By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | October 23, 2020 1:20:01 pmInstead of fruits, focus more on vegetables this fasting season. (Source: Pixabay)

While it is important to enjoy the festivities this season, it is also important to not take health for granted. Many people fast during the Navratri time, and if you are one of them and are also on a diet, here are some ways you can safely combine the two, and have fun celebrating the festival.

Online fitness trainer and sports nutritionist Diksha Chhabra shares valuable inputs on how you can lose weight in a healthy manner this year. Read on.

* Make paneer a part of your daily diet. It is a rich source of protein and is completely acceptable when you are fasting, too.

ALSO READ |Navratri 2020 puja recipe: Would you like to try chana sundal today?

* Using kuttu flour (buckwheat) while fasting can help. Use it to make rotis, dosas, or even pancakes, instead of consuming it in the form of puris, pakodas or paranthas.

* If you use sabudana as a replacement for rice, you can continue doing so, but instead of frying it, saut it with very less ghee or oil if you are making a khichdi. You can also quinoa, which is a good source of complex carbs and is very much acceptable when you are fasting. Make a pulao of quinoa and enjoy it with your vegetable curries.

* For breakfast, you can prepare a sabudana or a makhana kheer with no or low sugar. Best would be to make it with stevia it is sweet and completely harmless when it comes to dieting.

ALSO READ |Navratri vrat recipe: Make malai pedas with homemade chhena

* Ensure that curd and/or buttermilk is a part of your daily diet. The weather is still warm and fluid intake is important. You can also have coconut water and lemonade so as to keep yourself hydrated. They act as fillers when you are fasting and dieting at the same time.

* While many of us believe having a bowl of fruits is the best way to lose weight while fasting, it is not so. Instead of having all the fruits, stick with one or two a day especially low-sugar fruits like orange, sweet lime, apple, kiwi, as well as watermelon, to name a few.

* Additionally, instead of fruits, focus more on vegetables. Have them as curries or even as snacks. Eat nuts almonds, walnuts, makhanas, etc.

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Fasting for Navratri? Here are some healthy and safe ways in which you can lose weight - The Indian Express

Pets have a tendency to eat all sorts of strange things. And vet charity PDSA has seen it all from dogs that have eaten socks and slippers, toys and even dentures to cats whove swallowed a needle and thread or eaten a metal clasp and plastic packaging. Pets get themselves into all sorts of trouble eating things they shouldnt. But why do they do this?

PDSA Vet Lynne James said: Its very common for pets to eat things they shouldnt. Chewing is a natural behaviour for dogs, while cats can get carried away when playing. As owners we need to make sure the toys and chews they have access to are undamaged, cant be swallowed and dont pose a danger if eaten.

Lynne continues: Our pets are intelligent and they like to fill their quiet time by playing with toys. If theyre not given pet-safe toys, theyll find something else in the home to play with instead, but this can cause problems as it leaves them vulnerable to swallowing something accidentally, potentially causing a blockage or even choking.

Another way that our pets, especially dogs, may eat things they shouldnt is down to their tendency to explore with their mouths; they may accidentally swallow the things they pick up due to curiosity.

The persistent eating of items which arent food is called pica; it is thought that stress, anxiety or changes to the pets environment can set it off, as well as being a habit that develops from boredom or lack of appropriate toys to chew.

However, in some cases it can be linked to an underlying medical condition or some important nutrient lacking from their diet.

Pet owners can help reduce the chances of their pet eating something they shouldnt by:

Training. Train your dog to understand simple commands like leave and drop. That way you can stop them from eating something that might be dangerous, even if you are some distance away.

Keep items out of reach. Risky items should be kept safely out of reach you might even need to keep them in a locked cupboard.

Stimulation. Keep your pets entertained with healthy treats, toys, entertaining games and, for cats, activity centres such as scratching posts. These all help to keep their minds focused on positive things.

A muzzle. If your dog is picking up lots of things while out on walks and hasnt learnt the drop or leave command yet, you can use a basket muzzle. This should stop them from wolfing down anything hazardous and theyll still be able to enjoy their walk.

Diet. Make sure theyre fed a high quality, complete life stage appropriate pet food.

Lynne concluded: If youre worried your pet has eaten something they shouldnt, or seems unwell in general, you should always contact your vet for advice. The quicker they can investigate, the better the outcome is likely to be.

PDSA is the UKs leading vet charity. Were on a mission to improve pet wellbeing through prevention, education and treatment. Funding from players of Peoples Postcode Lottery helps us reach even more pet owners with vital advice and information: http://www.pdsa.org.uk/appeal.

Excerpt from:
Pet Column: Our pets are eating the wrong things - NW Evening Mail

Thanks to spending much more time hunkered down at home and cutting down on shopping excursions, this has been the year of stocking up and that means using every square inch of fridge space. Thats especially true in the age of COVID-19 when youre trying to support your immune system by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. But what about your freezer capacity?

Making the most of that Deepfreeze can be a great way to keep your shopping trips limited, help with saving money, and give you nutritious, versatile options. As long as youre freezing the right way, that is.

RELATED: Fresh vs. Frozen Food: Which Is Better for You?

Here's a quick cheat sheet on what to keep in mind.

After freezing and thawing, some foods are exactly the same as theyd been fresh. For example, meats and fish return to their fresh state, as well as hard cheeses and sliced bread, according to East Lansingbased Felicia Wu, PhD, a professor in food safety, toxicology, and risk assessment at Michigan State University.

But softer cheeses often change texture, she says, such as goat cheese, Brie, or Camembert. Many fruits and vegetables also tend to undergo a texture transformation that makes them great for smoothies, soups, and casseroles but not as ideal for eating fresh.

A common misconception is that any bacteria in leftovers will be killed by freezing. Unfortunately, thats not the case, Wu says.

"Many foodborne microbes can withstand freezing and pose a problem later when the food is thawed, especially if its not subsequently cooked sufficiently," says Wu. "This is why, for example, not every fish can become sushi fish."

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration also points out that its unsafe to let food thaw at room temperature because bacteria can multiply rapidly and create toxins that will survive the cooking process even if the food is cooked to temperatures that kill the bacteria themselves.

RELATED: From Ground Meat to Sprouts, the Foods Most Likely to Be Contaminated

This isnt a food-safety tip, but your electricity bill will look better, says Wu. Using as much freezer space as possible increases your efficiency, she says it takes more energy to keep the space at below-freezing temperatures with just a few items in there.

Usually, plastic zip-top bags designed for freezing may cost more than regular plastic bags, but its worth the investment because "freezer bags" are not a gimmick, explains Pendleton, South Carolinabased Kimberly Baker, PhD, RD, food systems and safety program director at Clemson University.

"When packaging thats not designed for the freezer is used, the food will lose quality more quickly," she says. Thats because more air can get into the package, which can lead to freezer burn.

Previous research notes that freezer burn is a condition where exposure to air within the freezer causes moisture loss, and that subsequent dehydration can lead to food thats dry; has ice crystals on it; and shows changes in flavor, color, and texture after thawing. This doesnt affect safety, Baker says, but it may make the food unappealing in terms of flavor and texture.

RELATED: 20 Popular Food and Nutrition Myths You Shouldnt Believe

Once you put items in the freezer, their "sell by" date can act as a helpful guide for when you bought it, but its also a good idea to get into the habit of using a label system freezer tape is very handy and rotating older items to the front to be used sooner.

That way, you can freeze up to the appropriate time frame for each food type, says Janilyn Hutchings, certified food safety professional and food scientist at StateFoodSafety, an Orem, Utahbased food safety certification and training program for the hospitality industry. Here are some general guidelines:

The reason ground meats have a shorter time frame than the other types of foods listed above is they stand a relatively higher chance of bacteria exposure due to the way theyre processed and handled, says Cambridge, Massachusettsbased William Li, MD, cancer expert and author of Eat to Beat Disease. Also, even if youre thawing within the recommended time frame, he suggests smelling any meat once its thawed, because if the aroma is off, thats a sign its no longer safe to eat. Usually the scent is pungent and unpleasant, and may smell like ammonia due to the breakdown in proteins and fats, adds Wu.

RELATED: Do You Really Need to Eat Less Meat?

Seafood is highly perishable, which is why its great to have some in the freezer rather than hanging around for too long in the fridge, but how its handled and packaged can make a big difference, says Dr. Li.

"Commercially caught fish and shellfish, flash frozen on the boat at sea, are usually vacuum-sealed and safe to keep for six months, although the flavor may go stale if you keep it that long," he says.

Even mild thawing can shorten a fishs freshness, he adds, so its important to keep frozen seafood completely frozen. That means if youre running other errands after going to the grocery store, it may be worth bringing a cooler with ice packs to ensure your frozen fish stays at the right temperature.

If youre buying fresh fish, use freezer-designed packaging like freezer bags or freezer paper. You may also want to consider investing in a vacuum sealer for fish and other foods.

Thawing food properly is critical to preventing foodborne bacteria from multiplying to dangerous levels, says Hutchings. Dont plan on thawing any kind of food at room temperature, she advises, even seemingly "safer" options like leftovers or cooked meats. Instead, she offers these four methods:

When it comes to refreezing foods that have previously been frozen and then thawed, a good rule of thumb is to avoid it when you can, because the moisture thats lost through the initial thawing process will affect food quality, says Hutchings. That said, the USDA recommends these steps:

With safety procedures and good habits in place, you can make the most of your freezer as a go-to place for healthy foods. With a well-stocked space, you may even be able to stretch out the time between shopping rounds.

RELATED: 10 Things You Wanted to Know About Salmonella (but Were Too Afraid to Ask)

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Freezing and Thawing Fresh Food: 8 Dos and Don'ts - Everyday Health

How will digital technologies shape the future of advanced food manufacturing and production in this emerging market?

Theres been a global rise in the number of people switching to a plant-based diet. Roy Morgan research has recognised continued growth in Australians choosing more sustainable meals (eating all or almost all vegetarian) to the tune of 12.1% of the population in 2019 (up from 11.2% the year prior).

The global plant-based/meat substitutes market is already valued at AU$28.8 billion and is expected to climb to AU$52.2 billion by 2025. European and American governments have already invested several hundred millions of dollars towards this industry.

When it comes to the race for market adoption of plant-based foods, however, Australia is behind the mark. According to Allen Zelden, founder of Intrinity Global, this is in part due to many plant-based food producers being relatively young brands in a new but fast-growing market, [where] the barriers to entry are considerably high due to either expensive upfront proprietary production costs, or the lack of access to contract manufacturing in order to become a prominent player.

We are rapidly progressing though with Australian companies like Fable Food Co, v2food and Fenn Foods already making their mark.

Queensland plant-based food company Fenn Foods is on the brink of launching three new products which will be distributed across Australia and exported to Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. Part of this line-up includes carbon-neutral minced meat, which is not only produced with less land and water resources, but with less carbon emission overall. How? By taking into consideration the carbon footprint of the entire products lifecycle from manufacturing through to disposal.

Fenn Foods co-founder Alejandro Cancino is an award-winning chef who not only wants to be part of the Australian Governments solution to reach a 2628% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, but also wants to guide people on a healthier, more considerate way to eat. We want to make this world a better place by producing more sustainable food and that core principal is at the heart of our strategy and mission, Cancino said.

Now its Australias turn to show landmark eco-leadership, Zelden said. Fenn Foods will be investing in a variety of renewable energies, locally sourced ingredients and other manufacturing methods to ensure all carbon emissions are offset during the production of their new pea protein-based meat.

Similarly, Fable Food products are already distributed throughout Woolworths and other restaurants and retailers. Its Plant-Based Braised Beef has been praised by Michelin Star celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, and the company now has a partnership with Blumenthals UK restaurants. Its next venture is to expand into the Singapore market in foodservice and retail.

Theres never been a better time for Australian food producers and manufacturers to start thinking about the future of homegrown operations. The recent announcement of the Australian Federal Governments decision to invest $1.5 billion into the manufacturing sector is sure to ignite a welcomed spark into Australian manufacturers looking to start up or scale up. With concerns of food shortages and supply chains being upended because of the current world situation, this will also be the golden opportunity for them to put their stamp on the market and seize consumer mindshare for their brand.

Mike Briggs, Business Line Manager for Motion at ABB Australia, said: All we need to do is look at establishments like the Australian AgriTech Association and the work theyre doing to help emerging food and agtech companies and encourage a world-class ecosystem that supports Australian agrifood innovation on a sustainable level to see the growth potential of technology embracement in the plant-based food industry.

In answering consumer demand and growing regulations to produce more sustainable food products comes the corresponding plight to focus on clean energy solutions in manufacturing equipment. In particular, this has taken on the form of enhancing processing equipment with innovatively new digital technologies.

Consumers are seeking greater transparency into the food value chain of their dietary choices. Manufacturers are acknowledging consumer demands and working to heed the calls of tighter margins, shorter production schedules and ageing equipment. This can be seen through their utilisation of technologies to perform lifecycle assessments on their manufacturing machines.

Digital solutions like smart sensors are a means to not only show where internal costs can be reduced through energy savings and equipment optimisation, but the data the technology generates is also evidentiary support to show consumers that they too are being more conscious about sustainable product development as a company. This is helping to establish a brand association in the mind of consumers that aligns with their own goals of reducing their carbon footprint.

Briggs notes how digital technologies, together with more energy-efficient synchronous reluctance motors, are helping to maintain an eco-friendlier agricultural production system from farm through to table: ABB has designed the ABB Ability Smart Sensor, which is used with our motors and pumps in water facilitation on farms to perform condition monitoring, extend the lifetime of motors and reduce CO2 emissions. They are essentially smart, wirelessly connected devices which show that with the right amount of water, the farmer can achieve an optimum balance between crop growth and water usage, thereby maintaining energy efficiency, he said.

With no hard wiring requirements, these smart sensors enable permanent monitoring at a fraction of the cost of traditional condition monitoring systems.

As many budding plant-based food companies look to overcome barriers to entry into the Australian market, these digital technologies will be vital to reducing operational costs through the discovery of real-time data to assess operating parameters and energy usage in order to optimise the asset management of their entire fleet of equipment to support their long-term growth.

The digital journey of a plant-based food company can start with a search for technology that is labour-saving, cost-saving and production-proof, but with the right supplier partnership they will also find that the data produced from these reports will also enable them to become drivers of food innovation with the added potential to export their quality and technologically backed products.

Michael Fox, Chief Executive at Fable Food Co, said: Meat substitute companies are innovative by their nature, and a core part of ours and our fellow meat alternative companies missions are to produce meat from plants that is better than animal meat on all qualitative and quantitative variables. For Fox, this means better taste and texture, cheaper in price, healthier, lower carbon footprint, more ethical and more safely. Any emerging technologies that help us achieve this are very much of interest.

As the plant-based lifestyle continues its swift ascent, so too will the inevitable transformation of the food industry to cater to this demand and align with consumer driving motives.

Plant-based meat is many orders of magnitude more carbon efficient than meat from animals, Fox said. Many plant-based meat companies are starting to leverage digital technologies to measure this and share it with consumers.

Diversifying ways in which Australia produces and manufactures food to include innovative technologies will not only help companies to manage risk but also promote an environmentally conscious, high-innovation, high-productivity market, to become drivers of positive disruption in the global food supply chain.

Australia may be a small market now, but thats evidently why plant-based manufacturers should be galvanised into taking present action to acquire consumer and market share. Looking at how existing food manufacturers are already using digital technologies to answer to consumer and operational demands will be key to new plant-based manufacturers ability to find their own success in producing sustainably, safely and intelligently.

Image credit: stock.adobe.com/au/kerdkanno

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The Australian pursuit of plant-based - Foodprocessing

Let's be honest, it's probably been a while since you last exercised. We're still in that nice little grace period where we can blame lockdown or Winter (chose your fighter). Before you hit start working out like Summer is right around the corner, it's important to remember that if you push too hard too soon, you might injure yourself.

"Re-entry into exercise is really important not just for our physical health, but our mental health as well," says APA Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist Kate Beerworth. "If you push yourself too quickly then that can lead to injury. There are two key categories of injury; acute injuries, those that have sudden impact such as if you fall over whilst running, and chronic injuries, those that have a gradual onset."

When returning to sport and exercise, there are some common injuries you need to be on the lookout for, explains Kate. However, with some thought and planning, she assures us that these can be minimised.

1. Tendons

"Your tendons are the tissue that connects muscle to bone think your achilles, patella, or hamstring. The thing about tendons is that they don't like change, they don't like going from zero to hero in a very short space of time.

The way to combat any damage to your tendons is to gradually increase your dosage of exercise so that they become familiar with the movements again. The key is to start small and slowly increase what we call loads your duration and intensity. This is a safe strategy as opposed to assuming you'll be able to for instance, run 10kms straight away because that's what you did the last time you exercised two months ago.

With tendons, we talk about a three day sort of turnaround recovery time, so it might be some of those higher intensity bouts of exercise you are doing once a week or once every three days rather than starting back up and going for it and trying to do it every day."

2. Bones

"Your bones are another structure that don't cope well with change. You can develop bone stress type injuries if you ramp up things too quickly. This is particularly common in vulnerable age groups such as adolescents, as well as people that have lower bone density.

For these people, they may need to look at adjusting lifestyle factors such as their diet, specifically their calcium intake and how regularly they are eating, so that they can put themselves in the best possible position for exercise."

3. Muscle injuries

"Muscular injuries most commonly surface when people make swift changes to their exercise routine, for example transitioning from steady running and general fitness to a field or court-based sport which requires more explosive or lateral type movements.

When running or jogging, muscles are conditioned to just do linear movements, but sport isn't played like that. Sport involves quickly changing speed and direction, so you become at risk of contracting a muscle injury because you are engaging your body in more dynamic tasks and demands that your muscles are not used to.

The way to help minimise these is to keep strong but also expose yourself to different movement patterns, so that when the time comes to get back into sport, the increased movements are not a shock to your muscles and you can gradually reintroduce those sport specific type movements at a lower intensity and then build yourself up to meet more matched up demands."

4. Hamstring

"This is the most common injury in a lot of sports. It is a type of muscle injury that occurs purely because of the different ways the hamstring has to work, wherein it's conditioned to adapt from jogging, running to sprinting and movements such as leaning down over a ball.

We've seen hamstring injuries be quite prevalent this year, particularly within the AFL, where despite players being surrounded by excellent medical professionals and Australian Physiotherapist Association accredited sport and exercise physios, the increased intensity and condensed nature of the sporting season has seen increased pressure on athletes' hamstrings."

Here are Kate's extra handy tips to think about for when you are ready to exercise again:

See the article here:
A Physio Reveals the Most Common Injuries When Getting Back Into Exercise & How to Avoid Them - POPSUGAR Health and Fitness Australia

Fitness influencers are often motivational, aspirational, andlets be honestpretty darn attractive. But its not always the best idea to follow their advice without first engaging in some little healthy scrutiny. Theres too much information out there that nobodys fact checking, says Katrina Pilkington, a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). You have to be your own fact checker.

Doing background research to vet the content shared by fitness influencers might suck the fun out of following them, but its important for your health if you plan to follow their advice. After all, people arent qualified trainers just because theyve got your dream body. Looks arent everything, says Pilkington. Someone could have a six-pack and a heart problem. They also might not be 100 percent transparent around what theyve done to get their physique. Think of it this way: Jennifer Aniston has done commercials for Aveeno and Smartwater, but you dont assume that her entire beauty routine consists of drinking water and applying lotion, right? Apply that same critical thinking to fitfluencers, and take a few beats before copycatting their moves.

The easiest thing you can do is check the influencers credentials. Pilkington says to see if someone has a masters degree relevant to the advice theyre sharing. Im not saying it completely validates them, but it can be a little more of a credential because it means theyve had continuing education in their field, she says. NASM-certified trainer Tony Ambler-Wrightwho has a masters degree in exercise sciencerefers to this as foundational knowledge and also advises keeping an eye out for it.

You might also want to take a look at trainers professional certifications. Ambler-Wright says hes biased towards his own (NASM) type of certification, but he also recommends trainers who are certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Council on Exercise, orthe American College for Sports Medicine.

If someone you follow fails to possess any of the above credentials, says Ambler-Wright, that could be a red flag.

Both Pilkington and Ambler-Wright also note that just because someone is credentialed in one area doesnt mean you should follow their advice in other disciplines. The persons training should align with the advice that theyre providing, says Ambler-Wright. One of the things that I think consumers should be wary of is individuals operating outside the scope of their expertise.

For example, dont look to a fitness influencer or certified trainer for credible diet advice unless they have additional credentials as a nutritionist or registered dietician. The nutrition piece is not something that a [non-credentialed] trainer should be touching, says Pilkington. They shouldnt be recommending what you eat or how much you eat, because thats just completely out of their scope and authority. And while she admits she may have been guilty of doling out this sort of advice in the past, now that shes in graduate school for nutrition, she realizes how complicated it is to offer one-size-fits-all advice to a diverse group of people with different medical needs. You have to be extremely careful, she says.

Additionally, if someone is credentialed by a specific studio or discipline, Pilkington and Ambler-Wright say it only makes sense to follow advice related to those specific exercises. Ambler-Wright explains that he wouldnt offer advice on yoga moves, since hes not qualified to teach yoga, but he does think professionals should know where to send their clients looking for additional help. As a professional, I would want to be well-versed in what else is out there, just to be aware and guide individuals who are asking me for advice in the appropriate directions, he says.

Pilkington suggests you should also be wary of personal trainers who claim to be able to diagnose your injuries or give advice on what to do about a certain types of pain if they arent a trained physical therapist or chiropractor.

Another way to vet information shared by influencers is to look for accompanying citations and sources pointing to research or other forms of expertise from which the information was gathered. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can check those sources, too: Is it just another expert without expertise, or is it a scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal? And if its the latter, what was the study size? Digging into the nitty-gritty is time-consuming, but it can be helpful.

Its one thing to offer exercises and another to offer a training program, says Ambler-Wright, who says that its important to differentiate between the two. I dont think its bad to look to social media for exercise ideas because variability, creativityall of thats important in keeping somebody engaged and getting them to adhere to a program, he says. But exercises dont equal training. A training program needs to take the individual into consideration, and a person on social media doesnt necessarily know their followers capabilities or limitations. In other words, just because youre copying a fitfluencers exercise routine doesnt mean youre being trained, and its unlikely youll see the results you would if you were properly training.

On that note, Ambler-Wright advises caution whenever you encounter too-good-to-be-true claims about an exercise or a programs benefits. If somethings being described as a magic bullet or the best of anything, Id be leery of that, he says.

Just as selfies are filtered, so too is fitness content posted on social media. The impressions they want you to have are not necessarily reality, says Ambler-Wright. They might make batch content where they do days of filming exercises and sequence them in a way that gives the impression that theyre doing it all at one time, in a way that is totally unrealistic for the average person.

Someone who is trained and responsible, says Ambler-Wright, should be cognizant of form and technique. If youre following along with a workout and the fitfluencer isnt narrating proper technique for the moves theyre demonstrating, thats concerning. You want to hear the expert explaining what theyre doing and how to do it safely to minimize stress on the body, he says.

To that end, its important to keep your own conditions, injuries, or limitations in mind when trying to emulate your favorite fitness influencers. Youll want to be aware of who the exercises are designed for and whether or not theyre safe for you to attempt. For example, Pilkington notes that it might be unsafe for someone who is pregnant to do exercises that arent specifically designed for pregnancy.

You may also not quite be up to the level of the fitfluencer youre following, and taking on moves or sequences that are too advanced could lead to bodily stress or injury. If something looks unsafe or risky, then you know its probably not a good idea to try it if youve never done anything like that before, says Ambler-Wright.

Last but certainly not least, it might be best to follow the advice of fitness influencers who make it a point to share the setbacks, challenges, and imperfections of their journeysnot just the good news. Look for them to be authentic and share the reality of what it takes to to get in good shape, and to improve your health and fitness, says Ambler-Wright. Anyone that doesnt talk about the effort it takes to improve ones fitness that would be a red flag in my mind.

Read the original post:
How To Tell If Fitness Influencers Actually Know What Theyre Talking About - Well+Good

Tor Andreas Samuelsen and colleagues at Nofima in Norway are assessing whether a variety of the novel ingredients being introduced to fish feed - such as tunicate meal - actually have the correct physical qualities. Some ingredients require too much water, others require too high a temperature, while others disrupt the structural properties of the pellet.

If you cannot produce feed with high physical quality, it will be crushed into pieces before it reaches the fish, and the fish will not be able to eat it, says Samuelsen.

One of the ingredients he is assessing is protein made up of dried and ground tunicates; a kind of sea squirt which feeds on microalgae. As part of the EU projects AQUABIOPRO-FIT and FutureEUAqua, as well as the Swedish VINNOVA-funded project Marine Feed, the researchers have found that tunicate meal meets the nutritional requirements for ingredients that can replace some of the fish and soybean meal commonly used in feed.

Tunicate meal is rich in the essential amino acids that fish need to build protein, but theres still a work to be done to reduce its salt content. Samuelsen has tested the technical quality of tunicate meal and how much can be used in the feed.

Trial feeds were produced at the Aquafeed Technology Centre (ATC) in Bergen. First, feed mixtures with different levels of tunicate meal were fed into an extruder, where the mixtures were cooked, kneaded, expanded and dried into pellets with a porous structure. The pores were then filled with rapeseed oil and then subjected to an oil leakage test.

Samuelsen used a CT scanner to examine the microstructure of the pellet.

By studying the pellets inner structure, we gain a detailed understanding for example of how various ingredients affect the pore structure, he says.

The scan showed that feed pellets with a large percentage of tunicate meal had large pores. The pellet with the largest pores adsorbed the highest amount of oil, but also resulted in highest oil leakage.

By running a mixture design experiment in the statistics programme, he has set some quality requirements for the pellet when he adds tunicate meal to the feed.

I want as much tunicate meal as possible in the feed mixture, but the pellet still needs to be of high physical quality and as porous as possible to make it adsorb the necessary quantities of oil. It also needs to have a high water stability, he explained.

Samuelsen found that 50 percent of the fish meal could be replaced by tunicate meal without compromising the physical quality of the feed.

New ingredients that may be interesting to use in fish feed are constantly emerging. The work on tunicate meal is a nice example of how important it is to have advanced tools for studying ingredients and feed, says Samuelsen.

We need to understand why ingredients differ from each other to be able to model the production process and physical properties of the feed before we start.

ATC provides the industry with access to state-of-the-art laboratories and pilot-scale facilities to be able to meet the future needs of research, process and product development.

ATC gives Nofima a unique opportunity to help the industry develop and characterise new, sustainable ingredients, he adds.

See the original post here:
How easy is it to assimilate novel aquafeed ingredients into existing diets? - The Fish Site

Created for Greatist by the experts at Healthline. Read more

Everybodys got some amount of back fat. But if you have some extra back fat that youd like to shed, weve got your back (and the fat that comes with it).

Heres how to get rid of back fat the healthy way with diet and exercise.

Body fat is actually essential for a bunch of things like regulating your body temp, storing energy, and aiding in digestion. So, having fat doesnt mean youre unhealthy right off the bat. You actually need it to ya know, survive.

Without enough fat, you might have to deal with issues like vitamin deficiencies, hormone probs, or nervous system damage.

Keep in mind that according to the American Council on Exercise, most healthy women should have about 21 to 35 percent body fat. Healthy men should have about 8 to 24 percent.

Excess upper, middle, and lower back fat builds up for the same reason any other fat does: due to genetics, a lack of exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, or certain health conditions.

With age, fat also tends to accumulate more around your belly area, which can also lead to so-called love handles on your lower back.

Losing fat typically requires a combo of eating healthy, working out regularly, and reducing calories. Doing exercises that build muscle in your upper and lower back can also tone up your back muscles.

Psst Heres the deal with spot reduction

Repeat after us: Localized fat loss does NOT work! You cant just lose fat in one area of your bod including your back. Instead, you have to lose weight all over to notice a difference.

Youve prob heard this one before: Cutting calories is key to fat loss. It takes about 3,500 calories to equal 1 pound of fat. So, if you reduce your calories by about 300 to 500 calories per day, you can lose 1 to 2 pounds each week.

The healthy intake for adults ranges from 1,400 to 3,200 calories per day. The number of calories per day youll need depends on numerous factors, including age, sex, height, weight and your level of physical activity.

When youre feeling a little more bloated than usual, fat might not even be to blame it could be water weight. Regularly munching on salty foods can cause you to retain excess water that adds to stomach and back bloat.

You know that feeling you get after eating a cup of noodles? Yeah, thats what sodium does to you. To get back on track, cut down on processed and restaurant foods, which are often super salty.

You dont have to meticulously count calories to eat better. Instead, opt for healthful, fiber-rich and low sodium foods like avocados, eggs, nuts, leafy greens and veggies, fish, and lean chicken breast.

Eating fiber-rich, nutrient dense foods will keep your digestive system regular, lower bad cholesterol levels, and help you maintain a healthy weight.

High carb and starchy foods are delicious. But unfortunately, theyre usually full of sugars and empty calories. Cutting back on foods like white bread, crackers, chips, and cookies can have a major impact on weight loss as well as your overall health.

Remember: Everything in moderation. You dont have to skip out on your fave Sunday morning croissant to be healthy and feel amaze.

Sometimes when you think youre hungry, youre actually just thirsty. Stay hydrated and feel more satiated by sipping on more water throughout the day.

Most adults lose about 2.5 to 3 liters of water per day, which is about how much you need to gulp down to stay healthy.

Can you get rid of back fat fast?

Like with most things, slow and steady wins the race when it comes to weight loss. One research review found that rapid-fire weight loss leads to more muscle loss than slow, long-term weight loss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy weight loss is at a pace of about 1 to 2 pounds a week. Any faster, and you could face adverse effects like nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and headaches.

In case you didnt already know, an exercise ball is the ultimate quarantine accessory.

This classic yoga pose helps improve your posture and build muscle. (When your spines straight and tall, you might not find much of an issue with your back fat, after all.)

Dont forget the cardio!

Moving your body with cardio and strength training gets you closer to not only a healthy lifestyle, but it can help you melt away fat.

One study showed that just 20 to 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio per day can help you burn fat and boost your metabolism.

Not much of a jogger or spinning enthusiast? No prob. Simply walking more can burn enough calories to lead to weight loss. Try trekking more on foot to reap the benefits.

You dont have to be a gym enthusiast or clean-eating fan to cut back on some back fat. Over time, small lifestyle changes can lead to major changes. Here are a few tips to move toward a healthier you:

Sorry, but spot-fat reduction for back fat just isnt a thing. You can only lose back fat by losing fat all-over on your bod. You can also tone the area by targeting back muscles.

Creating a calorie deficit, eating healthy, and exercising regularly are the keys to the weight loss needed to target back fat.

Remember that some degree of back fat is healthy and totally normal! Give yourself a pat (on the back ) for working on your physical fitness, but try not to impose unrealistic standards on yourself. Lets be real: You dont deserve that ish.

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How Can You Get Rid of Back Fat? 11 Tips for the Gym and Your Plate - Greatist

Diets high in fat, including the increasingly popular ketogenic diet, may be able to prevent or reverse heart failure, according to a new study published in Nature Metabolism.

The studys authors explained that issues with the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) complex can stop the heart from getting the nutrients it needs to properly function. When MPC expression decreases, it can cause the heart to failbut working with mice models led to a discovery.

Interestingly, this heart failure can be prevented or even reversed by providing a high-fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diet, lead author Kyle S. McCommis, PhD, an assistant professor at Saint Louis University, said in a prepared statement. A 24-hour fast in mice, which is also ketogenic, also provided significant improvement in heart remodeling.

High-diet, low-carb diets that can limit ketosis were associated with substantial improvements in mice with decreased cardiac MPC expression. Following such a diet for just three weeks, the authors found, was associated with the reverse modeling of failing hearts.

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Keto diet can prevent, and potentially reverse, heart failure - Cardiovascular Business