WACO, Texas The season of joy and excess is over and many of us promise ourselves we will eat healthier in the new year, but not all diets work for everyone.

Every year a fad diet comes along, but not all of them are healthy.

A new U.S. News and World Report ranked the best diets in 2020. Coming in number one for the third year in a row is the Mediterranean diet, followed by the Flexitarian diet.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean has a lot of good qualities. Jessica Urban, a nutrition manager at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest in Waco said it's filled with fish, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. So, you can always count on getting your Omega 3 and fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation.

RELATED: Local nutritionist, chef breaks down the Mediterranean diet

Keto Diet

The popular Keto diet came in at the bottom of the list. This low-carb diet focuses on proteins and fat. Urban said, if you try it, make sure you do it right.

"It is a good idea to instead of just eating bacon or sausage, make sure you're choosing more lean types of meat," Urban said.

Don't forget carbs are important, so Urban said instead of a strict Keto diet you should throw in some whole grains.

RELATED: VERIFY: Is the Keto diet dangerous?

Vegan/Vegetarian Diet

Many people are going meatless and even chain restaurants are including meatless options on their menu, but if you don't do it right it could be unhealthy.

Urban said nutritionists and doctors will always recommend eating fruits and vegetables, but if you only eat that you could be missing out on proteins and other vitamins found in meat. Foods like nuts, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, and tofu are all good substitutes. Also, make sure you add whole grains into your meals.

If you do it right, a plant-based diet can be healthy. "There are so many good things about fruits and veggies, vita chemicals, vitamins, nutrients, cancer preventative properties and cardiovascular preventative properties as well," Urban said.

RELATED: Austin man loses 200 pounds, shares his journey to motivate you on your New Year's resolution

Don't forget to take your vitamins with any diet. This ensures you get what nutrients might be missing in your food.

Flexitarian

The Flexitarian diet has become popular in recent years. This diet is for those who don't want to go all-in on becoming vegan/vegetarian. It's a mostly plant-based diet with some meat and other animal products in moderation.

No matter which diet you choose, make sure you talk to a nutritionist or your doctor if you have health issues to see which diet will work for you.

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Diet plus exercise equals the key equation to stay in a caloric deficit and, therefore, to lose weight. You can try losing weight without exercise, but working out will help preserve your muscle mass and keep your metabolism up. Likewise, if you tried to maintain your caloric deficit through workouts alone, it would be incredibly difficult, as experts have explained to us in the past.

Registered dietitian and NASM-certified personal trainer Alix Turoff, MS, knows that finding the right workout and eating plan for weight loss is easier said than done; results are different for everyone. Plus, there are other factors that come into play like genetics, as well as stress levels and sleep.

Alix, whom we've interviewed in the past, posted the Instagram seen here to indicate that oftentimes people tend to focus on everything on the left to lose weight - intermittent fasting or keto, fasted cardio, or even apple cider vinegar. While some of these can absolutely work - she pointed to intermittent fasting, as an example - it isn't sustainable for everyone and it's not actually necessary to see results.

Alix told POPSUGAR via email that the main point of that post was to indicate that the only thing required for weight loss is a caloric deficit. "For some people, intermittent fasting can help them achieve a caloric deficit more easily," she explained. "It creates rules and some people do well with that. For other people, stressing about intermittent fasting can actually make matters worse."

Keto too, Alix said, can yield results. "That said, it does require a very controlled carbohydrate intake, and for most people, that's not going to be sustainable long term," she explained, adding that keto is also much different from just a low-carb diet because you need to be strict about eating precise carbs and protein. She explained, "Protein can be converted into glucose, which could take the body out of ketosis. So to really get in to ketosis, you won't be able to have an off day or a day where you eat some extra fruit, which makes it very hard to be flexible."

While Alix has recommended the keto diet for people with uncontrolled blood sugars, she typically doesn't advocate for cutting out specific foods to lose weight, but rather limiting them. Plus, while intermittent fasting, for instance, does work for some people, other things on the left side of the graphic she shared, such as supplements or adaptogens, "really have no research to support their use in weight loss," she noted. And, Alix wrote in her Instagram caption that oftentimes people don't even have the fat-loss basics down before they try those left-side strategies.

Alix told POPSUGAR that these fat-loss basics begin with understanding calories and macronutrients. If you skip that part, you won't learn how to balance your food, she said. Here's how to calculate how many calories you should be eating in a day for a healthy caloric deficit. And, here's one way to calculate macros for weight loss. She said you should also look at your exercise routine, too - here's a four-week workout plan for weight loss - but try to pick workouts you enjoy since that's what you are more likely to stick with. And, you should be focused on your sleep, mood, and relationships, Alix said. "If you're on a diet and you're losing weight, but your sleep is terrible or you're in a bad mood all the time, it doesn't matter how much weight you're losing because you're prioritizing weight loss over general health," she stated.

Alix concluded in her post that you should focus on the big picture, and get the basics down first. Then, you can experiment and see how you feel. As the graphic she made states, she wants people to find a way to eat in a caloric deficit while still choosing nutrient-dense foods that don't sacrifice what these people actually want to eat. Diets may work, but relying on something that isn't sustainable in the long run isn't sufficient for long-term weight loss.

Alix told POPSUGAR that working with a registered dietitian, if possible, can help you make sound decisions about what lifestyle changes are right for you. It's important, too, even without a dietitian, to be honest with yourself. "If you find yourself starting and stopping or getting on and off track, it's time to look at why that's happening," Alix said. "Does the diet cut out foods that you love? Is it too restrictive? Are you trying to be so 'perfect,' and then having it backfire?"

Alix continued on to say that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to weight loss. That's why it's important to be realistic with your expectations. "Healthy weight loss might be anywhere from half a pound to two pounds per week, depending no how much weight you have to lose," she said. So, if a diet promises you'll lose weight faster than that, it's a red flag.

An effective weight-loss regimen that's safe won't jeopardize your mental health, Alix noted in the graphic and further told POPSUGAR. Here's how to tell if a diet is affecting your mental health, according to Alix:

Lastly, Alix wants you to unfollow anyone who promotes unhealthy ways to lose weight. "Remember that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist," she said. "Sure, there are some non-RDs that are great sources of information, but I would be very careful about who you follow." She continued on to say that you should look into their education and credentials, and you should question everything. (Here's a good place to start for creditable sources.)

"Understand that there are NO QUICK FIXES," Alix wrote to POPSUGAR via email (we're a big fan of the all caps she used here). "If there were, I'd be doing it. There's no one diet that works for everyone, so if someone is claiming that they have the answer for everyone, run the other way!" Remember all of this, and for more on strategies to lose weight, here's our expert-approved guide.

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An RD Says Diets Like Keto and IF Aren't Necessary to Healthily Lose Weight - Here's Why - Yahoo Lifestyle

Research suggests that making gradual changes, and letting your brain adapt to one of them at a time, is the best way to change your eating habits over the long term.

iStockPhoto / Getty Images

For many people, the new year signifies a fresh slate to eat better, lose excess weight and get healthier. Commendable goals, yes, but ones that could set you up for disappointment by February.

Instead of setting lofty goals to transform your diet and your body or committing to do too many things at once start small. Research suggests that making gradual changes, and letting your brain adapt to one of them at a time, is the best way to change your eating habits over the long term.

The following goals can help improve your diet in 2020. Instead of resolving to accomplish all of them in January, work on these goals throughout the year.

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Eat plant-based meals four times a week. A plant-based diet has been linked to a lower risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, inflammation and heart disease. It also has a smaller environmental impact than a diet based on animal foods.

Adopting a plant-based diet doesnt require you to become a vegan. It means eating proportionately more plant foods, such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, beans, lentils, peas and soy, than animal foods, including meat, dairy and eggs.

Incorporate four (or more) plant-based meals in your weekly menu to increase your intake of fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants and protective phytochemicals.

Batch cook a vegetarian chili or hearty bean soup for quick lunches or dinners. Make tacos and burritos with black beans or pinto beans instead of ground meat.

Add soy ground round to marinara sauces. Try firm tofu or tempeh in stir-fries.

Toss chickpeas with a cooked whole grain (e.g., quinoa, farro, freekeh) and sauted vegetables for a plant-based meal. Snack on nuts or edamame instead of crackers and cheese.

Add prebiotics to your daily menu. To promote digestive health this year, include prebiotic foods in your daily diet. These non-digestible fibrous carbohydrates fuel the growth of beneficial bacteria that reside in your colon.

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Thats important since these microbes, known collectively as your microbiota, synthesize certain vitamins, activate disease-fighting phytochemicals, regulate immune function and protect the lining of the gut. Your gut microbiota is also thought to play a role in inflammatory bowel disease, mental health, weight control and even food cravings.

Prebiotic foods include asparagus, dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichokes (stir-fry or roast), jicama (toss into salads), oats, whole-grain rye, barley, kefir, leeks, onions and garlic.

Use the plate model. To help reduce portion size at meals, and to fill your plate with more plants, visualize your dinner plate in quarters.

Fill half of your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with protein (e.g., fish, chicken, chickpeas, tofu) and one-quarter with healthy starchy foods (e.g., brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, sweet potato).

Instead of using a large dinner plate, consider serving your meal on a luncheon-sized plate (7 to 9 inches in diameter).

Cook more meals at home. People who cook most of their meals at home eat a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods, including more fruits and vegetables, and consume fewer highly processed foods than people who eat home-cooked meals less often. Theyre also less likely to be overweight.

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If you relied on restaurant and take-out meals last year, set a goal to cook two or three times a week and slowly increase the number of days a week you are cooking.

To save time in the kitchen, cook meals that provide leftovers such as bean soup, lentil salad, roast chicken, chili, curry and oatmeal. Look for recipes that dont involve multiple steps such as sheet-pan and one-pot meal recipes.

Drink 16 ounces of water before meals. Mild dehydration, caused by drinking too little water during the day, can trigger headaches, cause fatigue, worsen mood and impair concentration.

Healthy adults are advised to drink 12 cups (men) and 9 cups (women) of water each day, and more if exercising. While all beverages (except alcoholic beverages) count toward your water requirements, choose plain water over sugary drinks, fruit juice and diet soft drinks.

To put a dent in your daily water requirement, make a habit of drinking 16 ounces (two cups) of water before each meal. Doing so can also help you feel full and may prevent you from overeating.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is Director of Food and Nutrition at Medcan.

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Five simple healthy eating goals for January and beyond - The Globe and Mail

We all make em and break em 92% of all new years resolutions fail.

Actually expect massive dissolution of resolutions this coming week the second Friday of January is Quitters Day. Motivation is already fading fast. Promises of moving more, eating less or beefing up our bank accounts are fizzling.

Every new year people make resolutions that are highly restrictive, unrealistic and unsustainable, setting themselves up for failure before they even start, says registered dietitian Jillian Kubala, of jilliankubalanutrition.com.

Head off that fateful day and be part of the 8% that make their resolution a dream come true. Keep it simple and realistic, says Kubala. Pledging to lose mega pounds with a super-restrictive 1,000 calorie per day diet or committing to a 5 a.m. spin class daily may have you resolving to an epic fail from day one.

Research shows time and again that restrictive diets dont work and that most people who drop pounds using restrictive dieting methods regain up to 95% of the weight lost within five years. Additionally, studies have shown that at least one third of dieters end up regaining more weight than they originally lost, says Kubala, who uses the Instagram handle @jillian_kubala_rd to share wellness tips.

Theres still time to tweak that resolution into something realistic and sustainable. Were a mere five days into 2020, lots of time to fine-tune and re-aim your resolve so you get where you want to go.

Kubala offers up these resolutions that you can actually keep:

Eat less added sugar. Foods and beverages high in added sugar include soda, candy, sugary cereals, sweetened yogurts, energy drinks, sweetened coffee drinks, and baked goods.

Eat more vegetables. If you currently only eat veggies once or twice a week, make a resolution to eat one serving every day with dinner, then work up from there.

Cut out or reduce highly processed foods. For optimal health, whole, nutrient-dense foods should be making up the majority of your diet. Cut back on fast food and highly processed packaged foods. Start with focusing on one meal, then work up from there.

Move more in any way that works for you. Your new activity routine needs to fit in with your schedule to increase the chances of success such as walking for 30 minutes three days a week before work or on weekends. Enlist a friend or coworker to to hold you more accountable. Expending more energy in general is the most important thing, no matter the intensity.

Less screen time. Most people spend way too much time on their phones or staring at TV or computer screens, which can increase chances ofweight gain and depressive symptoms. Try uninstalling social media from your phone and trying out a new hobby.

Stop the dieting cycle. Cyclical or yo-yo dieting has been linked with a host of negative health outcomes. Choose to create a nourishing eating pattern that makes you feel good about yourself and doesnt involve unnecessary restrictions. A registered dietitian can help you start and/or maintain a healthy eating plan.

Sleep on it!

You feel your willpower waning? Then sleep on it, says Dr. Michael Breus, a New York sleep specialist and clinical psychologist. Bad ZZZZs will keep you from reaching simple goals, let alone a year-long resolution. The sleep deprived will simply continue to not achieve their true potential, or even get close to it.

All new years resolutions are affected by sleep resolutions are actually rest-o-lutions! says Breus.

We are sleep deprived big-time. Its epidemic proportions. Over 50% of women appear to complain about their sleep not getting good sleep more than three nights per week, says Breus. We now have both an overweight and an obese society, and with it comes sleep apnea, which effects about 20% of the total population but more like 80% of the overweight/obese population.

Thats not all: Bad sleep hygiene includes excessive screen time for both adults and kids, and copious amounts of caffeine. Its literally everywhere, or hidden in energy drinks. Not only does this prevent many people from going to sleep, but for those that can still fall asleep, the quality of that sleep is terrible, says Breus.

Not too late to make sleep your rest-o-lution:

Pick bedtime and wake-up time and stick to it.

Stop caffeine early. Caffeine has a half life of six to eight hours, so stopping at 2 p.m. means at least half is out of your system before bedtime, which will help you fall asleep easier and maintain sleep quality.

Stop alcohol three hours before lights out. It takes the average human one hour to digest one adult beverage.

Get a good exercise session in during the day.

Have a peaceful ritual every night like reading a book, walking your pet, or having a nice shower or bath.

The dirt on gyms

Youre hitting the gym to lose weight and get healthy?

Beware the germs, viruses, and fungus! The gym is one dirty place, according to Bryan Combs, a nurse practitioner at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Get a grip and keep your immune system healthy. Handlebars on ellipticals, treadmills, stationary bicycles and weight machines are covered in bacteria. Clean them yourself with wipes or a disinfectant spray before and after each use, recommends Combs.

Dont assume the gym towels are clean. A lot of gyms use the same container to carry dirty towels to the washing area and then use the same one to bring clean towels back, so they can become contaminated again, says Combs.

Reusable water bottles and gym bags are germ carriers. Wash your bottle after every use and use a disinfectant spray regularly on your gym bag.

Head off fungal infections like athletes foot by always wearing shoes in all areas of the gym, but especially in change rooms and in the shower. If you sit down, make sure a clean towel is placed on top of the bench or seat.

More here:
The new year's resolution revolution - Toronto Sun

When the miles ramp up or life gets hectic, exhaustion all too readily creeps in. While we're sure you'd love nothing more than to tuck into bed and hibernate until you're back at your best, that's usually not a choice.

Fortunately, there are a few smart steps you can take to fend off runner's fatigue and power through energy challenges in your path.

After a long run, it's often second nature to face-plant the sofa and completely chill-ax. We're not saying don't have that precious rest, but before you go to bed that evening take some time to kickstart your recovery.

A German study in 2018 found that cold water immersion and massage are more effective for post-run recovery than passive rest, so get that ice bath going.

If you don't fancy a cold splash, ease out sore muscles with some targeted stretching and foam rolling - calves, hips and quads are common trouble makers. You could even multi-task the foam rolling and stretch sessions with a TV catch-up. An easy win-win.

Post-work drinks? A last minute night out with friends? Packing in a few extra chores at the weekend? Remember, you can say no. If you've been pushing your boundaries in areas like training then it might be best to take a rain check on other commitments.

Too many small stressors easily stack up, rapidly leading to exhaustion and burnout - the opposite of what you need if you're trying to avoid fatigue, obviously. Consider the pros and cons of what's in the diary and don't be afraid to 'be boring' and rest up. You'll thank yourself when you wake up the next day feeling fresh and raring to go.

If you're not replacing the energy you burn on the run, you'll struggle to maintain the pace across your training programme. We all know the myth of runners needing non-stop carbs is, sadly, just a myth, but many of us still fall into the trap of trying to satiate our run-ger with big servings of them.

While carbs are an important part of a healthy diet, protein is essential for repairing and rebuilding muscles after exercise. Protein shakes are a quick, simple way to take in a serving of protein without too much faff.

The new fat-free, sugar-free Maximuscle Plant Max is ideal - it packs 20g of protein per 30g portion and is made with all-natural ingredients. It has similar protein levels to whey, but is sourced from pea (73%) and brown rice (12%), so it's soy-free. Perfect for plant-based diets or anyone looking for alternatives to whey protein.

Maximuscle Plant Max Vegan Protein Powder 480g

20.00

Sleep is your body's opportunity to rest and repair the microscopic damage done by training. Ensure you can nod off easily - and maintain sleep quality throughout the night - by avoiding alcohol and caffeine near bedtime.

While an evening beer may see you fall asleep quickly, your quality of sleep will be poorer overall as the body's temperature will be higher than optimum for sleep - not ideal.

If you struggle to stop your mind racing when you get into bed, use an app or streaming service to play a guided meditation or a yoga nidra recording to help mind and body settle down. Even your muscles will thank you for it.

To really make the most of your sleep, a protein-rich snack an hour or so before bed can also help overnight recovery from exercise, suggests a study from Maastricht University - try peanut butter on rice cakes or a shake made with protein powder, milk of your choice and banana.

When it comes to exercise, more isn't necessarily better. If you're struggling to hit your target pace or it feels much harder to complete your sets in the gym, give yourself a break. Pushing through fatigue is a sure-fire way to pick up an injury or put yourself at risk of illness - neither of which you're after.

Don't be afraid to cut a session short and try again another day when you're feeling more yourself.

Discover the new Maximuscle Plant Max range at maxinutrition.com

View post:
5 easy ways to fight runner's fatigue - Runner's World (UK)

By Joe McCormack

If youre like most of us,you overindulged a bit too much in 2019. No, not on calories (well, maybe thosetoo!), but on noise. Thats the name for the dizzying onslaught ofinformation from work emails, app notifications, the 24/7 news cycle, socialmedia updates, and other forms of screen time that leaves us unable to focus,listen, or do deep work.

A smidgen of noise now andagain is okay. (We all have our guilty pleasures!) But consuming it mindlessly,all day long, is as bad as keeping a bag of chips, a monster-size soda, and acan of frosting at our desk and reaching for them every few minutes.

Too many empty braincalories wont make you fat but they will make you mentally anemic. Noise keepsyou in a constant state of distraction. And like actual junk food, a high-noisedigital diet is addictive, yet it never satisfies or nourishes you.

The real problem with givinginto noise temptation isnt what youre doing; its what youre not doing.Youre tuning out what really matters. Youre skimming the surface. When yourescrolling Facebook, for instance, you arent learning a new language, refiningthat career-changing presentation, or engaging with your kids in a meaningfulway.

The new year is the perfecttime to put yourself on a noise diet. To help with your calorie count, letstake a look at what noise junk food looks like:

The irritatingyetaddictiveparade of social media stock characters in your newsfeed. This bandof noisemakers assaults your brain with their cries for attention. Forinstance:

The humble bragger. Yourcollege rival who subtly slips into her post that she just got anotherpromotion at her swanky company. #blessed #gag

The cryptic drama-stirrer.That self-righteous friend who calls out people anonymously for perceivedslights or makes vague poor me pity posts. (Cue the wave of very concernedcommenters.)

The over-sharer. We dontneed a play-by-play of your colonoscopy. Thanks.

The drop-of-a-hat ranter. Whose day would be complete without a furiousrecounting of how the barista screwed up your nonfat, dairy-free, double-shot,decaf, extra-hot mochaccino with extra foam? The nerve!

The overly zealous kidpromoter. Yes, yes, we know Junior is the smartest, cutest, cleverest totaroundyour other 15 posts this week made that perfectly clear.

The amateur politicalpundit. Do not engagejust dont.

[emailprotected]$$ shows on TV. Youdont need to waste your precious attention span watching Jerry Springer,B-list celebrity lip-synch contests, or those morning talk shows.Substance-free television combined with the lure of a cozy couch can quicklyturn into a lost day or evening.

The 24/7 newscarousel-of-darkness. Sadly, most news is bad news, and during a controversialelection year it can also be fodder for controversy, vitriol, and the loss ofcivility with friends, family, and neighbors. (Hint: You dont need to totallydisengage, but its good to be discerning about what you let inand about howoften you engage in debates with the people in your life.)

Yourwork email. Your boss just had to email you at 9:30 p.m.again. The momentyou jump out of the bath to write back is the moment work email becomes yetanother source of noise.

Are you feeling that noise hangoversettle in? Dont worry, you can kick off the new year with a different kind ofdietone that cuts the empty brain calories of digital distraction and givesyou what youre really craving: a more intentional life. Join my Just Say Noto Noise Movement and tip the scales in the other direction. A fewsuggestions:

Try going a week withoutsocial media. (We promise, youll survive.) A short detox from social media isa pretty painless way to unplug and reclaim a lot of lost time. When the weekis over, you can see if you even want to go back to occasional scrolling.

Reduce temptation byhiding distracting devices from yourself. Okay, you probably cant hide yourcomputer but you can shut the office door. As for cell phones and tablets,treat them like what they are: gateways to digital distraction (and it is avery slippery slope). Find an out-of-the-way place to charge and store yourdevices so youre not constantly reaching for them.

Breakthe idiot-box background noise habit. Its easy to mindlessly turn on the TVwhen you get home. Problem is, its broadcasting nonstop noise into yourwork-free hours. Instead, plan a time to watch your favorite shows. Dailyexposure to the depressing litany of pain and conflict we call news isntmaking your life better. Neither is watching the Fatty McButterpants episodeof King of Queens for the 50th time. (Okay, we admit that one is pretty funny.)

Set some work/lifeboundaries with the 7-to-7 rule. The company wont crash if you stop answeringemails around the clock. After 7 p.m., put away your devices for the night.Dont pick them up again until 7 a.m.the next day.

Insist on phone-free familydinners Yes, the kids might whine at first, but soon enough theyll get usedto conversing with the out-of-touch Boomers and Karens at the table.

andscreen-free family fun days. For instance, make video games and TV completelyoff-limits every Wednesday and Friday. Yes, even if the kids swear they have nohomework. Instead, do something fun or productive as a family. Play a boardgame. Go bowling or skating. Cook a great meal together. Volunteer at the localanimal shelter. Heckmaybe even read.

Learn to save yourappetite for the stuff that really matters Your appetite is really your attentionspan, and its your most precious resource. Filling up on headlines, emails,and social media means theres little left over for doing the deep andmeaningful work that helps you reach big goals at work and in your personallife. Before you cozy into an hour of lurking on your exs Facebook page, closethe laptop and find something productive to do.

and choose somemeaningful goals to pursue. When you are able to sharpen and aim your focus,you can do some pretty impressive &%$#. Want to start a website? Get abetter job? Learn to code? These North Star goals are the best incentive torethink your relationship with noise and see how your life changes.

We dont realize that veryoften our addiction to information is the thing holding us back from getting ahuge promotion, becoming valedictorian, or training for a marathon, but thatsexactly what happens as time passes. Once you think of it this way, its somuch easier to put yourself on a noise diet. Make this the year you take backyour time and use it to do something that matters.

Joseph McCormack is theauthor of NOISE: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus. He is passionateabout helping people gain clarity when there is so much competing for ourattention. He is a successful marketer, entrepreneur, and author. His firstbook, BRIEF: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less (Wiley, 2014), sets thestandard for concise communication.

Joe is the founder andmanaging director of The BRIEF Lab, an organization dedicated to teachingprofessionals, military leaders, and entrepreneurs how to think and communicateclearly. His clients include Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, Mastercard,DuPont, and select military units and government agencies. He publishes aweekly podcast called Just Saying that helps people master the elusive skillsof focus and brevity.

To learn more, visitwww.noisethebook.com.

Read this article:
Guest Op-Ed: The New Year's Noise Diet: Why You Should Cut the Empty 'Brain Calories' in 2020 - Revere Journal

While whole, fresh foods are an essential part of a healthy diet, it can be difficult to get all the nutrition you need if youre always busy and on the go. Step in supplements, which can do just that: supplement your diet. One of the most popular supplements is protein powder, which can help meet your daily needs in a quick and easy way. But is it healthy and is it for everyone?

Before we explore the best ways to use protein powder, familiarise yourself with four ways in which protein helps in your diet.

Meet gym goals

Feeling weak during your workouts? No matter if youre in the gym to lift weights, go for a run or for a high-intensity conditioning session, protein not only builds muscle, it also helps build strength. Protein is essential when it comes to recovery and reducing muscle fatigue, which can help increase your strength and endurance during workouts. In one study, it was shown that a group given 27.5 grams of protein for 12 weeks before sleeping experienced increases in muscle strength and muscle size after resistance exercise training to a significantly greater extent than the group who received a non-caloric placebo. Consuming a protein shake before bed will help to stimulate your recovery.

Maintain a lean, trim body

Protein is the foundation of building lean mass. If youre following a diet that is low in protein, you will have a hard time keeping a lean look. Low-protein diets will have you looking skinny-fat instead of trim and muscular. In the muscles, certain amino acids and the level of aminos available ensures that the pathways of protein synthesis or muscle building, are able to happen. If your goal is to build even a little bit of muscle or maintain your lean mass, you will need to eat protein. Eating at least 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per half kilogram of body weight per day is a good starting point. This should translate into about 40 per cent of your macronutrients as protein, which is enough to make a full recovery in the gym and stimulate muscle growth. Eat protein from sources such as chicken, lean red meat, whole eggs and egg whites, whey protein, fish and low-fat dairy. You can also include vegan sources of protein such as soy, lentils, legumes, peas, brown rice and quinoa.

Speed up the metabolism

A high-protein diet can result in two to three times quicker weight loss versus diets that are high in carbohydrates and of the same caloric value. Protein also helps increase lean muscle mass, which can have a direct effect on your metabolism. Basically the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Additionally, high-protein foods have a thermic effect. Protein takes more energy to burn off versus other foods, including carbs. Be sure youre following a diet that has a calorie deficit and uses a macro breakdown that is at least 40 per cent protein, about 30 per cent or less carbs and 30 per cent or less fat. This balance is enough to help ensure you get enough protein, while also getting enough of the other macronutrients.

Cut hunger pangs

If youre feeling hungry between meals and craving sugar, you could be experiencing a protein shortage. Protein is a highly satiating ingredient; it has been shown to blunt appetite between meals and reduce food intake. In one study, an increase in protein from 15 to 30 per cent of energy intake produced a sustained decrease in free calorie intake. Its been suggested that this is the result of increased leptin sensitivity in the central nervous system, which can also result in significant weight loss. Leptin is a key hormonal regulator of hunger. To keep hunger reduced, be sure to eat protein with every meal. A small serving of 20 to 30 grams depending on your needs is plenty to keep the appetite satiated.

So we all need protein, not only fitness-minded gym-goers. While it is essential when it comes to building muscle, thats not all it does. It also helps to maintain, build and recover the body, not simply from workouts, but also in everyday life. Further, its a critical component of the hair, skin and nails. Metabolically it helps drive the transport of nutrients and gives our cells structure and shape.

Now that you know why protein is so important, consider how protein powder can help supplement your diet for maximum results. Protein powder is usually extracted from dairy (whey, milk and casein) or plant (soy, pea, brown rice) sources. Other sources may come from eggs or beef. Protein powders can also be organic.

Protein powders are helpful for meeting your daily needs by providing a quick and easy source of protein on the go. They can be incorporated into your favourite recipes to up the protein content; think smoothies, overnight oats, protein bites, bars and even pancakes. Protein shakes can provide between 20 and 30 grams of protein per scoop depending on their content. This is equivalent to the amount in a chicken breast or a small piece of steak. If youre trying to gain and maintain your muscles, protein powder is a great option.

When purchasing a protein powder, you want a product thats clean and free from impurities. One way to ensure this is to check if the product is produced in a certified GMP (good manufacturing process) facility. Another common certification for a manufacturing facility is ISO. The product should also undergo third-party quality testing. This checks the content of the product and ensures it is free from contaminants, completely independent of the manufacturer. The quality of the ingredients in the product is also important; protein from organic plant sources will ensure fewer or no pesticides or toxins, while organic dairy protein should be grass-fed and hormone-free.

Lauren Jacobsen is the nutrition director at KCal and specialises in sports nutrition and supplementation

Updated: January 6, 2020 08:29 AM

More here:
The low-down on protein: should we all be taking supplements? - The National

If you're considering going vegan in 2020, you're in good company. Theres growing interest in going vegan: the number of people following a vegan diet in Great Britain quadrupled between 2014 and 2019, according to Ipsos Mori surveys commissioned by The Vegan Society, and The Food & You surveys by the Food Standards Agency and the National Centre for Social Science Research. Nearly half of UK vegans (42%) had made the change in the past 12 months, a 2018 study by GlobalData revealed.

But whether your motivation is animal welfare, environmental, health driven, dietary, or a combination of these and other factors, what do you need to know to become vegan, and whats the easiest way to go about it? We have the answers.

Find recipes and more foodie know how in our dedicated hub.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

A vegan diet is plant based. So, thats yes to eating beans, pulses, nuts, grains, seeds, vegetables and fruit. Out are meat, fish, shellfish, insects (no, us neither, but they have been proposed as a way to satisfy the needs of a growing world population).

Other foodstuffs on the list to avoid for vegans are dairy products like milk and cheese, eggs, and also honey.

You can swap to a vegan diet between one day and another if you get your kitchen organised. However, it can be easier to make the change more gradually, giving you time to try out ingredients and recipes and find new favourites.

Many of the foods we eat every day arent plant based, and unless you are going to radically alter your diet so you dont add anything to tea, put a spread on your bread and so on, youll need to plan in swaps for these.

There are vegan alternatives for milk, butter, and cheese with plant milks, non-dairy spreads and vegan cheese now widely available. It may take a bit of experimentation to find out which soya or nut milks are your preference. Likewise, finding cheese substitutes that please your palate, and work for sandwiches, as a garnish, and for cooking could involve some trial and error.

Eggs might seem challenging to replace. For recipes, aquafaba the water in which legumes like chickpeas have been cooked can replace egg whites so you can whip up a meringue or mousse. For baking, some supermarkets plus Amazon offer Orgran No Egg or Free & Easy Egg Replacer. Meanwhile, if the idea of giving up scrambled eggs and omelettes is getting you down, you can check out Follow Your Heart VeganEgg from Amazon and other stores. It can be used in baking, too.

If you still like the idea of the flavour and texture of meat, there are plenty of substitutes in high street supermarkets that seek to taste like the real thing. Want an authentic appearance? The Beyond Burger at Tesco even bleeds although its actually beetroot juice that creates the effect.

One of the biggest concerns for many people contemplating going vegan is whether their new diet will contain enough protein. Sources of plant-based protein include beans, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, tofu, and nuts and seeds. A serving of protein in most meals is suggested.

A non-dairy diet doesnt include calcium from this source, although you can still obtain it from dark, leafy greens, of course. Look out, though, for calcium-fortified vegan products such as soya milk, orange juice, and tofu to meet daily requirements.

You can find detailed nutritional advice from dieticians plus books via The Vegan Society.

Being vegan used to mean scrutinising food labels for animal-based ingredients even when a product appeared to be free of them, but times have changed. Prompted by the growth of interest in veganism as well as the demand for plant-based meals from non-vegans who want to reduce meat consumption, the supermarkets have launched plentiful plant-based ranges including both individual products like vegan pies, sausages, burgers, mince and so on, as well as ready meals.

The ranges offer an amazing choice and make life easy when youre busy, but do be aware that prepared vegan food could still result in the consumption of more salt, sugar and fat than is healthy. The lesson? You do need to check the labels to be health aware.

If you want to cook from scratch some or all of the time, there are plenty of great resources online including our recipe pages. These are our favourites:

There are over 50 pages of vegan recipe books from the UK alone on Amazon.

If you dont already have a slow cooker, think about investing in one of these as an easy way to produce tasty vegan meals.

Being Vegan | 12.99 on My Favourite Magazines

Whether you are trying to cut down on meat, or are a vegan looking for fresh dinner ideas, here you will find over 30 recipes to try in Being Vegan from Future Plc.View Deal

Although diet is a major part of veganism, embracing it fully also means avoiding materials derived from animals leather, for example products tested on animals, and also places that use animals for entertainment, think horse racing, or zoos, for example.

Link:
How to be vegan - Real Homes

Vicky Pattison said she is looking forward to a healthier life after being told that her previous lifestyle could have impacted on her fertility.

The reality TV star and former Geordie Shore cast member, who has been signed up as an ambassador for WW, formerly Weight Watchers, said her new role is "starting at the perfect time" after a particularly difficult period in her life and because of her past unhealthy relationship with food.

She joins fellow celebrity ambassadors Robbie Williams, Curtis Pritchard and Alison Hammond.

Pattison, 32, said: "My WW journey is starting at the perfect time and I'm hoping that it will give me the fresh start that I need.

"I was recently told that my previous lifestyle was not actually healthy for me and was shocked to learn it was having an impact on my fertility.

"For me, joining WW is not just about being a certain size, but it's about being healthy and giving my body a fighting chance so I can hopefully have kids one day."

Last year, Pattison opened up about her struggle to conceive after years of "prolific partying" in an Instagram post.

She said she had never considered the ramifications of her lifestyle, which played out in front of the nation on MTV show Geordie Shore, and that motherhood had not been "a role" she had wanted to play when she was younger.

Pattison, who won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015, also said that she has "always loved food in a big way", adding: "But it hasn't been the healthiest of relationships and I have a tendency to overindulge when I am not feeling confident or happy.

"Other times, I have really restricted myself and worried about my food choices - I can't remember the last time I went to a restaurant and selected what I wanted from the menu.

"I don't want to have this unhealthy mindset anymore - life is for living and the reason I've joined the WW programme is because it's not super restrictive, so it means I don't need to give up things I love."

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Pattison, who will follow the WW programme with her mother Carroll, said: "Women have to stop being made to feel that they hate their bodies because they aren't a certain size.

"This negative cycle has to end somewhere, and I want to inspire other women to shift their thinking away from a negative body image and towards creating a positive and loving relationship with their bodies."

Jemma Banks, marketing director, WW, said: "We are delighted to welcome Vicky and Caroll Pattison to the family and know that their combined positive energy and mindsets will inspire others.

"We're really pleased Vicky is able to work towards her goals alongside her biggest support, her Mum.

"We hope to show how you can be better together when embarking on a wellness journey with the support of someone you love, and ultimately inspire and motivate people to lose weight and get healthier."

Read more from the original source:
Vicky Pattison signs up to Weight Watchers after being told diet could impact fertility - Chronicle Live