Credit: Camille Troisi, Author provided.

The internet is filled with blogs and articles offering advice for parents who are trying to coax children into eating greens. Anyone with kids can relate to stories of mealtimes becoming a succession of attritional confrontations, where you cycle through ineffectual strategies before accepting the reality of the situation and plead with your toddler to simply take one bite of broccoli. In the end, it doesnt matter how much gravy you pour on fish, or cheese you melt on cauliflower fussy toddlers know what youre up to.

If we could converse with animals, they would also relate to these stories, as many species have a seemingly irrational dislike of anything unfamiliar and are more likely to eat new food after watching other individuals try it. Fussy eating can be an important way of avoiding toxic food, as witnessing other individuals eat new foods might tell them that its safe.

But fascinatingly, fussy eating may also indicate the presence of teaching in animals. Despite 30 years of research on the topic, there are still few examples of teaching in other species, making it difficult to understand how such behaviour might have evolved. My colleagues and I recently conducted research in the Atlantic forest of Brazil that provides new evidence that some animals may effectively teach their young what foods are safe to eat.

There are plenty of examples of fussy eating among animals. Young marmoset monkeys are slow to eat new food when alone, but are more willing to take a risk and try it if they are surrounded by family. Similarly, capuchins eat more unfamiliar food when group members also do so.

There are instances where food handling is linked to teaching in animals. The way in which meerkats show their young how to safely handle scorpions for eating is one well-known illustration. At first, young pups are given dead scorpions to familiarise them with the dangerous insect. As the meerkats grow up, adults remove the sting from live scorpions so that the pups can learn how to deal with the prey. Then intact animals are gradually introduced.

As a behaviour, this meets the three criteria scientists use to identify teaching in animals. An individual changes its behaviour in the presence of an observer, at a cost or no benefit to themselves, and this change leads to learning in another individual. In the case of the meerkats, although an escaped scorpion might represent a lost lunch, the exercise leads to learning in the young observer.

This kind of research has helped challenge the long-held assumption that teaching is a uniquely human practice. But the overall dearth of evidence means there is still debate.

In particular, its not always clear that instances where animals learn to eat new foods because of other individuals around them really meet the criteria for teaching. For example, there is limited evidence that adult golden lion tamarin monkeys, which are known to have a varied diet that includes insects and fruits, might teach their young about diet by sharing and transferring food.

If such food transfers do have a teaching function, we would expect them to meet the three criteria I mentioned before. The tamarins would transfer more unfamiliar food than familiar food because this would create the opportunity for learning.

On two recent visits to Brazil, we studied this behaviour by introducing familiar and unfamiliar foods to wild groups of tamarins. Initially, we introduced these foods when young tamarins were dependent on their family, enabling us to look at how adult tamarins transferred food within their family group.

Six months later, when the young tamarins were independent, we returned to find that their food choices were influenced by their parents. The tamarins did not, as we had expected, transfer more unfamiliar food than familiar food. But they did transfer more food they had grown accustomed to than the food they had never tried.

Despite not clearly demonstrating teaching because it doesnt meet all the criteria, this evidence appears to show that adult tamarins assess new food first before passing it on to others. This is still significant for juveniles, as they learn about what to include in their diet from the food that they receive from adults.

It is possible that food transfers in golden lion tamarins serve several functions simultaneously, depending on the identity of the individual receiving the food, and the food type being transferred. Further research could look at how tamarins transfer insects to see if there is a general pattern.

We also need to investigate whether adult tamarin gain any benefit, such as decreased harassment or increased social bonds, by transferring food to their young. Such information would help us come closer to understanding whether some animals really can be taught to overcome their fussy eating.

Camille Troisi, Postdoctoral Researcher in Behavioural Ecology, University College Cork

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Animals are picky eaters too scientists are trying to discover if parents teach them what's safe to eat - ZME Science

Tara Lennon/THE REVIEWA limited number of students have now moved back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, and the duty once again falls on Dining Services to provide them with meals.

BY KELSEY WAGNERAssociate News Editor

In March of 2020, there were three dining halls operating on campus. Each was consistently bustling with activity, sometimes even fielding lines out the door as students crammed in to grab a bite to eat. Now, only one dining hall remains in operation and is usually mostly empty.

Even after campus shut down for the latter half of the Spring 2020 semester, Dining Services was obliged to provide meals to students who were living on campus and on the universitys dining plan. A limited number of students have now moved back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, and the duty once again falls on Dining Services to provide them with meals.

The summer provided time for Dining Services to monitor and evaluate the status of coronavirus and to look at Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, university procedures and state policy. They also began utilizing Aramarks EverSafe program. Aramark is a company that partners with the university to provide food for its dining halls. According to Aramarks website, EverSafe provides guidelines for safe reopening and sustainable management of Aramark locations.

For this spring, we had to be very reactive, and for the fall we had an opportunity to be proactive, Amanda Steiner, Dining Services vice president of operations, said.

According to Steiner, this proactivity included engaging with students to ensure continuing satisfaction, adapting operations and safety procedures and ensuring employee cooperation and commitment to new policies and regulations.

Because the number of students living on-campus is small, only Pencader Dining Hall is currently in operation. Other on-campus dining options include the Trabant Student Center, the Nest in Morris Library, and the Provisions On Demand (POD) market on North Campus.

Tara Lennon/THE REVIEWThis group of students prepares to eat in Pencader Dining Hall.

Steiner said the university also expanded its partnership with food delivery services GrubHub and Good Uncle, with an option to add these services to a meal plan. The goal in this expansion is for students to not have to be physically present in the universitys dining areas. Even if students must enter the dining facilities in Trabant, GrubHubs mobile ordering service and the recently installed kiosks limit cashier contact and stop large crowds from forming as students wait for their food.

According to Steiner, the POD on North Campus is the only place where students collect their own items and pay with a cashier system.

Dining Services has also worked to monitor density and traffic in Pencader Dining Hall. The density tracker can be accessed through the Dining Services website. Steiner said that the density tracker is in real time to allow students to decide when and where they would like to eat.

Even though Pencader is currently the only dining hall in use, the density tracker was installed in Caesar Rodney and Russell dining halls as well.

Pencader Dining Hall has not seen full capacity so far this semester because of the low campus population, but Steiner sees it as a tool that could be used well into the future to help students make an educated decision without having to walk all the way across campus. She also hopes to gain a better understanding of dining hall traffic patterns to educate students on peak times.

It really gave us a better sense of helping the students be able to see where they could dine and what would be open and available, Stefanie Gilreath, the marketing manager for Dining Services, said. If we did have to restrict occupancy more, it is definitely a tool that we knew we would use heavily.

Some students currently living on campus have been monitoring the density tracker to determine when to eat.

Sophomore environmental science major Alexis Cervantes is immunocompromised, and therefore especially susceptible to coronavirus. She does not like to go to the dining hall when it is too crowded.

I was even scared to go at thirty percent, but I think when I went it was under 10, Cervantes said.

Sophomore public policy and criminal justice double-major Maggie Buckridge has also paid attention to the density tracker.

One thing I noticed is that the occupancy thats outside of the dining hall is definitely not accurate, Buckridge said.

Buckridge also pointed out other experiences in which she felt that the density tracker seemed inaccurate.

The other day it said two percent, and I went upstairs, Buckridge said. It was pretty empty but I dont think this was two percent, I mean there were definitely people there.

Another time, Buckridge said, the density tracker was at zero percent but the dining hall was not empty of students.

Since the spring, self-service has been eliminated, and there has also been a complete division between dine-in and take-out portions of Pencader. According to Steiner, Dining Services made these changes to remove the risk of cross-contamination of containers and to better control occupancy.

Buckridge sees the separation between dine-in and take-out as one of the most significant changes in on-campus dining since the spring.

I think the difference between dining in and dining out is kind of big, but regardless of if Im doing dine-in or take-out, it has all been tasting pretty good, Buckridge said.

Despite being content with the options available to her, Buckridge said that there are limited take-out options available to students who have dietary restrictions.

I imagine like if youre vegan or vegetarian, or even if youre just a picky eater or if you have allergies, its probably pretty hard to do take-out just because there are limited options, Buckridge said. There always is a vegan option, but it might be like one or two things so like hummus, for example, and [if] youre vegan thats kind of it.

Buckridge also pointed out that there are many more options that are available to students when they are dining in.

Although she has only visited the dining hall a few times since arriving on campus, Cervantes also feels that the options are limited as someone who follows a vegan diet. Instead, she looks to Main Street for alternative dining options.

They just dont have a lot of options, and then coming from [Caesar Rodney Dining Hall], like, just a whole different world up here because I used to have that entire vegan station, Cervantes said. Now, I just feel like my options are super limited.

Unlike Buckridge, Cervantes prefers the options offered by the take-out section of the dining hall.

The vegan options that I would have are only in the to-go section, so I dont mind taking it to-go since I am immunocompromised, Cervantes said.

Because Dining Services is providing food during a pandemic, they must ensure that they are doing so safely. Mike Diener, the safety director for Dining Services, was hired for this exact purpose.

Diener called hand sanitation a critical procedure for the safe functioning of a food service operation. He also said that Dining Services has increased the number of hand-washing and sanitizing stations available to students and has put up signage to promote hand hygiene.

According to Diener, Dining Services employees also had to undergo training in hand hygiene procedures and are observed to ensure they are washing their hands, as well as wearing gloves and masks. All employees were tested for coronavirus before returning to work and also undergo daily health screenings.

Gilreath also ensured that Dining Services employees are taking precautions against coronavirus.

Everyones been very committed to doing what we need to do to stay safe, from our management teams through our employees, Gilreath said. Everyones been very cooperative and have been taking all the precautions that we can.

Diener said that dining services also reviewed its safety measures with resident assistants, who could then communicate the guidelines with their residents.

Social distancing markers have been placed six feet apart throughout campus, including in Pencader Dining Hall. Diener said that Dining Services works to ensure social distancing by telling students to wait for their food in the dining room, rather than near the line.

Tara Lennon/THE REVIEWDining Services verified that tables are eight feet apart and sanitized when students leave.

Even though masks are required elsewhere on campus, students cannot eat with their masks on. To mitigate this problem, Diener said, tables only allow for six students to sit at a time and are spread eight feet apart. After students leave, tables and chairs are immediately disinfected.

Buckridge said that the students typically follow social distancing guidelines when eating in the dining hall.

Youre pretty much six feet apart from people when youre like walking around getting your food, which feels safe, Buckridge said.

When it comes to seating, however, Buckridge is concerned that the groups of students joining together for meals may be too large.

I mean, I dont feel super hopeful with people being able to eat in like groups of like eight people in the dining hall, Buckridge said.

Buckridge also finds inconsistencies between residence hall policies and dining hall policies. While she cannot go into a residence hall that is not her own, she can still eat with people who live there, potentially spreading coronavirus across residence halls through interactions in the dining hall.

It sort of makes the Res Life restrictions feel a little obsolete, Buckridge said. How meaningful and impactful are those gonna be when you can eat inside with a group of eight people without your mask on, at one table, socially distanced from other tables, but not from the people youre sitting with?

Both Diener and Gilreath believe that awareness is key to enforcing policies aimed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Its really [about] educating and communication and making sure that those materials and guidelines are out there, so students know what the expectations are when theyre dining on campus, Gilreath said.

Both Buckridge and Cervantes believe that there is not enough signage conveying dining hall expectations. Cervantes said that even though there are arrows, there is still some confusion.

I just dont want to accidentally go somewhere that Im not supposed to or grab something Im not supposed to, but theyre not really telling us what to do, Cervantes said.

Buckridge is most concerned about students spreading coronavirus by sitting with people whom they are not already in close contact with.

Theres like no signage; theres no encouragement or expectation, like it doesnt say, Oh, eat with people you live with or you know, only eat with people in your building, or something, Buckridge said. Theres none of that. You can eat with whoever.

For those looking for more information regarding safety guidelines for returning students, including a list of safe dining rules, please refer to the universitys published campus guidelines here.

Correction: A previous version of this article, published Sept. 10 at 12 noon, introduced and referred to the safety director for Dining Services as Mike Diner or Diner throughout the piece. This was a misspelling. His last name is spelled Diener. This article was updated Sept. 11 at 12 noon to correct this factual error.

Excerpt from:
Safe to dine?: Dining Services navigates on-campus meals during a pandemic The Review - University of Delaware Review

Nutrition can be a hotly contested topic, but health experts agree that eating well is actually simple. No matter which way you slice and dice the information, the conclusion is you should mostly eat a whole, minimally processed diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and water. If you can do that, you cant go wrong, says preventive medicine specialist David L. Katz, MD, coauthor, along with Mark Bittman, of How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered. Dr. Katz is also the founding director of Yale Universitys Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby, Connecticut.

In essence, says Katz, there shouldnt be a need for another nutrition book (like his!), and yet nutrition confusion remains. Here, we cut through some of the bigger myths out there to help you eat better starting today.

Carbohydrates include highly processed foods, like crackers, chips, bread, and breakfast cereal. But the category also includes berries, spinach, beans, lentils, and plant-based foods that contain fiber and a variety of health-promoting nutrients, says Katz.

Consuming high-fiber, unrefined carbohydrates whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables is linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease, says Abbey Sharp, a registered dietitian in Toronto and the author of The Mindful Glow Cookbook. A series of meta-analyses and reviews published in January 2019 in The Lancet backs up this notion. Stop fearing all carbs, Sharp says.

Theres nothing special about breakfast, says Katz. The first food you eat during the day is technically breakfast, but it doesnt need to be consumed early or include certain types of foods. If youre not hungry in the morning, you can skip this meal and move right into lunch.

Snacking takes the edge off your hunger and can work for or against you depending on what youre eating. Katz recommends apples, walnuts, bananas, carrots, hummus, and bean dip as nutritious snacks. Skip highly processed vending machine food that will spike (and then crash) your blood sugar.

RELATED: 8 Healthy High-Protein Snacks to Power You Through the Day

Sometimes, frozen produce may be healthier than fresh, says Sharp. Frozen produce is often flash frozen at the peak of ripeness, while some fresh produce is picked before its ripe. The nutrition in fresh produce may degrade as its shipped to stores, according to a study published in June 2017 in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.

Eating locally produced food is a worthy aim. However, the most important goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables even if they were grown far away, says Katz.

If you can afford organic, eat organic, advises Katz, since organic produce contains fewer potentially harmful chemical residues, according to a review published in September 2014 in The British Journal of Nutrition. But if its out of your budget, buy conventional and rinse it off before eating to reduce the amount of pesticide residue. The most important thing is eating more fruits and vegetables.

RELATED: Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?

The beauty of having organs, such as lungs, skin, kidneys, and a liver, is that your body relies on them to detox your body naturally, says Sharp: You dont need to buy an expensive detox program to improve your health.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. About 90 percent of people are gluten tolerant and consume these foods just fine, Katz writes. Whats more, research published in May 2015 in the journal Digestion shows that among people who believed they were sensitive to gluten, 86 percent could eat it just fine. Unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, you can continue to cook foods with gluten, such as whole grains.

Skip fat and youre skipping out on the most satiating nutrient. Plus, low-fat foods often backfire: These alternatives are often higher in sodium and sugar to make up for the lack of mouthfeel [from removing the fat], so theyre not necessarily healthier, says Sharp.

RELATED: Good vs. Bad Fats for the Heart

Turning produce into juice strips away the fiber, making juice a more concentrated source of sugar. The end result is a higher glycemic load, which means your blood sugar will surge after drinking the juice, according to How to Eat. Better to consume whole fruits and vegetables.

The humble white potato gets the short stick but shouldnt. People demonize potatoes over sweet potatoes, but the nutrient composition is quite similar, says Sharp. Sweet potatoes have more vitamin A and an additional gram of fiber, but white potatoes have more potassium (essential for helping regulate blood sugar), she says. Nutrition info from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on sweet and white potatoesbacks up these details. The verdict: Include a combination of sweet and white taters in your diet.

This hinges on the idea that beans contain lectins, which are supposedly poisonous it's how the fad diet called the lectin-free diet came about. Lectins are most abundant in raw, dried beans (canned beans tend to be low in lectins). But because you cook beans before you eat them, that process reduces some of the lectin content, according to theHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Also, beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat, says Katz. Beans are a mainstay of all five Blue Zone diets. Every study that has looked at beans has found that a higher intake is connected to better health outcomes, in areas like weight, heart disease, and dementia, he says.

RELATED: 6 Expert Tips for Switching to a Plant-Based Diet

Most people wouldnt actually derive a benefit from a nightly glass of vino. If you enjoy wine, can stick to moderate drinking recommendations, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and have a family history of cardiovascular disease, you may benefit, says Katz. Otherwise, theres no reason to start drinking in the hope of protecting your heart.

Its not as dramatic as it sounds. Eggs have been unnecessarily demonized because they contain dietary cholesterol, says Sharp. However, more recent research shows that saturated and trans fats in your diet stimulate the liver to make cholesterol, says Harvard Health Publishing. And so, the bigger concern when it comes to unhealthy levels of cholesterol in your body is saturated-fat-rich foods, not necessarily foods higher in cholesterol. And eggs are a food thats lower in sat fat. TheAmerican Heart Association recommends sticking with about one egg per day. (If you have a couple of eggs twice a week, youre still under an appropriate limit.)

They may be rich in fat and calories, but they also contain a good amount of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Research published in July 2017 in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded that nut eaters have less of a risk of gaining weight and becoming overweight or obese compared with those who avoid the food. Of course, overeating anything, including nuts, can lead to weight gain. Stick to a handful of nuts a day, or about 1 ounce. Opt for something like plain almonds over honey-roasted almonds, says Katz.

RELATED: The Best Nuts for Your Heart

Every diet wants its followers to believe it is the tops, but there is no such thing as a perfect diet, says Sharp. The best diet is the one that promotes variety in nutrients, adds enjoyment, and can easily be sustained without a sense of deprivation.

Folks looking to lose weight have heard this rallying cry, but diet quality matters when it comes to your health and ability to lose weight, says Sharp. A study published in February 2018 in JAMA shows that as long as youre eating a high-quality diet, you can lose weight temporarily on a low-fat or low-carb diet.

In the worlds healthiest eating patterns (such as the Mediterranean and DASH diets), meat is consumed in small amounts or not at all, according to How to Eat. Bottom line: Meat is an optional part of your diet; though for the health of the planet, you should probably eat less of it, Katz writes.

Diets that are higher in fat tend to be just as effective at encouraging weight loss as diets that are low in fat, says Sharp. For instance: A study published in November 2017in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolismfound that of the 41 overweight dieters who participated, those assigned to 12 weeks of a low-carb, high-fat diet saw bigger reductions in weight, triglycerides, insulin, and glucose levels compared with those who followed a low-fat, high-carb control diet.

More:
20 Food and Nutrition Myths You Shouldn't Believe - Everyday Health

For years, F-Factor which promises customers that they can "eat carbs, dine out, drink alcohol, work out less" and stay slim on founder Tanya Zuckerbrot's fiber-heavy regime has been the in-the-know diet for well-heeled Upper East Siders and celebrities, including Megyn Kelly, Olivia Culpo, and Katie Couric.

Zuckerbrot charges some clients up to$15,000 for a startup packageand serves up diet tips and scenes from her jet-setting lifestyle to her 119,000 Instagram followers. She seemed to have it all: books, a line of powders and fiber bars, a $22 million Park Avenue apartment, and a handsome second husband, the corporate real-estate investor Anthony Westreich.

Now former F-Factor employees are coming forward to Insider with allegations about the company's work environment, including claims that employees' eating habits were policed by Zuckerbrot in a manner that was diametrically opposed to the carefree image F-Factor projects to its users. Some employees also said Zuckerbrot engaged in office behavior they found inappropriate and told sexually explicit jokes that made them uncomfortable.

"These allegations [are] all either false or misleading,"Zuckerbrot said in a statement to Insider.

Read more:
Past employees at F-Factor say the office culture was toxic and eating was policed - Business Insider - Business Insider

Dr. Hinohara was still treating patients and clocking 18-hour workdays up to a few months before he passed away. He clearly loved what he did, and he was fortunate to have a sense of purpose saving lives.

Possibly my favorite piece of wisdom he shared was the concept that when you have a long life expectancy, you can spend the first 60 years working for you and your family, then the next 40 years working for the greater good and contributing to make the world a better place giving you a sense of greater purpose.

Remember the Gallup Work Engagement Study?

Lets be realistic about the world we live in today. Only 1 in 5 people truly love their work like Dr. Hinohara did. Most big companies call you family, but in the end, they serve their shareholders. Surplussing is one of the new and more despicable terms for sugarcoating when a company needs to lay people off theres a surplus of humans here, so lets reduce the surplus. Not to mention, from ages 55 to 65, you may not have the choice to keep working at your primary job.

The result? One in 5 people in the U.S. downright hate their jobs, another 3 in 5 could take it or leave it. So, 4 out of 5 workers dont share Dr. Hinoharas love of work and a sentiment to never retire.

Keep in mind I wrote You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think, so Im a little biased toward Americans being able to stop working at their current job long before age 105. However, one of the main components thats paramount to an early and happy retirement is having multiple activities/projects/endeavors that youre passionate about working on. I call these, core pursuits. Its something that Dr. Hinohara clearly had down pat.

Put core pursuits at the center of your retirement planning.

First of all, losing the dignity of work isnt easy for most people. Remember the study from Harrys that said the No. 1 predictor of a mans happiness is his job satisfaction and his feeling of impact at his company and career? Americans, both men and women, love to work and love to earn if their productivity is channeled in the right direction.

It isnt easy to replicate the energy, challenge and accomplishment you get from work its almost like rigorous exercise. The workout or run may hurt, but it makes you stronger, and healthier. In some respects, continuing to work, particularly at something you enjoy doing, offers similar benefits.

Just look at Jimmy Buffett. He made a living of singing about wastin' away again in Margaritaville, but when you look at the empire that hes built with his music, beverages, real estate, restaurants and other merchandise, its easy to see that this guy works his tail off to sell the idea of a relaxing life to others. And based on his success and his reported half-a-billion dollar net worth, its clear that hes not just in it for the money these days.

The end result of working similar to a long run or workout at the gym is very difficult to replace. So, the HROBs Happiest Retirees on the Block of the world re-create their work stimulation by deploying a long series of core pursuits.

Maybe yoga, gardening, fishing, hiking, biking, running, walking, golfing, going to church, crafting or art ends up not being enough. Thats OK. Maybe you can transition your skills into a very involved volunteer role or lower-paying nonprofit job. Maybe its starting your own small business. Consider a teaching, coaching or mentoring role. Write a book. Start a website. Join a band. Become a tour guide or historian in your town. Put your cooking skills to use to feed your community. Your core pursuits can lead you to a more fulfilling future while adding life to your years.

Get going and get growing.

I get what Dr. Hinohara was saying, but beyond following a sparse diet and taking the stairs, his advice to work forever just wont work for most Americans. We have to work and save so we can have the economic freedom to follow our passions. Its something thats typically unrealistic if you have a new mortgage and are trying to raise a family. Happy retirees find themselves in the opposite position. They can take on a job or career thats focused on feeding their soul rather than financing their family.

Remember Dr. Hinoharas reflection that once youve raised your family, the next phase of your life (60-plus) can be focused on you and the greater good around you.

Curiosity killed the cat, but a lack of curiosity is what kills the happy retiree.

Wes Moss has been the host of Money Matters on News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB in Atlanta for more than 10 years now, and he does a live show from 9-11 a.m. Sundays. He is the chief investment strategist for Atlanta-based Capital Investment Advisors. For more information, go to wesmoss.com.

DISCLOSURE

This information is provided to you as a resource for informational purposes only and is not to be viewed as investment advice or recommendations. This information is being presented without consideration of the investment objectives, risk tolerance, or financial circumstances of any specific investor and might not be suitable for all investors. This information is not intended to, and should not, form a primary basis for any investment decision that you may make. Always consult your own legal, tax, or investment adviser before making any investment/tax/estate/financial planning considerations or decisions.

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Wes Moss: You dont have to work forever, but you can use your talents - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Zion Williamson's rookie season with the NBA has been far from typical.

The New Orleans Pelicans star, who signed a $44 million contract with the team after being selected as the NBA's No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019, missed the first 43 games of the season after having knee surgery. Then Covid-19 hit and the NBAshut downto prevent the spread of the virus from March 11 to July 30.

But Williamson, 20, said, he got through it by learning "remain patient" and focus his energy on his long term goals: getting healthy and playing basketball again.

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans goes up for a shot against Jakob Poeltl of the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 9, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Pool | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

"[M]y mom taught me growing up to be grateful for everything," Williamson told Men's Healthin a story published Wednesday."Even though I was hurt and not playing, the bigger picture was: I am going to play again."

With that in mind, while quarantining amid the pandemic, Williamson said he focused on simple workouts to keep himself in shape. "Believe it or not, pushups and sit ups," he told Men's Health. "And a lot of running."

Williamson also played basketball twice a day and didstrength, flexibility and conditioning work with a trainer.

As for diet, the 284-pound, 6-foot-6-inch tall star let his mom, Sharonda Sampson, handle that. Sampson adjusted her southern cooking style for her son by taking out all the bacon and sauces and including more salmon dishes, she told Men's Health.

The experience of Williamson's unusual season also made him think about his life's motto, which he got from fellow NBA star Lebron James: "Nothing is given. Everything is earned."

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What NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is doing to stay mentally tough during self-quarantine

Ex-NFL star Herschel Walker on what Donald Trump taught him during their 37-year friendship

Link:
The mindset and 3 basic workout moves NBA star Zion Williamson used to stay fit during the pandemic - CNBC

Body aches and diarrhea are symptoms of a condition, rather than conditions in themselves.

Body aches may affect a specific area of the body or the entire body. The pain and discomfort from these aches can range from mild to severe.

Depending on the cause, body aches may be either sudden and temporary or long lasting. Doctors refer to these as acute and chronic, respectively.

The term diarrhea refers to the passing of loose, watery stools three or more times per day.

Other symptoms may accompany diarrhea, including:

If diarrhea results from an infection, people may also experience:

Below are some of the possible causes of body aches with diarrhea.

Food poisoning can occur when a person consumes food or drink that contains harmful pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses. Many different pathogens can cause food poisoning, including:

The pathogens responsible for food poisoning can come from the following sources:

The symptoms of food poisoning can differ depending on the pathogen responsible. However, some general symptoms include:

The symptoms may develop 30 minutes to 4 weeks after consuming contaminated food or drink. The length of time it takes to develop symptoms depends on the pathogen responsible.

The symptoms of food poisoning typically go away without the need for medical treatment. In the meantime, people can try the following:

If a person needs medical treatment, a doctor will first have to establish whether the food poisoning is due to a bacterium, parasite, or virus. If bacteria or parasites are responsible, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

A doctor may also prescribe or recommend OTC probiotics to help reduce the duration of diarrhea.

Viral gastroenteritis (VG) is the medical term for a viral infection of the intestines. People can catch such viruses as a result of coming into contact with the stool or vomit of a person who has the infection.

Symptoms of VG include:

People who have VG can use OTC medications, such as Imodium and Pepto-Bismol, to treat diarrhea. They should also make sure that they replace any lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration.

Influenza, or flu, viruses are a group of viruses that can cause seasonal flu. They are highly contagious. People can contract them by inhaling droplets from the coughs or sneezes of a person with the virus. They can also get the virus if they come into contact with infected droplets on inanimate objects, such as doorknobs or computer keyboards, and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.

Some symptoms of the flu include:

In most cases, the flu will go away on its own without the need for medical treatment. However, people can take OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen to help alleviate some of the symptoms.

If a person is experiencing severe flu symptoms, a doctor may prescribe antiviral medication.

Doctors also recommend that people get a flu vaccination before the start of the flu season each year to reduce the chance of developing the flu.

Lactose intolerance is a digestive disorder in which the body is unable to break down and digest lactose. Lactose is a naturally occurring sugar present in milk and dairy products.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance include:

The main treatment for lactose intolerance is to limit or avoid foods and drinks that contain lactose. Some people may be able to consume small amounts of these foods, whereas others will not be able to consume any.

People can also try taking lactase tablets or drops immediately before consuming foods or drinks containing lactose. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose, thereby preventing the symptoms of lactose intolerance. However, lactase products are not suitable for young children or people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Gluten sensitivity is a condition in which a person experiences symptoms in response to eating foods containing gluten. Examples of such foods include:

Common symptoms of gluten sensitivity include:

A person who experiences symptoms after eating foods containing gluten should see their doctor, who will need to rule out more serious conditions, such as celiac disease.

A person should not try a gluten-free diet until they have had a blood test for celiac disease. Following such a diet could reduce the accuracy of the test.

If tests confirm that a person does have gluten sensitivity, their doctor will recommend cutting gluten out of the diet to prevent symptom flare-ups.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the body cannot process gluten. It is similar to gluten sensitivity but more severe. In people with celiac disease, the consumption of gluten causes the immune system to attack and destroy healthy cells in the small intestine.

The symptoms of celiac disease include:

The main treatment for celiac disease is to eat a gluten-free diet. A doctor may refer a person to a dietitian who specializes in devising nutritious, gluten-free meal plans.

People with celiac disease should also take steps to limit their exposure to gluten in other ways. For instance, they can check with a pharmacist whether medications or supplements contain gluten before taking them. They can also read labels on cosmetics and household items to ensure that they do not contain gluten.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the collective term for a group of symptoms that affect the digestive system. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder. This definition means that it is the result of the brain and gut not working together as they should.

There are three different types of IBS:

Symptoms of IBS include:

People may be able to reduce the symptoms of IBS by making the following changes to their diet:

Using techniques to manage stress, such as meditation, mindfulness, and yoga, can also be beneficial.

If a person has IBS with diarrhea, a doctor may prescribe medications such as Imodium or rifaximin (Xifaxan) to treat the diarrhea.

Doctors may also prescribe antispasmodics to help treat stomach pain and cramping.

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Body aches and diarrhea: 7 causes, symptoms, and treatments - Medical News Today

Ski racing has plenty of unique characteristics the variety of conditions, no two venues are the same, course sets vary from one to the next, the differential of winning times sometimes within a hundredth of a second. These unique qualities require unique training environments. However, there are also a lot of commonalities with other sports. In this piece, we will look at two sports and two athletes to see if there are learnings that can help us with our training and development.

Science has proven over and over that it is possible for our minds and bodies to significantly change by adapting to training environments. The study of this phenomenon is called the Study of Expertise. One of the best-known practitioners is Dr. K. Anders Ericsson of the University of Florida. In his book, Peak, Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise, he and co-author Robert Pool detail exactly how we acquire World Class expertise. There are two critical components: deliberate practice, which is a very specific type of practice, and time a lot of time.

Physiological adaptation of the mind and body, especially as it is directed by neuronal activity takes a very long time. It is only by firing certain collections of neuronal circuits over and over, for years, that adaptation occurs. That is why otherwise seemingly extremely difficult maneuvers can look easy when done by experts. Its because they are easy to the experts,after years of practice.

In order for adaptation to occur optimally the practice needs to fit a certain profile. The activity has to be a moderate challenge that is outside ones comfort zone, and it requires regular feedback. Just going through the motions mindlessly will not lead to anywhere near the same level of improvement as with deliberate practice. That is why there are millions of mid-handicap golfers. Playing golf does not lead to optimal improvement.

There is controversy about the 10,000-hour rule. Malcolm Gladwell introduced this term in the book, Outliers. Much of the research behind this book was based on the research of Ericsson. The only problem was, Ericsson never said there was any such rule. What he did say was it took a RELATIVELY huge amount of deliberate practice to reach World Class.

The issue with many professional athletes is when they make it to World Class the demands of long competitive seasons make it very difficult to practice enough to do much more than maintain their level. Imagine 82 games in a NBA regular season, plus the playoffs, not to mention all the sponsor obligations. The result is that it is difficult for most professional athletes to continue physiologically adapting once they reach World Class. We are about to meet two athletes who didnt let that happen.

Stephen Curry was average for a basketball player by any standard. Moderately tall at just under 6 foot, 3 inches, average wingspan, average jumping ability, and average explosiveness. Just average. He attended a small Christian high school and received no scholarship offers from any of the top basketball powers. Landing at Davidson, a secondary-ranked school, Curry excelled leading the Wildcats to a Cinderella run at the NCAA tournament making it all the way to the Elite Eight. Still, he was largely considered an average NBA prospect and was drafted as the third guard in the 2009 draft. The consensus of the NBA scouts was Curry was not a natural point guard that an NBA team can rely on to run a team. He was positioned as a role player with a very good outside shot.

What happened to this newly minted NBA player whose athleticism was far below NBA standard? He became two-time NBA MVP and has been debated as one of the best who ever played the game! What gives?

Most attribute a portion of his success to growing up in a family seeped in basketball development knowhow. His dad, Dell Curry, who played for 16 years in the NBA, took keen interest in Stephs development from a young age. He was quoted saying, I guess we started him probably when he was 6 or 7 in a rec league. He had been around it his whole life, obviously with me playing in the NBA, so it was nothing new to him. But he started at a very young age and we just tried to make sure he got the proper skill set, the proper teaching of skills and fundamentals so that he grew and developed his game. He had to overcome learning to play without being the most athletically gifted or biggest guy. Being around NBA players really helped him because it taught him the game. He was at all the practices.

Curry Seniors advice for parents? Just be as supportive as you can and give them as many resources as you can to develop their game and be as good as they can be at their sport. Deliberate practice.

The second component of Currys breakout is his work. He has a tremendous work ethic, and he works smart. His warmups before games at the Golden State Warriors became so popular they started selling separate tickets just to be able to watch his hour-and-a-half practice sessions. He had a coach work with him and disrupt his shots and give him signals of which skill to execute. Sometimes he wore strobe glasses. All of this is intended to take him outside his comfort zone and create deliberate practice opportunities. After watching him continue to develop after reaching the NBA, its at least somewhat understandable how he broke the three-point record by making 403 of them in one season, breaking the previous record by 116.

It isnt only his in-season work, but his off-season work, as well. During the 2011 lockout-shortened season, Curry was looking for training near his home close to Charlotte, N.C. Enter Brandon Payne who operates a training facility specializing in rehab and skill development. Payne had trained other NBA athletes and embraced Curry immediately after meeting him. Curry had shown a lot of promise but had not topped 20 points per game. Payne says, I had always admired Curry and he was a guy that I really wanted for my philosophy because he fit it so well. Just hours after their first workout, he got a text from Curry: Hey, can we go tomorrow morning and get some work in?

Payne utilizes a development tool called neurocognitive efficiency. That is a training method that focuses on overloading the athlete with multiple tasks. Essentially, this involves bombarding the athlete with extraneous sensory stimulus while continuing the general skill you are working on. Effectively Payne is creating deliberate-practice opportunities when it would otherwise be difficult to impossible. Imagine practicing stagnant dribbling or shooting in a gym with perfectly replicable conditions. To continue building the neural circuits necessary to improve it requires challenge and feedback. It isnt about the body. Its about the neural circuits that control the body. That is the magic of Steph Curry.

Tom Brady, similar to Steph Curry, was not an overnight success. He was a third-string quarterback on his high school freshman team. He played JV his sophomore year and varsity his junior and senior year. He was clearly a very good athlete playing football, basketball and baseball. The latter well enough to be drafted out of high school. But nothing in his background indicated he might be the greatest quarterback of all time. He did receive a scholarship to Michigan, but was seventh on the depth chart as a freshman, backup as a sophomore and shared the starting duties as a junior. In his senior year, he took the Wolverines to an Orange Bowl victory over Alabama.

Brady was not a highly sought-after NFL draft choice. He was drafted 199th in the 2000 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. According to USA Today, here was one scouting report on Brady at the time of the draft: Poor build, skinny, lacks physical stature and strength, lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush, lacks a really strong arm, cant drive the ball downfield. Somehow, that doesnt sound like a candidate for the greatest of all time.

How does one go from the 199th draft choice one year to arguably the best ever? Brady has been described as the tortoise of the NFL. He became known for his tireless work ethic, his insatiable dedication to studying game films of opposing defenses. Like Curry, he works year-round on his strength and fitness with a special coach that he pays for himself. Alex Guerrero, his conditioning coach, was introduced to Brady by other Patriot players. They ultimately became very close with Guerrero becoming godfather to Bradys child. They ultimately went into business together, forming TB12 Sports fitness Center.

Guerrero also introduced Brady to diet. Brady has his own personal chef. He is very particular about a science-based diet. His diet consists of 80% vegetables and whole grains. He does not consume any white sugar, white flower, caffeine, dairy, or plants that cause inflammation, such as tomatoes and mushrooms. His chef only cooks with coconut oil.

There are several lessons we can take from Tom Brady:

1) Nurture not nature. Brady was never described as a natural athlete. He started behind others at every level, in high school he first started as a junior, same at Michigan, and he was fourth on the depth chart at New England. Absolutely NO ONE would have predicted his success. Brady is described as one of the hardest workers in the game. He committed to deliberate practice for years and years until he developed into arguably the best in the game, maybe the best ever.

2) He used technology. He spent countless hours studying video. Science has shown that in addition to programming circuits by deliberate practice, you can also program circuits by vivid imagination. We have an example in ski racing. Mikaela Shiffrin once told me she could watch video and change the perspective at will. What she said was she could watch a video taken from a front view and recreate it from an athletes view. I have never heard anyone else say that. It comes from countless hours carefully studying video.

3) Injury prevention. Bradys commitment to year-round fitness in a very deliberate manner and diet took him to a different level than his peers. That is why he is still at the top of his game at 43 years of age, the longest-serving quarterback in the NFL.

Curry and Brady are just two examples that any scientist would say are anecdotal examples, not scientific proof of nurture versus nature. But given that there is science behind this principle and many, many examples in ski racing, I propose it is irrefutable that ski racers can be made and are not necessarily born.

Editors note:This story is part of our ongoing series on alpine development in North America. Have some thoughts on this? Send aletter to the editor. If its good, well publish it.

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Fall line: Learning from Stephen Curry and Tom Brady - SkiRacing.com