Fisher Peakby Gerry Feehan

Taunting the Temptress

Once in a blue moon something improbable occurs. A goal beyond expectations and beyond the capacity of aging knees is accomplished.

Once in a Blue Moon

The view of Fisher Peak from our Kimberley condo is mesmerizing. For years Ive gazed across the Rocky Mountain Trench at that daunting, taunting pinnacle. Fisher dominates the skyline in this range of the Rockies. At nearly 3000 meters it towers over its lofty neighbors.

Last July my brother Pat and I watched the second full moon of the month, a blue one, rise over Fisher and decided, Lets do it.

The start of a long climb!

Good weather is critical to mountain climbing. Luckily, the forecast was ideal: clear skies and calm winds. An alpine storm even in summer can necessitate an overnight bivouac. We were not equipped for that nasty contingency. (An aside. Have you noticed the weatherman has become markedly more reliable over the last few years?).

As predicted a perfect day greeted our early start. Climbing Fisher requires no mountaineering equipment, no technical skills. But its a long drive to the remote trailhead and the sheer, steady steepness of the climb and the equally grueling descent make for a long, hard day. From trailhead to summit the elevation gain is 1400 meters. Thats nearly a vertical mile!

tarn at the halfway point

The hike began unfortuitously. When Patrick donned his daypack, the water reservoir was empty and his pack was sopping wet. A leaky start. It is imprudent to begin a seven-hour climb on a hot summer day without H2O but we had little option. Wed driven an hour up bumpy logging roads to reach the trailhead. Returning to get water meant we would not have time to complete the ascent. Besides, we were in the mountains. Thats where water comes from. Find a stream, fill up and beaver fever be damned.

Prayer flags adorn the saddle

The upward march began in a shaded forest of conifers. After an hour patches of light started to shine through the canopy and the trail opened across a jumble of rocks. Beneath our feet we heard gurgling, the babbling of an invisible creek. The steepness continued as the path skirted a cascading waterfall, the source of the hidden rumbling and the source of clean, beautiful liquid sustenance.

What goes up

After ninety minutes of relentless climbing, the trail leveled and we came upon a beautiful alpine tarn, its crystal clear waters mirroring the jagged peaks enveloping us. Above the small lake a cirque opened up and we had our first clear view of Fisher, the temptress, still hundreds of meters above us. A solitary marmot whistled a warning call. The sound echoed loudly off the walls of the rocky amphitheater.

must come down

We were halfway to the summit.

The next leg of the assault is difficult: three hundred vertical meters of steep, loose scree. A real b#&ch! Even with foreshortened hiking poles digging firm, two hard-earned forward steps were countered by a slippery step backward. The scree section is also dangerous. As it steepens, the risk of lost footing and a fall increases. And, worse still, a hiker above can dislodge rocks upon those below. Self-preservation dictates that you want to be in the lead. Unfortunately, Pat is fitter, stronger and younger than I. So, lagging behind, my focus was keeping my head up while keeping my head down.

Did I mention the scree was a real b#&ch!

After an hour the loose slope resolves to a saddle a safe refuge before the final climb to the top. This notch in the mountain is festooned with prayer flags. We took a breather in the thin air and gazed around. We had equaled the height of the nearby Steeples. Dibble Glacier, a remnant of the last ice age is visible from this vantage, its ancient blue-grey mass cupped within the Steeples.

The last section begins innocuously with a well-marked switchback through ever-bigger rocks. But soon these boulders become broken, vertical slabs. We abandoned our hiking poles, which became a liability in the four-limbed scramble up, over and around truck-sized stones. Clinging precariously to handholds and squeezing through narrow fissures, we neared the top. In a few spots only a tiny foothold marked the difference between moving safely upward or making a quick 1000-meter descent. But for us Feehans this is the fun part.

The top of Fisher is as tiny as it appears from our balcony 30 kilometers away: a small platform with room for just a handful of climbers. Im not sure what I expected at the peak but was surprised to see just a jumble of huge boulders stacked atop one another, like the playthings of a giant. The view from the top is remarkable. 360 degrees of pure horizon. To the north and east an endless ocean of mountain peaks. To the south the blue meandering waters of the Kootenay River and Koocanusa Lake disappearing into the United States a hazy hundred kilometers away. In the west, directly below us, lay the verdant green fields of the Rocky Mountain Trench. Further distant the bare ski runs of Northstar Mountain stood out clear as day. I could see my deck over there in Kimberley. No, I couldnt.

Gerry at the top.

The difficulty with scrambling up to a steep, precarious perch is what goes up must come down. On the ascent we had concentrated on grabbing, reaching and looking upward. To get down we had to look down. It was disconcerting hanging over a cliff ledge, slipping toward an invisible foothold below. But we slid safely through the slabs, retrieved our poles at the saddle and surfed down through the scree. Soon we were back at the lovely tarn. We stopped briefly to look back up at the now distant peak. Picas gallivanted about, squeaking cutely, gathering nesting grasses, oblivious to the great feat we had just accomplished.

on top of the world

Surprisingly, the last downward section can be the hardest, an unrelenting ninety minutes of joint-jarring, toe-busting, knee-knocking descent. Alpine wildflowers in radiant bloom helped ease the pain.

fireweed

We were back in Kimberley in time to enjoy barbequed steak. At sunset we sipped a cold one on the deck and watched as alpenglow lit Fishers face. The next blue moon is October 31, 2020. What to do for an encore?

Thanks to Rod Kennedy and Kennedy Wealth Management and Ing and McKee Insurance for helping to make this series possible. Please support them.

contact Gerry at [emailprotected]

Adventures in Pandemica or What I did on my Isolation Vacation

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Bamboo supplies dwindling: Calgary Zoo hopeful pandas will be... - Todayville.com

With Tom Brady at the helm in New England, there were conversations constantly surfacing about the TB12 diet. Jokes about avocado ice cream and his refusal to eat strawberries became a funny topic to touch on.

The Patriots bring in a new MVP quarterback in Cam Newton and the diet conversations continue. This time, its about the vegan diet that fuels a 6-foot-5, 245 pound athlete. Newtons overpowering presence on the field doesnt reflect the diet that so many people believe is unsustainable.

Newton turned vegan in 2019 and has spoken highly of eating this way. On Thursday during his press conference, Newton put down one stigma on the topic.

Just because Im vegan doesnt mean I just go outside and pick up grass and, you know, put ranch on it, Newton said, via Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe. Well, I guess thats not vegan. Or put balsamic on it and eat it. I still love good food.

Newtons choice of diet didnt prevent him from rushing for four touchdowns over the span of two games so far this season.

Excerpt from:
Vegan diet isn't just grass and dressing, Cam Newton explains - Patriots Wire

I stood in front of my fridge, eyeing the vegetable drawer. I was about 6 years old.

It was me versus a carton of mushrooms.

I remember very clearly thinking to myself, I dont want to eat that, but Im going to teach myself to like it.

At that young age, I was already aware of the importance of healthy eating and already semi-obsessed with the idea of mind over matter.

Today mushrooms are my favorite vegetable.

I have another memory of my adolescent self sitting at a booth in an Elephant Bar with a few friends from my junior high school dance team. A platter of fried food had just arrived on the table. I struggled against the urge to eat while the other girls dug in.

One of my fellow dancers turned to me and said, Wow, youre so good.

I smiled awkwardly with a mixture of pride and embarrassment.

If she only knew, I thought.

The desire to be good is something thats driven me since my earliest days. I couldnt understand why no one seemed to agree on what it really took to be good.

I remember taking a Bible off of my parents bookshelf one day, thinking I might find some answers.

I opened it, read a few pages, and quickly understood why everyone was so confused. I had expected a neat list, not allegory.

Later on in my teen years, I decided to become a vegetarian. I had been a staunch adherent of the standard American diet for most of my upbringing, but ethical considerations and my newfound interest in yoga were quickly sweeping me toward change.

A year of vegetarianism turned into full-blown veganism. I thought Id finally found the right way to eat. I was tight about my food choices, ready to debate food ethics at a moments notice, and frankly, pretty self-righteous.

I wasnt that fun to hang out with.

I persisted in my veganism after finding out I was iron-deficient, reasoning that government standards for nutrition were likely skewed by the meat and dairy lobbies.

This may at least in part be true, but not when it comes to iron.

About 3 years into veganism, I accidentally ate a sauce with shrimp in it at a buffet. I had a full-blown panic attack, launching myself into a labyrinth of ethical and gastrointestinal what-ifs.

In yoga, I had picked up the idea of eating Sattvic, which translates from Sanskrit as goodness or purity. Unfortunately, my interpretation of this principle wasnt a healthy one.

It also didnt help that I was a philosophy major at the time. I was basically Chidi from The Good Place, the high-strung ethics professor who becomes completely paralyzed whenever he has to make a choice about what appear to be inconsequential things.

It wasnt until I started seeking treatment for anxiety, a seemingly unrelated issue, that I realized something was up with my relationship to food.

With effective treatment, I felt like the whole world literally opened up to me. It had only been off-limits before because I was so focused on controlling, judging, and assessing everything I did.

I still chose to be vegan and eat healthy food simply because it aligned with my values (while happily supplementing with iron). The difference was there was no longer a sense of pressure that I had to get it right or of self-judgment, and no more anxiety attacks over what to eat.

Food felt joyful again.

Eventually, I went to Europe and decided to be freegan, or to accept any food I was offered. This was both to be gracious and respectful to my hosts from other cultures, but also to flex my newfound freedom in making conscious, ethical choices without self-torment.

Not long after, I encountered the word orthorexia for the first time.

Orthorexia is a term first coined by American physician Steve Bratman in 1997. It comes from the Greek word orthos, or right.

When I learned this, alarm bells were going off in my head. I saw myself in this word.

If Id never sought out treatment for anxiety, I wouldnt have had the opportunity to step outside of my obsession with making the right food choices and see it for what it was. To everyone, including myself, it just looked like I ate really, really healthy.

This is how healthy eating can hide an unhealthy pattern.

Orthorexia isnt technically a diagnosable condition, though its starting to gain attention in the medical community. Not surprisingly, it often shows up in individuals who experience anxiety, perfectionism, and preoccupations with purity. *raises hand sheepishly*

As the years have worn on, Ive loosened up my eating habits quite a bit.

After my pregnant body wouldnt have it any other way, I started eating meat again. Eight years later, Ive never felt better.

I also go out of my way to intentionally bring joy into my food choices with the strategies below.

Thanks to pregnancy cravings, I rediscovered foods I hadnt eaten or even thought about since childhood. One of those was fried chicken tenders with honey mustard.

Every so often, I intentionally take my inner child on a food date (usually my actual child comes, too). We really make a big deal of it, go all out, and get exactly what we want, not what we should get.

For me, its very often chicken dipped in honey mustard, just like I used to get every time I ate out at a restaurant as a little girl. If Im feeling fries, I go for those, too.

And I enjoy it, in all its deep-fried glory.

Ritualizing eating in this way isnt just fun; it can also be healing. By not only giving yourself permission, but actually celebrating the food and your pleasure in it, its a reminder that we dont have to be perfect and that food is about more than just nutrition.

The container of ritual creates a sense of appropriateness and sacredness. It also curbs the guilt that might come up from eating unhealthy foods in a less conscious or intentional way.

So find the food (or foods) that does it for you. Is it mac n cheese? Bagel bites? Whatever it is, make yourself a date to enjoy the heck out of it.

Sometimes when Im busy, I can wolf down a meal and feel like I havent even eaten. Considering how delicious and awesome food is, it can be really disappointing.

Its a habit I try to avoid if I can.

Instead, I make an effort to sit down with my food and spend at least 20 minutes savoring it. If Im really on it, Im cooking my food, too. That way I can smell it sizzling in the pan, see the colors swirling together, and make it a full-blown sensory experience.

At the same time, its not about making rules. Its simply about finding the pleasure in a basic act thats not only meant to be nourishing, but to be enjoyed.

While it might not show up on a nutrient-density profile, I firmly believe that eating food cooked by someone who loves you nourishes in a way that vitamins and minerals cant.

Not only do you get to relax, smell the scents, and enjoy the anticipation of a home-cooked meal that you didnt make (as a single mom, this is big), you get to receive the love and care that went into making that meal.

Best case scenario, you get to enjoy the meal with your loved one, or two, or three. It can be a friend, a significant other, a parent, or even your kiddo. Of course I love hot dogs and ketchup, sweetie!

All that matters is that somebody loves you enough to cook for you.

There are positive sides to caring about what you eat. One of them is that youre likely to be open-minded enough to try new things.

Eating as an exploration is a great way to break out of the confines of what you should eat. In this sense, eating can be a means of discovering new cultures and experiencing new flavors.

If youre dining out, you can seek the most authentic cuisines in your area or have fun comparing different options. You may even be exposed to art and music from another culture at the same time.

I still care about the health and the ethical considerations of my food. But with all the information out there, care can easily become despair.

Theres always another news piece or investigative documentary about the state of our food supply, and its enough to make your head spin.

Eventually, I decided that I was going to keep it simple. In The Omnivores Dilemma, writer Michael Pollan distills healthy eating into a short maxim: Eat food, not much, mostly plants.

When I notice Im getting hung up on minutiae, I remember this little piece of advice.

We humans have to eat, and were all just doing our best. These three simple principles are a pithy way to remember whats important about what we eat.

A very wise friend once told me, Standards are the objectification of your principles.

I really needed to hear it.

What this means is that when your principles become codified, dogmatized, and inflexible, theyre no longer principles. Theyre just rules.

We are creative, adaptable, ever-changing human beings. We arent meant to live by proscriptions.

As a philosophy student, I was always trained to re-examine the obvious and commonplace.

When we use this as a way to free ourselves from the confines of ideology instead of reinforcing binding, limiting beliefs, were allowing ourselves to be the dynamic human beings that we really are.

Food goes beyond calories. Its been the cornerstone of cultures and the focal point of celebrations since the advent of civilization and before.

It brings people together.

It touches on what it truly means to experience deep sustenance, the kind that involves all the senses and even the heart.

When you make food a form of love, its hard to be bothered by doing it right.

Crystal Hoshaw is a mother, writer, and longtime yoga practitioner. She has taught in private studios, gyms, and in one-on-one settings in Los Angeles, Thailand, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She shares mindful strategies for self-care through online courses. You can find her on Instagram.

Original post:
When Healthy Eating Isn't Healthy: Letting Go of the 'Perfect' Diet - Healthline

If youre prone to digestive distress after a meal (like uncomfortable amounts of it), you might want to look into the low residue diet, which has become popular as a dietary lifestyle for those struggling to find relief.

The low residue diet is a low-fiber diet where you minimize that amount of "residue" left over after you digest food. If that sounds strange, it kind of is (more on the inter-workings later), but the strategy isn't all that complex.

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A low residue diet basically means that youll swap high fiber foodssuch as whole grains, beans and legumes, and producefor non-fibrous foods, such meat, eggs, dairy and refined carbs like white bread or rice.

For anyone who has paid even the slightest bit of attention to nutrition research in the last several decades, you'll note that, yes, this is the exact opposite of what good eating instructs you to do.

Fiber is good for you, after all, and a low residue diet can restrict your fiber intake to as little as 10 grams a day.

But a low residue diet is more a diet to deploy for a set of specific symptoms than it is a cure-all.

Approach with caution, armed with the expert advice that follows.

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Low residue diets are usually prescribed by a doctor for those with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and Colitis, as well as diverticulitis, and it is also used for people recovering from bowel surgery or preparing for a colonoscopy, says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club.

So your average weight-loss diet this is not.

Fiberand soluble fiber in particularslows the movement of food through your digestive tract. This creates a longer transit time for the digestion of food, which may result in more residue in the gut.

However, insoluble fiber, which promotes regular bowel movement is also limited as some people experiencing IBS symptoms such as frequent cramping, frequent bowel movements and diarrhea may benefit, says Kelly Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN.

The low residue diet is meant to be temporary only, as it significantly limits fiber-rich foods like whole grains, many fruits and vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, and seedsall of which youd ideally like to eat long-term and incorporate back into your diet.

These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals that help to prevent lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer, Harris-Pincus says.

There is no nutritional benefit to a low residue diet other than providing relief to those experiencing gastrointestinal issues, she says.

If done well though, the low residue diet can help you if you have severe and painful gastrointestinal problems.

Again, this is not a diet for weight loss or to provide any health benefits other than to alleviate gastrointestinal issues.

So, if your doctor doesn't recommend it to you, don't do it.

Well, "effectiveness" depends on the individual and their condition, as well as potential food intolerances that may trigger their IBS symptoms.

If the low residue diet can be tailored to specific needs and followed closely, it is definitely safe in the short-term if you meet the recommended daily intake of all other nutrients except fiber, says Harris-Pincus.

And you still need to eat enough calories too to keep energy and your metabolism high and to keep your body well nourished.

Drawbacks, especially if this is not the right type of diet for someone, include fewer regular bowels, lower satiety levels at meal and snack times, along with faster blood sugar responses, and ultimately a less favorable balance of bacteria in the lower digestive tract, which we know is important for immunity, mental health, and more, says Jones.

It's also important to note that the foods allowed include refined grains like white bread and cereal made from corn and are more highly processed and the lack of fiber may increase blood sugar, adds Harris-Pincus. That may mean eating more sugar in your diet.

It also takes more preparation and planning as most allowed fruits and veggies need to be well cooked or canned and cannot have any skins, peels or seeds, Harris-Pincus adds.

If you dont have time to meal prep during the week, it might not be the best diet for you in order to meet your nutrient macros.

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The Truth About the Low Residue Diet and Digestive Issues - menshealth.com

TikTok has banned ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements, and will prevent ads for other weight management products from reaching users under 18, it said today.

These types of ads do not support the positive, inclusive, and safe experience we strive for on TikTok, Tara Wadhwa, the companys safety policy manager, wrote in a blog post about the new policies.

The changes come two weeks after TikTok removed a number of diet pill ads (along with ads for fake apps and other scams) discovered by cybersecurity firm Tenable. At the time, TikTok didnt have guidelines on diet-related marketing; it removed the ads for violating established policies against fake, fraudulent, or misleading content.

Now, its laying the groundwork to increase restrictions on ads that promote a harmful or negative body image, Wadhwa wrote. This involves stronger restrictions on weight loss and implied weight loss claims and further restrictions to limit irresponsible claims made by products that promote weight loss management or control, she added.

To be clear, TikTok will still accept ads for weight loss products that arent supplements, but it will not show those ads to users under 18. It will also not accept any ads for weight loss products or services that promote a negative body image or negative relationship with food, Wadhwa said.

She encouraged users who are upset or triggered by weight-related ads to mark them as Not Interested, and said any ads that violate the new policies should be reported for encouraging self-harm.

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TikTok Bans Ads For Diet Pills And Fasting Apps, Restricts Other Weight-Related Ads To Users 18+ - Tubefilter

TipRanks

Markets are volatile, there can be no doubt. So far this month, the S&P 500 has fallen 9% from its peak. The tech-heavy NASDAQ, which had led the gainers all summer, is now leading the on the fall, having lost 11% since September 2. The three-week tumble has investors worried that we may be on the brink of another bear market.The headwinds are strong. The usual September swoon, the upcoming election, doubts about another round of economic stimulus all are putting downward pressure on the stock markets.Which doesnt mean that there are no opportunities. As the old saw goes, Bulls and bears can both make money, while the pigs get slaughtered. A falling market may worry investors, but a smart strategy can prevent the portfolio from losing too much long-term value while maintaining a steady income. Dividend stocks, which feed into the income stream, can be a key part of such a strategy.Using the data available in the TipRanks database, weve pulled up three stocks with high yields from 7% to 11%, or up to 6 times the average dividend found on the S&P 500 index. Even better, these stocks are seen as Strong Buys by Wall Streets analysts. Lets find out why.Williams Companies (WMB)We start with Williams Companies, an Oklahoma-based energy company. Williams controls pipelines connecting Rocky Mountain natural gas fields with the Pacific Northwest region, and Appalachian and Texan fields with users in the Northeast and transport terminals on the Gulf Coast. The companys primary operations are the processing and transport of natural gas, with additional ops in crude oil and energy generation. Williams handles nearly one-third of all US commercial and residential natural gas use.The essential nature of Williams business really, modern society simply cannot get along without reliable energy sources has insulated the company from some of the economic turndown in 1H20. Quarterly revenues slid from $2.1 billion at the end of last year to $1.9 billion in Q1 and $1.7 billion in Q2. EPS in the first half was 26 cents for Q1 and 25 cents for Q2 but this was consistent with EPS results for the previous three quarters. The generally sound financial base supported the companys reliable dividend. Williams has been raising that payment for the past four years, and even the corona crisis could not derail it. At 40 cents per common share, the dividend annualizes to $1.60 and yields an impressive 7.7%. The next payment is scheduled for September 28.Truist analyst Tristan Richardson sees Williams as one of the midstream sectors best positioned companies.We continue to look to WMB as a defensive component of midstream and favor its 2H prospects as broader midstream grasps at recovery Beyond 2020 we see the value proposition as a stable footprint with free cash flow generation even in the current environment. We also see room for incremental leverage reduction throughout our forecast period on scaled back capital plans and even with the stable dividend. We look for modestly lower capex in 2021, however unlike more G&P oriented midstream firms, we see a project backlog in downstream that should support very modest growth, Richardson noted.Accordingly, Richardson rates WMB shares as a Buy, and his $26 price target implies a 30% upside potential from current levels. (To watch Richardsons track record, click here)Overall, the Strong Buy analyst consensus rating on WMB is based on 11 Buy reviews against just a single Hold. The stocks current share price is $19.91 and the average price target is $24.58, making the one-year upside potential 23%. (See WMB stock analysis on TipRanks)Magellan Midstream (MMP)The second stock on our list is another midstream energy company, Magellan. This is another Oklahoma-based firm, with a network of assets across much of the US from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi Valley, and into the Southeast. Magellans network transports crude oil and refined products, and includes Gulf Coast export shipping terminals.Magellan's total revenues rose sequentially to $782.8 in Q1, and EPS came in at $1.28, well above the forecast. These numbers turned down drastically in Q2, as revenue fell to $460.4 million and EPS collapsed to 65 cents. The outlook for Q3 predicts a modest recovery, with EPS forecast at 85 cents. The company strengthened its position in the second quarter with an issue of 10-year senior notes, totaling $500 million, at 3.25%. This reduced the companys debt service payments, and shored up liquidity, making possible the maintenance of the dividend.The dividend was kept steady at $1.0275 per common share quarterly. Annualized, this comes to $4.11, a good absolute return, and gives a yield of 11.1%, giving MMP a far higher return than Treasury bonds or the average S&P-listed stock.Well Fargo analyst Praneeth Satish believes that MMP has strong prospects for recovery. [We] view near-term weakness in refined products demand as temporary and recovering. In the interim, MMP remains well positioned given its strong balance sheet and liquidity position, and ratable cash flow stream Satish goes on to note that the dividend appears secure for the near-term: The company plans to maintain the current quarterly distribution for the rest of the year.In line with this generally upbeat outlook, Satish gives MMP an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating, and a $54 price target that implies 57% growth in the coming year. (To watch Satishs track record, click here)Net net, MMP shares have a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, a show of confidence by Wall Streets analyst corps. The stock is selling for $33.44, and the average price target of $51.13 implies 53% growth in the year ahead. (See MMP stock analysis on TipRanks)Ready Capital Corporation (RC)The second stock on our list is a real estate investment trust. No surprise finding one of these in a list of strong dividend payers REITs have long been known for their high dividend payments. Ready Capital, which focuses on the commercial mortgage niche of the REIT sector, has a portfolio of loans in real estate securities and multi-family dwellings. RC has provided more than $3 billion in capital to its loan customers.In the first quarter of this year, when the coronavirus hit, the economy turned south, and business came to a standstill, Ready Capital took a heavy blow. Revenues fell by 58%, and Q1 EPS came in at just one penny. Things turned around in Q2, however, after the company took measures including increasing liquidity, reducing liabilities, and increasing involvement in government-sponsored lending to shore up business. Revenues rose to $87 million and EPS rebounded to 70 cents.In the wake of the strong Q2 results, RC also started restoring its dividend. In Q1 the company had slashed the payment from 40 cents to 25 cents; in the most recent declaration, for an October 30 payment, the new dividend is set at 30 cents per share. This annualizes to $1.20 and gives a strong yield of 9.9%.Crispin Love, writing from Piper Sandler, notes the companys success in getting back on track.Given low interest rates, Ready Capital had a record $1.2B in residential mortgage originations versus our $1.1B estimate. Gain on sale margins were also at record levels. We are calculating gain on sale margins of 3.7%, up from 2.4% in 1Q20, Love wrote.In a separate note, written after the dividend declaration, Love added, We believe that the Board's actions show an increased confidence for the company to get back to its pre-pandemic $0.40 dividend. In recent earnings calls, management has commented that its goal is to get back to stabilized earnings above $0.40, which would support a dividend more in-line with pre-pandemic levels.To this end, Love rates RC an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with a $12 price target, suggesting an upside of 14%. (To watch Loves track record, click here)All in all, Ready Capital has a unanimous Strong Buy analyst consensus rating, based on 4 recent positive reviews. The stock has an average price target of $11.50, which gives a 9% upside from the current share price of $10.51. (See RC stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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How Nicole Rokita Is Introducing the Keto Diet With Her Restaurant niKETO - Yahoo Finance

Despite COVID-19 impacting consumer behaviour there is still significant appetite for healthy, sustainable diets.

Before the pandemic, two thirds (66%) of consumers were open to changing their diets to be healthier and more sustainable. But since the national lockdown in March, many aspects of consumer behaviour have transformed.

In May, we hypothesised that healthy and sustainable diets would become more relevant for consumers, and for industry.

To gain insight into evolving habits around health and sustainability, we surveyed over 1,000 nationally representative UK consumers during lockdown in July 2020, replicating our November 2019 survey that fed into Appetite for Change. This article explores whether the desire to change diets for health or environmental reasons has evolved in the wake of COVID-19.

Perhaps contrary to our hypothesis, during this time of disruption, consumer desire to change diets to be healthier and more sustainable has reduced.

This doesnt come as a surprise - at the time of writing our hypotheses, few of us could have appreciated the scale or duration of change that we are now experiencing. Consumers are struggling with the amount of change in the wake of COVID-19 and human nature tells us to seek control and keep things as they are. Behaviour scientists call this Status Quo Bias. Theres safety in what we know or what we have done before, so we revert to this behaviour for many aspects of life, including our diets.

Although there has been a decline in the appetite for change, 57% of people surveyed in July 2020 are still making changes or thinking about making changes to their diets. This is over half of consumers and continues to present a huge opportunity for industry to support better choices and a positive transition.

And we see this positive intent translating into action as people cook more from scratch, are sourcing local produce and actively reducing their food waste supporting our May predictions.

For the nation to shift towards healthier and more sustainable diets, evidence shows we must:

COVID-19 has impacted all three of these areas. Notably, it seems to have driven polarising behaviour around meat eating and an increase of snacking.

Prior to the pandemic there was a rise of plant-based, flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. The proportion of people eating meat in the UK has fallen significantly in the last nine months, with a significant rise in vegetarian and vegan diets from 9% of consumers in November 2019 to 15% in July 2020. Growth in vegetarian and vegan diets is seen across all demographics, but most strongly in younger people, aged 18-34.

There has also been a significant increase in those aged 55-64 choosing not to consume meat. Some 11% of this age group now follow a meat free diet up from 6% in November 2019 and the change is predominantly driven by women.

But thats only half of the story. In contrast to those choosing not to eat meat, there has been an increase in consumption frequency for those that do. There are now significantly more people eating meat a few times a week or every day.

The increase in meat eating frequency is driven primarily by men and higher socio-economic groups remain heavier meat eaters, despite also having a higher proportion of non-meat eaters.

While most people continue to overestimate how good their own diets are we see a significant downturn in how healthy and sustainable they assess their diets to be (see Appetite for Change). This suggests many people acknowledge that eating habits have got worse during lockdown.

This is reinforced by self-reported data from the COVID Symptom Study app, which suggests many are snacking more, and those who do have logged an average weight gain of 3kg during lockdown.

Personal health remains the biggest motivator for change and this has increased in relevance. Significantly fewer people are motivated to change their diets for environmental reasons than in 2019. However, environmental sustainability remains a supporting reason for change, especially for those aged 18-24.

Its unsurprising that COVID-19 has amplified the value we place on our own wellness, as the government, media and our behaviour has now been focused on preventing ill health for several months. The pandemic has demonstrated that our diets are inextricably linked with our health. Before the pandemic, poor diet was responsible for one in seven deaths in the UK. Now, people living with obesity are more than 50% more likely to die from COVID-19.

The most significant shift in prioritization of health is seen in parents.

Parents now place much more weight on their own health than they did in 2019. Although the wellbeing of family is a still a big driver among parents, its declined significantly and is now on par with personal health. This could be driven by early media that children were less impacted by COVID-19 than adults, or it could be a result of parents re-evaluating the impact of them becoming ill while playing the role of breadwinner, teacher and entertainer.

The data shows healthier and more sustainable diets are still a priority for over half of consumers, but they would welcome support from industry to get there. Cost is still the primary barrier for adopting these diets, and we can see the nations health inequalities.

The pandemic has highlighted our reliance on an efficient and sustainable food system, and many businesses have already taken great steps to promote healthy diets and are looking to build back better.

It is critical that our industry continues to play its part in offering healthier, more sustainable and affordable diets. Thats why IGD has established a new project group including manufacturers, retailers, food service and nutrition experts to identify and test the most effective behaviour change initiatives to support change and we will share this best practice as it emerges. We look forward to you joining us on this journey.

Get in touch to get involved: [emailprotected]

Background: In 2019 IGD undertook comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research with behaviour change experts into healthy and sustainable diets. These findings were published in March 2020, to support industry in empowering better eating habits in Appetite for Change.

A detailed update on how the pandemic has changed behaviour including statistics and charts from this article can be downloaded free here.

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Have healthy, sustainable diets become more relevant in the wake of COVID-19? - IGD

Olive oil and avocado are smart choices when you're following a keto diet.

Image Credit: Claudia Totir/Moment/GettyImages

Many keto diet followers swear by the trendy eating plan for weight loss, and hey, getting to a healthy weight is important. But what if, while slimming your waistline, the diet was also increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure?

Unfortunately, that could be the case if you're choosing the wrong fats on this high-fat, low-carb plan.

Going heavy on the bacon and cheese may work for fat loss, but the true key to keto is eating fat from anti-inflammatory sources. Here's how to get it right.

The idea behind the keto diet is to severely restrict carbs so your body enters a state called ketosis, in which it shuns sugar and instead burns fatty acids for fuel (which are created when your digestive system breaks down the fat in your food into tiny particles for energy).

But those fatty acids do more than simply provide energy to hungry cells. They also play a role in cell signaling and gut health, which affect inflammation. Inflammation is a complex buzzword, but think of it like fire in the body: Less fire makes for a healthier human. That's why it's so important to choose the right fats to fuel your body.

Prioritize Monounsaturated Fats (MUFAs)

Monounsaturated fat intake has been linked with improving cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and reducing overall body fat mass. In particular, consuming MUFAs from plant-derived sources provides the benefits of additional compounds, which also help to reduce inflammation.

Good monounsaturated fat sources include:

Animal lard and beef tallow also contain a significant amount of monounsaturated fat in addition to saturated fat.

To incorporate more MUFAs into your keto diet, try making salad dressing at home with olive oil, cook with high-heat-stable avocado oil instead of corn or soybean oil, and add macadamia nuts and almonds to salads or snacks.

Be Strategic About Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFAs)

These fats fall into two categories: omega-6 and omega-3. Both types play important roles in cell signaling and are essential for health, but the ratio is important. As a November 2018 paper in Open Heart points out, reducing intake from omega-6 fats while boosting omega-3s creates a more favorable level of stress in the body. A little stress is OK, but a lot of stress is not!

Limit Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Omega-6 fats promote inflammation that has beneficial effects for the body, such as blood clotting, but it can quickly become too much of a good thing. Omega-6s break down into arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that is thought to increase inflammatory markers in the body and contribute to plaque on the arteries, which can lead to heart disease.

Examples of foods rich in omega-6 rich include:

Corn, soybean and vegetable oils are common ingredients in processed foods and commonly used in restaurants, so it's easy to accidentally meet (or exceed) your body's omega-6 requirement without even trying. That's why it's important to read labels and avoid products containing omega-6-rich oils; never cook with corn, soybean or vegetable oils (opt for olive or avocado oil instead); and choose meat and dairy sourced from grass-fed animals (more on that in a minute).

Get More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats promote anti-inflammatory markers in the body and have been associated with protecting against heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, according to a January 2014 position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Basically, the more omega-3 you can get from your diet, the better.

Omega-3s exist in vegan food sources such as nuts and chia, flax and hemp seeds, but this form of omega-3 is less beneficial for the body. The really powerful omega-3s are found in:

Keto dieters especially should make sourcing grass-fed meat and dairy a priority. An April 2017 study of conventional versus organic and grass-fed dairy in Foods showed that organic and grass-fed milk provided a healthier fatty acid profile higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

It may be more expensive, but there are a few tricks to drive down the cost: Consider investing in a deep freezer and purchasing a quarter of a whole cow from your local farmer, or check out wholesale chains like Costco to buy grass-fed meat or dairy in bulk.

Saturated fat, found in fatty cuts of meat, coconut oil, palm oil, eggs and milk fat, was once thought to be harmful due to its supposed effects on cholesterol. But an April 2016 review in the British Medical Journal concluded that while saturated fat may increase total cholesterol, it does not affect the risk of developing coronary heart disease. In fact, a small randomized trial of 54 participants published in an October 2017 issue of Elsevier showed that replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates actually harmed participants' good cholesterol markers.

While saturated fat does not have harmful effects, its potential health benefits pale in comparison to those of omega-3 and monounsaturated fats. Saturated fat should not be avoided on a ketogenic diet, but it should not replace omega-3 or monounsaturated fats.

Trans fats are manmade fats that have no redeeming nutritional qualities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned them for the most part, but they still exist in some foods, including:

Wait, There's One More Thing You Should Know

You know all the bacteria in your colon so fondly named the "microbiome?" Well, it turns out your microbiome may not like high-fat meals as much as you do.

According to a 2019 article in Nature Communications, eating a high-fat diet may hinder your microbiome's ability to protect the body from absorbing toxins. Those toxins, in turn, may contribute to inflammation in the body.

While the above theory holds true in mouse studies, it is unclear if the same would hold true in humans. In the meantime, a good way to improve your microbiome's health and diversity is to include low-carbohydrate, fiber-rich, non-starchy vegetables in your keto diet. By doing so, you feed the healthy bacteria in your gut while keeping your carbohydrate intake low. Some perfect low-carb vegetables include:

Sosauteed kale in avocado oil, anyone?

Anti-Inflammatory Keto Meal Plan

Start your day with a dose of healthy MUFAs.

Image Credit: bhofack2/iStock/GettyImages

2 free-range eggs1 avocado

Handful of macadamia nuts

1/2 can tuna in olive oil1 slice humanely raised bacon, cooked and chopped roughly1/2 tomato, diced1/4 cup olivesLemon juice to taste2 cups kale, chopped1 teaspoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Grilled Portobello Cheeseburger

2 large portobello mushroom caps6 oz grass-fed ground beef1 slice grass-fed cheese of choice1 tablespoon avocado oilSalt and pepper

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Your Guide to Healthy Fats for the Keto Diet - LIVESTRONG.COM

When it comes to gut health, prebiotics play an important rolebut what exactly is prebiotic fiber, and how do you get it into your diet?

Many of us have heard ofprobiotics, the beneficial bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tract.Probiotics have countless health benefits; they help our bodies with nutrient absorption, maintain digestive health, and even play a part inregulating our mood. Its no wonder so many health experts recommend consuming probiotic-rich foods likeyogurt and kefir, and other fermented foods.

Related Reading:A Diet Rich in Kimchi and Sauerkraut Could Help Fight Coronavirus

Probiotics are important for overall health, but theres another component to a healthy gut that is equally important. Its called prebiotic fiber (also known as just prebiotics), and it might just be the most important type of dietary fiber you can eat.

Prebiotic fiber is a type of indigestible fiber that cant be completely broken down in your stomach. Instead, these fibers are fermented by probiotic gut bacteria in your small intestine and colon where they provide food for those same bacteria. If youve never heard of prebiotic dietary fiber, youre not alone. Probiotics tend to get all the fame and glory but this process of probiotics eating prebiotics is incredibly important. Without prebiotic food for probiotics to eat, you dont receive their benefits.

Prebiotics and probiotics work together to support your health in almost countless ways. For one, when the bacteria ferment prebiotic fibers, it produces important byproducts, including the production of essential nutrients and short-chain fatty acids, which are incredibly important for colon health. Studies have even shown that low levels of short-chain fatty acids are linked to digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome andulcerative colitis, and supplementation with foods that produce short-chain fatty acids (aka, prebiotics) can lead to a decrease indiabetesandheart disease. Consuming prebiotic fiber has also been associated with fewergut infections, healthiercholesterol levels, andweight loss.

Clearly, probiotics arent the only important factor in the gut microbiome, and its about time we learned about prebiotic fiber-rich foods and how to make sure were eating enough of them.

Photo Credit: Anfisa Kameneva / EyeEm / Getty Images

We can eat all thekefirandkimchiwe want, but without prebiotic fiber for these probiotics to ferment, they wont be able to thrive and do their job of supporting our health and digestion. And unfortunately, according to the Cleveland Clinic, most Americans arent getting the25 to 25 grams of fiberthats required for our gut bacteria to really thrive.

Luckily, prebiotic fiber is found in a bunch of healthy, delicious foodsand all we have to do is eat them. According to the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, thehighest amounts of prebioticsare found in raw versions of the following foods:

As a general rule, most fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are decent sources of prebiotic fiber. By consuming a diverse mix of these foods every day, theres a good chance youll be providing your gut bacteria with everything they need.

Photo Credit: Chowhound

Like with probiotics, many people assume they need to take a prebiotic supplement to make sure theyre getting enough. But as gut microbiome expert Gail Cresci, Ph.D., R.D.,told Cleveland Clinic, You can buy prebiotic supplements, but you dont need them if you eat the foods that fortify the army of friendly bacteria in your intestines. Therefore, most of your prebiotic needs can be satisfied with a healthy diet offresh fruits and veggies, especially if you throw in a few of the high-prebiotic foods mentioned above each week.

If you do decide to supplement, rest assured that prebiotics and probiotics are very safe. As Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.wrote for the Mayo Clinic, side effects are rare, and most healthy adults can safely add foods that contain prebiotics and probiotics to their diets.

Related Reading:Do You Need a Probiotic Supplement?

To make sure youre supporting the environment in your digestive tract the best way possible, its also recommended you consume probiotics and prebiotics at the same time, either in food- or a combined supplement-form; that way, youre providing the good bacteria and the fiber they require to thrive, all at the same time.

To get started on adding prebiotics to your routine, try ourTangy Banana Smoothie recipe, which incorporates bananas and Greekyogurt; ourJerusalem Artichoke recipe with Crispy Prosciutto; or ourAsparagus with Sweet Onions recipe.

Gretchen Lidickeris a writer, researcher, and author of the bookCBD Oil Everyday Secrets: A Lifestyle Guide To Hemp-Derived Health & Wellness. She has a masters degree in physiology and complementary and alternative medicine from Georgetown University and is the former health editor at mindbodygreen. Shes been featured in the New York Times, Marie Claire, Forbes, SELF, The Times, Huffington Post, and Travel + Leisure.

Article provided by ViacomCBS propertyChowhound.com. All featured products are curated independently by Chowhound editors. When you buy something through their retail links, Chowhound may receive a commission.

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Prebiotics 101: Discover Why Prebiotic Fiber Is The Most Important Thing Missing From Your Diet - CBS Las Vegas

High blood pressure - which is also known as hypertension - puts extra stress on blood vessels and vital organs.

The condition could lead to some deadly complications, including strokes and heart attacks.

It could be caused by eating an unhealthy diet, or by not doing enough exercise.

Avoiding some common foods may be the key to reducing your blood pressure.

READ MORE: High blood pressure - be aware of 'salty six' to lower reading

"Certain foods are particularly good to eat if you have hypertension and can significantly lower your risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke," said Dr Brewer.

She told Express Health: "Eating four or more servings of potatoes a week is associated with a significantly increased risk of hypertension, according to three studies, which followed over 187,000 doctors and nurses for more than 20 years.

"Eating baked, boiled or mashed potatoes appeared to increase the risk by 11 percent and French fries by 17 percent compared to those who ate less than one serving of these per month.

"These statistical associations remained, even after adjusting for total dietary intakes of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, fibre and dietary fats, and after taking peoples weight and age into account."

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The vegetable you should AVOID or risk deadly high blood pressure - are you at risk? - Express