Every cat owner knows that cats are curious creatures. And, it's the curious character of cats that makes them often take a keen interest in our food. It can be hard to not spoil your lovable furball with a special treat off your plate, especially when they're begging. Their winning personality can make it near impossible to resist.

But some human foods are toxic to cats, since they have different nutritional needs than us which is why it's important to know what foods are safe for your cat to eat and which aren't. Remember that cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they thrive on a high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet. Hence, if you decide to let your cat snack on human treats, you should consult your veterinarian to make sure your cat is still fulfilling its nutritional needs. You should also make sure you feed any human food to your cat in moderation and in bite-size pieces to avoid choking, said Jessica Kirk, DVM, a veterinary writer for Vet Explains Pets. Here are seven human foods you can feed to your cat.

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Your Cat Is Totally Allowed to Eat These 7 Human Foods We Asked 2 Vets to Be Sure - POPSUGAR

Even in the best of times, spring's long days, warming temperatures, greening landscapes, and sunshine represent a time of growth and optimisma time to open windows, go outdoors, perhaps even try one's hand at gardening or fishing.

This spring, during a moment in history that will be remembered for its uncertainty, the arrival of spring feels especially welcome and fishing is among the activities that people will be engaged in as the weather warms.

For some, fishing is a means of outdoor recreation. For others, it is a livelihood. And for others, it represents an affordable way to meet their nutritional needsespecially pressing now, given the economic hardship and potential supply-chain disruptions brought on by the novel coronavirus virus.

Since the pandemic began, grocery store fish and shellfish sales in the United States have risen and the consumption of self-harvested fish and shellfish may also increase as a result of this pandemic.

Changes in dietary patterns have public health and environmental implications, and it is important for health and environmental professionals to consider revisiting the usual approach to weighing benefits and risks of fish and shellfish consumption to better reflect a full scope of considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In some cases, this may mean shifting the narrative around fish consumption advisories from the current harm-prevention framework, to more of a risk-reduction model.

Fish advisory sign in Monroe County, Indiana. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Fish consumption presents a critical tradeoff to consumers even under normal circumstances.

Fish are a major source of protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a class of lipids associated with a wide range of health benefits, including decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Unfortunately, environmental contaminants accumulate in fish tissue, posing health risks to consumers.

Contaminants known to be associated with adverse health effects that are commonly found in fish include methylmercury; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs); and other organochlorines.

In the U.S., state agencies use a traditional risk assessment process to establish fish consumption advisories. The process is predicated on harm prevention and estimates how much fish can safely be consumed from a specific body of water or region that is contaminated.

The advisories state the frequency with which fish servings of a given size (e.g., two 4-oz servings of locally-harvested trout per month) should be consumed by sensitive populationsusually women of child-bearing age and young children.

While fish consumption advisories are considered best practice for protecting fish consumers there are key shortcomings. Common limitations include:

A Yakama Nation member fishing at the Horn Rapids in Washington State. Most current fish advisories don't account for cultural or personal significance of fish in one's diet. (Credit: Scott Butner/flickr)

For example, the evaluation of risks of mercury exposure and benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improves the recommendations about fish species and vulnerable populations.

In the North American Great Lakes region, about half of advisories would be more stringent if they considered inter-chemical interactions.

Further, communities fish for different reasons. A study on residents of Robeson County, North Carolina, found that the African American and native Lumbee communities sought local fish for cultural reasons, whereas Latino community members procured local fish for reasons of economic necessity.

In sum, fish consumption advisories are not well-equipped to address the complex simultaneous cost-benefit analyses of fish consumption.

Despite these limitations, fish consumption advisories have proven effective in altering consumers' perceptions and behaviors.

These results indicate that fish consumption advisories can be an effective tool if they contain clear, comprehensive recommendations.

While the advisories attempt to balance the risks of contaminant exposure with the health-protective benefits of fish intake, the relative importance of these competing factors may shift given individual circumstancesor a global pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned people's lives upside-down, including shifts in diet, lifestyle, and finances. Established fish consumption advisories are based on assumptions about fish consumers' behaviors and the availability of alternative sources of nutrition. Yet, the validity of these assumptions may be tested by cultural preferences or abrupt circumstantial changes such as natural disasters.

As individuals face economic hardship, disruptions in access to other protein sources, and the loss of recreation options, the relative benefits of fishing and of consuming self-harvested fish and shellfish may change in ways that existing consumption advisories did not anticipate.

As the pandemic and its fallout continues, health and environmental professionals need to reevaluate fish consumption advisories to ensure that they reflect the current needs of their constituents.

In some instances, this will require shifting the consumption advisories from a harm-prevention framework to a risk-reduction model. It is not reasonable, or even safe, to expect consumers to prioritize minimizing contaminant exposures if doing so will undermine their basic food security.

For example, public health professionals and risk assessors should consider making recommendations about where people can most safely fish and which species are safest to consume locally. This will help people minimize their risk of exposure to contaminants, while recognizing the importance of self- and locally-harvested fish in their lives.

Angler on the Milwaukee River. (Credit: Brandon Blanke/flickr)

Environmental and health authorities should consider prioritizing additional seafood tissue monitoring in 2020 to ensure that risk assessors and public health professionals have the best available data when making recommendations about areas where fish are the least contaminated.

Clinicians should consider asking patients whether their dietary patterns have changed during the pandemic, particularly changes in their reliance on self-harvested foods, including fish and shellfish.

Clinicians should also consider recommending that patients prioritize other sources of protein for members of their family who are most vulnerable pregnant women; children; women of childbearing ageto the adverse effects of contaminants in fish.

Fish and game agencies and other environmental organizations should make additional efforts to publicize fish consumption advisories to ensure that anglers have the available information to make the best choices for themselves and their families. Distributing local advisories with fishing licenses and/or posting new signs in all languages commonly spoken in a region are examples of how the information could be better disseminated.

Researchers should consider asking questions about commercial and self-harvested fish and shellfish consumption patterns among participants in new and existing studies to document how the pandemic has affected fish consumption.

Finally, it is important for health and environmental professionals to identify their own communities' specific needs with respect to self-harvested fish. While we know that fishing confers many nutritional and psychological benefits, the salience of different benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic will vary across populations.

Advising the public effectively about fish consumption requires an understanding of the risks presented by contaminant exposures, but it also requires a willingness to listen.

Knowledge about environmental hazards is only as valuable as knowledge of their context, and as the context shifts, so must we all.

Kathryn Crawford is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Brittany Cleary is a Junior at Dartmouth College. Caredwen Foley is a graduate student at the Boston University School of Public Health, Wendy Heiger-Bernays is a Clinical Professor of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Their views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate or publisher, Environmental Health Sciences.

Banner photo: Fishing in New York City. (Credit: Liz/flickr)

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Reevaluating fish consumption advisories during the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis - Environmental Health News

While the Mediterranean Diet is not one specific diet plan, it reflects an eating pattern common to many countries in the Mediterranean region (Greece, Italy, Crete, Turkey, etc.) that is associated with decreased health risks and increased longevity.

Principles of this eating pattern include incorporating more whole grains, nuts, and legumes/beans; eating more fruits and vegetables; using olive oil as the primary fat in the diet, choosing fish and beans as the primary protein source, and limiting refined flours, sugars and high fat meats.

Studies have shown that for people with Type 2 diabetes, following a Mediterranean meal plan can decrease fasting glucoses, decrease A1C levels, and increase insulin sensitivity. It can also improve markers for heart disease, including decreasing blood pressure levels, and improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

If youre not already following a meal plan that is Mediterranean based, it is easier than most people think. Its a good idea to start with small changes. For instance, start with one of these steps at a time and before you know it, youll be eating healthier.

1. Substitute one meat meal a week with a fatty fish based meal. Examples of fatty fish include salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines.

2. Substitute one meat meal a week with a vegetarian based meal using beans or lentils.

3. Try a new whole grain once a month. Ideas include brown rice, quinoa, farro, barley or oats.

4. Increase your vegetable intake by at least one more serving per day

5. Use olive oil when sauting, roasting and in homemade salad dressings. This will help to reduce your intake of other fats.

During COVID-19, it is still possible to incorporate Mediterranean eating principles into your diet. Canned and dried beans and lentils are readily available, as are canned tuna, salmon and sardines.

These, plus whole grains like farro, barley and oats, keep for long periods of time. Fresh vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, turnips and carrots also store well. Take advantage of frozen vegetables, too.

Tip #1 recipe: Mediterranean Tuna Salad

2 (5 ounce) cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine tuna, onion and parsley in a medium bowl.

2. Whisk oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and pepper to make the dressing. Toss with the tuna mixture.

Serve on lettuce/spinach leaves with whole grain crackers

Serves: 4; Calories: 165; Carbohydrate: 2g; Protein: 17g; Total fat: 9.5g; Sodium: 200mg

Tip #2 recipe: Instant Pot Curry Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp dried ginger

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 (13.5 oz) can lite coconut milk

1 (28 oz) can low sodium crushed or diced tomatoes

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups fresh spinach or unthawed & drained spinach

1. Add all ingredients except spinach into an instant pressure cooker.

2. Seal instant cooker and set to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

3. Once the 5 minutes are complete, do a quick release of the pressure. Wait to open the lid until all the pressure has been released.

Serves: 12; Calories: 188; Fat: 12g; Protein: 9 g; Carbohydrate: 28 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sodium: 307 mg

Melissa Gaither is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist and provides both nutrition counseling and diabetes education and support. Melissa works with patients at the Healthpark, in Madisonville and Ohio County. She is also a certified lifestyle coach for the Diabetes Prevention Program. She helps with the diabetes support group and cooking programs for the public.

Amanda Owen is the founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces. Follow Amandas Blog: Pieces of Me: Perspectives on Inclusion and Acceptance, http://www.piecesofme.org.

Amanda Owen is the founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces. Follow Amanda's Blog: Pieces of Me: Perspectives on Inclusion and Acceptance, http://www.piecesofme.org.

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Diabetes and the Mediterranean diet | News - messenger-inquirer

BATON ROUGE Since 2018, orange cones have been lining Government Street while crews work on the road diet project.

The project has been delayed with rain being the biggest problem. But DOTD says they have a completion date, and the lack of drivers on the road during the coronavirus pandemic is helping in this.

This has allowed us to come back and reclaim some of the time that weve lost, DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson said. Maybe not necessarily finish it early, but it may help us finish on time based on the weather delays that weve experienced.

Wilson says the contractor has been able to move extra crews to work during the day rather than at night for the past couple of weeks.

Working at night is difficult because you have to set up your safety, do your work, and then demobilize your safety. So you dont get the full time of work that you work during a day time configuration, Dr. Wilson said.

Right now, the project is looking to be done in the Fall. Crews are now adding in left-turning lanes and medians.

This will reduce some of the congestion in this corridor, Dr. Wilson said.

The medians are only being built in certain spots, including in front of Jays Bar-B-Q.

Which means if anyone is traveling east they will not be able to turn in. They have to turn in on the corner over here, the owner, Melton Leblanc said. Its going to be a bit on an inconvenience, but I dont think its going to kill us.

The roundabout on Lobdell will likely take the longest to complete.

Roundabouts are built in segments and in phases, so I suspect that it will be one of the latter ends because of the sequencing and needing to manage traffic through there during construction, Dr. Wilson said.

The road diet includes reducing a 4 mile stretch of Government St. from four lanes to three, with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane.

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Less traffic helped keep Government Road Diet on track for completion - WBRZ

On St. Pauls West Side, the Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to put more than a half-mile of Robert Street south of the Mississippi River on a road diet.

New lane stripings will be laid in advance of a road resurfacing project this summer that will close the Robert Street Bridge over the Mississippi River for six weeks through August.

MnDOT recently unveiled plans to restripe Robert from Plato Boulevard to Congress Street down to three lanes one travel lane in each direction with a two-way turn lane in the middle. That 0.6-mile stretch of Robert Street is currently five lanes, or two lanes in each direction with a turn lane in the middle.

The five-to-three conversion encompasses an area by Wood Street where a seven-year-old boy crossing the street for a school bus was struck and critically injured by a pick-up truck in late February.

This road diet is so desperately needed, said City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, noting MnDOT had been finalizing plans for a simple road resurfacing when community feedback convinced officials to add the traffic-calming improvements.

The St. Paul City Council approved a resolution on Wednesday supporting the $45,000 road diet, which will be state-funded.

Beginning this summer, MnDOT plans to make minor drainage repairs and road surface improvements to the Robert Street Bridge over the Mississippi River, which will close the bridge for six weeks. Bridge work will take place from July 11 through August.

Robert Street will be seal-coated between 11th Street in downtown St. Paul and Annapolis Street in West St. Paul. More extensive work on the Robert Street Bridge and the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge is scheduled to take place in 2022 and 2025.

In a letter to the city council, officials with the West Side Community Organization said they were generally supportive of anything that makes Robert Street more pedestrian-friendly, but they expressed concern they had been given limited time to gather public feedback on the 5-to-3 lane conversion.

The neighborhood organization recommended adding painted bicycle lanes on Robert Street between Cesar Chavez and Plato Boulevard to connect to the Robert Piram Regional Trail, which is being added to Plato. The St. Paul Bicycle Coalition has also highlighted the fact that the citys bicycle plan calls for bike lanes on Robert.

In addition to a link to the regional trail, the lanes would allow West Side residents better access to Harriet Island and the Mississippi River, as well as the U.S. 52 bike trail into Lowertown, the East Side and Lake Phalen.

This modification is a small revision to the current MNDOT proposal, reads the letter. WSCO believes that this revision is important because it relates to the most densely populated part of the West Side.

More information about the MnDOT project is online at tinyurl.com/RobertStreet2020.

Looking further out, state and city staff have debated the best way to approach more extensive repairs to Robert Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 11th Street by Interstate 94.

The state has proposed to substantially fund a full wall to wall road reconstruction for the half-mile section, which would be led by the city, said Nick Peterson, a city street design engineer.

That portion of the road, currently managed by MnDOT, would be turned back to city ownership. I do believe it is a good thing in the long term for the city, Peterson said.

In response, the city council on Wednesday authorized entering into a memorandum of understanding with MnDOT regarding the future reconstruction and turnback to the city of Robert Street between Interstate 94 and the Mississippi River.

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Robert Street in St. Paul will go on road diet where boy was struck by pick-up - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

As the shooting guard for the Utah Jazz, NBA player Donovan Mitchell always has to be in shape. Mens Health recently chatted with the basketball star to talk about his diet and how it helps keep him game-ready.

Mitchells morning typically starts out by drinking the first of eight bottles of water that he drinks throughout the day. He also prefers to drink ginger tea for his morning beverage, because he isnt the biggest fan of coffee. Mitchell will indulge himself in a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and turkey bacon.

Then comes the training. On a workout day, Mitchell spends 45 minutes in the weight room. But he also has a secret weapon to ensure that he gets the most out of his fitness routine, and its something that his trainers gave him. I drink 1-2 cups of BeetElite, he says. The Jazz training staff introduced me to it and I really fell in love with having that pre-workout. Once his workout is over, he tends to go for a healthy smoothie, which he had to learn to make after a slight mistake in his rookie years.

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I used to go to certain stores that have sugar smoothies and I thought were healthy for methey werent, Mitchell says. I ended up having my chef help me out and get me some healthy smoothies, and I think thats really helped me. His favorite smoothie ingredients include apples, oranges, and some basic yogurt.

When it comes to lunch, Mitchell tries to keep it simple by eating grilled chicken and pasta. But he does have an interesting deal with his personal chef about trying new foods. There are times where there are things I dont like, but I tell my chef to put them in there, he jokes. Just dont tell me what they are! Mitchell just started to appreciate spinach.

Its dinner where the NBA player eats his favorite foods. He particularly loves sweet potatoes and duck. "Duck is something I really fell in love with, he says. My chef cooks it, prepares it, and he does a really great job.

Its particularly important for Mitchell to make sure that he sticks to his perfected routine, because he cant risk feeling heavy or bloated on the court.

The biggest thing I see athletes do is go through hills, going down and then picking back up, he says. I think for me, its easiest when you just stay at a consistent basis with little peaks. Those are things that I put my focus into as I got into the NBA and really understand my body.

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NBA Star Donovan Mitchell Shared the Diet That's Keeping Him Game Ready - menshealth.com

Peter Turnbaugh and a group of scientists from UC San Francisco have been conducting studies on how Ketogenic Diets (KDs) are altering the gut in a favorable manner

In 1923, Dr. Russell Wilder designed a special diet to fight against epilepsy. Today, it is one of the top diet trends which promises effective fat burn.

The body enters ketosis when 'Instead of carbs for energy, the body burns fat' as defined by Mayo Clinic.

Although there are several variations to the Ketogenic Diet, a general guideline is that one's consumption is "high in fat, adequate in protein and low in carbohydrates. This combination changes the way energy is used in the body, converting fat into fatty acids and ketones in the liver.'

Turnbaugh's new study zooms into how the Ketogenic Diet affects gut bacteria or microbiomes.

17 people were chosen to participate in an 8-week long study. They were non-diabetic, overweight, and were provided with two different diets.

Within a controlled hospital environment, the scientists compared the differences between four weeks on a ketogenic diet and four weeks on a standard diet.

19 types of bacterial genera were detected to have significant changes as a result of a shift in diet.

Turnbaugh shares that 'that the effects of ketogenic diets on the microbiome are not just about the diet itself, but how the diet alters the body's metabolism, which then has downstream effects on the microbiome.'

Read Also:A Single Meal Containing High Saturated Fat Could Cause Your Focus to Dwindle, Study Finds

Another revelation from their study is 'that the KD-associated gut microbiota reduces the levels of intestinal pro-inflammatory Th17 cells.'

Th17 cells are 'are critical mediators of the cellular immune response' as defined by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

'Functionally, Th17 cells play a role in host defense against extracellular pathogens by mediating the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages to infected tissues. Moreover, it has become evident that aberrant regulation of Th17 cells may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.'

As Ketogenic Diets have aroused exciting research, there still remains a few arguments against the trend.

Mayo Clinic reminds us that 'very low carbohydrate diets tend to have higher rates of side effects, including constipation, headaches, bad breath, and more. Also, meeting the diet's requirements means cutting out many healthy foods, making it difficult to meet your micronutrient needs'

A high ratio of fat incorporated in one's diet also raises the concern over the risk of heart failure and diabetes.

Dr.Neel Chokshi from theSports Cardiology and Fitness Program at Penn Medicine says 'not all fats are created equal. Consuming a lot of saturated fats, like the ones found in fast food and red meat, increases a person's risk for atherosclerosis, which promotes coronary disease and heart attacks. Healthier fats - called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats - are found in foods like eggs, fish, and nuts. '

On the favorable side of KDs, Turnbaugh states 'For many people, maintaining a strict low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet is extremely challenging, but if future studies find that there are health benefits from the microbial shifts caused by ketone bodies themselves, that could make for a much more palatable therapeutic approach.'

Read Also:Reduced Parental Pressure on Children to Eat Meals Lessens Risks of Obesity and Leads to Healthier Lifelong Eating Behaviors

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New Study Favors the Ketogenic Diet and its Effect on the Gut Microbiome - Science Times