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.

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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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See the article here:
Toni Okamoto Wants to Teach You How to Live a 'Plant-Based' Life - NBCNews.com

When we set out to get into shape and start to eat healthily and exercise, the question that's on all of our minds is: how long will it take to lose weight and see results?

Naturally, when we hop on the scales after a week of working hard, we want to see a fat loss of at least two or three kilos. When it doesn't go to plan, this is often when we turn to fad diets, restricting food or excessively exercising.

But is quick weight loss really that safe, or even sustainable?

According to nutritionist Fiona Tuck and accredited practising dietitian and sports dietitian Jessica Spendlove, there's no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss.

"The one thing I tell all the athletes and clients I work with is: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. That is definitely the case when it comes to quick fixes and magic bullets with weight loss," Spendlove told HuffPost Australia.

"It might not sound as appealing as a magic bullet, but the most sustainable way to lose weight is through improvements to your daily routine and lifestyle, in particular better eating habits and more movement."

stockvisual via Getty Images Slow and steady wins the race. Seriously.

"Eating fresh, minimally processed foods and controlled portion sizes is the most effective way to lose weight. Eighty percent is what we eat, 20 percent is exercise," Tuck told HuffPost Australia.

"To most effectively lose body fat we need to find a good balance with what we are eating and what training we are doing," Spendlove added.

If we are restricting foods, exercising too much or doing 'detoxes', this can actually throw our bodies out of whack, which makes losing weight even harder.

"One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is they over-restrict on training days or around intense training sessions, but then end up overeating on low output [rest] days," Spendlove said.

"Most people go wrong by undereating on the days they have trained, when they can afford to eat more, and their body will actually utilise the nutrients better. Getting the energy intake and output balance in check is key."

Getty

Although fast weight loss is a tempting idea, shedding kilos in a short amount of time is likely to result in muscle or water loss, not fat loss. Unlike healthy, sustainable weight loss, it means you're also more likely to put the weight back on once you resume normal eating patterns.

"Fast weight loss can be unsustainable. This is because when the body is in extreme energy deficit, it is programmed to lose muscle before fat. Fat loss is a much slower process, and to be successful it requires long-term sustainable improvements with diet, as well as exercise," Spendlove explained.

Fast weight loss can also result in the slowing down of your metabolism, which is not what we want.

"[Rapid weight loss] can lead to weight gain when someone starts to eat normally again. It can take the body into starvation mode, thereby lowering the metabolism, making it harder to lose weight long term and easier to gain," Tuck said.

Other side effects of quick weight loss can include imbalances of electrolytes, malnutrition, dehydration, fatigue, irritability, headaches, constipation, dizziness, irregular menstruation and loss of muscle.

merc67 via Getty Images Skip the juice cleanses and focus on eating healthy, whole foods.

While this answer depends on the person, their weight and current activity levels, there is a guideline for the safe amount of weight to lose in a week.

"I generally would recommend 0.51 kilogram per week across the board," Spendlove said. "Losing more than that is often not sustainable."

In the first couple of weeks, weight loss tends to be higher as excess fluid is often lost.

"Some people will therefore safely lose several kilos in the first few weeks, depending on body size," Tuck explained.

It's also important to keep in mind that if you don't see a change in weight but you feel leaner, this could mean you have gained muscle mass -- a great thing.

"Around one kilo per week is a safe amount to lose for most people. However, these factors vary and if muscle mass is being built, this may give a false reading as muscle weighs more than fat -- so the scales may suggest less weight is being lost than it actually is as fat is being lost but replaced by muscle," Tuck said.

"Muscle mass is the metabolic powerhouse, so the more muscle mass an individual has, the faster their metabolism will be," Spendlove added.

Mikolette Weight training = muscle mass, which helps your body burn more energy/calories.

A general rule of thumb is you need to be in an energy deficit of around 7,000 calories (29,400 kilojoules) to lose one kilogram of fat.

A calorie deficit is a state in which you burn more calories than you consume. This means, to lose one kilo the difference between your basal metabolic rate (the energy you burn just by existing) and daily intake of energy (food) needs to be 7,000 calories over the course of the week.

"There are 7,700 calories in one kilogram, so if you wanted to lose weight at a rate of one kilogram per week, you would need to reduce your overall calorie intake by 7,700 calories, or 1,100 calories per day," Tuck said.

If reducing 1,100 calories each day feels unachievable, to lose 0.5 kilograms per week you need to be in a deficit of 3,500 calories, which equates to about 500 calories per day.

Need a better picture? Here is how long it takes to walk off popular junk food meals.

a_namenko via Getty Images To put 1,000 calories in context, it roughly equals a double cheeseburger with large fries.

According to Spendlove, technically yes. This is for a few reasons, including:

"If you don't have much weight to lose, your body is slower at losing weight as it wants to ensure body weight does not go too low so you have some emergency energy reserves in times of need," Tuck explained.

"If you have more fat and fluid than the body could possibly need then it doesn't have to worry that there will be no emergency fat stores to use in times of survival."

See the article here:
What's A Safe Amount Of Weight To Lose In A Week? - Huffington Post Australia