GM diet for weight loss: GM diet or the General Motors Diet works on the principle of reducing calorie intake for a week for achieving quick weight loss. It has been found that following this diet diligently can help you lose around 7 kgs in week's time. The pattern in which the diet is followed can help in burning of fat and stimulating weight loss. The diet is followed for a period of seven days with strict rules regarding food groups to be consumed on each day. Along with helping you for quick weight loss, the GM diet helps you get rid of toxins and impurities in the body, helps in improving your digestion and can improve your body's ability to burn fat.

Foods that you are supposed to eat as part of GM diet are low in calories. This can help in promoting weight loss by creating a calorie deficit. Some of the foods that you are supposed to eat even included negative calorie foods-foods that provide fewer calories than they take to digest. You need to keep yourself well-hydrated by drinking sufficient water and eating hydrating fruits and vegetables.

On an average, you are supposed to eat 8 to 12 glasses of water in a day. On each day, you can consume 2 to 2 bowls of soup made with cabbage, celery, tomatoes, onions and belly peppers.

Also read:1500-Calorie Diet Plan: Here's How It Can Help You Lose Weight Without Starving

First day of the diet involves eating only one fruit (except bananas) in each meal. Portion size is not specified. 1 Water melon, berry, pear, apple and orange can be consumed throughout the day during different meal times.

Day one of GM diet involves eating fruits apart from bananasPhoto Credit: iStock

Second day of the diet involves eating on vegetables in either raw or cooked form. Portion size, again, is not specified. Potatoes should be eaten during breakfast only. You can begin you day with a bowl of boiled potatoes, followed a bowl of baby carrots, 1 head of steamed broccoli, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, 1/3 of sliced cucumber. This is just an example of the variety of vegetables and the portion size in which you must eat them. You can tweak the vegetables and their portion size according your choice as well.

On the third day of this diet, followers are allowed to both fruits and vegetables, except bananas and potatoes. You can begin your day with 1 apple (breakfast) followed by 1 bowl of cherry tomatoes (snack), 1 bowl of spinach, cucumber and tomatoes (lunch), 1 orange (snack), 1 bowl of kale, strawberries and avocado (dinner), 1 bowl of mixed berries (snack).

Also read:Weight Loss: Satisfy Your Sugar Cravings Without Loading Up On Calories With These 3 Quick And Easy Hacks

Fourth day of GM diet allows you to eat milk and bananas only. You can eat around 6 large or 8 small-sized bananas. Drink 3 glasses of milk, preferably skimmed milk. Have a glass of milk along with 2 bananas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You can eat bananas on fourth day of GM dietPhoto Credit: iStock

Fifth day of this diet allows followers to eat meat. You can have around 300 gm of chicken or fish. Along with meat, you can have around 6 whole tomatoes. Vegetarians can replace meat with cottage cheese. On this day, you need to increase water intake by 2 glasses at least, in order to flush out uric acid produced by meat consumption.

On day 6, you can have around 300 gm of meat and unlimited amount of vegetables, barring potatoes. Vegetarians can have brown rice or cottage cheese as a replacement of meat. Increase water intake by 2 glasses to flush out uric acid.

On the last day, you are supposed to have brown rice, fruits, vegetables and fruit juice. You can begin your day with a bowl of brown rice and some watermelon wedges. For lunch, you can have a bowl of brown rice along with broccoli and a cup of fruit juice. For dinner, you can have a bowl or brown rice and mixed vegetables.

You can eat brown rice on last day of GM dietPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:Top 5 High Protein Vegetables That Should Be A Part Of Your Weight Loss Diet

The diet by and large promotes intake of fruits and vegetables, which is considered to be weight loss friendly. You need to make choices that are low in calories in order to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. The diet can offer weight loss benefits for those who want to shed extra kilos quickly. For sustainable weight loss, you can follow cyclical GM diet by keeping a gap of a week in between two cycles.

However, any diet that requires you to go on a calorie deficit may do more harm than good in the long run. A healthy weight to lose weight is consume a balanced diet, practice portion control and exercise regularly. This will prevent nutritional deficiencies and help you maintain a healthy weight.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.

View post:
GM Diet For Quick Weight Loss: Lose Weight In 7 Days With This Diet- Here's How - NDTV News

Its Thanksgiving time. A lot of Americans are thinking about food. But a lot of them are also thinking about a diet a diet that is much more than a diet. Its a lifestyle. Its a culture. Its keto. Ketosis is this Holy Grail fat-burning state that people on the ketogenic diet quest after, explains Vox senior health reporter Julia Belluz.

The ultra-high fat, low-carb diet has you eating things like eggs, bacon, avocados, steak, and vegetables and staying away from items like fruits, bread, pasta, pizza, and birthday cake, Julia says on this episode of Today, Explained. People on the keto diet get about 5 percent of their calories from carbs, 15 percent from protein, and around 80 percent from fats.

Some scientists say the keto trend sweeping the nation could help fight epilepsy and cancer, too. Listen to the full episode of Today, Explained Voxs daily explainer podcast to hear Julia separate fat from fiction. Heres a lightly edited transcript of her conversation with host Sean Rameswaram.

Subscribe to Today, Explained wherever you get your podcasts, including: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and ART19.

Where did this come from? Was this like the Atkins diet where theres some dude who just said, Heres an idea? Is there a Mr. Keto?

Theres no one figurehead. And it is sort of a repackaging of the Atkins diet. Its sort of like this streamlined Marie Kondo version of Atkins. ... Where he had this multi-phase plan and you eventually reincorporated carbs, with keto you just cut all that out and you stay that way and you live that way.

I sometimes see promotions for this diet on social media. Is keto big on the Gram? Is it big with the influencers?

Yeah, I think its this combination of things, so some communities that are quite influential in the diet and exercise space embraced it, like Cross Fitters. There are celebrities in Hollywood like Halle Berry, Kourtney Kardashian. Silicon Valley has glommed on to it, people like Tim Ferriss. Theres an ex-Jersey Shore character who has this massive Twitter following and Instagram following. Hes called Vinny Guadagnino: The Keto Guido.

[Keto] taps into the market of men who have often been forgotten in this diet space. So when you think about Weight Watchers, right? Its something that middle age-ish suburban moms are doing. I dont know if this is all sexist. But then with keto its sort of, its meat heavy. Its something you can do by yourself. You can quantify whether youre on the diet so it has this interesting self-quantification aspect.

Its data driven. You can buy breathalyzers, pee strips that you pee on and they tell you, wow, basically, yeah, whether youre in ketosis or not. And theres blood tests as well.

How does it work? What are you measuring with these urine and blood tests?

Youre just measuring the ketone levels in your body. When were eating the typical high-carb diet, our bodies are fueled primarily by glucose or blood sugar. So when we eat a bagel or a peach at lunch, the glucose levels in our blood rise and the pancreas secretes insulin to turn glucose into a usable energy source, so its able to move the glucose from the blood into our cells.

But our body didnt evolve to actually keep glucose on storage so we just get it basically after we eat. Theres no long-lasting glucose stores around our body. So, if we stop eating carbs, our body has this amazing ability to adapt to whatever else were putting in there and turn that into a usable energy source.

Its kind of like you think about our bodies like flex-fuel vehicles. They can sort of adapt to whatever were putting in them.

Like a hybrid car.

Exactly. One of those adaptations is this process called ketogenesis. And when were in ketogenesis, the liver starts to break fat down both from the food were eating and from the fat thats stored in our body into this usable energy source called ketone bodies, or ketones for short. And basically ketones can stand in as glucose for fuel when were not eating carbs.

Just to break it down again: On the high-carb diet you eat carbs like pasta or bread, your glucose levels rise, the pancreas secretes insulin and then the insulin moves the glucose into our cells to power our body. On the keto diet, a person eats fats like steak and eggs. The glucose and insulin levels in the body fall. The liver converts the fat into ketones and then the ketones fuel the cells and tissues of the body. Youre making the body find a way to use fat as a source of fuel.

Is there another way to get the body into ketogenesis?

Starvation. When you fast think about it again, our bodies dont have glucose stored up anywhere. When youre not eating, it has to turn to fat stores to start to get energy to keep going. Thats part of the reason people can survive for as long as 73 days without food, because we start to just use the fat stores in our body and we can keep going.

If the body thinks this is kind of like itself starving or its similar to that, does this actually work for obesity? I dont believe Vinnies photos where hes all of a sudden got like a beautifully-carved six-pack out there on the streets. But does this help reduce obesity? Could this be, like, a potential cure to Americas obesity epidemic, which I hear is pretty bad, right?

The obesity epidemic is serious and Vinnies abs are probably attributed to more than the keto diet. Hes probably been to CrossFit. And the data we have so far suggest keto performs a lot like basically every other diet. There are some people who see tremendous success. There are some people who just absolutely miserably fail and maybe even gain weight on the diet. On average, most people will lose a few pounds but have a tough time sticking to it in the long run.

But keto does have this real potential as a treatment for a few diseases. And thats the really serious and fascinating scientific exploration thats happening right now.

Listen to the full episode of Today, Explained to learn more about the science behind the keto diet.

Read this article:
The keto diet: what to know about the extreme diet phenomenon - Vox.com

Berkley residents and business owners can get an update on the study of the citys temporary road diet on Coolidge Highway.

The issue is on the agenda for the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

Its been six months since Berkley changed road striping and reduced motor traffic from four to two lanes on Coolidge Highway between 12 Mile Road and 11 Mile Road.

The two-year pilot project included adding a center left-turn lane and bike lanes on both sides of Coolidge. Adding the turn lane was expected to increase safety and reduce rear-end car accidents.

City Manager Matt Baumgarten said city residents began weighing in on the project with emailed comments through the citys website at berkleymich.orgafter the road diet began in May.

The response to the road diet has been mixed, he said. The feedback weve gotten (ranges from) people who say it has had no effect to people who do not like it at all.

One of the chief complaints has been about motor traffic backups on Coolidge during peak commute times, much of it near Catalpa and Berkley High School.

A left-turn signal on Coolidge at Catalpa may help address that issue, Baumgarten said.

Weve also heard from people saying they are having a hard time making left turns from side streets at high-traffic times, he said.

Some people in Berkley want to change the location of the bike lanes. They are pushing to have the bike lanes on Coolidge next to the curb with the horizontal parking spaces to the left, to buffer cyclists from motor traffic.

Before the study began, traffic counts were done along Coolidge and some neighborhood side streets on average daily traffic, peak-hour numbers and motorists travel speeds.

Recently the city had the Traffic Improvement Association re-measure the same data, along with any accident numbers, as part of a continuing comparison.

Berkleys Downtown Development Authority last year did a traffic study through the Traffic Improvement Associations to measure the benefits of reconfiguring the number of lanes on Coolidge.

The DDA is covering the roughly $200,000 cost of the road diet study project, which also included two pedestrian crossings that were added two years ago then closed following an accident.

Berkleys DDA members saw a road diet as a way to transform Coolidge from a low-speed highway through the downtown into a local road more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Andrew Gilbert, chair of the DDA board and owner of Berkley Eyewear on Coolidge, plans to attend Mondays council meeting.

Im aware we have some new data, but I havent seen it yet, he said. From my view as a business owner, the (road diet) seems to be very effective in controlling the speed of motor vehicles.

Slowing motor traffic and encouraging more foot traffic is often beneficial to downtown areas.

Ferndale made a similar move on Nine Mile Road near Woodward Avenue in its downtown nearly two decades ago.

At the time, many in Ferndale feared that reducing traffic lanes on Nine Mile Road would swamp side streets with traffic. However, the impact was not as great as expected and the road diet on Nine Mile played a large role in revitalizing Ferndales downtown and attracting commercial investment.

All the research we did on this showed (the road diet) would have a positive impact on business, Baumgarten said.

The two-year pilot road diet is also a way for city officials to determine whether it is acceptable to residents before making any permanent changes to the Coolidge roadway.

Officials will continue to monitor resident comments before making a final decision after the study period ends in May 2021.

If we get more email from people who dont like it than from those who do, were going to end it and re-stripe the road back to four lanes, Baumgarten said.

Here is the original post:
Berkley to give update on Coolidge road diet, reactions mixed - The Daily Tribune

Rome, November 27, 2019 Promoting traditional healthy diets is important for advancing our efforts towards a food system that respects the environment, culture and well-being of people, which is a fundamental element of sustainable development.

That was the main message at an event today organized by the Government of Italy with support from FAO aimed at deepening understanding of the Mediterranean and other traditional diets from around the world and their nutritional benefits, as well as raising awareness on how they can help achieve progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Advertisement

Promoting and protecting healthy diets and making them available, accessible and affordable is critical for having a fulfilled and happy life, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in his opening remarks.

He cited some good examples of traditional healthy diets that contain the wisdom of our ancestors and the cultural essence of generations. These include the Mediterranean diet which implies high intakes of diverse vegetables, fruits, legumes, herbs and olive oil, the New Nordic Diet, traditional Japanese Diet, and the South of Chinas Regional Cuisine. All of them can boast a number of benefits, for example, they can lower cholesterol, prevent heart diseases and diabetes, Qu added.

However, the FAO Director-General warned that despite the numerous benefits of these diets they are often neglected due to a combination of factors such as population growth, globalization, urbanization, economic pressures and the fast pace of life which are driving change in our diets and consumption patterns.

Qu called on all the stakeholders to join our efforts in ensuring that traditional diets regain their importance and well-deserved position in the peoples mind, and encouraged particularly the young generation to re-discover enjoyment of cooking healthy meals at home as opposed to opting for fast-food meals.

The event, which took place at FAO headquarters, in Rome, also saw the participation of Italys Secretary-General, Ministry of Health, Giuseppe Ruocco, and Deputy Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Michele Baiano, as well as nutritionists and other diet-related experts from around the world, UN agencies and academia.

Need to transform food systems to ensure healthy diets

Malnutrition in all its forms is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century. While the causes of the current state of malnutrition around the world are complex, unhealthy diets remain one of the major contributors to malnutrition as recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Noting that traditional and indigenous healthy diets play an important role in eliminating hunger and malnutrition, Qu highlighted the need to transform our food systems to become more nutritious and inclusive, to produce food that not only feeds the people but also nourishes them.

He reassured that FAO will continue to support its member countries to develop Food-based Dietary Guidelines, so governments can advise their citizens on healthy eating that is suitable to their local context.

Qu also referred to the recently released Guiding Principles on Sustainable Healthy Diets developed jointly by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) to support countries in their efforts of promoting healthy diets.

Transforming our food systems is essential in ensuring healthy eating patterns, he said, stressing the need to make sustainable healthy diets affordable to all, especially to the most vulnerable.

Celebrating Mediterranean Diet

The Year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the Mediterranean Diet as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, and FAO and Italy are organizing a series of seminars focusing on different aspects of the Mediterranean Diet in preparation for this celebration next year.

Todays event Being and well-being: Traditional healthy diets from the Mediterranean and beyond the second of a series of Mediterranean diet-related events focuses on the nutritional aspects of the Mediterranean diet and other traditional diets from around the world.

This initiative will continue throughout the 2020 with further events designed to explore the different aspects of the Mediterranean and other traditional healthy diets, such as environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, women empowerment, urban-rural relation, as well as the management of food loss and waste.

The rest is here:
Putting Mediterranean and other traditional diets back on the consumer's plate - YubaNet

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.

The rest is here:
Gunnar Peterson: The Real-Life Diet of the Trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers and Other Assorted Stars - GQ

Mixed martial arts and boxing champion Conor McGregor is one of the best-known and most successful fighters in the world.

He has had an incredible trajectory to worldwide fame, beginning his professional career in 2008. McGregor has received numerous honors for his success in the world of fighting and although his career has not been without controversy, fans love him for his dedication to the sport.

Still, that level of accomplishment doesnt come easily, and McGregor follows a strict diet and training regimen that is truly impressive.

Keep reading to learn about Conor McGregors diet, how he works out, and what he prefers to indulge in on his cheat days.

Although Conor McGregor is well known for his fitness, the truth is, he likes to go with the flow when it comes to his training routine. He has admitted that variety is the best way and that he doesnt stick to any one particular type of exercise in order to stay in tip-top shape. McGregor has talked about how he likes to mix things up by combining fitness classes, gym sessions, and lots of flexibility training.

There are a few signature exercises that McGregor likes to incorporate during the week, including leg swings, hip circles, push-ups, pull-ups, air squats, and the seated butterfly. Its clear that whatever he is doing, it is working, because McGregor is widely known as one of the fittest fighters in the industry.

As with his workout regimen, McGregor tries to incorporate a lot of variety into his meals. Still, that doesnt mean hes ordering takeout every night. McGregors diet focuses mainly on healthy carbohydrates and real food. McGregor doesnt follow a fad diet but simply sticks to good habits throughout the day in order to look and feel his best.

Although he is limited in the things that he eats, McGregor makes sure to always eat plenty, so that he stays full and focused for training.

McGregors breakfast includes plenty of healthy fats like eggs and avocados, while his lunches usually include lean proteins such as seared tuna, grilled fish, or chicken, paired with lots of vegetables and carbs such as sweet potato or squash.

Dinners for McGregor are also healthy and filling, and usually feature delicious roasted chicken with rice and even more vegetables. Conor McGregor also loves pasta, and while he rarely indulges in dishes such as fettuccine alfredo, he sometimes fills his plate with three-bean pasta and grilled shrimp.

McGregors chef also makes sure to fill up his fridge with fruit and nuts, so that the champion always has healthy snacking options available and isnt tempted to reach for candy or salty snacks.

Conor McGregor might have to stick to a healthy diet but that doesnt mean hes immune to delicious treats from time to time. McGregor has admitted to having cheat days and has said that he definitely has a sweet tooth.

In fact, McGregor loves cakes and coffee and has stated that those two things would cause him to on some weight out of fighting.

McGregor also loves to indulge in a beer from time to time. He actually has a partnership with the beer company Budweiser and has posted several images to his Instagram account over the years featuring the champion kicked back with a cold beer.

Its clear that even prize-winning fighters have to take days off in order to feel their best.

Original post:
Conor McGregor Cheats on His Diet in the Best Way Possible - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Carrie Underwood's not only known for her flawless vocals and successful music career, but also for her healthy lifestyle choices.

Despite the country star's desire to be as healthy as possible, she admits that during the holidays, she lets some of that go. Although the Oklahoma native doesn't always know where she'll be spending Thanksgiving, she always makes sure to eat her favorite foods every year.

"We don't have too many set-in-stone Thanksgiving traditions," Underwood shares with her record label. "I find myself a lot of time working on or around Thanksgiving or unable to get home or whatever. We try to be together, but sometimes that just doesn't work out."

"We eat. I eat a lot every year on Thanksgiving," she says with a laugh. "I never skip that tradition."

She continues, "But yeah, that's the gist of it, and I'm kind of lucky. I get two Thanksgivings because I also get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my husband's family, so if I don't hit one, I'll definitely be able to get the other one."

Underwood's had quite the year, giving her plenty to be thankful for, including her husband, Mike Fisher, and her two songs, Isaiah and Jacob. The country star also recently wrapped up her wildly successful "Cry Pretty Tour 360."

"My list of things I'm thankful for is too vast," she explains. "First and foremost, my family. We had a baby earlier this year, which is crazy to think about all of the things that we've done. Starting off this year pregnant, having a baby, and all of the places that he's already seen. I'm thankful for health and safety along all of our travels."

"Of course, I'm thankful for the tour, and I'm thankful to the fans that have come out to see us," she continued. "There's a lot to be thankful for. God has blessed us with some incredible stuff, and hopefully, we've done good with what we've been blessed with."

Underwood recently received an American Music Awards for Favorite Country Album for Cry Pretty and Favorite Female Country Artist.

The country star's latest single, "Drinking Alone," follows up previously released singles from her Cry Pretty record including "Cry Pretty," "Love Wins," and "Southbound."

Read the rest here:
Carrie Underwood Happily Gives Up Healthy Diet Every Year On Thanksgiving - iHeartRadio

For nearly 30 years, this little-known nonprofit has been cooking and delivering medically tailored meals to sick, homebound people throughout Eastern Massachusetts, today serving about 1,000 clients a day. And now spreading its wings after a $24 million expansion, with its founding concept of food is medicine gaining traction nationwide Community Servings is poised to start serving the entire state next month.

On a recent afternoon, the scent of cinnamon filled the room as Nick Bruning, a packaging manager who also has a special interest in dessert, slathered a thin piece of amber cake with cream cheese filling and curled it into Swiss pumpkin roll.

In another room redolent of roasted meat, a worker sliced a golden-skinned turkey breast; another slid a knife through a chunk of roasted ribeye. Elsewhere, a tray of pumpkin truffles coated in dark chocolate awaited packaging, and workers peeled the deep purple skin of eggplants about to be chopped and roasted.

Mission No. 1 is to make people want to eat the food were making, says executive chef Brian Hillmer, who has previously worked at such restaurants as Legal Sea Foods, Not Your Average Joes, and Tavern in the Square.

In addition to the turkey and ribeye, the Thanksgiving menu options include cranberry-apple braised chicken, roasted sirloin, spaghetti squash gratin, spiced citrus baked fish, and roasted vegetable risotto.

The clients live with conditions in which diet plays a role including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, HIV, and kidney disease and are unable to shop or cook for themselves. Most have multiple diagnoses. The average age is 53.

Community Servings provides each with two meals plus snacks for five days a week. The meals are free to patients, the vast majority of whom live below the poverty line.

The meal becomes almost like a prescription, says chief executive David B. Waters. If I said to you, Go to the store and make a meal that controls for glucose, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and vitamin K, no matter who you are, youd probably find that impossible. For people without access to quality food or too sick to get off the couch, Waters says, the system sets you up to fail. Thats when you become that high-cost patient.

But food cant promote health if it goes in the trash instead of the stomach, and many sick people have no appetite.

Thats why the menu starts with the chef. Hillmer dreams up something delicious, and then shows his plans to Valerie Machinist, director of nutrition services, who employs a computerized recipe analysis program to break down the nutrient content.

A back-and-forth ensues between the guardians of nutrition and taste. Swapping an ingredient here, reducing a portion there, they collaborate to devise meals that are appealing, nutritious, and medically appropriate.

For example, everyone who eats meat received Thanksgiving turkey, but only breast meat with a small piece of skin. The Swiss pumpkin roll was lightened with whipped egg whites and low-fat cream cheese in the frosting.

The menus address 15 medical diets. Kidney-disease patients have the most restrictions, needing to avoid whole grains, potatoes, beans, and legumes. Heart-disease patients get dishes with little sodium and saturated fat. People with diabetes must limit carbohydrates.

Menus take into account a weeks worth of meals, rather than individual dishes. To compensate for cake, there may be fewer carbohydrates in the other components, for example.

By nutritional necessity, the food doesnt contain as much salt as the American palate has come to expect. Hillmer says the dearth of salt is one complaint he cant address.

A few days before Thanksgiving, an assembly line of workers was packing the food, weighing each component before spooning it into the container, which they then sealed in plastic, labeled, and froze. (The agency can serve only people with refrigerators to store the food and microwaves or stoves to heat it.)

Community Servings has 60 employees, their efforts boosted by about 75 volunteers a day. Additionally, much of the food preparation is done by participants in a 12-week food service training program for people emerging from incarceration, addiction, homelessness, or other challenges.

The agency has its roots the AIDS epidemic, and was founded in 1990 by the American Jewish Congress. At the time, with no treatment available, AIDS patients were dying of a wasting syndrome.

We became the only medicine, Waters said. We were trying to keep people we loved alive in hopes of a cure, in those early, scary years. A dozen similar groups sprang up across the country in the cities most affected by AIDS, but Community Servings is the only one of its kind in New England.

Though no cure ever came along, medications now enable most HIV and AIDS patients to live full lives, and in 2004 Community Servings expanded its mission to other sick people. Still, HIV patients make up a third of its clients.

In the ensuing years, Community Servings has sought to demonstrate that its charitable work also makes business sense, by partnering with food researcher Seth A. Berkowitz. He has published studies in major journals showing that Community Servings clients spend fewer health care dollars, use hospital emergency departments less frequently, and experience dramatically fewer hospital admissions.

Those findings caught the attention of health insurers, and cleared the way for Community Servings to win contracts with managed care organizations. Such arrangements have boosted its resources beyond the federal grants and charitable donations on which it has relied.

In December the agency will expand beyond the 21 communities it now serves to reach the entire state, shipping its frozen meals by UPS to the farthest reaches of the Berkshires.

At our core, says chef Hillmer, we just want to feed our neighbors and make sure theyre healthy.

Felice J. Freyer can be reached at felice.freyer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @felicejfreyer

Original post:
This Mass. nonprofit makes Thanksgiving feasts for people with dietary restrictions - The Boston Globe

Life expectancy is largely determined by how well you protect yourself from developing diseases that cause irreversible damage to your vital organs, such as your heart and brain.

Cancer and heart disease, for example, often loom large in peoples minds, and for good reason - they are major killers both in the UK and worldwide.

Fortunately, steps can be taken to stave off the risk of developing deadly diseases and certain foods have been shown to offer a robust defence.

It is well understood that diet plays a key role in protecting against life-threatening complications, and mounting evidence suggests specific food items can offer a host of health benefits.

Eating medjool dates, an edible sweet fruit, is a prime example, and numerous studies point to the nutritious benefits of eating the Moroccan fruit.

The sweet snack is rich in fibre and antioxidants which may help to protect your heart.

Evidence suggests that fibre can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and keep your arteries clean, reducing your risk of heart disease.

READ MORE:How to live longer: Five diet tips to prevent disease and boost life expectancy

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood and high levels of LDL cholesterol leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries and can act as a precursor to heart disease.

One test-tube study found that Medjool and other date varieties lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol and prevented the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

Plaque accumulation can eventually block blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Medjool dates are also a rich source of antioxidants, which help fight damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals.

DON'T MISSHow to get rid of visceral fat: Five key dietary tips to beat the harmful belly fat [TIPS]Lung cancer symptoms: Three major clues in a persons hands that could signal the disease [INSIGHT]High blood pressure: Can you drink alcohol if you want to lower your reading?[INSIGHT]

The specific antioxidants found in Medjool dates - carotenoid and phenolic acid - have both been studied for their beneficial effects on heart health.

The antioxidants found in Medjool dates have also been shown to protect your cells from oxidative damage - a chemical reaction that takes place in the body that can lead to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and brain ailments.

In addition, fibre plays an essential role in keeping your digestion healthy and eating enough fibre may also reduce your risk of digestive diseases like colorectal cancer.

In a three-week study, 21 people ate seven dates (168 grams) per day and significantly improved their bowel movement frequency, compared with when they didnt eat dates.

Animal studies have also been linked to the antioxidants found in dates to improved brain health, associating them with lower levels of inflammatory markers and reduced brain plaques associated with conditions like Alzheimers disease.

One study in dried fruit found that dates had the highest antioxidant content when compared with figs and prunes.

In addition, the nutrients found in dates may also support bone health as they contain a small amount of calcium and are a good source of potassium, manganese, and copper, all of which are important nutrients for bone health.

In addition to eating certain food items, regular exercise can extend your longevity by fighting off a wide-range of deadly complications.

As Harvard Health noted: Regular exercise helps fend off high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and a host of other chronic diseases.

In a recent article in The American Journal of Medicine, Dr. Harvey Simon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital reviewed current research on the health effects on both ends of the exercise spectrum, from minimum to maximum.

Modest activity - even as little as one hour of walking or gardening per week was linked to lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death from all causes, according to an analysis of 22 studies that included more than 320,000 adults.

One study found that people who did moderate exercise just 15 minutes a day tended to live an average of three years longer than their inactive peers.

Read this article:
How to live longer: Eating this sweet snack could increase life expectancy - Express

It was a landmark report, meant to recast the way we think about humankinds approach to foodaddressing global nutrition deficits and the agricultural impacts of climate change alike.

But when the 49-page, Harvard University-backed EAT-Lancet report and its planetary health diet was finally released to the public, it landed with a thud.

To address the challenges of food security, nutrition, and sustainability, the reports authorsprominent researchers from institutions across the globecalled for big changes. Britons were urged to cut their beef intake to one burger every two weeks. Much of the western hemisphere was urged to rely more on plant-based foods.

There were criticisms: The report omitted the role food technology companies might have in building a sustainable future. And scientists have questioned whether, if followed, the dietary guidelines would actually make food unaffordable for more than 1 billion people.

Amidst all the discussion, though, one subset of people was especially vocal: meat eaters.

According to an analysis by researchers at Stockholm University and published in The Lancet, a group of meat-eating proponents started the hashtag #yes2meat up to a week before the report was published on January 17, 2019. Many of those responses were critical of the report, and some of them were defamatory, according to the researchers. (The group includes Victor Galaz, deputy director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, which is a scientific partner of the EAT Foundationthough the researchers state they were not funded by EAT.) Some of the negative posts accused the EAT-Lancet report of being part of a larger vegan agenda. Others went straight for the reports lead author, Harvard professor Walter Willett, accusing him of having conflicts of interest.

By analyzing Twitter data encompassing 4,278 users and 8.5 million tweets, the researchers dissected how the movement built steam and shaped discussion of the report. By actively promoting #yes2meat right before, during, and after the EAT-Lancet Commission launch, this counter movement was approximately ten times more likely to be negative about the Commission than positive or neutral, the researchers wrote.

Most of the interactions were by actual skeptical humans, as opposed to bots, according to the analysis. Among the critics were proponents of the fat-heavy keto diet and the Nutrition Coalition, a group affiliated with Nina Teicholz, an author who has criticized nutrition movements that suggest eating less meat.

That kind of infighting isnt new, and it isnt over either. In September, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggested the health benefits of cutting out meat were minimal, sparking a fierce rebuke from Willetts colleagues at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Those findings, too, have been accused of falling prey to the influence of corporate funding.

This new analysis shows that social media can have a significant effect on public perception of these scientific spats. Ostensibly, there were three groups of people chattering online about the report: those promoting it, those skeptical of it, and a third, ambivalent group that was found to have grown more skeptical over time as more and more interactions about the report were negative. Of the tweets mentioning EAT-Lancet, the researchers found 29% were positive, 32% were negative, and 38% were neutral. The combined audience was about 60 million people.

The finding raises important questions about how to communicate scientific findings in a world increasingly connected by social media. Given the difficulty in designing definitive nutrition studies and tabulating lifetime environmental impacts, the debate over the medical and environmental health of meat consumption is far from over.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:

Continue reading here:
How pro-meat Twitter scrambled the rollout of the planetary health diet - Yahoo Finance