We have turned the corner! 2021 is (finally!) here!If you havent read last months article regarding several encouragements to make healthy changes going into the new year, then you may find yourself scrambling and stressed as you gear up for making or implementing your health goals for the new year.Here is the problem with much of the New Year resolution-ing that goes on: People view it as though they are picking the diet they are going to date for the next three to six months. What is the right diet for me? How do I get healthy? Vegan, keto, paleo, flexitarian etc. How to choose?! There are too many options! It can create a lot of unnecessary current stress and future guilt.I believe two things contribute to this food stress and overwhelm. Two unnecessary ways of thinking leave us either indecisive, over-dogmatic, or discouraged or all of the above.The first problem is that we fall into the trap of diet identity. This is when we make changes to our eating habits (often ascribing to a certain diet) and then proceed to define ourselves by our food choices. We realize that in order for our changes to work, we must incorporate it into our lifestyle. Lifestyle diets is very in presently.Vegan and keto are probably the top ones currently that purport that they are a way of life and not just a way of eating. On one hand, this makes a lot of sense. This is because the reality is the most significant changes are made when they are adopted completely and with consistency. When something is part of your lifestyle, you do it regularly. It shapes your decisions and the patterns of your choices.There is nothing wrong with making changes that affect your life. The problem is when a diet identity creeps in and you define yourself by it. You begin to say and believe this is what or how I eat and this is who I am. I am a .Vegan, Keto, Paleo, gluten-free person, etc.I think part of the reason we get to this place is because we want (and need) a measure of support and affirmation as we change. Having support and like-minded friends isnt bad but finding your whole-person affiliation with your food choices isnt good.This mindset creates lines of definition between groups of people and gives a false sense of value. It makes room for only one way of ideal eating and puts people in camps of you eat this way and I eat that way. This mindset can make a person overly-sensitive, dis-unifying in their attitudes towards others and inflexible in their mindset.This mindset isnt realistic with how life works which is dynamic and ever-changing. Pigeon-holing yourself (or others ) into a certain type of eater may lead to a dis-service to your health as time goes by.This actually leads us to the second problem that promotes food stress during the new year: having an inflexible view of food. What do I mean by that? It is the view that a strict, particular way of eating is the way for you at all times. It is a little bit of an all-or-nothing approach.The truth is, since when is life stagnant? What other area in your life do you expect to be fixed? Relationships, jobs, skills, dreams, physical health none of those remain the same throughout your life. So why do we think that our diets should look the same forever and that there is a rigid one-size-fits-all-at-all-times approach?What may have served you at one season of life may not in another. Digestion and hormones change, as do physical demands and activity. Conception, birth, lactation and just being a mom also place specific demands on the body. Let your ideas of what will nourish you ( and your family) be flexible. Let it grow and change. Its not about yo-yoing. Its simply making smart, appropriate adjustments.You can see where an inflexible mindset, paired with defining yourself by your food diet, can get complicated. Maybe you discovered keto and you identified yourself that way for a time. You dropped weight, slept better and felt amazing.Then things started to shift. You realized that the lack of fiber and vitamins from slashing the fruits and veggies were taking a toll on your digestion and nutrient status. You start to rethink your food and yet that prospect feels too scary. How can you change when you have developed a community and lifestyle around keto?That might seem like an extreme example but it shows that when we get stuck in the identity trap we are not able to make the necessary changes to our food habits without some difficulty.I suggest that you rethink this. Please give yourself permission to acknowledge that certain foods or eating styles that served you at one time may not at another. Do note that this isnt promoting yo-yo dieting. When you have a solid nutritional foundations, this flexible view of food actually wont lead to yo-yo dieting.But what is a solid nutrition foundation, you ask? The foundation is whole, unprocessed foods. This is always best.Being flexible with good nutrition may mean that you need to include more carbohydrates (from whole foods) into your meals or to taper your carbohydrates during the day because you find yourself more sedentary. You may need to boost your fat intake or drop it a little bit. etc. All of these changes ought to occur around whole, minimally processed foods.Carbohydrates, fats and proteins, fiber and vitamins are all found in whole foods (especially plant foods). That is what our bodies need, yet those specific detailed needs will shift and look different at various times of your life.Going meatless might serve you for a time. Things might change and you decide to include animal products. You may find certain veggies tear up your stomach and must be avoided for a spell or you need to avoid foods with certain fibers. Your life and body, money and energy will shift and change and your diet should too.That is 100% OK (if you havent attached too much to the way you eat).Rather than ascribing to a certain diet lifestyle, try ascribing to real, unprocessed foods. Start there. Whatever you do, avoid the temptation to make your food choices your identity or a fixed state that you can never modify.Step into the New Year with fresh, unfettered resolve to make nourishing changes and/or stick to the ones you have already developed. Do it without defining yourself by your food choices and keeping a flexible view of food.

Cathryn Arndt is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who owns a nutrition counseling business called The Pantry Lab LLC. She lives in Lebanon with her husband and daughters. Find her at thepantrylab.com or visit her Facebook page by searching under Dietitian Cathryn.

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When focusing in on new year, avoid these diet pitfalls - lebanonlocalnews.com

No diet is ultimate and forever. One of the core principles of food, lifestyle, and dietary choices is that nothing is permanent. Your health is a journey.

You might find yourself needing a change based on age, season, symptoms and stressors.

Image source: Shuttertock

You may be well aware of the connection between food and mood when it comes to an instant reaction. For example, you may be aware that excessive ice cream can trigger a headache.

But what about long term signs that the diet you are following overall is not working for you? Ive seen several people who are quite health conscious following a diet that has made them lose a lot of weight.

They think that the diet has worked, and they also start advising others. Is weight loss the only measure of success of dietary choices?

Lets look at those ten signs that your diet actually needs a change.

One of the biggest signs that your diet is not working for you is the quality of your sleep. It is not how much you sleep, but how rested you feel when you awaken that matters. If you find yourself walking up several times during the night quite frequently, something is not right.

A good diet ensures good quality sleep | Image source: Shutterstock

You do not need to wake up even to use the restroom as your body releases an antidiuretic hormone to prevent your need to urinate at night.

A big way that a diet troubles you is if it triggers some form of digestive distress.

Each of these can show different aspects of what is happening within your digestive system, and they can each be triggered by specific diets that do not work for you.

One example of this is a ketogenic diet triggering heartburn when your body does not have the resources to digest that level of fats. It can also show up as perpetual gas and bloating from suddenly increasing lentils on a plant-based diet.

Your skin is truly the indicator of what is happening within your physiology. If the diet that you are following has some food that is inflammatory to you personally, or if it is deficient in certain nutrients that are required for skin health, you will see it show up as frequent acne.

Ive often heard people talking about themselves having acne-prone skin and relying on frequent antibiotics and expensive topical treatments. This is never true. The only reason that you have acne-prone skin is if your diet is not working for you.

This is more common than you might even think. I see several people who have lost a lot of weight with a diet, but they have headaches very frequently.

Headache point towards poor blood sugar balance and nutrient deficiencies | Image source: Shutterstock

Headaches point towards poor blood sugar balance, nutrient deficiencies, and inflammation, all of which are signs that your dietary choices, the timing of your meals, and habits are not working for you.

Bad breath might be the butt of ridicule but if you struggle with it, you know how frustrating it can be. Bad breath is a sign of toxic overload and poor liver health.

Bad breath points to poor detoxification and that is a big sign that you need to change something.

Stress might be different for each person. Resilience to stress can also be different. If you are on a diet and swear by it because you have lost a lot of weight, ask yourself if you are more content, relaxed, and calm, or more angry, jealous, and frustrated.

A diet that might make you lose weight can still be harmful for you, if you are unable to deal with what is going on outside. If you find yourself blaming everyone for every reason why you are angry, your diet needs a change.

Image source: Shutterstock

One of the most common signs that your diet is not working for you is craving salt or sweet. Often, people follow a diet because someone has suggested it or because it looks to be ideally perfect.

If you find yourself craving something beyond your balanced meals, you need a change.

If your diet was truly balanced and stabilised your blood sugar, you would not have cravings.

You might have lost a ton of weight with a diet. But if you find yourself catching a cold, cough or viral as often as every few months, there is something that is not working within your body.

Your diet could be triggering low-level inflammation and stressing your immune system. One of the things that I tell everyone is that falling sick is not normal.

If you get a fever or cold more often than perhaps once a year, something needs careful attention.

If you need to resort to frequent hair treatments for extra conditioning, you are probably low on several nutrients.

Poor hair can be a sign of low level of nutrients | Image source: Shutterstock

Poor hair can be a sign of poor detoxification and a low level of nutrients. Just like your skin, your hair is an indicator of what is happening within your body.

I might have saved the best for the last. I talk about anxiety all the time. Anxiety is not solved by a pill. Anxiety points towards poor gut health, challenges with the liver, poor hormonal balance, adrenal dysfunction and much more.

You might not have all these signs, but I would say that if you have even four or five of them, you might want to consider looking deeper at your diet and wondering about where you might want to change something.

Weight loss is never the single indicator of a diet that is working for you. Sadly though, many people have made weight loss the only thing to consider in the efficacy of a diet.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

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Whats on your plate? 10 signs you need to change your diet - YourStory

"There is a lack of medications to prevent or delay Parkinson disease, yet we are optimistic that this new evidence suggests nutrition could potentially delay onset of the disease, said Silke Appel-Cresswell, MD, study author and an associate professor at the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia (UBC), in a statement.

Mediterranean diets have been linked to reduced rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer disease, and PD. Previous research shows that the MIND diet may reduce Alzheimer disease incidence by 54% and that there is a likely higher cognitive health benefit than the OMeDi. However, this is the first study to examine the effects of the MIND diet in a cohort of patients with PD and compare it with other popular Mediterranean diets.

The researchers gathered self-reported data from 176 participants, 167 of whom had PD and 119 controls. Participants with PD were 68.3% men, with a mean age of 64.9 (8.0) years and a mean disease onset of 6.5 (3.1) years previously. Control participants were 39.3% male, with a mean age of 61.8 (9.9) years. All of the participants were recruited through the Pacific Parkinsons Research Centre at UBC.

In the cross-sectional study, participants, particularly women, with a high adherence to the MIND diet had a later age of disease onset, experiencing a mean delay of up to 17.4 (range, 15.6-17.4; P .003) years, than men, whose high adherence contributed to a delay of up to 7.4 (range, 3.6-7.4; P = .21-.01) years.

Although female participants experienced only slightly larger MeDi effect sizes compared with male participants, the average effect size of the MIND diet in women was more than 3 times that of the men and surpassed all MeDi effect sizes, suggesting that its dietary components may be better suited to delaying PD onset than MeDi in a female-specific manner, wrote the authors.

The MIND diet was the only diet shown to have an interaction between sex and diet score, despite none of the diets used in the analysis differentiating food intake by sex.

"If we understand the sex differences between the MIND diet and Mediterranean diet then we might better understand the sex differences that drive Parkinson's disease in the first place," said Avril Metcalfe-Roach, lead author of the study and a PhD candidate at UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories.

Female participants were often more adherent to the MIND diet compared with their male counterparts, even after taking into account kilocalorie consumption, which the researchers said may indicate that the higher scores for the MIND diet are not due to differences in food volume.

For men, adherence to the GMeDi had the greatest association with disease onset compared with the OMeDi and the MIND diet, leading to delays of 6.2 to 8.4 years (P = .02-.002). In women, the GMeDi contributed at delays of 8.4 to 9.8 years (P = .05-.03).

The MIND diet had a weak correlation with age of onset, having delayed disease by just 3.6 to 7.4 years (P = .21-.01), and it performed similarly to the onset delay associated with the OMeDi, which was 4.6 to 6.4 years (P = .15-.03) in men.

Study limitations include that the authors assumption that dietary habits remained consistent over participants lifetimes. They said that future studies should investigate this effect in a larger cohort and should analyze the effect of diet on other PD symptoms, such as gut microbial dysbiosis, disease progression, constipation, and cognition.

Reference

Metcalfe-Roach A, Yu AC, Golz E, et al. MIND and Mediterranean diets associated with later onset of Parkinsons disease. Mov Disord. Published online January 6, 2021. doi:10.1002/mds.28464

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Gail Ciampa|The Providence Journal

Theres no lack of diet talk at this time of year. Even a pandemic cant stop the flood of cookbooks that promise to help us start the year right to eat better and slim down.

Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. has written "The How Not to Diet Cookbook: 100+ Recipes for Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss. He describes it as an evidence-based weight loss book. It comes with more than 100 recipes, from Robin Robertson,to facilitate more healthful cooking.

A nutrition expert, founder of nutritionfacts.org and author of How Not to Die, Greger'srecommendations and strategies are densely explained. They address dealing with calories, gut health, metabolism, circadian rhythms and more. Then they are summarized at the end of each chapter. You can look up the research that relates to each one.

Greger himself describes some of the strategies as scientific slam dunks and some as less certain. If you wish not to follow some advice, dont, he writes.

His Tweaks suggest what to do at each meal. They include preloading with water and negative calorie foods; incorporating vinegar; having undistracted meals; and following a 20-minute rule that says eat and move on. He details the science relating to each one.

He advocates taking daily doses of things ranging from black cumin and garlic powder to nutritional yeast and green tea. Every night, his recommendations including fasting after 7 p.m. and getting sufficient sleep.

I could go on and on, but you can check out the book published by Flatiron Books last month ($29.99).

You can tune in to The Providence Journals Facebook page for a live interview with Greger by Journal partner Robin Kall Homonoff. Shell always be Reading with Robin to me from her local talk-radio program that launched her career.

She is happy to add reader questions to her interview. You can email her atrobin@robinkall.com.

Robin's chat with Greger is scheduled for Jan. 25 at 5:45 p.m. See you there.

In the meantime, here are some recipes from the book to try.

THREE SISTERS STEW

1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), halved lengthwise

teaspoon onion powder

teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup Light Vegetable Broth (see recipe) or water

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, cut into -inch dice

1 small fresh hot chile, seeded and minced, or 1 (4-ounce) BPA-free can salt-free chopped mild green chiles, drained

1 (14-ounce) BPA-free cansalt-free diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cups cooked* or 2 (15-ounce) BPA free cans salt-free pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Super-Charged Spice Blend (see recipe)

Ground black pepper

cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with a siliconemat or parchment paper.

Scrape out the seeds and fibers from the squash, then cut the squash into 1-inch dice. Evenly spread the diced squash in a single layer on the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the onion powder and paprika; then roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until just tender but not completely soft. (You should be able to pierce through a piece of squash with a knife and get a little resistance.) Set aside.

Heat the Light Vegetable Broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and chile and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid, pinto beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Season withSuper-Charged Spice Blend and ground black pepper to taste. Add the roasted squash and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors have developed, about 20 minutes. The stew should be thick, but if it thickens too much, add a little more broth. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot.

MAKES: 6 servings

SUPER-CHARGED SPICE BLEND

cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons ground thyme

2 teaspoons mustard powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black cumin (nigella seeds)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

teaspoon ground turmeric

teaspoon celery seeds

teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder to mix well and pulverize the dried herbs. Transfer the mixture to a shaker bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place.

MAKES: 2/3 cup

LIGHT VEGETABLE BROTH

1 red onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 Roma tomatoes, cored and halved

2 dried shiitake mushrooms

cup fresh, coarsely chopped parsley

2 bay leaves

teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons white miso paste

Dr. Gregers Special Spice Blend (see recipe)

In a large pot, heat 1 cup of water over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms,parsley, bay leaves, and black pepper. Add 7 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 1 hours.

Remove from the heat, let cool slightly; then remove and discard the kombu if used. Transfer the broth to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Strain the blended broth through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot or a large bowl, pressing the vegetables against the sieve to release their juices. Ladle about cup of the broth into a small bowl or cup. Add the miso paste and Dr. Gregers Special Spice Blend to taste and stir well before incorporating back into the broth.

Let the broth cool to room temperature before dividing into containers with tight-sealing lids and storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Properly stored, the broth will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

MAKES: 6 cups

DR. GREGER'S SPECIAL SPICE BLEND

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons ground thyme

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

Combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder to mix well and pulverize the dried herbs. Transfer the mixture to a shaker bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place.

MAKES: 1/2cup

VEGETABLE PAELLA WITH GOLDEN BARLEY

3 cups Light Vegetable Broth (see recipe)

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow or green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 (28-ounce) BPA-free cansalt-free diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup uncooked hulled barley, soaked overnight in water and then drained

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 (-inch) piece fresh turmeric, grated, or teaspoon ground

teaspoon dried oregano

teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 cups cooked* or 1 (15-ounce) BPA-free can salt-free cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14-ounce) BPA-free can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 cup green peas

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat cup of the Light Vegetable Broth in a large saucepan or paella pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the red and yellow or green bell peppers, tomatoes with their juices, barley, paprika, fennel, turmeric, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook until the barley is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

Once the barley is tender, uncover, stir in the cannellini beans, artichoke hearts, and peas, and then cover and set aside for 10 minutes before serving. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Sprinkle with the parsley, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve hot.

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

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Advice, tips, recipes all meant to help teach 'How Not to Diet' but to stay well - The Providence Journal

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The carnivore diet is often touted as a natural way of eating that aids weight loss, improves your mood, and can solve a plethora of health issues.

It has been propelled into the mainstream by the likes of Joe Rogan who regularly promotes the diet on his podcast.

But is it healthy? And what does the science say?

Firstly, its important to note that definitions of the carnivore diet appear to differ slightly between different sources. Some adherents rely entirely on raw meat, others cook it.

Some followers of the carnivore diet choose to include small amounts of low-lactose dairy products in their meals, as well as eggs. However, many stick to exclusively to chicken, pork, lamb, beef turkey, organ meats.

Tea, coffee, and other drinks made from plants are typically not allowed on the diet. Neither are beans, legumes, starches, fruit, or vegetables.

Leading plant-based health expert Dr. Neal Barnard regularly speaks out about the carnivore diet. In an exclusive interview with Plant Based News, he branded the diet even more stupid than keto.

Dr. Barnard made his comments about the diet with speaking to PBN Klaus Mitchell, in a quickfire-style interview format.

Just when you thought it couldnt get any worse, people came up with something even stupider [than low carb diets including Atkins and Keto], Dr. Barnard said of the carnivore diet.

These things wont last, but they come up. They dont stay popular for very long, and thats because a low carbohydrate diet eliminates more than half of what you normally eat.

Carbohydrates are fruits and starchy vegetables, and starchy grains, and beans all these things your body is designed for. They are all gone. So if you stop eating so many foods, youre going to lose weight. But as time goes on, people cant live with that.

And its lucky they cant live with [the restriction] because the risk of all the animal products over the long run include heart disease, Alzheimers disease, among others.

And theyve been kind of sneaky with it. It used to be when they did studies on low carbohydrate diets they would more honestly describe when people had adverse reactions, like massively high cholesterol levels. Now they just report averages, so the average cholesterol only went up about 10 points.

What actually happened was that some dropped because they were losing weight, for others they went through the roof and theyre hiding that from you.

Most concerns surrounding the carnivore diet are in relation to lack of vitamins it provides, particularly vitamin C.

In an online interview CardiologistDr. Joel Kahncriticised people who cling to the carnivore diet as a panacea.

The big puzzle isone of the things that plant-based eatersget way more than anyone else is Vitamin C, which builds healthy walls, builds healthy immune systemsVitamin C has so many benefits to the body.

Where are these people where every chart says meat has no Vitamin C getting it? Are they eating raw meat that may contain it? Are they eating organ meat?

Last year, celebrity singer James Blunt revealed he once got scurvy after adopting a carnivore diet to annoy vegans.

Scurvy, which is caused by extreme vitamin C deficiency, causes symptoms including bleeding gums, rotting teeth, and fatigue among others.

Most health organizations advocate for low consumption of meat, particularly red meat which The World Health Organization classifies as aGroup 2A carcinogen.

This means products such as pork, beef, and lamb probably cause cancer.

Moreover, the WHO says the strongest evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer. However, there is also evidence of links with pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Diets consisting solely of animal products will most likely be high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Dr. Joel Kahn says excessive amounts of saturated fat conclusively cause heart disease.

The cardiologist spoke toPlant Based News Klaus Mitchell about how a new publication sheds light on the debate about dietary saturated fat and cardiovascular health.

The paper, titledReduction in Saturated Fat Intake for Cardiovascular Disease, was published by the Cochrane Database, which is considered by many to be the most respected research group in the world.

Discussing the paper, Dr. Kahn told Mitchell: This new super review by the Cochrane Databaselooked at 16 of the best studies, 59,000 people, very detailed information about their diet. Some had high saturated fat diets by design of the study. Some had low saturated fat diets more meat, more butter, more cheese, less meat, less butter, less cheese.

At the end of the day, they found that within two years, we can enjoy a 21 percent reduction in our risk of heart attack, stroke, of congestive heart failure, dying of heart disease. And if we do more than the average, if we change our diet more than just average, so theres essentially no meat, butter, cheese, turkey, and pork, well see even bigger results.

A popular argument for the carnivore diet is that humans are designed to eat meat. However, a slew of medical professionals have debunked this claim.

Dr. Justine Butler, from Viva!, says: Carnivores have sharp teeth and claws that help them to rip their prey apart, tearing off chunks of raw meat and wolfing them down without the aid of a knife and fork.

Their acidic stomachs help to digest flesh quickly and their short intestines allow the rapid expulsion of rotting meat remains.

Herbivores, such as rabbits, horses, and sheep, chew from side-to-side and have longer intestines to absorb nutrients. Their saliva (and ours) contains amylase, an enzyme that helps digest starchy carbohydrates found in bread, rice, and other whole grains.

Carnivores dont spend as much time chewing nor do they consume many carbohydrates, so there is no need for amylase in their saliva.

Their strong jaws can only open and shut and are incapable of moving from side to side as ours do.

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My name is Susana Rodriguez (@myhealth.iswealth), and Im 29 years old. I live in Los Angeles and I'm a full-time mom. After being diagnosed with heart issues, I decided to start eating a flexible low-carb diet, practicing portion control with the Lose It! app, and walking for weight loss to lose 110 pounds.

Before I started my weight-loss journey, I struggled a lot with having the energy to do simple things. Putting on my shoes or playing with my daughters took so much effort. I also struggled with self confidence. Being overweight made me so insecure. Though being overweight didnt stop me from having happy moments in my life, I was unhappy with myself. At my heaviest I weighed 273 pounds.

I started suffering from heart palpitations and an irregular rhythm. I also experienced chest pain and pressure, faintness, and fatigue. I couldnt even walk for seven minutes to pick my daughter up from school without feeling like I was going to black out. I was in and out of the ER all year, and I kept getting misdiagnosed with anxiety. But I knew something was wrong with my heart.

After finally being referred to a cardiologist in December 2019, I had an echocardiogram and other tests done. My cardiologist told me that I had moderate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which basically means I have an enlarged heart and, if left untreated, it could lead to sudden cardiac arrest or heart failure.

I had spent all of 2019 depressed, and imagining dying and leaving my girls. I was desperate to feel well. So in January 2020, I knew the time was now to turn my lifestyle around and take control of my health.

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When I looked at the guidelines for a low-carb diet and what that meant, they said I needed to limit certain healthy things like fruit, oatmeal, and dairy that I didnt want to cut out. So I decided to do a low-carb diet my own way.

For my heart health, I avoid greasy and fried foods, and I pay attention to sodium, sugar, and cholesterol on nutrition labels. I also try to avoid foods high in trans and saturated fats. I track my food in the Lose It! app and practice portion control. If there is anything I want but it isnt heart-healthy, I make my own healthy alternative. I dont feel deprived or restricted, and I feel in control of how I eat.

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I would walk three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes. It was really challenging at first because I wasn't used to getting any movement in, and I would get dizzy and feel faint. But it quickly became my favorite way to de-stress and move my body. Eventually, I was cleared to exercise.

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Now, a typical week of exercise includes walking two miles, five days a week. I also enjoy doing Zumba Toning twice a week and HIIT with dumbbells or bodyweight three times a week. I got into HIIT by playing games on the WayBetter app, and I fell in love with how strong it made me feel.

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These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight-loss results.

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The 110 pounds I have lost doesnt compare to the weight lifted off my shoulders. I am now truly happy. It's not about the weight you lose itself, but the life you gain. I have never felt stronger. I feel unstoppable. Everyday isnt easy, but its worth it. Id rather struggle every day with trying to better my health than struggle with the consequences of neglecting it.

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I Ate A Modified Low-Carb Diet To Lose 110 Pounds After Being Diagnosed With A Heart Condition - Women's Health