What is good for us to eat varies so much from person to person that a universally wholesome diet is a fiction. Instead, the science of nutrition is hot on the heels of a new recipe for healthy eating

By Graham Lawton

FOR about a decade, geneticist Tim Spector of Kings College London ate the same thing every day: a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich on brown bread, followed by a banana. He thought it was a healthy choice, until he turned the microscope on himself and discovered that it was about the worst possible thing he could eat. He was having huge post-lunch surges of sugar and fat in his bloodstream, both of which are known risk factors for diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

But just because tuna sandwiches are bad for Spector doesnt mean they are bad for everyone. Far from it: for some people, they are super healthy. The same is true of almost any food, even things like ice cream and white bread that have long been considered universally bad news.

Recent research by Spector and others has revealed that our response to food is highly individualised and that, consequently, there is no such thing as a healthy diet that works for everybody. In fact, people respond to food in such idiosyncratic ways that everybody needs a personalised nutrition plan. Now he and others, including the US National Institutes of Health, are seeking to deliver such plans in a healthy eating revolution that is being called precision nutrition.

The findings could also explain why decades of one-size-fits-all dietary advice has failed to halt the global epidemic of obesity and diabetes and why nutrition science has consistently failed to produce a straight answer to its most pressing question: what constitutes a healthy diet?

The idea of diet as a major determinant of health goes back to

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Why there is no such thing as a healthy diet that works for everyone - New Scientist

By: Rachel Bleier September 9, 2020

As an athlete, Dustin Johnson's diet plays a huge role in his performance.

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Dustin Johnson just finished 12 out of 13 weeks on the road in grand fashion, walking away from East Lake with an extra $15 million in his bank account.

Of late, Johnson has made the game of golf look video-game easy. But behind the scenes, theres a lot to his preparation that allows him to put on a show week after week.

While it helps that Johnson is one of the more athletic people on the planet youve likely heard by now that he can dunk a basketball and free dive from over 50 feet in open water theres a lot that goes into keeping him healthy.

Considering that Johnson spends hours in the gym and on the course, it shouldnt come as a surprise that he burns anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 calories per day.So how does he fuel up?

Playing on a hot summer day at a course like East Lake, Johnson loses up to two gallons of water, making hydration key to his success. Losing so much water can be detrimental to his body physically and mentally, which is why Johnson relies on BodyArmor to stay hydrated throughout his rounds.

As Johnsons performance coach Joey D Diovisalvi puts it, If youre thirsty, its too late.

Because Johnson loses so much out on the course, he eats 5 perfectly balanced meals a day that reflect his high-protein diet and hydration needs. For such a laid-back guy, Johnson takes his diet seriously, making sure that each meal is calibrated to be exactly 60% protein, 20% fat, and 20% carbs.

A perfectly balanced breakfast for DJ looks something like this:

Whats most impressive about DJs diet, however is that he doesnt eat refined sugars. That means no cookies, ice cream, or other delicious, but bad-for-you foods.(Were sure there are some exceptions.)

The important lesson here is that your diet has a huge impact on your performance. While you dont have to go as far as copying DJs diet, which is designed for an elite athlete, consider how your diet translates to achieving your goals. At the very least, eating right and staying hydrated will keep you feeling good on the course.

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Dustin Johnson is more meticulous about his diet than youd think - Golf.com

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac 'n' cheese.

But let's not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. "The Quarantine 15" (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations "is a struggle everyone is dealing with," says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California-Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40% of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19's worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits they've developed over the past five months.

Karen Clark, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle, chained to the desk, with no meetings outside the house or walks to lunch with colleagues.

"I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else," Clark says. "When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12 pounds at 62, it's a long road back."

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But don't worry if you lack Clark's discipline, or a rowing machine. You can still regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish some basic daily routines, since in many cases that's exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you "bookend" your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

And, especially if you have kids at home who will be studying remotely this fall, prepare your meals at the beginning of the day, or even the beginning of the week, he says.

If you haven't exercised in a while, "start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate," says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you can't get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride, if one of those activities appeals to you. Though many jurisdictions across the United States require residents to wear masks when out in public, it may not be necessary and may even be harmful to some people with respiratory conditions while doing strenuous exercise.

"It's clearly hard to exercise with a mask on," says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University's School of Medicine. "We go hiking up in the foothills and we take our masks with us and we don't wear them unless somebody starts coming the other way. Then we will put the mask on, and then we take it off and we keep going."

If you prefer to avoid the mask question altogether, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a cable TV station with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for "exercise videos," you will find countless workouts for beginners and experienced fitness buffs alike. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days. You can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups might seem like a pale substitute, but they can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers. One way to find such groups is to search for "virtual fitness community."

Many gyms are also offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions, often advertised on their websites.

If group sports is your thing, you may or may not have options, depending on where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outdoor group sports in municipal parks are shut down until further notice. The only sports allowed are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball league for men 50 and older, will resume play early this month after sitting out the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the league's commissioner.

But he says it has been difficult to get enough players because of worries about COVID.

"In the senior group, you have quite a lot of people who are in a high-risk category or may have a spouse in a high-risk category, and they don't want to chance playing," says Hyder, 67, who does plan to play.

Players will have to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear masks while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the only player required to wear a mask. That's because masks can steam up glasses or slip, causing impaired vision that could be dangerous to base runners or fielders, Hyder explains.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it won't keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods that can raise your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 risk factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

"Start with something really simple," she said. "It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what they're used to preparing."

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.

Staying healthy is "so important these days, more than at any other time, because we are fighting this virus which doesn't have a treatment," says the Cleveland Clinic's Butsch. "The treatment is our immune system."

This KHN story first published onCalifornia Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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Exercise and diet are more important than ever with COVID at large - Salon

This lemon chicken pasta recipe is great for protein-rich diet.

Highlights

We are always divided between 'health' and 'taste' when it comes to food. Many of our favourite foods just cater to our taste buds, and when we look at healthy foods, they don't really appease us. Bringing the best of the two worlds together, we have the perfect recipe that comes with great taste and healthfulness at the same time. Pasta is something we all love. The best part about this food is that you can fashion it however you want to suit your taste preference. If you want a protein-rich meal, chicken pasta is the ideal recipe to pick. But if you want to go beyond the usual chicken pasta that you've had a million times already, try this unique and refreshing lemon chicken pasta.

Indian-style lemon chicken is one of our favourite dishes for main meal or snacks. Bringing its zesty flavor and protein content to the Italian delight of pasta, you get an irresistible meal that you just can't say no to. Pasta is nothing without a generous smattering of cheese, so you have that too in this recipe. Parmesan cheese goes best with this pasta but you can pick any cheese of your choice, even the healthy cottage cheese (paneer) but grated.

(Also Read:These Chicken Recipes Are Perfect For Your Next Morning Meal)

Chicken and rocket leaves are nutrient-rich.

Here's the full recipe of lemon chicken pasta with detailed ingredients list and cooking instructions.

Let us tell you that it's not only lime-infused chicken that makes this pasta such a wonderful dish. Green rocket leaves are also added to add in to the freshness quotient. Then, there are healthy pine nuts to add loads of crunch, and extra flavouring by garlic to make this pasta a truly exceptional meal.If you want to make your pasta healthier, try to choose healthy pasta alternatives like whole wheat pasta or semolina pasta. Also, you can make your pick from spaghetti pasta, penne pasta, macaroni or other pasta options that are easily available at your local grocery store.

It is a bonus that this easy pasta can be made in all of 30 minutes. While your pasta is boiling, cook shredded chicken with garlic and salt. Mix it with cooked pasta, add in pine nuts, lemon juice and rocket leaves, and lastly, garnish with grated cheese. That's it. Enjoy a delicious protein-rich meal that you are sure to love.

About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.

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Protein-Rich Diet: This Lemon Chicken Pasta Is A Refreshing Take On The Regular Pasta Recipe - NDTV Food

Presently is a decent an ideal opportunity to begin eating better and moving your body more

In the event that your life these days is in any way similar to mine, a pre-pandemic schedule that included ordinary exercise and taught eating has presumably offered approach to inactive nights on a major seat, marathon watching reruns of your preferred TV arrangement while swallowing chocolate frozen yogurt or macintosh n cheddar.

Be that as it may, we should not pound ourselves about it. A few specialists I talked with as of late said the vast majority of their patients and a significant number of their associates are attempting to keep up sound propensities in the midst of the nervousness of the pandemic. The Quarantine 15 (pounds, that is) is a genuine marvel.

The twofold test of securing our wellbeing, including our resistant frameworks, while doing combating unfortunate allurements is a battle everybody is managing, says Dr. David Kilgore, overseer of the integrative medication program at the University of California-Irvine.

A long time before COVID-19, over 40% of U.S. grown-ups were stout, which puts them in danger for COVID-19s most noticeably awful results. Be that as it may, even individuals acquainted with physical wellness and great sustenance are experiencing difficulty ending the unfortunate propensities theyve created in the course of recent months.

Karen Clark, an inhabitant of Knoxville, Tennessee, found serious paddling further down the road, and her various week after week exercises consumed off any abundance calories she expended. However, the pandemic made a huge difference: She could not, at this point get together with her colleagues to push and quit working out at the YMCA.

Unexpectedly, she was cooped up at home. Furthermore, concerning numerous individuals, that prompted a more inactive way of life, binded to the work area, without any gatherings outside the house or strolls to lunch with partners.

I returned to comfort food and agreeable schedules and viewing a terrible part of Netflix and Amazon Prime, much the same as every other person, Clark says. At the point when I increased 10 pounds and I was 25, I simply cut out the lager and frozen yogurt for seven days. At the point when you increase 12 pounds at 62, its a lengthy, difficult experience back.

She began along that street in July, when she quit purchasing chips, frozen yogurt and different treats. Also, in August, she rediscovered the paddling machine in her storm cellar.

However, dont stress on the off chance that you come up short on Clarks control, or a paddling machine. You can even now recover some authority over your life.

A decent method to begin is to build up some fundamental day by day schedules, since by and large that is actually what the pandemic has removed, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, overseer of stoutness medication at the Cleveland Clinics Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He suggests you bookend your day with physical action, which can be as straightforward as a short stroll in the first part of the day and a more drawn out one after work.

Whats more, particularly in the event that you have children at home who will concentrate distantly this fall, set up your dinners toward the start of the day, or even the start of the week, he says.

In the event that you havent practiced in some time, start slow and steadily get yourself up to where you can endure a raised pulse, says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medication specialist with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, only south of San Diego. In the event that your rec center is shut or you cant get along with your standard exercise amigos, there are a lot of approaches to get your body going at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Take a walk, a run or a bicycle ride, on the off chance that one of those exercises requests to you. In spite of the fact that numerous locales over the United States expect inhabitants to wear covers when out in the open, it may not be fundamental and may even be destructive to certain individuals with respiratory conditions while doing demanding activity.

On the off chance that you miss the fellowship of practicing with others, virtual wellness gatherings may appear to be a pale substitute, however they can give inspiration and responsibility, just as livestreamed video exercises with similar exercisers. One approach to discover such gatherings is to look for virtual wellness network.

Numerous rec centers are additionally offering live advanced wellness classes and physical instructional meetings, regularly publicized on their sites.

In the event that team activities is your thing, you could conceivably have choices, contingent upon where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outside team activities in civil parks are closed down until further notification. The main games permitted are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball association for men 50 and more established, will continue play early this month in the wake of passing on the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the groups magistrate.

In any case, he says it has been hard to get enough players in view of stresses over COVID.

In the senior gathering, you have a considerable amount of individuals who are in a high-hazard classification or may have a companion in a high-hazard class, and they would prefer not to risk playing, says Hyder, 67, who intends to play.

Players should remain in any event 6 feet separated and wear covers while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the main player needed to wear a veil. That is on the grounds that veils can steam up glasses or slip, causing debilitated vision that could be risky to base sprinters or defenders, Hyder clarifies.

Whatever type of activity you pick, recall it wont keep you solid except if you likewise lessen utilization of greasy and sweet nourishments that can raise your danger of incessant infections, for example, stoutness, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 danger factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, suggests that individuals lay in a solid flexibly of beans and lentils, entire grains, nuts and seeds, just as solidified vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, for example, fish and salmon.

Start with something truly basic, she said. It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what theyre accustomed to planning.

Whatever initial steps you choose to take, presently is a decent an ideal opportunity to begin eating better and moving your body more.

Remaining sound is so significant nowadays, more than at some other time, since we are battling this infection which doesnt have a treatment, says the Cleveland Clinics Butsch. The treatment is our safe framework.

Continued here:
With losts COVID, Exercise and diet are a higher priority than at any other time - Stats Globe

To prevent future managed colony losses, the team will look for ways to strengthen bee colony immunity by feeding them more nutritious diets.

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A newly fundedTexas A&M AgriLife Researchproject seeks to slow population losses among more than 2.6 million managed honey bee colonies in the U.S.

Honey bees provide pollination services that uphold $16 billion in U.S. agricultural crops. However, managed colonies have seen annual declines. Those include a 40% decline as recently as 2018-2019, said Juliana Rangel, AgriLife Research honey bee scientist in the Department of Entomology, Bryan-College Station.

The declines are attributed to several general issues, including poor nutrition and susceptibility to pathogens and diseases, said Pierre Lau, AgriLife Research graduate assistant and a Texas A&M Universitydoctoral candidate in Rangels laboratory.

Lau is also the project leader. To prevent future managed colony losses, his team will look for ways to strengthen bee colony immunity to disease pathogens by feeding them more nutritious diets.

The project is supported by aU.S. Department of Agriculture pre-doctoral fellowshiptitled Optimizing Macronutrient Contents in the Honeybee Diet as a Mechanism for Pathogen Defense.

The research team includes Lau, Texas A&M graduate student Alexandria Payne, undergraduate students Cora Garcia and Jordan Gomez, and Rangel. Spencer Behmer, AgriLife Research professor in the Texas A&M department of entomology, is also part of the team, as is his postdoctoral research associate Pierre Lesne.

Cups with different macronutrient mixes are presented to bees in these small cups.

Texas A&M AgriLif

Researchers will focus heavily on macronutrients, which are those nutrients in the highest demand by a healthy body for proper metabolism and physiology, Lau said.

His teams work will be to first understand the varying amounts of proteins and lipids, or macronutrient ratios, present in bees diets. They will work to optimize an ideal diet with varying ratios of macronutrients, then they will observe physiological benefits to bees that receive increasingly nutritious dietary mixes.

Commercial honey bee colonies succumb especially to Nosema ceranae and deformed wing virus. Nosema ceranae, a fungal pathogen, causes a fatal intestinal disease, while deformed wing virus causes death due to developmental complications in heavily infected adults, particularly due to crumpled wings.

Besides pathogens and diseases, Lau said, honey bee declines within agroecosystems which describe most agricultural crop scenarios can also come from parasitization, poor queen health, pesticide exposure and landscape fragmentation.

As such, in addition to immunity, the researchers will investigate how nutritional changes affect expression of genes that mediate proper honey bee development and growth.

We know that pollen is the most important source of nourishment for bees, but as a field of research, we have a poor understanding of all the macronutrients that make up pollen, Lau said.

At the same time, Lau and collaborators, in an unpublished study, were able to determine the nutritional content of certain pollens. In the same study, they noted that honey bees preferred pollen with a lower ratio of protein to lipids, or P:L ratio, than what would be currently available in the beekeeping industry. Moreover, Lau said, existing research shows that organisms naturally seek out pathogen-fighting nutrients in their surroundings.

Does this mean that honey bees can alter their macronutrient intake to self-medicate and increase their tolerance to a pathogen, given the availability? Lau said. It could also be that the role of lipids is more significant than we understand.

Additionally, Rangel said, honey bees need certain plants in the vicinity to help them with physiological processes. Those include metabolizing certain macro and micronutrients.

We know that honey bees need variety in their diet, Rangel said. But, to what extent are certain nutrients required, or even sought after, by the bees for proper nourishment?

Can we introduce supplemental macronutrients that allow honey bees to self-medicate in the presence of pathogen infections? Lau added. This will be our focus for the next two years.

Read more about theTexas A&M Honey Bee Research Program , and follow Rangels lab onFacebook.

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Honey Bee Nutrition Might Be Key To Healthy Colonies - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today

Of course, ditching unhealthy snacks is sure to help tone up the waistline.

However, the expert explained eating more of certain foods is actually the key to a weight loss transformation.

Those hoping to lose a few pounds and feel more energetic should add more foods high in fibre into their diets.

Emily commented: "Despite a bland reputation, health experts now believe that fibre is more than just roughage that keeps you regular.

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"According to UK government guidelines, adults should be getting 30 grams of fibre a day.

"And yet, nine in 10 people in the UK are not meeting this, with most adults eating only 18 grams a day.

"The latest research suggests that eating enough fibre could be the key to reducing your risk of various health conditions as well as helping you lose stubborn fat."

Not only can fibre help improve the overall health of the body, the food can speed up weight loss results.

Fibre may help with weight management by helping you to feel fuller for longer, as well as helping to feed the good bacteria in your gut," she added.

High fibre foods include wheat bran, brown rice, nuts, seeds and cereals.

Combining these with plenty of protein can also help dieters cut back on fat.

She continued: "Protein is whats known as a macronutrient, meaning its a nutrient the body requires a lot of it (along with carbohydrates and fats) in order to stay healthy.

"Protein is a not-so-secret weapon when it comes to weight loss. The main reason for this is protein is satiating which means it makes you fuller for longer.

For adults, the general daily requirement is 0.6g of protein per kilogram bodyweight.

"So if you weigh 80kg, youd need around 48 grams protein daily to stay healthy, but increasing your protein intake might have benefits if youre trying to lose weight."

High protein foods include meat, fish, dairy, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds.

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Weight loss: Eating more of one food can help burn fat and boost energy - what is it? - Express

Few actors have captivated the Indian imagination like actor Parveen Babi did. She dazzled on the Indian silver screen at a time when being modest and coy was the order of the day. Glamorous, sensuous and successful, her personal life was as much in the news as her work -- she was known for her bohemian choices and doomed romances. Later, her health issues began to dominate headlines.

While much is known about her, a new book Parveen Babi A Life by writer Karishma Upadhyay, takes a fresh look at the late star and dives deep into her lifes challenges and background. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Karishma talks about the highs and lows in Parveens life, her regal background, her transformation from a shy and ambitious girl to a life in arc lights and more.

Which new facets of Parveen Babis life will we get to read in the book?

The book pretty much covers her life from birth to death.

While the relationships were an important part of her life, there is a lot more to her life. There is information about her family, what she was like as student, etc. One of the things that directors I spoke to mentioned was her photographic memory. She may not have been the best actress in the business, but she was someone who memorised dialogues pretty much instantly.

For my book, I spoke to Amol Palekar who had worked with her. He recalled an earlier interaction when he had brought along with him the celebrated playwright Badal Sirkar, who had wanted to see a film shoot. Amol took him to Mumbais Film City, where Parveen was shooting for The Burning Train. The moment she saw Badal, Parveen jumped up and touched his feet. It turned out that when Parveen had made her debut on theatre, back in Ahmedabad, she had done so in a famous play by Badal called Evom Indrajit. Amol mentioned about how they spent the next few hours talking about literature and theatre. It is hard to believe that someone who looked as glamorous as Parveen did would be able to talk at length on such topics.

A large part of the book also talks about her mental health issues. There is a lot about her breakdowns and what she was like, what the people around her saw. When she left the industry even her family didnt know where she had disappeared. She just left. So there is information about that as well. There are details about the time she returned, right down to how she converted to Christianity. There are details about what she ate, how she thought that there were people wanting to poison her and how, towards the end of her life, she survived on a diet of milk and eggs.

Writer Karishma Upadhyay spoke to as many as 100 people for the book, Parveen Babi A Life.

In the context of Sushant Singh Rajput case where there is much talk about mental health, this book should help in de-stigmatising the issue. You think so?

That is my only hope. I started researching for the book about three years back and later, the writing began. Then the lockdown happened. It is very uncanny that the book is coming out now. I can only hope that it gives people a better understanding... I am not a psychiatrist but, to the best of my ability, I have tried to understand what she went through.

That it is possible to be young, beautiful and successful and yet have to deal with a mental health issue. When people use a word like paagal, it is important to know that there are many different kinds of mental illnesses. They all look different, their symptoms are different... if people understand a little more, I will consider it my job done.

Tell us something about your research, who did you speak to and where all did it take you? Did you go to Junagarh, for instance?

No, I did not go to Junagarh. She didnt really have a family - her father passed away when she was really young and her mother died three years before Parveens death. I did go to Ahmedabad where she spent considerable amount of time and where she studied. I went to Gangtok to meet Danny Denzongpa. I went to Pune to meet Amol Palekar.

I have spoken to about 100 people for the book out of which 60 are on record. I spoke to Hema Malini, Amol, Deepti Naval, Manoj Kumar, Ravi Tandon, her friends from the industry like Sanjay Khan and his wife, right down to the inspector who found her body. Mahesh Bhatt, Danny and Kabir Bedi are there in the book and I spoke to all of them.

What would be the takeaway from this book?

For me, I would really like all to understand the importance of conversations around mental health. On the surface, her life was perfect. She had the money. She had the men she loved. But when you look a little deeper, you understood things were not what they appeared to be.

In the process of speaking to 100 people, what would you say could have been done in retrospect to help prevent her downward spiral?

I feel it would be about getting the help she needed. Mahesh Bhatt did try, he was the first one who saw it coming; she had her first breakdown when she was with him. He mentioned later that he didnt have any status in her life and he couldnt help her as much as she needed. She needed someone who could get her the medical attention she needed.

Would you say your book will help people empathise more?

I genuinely hope so.

Theres a fair bit of information about her in public domain...

And much of it is wrong, like her age. She was five years younger than what is publicly known. She was born on April 4, 1954.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Parveen Babi survived on a diet of milk, eggs towards the end of her life: Karishma Upadhyay - Hindustan Times

Photographer: Maria del RioEditorial and internal use approved. OK for Native and co-branded use.Photographer: Maria del RioInternal and Editorial use approved. OK for Native and Co-Branded use.

Polycycstic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormonal condition that affects an estimated six to 12 percent of people with female sex organs (as many as five million), according to the CDC. Symptoms of PCOS include ovarian cysts, irregular periods, high levels of androgen (male hormones), excess hair growth, acne, and weight gain. Although these symptoms can be controlled with medication including birth control to regulate hormones and Metformin to regulate blood sugar, the biggest way to get PCOS under control is through lifestyle changes: sleep, stress management, exercise, and - most notably - diet.

Since many women with PCOS also have insulin resistance, treating the condition requires a tricky balance of eating the right foods at the right times. Unfortunately, PCOS is a complex condition that doesn't adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach.

"Lifestyle management is recommended as a first-line treatment of PCOS; however, studies have not proven which type of diet is best," said PCOS expert Martha McKittrick, RD, CDE, and certified health coach. "This is probably because each woman is an individual and has different genes, metabolisms, medical issues, and phenotypes of PCOS."

Even if there's not one type of diet that's best for everyone with PCOS, there are some general diet tips that everyone with PCOS can benefit from. Here are the main guidelines McKittrick recommends:

Related: After Years of Suffering, the Whole30 Diet Helped Heal My PCOS Symptoms

McKittrick says balanced meals that contain protein and fat along with your carbs control blood sugar, prevent insulin spikes, and ward off carb cravings. For example, a slice of whole grain toast with natural peanut butter is more satiating than a bowl of cereal with fat-free milk since the peanut butter is higher in fat and protein to balance out the carbs from the toast. However, she emphasizes that it's a general guideline and not a rule you need to stick to 100 percent of the time; sometimes you may just want an apple by itself or a steak with salad and no carbs.

Story continues

She recommends is eating foods that are lower on the glycemic index and have a lower glycemic load, such as whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, instead of higher glycemic foods such as potatoes, white bread, rice, and refined sugar. Eating fiber-rich foods will also prevent blood sugar spikes and keep you feeling fuller longer.

Healthy fats such as nuts, nut butters, avocados, and olive oil will keep you feeling satiated and can help you lose weight. Omega-3 fats, like the ones found in fatty fish, walnuts, and canola oil, may decrease the risk of heart disease, improve insulin resistance, and decrease inflammation.

Related: Can You Eat the Pain Away? Here's What Happened When I Followed an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Processed foods are usually loaded with refined sugars and carbs and empty calories that can spike your blood sugar. "Your best bet is to stick to food as close as possible to its natural state," she says.

PCOS is also associated with inflammation, so she recommends limiting inflammatory foods such as added sugars, trans fats, and refined carbs. Processed foods also tend to be inflammatory. Instead, she says to load up on anti-inflammatory foods such as fatty fish, dark leafy greens, berries, ginger, garlic, and turmeric.

Vegetables are not only anti-inflammatory; they can help you lose weight, too. They're low in calories but high in fiber, so loading your plate with vegetables will make you full without all the added calories of other calorie-dense foods. Veggies are also packed with micronutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants - all great news for those living with PCOS.

Poor gut health has been linked to obesity, according to a 2016 study, and McKittrick says gut health could also be tied to PCOS - after all, a healthy gut can help improve digestion, balance hormones, and boost immunity. Load up on probiotic-rich foods to feed your gut such as kombucha, unsweetened Greek yogurt, and fermented foods.

Since your hormones are all out of whack with PCOS, it's best to stay away from any other external sources of hormones such as meat and dairy. When it comes to buying your animal products, try to buy organic if you can, which means they haven't been given antibiotics or growth hormones, according to the USDA guidelines. However, organic meat is more expensive than nonorganic, so it's best to buy what's in your grocery budget.

Related: PCOS Affects as Many as 5 Million Women - Here's How to Know If You're One of Them

One of the best ways to stay on track with your healthy eating regimen is to meal prep. Plus, it will save you time during the week and money in the long run because you'll be less likely to order takeout or pick up something processed. Set aside some time on the weekends to prep all your meals and snacks for the week. It doesn't even need to be complicated - you can make a variety of foods in just 30 minutes!

At the end of the day, if you don't enjoy any of the food you are making or eating, you won't stick to your healthy eating plan.

"Eating is one of life's pleasures," McKittrick said. "If you feel deprived most of the time, it's likely that you'll end up bingeing on the foods you miss the most or will just feel totally miserable."

Find foods that you like and can eat frequently. If you miss your favorite comfort foods, try substitutes such as spiralized zucchini noodles instead of traditional pasta and cauliflower rice instead of white rice. It's all about balance, and as long as you are eating on your diet plan most of the time, there is still room for your favorite treats - just enjoy in moderation.

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This Is the Best Diet For PCOS, According to a Dietitian - Yahoo Lifestyle

The following was submitted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation:

WednesdaySep9,2020at2:13PM

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently announced that it is extending the Road Diet Pilot Project that is currently taking place on Main Street, Route 28, in Reading.

The pilot, which began in late April and was originally scheduled to conclude this fall, will now be extended through the winter months into 2021 to allow a more comprehensive sampling of data to be collected and evaluated during future time frames when traffic volumes may be more comparatively aligned to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The impacts of COVID-19 on traffic volumes and patterns in Reading and across the commonwealth have been significant. Although traffic volumes have continued to increase as a result of the phased reopening in the commonwealth, MassDOT wants to make sure that traffic data and public input being collected on the pilot are accurate and representative of future traffic conditions. While MassDOT expects that final lane configurations will be determined and installed in Spring 2021, exact dates will depend on weather and traffic conditions.

MassDOT plans to announce the results of the pilot evaluation and determine final lane configurations in March 2021. If it is determined that safety is not improved and traffic impacts reach unacceptable levels for an extended period of time, the lane configurations will be returned to the original pre-pilot conditions after the pilot evaluation period ends and the final pavement surface and permanent pavement markings are installed.

Road diets are proven safety countermeasures that reduce the number of conflict points and make travel safer for all roadway users. A study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration found that four-lane to three-lane road diets reduce the total number of crashes by 19-47%. Some road diets have shown an even greater improvement as much as a 70% reduction in crashes along a single stretch of road.

The road diet pilot on Main Street will reconfigure travel lanes within the existing roadway to create a center left-turn lane along the corridor and dedicated left-turn lanes at signalized intersections. This reconfiguration of travel lanes will simplify turning movements for cars, help provide more consistent traffic flow and reduce the likelihood of severe crashes and injuries for drivers and pedestrians.

For information, visit https://mass.gov/route-28-in-reading-resurfacing-and-road-diet-pilot.

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Road Diet Pilot Project to continue in Reading - Wicked Local Reading