How best can the industry respond to this challenge, whilst at the same time responding to the often-fickle demands of consumers -- particularly in light of the current COVID-19 crisis appearing to accelerate the health concerns of shoppers keen to find foods that boost their immune systems? Or has it?

Professor Jack Winkler, former Professor of Nutrition Policy at London Metropolitan University and distinguished veteran of public health policy, is a keen advocate of sugar reformulation in the food industry, which he believes is vital given the obesity crisis in Europe and consequent effect it is likely to have on health systems.

However, he doesnt agree with mandatory reduction targets, which he thinks are counterproductive. He believes getting these products to appeal to the masses is paramount. Key to this, he believes is a term he coined: the unobtrusive strategy which involves reducing sugar in popular foods silently. We just do it and we dont boast about it, he said.

Holly Gabriel from the campaign groupAction on Sugar has been calling for interventionist measures from the UK government including bans on the advertising of unhealthy foods, mandatory nutrition labelling and mandatory reformation targets for the food industry in order to tackle the nations obesity epidemic, agrees in the reducing sugar by stealth approach.

A true reformation programme that can be really successful is work thats done incrementally behind the scenes to gradually reduce sugar in core line products that contribute most sugar and calories to peoples diets without anyone knowing about it or needing to know that work goes on, she observed.

But are her groups demands for mandatory actions to reduce sugar an example of the nanny state going too far?

Its important to consider that not all population groups have the luxury of choosing [their diets], she countered.In deprived areas people have less access to healthy and fresh foods and rely very much on convenience.

Food labels meanwhile make it very difficult to see the sugar quantities in products, she argued.

She warns that sugar is a major cause ofobesity that increases a persons risk of developing life-threatening illnesses.

About 1 in 3 children are obese by the time the leave primary school. This puts them at risk of later developing related conditions such as heart disease cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

What do consumers make of all this? Laura Swain, an analyst at London-based Stylus, says consumers are conflicted.

Eating less sugar is clearly a high priority for thembut at the same time they still have the urge to indulge.

With that in mind, she suggests that food brands that cut sugar from everyday items that people want to eat every day offers them a golden opportunity to better connect with their consumers.

See the original post:
The FoodNavigator Podcast: Sugar reformulation part 1: Why reducing by stealth is key - FoodNavigator.com

A few weeks ago, a robin built a nest on an electrical box on the side of the house. Sure enough, we saw four beautiful little blue eggs in it and eventually they hatched. Over the next 1-2 weeks these babies grew like crazy! We were careful not to disturb the nest and only peeked in once in awhile.

Just three days ago, we had a windy storm and the nest was knocked to the ground. What are the chances the babies survived? We looked around but couldnt find them and the protective mother was no longer in the area making a fuss. A neighbor also had a similar issue two weeks ago when she found a baby bird on its own. She tried to nurse it but it sadly died.

What do you recommend in these situations and if one were to try and rehabilitate a baby bird what do they feed them?

This time of year is a time for births and the recycling of life. As to the survival of the baby birds, it really comes down to whether or not they were old enough to fly. When did you see them last? Were they fully feathered and looking more mature? If so, it is conceivable that they did survive but if not, my guess would be that some kind of predator may have gotten a hold of them or they may have just hidden and, without care, might have died for different reasons including starvation. Chances of survival unfortunately can be slim in these situations.

What to do is a tough call. Begin by waiting an hour or two to see if the mother returns to care for its young. If not, my first suggestion is to take a baby bird or birds to a bird rescue facility or rehabilitation center, if there is one in your area. These locations have the experience and the supplies to provide the babies with the best chance of survival, fully understanding the specific type of bird and the dietary needs that it would have.

If one needs to try and feed a baby bird on their own, there are several things to keep in mind. Baby birds need constant feeding throughout the day only slowing down at night. This means feeding 1-3 times an hour with younger birds requiring more frequent feedings. The mother birds work very hard!

Do your best to ascertain the kind of bird it is since different birds need different diets. There is a lot of information on the internet as well but one can start with using canned dog food, hard boiled eggs or moistened dry pet food carefully delivered to the baby birds. Consistency of the gruel is important so make sure the food is room temperature, mushy and soft, but not too wet. Avoid bird seed, bird food, milk, water, bread, and even worms unless you know the bird species and it is part of their regular diet.

Hopefully you will be better prepared now should you face this situation again.

View post:
What to do with abandoned baby birds - Boston Herald

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns have severely disrupted and spotlighted weaknesses in the U.S. food system. Farmers, food distributors, and government agencies are working to reconfigure supply chains so that food can get to where its needed. But there is a hidden, long-neglected dimension that should also be addressed as the nation rebuilds from the current crisis.

As scholars who study different aspects of soil, nutrition, and food systems, were concerned about a key vulnerability at the very foundation of the food system: soil. On farms and ranches across the U.S., the health of soil is seriously compromised today. Conventional farming practices have degraded it, and erosion has shorn away much of it.

Iowa has lost about half the topsoil it had in 1850. Since they were first plowed, Americas farmland soils have lost about half of their organic matterthe dark, spongy decomposed plant and animal tissue that helps make them fertile.

The soil that produces our nations food supply is a weakened link slowly failing under ongoing strain. This breakdown isnt as dramatic as what happened in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl, but it is just as worrying. Human history holds many examples of once-thriving agricultural regions around the world where failure to maintain soil health degraded entire regions far below their potential agricultural productivity, impoverishing the descendants of those who wrecked their land.

We believe there is an urgent need to rebuild soil health across the U.S. This can help maintain harvests over the long run and lay a solid foundation for a more resilient food system. Investing in soil health will benefit environmental and human health in ways that are becoming increasingly apparent and important.

Wind erosion carries topsoil from farmland during the Dust Bowl, circa 1930s. (Photo credit: USDA)

Soil is the foundation of the U.S. food system. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils come directly from plants grown in soil. Meat, poultry, dairy products, and many farmed fish come from animals that feed on plants. Wild-caught fish and shellfish, which provide a tiny fraction of the typical American diet, are virtually the only exception.

As populations around the globe ballooned over recent centuries, so did pressure to force more productivity out of every available acre. In many parts of the world, this led to farming practices that degraded soil far beyond its natural fertility.

In the Southeastern U.S., for example, agricultural erosion stripped soil from hillsides a hundred times faster than the natural rate of soil formation. Today farmers in the Piedmont, from Virginia to Alabama between the Atlantic coast and the Appalachian mountains, coax crops from poor subsoil rather than the rich topsoil that early European settlers praised.

Researchers, government agencies and nonprofit groups recognize soil degradation as a national problem and have started to focus on rebuilding soil health. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resource Conservation Service helps farmers improve the health and function of their soils. Nongovernment organizations are recognizing the need to restore soil health on agricultural lands. And the 2018 Farm Bill directed new attention and funding to soil health programs.

Beyond growing food, soils support human, public, and planetary health. Well before the current pandemic, experts in public health and nutrition recognized that modern agriculture was failing to sustain consumers, the land, and rural communities. This insight helped spur the emergence of a new multidisciplinary field, known as food systems, that analyzes how food is produced and distributed.

But work in this field tends to focus on the environmental impacts of food production, with less attention to economic and social implications, or to links between farming practices, soil health and the nutritional quality of food. Many studies narrowly focus on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture when addressing soils and sustainability, without including the many ecological benefits that healthy soils provide.

To be sure, man-made climate change is a major long-term threat to human and planetary health. But soil health is just as critical in its own right. Human actions have already harmed agricultural productivity in areas around the world. And when soil is degraded, food production systems are less able to weather future challenges that we can expect in a changing climate.

The study of soil health can also have its own blind spots. Often agricultural research focuses solely on crop yields or the impact of individual conservation practices, such as adopting no-till planting or planting cover crops to protect soil from erosion. Such analyses rarely consider linkages driven by dietary demand for specific foods and crops, or the effects of farming practices on the nutrient content of forage and crops that sustain livestock and humans.

Food systems experts have called for transforming food production to improve human health and make agriculture more sustainable. Some researchers have proposed specific diets that they argue would accomplish both goals. But fully understanding connections between soil health and public health will require greater collaboration between those studying food systems, nutrition and how we treat the soil.

Now that COVID-19 has deconstructed much of the national food supply network, it would be a mistake to pour efforts into simply rebuilding a flawed system. Instead, we believe it is time to redesign the U.S. food system from the ground up, so that it can deliver both soil health and human health and be more resilient to future challenges.

What would it take to do this? The foundation of a revised system would be adopting regenerative farming methods that integrate multiple soil-building practices, such as no-till, cover crops and diverse crop rotations to restore health to land. It would also take creating and expanding markets for more diverse crops, as well as expanding regenerative grazing and promoting reintegration of animal husbandry and crop production.

And it would require investing in research into the linkages between farming practices, soil health and the nutritional quality of foodsand what that all could mean for human health.

In sum, we think its time to rethink the food system, based on a recognition that providing healthy diets based on healthy soils is critical to achieving a healthier, more just, resilient. and truly sustainable world.

Laura Lewis, Associate Professor of Community and Economic Development at Washington State University, and Dave Gustafson, project director at the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared in The Conversation, and is reprinted with permission.

See the article here:
Op-ed: Its Time to Rethink the Food System from the Ground Up - Civil Eats

Diabetes is battling for a cure worldwide, but a Pune-based doctor has been curating reversal of this lifestyle epidemic with a unique blend of diet, fitness and motivation, so much so that chronic patients even at age 60 plus, have managed to cure their insulin resistance and one of them has even turned into a marathon runner. MUSBA HASHMI tells you more

A 48-year-old Pune-based stock market trader, Santosh Bakare, suffered a heart attack three years back and had to undergo angioplasty. Later, he was diagnosed with Diabetes. To add to his woes, he gained weight. Just when Bakare had reconciled to living with his ailments, his wife Sonali came across an advertisement on Facebook, saying join this programme to completely reverse Diabetes.

The couple decided to give it a try. Because it was an ad, we were not fully convinced but as it was a matter of just `500, we registered for the session, Sonali tells you.

After attending the session, the duo was convinced that the programme would work wonders. Both registered for the Intense Reversal one-year programme in January 2020. In a matter of two months, Bakares Diabetes was completely reversed and soon after, he went off medication too.

I joined the programme to support my husband. Fortunately, my efforts didnt go in vain. I have been able to shed a whopping 20 kg in these four months while Santosh has managed to lose 15 kg. Now when I stand in front of the mirror, I feel more beautiful than ever. I cant put my feelings into words, Sonali adds.

Their 18-year-old son was apprehensive of about his parents and thought they were caught in a hoax. He kept telling us that this would be of no help, but we told him we were just trying it out. In a matter of days, the results were visible and he was happy. The lifestyle modification that we have gone through has not only helped us lose weight, but made us aware of our inner strength, Bakare tells you.

The man who has made this happen is a Pune-based motivational doctor, Pramod Tripathi. He helms the organisation Freedom From Diabetes with a network of doctors, specialists, nutritionists and fitness experts based in Pune and Mumbai.

Tripathi claims to have helped reverse Diabetes in around 6,000 people in the past eight years. There is a reason why he chose to concentrate on Diabetes. I have always been a dreamer. I wanted to live a purposeful life. After completing MBBS, I kept searching for what I wanted to do. I did an MBA. Then got into corporate and stress management. I realised in the corporate world people stay in touch with you only for a while. My calling was to do something sustainable. My wife, a Homoeopath, would often talk about how every patient got benefit from medication, except Diabetics. This got me thinking. I came across a book on reversing Diabetes and thought about doing something about it. We dug deeper and found that it merely requires lifestyle changes. This is how I started experimenting. I conducted a three-months programme and kept evolving. I am not a trained endocrinologist. I did my diploma in Diabetes management from Nanavati Hospital. But we have a huge following today, Tripathi tells you.

Interestingly, reversing Diabetes is not a miracle. It is a scientific and systematic process. First, the patient needs to understand its root cause in Type II Diabetics mostly it is insulin resistance. Which generally comes from diet, lack of exercise, and stress.

We start by spending a couple of hours helping them understand the disease. They realise that Diabetes is just like fever, medicines can help bring it down but the focus should be on eliminating the cause. That means, a patient can take lots of medicines and insulin, but it would just work like paracetamol which brings the fever down for 12 hours, Tripathi explains.

Once the patient understands the cause then there are four protocols implemented in a phased manner. It is the diet, exercise, inner transformation and the medical protocol.

For the diet segment, there are four phases. We start with giving up milk and milk products and switching to smoothies instead and replacing white rice with brown, he says.

Each patient is assigned a doctor, a dietician and a fitness expert. Around 12 per cent people become free from Diabetes in the second phase, which is the introductory phase. This phase goes on for four-12 weeks. Then comes the third phase the acceleration phase, where people start exercising at home. This phase can go up to four-eight weeks. For people who are overweight, we extend this phase by a couple of weeks. After the acceleration phase is over, we start the stress release module. I connect with patients in the morning and we work on stress relieving strategies. The three common emotions that we work on are anger, anxiety, and grief. This goes on for 28 days. If someone misses the live session then the recorded session is made available for him, Tripathi says.

Then comes the fourth phase which is the maintenance phase. It focuses on muscle building. Just becoming thin is not the solution. For the reversal to happen and stay for long, one needs to become stronger from within. More protein, more fruits and more oil are recommended in this phase. We set health goals for patients. When people take ownership of their goals, it makes a difference. For example, if someones muscle is 23 per cent the focus should be on making it 25 per cent. Every three months, the goals are reviewed. After five-six months, patients are in cruise mode. They know what to do and what not. After a year, when they step out of the programme, they know what they need to do for the rest of their life, he tells you.

But theres a catch. Different people respond differently to the programme. There are 80-year-olds who with 20 to 30 years long history of Diabetes but are now doing fine without medicines. However, everybody does not reach this stage. There are a total of seven levels to reverse Diabetes. Some may be able to reduce the sugar level in the beginning, while others in the second stage when they start the medicines. The third stage is where they stop the medicine, 45 per cent people are cured by these three stages, the rest 60 per cent people still need Insulin.

Tripathis annual batches have around 800 people, out of which 100 are usually from Bangalore or Chennai. The modules have grown now in their presence to include patients from India and abroad.

But as Tripathi insists, merely enrolling doesnt serve the purpose. One has to be motivated as well. It is all about inner clarity and motivation. If the patient will listen to the advice superficially, he will think he cant do it. To overcome this, all patients go through a proper phase to enroll in our programme. This is the first experimentation phase for them, so that they have some clarity about the disease. There are two phases that they need to go through, Phase 1 is to see how they respond, and Phase 2 is for them to assess how long they do it, he tells you.

The diet phase can be exhausting for some, but the good part is that the patients know that they are not alone in this. We have a WhatsApp group of patients, doctors and dieticians. The patient can put in the query on the group and within minutes a doctor responds. Patients can also keep in touch with other patients from around the world. There is a cross-learning process, they see the reversal happening in other patients which motivates them to follow the protocols, Tripathi explains.

The diet is an amalgamation of Ayurveda and Naturopathy mores. No one diet fits everyone.

Diabaetes come with a lot of related complications, but that does not serve as a setback. In some cases, the complications can be reversed too. Complication and reversal of complication is something that does happen to a certain degree, depending on how advance the complication is. We have now 306 patients of kidney reversal. Right now I am handling a person of four creatinine, he has been coming down to lower creatinine. Some degree of reversal can happen. In 1.5 creatinine the results are much better. We have a huge database of kidney patients. So, we have an interesting and rewarding experience with kidney reversal. Retinopathy is more challenging. But there has been mild to moderate results in that as well, however some cases required allopathic intervention. Neuropathy is troublesome. But we have people in dozen who have improved. Some of them take six months, while others take two years, depending upon the degree of damage. In case of a bad damage, there is no reversal as well, Tripathi explains.

Tripathi admits he is dealing with a lot of challenges in making the reversal claim for a disease globally known to defy a cure. These are both on medical and behavioural levels. There are patients who dont go off insulin even after the programme. Some with long standing Diabetes may go off insulin but not on tablets. With that, a lot of emotional issues come up. Patients dont understand why the results are not showing like in others. Then there are behavioural issues to be handled. When spouses join our programme, we encourage it because the reversal is much easier. If one person is following the diet and their family is not supportive, the challenge increases. We have done a lot of work on adult learning and behaviour. What we found is there is only one Diabetic in the family and the rest have several other health issues. We connect all the issues with insulin resistance and make the family sit together and listen. Then it makes sense for them and they start following our instructions. Behavioural challenges are more when family members dont buy the theory. Also, every case is different. We have handled so many cases so we know no two Diabetics are similar, he tells you.

The cost of the programme is `500 for the orientation, which is of two hours. "If someone signs up for the full year with a dietician and doctor, it costs `30,000. If a family member wants to join in, it is `6,000 with no dieticians. For those who cant afford to pay the full amount at one go, they can opt for instalment.

Amid the coronavirus scare, Tripathi has a few tips for Diabetics. It is true that Diabetics have a higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19, but, as long as their sugar levels are under control below 140, they are safe. Same for the people with blood pressure it should be under 130/090. After 140 the free radicals start accelerating and create inflammatory reactions in the body. If the sugar levels are under control, it becomes the preliminary protective shield. Ideally, we suggest BP levels under 110 but as long as the prevention is concerned below 130 is just as fine, he tells you.

Ask 65-year-old Pune-based marathon runner Vasudha Chavhan and she will tell you how Tripathi worked wonders on her. She went to him with a history of 14-year long Diabetes, but her dedication mixed with Tripathis expertise helped her beat the disease back in 2015.

My son told me about Tripathi and asked me to give it a try. He enrolled me into the three-month programme. Within two weeks, my Diabetes got reversed and I was put off insulin. In the next four weeks, I got rid of all Diabetes medicines, Chavhan, who is not on any medication for five years now, tells you.

There was a time when Chavhan was not able to walk even a few steps. It was sheer dedication that helped her transition into a marathon runner at age 62. In my three-month programme, I was put on a customised diet and was asked to do mild exercises. After the programme got over, Dr Tripathi motivated me to not give up and improve my stamina. I then started taking small steps in a nearby garden. I used to walk an hour a day. Soon after, I had to fly to Melbourne to be with my daughter. In those six months, I worked out at home. I walked the treadmill daily. By the time, I returned, I had started walking properly. That got me thinking about joining a gym. Exercising then became a habit. Soon after all this, I participated in a 5K marathon, then 10K which was followed by the Ladakh Half Marathon, she recalls.

Chavhans decision of becoming a marathon runner at 62 was supported by her husband and two children. I remember when I took part in the Ladakh Half Marathon, my son told me: Mumma you made all of us proud. That was the winning moment for me, she tells you.

The programme, she says, has changed her inside out. There was not a single moment when she felt like giving up. I am not much of a foodie. I didn't face any challenges. I followed the diet and all the instructions. The results are visible, she says.

Chavhans success mantra has been patience, exercising and following a diet. To achieve something, you have to give up something. Diet and exercising play a major role in the programme. You cant cheat on that. Also, meditation is the key. Even now, I meditate for at least 20 minutes before going to sleep, she says.

She has a piece of advice for those who think lifestyle modifications are a Herculean task. If I could do it at this age then any one can. One just has to have the passion for it. Since childhood, we offer sweets and chocolates to children as a token of appreciation. We teach them to be a good human being, we want them to do good in academics, but when it comes to their health, we dont pay much attention. It is important that parents work on their child's fitness from an early age. Either enroll them into fitness programmes or parents themselves should take charge of it, so that children know the importance of health and follow it for the rest of their lives, she says.

Bakare and Chavhan are not the only ones whose transformation stories will leave you in awe. Take the case of Saranya Rao. This 37-year-old, Pune-based Infosys worker, went off her three-year long Diabetes medicines in just three days.

My Diabetes was detected during pregnancy with my second child. I had to be both on insulin and tablets. In fact, I had to pump insulin three times a day which resulted in my skin turning purple because of the injections. Due to unstable sugar levels, I had to deliver a premature baby in eight months. After that I was on tablets for the next one-and-a-half years. I started gaining weight as well. I weighed 82 kg. This made me feel lethargic and affected my work. I was constantly in angst about my rising sugar levels, Rao says.

Rao, too, came to know about Freedom from Diabetes through Facebook ads. I started exploring. As I gathered information, I started understanding how things work. Convinced, I decided to join the intensive batch, she says. Within three days of joining the programme, her Diabetes medicines stopped. It felt that I was on top of the world at that time, she tells you.

As the programme proceeded, she noticed immense improvement in all aspects of her health. My Hba1c count (three-month sugar average test) reduced from 6.7 to 5.6, fasting insulin reduced from 15.7 to 2.6, all this just within two months. I lost a good 20 kg in five months, she tells you.

It felt like magic, she says. Due to my breathing problem, I have been taking an inhaler since a very young age. I don't know what it was but by following the protocol, my breathing has improved and I do not have to use an inhaler that frequently, she tells you.

Tripathi, meanwhile, is happy to tell you he has found his want curing people of a hitherto uncurable disease, with a combination of scientific lifestyle changes, strict diet changes, upping fitness levels and a lot of motivational talk that somehow has been firing his patients for stepping out of their unhealthy comfort zones.

Link:
In Reverse Gear - Daily Pioneer

SALT LAKE CITY Does it feel like theres always someone you know who is starting a new diet with promises of weight loss and happiness?

Theres good reason for that. The weight loss industry raked in over $72 billion in 2018.

If you're considering starting counting calories or following a strict meal plan, here are five questions you should ask yourself first.

This is a big one. What will this diet look like in the long-term for you? What will you do after the "diet" is over? If you dont see yourself sticking to this diet for the rest of your life, it may not be the diet for you.

The reason being that once the 21 days, 30 days or even 80 days of the diet are over, youre likely to return to previous eating patterns. You might want to eat all the foods you restricted and missed out on during the diet and end up bingeing.

A diet with a strict meal plan also doesnt teach you how to choose foods on your own or in different social situations. Everything you eat is dictated by the diet plan.

A realistic diet is one that teaches you sustainable lifestyle changes and you could see yourself following the rest of your life. The best eating pattern for you is one that incorporates your favorite foods and shows you how to follow a balanced eating pattern within your overall lifestyle.

The problem with this is when you cut out entire food groups, there will likely be gaps in your nutrition.

Before embarking on a diet that excludes one or more food groups it is important to do your research. Find out what nutrients might be missing in your diet if youre not eating foods that were previously providing your body with important nutrition. Then find other ways you can incorporate them in your diet.

For example, a vegan diet is likely to be deficient in vitamin B12, as this nutrient is found mainly in foods of animal origin. However, vegans may be able to incorporate vitamin B12 in their diet by eating fortified foods or taking a B12 supplement.

In my experience as a dietitian, many people jump on the bandwagon of a popular diet without doing their research first. People cut out whichever food group(s) the diet regimen prescribes and don't replace those vital nutrients with other foods or supplements. This can be detrimental to health, especially if it continues on a long-term basis.

What do you want to result from this diet? Is it a specific weight, certain pant size, or something else? If your only focus is on weight loss, then is your desired weight and timeline realistic? Setting realistic goals with slow and steady weight loss is best because you are more likely to keep it off.

If a certain weight is your goal, keep in mind what youll do and how youll feel if you don't reach that magical number on the scale. Remember the scale does not define you or your success as a person, and maybe that number you chose isnt best for your body.

Look at all the positive changes you have made instead. Maybe thats eating more vegetables, saving money from not drinking a soda every day, or finding a form of physical activity you enjoy doing. Any of those positive changes count as a win.

As an alternative to focusing on the scale, I encourage people to focus more on lifestyle outcomes. How about setting a goal of being able to play with your kids at the park without getting completely winded, completing in a 5K, cooking dinner at home more often, or just feeling better in your body.

Choose actionable habits to implement that will move you closer to your lifestyle goals.

A lot of diets out there just plain arent safe, including those with very low-calorie diets, untested supplements, cutting out certain nutrients. Some have unpleasant side effects and can make you feel really crappy all in the pursuit of "health". If you have to suffer through a diet and feel crappy to lose a little weight, it is likely not worth it.

Before starting any new eating pattern its a good idea to see if there is any research or studies backing this diet. Find out what the science and experts say. Nutrition is still a relatively young field, but there are plenty of reliable sources you can look to for solid information on various diets.

A realistic diet is one that teaches you sustainable lifestyle changes and you could see yourself following the rest of your life.Brittany Poulson, registered dietitian

There is no doubt that mental health takes a toll when overly restricting and analyzing every calorie that passes our lips. What might start as an innocent attempt to lose a little weight can turn into an obsession. It can become isolating and depressing at times.

As we obsess over everything we eat, its easy to feel shame, guilt and regret for eating a single food not allowed on the diet or going over your daily calorie allowance. This should never happen. Never feel guilty about eating something. Sure, there are days when you may have eaten too much and you didnt feel your best afterward, but you can learn from that and move on. No need to be ashamed, feel guilty or turn to more restrictions in your diet because of food.

Embracing the fact that food does not hold a moral value (i.e. no food is "good" or "bad") can be pivotal in keeping good mental health when it comes to eating.

Also, keep in mind that being a smaller weight does not automatically equal happiness. If you are unhappy at a higher weight, I suggest really digging into what is truly making you unhappy before deciding a lower weight is your key to happiness.

After considering these five questions, if you dont feel comfortable with any of your answers I suggest not going on the diet. Instead, I recommend exploring other options.

As humans, our bodies crave consistency. Going on and off diets only puts stress on our bodies, which can lead to weight gain and underlying inflammation.

Instead, find a balanced eating pattern that incorporates a variety of foods (including your favorite foods), is realistic, sustainable, safe and makes you happy. This will look different for everyone and might take some trial and error.

Thats OK. If you'd help exploring what eating pattern is best for you, find a dietitian to help guide you on your journey.

Editors Note: Anything in this article is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition; Any opinions, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of KSL. KSL does not endorse nor is it responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, information, or statement made in this article. KSL expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of this article.

Excerpt from:
5 things to consider before going on a diet - KSL.com

With its focus on eating a variety of plant-based foods like leafy greens, vegetables and fruit, along with limiting sugar and saturated fat, many experts agree that the MIND diet is a healthy eating plan with a number of benefits.

Michele Rudolphi, a registered dietitian in Fort Wayne, Ind., recommends the diet to her clients. Not only is this diet whole-foods based, it is high in plant foods (specifically vegetables) which are typically lacking in the typical American diet With my clients, I also find that not only does it help to stabilize their blood sugar throughout the day, preventing cravings, it also helps them enjoy the flavors found in whole foods again, Rudolphi explained.

Dr. Susan Fox, a vascular surgeon in Hollywood, Florida, also encourages her patients to adopt the MIND diet. Fox explained that the diet is high in vitamins and minerals naturally occurring in beans, legumes and vegetables which promote a brain-healthy diet without the peaks and valleys of insulin and sugar disruption.

She also pointed to the diets benefits to both gut health and mental health. "There is definitely a link between what we eat, [and] how we feel, Fox said.

Whether you go all in, or take a slow and steady approach, the MIND diet may be a great first step towards adopting healthier eating habits.

Start by adding in more color in your diet, especially green, blue, red and purple fruits and vegetables. Swap refined grain foods with more whole grains like quinoa, brown rice and 100% whole grain bread. Limit your consumption of red and red processed meat to no more than once a week and cut down on sweets by eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages.

If your lifestyle goals include better brain health, along with maintaining healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels, the MIND diet is a good option to try.

Kristin Kirkpatrick

Kristin Kirkpatrick is the lead dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a best-selling author and an award winning dietitian.

Link:
MIND diet plan and foods to eat: What is the MIND diet? - TODAY

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process.

Pumpkin seeds, which can be enjoyed with or without their white shell, are a tasty and nutrient-rich food.

Research shows that they offer a number of health benefits, such as lowering blood sugar levels, improving heart health, and even reducing your risk of certain cancers (1, 2, 3).

Many people wonder whether pumpkin seeds can also help you lose weight.

This article examines whether pumpkin seeds are beneficial for weight loss, plus tips for incorporating them into your diet.

Pumpkin seeds are rich in nutrients known to support weight loss, such as fiber, protein, and unsaturated fatty acids.

One 6-month study in 345 adults on a low calorie diet examined the effects of dietary composition on weight loss. It found that fiber intake promoted dietary adherence and weight loss, independently of calories or any other nutrient (4).

Fiber helps increase feelings of fullness, preventing overeating between meals that may otherwise lead to weight gain or prevent weight loss (5).

The minimum fiber recommendations for adults to support overall health and weight maintenance are 1938 grams per day (6).

A 1/2-cup (72-gram) serving of pumpkin seeds with their shells removed provides 5 grams of fiber, while a 1/2-cup (23-gram) serving with shells provides 1.5 grams (7).

Protein is also known to play a supportive role in weight loss, helping improve appetite, prevent overeating, and promote feelings of fullness (8, 9).

A 1/2-cup (72-gram) serving of pumpkin seeds without their shell provides 21 grams of protein, and a 1/2-cup (23-gram) serving of seeds with their shells on provides 7 grams (7).

While pumpkin seeds are a nutritious, high fiber snack that can help support weight loss, its important to remember that moderation is key when it comes to your intake of any food.

Like other nuts and seeds, pumpkin seeds are energy-dense, meaning that they contain a substantial number of calories and fat in a small serving size.

For example, 1/2 cup (72 grams) of pumpkin seeds with their shells removed contains approximately 415 calories and 35 grams of fat (7).

If you were to eat 1/2 cup (23 grams) of pumpkin seeds with their shells intact, you would still be getting approximately 130 calories and 11 grams of fat (7).

When it comes down to it, just be sure that the quantity of pumpkin seeds youre eating fits into your overall calorie goals for weight loss.

While some people may be able to fit 1/2 cup (72 grams) of shelled pumpkin seeds into their diet, others may need to restrict themselves to a smaller serving size.

To minimize added calories and sodium, choose raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds, with or without their shell, to best complement a healthy weight loss diet.

Pumpkin seeds are rich in fiber, protein, and unsaturated fatty acids, which can all play a supportive role in healthy weight loss and maintenance. Choose raw, unsalted seeds to minimize your intake of added fat, calories, and sodium.

Pumpkin seeds can be enjoyed both with and without their shell. Pumpkin seeds without their shell are often called pepitas and can be identified by their smaller, green appearance.

Pumpkin seeds can be enjoyed in a number of ways, such as:

Note that pumpkin seeds contain phytic acid, which may inhibit the absorption of other vitamins and minerals.

If you regularly eat pumpkin seeds, consider roasting them or soaking and sprouting them to reduce their phytic acid content (10, 11).

Pumpkin seeds can be enjoyed raw with or without their shell and added to pasta dishes, smoothies, yogurt, and baked goods. If youre concerned about their phytic acid, roast or soak and then sprout them before eating.

Pumpkin seeds are a healthy food rich in nutrients that may support weight loss and maintenance goals, such as protein, fiber, and unsaturated fatty acids.

As with other nuts and seeds, pumpkin seeds contain a substantial amount of fat and number of calories in a small serving, making moderation important if youre on a calorie-restricted diet.

To best complement a weight loss diet, choose raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds either with or without their shells. These seeds can be added to a number of dishes or eaten on their own as a healthy snack.

Shop for raw, unsalted pepitas or in-shell pumpkin seeds online.

Link:
Pumpkin Seeds for Weight Loss: Are They Beneficial? - Healthline