Zac Efron sports one of the most shredded physiques in Hollywood. He made headlines for his improved build in the film, Baywatch recently. In a video uploaded on the Mens Health YouTube account, Efron gave insight into the crazy diets hes utilized for different roles and what he currently eats.

Efron first gained attention as a teen actor for his work in Disney movies, including the popular High School Musical franchise. He made headlines after he packed on the pounds for a role in the 2017 movie Baywatch. Efron went on an extremely strict diet to gain a significant amount of muscle mass for the character. The film also featured Dwayne The Rock Johnson, who motivated Efron during their workouts together on the set.

Besides being an actor, Efron is also a fitness enthusiast and likes to work out. He even shared his fitness journey for a brief period on his YouTube channel called Gym Time, featuring training sessions with different celebrities. Last year, Efron showed off his ripped abs on social media. He looked incredibly lean.

In a recent video uploaded on Mens Health YouTube account, Efron shared the various kinds of diets he tried in preparation for his roles and revealed that he is currently on an intermittent fasting diet plan.

I guess the philosophy around my current diet is intermittent fasting mixed with getting enough nutrition to sort of sustain me throughout the day. I started intermittent fasting just after I stopped being vegan. My body wasnt processing the vegetables the right way so I decided to stop it and start something new. Intermittent fasting has been really helpful with that.

He had a strict schedule for his most-ripped role in Baywatch.

I adopted a really specific eating regimen. Clean fish or meat with sweet potatoes, like that. I just did that for the entire film. So that was the most extreme I had ever gone. I think I was in ketosis the entire film.

Beer run was really fun. I just got to eat whatever I wanted.

RELATED: Best Fat Burner for Intermittent Fasting

I feel good when I have bananas and sweet potatoes. I think I get the most bang for my buck out of those ones. Also plantains for some reason give me good energy for some reason.

This is kinda of a weird one but I really like organ meats so I love liver and onions, things like that. So typically Ill break fast around 10:30 or 11, but thats after I do some cardio. First meal of the day usually starts with bone broth. I really love bone broth, its satisfying, its good for your stomach.

Some sort of veggies with a really clean source of protein whether its chicken, beef, venison, elk anything. Then I usually have my highest carbohydrate meal sort of in the evening. Thats usually another really good source of meat and healthy carbs like sweet potatoes or quinoa.

Check also: Liver King Diet and Workout Program

Efron made it clear that his roles require a lot of discipline and dedication to keep his fitness levels high. With his current plan of intermittent fasting, Zac intends to eat healthier while still maintaining an impressive frame.

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Zac Efron Talks New 'Helpful' Intermittent Fasting Diet That Helps Maintain Energy Levels Throughout the Day Fitness Volt - Fitness Volt

Tried everything to put on weight, but nothing really seems to work? Fret not! Youre not alone. Weight gain is as much a struggle as weight loss, or maybe even more. Yes, you got that right. With so much information available to us, its easy to feel overwhelmed. The result? Most of us give in to commonly heard weight myths ending up making our transformational journey hard to finish.

Health Shots reached out to nutrition experts Kavita Devgan and Avni Kaul to dispel some myths around weight gain. Read on to know about it and also some tips on weight gain.

Eating junk will always bring you more harm than good. Junk or processed food is loaded with ingredients that can make your hormones go haywire and lead to lifestyle disorders. Devgan says, A better way is to increase more quality protein in your diet.

People with high metabolism struggle a lot with gaining weight. Feeling so, most people stop hitting the gym thinking that it can pause calorie burn. But that doesnt really work. Indulging in some sort of workout is not just healthy for your overall well-being, but also exercises can actually boost your appetite and can help increase muscle mass. Regular strength training helps in toning and giving the right shape to your body.

People around you could be recommending a high-protein diet for muscle gain. The truth is entirely different.

To this, Avni Kaul adds, Building muscle mass includes two things, progressive overload to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and having more calories than you can burn off. With all the hype surrounding high protein diets lately and knowing that muscles are made of protein, it is simple to believe that protein is the best fuel for building muscle. However, muscles work on calories which must predominantly be obtained from carbohydrates.

We all have been brainwashed to believe that if you eat fatty foods, you will get fat. In reality, this is not scientifically true. In most cases, people are eating less fat than ever only to end up getting fatter. The rationale is low-fat diets are mostly rich in salt and starchy or sugary carbohydrates which raise insulin and promote weight gain, says dietician and nutritionist Avni Kaul.

Being a vegetarian or vegan is a lifestyle choice. However, that doesnt mean people who are off a non-veg diet can not make muscles. Right strength-based training coupled with soy protein supplementation has been seen to increase body weight the right way.

We all gorge on diet soda or beverages thinking them to be healthy. A label that reads no sugar is not doing you any good. According to one research by Purdue University, rats who were given artificial sweeteners before they ate, finished eating more calories.

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6 weight gain myths debunked by nutrition experts - Health shots

Have you been taking your multivitamin recently? No? Well, it's high time that you cracked open that bottle again, people, especially if that little capsule contains B vitamins.

Keeping on top of your vitamin B intake is one of the most bolstering habits you can develop for your metabolism, as a study published in Current Medical Science shows. Researchers found that supplementing the diet with B vitamins resulted in a boost to the metabolism in rats, which could have some seriously beneficial implications for humans, too.

And if you don't have a bottle of vitamins close to hand, never fear there are plenty of food sources where you can top up your vitamin B levels effectively. Fish and meat sources, like salmon, beef, and organ meats, are all abundant in the vitamins, according to Healthline. If you're following a plant-based diet, though, never fear, as you can also get a good amount of B vitamins from sources like leafy greens, various beans and pulses, and nutritional yeast.

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14 Habits That Can Boost Your Metabolism - Health Digest

BioPls Slim Pro is an all-natural weight loss solution. If youre tired of carrying around belly fat and are willing to regain your youthful body size, this review is for you. Most people believe that working out and dieting can help them lose weight effectively.

However, these beliefs have their share of disadvantages. They ruin the lives of users and worsen their condition because they dont attack the root cause of the problem. Those looking to shed unwanted fat and lose weight need something strong, effective, and natural to help them overcome obesity in the safest way possible. That is where BioPls Slim Pro comes into play.

BioPls Slim Pro is an all-dietary formula designed for those seeking a weight loss solution that works. According to the official website, its the only natural weight loss solution that utilizes all-natural ingredients obtained from the most natural and potent sources.

The manufacturer formulated BioPls with the users metabolism in mind. It doesnt require users to make any changes in their diets or engage in some form of exercise. BioPls is made in the USA under utmost safety and precision standards. Importantly, the product is produced in an FDA-approved facility to ensure that the ingredients on the label are safe and they are the same ingredients in each capsule.

Each bottle of BioPls contains 90 dietary capsules to help users lose weight. BioPls Slim Pro is a product of BioPls Health, a company that has helped more than fifty thousand people to overcome several health problems. This product is made to help users balance their hormonal levels and increase their metabolism rate.

Unlike other weight loss supplements, BioPls tackles weight gain problems from the roots without the need to change diet or engage in vigorous exercise. When users adhere to the directions of use as given by the creator, they can burn excess fat within the shortest period naturally. Importantly, it works for both men and women.

Naturally, the human body is made to store excess fat within the cells. Each cell works to ensure that the body gets enough energy. However, as one gets older, the metabolism slows down and makes the energy conversion process slower.

Consequently, the fat cells grow bigger and cannot deliver enough energy. This process makes one pile on weight, even when they work out or uses special diets. BioPls works primarily to boost the metabolic rate by reducing the size of the fat cells when the body burns fat. When the cells become smaller, the amount of fat in the body decreases.

The supplement ensures that the body properly digests everything eaten and directly converts it to energy instead of storing it as fat. The supplement claims to reduce belly fat, thigh fat, and other body areas where fat accumulates. Users only need to follow simple steps to ensure that they accomplish their fat loss goals.

According to the creators of this supplement, users can drop up to 8 pounds on average and increase their lean body mass and muscle mass. The product works courtesy of its natural ingredients.

BioPls contains five main ingredients, which are proven and tested to help users burn excess fats. The creator checked each ingredient checked for purity and potency to ensure it delivers no adverse side effects. Here https://supplementscorecard.com/bioplsslimproare the ingredients found in each capsule of BioPls Slim Pro.

This ingredient is an acid found in meat and dairy products. It delivers numerous health benefits. It also supports weight loss. Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a form of polyunsaturated fatty acid, known as trans-fat. It occurs naturally in several healthy foods. The body cannot produce CLA naturally. This ingredient delivers the following benefits:

This ingredient is available in many weight loss supplements. It is obtained from raw coffee beans, which are yet to be roasted. The green coffee bean extract contains chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant with numerous health benefits. The extract delivers the following benefits:

This ingredient is a probiotic that is used in several food supplements. It is mainly available in fermented foods such as yogurts. This group of essential bacteria also occurs in the intestines naturally. It is equally helpful in the production of lactic acid. This ingredient delivers the following benefits:

This ingredient is a product of the Malabar Tamarind tropical fruit; according to this study, it improves the bodys ability to generate fat burn and suppresses appetite. It contains hydroxycitric acid, which is an active ingredient that blocks the citrate lyase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for storing fat in the body.

Additionally, it increases serotonin levels, which suppresses the feeling of hunger. According to some research, Garcinia fruit extract can improve cholesterol levels by raising good cholesterol HDL and lowering triglycerides.

This ingredient is among the most consumed beverages in the world. It is a concentrated form of green tea, of which one capsule is equivalent to an average cup of green tea. It is rich in antioxidants, which help flush out free radicals from the blood. This eventually improves heart, liver, skin, and brain health.

Importantly, this ingredient also supports weight loss because it has a good amount of caffeine, which regulates hormones responsible for thermogenesis. It also regulates blood sugar levels, courtesy of the Catechin, which improves insulin sensitivity.

The BioPls weight loss supplement delivers several weight loss benefits, which are meant to curb obesity and its root cause. Here is what users should expect:

The human body contains many fat cells, and each cell works to store essential fats to ensure that the body gets enough energy. However, as a person becomes older, the body slows down-converting fat into energy. This makes the fat cells grow bigger and stops delivering energy.

This process makes one grow fatter every year. The ingredients in BioPls Slim Pro help the bodys fat cells to restore their normal size and increase metabolism at the same time.

Once the fat cells are smaller, the metabolism process improves, allowing even the small fat cells to burn fat. Consequently, everything eaten is digested and burnt into energy. When this happens, users dont even have to worry about high blood sugar or high blood pressure. The supplement helps them lose excess fats.

According to the creator, the BioPls Slim Pro supplement works for everyone except pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under 18. Users in these categories should consult their healthcare providers before taking the supplement.

Similarly, people with underlying medical conditions such as cancer or diabetes should not use the supplement. For maximum benefits, users should take three capsules of BioPls Slim Pro daily without fail. Changes can come within a few weeks, but individual results can vary. The supplement increases energy levels to show that the fat-burning process has kicked off.

Currently, the manufacturer offers the BioPls Slim Pro supplement to the public at highly discounted prices. The product is only available online through the official website.

Its not available in any other stores online or offline. Buying from the official website also allows users to get genuine products and enjoy the discounts offered. Initially, one bottle of BioPls used to be $297 each. However, due to the exciting offers, the manufacturer offers the product in three packages as follows:

Users have to pay a minimal charge for shipping and handling. Importantly, each order of BioPls Slim Pro formula comes with a 60-day moneyback guarantee. This means the creator cares about consumers and ensures that their rights remain intact.

Users who are unhappy with the product can find solace in the 60-day, 100% moneyback guarantee. This further makes it a risk-free investment.

Customers can contact the company for order support or with product questions at:

Based on the information published on its official website, the BioPls Slim Pro formula is an effective method to help users burn fat from their bodies. Additionally, the supplement offers other benefits, such as improving the heart, liver, and kidney health by flushing toxins from the body.

BioPls Slim Pro also helps increase self-confidence by restoring their body shape. The supplement is safe to use without a doctors prescription. According to the sales page, more than one thousand people have used the supplement and provided positive reviews on the official website.

However, users should note that individual results could vary. Besides, there is no way to verify whether the comments made on the website are genuine or false. Importantly, users have to stick to the dosage given by the creator to get the maximum benefits from the BioPls Slim Pro formula.

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BioPls Slim Pro Reviews: Pills That Work to Lose Weight or Fake Hype? - Redmond Reporter

Coveralls and Pants by Prada Earrings (worn throughout) by Georgina Trevino. Necklaces, Bracelet, and Rings by GLD. Pendant and Nose Rings (worn throughout) DKs Own.

DK Metcalf is a total stud. In his short career, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver has become one of the most unstoppable forces in the NFL, a monster in cleats who blows by opponents with super speed and scores touchdowns like theyre free. Off the field, the Oxford, Mississippi native is gunning to become an industry unto himself, something his friend, the Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, can totally get behind.

CHASE STOKES: My boy.

DK METCALF: What up little-headass boy.

STOKES: Whats going on with you?

METCALF: Nothing new.

STOKES: Good. Im just out here working my damn ass off, trying to make time for you. You know how it goes.

METCALF: Boy, quit lying.

STOKES: Nah, seriously, we just finished a scene. I got like 25 minutes till we get the next set up, but I do have questions for you.

METCALF: Alright bet, and I appreciate you for taking the time out your busy-ass schedule.

STOKES: Oh, you know how it goes. So youre living the American Dream right now. Well, realistically its sort of a global dream, being a professional athlete. What are some key points that you could attribute to your success? Not just on the field, but off the field as well?

METCALF: Some key points that brought me to who I am today is just being different and working hard at everything that I did, and not just following the crowd. I wanted to be different. A very small percent of the world gets to play in the NFL and I know that percentage is drastically different from everybody else walking around. So just being different, being my own person, I attribute it to that.

STOKES: Got it. Very true. So the next question would be, I know for me, Im forever indebted to my mom. She made a ton of sacrifices in my life. Going back to school when I was in high school, we had a roof over our head and she paid the bills. So, whos a person or persons that you would say have impacted your life?

METCALF: Im going to get long-winded with this one. It took a village to raise me and for me to get to where I am. So of course my parents, my siblings, for holding me down and keeping me humble. But also, my teachers, my coaches in every sport that I played in high school and middle school, the family members that made sacrifices to make sure that even if my parents couldnt be there, that somebody was there to watch me at the game. It wasnt a big deal for me at the time, but looking back, having that support meant a lot, because a lot of kids parents or family members couldnt be there. And then the city of Oxford, Mississippi, where I was born and raised.

STOKES: Love that. So Im going to get down to a little bit of the nitty gritty. I know that for us, on Outer Banks, weve got a group chat and it gets a little wild in there sometimes. Whats the culture like in the NFL? Whats the group chat like for you guys? You guys got a similar thing with the team?

METCALF: Not a team group chat. We have a receiver group chat and it gets pretty dirty in there. Im going to leave it at that.

STOKES: Speaking of dirty, I know you got a horrible diet. So beyond just the normal candy bowl that sits in your kitchen

METCALF: Hey man, get out of my house. [Laughs] My diet aint even that bad. Yeah I splurge with some candy every now and again, but Ive pretty much changed up my diet this off-season. In the past month, Ive barely eaten candy. Ive been cleaning up my diet, eating more organic.

STOKES: Wow.

METCALF: Yeah, locally grown food and produce. So my diet has changed drastically from where it has been and what I broadcasted because I just wanted to take a chance and see how good I could be.

STOKES: Well, Im going to miss that candy bowl if Im being honest. I got a question for you and it sort of aligns with my world. I went through my own version of body dysmorphia after the show came out and people were saying this and that, having their own opinion on things. I remember when you were coming up out of college, there was a lot of attention on your physique. How did that affect you mentally? Was it something that bothered you or was it something that pushed you in a different direction?

METCALF: I didnt let it get to me that much because I knew who I was as a person and I knew I had goals and that nobody could help me get there but myself. But I will say, with that attention, I had to hone it in and at the end of the day remember whoI was as a person, as a football player, and that I wasnt going to let the outside world define me as a player or as a person, or tell me that I was just a bodybuilder playing football. I continued to work on my craft and not prove the doubters wrong, but prove myself right.

STOKES: Cool. So as a man of faith, I know youre a man of faith as well. What keeps you going? And when youre traveling, how do you stay connected to the big man upstairs?

METCALF: Coming out of college, I had a real bad neck injury. So me just having the second chance at the sport and at life, its what keeps me going. Thats what keeps me smiling on a day-to-day basis because I know what its felt like to not have football in my life. I let that drive me and let my light shine. I know Im destined for greatness. I know Im destined for more than just football.

STOKES: Alright, alright. So pregame fits. I know youre big into fashion. What goes into choosing the outfit on game day?

METCALF: Man, however the hell Im feeling that day. No, but Ill probably think about a fit for two days before I wear it. Theres still some stuff that I gotta wear thats in my closet, but I need a little help this upcoming season. So Im looking for a stylist, PSA.

STOKES: Just throw it out to the universe.

METCALF: Exactly.

Top by Willy Chavarria. Necklaces by GLD. Pendant (top) by Georgina Trevino. Pendant (bottom) DKs Own.

STOKES: So last question for you. Obviously being a professional athlete takes up a lot of time, but I know for me that I have to have a life outside of work. What are some things outside of being a professional athlete that really feed your soul?

METCALF: Heres a little story I got. I met this group of kids, like, in March or April, theyre actors, and we went to dinner, went out, and we would just chill all the time, and they showed me I could be whatever I want to be in life, and whatever I want to do after football, whether thats acting or fashion, they showed me that I could do it. And theyre actors on Outer Banks, so Chase Stokes, Austin North, and Id throw C.J. Cook in there. They helped me realize that outside of football, I have people that care about me as a person, not just because of the jersey I wear. So Im taking acting lessons and Im big into fashion and Ill sit at home and play video games all day, but just hanging around those three people really just helped me realize what I wanted to do after football.

STOKES: Oh man, Ill Venmo you later for that one. Well, theyre calling me in to go do some more shit, but it was good hearing your voice. Im excited to come bust your ass and watch a game this season.

METCALF: Bet.

STOKES: Yeah man. I appreciate your time.

METCALF: I appreciate you bro. Tell Austin I said whats up.

STOKES: I will. Oh by the way, I might be getting a house in your neighborhood. So its going to be a riot.

METCALF: Say less. The shit going to be epic.

STOKES: Alright baby, Ill talk to you.

METCALF: Alright bro.

STOKES: Alright.

Coveralls and Pants by PRADA Earrings (worn throughout) by Georgina Trevino. Necklaces, Bracelet, and Rings by GLD. Pendant and Nose Rings (worn throughout) DKs Own.

Grooming: Carla Sofia Perez

Fashion Assistant: Erica Campos

Production Assistant: Matteo Debole

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DK Metcalf and Chase Stokes on Group Chats, Diets, and Greatness - Interview

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Our diet chart fluctuates as we move through different life stages, like from infants to the elderly. Its essential to consider the additional demands set on our body by these changes to stay active and healthy.

For example, a child prefers to have brighter and colourful plates with small servings, whereas an adult with weaker teeth requires a softer, nutrient-dense diet. Expectant mothers have different dietary needs than women of the same age group. They need more nutrients, for their growing child inside. In the story, we can talk about nutritional tips and diet plans for different stages of life.

On the occasion of National Nutrition Week, here are some tips and tricks for a good diet plan for different age groups.

Amrita Pandey, the nutritionist at Organic India, Hyderabad, says, As a nutritionist, I firmly believe, at any age, when you are trying to improve your body, along with focusing on disease or health challenge, focus on healthy and clean eating habits. Because the 30 trillion cells of your body are not getting the nutrients to prevent or recover from and are overloaded with inevitable environmental toxins."

"Reduce the toxic load on the cells by adding organic food, herbs and superfoods that accelerate your efforts. Fuel your gut with enzymes, pre and probiotics through fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, and salads. Add the magic and wisdom of Indian spices. Last but not least empower them with good quality fats like coconut oil, ghee, flax seed oil, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Be well hydrated and eat foods closest to their natural form. Cut down on refined sugars and oil, processed food, excess salt, and aerated drinks, as they affect vital organs. Master this skill of eating well and get the quicker, faster, and more satisfying result," she added.

Several nutritionists we spoke with said that in a competitive world, sleep is one of the biggest factors that affects your plan positively or negatively. Suresh Garg, founder and MD of Zeon Lifesciences-Nutraceutical and Herbal products manufacturing company, Hyderabad, says that getting sound sleep is extremely significant for overall health that keeps the brain healthy.

The combination of foods we fuel our bodies with throughout the day plays a crucial role in the sleep cycle. An overall healthy and nutrient-dense diet affects brain health and its activity leading to a healthy sleep pattern.Eating healthy allows the body to absorb nutrients that provide the brain with the chemical environment needed to produce the neurotransmitters that are required for adequate sleep. The nutrients we get from a well-balanced diet work as the building blocks for protein and other minerals that are essential to creating amino acids involved in a quality sleep cycle.

He adds that as the rule says, a balanced diet made up of a variety of fruits and vegetables provides the recommended daily intake of vitamins and other vital nutrients contributing to better sleep.

Nutrition and sleep are two of the most important factors that impact an individuals overall health, says Sandeep Jangala, nutritionist, and founder at VLOGS Food, Hyderabad.

While proper diet and nutrition help in maintaining healthy body weight, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it also has an impact on the overall quality of sleep. For example, diets low in fibre and high in saturated fat may decrease the amount of deep, restorative sleep youll get. Excess sugar can cause you to awaken more frequently. Better nutrition is also related to the improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, he concludes with the reminder that sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, and it goes hand in hand with good nutritive intake.

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Nutrition for your needs: Clean eating habits adds to healthy life - The New Indian Express

The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) is helping to feed kids in East St. Paul child-care programs by delivering fresh, healthy produce that connects them to their culture.

HAFA wanted to help children in child care, many of whom come from low-income families, by providing healthful dietary choices. The program also benefited them in another way, familiarizing the kids with Hmong culture by including Hmong staple foods such as mustard greens, pea tips and mugwort.

"Their children would go home and would say, 'I want Tshuaj Hmong hau ntsug Qab,'" HAFA Executive Director Janssen Hang said, referring to the traditional Hmong postpartum soup. "'I want what Mama Mai created.'"

Following the Vietnam War, thousands of Hmong, mainly from Laos, settled in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. In an effort to build intergenerational wealth, many of them took up farming. They often face a lack of access to resources, including land, markets, credit and capital.

Hang grew up working on one of these farms. His parents believed the key to success in the United States was through education, an attitude they instilled in their children. They wanted their kids to have careers more stable than farming. To help their parents pay for their private school tuition, Hang and his siblings spent summers tending crops in the scorching heat. After returning to school in the fall, they envied classmates who spent their summers relaxing or going on vacation.

Their hard work and devotion to education turned out to be worth it. Hang and his siblings all graduated from college. His family continues farming to this day. The economic struggles faced by his family and the rest of the Hmong farming community inspired Hang and his sister, Pakou Hang, to start HAFA in 2011.

One way HAFA helps farmers is by introducing them to new markets. Hmong farmers in Minnesota primarily sell produce to farmers markets, which can make income unpredictable. HAFA partners with M Health Fairview through a program called Veggie Rx to help Hmong immigrants with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Through Veggie Rx, patients who cannot afford to buy culturally appropriate, fresh foods receive produce from Hmong farmers. The program provides benefits for both producers and consumers by opening up new markets for farmers. It also helps patients incorporate healthier, more familiar foods into their diets.

After its success with Veggie Rx, HAFA started a similar program with child-care providers in East St. Paul managed by Hmong people. HAFA noticed many of these providers were eligible for the federally operated Child and Adult Care Food Program, which reimburses providers for the meals they serve children. This program aims to help children by introducing them to fresh produce, which may encourage them to form healthy diets in the future.

As the child-care providers started receiving boxes from HAFA, the program showed another, unexpected benefit. By showing the children how to prepare the produce they received, providers introduced them to traditional dishes in Hmong culture they didn't know about.

In addition to eating the dishes, the children also helped prepare them by washing and cutting the produce.

"Providers are really engaging the [children] with how to use a produce," Hang said.

HAFA now wants to expand these programs outside the Hmong community, specifically to Karen and Somali communities in the Twin Cities. Hang said some produce, such as collard greens, are eaten by both Hmong and Somali people.

"Food is medicine, and food connects us all," Hang said.

ThreeSixty Journalism

These stories were written by ThreeSixty Journalism's summer 2022 News Reporter Academy high school students. The Academy and its theme of holistic health equity were supported by Center for Prevention at Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN, which connected students with story topics and sources.

ThreeSixty Journalism is leading the way in developing multicultural storytellers in the media arts industry. The program is a loudspeaker for underheard voices, where highly motivated high school students discover the power of voice and develop their own within ThreeSixty's immersive college success programming. Launched in 1971 as an Urban Journalism Workshop chapter, since 2001 the program has been part of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas. To learn more about ThreeSixty Journalism, visit threesixty.stthomas.edu.

Read more from the original source:
Connecting Hmong kids to culture through food - Star Tribune

Maria Balhara, 16, will present her research on teen eating habits at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Maria Balhara)

Explaining her research, Maria Balhara sounds like a typical scientist: She had a hypothesis. She recruited participants to evaluate. She analyzed the data. Soon, she'll present her work at major scientific conferences.

This might be routine stuff for a professor or graduate student. For a 16-year-old high schooler, not so much.

Balhara, a senior at Cooper City High School in South Florida, will present her work, "Proposing a New 'Gateway Food Model' for Adolescent Eating Behavior and Its Implications for Modifiable Hypertension Risk Factors," on Saturday at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions in San Diego.

Her research was conceived as she thought about how "gateway" drugs can lead people to try others. She thought something similar might happen with ultra-processed food in teens' diets.

"That hypothesis proved correct," said Balhara, who found that increased consumption of candy, prepackaged pastries and frozen desserts was associated with increased consumption of other ultra-processed foods. The findings are considered preliminary until the full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

It's not the only research she'll be presenting this fall. In October, she'll appear at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference in Anaheim, California, to present another analysis from the same data set. Meanwhile, other offshoots will be featured at conferences in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Her work had its start in her high school's AP Capstone classes, a two-year program that culminates in a research project. She continued the work while dually enrolled in a human nutrition course at Broward College.

She spent about six months designing and completing the study. The initial plan, though, did not envision all those conferences. "It was just, you know, make some sort of questionnaire or survey," then communicate it in a paper.

When she did her analyses, her father, who works as a consultant in the pharmaceutical industry, sparked the idea to submit it. She was eager to do that. "I think that a lot of times, teenagers place these restrictions on themselves, and they say, 'No one wants to read my research. No one will care.'" She hopes to help others overcome that kind of thinking, and follow in her footsteps.

Clearly driven and a self-described perfectionist ("I'm also a night owl, which is a bad combination") Balhara is poised and cheerful as she discusses how she got here. It's not like she started reading scientific journals as a child, she said. She considers herself "shockingly average," someone who enjoys classic movies "Back to the Future" is a favorite and trail hiking, when she can find time.

But it's true that she's long been fascinated with nutrition. Maybe a little obsessed.

"My friends and family tell me all the time, 'God you never shut up about food,'" she said, laughing. "I say, 'Well, it's important.'"

A lot of her interest stems, she said, from her multicultural background. Her father is from India; her mother, who wanted to be a biologist but ended up working in logistics, is from Brazil.

"Those are very different cultures, you know, very different foods," said Balhara, whose parents divorced when she was in elementary school. She was fascinated by the differences she saw in the two sides of her family and at school, where her lunch had things like Brazilian chicken when the kids around her were eating ham and cheese sandwiches.

So her first nutrition "research" was asking basic questions about what she was seeing. "You know, what kind of nutrients are in this food, or that food?" she said.

She also found herself thinking about how food and culture are entwined. "If you tell an Indian person who eats traditional Indian food that they have to start eating raw vegetables three times a day, they'll scoff at you," she said. "Because in Indian cuisine, vegetables are usually never eaten raw. You always have to cook them in some sort of curry." But Brazilian culture, she observed, was more open to uncooked foods.

Balhara has always had traits that set her apart, even among gifted children, said teacher Michael Jones. He teaches sociology and history at Cooper City High, but he also was her teacher in fifth grade.

Not surprisingly, he expects great things from her. "Maria is a very, very, very driven and motivated young lady," he said. "If you talk to her for more than five minutes, you'll get that sense. She has been like that since the first time I met her."

But Balhara, he said, isn't driven by external factors such as winning awards or approval from teachers. She cares about the work she's doing. The research, he said, is something she finds important, rather than just a useful way to achieve her academic goals.

She spent her summer in Boston, where she interned in a pediatric endocrine lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. Next year, she's hoping to get accepted to a university with a strong sciences program. Beyond that, she's interested in medical school and a career in research. But she's keeping her options open.

Meanwhile, Balhara hopes others might follow up on her work. And if some of those researchers are fellow teens so much the better, she said. "Adolescent eating habits are definitely an important subject, but it's one that adolescents themselves don't usually have the ability to contribute to in the scientific fields."

If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email [emailprotected].

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Her research is getting worldwide attention. But for now, she needs to finish high school. - American Heart Association News

Were all capable of slowing down the effects of a warming Earth, and it could be as simple as how we stock our pantries.

An international team of scientists has evaluated the environmental impacts of more than 57,000 food products the stuff you typically find as you wander the aisles of your local grocery. If this type of information is made easily available to the public, they say, it could not only enable the transition to a more sustainable food system, but chances are it could also improve peoples health.

The goal is to have a simpler, and more rigorous quantitative way to inform consumers about the tens of thousands of different items they might buy in a grocery store, said ecologist David Tilman, a professor at UC Santa Barbaras Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, and also at the University of Minnesotas College of Biological Sciences. Tilman is a co-author of a study that appears in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

According to the researchers assessment, beef and lamb take the greatest toll on the environment, with impacts far outpacing those of other proteins such as chicken, fish and seafood and nuts, which also are on the higher end of the environmental impact scale.

Many people consider beef to taste good, and I understand why, but it is a very inefficient way to create food for humans, Tilman said. Meanwhile, processed drinks such as soda and energy drinks were rated at the lowest impact level of food products evaluated, sharing space with plant-based grocery foods such as rice and flatbreads.

A Decade of Studying Food ProductsWhile much research has gone into the environmental impacts of food commodities such as fruits, wheat and beef, most food products contain many different ingredients, each of which have taken their own routes to become part of that product. This lifecycle data, which informs the total environmental impacts of producing, harvesting, transporting and processing of said ingredients, are largely invisible to the consumer, as are the proportions of ingredients. According to the study, this information gap exists because the exact amount of each ingredient and their supply chain in each food product are often considered a trade secret. The sheer number of food products and their variety makes the assessment a daunting task for food companies and for retailers aiming to reduce their carbon emissions.

To overcome these limitations, the researchers, led by first author Michael Clark of Oxford University, used prior knowledge from ingredient lists to infer the composition of each ingredient. They then paired this information with environmental databases to gauge impacts across four indicators: greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water stress and eutrophication potential (the magnitude of excess nutrients from production that can pollute surrounding environment and waterways).

This is the result of a decade since Mike and I started working on this, said Tilman, who is Clarks former advisor. It started with doing some of the lifecycles ourselves, then using many of these lifecycles that were published. And then we started critically evaluating the quality of lifecycle data available for each of the major food commodities. They consulted previously published papers, conducted further analyses and used their approach on 57,000 food products found in Tesco supermarkets, a major grocery chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Food graded by environmental and nutritional impact

Photo Credit: PNAS

You go to a grocery store in Europe and it doesnt look very different from a grocery store in the United States, Tilman said. While humans around the world dont have the exact same taste preferences, he added, we tend to have to similar tastes, which results in more or less the same kind of food products in our stores.

These tastes tend to gravitate to foods that contain high levels of sugar. Its a commodity that is both cheap and produced in abundance, with effects that have led to increased rates of obesity, diabetes and other conditions related to overconsumption of highly processed foods that often contain high fructose corn syrup.

Thats what happened with the Green Revolution, Tilman said of an unintended consequence of the worlds move in the 1950s and 60s toward high-yield, industrial farming processes that include pesticides, fertilizers and monocultures. Sugar is cheap. Fats are cheap and salt is cheap. People love salty, fatty and sweet kinds of foods; thats what our taste preferences are. They made total sense during our evolutionary past, and now that these foods are so cheap and readily available, we eat them in excess.

Healthy Choices = Healthy EarthIn a previous study, Tilman and Clark found that in general, diets that included healthy, less-processed foods were also healthier for the environment. We know theres a relationship there, and we wanted to apply this for individual foods, Tilman said. As a result, the researchers current study also ranks grocery foods by nutritional impact, with plant-based, less processed foods on the healthier end of the scale for both humans and the environment, and highly processed grains and dairy products toward the less-healthy end.

The healthiest diets that we know of are variants on the classical Mediterranean diet, which has many servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and whole grains, Tilman said. Whole grain has the advantage of having fiber, which helps slow the rate at which starch becomes sugars. The main meat is fish, he added, with other meats used as flavoring and on special occasions. Other environmentally friendly and nutritious diets include vegetarian and pescatarian diets, provided hydrogenated fats and sugars are kept to a minimum. There isnt enough scientific data yet to put the vegan diet in the same group, but Tilman suspects it belongs there as well.

Still, more work needs to be done to refine the researchers assessment. Theres a lot of variability in the proportion and type of ingredients in similar grocery store foods that can lead to differences in health and environmental impacts, and there are also alternative processes to consider, Tilman said. But the hope is that this information becomes widely available, empowering consumers to make better food choices for the health of both their bodies and the environment.

I hope this information ends up on packages, Tilman said. And I hope because its on packages that companies that make different foods will willingly tell us the exact ingredients and amounts in their foods, so we can give the most rigorous, honest evaluation of their product.

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A Nutrition Label for Earth | The UCSB Current - The UCSB Current

The funny thing about building a business -- or building a career, or building great relationships, or basically doing anything -- is that we typically know what to do.The hard thing is actually doing it, day after day after day.

The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is willpower.

Last year a friend wanted to get in better shape, so he embarked on the Hard 75 Challenge.

If you aren't familiar, Hard 75 involves following a diet (you get to pick the diet), working out twice a day for 45 minutes each session (one workout has to be outdoors), drinking a gallon of water, reading (not listening to) 10 pages of a nonfiction personal development book, and taking a picture of yourself.Every day. For 75 straight days.

Fail to complete any of the above on any given day? Start over.

In many ways,Hard 75 is similar to a diet. (In fact, it includes a diet.) As anyone who has tried knows, following a specific diet -- keto, Mediterranean, low-carb, Atkins, whatever --is hard. Temptation. Availability. (Try staying keto when you're on the road andit's 11 p.m. and the only place open is a Taco Bell.) Consistently making the right choices is hard.

The sameis true for exercising outdoors. It's hard to force yourself to go for a run when your day got away from you and it's 8 p.m. andrainingand 35 degrees. If you can pull off the Hard 75, that's awesome.

And it was really hard for my friend.

He started, got disappointed, summoned up the determination tostartover, got disappointed, forced himself to startover... while he got in a little better shape, he didn't make the progress he hoped for.

Then he took a different approach. Instead of following a strict diet, he just created a few rules. He wanted to eat healthier, so he cut out all "white" foods (breads, white rice, potatoes, crackers, added sugar). When he went out to eat, he avoided failing to find the "right" food by just choosing the healthiest option available. (At Taco Bell, maybe that's the "fresco style" burrito with chicken.)

And instead of following a specific exercise program, he just decided that he would always work out for at least 20 minutes every day. Most of the time he did longer workouts, but in a pinch he just needed to do 20 minutes of something. Situps, push-ups, and burpees in a hotel room. A light jog in the morning. Hustling up and down steps at the airport during a long layover.

While his workouts were almost always more extensive, still: The only rule he had for himself was that he would work out for at least 20 minutes a day. That wayhe never"failed," never got disappointed... and never felt like he had to start over. As long as he got his 20, he was good.

The same approach applies to business. Say you wantto spend more time with your employees. Don't create a complicated schedule; just make it a rule that whenever you run into an employee in the hallway, you'll stop and chat for a moment.Some of those chats will lead to longer conversations. Some won't. Either way, you'll come a lot closer to accomplishing your goal.

Or say you want to build a stronger network. Make it a rule that you'll send a note of praise, or encouragement, or advice, or something helpful and positive to one person -- someone you know, or someone you don't know-- every day before you beginyour work day. Do that, and you'll naturally make new connections, and build stronger ones.

In my case, I decided I needed to drink more water and less soda. So I decided I would always drink water with meals. Within a couple days, that habit became automatic.

Bottom line? Diets suck. Having to rely on willpower sucks even more.

Rules, on the other hand, are easy.

And great,especially when those rules help take you to the place you someday want to be.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Want to Be More Successful? When Willpower Won't Help You Achieve Your Goals, Create a Few Simple Rules Instead - Inc.