The fats we typically supplement as oil are predominately triglycerides, or dietary fats. These fats provide horses with essential fatty acids and fat-soluable vitamins.

Photo: Thinkstock

Society has seen its share of diet crazes, even in the past decade. From low-carb and high-protein to low-fat and high-fiber, trends have come and gone and come again, making food selection challenging. Luckily, horse owners dont have as many options when theyre picking their charges feed. As herbivores, our horses diets must be high-fiber complemented by a commercial product fit to meet their life stage (performance, breeding, growing, etc.). The high-fat diet era began as a way to effectively increase calories without drastically increasing feed volume and, as researchers learn more about the benefit of fats for our four-legged friends, it appears that high-fat diets are here to stay.

Fats and oils are part of a class of molecules called lipids. Structurally, all fats contain the following components:

The fatty acids attached to glycerol vary in length and in how their own carbon molecules are linked. When single bonds link carbon atoms, the fatty acid is considered saturated. Saturated fat originates predominantly from animal fat sources such as tallow. Conversely, when one or more double bonds link the carbon atoms, the fat is unsaturated. Horse diets consist mainly of unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils.

Fats can be found in forages and grains in many forms, including di- and triglycerides, sterols, and phospholipids. The fats we typically supplement as oil are predominantly triglycerides. Each fat type varies significantly in its availability to the horse, which we will discuss later.

Once a horse ingests fat, enzymes (called lipases) in the stomach begin to break it down. A majority of fat digestion takes place in the small intestine, specifically in the duodenum and jejunum. After absorption, fats move along to the liver, adipose tissue, or elsewhere as needed for storage or use. Fats that do not get absorbed in the small intestine travel to the hindgut (the large intestine and colon), where they will be excreted in the feces.

In several studies researchers have found drastic differences in the digestibility of various fat sources in the horses diet. Fats from forages appear to be 55% digestible, whereas fats from oil are 100% digestible. This makes sense, considering that cell wall components more than likely surround the fats in forages and make them less available for digestion.

Researchers have compared the palatability of both animal and plant-based fat sources to horses and found corn oil to be the most acceptable, but other sources can be just as readily consumed. See common sources of fat used in equine diets in the table below:

It is important to understand that there are two types of fats: dietary fats and polyunsaturated fatty acids, says Stewart K. Morgan, DVM, PhD, clinical nutrition resident at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Blacksburg. Dietary fats, also known as the triglycerides mentioned earlier, are a concentrated source of dietary energy that provides essential fatty acids (EFAs) and can carry the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Because hydrogen and carbon atoms make up these vitamins structure, they are hydrophobic in nature. Have you heard the saying oil and water dont mix? Hydrophobic literally means water-fearing and describes oils propensity to separate from water. Therefore, fat-soluble vitamins need fats to help transport them across the small intestine. Extremely low-fat diets can potentially reduce fat-soluble vitamin absorption, as seen with decreased vitamin E levels in ponies fed an extremely low-fat diet.

Meanwhile, polyunsaturated fatty acids can be metabolized to form compounds that serve biological functions. These include omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to the horse, says Morgan.

Horses cannot synthesize EFA on their own and rely on dietary sources to meet their needs. The two most biologically relevant EFAs, -linolenic acid (omega-3) and linoleic acid (omega-6), play a vital role in the immune system, central nervous system, and cell membrane structure, to name a few. The average equine diet tends toward greater omega-3 intakes than omega-6.

In a two-year study conducted at the University of Florida, researchers found that the fat content in bahiagrass (a warm-season pasture grass species) contains 40-55% omega-3 fatty acids and as hay contains 18-35%. Although hay and pasture are low in total fat content, typically offering less than 5%, most of the fat is made up of omega-3 fatty acids, whereas the fat in cereal grains, like what youd find in horse feed, is made up primarily of omega-6 fatty acids.

Morgan says researchers are still trying to determine horses EFA requirements, but there is some evidence that horses might benefit from fatty acid supplementation in certain conditions. Currently, Nutrient Requirements for Horses (2007) suggests horses receive a minimum of 0.5% of dry matter in linoleic acid, equivalent to approximately 50 grams per day for the 1,100-pound horse. Nutritionists have yet to set an exact requirement for -linolenic acid, but horses more than likely consume adequate levels with good-quality forage.

Fats can benefit many aspects of a horses health. Although a typical forage-based equine ration should meet a horses EFA requirements, there are benefits to supplementation under certain conditions, such as meeting a medical need to gain weight, managing inflammatory conditions like heaves and arthritis, or preventing and managing gastric ulcers, Morgan adds. Owners of performance horses, especially those requiring a large amount of digestible energy to support high-intensity performance, feed fats to increase a meals caloric density without also increasing its volume. Lets take a look at the unique benefits of fat unveiled by recent research:

Calories Pound for pound, fat contains 2 times more energy than do carbohydrates. Horses use fat for energy production without needing a drastic increase in feed volume. Broodmares and performance horses, as well as horses below ideal body condition, benefit from fat in their diets.

Some owners supplement with fats such as flaxseed to add shine to their horse's coat.

Photo: iStock

Skin and coat condition Many owners supplement fats to add shine and brilliance to their horses coat. Some supplement with flaxseed oil to improve a horses hair coat, but the efficacy and benefit to an animal fed a forage-based diet has yet to be determined, says Morgan.

Performance and exercise Does adding fat actually improve a horses performance? Its possible. Some of the theories behind fats role in improving performance include reducing feed intake, decreasing heat production during exercise, and sparing muscle glycogen, the storage form of glucose horses need to produce energy. Countless factors affecting performance, including training protocols and conditioning, confound the evidence and make it difficult to know for sure whether fat affects performance.

We do know that in low-intensity, long-duration exercise (think endurance riding), supplementing at least 8% fat appears to keep blood parameters such as glucose and free fatty acids closer to baseline. Researchers have also seen lower levels of plasma lactate in horses performing low-intensity exercise on this diet. These results suggest fat helps decrease carbohydrate use, having a glucose-sparing effect. The same cannot be said for high-intensity exercise, such as racing, in which fat-supplemented horses did not use glycogen any differently than unsupplemented horses. This could mean carbohydrates play a larger role than fats in fueling higher-intensity exercise.

Behavior When comparing calorie sources, some researchers have suggested that replacing typical grain diets or starch content with some fat can potentially reduce horses reactivity. Holland et al. observed less spontaneous activity (distance moved per day) and reactivity in horses fed a diet supplemented with 10% fat than horses fed a control diet with no added fat. In several studies fat-supplemented diets have resulted in decreased cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, even in young, growing horses. Foals fed a fat and fiber diet appeared less stressed and reactive after weaning versus those fed a traditional sweet feed. And in one study out of Spain, scientists found lower cortisol levels and startle reaction intensities when horses consumed high-fat diets versus a sugar and starch control diet.

For stallions there is evidence that diets supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids may improve fertility.

Dr. Stewart K. Morgan

Reproduction Adding fat to pregnant and lactating mares diets can be key to controlling meal volume when the high calorie requirements during early lactation mean feeding more concentrate per day. For broodmares, the fatty acid profile of broodmare milk is influenced by the fatty acid profile of the diet, and for stallions there is evidence that diets supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids may improve fertility, says Morgan. In fact, in studies, stallions supplemented with fish oil high in omega-3 fatty acids showed improved sperm production and motility over control stallions.

Tying-Up Recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) and polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) are two equine muscle disorders. In Thoroughbreds with RER, substituting fat for starch in the diet actually reduced excitability and nervousness, known triggers for RER-prone horses, along with heart rate. Serum creatine kinase, an indicator of muscle breakdown, also decreased. Owners of horses with PSSM can lower the risk of tying-up episodes by feeding fat to reduce and replace glucose uptake and abnormal glycogen breakdown.

Gastric ulcers Substituting fat for nonstructural carbohydrates as a calorie source appears to help horses prone to gastric ulcers. Though theres a lack of research in this area, we know that fat delays gastric emptying and reduces gastric acid production and could theoretically reduce gastric ulcer severity.

Insulin resistance Says Tanja Hess, MV, MSc, PhD, associate professor in equine sciences at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in horses may improve insulin sensitivity (the bodys responsiveness to insulin signaling the removal of glucose from the blood) in insulin-resistant mares, as shown by a trend for improved insulin sensitivity in resistant mares supplemented with flaxseed or a marine supplement containing eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (forms of omega-3 fatty acids).

She also described a study (Brennan et al.) in which supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid decreased basal insulin and glucose in horses with dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance.

Metabolism When mature horses consumed high-fat meals, as opposed to meals high in non-structural carbohydrates, researchers saw a decrease in both blood glycemic and insulinemic responses.

Its important to take caution when feeding a high-fat diet to ponies, however, especially when feeding above their caloric intakes. Researchers in Germany observed higher plasma glucose and insulin concentrations after an oral glucose test in Shetland ponies fed high-fat diets. Higher insulin levels combined with elevated glucose implies that a pony is insulin resistant. Also, avoid supplementing fat in diets for any horse or pony prone to hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the bloodstream), as this condition can be fatal.

How long does it take to see these physiological changes associated with feeding fat or individual fatty acids? Nutritionists say a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks, although some researchers have reported changes in three to five weeks time. Consistent feeding is key to seeing results.

Dietary fats and essential fatty acids help meet a horses daily nutrient requirements but potentially provide other health benefits, as well. Morgan says that in any situation, horse owners should consult with an equine nutritionist to determine if and when they should add dietary fat or fatty acids to their horses diet.

Kristen M. Janicki, a lifelong horsewoman, was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences from the attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky, studying under Dr. Laurie Lawrence in the area of Equine Nutrition. Kristen began her current position as a performance horse nutritionist for Mars Horsecare, US, Inc., and Buckeye Nutrition, in 2010. Her job entails evaluating and improving the performance of the sport horse through proper nutrition.

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Fats: Not Just an Equine Diet Fad - TheHorse.com

By Helen West, RD

The GAPS diet is a strict elimination diet that requires its followers to cut out grains, pasteurized dairy, starchy vegetables and refined carbs.

It's promoted as a natural treatment for people with conditions that affect the brain, such as autism.

However, it's a controversial therapy and has been widely criticized by doctors, scientists and nutrition professionals for its restrictive regimen.

This article explores the features of the GAPS dietary protocol and examines whether there is any evidence behind its purported health benefits.

GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It's a term that was invented by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, who also designed the GAPS diet.

Her theory is that many conditions that affect your brain are caused by a leaky gut. Leaky gut syndrome is the term used to describe an increase in the permeability of the gut wall (1).

The GAPS theory is that a leaky gut allows chemicals and bacteria from your food and environment to enter your blood when they wouldn't normally do so.

It claims that once these foreign substances enter your blood, they can affect your brain's function and development, causing "brain fog" and conditions like autism.

The GAPS protocol is designed to heal the gut, preventing toxins from entering the blood stream and lowering "toxicity" in the body. However, it isn't clear if or how leaky gut plays a role in the development of diseases (2, 3).

In her book, Dr. Campbell-McBride states that the GAPS dietary protocol cured her first child of autism. She now widely promotes the diet as a natural cure for many psychiatric and neurological conditions, including:

The diet is most often used for children, especially those who have a health condition that's poorly understood by mainstream medicine, such as autism. The diet also claims to help children who have a food intolerance or allergy.

It can be a years-long process, and requires you to cut out all foods Dr. Campbell-McBride thinks contribute to a leaky gut. This includes all grains, pasteurized dairy, starchy vegetables and refined carbs.

The GAPS protocol is made up of three main stages: the GAPS introduction diet, the full GAPS diet and a reintroduction phase for coming off of the diet.

Summary: GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It's an elimination diet claimed to cure conditions that affect brain function, including autism and attention deficit disorder.

The introduction phase is the most intense part of the diet because it eliminates the most foods. It's called the "gut healing phase" and can last from three weeks to one year, depending on your symptoms.

This phase is broken down into six stages:

During the introduction phase, the diet requires you to introduce foods slowly, starting with small amounts and building up gradually.

The diet recommends that you move from one stage to the next once you are tolerating the foods you have introduced. You are considered to be tolerating a food when you have a normal bowel movement.

Once the introduction diet is complete, you can move to the full GAPS diet.

Summary: The introduction phase is the most restrictive phase of the diet. It lasts up to one year and removes all starchy carbs from your diet. Instead, you'll eat mostly broth, stews and probiotic foods.

The full GAPS diet can last 1.52 years. During this part of the diet, people are advised to base the majority of their diet on the following foods:

Followers of the diet can also eat moderate amounts of nuts and GAPS-recipe baked goods made with nut flours.

There are also a number of additional recommendations that go along with the full GAPS diet. These include:

While on this phase of the diet, you should avoid all other foods, particularly refined carbs, preservatives and artificial colorings.

Summary: The full GAPS diet is considered the maintenance phase of the diet, and lasts between 1.52 years. It's based on animal fats, meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. It also includes probiotic foods.

If you're following the GAPS diet to the letter, you'll be on the full diet for at least 1.52 years before you start reintroducing other foods.

The diet suggests that you start the reintroduction phase after you have experienced normal digestion and bowel movements for at least six months.

Like the other stages of this diet, the final stage can also be a long process as you reintroduce foods slowly over a number of months.

The diet suggests introducing each food individually in a small amount. If you don't note any digestive issues over 23 days, you may gradually increase your portions.

The diet doesn't detail the order or the exact foods you should introduce. However, it states that you should start with new potatoes and fermented, gluten-free grains.

Even once you're off the diet, you're advised to continue avoiding all highly processed and refined high-sugar foods, retaining the whole-foods principles of the protocol.

Summary: This stage reintroduces foods that are not included in the full GAPS diet. You are advised to still avoid foods high in refined carbs.

The diet's founder states that the most important aspect of the GAPS protocol is the diet.

However, the GAPS protocol also recommends various supplements. These include probiotics, essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes and cod liver oil.

Probiotics

Probiotic supplements are added to the diet to help restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

It's recommended that you choose a probiotic containing strains from a range of bacteria, including Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and Bacillus subtilis varieties.

You're advised to look for a product that contains at least 8 billion bacterial cells per gram and to introduce the probiotic slowly into your diet.

Essential Fatty Acids and Cod Liver Oil

People on the GAPS diet are advised to take daily supplements of both fish oil and cod liver oil to ensure they are getting enough.

The diet also suggests you take small amounts of a cold-pressed nut and seed oil blend that has a 2:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.

Digestive Enzymes

The diet's founder claims that people with GAPS conditions also have low stomach acid production. To remedy this, she suggests followers of the diet take a supplement of betaine HCl with added pepsin before each meal.

This supplement is a manufactured form of hydrochloric acid, one of the main acids produced in your stomach. Pepsin is an enzyme also produced in the stomach, which works to break down and digest proteins.

Some people may want to take additional digestive enzymes to support digestion.

Summary: The GAPS diet recommends that its followers take probiotics, essential fatty acids, cod liver oil and digestive enzymes.

The two key components of the GAPS dietary protocol are an elimination diet and dietary supplements.

The Elimination Diet

As yet, no studies have examined the effects of the GAPS dietary protocol on the symptoms and behaviors associated with autism.

Because of this, it is impossible to know how it could help people with autism and whether it is an effective treatment.

Other diets that have been tested in people with autism, like ketogenic diets and gluten-free, casein-free diets, have shown potential for helping improve some of the behaviors associated with autism (4, 5).

But so far, studies have been small and drop-out rates high, so it's still unclear how these diets may work and which people they may help (6).

There are also no other studies examining the effect of the GAPS diet on any of the other conditions it claims to treat.

Dietary Supplements

The GAPS diet prescribes probiotics to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Although the impact of probiotics on the gut is a promising line of research, there is currently little evidence in this area as it relates to the neurological conditions that the GAPS diet is claimed to treat (7, 8).

More high-quality studies are required before researchers can say whether bacterial strains play a role in the development of autism, and if so, who might benefit from probiotics (8, 9, 10).

The GAPS diet also suggests taking supplements of essential fats and digestive enzymes.

However, studies to date have not observed that taking essential fatty acid supplements has an effect on people with autism. Similarly, studies on the effects of digestive enzymes on autism have had mixed results (11, 12, 13).

Overall, it's not clear whether taking dietary supplements improves autistic behaviors or nutrition status. More high-quality studies are needed before the effects can be known (14, 15).

Summary: As yet, no scientific studies have examined the effects of the GAPS protocol on autism, or any other condition the diet claims to treat.

The GAPS diet is a very restrictive protocol that requires you to cut out many nutritious foods for long periods of time.

It also provides little guidance on how to ensure your diet contains all the nutrients you need.

Because of this, the most obvious risk of going on this diet is malnutrition. This is especially true for children who are growing fast and need a lot of nutrients, since the diet is very restrictive.

Additionally, those with autism may already have a restrictive diet and may not readily accept new foods or changes to their diets. This could lead to extreme restriction (16).

Some critics have voiced the concern that consuming large amounts of bone broth could increase your intake of lead, which is toxic in high doses (17).

However, the risks of lead toxicity on the GAPS diet have not been documented, so the actual risk isn't known.

Summary: The GAPS diet is an extremely restrictive diet that may put you at risk of malnutrition.

Most people who try the GAPS diet are children with autism whose parents are looking to cure or improve their child's condition.

This is because one of the main claims made by the diet's founder is that autism is caused by a leaky gut, and can be cured or improved by following the GAPS diet.

Autism is a condition that results in changes to brain function that affect how the autistic person experiences the world. Its effects can vary widely, but, in general, people with autism have difficulties with communication and social interaction.

It's a complex condition thought to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors (18).

Interestingly, studies have noted that up to 70 percent of people with autism also have poor digestive health, which can result in symptoms including constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, acid reflux and vomiting (19).

Untreated digestive symptoms in people with autism have also been linked with more severe behaviors, including increased irritability, tantrums, aggressive behavior and sleep disturbances (19).

A small number of studies have found that some children with autism have increased intestinal permeability (20, 21, 22).

However, the results are mixed, and other studies have found no difference between intestinal permeability in children with and without autism (20, 23).

There are also currently no studies that show the presence of leaky gut before the development of autism. So even if leaky gut is linked to autism in some children, it's not known if it's a cause or a symptom (24).

Overall, the claim that leaky gut is the cause of autism is controversial. Some scientists think this explanation oversimplifies the causes of a complex condition.

Moreover, the leaky gut explanation is not currently supported by scientific evidence.

Summary: Leaky gut is sometimes seen in some people with autism. However, there is currently little evidence that leaky gut causes it.

Some people feel they have benefited from the GAPS diet, though these reports are anecdotal.

However, this elimination diet is extremely restrictive for long periods of time, making it very difficult to stick to. It may be especially dangerous for the exact population it's intended forvulnerable young people.

Many health professionals have criticized the GAPS diet because there are no scientific studies that support its claims.

If you are interested in trying it, make sure you seek help and support from a medical professional.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Authority Nutrition.

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What Is the GAPS Diet and Does it Work? - EcoWatch

Updated 11:35am, Sunday, August 13, 2017

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Researchers say bear bait could be playing a role in the high density of bears in northern Wisconsin.

New research from the state Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows bear bait makes up more than 40 percent of a black bear's diet in the region, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

Researchers sampled bear bait and native foods in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and then compared the samples to black bear tissues from 2011 to 2013. The study focused on areas with forest and wetlands in order to minimize the impact of crop cover.

"It was a study designed to better understand the ecology of bears in the state and the role that the various foods on the landscape play in the population," said Dave MacFarland, a large carnivore specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

"That gives us information on the impact of regulations. It's sort of a first step to better understanding the role of bait in bear diet."

High-calorie foods such as meat, candy or cookies are often used as bait. The state doesn't allow bait to contain any animal parts or animal by-products.

The state allows baiting from April through early October, a period that's about three times longer than baiting periods in Michigan and Minnesota.

While female black bears have experienced increased fertility when they eat bait, researchers said more study is needed to determine how bait affects the bear population.

"It'd also be interesting to see what, in states with different policies and different regulations, what role bait is playing in the diet of those bears," MacFarland said. "There's some more work potentially to be done, but I think it's an important first step in us better understanding this."

The area is home to more than 20,000 bears.

___

Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, http://www.wpr.org

Read more from the original source:
Bait plays heavy role in bear diets in northern Wisconsin - New Haven Register

It seems like everyone is either on a diet or considering starting a diet. You dont have to be overweight to take the plunge. After all, all good diets should be about getting and staying healthy and not just looking good.

But diets don't work for everyone, and unfortunately thats often blamed on laziness or ill-discipline. In reality, a weight loss meal plan is a mere part of what makes a diet succeed.

Diets can provide a great path to good health and self-esteem. However, they can also lead straight to despair and self-destruction if you ignore whats driving you in the first place.

There are 3 crucial questions you need to ask yourself before starting a diet.

1. WHY DO YOU WANT TO DIET?

This should be the obvious starting point, but many people think its a question with a self-evident answer. We tend to see a diet as a good thing, and therefore assume that dieting is a good idea no matter the reason. However, this thinking can easily lead to harm. Firstly, the type of diet you choose is dependent on this question. If you want to get fit and build muscle, you'll need a very different diet than someone just trying to shed the pounds. But it goes deeper than that. Many people share the same answer to this question: because Im unhappy (or even disgusted) with myself.

There's no doubt that losing weight can help a person with their self-esteem. Unfortunately, the opposite is just as likely. Some will feel an immense emptiness after they lose the weight and still cannot be happy with themselves. For others, the pressure is just too high: their happiness is dependent on their success.

Finding the underlying reason you want to diet is essential, as you'll ultimately need to confront that reason if you are to succeed in a way that is psychologically healthy.

2. WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

Its a sad fact of modern life that being healthy is a privilege. People living in third world countries are often either overweight or malnourished because they eat only what they can afford. For some, there is too little. For others, what they eat is unhealthy and fattening without being nourishing. The situation is better in first world countries, but even so, certain diets are far more expensive than others.

No matter what your pay grade, there is an appropriate diet. But you need to do the research first. This may involve some trial and error, as well as finding the cheapest places to shop. You also may require re-prioritising some expenses, instead taking your nutritional needs to the top of your list.

3. HOW CAN YOU MAINTAIN YOUR LIFESTYLE?

Although you may have ambitions of overhauling your lifestyle for the sake of your nutrition and health, chances are you're taking too many steps at once. In the beginning, for a diet to work it has to be built around your lifestyle. If you enjoy partying on the weekend and getting drunk, you'll struggle with a diet that allows you very little alcohol. If you love fine dining, you need a diet that permits you to explore different types of food, even when they are sometimes not completely in line with healthy eating practices.

Unless you already have a health condition that needs urgent nutritional changes, you should not be overhauling your lifestyle. You're setting yourself up to fail. Rather, start with what you know you can sacrifice, and eventually you can decide to take the next steps.

See the article here:
3 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE STARTING A DIET - TORO Magazine

If I were to tell you that our nations nutritional and overall health woes could be fixed with the help of a Berkeley native who is a 27-year vegetarian and the mother of two living in New York City, you would most likely think I have lost it, right?

Well, that is what I am telling you. That person is Nina Teicholz; a trained investigative journalist who spent nine years studying diet and disease with no formal training in nutrition and yet what she has uncovered every man, woman and child in this country needs to hear.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still forming its administration, and one leadership role that still needs to be filled is that of the person who will ultimately guide the future of dietary guidelines. I make no bones about having faith in Teicholzs abilities to do that because she does not sit back or kowtow to the squeaky wheel. She simply shares the science of developing proper diets that has long been suppressed.

For example, in the past month a hit piece on animal agriculture was released on Netflix. That vegan agenda piece is called What the Health. Within hours of its release, Teicholz was the first response available on the internet and you can read it at http://www.dietdoctor.com.

I would like to share with you some USDA information that she used in her summary of why this Netflix piece did not show the real truth.

Over the last 30 years, as rates of obesity and diabetes have risen sharply in the U.S., the consumption of animal foods has declined steeply: whole milk is down 79 percent; red meat by 28 percent and beef by 35 percent; eggs are down by 13 percent and animal fats are down by 27 percent. Meanwhile, consumption of fruits is up by 35 percent and vegetables by 20 percent. All trends therefore point towards Americans shifting from an animal-based diet to a plant-based one, and this data contradict the idea that a continued shift towards plant-based foods will promote health.

You see most studies today are observational studies, meaning they randomly ask people what they have eaten for the past 30 years and then try to tie it to the acceleration of their chosen disease. Teicholzs, on the other hand, has mountains of data and actual science about what is really going on with diet and health in our population.

Furthermore, the most maddening part of this information is she acquired the consumption data directly from the USDA. Yes, this is the same USDA that has continued to provide the misguided directives about reducing fat and protein and ramping up carbs with natural sugars from fruits and vegetables. The truth of the matter is the USDA has had access to all of this factual dietary information for 30 years.

I have become good friends with Teicholz since the release of her book that shares all of her research about diet and disease. The book is The Big Fat Surprise. The really interesting and respectable thing about her is she only has one dog in the fight. She does not come from a farming family with roots in food production. Her only passion was ignited when she was enlightened about the real facts leading to proper health. She developed a conviction that all other Americans need to get on board with after we have all been misled for so many years.

Lets look at the impact of poor nutrition. Our students are not keeping up with students in other countries and people look to blame the public school system. However, all the science clearly states that if you do not feed your brain, your ability to learn is limited. The foundation to improving our nations health and intelligence rests directly on the back of what we eat. We need to feed our kids, feed our families and feed our brains better than we have been.

That is the very reason I believe it is time we ask someone who has studied the science behind diets instead of those who have been following what the last wind of a political storm may have blown in. Look at the facts and the data. We need to change what we are eating and teach Americans the truth about what their bodies need to successfully live, work, play and learn. Teicholz can do that.

Editors note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at http://www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at trentloos@gmail.com.

Go here to read the rest:
Real diet science, not wind storms - High Plains Journal

Toni Okamoto was trying to make her family healthier when she started the blog that would become Plant Based on a Budget, a website for meal planning, recipe sharing, and education about the affordability of a vegan diet.

By the time she first posted vegan recipes on her family blog in 2012, she had seen her grandfather pass away due to complications from heart surgery and an aunt amputate a toe and foot due to Type 2 diabetes.

I had just started learning more about food issues, so in my early 20s, I thought, OK, this is really frustrating and sad for me to sit here and do nothing while my family is suffering, Okamoto told NBC News.

But over the past five years, Plant Based on a Budget has built a growing reader base, with more than 120,000 followers on Facebook.

The success has allowed, Okamoto, now 30, to author a cookbook, The Super Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook, which highlights 100 healthy, low-maintenance recipes, as well as co-author The Friendly Vegan Cookbook. She was also featured in What the Health, a documentary on plant-based diets released on Netflix in June.

The feedback for my segment has been amazing, she said. I can't believe how many people are inspired to eat plant-based after watching the film. I'm so grateful to have had a small part in it all.

Growing up in a multi-ethnic household in Sacramento, California, Okamoto learned first hand the importance of maintaining a healthy diet.

Every day before high school track practice, she would eat lunch at a fast food chain located across the street. But within minutes, shed immediately feel sick to her stomach.

It was not healthy for me to eat that way, Okamoto said. My track coach said, why dont you stop eating fast food and try cutting back on red meat?

As Okamoto changed her diet, she saw herself thrive as a runner and after participating in a two-week vegetarian diet challenge with a friend eventually decided to transition into a full-vegetarian diet.

The four-year transition to a vegan diet for ethical reasons was more gradual, Okamoto said.

I stopped eating beef, then getting broth beef and stopped drinking cows milk and butter, she said.

The cover of "The Friendly Vegan Cookbook" by Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto.

In an effort to inspire healthier eating options for her family, Okamoto began compiling plant-based recipes. But when she put the recipes up, she was shocked when many of her family members expressed the concern that it was too expensive for them to eat the way she did.

That's when my family food blog turned into a blog that challenged the misconception that plant-based food is was only for privileged people, Okamoto said. I wanted to provide everyone resources that gave them inspiration and drive to eat healthy.

Okamoto stresses the importance of providing early nutrition education in schools and avoiding processed foods.

Nutrition education is nonexistent in many low-income communities of color, she said. Its important to feed children healthier food.

Having grown up in a low-income family, Okamoto focuses particularly on budget-conscious recipes. Her meal plans can be as inexpensive as $25 per week per person and include a grocery list that shows how to use 100 percent of the ingredients while staying within budget.

Theres also a focus on ease when she doesnt have time to cook, Okamoto pre-plans her meals and uses her slow cooker, letting ingredients cook overnight.

While I sleep, I cook beans overnight, and in the morning Ill add chili and stuff, and when Im at work, Ill cook it, she said. When I come home, I have dinner, and the rest of the week Ill have leftovers.

Okamoto said that she wants people to know that Plant Based on a Budget is not an all-or-nothing decision and that every bit of progress toward a health goal is something to be proud of.

It takes a lot of courage and effort to relearn all of the things youve been taught about food and that is difficult, she said. Pat yourself on back for every healthy meal you eat and every day you choose plant based.

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Toni Okamoto Wants to Teach You How to Live a 'Plant-Based' Life - NBCNews.com