With the new year comes new resolutions, especially in our eating lifestyle. The introduction of the Impossible meats in 2018 forged the way for many longtime vegans and hard-core carnivores (doctors orders) to follow a plant-based, vegan diet, while some with goals to shed a few pounds turned their taste buds to trying foods with more protein and less fat, like seafood. Regardless what diet trend youll be following in 2020, heres a list, although not comprehensive, of local restaurants serving dishes full of substance but not lacking in flavor.

Rare Society offers followers of this diet craze a meal high in lean protein and fat with dishes ranging from filet mignon carpaccio and Scottish salmon to dry-aged pork chop and prime porterhouse steak. They can be topped with sauces like the house TRG crack sauce or bearnaise sauce, and served with sides like truffle creamed spinach, roasted mushrooms with thyme, garlic and egg yolk or cheesy broccoli. 4130 Park Blvd., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 501-6404. raresocietysd.com

Impossible Burger.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Corner Drafthouse chef Ruben Zamarripa offers two items not listed on the menu but are available upon request. For a dish with all the flavor of wings without the meat, try the roasted buffalo cauliflower, tossed in buffalo sauce and topped with scallions. Hold the blue cheese crumbles and replace the ranch dressing with Vegenaise for dipping, or eat them plain. Missing meat? Try the Impossible Burger, a veggie patty with soyrizo, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. Substitute the aioli and cheddar cheese with Vegenaise and vegan cheese. 495 Laurel St., San Diego. (619) 255-2631. thecornerdrafthouse.com

Portobello Burger.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Bier Garden offers a variety of menu items that can be prepared vegan upon request like the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich, piled high with grilled portobello, heirloom tomato, pickled red onion, arugula, roasted red pepper and a fig spread. Order with no cheese to make this entre completely vegan. The sauted edamame can be ordered as-is, with garlic and soy sauce topped with kosher salt. 641 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. (760) 632-2437. biergardenencinitas.com

Tortilla Soup.

(Kelly Bone)

The Westgate Hotel executive chef Fabrice Hardel has crafted a menu for every diet type, including vegan. Selections include a freshly baked bread dipped in seasoned olive oil, sun-dried tomato umami and green olives, and a traditional tortilla soup (sans the chicken and cheese) a corn, tomato, vegetable broth, topped with ribbons of smokey guajillo chili. 1055 Second Ave., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 238-1818. westgatehotel.com/dining/the-westgate-room

Smoked Carrots and Baby Beets.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Trust chef Brad Wise knows his way around vegetables and has created several simple but flavorful dishes like the smoked carrots and baby beets served with grains, aged Manchego cheese, red onion, smoky yogurt, tarragon and pistachio; and the wood-grilled cauliflower with golden raisins, mint, serrano aioli, black lentils, cilantro and curry vinaigrette. Indulge in a Trust favorite, ricotta agnolotti (pasta) served with sunchokes, black garlic streusel, black truffle and basil-scented panna (italian cream). 3752 Park Blvd., San Diego. (619) 795-6901. trustrestaurantsd.com

Pan con Tomate (bread with tomato).

(Haley Hill Photography)

For all of the herbivores, Zinqu suggests its pan con tomate, a baguette rubbed with garlic and tomato and topped with tomatoes and avocado. The French bistros Le Bowl hits all the major food groups for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians by offering a full meal of brown rice, avocado, tomato, arugula, Comt (a French cheese), cilantro and sriracha. Want dessert? Share a pear tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. 2101 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. (619) 915-6172. lezinque.com

20|Twentys menu is nearly all gluten-free.

(Haley Hill Photography)

Diners looking to avoid gluten will have their plates full at 20|Twenty nearly all the menu is gluten-free. Executive chef Julian Quinones has created plates like roasted beets and seasonal citrus with wild arugula, fennel, red onion, almonds, citrus tarragon vinaigrette and aged Fiscalini cheddar; and entrees like the Diver scallops with grilled king mushrooms, asparagus, tomato confit and sweet potato romesco (sauce); or the 16-ounce Cooks Ranch Heritage pork porterhouse with apple relish, cabbage and sweet potato hash, apple-sage gastrique (flavoring) and pork demi-glace. 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. Reservations: (760) 827-2500. 20twentygrill.com

7 Mile Kitchens Duck Confit Pizza.

(Casey Figlewicz)

7 Mile Kitchen offers ample choices for gluten-free dining, including smoked wings in lemon herb or spicy buffalo sauce, plus an entire list of artisanal wood-fired pizzas made with a gluten-free crust and topped with Brie, arugula, duck confit and a blueberry balsamic gastrique (flavoring). They also offer gluten-free gelato for dessert. 5420 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. (760) 827-2514. 7milekitchen.com

If you love pasta, then order Monellos gluten-free pasta served with your choice of gluten-free tomato-based sauces: marinara and arrabbiata (a spicy sauce made with red chili peppers). The menu also includes several gluten-free entrees, like roasted pork shank and mashed potatoes; and salmon fillet in a white wine and lemon-caper sauce served with roasted tomatoes and mashed potatoes. 750 W. Fir St., San Diego. Reservations: (619) 501-0030. lovemonello.com

Torta Caprese, flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream.

(Bencotto)

Bencotto offers a Milanese meal for gluten-free watchers. For pre-dinner munching, start with sliced-to-order formaggio cheese, salumi meats and prosciutto di Parma. Order the gluten-free pasta with your choice of marinara or arrabbiata gluten-free sauces. Sink your sweet tooth into an Italian, soft, flourless, chocolate-almond cake served with whipped cream. 750 W. Fir St., Suite 103, San Diego. Reservations: (619) 450-4786. lovebencotto.com

Macarons come in seasonal flavors.

(Patisserie Melanie)

Patisserie Melanie chef Melanie Dunn says gluten-free patrons can indulge in any of her traditional macarons made with seasonal flavors like chai tea, Earl Grey, espresso and matcha. Other options include any of Melanies caramels, which come in sea salt, espresso and cinnamon, as well as her seasonal jam collection featuring orange, peach and pear. 3788 Park Blvd. Suite 4, San Diego. (619) 677-2132. patisseriemelanie.com/menu

Fort Oaks Seafood Tower comes in two sizes.

(Jim Sullivan)

At Fort Oak, pescatarian options for seafood enthusiasts run the gamut. Choices include the seafood tower (offered in two sizes), served with oysters, clams, prawns, Jonah crab claws, Maine lobster, lobster hamachi poke, scallop aguachile and marinated tuna; the garlicky hearth-grilled prawns with Namasu pickles, salt and pepper lime and a kimchi-aioli dipping sauce; and the Baja striped bass with Brussels sprouts, roasted pear, charcoal turnip, preserved orange and a scallop beurre blanc sauce. 1011 Fort Stockton Drive, San Diego. Reservations: (619) 722-3398. fortoaksd.com

A large portion of JRDNs menu is dedicated to the sea and offers seafood lovers and pescatarians an ocean of choices like the ahi tuna nachos (wonton chips), topped with avocado, mango, Fresno chili, chives, shiso, cilantro, sriracha aioli and sesame seeds. Drink a glass of white wine or ros with an entree of scallops, served with mushroom jam, smoked mushroom consomm, tempura enoki mushrooms and kohlrabi (German for cabbage turnip) fondant. 723 Felspar St., San Diego. Reservations: (858) 270-2323. t23hotel.com/dine

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The Dish: New year, new diet? 13 eateries got you covered in 2020 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Getty LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 12: Recording artist Adele performs onstage during The 59th GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS)

Fans of Grammy-winning songstress Adele, who recently celebrated her 31st birthday, have been keeping up with Adele's weight loss via her Instagram profile since early 2019. How has she been steadily dropping those pounds, you might be wondering? It seems that the British recording artist may be turning to an under-the-radar diet plan known as the Sirtfood Diet, which is designed to supercharge your metabolism, but surprisingly includes staples such as red wine, coffee, and chocolate.

According to People, Adele hired a personal trainer in 2019 to help her get into a new fitness routine, but reports have long linked her weight loss to following the relatively new diet. She's lost more than 40 pounds by following the program over the last four years, per The Sun (although the singer hasn't confirmed any of this). And she's not the only Brit who swears by this diet, either Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, also reportedly has experimented with the Sirtfood Diet.

While it certainly may help you lose weight, dieters may be surprised to learn that experts aren't sure of the Sirtfood Diet's effectiveness in the long run. Here's why nutritionists are wary of the Sirtfood Diet in the first place, and how you may be able to adapt the best elements of this fad diet into your own.

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Believe it or not, this somewhat-controversial diet program was launched by two U.K.-based nutritionists, Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, after they first published a recipe book by the same name in 2016. The book touts the diet's effectiveness as it turns on the "skinny gene" by relying on staples that are high in sirtuins, a subset of plant-based proteins that can be found in certain foods and in the body naturally. Increased sirutin levels in the body may help jumpstart your metabolism and reduce inflammation, and has been highlighted for its anti-aging properties, according to this 2013 review published in the Annual Review of Physiology. "In general, it could be a good thing to eat foods that are rich in sirtuin a gene that may be able to help with weight like apples, blueberries, and extra virgin olive oil," says Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, author of The Better Period Food Solution. Foods high in sirtuins, then, have been dubbed "sirtfoods" in the diet plan.

As highlighted in The Official Sirtfood Diet, the diet program is based on a meal plan that is curated to be full of sirtfoods, but curtailed in overall calorie counts. In fact, one of the book's authors claims that it can help you shed seven pounds in a single week, according to the New York Post. But the book's meal plan is quite regimented: For the first three days, dieters are expected to consume just 1,000 calories each day that consist of a single meal and two green juices. Later in the first week, dieters will enjoy 1,500-calorie meal plans for four days that are mostly divided between two meals.

The majority of the program asks dieters to create meals that are high in sirtfoods... and not much else. Some of the staples that the diet highlight include many different produce items, including kale, strawberries, onions, parsley, arugula, blueberries, and capers. Some grains, like buckwheat, and walnuts are praised, as are spices like turmeric. Interestingly, beverages like coffee, matcha green tea, and red wine are encouraged as is a heavy reliance on 85% dark chocolate.

If the diet's list of celebrated ingredients seems a bit lacking, you're not alone many health experts criticize the Sirtfood Diet for being highly restrictive. Beckerman says she has never recommended the Sirtfood Diet to any of her clients because of it's tight calorie restrictions. "While I applaud the Sirtfood Diet for promoting the consumption of real ingredients, I denounce it for its promotion of calorie restriction and unhealthy eating rules." Like many other diets that remove food groups from regular consumption, Beckerman says the Sirtfood Diet may indeed lead to "disordered eating" as it also blends elements from intermittent fasting plans into the mix.

McKenzie Caldwell, MPH, RDN, who specializes in women's nutrition and pregnancy dietary wellness in particular, says that the calorie counts associated with the diet are by far it's worst quality. "1,000 calories per day is only appropriate for a child between the ages of 2 and 4," she says, citing current dietary guidelines distributed by the Mayo Clinic. "Not only is this not enough energy to support an adult body, it is not possible to fit in all the macro- and micronutrients an adult needs in that amount of food The diet may cause weight loss in the short term merely because of it's caloric restriction."

Most importantly, however, both nutrition experts agree that there is little to no clinical evidence to support this diet being healthy for sustained weight loss. "There is absolutely no evidence to back up any claims that the Sirtfood Diet has a beneficial effect on healthy weight loss," Beckerman says. "The creators of the diet claim to have put participants at their own gym on the diet, but this anecdotal supposed study has not been published nor validated by true researchers or scientists."

Just like Keto and Whole30, the Sirtfood Diet often radicalizes how you normally eat by asking you to skimp on meals. While all diets often adhere to some form of a calorie-limit, Caldwell says it's important to consider your own lifestyle and think about what you need throughout the day. "The reality is, there is nothing magical about sirtfoods in particular being rich in polyphenols, they do have anti-inflammatory properties, but the research doesn't support them having any extra effectiveness for weight loss."

If you're dead set on giving the Sirtfood Diet a try, first experiment by incorporating more of the diet's signature staples into what you're already eating at home. "Incorporating polyphenol-rich foods, including those on the sirtfood list, can be helpful in preventing or reducing inflammatory diseases like cardiovascular disease," she advises. "Skip the initial restrictive steps and prescribed green juices, and instead opt for adding in antioxidant-rich foods to your eating pattern in a way you enjoy."

Related video:Top 10 trending diets of 2019(Provided by Health.com)

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Adele Reportedly Lost 40 Pounds on the Sirtfood Diet Here's What You Need to Know About Before You Try It - msnNOW

President Trump, a Republican strategist complained to me recently, is hooked on lusty rally cheers that only a culture war can bring. This latent anxiety, from an experienced political guru rooting for Trump to win a second term, is no small concern. It's one shared by other GOP insiders.

The president is presiding over a booming economy that would be the envy of his predecessors, all 43 of them. Historically low unemployment, rising working-class wages, record stock market gains, low interest rates, virtually no inflation, and a new trade deal (finally) its the stuff that landslides are made of. But most days, Trump seems bored with it all. Oh, he likes to win, and he likes the bragging rights that accompany all of these gleaming statistics. But what really excites Trump is the roar of the crowd at one of his signature revivalist-style campaign rallies. And, what really excites the crowd is the president as conservative big-top showman, leading his supporters on the front lines of what they are convinced is a generational culture war to stop leftists in Hollywood, the news media, and the Democratic Party from outlawing the American way.

This phenomenon threatens to overshadow a record of economic stewardship that might otherwise guarantee Trump a winning 2020 coalition, especially because the outsize media coverage the presidents rally performances attract can obscure almost everything else he says and does that might keep disaffected Republicans in the fold and lock in swing voters. Both blocs, at best indifferent to Trump as culture warrior, at worst completely repulsed, helped put Trump in the White House nearly four years ago, and each is crucial to a November sequel.

The Trump campaign rally has changed the face of contemporary American politics, said Jeffrey Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College in Pennsylvania, an electoral battleground the president covets. What remains is the question of whether these rallies will work again in 2020 after three-plus years of a divisive Trump presidency.

As Brauers question reminds us, the Trump rally was quite successful in 2015 and 2016. Often dismissed as counterproductive and too catered to Trumps uncommonly loyal voting base, this traveling road show fueled his rise in the Republican primaries and victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the general election. Democrats should be worried, at least somewhat, because the 2020 version of the Trump rally is more sophisticated. This time around, the only haphazard, ad-libbed part of the spectacle is the president's onstage routine.

Led by Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, with an assist from senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, and Trump campaign political director Chris Carr, each Trump rally is meticulously planned to identify and ink new Trump voters, add to the presidents growing army of campaign volunteers, and sell his agenda. Rally locations are chosen with precision to boost Trumps prospects in battlegrounds, and micro-battlegrounds, that matter. And this year, the campaign is bracketing Trumps stadium rallies with smaller, targeted affairs, such as the events his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is headlining in proximal suburban strongholds.

A Trump campaign official told me that the rallies are a data gold mine and central to the presidents strategy.

According to statistics this official provided, the campaign has hosted a combined 258 rallies and related events (and counting) during Trumps first term that 3.3 million people registered to attend. From this list of names, 2.4 million voters were identified, 80% of whom live in battleground states and 396,000 of whom did not vote for Trump in 2016. Parscale typically tweets out the voter information collected at each rally. For instance, after the Trump rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 10, Parscale said in a Twitter post that the event identified 23,000 voters. Twenty percent of them voted in only one of the last four elections, while 9% had never voted. Another 20% identified as Democrats, and 18% were nonwhite.

Trumps rally schedule, steady throughout his first nearly three years in office, has accelerated markedly in the first few weeks of the election year, placing the president on the stump far earlier than perhaps any of his predecessors. On Jan. 9, Trump was slated to travel to Toledo, Ohio, for a "Keep America Great" rally, followed by another on Jan. 14 in Milwaukee. On Jan. 28, Trump is headed to southern New Jersey for yet another rally.

Trump loves to campaign, said Ed Rollins, a veteran Republican operative who runs a pro-Trump super PAC. Talking to his people is what he likes best. He thrives on it and gains energy from it.

For the Trump loyalist, these rallies are more than politics. They are community. Some rallies are preceded by daylong festivals, dubbed 45 Fests, that feature live music, appearances by prominent Trump supporters, and other attractions. Many attendees are repeat customers dozens of times over. They come to organize, see friends, and hear Trump play his greatest rhetorical hits. Jason Miller, a former Trump political adviser, referred to the rallies as cultural destination centers for many Americans, a description not far off the mark.

Trump is placing a big bet on a campaign strategy centered on motivating voters already in his corner.

Yes, the presidents strategy involves growing the number of such voters. My base is much bigger than people think, he told me and a few of my Washington Examiner colleagues during an Oval Office interview last fall. And yes, the Trump campaign, and the president's allies, claim the rally is the only megaphone loud enough to broadcast his message over the din of impeachment-obsessed Democrats and a political press corps that covers him unfairly. But no president, including Trump, has ever captured the White House, or held it, on the strength of core supporters alone.

Managing a majority coalition is difficult, said David Winston, a Republican pollster. Your base is never big enough to win an election.

Victory is born of a big tent, and the Trump defined by rally appearances that can last 90 minutes and be, at times, comedic, antagonistic, self-deprecating, insulting, braggadocio, and narcissistic risks scaring away the traditional elements of his 2016 coalition, without which the Trump base would have been an interesting footnote in campaign history. According to exit polls, Trump beat Clinton among independents, 46% to 42%; outpaced her in the suburbs, 49% to 45%; and earned the support of 47% of married women, just 2 points shy of Clintons total in other words, voters inclined toward many Trump policies but disinclined toward his behavior.

Let history be our guide. Trumps bustling rally tour down the stretch of the campaign for the midterm elections was devoted to the dangers of the Democratic mob, socialism, open borders immigration, and other cultural flash points.

Democrats swept the suburbs to win control of the House with a pick-up of 40 seats. Even though Trump helped Republicans oust Democratic senators in deep red territory where he is popular, the Democrats also won an Arizona Senate seat for the first time in a generation and defeated a GOP incumbent senator in Nevada. Both states are dominated by suburban voters and have burgeoning minority populations. Trumps rhetoric and stump style, consistent, albeit backed by a refined operation, are not the only reasons Democrats are hopeful about the next election. But they rank pretty high on the list.

The president is his own worst enemy. If he talked 50% less, his numbers might reflect that, said Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist. A strong economy might bring independents into the fold. His rhetoric at rallies is not doing that.

David M. Drucker is the senior political correspondent for the Washington Examiner.

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Election diet of red meat - Washington Examiner

Wed all like to live a long time in good health.

Now a recently published study has concluded there are lifestyle factors that can increase your odds of reaching an older age without chronic health issues.

Theres been plenty of research on lifestyle choices, such as smoking, physical activity, drinking habits, weight management, and diet, that affect our overall life span and likelihood of experiencing chronic diseases.

However, few studies have looked at how a combination of these factors relate to a long life free of disease.

We wanted to see whether following a healthy diet and exercise can prolong life, not just life expectancy but life expectancy free of chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, Dr. Frank Hu, MPH, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts and lead study author, told Healthline.

Because were not just looking at life span but also health span, meaning that there are increased years of life free of chronic disease, he said.

Researchers examined data from roughly 73,000 registered female nurses in the United States from the Nurses Health Study and from almost 40,000 male health professionals in the United States from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

The study participants didnt have cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes when they were enrolled.

Study participants were routinely assessed for new diagnoses and deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. Researchers adjusted for age, ethnic background, family medical history, and other considerations.

The low-risk lifestyle factors used to calculate a healthy lifestyle score included:

Adding these five factors together gave a final low-risk lifestyle score ranging from 0 to 5. A higher score indicated a healthier lifestyle.

Your healthcare provider can help with risk scores that can estimate your risk for death for certain conditions, and evidence-based lifestyle modifications and treatments that can improve conditions, said Dr. Katrina Miller Parrish, the chief quality and information executive at L.A. Care Health Plan.

Keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle with low impact, tolerable physical exercise; a good, well-balanced, colorful diet; hydration; and an appropriate amount of sleep can do wonders to help maintain a positive mental outlook and physical state, Parrish told Healthline.

Years of life free from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes at age 50 was 24 years for women who followed none of the low-risk lifestyle factors.

It was 34 years for women who adopted four or five of the factors.

The life expectancy free of these chronic diseases was 24 years among 50-year-old men who followed no low-risk lifestyle factors.

It was 31 years for men who practiced four or five of these healthy habits.

While hypertension is the number one cause for death throughout the world, many lifestyle changes, such as better diet and exercise, can affect this diagnosis to varying degrees, especially based on regimen and adherence, Parrish said.

Being selective in what you eat is one of the most important lifestyle factors.

Foods that are high in fiber have been studied extensively for the benefits that they provide when it comes to cardiovascular health, including blood pressure regulation, Shelley Wood, MPH, RDN, a clinician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California, told Healthline.

Wood explains these foods are plant-based and include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Additionally, legumes, such as beans, lentils, and peas, have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol level, and high blood pressure.

For those wishing to preserve heart function and health, Wood says theyd benefit from avoiding foods high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and refined carbohydrates.

Its especially important to avoid these foods if you have high cholesterol. If youre contemplating eating a food that is high in sugar, salt, or fat, your best bet is to choose something else, she said.

Wood adds that optimizing caloric intake and reaching or maintaining a moderate weight and waist measurement into middle age are the single most important ways to reduce risk for diabetes as well as participating in regular physical activity and avoiding smoking.

According to the study, men who smoked heavily defined as 15 or more cigarettes per day and men and women with obesity (defined as BMI 30 or higher) had the lowest chance of disease-free life expectancy at age 50.

We looked at five lifestyle factors: eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, not drinking in excess, not smoking, and being physically active. Theyre all important. But for smokers, the most important thing for them to do, of course, is to stop smoking. For people who are obese, its important to lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight, Hu said.

Parrish agrees that not smoking is critically important.

The one single thing anyone who smokes can do is simply quit and reduce risk of disease and death by double digits, which is seen through this study. The effect appears to be greater the longer an ever-smoker remains no longer smoking, Parrish said.

In the first 1 to 10 years after quitting, the risk of heart disease and lung cancer drops, and by 15 years, the risk of each is near that of a nonsmoker, she added.

New research finds there are five lifestyle factors that significantly increase the years you live without experiencing chronic health issues.

Study participants were followed for more than 20 years. Those who followed four or five of the healthy lifestyle choices significantly increased their healthy life span after age 50.

Experts emphasize that the most influential of these are not smoking and maintaining a moderate body weight.

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How Diet, Exercise, and a Healthy Weight Can Add a Decade to Your Life - Healthline

In global diets, meat is not necessarily the main driver of dietary carbon emissions, finds a new study published in One Earth. Instead, factors like higher sugar and alcohol consumption, and dining out more frequently, could be an unrecognised source of carbon emissions in modern diets.

Looking at Japan, a team of British, Japanese, and Norwegian researchers on the new paper carried out an analysis on the diets of over 60,000 households spread across the country. This intensive survey revealed that families whose diets had the highest carbon footprint werent actually eating more meat than others.

Instead, this higher emissions profile could be explained by greater consumption of fish, vegetables, sweets, alcohol, and eating more frequently at restaurants. These high-impact families spent over three times more on alcohol, twice as much on sugary products, and double the amount on restaurant food, compared to households with a lower carbon footprint, the study found.

In fact, meat consumption was almost identical across the population the researchers studied and interestingly, the differences in emissions couldnt be explained by other social factors such as age, sex, or household income.

What differentiates the highest and lowest [carbon footprint] households is rather spending patterns in unexpected categories: fish, vegetables, alcohol, confectionery, and dining out, the researchers write. While fish and vegetables are lower-emissions alternatives to red meat, they still have a climate impact in high quantities and contribute to emissions from food waste. Sugary products and alcohol come with an associated production emissions cost. And, dining out on restaurant food comes with the added emissions generated by cooking and lighting which is higher than it would be if people made home-cooked meals.

What makes the results more surprising is that in Japan, food consumption is largely in line with broad international dietary recommendations for climate mitigation: the typical Japanese diet tends to include more fish and vegetables, and less red meat. Yet despite this, it doesnt necessarily translate to a low-carbon diet.

That dismantles the notion that simply reducing meat consumption globally as mandated by influential pieces of research like the recent EAT-Lancet Commission report is a clear route to reducing our collective dietary footprint. Instead, the more complicated truth seems to be that meat isnt always the biggest emissions driver in national diets, as is commonly believed and the way we target emissions-reducing policies should take the nuances of global diets into account.

Importantly, the researchers emphasise that these findings dont mean that reducing red meat consumption doesnt count: in fact, the emissions impact of Japanese diets could still be notably cut by eating less red meat. But in addition, they suggest that awareness campaigns about the carbon footprint of different foods, plus a potential carbon tax on luxury products like sweets and alcohol, could uniquely reign in national dietary emissions.

Japan presents a unique dietary case, in many ways so these findings wont necessarily translate to other countries. But it does reveal something crucial in an era of emissions-focused dietary recommendations: that there are important differences in national diets, which mean that global approaches to reducing emissions may not always find their mark.

It would indicate that more care should be given before prescribing national policy based on global data, the researchers write.

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Meat isn't always the biggest driver of - Anthropocene - Anthropoce

Humans survive by breathing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, while plants survive by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. However, have you ever thought that anything could live off a completely different chemical reaction? Researchers have just discovered a type of bacteria in the Black Sea (near Eastern Europe) that survives in the absence of oxygen by taking in sulfur and manganese instead.

Microorganisms are microscopic lifeforms, such as bacteria. They can live in a wide variety of conditions, such as extremely hot or cold temperatures, very acidic pools, and environments without oxygen. Scientists have long theorized that a microorganism could survive by using sulfide and the metal manganese, though no one has been able to prove it. However, that has just changed based on a new discovery from the Black Sea.

The Black Sea is stratified, meaning it has multiple layers in it with different properties. The top layer of water is in contact with the air, so it is filled with dissolved oxygen. The bottom layer is near a sulfur source and is thus filled with a dissolved sulfur compound called sulfide. In between, there is a layer that lacks both sulfide and oxygen. This layer contains small particles of a mineral called manganese oxide, which has the chemical formula MnO2. Although the conditions in this layer may not seem favorable to living organisms, life was found here.

Researchers took a sample of water from near the border of this layer and the bottom sulfidic layer, where sulfide was present but oxygen was not. They sealed it in an airtight bottle full of MnO2 and gave it daily doses of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is the form of sulfur found in this water. They also tried using another form of sulfur called thiosulfate (S2O32-) because it is nontoxic and easier to work with.

The result was the growth of a new species of bacteria: Sulfurimonas marinigri. This microorganism is an autotroph, which means it gets its carbon (food) from carbon dioxide in the air. This is somewhat like plants, which also get their food from the air, but unlike humans, who have to eat other plants and animals to survive.

The researchers also performed additional experiments. They found that continually adding hydrogen sulfide instead of thiosulfate resulted in further growth. The organism could not use iron for growth, even though iron is common in the Black Sea.

Using this information, the researchers put together the following reaction to explain how the organism survives.

manganese oxide + thiosulfate + hydrogen manganese + sulfide + water

The left side shows what the organism takes in to produce the energy needed to live and the right side shows what it produces as a result. This process is very similar to the way we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.

While growing on this reaction, Sulfurimonas marinigri produced an unusual form of the mineral calcium carbonate that contained manganese. The chemical formula for this mineral is Mn(Ca)CO3, and it is found in the Black Sea. The authors also report that other species of Sulfurimonas can be found near hydrothermal vents and in marine sediments, where they may create similar manganese carbonate minerals.

So what is so important about this new microbe? These findings make Sulfurimonas marinigri the first organism we have discovered to live by using sulfide and manganese oxide, and further prove that life can exist using energy sources that were not previously known.

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Bacteria from the Black Sea Have an Unusual Diet - Sciworthy