Sugar is all around you. Its in your cabinets. In your fridge. And, of course, given the pint of Ben & Jerrys, in your freezer too.

But consuming excessive added sugars is detrimental to your health. In a study published in April 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, adults who consumed 10 to 24 percent of their calories from added sugar (between 200 and 480 calories in a 2,000-calorie diet) had a 30 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who keep their consumption to less than 10 percent. Eat 25 percent or more of your calories from added sugar (500 calories) and that number jumps to nearly three times the risk.

Confusingly, the recommended limit of added sugars differs among organizations. I focus on the American Heart Associations (AHA) number because theyre the strictest, says Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, of Nutrition Starring You in Green Brook Township, New Jersey. TheAHA advises that women limit their consumption to six teaspoons per day (25 grams [g]) and men cap themselves at 9 teaspoons per day (36 g). Recently released 2020 recommendations from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines note that in total, added sugars should make up no more than 6 percent of calories for any person age 2 years and up.

RELATED: How Cutting Added Sugar Helped One Woman Lose 180 Pounds

Remember, added sugar is sugar that has been added to foods to enhance their taste. Foods with added sugar include cookies and most dry breakfast cereals and granola bars, as well as condiments such as ketchup and barbecue sauce, along with yogurt and sugar-sweetened drinks, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Natural sugars, on the other hand, reside in plain dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. These foods come with a variety of nutrients your body needs for optimal health, including calcium and vitamin D (from dairy, as the National Institutes of Health points out), and fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (from fruit and veggies, notes past research) which is why experts recommend continuing to consume them.

RELATED: Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?

Even if you wouldn't call yourself a dessert lover, you may still find that sticking to this limit is tough. I dont have a sweet tooth, writes Jennifer Ashton, MD, the chief medical correspondent of ABC News, in her bookThe Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter One Month at a Time. I rarely eat sugar, mostly because I avoid nearly all the processed carbs that contain it, she says.

Before Dr. Ashton really examined how much she was eating, she gave herself a B+ for her sweet consumption. But she wanted to get an A+, so she committed to reducing her added sugar intake as much as possible over the course of a month, and she was shocked by how difficult this task was. Ashton found that her desire for sweets increased when she deprived herself of them, and she ate several cookies through the month. (In other words, if youre also trying to cut back on the sweet stuff, she understands the struggle.)

You can learn from Ashton and other experts to finally get your inner sugar demons under control. Follow these steps to kick or at least cut back on sugar for good:

Im always a fan of adding versus taking away, says Harris-Pincus. Approaching a challenge from a mindset of abundance or can have, makes it feel less punishing than when you say you cant have x, y, or z. Practically speaking, in the context of reducing sugar, this means adding in nutrient-rich foods, like fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean protein.

The more food you eat thats nutrient-rich, the less hungry you are for things like sugary foods because you dont have enough room for them, she says. For instance, rather than eating a sandwich with chips (and then a cookie) for lunch, serve the sandwich with a side salad or sliced veggies dipped in hummus, plus a whole piece of fruit.

RELATED: 7 Foods With More Sugar Than You Think

Peer into your pantry or freezer. Are there trays of cookies, boxes of sweetened cereal, bars of granola, and the like? If sugary foods such as these are hanging around, youre more likely to eat them, says Ashton. She recommends doing a sweep of your home to remove those items. Tell your family they can eat sweets outside the home this month.

Though sugar is added to many products (including savory foods you wouldnt expect, like salad dressings), you can make the most profound, immediate impact,saysLisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of the New York Nutrition Group in New York City, by taking out a high-ticket item: sweetened beverages.

Can the soda, sweetened teas, and caffeinated beverages, she says. Not only is it a good sugar category to cut, but youll also benefit in particular ways by removing sugary liquids. When you drink your sugar, versus eating it, it usually breaks down a lot quicker, causing sky-high blood glucose levels and then quick crashes soon after, she explains, and research supports her. Moskovitz says these glucose spikes send your energy levels way up and down, and you may experience cravings for even more sugar.

Kicking this source of added sugar can have whole-body perks. As a standalone item, sweetened beverages including soda and fruit drinks are independently associated with a higher risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, gout (a form of arthritis), nonalcoholic liver disease, and dental issues, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Instead of sugary beverages, try upping your water intake, Ashton recommends in her book. Add a fresh slice of fruit to your H2O, or opt for an unsweetened sparkling beverage if youre craving something with carbonation.

RELATED: Thirsty? Try One of These Refreshing Alternatives to Soda

Next place to tackle, says Moskovitz, is desserts. (This doesnt mean no desserts ever! See below.) Reducing the amount of foods that have a lot of sugar but not many nutrients is a good next step. That includes candy, desserts, and snack foods. Considering youre not getting a whole lot of nutritional value from them, your body wont miss them, she says. Your head might and thats where a moderate approach comes in handy.

Its tough to know where sugar hides if you arent on the up with all the names sugar hides under. Added sugar is in nearly three-quarters of packaged foods and goes by 61 names, according to SugarScience from the University of California in San Francisco. That includes: agave, honey, beet sugar, coconut sugar, fruit juice, syrup (of any kind), sweet sorghum, and ingredients with words ending in -ose. The latter includes high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and dextrose.

Good news, though: New labeling laws require companies to list the amount of added sugar in food (previously, natural and added sugars were all lumped together in the sugar category). This transparency for consumers will help prevent more than 350,000 cases of heart disease and about 600,000 cases of type 2 diabetes, according to the authors of an April 2019 study published in Circulation.

RELATED: 10 Healthy (and Easy) Quarantine Dessert Recipes

Sugar in your diet really doesnt need to be all or nothing. But make those times you eat a sugary food entirely worth it. I encourage patients, even those who want to lose weight, to indulge in the occasional treat when and if it presents itself otherwise you can feel deprived and set yourself up for failure, says Ashton. If buying an entire pint of Hagen-Dazs is too tempting, opt for a lower-sugar ice cream varieties in moderation. Moskovitz suggests one cup serving of vanilla bean Halo Top ice cream, which has 4 g of added sugar. In comparison, a cup serving of Hagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream packs 24 grams of added sugar! Whichever sweet you pick, enjoy it to the fullest, with intention and no guilt.

More:
6 Expert Tips for Reducing Added Sugar in Your Diet - Everyday Health

Diets high in processed foods such as chips, chocolate bars, soft drinks, instant noodles, and packaged bread and buns are more likely to result in the chromosomal changes associated with aging, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain presented their findings on Tuesday as part of the online European and International Conference on Obesity. The study was also published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition earlier this year, AFP reports. Researchers found that people who ate more than three servings of ultra-processed foods per day were twice as likely to have shortened telomeres, the protein structures capping each end of a chromosome, which act as protection for the chromosome and can be used as an indicator of aging.

While the telomeres do not contain genetic information themselves, they are vital for preserving the stability and integrity of chromosomes, and by extension, the DNA that every cell in our body relies on to function, the conference said in a statementpublicizing the finding.As we get older, our telomeres get shorter since each time a cell divides, part of the telomere is lost, thus telomere length is considered to be a marker of biological age.

Original post:
Diets high in ultra-processed foods linked to premature aging, study finds - National Post

For the past two years, the FDA has been investigating a strange development in dog health. The agency started hearing reports that more pups than usual were developing a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to weaken and grow larger.

Typically, veterinarians see this issue in large dogs. Some breeds, such as Doberman pinschers, Great Danes and others, are genetically predisposed to the condition, which slowly saps the heart of its ability to efficiently pump blood. This can lead to fainting, weakness or death. But recently, dogs that arent considered at risk of the heart disease, like golden retrievers, started showing up to veterinarian offices with enlarged hearts. Veterinarian providers began talking amongst themselves and observed that some of these dogs were eating grain-free food kibble and soft canned food formulated without corn, wheat and soy. It begs the question: Could these heart troubles stem from a dogs diet?

That's what prompted the FDA and other research groups to investigate the health effects of grain-free dog food. For the most part, researchers have a lot to learn about this supposed relationship, which is a familiar situation for the profession. All of us that are in this from an academic standpoint are the first to admit that nutrition of dogs and cats is woefully behind that of other animal species and humans, says Greg Aldrich, a pet nutritionist at Kansas State University. The more investigators learn, the closer they come to gaining broader understandings about what keeps our pets healthy.

A stroll through the ever-expanding pet care aisle could leave any owner confused about what food to buy. A few decades ago, this might not have been the case. Thats when grain-free varieties first emerged, and the products took up little shelf space. This type of dog food appeared, in part, because some breeders and owners concluded that commodity foods like soy and other grains must somehow be lower quality, Aldrich says. The science doesnt back up that idea. But that didn't stop the product from taking off. It emerged from nothing to a prominent part of the marketplace, Aldrich says.

To replace starches in grain-free kibble, companies introduced substitutions like sweet potatoes, lentils and legumes. But these "new" ingredients could leave dogs with low levels of an essential protein building block called taurine. Legumes might not be an adequate source of two precursor nutrients that dogs' bodies rely on to make taurine. To add to that, it's also possible that these alternative starches can ferment in dogs' intestines and may foster taurine-degrading microbes creating a one-two punch of nutrient deprivation. Several grain-free formulas also throw in more unusual or exotic protein sources, like lamb, duck and kangaroo all of which might provide less taurine, or make the precursor nutrients less effective.

These possibilities are just that possibilities, Aldrich says. Researchers have yet to conclusively prove whether or not these ingredients cause enough taurine deficiency to create heart problems in dogs. In one study, dogs on grain-free diets had some heart measurements that were larger than those of dogs on traditional kibble, but they didnt show any taurine deficiency. When seven of the dogs that had heart abnormalities switched to traditional diets, the researchers saw their condition improve. Other research looking at beagles found that when the pups ate grain-free diets that supplemented with taurine, their taurine levels were comparable to those of dogs on normal food.

When it comes to golden retrievers, diets that cut out grains but include legumes might be especially troublesome. A 2020 study linked this type of diet with taurine deficiency and heart abnormalities in goldens that were consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy. The researchers also found that goldens with heart problems were more likely to be fed dog food produced by smaller companies.

In fact, of all the dogs with this particular heart issue reported to the FDA recently, golden retrievers are the most represented breed. The agency thinks this is because of a reporting bias, as social media pages dedicated to the breed might have encouraged owners to bring their pets to the vet, but its also possible that some breeds are more sensitive to taurine deficiencies.

In fact, its likely that a range of other life factors beyond diet influence whether or not dogs develop this heart problem. Researchers dont know if obesity, diabetes or other health conditions make a dog more likely to develop dilated cardiomyopathy, Aldrich says. The influence of household chemicals or pesticides is similarly unclear.

If dietary factors are to blame for dilated cardiomyopathy, it's also possible that the problem might be related to overall recipe formulations used by some brands rather than single ingredients. What seems to be consistent is that it does appear to be more likely to occur in dogs eating boutique, grain-free, or exotic ingredient diets, writes Lisa Freeman, a veterinarian at Tufts University, in a Cummings Veterinary Medical Center blog post. A quality, nutritious dog food needs a range of considerations, including rigorous quality control and extensive testing, she writes. Not every manufacturer can do this.

When it comes to selecting dog food, the consumer is often making an educated guess at best. Though there are basic requirements each manufacturer is supposed to meet, theres no Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, Aldrich says. If youre unsure, aiming for a middle of the road dog food variety is a safe bet.

Like with humans, the standard dietary recommendations dont work for every dog, Aldrich points out. It might be the case that nutrition recommendations should be tailored to each breed, as theres so much variance from tiny Yorkies to mastiffs the size of adult men. We want to be there, but we're just not, he says.

The rest is here:
Grain-Free Diets Have Been Linked to Serious Heart Problems in Dogs - Discover Magazine

Righto! Spring time is the perfect time for a spring clean.

If you've been in isolation and feeling a bit sluggish or like you're holding onto a little bit of unwanted weight, here are some easy ways to slowly stimulate your body into a mini detox without changing your lifestyle too much...

Now I know this one is a no-brainer but it actually works, lemon juice stimulates bile secretion and is a great way to give your liver a kick start. The liver is like the trash-can of your body so it has to detoxify all the junk that comes in. Lemon juice in warm water will stimulate the liver. TRY: half a lemon in about 1/3 cup of warm water, then straight down the hatch!

If you ever want to go on a health kick, the best way to do it is to up the greens. Broccoli is a goodie because it also stimulates the liver, it works on phase-two liver detoxification.

Steam it, roast it, toss it through some yummy pasta, add it to some soup It's so versatile. My personal fave is just to simple roast it in some olive oil, salt and pepper.

These guys are super high in antioxidants and they're anti-aging. You can eat a whole punnet after dinner for a healthy sweet treat. Replace your milk chocolate with berries and a few squares of dark chocolate.

This guy is great, because it helps with the sweet cravings, it's high in fibre and it's a slow release carbohydrate.

TRY: Veggie chippies.

These are great way to add more flavour and nutrients to your eating. It's as simple as finely cutting up a sweet potato, laying the slices out on a baking tray and roasting them which your favourite spices I love to use chilli, lime juice, coriander seeds and sometimes I'm in the mood for fennel seeds, but it's totally up to you.

You can also just go for a simple rock salt and pepper combo. With the oil, because you're roasting, I'd got for a fry safe extra virgin coconut oil. The cooking time depends on the size of your batch and the thickness of your chippies. I cut them super fine and they only take 10-15 mins.

Give them a whirl, they made a great addition to dips, a side to meals and even add that little bit of extra crunch to a salad!You can also try this with beetroot, carrot, eggplant and kale.

As the Spring days warm up, you can start to bring smoothies back into your life. Think about adding a handful of baby spinach to your fave smoothie creation, baby spinach wont impart flavor like kale or silverbeet. So it will look green, you'll have the health benefits but it wont taste gross.

21 exercise essentials to help kickstart your workout routine

See the rest here:
These are the foods you need to introduce into your diet now to kickstart healthier eating habits - 9Coach

With diets like keto and intermittent fasting, social and popular media has been flooded with claims, promises and warnings that are at best unverified and at worst harmful to your health, co-author Andrew Freeman, MD, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness for National Jewish Health, said in a statement. Diets recommended by health experts, such as plant-based and Mediterranean diets, have been extensively studied for safety and efficacy, and demonstrated conclusively to improve cardiovascular health.

Freeman added that it is particularly important for diabetes to speak with a physician before beginning intermittent fasting.

Until larger studies have been carried out on the long-term impact of these dietary approaches, Freeman and colleagues note that neither diet is recommended as a tool for preventing cardiovascular disease.

The full review from Freeman et al. can be read here.

Originally posted here:
Researchers share praiseand concernsabout how the keto diet and intermittent fasting affect cardiovascular health - Cardiovascular Business

Its hard to keep up with all the diets out there. Atkins, Mediterranean, Paleo and many others claim their eating

Its hard to keep up with all the diets out there. Atkins, Mediterranean, Paleo and many others claim their eating plan is the best for health, fitness, weight control and longevity. Another claimant you may have heard of is the Blue Zone diet.

Blue Zones are regions of the world where the diets creator, Dan Buettner, claims people live much longer than average. The term first appeared in a November 2005 National Geographic magazine cover story, The Secrets of a Long Life. Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow, identified five regions as Blue Zones (a term he trademarked): Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda/Seventh-day Adventists, California.

The concept grew out of demographic work done by researchers who identified as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians. As the two men zeroed in on the cluster of villages with the highest longevity, they drew concentric blue circles on the map and began referring to the area inside the circle as the Blue Zone,' says Elizabeth DeRobertis, a registered dietitian with Scarsdale Medical Group, an affiliate of White Plains Hospital in New York. Working with those demographers, and under the aegis of the National Geographic Society, Buettner applied the term to the four other validated longevity areas.

The people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity, DeRobertis says. The data were intriguing enough that the oncologists in her medical group at White Plains Hospital asked her to research it and present her findings in a continuing education program for other physicians. There may be some flaws in the data that showed that people lived to 110. (But) it is definitely worth a look, and makes sense to see if we can make some of these modifications in our lifestyle, she says.

[Read: What Are the Secrets to Aging Well?]

Lifestyle Characteristics

DeRobertis found that, according to the diets creators, the people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity.

Family. Put family ahead of other concerns.

Semi-vegetarianism. The majority of food consumed is derived from plants.

Constant moderate physical activity. This is an inseparable part of life.

Social engagement. People of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities.

Legumes: This is one food that is commonly consumed.

Buettner offers nine lifestyle lessons from Blue Zones people:

1. Moderate, regular physical activity.

2. Life purpose.

3. Stress reduction.

4. Moderate caloric intake.

5. Plant-based diet.

6. Moderate alcohol intake, especially wine.

7. Engagement in spirituality or religion.

8. Engagement in family life.

9. Engagement in social life.

One thing common to Blue Zones is that those who live there primarily eat a 95% plant-based diet, DeRobertis says. Although most groups are not strict vegetarians, they only tend to eat meat around five times per month. That jibes with many large studies showing that avoiding meat can significantly reduce the risk of death from heart disease, cancer and many other causes.

[SEE: Plant-Based Diet Ideas.]

Foods in the Blue Zone Diet

The Blue Zone diet includes:

Fruits and vegetables. Theyre a great source of fiber and many different vitamins and minerals, DeRobertis says. Eating more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and death.

Legumes. Legumes include beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas, and they are all rich in fiber and protein. A number of studies have shown that eating legumes is associated with lower mortality, DeRobertis says.

Whole grains. A high intake of whole grains, which are also rich in fiber, can reduce blood pressure and is associated with reduced colorectal cancer and death from heart disease.

Nuts. Nuts are great sources of fiber, protein and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, DeRobertis says. Combined with a healthy diet, theyre associated with reduced mortality and may even help reverse metabolic syndrome.

Fish. Often eaten in Icaria and Sardinia, fish is a good source of omega-3 fats, which are important for heart and brain health.

Blue Zones people also follow reduced calorie intake and fasting. Long-term calorie restriction may help longevity, DeRobertis says. A large, 25-year study in monkeys found that eating 30% fewer calories than normal led to a significantly longer life. Studies in the Okinawans suggest that before the 1960s, they were in a calorie deficit, meaning that they were eating fewer calories than they required, which may be contributing to their longevity, she says. Okinawans tend to follow the 80% rule, which they call hara hachi bu. This means that they stop eating when they feel 80% full, rather than 100% full. This prevents them from eating too many calories, which can lead to weight gain and chronic disease.

In addition, people in some Blue Zones drink one to two glasses of red wine per day, which may help prevent heart disease and reduce the risk of death. And while people in these zones dont exercise in a gym, activity is built into their daily lives through gardening, walking, cooking and other daily chores, DeRobertis says.

[See: U.S. News 35 Best Diets Overall.]

Does the Blue Zone Diet Work?

A study of the claimed centenarians found there may be some fraud and error in the statistics used to designate Blue Zones, DeRobertis says. However, there is enough other substantiation for the health benefits of the diet and lifestyle modifications, even if the actual number of centenarians was not entirely accurate. These are still healthy lifestyle choices to aim to adapt that have been well documented, she says. I think that people should review the findings of the Blue Zones and see what makes sense to incorporate into their lifestyle. People who make these changes usually lose weight, feel more connected to their community and feel less stress. There is no harm in adapting any of these principles. So yes, overall this is a lifestyle that I would recommend.

Not everyone agrees, of course. I recommend some, but not all of the recommendations, says Aileen Birkitt, a registered dietitian and owner of Nutrition 4 You in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. She agrees with getting proper sleep and exercise, a greater focus on whole grain and plant-based foods and stopping eating when you are almost full.

However, Birkitt disagrees with the highly restrictive focus. It is very hard to avoid all sugar and processed foods in our society. Many times, the restriction and avoidance can lead to bingeing in those who are prone, she says. Birkitt also disagrees with avoiding dairy. Dairy products are important as they provide calcium and protein to the diet. Someone who is not having these products needs to be sure to get enough calcium from other sources.

Birkitt also warns against the Blue Zone diet for anyone who has an eating disorder or a history of an eating disorder. The avoidance of so many foods may cause someone to restrict foods that they might be able to eat in moderation, which might cause them to overeat from all the restricting and then feel guilt afterwards, she says.

Bottom line: As with all eating plans, its best to consult with a dietitian or nutritionist before making any changes to your diet. A specialist can help you pick the plan that will work best for your health history, lifestyle and, most importantly, what you like and dont like to eat. After all, no eating plan works if you dont enjoy it and stick with it.

More from U.S. News

7 Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Diet

10 Cheap Plant-Based Meals

Plant-Based Diets for Athletes

What Is the Blue Zone Diet? originally appeared on usnews.com

See the original post:
What Is the Blue Zone Diet? - WTOP

September is National Self Care Awareness Month, traditionally a time when "back to school"has always meant personal renewal, stretching yourself, and trying new things. Here's how to take care of yourself by eating a whole-food plant-based diet, according to Dr. Sari Eitches, an LA-based integrative internist whopromotes wellness through lifestyle choices and takes a holistic approach to personal health.

In an exclusive interview with The Beet, Dr. Eitches, a long-time vegan, talks about guiding her patients to a plant-based lifestyle, as well as what to look out for when transitioning to a vegan or plant-based approach to eating, and her love ofvegan cuisine from around the world. She leads by example and shows that a plant-based diet can optimize our bodys self-healing properties, by lowering inflammation and adding antioxidants to every meal.Lether advice will inspire you to nourish your body and start adding plants to your meals, and take care of you.

Dr. Eitches: I was just finishing my first year as a medical student and I was the least healthy I'd ever been. I was super addicted to caffeine and getting by with convenience food. One week, I signed up for a yoga retreat to reset and relax. The retreat center had a vegetarian dining hall and my teacher was a long-time raw vegan. I intended to eat a raw diet to cleanse at the week-long retreat, but I felt so incredible that I continued to follow the raw diet for two years and remain vegan 14+ years later.

Dr. Eitches: I was pretty fascinated by the vast data that the majority of chronic conditions that Americans suffer from can be controlled, prevented, or even reversed with lifestyle changes including a plant-based diet. We literally are what we eat. The food choices we make (or are made for us) can either cause inflammation and accelerate chronic disease or, if we choose whole food plant-based diet, for example, our foods can slow, reverse and prevent chronic diseases. I now see it in my office every day.

Dr. Eitches: I think of my role as a holistic approach to primary care. I get to learn about my patient's backgrounds, families, hobbies, and values. I understand their health goals and concerns in this context. I do have conventional training as a board-certified MD and run standard tests and prescribe medications when needed. I also have a board certification in integrative holistic medicine, which I lean into, to recommend supplements and refer to complementary healing modalities. With all of my patients, I always address optimizing nutrition, activity, sleep, and mental wellness.

Dr. Eitches: My nutrition plans are evidence-based and customized for each patient's preferences and underlying conditions. For instance, I recommend a plant-based diet for heart disease, diabetes and cancer, but a gluten-free diet for Hashimoto's, or a dairy-free diet for acne, or a low-FODMAP diet for IBS. In all of these cases, I recommend a three-month trial of the diet to see whether we see a difference in their symptoms or labs. I try to balance these recommendations by focusing on the healthful foods to include rather than on what to avoid. We need to be aware that restrictive diets can be isolating and triggering for some people, so there is no one-size-fits-all.

I do think that everybody should eat more greens and fruits and veggies and that nobody should consume dairy. There is great evidence that a whole-food, plant-based diet decreases cholesterol and blood sugar, decreases cancer risk, decreases inflammation and improves bowel regularity. When a patient is ready to try a plant-based lifestyle I am so excited to guide and encourage them on this journey.

Dr. Eitches: Start with adding plants to every meal. Think about the different types of plant foods: Fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, grains, and nuts, and explore all of them. Get excited about a recipe or a farm-share. Some non-vegan foods are simple to swap out such as dairy for plant-based milk and others can be slowly crowded off of the plate.

Dr. Eitches: I recommend that all vegans have their B12 and homocysteine levels checked yearly. Ideally, our B12 levels should be over 400, and homocysteine should be below 8. We should take a B12 supplement, such as a methylcobalamin lozenge or spray to get to these goals. B12 is hugely important for our energy levels, mood, and neurologic function. I often will check omega 3's, vitamin D and iodineas all of these levels tend to be lower in vegans.

Dr. Eitches: There is some meal planning that has to happen around traveling and events, but it's pretty easy to plan ahead. I do make sure to always have vegan cupcakes on hand, either as a mix or in the freezer, so that my kids never feel left out at a birthday party.

Dr. Eitches: I eat plenty of legumes, especially lentils, black beans and edamame. I sometimes add pea protein to my smoothies. I also love (sprouted, organic, non-GMO) tofu and seitan.

Dr. Eitches: I love food, so I can't pick just one. I do love to make a huge green salad and tofu scramble, which I have a few times a week. I live in LA, where it is easy to order amazing vegan food. Some of my favorites are Thai eggplant with brown rice or papaya salad, Ethiopian platters, Japanese ramen and veggie sushi, Indian bharta or bhindi, and Mexican fajitas or burritos.

Dr. Eiches: I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion and where it isnt, thats where my work lies. -- Ram Dass

View original post here:
September is Self Care Month. Here's how to Eat for Wellness - The Beet

The internet is full of so-called superfoods and fad diets that are purported to have hugely beneficial properties, but popular wisdom states that a balanced diet is what's important, and that most things are fine in moderation. YouTuber Beau Miles threw that out the window in his recently documented dietary challenge, as he attempted to become a "human bean."

Men's Health

Subscribe to Men's Health

Miles was inspired to take on the challenge by a memorable scene in the 1935 novel Tortilla Flat by American author John Steinbeck. In the book, struggling single mother Teresina Cortez feeds her nine children on nothing but beans. When the local school hears of this, they dispatch a doctor to investigate, and he finds (much to his surprise) that Teresina's children are in remarkably good health.

To find out whether there are any real-life health benefits to a bean-only diet as depicted by Steinbeck, Miles sets out to eat his bodyweight in nothing but tinned beans; that's around 187 pounds (and 191 cans) over the course of 40 days.

"My key litmus test for this experiment will be running," he explains. "How I feel when I run correlates to what I eat, which for my entire life has been eating everything. To see how this whole experiment pans out, in 40 days' time I will run a 50k ultra marathon in the mountains, eating my final tins during the race."

Within just one day of starting the challenge, Miles is already experiencing a lot of gas; a problem which will continue throughout the 40 days. And there are other side effects, too. "It's been a steady decline in mood, energy, and general life in the first 4 days," he says, although he puts this down at first to reducing his caffeine consumption during this restrictive diet. He also becomes increasingly irritable as the month progresses.

As far as his physical performance goes, Miles soon finds that his body isn't getting the fuel it needs to power through and make good times, but that he's still able to complete his runs. He describes his progress while training for the ultra marathon as distinctly average. "It's like you're running with a hangover, or no sleep," he says.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

By the day of the ultra marathon, Miles has lost 9 pounds, and completes the 50k run "slowly but surely." Ultimately, he says he found the experience to be a "profound" one, and learned a lot about his own relationship with food; namely, that eliminating variety and reducing his diet to just one item ended up having a serious emotional impact.

"Food makes me more creative, more energized, healthy," he says. "Eating beans only makes me healthy in one particular way, but deadens everything else."

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Visit link:
This Guy Ate Nothing But Tinned Beans for 40 Days. Heres What It Did to His Body. - menshealth.com

It seems fitting that a government lacking in substance is now urging the nation to lose some of its own. At the end of July it launched its anti-obesity strategy, boosted by evidence that Covid-19 hits overweight people hardest. Today saw a more targeted soup-and-shakes weight-loss plan aimed at people with type 2 diabetes.

Common to both initiatives is the advice to exercise more and eat less. It seems as pure and virtuous as Mom and apple pie (well, maybe minus the pie). But as a strategy for weight loss it has a basic and fatal flaw: it doesnt work.

I learned this through bitter experience. Several years ago I carefully cut back on my eating, and sure enough, the kilos fell away. So did my sanity. Feeling hungry most of the time had made me grumpy, irritable and obsessed by the next meal. I was leaner but meaner.

When I hit my target weight I was careful not to go back to old habits. So it was deeply disturbing when I could not stop my lost weight piling back on with a vengeance. Twelve months later I was at least as heavy as I had been before. Anecdote is not evidence, of course. But my case is an example of a well-established fact: the vast majority put back on all the weight they lose when dieting, or even more.

The reasons for this are complicated, but the basic principles are clear enough. The simple energy-in-energy-out model treats the body as though it were a machine, always burning its fuel in the exact same way. Instead, nature favours organisms that can adjust their energy expenditure in accordance with what is available.

The human body is such a homeostatic, self-regulating system. Deprive it of calories and it starts to burn fewer of them, and tries to horde away any excess as fat. So all the time the dieter is congratulating themselves on their weight loss, their body is wondering what the hell is going on, and doing all it can to reverse it.

Evidence is mounting that body weight is not determined purely by calorie intake. How we metabolise our food depends on what kind of food it is, not just how much energy it contains. We dont yet know exactly what makes a difference, but we have lots of evidence that people get fatter when they eat more highly processed foods, especially refined carbohydrates. They are also slimmer when they eat more home-cooked meals. So a serious anti-obesity strategy would require the government to take on the food industrys promotion of highly processed foods.

The apparent success of the soup-and-shakes strategy in trials is no vindication of old-school calorie-counting. Its not just that the trials were highly controlled and participants had serious health conditions and so were highly motivated. More importantly, the success heralded was in remission of type 2 diabetes, not weight loss. While 35.6% of participants were in remission after two years, only 11.4% had maintained a 15kg weight loss. Since the results after two years were significantly worse than those after one, we dont yet know whether even these gains are sustainable. The study is encouraging for diabetes treatment, but it is not even close to being evidence that sustainable weight loss is achievable for most people.

We should be less obsessed by weight in itself anyway. Ive seen meta-studies that suggest all-cause mortality is lowest in people who are actually slightly overweight. Even a recent Lancet study, which suggested the officially healthy body mass index of 25 was indeed optimal for health, still showed that increases in risk are minor for the moderately chubby.

Government calls to reduce our weight assume we can control what in reality we can merely influence. The most we can control is the kinds and amounts of food we eat, how much we exercise, whether we smoke and how heavily we drink. If you do that and are a little overweight, you are going to be much healthier than a couch potato who stays slim through endless cans of diet Coke and cigarettes.

If the government wants to help people to eat better, its main priority should be ending what is often called food poverty more accurately described as poverty, full stop. The poorer you are, the more likely you are to be overweight, almost certainly because of the way poverty limits your food choices. If people cannot afford good food, or the fuel to cook from scratch at home, telling them to eat less and better is pointless.

Of course we should all try to take responsibility for our own health. But we can be responsible only for what we have the power to do. That is limited not just by basic biology, but by what is on our shop shelves and in our wallets. Tackling those problems requires controls on business and greater redistribution of wealth. The government rejects both on ideologic grounds, and instead promotes dieting and personal responsibility, preferring flawed common sense to the evidence.

Julian Baggini is a writer and philosopher

View original post here:
It'll take more than a soup-and-shakes diet plan to tackle obesity in the UK - The Guardian

Stocking your fridge with colorful fruits and veggies and fish high in omega-3s is a great step toward following an anti-inflammatory diet but don't forget to survey your spice cabinet. According to Krista King, RDN, adding turmeric a spice and medicinal herb originating in Southeast Asia, and what gives curry its yellow color to your meals can come with anti-inflammatory bonuses, too.

"Curcumin is the bioactive compound found in turmeric and is best known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties," King told POPSUGAR. "This means it can help to reduce inflammation and scavenges free radicals that can damage cells."

While King noted that turmeric is well-tolerated by most and is generally safe to consume especially in food form it may not be advised for everyone. King suggests anyone with the following health concerns to check in with a doctor before adding turmeric to their diet: bile-duct obstruction or gallstones, bleeding disorders, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hormone-sensitive cancers and conditions, iron deficiency, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and infertility. Though, as a general rule of thumb, you should always check in with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.

Turmeric comes in different forms and its form also depends on its potency. For example, King said that one teaspoon of ground turmeric contains about 200 milligrams of curcumin, though it can vary, while the nutrients found in fresh turmeric root will be more easily absorbed and usable by the body. One downside, though, is that fresh turmeric root obviously has a shorter shelf life than the ground spice.

King said that 500 milligrams of curcumin per day is a general recommendation but again, you'll want to get personalized advice from your doctor.

"It's important to note that the curcumin in turmeric is not absorbed well in the bloodstream, but pairing turmeric with black pepper will help increase absorption due to a compound in black pepper called piperine," King said.

This tip will come in handy when trying some of King's easy turmeric-enhanced meal ideas! During breakfast, King suggests adding turmeric to oatmeal or chia pudding, or you could make golden milk using a teaspoon of turmeric, a sprinkle of black pepper, and your favorite iced or heated milk.

King noted that a turmeric anti-inflammatory smoothie can be mixed up with banana, coconut milk, your favorite protein powder (King suggests vanilla!), and a dash of black pepper.

For lunch or dinner, try coconut curry: add your favorite veggies, protein (King recommends tofu or chicken), canned coconut milk, fresh ginger, turmeric, and black pepper, and serve with rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa. King also suggests sprinkling turmeric on roasted veggies with black pepper another idea perfect for lunch or dinner.

Click here for more health and wellness stories, tips, and news.

Image Source: Getty Images / OatmealStories

See the article here:
Give Your Breakfast an Anti-Inflammatory Boost With Turmeric - POPSUGAR