I love a good adventure, and when my boyfriend decided we should get a sailboat and sail from New Zealand to Fiji, I figured; Why not! At first, we guessed it may take around three months. I started researching the journey, and discovered it only takes 8-10 days!

I found its a very popular route and plenty of people do it each year. So! I did a few sailing lessons, and after four months preparing the boat, we left the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and sailed to Savu Savu, Fiji.

It may seem like an extreme adventure, but there were months of preparation behind it; the details of which arent very thrilling unless you love hearing about tying knots, drilling and cleaning things. What is interesting though, is what Ive learned about health and wellbeing thanks to this exciting adventure.

Thanks to social media, the comparison trend is everywhere, making too many of us feel like were not quite whole or able.

The feeling of needing to do more, or be more than we are stops so many of us from achieving exciting things.

This need to have more of something is everywhere, people may want:

As a physiotherapist and wellness retreat host, Ive heard every excuse to avoid rehab or activity, (including the one above about active wear!)Were all guilty of making those little excuses without realizing they hold us back.

The feeling that we dont have quite ENOUGH OF SOMETHING YET all comes down to confidence. Its the little voice in our head saying no, you cant do itnot yet.

Sure, sailing the Pacific Ocean can be dangerous, but there are plenty of tools to help mitigate the risks. After researching and purchasing every safety tool we needed, learning as much as I could and passing our safety inspection, I felt ready.

It was a huge leap to take for a crew of three (my boyfriends cousin joined) with only four sailing lessons between them, but I learned sometimes youve just got to give it a go. It was a great learning for me who loves every piece of information before I try something!

I found sailing from NZ to Fiji pretty tough and it wasnt because we had never been to sea before, were in 4km deep seas, soaked by waves on night watch, or five days from the nearest shore. It was because myself and the two others on the boat were exceptionally tired.

Extreme fatigue is the ultimate test. Studies show after 19 hours without sleep, your mind functions at the same level as having a blood alcohol reading of 0.05, and after ten days at sea with broken, minimal sleep every night, our balance, coordination, strength and decision making were all diminished.

So! In this somewhat extreme environment, I learned that not sweating the small stuff made everyday easier, for everyone.

The little things dont matter in the middle of the Pacific, but it showed me they also dont matter at home.

Choosing to let small things slide helped us arrive safely and happily in Fiji, and I have learned it will also help me achieve other goals with family and friends at home.

Ive learned we all need to ask ourselves more often: Does that really matter? before jumping to say our piece.

This is a no brainer, but I had never felt the truth of this statement until arriving in Fiji. During the passage from NZ, we ate rice, beans, cabbage, vegetables, pasta and freshly caught Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna. Essentially we ate whole, real foods which I thought I did already, but at sea it was for every meal.

When we arrived into Fiji, the boat was wet through and we were craving a warm burger and chips. We waited a few days, then hit the Waitui marina to satisfy our craving.

The next day, we both felt sluggish and lazy, almost worse than on the day we arrived after very little sleep at sea. I was blown away with the difference in our energy levels.

Our bodies had become so accustomed to eating clean foods, fried fatty food was almost too much to manage.

Im not saying fried foods are the enemy, but they do have a HUGE impact on energy and wellbeing. The occasional dumpling night or burger and chips is absolutely fine, if youre injecting fried and fatty foods into your diet elsewhere. It could be making you lethargic without you realizing.

Sailing from NZ was a tough and wonderful experience, and turned out to be just the first part of an 18 month sailing adventure around the Pacific. Im so thrilled I was able to enjoy some wellness learnings along the way. Im excited to share them during my stints as visiting practitioner at wellness retreats worldwide, as well as in my daily Physiotherapy practice.

More:
What sailing from New Zealand to Fiji taught me about health and wellbeing - Thrive Global

Milk has long been considered a healthy staple in our diet. It's rich in bone-strengthening calcium, energy-building protein, and a slew of other nutrients that boost our overall health. However, researchers are learning more and more about the not-so-beneficial effects commercially produced milk can have on the body, particularly on our hormones. The reason for concern? Cows, as well as chickens, are given hormones to help them grow, reduce the amount of feed they need, and ultimately increase profitability, explains Arianna Sholes-Douglas, an OB/GYN, the founder of Tula Wellness Center in Tucson, Arizona, and author of The Menopause Myth ($9.79, amazon.com). "The hormones administered to animals are not only consumed when we eat them, but are also excreted in high levels in their waste, which we can also digest in our water," she says. "Growth hormone is responsible for the increase in insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which has been directly correlated to prostate, colon, and breast cancers."

This is one of the reasons why non-dairy milks are becoming increasingly popularyou don't have to worry about added hormones. However, Dr. Sholes-Douglas warns that milk alternatives may still have an impact on hormone balance due to their other components, such as isoflavones. Here's a look at how the different types of milks, from soy and almond to cashew and oat, impact the hormones in our bodies.

Related: What the Test Kitchen Really Thinks About Alt Milks

Soy milk comes from soybeans, making it a good, low-calorie milk alternative. However, Yeral Patel, MD, a functional medicine physician in Newport Beach, California, explains that most of the soy produced in the United States comes from genetically modified plants. This means that we're still susceptible to hormonal effects unless we're drinking non-GMO soy milk. Additionally, the jury is still out on whether or not soy milk affects the thyroid hormone. "It is still recommended that those with a tendency towards hypothyroidism avoid it," says Luiza Petre, MD, a New York City-based cardiologist and weight management specialist. "Its use in baby formulas also remains unanswered with American Academy of Pediatrics, warranting more research."

Despite the fact that lactose-free milk does not contain the sugar present naturally in milk (lactose), it can still contain hormones, as well as other added sugars, preservatives, and antibioticsand may cause the same level of hormonal disruption as regular milk, explains Patel. "The only difference is that the lactose protein (a natural sugar found in milk products) is removed from the milk so that those who are intolerant to lactose protein can safely consume it," she says.

Almond milk is pretty simpleit comes from soaked almonds. It's also hormone-free and in unsweetened form, contains less saturated fat and calories than milk, explains Patelwhich makes it one of the safer options in the context of hormonal disruption. "Those with nut allergies or sensitivities should be cautious about consuming almond milk for obvious reasons," she warns.

Similarly, cashew milk comes from cashewsand provides the same benefit (it's low-risk overall). However, the same caution should be exercised for those with nut allergies or sensitivities.

"While coconut milk does not contain any added hormones and can be a good milk alternative, coconut milk and coconut products are higher in saturated fats and can increase the risk of heart disease if consumed in excess," says Patel. "Those with allergies to tree nuts can usually tolerate coconut milkand there is some evidence that coconut-derived foods may help protect the body from viruses and infections."

Oat milk is derived from whole oat grains, in a similar fashion to almond or cashew milk. It is a safe non-dairy alternative for those who are lactose intolerant, vegan, or have nut allergies, notes Patel. "Consuming oat milk may, however, be problematic for those with gluten allergies or sensitivities," she adds.

Hemp milk is hormone- and dairy-free and, as its name implies, is derived from hemp seeds. "It's packed with Omega-3s and is good for joint health and rich in fiber, which is beneficial for digestive and heart health," Dr. Patel says, adding that it's another low-risk choice for those searching for a milk that won't alter their body's hormone balance.

Excerpt from:
Here's How Different Types of Milk Impact Your Hormones - Yahoo Lifestyle

India Part 2- Terrific photos help you experience the Taj Mahal and Ganges. This is the second in a four-part series on India

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. Constructed of ivory marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, the Taj Mahal is described as the worlds most perfect building. The Taj does not disappoint.

The grand mausoleum is best viewed in the early morning light, but some important foreign politico was in town so the grounds were closed to us plebeians. We had to view the edifice from Agra Fort, which lies across the Yamuna River.

Still, the ancient site in the hazy distance was stunning, with its four tall minarets framing the gigantic domed tomb. In 1658, after a succession battle, Shah Jahans son had his father imprisoned in the Fort. The elder Shah was forced to live out his existence with a distant, tantalizing, maddening view of his beloved wifes final resting place.

The Taj Mahal grounds re-opened to the great unwashed later that afternoon affording us the opportunity to avoid the morning crowd. As the sun set, we were able to quietly enjoy this architectural wonder with an intimate gathering of about 10,000 souls. Did I mention India has a lot of people? (see Part 1 of the series.)

India? Are you nuts? Join Gerry for part 1 of his series on India.

Every morning, before he could open his mouth to explain where we were going and what wed see, eat and do that day, wed greet our guide Anoop Singhal with a preemptive, Whats the scoop, Anoop? Then hed regale us with the remarkable things we were to consume visually and gastronomically that day.

And throughout the adventure, with ceremonial kirpan rattling by his side, driver Devinder Singh navigated us safely through the byways of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, his horn a constant presence, firmly announcing our arrival in every hamlet, village and town.

When we flew to Varanasi to visit the sacred waters of the Ganges, Singh Ji drove through the night, met us at the airport and safely delivered us to our luxurious accommodation.

It was on the short drive into Varanasi that we saw our first corpse.

Supplicants bathe in the sacred GangesIt is the desire of every devout Hindu to be cremated along the banks of the Ganges River, ashes then spread into the sacred water. Such a fortuitous departure from life enhances the deceaseds opportunity to be transported to heaven and escape the cycle of reincarnation, rebirth.

What we had seen on the way into town was a body, brightly wrapped in funerary attire, drawn in an open cart and bound for a wooden funeral pyre.

Late that afternoon, after navigating Varanasis warren-like alleyways and descending the stone steps of Manikarnika Ghat to the riverbank, we rowed quietly out into the soft Ganges current. Orange flames danced from a score of burning pyres, each mimicking the brilliant Indian sunset.

Downstream, supplicants released floating offerings of lit candles set in yellow marigolds, while men and women pilgrims from all over India stepped into the water to cleanse themselves and sip the holy elixir.

Despite encouragement from the locals we did not partake in the ritual of drinking directly from the blessed Ganges. A Canadian doctor I met on a scenic point overlooking the river warned that to do so was to invite, the 30 day, 30 pound diet.

As darkness descended we drifted silently, watching a growing multitude of funerary blazes illuminate the shore. The effect was ethereal, apocalyptic.

In the morning the mood at breakfast was somber. Our time with Mr. Singh and our wonderful guide Anoop was over. We were headed to Mumbai to begin the next leg of our journey. Before we left for the airport, Anoop Ji surprised us with a private yoga session in the garden of the Taj Gateway, our fabulous Varanasi hotel.

After a lot of ohms, some deep breathing and much stretching, the yogi insisted we finish the session with a laugh literally. So, we all forced a grin that morphed to a chuckle and eventually became a contagious guffaw. Soon the whole group was howling with a genuine, fall on your yoga mat, belly laugh.

The mood had swung and we were all smiles as we boarded the plane for Mumbai.

Next time: the slums of Mumbai.

If you go: Explore India from Vancouver B.C., http://www.exploreindia.ca, capably and professionally handled all aspects of our private month-long tour air and land travel, hotels, meals, guides, drivers, entrance fees and activities for one all-inclusive price.

India? Are you nuts? Join Gerry for Part 1 of his series on India.

Thanks to Rod Kennedy and Kennedy Wealth Management and Ing and McKee Insurance for helping to make this series possible. Please support them.

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India Part 2- Terrific photos! Experience the Taj Mahal and Ganges... - Todayville.com

The military diet is a low-calorie diet that claims to help followers lose up to 10 lbs in a week, so its no wonder its a popular diet to try at this time of year. When our motivation to change is high thanks to new year's resolutions, a "quick fix" diet is very appealing.You will need military-style discipline, and a way to properly count calories to make it work, but it is less fiddly in many ways than the, frankly ridiculous, paleo diet rather than trying to figure out what to eat that follows 'the rules', the military diet tells you very specifically what you should eat. It's also easier in that respect than the less eccentric keto diet.

So what is the military diet? It's a three-day diet during which you follow set meal plans for your three daily meals. On days one, two and three you consume 1,400, 1,200 and 1,100 calories respectively. There is no snacking allowed.

Days four to seven day are days off and you can eat normally, however if you really want to speed up your weight loss the military diet recommendation is stick to 1,500 calories. Some people just do the diet once to lose weight fast, whilst those with more to lose repeat the cycle until theyve reached their goal weight.

Despite the name, the military diet has no affiliation with any military organisations, and is sometimes simply called the three-day diet, or even the ice cream diet. Intrigued? We can confirm that you really do get to eat ice cream on this diet.

(Image credit: Pexels)

According to themilitarydiet.com, the diet is "a combination of low calorie, chemically compatible foods designed to work together and jump start your weight loss.

Unlike other diets such as the 5:2 or its close relative, 16:8where you need to restrict calories but can do that how you want, with the military diet there is a very specific meal plan.

The meals are very low in calories, and generally high in protein whilst being low in fat and carbs. That said, they're only proportionally high in protein (protein makes up a large chunk of some of the meals, but these meals are small) and then some of the other meals contain foods that are low in protein and high in carbs, which is not optimal for weight loss. Were looking at you, hot dogs and ice cream.

Naturally, restricting your calorie count over a three-day period will help you lose weight so long as you dont overeat on your off days. When the body doesnt consume enough calories, such as when fasting, it turns to its fat stores for energy, resulting in you burning more fat.

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This is the meal plan for day one of the military diet. It amounts to around 1,400 calories.

Breakfast

- Slice of toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

- Half a grapefruit

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Lunch

- Slice of toast

- 150 gram serving of tuna

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Dinner

- 85 gram serving of any meat

- 150 gram serving green beans

- An apple

- Half a banana

- 150 gram serving of vanilla ice cream

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This is the meal plan for day two of the military diet. It amounts to around 1,200 calories.

Breakfast

- Slice of toast

- One hard-boiled egg

- Half a banana

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Lunch

- One hard-boiled egg

- 150 gram serving of cottage cheese

- 5 saltine crackers (UK equivalent could any salted cream crackers)

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Dinner

- Two hot dogs (meat only, no bun)

- 150 gram serving of carrots

- 150 gram serving of broccoli

- Half a banana

- 150 gram serving of vanilla ice cream

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This is the meal plan for day three of the military diet. It amounts to around 1,100 calories.

Breakfast

- 28 gram serving of cheddar cheese

- 5 saltine crackers (UK equivalent could any salted cream crackers)

- An apple

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Lunch

- Slice of toast

- One egg, cooked however

- Mug of black coffee or tea (optional)

Dinner

- 150 gram serving of tuna

- Half a banana

- 150 gram serving of vanilla ice cream

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The only times you should make swaps when following the military diet are if you have an allergy, or because of other dietary requirements. For example, you can swap hot dogs for tofu or Quorn sausages, as long as you adjust the quantity to match the calories in the hot dogs.

There is an approved list of food substitutions, which you can read here.

No studies have been conducted that support claims that the military diet helps weight loss anymore than simply restricting calories.The diet claims that the combinations of food that feature in it's meal plan are designed to increase metabolism and weight loss, but this is yet to be proven.

The meals are are not nutritionally balanced and some food is outright unhealthy, which means the diet doesn't help followers develop healthy habits and make healthy choices. The likelihood is that any weight lost will not stay off once regular eating patterns resume.

What's more, the 10 lb a week weight loss claim has been met with scepticism, as in reality only those morbidly obese could lose close to this much weight in one week. For most people, 1-2 lb is recommended as the safe amount of weight to lose in a week, and it's also important to note the role of water weight. Every gram of glycogen we store in our bodies has 3 grams of water stored with it, and so the tight restriction on carbohydrates required by the military diet means that some of the weight loss will be water weight. In short, cutting carbs means that glycogen is used up, and therefore so will the water.

Water weight loss is still weight loss of course, but without burning fat you wont start to see changes in how your body looks and feels, only a small difference in the number on the scales.

(Image credit: Pexels)

Generally, the military diet suits people looking to loose a lot of weight in a short space of time, for example to fit into a specific outfit for an event, rather than those looking for a long term change to the diet and lifestyle.

Users do report that it works, with weight loss within the first week and clothes fitting more loosely, but they also report hunger, tiredness and low energy levels, which is hardly surprising.

There's no denying that the military diet will help you lose weight quickly, but only those who have a significant amount of weight to lose will even come close to losing at the rate the diet purports.

In theory the military diet is a plausible way to kick start weight loss, but it's not sustainable. We also think the meal options on the 5:2 diet look much more appealing and flexible than the military diet, and with the 5:2 you only have to fast two days a week. This makes it easier and more interesting to follow, as well as a more sustainable method of long term weight loss and lifestyle change.

The weight loss youll experience with the military diet is purely down to calorie restriction, which you could achieve in a more healthy and frankly tasty way with 5:2 or 16:8 intermittent fasting diets.

Masochists or dieters in a hurry could perhaps use the military diet as a kind of 'weight-loss boot camp', before moving on to a more sustainable weight-loss diet, but for most people, we dont think its a great choice.

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The Military diet: how does it work and can it order you to lose weight? - T3

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Jan. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Walnuts may not just be a tasty snack, they may also promote good-for-your-gut bacteria. New research suggests that these "good" bacteria could be contributing to the heart-health benefits of walnuts.

In a randomized, controlled trial, researchers found that eating walnuts daily as part of a healthy diet was associated with increases in certain bacteria that can help promote health. Additionally, those changes in gut bacteria were associated with improvements in some risk factors for heart disease.

Kristina Petersen, assistant research professor at Penn State, said the study recently published in The Journal of Nutrition suggests walnuts may be a heart- and gut-healthy snack.

"Replacing your usual snack especially if it's an unhealthy snack with walnuts is a small change you can make to improve your diet," Petersen said. "Substantial evidence shows that small improvements in diet greatly benefit health. Eating two to three ounces of walnuts a day as part of a healthy diet could be a good way to improve gut health and reduce the risk of heart disease."

Previous research has shown that walnuts, when combined with a diet low in saturated fats, may have heart-healthy benefits. For example, previous work demonstrated that eating whole walnuts daily lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

According to the researchers, other research has found that changes to the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract also known as the gut microbiome may help explain the cardiovascular benefits of walnuts.

"There's a lot of work being done on gut health and how it affects overall health," said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State. "So, in addition to looking at factors like lipids and lipoproteins, we wanted to look at gut health. We also wanted to see if changes in gut health with walnut consumption were related to improvements in risk factors for heart disease."

For the study, the researchers recruited 42 participants with overweight or obesity who were between the ages of 30 and 65. Before the study began, participants were placed on an average American diet for two weeks.

After this "run-in" diet, the participants were randomly assigned to one of three study diets, all of which included less saturated fat than the run-in diet. The diets included one that incorporated whole walnuts, one that included the same amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids without walnuts, and one that partially substituted oleic acid (another fatty acid) for the same amount of ALA found in walnuts, without any walnuts.

In all three diets, walnuts or vegetable oils replaced saturated fat, and all participants followed each diet for six weeks with a break between diet periods.

To analyze the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, the researchers collected fecal samples 72 hours before the participants finished the run-in diet and each of the three study diet periods.

"The walnut diet enriched a number of gut bacteria that have been associated with health benefits in the past," Petersen said. "One of those is Roseburia, which has been associated with protection of the gut lining. We also saw enrichment in Eubacteria eligens and Butyricicoccus."

The researchers also found that after the walnut diet, there were significant associations between changes in gut bacteria and risk factors for heart disease. Eubacterium eligens was inversely associated with changes in several different measures of blood pressure, suggesting that greater numbers of Eubacterium eligens was associated with greater reductions in those risk factors.

Additionally, greater numbers of Lachnospiraceae were associated with greater reductions in blood pressure, total cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol. There were no significant correlations between enriched bacteria and heart-disease risk factors after the other two diets.

Regina Lamendella, associate professor of biology at Juniata College, said the findings are an example of how people can feed the gut microbiome in a positive way.

"Foods like whole walnuts provide a diverse array of substrates like fatty acids, fiber and bioactive compounds for our gut microbiomes to feed on," Lamendella said. "In turn, this can help generate beneficial metabolites and other products for our bodies."

Kris-Etherton added that future research can continue to investigate how walnuts affect the microbiome and other elements of health.

"The findings add to what we know about the health benefits of walnuts, this time moving toward their effects on gut health," Kris-Etherton said. "The study gives us clues that nuts may change gut health, and now we're interested in expanding that and looking into how it may affect blood sugar levels."

For more information about the researchers' ongoing research, visit the Cardiometabolic Nutrition Research Lab website.

Alyssa M. Tindall, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, and Christopher J. McLimans, Juniata College, also participated in this work.

The California Walnut Commission helped support this research, as well as the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences' Clinical and Translational Science Award program.

ReferenceTindall AM, McLimans CJ, Petersen KS, et al. Walnuts and Vegetable Oils Containing Oleic Acid Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiota and Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Follow-up of a Randomized, Controlled, Feeding Trial in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. J Nutr. 2019 Dec 18. pii: nxz289. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz289. [Epub ahead of print]

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Walnuts may be good for the gut and help promote heart health - Daily American Online

What is a fad diet? How do you define it? What are the characteristics? A fad diet is a weight loss plan or diet aide that promises dramatic results in a short period of time. Often developed by celebrities or medical professionals who call themselves weight loss gurus, these may result in short-term weight loss but typically do not result in long-term weight loss. Fad means short-lived (followed by the word fade) and may be dangerous to your health.

Topping the list of most popular fad diets include: low carb, high protein diet, high fat diet (Keto), low fat and very low fat diets, unlimited quantities of certain foods diet, raw foods diet, and the gluten-free diet.

Why dont they last? Many fad diets do work for a short time. By eliminating food groups, we are paying more attention to food. Much of the weight loss, however, is from water weight and lean tissue, not fat. Most folks are unable to keep up with the demands of the diet, and consequently, tend to regain the weight that they initially lost. Dieting can be draining physically, emotionally, and financially.

How to recognize fad diets? News flash: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Many make rapid weight loss claims (10 pound loss per week), allow for unlimited quantities of certain foods (i.e., cabbage soup diet), recommend specific food combinations and rigid menus, and are promoted as a cure-all and use testimonials (i.e., celebrities, before and after photos, etc.).

Fad diets are so popular because: 1) People are interested in rapid weight loss; 2) Many of them do work for a short amount of time; and 3) By eliminating whole food groups, we end up consuming fewer calories.

What are problems with fad diets? 1) Diets are very limited, not meeting bodys basic needs lacking essential nutrients (such as vitamins A, E, D, B, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and fiber). 2) Dieting messes up our hunger signals, making it difficult to recognize our bodies internal cues. This may lead to preoccupation with food, increased cravings, or inability to focus. Other problems include: fad diets are not palatable (i.e., low fat diet), inflexible, not allowing for deviation from the plan. Lets face it, how much bacon can we really eat? Some may be dangerous to our health, for example, the raw foods diet encourages intake of raw meat and seafood, increasing our risk for foodborne illness. Also, consider that a high protein diet may raise blood uric acid levels, which can adversely affect bone tissue, depleting the body of calcium via urine. Diets are expensive, averaging $33 billion per year, for example, the HCG diet will cost you $800/month. Much of the initial weight loss comes from water weight (and lean body mass), not fat loss. Also, diets tend to slow metabolism! (via consuming fewer calories overall).

How should you diet? Diets form the basis of our everyday food choices. We need less emphasis on diet, more on lifestyle habits. Rather than focusing on losing weight, focus on being healthy to improve overall feeling of wellness. Some of the best approaches include the USDAs My Plate emphasizes balance and variety! Also DASH diet (supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) has been shown to improve blood pressure, rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium, and fiber and low in sodium and fat, cholesterol and sugar. A healthy weight loss translates into a loss of lb to 1 lb per week. The optimal diet for weight loss will maximize loss of body fat while minimizing loss of lean body mass; it will also promote satiety (feeling of fullness), reduce our risk of chronic disease, and be convenient, palatable, and inexpensive.

What foods should we focus on? Increase intake of fruits, vegetables (high in antioxidants!), and whole grains, low-fat dairy products; decrease intake of prepackaged processed foods, sodium, fats and added sugars. Boost intake of heart-healthy fats including nuts, avocado, olive & canola oil, and fatty fish. Also, water is essential for weight loss for abating hunger and boosting metabolism (note: exercise is still the #1 way to increase metabolism).

How do I lose weight?

Dont take diet pills, including over-the-counter pills. These are expensive and will not produce long-term weight loss.

Focus on making healthy lifestyle changes. Eating a variety of foods to ensure that you get all your daily nutrients. Examples: eating breakfast, not skipping meals, drinking less soda or juice (more water!), watching portion sizes, reading food labels, increasing physical activity, and incorporating nutritious foods into your diet with less fat, sugar, and alcohol.

Recognize that it takes hard work. A pound of fat = 3,500 calories. Create a daily calorie deficit coupled with moving more to create 500 kcal deficit per day. Calories do count.

Be mindful. Focus on small changes. Drink one less soda per day, switch from whole milk to 2% milk, and consider mixing cereals and pasta, rice, incorporating more whole grains with less refined sugars.

Focus on more than just the number on the scale. How is your clothing fitting? Success is measured by multiple non-scale victories that are important to recognize and acknowledge.

Resources for Consumers:

UW Health website (www.uwhealth.org) Schedule an appt with a UW Health Dietitian

Choosemyplate.gov

Consider healthy diets such as Mediterranean/DASH diet and Weight Watchers

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What you need to know about fad diets - The Cambridge News

Being a person who has struggled with weight issues most of my life, and having grown up in a family that faced the same struggle, I am a de facto expert on dieting.

As kids in the 1970s, my brothers and I already had a bifurcated view of eating. But then, the 1970s was that kind of decade.

Going to my one grandma's house was a case in point. She was a marvelous cook, and as the daughter of a Dutch immigrant, she cooked hearty meals and cooked them well.

It was a diet heavy on meats and vegetables, with some form of potato at every dinner. Lunch was one of my favorite meals because it often included a meat sandwich. One of my favorites was made from these amazing Dutch meatballs that included three types of ground meat. When the meatballs were cold, she would slice them and make sandwiches on white bread with butter and ketchup.

An almost-as-yummy variant was leftover roast beef from Sunday dinner sliced on white bread also with plenty of butter and ketchup. But there was also liverwurst on white bread with butter and mustard. Or cold pork chop sandwiches on white bread with -- believe it or not -- just butter. You get the picture.

At the same time all this cooking was going on, she was also always on a diet. So I started young eating a hearty meal accompanied by a diet soda. In those days, there was not the variety we have today, so we usually drank Tab but switched to Diet 7-Up when it became popular. For breakfast, my grandma often drank Carnation Slender and attributed diet success to that early meal replacement.

But I'm pretty sure it was the diet pills she was also taking at the time. Nevertheless, I grew up loving Slender as much as the meat sandwich.

Our other grandparents lived on a remote farm and ate a very strict diet that included almost no processed foods. This grandma never had white bread, and the only meat we ate was what they had butchered. They drank no caffeine and ate virtually no processed foods of any type. She was also an excellent cook, and I especially loved her cooked greens.

There was no Carnation Slender for breakfast there. My grandfather cooked whole grain cereal every single morning, and we sweetened it with blackstrap molasses and lecithin powder. Sometimes we would have a farm fresh egg, but they were always boiled.

With all this eating going on, we kids were a bit chunky, but we always lived in warm climates and my mom made us play outside rather than watch TV, so I didn't develop a real weight problem till my early teens.

That's when my love-hate relationship with diets began. Overeater's Anonymous was one of the first, but there was a succession of other plans -- Weight Watchers, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cambridge Diet, Scarsdale, Atkins, Diet Center, South Beach -- the list goes on.

My life of dieting has led me to a keen interest in nutrition. So working at the Madison County Public Library gives me daily access to a wide range of books and materials on the subject.

As I was boxing books for the upcoming Friends of the Library book sale, I chanced upon a real gem that has captivated my interest. It's a well-used paperback copy of a 1968 diet book -- Zen Macrobiotic Cooking, by Michel Abehsera. It is subtitled "The Ancient Art of Selecting and Preparing Food for Longevity and Rejuvenation."

I'm certain the Friends Book Sale scheduled for Feb. 1-2 at the MCPL Berea location will have lots of offerings to feed your own interest in diet and nutrition. On Saturday, the sale runs 9 a.m.-6 p.m. with bargain basement prices. Sunday 1-5 p.m. is the ever popular Bag Sale.

The Madison County Public Library supports your diet, cooking, nutrition, and health interests in a variety of ways. You can check out a wide range of books and magazines on the subject. Or maybe you want to sample a new exercise program. We offer Yoga, Zumba, and PiYo throughout the month.

We just ordered our seeds for the 2020 seed library, but if you want to start prepping your beds for a spring planting, you can also check out garden tools with your library card (and don't forget the books on gardening).

Regardless of where you are on your diet and nutrition journey, a trip to MCPL is a great stop along the way. I hope you will stop by soon and check us out. I'll see you at the library!

Ruthie Maslin is the director of the Madison County Public Library.

More here:
Having a keen interest in nutrition | Community - Richmond Register

If youre among the unlucky 11 percent of people currently living with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, youve probably wondered if your diet plays a role in when you feel good and when you dont. (And even if you dont think you have IBS, theres a chance you do it's estimated that only 30 percent of people with the condition actually see their doctors.)

Luckily, theres a simple way to go about testing yourself for different food sensitivities, and it doesnt necessarily require setting foot in a doctors office. (Though, as with any medical advice you read on the internet: Please talk to your doctor before doing anything dramatic.)

Its called an elimination diet, and the premise is simple: Eliminate all but the most benign foods from your diet. That means cutting out all the things that make different people sick, from the most famous culprits dairy and gluten to more surprising contenders like onions and mushrooms.

If, after a while, youre feeling better, then it was probably something in your diet that was giving you trouble. Then, to figure out which, you add foods back in, one group at a time, to see what happens. (And if you didnt feel better, well, then at least you know you tried.)

Heres a quick run-down of why this works its not just trial and error. (Though, admittedly, its a little bit of that, too.)

Youre probably already aware that some people are lactose intolerant, that beans give you gas and that too much fruit can cause diarrhea. But it wasnt until more recently that scientists began to figure out what these foods have in common when it comes to how they upset peoples stomachs.

It turns out these foods and lots of others that give people tummy trouble all have a really pesky carbohydrate in them. These carbs are small molecules, and theyre rapidly fermentable meaning the bacteria in your gut turn them into CO2. What's important to know is they're carbs that are hard to digest.

There are four main types of carbohydrates that fit this bill: fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. They're often called FODMAPs for short.

Now, its not that FODMAPs directly cause symptoms in some people and not others, like a true allergy or intolerance. FODMAPs are hard to digest for everyone. But how a body reacts to them varies from person to person. For instance, different people will have different gut microbes that might ferment different foods in different amounts. And when people experience luminal distension medical-speak for your intestines are getting pushed on from the inside out from gas or other blockages, some will simply feel the pain from it more than others, thanks to differences in their nervous systems.

Some of the worst FODMAP perpetrators in a North American diet are oligosaccharides (the O) called fructans. Theyre commonly found in foods like onions, garlic, artichokes and wheat. Other high-FODMAP foods include fruits like apples and pears (polyols), veggies like broccoli and peas (oligosaccharides) and dairy products like milk and yogurt (disaccharides).

You don't necessarily need to learn that mangoes are high in fructose (a monosaccharide), beans are high in galactans (an oligosaccharide), and ice cream is high in lactose (a disaccharide). There's an easier step-by-step way to figure out which foods in which groups are going to affect your digestive system the aforementioned elimination diet.

The first step is the elimination phase sometimes called the substitution phase. Cut all the foods that are high in FODMAPs out of your diet, and swap them out for low-FODMAP alternatives. There are a ton of these lists online that can point you in the right direction. Instead of a banana, have some cantaloupe. Have sorbet instead of ice cream. Green beans, not kidney beans. Its a lot to keep straight and requires some serious meal planning and attention to ingredients, but its certainly doable.

Keep this up for two to six weeks until your symptoms noticeably improve. But dont keep it up forever, even if you feel better. Its probably not all the FODMAPs that are giving you grief, and a balanced diet is really important for good nutrition. You need to know if you can eat apples and broccoli, you know?

So next youll want to introduce one FODMAP group back into your diet at a time. For instance, since milk, yogurt, ice cream and ricotta all have lactose as their disaccharide, you can bring those back in all at once. And dont be timid: You want to be really confident in your this is fine or this food makes me sick decision!

If your symptoms return, that FODMAP is O-U-T. Wait a few days for your system to recalibrate before trying a new group. And if the FODMAP didn't give you any trouble? Congratulations! But, still, wait a few days before trying the next one, just in case.

If youre an expert googler, you should have no trouble finding out which foods fit into which FODMAP category. But you can also ask your doctor for a recommendation for a dietitian who can help guide you through this process.

In the end, hopefully youll have found just one or two FODMAP groups that you can avoid without too much trouble.

If you want to get really precise, you might revisit the foods in your trigger group in different quantities, to see how much you can tolerate before your symptoms show up. For instance, you might identify onion as a trigger but maybe you can tolerate it enough that you can still dip your fries in ketchup (which always has onion powder in it), you just can't get a slice of raw onion on your cheeseburger. Or maybe you can stomach enough garlic to eat pepperoni on a pizza but if you eat the leftovers three days in a row, you'll start to feel sick.

The goal is to test everything in increments, so you can confidently learn where your limits are. With that knowledge in hand, you might find yourself with bowels that aren't so ... irritable.

Continued here:
Is Something in Your Diet Screwing With Your Stomach? Here's How an Elimination Diet Could Help - Discover Magazine

JANUARY usually happens like clockwork: a slew of new self-help books, articles and slimming blogs encourage you to be your best self, often by adopting a radical new diet that promises to blitz those spare inches around your waist for good.

The problem is, many crash diets encourage periods of miserable fasting and cutting out sometimes entire good groups overnight, and demonise food to the point where youre whole relationship with eating can be under threat.

According to fitness guru Joe Wicks who has successfully helped thousands of people to lose weight staying on these restrictive diets for a long period of time is often unrealistic and unhealthy. Even if you do lose weight initially, its not unusual to gain it again (plus even more, in some cases) before the spring comes around.

Thankfully, attitudes around diet culture are changing. A new survey commissioned by recipe box company Gousto (gousto.co.uk) has found two-thirds (68%) of UK adults believe the one-size-fits-all model just doesnt work.

So, how can you shed those excess pounds in a safe and effective way? We asked Wicks to give us some quick tips...

Its the time of year now where everyone wants to make changes to their life, whether thats with exercise or food, but the last thing you want to do especially if youre someone who really loves food is to go on a low-calorie diet, says Wicks, aged 33.

Sure, it will work in the short-term and youll probably lose weight on the scales, but emotionally its going to absolutely ruin you. Youre going to be so exhausted, you wont enjoy it and its not going to be a sustainable approach.

Try to think about a long-term vision, as opposed to a quick crash diet. Incorporate it with exercise and cooking with fresh ingredients at home; youre much more likely to succeed throughout the year.

Because theyre awful, arent they? Dieting is normally all about how little you can eat and how much exercise you can do. When you combine those two things, it effects your sleep, your mood and your energy levels.

If I could give you one tip, its to focus on getting yourself moving instead. I always tell people to start with 15-20 minutes a day of exercise at home; this will get your energy levels up and your self-esteem boosted.

Exercising is going to have a massive effect on your food choices and your ability to go into the kitchen and cook yourself something healthy.

Trying to do everything all at once is a bit much, he adds.

Focus on fitness first, and the rest will hopefully follow.

Have a look at your portion control. Im not saying to count calories, but to keep your plate to a healthy size. The good thing about exercise is that it elevates your mental health and your mood so much that you dont want to go and put junk food in your body afterwards.

Meal prepping is one of the best things you can do too. If you leave the house without food, youre going to grab options on-the-go, which will likely be unhealthy convenience food.

Thats fine to do once or twice a week, but if youre doing it a lot, youre never going to truly know exactly how much youre consuming. The simple act of making some overnight oats for breakfast, or a salad for lunch can make a huge difference over time when it comes to staying lean.

I really think its great to have chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, spices and tins of lentils, pulses, grains and beans in your cupboard. With these key ingredients, you can make really amazing veggie curries, or you could throw some chicken in there for some extra protein. Rice is also a great staple for making quick stir-fries after work.

Theres no magic fat-loss food; its all about getting a good balance of everything and getting lots of fruits and veg in your diet.

Its good to be a bit intuitive with it ask yourself what foods make you feel energised and healthy? Dont think you have to jump onto a certain diet because everyone else is doing it.

Yes. I eat a lot of veggie meals... During the process of researching and writing my veggie cookbook, Veggie Lean in 15 ( Pan Macmillan), I realised that you can get really amazing food as a vegetarian.

Im still not fully committed to going hardcore vegan though.

Many people feel like they dont have time to cook healthily, do you think thats untrue?

I really think you have to remove that time barrier from your mind.

We know full well that we can smash a Netflix series in a couple of days or watch our soaps, so we can all find half an hour to exercise or cook well if we prioritise it.

It doesnt need to be hours in the kitchen either.

My whole philosophy with my Lean in 15 series is that you can make a really healthy and nutritious meal in just 15 minutes, and have some leftover for lunch the next day.

Its that kind of mentality of prepping in advanced and being organised that works in the long-run.

See more here:
Joe Wicks: Don't try restrictive dieting this January - Echo Live