Professor Christian Bugge Henriksen, a climate and food security expert at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, says that feeding city dwellers sustainably is a triple challenge.

The first part of it is increasing urbanisation: by 2050, its expected that 6.5 billion of us will live in megacities thats nearly two out of every three people. The second issue is the negative effects on our climate; forests are cleared to produce farmland, ruminants produce methane, and transportation of food from farms to cities emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide. The third part is malnutrition: many of us, especially in cities, eat too much of the wrong things, particularly processed meat. Currently, 70% of all deaths in Europe can be somehow linked to non-communicable diseases that are affected by malnutrition, said Prof. Henriksen.

One solution might lie in having the inhabitants of cities eat food that is produced as close to them as possible. It is commonly believed that eating locally produced food is better for the environment because it has travelled a shorter distance from farm to fork. But what does the evidence say?

Truth be told, there isnt an awful lot of it, which is why Professor Matthew Gorton at Newcastle University, UK, began coordinating the Strength2Food project. This is a sprawling endeavour, looking at short food supply chains in terms of their environmental and social sustainability.

Prof. Gorton says that, in general, the project has found that short food supply chains live up to their good reputation. By and large, they provide better margins to producers, the carbon footprints tend to be lower, with also better indicators for social sustainability, he said.

But there are instructive anomalies. Take a part of the project where Prof. Gorton and his colleagues looked at the fishing industry around the Newcastle area. The main catch landed here is langoustine, but it is nearly all exported to Italy, France and Spain, while UK consumers eat mainly imported fish such as salmon, he says.

One of the things were interested in is: how can we improve that? said Prof. Gorton. How can we get local fish on the menu in the north east of England?

Fish box

One idea the team explored was to create a fish box containing fresh local catch that people couldnt otherwise buy. But it wasnt a quick win. It turned out consumers wanted recipes and cooking instructions as well as the fish, and some wanted it more or less often. Also, subscribers of which there are currently only 45 pick up the boxes from local restaurants, which means the service isnt easy to scale up quickly and involves a dedicated car journey separate from the customers supermarket shop.

But while the scheme wasnt an overnight hit, it provided some useful lessons, such as how crucial it is to not ask consumers to make several separate journeys to pick up food.

One way to solve that is to get local food into supermarkets. The trouble is that people often think with their purse when out for their weekly food shop and tend to buy cheaper options even if they like the idea of local food. Prof. Gorton suspected that this could be remedied if there were point of sale displays to remind people of the benefits of local food.

This idea was tested out with one of the projects partners, Konzum, a supermarket chain. The team set up an experiment in 18 stores across Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia where local apples were sold alongside cheaper imported apples in three different ways.

In one group of stores the local apples had point of sale displays with the slogan: I buy local; I buy it fresher; I support the local farmer. A second group of stores had a picture of a young and healthy-looking farmer with the national flag. In both of these groups, the idea was to send the message that these local apples were healthy and buying them supported local people. The third group was a control, with no extra marketing material.

The team found this promotional material had a significant effect on peoples buying habits. For example, in stores in and around Zagreb, Croatia, local apples accounted for only 34% of the sales in the control stores during the test, but that rose to 56% in the stores with the pictorial point of sale displays.

The time is really ripe to go in and transform the food system.

Prof. Christian Bugge Henriksen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

All this suggests short food supply chains are a positive move and can be made to work, even if its not easy. But how do we scale up the schemes that work? An answer should be forthcoming from the FoodSHIFT2030 project, which is led by Prof. Henriksen.

His team is looking at how we can scale-up innovations that will help make food in urban areas both more sustainable and more healthy. There is a particular focus on getting people to switch to a plant-based diet, which can halve the carbon emissions associated with an omnivorous diet.

Its early days for the project, which formally began in January 2020. But it has already established spaces known as accelerator labs, in nine cities around Europe that are each exploring different innovations that could be scalable. These range from educating school pupils about local food in Athens, Greece, to vertical farming and other food production technologies in Barcelona, Spain.

Urban agriculture

Besides short food supply chains there is also potential for scaling up urban farming. A global study has demonstrated that up to 10% of the global output of legumes, roots and tubers, and vegetable crops could be produced by urban agriculture, said Prof. Henriksen. In other words, cities could grow a significant amount of the vegetables their populations need on roofs, allotments and other bits and pieces of space.

Scaling up any innovation to an entire city requires political buy-in, but there are some good signs on this front. For example, in 2015 the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact was launched and this collective commitment to develop sustainable food systems is now signed by 209 cities around the world.

Theres also the Good Food Policies Declaration, organised through the C40 cities network for the worlds megacities. Signatory cities to this pact have agreed to work towards achieving the Planetary Health Diet by 2030. This diet, developed by EAT, a non-profit organisation, in partnership with The Lancet medical journal, is mostly composed of plants and whole grains and is designed to be healthy and environmentally sustainable for the whole world population.

As well as this, Prof. Henriksen thinks the Covid-19 pandemic might provide added impetus for authorities to rethink food supply chains. So far, long international food supply chains have been remarkably resilient but its not clear how long that will last or that any future pandemic would be so forgiving. At the very least, change is in the air when it comes to food in cities.

You could say, said Prof. Henriksen, that the time is really ripe to go in and transform the food system.

Professor Matthew Gorton gives his top tips for making local food systems work most sustainably.

Think about the benefits to consumers. Many local food initiatives can have a vaguely charitable feel to them, says Gorton, with a support local famers vibe. That may be laudable but its unlikely to work in the long term if its the only appeal to consumers. Its better to sell local produce on the tangible benefits to consumers, such as improved freshness or taste.

And convenience. Local produce boxes can be popular. But the logistics of getting to consumers can be tricky. If people have to make a special trip that not convenient for them, it also adds carbon emissions. Better to think smart and try to organise larger scale activities, like local produce markets or deliveries to large workplaces.

It takes time. Getting people to change their behaviour is tricky and can take time. Too often this isnt recognised in retail for example supermarkets will often trial products for a week or two and pull them if sales dont take off. Behaviour change takes time to bed in.

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.

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Eating local and plant-based diets: how to feed cities sustainably - Horizon magazine

A study has found that disabling a gene in the myeloid cells of mice prevents them from developing obesity.

New research has found that inhibiting an immune cell gene in mice prevented them from developing obesity, even when they consumed a diet high in fat.

The studys findings, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, may one day help scientists develop therapies that can help people with obesity burn calories more easily.

Obesity is a major health issue, and in the United States, rates of the condition have risen over the past 40 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that between 2017 and 2018, 42.4% of people in the country had obesity. Between 1999 and 2000, that figure was 30.5%.

Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and some types of cancer.

The CDC say that lifestyle changes, including eating a more healthful diet and getting more regular exercise, are key to reducing obesity.

One issue, however, involves obesitys effects on metabolism previous research in mice lead to the suggestion that a person with obesity burns fewer calories than a person who does not have obesity.

Better understanding how and why this might happen, and what scientists and clinicians can do about it, may help with reducing obesity.

In the present study, the researchers inhibited a gene in immune cells in mice. They did this because of an association between obesity and increased inflammation, and immune cells play a key role in controlling inflammation.

The researchers had wanted to find out what part the immune cells play in the metabolic complications of obesity. To their surprise, they found that the cells have a central role in regulating obesity and weight gain.

To study the effects of inhibiting the immune cell gene, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, they deleted the gene Asxl2, and in the second, they injected regular mice with nanoparticles that interfered with the function of the gene.

Once the researchers had inhibited this gene in the immune cells, they found that the mice did not develop obesity when fed a high fat diet, and that this was likely due to increased energy expenditure.

Compared with a control group of mice who had obesity but none of the gene inhibition, the mice with the inhibition burned 45% more calories, despite eating high fat diets.

For the studys principal investigator, Prof. Steven L. Teitelbaum, of the Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, MO, Weve developed a proof of concept, here, that you can regulate weight gain by modulating the activity of these inflammatory cells.

It might work in a number of ways, but we believe it may be possible to control obesity and the complications of obesity by better regulating inflammation.

The team is not yet sure why inhibiting the gene in the mices immune cells resulted in them not gaining weight while on a high fat diet. The researchers suspect that the answer may involve encouraging white fat cells to burn fat rather than store it, as brown fat cells do.

While this is only preliminary research, the findings may eventually help people with obesity burn calories at a higher rate, supporting them as they make broader lifestyle changes that involve the diet and exercise.

According to Prof. Teitelbaum, A large percentage of Americans now have fatty livers, and one reason is that their fat depots cannot take up the fat they eat, so it has to go someplace else.

These mice consumed high fat diets, but they didnt get fatty livers. They dont get type 2 diabetes. It seems that limiting the inflammatory effects of their macrophages allows them to burn more fat, which keeps them leaner and healthier.

Original post:
Obesity in mice prevented by disabling gene - Medical News Today

Studies show fasting can help to reduce inflammation, control blood pressure and support modest but significant weight loss over time. With our social calendars largely on pause right now, and the opportunity to dictate your own eating schedule if you are working from home, lockdown may be an appropriate time to attempt a fasting regime.

Professor Mark Mattson, a Professor of Neuroscience at John Hopkins University recently authored a review paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine on intermittent fasting and its role in health, ageing and disease. He says the first thing to know about fasting is that it should not be thought of as a short-term regime. "Intermittent fasting should not be considered a diet, rather an eating pattern that is committed to long term in order to reap the potential benefits."

"Findings from my research show that at least 80 per cent of people who are able to switch to an intermittent fasting eating pattern for at least one month are able to incorporate the new eating pattern into their lifestyle long term." Mattson says daily time-restricted eating, in which all calories are consumed within a six or eight-hour period each day, leaving 16-18 hours without food is easier than the 5:2 method for most people. "A key practical point is that it can take up to a month to adapt to if such that the person is no longer hungry during the times they had previously been eating."

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If you are currently battling a constant desire to snack, or lacking structure with your day and your food intake as a result, adopting a fasting regime may be a practical solution. The key is identifying which of the various fasting methods will best suit your lifestyle and be sustainable long term.

This involves a daily fast of 16 hours and an eating 'window' where two meals are usually consumed. You can choose the times of day it suits you to eat, say brunch and early dinner, or lunch and dinner and then allow 14-18 hours before you eat again most of which time you will be asleep. You are then able to enjoy substantial, satisfying meals in this 6-8 hour time window and will be well and truly hungry again 14-18 hours later.

So what does a typical eating day look like? Eggs and toast with coffee for a late breakfast or lunch meal, followed by a pasta or stir fry or roast meal for an early dinner two substantial meals which take the focus away from constant snacking.

In the case of following the 5:2 regime, you will have five regular eating days and two non-consecutive fasting days, where no more than 500-600 calories are consumed. On the low calorie days you can take the focus off food, while eating more freely on the other five days without restricting calories. Of course, eating "freely" does not mean you can eat anything. Overeating and bingeing on junk food on your non-fast days will jeopardise weight loss.

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Unlike many diets which require constant focus and vigilance as well as much food prep, the 5:2 method can be an easy regime to follow. In food terms, an example fasting day includes a small coffee and boiled egg, a miso or broth-style soup for lunch and a light salad for dinner.

Dr Michael Mosley's most recent weight loss plan, The Fast 800, combines various principles of intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating and the Mediterranean diet. The plan involves eating 800 calories a day for a minimum of two weeks, and then moving to the "new" 5:2 plan which suggests two 800-calorie "fasting days" and a Mediterranean-style diet for the rest of the week. As with all diets, you should speak to your GP before commencing a fasting regime.

In my experience clients find either the 16:8 approach or relatively strict fasting on just two days each week much easier to follow than needing to limit daily calories to 800 (the recommended daily calorie intake for an Australian adult is 2,000) for an extended period of time. A key component of achieving success with any fasting regime is matching the dieting approach to a client's eating preferences. Most prefer to limit their hours of eating rather than severely limit their calories.

Any diet will work if it is followed, but the issue is that few diets are sustainable. The standout feature of intermittent fasting is that it offers a pattern of eating that can be tailored to an individual's lifestyle without the need for food preparation. And as many of us battle to regain control over our eating in lockdown, fasting may be a simple way to diet without dieting at all.

Susie Burrell is a dietitian and nutritionist.

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Always wanted to try intermittent fasting? Here's where to start - Sydney Morning Herald

When you're hungry, what do you eat? Do you reach for fresh fruits and vegetables or grab chips or ice cream? There's likely no consistent answer. After all, appetite is complicated.

In studying how animals eat, researchers learned about the human diet in the process. They found that humans have five distinct appetites that work together to make sure we get the proper amount of nutrients our bodies need to work efficiently.

"It is a mistake to think of appetite as a single, powerful drive to eat," researchers David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson write in New Scientist. "We need separate appetites to keep track of various nutrients, and hence to construct a balanced diet."

The five appetites are for protein, carbs, fats, sodium, and calcium.

"Those five have been singled out by evolution for good reasons," they write. "One is that there is a limit to how complex biological systems can get and still operate efficiently. We couldn't have specific appetites for dozens of nutrients. Another is that these nutrients are needed in very specific quantities. Third, some components, like sodium, were often rare in our ancestral environments and we needed dedicated machinery to seek them out, for example in mineral deposits."

Raubenheimer and Simpson discuss the five appetites and what else they learned by studying how nature solves this problem in their new book, "Eat Like the Animals: What Nature Teaches Us About the Science of Healthy Eating."

Researchers followed a Cape baboon like this one and recorded everything she ate for 30 days. (Photo: Benny Marty/Shutterstock)

Raubenheimer and Simpson didn't start their appetite studies working with humans. It all began with locusts.

As researchers at the University of Oxford in the 1990s, they started their appetite experiment by putting 200 locusts in individual boxes. They created 25 foods that were a combination of protein and carbohydrates at different concentrations. Some were a mix of high protein and high carbs. Others were low protein and high carbs. And there was every other combination of the two nutrients, which are the main ingredients in a locust's diet.

Each locust was fed just one of the food combos until they reached maturity. They were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. Researchers recorded how much they ate, as well as how much weight they gained, and how much fat and lean tissue they added. Using all this information, they were able to determine the balance of protein and carbs that best allowed the locusts to thrive.

The researchers found that although the locusts were on a limited diet, they tended to eat the ideal amount of protein. For those that were on a low-protein diet, they overate carbs to get the protein they needed. For those that were on the high-protein diet, they ate too few carbs to keep their protein levels at the correct amount.

In a second experiment, locusts were given access to two different foods with varying combinations of protein and carbs. Again, they ate just the right amount to get the ideal balance of protein and carbs.

"This demonstrated that when locusts have a wide choice of foods, their two appetites collaborate so they consume an optimal diet. But when they are given imbalanced foods, as in our first experiment, the appetites for protein and carbohydrate compete, and protein wins," the researchers write. "That suggested that, more so than carbohydrate, protein has to be carefully calibrated in the diet."

Moving up from locusts, the researchers followed a female Cape baboon in the Cape Peninsula of South Africa for 30 days. Dubbing her Stella, they watched exactly what and how much she ate all day. She ate dozens of different foods including leaves, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, fruits, and flowers. Although the types and amounts of foods varied each day, Stella had a "strikingly consistent balance of protein to non-protein," the researchers wrote in their study, published in the journal PLOS One.

Having five distinct appetites works seamlessly in the natural world, but a glut of ultra-processed foods in real life leads to obesity. (Photo: Colorcocktail/Shutterstock)

Researchers replicated their locust work in a way with humans. They had a volunteer group of 10 people stay in a Swiss chalet for a week. For two days, they ate whatever they wanted from a buffet. Then they were broken into two groups for two days. One group ate from a high-protein buffet, while the other chose from a low-protein, high-carb, high-fat buffet. On the last two days, they ate from the original all-encompassing buffet.

The human volunteers responded like locusts, the researchers said. Those on the low-protein diet ate more calories and carbs to get the protein they needed. Those on high-protein diets consumed fewer calories. The results are published in the journal Appetite.

This five-appetite system works seamlessly in the natural world. But in our modern lives, filled with ultra-processed products like cookies and cereal, pizza and ice cream, the system struggles and can't work as it should. More than half of the typical diet in the U.S. and U.K. is made of ultra-processed foods, the researchers write.

"The thing about ultra-processed foods is that they tend to be low in protein which is expensive and high in cheap carbs and fats. It is these foods that have largely been responsible for the dilution of protein in Western diets since the 1960s. And the more ultra-processed foods people eat, the more calories they need to consume to get the target intake of protein, with disastrous consequences," say Raubenheimer and Simpson.

"Ultra-processed foods make us fat, but not because we have strong appetites for the fats and carbs they contain, as is often thought to be the case. Rather, it is because our appetite for protein is stronger than our ability to limit fat and carb intake. So, when protein is diluted by fats and carbs, our appetite for it overwhelms the mechanisms that normally tell us to stop eating fats and carbs."

Mary Jo DiLonardo covers a wide range of topics focused on nature, health, science and anything that helps make the world a better place.

Did you know you have 5 different appetites?

People have 5 different appetites. Understanding how they work can help explain the obesity epidemic.

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Did you know you have 5 different appetites? - Mother Nature Network

It's not an exaggeration to say Venus Williams, who went pro at 14-years-old, changed the face of tennisand she's not slowing down anytime soon.

Now 39, the tennis champion and entrepreneur (who has seven Grand Slam titles and two companies under her belt) continues to perform at an elite level on all fronts. These days, she puts most of her energy into her activewear line, EleVen, which is all about empowering women to kill it on and off the court.

How does Venus keep her endless hot streak going, though? She says her diet deserves a lot of the credit.

"I started eating raw and vegan for health reasons," Venus tells Women's Health. "I needed to fuel my body in the best way possible." (She's previously opened up about having Sjogren's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that comes with fatigue, muscles aches, and joint pain.) "Knowing how important a role my diet plays keeps me on track," she says.

Venus leaves room for a little flexibility, though. "I try to make the majority of my meals raw and vegan, but Im only human and am known to cheat a little bit. I joke that Im a 'chegan' because sometimes Ive been known to stray."

Here's exactly what the tennis legend eats to fuel her training and entrepreneurial ventures.

For Venus, mornings are focused on training. "Im not a morning person or a big breakfast eater," Venus tells Women's Health. "I do need some fuel to get me going, but find it hard to scarf down a big meal first thing when I wake up, so Ill usually have something light like fruit or a protein shake."

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Since Venus' calendar is often jam-packed during the day, she switches up her lunch as needed, often opting for mobile meals like smoothies when time is tight. "Depending on how much time I have for lunch and what my schedule looks like, lunch can vary from sweet potatoes and rice to a green smoothie," she says.

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"Eating is part of the job when Im competing, so I make sure to get some protein and carbs," she says. "After a match, Ill usually have a protein shake with a plant-based milk and protein powder and then eat a real meal shortly after."

Snacks (and lots of them!) also help Venus get through hectic days. "Im often running from multiple practices to meetings for EleVen or calls with my design company, V Starr, so I am always looking for little things that are easy to bring on-the-go," she says. "Clif Bars are great when Im super busy; they are small-but-mighty and fill me up quickly." (Venus is a Clif Bar athlete, but she's been a fan since long before the deal.)

Otherwise, Venus loads her snacks with greens and veggies. "You'll often find me snacking on kale chips in meetings," she says. "Green juice and smoothiesand protein shakes, if I'm coming straight from practiceare also my go-tos. I need foods that are tasty and convenient, but still pack a punch and keep me going, whether Im on the court or in a meeting."

In the evening, Venus usually goes for a salad. "For dinner, I love vegan Caesar salads because they are super easy," Venus told Women's Health. "I can whip it up quickly whether Im at home or in a hotel room at a tournament."

Venus isn't the only one on the vegan train. These other icons swear by eating only plants, too:

Venus' sweet tooth might rival her powerful swing, but she's found healthy swaps to satisfy it with. "When Im training I really try to practice self-control, but sometimes a girl just needs a donut!" she says. "I have found its easier to curb those cravings by finding foods that are still sweet but also healthy, like a juice or a smoothie." Okay, Venus may really be the smoothie queen.

One of her favorite smoothies: a "Green-Colada," which she makes with pineapple, canned coconut milk, coconut oil, a little vanilla flavoring, and kale. "Sometimes Ill have some fun and put a rum or prosecco floater on top," she says. "Work hard, play hard!"

Venus' ultimate eating MO: "It's all about moderation. Life is too short to not love what youre eating." Right on, Venus. Right on.

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Venus Williams' Diet Is Primarily Raw And Vegan, But She Calls Herself A 'Chegan' - Women's Health

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By Becky Muller, Interior Designer at ICON Architectural Group | Photos by Kayleigh Omang

The Wellness Districtfargowellnessdistrict.com435 32nd Ave. E., West Fargo701-205-3088

The Wellness District first started in September of 2011, when Medical Weight Loss Specialists first opened their doors. Spencer Barry, MD, is the Medical Director of The Wellness District and worked as a Family Physician for 25 years prior to opening the clinic. Seeing so many of his patients struggling with their weight-related health problems, it inspired him to spend more time on the science of obesity to make a difference in his patients lives, both physically and emotionally. DermPhilosophy began in May of 2016 and as both clinics services expanded and the number of patients climbed, the clinics were combined into their new location in West Fargo in December of 2019. The new space allowed them to add on more aesthetic services as well as adding on a nutrition bar to give not only their weight loss clients, but all members of the Fargo-Moorhead community, a convenient and healthy option for lunch or breakfast on the go!

The Wellness Districts passion and dedication to their patients is what sets them apart in the F/M area for all of your aesthetic or medical weight loss needs. Providing care to all genders and ages, services on the medical side include creating personalized nutritional programs, metabolic detox, lipotropic injections and KE diet plans. On the aesthetic side, they provide Botox, dermal fillings, body contouring, Coolsculpting, Colorescience and skincare services. Their StrongPour Nutrition Bar supplies healthy meals, snacks and beverages that leave their clients feeling replenished, both physically and mentally. Their grocery section carries many specialty brands and their shakes were all designed by their Licensed Registered Dietician, Samantha Koepp. All of these services have allowed the staff at the Wellness District to help over 5,000 patients become happier, healthier and feel more confident in their bodies.

With three businesses under one roof, it was important in the design for each to have a distinct look, yet feel cohesive as one space. Interior Designer, Monica Hart of Monica Hart Interior Design, Inc. was hired to create a beautiful and approachable space that was comfortable for both men and women. The overall color palette included shades of blue, white, green, black and warm grays. The blue in the logo was the first pull of inspiration and they wanted to tie in more colors found in nature to give an organic feeling in the public spaces.

For the aesthetic side of the clinic, the design team wanted it to feel a little more glamorous. They used high-end wall coverings in the hallways and each aesthetic room has a fun accent wall and decorative light fixtures. For the Medical Weight Loss side of the clinic, they desired an understated medical feel while still incorporating warm colors and coordinated carpets to not feel too cool. The Nutrition Bar used some of the same finishes while adding their own touches of branding and biophilic elements, a design method that brings the outdoors in. An abundance of natural light, plants that inspire closeness to nature, stone that nods to natural landscapes, light wood-look flooring and dark cabinetry create a modern and organic atmosphere, relating directly to their natural food and beverage selections.

With the additional space came opportunities for additional growth in multiple areas. They were able to put all of their services under one roof, service more clients at once, add more display space for their weight loss and skin products, a larger Nutrition Bar and grocery space and add on more aesthetic services, including Signature and DiamondGlow facials and a more apt space for CoolSculpting.

The Wellness District plans to continue the growth of its services with the ever-changing needs of its clients. Now that they are moved into their new space and fully functioning, Hart and the ownership team have a few more walls where they want to add additional artwork and some before/after photos in both the aesthetic and medical weight loss sides. Doing this, they hope to inspire their patients further while designing with their own success stories.

The Wellness Districts new space is not only beautiful and approachable, but practical for the services that they provide. The design is stylish and functional, but also comprehensive for the three businesses that are combined as a one-stop-shop for all weight loss needs. However, with changing times and todays technology, they have now opened their online walk-in clinic. Anyone can visit with their physician from the comfort of their own home.

It is the goal of The Wellness District to enhance their clients health, wellness and natural beauty while providing safe and high-quality care, weight loss education and modern aesthetic services. And now they have a gorgeous new space to help their clients look and feel their absolute best!

CREDITSArchitect: Dovetail DevelopmentProject Management: Meridian Property ManagementInterior Designer: Monica Hart Interior DesignArtwork: Monica Hart Interior DesignFurniture: Melissa LaBay at InterOfficeFlooring: J&J Flooring Group InvisionCabinetry: Braaten Cabinets

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Spaces That Work: The Wellness District - Design & Living Magazine

Heidi Gardner in the land of gummies. Illustration: Margalit Cutler

Since joining SNL three years ago, Heidi Gardner has developed, as our friends at Vulture put it, a growing list of unforgettable characters like teen movie critic Bailey Gismert. She was also given a bigger stage during this past season, after being promoted to repertory player. Now, while sheltering in place, the actress and comedian has found herself cooking for entertainment, trying to re-create dishes she loves, like Jon & Vinnys vodka fusilli, and participating in weekly rituals like Saturday morning cereal. In her first week since the season ended, she also made Ina Garten recipes for lemon cake and teriyaki chicken, continued her exploration of the pros salads, and realized that smoothies are her culinary white whale.

Thursday, May 14This morning, I made the most perfect breakfast loaf in the world. It was a lemon cake, and Im still in awe of how good it tasted. So moist, so lemony. One of my favorite things Ive made.

No. 1, it looked beautiful. It kind of transported me to another world, I felt like maybe I was in England or something, because it was yellow and the crust was golden-brown and I made it in this ceramic white loaf pan. So probably the setting, just the mood of the loaf itself, was amazing.

I feel like I see loaves at Starbucks, like a slice of coffee cake or pumpkin bread, and theyre good because they have a lot of sugar in them. But youre kind of just like, Yeah, this is just sweet? And in this lemon loaf, there was so much lemon zest and fresh lemon juice that I felt like, Oh, this has depth. Also the actual cake part of it looked like a cake should look, like Great British Bake Off-style. I think maybe I was really enthusiastic about a perfect bake.

Also, I make a cappuccino every morning. Quad shot of espresso with a little bit of foamed heavy cream.

I should also add that I made one of my cats, Tweaky, a slice of bacon for her birthday. Usually she gets a Twinkie not a whole Twinkie. She just bites into it. She really likes the cream, which we realized one time when Zeb had a Twinkie and she just attacked it. Shes not one of those cats that likes human food.

For lunch, I had some coconut yogurt with lots of toppings. Im talking goji berries, coconut flakes, bee pollen, cacao nibs, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and blueberries. I drank some mountain blackberry Clearly Canadian. Yep, the delicious sparkling water from the 90s. You can order it on Amazon. It good.

Dinner was a green salad I re-created from the West Village restaurant Via Carota. It requires A LOT of lettuce washing. And its worth it! So much crunch. The recipe was on the Times website. I had never had it. I cant wait to be able to actually go to the restaurant and actually have their version. Im sure its so much better. I dont know, I find that it is actually kind of tough to make a good salad, a really satisfying salad. I was just searching for best salads ever, and so I found that one. Earlier in the month, I made Nancy Silvertons chopped salad. Im trying to find the pro versions of salad and give them my best shot.

I also made teriyaki salmon. The teriyaki wasnt overly sweet. It was a nice glaze with lots of ginger. And some white rice, too. If you put the sauce on the rice, it was killer. That was another Barefoot Contessa recipe. I was just on her site, trying to find good entre ideas, and that one was so good.

I feel like Ive gone through so many stages during this. Almost just cooking for pure entertainment. So Ill definitely think of something I had and be like, Oh, is that recipe online? Like Jon & Vinnys fusilli alla vodka, I made that and anything I remembered really liking from childhood. Ive been having Cream of Wheat. We have all this time to sit and think, so Im just like, what did I like? What did I used to be into? We just bought a box of Hamburger Helper, because I was like, That stuff was good. So Im going to try that at some point, just to be entertained.Friday, May 15Slice of lemon cake for breakfast because Im obsessed with my own creation. Its actually another Barefoot Contessa recipe that my friend Paula gave me. Im a distant cousin on this loaf. I havent cooked a lot of her recipes, but as I was making some of her stuff, I had a memory of probably 12 years ago making a meatloaf of hers. But I think I botched it and was like, Im not at the Barefoot Contessa level.

I snacked on figs drenched in almond butter and strawberry/raspberry jam from Supermoon. I like figs now. I like figs more than dates. Are we still friends?

I feel like figs, prunes, and dates are, when youre a kid, weird adult things. But then I feel like there was kind of a renaissance of dates in the last few years, so when I had a date for the first time, I was like, This is great. Oh, this is one out of those three figs, prunes, and dates that is cool. Figs and prunes still seemed intimidating. But then I bought some figs recently and was like, These are better. Theyre hardier, more full of flavor, all of the seeds on the inside. Then I started wondering: Did I totally miss out on Fig Newtons? Anyway, I had a date after having a love affair with figs, and I was like, yeah, I dont know that dates can do it for me anymore. Theyre just kind of basic.

We ordered pizza from Speedy Romeo on the Lower East Side for dinner. I got their White Album pizza, which was super-flavorful. Zeb got their St. Lucali, which he thought looked like a Totinos pizza, and that made him really happy, and he liked the taste. Zeb is definitely a pepperoni or sausage pizza person. Ive always been, just from basic days of Pizza Hut, a cheese, thin-crust pizza. Maybe mushroom. Ive just never liked meat on pizzavery much, although a long time ago Pizza Hut had a barbecue chicken pizza that I thought was really good. When white pizzas got bigger, I was suddenly like, These are fantastic; you dont need sauce.

We watched the movie Cliffhanger and split a Levain chocolate chip cookie with some Nancys Fancy gelato, Italian custard flavor.

Saturday, May 16Breakfast was a bowl of Golden Grahams and then a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles. We have cereal on Saturday mornings and watch old Saturday morning cartoons. Those are Saturday rules. Zeb had Corn Pops and then Fruity Pebbles.

Whats been really cool is, weve been kind of trying out new cereals every week. Weve done all the monster ones: Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Frankenberry. Right at the beginning of quarantine, my dad sent me those three boxes. I had never even had those as a kid, but they were delicious. Then he sent me another box, which had Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Apple Jacks.

Fruit Loops have traditionally been my favorite, and then last week when we were at the store we decided to get some more. Zeb was saying he remembers Golden Crisp being his favorite ever, and I was saying that I think I remember going through a Golden Grahams phase. So we got those just to see if they still got it, and they do still got it.

I made a shitty smoothie for lunch. EVERY smoothie I make is shitty. I quit. I added avocado to make it creamy, but it just gets nastier. I follow instructions, but Im smoothie-cursed. And ya know what, Im done. When I was maybe 18, I wasnt making smoothies but it was probably when they were becoming cool. I remember saying smoothies would be my desert-island food. If I could have one thing, Id pick smoothies, smoothies, smoothies. So, yeah, Ive completely ruined them for myself. Im like, smoothies suck. Thats my white whale.

Zeb made Nashville hot chicken. First try, and he killed it. Hes going to adjust the sauce a little for the next time. But just the fact that we can have hot chicken in our apartment is a Christmas presentsstyle high. Ive experienced this high with a few other things. I made French toast sticks, like in the vein of the Burger King french toast sticks, so that felt really special.

I would say that, especially during this, Ive been cooking a lot. Ive probably been trying out more things in the kitchen, but then once a day, Zebll just come in and dazzle with the hot chicken.

I was making a salad on the sidelines. It was the first time we were doing kind of a duet in the kitchen, and I thought, Oh, this is pretty cool in this little New York apartment. Were coexisting in the kitchen. Felt like maybe we were in a movie like The Big Chill or something. So it doesnt happen often.

Sunday, May 17Brunch was a care package from Supermoon. The pastry edition. Some hot hits from it were a croissant with a dulce de leche filling, a hazelnut and praline Choux Bomb, and a white-chocolate macadamia cookie. Sunday is my favorite day of the week because of Supermoon. We get to have like an eight-course pastry tasting every week. Its a delight!!!

In general, Im a diehard croissant fan. Gotta be really flaky, gotta be really buttery. And I have a controversial opinion that we, as Americans, tried to match the French as far as a great croissant, and I think we did. I think there are some places in L.A. that actually have the best croissant and that France got lazy. When I went to Paris, I was expecting to have the best croissant, and I was like, I dont think they got it.

For lunch, I walked to the B Cup Cafe on Avenue B and 13th and got an iced chai latte and a sweet brie sandwich. It was brie, honey and Granny Smith apples on a baguette. A lovely lunch that I had to take a lovely walk to get. Well worth it.

I made a classic whiskey sour for my in-home happy hour. I even used an egg white. And fancy cherries. And I shook the damn thing. Im becoming I dont know what Im becoming but theres no doubt Im becoming.

This is definitely a stuck at home thing. Ive never been a person who made a drink after work or even really poured a glass of wine. But on Cinco de Mayo, I was making tacos and wanted to have a Margarita. So I looked up a basic, not-too-sweet Margarita I just wanted to find something without a mix.

I did that and was like, Oh, thats good, I cant believe I had that at home what other cocktails do I want? It really made me feel like not a drinker, because I did not know. So I remembered taking a sip once of a whiskey sour that had the egg white foam on it, my friend had ordered it, and Ive always been someone who doesnt love whiskey. But I thought that was really good, Im going to try that. And now I think that might be my cocktail. I might order it out in the real world after all this, and like it?

I had a slice of Prince Street Pizza for dinner. I dont even like pepperoni pizza, but Prince Street is by far the best pizza on the planet. I cant get over how great that pizza is, and those pepperonis are so good. Im completely blown away. I do that gross thing where I moan and groan and comment after every bite about how good it is. Its the Krispy Kreme glazed donut of pizza. Like, at this point, its its own thing that cant compare to its modern-day counterparts. And like I said, Im not a pepperoni girl. Im a classically trained cheese pizza girl occasionally venturing out to a white pizza. Thats who I am. But Prince Street is my secret-identity pizza girl.

Watched the finale of The Last Dance and made some bomb stovetop popcorn. I loved Last Dance. I thought it was the perfect time for it to come out because there is no basketball and theres been such a debate the past few years: is MJ the GOAT? Is Lebron James the GOAT? Im a huge Lebron James fan. I would be switching and saying, I think Lebron James is the GOAT, and then this documentary comes out and youre reminded that Michael Jordan is a God of basketball, and theres no one like him, no one that plays like him. I know that we got to know Michael Jordan in a curated way, but I just thought it was so cool to get in the mind of a champion and how unfiltered and honest he was. At the end of it, I was like, Im so sad I cant have more Michael Jordan.Monday, May 18Breakfast was a slice of sourdough from Supermoon, toasted in butter and then smothered in their white peach and strawberry jam. A true taste sensation.

Lunch was Cream of Wheat with dates. There werent enough lumps in the Cream of Wheat. Delicious but not bumpy, and that needs to be fixed.

Im trying to figure out the proper ratio of bumpy to not-bumpy. Im requesting, demanding lumps and bumps, but Im realizing because something Zeb has been making the Cream of Wheat, and when I was little my mom made it. His Cream of Wheat has been supersmooth, and my moms was always bumpy, and in my head Im thinking, I guess she wasnt adding as much water? Or over time it gets clumps or something? But I really have no right to critique anybodys. I dont think Ive ever even made it. I dont know how to do it, I dont know if its a magical thing, but I do know I posted a picture of it and a friend of mine asked, Where are the lumps? So I know its a thing.

We ordered Ivan Ramen for dinner. The Chicken Paitan. The broth has so much depth. Like how do you get that deep with food?? I think it was my first time having it. Ive had Ivan Ramen before, but when I had my first taste of that one, the broth took me back so much that I was like, Its a flavor and richness Ive never had before. Then I had my second taste, and I was like, Oh, this is the best taste ever. So it definitely blew my mind and opened my eyes.

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SNLs Heidi Gardner Tries a New Cereal Each Week - Grub Street

Pizza, hot dogs and fries, oh my!Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Carli Liguori, University of Pittsburgh

Have you noticed grabbing an extra bag of chips at the supermarket? Or eating more frozen dinners than you used to? Or even eating snacks that you haven't eaten since you were a little kid?

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended nearly every facet of our daily lives, from how we dress, to how we work, to how we exercise.

It's also changing the way we eat. As a registered dietitian and nutrition researcher, I'm fascinated by the types of food people are buying during this strange time.

One recent survey found that 42% of respondents indicated they're purchasing more packaged food than they typically would and less fresh food.

Sales of frozen pizza have almost doubled. Sales of frozen appetizers and snacks - think Bagel Bites - are over a third, while ice cream sales have increased 36%.

According to Uber Eats, the most common food delivery order in the United States has been french fries, while the most popular beverage has been soda.

To me, these foods have one thing in common: They're the stuff we ate as kids.

Why might grown adults be reaching back into the pantry of their pasts? What is it about a pandemic that makes us feel like we're teenagers at a sleepover?

The reasons are deeply rooted.

At its core, the purpose of food is to nourish. Of course food provides us with the necessary energy and balance of vitamins and minerals to power and fuel the body. But anyone who's reached for a pint of Ben and Jerry's after a particularly stressful day will know that nourishment is about more than nutrition.

During periods of stress, people tend to eat more and show a greater preference for higher calorie foods. The sweeter and saltier the better. Regardless of hunger, a tasty snack can feel comforting. There's evidence to suggest that highly palatable foods, especially those high in fat and sugar, may elicit a response in the brain that is similar to the response from opioids.

Yes, a delicious slice of rich chocolate cake can be just as good as drugs.

We tend to call many of these foods "comfort foods," but the definition of comfort food is a bit slippery. Food is deeply personal. The foods that comfort people depend on their cultural background, taste preference, and personal experience. We know, however, that food can induce feelings of nostalgia that transport us back to simpler times.

So perhaps it's no surprise that, during a period of uncertainty that has many of us desperate for some relief and comfort, the foods of our childhood can act as a salve. For some of us, that bowl of Lucky Charms isn't just a sweet treat; it's a reminder of days gone by, a time of safety and stability.

There's nothing inherently wrong in finding temporary relief from chaos and uncertainty through food. But it's probably best to view these changes in eating behavior as a temporary habit during a weird time. After all, a diet rich in macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets doesn't exactly set our bodies up for long-term success.

As people's lives start to regain some sense of normalcy, diet can actually be a major part of the equation. Returning to a more health-conscious diet could be part of reestablishing your previous routines. And if you've never been able to find the time to prioritize healthy eating, now could actually be a good opportunity to start laying the groundwork for habits that become the new normal.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversation's newsletter.]

Carli Liguori, Instructor of Nutrition and Behavior Change, University of Pittsburgh

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Coronavirus diets: What's behind the urge to eat like little kids? - Kiowa County Press

School gardens make something very difficult possible: bringing together in a single activity the aspects of food sovereignty, community production of knowledge and food, environmental education and gastronomic culture, preservation of local biodiversity, and strengthening (or reactivating) the links between the ecosystem and its inhabitants.

It is precisely the open-air classrooms that Slow Food has been promoting in Africa for almost 10 years, and which even in these difficult times (with schools closed almost everywhere in the world) do not stop. They are based on shared knowledge, which can be replicated, of which students and teachers feel proudly responsible and who can contribute materially when the food on the market is scarce or higher.

It is clear that there is no single model of a school garden. There are many variables: different ecological contexts, countries at different latitudes, and with greater or lesser resources available, in-depth study of agronomic or culinary aspects, age of the students involved, the involvement of the local community. The book, Agrobiodiversity, school gardens, and healthy diets, has the particular advantage of bringing out this richness and variety (over 75 collaborators have contributed to the publication): it includes case studies from all over the world (Australia, Vietnam, Hawaii, Philippines, India, Nepal, Morocco, Lebanon, Sub-Saharan Africa, ) from different contexts and experiences, urban and rural areas, indigenous communities and international organizations.

An interesting work for everyone and especially for those who want to start this type of educational activity: the most successful practices are reported as well as the most common critical aspects, what are the essential elements, and what strategies to improve and fully integrate this type of teaching in school curricula.

When I talk to colleagues, friends, and family about the book [and your work] it arouses so much enthusiasm and interest, it resonates so clearly with them, how important it is to empower kids to be able to eat more healthily, make informed decisions about what they grow and eat and lead healthy and sustainable lives, stresses Danny Hunter, senior scientist of the research team that worked on the publication.

The Slow Food network is proud and grateful to have been involved in this precious work, created by The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and published in the Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity series by Routledge Earthscan publisher. Thanks to the interviews with the coordinators of the Slow Food Africa network, greater visibility was given to a fundamental work carried out by thousands of volunteers and activists, to the efforts and enthusiasm of many children, their teachers, and families.

In Slow Food school gardens which we remember today are 1,690 in 35 countries new generations of Africans are growing with this mentality. Students have practical experience of agroecological techniques, learn to respect and love the environment, to re-known the local food biodiversity and its adaptability to the specific climatic context, while acquiring culinary skills when involved in the preparation of food at the school canteen.

Lilian Shoo (16, from the Henry Gogarty Secondary School in Tanzania):

I think gardening really pays off, apart from complimenting important nutritional contents in our meals it can also be a source of income. When I go back home for holiday I will actually share gardening experience with my family and friends. And a volunteer agronomist points out that This is an activity whose benefits touch everyone. If properly done, the school garden has the capacity to feed the entire surrounding community of the school.

Charles Kariuki (in seventh grade at the Kangoya school in Kenya) shares his enthusiasm:

I participate in gardening activities because I love the job. I have learned a lot, including new techniques like multi-storey gardens, portable gardens and drip irrigation using waste bottles among others. I introduced the techniques back to home as they were new to my family. The garden also creates a platform for socialization since we usually meet there and work as a team. Apart from learning different agricultural skills and science; we also organize educational storytelling sessions once a month.

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School gardens: education without borders that guarantees a better future - Slow food