Cory Booker is on a mission to shut down factory farming in the U.S.

The New Jersey Senator and Democratic presidential candidate put forward a new bill earlier this month. Titled the Farm System Reform Act (FSRA), the bill is aimed at transitioning agriculture away from the factory farming system.

In the U.S., 99 percent of all animal products currently come from factory farms. These conditions are not only harmful to the animals, but theyre a threat to the planet too. One farm of 5,000 pigs can produce as much waste as a town of 20,000 people, according to animal protection organization Make It Possible.

This waste can pollute soil and make its way into water systems, including oceans, rivers, and steams.

If passed, FSRA will place an immediate moratorium on new large-scale facilities known as CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations). It will also place limits on existing CAFOs. It will devote $100 billion over a period of ten years to helping CAFO owners transition to more sustainable forms of agriculture. By 2040, the bill hopes to phase out the largest CAFOs.

Booker who follows a vegan lifestyle hopes the new bill will help small farmers and hold larger corporations to account for their environmental impact.

He said in a statement,large factory farms are harmful to rural communities, public health, and the environment and we must immediately begin to transition to a more sustainable and humane system, such as raising pasture-based livestock, growing specialty crops, or organic commodity production.

Booker isnt the only presidential candidate to slam factory farms. Earlier this year, Bernie Sanders labeled them a threat to America. He wrote on Twitter back in May, factory farms are responsible for 1.4 trillion pounds of animal waste in America.

They are a threat to the water we drink and the air we breathe, he continued.It is unbelievable to me that Republicans in Congress have been working overtime to exempt factory farms from environmental laws.

In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme condemned the meat industry. It labeled tackling meat consumption as the worlds most urgent problem. It stated, the greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture rivals that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane, and rocket ship combined.

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Cory Booker Has a Plan to End Factory Farming Forever

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Vegan presidential candidate Cory Booker has put forward a new bill designed to end environmentally harmful factory farming in America.

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Charlotte Pointing

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LIVEKINDLY

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Cory Booker Has a Plan to End Factory Farming Forever - LIVEKINDLY

1. Be mindful about what youre eating.

As humans age into adulthood, Chag says we tend to turn off a component in our brain that tells us when were full.

When you see a little kid with an ice cream cone, youll notice they stop eating it when theyre full, she said. But with adults, theres this clean the plate mentality.

Before and after each meal, Chag recommends thinking about how hungry or full you are on a scale of one to 10, with one being starving and 10 being Thanksgiving-dinner stuffed.

At the end of each meal, you want to feel about a six, seven, or eight, she said. You never want to be at a 10, but you also dont want to feel faint.

Chag said that mindless snacking and grazing also tends to happen when we turn off this mechanism. She says before you reach for between-meal foods to check in internally and ask, Am I hungry, or am I kind of dehydrated?

Sometimes, you just need a cup of water, she said.

And when it comes to mindful eating, practice makes perfect.

Its easy to talk about, but it takes a lot, she said. If you can tap back into it, it will be your guide. It takes time. Its not going to happen overnight. Be patient with yourself."

2. Fill up half your plate with veggies.

Gone are the days of meat and potatoes dominating dinner plates. To keep healthy, Chag recommends loading up half your plate, or a portion two to three times the size of your fist, with non-starch vegetables. (Starchy vegetables can include potatoes and corn.)

Vegetables to strive for include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, leafy greens the world is your oyster, Chag said.

However, when it comes to choosing veggies, variety is key. You dont want them just to be green. Get some color on the plate," Chag said, noting that different-colored foods can help supply a range of vitamins and minerals.

3. Adhere to the 80/20 rule.

In general, every meal should follow the 80/20 guideline, Chag said, where 20 percent of the food eaten is a lean protein like chicken, fish, or pork.

Red meat lovers: You can have your beef and eat it, too, as long as you opt for a lean cut like a top sirloin or prime rib and consume it in moderation, she said.

When it comes to starches like potatoes, rice, and bread, generally a portion the size of your fist, or half your fist, would be a Chag-approved goal. (Yes, that includes the mashed potatoes and Thanksgiving stuffing.)

4. Nightshades are now on the table (literally).

If Brady is known for any weird diet quirks (remember his well-documented love of avocados?) its his aversion to nightshades, which include tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes.

However, Chag said that now, for some people, nightshades are (literally) on the table. Chag said she and Guerrero Bradys controversial trainer and TB12 co-founder who helped develop the football stars diet and off-field exercise regimen look at what was historically said and evolve based on research and experience.

For example, if a veggie-averse client is only eating three vegetables a day and two of those are nightshades, then if theyre not feeling any negative effects, there would be no reason to cut them out of their diet.

Its person-dependent, she said. We want to make sure people are getting enough fruits and veggies a day, since theyre rich in vitamins and antioxidants."

So does this mean Brady himself is back on the nightshade train? With a laugh, Chag noted that Guerrero is the point person on Bradys diet, and that she had no idea if he has come around on tomatoes.

5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Another headline-grabbing statistic from The TB12 Method: Brady apparently drinks as much as 25 glasses of water a day.

Twenty-five . . . is a lot. Very much a lot, Alicia Romano, a clinical registered dietician at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center, previously told the Globe. I would never recommend that to a patient.

So when Chag begins to wax poetic about the benefits of staying hydrated, I ask what she thinks about the 20-some glasses of water a day.

Generally, she says people should take their body weight in pounds, divide it by two, and use that number in ounces as a baseline for how much water to guzzle a day. (Surprisingly, after doing the math, this seems pretty doable for most people.)

However, if youre active, she says, thats when we start taking other things into account, like what your sweat rate is, because we want to make sure were making up for losses.

6. When it comes to alcohol, moderation is key.

In order to fend off dehydration, Chag recommends opting for water or seltzer as a first drink when you arrive at bars, parties, or family dinners where alcohol is front and center.

If you skip the first one, you build a little bit of armor for yourself, she said. Alcohol is super pro-inflammatory and dehydrating, so we try to get the number of alcoholic drinks as low as we can.

She also notes that simply having a non-alcoholic drink in your hand can deter mindless alcohol intake.

"People are eager to get you a drink because they want to be a good host, but if you already have something in your hand, you can say youre all set.

You dont need to go alcohol free to be TB12-approved, though. And dont feel like you need to choke down vodka sodas in a quest to limit calories.

If youre drinking, pick something you enjoy and have it in moderation, she said. From a diet standpoint, I dont care where your number [of drinks per week] is, I just try to bring it down. Some of my clients have two drinks a week, max. Some of my clients are wine aficionados, and they have 15 glasses of wine a week.

For those of us more who are simply aiming to clean up our down-the-hatch act, Chag recommends against sugary cocktails that use rely heavily on juice or soda, since refined sugar is inflammatory. Go more straightforward, she said.

7. Its OK to enjoy guilty pleasures now and then.

Its the holidays. No one is expecting you to refuse every chocolate or home-baked sugar cookie, Chag said.

Avoiding sugar can be challenging, especially this time of year, she said. Dont beat yourself up over that Lindt chocolate ball.

In terms of how often you consume something, Chag says there are two categories: Sometimes foods and everyday foods. The sometimes foods tend to include the sugary, delectable treats that are a no-no in the TB12 world.

Its OK to just have them some of the time, she said. Its not not having it, but spreading it out. Make sure it becomes a sometimes food, not an everyday food."

And even if you pig out on foods that are unsanctioned by the TB12 nutritionist (gasp!), Chag said that its not a big deal to do once in a while.

Enjoy it, she said. Know that one meal wont undo one month or one years worth of hard work."

8. Dont forget to move.

Yes, Chag is aware that movement is not a food. But she says its still important to work into a healthy diet.

For example, after a family meal, get everyone together and go on a walk around the neighborhood, Chag suggests.

It doesnt have to be sweat-inducing," she said. Go on a leisurely walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Little things build up over time.

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss

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8 tips on holiday eating from a TB12 nutritionist - The Boston Globe

So when representatives for the new TB12 Performance & Recovery Center in the Back Bay invited the Globe to try a workout similar to the one the Patriots quarterback himself does, there was no way we could refuse.

And that is how, at the crack of dawn on a snowy Tuesday morning, I found myself beside several local fitness bloggers and industry pros, diving glute-first into the off-field workout that TB12 himself espouses.

If you follow Brady at all, you probably are already familiar with the term pliability, which focuses on elongating and softening muscles. Brady credits his pliability workouts as the reason he can still lead New England to Super Bowl victory in his 40s.

Pliability, man, Brady told reporters in October when asked how he avoids injury. Thats what I work on every day.

This seems like a good time to note that the workouts Brady touts were developed with his trainer and TB12 cofounder, Alex Guerrero, whose name has been mired in controversy. Guerrero has faced sanctions by federal regulators for falsely presenting himself as a medical doctor and deceptively promoting nutritional supplements, according to government documents, and has been at the center of a rift within the Patriots organization.

In the TB12 building on Boylston Street, however, Guerreros name is recited with reverence, not skepticism. The trainers and nutritionists who work in the facility all seem to whole-heartedly embrace the basic tenets of the TB12 Method, and praise the benefits of pliability, multi-planar workouts, and a plant-heavy diet.

With football workouts, I feel better at 36 than I did at 21, said class instructor Rob Velasquez, who has a background in teaching college football. Its just how my body is moving with these guys.

Still, I was apprehensive about what I was getting myself into. How exactly does a pliable workout translate in practice for the masses, anyway?

The answer: A lot of resistance bands, very little weight training, and vibrating foam rollers to loosen muscles.

Theres a huge focus on foam rolling before and after, since thats where we develop pliable tissue, said Matt Denning, a TB12 body coach. He also touted functional, dynamic moves that activate core muscles, as well as using resistance bands to help prevent overloading tissue and joints.

Upon entering the dimly-lit room lined with mirrors and words like Drive and Commitment," we headed to our individual stations, which consisted of a tangle of resistance bands attached to a wall-mounted pole.

At the start of class, instructor Rob urged against performing the usual static stretches touching fingers to toes, stretching out quads without any cardio warmup beforehand.

And that is when he broke out the bright orange vibrating foam rollers.

My first thought when I saw the foam rollers: Oh no. No, no no. As a runner, Ill be the first to admit that I should probably be foam rolling more, since it helps relieve muscle soreness. Ill also be the first to admit that I hate it: I look like a dying fish flopping around, and the pressure and discomfort makes a visit to the dentist seem enjoyable by comparison.

But after a few minutes of rolling out our calves, hamstrings, and glutes on those bad boys (which shake harder than a Chihuahua left out in the cold), I found myself pleasantly surprised thrilled, even with the results. My legs felt looser; almost as if I had gotten a deep-tissue massage. The soreness from a recent six-mile run all but evaporated.

Maybe I should buy one of these, I found myself thinking as we put them aside. (Thats before I saw the price tag: A whopping $160.)

Thats when Velasquez turned up the music think Vegas nightclub meets tribal ceremony and told us to step into one of the resistance bands tethered to the wall. With the band as our cage, we did squats; we did lunges; we ran backwards until we couldnt anymore. We also used bands with handles on the end, yanking them down from the top of the pole to our sides, and bringing them up rapid-fire for bicep curls.

Finish like the badasses that you are! Rob the instructor screamed as we slammed medicine balls into the floor, or used foot gliders to execute mountain gliders. (I responded by laying down a towel on the turf for my soft office-job hands.)

The hour-long session ended with more teeth-chattering foam rolling, much to my delight.

So what did I think overall? As a cardio junkie who gets easily bored with stretching and strength training, I was not expecting to like this class. But I came away with a newfound appreciation for the core beliefs that drive the high-intensity workout: helping take away joint pain while building strength; focusing on core and ab muscles; and safely deepening traditional bodyweight exercises. The point of pliability is to help people live an active lifestyle pain-free. And I really did feel like the tension of the resistance bands helped us execute traditional lunges and squats without suffering through the tight, sore feeling normally associated with weight training.

Lounging around in the gorgeous studio doesnt hurt, either. While the top floor houses the TB12 store and a smoothie bar, the basement level hosts the group fitness room, a personal training facility, and a spa-like locker room equipped with EO shower products, Living Proof hair sprays, and a small flatscreen TV.

The amenities dont come cheap, though. A single group class costs $30, although the studio also runs specials and class-package deals. One-on-one training sessions can run approximately $240 for 90 minutes, and a sit-down with a TB12 nutritionist runs about $150 per meeting. The TB12 Center is also on ClassPass, where it ranges from between six to 11 credits ($10 to $18 or so) per class.

So will the TB12 brand catch on? Leaders at the top of the company are planning on it: CEO John Burns last month spoke of plans to expand the number of retail outlets from two to four in 2020.

When asked about class sizes at Back Bay, Velasquez the instructor said they generally skew toward a more intimate size having five people in the room is good," he said but he also pointed out that the loyal following is growing.

My lunch classes have been very consistent in terms of seeing the same people, he said. And once January 1st hits, everyone wants to get fit.

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss

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We tried Tom Bradys TB12 workout. Heres what it was like - The Boston Globe

Ive never understood how sucking down a rock booger is supposed to make you, like, really horny. I get the intent whenever a guy invites me out for red wine and oysters, but the whole presentation (and my general aversion to seafood) is always a turn off. It does make you wonder, do aphrodisiacs work, and if so how do they trick our mind and bodies into peak arousal? Well, in a few different ways, in fact.

Aphrodisiacs have been studied forever, mention of aphrodisiacs has been found in texts from various ancient civilizations, including Hindu, Egyptian, Chinese, and Roman. In modern times, there have been many interesting studies on how aphrodisiacs may make subjects frisky. As Sally Fisher, MD, integrative medicine specialist and medical director atSunrise Springspoints out, searching aphrodisiacs in the virtualNational Library of Medicine returns 830 peer reviewed scientific studies. How plants or herbal products might effect the body or mind really varies based on the aphrodisiac.

Some examples of effects include increasing hormones like testosterone, or certain neurotransmitters in the brain, or dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow, or affecting molecules in the body such as, for example, nitric oxide, the molecule that Viagra affects, says Dr. Fisher.

And sometimes the studies just note that certain herbs make animals want to bang more. Basically, its complicated to deduce what will potently work on a person, although she has one herb in mind.

I tend to recommend Tribulus terrestris, used in folk medicine for hundreds of years, because of modern research on sexual function improvement in both women and men, but Id emphasize that Id approach this integratively, and if there is room for improvement, put lifestyle changes foremost, says Dr. Fisher.

Sexual health is complex and involves cognitive, neurochemical, hormonal, and genetic factors, she says. That means that, in part, shifting your overall diet might be what helps amp up your sexual wellness. Embracing a healthy diet might decrease the risk of sexual dysfunction in women, defined generally as more fruits and vegetables, and less refined grains, meat, sugar, fried food.

There is, as then might be expected, promising data on theMediterranean diet alleviating sexual dysfunction in women, says Dr. Fisher. Its helpful to think of the Mediterranean diet as a plant-based diet; other whole foods plant-based diets have not been formally researched but may be expected to have the same beneficial effect.

Opa! Okay but if you cant prioritize a full diet upheaval right now, are there good mood foods thatll make you like, really horny in one slurp? Yes and no. According to Brigitte Zeitlin, RD, and owner of BZ Nutrition in New York City, its hard to directly link food and sex drive. However, there are particular compounds within [certain] foods that can have a connection to certain hormones and sexual reactions, she says.

Among Zeitlins top picks are foods with red ginseng, fatty fish that increases your feel good dopamine hormones for a stronger orgasm, cayenne pepper, and maca.

[Maca] root has been linked to boosting those frisky feelings and has shown to be a helpful fertility food as well by multiple studies, says Zeitlin. One study actually found that maca improved sex driveon people taking certain medications where the side effect was decrease of sex drive; think anti-depressants, hair-loss meds, anti-anxiety meds.

If youre truly about to make a quick bodega run before a potential boink fest (weve all been there) Zeitlin has a good power combo in mind.

Dark chocolate, 70 percent or higher, contains compounds that actually boost the release of feel-good hormones getting you more in the mood for some togetherness and even more feel-good hormones, says Zeitlin. Pair it with some dried apricots for extra pro-longed sexy energy, as the amino acids in apricots can trigger more stamina.

As for oysters, well, theyre rich in zinc, which supposedly to help with erectile dysfunction, so that means Im off the hook forever. Like anything, utilizing a so-called aphrodisiac feels like a personal journey with room to experiment. Our recommendation? Grab a hottie or your favorite vibratorand conduct some research yourself.

If youre looking for other ways to boost your sex drive naturally, we have a few recommendations. And learning about spontaneous and responsive desire might help you get turned on.

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Do aphrodisiacs actually work? Trying to have better sex over here - Well+Good

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global health and wellness industry is now worth $4.2 trillion (approx Rs 298 trillion). It encompasses everythingthe boxing class you go to in the AM, the bulletproof coffee you chug before breakfast, the standing desk you have at work, and the golden moon milk you drink after dinner. The actual word was coined in the 1950s, when people proactively started trying to better their lives instead of just treating illnesses, but it was only in the 2010s that it actually became an industry. Heres what we couldnt stop writing, sharing, Instagramming and talking about in the last ten years.

In 2015, Gwyneth Paltrow (by way of her wellness website, Goop.com) suggested that placing a yoni egg in the vagina would balance hormones and regulate menstrual cycles, and steaming the area would deep-cleanse and soothe it. It led to people burning their skin, having foreign objects stuck in inside and bacteria infections that harmed rather than helped. In the same vein, there were some people who suggested drinking Soylent instead of solid food, trying the Juul to kick a smoking habit, and subsisting on just bananas for a month. If its not clear, none of these worked, and you definitely dont want to try them out.

Theyre in your water bottles, embedded in your bracelets and placed on your bedside tables. Your favourite beauty productsKora Organics Rose Quartz Highlighter, Glossier Haloscope and Dromen and Co Face Rollerall have them in their ingredient lists. How did crystals go from being a new-age hippy-dippy object to a wellness necessity? You can thank the advent of technology for the increase in alternative therapies. Crystals bring a sense of calm in an otherwise chaotic world, and Kristin Petrovich of Sjal Skincare agrees. When we asked her about why she infused crystals into her elixirs, she said, Just as we resonate with the earth, we resonate and have an electronic exchange with crystals. They vibrate at a higher frequency, which gravitates toward the weaker cells in our body. This energy works within our bodys own energy system, helping to balance and harmonise us. Whether you believe in their healing powers or not, we can agree that if it makes you give yourself a little more time, what's not to love?

While working out is just as efficacious whether you do it at the gym or at home, group classes like SoulCycle (which counts Michelle Obama and Beyonce as fans), OrangeTheory, Pilates (youll see Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif at one of these) became extremely popular in the last five years. Led by millennials and Gen Z-ers, who now view health and fitness as a way of life and consider it a status symbol, consumer spending in this vertical is fast growing. A new class or studio is opened to fanfare, and consumers now buy merch and plan classes with their friends and co-workers. While you can learn just as easily from video tutorials online, the vibe of a group session means that you likely wont realise where the time has gone, Pilates instructor Namrata Purohit explained in an interview with Vogue India.

Everyone can name a fad diet they tried in the 2010s (think Paleo, Keto, Whole30, Mediterranean and GM). They all promised weight loss, better mental capacity and improved concentration. In the 80s, it was fats that were evil; in the 90s, it was carbs and in the 00s, it was solid food (remember the juice fasts of 2001-2005?). Intermittent fasting gained speed too, with the claim that it improved brain health (biohacking) and reduced body fat. Like all other trends, what goes around does come around, and nutritionists are now suggesting that intuitive eating might just be the best thing to do anyway. I prefer having a very dynamic eating plan that is in accordance with what my body wants. For example, if my body needs a salad, I will opt for that. If it needs non-vegetarian food, I shall go for that," nutrition expert Luke Coutinho shared in an interview in 2018.

2010s were definitely the decade of the influencer. They influenced us to buy shoes, clothes, bags, vacations and home decor products. Celebrities like Khlo and Kim Kardashian West promoted detox teas (essentially laxative teas) for weight loss, and wellness experts alleged that drinking juices and smoothies allowed the body and digestive system to rest, regenerate and heal. The idea was most popular from 2010 to 2014, but by the mid-point of the decade, more people were considering it as snake oil rather than saviour.

In the early 2010s, information about gut health became ubiquitous in wellness circles and everything from fermented food, live enzymes, kombucha and probiotics were prescribed to supercharge it. The pH balance of the body was closely observed (which brought alkaline diets into the focus), and doctors started focusing on reinforcing the gut barrier to prevent bloating, digestion issues and even muscle and joint pain. In the last ten years, the science in this area has exploded. The vast majority of modern, chronic diseases are in some way linked to inflammation. That comes from your bodys immune system, 70 per cent of which resides in and around the gut, said Dr Rangan Chatterjee, an expert in gut health told us.

Adaptogens refer to substances that adapt to what your body needs, and helps to protect it from stressors. Ashwagandha, reishi and chaga were important additions to smoothies, juices and bone broth, and came with the promise of reducing stress levels and regulating hormone responses to reach homeostasis. Taking adaptogens to the next level were nootropics, which are cognitive enhancers that can supersize your brain. The importance of efficiency, speed and multi-tasking in the workplace is the major reason for its popularity. The primary benefit of consuming nootropics is that they can improve executive functioning, memory, creativity, focus and motivation. They can also significantly improve accuracy and help individuals feel that they can accomplish tasks that are at hand, shared Dr Nicole Avena, PhD and assistant professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. While research has not been clear about the benefits, those who have enjoyed them continue to experiment with the newest mushrooms and herbs on the market.

This was the most recent trend that came into focus in the middle of 2018the FDA-approved cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive chemical in the cannabis plant. Cut to today, and CBD is available in a wide spectrum of formstinctures, gummies, vape pens, serums, moisturisers, pain-relief creams and chocolates. Theyre meant to whittle away at inflammation, reducing pain and promoting a sense of calm. Since countries and companies are working on navigating this space and improving its safety and efficacy, you can expect the category to grow exponentially in the 2020s. In fact, a study shows that the industry could be worth $16 billion (approx Rs 1.4 trillion) by 2025.

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The biggest (and weirdest) wellness trends we all witnessed in the 2010s - VOGUE India