Food Tank has compiled 17 books to educate, inform and inspire us this season. Whether youre looking to dip your toes into the world of modern, sustainable agriculture or searching for a new hobbylike making cheese with no dairythese books about food, agriculture, and sustainability offer something for everyone. Including both seasoned and new authors, writing about health, food, the environment, and the intersection of all three, hopefully you will find inspiration this spring through these 17 reads.

1. Women in Agriculture: Professionalizing Rural Life in North America and Europe, 18801965, edited by Linda M. Ambrose and Joan M. Jensen

Studies of women in rural life, agriculture, and the home are fairly extensive, but the role of women in other agricultural roles has been examined less. This series of essays explores the role of women as agricultural researchers, producers, marketers, educators, and community organizers in North America and Europe and the expertise they have contributed to rural life and modern agriculture.

2. The Presidents Kitchen Cabinet, by Adrian Miller

African-American culinary traditions have significantly influenced American food culture at its roots. In the past few centuries, soul food has pervaded more than the kitchens of American households and restaurants. It has left its mark on one of the most vital kitchens in the countrythe White House. This book compiles the stories of more than 100 black men and women who served and fed our nations presidents.

3. Building the Agricultural City, by Robert Wolf

Wolf offers a plan for the future of rural economies based on the concept of regionalism, in which widespread, isolated communities become large cities, or agricultural cities. He implores rural communities to decentralize the wealth, work cooperatively to rebuild their economies, and move toward a stronger future.

4. Scraps, Wilt & Weeds: Turning Wasted Food into Plenty by Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong

With the new cookbook from Noma chef Mads Refslund, otherwise wasted foodssuch as the presumably inedible parts of vegetables or stale and wilted foodstransform into impressive dishes. Overripe fruit becomes sweet glazes for meat dishes. Vegetable leaves and stalks become the savory bases of soups and sauces. Refslunds tips and recipes enforce a new respect for the foods we exploit in our kitchens.

5. Natural Defense: Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health by Emily Monosson

The chemicals we have relied on for more than a century to keep our crops clean and healthy are no longer living up to their job. Diseases are outsmarting our defenses. Fortunately, Monosson offers a positive outlook on the future of plant protection and our subsequent health benefits with innovative scientific advancements that look to germs and bugs to work with nature instead of fighting against it.

6. The Food Lovers Garden: Growing Cooking and Eating Well by Jenni Blackmore

Whether youre working with a small backyard plot or a few pots on your balcony, The Food Lovers Garden will offer what you need to get started growing your own food. This guidebook/cookbook has the essentials for those who have a piqued interest in gardening but are not sure where to start. Blackmore then takes you beyond the growing phase with recipes for cooking, as well as preserving, the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor.

7. The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution by Roz Naylor

This information-packed book provides an outlook for an industry on the cusp of change. The oil crop revolution is gaining momentum and with it, the power to influence the food we eat, feed for our animals, the landscape, biofuels, and the economy. The industrys biggest stakeholders and harshest critics arent the only ones to chime in on its impact. The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution analyzes the major costs versus benefits while exploring the sustainable options that could balance out its future.

8. The Art of Plant-Based Cheesemaking by Karen McAthy

Who says a more ethical and healthy diet cant include cheese? Whether youre cutting back on dairy-based products or simply looking to try something new, the world of plant-based cheeses offers the same creamy texture from a new perspective. McAthy, an expert plant-based cheesemaker, shares her experience in unfolding new wonders for dairy-free cheese-lovers.

9. A Conversation about Healthy Eating (forthcoming July 2017) by Nicholas A. Lesica

In A Conversation about Healthy Eating, Lesicas highly scientific approach looks at what hasnt worked in the past and why, and how we can better understand for ourselves the principles behind a healthy diet. So what is the secret, exactly? Lesica finds that its about avoiding processed foods as much as possible, and in the book, he provides lifestyle changes that can help you do just that.

10. Compact Farms by Josh Volk

Amateur farmers and gardeners looking to turn their small farm into a business will find inspiration in the stories of 15 farms profiled in this book. The farms serve as guides for every step involved in building a farm enterpriseon five acres or less.

11. Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman

Food and food culture across the globe comes to life in this vividly illustrated book. Julia Rothmans distinctive work makes learning about cheese slicing and challah braiding, among other things, interactive and engaging.

12. Sustainable Diets: How Ecological Nutrition Can Transform Consumption and the Food System (forthcoming March 2017) by Pamela Mason and Tim Lang

This book is a comprehensive look at the sustainable diets, as opposed to the unsustainable diets that currently are heavily impacting the plant. The authors look at both nutrition and public health to understand what a sustainable diet actually entails and how we can shift to these diets in a way that still allows billions of people access to food.

13. The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife (forthcoming April 2017) by Nancy Lawson

Lawson wants backyard gardeners to create a symbiotic relationship with the creatures and critters that need the natural habitats to survive. Through her book and an outreach initiative of the same name, she teaches readers how to grow inviting spaces for wildlife to prosper, from the best butterfly bushes and flowers for pollinators to techniques for living in harmony with animals otherwise thought of as pests.

14. The Permaculture Promise by Jono Neiger

Looking for a beginners guide to permaculture? The Permaculture Promise explains the concepts main practices from gardening and housing to transportation, energy, and how we structure our communities. Through 22 profiles of people and communities, Neiger demonstrates the ways that anyone can incorporate permaculture practices in their daily lives in order to contribute to a more sustainable world.

15. Immersion: The Science and Mystery of Freshwater Mussels (forthcoming April 2017) by Abbie Gascho Landis

Step into the secret world of freshwater mussels, an unassuming creature of great value to the worlds waterways. Landis, a veterinarian, takes readers to the riverbeds and streams of the southeastern United States, where her own fascination began, in order to introduce them to a small piece of the delicate ecosystems we rely on.

16. Feast: Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip by Lindsay Anderson and Dana Vanveller

Ever wonder what defines Canadian food culture? Two friends wanted to find out, so they took off on a road-trip from one edge of the Great White North to the other in pursuit of the curiosities of Canadian gastronomic traditions. Along the way, they tell the stories of the characters they meet from chefs to farmers and First Nation elders. By the end, youll be licking your lips and searching for a ticket north.

17. Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want it Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future by Rob Dunn

The bananas we eat today come from what modern scientists standardized in the 1960s from dozens into one basic banana, generally the same size, shape, and taste. Never Out of Season outlines how streamlining our cropsbreeding the hardiest, best tasting varieties to be seemingly never out of seasonhas left our food supply without diversity and dangerously susceptible to natures pathogens.

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Food Tank's reading list: 17 books to dig into this spring - Fairfaxtimes.com

Testing blood sugar level. Patients are usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 14 and must have daily shots of insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Photograph: Trevor Smith/Alamy

Scientists have raised hope for the prevention of early-onset diabetes in children after a fibre-rich diet was found to protect animals from the disease.

More than 20 million people worldwide are affected by type 1 diabetes, which takes hold when the immune system turns on the body and destroys pancreatic cells that make the hormone insulin.

It is unclear what causes the immune system to malfunction, but patients are usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 14 and must have daily shots of insulin to control their blood sugar levels.

Working with Australias national science agency, CSIRO, researchers at Monash University in Melbourne created a diet rich in fibre that is broken down in the lower intestine into molecules known as short-chain fatty acids.

The team, led by immunologist Charles Mackay, believe that short-chain fatty acids called butyrate and acetate dampen down the immune system, and have the potential to treat a range of disorders from asthma to irritable bowel syndrome.

For the latest study, the scientists monitored the health of mice that were bred to develop the rodent equivalent of type 1 diabetes. On a normal diet, more than 70% of the animals had developed the condition after 30 weeks. But another group that received the high fibre diet was nearly entirely protected from the condition.

What we saw was dramatic, Mackay said. When we give the diet to mice that spontaneously develop type 1 diabetes, we could almost completely eliminate their disease.

Mackay said it was too early to know whether such medicinal foods could protect people from type 1 diabetes. There have been frustrations in the past that findings in these animals have not translated particularly well to human patients, but at other times they do, he said. But we think our study establishes the concept that we can stop a disease with natural medicinal food.

The diet is rich in a specific type of fibre that comes from a plant product called high amylose corn starch. The fibre is resistant to digestion in the upper intestine, and instead is fermented into acetate and butyrate by bacteria in the large intestine, or colon.

Tests on the mice found that acetate and butyrate may work in different ways to cool down the immune reaction that destroys pancreatic cells in type 1 diabetes. Acetate appeared to lower the number of immune cells primed to attack the pancreatic cells, while butyrate boosted other cells that dampen the immune reaction. The study is reported in the journal Nature Immunology.

Mackay now hopes to test the diet in humans. If trials show that it can slow or prevent type 1 diabetes, children could potentially have it as a powder on their meals, or dissolved in a drink.

John Cryan, professor of anatomy and neuroscience at University College Cork, said: It really reinforces the importance of diet at shaping physiology and offers potential for tailored dietary-based interventions for diabetes. It highlights how little we know about short-chain fatty acids despite them being the among the most important microbial-mediated dietary breakdown products.

But he said more work was needed on the potential side effects of diets that boost levels of short-chain fatty acids. One recent study found that in the brain, the compounds could affect immune processes that underlie Parkinsons disease. Of course, all diet studies in mice need caution as human diet, the microbiome, and their interactions, are so much more complex, he added.

Emily Burns at Diabetes UK said: We know that our immune system and gut work closely together. Understanding how the gut works in more detail could shed light on how to combat conditions that involve an immune attack, like type 1 diabetes. But theres still a lot we dont know.

The idea that a special medicinal diet could help to regulate the immune system and prevent type 1 diabetes from developing is interesting, but this research is at a very early stage. We wont know how effective this approach could be in people at risk of type 1 diabetes until research moves into human clinical trials.

What we currently know is that type 1 diabetes is not linked to diet or lifestyle and it cant be prevented. Diabetes UK is funding a great deal of research to find ways to stop the immune attack against the pancreas, in order to prevent type 1 diabetes in the future.

This article was amended on 29 March 2017. An earlier version referred to type 1 diabetes as juvenile diabetes.

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High fibre diet 'could prevent type 1 diabetes' - The Guardian

American Airlines Flight 1353, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Albuquerque, was 2 miles from landing when the captain declared an emergency, citing "a medical issue" aboard, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

American identified the first officer aboard flight 1353 as William "Mike" Grubbs.

The aircraft landed safely at 3:33 p.m., according to Flightaware, and taxied to the gate, where it was met by paramedics, said Daniel Jiron, spokesman for Albuquerque International Sunport. Two people familiar with the incident said CPR was performed for 35 to 40 minutes before the first officer was pronounced dead.

The airline said in a statement that it "is deeply saddened" by Grubbs' passing. "We are taking care of First Officer Grubbs' family and colleagues, and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time."

The FAA said it "will follow up with the airline" to learn more about Wednesday's incident.

Many of the tasks during final approach in a Boeing 737 can be handled safely by a single crew member, but it would significantly increase the stress and workload for the captain.

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American Airlines co-pilot dies during landing in New Mexico - CNN

Dealing with the diet of their pet must be one of the most common issues that pet owners confront.

The choice of a food, the amount to feed, the time to feed, the need for supplements and the impact of treats all require decisions.

Also, decisions that are made do not last for a lifetime. Inevitably, adjustments in diet will be necessary.

A common reason for a change in diet occurs when a pet experiences an adverse food reaction (AFR).

Adverse food reactions can include food poisonings, food aversions, food intolerances not involving the immune systems such as dietary indiscretions as well as true food allergies.

An AFR is really just an abnormal clinical response to a food component. A true food allergy involves a reaction by a patients immune system.

Food allergies are likely to be genetically-influencedand certain cat and dog breeds appear to be predisposed to them.

The following breeds are over-represented in animals affected by food allergies: Labrador retriever, Cocker spaniel, soft-coated Wheaten terrier, Dalmatian, West Highland white terrier, bichon frise, collie, Chinese Shar Pei, Lhasa Apso, golden retriever, German shepherd, Hungarian vizsla, Cairn terrier, Irish and English setter, Bernese Mountain Dog and Siamese.

The clinical signs that are seen in a patient with an AFR primarily affect the skin and the gastrointestinal tract.

Most commonly, the skin becomes very inflamed (known as dermatitis) and a profound itchiness develops.

In dogs, this itchiness or pruritus most frequently affects the ears, feet, groin, armpits, face, neck, front limbs, and peri-anal region.

Often, damaged by the scratching and biting, the skin becomes infected. Cats are affected in the same way also commonly in the head and neck areas of the body. Hair loss, hives and lymph node enlargements are other lesions that may be seen.

About one-third of patients with AFR may have gastrointestinal clinical signs. They are usually non-specific signs like vomiting, diarrhea, increased frequency of defecation, straining to defecate, increased flatulence, and bad breath.

In a cat or dog with these problems, it will likely be important to determine if a true food allergy is involved.

There are many disease processes other than AFRs that can cause clinical signs similar to those described above.

A proper veterinary diagnostic process will be necessary when investigating such health problems.

However, if a veterinarian suspects a true food allergy based on the patients history of problems, the clinical signs shown by a patient, and when these signs develop, a further workup will be required.

If the skin itchiness develops in a patient less than six months of age or in one who is over six years of age, there appears to be an increased likelihood of a food allergy cause.

Unfortunately, there is no simple blood test to diagnose food allergies in cats and dogs.

Pet owners are advised not to be misled with advice to the contrary. Although there are blood tests offered to make such diagnoses, they are not reliable. They result in a high number of false positives and may also yield false negatives in patients who do have food allergies.

The unreliability of blood testing to diagnose food allergies is the consensus belief of board certified veterinary dermatologists in North America.

At the moment, in my opinion, these blood tests are a waste of money.

An elimination food trial over an 8-12 week period is the best way to diagnose food allergies.

If an animal has food allergies, the most common offending foods are beef, milk, lamb, wheat corn, chicken egg, soy, chicken, tuna, and salmon. They cannot develop an allergy to a food component to which they have not been exposed.

In the elimination food trial, a home-cooked diet is preferred and should be composed of a single protein source to which the patient has not been exposed, and a carbohydrate.

Bison, elk, rabbit, squid, white fish, kangaroo, camel or ostrich are some of the unique protein sources that can be considered for the trial.

Ancient grains and carbohydrates like rutabaga, butternut squash, parsnips, peas, and sweet potatoes are also used in the trial. Your veterinarian, perhaps assisted by a dermatology or veterinary nutrition specialist, will be needed to plan the diet and conduct the trial.

If such a food trial confirms food allergies as a problem, feeding the pet the elimination diet long-term is one obvious option. It is also possible to perform additional food ingredient challenges in order to formulate a diet that the patient can continue to eat safely. However, a true food allergy cannot otherwise be cured and will not be outgrown by a pet.

Barry Burtis is a retired local companion animal veterinarian.

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Managing your pet's adverse food reaction - InsideHalton.com

Delta Life Fitnes like nothing else youve tried

SPACE COAST DAILY TV:Space Coast Daily is live at Delta Life Fitnesswith owner Ryan Roche about what setsthem apart and why women choose his facility over others. Delta Life Fitness, located in at 6729 Colonnade Avenuenear the Avenues inViera, is an all-womens group fitness and training facility because they believe thats what women deserve.

BREVARD COUNTY VIERA, FLORIDA For many women working out is a chore worse than torture. For others, its the life preserver for their sanity. The fact is that the health and wellness of all women depends on exercise and diet which affects all aspects of our lives.

Delta Life Fitness, located in at 6729 Colonnade Avenuenear the Avenues inViera, is an all-womens group fitness and training facility because they believe thats what women deserve.

This is not a box gym or a warehouse full of equipment thats difficult to use with no help from staff. Delta Life Fitness is like nothing else youve tried.

Every program claims to provide results but few can back it up. DLFs trademarked Tone&Torch program is changing lives rapidly, safely and in ways single focused programs cannot. This is measured by success stories with goal shattering results.

This combination of body-toning resistance exercises and fat-torching cardio is the key to getting women in the best physical and mental shape of their lives. Each session is done in groups led by instructors from start to finish packing it all in a 30-minute session.

Delta Life Fitness has roots in Boot Camp training which was formed on the basis of Marine Corps Boot Camp work outs by and for Marines and their family and friends.

Owners Ryan and Erin Roche, along with General Manager, Jen Helms, work hard to help you meet your goals. They do this by encouraging women to be inspired, be empowered, be great!

For more information log on toDeltaLifeFitnessViera.com or call321-750-7113.

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ABOVE MAP:Delta Life Fitness, located in at 6729 Colonnade Avenuenear the Avenues inViera, is an all-womens group fitness and training facility because they believe thats what women deserve.

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The liver weighs about 4 pounds and is the bodys largest and hardest working internal organ. A healthy liver fulfills over 500 functions, holds about thirteen percent of the bodys blood supply at any given moment, and filters over a litre of blood each minute! In addition, it contributes to production of over 13,000 different chemicals and maintains over 2000 internal enzyme systems.

Main Functions

What Burdens The Liver?

Some factors that negatively affect liver health include obesity, lack of exercise, insulin resistance/blood sugar imbalances, heart problems, chronic stress/insomnia, estrogen imbalance, poor diet (high in sugar/fructose, refined/processed foods, wrong fats, alcohol and low in fibre, water, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) as well as toxic overload (internal -> from candida overgrowth, poor digestion -leaky gut, poor gut flora, food sensitivities, low enzymes/HCL, constipation or external -> from chemicals and hormone mimickers in food, personal care & cleaning products, tobacco and environment). Note that the health of the liver is very much dependent on the health of the gut!

What Can Go Wrong?

Sluggish Liver is described by an impairment in the ability to detoxify or remove toxins.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is characterized by progressive stages of fat buildup, inflammation, scarring and hardening, tissue damage, limited blood flow and eventually complete failure.

Gallstones occur due to an imbalanced composition of bile, when production/circulation/quality is impaired. Bile is composed of fats (cholesterol, lecithin, and fatty acids), bile pigment (bilirubin), bile salts/acids, water, and minerals. Approximately, 80-85% are made of cholesterol and 15-20% of calcium/bilirubin (pigment stones).

When the liver is congested, it not only creates inflammation and cell damage, but toxins end up overflowing into the bloodstream and re-circulating, eventually being stored in fatty tissues. A burdened liver leads to various signs and symptoms such as headaches, skin problems, body odor, food sensitivities, poor digestion, excess weight retention, cholesterol buildup, constipation, hormonal imbalances (PMS/thyroid), fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, etc.

Suggestions

Eliminate Triggers

Ensure Good Nutrition

Consider Liver Support Ingredients

Choose a LIVER CLEANSE that enhances both Phase I & II detoxification, supports liver functions (hormone processing, blood sugar regulation) and stimulates bile production.

Lifestyle Recommendations

Ask a health care advisor which products are right for your specific needs and lifestyle!

This column is sponsored by Good 'n' Natural in Steinbach.

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Liven Up Your Liver! - SteinbachOnline.com (blog)

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what athletes in different sports eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of the 37-year-old NYCFC midfielder.

Andrea Pirlo has never been the fastest guy to step foot on a soccer field. Nor the strongest. And in the second half of his career at 37, certainly not the youngest. Yet, almost improbably, hes solidified himself as a living legend of the sport, thanks in large part to his genius-level vision on the pitch and an unwavering confidence that has led to moments like this.

Yo, Andrea, what makes you the best player* in the universe? Is it the vicious set pieces? Is it the hair? Is it the copious amounts of pasta and wine? Its gotta be the pasta and wine, right?

*Well, one of the best players over the age of 35, at least.

GQ: Youve been a professional soccer player for more than two decades now and still going strong now in MLS. Has there been any major changes to your diet during that time, or do you actually possess a special anti-aging serum?

Andrea Pirlo: I changed my diet the moment I understood that my metabolism was changing. Until I was 30 years old, my body was used to my routine of eating pasta every single day. Nowadays I eat it just the day of a match.

EDITORS PICK

News & Culture

The Real-Life Diet of Kawhi Leonard

Really? Before every single match?

I have my routine. Before every match I eat pasta with tomato and chicken breast a few hours beforehand. In the hottest months, I choose to drink an energy drink before the match, too, but normally I drink just water. I decided to bring my Italian habits here to the U.S.

I was going to ask you if your diet saw any changes after you signed with NYCFC and making the move to Manhattan.

I wasnt forced to do any big adjustment. Its Manhattan, I dont have any problem finding places to eat that are on a high-level quality. Like I said, I decided to maintain my Italian routine in terms of get because the Italian lifestyle has always worked for me.

The last 16 years of your career have been spent predominantly in three of the best cities in the world to eat: Milan, Turin, and New York. Which one has the best food?

Well, I have to say that in those three cities you can eat very well everywhere. But if I have to pick one city, I would say New York. Its bigger than Milan and Turin. There are more choices and possibilities because there are so many different cultures. One night I could get Italian food, then the next night I could get Chinese or an American steak. I love the food scene in New York.

I love the idea of you going to town on a steak. It seems so inauthentically Italian!

I like to barbecue for friends and family in both Italy and New York!

Do you have a favorite place to eat in New York now that youve been here for a couple years?

I have to say that I dont have a favorite restaurant. The city is so big and it offers so many different choices that it would be a mistake to go every time to the same restaurant. I love to find new places and to taste new flavors in the city. There are too many good places to focus just on a couple of them.

You mentioned earlier that youve been able to maintain the same eating habits here in the States that you had in Italy, so what exactly are those habits? Whats a typical day look like for Andrea Pirlo when it comes to your diet?

I stick to a Mediterranean diet with fresh produce and olive oil. On a normal day my diet is divided into the three main meals. I dont eat any other snack between meals during the day. For breakfast I usually eat ham or prosciutto with crackers, orange juice, and a cup of coffee. Sometimes I exchange the ham with an omelet. Then at lunch I normally eat a mixed salad with salmon or chicken. For dinner, finally, I eat meat or fish. I dont have big preferences and I like to keep it simple.

And then you have your pasta, but only before a game.

Sometimes I am tempted to steal from my kids plates when they eat pasta.

In the off-season do you allow yourself to indulge a bit more often in a bowl of pasta?

During the off-season, I eat almost everything without exaggerating.

Youre a noted wine drinker, and my Italian grandmother loves to say that a glass of red wine every night keeps her young. Would you agree with that statement?

If this statement would be true, I would drink it every night! I like drinking wine, and I drink it often, but not every night. When I stay home for dinner I normally just drink water.

There are going to be a lot of very disappointed people when they read this article and find out that wine isnt the source of your longevity. But as a child you did grow up around a vineyard and Nike even released a pair of wine-themed cleats for you. If you could only drink one specific wine for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Since I am also a wine producer, I would say one of mine. Among them I would choose the Pratum Coller. That is the best one of my personal production.

I dont want to give away the secrets of my Pratum Coller. Maybe youll be curious to try it

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE

Link:
The Real-Life Diet of Italian Soccer Star Andrea Pirlo - GQ Magazine

Diet Cig's new album, Swear I'm Good At This, comes out April 7. Shervin Lainez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Diet Cig's new album, Swear I'm Good At This, comes out April 7.

Alex Luciano is a guitar-slinging human tornado on a Pixy Stix bender. As the singer, guitarist and one half of the undeniably charming duo Diet Cig, Luciano is known to bop, flail and high-kick around the stage. And that boundless exuberance is infectious, coaxing crowds into pop-punk sock hops. It's also emblematic of the joyful musical bond between Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman, who can frequently be spotted sharing a glance and a wide grin in the split seconds before Luciano leaps off the front of his bass drum. What began as a chance meeting at a house show in the Hudson Valley-based college town of New Paltz, N.Y., has sparked a vital collaboration and friendship.

Diet Cig brilliantly bottles Luciano's energy on the duo's debut album, Swear I'm Good At This. Every track here is a frenetic showcase for Luciano's thrashing guitars and cooing harmonies and Bowman's pounding drums. The record benefits from a tour-honed chemistry that yields sharper hooks and fuller production than any of Diet Cig's previous singles: Listen for the little synth phrase floating up from the distorted fray of "Maid Of The Mist", or the softly strummed guitar that opens "Bath Bomb." And with every taut banger comes the kind of candy-coated melodies that dare you to resist shouting along in unison.

For all the fizzy fun Diet Cig uncorks, those irresistible dynamics cloak the intimacy at the album's core. Writing with revealing honesty and searing wit, Luciano shows an innate knack for lyrics that reflect equal parts wide-eyed wonder, earnest vulnerability, and a fearless, "doing it on my own terms" ferocity. Frequently harvesting from her own past formative romances and breakups, it's Luciano's tiniest details that prove the most relatable. Luciano is capable of capturing the flittering giddiness of a new crush on "Leo" and "Apricots" ("I wanna kiss you in the middle of a party / I wanna to cause a scene"); depicting relationship-status conversations on "I Don't Know Her" ("I don't want you to feel nostalgic for something that never happened"); and even derives cringe-worthy humor from an awkward fling with someone who shares her name on "Sixteen." Similarly, "Barf Day" revisits the sadness of being ignored on her birthday ("I'm sick of being my own best friend / Will you be there in the end?"), only to stave off loneliness with a satisfying kiss-off: "I just wanna have ice cream on my birthday! / I know that you're sorry, I just don't care!"

Yet Diet Cig is at its most potent when deploying Luciano's experiences to wrestle with bigger ideas, like consent, identity and flipping gender roles. "I don't need a man to hold my hand / That's just something you'll never understand!" Luciano proudly proclaims on the invigorating closer "Tummy Ache." Elsewhere, "Maid Of The Mist" addresses past exes ("I am bigger than the outside shell of my body and if you touch it without asking then you'll be sorry") while turning her assurances into an empowering mantra: "I'm fine / You're alive / You'll be O.K. in some time." And on "Link In Bio," Luciano voices her frustrations over how women are all too often singularly defined or silenced for being too outspoken: "They say speak your mind / But not too loud / I'm not being dramatic / I've just f had it with the things that you say you think that I should be / I'm done with being a chill girl / I'm trying to take over the world."

Swear I'm Good At This all adds up to a snapshot of a young songwriter navigating through the yearning and boredom, ambition and insecurity that accumulates along the rocky path from adolescence to adulthood. The power of Diet Cig comes from the way Luciano and Bowman bolster these themes with affirming positivity in the form of delightful, explosive anthems. These songs will surely give anyone weathering their own tough moments the confidence to pick themselves up and dance.

Swear I'm Good At This is out April 7 on Frenchkiss Records.

More here:
First Listen: Stream Diet Cig's Debut Album, 'Swear I'm Good At This ... - NPR

Women's Health

'I Did A Low-Carb Diet For 2 WeeksHere's How Much Weight I Lost' Women's Health I've tried my fair share of weird weight loss strategies, none of which I wind up maintaining long-term because of the crazy restrictions. But in the summer of 2015, my parents started their own journey on the low-carb diet, and after seeing each of ...

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'I Did A Low-Carb Diet For 2 WeeksHere's How Much Weight I Lost' - Women's Health

Want to spice things up in the bedroom? Then its time to look at your diet.

The more foods you can eat to balance your hormones and boost blood flow to the pelvis, the better. But not sure where to start?

5 THINGS NOBODY TELLS YOU ABOUT SEX AFTER 60

Sun nutritionist shares 20 must-eat foods to add a little zing to your love life.

1. Oysters Rich in zinc which, when low in men, can lead to impotence.

Just two oysters give a man 100 per cent of his recommended intake.

Lean red meat is a good alternative.

2. Salmon Like other oily fish, this provides omega 3 essential fats, which we need for good circulation.

THIS TYPE OF CHEATING IS ON THE RISE

For both men and women, a robust flow of blood around the body is important to keep us in good working order.

3. Steak This meat is great for iron, which is vital for energy levels.

Too little of this mineral can cause us to feel stressed, wanting nothing more than to nod off on the sofa.

Fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, wholemeal bread, eggs and broccoli also contain iron.

HERE'S HOW OFTEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE SEX TO BE CONTENT

4. Asparagus Brimming with the B vitamin folate, a 120 gram portion of asparagus provides more than we need for the day.

Good folate intakes have been shown to improve your blood flow and circulation.

Also great for vitamin E, which is good for heart health.

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5. Chili peppers If you cant stand the heat, these arent for you but if you can, be prepared to feel invigorated.

The super-nutrients in this punchy little spice raise the temperature of your meal, helping to increase metabolism and get your heart pumping.

Add some ginger too, as research indicates this can enhance male performance.

6. Avocado The smooth, shapely green pears resembling a womans curves are used as an aphrodisiac in many countries.

In some cultures they imply fertility too.

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The best diet to improve your sex life - Fox News