Located in the middle of the South Pacific triangle, roughly equidistant from New Zealand, Easter Island and Hawaii, French Polynesia is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation destination. Comprised of 118 islands and atolls, across five distinct archipelagos, the country spans over a thousand square miles of ocean, but is connected by a distinct language and love of the sea.

Known for white-sand beaches with coconuts and mangos, well-preserved coral teaming with tropical fish, and a surging renaissance of traditional culture, the group the islands reopened its borders this fall to visitors from the U.S. and Europe. To do so, the Tahitian government put in place a rigorous testing protocol to enter, requiring specific types of tests within three days of travel and proof of a negative result.

Even with precautions, travel right now might not be for everyone, and thats OK. After thorough research on the number of local cases, testing that we would need to go through, and assessment of the risk, we opted in. Looking back, Id probably do the same. Heres why you should consider a trip to this remote saltwater paradise.

First off, I wouldnt be advocating for travel during a pandemic if it wasnt safe. From my first-hand experience, I believe the country is balancing safety with business in a proactive and progressive way, and Id like to see other places try to replicate this effort. After a recent trip to Tahiti, I walked away impressed with the diligence to testing protocols and adherence by the locals and visitors alike at wearing masks. Despite a heavy dose of skepticism going into the trip, it was safewe tested negative before, during, and after. Still, this calculus is different for everyone and you might decide to wait for the vaccine.

Before departing Friday evening, we got tested with an RT-PCR test Wednesday morning, fitting it within the 72-hour window but giving the lab enough time to get the results back to us. We also decided to do two rapid tests, one on Monday and one on Friday morning, just to be sure. When we landed in Tahiti we were given another test and instructed to take it four days later. We got a fifth and final test when we returned to LAX, to be sure we were still negative. Of course, we were strict with masks in public areas and did our best to social distance from others. With these precautions we felt safe during our entire trip.

With considerably fewer visitors than normal, we had many beaches nearly to ourselves, private scuba sessions and snorkeling tours, no lines at restaurants, and ample of empty trails to run and hike. Many hotels are at quarter-capacity, leaving everyone a lot of room to spread out and enjoy yourself. Even in peak season sans COVID, Tahiti sees the same number of tourists in a year that Hawaii sees in a week.

Some of our favorite places to stay included the Le Tahaa Resort in Raiatea, Sofitel Kia Ora Resort in Moorea, and the InterContinental in Bora Bora. All three provide high-end service, offer delicious food, include amenities like take-and-go kayak and paddleboards, snorkeling, scuba lessons, and stunning overwater bungalows with private swimming spots. Further, they all are taking COVID seriously, requiring all staff to wear masks, offering hand sanitation in every building entrance, and disinfecting rooms. Although the local atmosphere isnt as gloomy as the States, we were fully aware of the global pandemic.

With direct eight-hour flights on Air Tahiti from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, the trip is quick and relatively painless. We left our home in Wyoming at 5 p.m. local time and were in Tahiti by 7 a.m. the next morning, sleeping on the flight and arriving without a ton of jetlag. Air Tahiti provides a pair of meals, making the flight a bit more comfortable. Getting around the islands does require puddle-jump flights and/or short ferry rides, which we found fun and enjoyable, despite adding a little transit time.

Many of the resorts are located on the atolls, separate from the main islands, and are accessed by a short boat ride. This isnt terribly cumbersome, but do take extra planning when youre heading out for the day to hike, explore nearby towns, or grab a bit away from the resort. If I ever return to Tahiti, Id love to bring both a mountain bike and a surfboard with me, to tap into the local network of trails on Raiatea, and catch the break on a few islands.

In the last 40 years, French Polynesia has made a dramatic return to their traditional heritage, pushing against two centuries of Christian missionaries and western philosophies. Local Tahitians are once again practicing traditional rituals like tattoos, dances, Tahitian language (previously banned in schools), farming and agriculture, canoe building and navigation. And unlike other indigenous groups across the Pacific and beyond, the reborn Tahitian culture is starting to thrive.

Best exemplified through local guides, Tahitian culture is most effectively learned through locals who graciously share their traditions, history and knowledge with guests. We spent a full day exploring Raiatea with Tahiarii, an expert ocean navigator and cultural historian, learning about the food and Tahitis deep connection to outrigger canoes. Years ago he sailed over 1,000 miles from New Zealand to Raiatea without computers or GPS, just using the sun and stars as navigation.

A few days later we spent a day with Teuai Lenior on the main island of Tahiti, hopping in the back of his 44 to explore the heart of the island. There we hiked to waterfalls, learning about the flora and fauna and their traditional uses, ate a traditional meal, tattoos and Tahitian dance, and talked extensively about the history and impact of white settlers and the Tahitian religion and way of life. On our last day, we circumnavigated Bora Bora by boat, joining Narii on this cultural and snorkeling tour. There we swam with rays and sharks, exploring the coral reefs, ate another traditional meal and learned about his familys story and the local fishing and boat traditions.

The warm, clear water provides ample opportunities for snorkeling and swimming, and scuba outfits like Top Dive Moorea provide fun lessons and unique experiences for all skill levels. Resorts offered us kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling gear and an overwater balcony to relax on, if we were feeling like a low-key afternoon of napping was best. Add in world-class hiking, cultural experiences, and the best mangos youll ever eat (I promise), and the experience is truly unlike any other.

See more recentdispatches from Cochrane, including an electric mountain bike expedition across Death Valley, a look at life on an Alaskan crab boat, coverage ofthe Baja 1000, and the tale ofan emergency canyon evacuationdeep in the Mexican jungle.

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Dispatches: Now Is the Perfect Time To Visit Tahiti - Men's Journal

Wild boars are becoming increasingly common in urban areas of France, prompting local authorities and residents to take action to reduce their presence in town centres and near peoples homes.

There are currently an estimated three million wild boar in France, figures from la Fdration nationale des chasseurs (FNC) show, and they are becoming more and more likely to venture into urban areas on the hunt for food and safe spaces.

Police on patrol in Nmes, in Gard - one of the departments that has seen a marked rise in boar numbers - reported last Sunday that they had come across two boar in the town centre at 3:00 last Sunday, in a far-from isolated case.

Thierry Coste, spokesperson at the FNC, told newspaper Le Figaro: Boars are very opportunistic and they can travel for kilometres to find food. They adapt very quickly to densely-populated areas, where they find shelter without being bothered, as you cannot hunt within 150 metres of housing.

At night, they eat out of bins. During the day, they hide on the edge of housing estates or commercial areas, where there are wastelands in which they can take cover.

Yet, boar in urban places can cause damage to land and property - and they are also linked to 25,000 road accidents per year, some of which have been fatal.

As a result, local authorities in many places are taking action.

Jean Dionis du Sjour, mayor of Agen in the Lot-et-Garonne, said: The boar population has multiplied by four in 10 years in our department. It is not uncommon to see them in town.

Administrative hunts, which are objectively dangerous, are less and less accepted by the population. Using a bow and arrow is anecdotal.

We have therefore decided, in conjunction with the communes of the town, to reduce public and private areas of land, because they are places where [the boars] feel protected and reproduce easily.

In the Dordogne, Yannick Bidaud, mayor of the commune Marsac-sur-lIsle, authorised an official hunt from 19:00 to help tackle the issue.

Wolf and wild animal specialist Loc Bourgeix, who took part in the operation, said: [An official hunt] is more efficient. We killed a wild boar that was close to a [childs] swing, in the garden of a private house to the north of the town.

Another option is to capture the animals.

In the Loire-Atlantique, cities and towns such as Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, and others,are also starting to see a rise in boar numbers.

Dany Rose, president of the departments hunting federation, la Fdration dpartementale de la chasse, said: We have just put a toolbox in place for mayors of these communes.

Right now we are advising traps, using a cage to capture the boar with food, such as wheat. We then check daily, before sunrise, in case a domestic animal or pet has got caught. We are also advising authorities to shoot with a [particular rifle], which is less noisy and less dangerous to use near houses.

It comes as two hunters from Vallespir in the Pyrnes-Orientales were confirmed to have been infected with the trichinellose parasite after eating undercooked boar meat.

The department hunting federation told local newspaper La Dpche: Even though these cases are rare, the growth in boar populations and the change in our cooking habits can lead to a rise in infections.

Trichinellosis, sometimes also called trichinosis, is contracted by eating raw or undercooked meat, from animals infected with the microscopic parasite trichinella.

Symptoms are flu-like but also include digestive problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrheoa - and may not appear until one to three weeks after the affected meat has been eaten.

If wrongly or belatedly diagnosed, it can cause severe issues such as meningitis and heart problems, and can be fatal if left untreated.

Daniel Cunat, head of the department protection service, told news source France Bleu: Thankfully, the two hunters from our department were treated in time, even though one of them is still suffering from muscle pain.

The condition is rare, and has only been reported in around 30 people in France over the past decade.

Yet, health and safety agency Agence nationale de scurit sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (Anses) still warns that it poses a considerable risk, especially for hunters who may hunt and cook meat without necessarily knowing its source.

It advised: Boar [and similar meat] must be eaten completely cooked all the way through, at 71C. Freezing is not considered to be a way of making the meat safe.

Wild boar numbers spike in France due to confinement

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Hunters kill 700,000 boar as numbers soar

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French towns take action as urban wild boar sightings soar - The Connexion

Although the CDC notes that there is no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 through food, that doesn't mean you're safe from being infected with the novel coronavirus when eating.

Whether dining out, ordering takeout or delivery, or handling food after grocery shopping, there are multiple eating habits that can put you at risk of COVID-19, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Here are the seven most common eating risks you should avoid during the COVID-19 pandemic due to their links to contracting the virus, as explained by the Mayo Clinic. Read on, and for more on healthy eating, don't miss11 Best Tips for Safe Grocery Shopping Amid Coronavirus Concerns.

The Mayo Clinic urges that if you go to a restaurant, you shouldn't stay long. The longer you are around people without masks, the longer your exposure time, the more of the virus you breathe in, and the more it can build up and infect you. The Mayo Clinic reports that being exposed to an infected person who is within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes over a 24-hour period can put you at increased risk of COVID-19.

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Going to a restaurant when it's busiest will increase the probability that you may come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19. The Mayo Clinic recommends that you avoid eating out at busy times of day or night.

While you're not eating in a restaurant where you could be exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 over long periods of time, there are still some risks associated with coming into contact with someone with COVID-19 when ordering takeout or delivery; however, following the proper precautions will significantly lower this risk. The Mayo Clinic suggests that you "try to pay online or over the phone to limit contact with others" when ordering takeout.

For delivery, "ask for it to be left outside your home in a safe spot, such as the porch or your building's lobby." Whether it's takeout or delivery, stay at least 6 feet away from the person handling your food. Lastly, "after bringing home your food, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer."

Of course, you need to remove your face mask in order to eat food, but the Mayo Clinic urges that you still "wear a face covering as much as possible when you are not actively eating or drinking."

There are some ugly side effects of drinking too much alcoholwhich include liver problems and weight gainbut there's one additional side effect of drinking too much alcohol to be hyperaware of during COVID: that it can make you less likely to follow safety measures, according to the Mayo Clinic.

While Mayo Clinic doctor William F. Marshall, III M.D. notes that there is no evidence of anyone contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 after touching food containers and food packaging, it does have some best practices to follow when ordering food to go. These include transferring food to a clean dish using clean utensils, washing your hands again before eating, and cleaning and disinfecting any surfaces that had takeout containers on them.

Currently, there is no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with food, according to the CDC. However, there is some evidence to support that it is possible to contract COVID-19 by touching a surface or object (like food) that has the virus on it and then touching your face; however, this is not the main way the virus spreads.

"The biggest risk of contracting the virus from food would be if you touch food that's been exposed and then touch your face," says Dr. Abinash Virk, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist. "In that sense, it is best to wash your hands before and after handling food and washing unpeeled fruits and vegetables before you eat them."

To be as safe as possible, the Mayo Clinic suggests following best practice food safety guidelines: wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, by running them under water, scrubbing produce that has a rind or thick skin with a clean produce brush, and washing your hands well with soap and water as soon as you get home from the grocery store. It is possible to harness the power of food to protect you from the coronavirus. See these 11 Best Immune-Boosting Foods to Fight COVID-19, Say Doctors.

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Mayo Clinic Warns of These Diet Risks During COVID | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Its no secret that intermittent fasting is the weight-loss method du jour. Instagram is packed with people who swear intermittent fasting (IF) helped them lose weight, feel more energized, and have better overall health.

But with all of the info out there about intermittent fasting, its easy to gloss over the fact that IF has actually been a used as a medical intervention for years. Its helped people with a range of health conditions, including diabetes.

In fact, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which is considered the leading educational organization for diabetes in the country, published this in its journal Diabetes in 2018: In both experimental and clinical studies, intermittent fasting has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose control along with modest decreases in body weight.

And last year, the ADA released a nutrition consensus report that also addressed intermittent fasting. In it, the ADA wrote that somebut not allsmall studies have shown that intermittent fasting reduced A1C in people with diabetes. (A1C is a measure of your average blood sugar over time.) Still, there isnt a mainstream, blanket recommendation for diabetes patients when it comes to intermittent fasting for better health, but there does seem to be some link here.

So whats the deal with intermittent fasting and diabetes, and should you try the eating pattern if you have the condition? Doctors weigh in.

Again, this isnt an eating plan thats widely recommended by diabetes specialists, but there is some data to suggest IF could help with diabetes management.

A case report published in BMJ found that intermittent fasting helped treat the insulin resistance in three patients with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes. It also lowered their A1C levels. And, this is definitely worth paying attention to: After using intermittent fasting for several months, the patients were able to stop using their insulin medication.

Intermittent fasting may even help with prediabetes. A clinical trial published in the journal Cell Metabolism that had men with prediabetes try intermittent fasting. Some were asked to follow a plan for five weeks where they could eat for six hours a day; the others were asked to eat for 12 hours a day. Those who followed the six-hour eating plan ended up having less insulin resistance at the end vs. those who followed the more regular 12-hour eating pattern.

But all of that said, a meta-analysis of research on intermittent fasting published in the journal Cell Metabolism found that intermittent fasting had the same results on a persons insulin resistance and A1C as eating a diet with limited calories.

Basically, there is no evidence that intermittent or any other type of fasting is better than caloric restriction in losing weight, says Mark H. Schutta, MD, medical director of the Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center. And, he points out, weight loss can help reduce a patients insulin resistant and A1C levels, regardless of how it was achieved.

The research on the impact of intermittent fasting and diabetes isnt perfect, says Lissette Cspedes, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In clinical studies, the study sizes have generally been small and the follow up period is short, she says. Studies also vary by which method of fasting is employed. As such, long-term benefit and generalizability cannot be determined.

All in all, it's unclear if intermittent fasting is helpful for any other reason than the fact that it may help you cut calories, since you're eating in a shorter window of time.

While some people swear that intermittent fasting will completely change your life, those claims are a little overblown. Still, theres some research to suggest that IF has perks. Those include:

A lot if it comes down to personal preference. Patients need to work with their physician to find a plan that works best for them [that] poses the fewest risks, and that they can sustain over a long period of time, Dr. Cspedes says.

That said, a 16:8 schedule may be easiest to follow and the most beneficial for maintaining good blood glucose controland several studies have found this eating pattern to be beneficial. I often tell my patients that the most impactful change they can make is to eat less at dinner, go to bed with a normal or close to normal glucose, and then wake up with the same, Dr. Schutta says.

But, again, There truly is no one-size fits all approach to selecting a regimen for patients with diabetes who want to improve their insulin resistance and glucose metabolism, Dr. Cspedes says.

Intermittent fasting isnt perfect, and there are some side effects to consider.

If youre interested in trying intermittent fasting to better manage your diabetes, its important to talk to your doctor first, Dr. Cspedes says. They may have some concerns you havent thought of, and may even need to adjust your medication.

Its also important to think about what youre eating during a feeding window. In general, we recommend that patients eat a healthy diet, which will improve their cardiometabolic risks, Dr. Cspedes says. This includes increasing intake of fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates and minimizing highly processed foods or simple carbohydrates.

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The quality of your calories matters too, Dr. Cspedes says. A person with diabetes should also take into consideration the amount of carbohydrates being consumed in the diet, she says. Generally, eating fewer than about 150 grams of carbohydrates in a day will improve blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, and help with weight loss.

Complex carbohydrates with a higher fiber content, like using cauliflower instead of white rice, are better options since these are absorbed more slowly and lead to less glucose excursions, Dr. Cspedes says. Given that youll probably be ready to eat as soon as your feeding window starts, its important to plan ahead to make sure you have quality food ready to go once your fasting period is over.

Finally, youll want to create eating and fasting windows that work best for your diabetes management. Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day for people with diabetes, Dr. Schutta says (your body is better able to process glucose when youre up and moving). But youll want to make sure youre actually hungry in the morning and not still full from a huge dinner you ate. "Patients have to figure out a way to restrict food after dinner and make sure that they eat breakfast every day, Dr. Schutta says.

The bottom line: If youre interested in trying out intermittent fasting to help manage your diabetes, talk to your doctor first. They should be able to offer up personalized advice to help steer you in the right direction.

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Intermittent Fasting And Diabetes - Is It Safe, How Do You Do It? - Women's Health

NEW YORK/ROME, 28 January 2021 More than 39 billion in-school meals have been missed globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to school closures, according to a new report released today by the UNICEF Office of Research Innocenti and the World Food Programme (WFP).

COVID-19: Missing More Than a Classroom notes that 370 million children worldwide many of whom are reliant on school meals as a key source of their daily nutrition have missed 40 per cent of in-school meals, on average, since COVID-19 restrictions shuttered classrooms.

Despite clear evidence that schools are not primary drivers of COVID-19 infections, millions of children are facing school closures around the world, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. Children who depend on schools for their daily meals are not only losing out on an education but also on a reliable source of nutrition. As we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and await vaccine distribution, we must prioritize the reopening of schools and take action to make them as safe as possible, including through renewed investments in proven infection prevention measures like clean water and soap in every school around the world.

Latest estimates show that 24 million schoolchildren are at risk of dropping out of school due to the pandemic reversing progress made in school enrolment in recent decades. School feeding programmes can provide incentives for the most vulnerable children to return to school.

Missing out on nutritious school meals is jeopardizing the futures of millions of the worlds poorest children. We risk losing a whole generation, said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. We must support governments to safely reopen schools and start feeding these children again. For many, the nutritious meal they get in school is the only food they will receive all day.

During the pandemic, there has been a 30 per cent overall reduction in the coverage of essential nutrition services including school feeding, micronutrient supplementation, and nutrition promotion programmes in low- and middle-income countries, as well as programmes for the treatment of severe malnutrition in children. During nationwide lockdowns in some countries, all school feeding programmes were cancelled.

Global data on the overall impact of school closures on childrens nutrition is limited. However, country-level studies, previous knowledge of the impact of crises on food security and nutrition, and existing nutrition deficits among school-age children and adolescents are cause for significant concern, the report says.

Pre-pandemic survey data from 68 countries show that, before COVID-19 hit, around 50 per cent of children aged 13 to 17 years-old reported feelings of hunger. Further data from 17 countries showed that, in some countries, up to two thirds of adolescents aged 1519 were underweight. And more than half of adolescent girls in South Asia were anaemic.

The worst-hit areas during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa saw rising food insecurity in countries already facing high levels of malnutrition. This same trend has already been seen in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic including in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Schools meals are not only vital in ensuring childrens nutrition, growth and development, they also provide a strong incentive for children especially girls and those from the poorest and most marginalized communities to return to school once restrictions are lifted. The longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that they will drop out of education altogether. Girls face the added risk of forced transactional sex or early marriage.

WFP has been supporting governments to adapt their school meals programmes during school closures. The report notes that more than 70 countries have delivered take-home rations, cash transfers or food vouchers, providing a valuable, interim solution for millions of children. In the first 9 months of 2020, more than 13 million schoolchildren received WFP school-based support as compared to 17.3 million the previous year.

Since the start of the pandemic, UNICEF has supported national governments to maintain the continuity of nutrition services for school-age children and adolescents. In 2020, nearly 25 million school-age children and adolescents benefitted from programmes for the prevention of anaemia. Tailored to context, most of these programmes combined nutrition education and counselling, supplementation with iron and other essential micronutrients and deworming prophylaxis.

UNICEF and WFP are urging governments to prioritise schools for reopening while making sure that the health, food and nutritional needs of children are met through comprehensive, high-quality school feeding programmes.

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Nutrition crisis looms as more than 39 billion in-school meals missed since start of pandemic UNICEF and WFP - UNICEF

After weeks of advisories issued by several state governments to warn about the Bird Flu scare, FSSAI has come up with a quick 10-point guideline to ensure safe and hygienic consumption of chicken and eggs. The sudden cullings of thousands of birds in various parts of the country, turned out to be yet another threat amidst the ongoing pandemic. The threat around bird flu led to several myths and this guideline by FSSAI aims to dissolve the emerging dilemma around eating eggs or chicken amidst the scare. According to a guideline issued by WHO, consumption of properly cleaned and cooked chicken and eggs at a minimum temperature 70 degrees Celsius was deemed safe for consumption. However, there were several other things that often confuse you about the consumption of poultry. Here are the 10 safety measures released by FSSAI on their official website:1. Do not eat half-boiled eggs

2. Do not eat undercooked chicken

3. Avoid direct contact with birds in the infected areas

4. Avoid touching dead birds with bare hands

5. Do not keep raw meat in open

6. No direct contact with raw meat

7. Use a mask and gloves at the time of handling raw chicken

8. Wash hands frequently

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FSSAI suggests 10 ways to safely eat eggs and chicken during bird flu - Times of India