Trying to lose weight is hard work. You need to plan meals and snacks, and make a big effort to avoid situations that trigger more eating and drinking than youd planned. Dieting can also be very antisocial. But what if you could speed up weight loss, spend less time dieting, with the promise of better results? This is where fasting diets come in.

What is a fasting diet?

Intermittent fasting is the broad name for diets when you fast to some degree on some, but not all, days of the week; you eat normally on the other days.

On fast days, the kilojoule (energy) restriction is severe, at about 25% of what you would normally eat. This is only 2,000 to 3,000 kilojoules a day. An average person needs around 8,700 kilojoules a day (depending on body size and activity level) to maintain their current body weight.

To lose between one quarter and half a kilogram a week you would need to reduce your energy intake by 2,000 kilojoules a day. Over a whole week, this is equivalent to cutting back total energy intake by 14,000 kilojoules. Fasting diets compress this 14,000 kilojoule reduction into fewer days of dieting. In practical terms, this means that you reduce your intake by so much on a couple of days, you do not to be so strict on the other days.

Depending on the type of fasting diet, you focus all your weight loss efforts into sticking to the severe restriction for either two days a week (as in the 5:2 diet) or every second day (for three to four days days a week), as in alternate-day fasting. Another variation is the 16-hour overnight fast where eating is restricted every day to an eight-hour window, such as 11am to 7pm. Across all types of intermittent energy restrictions diets, we dont know the longer-term benefits or harms.

Any intermittent fasting approach will work if you can tolerate the hunger pains and stick to it. Sounds easy, but it is a very hard thing to do and for many it is not realistic. When you are fasting, your body thinks there is a famine and will try to get you to eat. The idea is that by including non-fasting periods, when you eat what you want, you may feel less like you are on a diet, and that makes it easier to stick to.

Even though fasting dieters are told to eat what they feel like on non-fast days, most do not get a compensatory increase in appetite. In other words, they do not over-eat, but just eat normally on non-fast days. So they reduce their total kilojoule intake over the whole week.

How about very low energy diets?

A specific type of continuous (every day) fasting diet is called a protein sparing modified fast or a very low energy diet. These limit you to 1,800 to 2,500 kilojoules a day, every day. They use products called formulated meal replacements, in the form of milkshakes or snack bars to replace most meals and snacks. These are supplemented with vitamins and minerals to meet the bodys nutrient needs.

Such very low energy programs usually include one small meal that contains a couple of cups of vegetables (to boost fibre and nutrient intakes), a small amount of oil (to keep the gall bladder working) and sometimes a fibre supplement (to manage constipation). These are reserved for when you need to lose weight urgently for health reasons or ahead of surgery.

Continuous fasting using these very low energy diets is associated with a reduction in hunger. This is thought to be due to the production of molecules called ketones that cross the blood-brain barrier (from the brains bloodstream into its tissues) and reduce appetite.

Do fasting diets work?

Intermittent fasting diets that last for at least six months help people lose weight. However, they are no more effective than other dietary approaches that restrict your kilojoule intake every day, but not so severely as a fast.

Consistent with this result, a study published last week randomised 100 adults to either alternate-day fasting, a continuous energy restriction diet, or to no intervention, for six months. They were followed for another six months after that. There was no difference in weight loss between the diet groups after a year.

And a review that compared behavioural interventions for weight management to those that also included very low energy diets found very low energy approaches achieved slightly greater weight loss for up to two years.

Who should not try a fasting diet?

Fasting diets are not for everyone. People with major medical problems, or taking a range of medications including insulin, should not go on them, unless under medical supervision; they are not suitable for children, in pregnancy or for people with eating disorders; and they may exacerbate some mental health conditions.

Fasting diets can also have side-effects. The more days you spend fasting, the more likely you are to have them. Side-effects can include constipation, headaches, bad breath, gall bladder disease, gout and liver inflammation.

So, before starting a weight loss diet, see your doctor for a check-up. When you need more support to improve your eating habits, or the diet you were following stops working, you need to try another approach. That is a good time to also get advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

What is the best diet for weight loss?

The best diet to help you achieve a healthy weight is one you can stick with. It should also help you feel better and be healthier.

By making improvements to your usual eating habits, that you can live with permanently, you will drop some weight. It might not be your dream weight, but it is likely to be realistic. It might not sound sexy, but its true.

Disclosure

Clare Collins is affiliated with the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, the University of Newcastle, NSW. She is an NHMRC Senior Research fellow. She has received a range of research grants including NHMRC, ARC, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Meat and Livestock Australia, Diabetes Australia, the Heart Foundation. She has consulted to SHINE Australia, Novo Nordisk, Quality Bakers and the Sax Institute. She is a spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia on some specific nutrition issues, including Australia's Healthy Weight Week.

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Read more:
What are fasting diets and do they help you lose weight - EconoTimes

This past Saturday, May 6th, was International No Diet Day and we were here for it! All across the world, fat babes joinedin to party and rally for INDD, the annual celebration of fat liberation and body diversity. The focus of INDD is to promote a lifestyle of positivity which does not revolve around the pressure of scales and dieting.

Related: Dear Virgie: How Do I Call People Out For Their Fatphobia/Healthism?

Rejecting diets shouldnt be such a revolutionary act, but in a culture that glorifies thinness and Eurocentric beauty standards, how could it be anything but? Dieting can be a yo-yo journey based on ego rather than actual fact and real, lasting lifestyle modifications including the journey to self-love from within. According to The Institute of Medicine, those who complete weight-loss programs lose approximately 10 percent of their body weight only to regain two-thirds within a year and almost all of it within five years. This diet industry counts on this, banking approximately $60 BILLION dollars each year.

Started in 1992, the first International No Diet Day was created by a group of feminist from the UK. Now, it is celebrated across the world.

We interviewed fat liberation activist Crystal Newman of Fat Positive Louisville, a fat activist group based in Louisville, Kentucky. Newman worked hard to bring a fat positive celebration to Louisville this year during the ultra-visible Derby Days and hopefully many more to come.

Crystal Newman of Fat Positive Louisville.

Wear Your Voice: What inspired you to get involved in the fat liberation movement? Crystal Newman: I got inspired to participatein the fat liberation movement because I realized that being fat impacted multiple facets of my life in impactful ways, other than how I felt about myself. I realized that being fat was more than playground bullying in school. Fat impacts how people treat you at work, in interpersonal relationships, navigating transportation, and getting resources whether its for fashion or resources that impact your livelihood (like the healthcare system).

WYV: How do you feel that the body positivity movement is dropping the ball? Where does fat lib pick it up? CN: The body positive movement is dropping the ball by skimming the surface and it further aids in the oppression of populations that need it most. I am a superfat, black, queer, disabled, non-binary femme and in many instances, all I see is white, able-bodied, small-to-mid fat cis-women represented. Even thin white women are forcing their way into these spaces and I see people like me silenced and pushed out.

Body positivity only skims the surface and only accepts bodies that fall under the Eurocentric ideal and the only way progress is being made is under the guise of consumerism, dog-eat-dog culture, lookism, and Whiteness. Even when I ran the group for two years, I found myself to be erased and silenced as I stood in the background doing the majority of the work.

True, fat liberation aligns itself with other social justice movements (anti-racism, anti-capitalism, disability justice, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia and so much more) and I try my best to live my life under those principles. Fat liberation, I feel, brings more community. [In contrast, being] body positive [encourages] every person [to be] for themselves.

Crystal Newman of Fat Positive Louisville.

WYV: Why is No Diet Day important to you? How is Fat Positive Louisville celebrating it? CN: Its important to me because Ive been fat shamed and encouraged to diet since elementary school. I got bullied a lot in school for my weight. I grew up into a fat adult and developed mental illness and eating disorders. I endured weight discrimination at work. While undergoing trauma therapy, I realized THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY BODY. Weight bias and discrimination is wrong.

Once I realized that the day was coming up and I was able to gather up a few spoons, I made this day a priority. Additionally, May 6th is also Kentucky Derby in Kentucky, so I didnt want to just celebrate by myself. I wanted Louisville, KY, the whole state, and the WHOLE COUNTRY to celebrate with me! Against the advice of a few loved ones, I said that Im going to involve my organization Fat Positive Louisville cause this is a once a year thing. I want to nurture the child in me that says every dream is possible. So I painted a picture, involved a few close friends, and said, We are doing this online campaign and here we are!

WYV: How would you like to see it embraced within the fat community? CN: I would like to see No Diet Day a day that fat folks can love on one another and bring back the community in fat community. Hold each others hands (with consent) and let each other know that we had a vision over 40 years ago. WE can stick to this and we can make an impact.

WYV: If you could tell the world one thing about fat oppression, what would it be? CN: Its not just a fat persons job to end their own oppression. EVERYBODY needs to do the work. Stop holding on to the biases and prejudices that influence oppression. Stop keeping silent cause you feel like you dont have many people on your side. If you KNOW ITS WRONG, fight it. Dont let oppression happen.

View original post here:
Fighting Fatphobia: Fat Positive Louisville's Crystal Newman Talks International No Diet Day - Wear Your Voice

In news that will shock no one, Pippa Middleton reportedly is hitting the gym hard and strictly adhering to a diet in advance of her May 20 wedding. According to E! News, the 33-year-old, set to marry hedge fund manager James Matthews, has been attending hour-and-15-minute Pilates classes at the exclusive KX Gym in Londons Chelsea, and sticking to the Sirtfood diet, created by health consultants Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten. (Adele and a bunch of other Brits weve never heard of also reportedly are fans.)

So what is the Sirtfood diet, anyway? And should you be doing it? Here's the lowdown.

What is the Sirtfood diet?

Research shows that certain foods contain chemicals called polyphenols, which stress out cells so much they stimulate your sirtuin genes, which go into fasting mode and control metabolism and trigger weight loss. Such foods include kale (of course), blueberries, capers, extra virgin olive oil, onions, and walnuts, to name a few, but also indulgences like dark chocolate and red wine (!).

OK, you had me at red wine. How does it work?

For the first three days of the diet, you are only allowed Sirtfood green juices and one full meal made up of approved Sirtfoods, for a grand total of 1,000 calories a day. After the initial phase, you can increase caloric intake to 1,500 calories by having two green juices and two Sirtfood-rich meals a day.

Sounds doable. Whats the catch?

The diet not only restricts calories, it also limits what you can eat. I never recommend completely removing foods from my clients lives because it never ends well, says Tracy Lockwood, a celebrity registered dietitian and founder of Tracy Lockwood Nutrition in New York. She recounts how whenever her clients complete a quick fix diet, they tell her how they celebrated their success with pizza and fries. Now, that doesnt make sense! she says.

Still, Ill lose weight on the Sirtfood diet, wont I?

Any weight loss you do experience on this diet likely isnt real, Lockwood says. The initial weight loss may be related to fluid loss, so its going to eventually come backand then somewhen people go back to their regular eating patterns, she says.

But how bad could eating kale, blueberries, and walnuts all day every day really be? Is the Sirtfood diet safe?

Not at all, says Lockwood. Anyone who is looking to lose weight wont effectively and safely do so by putting themselves in such a severe caloric deficit, she says. And this diet can cause disordered eating habits due to the restrictive nature of the calories and lack of essential macronutrients.

Whats more, maintaining such a diet long-term is near impossible for most folks, unless your sister is a princess and youre about to marry a millionaire. Instead, Lockwood advises, I would encourage people to simply incorporate foods that are high in sirtuins in their existing balanced diet rather than adopt this one.

It seems Middleton herself would even agree. I grew up with the belief that good health is about moderation in all things, she wrote for Britains Waitrose Weekend magazine back in 2014. So Ill be celebrating healthy living through exercise, a balanced diet, and a little of the naughty stuff sprinkled in.

The Feast is Bravo's home for the biggest, boldest, most crave-worthy eating experiences. Want more? Then Like us on Facebook to stay connected to our daily updates.

Read the rest here:
What Exactly Is the Sirtfood Diet, and Why Is Pippa Middleton On It? (Spoiler: You Can Drink Red Wine!) - Bravo (blog)

HARLINGEN Have you ever heard of the gluten free diet?

Would you like to learn more about the gluten free diet and how it is essential for people with celiac disease?

Harlingen Medical Center and Texas State Technical College are teaming up for the Celiac Disease Awareness 5k Run 1M Walk & Education Expo, scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at the TSTC Campus in Harlingen from 7 a.m. to noon.

Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that is triggered by eating gluten. Gluten is the sticky protein found in flour.

It is also found in products that come from wheat, barley or grain. When a celiac patient eats food that contains gluten, it triggers a reaction in the body and the immune system attacks the small intestine.

This causes symptoms of pain, bloating, chronic diarrhea, weight loss and foggy thinking.

Over time, this damage to the small intestine can lead to anemia (low blood count), vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis (thin, brittle bones), infertility, lactose intolerance, nerve damage, increased risk of several malignancies and early death.

Celiac disease is a serious disorder with severe long term complications.

However, most people who have celiac disease are unaware that their symptoms are due to celiac disease.

Celiac affects about 1 in 100 people worldwide. In the United States alone, 2.5 million Americans have celiac disease and are not diagnosed.

There is a huge unmet need for awareness for celiac disease in the Rio Grande Valley, said Jason Phillips, MD, who is a local gastroenterologist who treats patients with celiac disease. As many as 13,000 people have celiac disease in the Valley and the vast majority are not aware that they have this treatable disorder.

They simply put up with the symptoms or blame their symptoms on something else such as food poisoning.

We wanted to create a Valley-wide event that brought attention and education to this relatively common but under-diagnosed disorder to help people get tested and started on treatment with the gluten free diet.

The mainstay of treatment is a strict gluten free diet.

A gluten free diet avoids all foods that contain wheat flour or traces of flour.

The gluten free diet is a very challenging diet to follow because it requires 100 percent commitment in order to relieve the symptoms of celiac disease.

Unlike other diets, if you cheat on a gluten free diet and have celiac disease, all of the celiac symptoms return for days to weeks.

This creates a huge challenge for patients when they eat out or visit relatives because even the smallest amount of gluten can trigger a reaction.

Many of these patients simply prepare all of their own meals at home, which can lead to social isolation.

We also want this event to be a launching platform to create a Gluten Free support group for the Rio Grande Valley, said Dr. Phillips. We want to be able to reach out to restaurants and help educate them on how to prepare their food safely for a strict gluten free diet.

The expo provides the Valley with an opportunity to learn about gluten free cooking and sample local vendors that already provide food for a gluten free diet.

Ultimately, we want to help people feel better to improve their lives through education and advocacy, he said.

There will also be an Education Expo featuring focused lectures from Gastroenterology physicians who are specialists that diagnose and treat celiac disease.

There will be talks about gluten free cooking from Brandy Rivera, MS, RD, LD (dietician) and Chef Marcel Fortuin (McAllen Culinary Academy) about the gluten free food.

Local vendors will be present to educate the public on products and menus already available in select restaurants and grocery stores.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 1st Celiac Disease Awareness 5K run/1 mile walk and Education Expo

WHERE: Texas State Technical College campus, 1902 N. Loop 499, Harlingen

WHEN: Saturday, May 20, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the run/walk. 9 a.m. to noon for the Education Expo

WHY: To raise funds and awareness for Celiac Disease sufferers

MORE: For additional information regarding the Harlingen Medical Center and Texas State Technical College Celiac Disease Awareness 5k Run 1M Walk & Education Expo, please contact the Marketing Department at Harlingen Medical Center at (956) 365-1848 or at mchacon@primehealthcare.com.

Did you know?

In the Rio Grande Valley, there could be as many 13,000 people living with celiac disease and unaware.

Timeline for the day

Saturday, May 20

H 7 a.m. - On-site Registration and Free Medical Screenings

H 8:00 a.m. - 5k Run, non-competitive

H 8:10 a.m. 1 mile Walk, non-competitive

H 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Education Expo (free)

The event will also feature activities for children and families.

How to enter the race/walk

Entering the Harlingen Medical Center and Texas State Technical College Celiac Disease 5k Run 1M Walk & Education Expo, as a participant, is as simple as completing the on-line registration form available at the award-winning and nationally recognized hospitals website at http://www.harlingenmedicalcenter.com.

On the home page, simply scroll down and you will see the icon for the event on the right-hand side.

It will direct you to the registration webpage.

You may also register by requesting a hardcopy registration form at mchacon@primehealthcare.com.

The cost of participation

Children (under 17) - $15

Adults - $25

TSTC Students - $10

HMC & TSTC Employees - $10

There is no charge to only attend the expo.

There are sponsorships opportunities for the event. Contact HMC.

Read more here:
Harlingen Medical Center, TSTC host Run/Walk, Expo to bring awareness to celiac disease - Valley morning Star

Cyril the coeliac duck hates bread. He's surrounded by it on an almost daily basis. Countless well-meaning passers-by chuck huge lumps of the stuff at him and he smiles politely, to the extent that his beak allows, declines (because it will make him ill), and goes about his day, hungrily. He doesn't think his food rut will ever end.

But then, standing on the bridge over his beloved pond, he spots his favourite type of person; someone who knows that bread is bad for ducks. Along with his friends, Sophie and Sam, Cyril flocks to this well-informed maverick who is generously doling out corn, grapes, lettuce and peas - all things that ducks love and can safely eat. This man, is part of something that's going to change the world, the Gluten Freevolution.

You see, Cyril isn't alone on the gluten free diet, far from it. In fact, he's part of a market worth 100million a year and made up of more than 1.3 million people, and at least one duck. Cyril isn't afraid to praise the people who provide him with safe gluten free options, and he certainly doesn't mind spending his hard-earned money in establishments where he's enjoyed himself and eaten safely, and to which he's become loyal.

Cyril is representative of a very real, and very large group of people. These people want to see gluten free on more menus, especially in independent establishments. They want to see gluten free options, whether packaged or fresh, in every venue where you would expect to find their gluten containing counterparts. They want different types of food to be more accessible to those on the gluten free diet, especially Asian cuisines. And they want eating out, or on the go, to be an easier, safer, and more rewarding proposition for every person in the UK on a gluten free diet.

Despite the light-hearted nature of the Gluten Freevolution, there is a very serious message. People diagnosed with coeliac disease need to maintain a strict gluten free diet for life if they are to avoid complications such as osteoporosis, infertility and although rare, small bowel cancer. This isn't simply a food choice.

Don't delay, get your duck flag flying today and become part of the Gluten Freevolution. We need quacktivists like you to help build a better world for people on the gluten free diet. So, waddle over to the Coeliac UK website for an intro-duck-tion video from Cyril and his friends, and find out more about coeliac disease, the gluten free diet and the future of the food industry.

Coeliac UK Awareness Week 2017

Original post:
Ignoring The Gluten Free Market Is Absolutely Quackers - HuffPost UK

World hunger issues prompt GJ man to try monthlong diet of insects

Jeremy Connor sprinkles a measuring cup full of crickets over his rice and beans as he prepares a meal at his Grand Junction home. Connor and his wife, Naomi, are blogging about their #BugsEndHunger campaign to promote insects as a food source.

Jeremy Connor of Grand Junction is eating insects during the month of May to draw attention to bugs as a way to end malnutrition and hunger.

Breakfast: potatoes with crickets.

Dinner: black beans, rice and fresh salsa, whole roasted crickets and white corn tortillas.

Lunch: corn tortillas with refried beans, olives, crickets, lettuce and salsa.

Lunch: corn tortillas with refried beans, olives, crickets, lettuce and salsa.

By Staff Saturday, May 6, 2017

Jeremy Connor has a long history of picky eating.

Butter on his bread? No thanks. Dressing on his salad? Forget it. Avocados? Nope.

So you can imagine his breakfast Monday morning: potatoes cut homefries-style or in the style of a typical Central American meal and pan-fried until tender, tossed with a handful of crickets.

Yes, crickets. Those crickets, relatives of the stark black insects he saw clinging to the underside of a tarp in his yard when he lifted it a while back. He saw those several dozen bugs and thought, hmmm

Hed been pondering and researching for a while aquaponics, hydroponics, various methods of small-scale, sustainable agriculture that could not only supplement his familys diet, but help him contribute to combating malnutrition and hunger, worldwide problems that have long laid on his heart.

So, insects. Bugs. Creeping (or hopping) critters that some researchers think have the potential to end world hunger.

Ill be the first to admit its not easy, said Connor, 40, a Grand Junction father of four who has a background in ministry. That first time I just kind of breathed through it and once I ate it, it was like, oh, this is OK.

For the entire month of May, Connor is conducting an experiment in which his diet consists only of the insects and plant-based foods that can either be found locally in the four regions of the world with the highest concentration of people who endure chronic hunger, or brought in through food aid programs.

Working with various agriculturalists and producers of insect-based products around the country, he said the goal is not just to raise awareness of the benefits of incorporating insects into a balanced, omnivorous diet, but to produce a picture-based Farming Insects Guide that can be distributed and used around the world.

Via their Seeds of Action organization (seedsofaction.com) and #BugsEndHunger campaign, and in partnership with Little Herds (littleherds.org), Connor and his wife, Naomi, said they hope to be part of a dietary change not just in developing nations, but at home as well.

While Naomi and the children arent consuming insects to the degree Jeremy is, their 12-year-old son did request an insect-infused cake for his birthday Saturday.

Its all part, Jeremy said, of conquering the ick factor, making insects just another element of a balanced diet, rather than something to be eaten on a dare, and something that can be farmed worldwide to support families not just nutritionally but economically as well.

Its definitely fear of the unknown and this perception that bugs are gross, and all the negative connotations with them, explained Wendy Lu McGill, founder of Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch (rmmr.co) in Denver, at which she and her business partner, Kyle Conrad, farm crickets. Increasingly, you find more people who say things like, I know this is really important, I know this is sustainable, I know this is valuable nutritionally, but its not for me until I have to.

Even with attention increasingly being given to eating insects On Eating Insects, a book exploring the science, culture, ethics and gastronomy of it, was released Monday theres a revulsion toward insects in western culture that dates back millennia, said David George Gordon, a Seattle chef and author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook.

As soon as (western) culture got into agriculture, instead of hunting and gathering, insects became a pain in the neck, Gordon said. They ate the grain, they ruined crops. We fought them and our first instinct became to kill them. But my own perspective is we really need bugs to keep the planet functioning.

A 2013 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report (fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e.pdf) on entomophagy, or the practice of eating insects, cited insects as part of traditional diets for more than 2 billion people worldwide.

According to the report, insects provide food at low environmental cost, contribute positively to livelihoods, and play a fundamental role in nature. However, these benefits are largely unknown to the public. Contrary to popular belief, insects are not merely famine foods eaten in times of food scarcity or when purchasing and harvesting conventional foods becomes difficult; many people around the world eat insects out of choice, largely because of the palatability of the insects and their established place in local food cultures.

Many involved in entomophagy, including Gordon and McGill, acknowledge that the western diet including its bags of potato chips and its sugar-laden processed foods has to a degree become the aspirational diet worldwide, so in a lot of countries that traditionally have eaten insects, they think of that as bush food, or for old weirdos, Gordon said. Theyd rather be eating Colonel Sanders, so theres actually been a kind of die-off of traditional ways.

McGill said that because hunger is a multi-faced, multi-dimensional problem with causes, and thus solutions, that can vary from region to region, a facet of combating it might be the addition and normalization of insects in the western diet.

We arent culturally inclined to distinguish between good insects and bad insects, wrote anthropologist Krystal DCosta in a 2013 blog post for Scientific American. And I dont know that we care to make this distinction. Insects are different theyre like miniature monsters with their antennae and pincers and multiple appendages. By casting them all as bad, theyre easier to deal with.

Its the Fear Factor problem, Jeremy Connor said: People grow up daring each other to eat bugs. Its a horrifying, gag-inducing rite of passage. And even with increased efforts to normalize and promote insects as part of a balanced diet, theyre still a novelty item when they show up on menus, a bragging right and badge of honor when consumed.

But they could be just dinner. Or part of it, Connor said.

Consider his May 1 meals, the first of his monthlong experiment and focusing on the cuisine of regions in Central America and the Caribbean that consistently deal with food insecurity and hunger: Breakfast was potatoes with crickets. Lunch was mayi moulin ak paw, a Haitian dish with cornmeal, coconut milk and kidney beans, to which Connor added mealworm powder (mealworms being not actually worms, but beetle larva).

Dinner was black beans, rice and fresh salsa with 1/3 cup of whole roasted crickets, plus white corn tortillas.

The crickets in his breakfast alone provided him with 14 grams of protein, but its not just protein, he said. Insects can provide so many more nutrients than just protein, including iron, calcium, riboflavin and niacin.

He suggested that insect powders might provide the gateway for many people, something they can sprinkle in their smoothies and begin to normalize the idea of consuming insects for those who have not traditionally done so.

And for those who have, Connors goal is to create strategic relationships worldwide, offering people the support, education and means to safely and productively farm insects so that they can not only provide for their families, but sell the surplus and work toward economic independence.

He and Naomi are documenting his monthlong journey with a daily vlog on their website, and though Im doing it as a campaign this month, I feel like our family is transitioning as a lifestyle, he said. At the end, I feel like (eating insects) will be a part of our life.

It starts, then, one bug at a time.

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World hunger issues prompt GJ man to try monthlong diet of insects - Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

A diet high in fat is considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as it can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and other harmful conditions. New research, however, suggests that it may be possible to offset some of this risk by incorporating cinnamon in the diet.

Researchers found that rats fed a high-fat diet supplemented with cinnamon for 12 weeks gained less weight and abdominal fat and had healthier blood levels of fat, sugar, and insulin, when compared with rodents fed a high-fat diet without cinnamon.

Study co-author Vijaya Juturu, Ph.D., of OmniActive Health Technologies Inc in Morrison, NJ, and colleagues recently presented their findings at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology/Peripheral Vascular Disease 2017 Scientific Sessions, held in Minneapolis, MN.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an umbrella term for conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including heart attack, stroke, and heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, killing around 610,000 people every year.

Diet plays a major role in CVD. An unhealthful diet - such as one high in fat - can cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and other conditions that raise the risk of poor cardiovascular health.

According to Juturu, research has shown that cinnamon - a spice derived from the bark of trees from the Cinnamomum genus - contains a polyphenol that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may reduce some of the risk factors for CVD caused by poor diet.

For their study, the researchers set out to investigate whether cinnamon might help to reduce the harms associated with a high-fat diet.

For 12 weeks, the researchers fed rats a high-fat diet supplemented with cinnamon and compared them with rodents that were fed a high-fat diet without the spice (the controls).

The team found that rats whose diets were supplemented with cinnamon weighed less and developed less abdominal fat than those fed a high-fat diet without the spice. Rats fed a high-fat diet with cinnamon also had healthier blood glucose and insulin concentrations, as well as better lipid profiles, than the controls.

Additionally, the researchers found that rats that received cinnamon had fewer molecules associated with the storing of fat, as well as increased levels of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant molecules.

Antioxidants protect against oxidative stress, which is an imbalance of free radicals that has been associated with numerous health conditions, including heart attack and heart disease.

Based on their findings, Juturu and colleagues believe that cinnamon may decrease the damaging effects of a high-fat diet.

The team concludes:

"These results suggest CNM [cinnamon] supplementation reduces hyperlipidemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress through activating transcription factors (SREBP-1c, LXR-, NF-B, and Nrf2) and anti-oxidative defense signaling pathway."

Learn how cinnamon could boost the ability to learn.

Original post:
Cinnamon may reduce the harms of a high-fat diet - Medical News Today

The mayor of Seattle has altered the rules of his proposed soda tax whichwould fund education for minoritiesto include diet drinks because affluent white people tend toconsume them more.

Mayor Ed Murray of the staunchly liberal Seattle cityoriginally proposed the soda tax during hisstate of the city address in February.Under hisinitial plan, distributors of sugarydrinks would have to pay 2 cents per ounce.

It would cover sodas such as Coke and Pepsi, energy drinks like Red Bull, fruit drinks, sweetened teas and bottled coffees such as those sold by Starbucks.

The Mayorclaimed the tax would bring $16 million in revenue thatwould be spent on education programs aimed at reducing disparities between the citys white students and students of color.

But the mayor has updated the plan after the staff of the mayors office told him that the tax would actually disproportionatelyfall on poor minorities, who have higher rates of soda consumption than white residents.

Murray changed the bill, lowering the levy to 1.75 cents per ounce and included diet drinks because they are by favored by affluent white city residents, despite the fact that most diet drinks have no calories and therefore dont contribute to obesity.

According to Reason, taxing diet drinks has become an issue of equality to the mayor because they more likely to be consumed by upper middle class white people and therefore must be taxed as a way to fightwhite privileged institutionalized racism.

The white privilege tax may be a distraction for Murray, whos facing accusations from four men that he paid for sex and sexually abused them in the 1980s when they were teen boys. A high profile lawsuit from one of the men filed last month claims thatMurray raped and molested him over several years, beginning in 1986 when the man was a 15-year-old high-school dropout.Murray has denied the accusations.

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Seattle Mayor Adds Diet Drinks to His Soda Tax 'To Tackle White Privilege' - Heat Street

Gluten-free diets do not lower your risk for heart disease and may even lead to some health concerns, a new studypublished in BMJ reports.

Gluten is a natural protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. In recent years, many people have cut the substance out of their diet because they believe it leads to better health.However, no long-term studies had looked at how that change affects the risk of chronic conditions.

In the recent research, a team of U.S.-based scientists found that cutting out gluten tends to lower a persons intake of whole grains. As those grains are linked to numerous health benefits including a lower risk for heart disease losing them can lead to problems.

As a result, the team states that, unless a person has celiac disease, they should not shy away from gluten. It can be reduced in some cases, but for the most part, people should balance non-gluten foods with ones that contain whole grains.

Researchers reached this conclusion by analyzing data from a study of more than 110,000 U.S. health professionals. All of the subjects periodically answered questions over a 26-year period about the different foods they consumed. This allowed the team to estimate how much gluten each patient had in their diet, as well as see whether or not they experienced a heart attack during the study.

After dividing the subjects into five groups, the researchers found that those who ate the most gluten did not have a higher risk for heart attack than those who ate the least. In fact, the data showed that gluten initially appeared to be linked with a lower risk of heart attack. However, this connection is not tied to gluten consumption, but rather the intake of whole grains.

These findings do not support the promotion of a gluten-restricted diet with a goal of reducing coronary heart disease risk, the researchers wrote in their study, according toLive Science.

This study is purely observational, which means no concrete conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. However, the scientists believe there is enough evidence in the data to show that the reduction of gluten may lead to specific heart-related health problems and that people should make sure to keep whole grains in their usual diet.

Any time you eliminate whole categories of food youve been used to eating, you run the risk of nutritional deficiencies, said co-author Peter H.R. Green, director of Columbia Universitys Celiac Disease Center, according to Newsweek. Unless people are very careful, a gluten-free diet can lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Joseph Scalise is an experienced writer who has worked for many different online websites across many different mediums. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. In addition, he performs and writes poetry, and has won numerous contests. Joseph is a dedicated writer, sports lover and avid reader who covers all different topics, ranging from space exploration to his personal favorite science, microbiology.

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Gluten-free diet may come with health complications, study reports - Science Recorder