Alcohol plays a prevalent role in many cultures, with many of us toasting to big life moments, enjoying happy hours with coworkers or friends, or simply indulging in a few drinks after a long, stressful day.

Of course, health experts have long cautioned against binge drinking, which roughly equates to consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in about two hours. If you've ever overindulged in your favorite drinks, you know that it typically doesn't feel great the next day, and repeated alcohol abuse can impact your mental and physical health.

But research has also shown that drinking alcohol in moderation can actually be beneficial for your health in some surprising ways.

Here are some of the most interesting ways drinking in moderation can benefit you, so long as you consume it safely and responsibly.

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11 health benefits that have been linked to drinking alcohol in moderation - INSIDER

Foods associated with better health also have the lowest impact on the environment, a new study finds. This suggests that a few key dietary changes could present a double win for humans, and the planet.

The new analysis, led by the Oxford University, revealed several intriguing overlaps between diet, human, and environmental health. For example, increasing the consumption of typically healthy foods like wholegrains, nuts, and vegetables was found to produce a low relative risk for diabetes, coronary heart disease, and general mortality. And crucially, the impact of these foods on environmental ills like greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, and land-use was also negligible, compared to other foods.

At the other extreme, the researchers found that processed red meat was conversely associated with the highest risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and general mortality. Whats more, processed red meat also had the biggest negative effects on greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, and land-use.

This exposed a general pattern in the study: overall, foods with lower health impacts also had lower environmental impacts, while those with larger health impacts were worse for the planets health, as well. Human dietary health, it seems, is inextricably intertwined with the planets health, too.

There were a couple of foodie exceptions to this, including sugary drinks, and fish. While fizzy drinks loaded with sugar boost the risk of diabetes, some cancers, and heart disease, the researchers found that their effects on the environment are comparatively negligible. And substituting fish for red meat is known to bring huge benefits to human health but its environmental record isnt ideal.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that if a food improved one indicator of health like diabetes it was typically associated with positive effects on other aspects of health, too. This was similarly true for the environment: foods that had low impacts on indicators like ocean acidification, say, would typically have positive effects on all other environmental indicators.

In other words, foods may have specific effects on health and the planet, but their impacts also tend to be either overwhelmingly positive or harmful to our health and the environment, overall.

To reveal this interesting interplay, the researchers looked at fifteen of the most commonly-consumed foods including processed and unprocessed red meat, chicken, eggs, fish, dairy, fruits, legumes, olive oil, cereals, and nuts and then examined the health and environmental impacts associated with a daily serving of each one. To drill down to the health effects of each food, they looked at whether it increased the risk of Type II diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer, and overall mortality. Then, to grasp how these dietary changes would affect the environment, they weighed up the effects on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, acidification and eutrophication.

What makes the findings unique is that, typically, studies consider the impact of diet on health or the environment in isolation. But by combining the two, this study reveals instances where carefully-crafted policies could deliver a potent double-dose of change for humans and the environment.

One clear example emerged with processed red meat the worst offender against human and environmental health. Targeted policies to reduce the health effects of processed red meats would be a no-brainer for protecting the planet, too, the researchers suggest.

Take the fact that almost 40% of global morbidity is caused by diseases that are now linked to poor diet and a rise in meat consumption thats unfolding across the planet will likely only worsen those stats. Thats clearly a ticking time bomb for human and environmental health. But, changing our diets has incredible latent power to defuse it if we recognise its power to salve the two at once.

We now know that making our nutrition a priority will pay dividends for the Earth, as well, the researchers say.

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A diet that's good for you is also good for the planetand vice versa - Anthropoce

While the mega-popular, high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet has led many people to severely restrict the amount of carbohydrates they eat, other health aficionados are turning to an eating strategy that embraces them, called "carb cycling."

Carb cycling involves alternating between high-carb and low-carb days over the course of a week. Unlike other diets that cut out carbs entirely, carb cycling encourages you to ramp up or cut back on your carb intake in alignment with your activity level each day.

Endurance athletes and bodybuilders use this approach to boost performance or achieve a desired physique before a competition, Torey Armul, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics tells CNBC Make It. Fitness influencers also use this tactic to lose weight, and share photos of recipes and meal plans on Instagram and Pinterest. There are over 475,000 posts on Instagram with some version of a "#carbcycling" hashtag.

And carb cycling has been gaining traction among recreational athletes who want to reach their fitness goals, have more stamina or simply eat more carbs.

Why is this diet suddenly so popular? "Carb cycling offers the perception of a 'middle ground,' where people don't need to limit their carb intake all the time but still instate some guideposts on their carbohydrate consumption," Ali Webster, associate director of nutrition communications for the International Food Information Council Foundation tells CNBC Make It.

From a scientific standpoint, carb cycling makes a lot of sense, Armul tells CNBC Make It. "It's good practice for everyone, especially athletes, to change what you're eating based on what you're doing with workouts," she says.

And carbs are good for the body and mind. They're the body's preferred energy source, because they provide quick fuel that's easily digestible, Armul says. "They're the most obvious choice [of energy] for your body, your muscles and your brain."

The brain has a harder time utilizing other types of fuel, such as fat or protein, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

And studies have shown that depriving yourself of carbohydrates acutely impacts your thinking and cognition. In a 2008 study from Tufts University, women who ate a low-carb diet for three weeks scored worse on a memory test than those who ate a low-calorie, but balanced diet.

"The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory and thinking," Holly A. Taylor, study author, said in a press release.

As for the body, when carbs aren't available it will burn fat for energy, Armul explains. And over time that could lead to weight loss (that's why people flock to the keto diet), which might be a desired effect for some. But from an energy standpoint, fat isn't as effective as carbs.

Think of it this way in terms of performance: Using carbs is like driving a sports car on a racetrack, whereas fat is like driving a tank down the highway, Armul says. Some amount of healthy fat is important in your diet, but fat isn't meant for high-speed races.

"Fat isn't as efficient as a fuel source, so it's not burned as quickly," Armul says. If performance is your goal, "ideally you're giving yourself ample glucose and carbohydrate supply for fuel."

The exact amount of carbohydrates that someone needs will vary from person to person, Webster says.

For a regular diet, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine advises that adults get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates. Someone eating a 2,000-calorie diet might eat between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates per day.

Carb cycling is an internet-popular diet, not necessarily one that's used in a clinical setting, so it's tough to say exactly how the plan would be structured. But according to the American Council on Exercise, a carb cycling diet might have someone eating 50 grams to 150 grams of carbs on a low-carb day (to put that in perspective, two slices of bread contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates), and up to 400 grams on a high-carb day. Broadly speaking, someone might plan very low-carb intake on days when they're not training, and then increase their intake on the most vigorous exercise day, Armul says.

It's also not clear how sustainable this diet would be for everyone, Webster says. Eating too few carbs could leave you feeling zapped, and the plan doesn't take into consideration other important nutrients, such as protein or fiber. "Its longevity may also depend on the schedule and extent of high- versus low-carb consumption," she adds.

If you find that you're losing weight when you don't want to be, or you have no energy, that could be a sign that you may be consuming too few carbs, or not eating them at the right time, Armul says. "Working with a dietitian or doctor can help you plan when and what to eat to maximize your performance," she adds.

Given how much tracking and restricting is required with carb cycling, it could be exhausting or frustrating for people, Armul adds. "It takes all the enjoyment of food out of it and makes it very mathematical," she says. "Some people thrive on that, but for most people it can be kind of taxing."

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'Carb cycling' lets you eat carbs and it could help boost performance - CNBC

Maangchi eating kimbap in Central Park. Photo: Christian Rodriguez

Maangchi is the kimchee queen of YouTube. Her fans are devoted the musician Japanese Breakfast called her a hero and her charmingly joyful cooking videos, focused on recipes like kimchee, tteokbokki , or Korean dinner rolls can rack up millions of views. This week, Maangchi (whose real name is Emily Kim) released her second book, Maangchis Big Book of Korean Cooking, which has recipes for Buddhist vegan cooking and a whole chapter on Korean lunchbox meals. My Korean fans are just surprised because I make food a very old-fashioned way, she says. All the time, food is changing. Maangchi really loves to cook, and this week made bulgogi lettuce wraps for her family, got her favorite baguette from Maison Kayserto eat with sopressata, and got really excited about the mackerel she found at Hanyang Mart in Flushing. Read all about it in this weeks Grub Street Diet.

Thursday, October 24First thing I do every morning is to have a cup of coffee. These days I really love Variety coffee, from Brooklyn. Almost every one of theirs I try is delicious. I have a subscription and they deliver the beans to my house, freshly roasted. I use an Aeropress, I like my coffee light but flavorful, and nutty. Makes me alert. Then I start with my smoothie for a happy life.

More than two years ago I watched a Korean TV show on YouTube and I saw a man talking about the green smoothie hed been making every morning for years. He talked about his cholesterol going down and all that stuff but what really got my attention was when he mentioned his freckles disappearing from his face! Okay, I was listening! I bought a Vitamix!

Ever since then, Ive never skipped my morning smoothie unless Im traveling, and my fridge is always full of fresh fruit and vegetables. I use grapes, kale, celery, spinach, lemon, apple, pear (or pineapple or peach), tomato, and omija (schisandra berries) along with a big spoonful of Greek yogurt.

I buy my fruits and vegetables from Whole Foods, Food Emporium, Union Square Greenmarket, or Amish Market, wherever I can find good fresh produce. This is for my health so I always remove all the bruised parts, always. I dont want any oxidized stuff in my body, so each ingredient has to pass my test.

After my smoothie I had a nice Korean persimmon, too. Called dan-gam () in Korean and Fuyu persimmon in English, I bought them at Hanyang Mart in Flushing last weekend. They are in season and very sweet, firm and crispy. I got a whole box for $12.

I had some abalone in the freezer that I bought from a Korean website run out of California called Wooltari Mall that sells wonderful, high-end Korean ingredients imported from Korea. I had ordered a dozen of abalone from them and these were the last four. I found this website after I went to Korea to learn about Korean red pepper flakes, gochugaru how they make it, and how they harvest it. (Because my readers always asked me, Which one should I buy to make kimchee? But I didnt always know the exact answer. So I would tell them, Maybe the most expensive one.) Then I went to some place famous for Korean hot peppers, where I found the really best-quality ones. Theyre sold in America, including through this website.

So, I chopped up the abalone after removing the sand sack and mouth (but not the intestines those are nutty and delicious!) and fried them with soaked rice, garlic, and sesame oil. I added water and chopped carrot and green onion for a quick, easy, and delicious porridge. With such a small amount of rice, its good food for a diet, because it makes a lot of porridge. I kept the leftovers in the fridge for later.

But the porridge didnt have many carbs so I was hungry by 4 p.m. My stomach was asking for more so I had some frozen bread rolls, reheated in the microwave oven. It was a great snack with a glass of milk! The rolls are made from my original Korean roll-ppang dinner rolls recipe. I used to make them for my children all the time in Korea when they were growing up, so it was fun to share the recipe and hear about my viewers making them for their own families! I feel very attached to them.

I had a lot of promotion work to do for my new cookbook. On Friday, I was going to film a video for Vice on how to make the bulgogi wrap lunchbox recipe from the book, so even though Im familiar with this recipe I wanted to make them again. A spoonful of warm rice on a sheet of lettuce, a touch of ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping paste made with fermented soybean paste), and the bulgogi on top, simple and delicious. The bulgogi was made with ribeye, thinly sliced. You have to put it in the freezer for one hour before preparing it so that it gets hard enough to slice thinly. One thing I like about this recipe is that one pound of meat is enough for four people once you add in all the rice and lettuce.

My family and I ate the bulgogi lettuce wraps for dinner and we loved them. I served them with mugwort soup made from mugwort (which is ssuk in Korean) I foraged from Riverside Park in May. I blanched and froze that in bunches and have been using it bit by bit ever since. I boiled the mugwort with water, dried anchovies, garlic, and homemade fermented soybean paste (doenjang). When the soup was done I took out the anchovies and served. Its crazy delicious and flavorful. It went well with the bulgogi lettuce wrap and I didnt even need kimchee!

Friday, October 25Started with my coffee and smoothie, same routine.

It was a special day as I needed to be at Vice in Williamsburg to film a video at 12:30 p.m. I knew it would take an hour from my home, so I decided to have an early light lunch so that when I filmed I wouldnt be hungry. I had a bowl of rice and my one-year-old perilla leaf pickles (kkaenip-jjangaji) made with my perilla leaves I grew on my balcony. I sometimes feel like just rice and pickles, or rice and kimchee it makes for a great meal, full of flavor. And I wont be distracted by any other side dishes, I can just concentrate on one!

The shoot at Vice was great, I made six wraps in a lunchbox. For the finale I ate one big wrap on-camera. I said, Dont tease me, I have a big mouth! The crew laughed and encouraged me to stuff the whole wrap into my mouth even though it was too big! Later I asked them to edit that part out, but lets see if they do it.

I had brought some of my homemade kimchee and perilla-leaf pickles for the producers and crew at Vice. They loved them. All through the summertime, I eat perilla leaf. Every day I pick it and wrap it around Korean barbecue, rice, and ssamjang and just eat it. This is really my happiness meal.

These days I love anything heirloom: eggs, tomatoes, turkeys, even heirloom people. Authentic, genuine, honest, and down to earth, thats my definition of people who are heirloom. And it was heirloom tomato time! You have to be lucky to get good ones, and I was really lucky at Whole Foods. They were firm, thick, crispy, sweet, and juicy, perfect levels. Of course they are quite expensive but instead of buying expensive clothes or eating out at some upscale restaurant I choose top-quality ingredients because they are always worth it in terms of my happiness.

My dinner was heirloom tomatoes, peaches, cheese, and spicy sopressata with a sliced baguette. I recently discovered the best of the best, the baguette monge at the Maison Kayser near my house. Id never tasted such delicious baguette anywhere else, including Paris! Crunchy and chewy crust with a soft and spongy inside. Both ends of the bread come to a pointed tip, like old-style traditional Korean shoes called gomusin. My whole family knows the tips are mine. I drizzle some olive oil on top, lovely!

For cheese I got Herv Mons Camembert, Spring Koe Gouda (I love the beautiful orange color that reminds me of jade!), and some Saint Angel Triple Creme which is my favorite these days. I used to be addicted to Livarot from Normandy, the stinkiest cheese I could find, but these days I like smoother cheese with a milky flavor.

It was only a couple of years ago that I discovered sopressata. Im actually not a big sausage or cured-meat person, but once in a while some meaty pungentness in my life is nice. When I eat it with baguette and cheese, it enhances the taste. As I discovered, not all sopressata is delicious. The best I found is sold at Esposito Meats in Hells Kitchen. They get it from the Alps Provision in Astoria. I slice it thin like paper with my sharp knife. The taste is deep and rich and spicy, and reminds me of well-fermented kimchee.

I also served it with more Korean persimmons and some pesto that the producers from Vice gave me, made with ingredients grown on the rooftop of their offices. It was great!

Saturday, October 26Coffee and smoothie again.

When I bought that baguette yesterday from Maison Kaiser I also bought two financiers. There is so much butter inside its a guilty pleasure, but its delicious with my morning coffee as a weekend special, so I just had half of one, and it was enough. I like the plain flavor. With my coffee it turned from guilty pleasure to just pleasure.

My lunch was white fluffy rice cooked on the stovetop, with steamed eggplant and kimchee soup. Koreans make huge quantities of kimchee, which surprises some people. We make so much because when its well-fermented we make other dishes out of it like kimchee pancakes, kimchee stew, steamed kimchee, braised kimchee, kimchee dumplings, and yes, kimchee soup! I made kimchee soup with my well-fermented sour kimchee, just chopped it up and added chopped pork shoulder with some gochujang and water and boiled until the pork and kimchee turned soft and the broth was flavorful. Then I added tofu and cooked it another five to ten minutes. This is my familys favorite all wintertime, they love the combination and its always gone quickly.

Steamed eggplant, called gaji-namul in Korean, is one of my favorite side dishes. Korean eggplant is longer and thinner than Western eggplant, but I didnt have any Korean eggplant in the house so I used American eggplant. I sliced it into a half-inch-thick pieces lengthwise and steamed it for five minutes until well cooked but not mushy. Then I tore it up with my fingers and seasoned it with soy sauce, garlic, green onion, toasted sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. It was soft, savory, and comforting, and went well with the kimchee soup.

I made multigrain rice with my electric pressure rice cooker. I have a Cuckoo brand from Korea, which makes great rice every time and is especially good for multigrain rice. I used white short grain rice, barley, brown rice, and black rice.

I also made beef radish soup (soegogi muguk) with brisket from Dicksons Meats in Chelsea Market. Its the best brisket in New York City that Ive found so far, and it reminds me of the brisket I used to buy from a butcher in my neighborhood in Korea. It tastes just like the Korean beef I used to taste, with just enough tasty fat to make the perfect beef radish soup. I salted the soup with my three-year-old homemade soy sauce! Yum!

These days, Korean radish is in peak season, and the past weekend I found some beautiful ones in Hanyang Mart in Flushing. Good radish is firm, crispy, sweet, and juicy. I cut it into matchsticks and made a very simple Korean radish salad called musaengchae. Its one of the most Korean common side dishes.

Also at Hanyang Mart I bought some mackerel. Holy mackerel! They were so large with wonderful blue backs, and their eyes were so clear. Its hard to get good mackerel in the summertime, but its in season, so I bought several and cleaned, butterflied, salted, and then wrapped them into individual pieces and put them in my freezer. Then for my dinner, I took one out and instead of pan-frying it as I usually do, I used my air fryer that my daughter bought me a while ago. It turned out great! Soft, flaky, salty flesh with crunchy skin, really delicious!

Sunday, October 27Had my coffee and smoothie and, later, a quick lunch before shooting my video. I reheated some of the leftover kimchee soup in the fridge and added a scoop of rice to it. Its a quick eating style that Koreans call gukbap, literally soup rice. I shoot my videos every 10 days or every 12 days. Its not like, Okay this is the date Im supposed to. That is too much obligation. I always want freedom.

It was a late dinner for me after filming. I ate the oxtail soup from the video shoot, served with well-fermented radish kimchee (kkakdugi) from my fridge. An oxtail soup recipe had been requested by my readers so many times, so I couldnt wait to post the video! Oxtail has a lot of meat, so you need to cook it until the meat is tender but not falling off the bone into the soup. That meat has a lot of collagen and protein, and when I ate the light milky broth, my lips stick to each other. Thats when Im satisfied with my oxtail soup.

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YouTube Star Maangchi Savors the Best Part of the Baguette - Grub Street

The NHS explains: Eating an unhealthy diet high in fat will make your atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) worse and increase your risk of heart attack.

A healthy diet should consist of at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, basing meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes and rice, having some dairy or dairy alternatives, eating some protein such as beans, fish and meat, choosing unsaturated oils and spread and eating them in small amounts, and drinking plenty of fluids.

While these are more general rules to follow, a certain diet has been linked to lower risk of heart disease - a condition that can lead to heart attack.

A vegan diet, which has become increasingly popular over the last few years, has proven effective at preventing heart problems.

READ MORE:High blood pressure: Best cooking oil to use to lower your reading

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Heart attack: Best diet to lower risk of the life-threatening condition - foods to eat - Express

Trying to shed some extra weight can be tough, and one of the hardest parts of dieting can be avoiding your favourite restaurant or fast food joint.

Carb-free, vegetable-based diets are good for people watching what they eat, but sometimes you fancy a treat.

Fitness and diet expert Graeme Tomlinson has some information about what to order from some Nando's and McDonald's.

And you'll be please to see some tasty classics on the list, not just Caesar Salads, report The Mirror.

If you love Nando's, the best main you can have is the 1/4 chicken, which is 265 calories, or the butterfly chicken (352 calories).

At the other end of the scale, a whole chicken is the most calorific item at 1,156 calories, while a portion of 10 chicken wings has 806.

For sides, long stem broccoli has 24 calories, and the mixed leaf salad has even fewer at just 13 calories.

Meanwhile, a large portion of chips has a whopping 1256 calories and the a bowl of peri peri nuts has a spicy 793 calories.

Writing on Instagram , the diet expert explains: "In comparison to many express dine in establishments, consumption of chicken, coupled with assortments of nutrient dense foods, may lead one to believe that Nandos is the fat loss alternative. And this may well prove valid if it is enjoyed.

"But instances such as the accumulation of 1/2 a peri peri houmous starter, 10 wings, regular chips, macho peas and extra sauce = a caloric intake of 1845 nutrient inclusive calories. But nonetheless... 1845 calories before drinks are considered.

"Energy balance over periods of time directly defines ones rate of fat loss, gain or maintenance. Nothing else.

"This likely exceeds would-be calories consumed in a parallel McDonalds visit. Whilst McDonalds produce is mostly calorie dense, options are limited in comparison to Nandos abundance of starters, main courses, sides and desserts, not to mention its exclusivity as a restaurant - where selection of multiple items is more likely.

"That said, Nandos is enjoyed by millions - this should never change. Awareness of total energy consumed can therefore allow one to facilitate multiple Nandos excursions into a successful diet.

"Once the hard nutritional facts of a Nandos meal are grasped, one can adjust prior and subsequent nutritional intakes to accommodate what will likely be a calorie dense meal in happiness and calm control.

"Such an eating episode can be free from guilt and enjoyed in serene knowledge that the fruits of the overall diet will yield progress."

Some options on the menu at the fast-food giant have fewer calories than you would think.

A cheeseburger and a filet-o-fish, which have 301 and 329 calories respectively, are good options. However, the best thing you can order is six chicken nuggets which has 259 calories.

A small portion of chips has 237 calories, an Oreo McFlurry has 267 and a the shaker side salad has just 18 calories.

The burgers with the highest calorie count are the Big Tasty with bacon, at 850 and the Signature Classic which has 689.

Graeme writes: "For optimal health, excessive consumption of fast food is not going to be particularly beneficial.

"But if consumption is moderate and accompanied by an overall supportive dietary process, it can have an enjoyed position in ones life."

According to the NHS, men need about 2,500 calories a day and women need 2,000, however this can vary depending on age, metabolism and how much exercise you do.

To learn more about Graeme visit his Instagram page .

Read more here:
On a diet but craving a cheeky Nando's? Here is what is healthiest - MyLondon

The situation is further exacerbated by increasing restrictions on antibiotic growth promoters used to make birds resilient to intensive production processes.

Increasingly, though, there is interest in seeing if birds can be set up for success in the egg, to help minimize the need for treatment interventions later on, to improve efficiencies and to make the industry more sustainable.

FeedNavigators summit, Young Animal Nutrition, YAN20, to be held in Amsterdam in March next year, will tackle this topic.

Dr Elijah Kiarie, assistant professor, University of Guelph, in Canada will be presenting on the benefits of perninatal nutrition for poultry, how it can improve growth, productivity and welfare.

His presentation will reveal the findings of new research into perinatal nutrition and the lifelong impact of feeding breeding poultry and their progeny with functional dietary components, namely omega-3 fatty acids (FA) and yeast derivatives.

Dr Kiarie will discuss the critical importance of the embryo to post-hatch interface for physical development, productivity and welfare.

He will also provide insights on the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on skeletal development in embryo to early chick and point of lay. He will also look at transgenerational impact of omega-3 fatty acids on growth performance and breast yield in broiler chickens.

Dr Kiarie will also share his expertise on how feeding breeding broilers with yeast bioactives impacts hatching egg yolk antibodies concentration, progeny growth performance and resistance to coccidiosis.

Join us at YAN20 in Amsterdam on 3-4 March 2020 to hear this University of Guelph speaker along with a raft of industry and academic experts on the benefits of early life feeding for pigs and chickens.

See more here:
The implications of breeder diets on the progeny - FeedNavigator.com

Friday is World Vegan Day, a day to celebrate all things 100 percent cruelty-free and plant-based.

World Vegan Day was established in November 1994 in celebration of the United Kingdom Vegan Society's 50th anniversary and as a way to kick off World Vegan Month. More recently, experts have noted that veganism is on the rise across the United States, with health and eco-conscious millennials as the driving force behind the upward trend.

"For the past half-century, veganism has been a minority within a minority," wrote The Economist last December for its "The World in 2019" report. The analysis used data from a 2015 survey which found that just over three percent of Americans were vegetarianand less than one percent were vegan. The Economist also predicted that 2019 would be the year that the lifestyle would find itself introduced not as an alternative, but a mainstream lifestyle, largely thanks to younger adults.

"Interest in a way of life in which people eschew not just meat and leather, but all animal products including eggs, wool and silk, is soaring, especially among millennials," the outlet noted. "Fully a quarter of 25-to 34-year-old Americans say they are vegans or vegetarians."

In July, the Plant-Based Food Association (PBFA) working with the Good Food Institute issued a report highlighting some of the financial implications of the recent uptick in Americans leading a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

According to the report, U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods have increased by 11 percent over the last year, making it $4.5 billion industry. The plant-based meat category alone is worth more than $800 million, the PBFA wrote.

"Plant-based foods are a growth engine, significantly outpacing overall grocery sales," Julie Emmett, PBFA's senior director of retail partnerships wrote in a company statement. She continued: "We are now at the tipping point with the rapid expansion of plant-based foods across the entire store, so it is critical for retailers to continue to respond to this demand by offering more variety and maximizing shelf space to further grow total store sales."

In recent years, celebrities and other high-profile public figures have come forward to share their vegan lifestyles. Famous vegans include Bill Clinton, Beyonce, Natalie Portman, Ariana Grande, Venus Williams, Mya and many others.

Actor and vegan Jessica Chastain once summed up the lifestyle, saying "I guess it's about trying to live a life where I'm not contributing to the cruelty in the world. ... While I am on this planet, I want everyone I meet to know that I am grateful they are here."

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World Vegan Day 2019 Statistics: Plant-Based Diets On The Rise in the US - Newsweek

Provided by Associated Newspapers Limited Judi Sheppard Missett (pictured centre) is celebrating 50 years of teaching the fun fitness workout known as JazzerciseThe founder of iconic global workout Jazzercise has revealed what gave her the idea for the franchise 50 years ago and some of the top health and fitness tips she swears by.

Former dance teacher Judi Sheppard Missett, 75, from California, said she never intended set out to teach fitness but noticed women were struggling with her dance classes and weren't coming back.

"When I asked them what the problem was they said they didn't want to become professional dancers they just wanted to look like one," she told The Morning Show.

This, she said, is what sparked the idea of Jazzercise.

Jazzercise is a "dance party workout" blending dance with Pilates, yoga, kickboxing and strength training. Jazzercise is now in its fifth decade and helped give rise to the boutique fitness revolution, one of the fastest-growing segments of the exercise industry today.

There are 8,500 Jazzercise franchises, across 25 countries. Together they hold approximately 32,000 classes per week, worldwide. Their global cumulative sales top $2 billion, according to the company. Missett's daughter, Shanna, who grew up in the studio with her mother, is its president.

Yet Missett is as involved as ever. She still teaches three classes a week, and still shapes the moves. She said this prompted her to make some changes like turning students away from the mirror and building less complicated routines.

Initially, Judi called her classes "Dance for fun and fitness" until a student suggested "jazzercise," a name that captured the jazz dance aspect of the workout and exercise elements. Within weeks of offering her newer style classes, she knew she was onto something great as within weeks she was teaching up 60 people.

As well as being known for her revolutionary exercise routines, Judi is also a diet and health expert. Here, she reveals her top tips for reducing belly fat:

Eat a protein snack between 3 and 4 p.m.: This boosts metabolism and balances blood sugar. The lower your blood sugar, the less fat you store around your middle.

Normal-weight women are more likely to mirror a thin woman's eating habits: When you're at a restaurant, order first and select a healthy option. You'll stay on track and may inspire your companions.

Stress produces extra cortisol: This hormone encourages the body to store fat, particularly in the abdominal region. Reduce stress in your life by taking a yoga or fitness class.

Slow down and enjoy food: Meals that last at least 30 minutes are more satisfying and you are likely to end up eating less.

Digestion begins in the mouth: Adequate chewing means food is digested better leading to less gas and bloating.

Notice how you feel as you eat: Ask yourself: Do I feel gassy? Am I overfull after just a few bites of certain foods? Does my stomach make sounds or feel swollen following specific meals?

And while Judi might be CEO of the business, she is still as active as ever, teaching classes and continually choreographing new routines.

She said part of her secret to success is having discovered it was possible to build a business based on doing something she loved. "I think one of the keys to that is always focusing on excellence and the integrity of what you're doing and having good people do it with you," she said.

She added it also helped to surround yourself with others who will lift you up and a positive influence.

Her business advice to others is simple: Find what you love and follow your passion a belief she said "makes it easy to work hard and accomplish things."

"When you're passionate about what you do, you love what you do and then every day you get to do what you love."

Slideshow: Diet changes you should make after 50 (Courtesy: The Daily Meal)

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The 75-year-old founder of Jazzercise reveals what sparked the idea for the dance program in 1969 - and her top diet tricks after teaching fitness for...

Physical exercise helps lower your blood sugar level and you should aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week, according to the NHS. You can be active anywhere as long as what you're doing gets you out of breath, including:

One of the primary benefits of exercise is it helps people to lose weight, and carrying excess weight is particularly risky for people with type 2 diabetes.

According to Diabetes.co.uk, studies suggest that abdominal fat causes fat cells to release pro-inflammatory chemicals, which can make the body less sensitive to the insulin it produces by disrupting the function of insulin responsive cells and their ability to respond to insulin.

The health site added: Obesity is also thought to trigger changes to the bodys metabolism. These changes cause fat tissue (adipose tissue) to release fat molecules into the blood, which can affect insulin responsive cells and lead to reduced insulin sensitivity.

Read more from the original source:
Type 2 diabetes: Include this oil in your diet to lower blood sugar - Express