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

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(Tribune News Service) The world is hurtling toward an unprecedented hunger crisis.

As many as 132 million more people than previously projected could go hungry in 2020, and this year's gain may be more than triple any increase this century. The pandemic is upending food supply chains, crippling economies and eroding consumer purchasing power. Some projections show that by the end of the year, COVID-19 will cause more people to die each day from hunger than from virus infections.

What makes the situation unmatched: The massive spike is happening at a time of enormous global food surpluses. And it's happening in every part of the world, with new levels of food insecurity forecast for countries that used to have relative stability.

In Queens, New York, the lines snaking around a food bank are eight hours long as people wait for a box of supplies that might last them a week, while farmers in California are plowing over lettuce and fruit is rotting on trees in Washington. In Uganda, bananas and tomatoes are piling up in open-air markets, and even nearly give-away prices aren't low enough for out-of-work buyers. Supplies of rice and meat were left floating at ports earlier this year after logistical jams in the Philippines, China and Nigeria. And in South America, Venezuela is teetering on the brink of famine.

"We'll see the scars of this crisis for generations," said Mariana Chilton, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University. "In 2120, we'll still be talking about this crisis."

COVID-19 has exposed some of the world's deepest inequalities. It's also a determining force in who gets to eat and who doesn't, underscoring global social divides as the richest keep enjoying a breakneck pace of wealth accumulation. Millions of people have been thrown out of work and don't have enough money to feed their families, despite the trillions in government stimulus that's helped send global equities to all-time highs.

On top of the economic malaise, lockdowns and broken supply chains have also created a serious problem for food distribution. The sudden shift away from restaurant eating, which in places like the U.S. used to account for more than half of dining, means farmers have been dumping milk and smashing eggs, with no easy means to redirect their production to either grocery stores or those in need.

Don Cameron of Terranova Ranch in California took a hit of about $55,000 this year on his cabbage crop. Almost half the loss $24,000 came because Cameron decided to donate to local food banks after demand from his usual customers dried up. He had to pay for the labor needed to do the harvesting and truck loading. He even needed to cover the cost of some bins and pallets to get supplies moved. It would've been a lot cheaper to just let the crops rot in the field.

"We know other parts of the country need what we have here. But the infrastructure has not been set up, as far as I'm aware, to allow that. There are times when there is food available and it's because of logistics that it doesn't find a home," said Cameron, who still ended up destroying about 50,000 tons of the crop since nearby food banks "can only take so much cabbage."

Initial United Nations forecasts show that in a worst-case scenario, about a tenth of the world's population won't have enough to eat this year. The impact will go beyond just hunger as millions more are also likely to experience other forms of food insecurity, including not being able to afford healthy diets, which can lead to malnutrition and obesity.

The effects will be long lasting. Even in its best-case projections, the UN predicts that hunger will be greater over the next decade than forecast before the pandemic. By 2030, the number of undernourished people could reach as high as 909 million, compared with a pre-COVID scenario of about 841 million.

The current crisis is one of the "rarest of times" with both physical and economic limitations to access food, said Arif Husain, chief economist with the UN's World Food Programme.

By the end of the year, as many as 12,000 people could die a day from hunger linked to COVID-19, potentially more than those perishing from the virus itself, charity Oxfam International estimates. That's calculated based on a more than 80% jump for those facing crisis-level hunger.

Projections for increased malnutrition also have a profound human toll. It can weaken the immune system, limit mobility and even impair brain functioning. Children who experience malnutrition early in life can see its impact well into adulthood.

"Even the mildest forms of food insecurity have lifelong consequences," said Chilton of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities. Problems with physical and cognitive development in children and adolescents can hamper the chances of staying in school or getting a job, continuing a cycle of poverty.

Government programs, food charities and aid organizations have mobilized across the globe, but the need far outstrips their reach. The UN's WFP aid group alone needs a record $13 billion for the year to deliver food in 83 countries, and at the start of the second half faced a shortfall of $4.9 billion to meet the goal.

Hunger can spark seismic shifts in the political landscape. Going back to the days of the French Revolution, food insecurity has sent people into the streets demanding better conditions. Surging food prices were part of the economic crisis that helped fuel recent protests in Lebanon and demonstrations over shortages erupted in Chile earlier this year.

Deep-seated inequalities along gender and racial lines also correspond to disproportionate impacts from hunger. In the U.S., for example, Black Americans are two-and-a half times as likely as their White counterparts to have low or very low access to enough food for an active and healthy life. Globally, women are 10% more likely to be food insecure than men.

"We have to make sure that we're addressing gender inequality if the international community is not doing that, we will fail to avoid the worst of the hunger crisis," said Tonya Rawe, a director at hunger relief and advocacy group Care.

Data from the UN show that throughout the world, there are more than enough calories available to meet every individual's needs. But even in the U.S., the richest country in the world, almost 2% of the population, or more than 5 million people, can't afford a healthy diet (one that protects against all forms of malnutrition). More than 3 million Americans can't afford to even meet basic energy needs. In India, 78% of people can't afford healthy diets that's more than 1 billion people. Those figures don't even take into account the pandemic and its lasting effects.

Costs and logistics prevent food surpluses from being easily shifted to areas without. That's the dilemma faced by potato farmers in Belgium. When freezers filled during the pandemic, most of their spuds weren't fit for food banks or grocers. The main variety that's grown to meet demand from places like the country's famous fry shops get black and blue spots after just a few days, said Romain Cools of industry group Belgapom. Sales to supermarkets quickly stopped after complaints, and a bulk of the region's 750,000-ton surplus was instead used for animal feed or biogas.

"It's hard to take surplus milk in Wisconsin and get it to people in Malawi it's just not realistic or practical," said William Moseley, a geography professor at Macalester College who serves on a global food-security panel.

Despite the abundant supplies, food is growing more expensive because of bungled supply chains and currency devaluations. Costs are up in parts of Africa and the Middle East and they're also rising in developed countries, with Europeans and Americans paying extra to stock their fridges.

Even within major food-producing countries, being able to afford groceries is never a given.

Latin America, an agriculturally rich region that exports food to the world, is leading this year's surge in hunger, according to the UN's WFP.

In Brazil, a huge cash-distribution program has helped millions and driven poverty rates to historic lows. But that hasn't met all the need. In the country's northeast, Eder Saulo de Melo worked as a guard at parties until the virus arrived. With events suspended, he hasn't been paid in months. He's been locked out of the emergency cash program and the 130 reais ($25) he gets in regular monthly aid goes to energy, water and gas bills, leaving little to feed his three children. Baskets of non-perishables, vegetables, bread and eggs from a non-governmental organization are the family's main sustenance.

"I needed to stop buying fruit and meat," he said. "Instead of a slice of chicken, I buy offal to make a soup."

The hunger estimates for this year have a "high degree of uncertainty," and the disease's devastation is largely unknown, the UN cautioned about its figures.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization began tracking global hunger in the mid-1970s. Current data can't be compared past 2000 given revisions in methodology, said Carlo Cafiero, team leader for food security statistics. But general trends can be observed, and they show that hunger moved lower over the past several decades until a recent reversal started in 2015, spurred by by climate change and conflicts.

The increases in the last few years are nothing like what is forecast now even the best-case of the UN's tentative scenarios would see hunger surge in 2020 more than the past five years combined. And when looking at other notable periods of need in the world, such as the Great Depression, the level of food surplus that exists today is without comparison thanks to the advent of modern agriculture, which has seen crop yields explode.

"It's impossible to look at the situation and not think we have a problem," said Nate Mook, chief executive officer of food-relief group World Central Kitchen. "This pandemic has really exposed the cracks in the system and where it starts to break down."

___

(c)2020 Bloomberg NewsVisit Bloomberg News at http://www.bloomberg.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Hunger is threatening to kill more people than COVID this year - Stars and Stripes

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, favored to become the next prime minister, has said he will not aim for an interim government to fill in for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will depart in the middle of his current term citing ill health.

In an interview on Saturday, Suga, the right-hand man of Abe, said the governments coronavirus response will be the top priority for the next administration.

The next administration should not be an interim government, Suga said. (The next leader) should fulfill duties with confidence and discharge responsibility to the people.

Suga, 71, is seeking to become the next president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and ultimately the prime minister, succeeding Abe, 65, who has been suffering from ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease.

The remarks by the top government spokesman counter the view among some LDP members that the next government will only serve as a transition, as the successor to Abe will serve out the rest of his term as party chief until September 2021.

He also said he will aim to push for decentralization as well as the digitalization of administrative work.

Unless we break from sectionalism and sticking to precedents, there will be no revival of Japan, Suga said.

When asked about the timing for dissolving the House of Representatives for an election, Suga declined to comment, saying he will place priority on fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

Other contenders include former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who is the LDPs policy chief, and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, a critic of Abe. Official campaigning for the election starts on Tuesday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga speaks in an interview in the Diet building Saturday. | KYODO

Suga, who had earlier denied any intention to seek the top job, said he decided to run in the LDP leadership race after Abe abruptly announced his resignation late last month so as not to create a political vacuum. I made up my mind to do it without running away, Suga said.

The upcoming LDP presidential race, an abridged version without votes by rank-and-file party members across the nation, is putting Ishiba, who still lacks strong support from fellow LDP Diet members, at a disadvantage.

Suga is seen as the front-runner as five of the LDPs seven factions have thrown their support behind him, sending his rivals scrambling to garner backing from local chapters that will also cast three ballots each in the party leadership election.

During the interview, Suga dismissed the view that his securing of wide factional support will prompt him to favor them when picking Cabinet ministers and senior LDP executives if he wins the election.

The winner of the party race is almost certain to become the next prime minister as the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito control both houses of the Diet.

As Abe is leaving office without achieving his long-held goal of amending the Constitution, Suga expressed hope to realize it and promote parliamentary debate on the divisive issue.

Its natural to revise it given changes of the time over the 70 years, Suga said. The postwar pacifist Constitution has never been amended since it took effect in 1947.

Since Abes return to power in 2012, Suga has served as the top government spokesman, in charge of crisis management, playing a critical role in an administration engulfed in a series of scandals.

Suga unveiled a set of campaign promises Saturday, including protecting jobs and peoples livelihoods, creating vibrant regional economies and building a reliable social security system amid the rapid graying of society.

On diplomacy, Suga vowed to defend national interests, placing the long-standing Japan-U.S. alliance as the basic foundation of the countrys security, which is in line with Abes stance.

In the LDP race, a total of 535 votes will be cast 394 from Diet members and 141 from prefectural chapters.

Before the vote, all the LDP chapters in the countrys 47 prefectures except for Akita are planning to reflect the voices of rank-and-file members by holding primaries or using other means.

A Kyodo News survey of senior officials of local chapters indicates that Suga may enjoy a lead over his rivals even in terms of regional support.

Of the 47 senior local chapter officials, 14 support Suga, while Ishiba is backed by four and Kishida by two. The remaining 27 declined to comment or said they were undecided in light of upcoming primaries.

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Suga, favored to succeed Abe, says won't lead 'interim' government - The Japan Times

As a farmer, Im supposed to hate vegans and environmental activists, but thats nonsense. Even when I dont agree with everything they say, I share their wish to make the world a better place and their concern about the state its in today. In an age of increasingly apocalyptic news about the natural world, we are frequently warned that the things we are buying and eating are driving ecological collapse. Sensible and thoughtful people everywhere are asking the same question: what should I eat?

It is a good question and an important one that speaks of a growing public awareness of our footprint on Earth and our wish to do less harm, individually and collectively. But as a farmer I know that that question masks another, far deeper one, that we must all ask ourselves: how should we farm?

Yes, that question is relevant to each of us, even if we dont work on the land. What we choose to eat isnt just a personal choice. The things we pick from the shelves as we shop (and how much we pay for them) add up to a world-shaping message that is broadcast across the fields and determines what farmers choose to grow and how they must do it. So lets ask ourselves, and farmers, to produce food that makes ecological sense. The question what should I eat? is looking down the wrong end of the telescope.

So, how should we farm? A sustainable and good farming landscape needs to do many things. It needs to feed us all affordably, to keep soil healthy, to provide micro-habitats such as hedgerows and field trees and even protect what is left of precious habitats such as peat bogs, rivers, wetlands and woodland. If a farming landscape does all this well already, then it is perhaps enough for us to talk about it being sustainable. In practice, however, few places are like this, so we need to be way more ambitious.

We need to ask for regenerative agriculture, which means boosting soil health and encouraging biodiversity by working with natural processes as we grow food. More often than not, this means using grazing animals in mixed farming systems. Livestock, if well managed, repair soil, trample or eat crop residues and waste, provide fertiliser and control weeds. It means our uplands becoming patchworks of native habitats meadows and pastures, woodland and bogs and our lowlands working as rotational mosaics of fields.

We have become profoundly disconnected from the fields that feed us and it can be difficult to know, as we stand in the supermarket aisles, whether our food has been grown sustainably. We often dont realise that, behind the misleading packaging, a lot of what we eat doesnt come from our own landscapes, but from far-off places where animal welfare or environmental regulations are almost non-existent.

Responding to this crisis, many people opt for a plant-based diet. For sure, there are sensible reasons to eat lots of fruit, nuts and vegetables. But if those plants were produced in landscape-scale monocultures, created by ploughing (which is increasingly understood to be an ecological disaster) and grown using either copious amounts of synthetic fertilisers or with industrial chicken litter and doused in pesticides well, count me out. Such places would once have been biodiverse forests, mixed wild habitats or, perhaps, less destructive, more nature-friendly mixed farms. Yes, it takes less space, but it is the worst farming on Earth. The ethical reasoning doesnt go nearly far enough.

Likewise, just choosing to eat local food doesnt cut it if that food is produced in ecologically disastrous ways. Even choosing to eat organic doesnt necessarily meet the challenge, because organic fields are often ploughed and, at vast scale, devastate wildlife and release huge quantities of carbon into the air.

The difficult truth is that theres no such thing as a one-size-fits-all global sustainable diet that will solve the ecological crisis at one fell swoop. We are all local to somewhere and owning, seeing and taking responsibility for our food and how it is grown is imperative. We need to re-engage with the fields that feed us. We need to learn about and care about farming once more.

As a first step, I would urge everyone to try to grow something of their own to eat, at least once. Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to own a field, or even a garden, but just growing something like a packet of lettuce on a windowsill can help to appreciate the beauty, the challenge and the sheer miracle of growing food. It helps us to start to think about the soil, about the life were nurturing, about the elemental processes that sustain us all.

As you do so, you might start to think of the British countryside as your garden. You wouldnt walk into it and expect to eat something from it that you couldnt actually grow, or something out of season, or something that trashed your garden. Instead, you would look at what was available in each season and try to eat accordingly.

Beyond this, if you can, get your food direct from a farmer with a sustainable farming system and environmental values (quite a lot of them can be found on social media and, yes, they often home deliver). Or try being a nuisance and ask more questions in shops and restaurants about where the food came from. If it doesnt have an origin, a story you can understand, dont buy it. And then be noisy. Demand changes to our laws that raise our standards and encourage progressive change on farms via environmental schemes. Above all, right now we should all raise our voices against the proposed US trade deal that would drive things to be much, much worse.

When we find ways to farm regeneratively and in ways that allow nature to thrive around us, then we will have a range of foodstuffs to choose from. We can then take our pick and eat what we each think is right and good.

James Rebanks is a farmer based in the Lake District. His latest book is English Pastoral

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Enough with 'local' and 'organic'. We'll begin to eat well when we farm well - The Guardian

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: September 4, 2020 3:50:21 pmDue to lack of awareness, a majority of women who endure this ailment remain unaware. (Source: Getty Images)

PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is one of the most common hormonal disorders in women. In India, almost one out of every five women suffer from it. However, due to lack of awareness, a majority of women who endure this ailment remain unaware of it, said Aarti Gill, co-founder OZiva, adding that it is extremely important to draw sufficient attention towards PCOS and its effects.

While there is no cure, the symptoms of PCOS can be managed by adopting a clean and holistic lifestyle. Obesity is a common finding in women with PCOS, and between 4080 per cent of women with this condition are reported to be overweight or obese according to an NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) study, she added.

Below, take a look at a comprehensive guide for you to mitigate PCOS.

READ| Count on these handy tips to prevent and manage the polycystic ovarian syndrome

Eating a well-balanced diet is a must to manage PCOS. Not only that, but it is also important to ensure that you consume a protein-rich diet to control the bodys resistance towards insulin. Gill suggested choosing healthy sources of protein that do not increase cholesterol levels such as tofu, beans, lentils, seeds, nuts, etc. It is also important to steer clear of simple carbs and opt for complex carbs instead. Choose whole grains and low glycemic foods such as whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice or even quinoa, she said. They are enriched with fibre which helps manage insulin resistance, a major contributor to PCOS.

Make sure you consume at least 1-2 servings of whole fruits and vegetables daily. Also, make sure to eat foods rich in omega-3 such as walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds and healthy fats such as olive oil, mustard oil which help in reducing the inflammation caused by insulin resistance and obesity, suggested Gill.

Avoid consuming milk and milk products if you have PCOS as they tend to trigger insulin and testosterone levels in the body which can cause serious bouts of acne, said Gill. Not only that, but even coffee is also a big no-no for women with PCOS. Gill said: It is widely believed to worsen PCOS by catalyzing estrogen production during menstruation which leads to hormonal imbalance.

Plant-based foods are a great way to manage PCOS and also for overall health. Ashwagandha and tulsi both help in correcting irregular menstrual cycles, obesity, infertility, blood sugar, and weight gain by decreasing the cortisol levels in the body, she said.

Another important component is green tea. This is highly beneficial because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, cinnamon and curcumin are both soothing and useful as cinnamon regulates the menstrual cycle and reduces insulin resistance while curcumin, an active pigment in turmeric, is highly anti-inflammatory and also improves insulin resistance, added Gill.

READ| How Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is diet driven

This goes without saying. Make sure you work out for at least half an hour every day. Not only does it set your mood right but also helps in managing insulin resistance. Gill suggests that one can go for any form of cardio like skipping, brisk walking or even running. When you lose excess weight, your metabolism heightens and keeps the body healthy, says Gill.

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PCOS Awareness Month 2020: Things to keep in mind when following a PCOS diet - The Indian Express

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 5

The Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Community Science, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organised a webinar on Nutrition A crucial pillar of holistic health approach to celebrate National Nutrition Month. The webinar was held in collaboration with the Indian Dietetic Association (Punjab chapter) and Nutrition Society of India (Ludhiana chapter).

Dr Sandeep Bains, Dean, College of Community Science, said the goal of holistic health was to achieve maximum well-being.

Dr Kiran Bains, head, Department of Food and Nutrition, highlighted the importance of a balanced eating. No single food can boost immunity rather a combination of immunomodulatory foods should be consumed to strengthen the immunity, she stressed.

Dr Jaspreet Kaur, convener, Indian Dietetic Association, Ludhiana chapter, explained how moderate physical activity boosts immunity and exhaustive heavy exercise could be an immune-depressant.

Dr Ruma Singh, chief dietician, CMCH, Ludhiana, explained how traditional diets of different states and traditional cooking methods were useful in imparting good health.

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Online event on importance of balanced diet - The Tribune India

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After national outrage, California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has issued an apology to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks for denying her the right to a proxy vote while she was on maternity leave to care for her four-week-old daughter(Lawmaker brings newborn to Capitol after being told she cant vote by proxy, Sept. 2).

Speaker Rendons behavior was unacceptable. Nevertheless, Wicks graciously accepted his apology. Going forward, I hope Rendon will do everything in his power to assure the rights of parents in the workplace.

It will take that and more if he expects to live down the anger and frustration of working parents and especially women who have often experienced the insensitivity and callousness that he has so ably demonstrated from his high office.

Judith HurleySan Jose

Certainly, it is unfortunate that not everyone has the equipment and adequate access to the internet to support online activities and especially so for our children faced with online learning during the pandemic.

And it was especially telling in the viral photo of the two young girls using the fast-food restaurants Wi-Fi in Salinas in their parking lot.

What was unsaid was how proud we should be of these two young girls being so determined to get their education, that they did not let obstacles deter them.

They should be commended for their resilience, their ability to improvise or innovate, and their sheer determination to succeed where they could have easily used their lack of resources as an excuse to simply skip school.

As a community, we need to do more for them and others like them but in the absence of that they deserve our praise.

Gary MillerSaratoga

I enjoyed reading School Coronavirus Dos and Donts (Milpitas teachers pandemic guide written to make children feel safer, Sept. 1) as a high school student, even though it was intended for elementary school kids and teachers.

Helping kids (actually everyone) understand the negative impact of COVID-19 and the benefit of wearing masks and social distancing can be a daunting task. Written with light-hearted humor and colorful illustrations, the advice Adrienne Barber gives stayed with me. My favorite line? Do mute yourself sometimes. Dont mute your cat when using Zoom.

Sophia HorngSaratoga

It was gratifying to read that smart minds are thinking about power grid solutions (Bay Area is fighting blackout culprit climate change, Sept. 2). I agree that we owe it to future generations to do our very best to fight climate change by thinking and acting differently and letting go of systems that may not serve us anymore.

While the article was focused on power grid solutions, Id like to offer a gentle reminder that fighting climate change is itself a multi-pronged approach. Individuals did a great job cutting back on electrical usage during the last heatwave. Something that individuals can do right now (and ongoing) to realize a big climate-positive impact is to transition to a plant-based diet. According to Drawdown, plant-rich diets help humans by providing a healthier diet which can lead to lower rates of chronic disease and help the planet by reducing emissions.

Lets continue to do our part.

Tina MorrillSan Jose

Lets take a memory test. Repeat after me: Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV. Got it? Close your eyes and repeat it again. Howd you do? Congratulations, if you got all five correct, you are now qualified to be president. We have set the bar so low that almost anyone is qualified to run this country.

Heres another memory challenge. Lets go back to where you were in November 2016 when the media declared Trump as our next president. Try to recall how you felt at that moment and the days to come. Not a pleasant memory Im guessing.

Now imagine it is November 2020 and Trump somehow wins a second term. Do you think you and our countrys democracy could handle another four years of Trump? Heres the bottom line; are you willing to get involved to prevent this outcome? Now remember these five words: Volunteer, Donate, Vote for Biden.

Rene WiseFremont

Belarus is seeking democracy, its people demonstrating in the streets trying to depose an autocrat who has ruled them for 26 years and fixed the most recent election. Russia is looking on hungrily, threatening to intervene if protests continue.

Questions: One where is the United States when one dictator (Vladimir Putin) threatens to overrun another country? Answer nowhere to be seen; and two will we be in the streets ourselves in several months if voter suppression and phony legal maneuvers threaten us with a rigged election? Only your vote can tell.

Ed TaubMountain View

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Letters: Parental rights | Pursuit of education | Advice for all | Diet and climate | Remember and vote - East Bay Times