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Is any panic more primitive than the one prompted by the thought of empty grocery store shelves? Is any relief more primitive than the one provided by comfort food?

Most everyone has been doing more cooking these days, more documenting of the cooking, and more thinking about food in general. The combination of meat shortages and President Trumps decision to order slaughterhouses open despite the protestations of endangered workers has inspired many Americans to consider just how essential meat is.

Is it more essential than the lives of the working poor who labor to produce it? It seems so. An astonishing six out of 10 counties that the White House itself identified as coronavirus hot spots are home to the very slaughterhouses the president ordered open.

In Sioux Falls, S.D., the Smithfield pork plant, which produces some 5 percent of the countrys pork, is one of the largest hot spots in the nation. A Tyson plant in Perry, Iowa, had 730 cases of the coronavirus nearly 60 percent of its employees. At another Tyson plant, in Waterloo, Iowa, there were 1,031 reported cases among about 2,800 workers.

Sick workers mean plant shutdowns, which has led to a backlog of animals. Some farmers are injecting pregnant sows to cause abortions. Others are forced to euthanize their animals, often by gassing or shooting them. Its gotten bad enough that Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, has asked the Trump administration to provide mental health resources to hog farmers.

Despite this grisly reality and the widely reported effects of the factory-farm industry on Americas lands, communities, animals and human health long before this pandemic hit only around half of Americans say they are trying to reduce their meat consumption. Meat is embedded in our culture and personal histories in ways that matter too much, from the Thanksgiving turkey to the ballpark hot dog. Meat comes with uniquely wonderful smells and tastes, with satisfactions that can almost feel like home itself. And what, if not the feeling of home, is essential?

And yet, an increasing number of people sense the inevitability of impending change.

Animal agriculture is now recognized as a leading cause of global warming. According to The Economist, a quarter of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 say they are vegetarians or vegans, which is perhaps one reason sales of plant-based meats have skyrocketed, with Impossible and Beyond Burgers available everywhere from Whole Foods to White Castle.

Our hand has been reaching for the doorknob for the last few years. Covid-19 has kicked open the door.

At the very least it has forced us to look. When it comes to a subject as inconvenient as meat, it is tempting to pretend unambiguous science is advocacy, to find solace in exceptions that could never be scaled and to speak about our world as if it were theoretical.

Some of the most thoughtful people I know find ways not to give the problems of animal agriculture any thought, just as I find ways to avoid thinking about climate change and income inequality, not to mention the paradoxes in my own eating life. One of the unexpected side effects of these months of sheltering in place is that its hard not to think about the things that are essential to who we are.

We cannot protect our environment while continuing to eat meat regularly. This is not a refutable perspective, but a banal truism. Whether they become Whoppers or boutique grass-fed steaks, cows produce an enormous amount of greenhouse gas. If cows were a country, they would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.

According to the research director of Project Drawdown a nonprofit organization dedicated to modeling solutions to address climate change eating a plant-based diet is the most important contribution every individual can make to reversing global warming.

Americans overwhelmingly accept the science of climate change. A majority of both Republicans and Democrats say that the United States should have remained in the Paris climate accord. We dont need new information, and we dont need new values. We only need to walk through the open door.

We cannot claim to care about the humane treatment of animals while continuing to eat meat regularly. The farming system we rely on is woven through with misery. Modern chickens have been so genetically modified that their very bodies have become prisons of pain even if we open their cages. Turkeys are bred to be so obese that they are incapable of reproducing without artificial insemination. Mother cows have their calves ripped from them before weaning, resulting in acute distress we can hear in their wails and empirically measure through the cortisol in their bodies.

No label or certification can avoid these kinds of cruelty. We dont need any animal rights activist waving a finger at us. We dont need to be convinced of anything we dont already know. We need to listen to ourselves.

We cannot protect against pandemics while continuing to eat meat regularly. Much attention has been paid to wet markets, but factory farms, specifically poultry farms, are a more important breeding ground for pandemics. Further, the C.D.C. reports that three out of four new or emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic the result of our broken relationship with animals.

It goes without saying that we want to be safe. We know how to make ourselves safer. But wanting and knowing are not enough.

These are not my or anyones opinions, despite a tendency to publish this information in opinion sections. And the answers to the most common responses raised by any serious questioning of animal agriculture arent opinions.

Dont we need animal protein? No.

We can live longer, healthier lives without it. Most American adults eat roughly twice the recommended intake of protein including vegetarians, who consume 70 percent more than they need. People who eat diets high in animal protein are more likely to die of heart disease, diabetes and kidney failure. Of course, meat, like cake, can be part of a healthy diet. But no sound nutritionist would recommend eating cake too often.

If we let the factory-farm system collapse, wont farmers suffer? No.

The corporations that speak in their name while exploiting them will. There are fewer American farmers today than there were during the Civil War, despite Americas population being nearly 11 times greater. This is not an accident, but a business model. The ultimate dream of the animal-agriculture industrial complex is for farms to be fully automated. Transitioning toward plant-based foods and sustainable farming practices would create many more jobs than it would end.

Dont take my word for it. Ask a farmer if he or she would be happy to see the end of factory farming.

Isnt a movement away from meat elitist? No.

A 2015 study found that a vegetarian diet is $750 a year cheaper than a meat-based diet. People of color disproportionately self-identify as vegetarian and disproportionately are victims of factory farmings brutality. The slaughterhouse employees currently being put at risk to satisfy our taste for meat are overwhelmingly brown and black. Suggesting that a cheaper, healthier, less exploitative way of farming is elitist is in fact a piece of industry propaganda.

Cant we work with factory-farming corporations to improve the food system? No.

Well, unless you believe that those made powerful through exploitation will voluntarily destroy the vehicles that have granted them spectacular wealth. Factory farming is to actual farming what criminal monopolies are to entrepreneurship. If for a single year the government removed its $38-billion-plus in props and bailouts, and required meat and dairy corporations to play by normal capitalist rules, it would destroy them forever. The industry could not survive in the free market.

Perhaps more than any other food, meat inspires both comfort and discomfort. That can make it difficult to act on what we know and want. Can we really displace meat from the center of our plates? This is the question that brings us to the threshold of the impossible. On the other side is the inevitable.

With the horror of pandemic pressing from behind, and the new questioning of what is essential, we can now see the door that was always there. As in a dream where our homes have rooms unknown to our waking selves, we can sense there is a better way of eating, a life closer to our values. On the other side is not something new, but something that calls from the past a world in which farmers were not myths, tortured bodies were not food and the planet was not the bill at the end of the meal.

One meal in front of the other, its time to cross the threshold. On the other side is home.

Jonathan Safran Foer is the author of Eating Animals and We Are the Weather.

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The Coronavirus and a World Without Meat - The New York Times

Avo A-Go-Go is an organic meal delivery service brought to you by Eye of the Avocado (EOTA) Catering. Chef and owner Jes Taber started working as a chef back in 2008 at a quaint organic market in San Francisco. Raised in Grass Valley and a fan of the intimate feeling and community, she moved back to Nevada City to continue her catering business here.

Jes has lived and traveled abroad and this has left a significant impact on both her cooking style and repertoire. She visited both Vietnam and Italy last fall! She is an avid believer in using the highest quality ingredients from the bulb of garlic to the cut of steak. She buys products here from Fogdog Farm, First Rain, and Flying V Farms to name a few. The meat and eggs she uses come from local pasture raised ranchers like AM Ranch, Back to Basics Farm, Cosmic Roots, Jim Gates Nevada County Beef and many more. She cares about every component of a dish and it tends to show.

Given the current 2020 Covid Pandemic, EOTA had to pivot from catering the usual wedding, festival green room, birthday, and other communal occasion to a delivery business. Enter Avo A-Go-Go, a handcrafted delivery business that caters to regulars from Penn Valley to North San Juan and everywhere in between. A review from a first time customer read as follows, I am truly blessed to have found you. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors in the lentil + brown rice salad with the cumin orange roasted chicken. The touch of mint was so pleasant. Quantity and quality was superb. I want more of your cilantro yogurt dressing; simply mouth watering. After our meal, I felt nourished by Mother Nature.

Jes has received feedback from many customers that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle during quarantine is a challenge. Accordingly, Jes has decided to offer Whole30 meals for the entire month of June 2020. Whole30 is a 30-day diet that emphasizes whole foods and the elimination of sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy.

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Jes has decided to offer Whole30 meals for the entire month of June 2020. Whole30 is a 30-day diet that emphasizes whole foods and the elimination of sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy.

The tricky part to Whole30 is keeping it interesting; so why not just let Jes do it for you with flair?! You can sign up for 10, 14, or 21 meals per week for the entire month, half a month or just a week. Menu examples include; Burmese Beef Stew w/ melted fennel, kale, mushrooms, and potatoes with all sorts of interesting pickles or Local Culture Beet + Apple Kraut with local sausages, perfect eggs, roots, and greens.

Jes would like to thank Wild Eye Pub where she cooks and packages all these incredible meals each week, they are just so generous! She would love to talk to you more about the success she has seen with Whole30 or answer any other questions you may have. For more information on Avo A-Go-Go visit eyeoftheavocado.com and feel free to email her at JesTaber@Gmail.com

She sends her best wishes to you and your health!

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Avo A-Go-Go - The Union of Grass Valley

5 fibre-rich foods that should be a part of everyone's diet for healthy digestion  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

New Delhi: The human body is really a marvel that has made provisions and systems to work everything out. One such system, the digestive system, is responsible for the breakdown of the food we eat into smaller and smaller components until they can be absorbed by the body and the nutrients and energy can be used for the functioning of other systems. The digestive system includes the gastrointestinal tract, and other organs like the tongue, glands, pancreas, liver, etc which are responsible for the secretion of enzymes for the breakdown of food.

How healthy are body is overall, plays an important role in how healthy our digestion is. However, the food we eat can also affect how efficiently it gets digested. For instance, dietary fibre, a type of carbohydrate, cannot be digested by the body's enzymes but plays a very important role in digestion -as a catalyst. It is recommended to include fibre-rich foods in your diet to facilitate digestion. Fibre is also known to fill you up really well, which helps in curbing appetite and avoiding overeating.

Most edible parts of plant food like cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lentils, etc are rich in fibre and should be a part of everyone's balanced diet.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a professional healthcare provider if you have any specific questions about any medical matter.

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5 fibre-rich foods that should be a part of everyone's diet for healthy digestion - Times Now

One effect of the new hybrid model of teaching

Edinburgh University Law School is preparing for an online December exam diet according to an email from Robert Lane, Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Many summer law work placements have been moved to December due to coronavirus, and the email comes as a response to students concerned over balancing work placements and exams.

Lane said in the email: We have to presume that examinations in the forthcoming Christmas diet will be taken remotely, as were those in the recent May diet.

Christmas will look a little different this year

Just as the rest of the university, the Law School will be using a hybrid method of teaching that combines online and face-to-face learning.

With regards to the change in work experience, Lane explained: Some firms may be offering as a substitute [to summer placement] the possibility of a winter placement.

Normally this would not be something we would encourage, for it overlaps with the Christmas diet of exams.

However, given the current situation, the Law School will ameliorate practical difficulties of combining the two pursuits should students choose to undertake a placement alongside winter exams.

Lane added: We recognise that a placement in a firm of solicitors can enhance significantly both your legal training and the possibility of securing a good traineeship.

However, he also warned: Whilst we will support a student wishing to take up the offer of a place, it is at his or her academic risk so that we are not sympathetic to it leading to a plea of special circumstances.

He finished the email telling students: If the possibility of a placement at another time over the academic year arises, similar considerations ought to be borne in mind, though they may be less pressing and more compatible with study than in December.

The Law School is the universitys first school to confirm the likelihood of online December exams.

Online lectures likely to continue at Edinburgh Uni for some time to come, VC warns

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Edinburgh law students told exams likely to be online in December - The Tab

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) Many people have taken to working out at home now, whether it's a time saver, or because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are not heading to the gym anymore.

Monique Middlekauff, who works at St. Luke's says that it can be tough to gain the motivation to work out at home.

Middlekauff says that dressing for the occasion can help people feel motivated. Whether it's a new pair of sneakers, or dressing as if you were going to your favorite YOGA class, it can help put your brain in motion.

Many people are also turning to working out on Facebook Live or Youtube, because they miss having a class setting.

It's also important to do the type of exercise that you like doing.

Whether it's a ZUMBA class or a walk on the canyon, if you are enjoying it, you will want to keep doing it.

"My encouragement is to not dwell on the mistakes, we can easily get on the shame spiral, but if you strategize and implement a new plan, you can prompt yourself into action," said Monique MIddlekauff, a lifestyle medicine manager at St. Luke's. "We tend to be an all or nothing mentality, I'm either on my diet or I'm off my diet. I'm on my exercise plan or I'm off it, but just doing something is so much better than doing nothing."

With the weather getting nicer, exercising outside, a bike ride or walk is a great way to get the whole family involved.

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Health Expert gives advice on how to stay fit at home - KMVT

If you search the internet for foods and diets that can help boost your immunity, youll get back suggestions, ideas and promises galore.

Most though, have no science behind them as in reality we cant boost our immune system we can, however, eat well to support it.

There is evidence, for example, that being deficient in certain nutrients can weaken our immune responses, which may leave us more likely to fall prey to illness and possibly to increased severity of symptoms.

There are two questions that come from this statement, which need answering.

They include: vitamins A, C, D, E, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, iron, selenium and zinc.

For example, we need vitamin A to help to keep the linings of our mouths and airways in good condition.

If we are deficient, the linings can become less strong making it potentially easier for bacteria and viruses to enter our bodies.

A deficiency of vitamin D, on the other hand, may increase the risk of infection because it plays a role, among other things, in stimulating immune cell proliferation and regulating antimicrobial proteins.

If we are eating in a healthy and balanced way over time, then we should be able to reach our recommended intakes of these nutrients.

One exception to this rule, however, is vitamin D. In England, the Department of Health recommends that we supplement with this nutrient throughout the winter because we rarely eat sufficient vitamin D to meet our needs, and in winter months do not convert sufficient pre-vitamin D under our skin into the active form due to lack of sunlight on our skin.

Some groups of people, such as pregnant women, children under five and people over 65, are recommended to also supplement during summer months.

Another exception is vitamin B12, if following a vegan style of eating. It is crucial that a daily supplement is taken or that daily foods fortified with this vitamin are consumed. The Vegan Society website has excellent advice, prepared by registered dietitians, for further information.

A mineral that some people, especially women and teenage girls, may be struggling to get a sufficient intake of is iron.

If feeling constantly tired, it is a good idea to ask your doctor for a blood test to establish whether you have iron deficiency anaemia because as well as exhaustion, it is needed for our innate immune systems to work well. For instance, iron is involved with the process of white blood cells called neutrophils killing pathogens.

The way it is presented differs pictorially in different countries but essentially the Department of Healths Eatwell Guide in England describes things well. It is a pictorial expression with descriptions to help you get a balance of healthier and more sustainable foods.

It describes how much of what you eat overall is advised to come from each food group. Eating in this style can help in providing a good intake of essential vitamins and minerals (with the exception of vitamin D, and B12 if following a vegan diet) and support physical wellbeing, which research in humans indicates may also help our immune systems to work normally.

In summary, to help our immune systems to work normally we need to think about:

Eating the right amount of energy for our needs Having a variety of vegetables and fruits each day Switch from refined carbohydrates to wholegrain versions Try to have lean sources of protein When including fats in your diets, try to have oils such as olive oil and fish oils rather than saturated animal fats.

Watch Amandas video on nutrition and immunity by visiting: https://youtu.be/6Jq3xSwSx74

W: http://www.chandcogroup.com/education

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In search of immunity - Independent Education Today

During the tumultuous time of a global pandemic, many have turned to a medley of different coping mechanisms when quarantined from gardening, working out or baking bread to picking up a new instrument or creating art. For proud small business owner Hope Maestas, her quarantine time transformed into curating and hosting her very own podcast, Vibe with Hope, where she discusses difficult topics like trauma, mental and physical health, diet, creativity and stress management.

Paving the way through deep-rooted subject matter, Maestas offers advice on confronting these obstacles.

I believe that discussing these topics can help erase the negative stigma. I think people are finally noticing how important mental health is and how much stress and trauma affect not only your mental but physical health as well, said Maestas, who owns Serendipity Beauty Salon in Lincoln City.

Maestas weaves themes through the podcast that have personally impacted her. She was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 15 years ago and, more recently, Hashimotos and adrenal fatigue. She transformed her life by shifting her diet to be completely vegan and mostly gluten-free. Coupled with a healthy diet is her yoga practice.

I believe yoga is a form of meditation, she said. It has helped me so much.

When asked about her inspiration for the podcast, Maestas explained that while on her journey to the path of healing she thought she could share her experiences with others who are stuck at home and struggling during this time.

I have a lot of trauma and pain from my past that I am trying to heal from, she said, and I thought if I shared it with others as I work through it myself, that maybe it could help one or even two people get through it, too.

Even with the right intentions, Maestas acknowledges the fear that goes along with the vulnerability, Im still terrified someone is going to say Im doing a terrible job. Acknowledging sharing her personal stories can be daunting, she attributes a lot of her strength to her clients at the salon.

I think a big part of my support system has come from my clients sharing their struggles with me, as well, Maestas said. I realized that there were so many common issues: mental health, physical health and finding a balance with work, family and self-care.

With 10 episodes already uploaded since late March, she has had an ample amount of positive feedback.

Most people have told me its just calming and a great way to relax during a crazy hectic day at work or even after work, Maestas said. I am so happy to be able to help.

She plans to continue recording her podcast, even with the reopening of her hair salon, and share the relatable struggle of balancing work, mental health and self-care.

As a small business owner, the impact of COVID-19 has been heavy for Maestas.

I had to close March 23 and had virtually no income until I went back to work when Lincoln County was cleared to reopen on May 15, she explained.

In addition to a closed business, the mother of four could not see her adult children or her 1-year-old grandson. However, she focused on the positives, as she passionately advocates for in her podcast. Taking the quarantine and giving it a positive spin by calling it a long break, she tackles adversity and transforms it into a powerful way to help others.

Maestass podcast can be found on the Spotify app or Anchor app by searching for Vibe with Hope.

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Small business owner offers hope in podcast - Newport News Times

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Believe it or not, there is quite a bit of science behind stress eating. Stress and weight gain have been studied for many years, especially the link between stress and the obesity epidemic. According to this Global Emotions Report from Gallup, stress levels for Americans are significantly higher than the global average. And with updated government reports showing that more than 40% of people in the United States are obese, there very well could be a connection between this and our stress levels.

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Stress eating, often synonymous with emotional eating, is the act of eating food in response to feelings. This typically occurs when you may not even be truly hungry, but some sort of emotion triggers you to eat more. When we feel stressed (be it physical or psychological), our body releases a steroid hormone known as cortisol. This hormone has several roles in the body, including helping to control blood sugar levels and regulate metabolism. A short-term activation of your stress system is fine and can actually suppress your appetite. But chronic stress (think financial issues, constant bickering with a spouse or friend, or work pressure) can lead to high levels of cortisol that stay elevated, which subsequently increases blood sugar and appetite. This in turn can make you crave sugary foods or even fatty/greasy foods, which both tend to be very high calorically and can lead to excess weight gain, as well as a negative relationship with food.

I like to look at cravings by whether they are coming from above the neck or below the neck. Above the neck cravings are emotional, often come on suddenly and aren't satisfied even after a full meal. If you give in to above the neck cravings, they may sometimes trigger feelings of shame and guilt, and you may feel like you have absolutely no control over your food choices.

Below the neck cravings are not emotional, but rather a sign of physical hunger. It builds gradually and many food options sound appealing. Once you're sensibly full, the cravings go away. Below the neck cravings aren't associated with any feelings of guilt or anger, but rather you feel satisfied and maybe relieved after eating that particular food or meal.

Sometimes, these cravings may be hard to distinguish between. Has overeating sugary foods at night become a habit or does your body really crave them? Have you been training your body by giving in to those above the neck cravings every night to expect a surge of sugary foods, only to create almost a dependency and need for the food at a certain time of the day? Think back to when this habit started and try to practice mindful eating to be more in tune with your body and its true physical hunger needs.

The key to getting rid of emotional eating is to slow down, identify what's causing the craving, and make gradual changes. Try to keep those "temptation foods" in the back of the pantry where you can see them, and bring the healthy items front and center. You know your body and mind better than anyone else, so maybe that "out of sight, out of mind" mentality works best for you and keeping junk food out of the house is best. Make sure to eat three balanced meals daily and avoid skipping meals, as this can lead to overeating later on in the day. When it comes to any habit, it's hard to quit something cold turkey and not replace it with another action. Find something else to do that's more productive and can foster the creation of new healthy habits, like:

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13 Ways to Prevent Stress Eating - How to Stop Emotional Eating - GoodHousekeeping.com

Jump to section:What to eat | When to eat | Reduce stress | Keep the weight off | Weight loss pills | Takeaways

Many eating plans that promise to help you lose weight are costly and unsustainable, not backed by scientific evidence, and may actually hurt your health more than help it.

Losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all approach. How you go about it will largely depend on your current habits, how much weight you want to lose, and your long-term goals.

However, eating right is paramount. It doesn't matter how much you exercise each day, if you're not making conscious decisions about what you're putting in your body, losing weight will be no picnic.

For this weight-loss guide we've combined advice from nutritionists, psychologists, and the published scientific database for how to eat right to shed pounds and improve overall health.

Chances are you're going to need to change your diet habits if you want to lose weight. Eating healthy isn't just about eating and drinking fewer calories, but also understanding your blood sugar, or blood glucose, levels.

Whenever you eat, whether it's a candy bar or bag of baby carrots, your body breaks it down into glucose and sends it into the blood. This triggers your pancreas to release insulin which helps your cells absorb the glucose.

When glucose enters your cells, it is either used for energy immediately, or stored as fat for later use. The key difference between the candy bar and baby carrot is that you digest the candy bar much faster, which can spike your blood sugar levels.

Research shows that blood sugar spikes will overload your system with glucose and insulin, so that your cells can't possibly use it all for energy. This means there's more residual glucose left over that your cells then store as fat.

Therefore, a regular diet of processed, simple sugars that spike your blood sugar levels can easily lead to weight gain. So it's important for weight management to eat foods that you digest slowly. Here's 5 tips on what to eat to lose weight.

Most importantly, studies and experts agree that to lose weight you should limit or cut sugar and processed carbs out of your diet.

Most processed foods are made up of simple carbs, which you digest quickly. This leaves you full for a shorter period of time and can lead to overeating and weight gain.

It also spikes blood sugar levels, which over time can strain arterial walls and hinder the body's ability to control insulin. This can lead to conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Popular diet plans like the ketogenic diet and Atkins diet restrict all types of carbs from the simple carbs in cupcakes to the complex carbs in whole grains.

However, complex carbs are important because you process them slowly, which can leave you feeling full for longer and stave off hunger pains. They're also proven to help protect against coronary heart disease.

Fiber and resistant starch are two types of complex carbs that you should include in your diet. Foods that are a good source of both include peas, lentils, beans, whole grains, and cold pasta.

Vegetables are often considered some of the most weight-loss-friendly foods you can eat. They're low in calories and high in fiber, which means you can eat a lot, feel full, and not spike your blood sugar levels.

Leafy greens, especially, are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. This can help reduce the risk of nutrient deficiencies, which can be a problem for restrictive diets like the Whole30 diet and the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Diet.

Here's a nutrient breakdown of what the CDC considers to be some of the most nutritious greens you can eat.

Ruobing Su/Insider

Saturated fats are most ubiquitous in processed foods including meats, cheeses, and baked goods. These calorie-dense, low-fiber foods are already something to avoid when trying to lose weight.

But research has found that reducing saturated fats can also lower cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. That's why the USDA recommends no more than 20 grams of saturated fat per day for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Instead, focus on healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that you can get from fish, seeds, and nuts.

You may lose weight more quickly by cutting out carbs or fat. But these restrictive diets are not sustainable.

As a result, you'll likely gain back the weight you lost once you reintroduce carby or fatty foods. This can lead to an unhealthy cycle of yo-yo dieting where you're constantly losing weight and gaining it back, which can do long-term damage to your heart and kidneys.

Nutritionists recommend a diet that includes a healthy balance of healthy fats, protein, and carbohydrates. The eating plans that are most recommended by dietitians include the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet.

A growing body of scientific research suggests that when you eat is as equally important for overall health as what you eat. This method where you only eat during a certain window of time each day is called intermittent fasting.

There's only limited research that indicates intermittent fasting works for weight loss. More evidence, from animal and human studies, points to other benefits from fasting like improvements in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.

If you decide to try intermittent fasting, there are many different types to choose from, but two of the most popular are:

Equally important is what you eat on intermittent fasting. Stick to fiber-rich foods and get enough protein in your diet, because it can help you handle hunger pains during the fasting period.

If you use food as a coping mechanism, like for stress, it can be extremely difficult to lose weight and can even lead to weight gain.

Researchers have discovered that stress due to racism, homophobia, and physical or sexual abuse can trigger emotional eating.

Therefore, to stop emotional eating means overcoming the stress that triggers it.

"For example, every day, when you get home from work or school, you have a large glass of water and play a guided meditation to transition from stress to relax," says Jennifer Hollinshead, a registered counselor and clinical director at the counseling center Peak Resilience.

Other ways to reduce stress include:

Related to emotional eating is a more serious condition called binge eating. Binge eating is considered to be an eating disorder that requires specific treatment. Therefore, it's important to determine if you have a binge eating disorder and then take the necessary steps to stop binge eating.

If there's anything harder than losing weight, it's keeping it off long-term. The most sure-fire way to keep the weight off is to choose a sustainable eating plan when you first start losing weight.

It can also help to lose weight gradually. If you lose too much weight, too fast, your body may retaliate by increasing levels of ghrelin, the hormone that signals hunger. In fact, there are many functions at play in your body and brain that makes it especially difficult to keep the weight off.

Experts recommend losing weight at a rate of 0.5% to 1% of your body weight per week (BW/Wk). For a 180-pound person trying to lose 40 pounds that would mean it would take 25 to 50 weeks to reach their goal weight of 140 pounds.

Ruobing Su/Insider

Also, avoid fads like reverse dieting, which claims to boost your metabolism so that you don't gain weight as you readjust to adding more calories to your diet. Metabolism is related to weight loss, but you can't easily manipulate it the way some people claim.

The FDA has approved five prescription drugs for long-term, sustained weight loss based on research of the pill's safety and effectiveness. These diet pills work, in that clinical trials indicate that patients lose more weight when taking these pills alongside a calorie-restrict diet and exercise plan compared to a placebo group.

In general, patients lose 5% to 10% of their body weight over the course of 3 months to a year. However, these weight-loss treatments can also come with serious side effects and may interact with other medications, so consult with a doctor before considering this option.

Shayanne Gal/Insider Diet pills aren't for everyone. Doctors often reserve these treatments for people who are considered obese with a BMI over 30 and have obesity-related complications like high blood pressure.

Other diet supplements marketed for weight-loss, like keto pills and probiotics, are not FDA approved or regulated and are not proven to work.

The best way to lose weight is an approach that helps you keep it off long-term. Trendy, restrictive diets that require you to cut out certain food groups, like carbohydrates, are unsustainable and, therefore, not recommended by nutritionists.

Instead, focus on eating the right balance of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins. Cut out processed foods. And find an eating routine you can stick with and enjoy.

Excerpt from:
How to lose weight and keep it off with the right diet and mindset - Insider - INSIDER

Deprivation is often the deal breaker of many diets. Weight loss on restrictive plans may occur in the beginning, but humans are wired to return to their comfort zones. In 2000, a diet called Volumetrics emerged as a way to enable weight loss without the additional challenge of feeling like youre giving something up.

Created by Barbara Rolls, the author of several books on the Volumetrics diet, this eating plan is structured around foods that are lower in calories yet high in nutrients like fiber-rich cruciferous vegetables, whole grains and water-based broths. The theory is that this combination of low-energy-dense but high-nutrient-dense foods could make you feel full on fewer calories.

The plan is divided into four groups based on how nutritious the foods are and how many calories they provide and it offers a road map for portions, which is essentially to eat more of groups 1 and 2 and taper off portions and frequency in groups 3 and 4.

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Group 1 includes non-starchy fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk and broth-based soups that are considered free foods. Groups 2 (lean sources of meat, starchy plants like legumes, and starchy fruits and vegetables) and 3 (salad dressing, cheese and pizza) have foods that must be carefully portioned. Lastly, group 4 includes crackers, chips, chocolate candies, cookies, nuts, butter and oil all foods you should minimize. In addition to the food groupings, Rolls recommends about 30 minutes per day of physical activity.

Maya Feller a Brooklyn-based dietitian and author of The Southern Comfort Foods Diabetes Cookbook, says the Volumetrics diet is truly "a no diet diet. A key strength of the eating plan, she points out, is its simplicity. Feller adds that since the Volumetrics diet focuses on types of foods that promote satiety, it may be easier for individuals to follow the diet and remain motivated during the first days, which can be the hardest psychologically.

The Volumetrics diet supports beneficial diet and lifestyle changes and its efficacy is backed by science, so its generally regarded as a sound eating plan, says Feller. In 2014, a small randomized control trial analyzed various methods for weight loss, including the Volumetrics diet approach of consuming low energy dense foods. The study included 132 participants and while all participants lost weight, those following a Volumetrics approach showed superior results in weight loss and were able to maintain it more effectively compared to the other groups. Additional research with a larger sample size of 9551 adults found that individuals following low energy dense eating patterns had significantly lower BMI, smaller waist circumference and were less likely to be obese.

Julia Zumpano, a dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic, says that the diet was designed to provide more sustained long-term weight loss, adding that there is certainly potential for short-term weight loss, especially if you significantly minimize category 3 and category 4 for the short term and adhere to exercise guidelines. Zumpano likes that the diet focuses on vegetables, fruits and foods that provide fiber, fullness and satiety. Like Feller, Zumpano believes the plan is simple to follow, suitable for dietary restrictions and various dietary preferences and backed by research.

There are, however, a few downfalls to the diet. Feller cautions that the meal planning aspect could be challenging and says that for people who don't cook at home, preparing all meals may be a barrier. She points out that eating out is allowed on the diet. But, she says, navigating a restaurant menu may be challenging when eating low energy density foods. She also mentioned that when following any diet from a book, the person misses the individualization and guidance that comes from working with a registered dietitian.

Zumpano further adds that watching portion sizes for category 3 and minimizing intake of category 4 is vague and self-directed, which can lead to consuming higher quantities of these foods than intended by the diet. In fact, a 2020 animal study found that highly palatable foods (as found mostly in category 4) impacted pleasure receptors in the brain that led to overeating and obesity. This could counteract the effectiveness of the plan and force Volumetrics dieters back into their comfort zones. Finally, Zumpano cautions that the diet may not meet the needs of those that would benefit from more structure.

If youve struggled with restrictive diets in the past and are seeking a more phased in approach, then the Volumetrics diet may be a good fit. However, both Feller and Zumpano believe that success with this diet ultimately depends on the individual.

The Volumetrics diet is one of the smarter and safer approaches that you can consider. Working with a dietitian or physician to structure a more personalized approach one that involves a plan for portion control in groups 3 and 4 and meal planning could be the healthy eating solution youve been looking for.

Kristin Kirkpatrick

Kristin Kirkpatrick is the lead dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a best-selling author and an award winning dietitian.

Read more here:
What is the Volumetrics diet and should you try it? - TODAY

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