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.

Continue reading here:
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

View post:
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.

See the rest here:
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

Enzymes are molecules, especially proteins that help to accelerate biochemical reactions by interacting with components (reactants and products) without permanently changing them. This promotion process is called catalysis, and accordingly, the enzyme is recognized as a catalyst. Like many participants in the microbiology community, the names of enzymes can be lengthy and cumbersome, and almost all names end with "-ase". However, if you are familiar with the formal system of enzyme naming, you can unravel many mysteries about the function of a given enzyme without knowing exactly what reaction the enzyme catalyzes. Enzymes are affected by many conditions, such as temperature and pH (acidity), and are inhibited in a number of ways. The enzymes are classified according to the type of reaction catalyzed and the substance being acted upon, called the enzyme substrate. The suffix "ase" is usually appended to the name of the main enzyme substrate to which the enzyme acts.

Specifically, the enzyme or stimulator is essentially an activated protein that can react to living organisms. In addition, these special globular proteins act as catalysts and cause little or no biochemical reactions in the body. In short, the role of enzymes is to initiate physiological processes that keep us healthy and energized. It must always be remembered that important actions (such as energy production, nutrient absorption, hormone regulation, wound healing, and toxin removal) require a sufficient amount of stimulant.

Enzymes work in a mild environment, similar to the physical environment of living organisms. Enzymes support life by synthesizing and degrading the materials that make up the components of the organism and creating energy. The enzyme acts as a highly selective catalyzer, allowing selective catalysis of specific reactions (reaction specificities) and specific substances (enzyme substrate specificity). The use of enzymes to improve human life remains a key attribute and principle of biotechnology. Currently, there are more than 4,000 different types of enzymes whose effects have been studied, used and safely applied in various industries. The categories of enzymes currently used mainly include:

Metabolic enzymes: Interestingly, they are present in every cell and are responsible for triggering millions of different biochemical reactions that occur in living organisms per second. You will be surprised to find that these stimulants play a major role in different body functions, such as breathing to maintain the immune system.

Digestive enzymes: As the name implies, these stimulants are essential for our chemical decomposition by breaking down food into smaller foods so that they can be easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Furthermore, unlike metabolites, these catalysts are called extracellular and are found outside the cellular structure. These are mainly produced in the endocrine glands and pancreas and are actively secreted at different points along the gastrointestinal tract. The total number of digestive enzymes is around 22, and the following are the most commonly discussed:

Lipase: promotes fat breakdown

Amylase: helps digestion of carbohydrates

Cellulase: power fiber digestion

Lactase: milk sugar (lactose) decomposition; useful in dairy products

Phytase: supports overall digestion and manufacture of B vitamins

Protease: responsible for protein breakdown

It is known that different foods, especially raw foods, contain naturally occurring irritants that place a burden on the digestive tract. And decompose immediately after eating. During the digestion process, the body's intake of these enzymes will greatly reduce the pressure on the digestive tract. In addition, the presence of these enzymes can also promote nutrient uptake. In the recent period, the food enzyme market has experienced a sudden increase, mainly due to the digestive problems faced by people.

All types of enzymes are important for tracking the health functions of the human body. Loss of enzymes can also cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, cramps, heartburn and bloating. Disease, chronic stress, malnutrition, and overdose can disrupt the internal production of the enzyme. Since most of the processed and packaged foods we consume are strictly managed and even transported extensively before the store is sold, the diet we provide is often lacking in freshness in terms of enzyme richness.

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Everything You Need to Know About Several Common Enzymes - PharmiWeb.com

Whiteheads are those ugly skin bumps that can be terribly irritating. Many people blame stress and greasy fried food for this condition. While it may contribute to some extent, there are many other reasons that may contribute to the appearance of whiteheads. But all these reasons contribute to the excess production of natural oils called sebum. This together with hair and dead skin cells block the skin pore. Bacteria on the skins epidermis settle into the clogged pore and start to grow. This leads to skin inflammation. Over time, it manifests as whiteheads.

If you want to get rid of these bumps, make sure that you keep your skin clean and follow a healthy diet and regular exercise. Ge gentle to your skin and treat it with love. Avoid strong facial products and keep your hair away from your face. There are many home remedies also that can help you deal with this condition. Let us take a look at a few of them.

When you expose your skin to steam, your pores open up. Just pour some boiling water onto a bowl and put your face over it. But dont take your face too close to the water or you may burn yourself. Keep a comfortable distance. Cover your head and bowl with a towel so that the steam is trapped. Do this everyday before going to bed. You will soon see results.

This makes the skin dry. Lemon juice is not only acidic but also has anti-bacterial properties. This helps in bringing down skin inflammation. You can safely use undiluted lemon juice on your skin. But if you think it is too strong, mix it in some water and then apply it to the affected area with a cotton pad. Wipe it off after half an hour and notice the difference.

This oil has anti-microbial properties and it is a known anti-inflammatory. This is a common ingredient in many skin care products in the market. Easily available in the market and at online stores, it is very safe and also effective. Just apply this oil directly to the affected area on your skin.

It can penetrate deep into the skin. It has anti-bacterial properties, which helps in reducing skin inflammation. Just heat a tablespoon of honey. Dont let it get too hot. Keep it at a comfortable warm temperature. Apply it directly on your clean face and wipe it off after about 15 minutes. Do this regularly. The results are amazing.

This is an acidic astringent. It dries and shrinks the pores. It has powerful anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties that can reduce inflammation. Just take 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and mix it with a little warm water. Apply this mixture directly on your face and leave it for half an hour and then wipe it off with a clean soft towel. This is easily available nowadays and you can buy it either online or from your neighbourhood grocery store.

Published : November 28, 2019 10:13 am

Original post:
Plagued by unsightly whiteheads? 5 home remedies to get rid of them - TheHealthSite

The moral of this article is not simply that your doctor is doing it wrong. Many conventional doctors and medical institutions are basing their screenings on science-backed recommendations outlined by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Heres an example of the Cleveland Clinics screening guidelines. A cholesterol screening, for example, is recommended every 5 years (or more based on risk) after age 20.

This often catches big stuff, which is good, but not always in time for you to prevent it altogether. Case in point: After my five-year stretch with no blood work, a lipid panel actually revealed I had high cholesterol and borderline high blood sugarsomething I was able to address, but that I could have addressed much earlier had I noticed my numbers slowly creeping up.

The message isnt test for everything! either. Testing has been given this halo effect of, You should test to be healthier, but some of these specialty tests are super unnecessary, says integrative physician Amy Shah, M.D.. I get people in my practice all the time who want to know their food sensitivities, but I have to be the bearer of bad news and tell them food sensitivity tests are really poor at this point. I try to stay on the side of less is more.

The truth is: You dont need to have big fancy tests done to get a lot of information about how you are shifting metabolically, says Kristann Heinz, M.D., R.D., a doctor board-certified with the American Board of Integrative-Holistic Medicine. You can glean a lot of information from pretty basic teststhe key is doing them regularly (preferably annually), so you can track your results over time and spot trends. You want to catch smoke before theres fire.

Link:
What Blood Tests You Should Ask For Based On Your Family History - mindbodygreen.com