On stage at the Miss America 2020 pageant, Svati Shah looked into the camera and delivered her important message.

It wasnt merely that heart disease and stroke kill more women than all forms of cancer combined. Or that cardiovascular diseases are largely preventable.

It was telling the television audience of over 3.6 million people there are clear ways to change that ways that go far beyond the usual advice of diet and exercise.

By urging more women to take up careers in science and medicine, she said. By ensuring women are included in medical research. By empowering women to change the fact that women living 20 miles apart can have a 20-year difference in lifespan.

When women come together to demand change, change happens.

Dr. Svati Shah is an associate dean in the Duke University School of Medicine and, Im proud to say, a volunteer for my organization, the American Heart Association. I asked her to speak on our behalf at the Miss America pageant because of the passion and spirit she brings to this fight, and to emphasize that women are helping lead the way.

I hope girls who watched were as inspired by Svati as they were by any of the women on that stage. Whats really inspiring is everything that led Svati to that moment.

Her parents fled India in the early 1970s to escape poverty and disease, and so their children could lead happier, healthier lives. Her dad arrived in the United States with $8 and no job. The grit and dedication she saw from her parents especially her mom has turned her into the person she is today: doctor, scientist, wife, mother and so much more.

***

Her story begins in Ahmedabad, India, where her father was born into a home without running water or electricity. As the oldest child, he upheld the custom of helping raise his five siblings.

Her mother also was an oldest child. She had seven siblings; five died before age 5. Sadly, that was somewhat common. Even more sadly, they died of conditions that couldve been treated with antibiotics and fluid hydration.

In his 20s, her dad plunked his life savings into a plane ticket to London and, thus, to a new, more prosperous life. Upon landing at Heathrow Airport, rules required him to take a tuberculosis test. He tested positive. A false positive. Regardless, he was sent back to India, penniless.

Once he earned enough for another ticket, although this time to New York. During the flight, he stepped out of the bathroom and saw a gun pointed at his head. Hijackers. His emigration was rerouted through Cuba, eventually, safely delivering passengers to their intended destination.

Working as an engineer, he was able to bring over his wife a year later. In another year and a half, they had their first child. Svati.

***

The first home Svati remembers was a very small, very nasty apartment across from Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

Her dad worked days as a civil engineer. Her mom worked nights as a punch-card operator for a bank. In the middle of every night, dad woke up and went to the subway stop to escort mom home.

Between her parents opposite schedules and their challenge of raising another younger daughter, Svati began walking to school alone at an early age. She encountered things no child should see. Like someone getting shot on the subway.

She was 9 when her dad got a job in Richland, Washington, the town where the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki was built. He became an engineer at the nuclear plant and her mom became a secretary there. The family bought a small house.

Then, when Svati was in seventh grade, her parents divorced. Her dad moved away, leaving her mom to raise two teen girls on $19,000 a year.

Although their community included many Indian families, the stigma of divorce made this family outcasts in that community. Food and staples were sometimes bought with food stamps. The thermostat was kept at 55 to save money.

***

Halfway through her senior year of high school, Svati wondered whether she could get into an elite college.

Problem was, shed missed the application deadline. Except for one: Johns Hopkins University.

All she knew was that it was a good school. She got in and, most importantly, earned enough scholarships to make it affordable.

Once on campus, she made a powerful discovery. Hopkins was the perfect school for someone who aimed to wipe out preventable diseases.

That had become Svatis goal because of the horror stories shed heard just from her family.

In addition to the deaths of her moms siblings decades before, both of her fathers parents had gone blind because of cataracts and one of her uncles died from a fever, leaving behind four young children.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be in health care, she said. And I just loved science.

***

Svati trained in biostatistics, coding, epidemiology and clinical research on her way to earning a masters degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

The plan was to go into public health. Instead, she opted for medical school. Affordability lured her back toward her mom and sister: the University of Washington.

Her ability to code and work with statistics made her in high demand among researchers. Between her desire to do everything and a work ethic forged by her parents and her own hardscrabble youth, she dove into every project she could.

I wasnt the smartest medical school student, but I worked really, really hard, she said. Taking care of patients was fun. It was a constant academic assault: reading about them, figuring out whats wrong and then trying to solve that puzzle.

She did so well that she landed her top choice for an internal medicine residency. Harvard.

***

While in Boston, she decided to focus on cardiology because of the variety. She could interact with patients, perform procedures in the catheterization lab and do research.

Then cardiologist Pat OGara asked what specific area of cardiology she wanted to study.

Stumped, she said, Dr. OGara, if you were me, what would you do?

Genetic epidemiology, he said.

Genetics was emerging as the future of research. Learning how a persons hardwiring could put them at risk for a disease seemed exciting, especially when paired with heart disease, the deadliest of them all. Plus, improving risk prevention seemed like a straight shot to the family history that lured her into medicine.

Svati had never considered it.

Until now.

That sounds great, she told him.

***

Her next stop was a fellowship at Duke, where she aimed to do clinical research through the schools renowned institute.

Then she learned that Duke recently started a Center for Human Genetics. And that one of its main studies involved seeking the genes that cause early onset heart disease in 1,000 families. She gladly joined that team.

The human genome has 3 billion letters and we were looking at 420, she said. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

They found several needles.

Soon after, in April 2003, a consortium of scientists completed the Human Genome Project, which then led to major technology advances.

That rocked my world and exploded it, she said. Now we could measure 500,000 letters across the genome.

Out of 3 billion, thats still a tiny amount: 1/6,000.

Again, Svati and her Duke colleagues picked the right haystack.

We found the first gene that causes heart disease, she said. Its actually not in a gene its on the outside of a gene on chromosome 9p21. Its the most consistent risk factor for heart disease, and its held true decades later.

***

Because she continues to have a variety of interests, the focus of her work has shifted many times. One thing shes dug into is the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, a federally funded program that seeks to solve rare, mysterious conditions that afflict families, and she started a genetics clinic at Duke to take care of patients and their families who have genetic heart disorders.

Meanwhile, Svati started her own family. She married another Duke cardiologist, Patrick Hranitzky, and had two sons.

Four years ago, when their oldest son, Kieran, was 5, he was hospitalized because of a severe gastrointestinal bleed. Months later, doctors found the source. One of those rare diseases.

Its called Factor VII deficiency. Its caused by a lack of a protein needed for blood to clot. Screening showed that her younger son, Kellan, has it, too.

We think of different conditions as rare diseases, but in aggregate, they actually affect a lot of people about 1 in 40, she said.

Among the ways to fight it? Genomics.

Last summer, Svati was named director of the Duke Precision Genomics Collaboratory and associate dean of genomics.

Because theres a convergence of data science, electronic health records, population health and a deeper understanding of the genome, we can actually screen people for diseases and identify who is at risk, she said. Theres a long way to go, but this is an exciting time.

***

Its also an exciting time for women in science.

Thats why the American Heart Association partnered with the Miss America pageant.

Thats why Svati stood on stage delivering our message.

Thats why shes sharing her story here.

Many of us were told we cant do everything. We can, she said. Were capable of being great mothers, great scientists, great doctors. You can do it all.

I want women to hear that message, but I also want all people considering this career to know: You can do it all.

Read more here:
Her parents taught her grit, caring for others. She's using those traits to fight heart disease. - Thrive Global

While it didn't enjoy the same spotlight this January, the DASH diet was crowned as one of the best diets in the United States in 2019 by U.S. News and World Report, putting it on the fast-track to cause buzz on Instagram feeds all year long. In fact, the DASH diet had earned this distinction for most of the 2010s, but unlike many of the other diets we've seen percolating in our social media feeds for the last few years, the DASH diet actually has overwhelming support from the medical community largely in part because it was developed in the 1990s by a team of researchers funded by the National Institute of Health.

Believe it or not, scientists first created this diet plan in response to the rise of cardiovascular disease in the United States, and many doctors only speak about the specifics of the DASH diet with their patients if high blood pressure is a factor for them. The DASH diet targets high sources of sodium and artery-clogging sources of fat to empower dieters to better their own heart health, but in the process, it targets some ingredients that some experts may find controversial.

Stefani Sassos, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, a registered dietitian within the Good Housekeeping Institute, says that while the Mediterranean diet is worthy of it's "best" title this year, the DASH diet remains one of her favorite picks of all time. If you're dealing with elevated blood pressure or other cardiovascular risks, there's no question about it; but even if you're looking to lose weight before hitting the beach this summer, the DASH diet may be safer for you compared to the keto diet or Whole30.

Here's everything you need to know about the DASH diet, including what you can (and can't eat), how it could help you eat healthier and lose weight, and how to get started.

Sassos has a clinical background in treating cancer patients in the New York area, but also has found herself thrust into understanding the ins-and-outs of the DASH diet as heart disease is actually the number one killer in the U.S., she says. "I had quite a few patients who passed away from heart disease rather than their actual cancer," she explains. "There's a huge sodium issue in America, and the DASH diet is specifically known to fight this trend."

Ginger Meyer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD, a registered dietitian specializing in sports dietetics within the University of Missouri Health Care system, says the DASH diet successfully lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension by targeting dietary sources of fat and largely scaling back or eliminating red meat and sugar altogether. In studies since its inception, the DASH program can further lower blood pressure if sodium is also targeted, she says.

"Some may experience lowering of blood pressure in a few weeks," Meyer explains. "Other important lifestyle factors include achieving or maintaining a healthy body weight, participating in two hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity each week, and limiting alcohol consumption."

This diet, unlike others, isn't truly designed to be used for the short term. Results vary on a case by case basis, Meyer says, but this approach to eating is often recommended for many years before true results are seen and doctors relax on restricting certain items.

Those following the program aren't given a particular meal plan, but follow general guidelines. Here's everything you'll be able to enjoy on the DASH diet:

Sassos says this diet plan is most in-line with what a regular, healthy lifestyle should look for most a dietary routine that consists of 2,000 calories each day (or a higher or lower caloric intake recommended by your healthcare provider) consisting of wholesome ingredients. She says the diet recommends an adequate intake of non-fat and low-fat dairy products, two to three servings a day, as well as the appropriate servings of whole grains each day.

She believes that the best DASH diets are those that restrict sodium, as high-sodium diets can cause issues for otherwise-healthy patients. "When you go out to a restaurant, so many of us are drowning in salt, but this approach fixes that," she says.

Here's what you should avoid and limit as much as possible:

These items shouldn't come as too much of a shock: they're all high in fat, sodium, and calories. Not to mention, they're often highly calorically dense, but not in actual nutrients. "The DASH plan is rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and limits saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol," Meyer explains.

Here's the catch the DASH diet wasn't actually created to promote weight loss. Some health experts believe that asking those that don't suffer with elevated blood pressure levels to restrict their sodium intake could promote unwarranted restrictions elsewhere (why restrict something if you're consuming normal levels, right?).

But pro-DASH-diet supporters like Meyer and Sassos acknowledge that the average meal plan based on this diet inevitably promotes weight loss for most people. "Although the DASH diet was not designed to promote weight reduction, this eating plan can be followed at a lower calorie level for weight loss, and as you replace high-calorie, high-fat foods with low-calorie vegetables and fruits, weight will likely trend down," Meyer explains.

For the best weight loss results, both experts agree: you'll need to incorporate exercise into your routine. Plus, a 2010 clinical study found that, in a trial, people who exercise while enjoying the DASH diet were more likely to lower their blood pressure compared to those who didn't.

You'll need to consult your doctor or a registered dietitian before you make any radical changes to your diet. If you've determined that you should work on your blood pressure levels, don't jump to change everything just yet. "Keep a food diary for several days and identify ways you could gradually increase servings of vegetables, fruits and whole grains," Meyer says.

If you're looking for particular meal plans or more tips for crafting DASH-friendly meals, both Sassos and Meyer recommend resources provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which include an illustrated guide of the recommended number of servings on each food group by calorie level and serving size.

Link:
What Is the DASH Diet? - Here's What You Can and Can't Eat on the Dash Diet - GoodHousekeeping.com

Many of the important benefits of a plant-based diet particularly for climate health and animals are well known. Yet despite the science being very clear, there remains confusion about the impact on human health.

We have long known for example, that a diet centred around whole plant-foods fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, beans, nuts and seeds significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers. In fact, a low fat plant-based diet is the only diet to have been shown to actually reverse established coronary artery disease. It has also been seen to reverse type 2 diabetes, enable effective and sustained weight loss without portion control or exercise, and arrest the progression of early stage prostate cancer.

Here are five additional benefits of a plant-based diet that may surprise you.

Diet choices can have a major impact on mood and mental health, and there is a very good reason for this. Diet affects the health of our gut bacteria, which produce many of the hormones active in the brain. Gut bacteria thrive on fibre, which is only found in whole plant foods. So it is no surprise to find that a plant-based diet can benefit mental health.

In one US study conducted at a large insurance company, participants who were overweight or had a history of type 2 diabetes were either prescribed a low-fat vegan diet or asked to continue their usual diet for 18 weeks. The results showed a significant improvement in mental health, wellbeing and work productivity in those on the vegan diet, as well as lower levels of depression and anxiety.

Osteoarthritis, the painful breakdown of cartilage in the joints, appears to be an inevitable consequence of ageing. It is not reversible but it is manageable, usually with pain medication and sometimes surgery.

So what role could a plant-based diet play here? One small study looking at the diets impact showed a significant improvement in self-reported pain and functioning in people with osteoarthritis. One reason for this could be the anti-inflammatory properties of the micro-nutrients present in plant foods, as inflammation is the main cause of pain in arthritis. Meat-based diets have the opposite effect and, in general, increase the level of inflammation in the body.

So if a plant-based diet can improve arthritis pain, could it also perhaps improve other types of pain? Some research suggests it could help with period pain in women.

For this study, women swapped to a low-fat vegan diet for two menstrual cycles, and then back to their usual omnivorous diet for their next two. Pain duration and intensity and pre-mentrual symptoms were recorded and levels of a hormone affecting oestrogen levels were measured.

On the low-fat vegan diet, women reported less pain duration and intensity, shorter duration of premenstrual symptoms and tests showed a lower level of oestrogen. People are often surprised to hear that diet can impact hormone levels in the body. This study shows exactly that, and how lower oestrogen levels can benefit womens health in a number of ways.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common causes of infection in the general population with the bacteria Escherichia coli (E coli) often being the culprit. Infection can occur because E coli from the intestine finds its way into the urinary tract. But UTIs can also be caused by E coli strains commonly found in farm animals such as chickens and pigs, so eating contaminated sources of meat can lead to infection.

Given the link between E coli and UTIs, It might seem obvious that those on a plant-based diet who avoid meat might have a lower risk of infection, but whether this was the case was not known for sure until recent research came out.

The analysis of several studies shows that vegetarians have a 16% lower risk of UTIs compared to non-vegetarians. This confirms previous data suggesting that meat-bourne bacteria are a major contributor to the risk of UTIs. Increasingly these food borne bacteria are displaying antibiotic resistance.

So if those following a health plant-based diet have a lower risk of ill health then surely this will save on health costs.

In a large Taiwanese study, vegetarians were found to have a lower rate of outpatient visits, which translated into a 13% lower outpatient expenditure and a 15% lower total medical expenditure. So it is interesting to hypothesise the health economic impact of a plant-based diet on the UKs cash-strapped National Health Service.

In 2017, spending on healthcare in the UK totalled 197 billion approximately 2,989 per person. If everyone in the country shifted to a vegetarian diet, this could (using the 15% reduction as a guide) reduce healthcare expenditure by 30 billion.

Plant-based diets then, not only have the potential to dramatically improve human and planetary health, but could have significant benefits for the health of the economy too.

Follow this link:
Five surprising benefits of a plant-based diet - The Conversation UK

Chances are you or someone you know has tried to lose weight on a low-carb diet. Even more likely, you read tons of news headlines about the keto diet, an extremely low-carb diet, and have wondered whether it would work for you and if its even possible to go low-carb while on a plant-based diet.

Its normal to internally freak out at the thought of eating less carbs because many people who embark on a plant-based diet tend to pile on processed foods and whole-grain carbs like cereal and pasta to compensate for lack of animal products. People tend to go overboard on the carbs when they go vegetarian, plant-based, or flexitarian, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It.Its easy to fill up on our favorite food group. Heres why:

One of the reasons plant-based dieters are likely to overdo it on carbs is that theyre really easy to make, find, and eat, says Taub-Dix. Especially for people who are on the go oftenmuffins, crackers, bread or rollsthose are the kind of the foods that sometimes get overeaten because they're so easy, portable, and their prep is basically nonexistent.

In some cases, the economic ease of eating carbs comes into play. A carb-heavy snack like pretzels may be less expensive than buying another plant-based snack, like nuts or seeds and a piece of fruit.

One of the main reasons we all love carbs is that they are the king of comfort, says Taub-Dix. When you eat carbohydrates, especially carbohydrates that are kind of pure, like a piece of whole-grain toast, the carbohydrates get absorbed and stimulate the release of a brain chemical called serotonin, which provides comfort feelings. Thats why youre more likely to reach for a carb-based snack or treat when youre feeling stressed, rather than carrots and hummus. Your body is wired to crave carbs for that serotonin release that will improve your mood.

When you first decide to reduce carbs from your plant-based diet, assess how many grams youre eating daily so you know how much you need to dial it back. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans say that 45 to 65 percent of your diet should be carbohydrates (about 225 to 325 grams per day). Thats if youre following a 2,000-calorie diet, which is often used as an example.

Not everyone needs a 2,000-calorie diet, says Taub-Dix. And for some people, 325 grams is a lot of carbs each day and not necessary. If youre trying to lose weight, experiment within that range, suggests Taub-Dix. Download an app that will help you track carb counts to find a range you feel satisfied with while creating balanced meals. We like MyFitnessPal, Carb Manager, Senza, and Macros to name a few.

Remember that carbs arent just grains, potatoes, pasta, and rice. Sources of naturally occurring carbs include fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Some meal delivery services allow you to choose meals that are lower in carbs, like Purple Carrots Spaghetti Bolognese with zucchini noodles and ground beef crumbles, Macro-Mediterraneans Roasted Tomato and Black Walnut burgers on their weight loss program, or one of Thrive Foods Directs meals.

Cut carbs without feeling like youre eliminating them by slicing your current carbohydrate consumption in half and doubling up on vegetables. Portion out a -cup of brown rice at dinner. Have an open-faced sandwich using one slice of bread. Cook 1/3-cup dry oats with low-carb fruits, like berries, to round out your breakfast.

Youre patting yourself on the back for following a plant-based diet, but if most of your veggie intake is potatoes, corn, and peas, you could be making smarter choices. Pile your plate with leafy greens, peppers, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, and green beans. Swap starchy vegetables for cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Choose avocadoes and berries as low-carb fruits instead of oranges, bananas, and blueberries.

In order for you to feel satisfied while reducing carbs, you may want to increase the amount of fat and plant protein youre eating. A study published in The Lancet found that mortality increased among the study subjects when they exchanged carbohydrates for animal-derived fat or animal protein, but it decreased amongst people when the carb substitutions were plant-based choices. Round out your meals with low-carb sources like nuts, seeds, tofu, coconut oils, nut butter, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.

Originally posted here:
Put Down the Pasta: How to Cut Carbs on a Plant-Based Diet - The Beet

Humberto Leon, probably thinking about rice rolls, in Chinatown. Photo: M. Cooper

Opening Ceremony is, at the end of day, kind of a sidekick to our personal wishes and desires, says Humberto Leon, who co-founded the company in 2002 with Carol Lim. Food, he adds, has always been almost more important. After helping turn Opening Ceremony into as our friends at the Cut put it a haven for stylish weirdos, Leon will try on another look: restaurateur. He, his mom Wendy, and their family will next open a Los Angeles restaurant, Chifa, where theyll serve both Chinese and Peruvian dishes. Its a reflection of what we grew up with at home, Leon explains. Over the last week, he spent a few days in the Cayman Islands before returning to New York, where he made Japanese curry and Chinese borscht soup, fed his rice roll obsession, and visited a couple Park Slope favorites. Read all about it in this weeks Grub Street Diet.

Friday, February 21I was in the Cayman Islands. We went because it was winter break for the kids and Id heard about our friend Gerardo Gonzalez cooking at this hotel, the Palm Heights Hotel. I thought it was super cute. It was also Carols birthday, and the night before Gerardo went off course from the menu and cooked this really special meal.

I started my day with a Now Foods Fiber with orange juice. Breakfast was at Tillies in the hotel. I had steak and eggs, local sweet potato, fried plantains, a kale salad, and coffee with soy milk. It was super cool to be able to go to the Cayman Islands and be able to experience top-notch New York food in a hotel. I love the local cuisine, there were lots of amazing spots that we found, but normally hotel food is, you know, hotel food. Where I want to travel, and where Carol and I have set a lot of travel places and wish lists and where weve discovered young people, a lot of it starts from where theres a food scene, where theres a restaurant scene thats opening that were super excited about.

Lunch was also at Tillies. I had the sprats escovitch and a romaine salad with an ice coffee with soy milk. Gerardos food there is super local, when it comes to the fish and produce, but with his touch. The flavoring is really him.

We were heading back home to New York, and at the airport I bought a Subway sandwich tuna, mayo, jalapeos, and mustard and Cool Ranch Doritos. I had those on the plane.

Im normally more of a Nacho Cheese person. Cool Ranch is one of those things where its a special occasion for me. But Im a big ranch fan, maybe because Im from California. Im definitely more for the ranch dressing with chicken nuggets than anything else. Except if Im at McDonalds, Ill eat the sweet and sour sauce. Otherwise, Im a ranch type of guy.

I hope this thing doesnt make it seem like Im a Subway eating guy. Ill also go to a nice restaurant and eat a somewhat fancy-ish meal. But I think its all about balance, and I couldve easily faked this out and wrote every top-notch restaurant known to man, but thats so not like us.

Back at home in New York, I made Japanese curry chicken with carrots, potatoes, onion, sweet potato, and rice. I discovered this amazing curry mix in Japan that Ive been using. Theres obviously Chinese curry, which is a lot more watery and I would say more of an Indian curry. The cool thing about Japanese curry is it has that really thick texture. I feel like growing up my mom always skimped a little bit on how much of the Japanese curry she put in, because she wanted it to be more Chinese. And Ive decided to really make it more Japanese in my home.

Breaking down the meat is one of the first things I try to do. Chicken is a bit quicker, but Ill do it with beef, too, where Ill almost kind of simmer the meat for a much longer time. Then I like to throw in the sweet potato, because I think it adds that nice sweetness to it thats different then what you normally get out. Sometimes, because Im a huge fan of peas, I like throwing in peas, too. I love pasta and peas I also do a really random dish that my mom taught me as an 8-year-old cooking for himself. Wed take a can of creamed corn, and have some minced beef and throw in peas and throw it over rice. Itd be a really kind of easy, quick cream of corn over rice dish.

I did cook for myself a lot as a kid. My sisters were teenagers by the time I was 8, and my mom always left out all the ingredients for me to cook. She was working at a cafeteria, she would call me and say do this, do this, do this now. Probably by eight, I was cooking by myself.

In the beginning, it wasnt novel, like how kids are like, oh I want to cook. It was more like cook for the family, cook for your sisters when they get home. It felt more like a chore. But I grew to really enjoy it because I learned to do it my own way. I oddly still use these recipes. I have kids now, so I use the recipes for them. In a more natural way.

Saturday, February 22I drank Peruvian coffee at home with oat milk.

For brunch, we went out to Bricolage. Its really close to my place. For my Park Slope neighborhood, you get good experimental food.

Bricolages brunch, I will say, theres something kind of magical about it. I had the pho bo, with beef brisket; the croissant French toast with condensed milk; and a Vietnamese iced coffee. Taking a Croissant and French Toasting it? And putting condensed milk on top? Its kind of a next level move for French toast.

Also, they dont do pho in the evenings. Brunch is the only time they make it. Im obsessed with noodle soups for breakfast. I think its kind of, number one if youre in an immigrant Chinese family maybe this is just my experience what you eat for breakfast is basically what you had for dinner.

My mom would do this thing where shed make soup, then bring it to a boil at night and leave it on the stove top with a lid on top. Itll sit for at least a day. In China, they didnt have fridges and thats how you naturally kept the soup from going bad. You can have it the next morning. Its kind of like a soup stock that just continues. Ive definitely followed this tradition. My kids love soup in the morning, and I found a place recently that serves pho at 7 in the morning in Sunset Park. Which, of course, for me and my nerdy Asian friends I had to give them this juicy gossip, they were like, give me the place now.

For dinner, we got Wangs Chicken. Which I think is the most hidden secret known to man, because it should be like Kentucky Fried Chickens rival. Its so good. Its kind of no-nonsense, its kind of for everybody. We got the Asian fried chicken with sweet sauce, the mac and cheese, coleslaw, and kimchi. The chicken is kind of Southern-style but with an Asian flair.Its not trying to be like what the Korean versions are. Its really just a KFC type of menu but with Asian flavors.

Sunday, February 23I met friends at Pings in Chinatown for dim sum. Its one of my local spots around there, where our offices are. I feel like with dim sum, youll go to a place down here in Chinatown and its a lot of staples. What you try to look for are places thatll do something a little bit more special. Like Jing Fong will have their station for the turnip stew and all that stuff on the side, which is nice. Its a bit chaotic in there so I dont really love to go in there.

At Pings, I think the staples are good. The har gow, the shui mai, the rice rolls. Then you can also get fresh fish congee that comes out in a sharing portion, thats amazing, and soy sauce noodle on the side.

We got a lot. The har gow, siu mai, steamed rice roll with cruller (my favorite kind of rice roll), pineapple bun with BBQ pork filling, sticky rice in lotus leaf, turnip cake, fried taro dumpling, shrimp and chives dumpling, peanut mochi filled with black sesame, mango pudding, and fresh tofu with ginger molasses soup. I think theyre willing to go the extra mile, and they have some special dim sum. Like the pineapple bun with barbecue pork on the inside isnt typical. Places normally either have a pineapple bun or a barbecue pork bun, this is a fusion of the two.

Back at home, I made Korean galbi ribs with rice, cucumber, sweet potato, and Chinese borscht soup. The soup comes from this Hong Kong caf type of cuisine. In that you can get a baked pork chop over fried rice and over the pork is cheese and theres the tomato sauce which is really rare I kind of call it Chinese lasagna even though theres no pasta and on the side you get the Chinese borscht. Which is not made out of beet. We make it with oxtail at home, then you have celery, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic. You boil it all down and it becomes what Hong Kong people call a Chinese borscht soup. Its definitely not classic Chinese. Its its own thing.

For the galbi, I called up my two Korean friends. Carol being one of them. She gave me her suggestion for what I should do, and then I asked my other friends husband, Dan, and he gave me his recipe. Cause I do know that Koreans like to say theres always a secret ingredient you put in your kalbi marinade. Carols was Asian pear, which isnt that secret, its kind of a known item. She told me that I could do my marinade in an hour, and Dan told me that my marinade needed to be overnight. So I was like I have to do something in between.

I think maybe the pear has some type of agent that makes it cure quicker or makes it soft quicker. So I kind of got recipes from them, and theyre like, you can put Coke in it, to really break down the meat. Thats one secret ingredient. Pineapple juice could be another secret ingredient because it has a lot of acidity, but almost too much so its good for a fast cure. I had eight or nine hours, so I had time. I skipped the Coke, I just went kind of classic, and I used honey instead of sugar.

At night, I went to Tang Hotpot with family and friends. I make hot pot at home, so if Im going to have normcore hotpot thats where Im going to eat it. If Im going to go out and eat it, I want something I cant make at home. Ill go to a couple of hot pot places in Flushing, sometimes I like the New World Mall weirdo hot pot where they kind of pre-mix it for you. It depends on my mood. Theres hot pot in every Asian culture.

At Tang, they do cuts of meat that are super special, they do multiple stocks that you can get, I like that they do the one pot for two people shared, which is not that common. Normally you have a big pot for everybody to share. But I feel like when youre eating out, especially in New York, you have friends who all have their own dietary restrictions. If youre with a group of people, its a good place to go. If youre a vegetarian or only eat seafood, you can do your own thing and not feel like you arent welcome.

Monday, February 24Im up at 7 a.m., so Ill do a coffee in the morning at my home. By the time Im at work Im on my second already, so Ill switch it up and have tea. For breakfast, I went to New Cameron Bakery. Its right up the street. Thats kind of a classic breakfast for me.

They have egg tarts, they have the classic buns that every bakery has but they also have this warm section with this little grandma. They have these rice rolls that are pre-rolled, almost like grab and go, that are amazing, amazing. Nothing like the ones with crullers, at dim sum, or roast pork. Its its own flavor, its super salty, it has minced meat and scallions. You can buy as many as you want. I will get two of those rolls, one if I want to eat lighter, then a milk tea with no sugar.

For lunch, I had more rice rolls. Im obviously a steamed rice roll fanatic. I went to Yin Ji Chang Fen. I was really curious about this place, because it had lines out the door. For a while, it was insane.

The rice rolls are a lot hardier than Joes Steam Rice Roll. The place is from Guangzhou, so its from a different region, and it has a lot more stuff in it so its like a proper meal. Its a perfect way of eating rice because youre not indulging in that much, theyre just mashing it up into powder form.

I also ordered congee. Its good here. Congee to me is the perfect late night, after youve gone out and partied, I love going to Great New York Noodle Town and having it there, too. Theirs is no fuss, just really good, hardy congee. At Yin Ji Chang Fen, there was a lady next to me eating toast with condensed milk youll realize Im obsessed with condensed milk. I think its because when youre given it as a kid you become addicted to it. Whats not to love about condensed milk?

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Opening Ceremonys Humberto Leon Is a Ranch Kind of Guy - Grub Street

36-year-old Renuka Pamnani Vaswani was done with the constant body-shaming. Her weight had touched a whopping 127 kilos and she realised that it was now or never. This is her weight loss journey where she shares how she lost a whopping 43.5 kilos by revamping her lifestyle. Read on to know her incredibly motivating journey and get inspired to lose weight.Name: Renuka Pamnani VaswaniOccupation: BankerAge: 36 years

Height: 5 feet 7 inches

City: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Highest weight recorded: 127 kgs

Weight lost: 43.5 kgs

Current Weight: 83.5 kgs

Duration it took me to lose weight: 2.5 years

The turning point: There was a point where I weighed a massive 127 kilos and was about to hit 130 kilos. I started feeling really low and depressed and used to wonder whether I will ever have a partner or not. Since I was the only kid in the house. I used to get really pampered but I had never thought that my weight would touch 3 digits. I decided to get in shape and started my weight loss journey. My dietician Khyati Rupani and my fitness coach Rakesh Pawar helped me immensely to achieve the same.

My breakfast: I have smoothies with oats or egg whites with a toast. At times I go for idli and dosas as well.My lunch: I eat a bowl of salad, some protein in the form of dal or chicken accompanied with 1 roti or rice and a portion of sabzi made in low oil.

My dinner: I choose from grilled chicken or sauteed vegetables with paneer and whole wheat pasta.Pre-workout meal: Bullet coffee

Post-workout meal: Dymatize ISO 100 Hydrolyzed Protein Powder.I indulge in: I do not believe in the concept of cheat days.

My workout: In the year 2019, I realised that I was not really taking care of my body as my skin had started to sag. Hence, I decided to start my journey to fitness. My coach Rakesh Pawar helped me a lot during this journey. He used to correct my posture and helped me understand the purpose behind each and every movement. My work out routine includes cardio, strength training and functional training.

Fitness secrets I unveiled: The word diet itself is a negative word as it just makes you feel that you are depriving yourself of certain things. Hence, I have removed the word diet from my life as I solely focus on lifestyle changes.

How do I stay motivated? When you hit the gym every day and follow a healthy lifestyle, it is enough to keep you motivated. When you workout, your body releases happy hormones. Once you begin to see the difference in your body and when people begin to compliment you on your transformation, there is no going back!How do you ensure you dont lose focus? Looking at how far I have come and how hard I have worked, I don't want all of it to go to waste. This in itself is enough to keep me focussed and motivated. My parents and husband are the pillars of my support, so whenever we are out, they support my choices of eating.Whats the most difficult part of being overweight? When you are overweight, you have to constantly battle low-self-esteem and lack the confidence to lead your life. No matter how much you say that you are comfortable in your own skin, deep down you know that is not the case. You cannot wear the clothes of your choice as they dont have your size in it. Being overweight also brings a lot of health conditions including PCOD, joint pain, rising levels of cholesterol and even diabetes. You feel lethargic and down and out all the time.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line? I want to lead a healthy and energetic life and also want to have a super fit physique.

Read the original:
Weight loss story: This banker lost 43.5 kilos WITHOUT dieting and her transformation is jaw-dropping! - Times of India