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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WFP's Nutrition Policy 2017-2021 - ReliefWeb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RELATED: How to Keep the Carbs and Still Lose Weight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where to watch Man Up

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

Fruit juice is not as nutritious as fresh fruit, but it can be a healthy part of your diet, if its consumed in small portions.

A glass of fresh orange or grapefruit juice with breakfast isnt just refreshing. It also delivers a healthy dose of vitamin C and potassium, which can be especially helpful if you tend to forgo fruit. Some store-bought juices are fortified with bone-building calcium, too.

But even when it contains only naturally occurring fructose from whole fruit and no added sugars to boost sweetness, fruit juice is still a concentrated source of sugar and calories, which can be problematic for those watching their weight or blood sugar.

For example, one 8-ounce cup of fresh orange juice has 21 grams of sugar and 112 calories. By comparison, one medium orange has 12 grams of sugar and only 62 calories.

Similarly, a cup of cranberry juice has 28 grams of sugar and 110 calories, but a cup of whole cranberries has only 4 grams of sugar and 46 calories. The counts for grape juice are even higher, with 36 grams of sugar and 140 calories per 8-ounce cup.

Fruit juice also lacks the fiber found in whole fruit, which means we not only miss getting the health benefits of fiber which include its ability to lower cholesterol and help us feel full we experience a more rapid rise in blood sugar after consuming juice, since fiber slows the entry of sugar into the bloodstream.

When purchasing juice, look for brands containing 100 percent fruit juice with no sugar added. According to US dietary guidelines, juices may be partially fruit juice, but only the proportion that is 100 percent fruit juice counts toward your daily fruit intake. (For example, 1 cup of juice that is 50 percent juice counts as cup of fruit juice.)

Technically, only 100 percent juice can be called juice. Juice drinks may be a lower-calorie version of juice and contain artificial sweeteners. For example, Motts light apple juice drink contains only 42 percent juice, but it also has less than half the calories and sugar as the brands 100 percent apple juice. You can opt for the pure juice version and consume a 4-ounce serving for almost the same nutritional value.

According to the guidelines, sweetened juice products that are primarily composed of water with added sugars fall under the category of sugar-sweetened beverages.

One important note: If you consume grapefruit juice, keep in mind that it can negatively interact with some medications, such as statin drugs. If you have any concerns, check with your doctor to see whether you can safely consume the juice.

Bottom line? If you enjoy juice, go for the real thing, and limit yourself to one 8-ounce glass per day or 4 ounces if youre limiting calories or sugars.

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Is fruit juice healthy? - New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I see it differently," she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The next symptom was a decline in language.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow Paul Swiech on Twitter: @pg_swiech

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

After dropping 300 lbs., Mama June Shannon is determined to maintainher weight loss by sticking to a healthy diet.

The reality star, 37,had already made one major diet change in 2014 cutting out soda when her daughter Pumpkin suffered a brain injury after the family got into a car crash,and was told by the neurologist she could no longer drink the sugary beverage.

I was drinking three to four Code Reds a day, and I just went cold turkey that day, Shannon tells People Now.

Shannons trainerKenya Crooks suggests swapping soda for fruit-infused water.

For people who dont like to drink water by itself, what weve done is weve thrown some strawberries and kiwi in there, says Crooks. Its really good, and it helps you get it down a whole lot faster.

When Shannon is short on time, she drinks Propel flavored waters as a substitute for her formerly beloved sodas.

Propel has great flavors like Grape and Wild Cherry and Kiwi Strawberry, she says Honestly to me, they taste like soda. If I drink soda right now it would taste like crap.

Crooks also recommends replacing unhealthy sweet treats like cupcakes with watermelon to curb sugar cravings.

The cool thing about watermelon is that its basically 92 percent liquid, he says. It satisfies your sweet tooth, but you can also pee-pee that thing right out!

Instead of reaching for potato chips, Crooks suggestssnacking on apple chips or grapes which have become Shannons go-tosnack.

Grapes are probably my favorite thing, says Shannon, who adds that her daughters prefer snacking on watermelon. The grapes the girls actually like, but the watermelon more so than the grapes.

For anyone who wants to start their own weight loss journey, Shannon offered her advice: Take it one day at a time, she says. Dont ever give up. You dont have to be perfect, just take it at the pace you want to. Its all in moderation, especially the eating!

Original post:
Mama June & Her Trainer Kenya Crooks Reveal Her Diet Tricks That Are Helping Her Stay Fit - PEOPLE.com

I thought after I reached a certain age I wouldnt have to worry about dieting any more.

I mean, I wouldnt be caught dead in those cute short shorts and halter tops the girls wear these days anyway. Not at my age. So after decades of watching what, how much, and even when I ate, when I turned older, I pretty much devoured whatever I wanted. I figured, as the years crept up, some doctor would put me on a sugar-free, salt-free, taste-free health diet at any time, so enjoy those burgers and cream puffs now.

But my husband suddenly decided he wanted to lose the weight hed accumulated over the years. Hearing that from a gourmet cook was hard to stomach, since Im the recipient of his gastronomic flare and didnt relish to going back to fending for myself. I dont even remember how to cook Top Ramen.

Since my husband knew he couldnt do it on his own, he researched various diet plans and decided to go with the kind that sends you packaged meals and all you have to do is tear them open, add water (or air), and eat your three-quarters cup of reconstituted freeze-dried astronaut-like food. No-brainer. And no-gainer. Just weight loss.

I wanted to support him I know its not easy when one-half of a couple is on a diet and the other eats everything in sight but I decided to let him try it out before I joined him. After all, those all-you-cant-eat packaged diets arent cheap. So on Day One, while he swallowed his mini-shake, munched on his tiny crunchy bar and dissolved his mouthful of chicken soup, I figured Id just cut back on my regular food and do just as well.

Day One was actually exciting. Theres nothing like the feeling of starting a new diet, with all the early morning, not-hungry-yet resolve and energy.

I can do this, I told myself, as I ate half my normal breakfast serving of fruit, bagel, cream cheese, juice, latte and whatever was leftover from lasts night dinner. I allowed myself a mocha frappuccino for lunch no fat, no sugar, no whip, mostly ice with a side of hunger pangs, had some yogurt and nuts for dinner, then went to bed and dreamed about Las Vegas-style resort buffets all night.

Day Two, my husband was still opening packages and eating his quota. Meanwhile, I stepped on the scale and was horrified to find I hadnt lost any weight at all! What was the point? I wondered. All that suffering and nothing to show for it. I gave my diet one more chance and ate crumbs, while my husband enjoyed his packaged food and pretended it tasted like a five-star meal.

By Day Three my husband had lost six pounds and Id gained two. My method obviously wasnt working. My box of packaged food arrives in a couple of days. That gives me plenty of time to eat myself into a stupor before I get to rip open bags of Poultry with Grain, Fish in Sauce and Noodles with Legumes.

Oh well. Hopefully its better than hospital food.

Reach Penny Warner at http://www.pennywarner.com.

Originally posted here:
Valley Life: Embarking on my latest culinary adventure a diet - East Bay Times

FOX 32 NEWS - If someone told you that you could increase your memory and decrease your chances of dementia by changing your diet, would you do it?

Rush University researchers say they have developed a diet which is the only one proven to have an impact on Alzheimers disease.

So now, they're asking people to volunteer for a new study to determine just how effective it really is.

Max and Sandy are whipping up brain food. Theyre part of a study to determine how a change in diet can not only help their memory, but decrease their chances of dementia and Alzheimers.

"Watching my mother go through Alzheimers was motivation and I wished back then we had focused on these sorts of triggers."

The triggers are food. Its something that hasn't really been the focus of studies when it comes to our brains and memory. That is until now.

Martha Claire Morris is a Nutritional Epidemiologist and wanted to see how a variation in combining two popular diets - the Mediterranean Diet and the Dash Diet to treat hypertension - would impact brain disease.

"We took the core components of those very well studied diets and then modified each one of their components to reflect what we know about nutrition and brain, said Morris.

And that's when she coined this new diet, the mind diet. In two studies published in 2015, Morris and colleagues found the mind diet lowered the risk of Alzheimers by a whopping 53% in people who followed it rigorously.

And surprisingly, even those who only followed it moderately experienced an impressive benefit.

"People who even scored in intermediate range they had a 35% reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimers disease."

The Mind Diet includes eating at least three servings of whole grains, a green leafy salad and one other vegetable every day along with a glass of wine.

It also includes snacking on most days on nuts and eating beans every other day, fish once a week, poultry and specifically berries at least twice a week.

The foods to limit or avoid are butter, cheese, fried or fast foods and pastries and sweets.

This first of its kind study is tracking more than 600 people over 3-years who are 65-85. But Harris says she believes the Mind Diet can benefit almost anyone.

"It's very likely the Mind diet will be a health benefit to adults of any age and even for children. It's just that we just devised the diet and it hasn't been tested, Harris said.

Max and Sandy say they're already feeling healthier.

"This is the way we will probably eat forever"

Researchers are looking for more people to take part in this study.

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New diet decreases your chances of getting Alzheimer's - Fox 32 Chicago

April 7, 2017 by Darren Curnoe, The Conversation Human brain connectome illustrating axonal nerve fibers determined by the measured directionality of water molecules inside them (Credit: jgmarcelino from Newcastle upon Tyne). Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

It's the mystery of all mysteries of science. Why is it that humans are so unusual compared to all other life? The key to solving this riddle lies in explaining the evolution of our large brains and exceptional intelligence.

For as long as humanity has been contemplating our existence we must surely have been struck by the fact that we are the only species capable of doing so.

I don't believe it's an exaggeration to say that the evolutionary arrival of humankind some 200,000 years ago was a decisive moment in the long history of the universe. After 14 billion years in the making, and in the blink of an eye of cosmological time, human intelligence arrived and gave the universe the ability to comprehend itself.

Maybe this all seems a little too anthropocentric for your taste? Smacks of literary indulgence on my behalf? Perhaps. But the simple matter is that we can't avoid the fact of human uniqueness, and explaining it is tied to understanding the evolution of our extraordinary brainpower.

The eighteenth century British anatomist and creationist Richard Owen, one of Charles Darwin's foremost foes, thought humans were so unusual that we ought to be classified in our own sub-class the 'Archenecephala' as he dubbed it on account of our highly advanced brain.

It rather conveniently stood us apart from the apes, confirming his view of the specialness of humankind.

By the standards of today's biological classifications this would place us in a position in the tree of life above all of the orders of mammals, making us about as exceptional as the monotremes are to the placentals.

But with the facts of our evolution now well and truly established we have a much better understanding our place in nature, as members of the primate order, and particularly as African Great Apes.

To really understand how the human brain emerged we must first recognise that we share big brains with other primates. It's our evolutionary inheritance, as primates are among the brainiest of all mammals; when taken kilo for kilo against body size. And apes are especially well endowed in the brains department.

Why? Well, this has been a major puzzle for anthropologists for decades, and the most widely accepted explanation has been the cognitive demands placed on us by living in large social groups; the so-called 'social brain hypothesis' or 'Dunbar's Number'.

The main alternative has been that braininess evolved in response to the demands of sex. Polygynandrous species - where males and females have multiple partners in a given breeding season - possess larger brains than those using other systems of mating, such as a harem or monogamy.

Now a new study by Alex DeCasien and colleagues published in Nature Ecology and Evolution has turned the debate completely on its head. They've found that the kind of diet a primate species consumes offers the best explanation for its brain size.

While this idea is not an entirely new one, their work provides strong validation for the diet-brain connection.

When it comes to apes it turns out that fruit eating - the dietary niche present in most living apes and the one our ancient ape ancestors indulged in - is so cognitively demanding that it led to a big evolutionary leap in intelligence when it began.

How come? Well, challenging diets require individuals to seek out or capture food; they have to judge whether it's ready to be eaten or not; and they may even need to extract it, peel it, or process it in some way before it can be ingested.

Sound familiar? It should. Humans have the most specialised and challenging diets of all primates; and I have in mind here hunters and gatherers not urban foodies.

The human dietary niche is exceptionally broad and involves behaviours aimed at not only obtaining food but also making it more palatable and digestible; activities like extraction, digging, hunting, fishing, drying, grinding, cooking, combining other foods to add flavor, or even adding minerals to season or make food safe to eat.

What other species would so gleefully jiggle their jaws on the flames of a Jalapeno or lap up the tongue curling delights of a lemon?

What's more, our large fruit eating ape brains got even bigger late in human evolution because our diets became ever more challenging to obtain and prepare, especially as a result of our ancestor's penchant for eating meat.

Hunter-gatherers typically have a diet comprising between 30% and 80% vertebrate meat, while for chimpanzees it's only around 2%. Instead, chimps get 60% of their diet from fruit, but hunter-gatherers typically obtain only 5% or 6 % (on the odd occasion a lot more) of their nutrition from fruit.

Humans rarely eat raw meat though, and we cook many of our vegetables as well, so even after expending huge efforts to collect it we still have to process much of our food in drawn out ways.

All of this throws up a paradox for us. Why is it that our closest and now extinct relatives, such as the Neanderthals, who were capable of complex behaviours like hunting, cooking and perhaps even cultural activities like art, lacked the smarts to ponder the ultimate questions of life?

Why is it us, and not them, that are capable of pondering and explaining the existence of life and the universe, including human life itself? There is clearly something very unique about human intelligence and a lot more to this evolutionary tale than mere food for thought.

Explore further: Why are primates big-brained? Researchers' answer is food for thought

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of New York University anthropologists indicates. These results call into question "the social brain hypothesis," which has posited that humans and other ...

Anthropologists have been curious about the evolution of human intelligence for many decades. The main lines of research have involved archaeological finds concerning the use of fire, tools and so on.

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(Phys.org)A pair of biology professors, one with the University of Illinois, the other with Macquarie University in Australia has proposed in a Perspective piece in the journal Science that the traits we see as instinctual ...

Humans are able to interpret the behaviour of others by attributing mental states to them (and to themselves). By adopting the perspectives of other persons, they can assume their emotions, needs and intentions and react ...

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Agreed. We have no way of knowing whether Neandertals "lacked the smarts to ponder" anything.

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