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A bowl of sweet potato black bean chili, a heart healthy recipe prepared by Anna Jones, a local dietician and nutritionist, Friday Feb. 15, 2019. (Photo: Alicia Devine/Democrat)

If you are like so many clients and friends Ive talked with lately, and myself included, your pants may be fitting a little tighter than they were pre-quarantine.

You probably have seen the memes and heard jokes and talk of the quarantine 15. Although the jokes may seem harmless, many people are really stressing about their weight and feeling a lot of shame and guilt around the changes they are noticing in their bodies.

We live in a fatphobic, weight stigmatizing culture that paints weight gain as the worst possible scenario.

I dont know a single individual who has not been impacted by this pandemic, in a mix of both positive and negative ways. Many of us are working from home, learning new technology, and many are trying to parent and manage our kids stress and anxiety at the same time.

For some of us food was comfort and helped us cope over these months of being more isolated and our schedules and routines changing.

While all of this is true it wont change what many people will decide to do next go on a diet.

It probably doesnt come as a shock that these diets and quick fixes dont work for the majority of people in the long run. But did you know that not only do restrictive diets and plans not work to keep the weight off, but that going on a diet is an excellent predictor of weight gain. Here are a just two of the research studies that support this paradoxical result of weight gain from dieting.

The reasons for this weight regain are biological, not based on willpower or perceived human failure as many of us might believe. Our bodies respond with a myriad of biological responses including hormonal adaptations that drive hunger, decreased metabolism, and a stimulation of the brain to increase cravings to eat more.

I can almost hear the thoughts in your head, OK, great, I get it, diets dont work, but Ive got to do something!

If youwant to make strides to incorporate healthier habits and self-care back into your life to feel better and healthier, and realize dieting is not the answer, here are three suggestions for you to consider.

Instead of beating yourself up, take a few deep breaths and give yourself some grace and compassion for everything you and your body have been through over the past several months. Appreciate your amazing body and the fact that you have survived this pandemic and are still thriving, with yes a few more pounds on you and possibly a diminished selection of well fitting clothes to wear.

Self-criticism and being hard on ourselves actually hinders our progress instead of helping us. A significant amount of research supports the concept of self-compassion, that being kinder to ourselves when faced with adversity is the key to resilience and the ability to bounce back leading to a greater feeling of empowerment and inner strength.

One practice for noticing self-critical thoughts is to begin to write them down. Ask if you would say the same words to a friend or someone you loved. If not, how could you change those self-critical thoughts to more compassionate ones?

Two women stretch before a class at Momentum Fitness. Rectangles created with tape designate a space for individuals to workout in while practicing social distancing. (Photo: Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat)

Maybe you were someone who exercised pretty regularly before all this blew up and due to the virus and all its disruptions youhavent been able to get it in. Maybe you, like me, havent yet felt quite safe going to your gym or studio.

When we get in diet mode and reach a point where we feel like we have to do something, we typically approach movement and exercise with an all-or-nothing way of thinking that ultimately keeps us from moving our bodies in consistently joyful ways.

Every bit of movement is beneficial, and finding ways to do that regularly and consistently and finding enjoyment and pleasure in the way you move is the key.

Walking, doing yard work or other outdoor activities, yoga or dance sessions on YouTube, all are great ways to just move your body, which we know to be an important part of physical and mental health.

Although coping with emotions with food can be comforting and even helpful in the moment, becoming aware of how you respond to emotions and boredom and finding other ways to cope is important too.Emotional eating can become an automatic response and a cycle that can be challenging to break.

If you notice that you have been turning to food for comfort or just simply for something to dolately try to acknowledge that without judgment. Three questions to ask yourself when you get in auto-pilot mode and want to reach for food for comfort are:

1. Am I biologically hungry? If so, then you need food. Ignoring your hunger will ultimately only lead to stronger cravings. If no, move on to question #2.

2. What am I feeling sad, lonely, stressed, bored, afraid anxious, frustrated, exhausted? Recognizing what you are actually feeling can be tough, but well worth it.

3. What do I need? Once you acknowledge and recognize how you feel, the next step is to find other ways to cope that will truly fulfill what you need in that moment.

More than likely food has become an easy go-to, but there are many, many ways to cope that dont involve food.

Making sure your basic needs are being met is a great place to start, focusing on things like getting enough sleep, being heard and understood and expressing your feelings, being intellectually and creatively stimulated, moving regularly, eating in a balanced way most of the time, and being socially connected (even if it is virtually) are all things that are really helpful and can bring a sense of comfort and normality in our stressful world.

It is not necessary to go on a diet to feel better and be healthier, or whatever your goal might be. A different approach to consider is Intuitive Eating or the Non-Diet approach. This approach is one based in self-care, instead of an obsessive focus on changing the number on the scale or shrinking our bodies to fit a culturally acceptable ideal.

It is about re-learning to eat outside of the diet mentality, trusting your body and its internal cues like hunger, fullness and satisfaction, and moving away from external cues like food rules and restrictions. It is about coming from a place of abundance, instead of restriction and being flexible in our food choices. Ultimately it is about finding sustainable ways to care for yourself that create mindset shifts that last.

So next time someone mentions the quarantine 15, ignore it and move on.

Anna Jones(Photo: Anna Jones)

Anna Jones is a registered dietitian. Visit her website at annajonesrd.com.

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Rethink dieting and stop stressing over the 'quarantine 15' | Anna Jones - Tallahassee Democrat

Environment September 20, 2020 Johnny Wood Senior Writer at Formative Content

A migrant farm worker from Mexico harvests organic zucchini. While the benefits of going plant-based may be clear, changing the diet of an entire region is not without its challenges.

Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

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A recent study suggests moving to a plant-based diet is key to help decarbonize Latin America and the Caribbean.

Improved health, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and countless new jobs these are some of the potential benefits of switching to a plant-based diet, highlighted by a new report on the impact of Latin America and the Caribbean transitioning to a net-zero economy.

The joint study by the International Labour Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank sees moving to a plant-based diet as a central pillar of regional efforts to cut CO2 emissions.

While abandoning established diets that include meat, poultry, fish and dairy could lead to an estimated 4.3 million job losses in the region by 2030, adopting plant-based foods grown using sustainable farming methods could generate 19 million new employment opportunities, the report predicts.

While the benefits of going plant-based may be clear, changing the diet of an entire region is not without its challenges particularly when the region in question relies heavily on animal rearing for its livelihood and is one of the worlds biggest exporters of both beef and poultry, with demand for the regions meat growing.

That said, the climate crisis may prevent beef and poultry farmers pursuing a business-as-usual approach in the coming years. Farmed livestock generates 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions related to human activity, with cows responsible for the largest share.

As global air temperatures warm, farmers in Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere will face increasing pressure to switch to more sustainable practices to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Rearing plants in place of animals offers a way to reduce the regions dependence on livestock, while creating new opportunities to replace livelihoods dependent on farming.

Jobs Created and Destroyed by Decarbonization in 2030 by Gender

Source: ILO

Decarbonizing farming would potentially create more jobs for males than females, which reflects the current gender bias in the labor market, but both sexes would see an increase in new work opportunities.

Male-dominated occupations look set to gain 18.5 million jobs and lose 6 million by 2030, whereas occupations employing women could gain 4 million and lose 1.5 million, the report finds.

Jobs Created and Destroyed by Decarbonization as of 2030, by Skills Level

Source: ILO

Decarbonizing the regions farming would likely create predominantly medium- and low-skilled jobs, suitable for burgeoning plant-based agriculture and food manufacturing sectors. However, medium- and low-skilled workers would also face the most job losses.

While overall job numbers look positive, the reports authors express doubt whether workers currently involved in animal rearing could transfer easily to plant-based employment. There is also skepticism about the reality of a mass switch to a plant-based diet happening throughout the region.

Its true that in many parts of the world, plant-based foods are more prevalent on grocery store shelves in recent years, which could be the result of health or environmental considerations. In the United States, the plant-based food industry was worth more than $5 billion in 2019, up 11% from around $4.5 billion the previous year. This rapid market expansion compared to just 2% growth in overall retail food sales.

It remains to be seen how quickly, if at all, the world is prepared to break with its meat consumption habits and move to more sustainable options.

A version of this article first appeared on the World Economic Forums Agenda blog.

URL: https://www.brinknews.com/millions-of-jobs-could-be-created-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-if-the-region-switches-to-a-plant-based-diet/

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Millions of Jobs Could Be Created in Latin America and the Caribbean If the Region Switches to a Plant-Based Diet - BRINK

A celebrity chef, known around the world for her promotion of a nutrient-rich diet, is launching her newest venture nutrient-dense cuisine from her home in Southwest Missouri.

Robin Jeep, who once worked as a private chef for Paul McCartney, Peter Max, Mikhail Baryshnikov and more, is working with Mark Adams to develop The Farmer and The Chef, and The Kitchen Nutrition Education, both as ways to promote eating choices that are both fast and easy, as well as healthy.

The pair met when Jeep was working for a medical firm in Northwest Arkansas, creating healthy meal plans for patients fixing three meals a day for patients on a three-, six- or nine-month schedule.

At the time, Adams wife, May Belle, sought out nutritional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. While Adams knew the diet of freshly grown vegetables helped sustain his wifes life, he became sold on the lifestyle after meeting Jeep. Using her plan, Adams dropped 50 pounds and reversed his high blood pressure.

Moving to southwest Missouri in 2016, Jeep and Adams initially worked together to create Vibrant Cuisine LLC, a food formation company, which developed a line of whole-food, plant-based smoothies for Walmart.

Now under their newest venture, Enliven Foods LLC, with former Walmart buyer Chase Worthen, the pair are less than two months away from launching a line of whole food, plant-based, grain-free muffin mixes. The mixes, which Jeep describes as high-end offerings, are slated to hit shelves and to be available online in November.

Behind the muffins

The muffins are just the newest way Jeep is promoting a healthy, whole-food, plant-based food diet.

As a chef, she learned to use powdered or pured dates in her desserts, because dates provide a fiber-rich way to sweeten the treats. Shes followed this lifestyle since the 1970s, saying then it was the hippy thing to do.

As a model and racehorse jockey, Jeep used plant-based eating to help maintain her weight and strength. After a serious horseback riding accident, the nutrient-dense diet helped her as she regained her strength.

It was then she met Dr. Joel Fuhrman, eventually becoming his dietary assistant, recipe developer and patient health coach. Jeep said her work with Fuhrman helped her learn how to reverse multiple health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, migraines and more, using a nutrient rich diet.

Eventually, Jeep ended up first in Northwest Arkansas and now Southwest Missouri because of her love of the area. She grew up traveling to the Ozarks with her family.

Working with Adams, the pair began launching The Farmer and The Chef team, only to be sidelined temporarily by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Together the pair would do demonstrations at George Washington Carver National Monument, Suzannes Natural Foods and other health food locations in the region.

Eating healthy

Adams and Jeeps website, EnlivenFoods.com, is designed to serve as an online education portal for those seeking information about a nutrient-rich diet using foods that allow people to get the most nutrients per calorie.

Most people dont have enough micronutrients in their diets, Jeep said. To do that it takes eating a lot of plant foods, which is hard for people to do when they are not used to that.

Jeep said she focuses on teaching people how to transition to nutrient-rich eating and find food that tastes good along the way.

She said it often takes time for a person to transition to this lifestyle because of past eating habits. For those not wanting to make the complete leap to a whole-food, plant-based diet, she helps them learn to eat a diet with 75% raw vegetables and 25% veggies and meat.

If we eat the way we are designed to eat, we will have a strong immune system, Jeep said. It means we will be unlikely to get COVID, the flu, colds. We just dont get sick.

Jeep is a vegan. But she knows some people arent ready to give up meat or animal products. She teaches people how to eat animal products without increasing their risk for illnesses.

Plant-based, whole-food diet

Jeep said whole foods, many in the raw form, are good because they are rich in fiber, carbs and fat all without processing.

For the muffin mix she and Adams developed, called Manna Muffins, Jeep focused on grain-free products, including coconut flour and almond flour, whole nuts, seeds and more. Every ingredient is minimally processed, which often helps with how it is digested within the human body.

When making desserts, Jeep often uses dates as the sweetener because, as a whole food, dates are rich in micronutrients, including potassium and minerals.

The muffin mixes are complete. Users only need to add water to the mix before baking. There are three flavors to date: cacao cherry, golden chai and sweet potato sunrise.

Its not only healthy, but its also good for you, Jeep said. The cacao cherry tastes like a high-end dessert you would find in a restaurant. We use high quality ingredients, high in protein and fiber.

The mixes, which will be available locally at Suzannes Natural Foods and Natural Grocers, will run at least $14.99, making 12 muffins.

Its a little more expensive, but its because of the ingredients we used, Jeep said. Were starting with this and seeing where it goes from there.

Jeep believes her work is a God-ordained mission with a purpose to help teach people in a healthy way using rock-solid science.

Learning how to prepare food is vital for success, Jeep said. Our culture encourages destructive eating habits. An alcoholic can get away from alcohol, but eating bad food is socially acceptable and socially encouraged.

Continued here:
Not bluffin' with her muffins: Plant-based treats offer nutrition option - Joplin Globe

Researchers from South Korea and Canada reported that paraprobiotic heat-killed lactic acid bacteria (HLAB) combined with grape seed flour (GSF) prebiotic could reduce weight gain and adipose tissue weight in obese mice.

Published in the Nutrients journal, this is the first study assessing the synergistic anti-obesity effect of paraprobiotic and prebiotic. Most studies on anti-obesity have focused on probiotics with live bacteria rather than paraprobiotics.

Paraprobiotics are non-viable microbial cells (intact or broken) or crude cell extracts, which when administered in adequate amounts can confer a benefit on the human or animal consumer. It has advantages over the use of live probiotics, especially in terms of safety for immunocompromised subjects and the ease of preparation.

In this study, the HLAB wasobtained from kefir, a fermented dairy beverage which typically contains natural probiotics (lactic acid bacteria).

Kefirs health benefits have been studied, some of which include cholesterol-lowering, antimicrobial, immuno-modulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity effects and even inhibiting non-alcoholic liver disease.

The GSF is a by-product of winemaking made from the seeds and skin of grapes and processed into a dry powder. Other studies have shown supplementing the diet with GSF could suppress body weight gain and high cholesterol, attributed to its high flavonoid levels.

For this study, HLAB and GSF were assessed individually and together in a high-fat and high-fructose diet-fed obese mice model.

The mice (n=10 per group) were split by treatment as follows: control diet (high fat high fructose), 2.5% GSF, 2.5% GSF+HLAB and HLAB. The study duration was eight weeks.

Blood samples were collected and measured for cholesterol, glucose, and adipose tissue.

The findings revealed that supplementing the diet with GSF, HLAB, and GSF+HLAB for eight weeks significantly (p<0.05) lowered body weight gain by 29%, 21%, and 52% respectively, compared to the control group.

Compared to the control group, adipose tissue weight of GSF, HLAB and GSF+HLAB groups were also significantly (p<0.05) lowered by 37%, 36% and 61% respectively.

The GSF+HLAB supplementation also significantly reduced plasma triglyceride concentration by 27% compared to the control group (p<0.05).

The combination of wine GSF and paraprobiotic kefir HLAB seemed to work synergistically to prevent the increase of body weight, adipose tissue weight, and plasma triglyceride concentrations in obese mice consuming a high fat high fructose diet.

Researchers wrote: The synergistic effect of GSF and HLAB in the current study could be due to the activation of multifunctional pathways by a combination of bioactive components (cellular components in HLAB and polyphenols in GSF), as well as the alteration of intestinal microbiota.

Further study is required to determine the role of intestinal microbiota in the synergistic anti-obesity action of HLAB and GSF. These studies suggest that kefir HLAB are functional ingredients that can be used to alleviate obesity, especially in combination with GSF.

This study suggest that a combination of prebiotic Chardonnay GSF and paraprobiotic kefir HLAB are potential functional food ingredients that synergistically alleviate obesity, especially for immunocompromised individuals.

Source: Nutrients

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082465

Synergistic Effects of Heat-Killed Kefir Paraprobiotics and Flavonoid-Rich Prebiotics on Western Diet-Induced Obesity

Authors: Kun-Ho Seo, et al.

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Kefir and wine by-product: Combination of paraprobiotic and prebiotic may work as potential anti-obesity functional ingredient - BeverageDaily.com

Study Outlines Increase in Unsafe Working Conditions for Agricultural Workers

High heat indexes prove to be increasingly dangerous for farmers while working outside.

The University of Washington and Stanford University released a study that analyzes significant temperature increases in the United States in concentrated areas where crops are grown, according to Science News.

The study details strategies that the over 2 million agricultural workers in America can use to protect their health while working outside in heat. The proposed practices include working less vigorously, taking longer breaks, wearing clothing that is thinner and more breathable and taking breaks in a cool environment. The study determines that the most effective way to lessen heat stress for farmers and agricultural workers would be development of light clothing that is still protective.

The people who are the most vulnerable are asked to take the highest risk so that we, as consumers, can eat a healthy, nutritious diet, said Michell Tigchelaar, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford.

Those that work in agriculture are vulnerable to conditions that are related to heat stress. There are an estimated 21 days each year that agricultural employees experience in which the heat index exceeds worker safety standards. According to the study, these extreme heat conditions will increase to 39 unsafe days by 2050.

Information on agricultural safety can be found at nifa.usda.gov.

About the Author

Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.

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Study Outlines Increase in Unsafe Working Conditions for Agricultural Workers - Occupational Health and Safety

The cannabidiol or shortly being called the CBD is a newly found and compound extracted from the naturally occurring cannabis plant also called the cannabis Sativa. The cannabis plant has been around in nature for thousands of years and has been providing natural medicinal products for a long time. The previously popular and commonly known product that this plant gave us wash the THC, which is extracted from the marijuana species of cannabis Sativa. It contained THC which caused a euphoric effect upon its usage.

After the discovery of CBD and finding out that it has no side effects and posses a non-psychoactive nature, various products have started swamping the market which is based on CBD. Many studies have already proven the numerous medical benefits that it was presumed to offer to mankind. Even athletes are using CBD products to treat themselves better and maintain their bodies after their hectic sessions or games.

With the increasing demand and popularity surrounding these CBD based products, it was only obvious that CBDs actions in the area of work-related stress and enhancing work efficiency and productivity were in talks. Many of us have to work continuously for hours without many considerable breaks and this causes severe fatigue and slows down our thinking process. It can lead up to serious depression and stress and can interfere with your work if not dealt with properly. Through CBD, you can counter all this, and here is how.

The most common workplace problem is that of confidence and culture shock. Meeting new colleagues and giving presentations to them and corporate with them to work in groups can be difficult when you have low confidence and suffer from anxiety. It can ruin your important presentations which ultimately results in low productivity and work problems. CBD can be an important decision in this regard as it is known to decrease and prevent anxiety which will not only make you more confident and strong but also boost up your work efficiency. You can get the most suitable cbd gummies for anxiety to counter your fear issues and thrive in your work culture.

According to recent research, CBD oil can help you in keeping your focus straight and help you mitigate the effects of motivational dysfunction. Staying focused and motivated is extremely important in this modern working culture. You can stay behind your colleagues f you lose your focus for one second and this can cost you very much in terms of work productivity. Therefore, if you feel that you are sliding down into the abyss of demotivation and spending your days in utter solitude and leisure, try using CBD drops to boost up your motivations and productivity.

When working in a strict environment that fellows its time regulations and work ethics very seriously, having a poor sleep cycle can harm your work ethics and productivity. You wont be able to adjust to your daily routine and will slowly dive into depression. Having improper sleep also messes with your mood and it affects your work. CBD can help with that. Studies have shown that using CBD daily in specific amounts will help regulate your sleep cycles and improve the quality of your sleep. So you get the refreshment you need and recharge completely for another work day tomorrow.

There are times in your workday where your mind just completely shuts off and nothing comes of considerable weightage in it. You just feel like sleeping or sitting idle because you can not think of anything to do or gather the energy to do something also. CBD can help in increasing thought navigation. It can also aid in brain function. CBD can also boost up your energy level which will keep you motivated and energized for the day.

Being an anti-inflammatory compound, it can deal with chronic pain and inflammation. You can combat your pain issues, skin conditions, or even stress damage to your body by integrating CBD into your daily diet. Stress damage can not only affect your brain but also manages to weaken your body as well. CBD can help with that so you never feel down and always be ready for new assignments. It can also improve your addiction problems as CBD is non-addictive. CBD is known to reduce nicotine cravings as well.

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How Can CBD Help With Work Stress and Efficiency? - North Forty News

Hyderabad, Sep 21 (IANS): Eating healthy, low calorie food could help fight the fungi in the gut and thus reduce the risk of dementia among senior citizens, doctors said, citing a new study done in the US that revealed that the diet has a direct connection with Alzheimer's disease.

The findings of the recent study by scientists at the Wake Forest School of Medicine are significant as health experts are looking at possible therapies to address the grave problem.

The Alzheimer's Association, a global body for dementia, reported that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is witnessed among at least 15-20 per cent people aged over 65 years, which impacts the ability to think and can lead to Alzheimer's disease.

The new research suggests that ketogenic diet alters the bacterial communities in the human gut and helps reduce biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease among those suffering from MCI.

"In our conservative society, dementia often impacts social and family relations, including reduction in work hours, loss of employment, relationships ending, and even the need to relocate or change living arrangements arises. It is often noticed that such problems lead victims to becoming unwanted in the family and social setting. Possible solutions to prevent this problem are being researched for decades, and this new study provides a glimpse of hope," said Dr Simanchal Mishra, Senior Consultant Neuro Physician, Medicover Hospitals.

There is now a possible preventive mechanism through which the risk of Alzheimer's can be reduced to a great extent, and the suggested solution appears to be an easily manageable one, he added.

"Alzheimer's is an irreversible dementia. There are many other causes of dementia which are preventable or reversible. Early diagnosis and treatment of dementia can help make the disease reversible. Literacy/ knowledge of the ailment is one of the most important factors in preventing Alzheimer's disease," said Dr M.K. Singh, Senior Consultant Neurologist, Continental Hospitals.

"While quitting smoking and alcohol, eating healthy diet, exercising for at least 150 minutes a week are suggested as steps to prevent Alzheimer's disease, the new research reveals that lower calories food forces a human body to conserve energy, and this leads to drop in body temperature, and this too helps in preventing dementia. Additionally, reading, writing, learning new languages and/or musical instruments, maintaining an active social life are highly recommended to ensure Alzheimer's is kept at bay," he said.

Conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's among ageing population. Hence, in addition to leading an active life, cutting down on calories in food is surely a great way to stay happy and remember everything till the end of life.

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Keto diet could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease - Daijiworld.com

Princetons vital research across the spectrum of environmental issues is today and will continue to be pivotal to solving some of humanitys toughest problems. Our impact is built on a long, deep, broad legacy of personal commitment, intellectual leadership, perseverance and innovation. This article is part of a series to present the sweep of Princetons environmental excellence over the past half-century.

Photo courtesy of Timothy Searchinger

In 1995, Timothy Searchinger found himself in Washington, D.C., poring over the United States Farm Bill. An environmental lawyer and policy expert on wetlands restoration at the time, Searchinger discovered an obscure provision in the Farm Bill that would allow states to direct funding toward conservation efforts. While his efforts led to the restoration of approximately 2 million acres of land back into environmentally valuable riparian buffers and wetlands, his work on the Farm Bill led to another equally important personal discovery.

Here was this huge swath of the middle of the country thats practically all agricultural land, but hardly anyone from the national environmental community was studying the broader impact of agriculture at the time, recalled Searchinger. This realization drove him to become one of just a handful of experts focusing on agriculture in relation to other pressing global environmental and socioeconomic issues. Food is a critical and overlooked environmental issue that has a massive impact on planetary health, said Searchinger. Its related to everything from climate change to biodiversity loss to questions of poverty and migration.

Two decades later, now a research scholar at Princetons Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment, Searchingers work today combines ecology and economics to analyze the challenge of how to feed a world population thats expected to grow by 2 billion people over the next 30 years, while reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Searchinger was lead author of a series of five papers in the journals Science and Nature from 2008 to 2018 that recalculated the greenhouse gas emissions of biofuel and food production to include the cost of using land that could otherwise be storing more carbon in natural habitats.

Photo by

Nick Donnoli, Office of Communications

In 2019, he was lead author of a monumental report for the World Bank, United Nations and World Resources Institute that firmly establishes food and agriculture as a lynchpin global environment issue. The report provides a comprehensive, detailed menu of 22 specific solutions that should be deployed to meet rising food needs in socially equitable ways while avoiding further agricultural land conversion and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of Searchingers work in this field, said Denise Mauzerall, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public and international affairs.

The report also captures the distinctive strength of Princetons growing group of researchers who focus on the topic. We view food and agriculture as part of a larger environmental system where every part of the system affects all the others, said Daniel Rubenstein, the Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. How we use land for food production also affects greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, urban sustainability, human migration, and so many other areas. Food touches every part of human existence, providing a way of making people aware that how they eat can do much environmental good. In addition to teaching the course Agriculture, Human Diets and the Environment at the Princeton Environmental Institute, Rubensteins own research on food has explored how humans and animals share landscapes and manage access to food.

Princeton is unusual in focusing on food primarily from this broad, environmental perspective, said Searchinger.

Few other universities are able to embed their food research in such a deep and interdisciplinary culture of excellence in the environmental field as Princeton has developed over the last half-century. Food studies may be the newest part of this long-standing environmental focus, but its part of a legacy that stretches back more than 50 years.

One of Princetons environmental luminaries who attracted Searchinger to the University is David Wilcove, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

Photo by

Brian Wilson, Office of Communications

In the mid-2000s, Wilcove viewed the explosive growth of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia with alarm. Developers were clear-cutting tropical forests to grow palms that produced an oil commonly used as a cooking oil andin processed foods and beauty products and, increasingly, as a biofuel. The worlds insatiable appetite for this cheap oil eventually led to millions of acres of deforestation releasing CO2 from forests while devastating regional biodiversity.

Wilcove and graduate student Lian Pin Koh were among the first to quantify the extent to which forests were being destroyed for oil palm production and the biodiversity costs associated with converting forests for agricultural purposes. Their research helped prioritize palm oil agriculture as one of the most pressing issues for tropical conservation efforts. Wilcoves research group continues to study opportunities to work with farmers to support biodiversity across the globe, including some of his most recent work in the Western Amazonia of Peru.

Land is a finite resource, said Searchinger. It needs to serve many growing purposes, including producing far more food for an increasing population, storing more carbon to address climate change and conserving the worlds diverse species. The only way we can do all three is more efficient use of land, meaning more food, more carbon and more biodiversity per acre.

Other major groups on campus have taken different approaches to studying food. As Searchinger points out, agricultural activities account for about one-quarter of current global greenhouse gas emissions, creating cause for concern in light of growing populations.

We must find ways to produce more food without expanding agricultural land or using significantly more nitrogen fertilizer in order to both protect biodiversity and reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, said Denise Mauzerall, whose work as an atmospheric scientist and policy expert spans energy, agriculture, air pollution and human health. Mauzeralls group has studied the air quality and climate benefits of increasing the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer use so that yields are maintained while emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases are reduced. Her group is also studying the potential benefits of shifting diets to include less beef and dairy products, the production of which lead to substantial emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Meanwhile, through the Carbon Mitigation Initiative, interdisciplinary teams of Princeton faculty and researchers are working to develop more nuanced understandings of the mechanics of how plants, water and soils interact across a variety of landscapes. Their emerging research explores how agricultural practices and land management can be harnessed to optimize natural carbon storage in plants and soils, explained Jonathan Levine, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Amilcare Porporato, the Thomas J. Wu '94 Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Theres a lot of attention on cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, but way less attention to agricultural emissions, said Searchinger. If we dont aggressively push innovations and link increased crop yields with forest protection, well blow past our overall 2050 emissions targets.

Photo by

Egan Jimenez, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

But what happens when the rains slacken and food yields decline where they used to flourish? Increased migration from areas suffering climate impacts, according to Michael Oppenheimer, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

Falling crop yields in certain places will have a big impact on where people live in the future, so its critical that governments start to plan for these shifts now, Oppenheimer said. At the same time some of the most vulnerable people may lack necessary financial resources and are compelled to remain in increasingly perilous circumstances.

Oppenheimers group has studied the potential effects of climate variability on migration within countries and across international borders, including Mexico-US migration and internal migration within South Africa.

In the coming decades, many more people will be migrating to and living in cities. So what might these shifts portend for urban food systems and their environmental footprint?

With more than two-thirds of the worlds population expected to live in cities by 2050, urban sustainability will have an enormous impact on the global environment, especially food systems and land use.

Food and infrastructure are so important theyre the anchor sectors. Without them, we just cant live in cities, said Anu Ramaswami, the Sanjay Swami 87 Professor of India Studies and professor of civil and environmental engineering, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, and the Princeton Environmental Institute.

For more than 20 years, Ramaswami has been helping cities map their environmental footprint and develop strategies for climate action. Strategic interventions in urban food systems are critical to achieve environmentally sustainable, healthy, and more equitable cities, says Ramaswami. Her groups recent research finds that dietary changes and improved food waste management would have the greatest benefits in shrinking cities food footprints.

The way that cities access and consume food is a massive lever for global changes to food systems and their environmental impact, said Dana Boyer, lead scientist of Urban Food Systems in the Princeton Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Systems Lab.

Cities are interested in improving the sustainability of their food systems, but they dont always know what changes to make or where to start, says Boyer. Working with cities to gather information and understand their priorities, she and Ramaswami can then help develop concrete recommendations using the latest science and modeling. This approach harnesses both community participation and data-driven research to yield more sustainable outcomes.

Food systems are connected to so many other issues: human health, equity, culture, justice, the economy, and overall resilience, said Boyer. Our work ties all of these factors together into a food action plan, with the goal of building more sustainable, healthier cities.

There might have been very few people studying food from a global environmental perspective back when Searchinger began his research in this area, but in the last few years at Princeton, momentum has been building around the study of the food-energy-water nexus.

Recently the Princeton Environmental Institute established a multi-year Food and the Environment Initiative in collaboration with the Stockholm Resilience Center and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. This new initiative focuses on the resilience of food systems, including ecological, policy and human dimensions.

The study of food shows us just how interconnected biological systems and human societies are, said Simon Levin, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Understanding what makes food and agricultural systems resilient will be critical for adapting to growing demand and increased environmental pressures, he said.

With postdoctoral fellow Andrew Carlson, Levin and Rubenstein have recently studied the resilience of New Jersey dairy farms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across all of these areas, Princetons research on food continues to be defined by the central question: How do you feed the world without increasing emissions, fueling biodiversity loss and deforestation, or deepening inequality and poverty?

Pursuing any one of these goals to the exclusion of the others will likely result in failure to achieve any of them, said Searchinger.

Princetons cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approach to studying food will be key to finding the right solutions in the coming decades.

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The future of food in a changing climate - Princeton University

Home / Fitness / Nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal shares recipe of sweet potato tikkis which are in Taapsee Pannus diet plan for Rashmi RocketfitnessUpdated: Sep 21, 2020 13:53 ISTRecipe of sweet potato tikkis which Taapsee Pannu eats while prepping for Rashmi Rocket(Instagram/munmun.ganeriwal/taapsee)

Who would have thought that an actor can begin her day with a carb-rich breakfast but Bollywood diva Taapsee Pannu made jaws drop as she shared a picture last month which features her gorging on a plate of mouthwatering sweet potato tikkis. While we wondered how she was going to get an athletic bod with all that greasy binge eating while preparing for her character in Rashmi Rocket, Taapsees nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal shared the recipe of the high fibre content dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup of boiled, peeled and mashed sweet potato

2 tbsp gram flour (besan)

2 tbsp rice flour

1 tsp green chilli and garlic paste

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/2 cup chopped spinach

Desi ghee (clarified butter) for greasing

Method:

Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Take the mixture and divide it into 10 equal portions. Roll each portion individually into 2 diameter tikki and flatten it. Heat a pan and grease it with oil. Place the tikkis on it and cook using desi ghee till they turn golden brown in colour. Turn them upside down on the pan until both the sides of the tikkis turn golden brown. The whole procedure will bare take 25 minutes and will be ready to serve as an appetizer.

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Nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal shares recipe of sweet potato tikkis which are in Taapsee Pannus diet... - Hindustan Times

To keep our immune systems healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, proper nutrition is an absolute must. Many Americans arent getting the essential nutrients their bodies need. [4 min read]

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables boosts the immune system, protecting against COVID-19, but many Americans get less than a single serving a day. (Photo courtesy: Shelley Pauls/Unsplash)

The connection between the pandemic and our dietary habits is undeniable. The stress of isolation coupled with a struggling economy has caused many of us to seek comfort with our old friends: Big Mac, Tom Collins, Ben and Jerry. But overindulging in this kind of food and drink might not just be affecting your waistline, but could potentially put you at greater risk of illness by hindering your immune system

Hear the word nutrition, and often what comes to mind are fad diets, juice cleanses and supplements. Americans certainly seem concerned with their weight; 45 million of us spend US$33 billion annually on weight loss products. But one in five Americans consumes nearly no vegetables less than one serving per day.

When the emphasis is on weight loss products, and not healthy day-to-day eating, the essential role that nutrition plays in keeping us well never gets communicated. Among the many things I teach students in my nutritional biochemistry course is the clear relationship between a balanced diet and a strong, well-regulated immune system.

Along with social distancing measures and effective vaccines, a healthy immune system is our best defense against coronavirus infection. To keep it that way, proper nutrition is an absolute must. Although not a replacement for medicine, good nutrition can work synergistically with medicine to improve vaccine effectiveness, reduce the prevalence of chronic disease and lower the burden on the health care system.

Scientists know that people with preexisting health conditions are at greater risk for severe COVID-19 infections. That includes those with diabetes, obesity, and kidney, lung or cardiovascular disease. Many of these conditions are linked to a dysfunctional immune system.

Patients with cardiovascular or metabolic disease have a delayed immune response, giving viral invaders a head start. When that happens, the body reacts with a more intense inflammatory response, and healthy tissues are damaged along with the virus. Its not yet clear how much this damage factors into the increased mortality rate, but it is a factor.

What does this have to do with nutrition? The Western diet typically has a high proportion of red meat, saturated fat and whats known as bliss point foods rich in sugar and salt. Adequate fruit and vegetable consumption is missing. Despite the abundance of calories that often accompanies the Western diet, many Americans dont consume nearly enough of the essential nutrients our bodies need to function properly, including vitamins A, C and D, and the minerals iron and potassium. And that, at least in part, causes a dysfunctional immune system: too few vitamins and minerals, and too many empty calories.

A healthy immune system responds quickly to limit or prevent infection, but it also promptly turns down the dial to avoid damaging the cells of the body. Sugar disrupts this balance. A high proportion of refined sugar in the diet can cause chronic, low-grade inflammation in addition to diabetes and obesity. Essentially, that dial is never turned all the way off.

While inflammation is a natural part of the immune response, it can be harmful when its constantly active. Indeed, obesity is itself characterized by chronic, low-grade inflammation and a dysregulated immune response.

And research shows that vaccines may be less effective in obese people. The same applies to those who regularly drink too much alcohol.

Nutrients, essential substances that help us grow properly and remain healthy, help maintain the immune system. In contrast to the delayed responses associated with malnutrition, vitamin A fights against multiple infectious diseases, including measles. Along with vitamin D, it regulates the immune system and helps to prevent its overactivation. Vitamin C, an antioxidant, protects us from the injury caused by free radicals.

Polyphenols, a wide-ranging group of molecules found in all plants, also have anti-inflammatory properties. Theres plenty of evidence to show a diet rich in plant polyphenols can lower the risk of chronic conditions, like hypertension, insulin insensitivity and cardiovascular disease.

Why dont we Americans eat more of these plant-based foods and fewer of the bliss-based foods? Its complicated. People are swayed by advertising and influenced by hectic schedules. One starting place would be to teach people how to eat better from an early age. Nutrition education should be emphasized, from kindergarten through high school to medical schools.

Millions of Americans live in food deserts, having limited access to healthy foods. In these circumstances, education must be paired with increased access. These long-term goals could bring profound returns with a relatively small investment.

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Meantime, all of us can take small steps to incrementally improve our own dietary habits. Im not suggesting we stop eating cake, french fries and soda completely. But we as a society have yet to realize the food that actually makes us feel good and healthy is not comfort food.

The COVID-19 pandemic wont be the last we face, so its vital that we use every preventive tool we as a society have. Think of good nutrition as a seat belt for your health; it doesnt guarantee you wont get sick, but it helps to ensure the best outcomes.

Grayson Jaggers, Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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