or undercooked kidney beans can cause symptoms that mimic food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea. But that doesnt mean no one should eat any beans it just means we cant eat raw kidney beans.

Cook your beans

Have you ever crunched into a raw kidney bean? I didnt think so. Hard as rocks, all beans and lentils would be inedible in their raw form. Boiling beans for 30 minutes eradicates most, if not all, of the lectins. Note that soaking beans overnight does not remove enough lectin, and dont rely on slow cookers when cooking beans from scratch the machine doesnt get hot enough to destroy lectins. Prepared properly, beans have low lectin levels and are safe to eat.

Grains can also be boiled to reduce lectin content. Think about quinoa, rice and barley boiled first, then eaten, right? Fermenting and sprouting foods can also help reduce lectin content. Friendly bacteria in the fermentation process digests the anti-nutrients, and can reduce lectins by up to 95 percent.

Its a fad

Articles that promote the lectin-free diet cite it as a miraculous cure-all for arthritis, multiple sclerosis and even cancer. Thats the first sign its a fad overblown promises of astonishing health benefits before any clinical proof exists.

The next sign of a fad is a long list of foods to eliminate. Whats not allowed on the lectin-free diet? Whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, dairy, eggs and fruit theyre all out. Thats pretty much my entire grocery list. Obviously this diet is not sustainable, and it unnecessarily cuts out a wide range of nutritious ingredients.

Its also a likely fad when everyone regardless of age, health status or medical needs is advised to follow the same diet. How can one diet work for everyone? Finally, its a fad when scare tactics persuade you to spend money on supplements. Of course, anti-lectin advocates sell expensive pills (just $79.95 a month) that claim to neutralize or reduce the negative effect of lectins.

If you have digestive issues and are particularity sensitive to beans or grains, avoid them. But please, dont suddenly eliminate all lectin-containing foods from your diet because an online article told you that they are bad for you. The amount of lectins found in the normal food supply is too low to be a real health concern.

Registered dietitian Cara Rosenbloom is president of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company specializing in writing, nutrition education and recipe development. She is the co-author of Nourish: Whole Food Recipes Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans.

Read more:
Going 'lectin-free' is the latest pseudoscience diet fad - Washington Post

If youre among Renaissance Periodizations (RP) 160,000 Instagram followers, youre familiar with the companys signature before-and-after photo testimonials. On the left, a bathroom mirror selfie of a reasonably in-shape guy. On the right, 12 weeks later, its the same guy in the same bathroom, but now hes sporting chiseled abs and legs like tree trunks. The hashtag #RPTransformations is the only clue to what happened.

Nick Shaw, one of the companys founders, credits the pedigree of his staff for the programs undeniable track record. While Shaw, formerly a personal trainer in New York City, started the company with a fellow trainer, RP employs over a dozen registered dietitians and Ph.D.-level sports nutritionists to create their diet plans and products, which include one-on-one coaching packages, customized diet templates, ebooks on strength training, live seminars, and cookbooks.

According to Shaw, the Renaissance Diet Auto Template, a customized, multi-tabbed Excel workbook priced at $109, is their most popular product. What we did and we were pretty much the first people to ever do this we built a product that scales diet coaching, he says.

Each customer receives an individualized diet plan tailored to their gender, current weight, and whether their primary goal is to lose fat or gain muscle. All plans start with a two-week Base period designed to acclimate the user to the program, which accounts for meals and snacks by macronutrients, or macros, a.k.a. carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Depending on the users goals, the Base phase is followed by a Cut or Mass period that adjusts calorie consumption for weight loss or muscle gain. Users choose from an included list of acceptable foods, which eliminates trans fats, fast food, and most processed food. Shaw explains that while the Cut and Mass phases are not sustainable, many customers settle into the final Maintenance phase, using it as a tool for long-term meal planning.

When we started off, we were almost strictly working with competitive athletes, says Shaw. RP now caters to a wider audience, but theres still an expectation of precision. Beyond portions and macro counting, the diet templates factor in both activity level and nutrient timing. For example, the diet plan for a day that includes a light workout, like a yoga class or 30 minutes on the elliptical, will include fewer calories than the meal plan for two hours of weightlifting and high-intensity interval training. And the time of day the user hits the gym will dictate when theyll consume the majority of their quick-burning carbohydrates.

For the average guy whos interested in bringing more structure to his diet, but isnt quite ready to go all-in on macro counting, Shaw has a few tips:

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The Diet Behind All of Those Crazy Instagram Transformation Photos - Men's Journal