Everyone has their own reason for eating a plant-based diet.

For Robin Beltrn and her husband, it was purely a medical decision. After surviving an attempted robbery in 2014, Manuel went through a dozen abdominal surgeries. After several years, they finally had to accept that his stomach could no longer process meat or dairy.

The only problem was: She had no idea how to prepare meat-free foods. "I knew no vegans," she says.

They had two young children, and Robin decided the whole family would become vegan to support Manuel. People who have been through trauma already feel excluded and isolated, she says, and for him to be able to eat well and eat what the whole family was eating became her primary focus.

"Instead of cooking these separate meals for him, we wanted to do this together," she says.

She spent hours a day researching new-to-her ingredients and recipes. She started adding turmeric and paprika to her food to help relieve his inflammation. They switched to Himalayan sea salt, which is packed with minerals and tastes saltier than table salt, and that inspired them to use less salt.

"We didnt have much money, but instead of spending more money on a prescription we couldnt afford, we spent what we could on food," she says.

Her daughter was just an infant, and her son was at that "snacky 2 to 3" phrase, so she started replacing her kids favorite yogurts, milks and ice creams with plant milk-based products. She started using coconut milk in her coffee.

They both started doing yoga, and Manuels PTSD subsided. Shed been dealing with hair loss, but her hair grew back, and she lost a substantial amount of weight, but more importantly, their whole outlook on life changed. Outside their immediate family, however, Robin, who is Black, and Manuel, who is Hispanic, found themselves having to explain their dietary decisions, over and over again.

"When I finally told my family, they didnt really get it, but I told them, Im trying to save my husband and my hair is growing and I feel happy," she says.

The fog lifted

One of their friends, Rolando Rodriguez, had noticed those not-so-subtle improvements to their life.

The longtime friends grew up in Houston. Beltrn had long called Austin home, and Rodriguez was still in Houston, where they had recently been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. "My body wasnt able to keep up with the physical work that needed to be done," Rodriguez says.

The Beltrns started hosting a Sunday dinner once a month, which is where Rodriguez first realized that vegan food wasnt all "mystery meat" and boring salads.

Rodriguez says he grew up watching family members struggle with diabetes, including losing limbs to the disease. "I had been trained to believe that the disease was hereditary, which it is, but food habits are also hereditary. The way we eat is passed down to us," he says.

After trying Robins food and seeing the positive changes in their whole family, he decided he wanted to start changing those habits.

"Over two years, Im watching my friends go through this dramatic change, mentally and physically. I said, I want to partake in that," he says.

Rodriguez had struggled for years with anxiety and depression, and he thought those were just normal things he was going to have to deal with as an adult. But he quit meat "cold turkey," and he started to experience some of the same physical and mental benefits. "The fog lifted and I was able to concentrate," he says.

Rodriguez and Beltrn started talking about what it would look like if they started a company to share what they were learning with other people.

They sent a batch of Beltrns five-alarm chili to their friend and fellow Houston native Nicole Valadez, who was living in Washington, D.C. "I ate the entire batch," she says. "I saw Rolando slimming up and feeling better and decided I wanted to make the switch, too."

Going vegan herself was easy, she says, but it was telling her family in Houston that she knew would be the hardest part. "Its so important for us to have our family traditions," Valadez says, so she started thinking about ways she could make vegan tamales at Christmas by using jackfruit instead of pork and what egg substitute she could use VeganEgg is her favorite so her mom still could make her breakfast tacos on the mornings when she visits.

"It was important to make culturally relevant dishes that are meaningful to me so we could make them vegan and not miss out on dinners with my family," she says.

Breakfast tacos are a particularly meaningful dish for Rodriguez, too. "To give up the idea of breakfast tacos on a Saturday morning, thats stripping away an incredible tradition for me," he says. "What is my grandmother going to say or think about me if I tell her I cant eat them? There are familiar consequences to changing your diet in our communities."

But when you find an alternative that everyone can eat like a ground beef or chorizo substitute, jackfruit or hearts of palm instead of pulled chicken or pork or that VeganEgg it allows people who are eating a plant-based diet to maintain those close bonds with their loved ones.

"These are very real positive consequences about how we live our lives and interact with our families," he says.

Empathy and eating together

Opening peoples eyes to the possibilities of vegan eating while taking into account very real cultural needs is what drives everything about the Black Vegan Company, from the online cooking classes and virtual and in-person grocery store tours that Beltrn hosts to the new products that the rest of the team members are hoping to sell in grocery stores soon. They also have a cookbook in production.

Plant-based eating has grown immensely in the past decade. Some people are drawn to it because of health and medical reasons, and others feel compelled to avoid meat and dairy products because of ethics or the environmental effects.

But no matter why, when or how someone eats a plant-based diet, there are nutritional, culinary, cultural and relationship factors at play.

The Black Vegan Company wants to help people address all of those by encouraging people to ask deeper questions about what role food plays in the home and how a plant-based diet can fit within a familys time and financial budget. What culturally relevant foods are important to the extended family, and how can a wider social group have healthier conversations about what we eat and why? How can we teach and lean on each other without judging others food choices?

When veganism is presented as trading something "regular" for something "weird," that can be the root of many problems, Beltrn says. Its important to normalize plant-based eating and have empathy for the transitional issues that come when making a big dietary change.

Food is how we show love to each other, Rodriguez says, and its not uncommon for a parent who is used to showing love to their kids through food to go through a mourning period when they cant or dont want to serve the kinds of food they used to.

Valadez, who now also works with the Black Vegan Company, wrote about her family going through all five stages of grief when she told them about her transition to veganism ahead of Thanksgiving one year. "They were angry, they were in denial, they tried to bargain, all of it," she says. "Eventually, they got to acceptance," but it remains an ongoing and profound conversation about cultural values, as well as health and wellness.

"We want to show people how to talk to their brothers and sisters who are going to give you a hard time at the holidays," Rodriguez says. "One way is to remind them, This isnt about you. I need your empathy.

"Were striving for more civil discourse, and its a marathon, not a sprint. Both sides can be less judgy of each other. Vegans feel judged for trying something new, and vegans judge the nonvegans for not adopting their way of eating."

Making it a family affair

Beltrn says she tells clients to be realistic about expectations that they can relearn entirely how to grocery shop and cook in just a day or two.

When a family first starts this transition, Beltrn asks them to list what foods they like to eat and what are their must-haves in order to survive, the gotta-have pantry and fridge staples. Then, start looking for good plant-based alternatives for each one, maybe starting with a single product each week, say, yogurt or milk. Buy a few brands, but not the original product youre used to buying, and see which one gets the most votes in a family taste test. (To find out more about their services, go to theblackvegancompany.com.)

"There are definitely different stages of veganism," she says. There might be a stage when youre upset or your kid is mad that they cant have what they want, but that desire to re-create some of those favorite textures and tastes will drive your familys discoveries, both in the kitchen and in the grocery store.

This is about learning together and bending together. "If your kid wanted to play basketball, youd put a goal out there and get a ball and support them on their journey," Beltrn says. Its OK if not everyone eats the same all the time, but its also important to make sure that everyone feels like they are included at the family table.

Eating meatless meals a few days a week is one way to ease into it, Beltrn says, and its important to have the whole family involved in picking some of these new dishes to try, such as cauliflower buffalo "wings" or barbecue sliders made from jackfruit.

"Then it becomes a family activity and something you are doing together, even if you arent doing it seven days a week," Beltrn says.

She also encourages people not to get frustrated if they try a new product or a new recipe and dont like it. There are hundreds of products on the market, and one persons way of cooking meat-free foods might not be aligned with the kind of foods you like. Try out new sources for recipes until you find someone whose tastes "fit" with yours.

"Dairy is the part that freaks everybody out," she says, but vegan substitutes have improved so much over the past 10 years that there are plenty of options sold in mainstream grocery stores that satisfy even the most fervent cheese- and ice cream-lovers. Beltrns favorites are Daiya, which makes a cheeselike product that shreds and melts, and Chao from Field Roast.

Major improvements also have been made to meat substitutes, such as those from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, but as a health and wellness coach, Beltrn explains that processed foods are processed foods and they should often be consumed in moderation.

She usually uses mushrooms and jackfruit to provide a hearty base for a dish that might otherwise be based on meat. When she does use a meat substitute, she adds extra layers of fresh ingredients to add the fiber and nutrients that a body naturally craves.

Beltrn uses JustEgg, another vegan egg substitute, when she makes her fried "chicken" with breadcrumbs and mushrooms, and she uses vegan grounds to make lasagna, spaghetti and chili. (Gardein and Quora are two popular brands, and you also can cook lentils to make a from-scratch version.)

At Thanksgiving, Beltrn makes her familys sweet potato pie using coconut milk instead, and "it is better than the original recipe." That was one way she started to break down the stereotype that vegan dishes were somehow less than nonvegan food.

"The most encouraging thing was when my mom went shopping at the grocery store and came home with all these blueberry dairy-free yogurts. It was the only (vegan) thing in her fridge, but she tried."

Today, her mom is 70% vegan, and she served vegan burgers on the Fourth of July. Thats the kind of small win that Rodriguez says families should celebrate.

"Robins got something special," Rodriguez says. "Heres this Black woman in this very Mexican mans kitchen helping to start this journey together because of a thing that were all too familiar with." But the love of food and people coming together around food, which is also something they are all so familiar with, is also undeniably there.

"These difficult stories, these problems, they can become the beginning of a great story," he says. "For me, it was like what Tupac said (in the song Changes): If you change the way you eat, youll change the way you think and the way you treat each other."

Fried "Chicken" Shrooms

Want that fried chicken taste and crunch without the guilt? Try this fried mushroom recipe to satisfy your craving. Use these bites in poboys, fried "chicken" dinner with mashed potatoes or "chicken" nuggets with ketchup and french fries. Instead of a commercial egg substitute, you can use chickpea water, which is called aquafaba. If you dont want to fry these in oil, use an air fryer set to 375 degrees.

Robin Beltrn

18 to 20 shiitake mushrooms (or oyster mushrooms or black pearl mushrooms)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh dill

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

2 cups flour

2 cups egg replacement (Just Egg or aquafaba)

3 cups olive oil (or use an air fryer)

Cut the stems off mushrooms and wash well to remove any dirt. Completely dry them and slice into rounds of desired thickness (we slice about 1/4-inch rounds).

In a bowl, combine salt, dill, breadcrumbs and flour. Mix thoroughly.

Dip the mushrooms in the "egg" wash. Immediately after, dip them in the breadcrumb mixture. For best results, dip/coat one slice at a time. Place the dipped/coated mushrooms to the side on a plate.

Once youve finished dipping/coating all the mushrooms, add 3 cups of olive oil to a deep fryer or skillet. (You can use an air fryer instead for a lower-calorie dish.)

Set oil to medium-high heat on the stove or 375 degrees in the deep fryer. (You can also use 375 degrees in the air fryer.)

Fry mushrooms until golden brown (2 to 4 minutes total). If frying in pan, flip mushrooms to fry on both sides. Place fried mushrooms on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Allow mushrooms to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh dill (optional). Serves 4.

Robin Beltrn

Jalapeo Aioli

1/3 cup vegan sour cream or mayo

1 tablespoon fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1 lemon, squeezed

1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeo (optional)

To a bowl, add the sour cream (or mayo), dill, salt, lemon juice and jalapeo, if using. Mix thoroughly. Serve with fried "chicken" mushrooms.

Robin Beltrn

Guajillo Jackfruit "Pork"

Whenever I prepare a dish that my nonvegan family says tastes as good as stuff with meat in it, I do a little happy dance. I love exposing them to new, healthy ways of consuming our favorite classics and reprogramming what they think about veganism. During one holiday season, the recipe that knocked it out of the park was a vegan take on pork tamales. In order to mimic pork for this recipe, we used jackfruit. Jackfruit is a large fruit grown in tropical regions of the world. I like cooking with it because it looks like and has the consistency of shredded beef or pork. This makes it the perfect meat substitute for dishes that require a shredded, meaty texture, like pork tamales or pulled pork sandwiches. I like to use the Jackfruit Companys lightly seasoned frozen jackfruit. This quantity of guajillo sauce and filling will make about 10 dozen tamales, but you can reduce the quantity by half if you want to make a smaller batch or use the filling in another way. The technique of cooking the jackfruit could be adapted for making barbecue-style sandwiches.

Nicole Valadez

For the guajillo sauce:

15 guajillo chiles

3 ancho chiles

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 onion, halved

2 teaspoon salt

For the jackfruit "pork":

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup diced onion

6 1/2 cups jackfruit

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Salt, to taste

To make the sauce: Fill a large pot with water and set on high heat. While you wait for the water to boil, remove the stems from the guajillo and ancho chiles. Slice each chile in half and remove the seeds. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the chiles, garlic and onion. Boil until the peppers are soft, about 30 minutes.

Transfer peppers, garlic and onion to a blender and add salt. Blend until smooth and add salt to taste, as needed. The sauce should be well salted, smooth and not very thick. Add a bit of water and blend if too thick. Set aside.

For the jackfruit, set a large pan to medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and diced onion. Saut onions until they are a bit translucent, about 3 minutes. Lower heat slightly if onion begins to brown.

Add jackfruit to the pan and mash it to break up the large pieces. Once fully mashed, the jackfruit should resemble shredded beef.

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For the Black Vegan Company, plant-based eating is a family affair that requires empathy, breakfast tacos - austin360

As meal replacement plans are introduced by NHS England as a way of tackling diabetes, Brian Stormont examines what is being done north of the border.

Last week it was announced that diabetics in England will be encouraged to try a soup and shakes weight-loss plan as the health service steps up efforts to tackle a condition that costs an estimated 10 million a year.

North of the border a similar approach is already in place aimed at tackling type 2 diabetes through dietary changes with NHS Scotlands Counterweight Plus programme.

Down south, some 5,000 patients will get access to the diet programme after NHS England said results from a trial showed almost half of people who undertook the plan saw their type 2 diabetes go into remission after a year.

As part of the year-long plan, patients who have been diagnosed with the condition in the last six years and meet other eligibility criteria will be given so-called total diet replacement products such as shakes and soups for three months.

Alongside this, they will be supported to increase their exercise levels, and helped to reintroduce ordinary, nutritious food to their diets, with ongoing advice from clinicians and coaches.

Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but occurs most frequently in children and adolescents. With type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little or no insulin, which means that you need daily insulin injections to maintain blood glucose levels under control.

Type 2 diabetesis more common in adults and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make good use of the insulin that it produces. The cornerstone of type 2 diabetes treatment is healthy lifestyle, including increased physical activity and healthy diet. However, over time most people with type 2 diabetes will require oral drugs and/or insulin to keep their blood glucose levels under control.

Gestational diabetes (GDM)is a type of diabetes that consists of high blood glucose during pregnancy and is associated with complications to both mother and child. GDM usually disappears after pregnancy but women affected and their children are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

In Scotland, the Counterweight Plus programme involves a total diet replacement phase over 12 weeks, followed by stepped, structured food reintroduction and then a weight maintenance phase over 12-months.

It encourages sufficient weight loss to achieve remission of type 2 diabetes and then focuses on the skills needed to keep weight at this new lower level

The first stage involves total diet replacement (shakes and soups). This is followed by food reintroduction, whereby shakes and soups are reduced with food and drinks gradually introduced back into daily intake.

People are supported throughout the programme which aims to teach them how to manage their weight by making permanent changes to their eating habits and activity levels.

Fife-based nutritionist Louise Blanchfield has little faith in meal replacement plans, believing a quick fix doesnt always result in the long-term success that making lifestyle and dietary changes do.

She explained: In my opinion meal replacement plans dont work. Theyre a quick fix that do result in rapid weight loss initially, but people are hungry all the time on them, they dont balance blood sugar and they dont tackle the root problem, which can result in rapid weight regain when people revert to their previous diets.

The only thing that results in proper diabetes remission is lifelong diet and lifestyle changes, and a proper understanding of how our bodies process food and how to eat to support this.

Nutritionist Louise Blanchfield

The only thing that results in proper diabetes remission is lifelong diet and lifestyle changes, and a proper understanding of how our bodies process food and how to eat to support this.

NHS England are saying that they will follow up the meal replacement plan with food reintroduction, but in my opinion, they should start with education and not false food.

The Scottish Counterweight programme sounds better because of the constant support and more of an emphasis on permanent changes to eating habits and activity levels.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: The Scottish Government is taking wide-ranging action to encourage people to be active and make healthier choices.

As we set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery plan, our ambition is to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce diet-related health inequalities.

We are in year three of our ambitious programme to improve weight management services, and investing 5 million this financial year to support people with, or at risk of, type 2 diabetes or with pre-diabetes. This is an increase of 2 million on the last financial year.

As part of this, Scotlands NHS Boards are taking a range of actions to manage peoples weight. This includes a programme called Counterweight Plus with a proven track record in the remission of type 2 diabetes.

Counterweight Plus is a two-year programme with total diet replacement phase, food reintroduction and maintenance phases, led by specialist weight management dietitians.

We are currently collecting data on the outcomes of our remission programme in Scotland. This work has been delayed due to Covid-19 and we expect results to be available in 2021.

Bridget Turner, director of policy campaigns and improvement at Diabetes UK, said the programme is an important first step for patients to access a remission programme within the NHS.

She said: We know that some people with type 2 diabetes want and need support from healthcare professionals to lose weight effectively, and now as these programmes are piloted across the NHS they will.

People with type 2 diabetes who have put their diabetes into remission frequently tell us how it has changed their lives.

We are so pleased to see that others will now have the same opportunity and hope that it wont be too long before more remission programmes are rolled out across the country.

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Could soups and shakes replacing meals help type 2 diabetes-sufferers put the disease into remission? - The Courier

Just because you have type 2 diabetes doesnt mean you cant ever let anything sweet pass your lips again. With a bit of strategizing, there are ways you can satisfy your cravings from time to time.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), if you have diabetes, you can absolutely include sweets and desserts in your diet, as long as theyre part of a healthy eating plan and you dont overindulge. The ADA also recommends working with a registered dietitian, a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES), or another diabetes healthcare professional to help you formulate an eating plan thats right for you.

When you eat or drink carbohydrates, such as sugar, starch, and fiber, your body breaks them down into glucose, raising levels in your blood, according to the ADA. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body isnt able to use insulin efficiently to move this glucose from your blood into cells, where its used for energy. So its important to take steps to make sure your glucose levels dont spike too high.

You also want to make sure you eat healthy foods that are nutritious and high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and avoid or eat only small amounts of foods that contain unhealthy ingredients such as added sugar, high amounts of sodium, and unhealthy fats.

Many sweets, including cakes, cookies, and candy, tend to be highly processed and chock-full of added sugar, refined flour, and saturated fats, which is why they should be enjoyed in reduced portion sizes as an occasional treat.

Try these tips from diabetes nutrition experts to include sweet treats in your healthy eating plan.

1. Allow yourself the occasional treat. Deprivation isnt likely to work, says Karen Lau, a registered dietitian and CDCES at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. Completely eliminating treats from your diet may backfire, and you may end up craving those foods more, notes Lau.

2. Plan ahead. Consider how many carbs youre getting in your meal, not just in your dessert, says Tami Ross RD, CDCES, author of What Do I Eat Now? A Guide to Eating Well with Diabetes or Prediabetes and a spokesperson for the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES). That total number should factor into your calculation of what you will eat on days you have dessert or a sweet snack.

Make sure the meal is balanced with other foods. Cut out carbs from the main dish, and save it for dessert instead, says Lau. For example, if youre planning to have dessert, skip the bread, pasta, or side of mashed potatoes at dinner.

3. Be mindful of sugar-free foods. Kristen Smith, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests choosing foods that dont list sugar in the ingredients and have sugar substitutes instead. But keep in mind that these foods are often still made with flour and other carbohydrate-containing ingredients, says Smith.

4. Pay attention to what you drink. You probably know that regular soda, juice, and fruit punch are loaded with sugar, but sports drinks, energy drinks, and bottled tea can also raise blood glucose. Plus, these sugary drinks can contain as many as several hundred calories in just one serving, according to the ADA.

Healthier options to help you stay hydrated while still giving your taste buds a treat include seltzer water with slices of lemon or lime or water infused with fruit, says Veronica Brady, PhD, an advanced practice registered nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center and assistant professor of nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She is also a spokesperson for ADCES.

5. Swap out ingredients. In the kitchen, use whole-grain flours, such as wheat or oat, or versions made from nuts, such as almond flour, to help with blood sugar control, advises Smith. You can also look for recipes that use fruit or fruit puree to reduce or eliminate sugar, says Smith.

6. Designate a sweet treat day. Depending on how well your diabetes is managed and what you and your diabetes management team decide is best for you, you can decide how many days you can budget in per week or month to indulge your sweet tooth.

7. Focus on fruit. Not only is fruit delicious enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, but it has the added bonus of being healthier, because it has fewer carbs and no added sugar, compared with processed sweets, explains Smith. Plus, fruit has fiber, which is helpful, because it takes longer to digest and is less likely to cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, she adds.

That said, its still important to watch portion size and sugar content when eating fruit. If youre making a smoothie, for instance, youll want to stick to about 4 to 6 ounces rather than drinking a giant tumbler of it, notes Dr. Brady. And if youre snacking on dried fruit or using it in a recipe, make sure you take into account how much sugar it contains: Just 2 tablespoons of raisins or dried cherries can contain as many as 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Some great ways to enjoy fruit:

8. Pick something you really like. Rather than settling for something that you might not like as much just because its labeled low sugar, eat smaller portions of something you love, notes Lau. Not only will eating what you prefer leave you feeling more satisfied, but opting for the diabetes-friendly version may also prompt you to eat more than you should.

9. Take a few bites and make them last. Split that piece of cake with a friend, or just have half of a large cookie. The first few bites are often what you enjoy most, notes Ross. Try to stick to two or three bites, and practice mindfulness about what youre eating.

The next time you take a bite of a treat, try this: Eat more slowly, think about what youre eating, and savor the taste, suggests Brady.

10. Freeze bite-size treats. One great way to have portion-controlled sweets on hand is to freeze bite-size Halloween candies, says Brady. Eat one of these slowly for a treat, she says.

11. Keep temptation out of sight. Ask family members to be supportive and help you stay healthy by not eating sweets in front of you or bringing cookies or candy into the house. Store ice cream at the back of the freezer, and dont put sweets in front or at eye level in the pantry, where you can see them, suggests Smith.

12. Identify your cravings. Are there circumstances where youre more likely to be tempted? Think about what makes you crave sweets, says Smith. Are you often influenced by a TV show or commercial? Be mindful of activities that might spark a craving, advises Smith. If you know youre always tempted when you pass a certain restaurant or billboard, for instance, try to avoid going that way.

13. Dont be too hard on yourself. You dont need to always aim for 100 percent, notes Lau. Instead, she recommends striving to strictly follow your diabetes diet at least 80 percent of the time and allowing yourself the occasional indulgence.

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How to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth if You Have Type 2 Diabetes - Everyday Health

ST. PETERSBURG Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who starts in Sundays series finale against the Marlins at Tropicana Field, hopes to build upon the dominance he displayed in his past three outings.

Glasnow has won twice and registered a 1.93 ERA (along with 30 strikeouts and just five walks) in the 18 innings of those three starts. Overall, hes 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Glasnow set the bar high last season. Glasnow opened 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 46 strikeouts in his first seven games before going on the injured list with a forearm strain.

I dont know how you can improve on that,' Cash said. What hes doing now seems to fall right in line with that.'

Glasnow said he has a better approach now. To paraphrase former Rays manager Joe Maddon, Glasnow is trying easier.

What I took away (from last seasons early outings) was I put too much into the effort level,' Glasnow said. If Im going to do this for 30 starts a year, Im going to need to mellow out a bit.

The biggest difference is not trying to throw the ball 1,000 (miles per hour) every single pitch. You cant really do that for 30 starts a year. Once I realized that being relaxed and having very little tension was good, almost holding the ball lighter and trying to be more smooth, it allowed me to stay the same, if not better. My overall recovery and arm health has been much better.'

Glasnow, who has four consecutive games with eight strikeouts or more, leads the majors with 15.09 strikeouts per nine innings (minimum 25 innings pitched). Its an extremely small sample size. But for perspective, Gerrit Cole set the major-league season record (13.81 strikeouts per nine innings) last season, 13.81 strikeouts per nine innings, with the Astros.

Natural first baseman Nate Lowe, who was recalled from the alternate training site at Port Charlotte last week, started at third base Saturday. In 50 games last season with the Rays, Lowe had one start at third, but he has been working more at the position.

The more he can help us in different roles (the better),' Cash said. The (coaches in Port Charlotte) have been very complimentary of Nate and the work he put in at third base. It was part of his daily routine to get reps there. We tell our guys were not asking for anything spectacular. Just put yourself in position to make the routine play.'

Lowe said he feels more agile after dropping about 20 pounds (it had been about 35, but he has gained some back).

Losing weight never was the end goal,' Lowe said. I never said I have to lose 5 more pounds or 10 more pounds. It was about being the healthiest version of me. I played in the minors at 250, 255, and in the spring, I saw 212, 210. Thats a pretty big window, but a lot of guys have success doing it different ways. As long as I can stay on top of my sleep and diet, that puts me in a good spot to show up and compete every day.'

Saturday was Childhood Cancer Awareness Day at Tropicana Field. Rays players wore yellow ribbons on their jerseys to commemorate the occasion. Centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who works with the Childrens Dream Fund for kids with life-threatening illnesses, said the cause is especially meaningful.

The positivity and the mindset these kids and families have are truly incredible,' Kiermaier said. I dont think I could be that positive and happy as some of these families. Especially having a young son, I know how fortunate it is to have a healthy, functional son who lives a healthy life.

Its tough for me to find words for how powerful and emotional this is to be around these kids. They have no idea what impact they bring on my life. Im grateful I can have a small impact.'

On the strength of a 21-4 run heading into Saturday tying the best 25-game stretch in club history Kiermaier said the teams confidence remains high.

Confidence is something that I dont think the people on the outside realize how much it can do for an individual or a team,' Kiermaier said. Theres a certain confidence thats just flowing in our clubhouse, whether home or on the road. Its a true joy each day to show up and compete with these guys and see whos going to be the hero on any given night.

Were one of the best teams in baseball, and were aware of that. The greatest thing about us is were not content with that. We want to be the best team in baseball, when all is said and done. We want to be the last team standing. We want to let people know were dangerous and were not messing around.'

Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (left groin tightness) threw a successful bullpen session Friday. Hes scheduled to come off the 10-day injured list Tuesday, when he could draw a road start against the Nationals. Cash said right-handed reliever Oliver Drake (right biceps tendinitis) is progressing well but remains about a week away from active duty. After Sundays series finale, the Rays have 19 games remaining (nine at home, 10 on the road, although the Rays will be at home during one of the road' games against Baltimore, making up for the Aug. 27 postponement). The Rays also have three more off-days in September. ... At Port Charlotte, left-hander Shane McClanahan suffered a left knee hyperextension while attempting to cover first base on a ground ball. He is expected to miss about two weeks.

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Rays Tyler Glasnow hopes to keep the good times rolling in series finale - Tampa Bay Times

LEFT to RIGHT: Dr. Dana Hawkinson, University of Kansas Health Center medical director of infection prevention and control; Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer; andDr. Selina Gierer, specialist in allergy, immunology and rheumatology medicine.

By CRISTINA JANNEYHays Post

Is that runny nose and cough COVID or just your run-of-the-mill seasonal allergies?

Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System tried to give viewers tips on how to distinguish between the two during their daily news briefing Wednesday.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, and Dr.Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, were joined byDr. Selina Gierer, specialist inallergy, immunology and rheumatology medicine, andear, nose and throat surgeon Dr. Keith Sale.

Gierer said Kansas has reached its peak allergy season. Children are also returning to school and can be exposed to viral infections.

"It is always a challenge when we go back to school when kids get any viral infection on top of season allergies trying to pick a part what's an illness and what is an allergy symptom," she said.

Itchy and water eyes as well as sneezing are common symptoms of allergies, but not of COVID-19.

Then there is an overlap zone for both allergies and COVID,Gierer said.

These include cough, fatigue, headache, sore throat, shortness of breath and runny nose.

"Ultimately, if you are having fever, if your symptoms are not typical for your allergy symptoms,"Gierer said, "perhaps this is not a typical allergy season for you.

"If you are having cough, if you are having congestion and you are having change in your sense of smell, it's time for you to be thinking about contacting your doctor to get tested for coronavirus."

She suggested keeping control of your allergy symptoms and avoiding people who are sick.

Monitor your triggers, such as dust, mold, pollen or animals. Monitor the local pollen count. Stay on your allergy medications.

"If you know you are going to be doing yard work, and the next day you feel itchy and drippy and sneezy, you can probably attribute that to your allergies and not an acute onset of coronavirus,"Gierer said.

Asthma is an underlying medical condition that increases the likelihood of complications from coronavirus. However, it is on the lower end of the range of complicating factors.

Asthma is much less common to cause complications than obesity and hypertension,Gierer said.

However, one of the biggest triggers of asthma is a viral infection. She said it is also important to keep your asthma under control by staying on medications, avoiding triggers and keeping a 30-day supply of medication on hand.

Dr. Sale saw a patient in his clinic who was having typical symptoms for allergies, such as a runny nose, but was not getting better on her normal medications.

She thought she had a sinus infection or something else. A friend from out of town had visited the week before. She was tested for COVID and was surprised with a positive COVID test, Sale said.

Sale said his office is taking COVID precautions, including using PPE, hand sanitizing between patients and patients wearing masks unless their nose or mouth is being examined.

Gierer said allergy medication or a rescue inhaler will probably not help with COVID-19 symptoms.

Sale said fatigue may be common to both allergies and COVID, but the persistence of the symptom may be a sign of the later.

Gierer said, "If the allergy medications are not working, that might trigger you to think there is something else going on."

Hawkinson said scientists are working to combine testing for flu and COVID-19. He said if a patient has a nasal swab for COVID-19, a lab could use that same sample to test for flu and RSV.

RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults, according the Centers for Disease Control.

The flu season is in full swing in South Africa and Australia and has been lighter this year there than in years past,Hawkinson said. He said that could be in part to mask use and increased hand washing.

KU Med is working on mass flu vaccination at this time.

Gierer urged members of the public to get flu vaccines. That is usually recommended starting in October.

The doctors also gave tips on staying in good general health.

You can naturally boost your immune system by getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, as well as hand washing and staying away from people who are sick.

Those tips can help with COVID-19, flu or RSV.

Sale also said caring for your mental health can have an effect on maintaining physical health, which includes socializing in a safe way.

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Allergies vs. COVID: KU doctors give tips on knowing the difference - hays Post

Back in 1992, when I was 23 and had wangled a job on the features desk of the Sunday Express, a research and health information service was set up called the World Cancer Research Fund. Its aim was to establish the link between diet and cancer. My aim back then, in between filing stories (my patch included going undercover at fashion shoots and dressing up as Barbara Cartland), was to drink as much as possible while having equal amounts of fun. My liquid diet was supported by full English breakfasts, dinners in restaurants, and then wholesome food back home in Northamptonshire at the weekend.

According to a report this week from the WCRF, looking at how diets have changed over the past 30 years, my diet was not unique. Lots of red meat, quite a lot of white bread, not much fruit and sterling amounts of booze. Most of us were at it.

The report of the nations eating and food shopping habits analysed data from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs on weekly purchasing, and the results show startling changes. Today we buy 50 per cent less tea, 56 per cent less white bread and 32 per cent less red meat (pork, lamb and beef). We are also buying 23 per cent more fresh fruit.

Which goes to show that I dont appear to have moved with the times. Im still eating what I did back in the early 1990s. And Im still not eating any fruit.

The point of the WCRF is to raise awareness of the reasons people get cancer, and how vital the role of diet is in disease prevention. Over the years, its campaigning has coincided with a soaring interest in food inBritain.

The 30-year British Food Revolution has seen the emergence and growth of food TV from the launch of MasterChef in 1990, to entire TV networks devoted to the subject. The internet happened; recipes became one of the most searched-for items. Web-based food delivery grew with Ocado founded in 2000 (it still hasnt made a profit). Apps became a thing, many offering dietary advice, while things around your wrist could measure the amount of exercise youwere taking.

Restaurants grew in quality and number, young chefs from across the world flocked to apprentice at the kitchens of people such as Gordon Ramsay in London. Farmers markets grew to a point where you couldnt find a space in a provincial car park on a Saturday morning. Coffee drinking became a high street obsession. Waitrose stocked things called sumac and zaatar, and suddenly all your nieces and nephews were vegans.

And here we are, 30 years later. With more exposure to information about food and more variety at any time in our history, and the results are in. In addition to the previous WCRF stats, sales of ready meals are up 100 per cent and pizza by 143 per cent. Alcohol purchasing is also up by 38 per cent and guess what obesity rates are at an all-time high; some 63 per cent of adults are overweight. Obesity, that most terrible of modern phenomenons, which costs the Government more than terrorism.

Dr Giota Mitrou, director of research at WCRF, has coined a new behaviour pattern called the nutrition transition. She points to the fact that today people [are] more reliant on processed foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar. Being overweight increases the risks of at least 12 types of cancer.

Dr Mitrou and her chums must be scratching their heads. 30 years work, a nation more interested in food than ever, with access to a wider variety of ingredients and more available knowledge than at any time in history. And more gyms and fitness gurus everywhere. Were obsessed with food, yet were fatter and sicker than ever.

When food becomes a sport of jeopardy on TV, a badge of trendy credentials and a multibillion-pound discount business, is it any wonder? I weigh the same as I did in 1992. I glug booze voraciously, eat greedily, swim, cycle, play tennis and panic most of the time.

I may yet succumb to a dreaded disease, but I suggest we all ignore the food fads and the campaigns and reports and the telly, and follow the meat-and-two-veg rules of my mother, who still hates cooking and lacks a modern fascination for food.

She should do a cookbook and save the nation.

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We care more about what we eat than ever so why are we getting fatter? - Telegraph.co.uk