ORLANDO, FLA. (Ivanhoe Newswire) No meat, no carbs, no dairy, no gluten. Did you know that it may be damaging to your health if you deprive your body of foods? A new way of honoring your body and fueling it without guilt is rising in popularity. Its called intuitive eating. But what is this new anti-diet and does it work?

Ashley Hinds RDN, LDN, CEDRD and Registered Dietitian explains that Intuitive eating teaches us to listen to our internal cues and listen to our hunger fullness cues.

Intuitive eating is based on ten principles; first, reject the diet mentality, which can offer you false hope to lose weight fast. Honor your hunger instead by adequately eating carbs.

Hinds says, Our body is always trying to reach homeostasis and its anticipating Oh you put me through a famine, a diet, a few times now, I need to anticipate for the next famine. And thats actually what leads to weight cycling.

Make peace with your food, give yourself permission to eat what society deems as bad food, if not it can lead to binging. Challenge the food police, the societal voice in your head that monitors the unreasonable rules diet culture has set. Discover the satisfaction factor, make eating food pleasurable. Feel your fullness, listen to the signals that your body is full. And cope with your emotions around food with kindness.

Dieting can put a huge strain on our mental health because if we have famine then were also increasing our anxiety and it all comes to that full circle. Hinds further explains.

Respect your body and feel the difference. Focus on how working out makes you feel mentally and not look physically. And honor your health with gentle nutrition.

Hinds says, My recommendation is typically to have about three meals a day and two to three snacks.

There have been at least 97 studies looking into intuitive eating. A study of those found people who practice intuitive eating were more likely to accept their bodies, be more mindful, and reported higher self-esteem. They also had lower levels of depression and anxiety.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beauty-sick/202105/the-psychological-benefits-intuitive-eating#:~:text=People%20who%20regularly%20engage%20in,levels%20of%20depression%20and%20anxiety

Read the original post:
HealthWatch: Intuitive Eating Cancel the Diet Culture - WeAreGreenBay.com

As Inc. colleague Jessica Stillman points out in her viral article on why you should adoptthe sleep habits of a toddler,getting a good night's sleep was hard enoughbefore the pandemic.

"Coronasomnia"? It's anationwide epidemic. So is the "Quarantine 15" weight gain phenomenon.

At least in part because, as research shows, the two create a vicious circle: Lack of sleep leads to a poorer diet -- and a poorer dietleads to lack of sleep.

First some background. Lack of sleep has long been linked with weight gain and obesity. A 2012 study published in Sleep found that reduced sleep leads to a significant increase in eating. That's partly because, as other studies show, lack of sleep causes increased activity in your brain's reward centers specific to food. Lack of sleep also change some of the hormones that signal when you're full.

So, yeah: If you don't get enough sleep, your dietalmost surelysuffers -- as anyone who pullsa near all-nighter and finds themselves craving junk food the next day can attest.

But then there's this: A 2016 study published in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that diet has an effect on the quality and amount of sleep you get:Eating more fiber -- whole grains, beans, certain vegetables and fruits, etc. -- and less sugar and saturated fat results in better sleep at night.

And if you adopt theMediterranean diet --lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry -- a 2018 study indicates you'll be one-third as likely to suffer from insomnia and nearly 1.5 times more likely to get a good night's sleep.

Add it all up, and whether you start with the chicken or the egg, the cycle is the same.

Don't get enough sleep and you're likely to eat more poorly, whichmakes it harder for you to get more sleep, and therefore more likely to eat poorly. The same is true if you eat poorly; getting enough sleep is harder, which will make it harder to eat healthier and to get enough sleep.

What about supplements, you ask? Plenty of people take melatonin to help them fall asleep. And that does work; a study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews found that people who take melatonin supplements tend to fall asleep aroundfour minutes faster than those who don't.

Which is great -- except a more recent study foundthat maintaining a Mediterranean diet cut the time to fall asleep by 12 minutes, and led to significantly better sleep quality.

In short, supplements can help.

But lifestyle changes can help more.

So turn your diet and sleep into avirtuous rather than vicious cycle.Tonight, pick a time you will go to bed. Not go to sleep -- go to bed. See bedtime not as the time you will definitely fall asleep, but the earliest time youmightgo to sleep. (Unless you're totally exhausted, you won't fall asleep right away.)

Then just relax. Let your mind wander. Don't think about going to sleep. Don't try to go to sleep. Just chill.

If ittakes you a long time to fall asleep, that's OK. Don't take a napthe next day. Just go to bed at the same time. Again,see it as bedtime, not sleep time,and just chill.

In time, your body(and more important, your mind) will start to adapt. You'll start to get moreand better, sleep.

Especiallyif you focus on eating healthier as well -- because when you do that, you'll naturally start to sleep better.

Which will make it a lot easier to keep eatinghealthier.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Excerpt from:
Eat Better to Sleep Better: The Surprising Connection (Both Positive and Negative) Between Sleep and Diet, Backed by Considerable Science - Inc.

More and more people around the world are suffering because their immune systems can no longer tell the difference between healthy cells and invading micro-organisms. Disease defences that once protected them are instead attacking their tissue and organs.

Major international research efforts are being made to fight this trend including an initiative at Londons Francis Crick Institute, where two world experts, James Lee and Carola Vinuesa, have set up separate research groups to help pinpoint the precise causes of autoimmune disease, as these conditions are known.

Numbers of autoimmune cases began to increase about 40 years ago in the west, Lee told the Observer. However, we are now seeing some emerge in countries that never had such diseases before.

For example, the biggest recent increase in inflammatory bowel disease cases has been in the Middle East and east Asia. Before that they had hardly seen the disease.

Autoimmune diseases range from type 1 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. In each case, the immune system gets its wires crossed and turns on healthy tissue instead of infectious agents.

In the UK alone, at least 4 million people have developed such conditions, with some individuals suffering more than one. Internationally, it is now estimated that cases of autoimmune diseases are rising by between 3% and 9% a year. Most scientists believe environmental factors play a key role in this rise.

Human genetics hasnt altered over the past few decades, said Lee, who was previously based at Cambridge University. So something must be changing in the outside world in a way that is increasing our predisposition to autoimmune disease.

This idea was backed by Vinuesa, who was previously based at the Australian National University. She pointed to changes in diet that were occurring as more and more countries adopted western-style diets and people bought more fast food.

Fast-food diets lack certain important ingredients, such as fibre, and evidence suggests this alteration affects a persons microbiome the collection of micro-organisms that we have in our gut and which play a key role in controlling various bodily functions, Vinuesa said.

These changes in our microbiomes are then triggering autoimmune diseases, of which more than 100 types have now been discovered.

Both scientists stressed that individual susceptibilities were involved in contracting such illnesses, ailments that also include celiac disease as well as lupus, which triggers inflammation and swelling and can cause damage to various organs, including the heart.

If you dont have a certain genetic susceptibility, you wont necessarily get an autoimmune disease, no matter how many Big Macs you eat, said Vinuesa. There is not a lot we can do to halt the global spread of fast-food franchises. So instead, we are trying to understand the fundamental genetic mechanisms that underpin autoimmune diseases and make some people susceptible but others not. We want to tackle the issue at that level.

This task is possible thanks to the development of techniques that now allow scientists to pinpoint tiny DNA differences among large numbers of individuals. In this way, it is possible to identify common genetic patterns among those suffering from an autoimmune disease.

Until very recently, we just didnt have the tools to do that, but now we have this incredible power to sequence DNA on a large scale and that has changed everything, said Lee. When I started doing research, we knew about half a dozen DNA variants that were involved in triggering inflammatory bowel disease. Now we know of more than 250.

Such work lies at the core of Lee and Vinuesas efforts, which aim to find out how these different genetic pathways operate and unravel the many different types of disease doctors are now looking at. If you look at some autoimmune diseases for example, lupus it has become clear recently there are many different versions of them, that may be caused by different genetic pathways, said Vinuesa. And that has a consequence when you are trying to find the right treatment.

We have lots of potentially useful new therapies that are being developed all the time, but we dont know which patients to give them to, because we now realise we dont know exactly which version of the disease they have. And that is now a key goal for autoimmune research. We have to learn how to group and stratify patients so we can give them the right therapy.

Lee also stressed that surging cases of autoimmune diseases across the world meant new treatments and drugs were now urgently needed more than ever before. At present, there are no cures for autoimmune diseases, which usually develop in young people while they are trying to complete their education, get their first job and have families, he said.

That means growing numbers of people face surgery or will have to have regular injections for the rest of their lives. It can be grim for patients and a massive strain on health services. Hence the urgent need to find new, effective treatments.

Read more here:
Global spread of autoimmune disease blamed on western diet - The Guardian

A study on the nutritional needs of polar bears co-authored by a Washington State University scientist indicates the iconic animals require much lower protein levels than other meat eaters and their preference for a high-fat diet may make it difficult for them to adapt to a warming climate.

Researchers found captive polar bears are routinely fed lean meat diets more suited to lions and tigers, and, just like humans who overindulge on protein, are susceptible to kidney and liver disease. The zoo inhabitants also suffer from low reproduction rates and are susceptible to premature deaths.

The research team led by Charlie Robbins, who has worked with grizzly bears at WSU for more than three decades, and Karyn Rode, a former graduate student at the schools bear center who now works for the U.S. Geological Survey out of Portland believe the same fate could befall wild polar bears if climate change reduces their access to prey. Their study looked at both captive and wild bears.

Polar bears hunt ringed and bearded seals on sea ice hanging over the continental shelf. When seals are abundant, the arctic ursids prefer the blubber from their kills and leave some or much of the leaner muscle tissue uneaten. Their preference for high-fat diets, an evolutionary adaptation that has allowed them to thrive in an austere environment, sets them apart from other carnivores that feast on protein.

We have made some assumptions about the nutritional requirements of polar bears because their diet is almost exclusively animals, Robbins said. But, unlike cats, they do not need and cannot tolerate high protein.

Bears and other animals, including humans, that consume diets high in lean meat, make their livers and kidneys work overtime to process the protein and excrete nitrogen. People sometimes base diets on the overconsumption of protein as a weight-loss strategy because the body must burn energy to process it. But humans have a much wider food base from which to draw.

Humans can consume high amounts of carbohydrates to avoid consuming too much protein, but polar bears dont have access to plants, Robbins said. Instead, they have evolved to consume the highest fat diet of any species on the planet, which helps meet their caloric needs as they have become the largest bear species in the world, while ensuring that they do not consume protein at levels that exceed what they require.

Rode studies bears on the Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Circle roughly between Alaska and Russia. In the article Energetic and health effects of protein overconsumption constrain dietary adaptation in an apex predator, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team documented that Chukchi Sea polar bears feast on pinniped blubber to the tune of 66% to 74% of their diets and that their overall diets consisted of two-thirds or more fat to one-third or less protein.

In short, polar bears have carved out a niche by eating other animals that also eat other animals. But the concentration on high-energy fat found in the blubber of marine mammals instead of protein allows the bears to meet their caloric and nutritional needs without stressing their livers or kidneys or burning excess energy. Tests on wild bears indicate they dont show signs of poor kidney or liver health.

But dietary needs of polar bears is something researchers are just starting to untangle. Past studies, Rode said, have concentrated more on how often wild bears feed rather than their fat-to-protein intake.

I think it really changes the way we look at polar bears. The mindset is they are carnivores and we think of them as a meat-eating species, said Rode, who noted they evolved from brown bears that eat the fatty meat of salmon but also carb-rich berries. They are truly an omnivore that just happen to eat animals, so they still have really low protein (requirements).

Decades ago, zookeepers widely decided since polar bears are carnivores, unlike the omnivorous brown bears from which they evolved, that they should be fed the same diets of other captive carnivores, namely lions or tigers.

Robbins said polar bears in zoos have largely been fed diets consisting of about two-thirds protein and one-third fat.

Wild bears eat just the reverse, he said, and noted that captive grizzly bears at WSU also prefer a high-fat, low-protein diet.

Robbins and Rode set up an experiment in which captive polar bears were presented trays of food from which they could select lard or their typical diet of lean meat. Lard won by a landslide. Robbins worked with Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition to develop a dry kibble that will better meet the nutritional needs of captive bears.

If climate change alters their access to sea ice and seals, wild polar bears will have to adapt. If they catch fewer seals, they wont be able to afford to opt for blubber from their kills and instead will have to eat more protein.

While on land in the summer months, they are likely to depend on sources such as caribou or the eggs of ground-nesting birds, neither of which can come close to providing the calories or nutritional balance they need.

Thus, their evolutionary divergence from brown bears and the associated physiological constraints on protein intake are likely an additional factor limiting the adaptation of polar bears to sea ice loss, the researchers write in the Scientific Reports article.

Read the rest here:
Study finds polar bears are suited to high-fat, low-protein diet the reverse of what theyve historically been fed in captivity - The Spokesman Review

33% Reported Elevated Mental Health Distress and Up to 45% Reported Impact on Healthy Behaviors Mainly Due to COVID-19 Physical Distancing Measures

LOS ANGELES, January 12, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A global study released today from Pregistry, a leader in the development and conduct of observational studies during pregnancy, highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthy behaviors during pregnancy and its association with mental health disorders. The study, conducted in 12 countries by Dr. Diego Wyszynski, Pregistry CEO, and a team of collaborators showed elevated mental health distress in one of three pregnant people and moderate impact on healthy behaviors.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220112005012/en/

Pregistry study brings to light the effects of the pandemic on the pregnant population, whose mental health is particularly critical given the potential short and long-term impacts on both mother and child. (Photo: Business Wire)

Research consistently shows that COVID-19 continues to disrupt physical activity, sleep, and eating behaviors in the general population, mostly attributed to quarantine and physical distancing measures. Such reduction in healthy behaviors has been linked to worsening mental health and wellbeing. The Pregistry study, entitled COVID-19 perceived impacts on sleep, fitness, and diet and associations with mental health during pregnancy: A cross-national study, brings to light the effects of the pandemic on the pregnant population, whose mental health is particularly critical given the potential short and long-term impacts on both mother and child.

"Given the documented effects on mental health in the general population due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD, it is critical to understand how we can support the most vulnerable populations, such as those pregnant, in this difficult time," said Dr. Wyszynski. "Our latest work revealed a link between mental health distress and the worsening of healthy behaviors, suggesting that attention to sleep, diet, and fitness-related disruptions is important for mental health promotion during pregnancy amid a major stressor."

Story continues

In a recent survey of 3,692 pregnant people, one in three reported elevated mental health distress, and about 30-45% of the participants reported moderate to high impact on healthy behaviors across sleep, fitness, and diet. Interestingly, the impact on each healthy behavior domain (sleep, diet, fitness) was independently linked to increased mental health distress. Other results showed that a sense of community may buffer the impact of inadequate sleep and other affected healthy behaviors on mental health distress, while the opposite, loneliness, may exacerbate risks. Furthermore, the research shows that addressing sleep, diet, and fitness changes together may help prevent mental health distress in pregnancy in times of a major stressor, highlighting the importance of increasing access to support for this group during the pandemic.

Adjusting for a range of sociodemographic factors, inadequate sleep was found to be the most strongly associated with mental health distress, with pregnant people reporting the highest negative impact. Perceived COVID-19 impact on diet showed the second strongest pattern of association with mental health distress. Finally, a reported impact on fitness was also associated with elevated mental health distress, which aligns with a large base of evidence linking physical activity and mental health in the general population and during pregnancy. In the study, positive feelings of gratitude and a sense of community were found to be associated with lower reported inadequate healthy behavior. In addition, loneliness emerged as a potential risk factor for increased reports of negative impact.

Study contributors include Karmel W. Choi, Hannah H. Kim, Archana Basu, Alex S.F. Kwong, Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, Diego F. Wyszynski and Karestan C. Koenen.

About Pregistry

Pregistry is a global leader in the development and conduct of observational studies to assess the safety of medications and vaccines when used during pregnancy. With over 70 pregnancy specialists, covering a range of clinical, preclinical, safety, regulatory, marketing, and IT needs, the focus is on making sure that both mother and baby are healthy and safe and that prescribers have the information needed to be able to explain the potential benefits and risks of medications during pregnancy. Pregistry also offers pregnant people a safe space to connect with a global community of experts and peers at no cost. To learn more, please visit: https://www.pregistry.com. More Pregistry news can be found at Pregistry.com/News.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220112005012/en/

Contacts

INVESTOR CONTACT Diego Wyszynski, MD, MHS, PhDChief Executive Officerhello@pregistry.com

MEDIA CONTACT Abigail Baker, MADirector of Communicationspress@pregistry.com

Read more:
Global Study Measures the Impact of COVID-19 on Sleep, Fitness, Diet, and Mental Health of Pregnant People - Yahoo Finance

Shoppers might have to make some adjustments to their grocery list the next time they take a trip to the supermarket.

MoneyWise has released a list of the top unhealthiest groceries that you can buy at almost any grocery store in the United States. Some of the food youve been eating may not be as healthy as you thought and these top unhealthiest groceries just might surprise you.

Lets dive into the rankings:

Its reasonable to think that trail-mix would be a perfect healthy snack to eat in between meals. With food like granola, dried fruit, and even nuts, how could this not be healthy for you? Well, youd be partially right in asking that. Buyers must be conscious as to what kind of trail-mix they are spending their money on. Some varieties include sugary foods like chocolate, candy, and yogurt chips. Eating trail-mix like this is a quick way to up your sugar intake without even realizing it.

Shocking to see such a popular drink that athletes consume at the top of this list but if you dont work out like an athlete, you should probably just stick to drinking water. While gatorade works well for replenishing electrolytes to your body, it is also loaded with sugar. According to MoneyWise, A single 12-ounce bottle of the Cool Blue Thirst Quencher has 160 milligrams of sodium and 21 grams of sugar in it already making up a massive chunk of your recommended daily sugar intake.

This plant made sweetener is usually marketed as being healthy since it wont affect your blood sugar levels like normal processed sugar will. However, agave is very high in fructose. Consuming too much fructose can contribute to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to Healthline. Excess agave will make your liver start converting all that excess fructose into fat.

Now this once will definitely come at a complete and total shock. How can anything derived from fruit be bad for you? Experts say dried fruit can actually contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals than fresh fruit, but they also tend to be high in sugar. For example, one box of Sun-Maid California Sun-Dried raisins has 18 grams of sugar, said MoneyWise. Next time you go shopping for dried fruit, be sure to double check the label to make sure there are no added sugars.

The classic elementary school snack item isnt all its cracked up to be in terms of health. Many of the fruit cup brands use added sugars in their products. For example, one cup of the Dole brand peaches in 100% fruit juice has 18 grams of sugar. To add to the dramatics, one regular peach already has about 13 grams of sugar.

Now how can anything with the word diet in it be bad for you? Well for one thing, it is still soda. Diet soda doesnt contain any sugar or calories but what it does contain, that regular sodas dont, is aspartame. Aspartame is a natural sweetener that mimics the taste of sugar but like sugar, its not good for you. According to Medical News Today, Diet sodas increases the risk of diabetes by negatively affecting gut bacteria, insulin secretion, and sensitivity. They also cause blood sugar levels to spike when a person eats carbohydrates, increasing waist circumference and body fat. This can make insulin sensitivity and blood sugar management worse.

Sorry vegetarians and vegans. Youre not winning this round. Just because brands like Beyond Meat and the Impossible burger offer meat substitutes, doesnt mean its actually better for you than real meat itself. MyFoodDiary states that one Beyond Meat burger patty has 230 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 390 milligrams of sodium. To compare, you can get a 93% lean ground beef patty that has 155 calories, 6.8 grams of fat, and 61 milligrams of sodium instead.

These light and fluffy snack are low in calories but they are very high in carbohydrates and low in fiber meaning they have almost no nutritional value. Some come in a variety of flavors like ranch that contains over 300 milligrams of sodium per 17 crisps. Other flavors like caramel contain 10 grams of sugar for every 13 pieces making these snacks ultimately not good for your body.

What?! Popeyes favorite can of fuel, isnt good for you? Spinach is actually very good for you as it contains many important vitamins and minerals. However, and this might shock you, spinach wraps/pasta contain almost no spinach whatsoever. MoneyWise states, The Mission garden spinach herb wraps, for example, are loaded with 220 calories and 540 milligrams of sodium, with just 3 grams of fiber. If you want to implement more spinach in your diet, skip the spinach flavored products and go for the leafy green itself.

Baked beans are usually high in protein and fiber but canned baked beans add unnecessary amounts of sugar, salt, and other additives. MoneyWise also mentions that many bean cans contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their interior lining, which can potentially leach into your food. Some research suggests BPA can elevate your obesity risk and even reduce fertility.

To check out the rest of the additional 15 other unhealthiest foods not mentioned above, click here.

Related Content:

See more here:
These are the unhealthiest grocery items you can buy in the United States, according to MoneyWise - MassLive.com