Category Archives: Diet And Food

At Eataly in Boston. Photo: Madeline Zappala

Barbara Lynch is one of the most successful restaurateurs in the country: She owns seven businesses in Boston, and in 2014, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur. To add to her accomplishments, shell publish her first memoir on April 11: Out of Line: A Life of Playing With Fire, chronicling her rise to success following a tough childhood in South Boston. This week, she spent some precious time at home before embarking on a book tour, making herself soup for breakfast, and going out for seafood at her favorite local spots. Read all about it in this weeks Grub Street Diet.

Friday, March 31For breakfast, I had a big glass of cranberry concentrate. I read somewhere that it flushes out fat, and I just got back from two weeks of eating a lot in Italy, so that seemed like a good idea. I also had a few cashews and a cup of tea.

For my second breakfast, I had quinoa, white beans, and carrots, with a poached egg in a broth with curry and cumin. I love soups for breakfast.

And then, for lunch, I had a Caesar salad. This was just a takeout salad, actually, from a deli across the street from my office.

That night, we had a gala for the opening of Eataly Terra, their new rooftop restaurant. Im collaborating with Eataly Boston on their seafood restaurant, Il Pesce. They put in front of us some pasta with charred tomatoes and capers. I had a few bites, a few pieces of grilled steak, a bite of a sausage, and that was that. The opening was great. I also had two glasses of wine.

I went to a friends house after, and they got takeout Thai food. I had three bites of that. Another glass of wine.

Saturday, April 1 Saturday morning, I had chicken and roasted broccoli on top of white rice, with Indian spices and mushroom sauce. My new daughter-in-law made it at home. Shes from Nepal, so she cooks a lot of vegetarian food. Shes a great cook.

For lunch, I had a salad from Dig Inn. It was broccoli greens, salmon, radishes, and beets, with cilantro. The vinaigrette was lemon and olive oil. It was huge!

It was another Terra opening night. I didnt really eat because I worked the floor for much of the night running circles around the restaurant and talking to everyone. I had two glasses of wine. It was a little smoother than most openings. The first 20 people who hashtagged the restaurant came in for dinner and had a great time. When I got home, I had some more of that Dig Inn salad.

Sunday, April 2 That morning, I had another poached egg with radishes at home, and some of that vegetable soup from Friday.

Then, in the afternoon, I got a to-go Greek salad from Legal Sea Foods, dressing on the side, and put a poached egg on that.

For dinner, I made a porcini-mushroom-fennel soup, with a little bit of farro and roasted fennel, and I had that with an aged cheddar cheese, which I shaved onto it. Plus a salad with radish and parsley and asparagus. I didnt have any groceries left, so I used dried porcini and just water, no chicken stock.

Monday, April 3 I had an egg-white omelette with cheddar in the middle. And then I had some of that mushroom-farro-asparagus soup, which I poured on top of the omelette.

That night, I had a gala for an opening of a documentary Im in, called A Fine Line, about women in back-of-house management roles. I was a little early, so I stopped at Bell in Hand and had grilled shrimp with spicy tomato sauce. My friend and I split that, and we had a glass of wine.

Then, I was at the gala for three hours because I was on a panel. After that, I was starving because I was only supposed to be there an hour, but it was a quarter to 10 p.m. I ran over to Neptune Oysters, and I split a dozen oysters, a crab salad and shrimp cocktail, and a half-bottle of Sancerre wine with my friend. I always drink white wine or ros with ice cubes.

Tuesday, April 4 I had a bowl of cereal with almond milk Kashi shredded wheat with no sugar on it. I had chicken with broccoli and farro again as a late breakfast.

I drove around South Boston with a writer from the Times, showing where I grew up. We stopped at my local spot, a bar called Shamrock, and I had one chicken finger and one French fry. They were big chicken fingers! I dipped it in ketchup and honey-mustard sauce. The fries werent great, so I could hold back. If they had been delicious, I wouldve eaten the whole bowl.

That night, we had an event at Menton to celebrate the memoir. I had a slice of pizza from Babbo that my staff brought in with fava beans, pancetta, and cheese. It was delicious. Its called Babbo in Boston, but it looks like Otto, owned by Mario Batali. During my book signing, I had two pieces of lamb marinated in yogurt and juniper berries. I tasted the potato gnocchi with cream sauce, peas, and lobster. I also had a tomato tarte Tatin and two and a half glasses of wine from David Hirsch. Probably more than that. I was talking so much that I couldnt just sit down and eat.

And I cant lie: I had a small bag of Cheez-Its sometime that day.

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For my second breakfast, I had quinoa, white beans, and carrots, with a poached egg in a broth with curry and cumin. I love soups for breakfast.

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Read more from the original source:
Chef and Restaurateur Barbara Lynch Averages Two Breakfasts a Day - Grub Street

Changing your diet in simple ways could nearly halve your chance of a heart attack .

Researchers found 45 per cent of deaths from heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes were linked to a lack of nutrients.

And the US study of 700,000 people said diets packed with sugar, salt and processed meat are big no-nos.

So here are the key eating habits to shake and make to protect your heart, Sunday People can reveal.

CUT BACK ON SALT

One in ten deaths in the study was down to high levels of sodium, making it the biggest baddie on the menu.

Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day, which is about one teaspoon.

Victoria Taylor, British Heart Foundation dietitian, said: Most of the salt we eat comes from foods we buy ready-made, like bread, cereals and sauces.

"So its important to check labels.

DODGY DRINKS

Drinks with added sugar think fizzy pop, flavoured juices and energy drinks are bad news.

Victoria said: Switching to sugar-free versions or water will help reduce the sugar and calories in your diet.

MEAT CHOICES

Lamb, beef and pork can be high in saturated fat, which raises cholesterol levels. So aim for only one 100g serving a week.

Victoria said: Lean red meat is a good source of iron but it doesnt need to be eaten every day. Other sources of protein like beans, pulses and white or oily fish are healthy choices and are consistent with a Mediterranean diet associated with lower levels of cardiovascular disease.

Try to cut down on processed meat, such as sausages and cured ham, which have been linked to heart disease.

Victoria said: Keep these for every now and then and instead choose lean, unprocessed meat, eggs, fish, beans, pulses and tofu.

FRUIT AND VEG

A really easy one eat more fruit and veg for a longer life. Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C while pomegranates, contain heart-promoting polyphenols and anthocyanins.

Victoria said: Around 75 per cent of us still arent eating our five-a-day.

Veggies are essential for your plate. Legumes like green beans, help control blood sugar, while potatoes are high in fibre.

NUTS AND GRAINS

The study linked a low intake of nuts and seeds with 8.5 per cent of deaths from heart disease.

Happily, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, macadamias and peanuts contain fibre which is good for your heart. Try to get five 28g servings a week.

Victoria said: Theyre high in calories but a small handful can be a nutritious snack.

Also, swap white pasta or rice for wholewheat versions and try quinoa. Go for 125g a day.

Victoria said: The soluble fibre that wholegrains provide can help lower cholesterol.

SEAFOOD

Omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel have been shown to lower the risk of irregular heart beat and a build-up of plaque in arteries.

Victoria said: We should all be eating two portions of fish a week, with one being oily fish.

GOOD FATS

Polyunsaturated fats known as good fats reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood, lowering your risk of heart disease and strokes.

Victoria said: Use oils like rapeseed or olive oil for cooking. Include foods that are sources of unsaturated fat, such as avocado and oily fish, not foods high in saturated fat like fatty meat, biscuits, cakes and chocolate.

Go here to read the rest:
Seven simple diet tips to halve your chance of suffering a heart attack revealed - Mirror.co.uk

Jake Tapper. Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Jake Tapper is a busy guy. The CNN anchor hosts The Lead with Jake Tapper on weekdays and State of the Union on Sunday mornings, where he interviews guests like Kellyanne Conway and Paul Ryan. That six-days-a-week schedule may sound intense to the rest of us, but Tapper told the Cut that hes been on a new diet and fitness regime (thanks to his friend Paul Rudd) that has helped him deal with the stress of it all. We recently chatted with Tapper about how he incorporates wellness into his busy life, his obsession with protein shakes, and how hanging out with his kids helps put things in perspective.

How I start my mornings: I am awakened sometime between 6:30 and 7 a.m. by one of my two children and one of my two dogs, depending on the morning and who is loudest. My wife and I get the kids breakfast and let the dogs out, feed the dogs. Im on this new diet and fitness routine that I started near the beginning of the year, from an actor friend who got really in shape for a movie role and I was really impressed. Since he and I are roughly the same age and roughly the same ethnicity, I thought that was achievable. So I have a bowl of oatmeal and some sort of protein in addition to that hard-boiled eggs or turkey bacon. Then I do 40 minutes of cardio. I do that either on the elliptical machine we have at our house or I go to the gym, and maybe three or four days a week in addition to that, I also work out with a trainer to do core and weights in the morning.

On becoming more health-conscious: Well, Im 48, so Im getting older. I dont have the best back in the world, so having a better core and less weight to haul around helps. Also I think its fair to say this job has gotten a little bit more intense in the last year, and its good to be at the top of my game physically so that I can be at the top of my game intellectually.

Wellness, to me, is: A lot of things. There is certainly emotional wellness, which is the state of being content with ones life, in terms of relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. There is physical wellness, which has to do with limiting the amount of toxins and poisons one puts in ones body and exercising and being as physically possessed as possible. Its not just about looking good in a bathing suit on the beach, but also about how you feel day-to-day walking around in your office. And then there is a spiritual wellness, which to me means attempting to understand and be at peace with larger existential questions that have very little to do with the day-to-day activities of jobs or disappointments or Twitter or trifles, and more to do with trying to be a good person, trying to do good for the community, and trying to improve the world however much one can.

How I deal with stress: The exercise and the diet, to be honest, really help with stress. I have friends who meditate. I am not there yet I dont know if I could ever clear my mind, but when I come home I try to turn off. I try to put the phone away, spend time with my family, not focus on the day-to-day machinations of the Trump White House or Congress, and instead on my familys issues and their problems and whats going on with them. You know, a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl are not really interested in the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that the rest of us might be really fired up about. They are focused on school, friends, and our dogs, and thats where my focus is: with those two and my wife. So that really helps me decompress a lot. Im also working on a novel, which believe it or not, is a huge stress-release as well because it takes place in 1954. So its focused on politics, but its an entirely different set of politics. And since its fictitious, I get to control it.

My skin-care routine: My wife every now and then will force me to get a facial, thats about it. I wash my face and I have makeup artists here who think more about my skin than I do, but every now and then, my wife will say, Youre going to such-and-such to get a facial, and I obey.

On keeping up with wellness at work: I have a yoga mat in my office that I can use for stretching, and I drink a lot of water and have protein shakes its part of this diet that Im doing, where I have a protein shake late morning and a protein shake late afternoon, in addition to a salad and a protein for lunch and dinner. In terms of what we do around the office, in addition to focusing on news, we try to have a fun atmosphere where people laugh and make jokes. We have a 2 p.m. meeting where my senior producers and I go over all the segments for the 4 p.m. show. I would say that, in addition to discussions about how a segment could be better or how a discussion could be more pointed or what we want to focus on, I think well, I hope its a rather friendly atmosphere where were joking around and friends as well as colleagues. Youd have to interview my staff to find out whether thats a delusion or not.

How I sleep: The diet and exercise have also been amazing for my sleep pattern. I go to bed, depending on the night, lets say 10 or 11 p.m., and Im always reading at least one or two books. I lay in bed and the lights are out, and Im reading that on the Kindle. Right now Im reading a book called Red Sparrow, which is about U.S. versus Russia espionage, so thats not hugely a change of subject but it is fictitious. Not drinking as much alcohol and this new diet, which is much more about protein and vegetables and low sugar, low carbs, have really been great for my sleep pattern, and meant that its much easier to fall asleep and also much easier to wake up.

My best wellness advice: I have to say, this diet was the best advice Ive received. My friend whos the actor, we were just talking about fitness and I was talking about how I needed to lose weight and get in much better shape and all that, and he told me about his diet and his routine and how he got in shape for his role it was Paul Rudd, and that was the exercise he did to get in shape for Ant-Man. If you look at pictures of Paul before when he did I Love You, Man and when you look at pictures of Paul when he did Ant-Man, he just completely transformed his health. Hes the one who gave me this rundown and its changed my life. I feel better and Ive lost about 12 pounds since January. That was a huge impact on me, and now Im a bit crazy about it when Im in another city Im always looking for a place where I can get a protein smoothie. Im a little obsessed, but its okay to be obsessed with health.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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2017, New York Media LLC.

Originally posted here:
CNN's Jake Tapper on Wellness and Paul Rudd Diet Advice - New York Magazine

Millions of American men pop a multivitamin each day, but new research shows the pills won't help the heart -- even if a man's nutrition is lacking.

"Many had thought that men with 'poor' nutritional status at baseline may benefit more from long-term multivitamin use on cardiovascular outcomes; however, we did not see any evidence for this in our recent analysis," study author Howard Sesso, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release.

According to background information from the researchers, more than half of older Americans take a multivitamin each day. However, many prior studies have shown little evidence of any health benefit.

In the new research, Sesso and his colleagues tracked data from an ongoing study of more than 14,000 U.S. male doctors over the age of 50. A prior look at this data had found that taking multivitamins did not reduce the men's risk of heart disease over 11 years of follow-up.

But would the same be true for men who had relatively poor diets, perhaps lacking in certain nutrients?

According to the new report, the results were the same -- daily use of multivitamins didnotreduce the risk of heart disease, even in this more nutritionally challenged subset.

Two experts -- one a cardiologist, one a nutritionist -- had somewhat differing views on the findings, however.

RELATED: Mediterranean Diet Plus Olive Oil a Boost to Heart Health?

"This study, like previous studies, suggests that multivitamin use does not reduce risk of heart disease -- even in men with poor nutrition," said Dr. Kevin Marzo. He's chief of cardiology at NYU Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y.

Marzo believes too many Americans view multivitamins as a "quick fix" to ward off health woes.

"Prevention strategies for reducing heart disease risk should focus not on dietary supplements but rather on regular exercise and a healthy diet rich in vegetables, whole grains and unsaturated fats," he said.

Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian at Huntington Hospital in Huntington, N.Y., took a different view.

"The best way to get nutrients is from whole foods, but sometimes it's beneficial to take a multivitamin to help prevent nutritional shortfalls," she said.

And Schiff believes that -- at least for women -- a lack of nutrients may contribute to heart risks, so outcomes might be different for females.

For example, she said, "some studies indicate that a vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks."

But so far, studies involving women and multivitamins have had mixed results, Schiff added, and more research might still be needed.

"Perhaps some kind of nutritional shortfall may be responsible for an increased risk of heart disease in women," she said. "These studies don't necessarily prove cause and effect, but there may be some kind of correlation. The best way to find out would be for more randomized clinical trials with large sample sizes to be conducted."

Sesso agreed. "Given the continued high prevalence of multivitamin use in the U.S., it remains critical for us to understand its role on nutritional status and other long-term health outcomes through clinical trials," he said.

A group representing supplement manufacturers took issue with the study.

"The results of this study are not necessarily generalizable to the whole population," said Duffy MacKay, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). "The study participants were male physicians who on average had a healthier diet than the general U.S. population, which could be why the researchers did not find any additional benefit from a nutritional intervention."

The study received funding from the CRN Foundation, MacKay noted.

"We strongly encourage further research to determine additional value of the multivitamin and that of other individual nutrients," he added. "For consumers, the key takeaway of this study is that the multivitamin is not a panacea, but at the very least, given the nutrient shortfalls in our population, it can reliably fill nutrient gaps."

MacKay also recommends that consumers "open up a dialogue" with their physicians about the use of multivitamins or other supplements.

The study was published April 5 in the journalJAMA Cardiology.

The rest is here:
Multivitamins May Not Help Men's Hearts, Even When Diet is Poor - Everyday Health (blog)

An exhibit in Germany showed s reconstructions of a Neanderthal man and woman. A researcher found that a 150-pound person provides about 32,376 calories, enough for a troop of 25 adult Neanderthals for about a third of a day. A mammoth, on the other hand, could feed the group for a month.

Scientists know that our ancient human cousins ate one another, at least on occasion. At a handful of European sites scattered across some 250,000 years, researchers have dug up hominin bones that bear telltale markings: blade scratches, teeth marks, burns.

What they cant be sure of is why. Modern humans have long practiced cannibalism for a variety of ritual reasons to frighten enemies, cure illness, honor the dead but anthropologists have no evidence that Neanderthals or other hominin species had a cultural motivation for consuming their kin. So, for the most part, researchers assumed ancient cannibalism was nutritional, or purely for the purpose of survival.

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Which got University of Brighton archaeologist James Cole wondering: If hominins ate each other for nutrition, then how nutritious were they?

For a paper published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, Cole calculated the number of calories that could be gotten from one adult human male. Compared to other creatures our ancient cousins ate mammoths, steppe bison, deer it turned out that hominins were a pretty low-calorie snack. A 150-pound person provides about 32,376 calories, enough for a troop of 25 adult Neanderthals for about a third of a day. A mammoth, on the other hand, could feed the group for a month.

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Doing research into the subject, I found that no one had ever defined a calorie value for the human body, and if they did, they were kind of throwaway numbers with no indication of how they arrived there, Cole said.

Coles calculations, on the other hand, are unnervingly specific. His paper contains a chart listing the estimated weight and calorie value for every component of the human body. Head and torso: 5,418.67 calories. Upper arms: 7,451.16 calories. Thighs: 13,354.88 calories. Skin: 10,278 calories. Teeth: 36 calories.

When you stack up muscle values in terms of weigh, we actually fall right where we should right between saiga and roe deer, which are animals roughly about our same size, Cole said, impressively matter-of-fact for someone essentially writing a FDA nutritional facts label for members of his own species.

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Neanderthals and other ancient hominin species, he noted, were far bulkier than modern humans, with big muscles and sturdy builds. They might have been a bit more filling than a Homo sapiens meal, but not by much.

Its interesting because if youre labeling these acts as nutritional cannibalism . . . and you compare how nutritional we are compared to game, we actually arent a very good return, Cole said.

Of course, the Neanderthals werent calorie counters. But they would have been able to tell that a person didnt provide as much sustenance as a boar or a horse. And unlike a boar or a horse, a hominin would be exactly as cunning and skillful as the person whod like to eat him meaning hes much more difficult to kill.

To Cole, this suggests that ancient hominins could have had ritual motivations for consuming members of their own species, just as modern humans did. This shouldnt be surprising he said Neanderthals are already known to have made art, worn jewelry, and developed sophisticated communication.

Clearly these are complex and diverse human species and their attitude to cannibalism I would suggest is going to be as complex and diverse as our own, he said.

Paola Villa, a Neanderthal expert and researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said that Coles calculations offer some interesting information, but should not change our understanding of ancient hominin cannibalism. A person may not have offered the same caloric return as a deer, she said, but hominins werent hunting each other the way they hunted deer anyway.

There never was a suggestion that humans were hunted as food animals, she wrote in an email. Eaten as food, yes, but the cause has always been described as either aggressive cannibalism (well-documented in mammals including primates) or starvation or as a ceremonial mortuary practice.

Continue reading here:
Paleo diet: Ancient humans were cannibals, but it wasn't very nutritious - The Boston Globe

A romantic comedy will feed its viewers many things: the belief that love is out there, right around the corner, even, and its out there for all of us, even the clumsy gals. They will tell you that magazine jobs are glamorous and that weddings are very important and that the man you least expect to fall in love with is in fact your soul mate. But perhaps most of all, these films will remind us that we truly are what we eat.

A film has a limited amount of time and dialogue and silly scenarios to be able to paint the picture of who a leading lady really is. And what better way to demonstrate everything that a gal is than by her diet? A quick glance at a dinner plate or the reciting of a take out order or the snack a woman chooses to shove into her face says it all: shes alone, shes busy, and she gets hungry sometimes.

You might think to yourself, Hmm, this lady seems pretty and nice, doesnt she go on dates? With the juggling of a coffee cup and a pastry that she must bite as she walks, it becomes very clear that this woman is BUSY. She doesnt even have time to eat that croissant at the Starbucks counter, she is on the move. If she cant find the time to eat, how on Earth will she find the time to meet a stranger for an evening of small talk? We see this in Eva Mendes character in Hitch that gal was always snacking on the go. Gossip reporters are very busy and can only make time to sit down for a real meal if its actually for a story shes researching. Otherwise its grab and go, all day every day.

And speaking of grab and go, lets remember Sandra Bullocks Gracie in Miss Congeniality. That lady never came across a donut she couldnt shove down her ball gown for later. In fact, donut eating is a great way to let people know Oh, she doesnt give a F, she will eat a high-fat, high-calorie snack like a champ. Its a way of letting the audience know, shes not like other girls, but YOU eat donuts, so youre special like she is too! This also sends a message that our on-screen pal has been blessed with a fantastic metabolism.

Which seems to be the case quite often, actually. In Two Weeks Notice, Bullocks Lucy is such a busy lawyer that she frequently calls (this was pre-Seamless) her local Chinese restaurant to place her comically large dinner order which she is forced to confirm, Yes its for one. Come on, who asks that? She knows the entire menu by heart and she happily accepts multiple bags of take out that she eats, of course, all alone. This ladys love life might be empty, but her belly damn sure is not.

Theres an appropriate amount of comfort eating present in rom-coms, we can all agree on that. We watch it, we relate, and we get hungry. Lake Bells Nancy has her silent sandwich session ruined by her perky seatmate on the train in Man Up. This chick only wants to talk about finding the one, but Nancy doesnt let a bestselling book get in the way of her deli meat sandwich and all the glory, calm and satisfaction it brings to her disheveled life. She cant write a speech for her parents anniversary party, but she can chomp down on a Pret A Manger sandwich with the best of them.

Oh and who could forget when Kristen Wiigs Annie constructed a single, gorgeous cupcake, frosting flower and all in Bridesmaids. Our mouths dripped with drool as we watched her stare it down until she takes a bite, although truly unable to enjoy the sugar rush due to the failure of her former bakery (and relationship). No cupcake should come with that much baggage, girl.

Then we have those ladies who live what appear to be full, organized, successful lives. We first meet our heroine Mary (Jennifer Lopez) in action in The Wedding Planner: making sure a wedding goes off with laser precision: every person and (almost) every plate in its perfect place. And when she goes home? Well, its the same deal. This is not a gal that has time to cook, but she perfectly arranges her foil containers on a tray and plops it down on a TV dinner stand, her only company provided by the glow of the television. Again, weve got a busy lady here. So busy she could never sneak a snack when shes working. She enjoys her meals, but the bottom line is that they are purely utilitarian to her. Please, do not get me started on the only eating brown M&Ms garbage theory this film put out into the world though.

Films use food to tell us about the characters were about to connect with in a variety of ways. Sure, its for comfort to fill the hole of not having a significant other. But it also sends the message loud and clear that these ladies do what they want and eat what they want: they dont have to share, they dont have anyone critiquing their intake, and they quite honestly cant be bothered to cook a full meal for themselves. The variety and the amount of food is used to portray just how sad, lonely, busy, and even aloof these women can be. But theyve got good jobs, and ones that they work hard at. After a long day, its nice to have someone else cook for you, whether its being presented by someone youre sleeping with or a delivery person from the restaurant in your neighborhood. Dig in ladies: donuts are always better than dudes.

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Read the original here:
Don't Worry, A Rom-Com Leading Lady's Diet Will Tell You Everything You Need To Know About Her - Decider

Youve heard plenty of mixed reviews for low-carb diets. But what about carb cycling? Thetrendpopular with body builders and some athletesis generating buzz as a weight loss method. Heres the lowdown on how carb cycling works; its potential benefits; and a simpler, less strict alternative that I recommend for many of my clients.

While there isnt one standard protocol, carb cycling typically involves alternating lower-carb days with higher-carb days. Typically fat intake increases on lower-crab days, and decreases on higher-carb days; while protein intake remains consistent.

Many advocates recommend this regimen: On days when you do strength training, consume a higher amount of carbs (say 200 grams), a low amount of fat, and a moderate amount of protein. On days when you do a cardio workout, eat a moderate amount of carbs (about 100 grams), protein, and fat. And on rest days, eat fewer carbs (30 grams), a high amount of fat, and a moderate amount of protein.

Another approach involves keeping both protein intake and fat intake fairly consistent, and modifying only your carbohydrates. With this method, lower-carb days are also lower-calorie days.

Proponents of carb cycling claim that the eating pattern helps increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, and improve fitness performance. But research on thediet is limited.

One 2013 study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked at the effects of intermittent carb and calorie restriction in 115 overweight women aged 20 to 69, all of whom had a family history of breast cancer. The women were randomly assigned to one of three groups for three months. The first group consumed a calorie-restricted, low-carb diet two days per week. The women in the second group followed the same diet, but were allowed to eat unlimited amounts of protein and healthy fats (such as lean meat, olives, and nuts) on the low-carb days. The third group followed a standard, calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet seven days a week.

Researchers found that the women in both low-carb groups had better results: They lost roughly9 pounds on average, compared to about 5 pounds in the Mediterranean group. Insulin resistance also decreased by 22% percent among the standard low-carb dieters; and 14% percent among those allowed extra protein and fat on low-carb dayscompared to just 4% among the Mediterranean dieters. (The results were particularly significant for the study participants, as losing weight and lowering insulin resistance may help prevent breast cancer.)

While this study didn't involve the same carb cycling approach used by body builders and athletes, it does offer some insight into the potential benefits of limiting carbs part-time. But is doing so practical? Slashing carbs, even a few days a week, needs to be sustainable in order to generate lasting results.

The authors of that 2013 study also found that a higher percentage of women on the low-carb diets experienced constipation, headaches, bad breath, light-headedness, and food fixation. These unpleasant side effects parallel what I've seen with my clients who severely restrict their carb intake. In my experience, the side effectsalso the reason many low carb-dieters either give up, or wind up binging on forbidden foods.

RELATED: How to Keep the Carbs and Still Lose Weight

One of the main philosophies behind carb cycling is limiting carbs when the body doesn't need them as much. In a nutshell, carbs serve as fuel (like gasoline in your car) to help cells perform their jobs. Eating a large amount of carbs on days when youre not very active doesnt make much sense, because your body requires less fuel (much like how your car needs less gas for a ride across town compared to a road trip). Carbs that arent burned for fuel create a surpluswhich can prevent weight loss, or lead to weight gain.

On the flip side, a carb limit of 30 grams is very low, even on less active days. Thats the amount of carbs in one cup of broccoli, one whole apple, and five baby carrots. For a better balance, I advise my clients to practice what I call carb matching"or aligning your carb intake with your energy needs, which may vary from day to day, or morning to afternoon.

This approach essentially involves eating larger portions of clean, whole food carbs to support more active hours; and curbing carbs when you expect you'll be less active. For example, if you're planning to do a morning workout, have oatmeal topped with a sliced banana for breakfast beforehand. But if you're headed to the office to sit at a desk for several hours, a veggie and avocado omelet with a side of berries would be a more appropriate a.m. meal.

In my experience with clients, carb matching helps with weight loss and improves fitness performance, while supporting all-day energy, and supplying a wide range of nutrients. It also makes sense. My pro athlete clients, who train or perform several hours a day, require more carbs than my CEO clients, who may fit in a morning workout, then sit in meetings the remainder of the day.

Carb matching also involves aligning your carb needs with your age, height, ideal weight, sex, and occupation. After all, a young, tall man with an active job and an ideal weight of 185 pounds is going to have a higher carb requirement than an older, petite woman with a sedentary job and an ideal weight of 135 pounds.

While carb cycling involves drastic shifts, carb matching is all about creating balance, and what I call the Goldilocks effectnot too little, and not too much. If youve tried carb cycling, and it either hasnt worked for you, or doesnt seem like a strategy you can stick with, try moderating your carb intake based on your activity level instead. And regardless of which approach you try, stick with these two important rules of thumb:

1) Always make quality a priority by choosing fresh, whole foods. (And remember not all carbs are created equal.)

2) Listen to your body! Its cues are pretty good at guiding you toward a "just right" balance.

Cynthia Sass is Healths contributing nutrition editor, a New York Times best-selling author, and consultant for the New York Yankees. See her full bio here.

See the article here:
Can Carb Cycling Help You Lose Weight? - Health.com

Executive Summary This policy details how WFP can support governments in achieving their commitments to reducing malnutrition and reaching Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, particularly target 2.2. As the world embarks on the path of sustainable development, WFP recognizes that good nutrition is both a critical input to and an outcome of the SDGs. With concurrent emergencies continuing around the world, humanitarian response will remain a priority in WFPs nutrition activities and will be essential to achieving the SDGs. Ensuring that nutrient needs are met before, during and after emergencies is central to WFPs work, as the changing nature and frequency of crises amplify already critical levels of malnutrition.

The policy builds on the good work started by the previous WFP nutrition policy and takes into account evaluation findings, new evidence and innovations from WFP programmes. It expands WFPs focus on preventing malnutrition to cover all forms of malnutrition including both undernutrition and overweight/obesity (Box 1) while reaffirming WFPs support to treatment of moderate acute malnutrition, which is a critical part of the continuum of care.

The policy is aligned with WFPs Integrated Road Map and reaffirms national governments as WFPs primary partners. At the country level, WFP coordinates with other United Nations agencies, using the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) or other mechanisms to support government-led strategies and programmes.

This policy commits WFP to increasing its focus on resilience-building and stunting prevention in longer-term humanitarian responses with national governments and other partners and aims to ensure that WFP applies a nutrition lens in all of its activities, identifying and leveraging opportunities to improve nutrition through its work. The policy aims to leverage WFPs support to reaching SDG 2 by ensuring the availability of, access to, demand for and consumption of diets that comprehensively meet but do not exceed the nutrient requirements of nutritionally vulnerable groups.

There is a clear need to accelerate reductions in malnutrition, which remains the underlying cause of 45 percent of deaths among children under 5 annually. Good nutrition matters throughout the life cycle, but is especially important during the first 1,000 days from conception to 2 years of age. Evidence shows that undernutrition during this period can have lasting impacts on a childs growth, learning and future productivity, leading to significant losses in national productivity and economic growth that are equivalent to 811 percent of gross domestic product. Such chronic undernutrition can lead to stunting, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases later in life.

Worldwide, approximately 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, 51 million children under 5 are wasted, 159 million are stunted and 43 million are overweight. This burden of malnutrition is reflected in sub-optimal physical development and health among populations, which undermines the social and economic development of countries.

Ten evidence-based, nutrition-specific interventions have been identified, which if brought to scale would decrease child deaths by 15 percent and stunting by 20 percent.1 Continued focus on nutrition-specific interventions, particularly those that prevent malnutrition, is necessary, but nutrition-sensitive approaches are also essential in accelerating progress towards ending malnutrition in all its forms. With its strong operational and technical skills, WFP will build on its broad-ranging experience of nutrition in changing contexts, to support direct implementation and provide governments with technical assistance in improving analysis, targeting, modality selection, delivery and monitoring for nutrition interventions based on its complementary strengths.

In its enhanced engagement in nutrition, WFP will prioritize support to vulnerable groups to increase their access to and consumption of adequate and diverse diets, using gender-sensitive nutrition analysis as the base for gender-transformative nutrition programming in line with the WFP Gender Policy.

Combining approaches for improving gender equality and womens empowerment (GEWE) with nutrition programming has the potential to produce mutually reinforcing results for both GEWE and nutrition. Availability of, access to and demand for nutritious food are fundamental in supporting good nutrition, eliminating poverty and achieving the SDGs for inclusive economic growth, health and education. They require moving beyond the focus on quantity calories and increasing attention to quality nutrients.

A world free from malnutrition can only be attained through government-led, multi-partner and multi-sector efforts involving United Nations agencies, civil society, international organizations, foundations, academia and the private sector. WFP commits to working as a global advocate, and at the regional and country levels, to support programmes and enhance national capacities for overcoming constraints on availability of, access to, demand for and consumption of the safe, healthy and adequate diets needed to end malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.2 Coordinated partnerships are a cornerstone of WFPs engagement in nutrition. Addressing the complex drivers of malnutrition requires collaboration among diverse sectors and stakeholders and intensified work to scale up nutrition-specific and -sensitive programmes at the country level. With partners, WFP has committed to incorporating nutrition components into appropriate programmes for which nutrition is not a primary objective, and to linking vulnerable groups to these components where possible.

The 2012 Nutrition Policy provided the foundation for WFPs approach to nutrition by emphasizing how a combination of nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions could be used to address malnutrition. This entails a context-specific focus on supporting women, men, girls and boys in consuming healthy diets, balancing immediate needs with long-term approaches to strengthen local food and social protection systems. The Nutrition Policy significantly enhances WFPs work by aligning it with the 2030 Agenda, building on WFPs current approach based on the latest thinking and evidence, and diversifying the means of supporting countries in achieving their nutrition-related goals.

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WFP's Nutrition Policy 2017-2021 - ReliefWeb

LINCOLN Some people might see Darren Hellman of Lincoln "and think 'Oh, that person is just crazy," said Katrina Hellman.

"I see it differently," she said.

She sees her husband, who has a disease that is so rare that even some doctors don't know about it.

He has frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), aform of dementia characterized by brain atrophy and gradual loss of brain function. The disease frequently is initially diagnosed as either Alzheimer's disease or a psychiatric problem.

"It's a very uncommon condition," said Dr. Tom Ala, Darren's neurologist and associate professor of neurology and interim medical director of the Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders at SIU School of Medicine, Springfield. Ala has about 25 patients with FTD and, over the years, has had about 100. Symptoms and severity vary.

"It's not a new disease but people are becoming more aware of it," Ala said.

While Alzheimer's hallmark symptom is memory loss, FTD is primarily a disease of behavior and language dysfunction, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.

Patients exhibit behavioral and personality changes, such as lack of concern for social norms, while retaining memory of daily events and orientation to time and space, the association said.

FTD also begins earlier than Alzheimer's. Darren is 51. His symptoms began to appear 6 years ago.

During a March 29 visit with the Hellmans and Darren's sister, Deanna Hellman-Baker of Tremont in the Hellmans' home, Darren was open and conversational but frequently forgot words.

The former welder, welding inspector and manufacturing line technician forgot words like "semi-trucks," "math," "drafting," "supervisor" and "valves."

He would remember words after he was reminded by Katrina or Deanna or if he looked them up.

"That's why I have a smartphone...," Darren said. "I use the smartphone to help me remember names and addresses and facts for life. I write things and eventually put it on my smartphone and use it as a reference."

Darren frequently connects his thoughts with the phrase "and oh" even though the thoughts are only tangentially related.

Darren no longer understands humor; doesn't pick up on social cues, such as when his wife and sister want to move the conversation along; and sometimes fixates on certain things.

"I hurt for him," said Katrina, who married Darren on May 2, 2009, in what was the second marriage for both.

She looked at Darren as she spoke. He continued to show visitors a video on his smartphone, oblivious to his wife's poignant remarks.

"This was not what we had planned," Katrina continued. "This is not what we thought married life would be."

Darren was reared in Lincoln, received a degree in metals and manufacturing from Illinois State University in Normal and worked for companies in the Chicago area. The couple, with son Joshua, now 6, moved to Lincoln in 2015.

Katrina first noticed symptoms in 2010, when the couple was living in Crystal Lake.

"The initial symptom was irritability," Katrina recalled. "I assumed it was because he was working third shift and taking care of Joshua while I was at work during the day. He was unable to manage his sleep and wake time."

The next symptom was a decline in language.

"One of the things I noticed was I couldn't remember peoples' names," Darren recalled. "I was like, 'Oh,' and I couldn't remember everything at work. My head was cloudy."

Darren was diagnosed with sleep apnea. But sister Deanna noticed he couldn't remember names of longtime family friends. Katrina realized it was more when Darren brought a dead raccoon into the yard and wasn't sure what to do with it.

Compulsive behavior, such as excessive hand washing, became magnified.

His Chicago-area neurologist conducted tests and concluded that Darren had dementia. A second battery of tests at Mayo Clinic concluded he had non-hereditary version of FTD.

"My reaction is 'Oh, I didn't understand. Well, it's nice to have a diagnosis,'" Darren said.

"I'd never heard of it so I got on the computer and researched it," Katrina said. "There was a relief because we had an answer but it was terrible because I knew our lives would continue to change dramatically."

No longer able to safely work in his field, Darren was approved for disability. "I didn't want to (stop working) but the neurologist didn't want me fired," Darren said.

"I was coming to the end of my rope," admitted Katrina, who quit her job as a sales professional when the couple moved to Lincoln, where Darren's parents live.

Katrina drives a school bus and helps family friends with farming to help make ends meet. Darren's parents, his sister and brother-in-law and Katrina's parents who also recently moved to Lincoln help with Joshua.

"Joshua knows that Daddy has dementia," Katrina said. "He's a very bright young boy."

"We all rallied around Joshua," Deanna said. "We try to fill in the gaps where needed. My husband has become his buddy ... Darren was very receptive to that."

"Moving to a small community where people already knew him and were familiar with his behavior changes helped," Katrina said.

There is no cure, Ala said, so treatments are focused on mitigating symptoms, a Mediterranean diet and exercise to keep the body as healthy as possible.

Katrina and Deanna have organized a support group for caregivers of people with frontotemporal degeneration.

"I knew I needed it and that others needed it, too," Katrina said. The group meets at 10 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month at First United Methodist Church, Tremont.

According to the association, people with FTD can live as long as 20 years after diagnosis but the average is 6to 7 years.

"We don't know," Ala said of Darren's prognosis. "But he is atypical. He's had a very mild course and he has done well, which suggests to me and I hope that he has many good years ahead of him."

Follow Paul Swiech on Twitter: @pg_swiech

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A form of dementia but not Alzheimer's - Bloomington Pantagraph

With spring finally getting off to a solid start, chances are youve noticed the song of the chorus frog, the flight of the question mark butterfly and the blooms of many spring ephemeral wildflowers. Soon, youll notice many more animals emerging from hibernation, including many of Indianas native turtle species.

One of our most beautiful native turtles is the Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). Found primarily in the central and southern parts of the state, this turtle is almost entirely terrestrial, living out its life in woodlands near small streams and ponds. Sometimes this turtle can be found soaking in streams and ponds to keep cool on the hottest days of the summer. These omnivores have a diverse diet, consisting of fruits, insects, worms, slugs and fungi. They occasionally even scavenge dead animals for a meal.

The Eastern box turtle is a slow growing, long-lived species. They dont reach sexual maturity until at least seven years of age and ultimately dont reach their full size until about age 20. Some individuals may live for 100 years or more. One reason for their longevity is the way they protect themselves from predators and other hazards. Their plastron (belly side of the shell) is hinged like a drawbridge, allowing them to withdraw their head and limbs, pull the plastron shut, and completely cut off access to the outside world (putting the box in box turtle). Sometimes the box turtle will keep their plastron shut during tough environmental circumstances, such as difficult weather or even lack of food availability. In this state, they can slow down their metabolisms and wait for a more ideal time to search for food before they become active again.

Eastern box turtles are protected in the state of Indiana and are listed as a threatened species. Since 2004, it has been illegal to collect box turtles, dead or alive, from the wild in the state of Indiana. However, they still remain vulnerable to illegal collection, predation, habitat loss and roadway accidents. Spring is the time of year when box turtles emerge from their hibernation burrows and become more active. At this time of year, they will begin to actively search for mates. Most box turtles will lay eggs during May and June. As you are out traveling county roads and highways, keep an eye out for turtles crossing roadways to search for mates and to access nesting sites. If you see a turtle in the road, it is best to safely come to a stop, make sure it is safe to exit your vehicle, and carefully move the turtle across the road in the direction that it was traveling. It is safest to handle a turtle by the back edge of the shell, near the back legs. This protects the turtles body from injury and protects you from a potential bite. It is never safe to handle a turtle by the tail or any other limb. If you find an injured turtle, it is generally best to leave it alone if the injury seems minor. Major injuries may require the help of a veterinarian or licensed wildlife rehabilitator. A list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/5492.htm.

Ashley Holmes is the Montgomery County Extension Educator, Ag and Natural Resource. The office is at 400 Parke Ave., Crawfordsville; 364-6363. She may be reached by email at holmes9@purdue.edu.

Link:
Who is the Eastern box turtle? A spring species highlight - Journal Review