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Diet or exercise: What diet and exercise routines are best? - KEYE TV CBS Austin
by Maxine Bentzel, Sinclair Cares
We hear it around this time each year. New look, new you. But before you commit to a whole new diet and exercise routine you may want to be aware of how several popular diets are made up of foods that can render your workouts next to useless. (Sinclair Broadcast Group)
We hear it around this time each year. New look, new you. But before you commit to a whole new diet and exercise routine you may want to be aware of how several popular diets are made up of foods that can render your workouts next to useless.
Maxine Bentzel broke it down for us.
When Paolo Marin decided she was going to start exercising she had one thing in mind. "To lose some weight for sure," Marin said.
And she's not alone. Personal trainer Wade Waddick works with people every day with the same goal. "I would say 85-90% of people who walk through the door are yes, looking to lose weight," Waddick said.
But it takes a lot more than just exercise. "We know that eating right and exercising is key to longevity," Waddick said.
And eating right is right up nutrition consultant Lily Maul's alley. She works with clients to teach them exactly what kinds of foods they should be eating. "I think it's really important for you to fuel your body properly for the activity you have ahead," Maul said.
Maul said fad diets are popular because they promise and often produce fast weight loss, "Everyone is talking about keto and everybody is talking about intermittent fasting," Maul said.
But Maul and others we spoke with have concerns about both.
The keto diet is high fat and low carb which means it gives you energy to work out "Healthy fats give you a lot of energy," Maul said. "You should have enough energy to be able to work out."
But she and others warn keto doesn't offer enough protein to build muscle effectively eliminating a lot of exercises effectiveness. Maul said intermittent fasting, while good for giving your digestive system a break every once in a while, doesn't properly fuel your body for a workout.
"As long as the quality of food that you're eating during the times that you are eating is high quality food, it's giving you energy," Maul said.
And no food equals no energy for a fully functioning workout. Instead experts suggest sticking to a diet that is high protein and low carb. It's easy to follow and provides what you need for peak performance.
"If you're talking about longevity and you're talking about health and you're talking about aesthetics, I think you have to have the diet right before you can expect exercise to really give you the results until you can see the results of exercise," Maul said.
So far, it's worked for Marin who has lost 15 pounds. "It really makes me feel a lot more energized in general," Marin said.
Speaking of being energized, remember water is a workout and diets best friend. You want to stay hydrated at all times and always avoid heavy foods right before working out.
Source: https://cbsaustin.com/features/sinclair-cares/diet-or-exercise-what-diet-and-exercise-routines-are-best
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Seeing and smelling food prepares the mouse liver for digestion
The sight or smell of something delicious is often enough to get your mouth watering, but the physiological response to food perception may go well beyond your salivary glands. New research in mice shows that the sight and smell of food alone may be enough to kickstart processes in the liver that promote the digestion of food. The study appears November 15 in the journal Cell.
"This finding changes our view of one of the most fundamental processes in the body," says senior author Jens Brüning, an endocrinologist and geneticist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany. "The perception of food in the brain activates the liver in such a way that it begins preparing to receive the nutrients that it expects to come."
A previous study published in Cell in 2015 by another team of researchers found that sensory perception of food by lab mice was enough to trigger the neural pathways normally fueled by eating. Specifically, perceiving food inhibited AgRP neurons, which stimulate appetite, and activated POMC neurons, which induce satiety and suppress eating. The new study built on that research, focusing on how the changes in these neural pathways sent signals that affected metabolic activities in the liver.
Here, the researchers found that within five minutes of lab mice perceiving food, the changes in POMC neuron activity were enough to induce a rapid signaling cascade that activated the mTOR and xbp1 signaling pathways. These pathways are normally activated when the liver takes up amino acids from digested food and help increase the protein folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which assembles proteins from the amino acids found in food.
"Our research shows that these changes in the liver occur in response to the mice seeing and smelling the food," Brüning says. "It's a whole coordinated program to prime the ER and get it ready for more proteins being synthesized and folded after eating."
The researchers say the findings have potential implications for learning about the connections between obesity and diabetes, specifically by looking at the effects of protein folding on insulin release. "There's a possibility that this food sensory-dependent priming of the liver may be compromised in obesity. It could be a mechanism that contributes to insulin resistance," Brüning explains. "Obesity may leave the liver unprepared for protein folding after eating, which in turn could disrupt the normal insulin response. This is something we plan to look at in future studies using obesity models in mice."
More research is needed before the findings in mice can be related to humans. The investigators are planning translational studies looking at insulin sensitivity in human volunteers who have been allowed to see and smell, but not eat, food.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181115145115.htm
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How to Improve Explosiveness and Prepare for Basketball Game Day?
Hey guys,
Keto has been amazing. I started beginning of January and I have lost 10 lbs since then. I am 6'3, 21 years old, 180lbs.
I have a few concerns regarding explosiveness. I play competitive basketball and I use to be able to dunk before starting keto - however, I haven't been able to since then. My workouts have improved and my squats/deadlifts are going up despite the cut.
I'm wondering what can I do to get my explosiveness back (while still on keto ofc)? I have a huge game coming up in a month's time and would like to be able to dunk again. Would it be wise to load up on carbs the day before the game? Since I was able to dunk consistently beforehand, will going through a plyometric routine at this point help at all?
Thanks guys!
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/comments/ariz7f/how_to_improve_explosiveness_and_prepare_for/
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Is Facebook Primal or Paleo?
Is Facebook Primal or Paleo?
Posted on June 20, 2012 By Jim Paleo Blog Updates
Richard Nikolay writing at Free The Animal.com has ”gone primal” on Facebook. By that I mean that he’s going to keep his
“friends” limited to his immediate tribe of intimate friends and close family. Looking at the issue of “is Facebook Primal or Paleo” from the point of view of what constitutes a real and meaningful relationship>
I have seen estimates that humans really can only manage meaningful relationships with about 80 people, others has estimated it as high as around 300.
Is Facebook Primal or Paleo?
My Hunter-Gatherer Social Experiment With Facebook
I’ve long written on this blog along these lines: we evolved to account for the values and actions of about 30 other individuals. The corollary: at that level, each individual has a real potential to influence the collective action of the entire group, should it be important enough to undertake.
And the general social corollary is that this does not scale to 230 Facebook friends, a half million citizens in your “tight knit” community, 300 million Americans…or, what, 7 billion Earth inhabitants? …Hunter-gatherers might not scoff outright at the idea of voting, per se. But I’m pretty sure they’d scoff at it being secret and anonymous (no personal accountability), but then they’re bound to it.
…I had pretty much come to hate Facebook. Many do anyway, but usually for different reasons than I. That runs the gamut from the envy over Zuckerberg’s smashing billionaire success—to now gloating over the not-so-pretty public stock offering—to the constant hand wringing over privacy
issues (that’s the price you pay if you want free), to silly butthurt complaints about how their free service is configured, and the changes they make
when they want to make them.
Read the whole article here…
Personally, I really like facebook.
I’ve met new friends there with shared interests (meditation and paleo diet).
I moderate a page on meditation techniques http://www.facebook.com/MeditationTechniquesDaily
I moderate a page on Paleo Diet News http://www.facebook.com/PaleoDietNews
What’s your opinion on Facebook… healthy? Not so much?
is facebook paleo, is facebook primal>
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Source: http://paleodietnews.com/5964/is-facebook-primal-or-paleo/
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This week’s meal plan: it’s pumpkin season!
This week’s meal plan offers easy-to-make dishes with 5 ingredients or less. Perfect for a busy week when you want to enjoy good and healthy food without spending too much time cooking. You’ll enjoy a variety of keto meals, all very low in carbs. This week you’ll stay around 10 grams of carbs per day.
Full meal plan →
Source: https://www.dietdoctor.com/this-weeks-meal-plan-its-pumpkin-season
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Jessie James Decker gets ‘real’ about post-pregnancy weight loss
© Jessie James Decker/Instagram Jessie James Decker Gets ‘Real’ About Her Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss: 'I Definitely Struggled' After three pregnancies, Jessie James Decker knows how hard it is to get back in shape — and she isn’t about to sugarcoat it for her followers.
The country singer and South Beach Diet spokesperson, 30, opened up about managing her self-esteem and expectations during the weight loss process, and shared a “real” photo of her body before and after.
“I know you’ll see a lot of people in the public eye and they drop weight in what seems like five minutes after having a baby and I think we all feel like we should live up to those expectations,” she said on Instagram. “I’ve even been guilty of that myself and thinking I need to rush and lose weight two months after having a baby when I see all these skinny girls post-baby but that is just not realistic for the majority of us.”
“I’m a little nervous about showing y’all that before [picture] because I was pretty uncomfortable but I want to keep it real with you guys!” she added.
With those three pregnancies coming in just four and a half years, Decker said she’s now “been every shape and size” — including hitting 165 lbs. with her first child — which was a change for her body after years of relying on her strong metabolism to stay slim.
“Having children definitely changed everything and I’m so blessed and grateful to have my babies as y’all know, but it definitely can test your self-esteem when you are used to looking and feeling a certain way,” she said. “It was really hard on my frame and I definitely struggled self-esteem wise.”
RELATED VIDEO: Jessie James Decker Reveals Why Her ‘Massive Babies’ Are Tough During Pregnancy
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James said that by the time she gave birth to her third child, son Forrest, in March, she knew how to take care of her body post-pregnancy. She now follows the South Beach Diet — which focuses on lean proteins and vegetables while eliminating most carbohydrates — and lifts weights.
“This is the fastest I have ever lost weight from all of my pregnancies and I truly think it’s just from educating myself and knowing what to do and having this program right in front of me,” she said. “My goal now as far as my body goes is to be healthy and happy and fit, not ‘skinny.’ ”
© Jessie James Decker/Instagram Jessie James Decker | Jessie James Decker/Instagram Decker also told PEOPLE in October that she had lost 17 lbs. at that point, but she wasn’t focusing on the number.
“I’m not a big scale person. I’m big on how I look and how I feel, and I’m all about building muscle and toning up,” she said. “I used to obsess over that stuff back in the day and I just don’t anymore. I think how do I look, how do I feel, how do my clothes fit me, and I’m all about getting in the gym. I love lifting weights and I love being active and I look and feel better from that.”
Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/jessie-james-decker-gets-ârealâ-about-her-post-pregnancy-weight-loss-i-definitely-struggled/ar-BBRZsjs?srcref=rss
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Why I’m Giving Up My Goal Of Moving Out Of My Parents’ Home In 2019
In the summer of 2017, after graduating from college in southern California, I hopped on a plane back to my hometown in Hawaii to live with my parents and work on getting a job. By December 2018, I had been working at my current job for a year and 5 months, and I made a fleeting goal to move out of my parents’ house sometime in the new year. Even though I didn’t feel ready, I thought that I would never feel ready and it would be something I just had to force myself to do. I also convinced myself that if I didn’t have any friends who were also moving out, then rooming with strangers could be an exciting experience if I found the right people. I decided that the moment I made enough supplemental income from my side hustle would be the moment I moved out.
That plan has now backfired because the goal year was just a shot in the dark. I will probably stay with my parents another year, and I am totally okay with that. Here are the reasons why.
1. Still Figuring Out The Side Hustle
The side hustle that I planned to utilize to make more money and leave the nest was freelance writing, but I was only able to hit the ground running a month ago, so it is not fully established and not consistent. I have been writing for a content company, but the pay is on the typical low side and I am still learning how to finish projects faster. I also helped a friend update their website content and got paid for it. He has more projects in mind for me, but I can’t start on them yet, so I can’t consider it a steady gig.
2. Deciding to Focus on Figuring out Career
Because I focused on the sole task of making enough money to move out, I looked for easy writing projects that I could do fast. However, I recently made the decision to pursue a career in the marketing field, so now I’m focusing on getting pieces published and volunteering to write informational content and direct-response copy for people in my network. As a result I’m writing less easy writing projects for the sake of money and being more strategic about the projects I write. For these, I am most likely not going to be paid, but their value will be inherently greater in the long run.
This also means I devote a lot of my free time to not just writing, but also refreshing my marketing knowledge and researching potential full-time job opportunities. Being able to just come straight to my parents’ home and do my work is something I value right now.
3. I Care About Saving and Enjoying
The reality is that I actually could move out right now and live in an shared apartment or house if I really wanted to. However, I would hardly be able to save any money and I would have to watch my spending very carefully. I choose to not move out right now so I can continue saving aggressively and indulge in myself from time to time without having to worry.
4. I’ve Learned to Not Care Anymore
Truth be told, I’ve adjusted to living with my parents and our relationship is good enough for me to feel comfortable interacting with them everyday. Before, I really wanted to move out because I saw it as a marker of adult life that I was falling behind on and felt ashamed about it. No one had ever said anything to make me feel this way; it was only my own insecurities that made myself feel bad for living at home.
Once I realized my main reason for moving out was superficial, I took it upon myself to just not care anymore what people may or may not think of me and my living situation. I know that I’m living with my parents because I’m working towards a greater goal, not just being lazy and bumming around. And besides, in Hawaii there are actually a lot of young people like me that still live with their parents because the cost of living can be very expensive! Being Asian American also means it’s more culturally acceptable to still live with my parents as a young adult. So I’m definitely not the only one in this situation, even though it feels like it.
*****
I previously thought moving out would be the next big thing for me. Now, I’ve decided to prioritize my savings fund and career, so I’m taking advantage of the privilege that my parents don’t mind having me live with them again. I know they’re a huge help to me, so besides paying cheap rent, I also contribute to taking care of the house by doing some chores, cooking meals when my mom is too tired to cook, and helping her figure out how to use her new computer. Guess it’s a win-win situation after all for everyone!
Carole is a somewhat quiet individual who loves to express her voice through creative endeavors. In her spare time, she likes to breakdance, write, and sing when no one is listening.
Image via Unsplash
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Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/why-im-giving-up-my-goal-of-moving-out-of-my-parents-home-in-2019/
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Diet aimed at reducing high blood pressure may have benefit with heart failure, too - Winston-Salem Journal
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Source: https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/diet-aimed-at-reducing-high-blood-pressure-may-have-benefit/article_507cd42f-fcf9-520b-b2ce-0336f69615fa.html
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Packaged Snacks Catch Up With the Keto Diet - CSPDailyNews.com
Photograph: Shutterstock
CHICAGO — You know a diet has reached the mainstream when it appears on Waffle House’s menu.
“I was in an Arkansas Waffle House on a business trip, and the term ‘keto’ appeared on menus to describe some food items,” says Vincent Kitirattragarn, CEO of Berkeley, Calif.-based Dang Foods, the maker of keto, plant-based and gluten-free Dang Bars.
Waffle House might not be a paragon of trendy, but it knows an opportunity when it sees one. Keto—short for ketogenic—has become king of the specialized diets, selected the most popular for 2019, according to more than 1,300 dietitians surveyed in the seventh annual What’s Trending in Nutrition survey from Today’s Dietitian magazine.
In the keto diet, dieters limit their calorie intake to a mix of approximately 70% fat, 20% protein and 5% each of simple carbohydrates and nonstarchy vegetables. This forces the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis, in which it reportedly burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Google searches for the word “keto” skyrocketed 300% in January, Kitirattragarn says, and snack makers such as Dang Foods are eager to convert web searches to transactions. The key is the proliferation of keto- friendly, portable products rolling out across multiple snack categories that makes it easy to induce trial. Dang Bar debuted last fall, exclusively on Amazon online, and today has gained distribution in 10,000 stores across grocery, mass and drug channels while taking “baby steps in the c-store channel,” says Kitirattragarn, who witnessed 40% year-over-year growth for the line dating back to September 2018.
New Snacking Profile
Asking the average consumer in 2017 about the keto diet likely would have resulted in a glazed-over expression. Kitirattragarn says that as recently as late 2018, he counted only four keto bars available in virtual aisles.
But rising healthcare costs and the popularity of making healthy choices, plus social media influences, are boosting keto’s profile. Rachel Krupa, a Southern California c-store retailer who operates The Goods Mart, is capitalizing on the trend. Such bars are a “gateway snack,” she says.
“I call them gateway snacks because they open a whole new world of healthy and flavorful snacks to core snack consumers,” she says. One variety she stocks is the Saigon Cinnamon Chocolate Dang Bar.
While some adopt a strict keto lifestyle, other consumers are just trying to eat right, says Krupa. “Most of our customers don’t ask for keto but seek clean, ‘free-from’ ingredients like nut butters, hard-boiled eggs and jerky,” says Krupa, who recently opened a second store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. “People tend to try some options, and it’s, ‘Oh, by the way, that’s keto.’ ”
Other keto-friendly snacks include cheese, avocados, olives, nuts, fatty cold cuts, cottage cheese and pork rinds.
Krupa says it boils down to locating snacks with high flavor, great taste and health appeal. Eric Richard, education coordinator for the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association, Madison, Wis., agrees, pointing out that retailers can win by positioning products as “naturally fortified foods with protein as a core ingredient rather than a product that’s protein-added.”
“We see these kinds of diets as a manifestation of the changing landscape of what people seek in the foods they eat,” he says.
Consumption Drivers
Rising healthcare costs likely will continue to fuel interest in the keto diet, along with the paleo diet, which is based on foods that might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era: lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, says Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice president and practice leader for Chicago-based IRI.
“Disease states not prevalent a decade ago are proliferating, while healthcare costs are a problem for many,” Lyons Wyatt says. “People are seeking a holistic healthy lifestyle that incorporates sleep, exercise and diets that enhance one’s immune system, digestion and more.” She cited a medical group survey that found that 45 million U.S. residents activate a diet each year, be it commercial or self-subscribed.
IRI data indicates that snack dollar sales for keto in multioutlet units rose by double digits in 2018, with plant-based snack sales up 19% and vegan snacks growing by 16%.
A second driver of keto and other diets is social media. Melissa Rosen, co-owner of Locali, an independent c-store operator with one location in Venice, Calif., and another in Florida, vouches for that.
“People come to Locali looking for MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil, celery juice, paleo bread and keto bombs because they saw posts on Facebook or Instagram about the health benefits,” says Rosen, who expects growth of keto snacks at her stores to be about 15% to 20% this year. Locali offers products such as Ketomanna’s ketogenic chocolate fudge and Nick’s Sticks Free-Range Turkey Snack Sticks.
Rosen and Krupa have seen a growing number of customers try new keto or paleo snacks without much knowledge of the formulations. So what influence does keto diet marketing on snack packaging have?
“The average person is struggling with mastering the basics, let alone abiding by a more stringent diet.”
With the pipeline filling robustly with these snacks, Lyons Wyatt calls it a “chicken-egg” phenomenon. “I’d like to drill down to see if CPGs were motivated to act on new snack formulations like these due to pent-up demand or whether they rolled out snacks first and consumers jumped on board afterward,” she says.
Kitirattragarn was inspired to create Dang Bar after speaking with area tech professionals in Northern California. Dang had already succeeded with flagship Dang Coconut Chips and was looking to branch out.
“Dang Bar was a confluence of things: We listened to our fans who wanted a coconut snack with no sugar that delivered ‘healthy fat’ in a bar format,” he says. “I also heard a lot about keto [after] talking to Silicon Valley professionals who saw it as a way to optimize performance—it’s known to enhance mental acuity.”
Dang Bar allows consumers to engage in on-the-go consumption of keto ingredients rather than having to prepare a meal or, say, a fresh avocado—a keto staple but not very portable, says Kitirattragarn.
Larger brands are following suit. Recent launches include Unilever’s SlimFast Keto meal replacement shakes, bars and snacks; Borden’s whole milk mozzarella string cheese and cheese snack bars; and Mars’ Creamy Snickers Bars, formulated with freshly ground, creamy nut butters.
Last fall, Minong, Wis.-based Jack Link’s debuted its Cold Crafted Linkwich, a refrigerated meat snack that is infused with cheese, which adds 15 to 18 grams of protein, making it even more keto-friendly.
“Most people are just striving to make better dieting decisions” without being tied to one particular diet, says Collin Frantz, brand manager for Jack Link’s Cold Crafted line, which is represented in 15,000 c-stores. “The average person is struggling with mastering the basics, let alone abiding by a more stringent diet. We sought to leverage the power of portable protein with a product like this.”
Frantz says protein anchors most diets, giving Jack Link’s an additional lever to pull. “Cold Crafted expands on the way Lunchables appealed to moms for their kids years ago. It can be communicated to consumers as a refrigerated snack pack of the Lunchables mindset, merging snack and protein,” he says.
Jack Link’s is not marketing its Cold Crafted products as keto-friendly snacks, because its protein value stands on its own, according to the company.
“We’ve not addressed this diet directly, but our goal is to make it easy for consumers to choose foods that correspond to their respective diets—and there are so many out there,” says Frantz.
Will Keto Sustain?
Low-carb diets such as South Beach and Atkins are still hanging around, but they’re not the rock stars they once were. Can keto sustain its momentum?
In consumer research, Dang found that 40% of people are sustained keto devotees, while another 40% consider themselves “lazy keto” consumers. “They don’t count every single carb and they go on and off diets,” says Kitirattragarn. “It’s a very hard diet to engage because you’re forced to count calories, macros, and people don’t want to do that. If they prepare keto entrees, that’s more work.”
That’s where packaged snacks have an opportunity: making keto easy for consumers.
Lyons Wyatt says retailers can build healthy-eating endcaps or create digital message boards touting healthy food departments, with keto integrated into it. “Some larger retailers are putting dietitians and nutritionists on-site to guide customers on eating goals,” she says. “It’s an expense, but when you measure the cost and the long-term payoff, it’s a strategy that can pay for itself.” (See sidebar, below.)
Specialized diet or not, people are seeking products with clean, transparent values, as many scrutinize ingredient lists. “Watching people shop for jerky, they grab the bag and squeeze it to make sure the meat is tender and there are not hard pieces,” says Frantz of Jack Link’s.
Krupa of The Goods Mart says some customers are obsessed with a ketogenic diet, while others are not as indoctrinated. In many ways, the diet seeks them out rather than the other way around—a back door way of engaging, with retailers facilitating.
“People tend to go on their own eating adventures to find out what works for them,” she says.
Guiding Consumers to Informed Choices
To introduce the uninitiated to snacks with paleo-, vegan- and ketofriendly ingredients—and encourage trial—The Goods Mart stores in Silver Lake, Calif., and New York have introduced “Discovery Zone” endcaps. Featuring brands such as Epic Provisions and Dang Bars, The Goods Mart Discovery Zones bring in new users to a brand, a category or even a diet, says owner Rachel Krupa.
Eric Richard, education coordinator for the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association, Madison, Wis., says c-stores can connect with consumers who might be in specialized diet mode via messaging and POS techniques. “C-stores are smaller formats, so I would use that to their advantage, and there can never be too much messaging as it relates to traditional signage and digital POP displays,” he says. “Overall, people on a keto diet already have a sense of what they want, so make it easy for them to find the products with those high-protein and higher ‘good fat’ attributes.”
In fact, the fat-centric profile that underpins keto brings a concern about recruiting those who have developed a stigma about fatty foods—even the good fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Some believe that the right communication and education can change minds. “Fat is no longer a bad word as more consumers are looking for products with real ingredients, and ‘good’ fat is part of that mission,” Richard says.
For example, bread suffered a stigma for years with some consumers, thanks to low-carb diets. “But you can convert that mindset by stressing the breads that are made with natural, simple ingredients with no preservatives or colors,” says Richard. “And to stress that it’s OK to have real sugar in a diet. Focus on the fat payoff via marketing. You are seeing more and more U.S. consumers seeking natural fats.”
Source: https://www.cspdailynews.com/snacks-candy/packaged-snacks-catch-keto-diet
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How My Partner & I Make It Work As Total Financial Opposites
It seems like every time a lifestyle publication has a headline that reads “top 10 signs you’re headed for divorce,” we’re only reading about the negative ways having a different approach to finances impacts relationships. There are rarely any blog posts or advice columns focusing on the couples that make it work even when they are on opposite ends of the money spectrum. While it is true that money is a huge part of any relationship and can often be a sour subject for couples, it is possible to work through your different philosophies on money on finances and come out on the other side unscathed and stronger as a team. Here’s how my husband and I do just that:
1. We have separate and joint accounts
This isn’t earth-shattering advice, but it is an easy way to combine a lot of our financials while still maintaining our own autonomy over money. My husband and I did not have a combined account until we had been married for a year. When living together while dating, I had all of our combined bills — power, water, Internet, etc. — auto-drafted out of my checking account. Every month, he would give me cash for exactly half of our combined living expenses. We were each responsible for our own individual expenses, such as my student loans.
To this day, that is still how all of our bills are paid. We decided to open a joint money market account at his bank after we were married in order for us to contribute to shared savings, and it was the start of our emergency fund. Since then, we’ve grown our savings and combined expenses where we could, such as adding me to his car insurance and dropping mine. My husband and I both have separate checking accounts and credit cards, and as long as the bills are paid and we are contributing to our savings, we mostly don’t care how the other spends their money. Charlie is the guy who wants to splurge and build out a home theater with a projector and screen and surround sound, while I am an impulsive shopper and can walk into Target needing one thing but leave with 12 things I could definitely live without. It doesn’t matter that he thinks Target is a money trap, and I would be perfectly fine with a plain old TV — we know that we won’t face criticism or judgment when we come home with those purchases. Our only real requirement over individual accounts is that our credit cards are paid off in full each month, and that neither one of us is feeling financially strapped. We are able to acknowledge if one month we went overboard and are open to insights on how to reign it in without it leading to an argument.
2. We regularly check in with each other over any concerns and make big financial decisions together
When we first got married, Charlie would get defensive if I criticized some of his spending, and would accuse me of trying to infantilize him. The phrase “I feel like you are making me ask for permission” was very common the first year or two of marriage. After saying “I do,” it suddenly became “our” money, not just my mine and his. While we had maintained separate accounts, It felt like “our” money being used to buy a $700 motorcycle helmet, and I felt like he wasn’t helping out enough with “our” day-to-day purchases, such as groceries or pet food. I started thinking about how I was the one spending my money on his food, toilet paper, and vet bills, while he wanted to spend his money on things that only interested him and acted put out when I would ask him to pay at the grocery store.
We were, at times, very critical of each other, and I often became resentful if I felt like I was spending more money on necessities for us both while he only seemed to care about what he wanted. However, after taking a step back and trying to see things from his point of view and asking him to see them from mine, we began actively making an effort to keep communication open and remain calm. With that, we were able to come to some basic agreements on certain aspects of our financial lives. After two large purchases he made that I felt were completely unjustified, we made it a rule to discuss any purchase that would be over $500 — even if it was coming out of our own individual checking accounts.
I know that, since coming to that agreement, I have helped him realize that just because he wants something doesn’t necessarily mean he should get it at that time. On the other hand, he has helped me learn to loosen up a little bit, enjoy life as it comes, and quit keeping score. These days, when there is a large purchase being discussed that we don’t see eye-to-eye on, we have multiple discussions in an attempt to reach a fair compromise. Most recently, my husband has become obsessed with a very specific car with a $36k price tag. His only justification to me for why he should be able to get it is “because I want it!” Which is not a good enough reason for me. We’ve had multiple conversations about this car, and I finally came to see that I could lay out 100 reasons we shouldn’t get it — all he would say is how much he wanted it. We finally came to an agreement that when my car and student loans are paid off in the about years, he can make that splurge. I asked him to stick with the car he has now so that we don’t take on any more unnecessary debt, and that the day my car is paid off, he can walk into a dealership and get his dream car. It gives him something to work towards, and he has two years to save money or help make extra payments to existing debt in order to pay it off sooner. Neither one of us feels cheated or angry; instead, we have made a firm decision that makes us both happy.
3. He reminds me constantly how lucky we are to be where we are financially
In a roles-reversed situation, I desperately want to move out of the house we are renting and into a place with all the modern luxuries and potentially a shorter commute. I don’t care if we end up living somewhere outrageously priced. I just want out. The catch is, we are renting from a family member and have an extremely low rent. We live in a quickly growing area and it is not uncommon for studio or 1 BR apartments to cost $1,000+ a month. We pay $600/month for a 1,600 square foot house on 5 acres of land. Deep down, I am able to be logical and realize it would be nothing but regrets if we didn’t ride it out until his family decides to sell.
However, I am guilty of wanting to keep up with the Joneses and tend to focus on what’s wrong with our house instead of how lucky we are. The house was built in 1955, and while it has “good bones,” the walls are made of plaster and are starting to crack, and the windows are creaky and do nothing to help with energy costs. The bathroom has no ventilation, so I am constantly fighting mold buildup, and there is so much wood paneling on the walls and ugly carpet covering hardwood floors. In the era of Pinterest, I can’t help but want to live somewhere nicer, and I cannot stress this enough…more energy efficient. My husband constantly reminds me that before we moved into our current rental, we struggled to pay our bills and still have a semblance of a life. We moved into this house about three months after we got married, and the relief was almost instantaneous. In the five years we’ve been renting from his family, we have saved a significant amount of money that we never would have dreamed of otherwise. We were able to get out of the cycle of living check to check and we are able to indulge in things like a vacation once a year and dinner out once a week without stress.
So yes, while I’m dreaming of fancy kitchens and bigger bathrooms, my husband is there to gently remind me that what we have is perfect and not everyone is as lucky as we are and that usually brings me back down to earth.
And finally…
4. I am his reminder that we have long term goals to work for when he wants to indulge his FOMO/YOLO tendencies
My husband turns 36 this year, and before March of 2019, he had zero to show in terms of a retirement fund. While he’s never worked anywhere that offered a 401k, I’ve been begging him to open an IRA at our bank for years. I use the same old cliche everyone does: You’re just losing out on all that compound interest! Or you need to have a million dollars in an account by the time you retire! While I am very lucky to work for a company that offers a 401K and matches a percentage of my contributions, I didn’t really understand that value until I started getting closer to 30.
However, my husband likes to say that he’s never going to retire, so he should be able to spend his money now on what he wants. That is where I come in to remind him that there are many reasons for needing that “safety net” as we age, such as rising healthcare costs, potential for injuries or illnesses rendering him unable to work, and the ability to afford a reputable and safe nursing home when that time comes. We don’t plan on having kids, so we have to make sure we won’t have any financial strain as we age. He also stubbornly resisted life insurance policies for each of us, and if I didn’t make doctor appointments to check out any ailments and keep him healthy, he would never seek medical attention for anything.
Generally, he prefers to live in the moment and not stress about all of the boring and tedious parts of life. I am able to help him see that we don’t have to stop living in the moment completely in order to be prepared for the future financially — we just have to be smarter about our expenses and paying down debt while also being able to save. My husband likes to tell me that I stress too much over everything, and I tell him he doesn’t stress at all over anything. Once we were able to put our egos and pride to the side and effectively communicate with 100% transparency, we have found ways to let our differences with money help us grow as a couple.
Liana is a 30-year-old nurse living in North Carolina with her husband, their dog, and their cat. She is hustling hard to pay off her student loans early and start saving to buy a house. She also has an unrealistic dream to one day have a dog rescue, with the sole purpose of being surrounded by a ton of dogs all the time.
Like this story? Follow The Financial Diet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily tips and inspiration, and sign up for our email newsletter here.
Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/how-my-partner-i-make-it-work-as-total-financial-opposites/
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November 11th, 2018 Respect And Honor
November 11th, 2018 Respect And Honor
Yesterday: I maintained the integrity of my reduced calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I met my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.
This is a special day. Veterans Day to me is met with enormous gratitude for all who have served our country. My dad and both my grandfathers served in wartime. They witnessed their friends perish on the battlefields and in the Pacific--and somehow, they survived against the odds of fate. They bravely fought and survived. I think about how their actions in battle very likely saved others. All who served deserve exceptional respect and honor, today and always.
I remember watching war movies as a kid and not being able to process the level of bravery it must take to face the circumstances these men faced. When I grew older and learned of my dad's and my grandfather's service, I was immediately filled with a sense of gratitude, respect, and also enormous pride to be the son and grandson of these brave men. It meant a lot to me because I didn't feel brave at all, ever, but knowing that somewhere deep in my DNA there might be this level of courage and bravery, somehow gives me a measure of hope for challenges in my life. My challenges will never be on the level they faced during wartime. I'm grateful. I'm proud of these men close to me--and proud of--and quite honestly, in awe of all those who served. Again, if that's you, thank you.
I'm enjoying my food plan lately. I've made changes, as you know if you're a regular reader, and it seems to be going well. I've made changes to my list of trigger foods and I've discovered how I can be satisfied with smaller meal portions. The ongoing struggle in the exercise department continues, however, I'm focusing on the long-term and this enables me to not be so self-critical in the moment. As long as that perspective doesn't enable me to not change, I'll be okay. I am making changes, action plans, and looking at things differently--and I'm listening to, watching, and learning from others. Keeping an open mind, fresh for a change, is a big plus along this road.
I do not know it all. I've never known it all. My daily practice isn't and has never been perfect--and that's okay. One of the biggest positive things is admitting that fact--because then, I'm/we're in a position to grow and evolve. And isn't that what this road is all about? Progress, not perfection?
Thank you for reading and your continued support, Strength, Sean
Source: http://losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/2018/11/november-11th-2018-respect-and-honor.html
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How Gayle managed to change her life to the better at 66
Gayle was struggling with numerous conditions and diseases and felt hopeless about her situation. Her daughter told her about Diet Doctor, and that she should give keto a try. Gayle signed up for the newsletter but it took her another six months before she found the courage to get started. This is her story:
Hi, my name is Gayle, and I live in a country town in New South Wales, Australia.
I have always struggled with my weight my whole life and the older I got the worse it became.
I was struggling with obesity, sugar addiction, fibromyalgia, inflammation throughout my body, arthritis pain especially in my right knee, and was constantly out of breath. I also knew there was something wrong with my lymphatic system.
I was so fatigued, aching from head to toe, burnt out and not coping well.
The beginning of 2018 had been quite a stressful time for me, I was having panic attacks and was not well. In December 2018, I had also been diagnosed with lipoedema, lymphoedema, and Dercum’s disease. I was so fatigued, aching from head to toe, burnt out and not coping well.
My daughter, Jo, first told me about Diet Doctor in about October 2017. Jo told me about a lady at her work had lost about 40 kilos (88 pounds) on it, and that it may work for me. I signed up for the Diet Doctor newsletters that came by email. I would look at all the success stories and think (sorry, just thinking and excuses) yes that’s ok for all of you, you are all so young looking and in your 20s and 30s but it’s a lot harder for a woman in her 60s. Plus it was coming up to Christmas 2017 and I thought it would be too hard to do with my family coming (another excuse).
So, I thought I’d put it off until at least February 2018. Well, that went on till May 2018 (more excuses). By then I had put on an extra 15 kilos (33 pounds). On the 9th of May, I was in tears and it all felt so hopeless and I knew things had to change… I prayed and asked for help…
I woke up on the 10th of May 2018, and I heard these words in my heart: Today is the day everything will change… Not knowing what that meant but later that morning I opened the Diet Doctor newsletter and went to the success stories and I saw the picture of Christine and her story and I thought oh she looks a little older, maybe there is hope for me. I knew I was about 16 years older than Christine and I had different health problems than she did but I said to myself if she can do it maybe there is hope for me and maybe I can do this too. You may have seen Christine’s success story on the Diet Doctor website.
Then I heard these words in my heart “Do what she did…” So I started the keto way of eating on the 10th of May 2018 at the age of 66 years and weighing 135 kilos (298 pounds) and 159 cm (5’3″) tall.
It is now one year ago today since I had my wake up call and I started on keto. So here I am, one year later and I have lost 42 kilos (92 pounds). I followed what Christine did, and I learned from her and Diet Doctor. I am so grateful to you both for your encouragement along the way and your success stories.
My biggest challenges are:
Winning the battle in my head
Changing my mind-sets
Loving myself
Not listening to the lies in my head
Getting more sleep
Exercising more regularly
Asking myself am I really hungry
Enjoying every mouthful of food
Eating more slowly
I have not been able to see my results as others see them, I still see myself as an obese person. It is slowly changing little by little, though. Also being in a four-month weight stall from the end of December to the end of April, up and down in a 5-kilo (10 pounds) range, but my body shape was changing. I am still working on these things.
Yes, I wish I had known about all of this a lot earlier in my life but by sharing my story may help someone else to get started earlier than I did.
I am winning over the sugar addiction moment by moment and one day at a time.
It has improved my health, I am winning over the sugar addiction moment by moment and one day at a time.
The fibromyalgia has improved, the inflammation throughout my body has improved, my knee has improved, no more shortness of breath, my lymphatic system is flowing a lot better, no more panic attacks. I have lost lipoedema fat which I was told by the specialist I would have to have it surgically removed. No surgeries. The Dercum’s lumps are still sore and I have flare-ups from time to time. The aches and pain and fatigued have improved greatly.
Thank you so much, Diet Doctor and Christine, for your wonderful success stories, they have brought me so much hope, courage, strength, wisdom, and insight. (Christine’s webpage Joyful Keto Life).
Thank you for reading my story, Gayle
Thank you, Gayle! Now you have your own amazing story and I bet many people will be as inspired by you as you were by Christine. Congratulations on all your success!
Source: https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-gayle-managed-to-change-her-life-to-the-better-at-66
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Nicole Byer Can Save a Cooking Fail - Grub Street
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Fuel Your Body With Superfood Powder Supplements
Superfood powders are a great way to get extra nutrition when eating whole foods just aren’t enough. Hallelujah Diet Advanced Superfood powders are popular among those looking to boost their health and well-being — they’re tasty, reasonably priced, and help you get in all of the phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to be healthy.
What are Superfood Powder Supplements?
The Hallelujah Diet Organic Advanced Superfood powder is a carefully selected blend of over 30 organic ingredients, including grass juice powders, 15 different vegetables and 2 cruciferous vegetable sprouts. These supplements are superfoods that have been carefully dehydrated and pulverized, so they form a powder that’s easily incorporated into liquids. Digestive enzymes are included as well as prebiotic fibers to help you get the most out of this superfood product. And it’s so easy to mix up these drinks. Follow the instructions on the jar and scoop out the amount of powder you need into your choice of fluid. It can be something as healthy and probiotic as kombucha tea to plain water to various juices.
How Superfood Powders Improve Health
There are so many ways superfoods help you, It’s not only from the food itself, but all of the healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants within it. Our vegetable powders are correctly processed to make sure those phytonutrients and antioxidants are preserved. That way, you get everything out of them — just as God intended.
It’s not just hype. Antioxidants, especially from antioxidant-rich superfoods, really do help with all sorts of problems, including heart disease. Heart disease includes everything from high blood pressure to high cholesterol and the hardening of the arteries as well as weakness problems like a weak heartbeat, weak breathing, and weak muscles.
The superfood powders give you the vitamins and minerals to build healthy tissue, and the antioxidants to help reverse some of the damage done. These powders can even help you lose weight. Because you’re getting so much nutrition, your body is not going to crave as much junk. So, it makes it easier to choose healthy food and eat less.
With all the extra vitamins and minerals in your system, you’ll also experience a boost in energy. Your metabolism will work better, you want to do more things, and you’ll feel good doing them. We recommend taking some of this energy and planning out a good exercise routine. Strike while the iron is hot!
Hallelujah Diet’s organic superfood powders will also help improve your gut health. A healthy dose of prebiotic fiber, as acacia gum fiber and agave inulin, is included in our formula. These fibers help the beneficial bacteria in your gut thrive and increase their population. Digestive enzymes are also included to improve digestion. You can add superfood powders to probiotic drinks like kombucha for a dose of healthy probiotics that make a superfood powder even better.
Surprisingly, all of these vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants can help clear your head. Having the right vitamins and minerals, especially B vitamins, can make the neurotransmitters in your brain work better. This will help reduce depression and anxiety. It’ll also help clear out the brain fog caused by a poor diet. Some people have even recorded having their migraines and headaches relieved.
Choosing the Right Supplements
When choosing supplements, a little research goes a long way. There are several different brands of superfood supplements out there, but not all are created equal. Hallelujah Diet’s are organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and contain no refined sugars, so they rank high among picky supplement-takers. And you should always be picky about your supplements!
Superfood powders are an excellent way of incorporating more vitamins, minerals, fruits, and vegetables into your diet. They can give you a boost of energy, better health, and improve your chances of weight loss and avoiding disease in the future.
Source: https://www.myhdiet.com/healthnews/cancer-news/fuel-your-body-with-superfood-powder-supplements/
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#10 top recipe of 2018: Keto lasagna
Out of our more than 600 low-carb recipes, this was the #10 most popular one in 2018.
Lasagna rocks. That enticing flavor mash-up of creamy cheese, hearty tomato sauce, and seasoned ground beef… not to mention garlic and onions. Wait no longer. This keto version is the ultimate comfort food. Full recipe
Source: https://www.dietdoctor.com/10-top-recipe-2018-keto-lasagna
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DeAndre Jordan, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul Invest In Plant-Based Food Company Beyond Meat - Forbes
New York Knicks center DeAndre Jordan is one of three NBA stars who have invested in Beyond Meat, the company announced Wednesday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Knicks center DeAndre Jordan is one of three current or former NBA All-Stars, including Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving and Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul, investing in Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat substitute Jordan couldn't stop raving about in an exclusive interview.
“I believe in the product and it’s something that I really do care about," Jordan said, "and hopefully it’ll be a company that other people care about in the future."
Jordan, Irving and Paul join a growing group of investors for Beyond Meat, which has raised $122 million so far, according to CrunchBase, and could soon be looking to go public.
Over the last several years, Jordan's dabbled in cutting red meat out of his diet during the summer. He went pescatarian one summer before going full vegetarian for two straight summers. At that point, Jordan thought "I should be able to do this for an entire season."
But Jordan and his trainer were worried about energy levels, “me being able to sustain endurance and not lose my strength and be able to go through a full 82-game season plus playoffs with practices and flights and not have my body breaking down."
After doing a slew of tests with his trainer and nutritionist, the results were actually the opposite of what Jordan thought they'd be, and he's averaged 11 points, over 13 rebounds and just over a block per game this season on a plant-based diet. And Beyond Meat provides palatable protein that can be hard to find in vegan or vegetarian diets.
Photo courtesy of Beyond MeatPhoto courtesy of Beyond Meat
“It’s been great for me this season," Jordan said. "Now that I look back at it, the red meat definitely weighed me down a little bit and it takes a long time to break down. Each person’s body is different, but for me I lost a lot of what I would say was bad weight.”
About two or three years back Beth Moskowitz, the executive director of Sports Spectacular, a non-profit "dedicated to linking world-class athletes and innovative medical research to advance healthier futures" told him about this plant-based Beyond Meat burger at a time when Jordan was looking to switch his diet up. Moskowitz raved about it to Jordan and he wanted to try it and hear a little more about it.
“I tried it and it was so good, and now I have my family and some of my friends eating it," Jordan said. "It’s just something I definitely believe in.”
Now Jordan is putting his money where his mouth is, though he and Beyond Meat declined to disclose the amount he’s investing or whether he’s receiving an equity stake in the company.
Jordan is far from the only NBA player who's experimented with cutting red meat. A 2017 Bleacher Report article profiled Kyrie Irving's vegan diet and also mentioned fellow players including Damian Lillard, Wilson Chandler and Enes Kanter who have all gone either vegetarian or vegan. In fact, after the B/R article came out, Beyond Meat reached out and sent Irving some of its product.
Kyrie Irving is one of three NBA stars investing in Beyond Meat, the company announced Wednesday.Photo courtesy of Rick Bern
"It was good timing as I was struggling to find quality plant-based foods that still had a lot of flavor," Irving said in a press release. "After I tried their products, I knew immediately that this was a company I wanted to be involved with."
Jordan said that he and Irving both discovered Beyond Meat individually and didn't speak to Irving or Paul until he was already fully involved with the company.
"I believed in it from the beginning," Jordan said. "It was something that I wanted to change for myself, my body and my career. Just my overall lifestyle."
Jordan said he’s unsure whether he’ll be in Beyond Meat commercials or whether he’ll just be an investor behind the scenes, but wants to be "extremely involved" in getting the company out there.
“Whatever I could do to help spread the word and be a positive voice for it, not just somebody who invests money," he said. "I’m going to be involved as much as I can be, because it’s something that’s in my refrigerator non-stop, and I love it. So I want to get other people to at least try it and give it a chance.”
New York Knicks center DeAndre Jordan misses a dunk during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I believe that this movement toward plant-based meats among athletes, for the dual purpose of supporting performance and advancing broader social and environmental objectives, holds tremendous promise for shifting behavior in this and future generations," said Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat's founder and CEO.
Jordan was traded from Dallas to New York on Feb. 1 in the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster and while he's enjoyed the city, the biggest adjustment he's had to make is wearing a coat to practice because of the cold NYC winter.
“The organization has so much history, and New York fans are extremely involved. That’s a definite positive," he said. "They love their team. They root for the team if they’re up 20, down 20, if it’s a winning season, a losing season. They’re diehard fans, and that’s something you could appreciate.”
Jordan also happens to be close with Kevin Durant, whose free agency status after the season, and rumored interest in the Knicks this offseason, has overshadowed nearly every other NBA storyline either on or off the court.
“He’s one of my best friends," Jordan said, "but we’re not talking about that right now.”
Jordan said he doesn't press Durant about these issues.
"If it’s something that comes up, then we talk about it. If not, we don’t talk about it," Jordan said. "But our relationship goes beyond basketball. I guess at some point, if we talk about it then we talk about it."
Team LeBron's Kevin Durant, of the Golden State Warriors receives the MVP trophy after the NBA All-Star basketball game as NBA commissioner Adam Silver, left, looks on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019, in Charlotte, N.C. The Team LeBron won 178-164. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jordan, a free agent himself after the season, found a rental in the city that he likes rather than living out of a hotel for the rest of the year. He said he's focused on building the culture Knicks head coach David Fizdale wants the team to have, while Durant is focused on helping the Golden State Warriors win yet another championship.
"Like I said, we’re really close friends," Jordan said. "So we talk a lot. We hang out a lot. I wish him nothing but the best with what he has going on in Golden State. He’s a free agent after this year, I guess, we’ll see what happens. That’s not something that we talk about.”
What Jordan and Durant may talk about more easily the rest of the season, is his investment in Beyond Meat and how more and more NBA players are embracing a plant-based lifestyle that increasingly cuts red meat out of the picture.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shlomosprung/2019/02/20/deandre-jordan-kyrie-irving-chris-paul-invest-in-plant-based-food-company-beyond-meat/
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5 Herbal Teas With Research-Backed Health Benefits
OK, we’ve all seen the lists of “benefits” of herbal teas claiming they cure anything and everything. Drink this: it’s good for headaches, dry skin, back pain, blisters, diabetes, liver disease, constipation, and bunions! (Somehow, these descriptions never actually explain how one herb could possibly cure or prevent all these problems).
But there’s actual science on herbal tea; it’s not all random lists of totally improbable benefits with no proof or rationale. Here’s a look at 5 herbal teas with actual research to back up their health claims. (If you’re looking for black tea, check it out here.)
1. Spearmint tea for reducing androgen levels
Androgens are male sex hormones, most notably testosterone. Spearmint (not to be confused with peppermint) has anti-androgenic activity – in other words, it reduces the levels of androgens. That’s what this study and this one both found in women drinking spearmint tea.
It might seem weird to want to reduce androgen levels, considering there’s a whole industry dedicated to raising testosterone in men who (correctly or not) think they have “low T,” but excessive androgen levels are a huge part of the problem in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and cause abnormal hair growth (hirsutism), cystic acne, and metabolic problems in women. So for dudes looking to maximize their bench press, by all means stay very far away from spearmint tea, but women who struggle with PCOS might want to give it a shot. In fact, that first study was specifically in PCOS patients.
The studies found reductions in androgenic hormones, but they also noted that any visibly noticeable benefits (like less acne or less hair growth in women) will take at least a month of regularly drinking the tea to start appearing.
2. Hibiscus tea for blood pressure
A review of randomized controlled trials published in the Journal of Hypertension found that hibiscus tea actually had a significant effect on both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. On average, groups that got the tea saw reductions of 7.6 mmHg and 3.5 mmHg, respectively – so, for example, a perfectly average participant might see their blood pressure go down from 140/90 to 132.4/84.5.
To put those numbers in context, this study calculated the average blood pressure-lowering benefits of different types of treatments. Here’s a comparison:
Intervention Reduced blood pressure by… From 140/90 to… Lifestyle changes (e.g., exercising) 5/3 mmHg 135/87 Dietary changes (average) 6/4 mmHg 134/86 Hibiscus tea 7.6/3.5 132.4/84.5 Medication 9/5 mmHg 131/85
So, it’s not as effective as “real” medicine, but it’s definitely not nothing.
3. Chamomile tea – yep, it actually does help you sleep
This study looked at women who had trouble sleeping after giving birth. After 2 weeks of chamomile tea daily, the tea group had much less “sleep inefficiency” than the control group, as well as fewer symptoms of depression. The researchers did note that 4 weeks later, after the experiment was done, the difference was gone – in other words, to keep getting the benefits, you’d have to keep drinking the tea. (No kidding!)
This study found similar effects, noting that chamomile tea had a calming or sedative effect. It slowed down “speed of attention” (how fast your mind is zooming from one thing to another) and increased feelings of calmness. It’s not what you’d want to drink before a big test, but it would be perfect for bedtime.
4. Ginger tea for nausea/vomiting
Ginger is an old wives’ remedy for nausea and vomiting, but this review actually took a look at recent evidence and found that it really does work. In all of the studies they analyzed, ginger performed better than placebo for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. To standardize things, the reviewers provided this table listing different ways to get the recommended therapeutic dose of 1000 mg standardized ginger extract:
1 teaspoon (5 g) of freshly grated ginger rhizome.
4 cups (237 ml each) of prepackaged ginger tea.
4 cups (237 ml each) of fresh ginger tea (prepared by infusing ½ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger in hot water for 5–10 min).
2 pieces of crystallized ginger, each 1 inch square, ¼ inch thick
This more recent meta-analysis confirmed the effectiveness and safety of ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. This might be because eating ginger increases gastrointestinal motility (in other words, it gets things moving through the gut in the right direction, so your food is less likely to come back up the way it came in). That’s pretty useful – and it doesn’t exactly taste bad, either!
5. Yerba mate for antioxidant protection and metabolic health
Yerba mate is a plant native to South America – it’s sometimes sold just as a supplement, but it’s also made into a tea.
This study found that after drinking mate tea, healthy women got a boost to their body’s antioxidant defenses. The effects weren’t just from the antioxidants in the tea – drinking tea actually stimulated the body’s own antioxidant production. There was also a significant decrease in the degree of blood lipid peroxidation (basically, the yerba mate tea protected fats in the blood from getting damaged). This study added an element by testing mate tea with or without dietary changes (more fresh fruit and veg, less dietary cholesterol). The researchers found that mate tea improved antioxidant protection independently of diet – even if you’re already eating lots of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables, this stuff still has benefits.
This study in people with diabetes and pre-diabetes found that 3 cups per day of mate tea also improved metabolic parameters. In people with diabetes, the tea reduced blood sugar and LDL cholesterol levels; in people with prediabetes, tea combined with dietary counseling reduced LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
In mice, mate regulates hunger and appetite hormones and reduces weight gain on a lousy diet, but it’s not clear whether this effect translates to humans drinking a realistic amount of tea.
How to drink herbal tea for health benefits
It’s worth repeating that none of these herbal teas will have any immediately visible health benefits. Some of the antioxidant benefits do show up pretty much immediately, but it’s hard to see those on the outside. This isn’t like taking Penicillin for strep throat, where you’re miserable when you take it but 24 hours later you barely feel sick. It’s a very slow process where regularly and habitually drinking tea delivers gradual, almost invisible benefits without huge dramatic changes.
In light of that, here’s a strategy for drinking herbal tea in a way that actually gets you the health benefits:
Find something with a flavor you enjoy. Drinking something that tastes like grass or mud isn’t going to be sustainable over months or years.
Make it tasty! If you need any encouragement, this study actually found that adding honey to herbal tea increased its antioxidant content.
Find a way to work the tea into your daily routine. For example, could you bring it to work so that when you feel bored and restless you can reach for a cup of tea instead of vending-machine candy? Alternately, make it a habit so there’s nothing to remember.
What kind of herbal teas have you tried? Anything to recommend? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
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Source: https://paleoleap.com/5-herbal-teas-research-backed-health-benefits/
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