Youth Opportunity Grants are one of the Rotary Club of Spartanburgs signature projects. These competitive grants benefit hundreds of students every year.

Among the current uses of funds are leadership training, educational enrichment, science education, pediatric dental referrals, development of independent living skills and drowning prevention classes. In 2021, the Rotary received 20 requests totaling $82,511, of which seven requests were funded for a total of $29,262.

The process began with a Request for Proposals that was distributed through the United Way, the Spartanburg County Foundation, the Spartanburg Academic Movement, the Mary Black Foundation, the Chapman Cultural Center, and club members. Applications were received, committee members read and scored them. Grants were awarded based on aggregate scoring.

Organizations funded in 2021 and a description of their programs are:

The Citizens Scholars Institute has been awarded $2,856 to support its Emerging Leaders Internship Program. Thirty-two 11th grade Scholars will participate in an intensive three-day leadership immersion course, serve as peer-mentors to rising sixth and seventh grade scholars, and serve as facilitators at the CS annual conference, The Summit: Opportunity Looks Like Hard Work. The event is scheduled for June 15on the campus of the Evans Academic Center of Spartanburg Community College.

Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg has been awarded $5,000 to support the Pediatric Dental Clinic and Pediatric Specialist Referrals. At the Pediatric Dental Clinic, low-income, uninsured children access no-cost case management, preventative and restorative treatment. However, some children, due to age, behavior and extent of decay, need specialized treatment including sedation that Healthy Smiles coordinates with pediatric specialists. This program will provide access to preventative and specialized care and mitigate the potential for emergent dental or medical treatment.

Hope Center for Children has been awarded $4,049 to support the development of an incentive room at the Faucette House shelter, which recently began serving a higher-risk foster population. The incentive room will be aimed at the teenage population living at the shelter and will help to build independent living skills through goal setting and behavior modification while the teens heal from trauma and abuse. Access to the incentive room will be earned through an accrued point system.

The Palmetto Council of Boy Scouts of America has been awarded $4,500 to support a week-long summer camp experience at the Glendale Outdoor Leadership School (GOLS) for members of the TK Gregg Community Center Cub Scout pack. At GOLS, youth will be able to participate in biking, rock climbing, fishing, and hiking. Palmetto Council will also provide programs on topics such as Health, Safety, and First Aid; Sports and Physical Fitness; Healthy Eating Habits and Nutrition; Wood Work and Building; and Outdoor Skills.

The Salvation Army of Spartanburg and Union Counties has been awarded $4,000 to support its Summer Day Camp Program. The program operates from 8 a.m.to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday for nine-weeks during the summer. It is designed to help at-risk children in our area have a safe, secure place to be during the summer months. The children receive snacks and a meal daily, physical activities, trips to local museums and parks, and character-building skills.

VCOM has been awarded $3,857 to support its Research Institute Young Investigators Science Camp Program, which is an informal science education program designed to combat the lack of student diversity for those entering the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education) fields. A group of 10-20 middle school students will participate in the VCOM science camp focusing on life sciences. Funds will be used to provide a hands-on research experience, e.g. extracting and analyzing DNA to illustrate basic biological scientific methods to students. Other materials, including shirts, bags and journals are take-home items so students can show their participation and record their activities during the event.

The YMCA of Greater Spartanburg has been awarded $5,000 to provide free swimming lessons using YMCA Safety Around Water curriculum for 60 children and teens from low-income homes in Spartanburg County, focusing on the Northside and District 7. Additionally, funds will be used to provide teens living in the Northside and Highland communities with free lifeguard certification classes to prepare them for employment as lifeguards. Teens from the Northside and Highland Communities who achieve these certifications will be considered top-priority candidates for employment.

Youth Opportunity Grants have been a line item in the Spartanburg Rotary Club budget for many years. Part of the funding comes from the annual Spartanburg Sings event, which brings together middle school students from across the county for a one-afternoon musical performance. Spartanburg Sings has been another way the Spartanburg Rotary Club serves youth, and it has become very popular among middle school administrators, faculty and students.

Ashley Dill is a native of Spartanburg and has been on staff for the Herald-Journal for 14 years. She covers community news and can be reached at ashley.dill@shj.com or on Twitter at @ashleydill_shj.

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Rotary Club of Spartanburg awards more than $29,000 in grants to local organizations - Spartanburg Herald Journal

Wood ticks, like the one pictured, don't carry the same pathogens that cause Lyme disease as smaller deer ticks.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Even if you havent seen them outdoors this summer, you know they're there.

The vampiric little arachnids that hide in brush and leaves, waiting to burrow into a warm-blooded host to feed.

Ticks are just about everywhere in Wisconsin this time of year, so its important to keep an eye out for them. Depending on the species, they can carry pathogens that cause Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and other serious illnesses.

Wisconsin averages 3,500 Lyme disease cases each year, putting it in the top 20%of the country, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

We talked to a few bug and medical experts at DHS and the University of Wisconsin to find out more about identifying ticks, what to watch out for if youve been bit and how to stay safe outdoors.

There are three types of ticks in Wisconsin: wood ticks, deer ticks and Lonestar ticks, but the latter are rare.

Deer ticks are smaller than wood ticks and carry most of the disease-causing pathogens. University of Wisconsin medical entomologist Susan Paskewitz said there are ecological differences in the animals they feed on, which influences the diseases they spread.

Whitetail deer are an important host for the namesake deer tick, but they're actually not where ticks get the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

In the case of Lyme disease, most of the source for ticks is actually coming from mice, Paskewitz said. It could be chipmunks, mice, shrews, or voles, but mostly mice are known to play an important role.

Wood ticks also feed on mice, Paskewitz said, but they have an immune reaction that prevents Lyme disease from taking hold.

RELATED: The Tick App offers resources to identify, remove ticks as part of Lyme disease study

RELATED: Heading outside this summer? Here's what you need to know about bug repellents

Theres some kind of internal immune mechanism that prevents the spirochete from becoming established in the wood tick, she said. There are just differences in their physiology that in one case makes (wood ticks) no good as a vector, and in the other case (deer ticks are) perfectly able to transmit Lyme and many other pathogens.

At this time of year, its important to watchout forjuvenile ticks, or nymphs, which are emerging in higher numbers and can be as small as a poppy seed.

University of Wisconsin entomologist PJ Liesch said about 20%of deer tick nymphscarry bacteria that causes Lyme disease, while closer to 40%of adults carry the bacteria. Despite the lower infection rate, nymphs can be much harder to spot on the skin, increasing the risk of infection.

People can overlook them in tucked away spots, like behind the knee, armpit, something like that, Liesch said. The longer a tick is attached, the greater the chance of transmission. When a tick is attached for 36 to 72 hours, thats the length of time where we really get worried about transmission.

When a tick attaches to an animal or human, its consuming a blood meal that contains the nutrition it needs to advance to its next life stage. Ticks consume about two blood meals during their two-year life cycle. They arent born with pathogens but contract them as they consume blood meals going from larva to nymph to adult stages.

Thats the nutrition they need if theyre a juvenile tick to advance to the next life stage, Liesch said. If theyre an adult tick, like an adult female, shes getting that blood meal to have nutrition so that she can produce a batch of eggs.

DHS medical entomologist Rebecca Osborn said you shouldnt panic if youve been bit, but monitor the bite closely. Watch for a red rash in the shape of a bulls-eye circle. The rash isnt always indicative of Lyme disease, but it'sa common symptom.

The rash comes from the disease-causing bacteria, or spirochete, moving from the site of the bite to the skin.

The "bull's-eye" pattern at the site of a tick bite on the back of the right upper arm of a woman who'd subsequently contracted Lyme disease.

Some people might develop Lyme disease and not develop a rash, or if they were bit in a place thats difficult to see, like the back of the head, they might not realize theyve been bit, Osborn said. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, joint pain, headache and feeling unwell.

Diagnosing and treating Lyme disease early is crucial. Osborn said most people who are treated early with antibiotics fully recover, but some experience lingering symptoms. She said this probably isnt because an infection is persisting, but because of the effects the infection had on certain systems in the body.

Paskewitz said some lingering Lyme symptoms affect the nervous system, like the brain fog described by patients with long-term COVID-19 symptoms.

Those are things like fatigue and fuzziness in thinking, she said. You still have some of those ongoing repercussions of having been infected because of the changes in your body to try to deal with that infection.

While Lyme disease is the main concern associated with deer ticks, they also carry a host of other disease-causing pathogens.

Anaplasmosis is the second most common illness spread by ticks in Wisconsin, with about 600 to 700 cases on average each year, according to DHS data. If untreated, the disease can cause respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure and death.

Babesiosis is another illness thats spread by deer ticks. The parasite attacks red blood cells of the infected host causing flu-like symptoms, anemia, trouble with blood clotting, jaundice, and spleen and liver enlargement. Severe symptoms can include heart attack, kidney failure, liver disease and death.

The symptoms can vary certainly, and none of the other diseases is it common for people to have the bull's-eye rash, Osborn said. What is common in all of these is they usually are accompanied by a fever, fatigue, malaise, headache and really feeling unwell.

While DHS numbers suggest that Lyme disease diagnoses have increased in the last 20 years, entomologists say its difficult to determine if there are more ticks across the state. Improved surveys and data gathering could explain part of the increase, and some areas can have much higher localized tick populations than others.

One thing I like to remind people with deer ticks, in Wisconsin we didnt find the first deer tick until the late 1960s, Liesch said. Overall, this is still an emerging and evolving situation, and were still watching them expand into new areas.

This photograph depicts a deer tick, or blacklegged tick, as it was questing on a blade of grass. The Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is spread through the bite of infected ticks. (Photo: CDC photo)

Paskewitz said people can submit pictures of ticks to researchers online through The Tick App. The app has a Report-A-Tick function where users can share information about ticks they encounter. They can send in a photo of the tick to receive an expert opinion on what species it is.

Its a research tool, so it is a study where people can tell us about their exposures to ticks and where theyre picking them up, she said. That helps us a lot in terms of looking for hot spots and problem areas in Wisconsin.

Liesch said its a good idea to take precautions if youre going outdoors this summer.

The first is to avoid areas with high tick populations. Ticks like leaves and tall, weedy vegetation with more moisture, so they wont be as prevalent in sunny, dry areas.

Another precaution is to use clothing as a protective barrier. Wearing long sleeves and pants makes it harder for the creatures to bite through to the skin.

Insect repellants are another way to protect against ticks. Repellents with Deetand clothing treated with permethrin can be effective deterrents against ticks.

The Tick App includes guides on how to identify and remove ticks.(Photo: The Midwest and Northeast Centers of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease and the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison.)

If you do have a tick embedded in your skin or a pets skin, the best way to remove it is with a slow, steady pull to avoid leaving bits of the mouth in the skin, Liesch said.

Grab some tweezers of forceps, grab the tick near the mouth parts as close to the skin as possible,he said. We dont want to do anything thats going to squish or crush the tick.

Osborn said you should wash the bite regularly and monitor it for a month. She said its also a good idea to save the tick and keep it in a plastic bag to give to your health care provider in case you develop symptoms.

Liesch said a final precaution is to do a tick check on yourself and any pets that went outside within 24 hours, shower and wash outdoor clothes.

Even if you got a deer tick on you but you come back and do a quick tick check and you are removing those ticks, they simply havent been attached long enough to transmit a disease like Lyme, Liesch said. For pets, talk to your vet and make sure that outdoor dogs and cats are getting an appropriate flea and tick treatment to help prevent issues.

Contact Jake Prinsen at jprinsen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PrinsenJake.

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Have you seen ticks this summer? Here's what you should know about Lyme, Anaplasmosis, other diseases they spread - Green Bay Press Gazette

Eating out in a post-pandemic world Image Credit: Pexels.com

When Dubai resident Hicham Younis went to a restaurant for the first time post lockdown, at one point he felt he was right back at home. The restaurant was near empty, and the nearest diners were so far from him and his wife due to the segregation of tables, it was like sitting in his own little island. That just immediately killed the vibe for me, the 35-year-old Product and Marketing Manager based in Dubai, said.

Hicham Younis

A huge aspect that made the dining experience special and worthwhile went missing. Plus Ive had to start hanging out with less people. Ive now started choosing restaurants that offer up some entertainment or music to make up for the loss of a vibe.

Just like Younis, Dubai resident Ellie Keene saidwith less tables and therefore less people around creating an atmosphere, restaurants felt strange to her when she went back to them. I often felt I was sitting in my own pod. Lots of places have either taken tables out, theres signs on tables that you cant sit there, or of course physical plastic barriers. Social interaction was obviously more limited, which didn't come naturally to me.

Ellie Keene

"I miss standing at a bar and chatting. Planning a birthday and not having to worry about the amount of people. And dancing I think I might have forgotten how to dance!

- Dubai resident Christina Maroudias

Similarly, Dubai resident Lara Geadah stopped going out in groups as the coronavirus hit close home, and started keeping her outings simple, going out with her partner only. I love to eat and dine out - and I also love to order. Both of these things are more restricted now.

Lara Geadah

"So I dont really enjoy eating out the way I used to, and theres a fair bit of guilt at times that Im not being as safe as I could be! But I am prudent. I miss not having to worry. I also miss going out in groups.

Plexiglass dividers, masks, gloves and other protective clothing, disinfection and cleaning procedures, temperature checks, monitoring health of staff the pandemic changed our dining experience in one fell swoop. Capacity limits and a less-busy-than-usual restaurant meant there wasnt a huge vibe. What made a restaurant dining experience beguiling for a lot of people was other people, and a lack of it meant many people were less inclined to eat out.

Reviving this vibe has been one massive challenge, and while fears of a permanent change in dining behaviour have persisted, weve seen the UAE come back to normal over the past few weeks.

So how have restaurants coped?

Capacity limits

Tomas Dundulis, General Manager at Lucky Voice in Dubai, said reduced capacity and restrictions on movement inside venues have been the biggest challenges for restaurants and bars. People go to bars to socialise and with the new rules in place it isnt really possible to do that. This has a huge influence on our revenue and customer experience.

Tomas Dundulis, General Manager at Lucky Voice

This is echoed across restaurants. William Trist Head of Kitchen Operations for dining group Bull&Roo, which manages cafes such as Tom&Serg, The Sum of Us and Common Grounds, said seating at venues being reduced has a pretty significant effect at peak times. We have had to be clever about the seating layout to maximise seating but also provide the safest restaurant we possibly can.

Restaurants have definitely had to get creative to work around the issue. Some of our venues have the potential for more seats outside. Were building a new terrace area at The Sum of Us and extra seating in the mezzanine area at Common Grounds Mall of the Emirates, Trist said.

This is not all bad news. Trist said reduced seating works in favour of not only diners but also waiters. Everyone has more space now - squeezing between tightly packed tables as a waiter, or knocking someone's chair as a guest when you stand, are things of a pre-Covid world.

Wassim Zouein, Managing Partnerof Iris, said the new normal has had a huge impact on the ambience and atmosphere of the dining experience. While we have to work harder to deliver our signature experience, it definitely feels like there is a missing element to the overall experience, especially when guests are not permitted to stand or dance. Operating at a lower capacity has without doubt affected the restaurant industry financially and we are all in a kind of survival mode.

Wassim Zouein, Managing Director of Iris

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Dining vs nightlife

Dundulis from Lucky Voice said while the dining experience has restrictions, the core business model for dining destinations hasnt been affected as badly as bars and nightlife venues. Restaurants can still have quite a few seats and if the food is good they will fill it and manage to get some decent revenue. On the other hand, bars and nightlife venues are struggling much more as usually the seating capacity is much lower due to dance floors and bar areas. All the diner feedback we got wasmostly directed to this aspect of social distancing and the dancing ban.

Dining deals

Dundulis from Lucky Voice said a huge change in consumer behaviour post pandemic has revolved around aggressively hunting for deals. This is coupled with a reduction in their visits to restaurants and choosing to dine at home instead.

Djordje Kukanjac, Restaurant manager from Larte, agrees, saying the current crisis has led consumers to be even more budget conscious. Always looking out for the best deals, offers and promotions. Deals where food and beverage are included perform the best overall and weve seen that the restaurant is led by a beverage spend rather than a food spend. Weve seen an increase in the number of guests booking our Ladies Nights and Unlimited deals ....

Djordje Kukanjac, Restaurant manager from Larte

Zouein from Iris said diners now prefer to have a predetermined set price for the experience rather than an open tab. Its not to say they are looking for a budget deal, they simply want to know how much they are going to spend in advance.

Smaller groups

Chef Andres Aguilar-Aguila Loustaunau from Tulum in Dubai Mall Fashion Avenue said dining out has changed from a more wild experience, to a more calm experience catered to foodies, with the new normal now smaller groups and when its a celebration, we accommodate our diners in a special area so they can still be in some way be together if they are big groups.

Chef Andres Aguilar-Aguila Loustaunau from Tulum

Larte has seen an increase in intimate dining experiences - smaller engagement dinners, kids birthdays and were also creating bespoke events such as Cocktail Making workshops, pizza making workshops and cheese ... nights for smaller groups who want to do something different.

Trist from Bull&Roo has been focusing on the pros. Such as dining at home courtesy restaurants who no one wouldve thought would do delivery. Dinner parties at home catered by the world's best restaurants. This situation has made people get creative. There's still a market for high-end food - they just needed to work out how to make the experience comparable to dine in.

The entertainment aspect

Hassan Ballout, Co-CEO of Seven Management, (Seven Sisters, Antika Bar etc.) doesnt dispute this. There is most certainly a different vibe, as given the restrictions in place guests can no longer interact as they did before, be it to dance, move around up to the stage or visit the DJ. We are finding that people are more inclined to dine and enjoy a show but from the comfort of their table with social distancing.

Hassan Ballout, Co-CEO of Seven Management

Evgeny Kuzin, Chairman and Co-Founder of Bulldozer Group, (Scalini, Shanghai Me, Gaia, Cipriani etc.) said the restaurants he manages have seen a real surge at the weekends, with an increase in guests booking in advance due to the permitted capacity and social distancing requirements."

"The changes to the nightlife landscape and lack of clubs have led to a considerable boost for restaurants and lounges, with many guests preferring a late booking throughout the weekend. Dining has become a new form of entertainment, a refined and relaxed way to go out and socialise within the guidelines.

Evgeny Kuzin, Chairman and Co-Founder of Bulldozer Group

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What lies in the future?

Despite all the massive challenges ahead, restaurateurs overwhelmingly struck a positive tone. Dundulis from Lucky Voice is confident the restaurant will recover. During these uncertain times many restaurants have shut their doors for good, which reduced dining options for customers. So the places who managed to survive the pandemic will definitely show better return in 2021, he said.

Kukanjac from Larte said the industry will continue to innovate and digitalise as much as possible to limit contact. Menus are now digitally available to our guests through a QR code. Were looking at the possibility of putting in place a digitalised ordering system too.

He also believes the industry is going to continue to be heavily deal/discount led. This is both due to customers wanting more value for money as well as the increased competition around town. The current situation has been a wake-up call to a lot of restaurants to adapt a community-focused approach, working closely with the communities around them in order to increase loyalty and a base of regular guests.

Loustaunau from Tulum agrees that despite all the challenges, the pandemic has provided eateries with opportunities. I think it makes us more conscious that what we need to offer is a unique experience in every aspect from service to food to themes to ambience. Nowadays people need that extra something to make them feel special.

Ballout of Seven Management, (Seven Sisters, Antika Bar etc.) sees procurement of locally sourced ingredients in the future, benefiting both the economy and environment. Equally important will be the focus on the dining experience, with regards to the balance between food and entertainment. The real challenge will be to achieve this in a less physically interactive manner but thankfully technology knows no bounds.

Zouein from Iris said the focus is to maintain a creative and agile approach, implementing new ways of reinvention such as restaurant dining as opposed to the partying focus we once knew. It is abundantly clear that people have a strong desire to continue living their lives, going out and having fun, but there is a slight element of caution in doing so. We hope that socialising will return to how it was before, hopefully becoming even better, and that digital forms of interaction will decrease.

Chef Izu, Concept Creator of Gaia, Carine, and a number of brands under his group, YSeventy7, believes this is a temporary change. We are social beings, we need to interact, to meet, hug, and spend time with each other. Dining together is a ritual. Sharing food, memories and experiences with loved ones is something we have enjoyed since the beginning of time, and I believe we will continue to do so long after Covid has left us.

Chef Izu, Concept Creator at YSeventy7

Kuzin from Bulldozer Group too believes that people will return to normal as soon as possible. The hospitality industry may be more focused towards restaurant brands, rather than busy bars and super-clubs for the time being, as they are easier to manage and control. Health and safety will always be a priority for brands and venues, with the wellbeing of the people coming before all else.

Trist from Bull&Roo said in the short to medium term, refining and perfecting the best practices for transmission protection will be top of mind. But he also thinks the situation will only change his industry for the better. The first few months of COVID-19 were filled with editorials by famous chefs talking about how the industry will change forever. It looks like we will be living like this for some time but always the optimist.

"I know there are going to be lots of casualties and I can't say that doesn't break my heart but I think coming out of this pandemic will bring a new era for our industry, a rebirth. I predict once we get through this we will see more exciting restaurants, better concepts, everyone is going to be so grateful they can get back out there and do what they love to do. I really believe we will see some of the best years of the industry post COVID-19.

Dubai resident Christina Maroudias sums it up accurately. Arriving at the first restaurant I went to post-lockdown, I remember thinking it was amazing how well we have all adapted, and how much we took for granted. Before the pandemic, I didnt value the luxury of simply popping out for a coffee or sharing an exquisite meal with friends. I realised my home cooking skills really are no match for the culinary offerings in this city. This pandemic has been terrifying for a myriad of reasons, but restaurants give us a visual representation and portrayal of the lengths people will go to, in order to keep each other safe.

Christina Maroudias

Before the pandemic, I dont think I realised how important the hospitality industry is to our mental health, and our ability to connect. From the friendly welcome on arrival, kind waitstaff to the thrill of a get-together and catch up with friends and family, the little things mean so much.

Before the pandemic, I dont think I realised how important the hospitality industry is to our mental health, and our ability to connect. From the friendly welcome on arrival, kind waitstaff to the thrill of a get-together and catch up with friends and family, the little things mean so much.

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Safe dining: How the UAE restaurant industry has navigated the pandemic - Gulf News

One thing that never goes out of fashion is diets and talking about them. Over the years, various diets have trended, only to be replaced by another. Paleo was all the rage till 2016 and then came Keto. Gwyneth Paltrow made the Goop diet for cleanse and detox pretty popular, while the Alkaline diet was quite a rage too. The Atkins diet seems ancient by comparison.

But do diets, of any kind, work at all?

The answer isnt a simple yes or no. If you were to ask a nutritionist or a fitness coach, theyd say that all diets are temporary in nature; theyre used to achieve short-term goals like weight management or gaining muscle over a limited time-frame.

Also Read: Why the oldest weight loss diet is still the best

Diets do not work for everyone. Also, diets alone cannot help achieve any of your health or fitness goals, says AK Abhinav, founder of NAMMA CrossFit and strength and conditioning coach at Life of Tri, a triathlon training centre in Bengaluru. Most of the food that we consume is processed to reside in our musculature in the form of creatine phosphate, glycogen and glucose, he explains. Our muscular system needs appropriate stimuli in order to assimilate nutrients and build energy stores in the muscles, which ultimately results in optimal health and fitness. A lack of physical exercise results in these energy stores being accumulated as fat in our bodies.

One size doesnt fit all

Just because a particular diet works for your friend, it doesnt mean it would work for you. Every diet requires personalisation as per ones needs, and this is why professional guidance is of great importance.

The other thing thats rarely discussed when it comes to diets is how easy it is to veer away from it and sneak in cheat meals. One major drawback of diet plans like Paleo, Keto, South Beach, Zone, etc. is that they are a long-term commitment, says Priyam Naik, dietetics officer at Saifee Hospital, Mumbai. The early weight loss effect of low calorie diets decreases over time, he adds.

These diets have been developed based on the arithmetic of energy depletion and repletion and not its chronic effects on the human bodys organ systems, argues Abhinav. They have been designed grossly to meet the human bodys energy needs in the modern world. We are not hunting animals while sporting a loincloth. We are mostly sedentary with a small percentage of people involved in physical training up to 60-90 minutes everyday. All the fad diets are weight-loss or fat-loss diets, which is not a permanent fix or a healthy lifestyle to follow, he adds.

Also Read: Avoid these five nutrition mistakes

Most of these fad diets, if followed blindly or without supervision, can also become a health risk. If there is a major calorie deficit, one does not get the necessary nutrients and can experience health issues. A strict low-carb diet like Keto could force the body into ketosis, a condition in which ketones are accumulated in blood, which could cause dehydration, nausea, dizziness, fatigue and bad breath. Excessive meat consumption could also lead to various cancers while high protein intake could force the kidneys to work harder to remove additional waste products from the body, says Naik.

How can you make a diet work?

Scientifically speaking, the two primary factors that influence our nutritional and feeding habits are climate and geographical location. For example, in cold geographies such as Siberia and Alaska, the local diet consists of plenty of meat and dairy as the regions climate isnt suited for cultivating fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, a person living in tropical regions would eat diverse varieties of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, supplemented by protein either from dairy, meat and seafood, explains Abhinav.

The key to successful eating that benefits you and helps you achieve your goals, is to figure out what works for you, as celebrity fitness trainer Shivoham and I have explained in our book The Shivfit Way. This will require you to learn by trial and error over a period of time to come up with the best possible nutritional combination. Given the erratic and hectic nature of our jobs and life, sticking to strict meal times might not always be possible. This is why its important to figure out a way to snack on nuts and fruits so that you can guard against overeating.

Also Read: The correct nutrition balance for optimal fitness

Abhinav says that a balanced diet should ideally consist of 80% food sources where micronutrients are in their natural ration, and 20% of derivatives like dairy, meat, poultry, seafood and so on. All plant-based foods are found to have macronutrients in the following ratio: 10-15% protein, 70-75% carbohydrates and 10-15% fat.While the derivatives have 30-40% protein, 30-40% carbohydrates and 30-40% fat, he says, adding, Fad diets have flipped the above balance by suggesting people rely primarily on food derivatives 80% of the time.

Another fad that we hear of a lot is the vague 'detox diet'. Nutritionist and coach Shannon Beer strongly dislikes this trend and feels the idea of the detox diet is actually harmful. I hope terms like detox continue to be made redundant as we realise that no single food in isolation has the power to make or break our diet. We should be looking at foods within the context of our diet as a whole, she says.

Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.

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Do diets actually work? - lifestyle.livemint.com

Detoxification (detox) diets are more popular than ever.

These diets claim to clean your blood and eliminate harmful toxins from your body.

However, it is not entirely clear how they do this, what specific compounds theyre supposed to eliminate, and if they even work.

This is a detailed review of detox diets and their health effects.

Detox diets are generally short-term dietary interventions designed to eliminate toxins from your body.

A typical detox diet involves a period of fasting, followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas.

This is claimed to:

Detox therapies are most commonly recommended because of potential exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment or your diet. These include pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and other harmful compounds.

These diets are also claimed to help with various health problems, including obesity, digestive issues, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, allergies, bloating, and chronic fatigue (1).

However, human research on detox diets is lacking, and the handful of studies that exist are significantly flawed (2, 3).

Detoxes are short-term interventions designed to eliminate toxins from your body. Theyre claimed to aid various health problems.

There are many ways to do a detox diet ranging from total starvation fasts to simpler food modifications.

Most detox diets involve at least one of the following (1):

Detox diets vary in intensity and duration.

There are many kinds of detoxes. They almost always involve fasting, eating specific foods, avoiding harmful ingredients, and/or taking supplements.

Detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins they aim to remove. The mechanisms by which they work are also unclear.

In fact, there is little to no evidence that detox diets remove any toxins from your body.

Whats more, your body is capable of cleansing itself through the liver, feces, urine, and sweat. Your liver makes toxic substances harmless, then ensures that theyre released from your body (3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

Despite this, there are a few chemicals that may not be as easily removed by these processes, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and heavy metals (3, 8, 9, 10, 11).

These tend to accumulate in fat tissue or blood and can take a very long time even years for your body to flush (12, 13, 14).

However, these compounds generally are removed from or limited in commercial products today (15).

Overall, there is little evidence that detox diets help eliminate any of these compounds.

Detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins theyre claimed to remove, and evidence that they remove toxins at all is lacking. Your body can clear itself of most toxins through the liver, feces, urine, and sweat.

Some people report feeling more focused and energetic during and after detox diets.

However, this improved well-being may simply be due to eliminating processed foods, alcohol, and other unhealthy substances from your diet.

You may also be getting vitamins and minerals that were lacking before.

That said, many people also report feeling very unwell during the detox period.

Very few scientific studies have investigated how detox diets impact weight loss (2).

While some people may lose a lot of weight quickly, this effect seems to be due to loss of fluid and carb stores rather than fat. This weight is usually regained quickly once you go off the cleanse.

One study in overweight Korean women examined the lemon detox diet, which limits you to a mixture of organic maple or palm syrups and lemon juice for seven days.

This diet significantly reduced body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, markers of inflammation, insulin resistance, and circulating leptin levels (16).

If a detox diet involves severe calorie restriction, it will most certainly cause weight loss and improvements in metabolic health but its unlikely to help you keep weight off in the long term.

Several varieties of detox diets may have effects similar to those of short-term or intermittent fasting.

Short-term fasting may improve various disease markers in some people, including improved leptin and insulin sensitivity (17, 18).

However, these effects do not apply to everyone. Studies in women show that both a 48-hour fast and a 3-week period of reduced calorie intake may increase your stress hormone levels (19, 20).

On top of that, crash diets can be a stressful experience, as they involve resisting temptations and feeling extreme hunger (21, 22).

Detox diets may help with short-term weight loss, though more studies are needed. Some detox diets may resemble intermittent fasting regimes, which can improve some biomarkers of health.

A few aspects of detox diets may have health benefits, such as (4):

Following these guidelines is generally linked to improved health regardless of whether youre on a detox diet.

Several aspects of detox diets may aid your health. These include avoiding environmental toxins, exercising, eating nutritious food, drinking water, limiting stress, and relaxing.

Before doing any sort of detox, it is important to consider possible side effects.

Several detox diets recommend fasting or severe calorie restriction. Short-term fasting and limited calorie intake can result in fatigue, irritability, and bad breath.

Long-term fasting can result in energy, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies, as well as electrolyte imbalance and even death (23).

Furthermore, colon cleansing methods, which are sometimes recommended during detoxes, can cause dehydration, cramping, bloating, nausea, and vomiting (24).

Some detox diets may pose the risk of overdosing on supplements, laxatives, diuretics, and even water.

There is a lack of regulation and monitoring in the detox industry, and many detox foods and supplements may not have any scientific basis.

In the worst cases, the ingredient labels of detox products may be inaccurate. This can increase your risk of overdosing, potentially resulting in serious and even fatal effects (25).

Certain people should not start any detox or calorie-restricting regimens without consulting a doctor first.

At-risk populations include children, adolescents, older adults, those who are malnourished, pregnant or lactating women, and people who have blood sugar issues, such as diabetes or an eating disorder.

Detox diets may severely limit energy and nutrient intake, posing various risks to your health. Some groups of people should never do detox diets.

Your body is frequently exposed to toxic substances. However, most of the time, it can remove them without additional help.

While detox diets may seem tempting, their benefits likely have nothing to do with vanquishing toxins, but rather with eliminating various unhealthy foods.

A much smarter approach is to eat healthier and improve your lifestyle rather than go on a potentially dangerous cleanse.

Excerpt from:
Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work?

The best weight loss programs (Editors picks subject to change).

The Noom weight loss coach app is backed by credible peer-reviewed research.

Suitable if you: have tried (and failed) diets in the past.

Not suitable if you: arent prepared to commit to a longer term.

Read more

Weight Watchers is regarded as one of the most successful diets of all time. The new plans make it even easier.

Suitable if you: Are looking for something with a proven track record.

Not suitable if you: arent prepared to spend a little extra.

Read more

Nutrisystem has both fans and critics. The food is definitely not to everyones taste, but it is the most affordable of all meal delivery services.

Suitable if you: Are looking for a cheap option for delivered food.

Not suitable if you: cant stand the taste of packaged foods.

Read more

A comprehensive weight loss program from the most respected health clinic in the country.

Suitable if you: You want something well-balanced without any major restrictions.

Read more

Macro counting has surged in popularity as no foods are off-limits.

Suitable if you: Want freedom from food restrictions.

Not suitable if you: dont like tracking food.

Read more

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Best Weight Loss Programs and Diets That Work

Looking to switch over to an anti-inflammatory diet to help shield against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other rampant chronic diseases? It doesnt require hard-to-find or even particularly expensive ingredients like powders or supplements.

Natural foods are rich in an army of inflammation-fighters. For instance, red wine, grapes and some berries contain inflammation fighting compounds called flavan-3-ols. Fiber in legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables fuel beneficial microorganisms in our intestines, which transform it into butyrate, an anti-inflammatory short-chain fat that protects against heart disease and may even have brain benefits.

For an effective anti-inflammation diet, Mari Anoushka Ricker, M.D., a director of integrative medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and an associate professor at the university, recommends a plate filled with vegetables and fruit, and rounding out meals with food like lean protein and whole grains.

Below are examples of specific anti-inflammatory foods.

All vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties, and to rake in the most inflammation-fighting nutrients, you should aim to eat a wide variety of them. Take your cue from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which suggests eating dark green, red and orange vegetables, among others.

* The cruciferous botanical family of plants is rich in nutrients, including anti-cancer, sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates.

All fruit can help fight inflammation. Note that because 100% fruit juice is a concentrated source of natural sugar, its best to consume in moderation and focus on eating fruit whole.

These foods are rich in nutrients and fiber, which might explain why eating legumes is linked to a reduced risk of inflammatory conditions such as heart disease and obesity. Sweet potatoes are the staple starch in the Japanese Okinawan dietan eating pattern followed by some of the healthiest and longest-living people on the planet.

A whole grain contains both the bran and germ, which gets removed when refined into white flour. Thats a shame, because the bran is rich in fiber, which gets converted into anti-inflammatory butyrate by our gut bacteria. Whole grains are also rich in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (beneficial plant compounds) contained within the bran and germ, which fight inflammation in many ways. Most common grains contain tannins an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory naturally-occuring compound.

Nuts and seeds have lots of nutrients, many anti-inflammatory such as vitamin E and ellagitannins (a type of tannin). The latter, along with the fiber in nuts and seeds, are on the menu for our gut microorganisms, which convert them to anti-inflammatory butyrate.

The most anti-inflammatory proteins come from plants, such as legumes, and from fish rich in omega-3 fats, says Dr. Ricker.

Coffee and tea are rich in inflammation fighters such as chlorogenic acid (coffee) and flavan-3-ols like EGCG (green tea).

A staple of the traditional Mediterranean diet, extra-virgin olive oil gets at least some of the credit for this diets anti-inflammatory effects. Whats at work? Its high monounsaturated fat content (74% of total fat) doesnt promote deposition of plaque in your arteries like saturated fat, and it contains anti-inflammatory compounds such as hydroxytyrosol. Avocados are also mono-rich and chock full of vitamins and minerals. Their phytonutrientssuch as lutein and zeaxanthinmay fight the destructive inflammation caused by UV rays, thus protecting skin.

One of the major benefits of many herbs and spices is that they block the action of pro-inflammatory cytokines (a type of cell-signaling protein), among other anti-inflammatory properties.

The American way of eating is a recipe for chronic inflammation, due to its emphasis on foods high in saturated fats, added sugars, refined grains and sodium.

Meanwhile, were skimping on the anti-inflammatory foods: Fish, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, says Dr. Ricker.

The typical American diet sparks inflammation in many ways, including its impact on our waistlines. About 42% of Americans age 20 and up are obese, with some of that excess fat lodged deep in the abdomen, parked in and around the liver and other organs. This visceral fat is the most toxic type and when these fat cells become overfilled, they die, emitting inflammatory compounds.

Why is our diet so fattening? Increasingly, evidence points to ultra-processed foods, which make up about 60% of an Americans calorie intake. These concoctions of added sugar, saturated fat and salt include cereal bars, cake mixes, instant noodles, soft drinks, certain breads, sausages and so many of the other foods sitting in supermarket aisles.

Weight gain can happen quickly on an ultra-processed diet. In a tightly controlled National Institutes of Health study, people checked into a medical center for a month, and could eat only foods provided by researchers. They consumed about 500 more calories per day on an ultra-processed food diet than on a diet based on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, simply-prepared chicken and other proteins. Interestingly, people reported enjoying both diets about equally.

Not surprisingly, people started gaining weight on the ultra-processed diettwo pounds in two weeksand lost that same amount in the two weeks on the whole foods diet.

Obesity aside, there are other ways an unhealthy diet inflames the body:

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de Morais Cardoso L, Pinheiro SS, Martino HS, Pinheiro-SantAna HM. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.): Nutrients, bioactive compounds, and potential impact on human health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017;57(2):372-390. doi:10.1080/10408398.2014.887057

Dakhili S, Abdolalizadeh L, Hosseini SM, Shojaee-Aliabadi S, Mirmoghtadaie L. Quinoa protein: Composition, structure and functional properties. Food Chem. 2019;299:125161.

Sugizaki CSA, Naves MMV. Potential Prebiotic Properties of Nuts and Edible Seeds and Their Relationship to Obesity. Nutrients. 2018;10(11):1645. Published 2018 Nov 3. doi:10.3390/nu10111645

Lipiska L, Klewicka E, Sjka M. The structure, occurrence and biological activity of ellagitannins: a general review. Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment. 2014;13(3):289-299. doi:10.17306/j.afs.2014.3.7

Mercury Factsheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed 4/19/2021.

Paiva C, Beserra B, Reis C, Dorea JG, Da Costa T, Amato AA. Consumption of coffee or caffeine and serum concentration of inflammatory markers: A systematic review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(4):652-663. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1386159

Ohishi T, Goto S, Monira P, Isemura M, Nakamura Y. Anti-inflammatory Action of Green Tea. Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem. 2016;15(2):74-90. doi:10.2174/1871523015666160915154443

Olive oil. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.

DiNicolantonio JJ, OKeefe JH. Good Fats versus Bad Fats: A Comparison of Fatty Acids in the Promotion of Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Obesity. Mo Med. 2017;114(4):303-307.

Marcelino G, Hiane PA, Freitas KC, et al. Effects of Olive Oil and Its Minor Components on Cardiovascular Diseases, Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1826. Published 2019 Aug 7. doi:10.3390/nu11081826

Dreher ML, Davenport AJ. Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(7):738-750. doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.556759

Christ A, Lauterbach M, Latz E. Western Diet and the Immune System: An Inflammatory Connection. Immunity. 2019;51(5):794-811. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2019.09.020

Martnez Steele E, Baraldi LG, Louzada ML, Moubarac JC, Mozaffarian D, Monteiro CA. Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(3):e009892. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009892

Rauber F, da Costa Louzada ML, Steele EM, Millett C, Monteiro CA, Levy RB. Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases-Related Dietary Nutrient Profile in the UK (20082014). Nutrients. 2018;10(5):587.

Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metab. 2019;30(1):226. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.020

DiNicolantonio JJ, Mehta V, Onkaramurthy N, OKeefe JH. Fructose-induced inflammation and increased cortisol: A new mechanism for how sugar induces visceral adiposity. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;61(1):3-9. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2017.12.001

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Best Anti-Inflammatory FoodsPlus What To Avoid - Forbes