Hey Korbyn, what do you think about Diet X? is one of the questions I receive most often from the members of my gym or even people in general when I tell them Im in the health and wellness field is what I think about the latest diet trend sweeping the nation. This is an extremely complex topic, and keep in mind that I am not a registered dietitian. If you are part of a special population and need advice on a diet for medical reasons, you should seek out a registered dietitian in your town. You would be surprised how many there are, sometimes they can even be found at popular grocery store chains. For the purposes of our discussion today we will be talking about the average person that is probably 15-50 pounds overweight and is looking to make physical changes to their body through diet and exercise.

First off, lets applaud the question and the fact that it is being asked. The average person gives little to no thought whatsoever to what they put into their body in terms of food and drink, whether it is the quality or the quantity. Curiosity should be rewarded, as it leads to fact finding and hopefully knowledge on the extremely important subject of diet. Second we must look at how any diet works, no matter how trendy or extreme it may sound. Every diet begins with calorie restriction based on the individual that is eating a certain way. You cant get past the simple fact that eating more calories than you burn will result in weight gain, and burning more calories than you eat will result in weight loss. This is true no matter what diet or way of eating you choose, and it will always be true no matter your genetics or any other factor you can think of that might affect your body. After we accept this fact we can begin to dig deeper into the seemingly infinite number of diet plans you might see or hear about on a daily basis.

The first major category of diets to discuss is elimination diets. The dieter will eliminate entire food groups or macro-nutrient groups (protein, fat, or carbs), which can cause significant weight loss in the initial 30 days of the diet, and those that can stick with the difficult task of eliminating an entire food group will be able to sustain the weight loss or lower body weight. These types of diets are difficult because when you re-introduce the eliminated food group back into your diet you will gain the weight back quickly. The sustainability of this type of diet is typically low among casual adopters, but these types of diets can be powerful for some people.

The second major category of diets to discuss is tracking based diets, where instead of eliminating a food group you pay attention to the amount of food you are eating through some form of tracking, usually achieved by weighing ingredients or scanning a label on pre-packaged food. Weight Watchers and their points system is probably the most famous version of this diet, but more recently terms like If It Fits Your Macros or flexible dieting have become popular. The difficulty of this approach is in preparation of meals and snacks, in that you must measure or weigh all ingredients which will initially take time and patience. This type of diet is more sustainable in that it doesnt rely on elimination, just portion control and the optimal combination of fat, protein, and carbs for your intended results. It can be very difficult to follow for those that eat out a lot or eat a large amount of processed foods.

So the larger question is which diet is best for you? The answer is simply you dont know until you try. Any of the diets whose names you have heard (paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto, South Beach, Mediterranean, pescatarian, Zone, Whole 30, etc.) are better than the standard American diet, so giving any one of them a try for 60 days could lead to positive results. As a fitness professional I have experimented with almost all of these options and could write many articles about the pros and cons of each one. All diets work if you follow them exactly, but the trouble is in how long you can adhere to the protocols found in each diet. The more extreme the change is from your normal eating habits, the more difficult it will be to follow the diet correctly and for a long enough period of time to achieve the results you want. We must also understand that the diet only works when you follow it, and the progress you make will disappear when you return to your old way of eating. Talking with a fitness professional can be beneficial as they will be able to help you find a plan that works for your lifestyle, and help you work through the often difficult first stages of the dietary changes. So seek out a local professional, someone with whom you can speak to one-on-one, and start planning the approach you would like to take to move toward your health and wellness goals. Always remember that investing in your health is money well spent.

Korbyn Doucette is the co-owner of Snap Fitness in Shakopee.

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Commentary: Investing in health is money well spent - SW News Media

FORT WASHAKIE Pine cones sat on metal grates over a fire pit on a recent snowy Saturday morning, as coals and flames opened them just enough to expose their bounty: pine nuts.

A few yards away, inside Fort Washakies Rocky Mountain Hall, about two dozen people took those pine cones still warm and tried to pry out the tiny seeds using tools like nails and knives while wearing gloves to keep the sticky pitch off their hands.

Eventually, those seeds would be ground up for flour or become a tasty, nutritious snack one of many healthy meals the group was working to stockpile.

As some people worked to roast the cones or nudge the nuts from them, others separated dark red venison from a deer carcass. The effort was part of a community-led project on the Wind River Reservation to increase knowledge and consumption of traditional Shoshone foods while studying the health effects of the food Shoshone people ate generations ago, before reservation life and government policies forced them to abandon those practices and adopt Western diets.

The effort is also seen as a way to revitalize Shoshone culture and create a more cohesive community.

Hopefully we get people with diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other afflictions so that we can see how well they do on our natural diets and how much healthier they can get, said group member and Eastern Shoshone citizen Jola Lebeau. Another thing I really like about it is it brings our community together. Food always brings our communities together.

Eastern Shoshone Tribe's wild buffalo herd continues to grow

The project, Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Foods, is just one of several on the Wind River Reservation and part of a larger food sovereignty movement in Indian Country that aims to increase awareness of traditional Indigenous foods or culturally appropriate, healthier and more sustainable food systems. Advocates say the movement can help reverse generations of negative health trends, partly due to a dramatic shift to the non-traditional diet that was imposed on tribal nations, while also protecting Indigenous cultural knowledge.

We know that our traditional foods are a pillar of our culture and that they feed much more than our physical bodies, Valerie Segrest, a nutrition educator, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe member and food sovereignty advocate, said at a 2013 TED Talk. They also feed our spirits, and this is because theyre a living link with the land and with our legacy, helping us to always remember who we are and where we come from.

Changing diets

When Indigenous people across North America including the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes were forced to live on reservations, their diets changed with the new lifestyle. They had less, or no, access to traditional food sources and wild game.

Vernetta Panzetanga separates dried leaves of the bluebell plant from the stems during a Shoshone food harvesting workshop in Fort Washakie. Bluebell leaves are used for seasoning in soups and other dishes, similar to how a bay leaf is used.

Instead, the U.S. government provided rations, which often included a lot of refined carbohydrates and fatty meats, said Jill Fabricius Keith, a University of Wyoming assistant professor of nutrition and researcher working with the group.

And as processed foods became more available, Indigenous people increasingly relied on them.

Wyoming tribe to begin off-reservation hunting following Supreme Court ruling

Thats helped lead to high rates of health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease problems that didnt exist among Native Americans before being introduced to a new diet, she said.

In fact, Native Americans have some of the worst health disparities in the U.S. American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from, and die at, much higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions, than the rest of the country, according to government statistics.

From a nutrition perspective, the Western style of eating is not even as close to as healthy as an Indigenous diet, Fabricius Keith said.

Growing up, Lebeau said she doesnt recall as many tribal members dealing with health issues like today, a problem she attributed to the present-day diets of many on Wind River.

New buffalo join Wyoming tribe's growing herd after weather delays throughout spring

When I was a little girl, I dont ever remember ever seeing any people that was limping, or people that was in wheelchairs, or people that was having a hard time. So I thought about how healthy we were in those days and what made the people healthy, said Lebeau, now 66. They were all busy. They were busy all summer long gathering these special plants They were following the animals; they were following the plants.

Healthier food options

Restoring Shoshone Ancestral foods isnt the only initiative underway on Wind River to educate tribal citizens about traditional foods and improving diets.

The goal of Growing Resilience, another effort, is to encourage more gardening on Wind River, promote healthier diets and support families as they start up their own gardens.

Organizers, which include the University of Wyoming, Blue Mountain Associates, Eastern Shoshone Tribal Health and the Wind River Development Fund, hope to have 100 families start a garden and measure the health impacts, similar to the traditional foods group.

A bowl of rose hips sit on a table inside Rocky Mountain Hall in Fort Washakie. The berries were harvested along with several other indigenous plants and berries during a Shoshone food workshop.

Classes on pickling and canning home-grown food or produce have been held.

One of few remaining fluent speakers of Eastern Shoshone language dies

Farmers markets are also regularly held on Wind River to increase availability of healthy, locally produced food. In addition, an initiative to fund producer cooperatives, the Wind River Food Sovereignty Development Project, received federal money last year.

Some even view both tribes re-introducing buffalo to the reservation as a part of the food sovereignty movement and hope to someday see the herds grow large enough for tribal members to hunt and eat the large mammal as they once did.

Todays food has changed. It is full of preservatives, fats and sugars. The food is bringing sickness to the people, Darrah Good Voice Elk, a Blackfeet, Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone food sovereignty advocate on Wind River, said at a 2017 conference. A new day eating healthy is beginning to take form on the reservation. Many dont want to be sick any more. We are changing step by step.

The Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food group started as a grassroots effort and has evolved to include participation from the University of Wyoming, which is helping to facilitate a study of the impact a diet of half traditional Shoshone food has on health, cultural connectedness and overall well-being.

Vernetta Panzetanga separates the dried leaves of the bluebell plant from the stem for use seasoning in soups and other dishes.

To study the effects of the traditional foods which will be food and ingredients the group has gathered from the area or helped process 20 Eastern Shoshone tribal citizens will eat half traditional foods for four weeks starting in January.

After the study, participants who follow the diet will have blood tests and take surveys to measure the diets effect. They'll also have their blood tested before starting.

Even if the results of the study dont show any positive benefits, Fabricius Keith said, it will not have been a failure. Having community members involved in traditional food collection and preserving the knowledgeis just as valuable, she said.

If we dont see any very specific health impact itd still be successful, she said."That is still a lot of information to share with the community."

'Were trying to get back to our way of life:' Northern Arapaho gets its own buffalo herd

The group has been busy in recent months stockpiling the necessary food. That process has meant trips off-reservation, to the mountains or near Fort Washakie, to look for rose hips or carefully pick hawthorn berries from trees with sharp twigs that protect the berries.

When the participants get their food, it could include ingredients or spices made using hawthorn berries, fire weed, juniper berries, pine nuts, chokecherries, elk, buffalo and venison, among others.

While many in the group may have had no or little knowledge about the traditional foods their ancestors once ate, elders and area experts have helped educate them on what is edible, where to find it and how to prepare the food.

With elders and many others with knowledge about traditional Shoshone foods aging or dying, Lebeau said the groups work came at the right time.

Were hoping that after this study, that we still keep doing it and teach our children, she said. A lot of people that have been doing it for years, theyre dying now, theyre passing on the ones that really knew about the plants, to cut up the animals.

Still, Lebeau said she thinks theres interest among the youth to learn how to hunt or gather.

A lot of the young people that was here today, they said that they didnt have anybody to teach them, she said. They didnt know what to do, they didnt know where to go to hunt. They dont know how to hunt. They would like someone to teach them.

Its important to learn

For Laurie McLeod, the recent Saturday in Fort Washakie was her first time helping the group. As she pried pine nuts from their cones competing against her third-grade niece to see who could collect the most she said a family member convinced her to come try it.

While she said she had helped family members gather berries as a child, she had never worked with pine cones.

A bundle of fireweed harvested near Fort Washakie. Volunteers and workers with the University of Wyoming study collected the flowers and leaves to create a tea.

I pretty much learned what I came here to learn, she said, adding that shed like to continue to come back to learn more and would like to see the group continue to hold classes or see more programs educate children about their traditional foods.

Itd be neat to have these classes going on during the weekends so they can bring their grandparents, she continued.

After getting through the pine cones, those who showed up snacked on pine nuts, dipped vegetables in pine nut hummus or tried biscuits made with pine cone and bitterroot flour.

Group member and Eastern Shoshone tribal member Caroline Mills has been participating in the groups efforts since essentially its beginning. While she said she went up to the mountains with family members who were collecting foods like pine nuts when she was a young child, she didnt remember much of the process.

I wasnt involved in the work. I was jumping on rocks, Mills said. But I know going up there as a family, my mom, and all her sisters and all the kids, theyd gather pine nuts. But I wasnt paying attention because I guess I was too young. I was one of the rugrats.

While the work can be hard, its rewarding to be contributing to be a part of a project that is drawing more attention while ensuring knowledge about traditional food lives on, Mills said. Her work with the group has inspired her to try to grow as many foods as she can in a garden, she added.

In the future, Mills said shed also like to see Shoshone foods at feasts throughout the year.

I wanted to learn because I enjoy doing hard work and I think its important to learn what our people used to eat to pass on to the younger generation because (of) all the health benefits, she said. But its free. Go gather it when its here and quit eating Doritos and Cheetos and all that stuff with preservatives.

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Movement promotes traditional foods as way to improve health, preserve culture on Wind River Reservation - KPVI News 6

Its Friday morning, and Gunnar Peterson is cruising in his 1993 Land Rover Defenderrebuilt with a new engineen route to the UCLA Health Training Center, where hes going to link up with the guys. This is, without question, the most casual mention of the players on the Los Angeles Lakersever. As the teams director of strength and endurance training, Peterson is at the facility on game days between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., then back again at 4:15. On this particular day, hes been up since 3:45 a.m., having already breezed through his own workout and also trained two other clients.

Petersons client roster extends beyond the red-hot Lakers. Hes a household name in the health-and-fitness industry, and has put everyone from the Kardashians to Sylvester Stallone to Kate Beckinsale through the wringer at his Hollywood gymwhich is where youll find him when hes not deadlifting with Dwight Howard. Although hes coaching a host of A-listers, hell cast away anyoneyes, anyonewho doesnt commit to his program.

I'm at a point where I really just work with people that I like to work with, he says. Not that it has to be fun for me, but I have to get something back. I put a lot into my prep, the way my gym looks, the presentation, and the overall experience.

Petersons dedication to fitness dates back to 1989, when he was a production assistant on the sitcoms A Different World and My Two Dads. A morning regular at his local gym, he was approached by another guy who, having observed Peterson in action, wanted some tips for getting in better shape. When he asked me what I charged, I couldnt believe it, Peterson says. Thirty years later, hes amassed a celebrity roster and is in his third season with the Lakers.

What I love about what I do is that its not a cookie-cutter job, and I'm not trapped doing the same thing every day, he tells me. Even if Im working with the same people, the workouts themselves are different and everyones energies are different.

For the purposes of our interview, however, I flipped the script on Peterson, asking him about his own wellness routine. As it turns out, he wakes up freakishly early, is still figuring out how he feels about plant-based proteins, and cannot get enough of his evening dessert.

GQ: What time does your day get going?

Gunnar Peterson: 3:45 a.m., which means I have to handle my sleep differently than other people. It's an ongoing thing, right? Some people have a problem getting their training up to speed, some people have a problem locking their nutrition in, and some people just can't drink enough water. My problem is my sleep and my other forms of recovery. Starting about three years ago, I got really diligent with recovery protocols. NormaTec massage, Headspace [a meditation app], all of those things.

I love that you just grouped Headspace into the recovery suite. Do you track your sleep?

Yeah, I use SleepScore. I try to think of it like this: I'm trying harder, and I'm not perfect at it, but I'm doing better. If I'm keeping tabs on myself and I'm holding myself accountable and I'm not doing it in a stressful way, then I'm already way better off than I was. Sometimes the knee-jerk reaction is to be angry at the app when it tells you that youre not sleeping well, but I can't be angry at it. It's like getting the test back when you know you didn't study. You can't be pissed that you got a D, you know? You earned that. You didn't do the work.

Do you eat before you leave your house at the crack of dawn?

I eat a Split, which is essentially nut butter and jam. That way, I don't train while fasting. I used to do that for years. I talked to my nutrition guy and told him, "I just feel like I come in flat all the time." So he told me to try this routine. The nut butter slows the absorption of sugar, so you don't spike and then fall off. I feel like I get more out of my workouts with this.

I also drink 25 ounces of water first thing when I wake up. We know so much about hydration, especially if you read some of the stuff that comes out of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Guys are making way better choices on that front nowadays. Some of the guys I work with are drinking, like, six liters a day.

Whoa. And after you drink all that water?

I get in workout clothes and get to the gym by 4:30. I answer any e-mails, then I'm on the bike or doing another form of cardio by 5:00. I do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio unless, God forbid, I have a cancellation, and then I'll knock out an hour. But cancellations are rare.

Are you a post-workout-protein-shake kind of guy?

Yeah. I use Transformation protein powder and water. It's egg and pea protein.

Do you have any feelings on the whole I only eat plant-based proteins trend?

I think you have to go with what works for you. I watched the movie The Game Changers [a film about the benefits of a plant-based diet], and of course you're swayed right out of the gate. But then youve got to pump the brakes and look at it for what it is. It's interesting, there's definitely some take-home information, but its not going to swing me all the way.

So what happens after the protein shake?

At 10:30 a.m. I have another Split, and then around 1:00 p.m. I have lunch, which is typically salmon and a carb. The carb is usually a yam or rice. Sometimes quinoa. I also like eating spinach and sliced tomatoes.

And for dinner?

I get home and I usually have something right out of the gate, maybe some chicken. And then Ill have dinner with the family, but I eat my own stuff. They'll do Taco Tuesday or get pizza. And of course, who doesn't like that stuff? I just don't like the way it makes me feel, so its not worth it for me.

That said, I do have dessert every night. Last night I had brownies at the game. Night before I had Girl Scout cookies at home, because you've got to support the troupes. The night before that I had Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

I respect the honesty. For anyone who wants to be better in the gym, what kind of input would you give them about how they should be eating?

Shoot for foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Stay away from deep-fried, stay away from processed. Stay away from words you can't pronounce and foods that have more ingredients than there are digits in your mortgage payment. Every small step makes a difference, so if you can't get all-natural, perfect stuff, thats fine. But see if you can get close. If you get close on a regular basis, that's going to net out pretty well.

Can you leave me with one more piece of advice?

You have to be honest in your evaluation of yourself. Give yourself credit where it's due and be critical when its needed. Look at the different components that make up health and wellness. Look at training, nutrition, hydration, rest and recovery, managing stress levels, and to a smaller degree, supplementation. Put some time into that and try to have each of those aspects balanced out. Sometimes youve got to take it easy on your strengths and really focus on the weaknesses. And I would say do that not just with your body, but with your overall wellnessitll yield better performance in every aspect of your life.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Real-Life Diet is a series in which GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and everyone in between about their diets and exercise routines: what's worked, what hasn't, and where they're still improving. Keep in mind, what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

The Real-Life Diet of Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors Rookie and Sparkling Water Disciple

How a fitness and nutrition overhaul in college helped Paschall reach the NBA, where hes emerged as a steal for the Dubs in the midst of a rebuilding season.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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The Real-Life Diet of Gunnar Peterson, Trainer to the Los Angeles Lakers and Other Assorted Stars - Yahoo Lifestyle

Richard Kennedy is about to tuck into a salad when I arrive for our interview at a business park in the shadow of Belfasts former industrial behemoth, Harland & Wolff. Such is his frenetic schedule, the chief executive of agri-tech company Devenish is forced to eat and talk.

Were lucky to have caught him at all given what seems to be a never-ending schedule of travel for him both within and outside Ireland. Last week alone, he was in Liverpool on Monday and Tuesday, Belfast on Wednesday, then Dublin on Thursday and Friday, and thats a relatively quiet week.

Such is the life of a chief executive targeting aggressive growth for a business that is becoming increasingly more important as our climate expectations shift.

While now an agricultural technology company, Devenish started life as a pre-mix animal feed manufacturer. For every tonne of feed, the company would provide roughly five kilograms of micronutrients and influential nutrients. But even then, they knew that animal feed wasnt simply a formality: what cattle, pigs and sheep are being fed is of considerable importance given the way it trickles through the food chain.

If we provide healthy nutritious food for the soil, it, in turn, will be healthy ... If we do the same for animals, they will be healthy and their welfare will be better, explains Kennedy, sitting in a boardroom at the companys headquarters.

These days, the companys strategy is to ensure one health from soil all the way to society. Think farm to fork, but with added layers.

Devenish isnt in the business of devising lofty mantras just for the sake of it though. One of its more ambitious projects was delivering omega-3 fatty acids known to improve eye health and risk factors for heart disease to consumers through chickens.

Were used to getting our required omega-3 through fish which, in turn, get it by consuming plankton. Given the mass market appeal of chickens, Devenish partnered producer Moy Park and supermarket group Waitrose as well as the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) to come up with a better way to deliver the important nutrient. A clinical trial by the RCSI demonstrated that regular consumption of the naturally enriched omega-3 chicken and eggs is likely to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and depression.

And while these chickens are more expensive than their non-enriched counterparts, Kennedy notes that the potential for them to have an impact on public health similar to the addition of fluoride to water is huge. The Government has yet to take notice, he says, but some political leaders are and in several cities Devenish is providing omega-enriched chicken and eggs to schools.

And, as the country watches farmers protest the poor price they receive for their produce, our meeting was timely. Kennedy says innovations like the addition of omega-3 to feed have the potential to change the game.

The significant thing about this is that this is innovation at farm level because farmers feed the animals and thats where the value add occurs, something he compares to supply chain where food becomes more valuable once processed.

Omega-3 wasnt Devenishs first foray into innovation in animal feed. In 1998, the company developed a technology that lowered emissions and smells from pig farms by roughly 50 per cent in a study conducted by UCD that was also peer reviewed.

It is now in the process of developing technology that has the potential to wipe out emissions from the States cattle herd by 2025. Although light on detail, the company aims to deliver carbon neutral milk and beef within five years.

With agriculture such a focus of the Governments climate action plan, surely this move by Devenish is a godsend. Are the powers that be paying attention?

Hopefully they are ... we would see that instead of farming and food being the issue, it could be a solution, Kennedy says.

That will only happen, he believes, if the island as a whole works together. That also applies to those farmers and processors who are at loggerheads over beef prices.

[Both sides were] more interested in scoring points amongst one and other than actually saying how do we create a world leading industry, Kennedy said.

Creating a world leading industry, however, is probably lower down the list of priorities for the agricultural sector just now than getting is trying to get to grips with the shifting tide of public opinion. Once the darling of Irelands export industry, beef farming is now increasingly blamed for the States failure to meet emissions standards. It also has to contend with the possibility that the Mercosur trade deal could flood Europe with cheaper South American meat and, to add insult to injury, vegan diets that are encouraging people to move to plant-based meat substitutes.

With Devenish very much in the business of meat, does Kennedy have a concern over this shift to veganism?

I dont promote or demote any diet, thats a consumers choice, but it should be based on the best information ... We wont feed the world on vegetarian diets. [And] theres a carbon footprint with any diet and we need to recognise it.

Kennedy is not anti-vegan. I would support anyone who thinks they should eat vegan, he says. But, while we all have free choice, we should understand the consequences of that choice.

Very clearly, he believes that a balanced diet is important and that this can be achieved in a sustainable way.

The warnings over meat and climate have been stark. A study published in the medical journal Lancet earlier this year warned that meat consumption may need to drop by 90 per cent to avert a climate catastrophe. Kennedy says few people looked beyond that headline.

If they had, he says, they would have noticed that people would be expected to eat almost 18 times as much dry beans, soy and nuts to get the required daily intake of calories. If the world went vegan, wed rapidly run out of food.

While his business serves animal husbandry, he takes a personal interest in sustainability. That might put him out of step with some business leaders but Kennedy isnt necessarily like other business leaders, which was perhaps a factor in him being crowned EY Entrepreneur of the Year last week.

Although hes a company man, he doesnt buy in to the hierarchical business structures of old. I dont like this idea of people reporting to me, he says, adding that he has tried to rid the company of a pyramid structure in favour of a flat structure where people take responsibility for themselves.

Kennedy comes from an entrepreneurial home in a rural part of Sligo. He grew up in Tourlestrane and Aclare in an archetypal rural parish with two pubs, a shop, a church and a local population of around 1,200 people. His love of the place was highlighted at the EY awards ceremony when he said on stage that hed rather break stones than leave Sligo.

He learned from his father at an early age that there are customers everywhere for everything.

His dad started his working life as a shop boy before acquiring a confectionary business and subsequently establishing an ice-cream business and a mineral distribution business. Later he built a livestock mart. That piqued the interest of the young Kennedy who went on to study agriculture in NUI Galway and UCD.

His first year in NUIG was tough, he recalls, and he was troubled by homesickness. His father told him that, if he wanted to come home to work, hed need to nearly triple or quadruple the turnover at the mart otherwise hed have to work elsewhere. And so, Kennedy went off to UCD to finish his degree.

His first job was with Uniblock, a company that sold mineral blocks which farm animals lick to get their nutrients. After two years, he left to work with Newtech where he met Owen Brennan.

In 1997, Brennan acquired Devenish with Kennedy coming on board as a roughly 5 per cent shareholder. At that time, the business had about 5 million in turnover.

In the 20 years since, Kennedy has rifled through job titles. He has held roles including export director, sales manager and operations director. Over the course of his career at Devenish, turnover has risen to 250 million with the company last year posting earnings of 8 million.

All the while Kennedy has lived in Sligo. It gives him a sense of place in a schedule that has him regularly on the road. Next week, hell be travelling around Europe, the following week hes scheduled to be in China and in January hell be taking a trip to the US. Even when hes in Ireland, his work seldom brings him to Sligo. Does the endless travel tire him?

No. I would find it more difficult just to stay in one place, he says.

He did step back from Devenish at one point, in 2006, after the death of his uncle. That event made him question whether the sector with which he had been engrossed since the age of six when his father had set up the mart was still for him. He decided to set up his own consultancy, specialising in sustainability and renewables but, within a year, realised he wanted to be back at Devenish.

The two people I thank are Owen [Brennan, now the chairman of Devenish] and Jacqueline [Kennedys wife] because both were instrumental in allowing me to do what I needed to do but also saying, right, now youve got that crap out of your system, sort yourself out.

And he did, returning to the company after an 18-month sabbatical. He took over as chief executive when Brennan decided to separate the roles of CEO and chairman, both of which he held, as the company grew significantly. That growth continues under Kennedys watch, with the company looking to improve its turnover by 40 per cent to 350 million over the coming three years.

He recently secured investment, led by the European Investment Bank, totalling 118 million which the bank said would help Devenish fund research into optimised animal nutrition, food innovation, health and sustainability.

It gives Devenish quite a bit of working capital, Kennedy admits, but he said the business will likely seek equity investment from private investors.

We have a number of very, very significant projects in the pipeline now which are multiple millions in terms of value so, for us, we just wanted to make sure we had the capital resilience to deliver them, he said.

Kennedy expects to be there to see them through, given his apparent aversion to rest. While most are lying in on a Saturday morning, he is on his farm in Sligo feeding cattle. And when he tears himself away from that, he is to be found on the sideline of a football pitch most Sundays with the Tourlestrane junior GAA team he coaches. Hes also involved in the Sligo under-20 team on the periphery giving support to the manager.

It may be a trope, but where Kennedy is concerned it seems accurate to say you can take the man out of Sligo, but you cant take Sligo out of the man.

CV

Name: Richard Kennedy

Age: 54

Position: Chief executive of Devenish

From: Aclare, Co Sligo

Family: Married to Jacqueline, they have two sons, Oisn and Rian, and a daughter Molly.

Interests: Football he coaches junior teams at his local GAA club and is also involved in underage county teams

Something you might expect: Given his lifelong work in agriculture, Kennedy has a farm on which he relaxes at weekends.

Something that might surprise: Now a seasoned traveller, Kennedy first found being away from home a struggle. I failed my first year [in NUIG] because I was immensely homesick, he said.

Read more:
Entrepreneur of the Year says farming and food could be a solution to climate change - The Irish Times

(Claudio Schwarz/ Unsplash)

There's a good chance you're either preparing a Thanksgiving meal or eating one today.

If you're in the kitchen whipping up food, there are four basic precautions you should take to reduce the chances of food poisoning and food-borne illnesses.

Dr. Brigette Gleason with the Center for Disease Control broke it down for us. "We like to tell people clean, separate, cook and chill," she says.

This refers to surfaces, cutting boards, knives and other kitchen tools. Scrub them with soap and hot water then dry them before you start cooking. Also, wash your hands before you start cooking. Wash your hands after you're done. And wash your hands again, with soap and warm water every time after you handle raw poultry. You could also wear latex gloves during food prep. But again, if you touch raw poultry, before you handle anything else take off the gloves and put on another pair.

To prevent cross contamination, keep raw meat, especially poultry, separate from vegetables, fruits and other foods. It's a good idea to use different cutting boards for produce and meat.

Cook your meat thoroughly. Yes, this sounds obvious but do you know the recommended internal temperature each type of meat? Neither do we. Turkey and chicken should hit 165 F. Pork should hit 145 F. The recommended internal cooking temperature for beef is also 145 F although if you like it rare, that may vary. Buy a meat thermometer and check this handy chart for more details. Another thing, cook your food as close to serving time as possible. Cooked food should be eaten within two hours to prevent bacteria from developing.

This doesn't mean you get to lay back and chill out. "As soon as you're done eating, leftovers should go in the refrigerator. Perishable foods should never be left out for more than two hours," Dr. Gleason says.

You don't have to wait for hot food to cool down before refrigerating it although if you don't want your containers to "sweat," let the temperature come down a little before putting on the lid.

Just because the meal is over, doesn't mean food safety is on hold.

What should you know about that leftover turkey? "In general, leftovers of cooked poultry are ok to eat within three to four days, but after that they should go," Dr. Gleason says.

She says different foods can be safely stored for different lengths of time. If you can't remember, try the FoodKeeper app or this cold food storage chart.

If you're feeling sick and think you've come down with food poisoning, stay hydrated and give your stomach a break by slowly re-introducing bland foods into your diet.

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Try Not To Poison Yourself This Thanksgiving - LAist

Living in the Southwhere love for fried turkeys, buttery foods and gravy runs deepcan be hard on the diet, as well as the pipes, sewer systems, and ecosystems.

When fats, oils and grease (FOG) are washed down the drain, they stick to the inside of pipes, hardening and building up until they cause clogs and sewer backups.

This can cause sewage to overflow into homes, streets, and local waterways. Whether the repairs are in your home or in the street, it can be costly and inconvenient.

Rather than washing grease down the drain, Dorchester County encourages residents to safely dispose of fryer oil and cooking grease at one of twelve convenience sites, throughout the County.

The collected cooking oil and grease will be recycled into biodiesel or biogas, which reduces landfill waste and produces an alternative fuel that is clean and green.

How to Properly Dispose of Cooking Oil/Grease

When you have finished cooking, collect liquid grease and oils in a sealable container that can be taken to your nearest Convenience Site to be recycled.

For the grease that cannot be poured into the container, wipe pans clean with a paper towel and put it in the trash. Food scraps that can be composted, should, all other remaining scraps go in the trash. Scrape off excess food from pots, pans, and plates before rinsing them in the sink with cold water.

What Not to Do

Never dispose of cooking oil/grease in the woods or backyard. When waste cooking oil is dumped in backyards, it can find its way into the natural waterways, harming fish and other aquatic life.

Never poor cooking oil/grease directly in the trash. When waste cooking oil is thrown in the trash, the trash gets dumped in a landfill, the landfill gets coated in oil and grease which will also contaminate waterways and harm the natural ecosystems.

Never pour cooking oil/grease down the sink. When FOG goes down the drain, it hardens and causes sewer pipes to clog. This can lead to a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) where raw sewage backs up into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets. The unsanitary conditions can cause health issues and it can run into a nearby stream or river, which affects our drinking water. If your pipes become clogged from putting FOG down the drain, it can be a very expensive problem to fix. To avoid household and environmental damage as well as a costly bill, never put FOG down the drain.

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Cease the grease by properly disposing of fryer oil and cooking grease - Journalscene.com