Some people use creatine and protein powder after exercise. Both supplements may aid in muscle recovery and enhance exercise performance.

Protein and creatine have different functions and may benefit some people. However, for best results, people need to take the correct dosage at the right time.

Creatine, an amino acid found in muscles, provides energy for various cell functions. It is most beneficial for shorter, high intensity workouts.

Protein powder is an easy way for people to quickly consume enough protein after workouts. Taking leucine-rich protein, such as whey protein, after exercise can help muscle recovery.

Read more to learn about the differences between creatine and protein, their benefits, and which one to take after working out.

Creatine and protein powder are two supplements that people can take for exercise performance and recovery.

Creatine is an amino acid that is naturally present in muscles. The body makes it from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. Additionally, people can get it by eating red meat, fish, and taking supplements.

During high intensity exercise, creatine provides energy and produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is an energy-storing compound that lives in body cells. Its breakdown provides energy for various cell functions, such as muscle contractions.

Some people who do high intensity exercise choose to take creatine as a supplement. It comes in different forms, with creatine monohydrate being the most common.

In the nutritional supplement market, people can find other forms, including:

Protein is a macronutrient that plays an important role in muscle growth and development. Most people consume their protein through food sources, such as:

Supplements are an easy way to increase protein intake, but they are not a replacement for food sources. However, they are a convenient form of high quality protein, especially if a person has a busy schedule.

Protein supplements usually come in powder form. A person can mix the powder with water or milk to make a protein shake, blend in smoothies or shakes, and add to cereals and baked goods.

There are multiple types of protein powder, including:

Plant-based types include:

Many athletes use creatine supplements for sports performance and exercise recovery. People can also use protein powder after workouts to promote muscle recovery.

Research has shown that creatine can increase lean muscle mass and exercise capacity, which is a persons maximum athletic ability. It works best when used with short, high intensity workouts.

Creatine can help improve specific aspects of exercise, so it may be useful for athletes in certain sports. For example, it may improve muscle recovery after performing a maximum-weight squat exercise. It can also improve power in anaerobic exercise and aid recovery after workouts.

Some people may also take protein powder after a workout to support muscle growth and recovery.

Research supports that taking quick digesting leucine-rich protein, such as whey protein, can optimize the production of proteins in the working muscles. Leucine is an essential amino acid that is important for protein synthesis.

Experts suggest that people who exercise regularly have higher protein requirements. Therefore, people who participate in regular physical activity may benefit from supplementing their diet with protein powder.

Both creatine and protein powder can help with muscle gain if combined with adequate training and a calorie surplus.

Complex training, which involves heavy-resistance exercises, is an effective method for developing muscle strength and power. However, they are also very strenuous, and a person can tire quickly.

Fatigue recovery is an important factor that affects exercise performance. Studies have shown that different creatine supplementation regimens may help lower muscle fatigue. Taking creatine after working out seems to be more beneficial than taking it before exercise.

Additionally, consuming protein after a workout can help recovery and muscle growth.

Some experts suggest that people who exercise for more than 3 months eat more protein. However, they also recommend resorting to supplements only if a person is not getting enough protein from their usual diet.

Taking low doses of creatine daily for 2830 days may help increase the amount of this amino acid found in the muscles.

In a 2021 study, participants took 3 gram (g) of creatine every day for 28 days. The researchers report that this regimen improved exercise performance. Experts also demonstrated that taking 20 g of creatine for 57 days leads to a similar increase in the amount of this amino acid in the muscles.

Other experts report benefits of taking a larger dose of creatine to start, followed by a lower dose.

An example of this regimen is taking 20 g per day for a short time, followed by a 5 g dose for 28 to 30 days. Most experts advise splitting the larger 20 g dose into multiple smaller doses.

Protein is an essential macronutrient, but people who exercise regularly need more than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The RDA for protein is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day. Current evidence suggests that people who exercise for more than 5 months need between 1.52 times more protein than the RDA.

For optimal muscle protein synthesis after workouts, people should aim to consume 2025 g in the form of food or protein powder. Most commercial protein powders have about this amount in one scoop.

Creatine and protein supplementation may provide specific benefits that support certain types of training. In clinical studies, creatine may help people who practice heavy-resistance training.

People who exercise regularly require more protein than the recommended dietary allowance suggests. Before a person begins taking supplements, it is advisable to contact a doctor or registered dietitian.

Go here to read the rest:
Creatine vs. protein: Which is better, post-workout, and more - Medical News Today

Chris Hemsworth takes his fitness and workout routine seriously. Getting into shape to play the God of Thunder in the Thor movies doesnt come easy. Neither does staying in shape. We know the diet that helped Hemsworth bulk up for Avengers: Endgame. He took things to another level for Thor: Love and Thunder, but he also has what he calls an 80-20 diet with cheat foods we can fully get behind.

Hemsworth once said there are three rules he follows to stay in shape year-round. Simply, exercise, diet, and sleep are all important to overall health, they all need to be respected equally, and one needs to remain committed to all three to stay in shape.

The Australian actor even created his own fitness app to help others achieve better health. App or no, Hemsworth adhered to a strict regimen to get in shape for Thor: Love and Thunder.

One of the questions that came up during a Wired Google autocomplete interview on YouTube was, Can Chris Hemsworth bench 300 pounds. The short answer is no (he prefers push-ups and dumbbell presses), but the actor admitted his training for Love and Thunder was very precise.

These days, for Thor: Love and Thunder, I think Im the biggest I ever was and probably in the best shape Ive ever been in, Hemsworth said. But that was very strategic, different exercises shaping my physique, and also a very specific diet. Bench press? Not a very big strength of mine.

During the same Wired segment, Hemsworth talked about his everyday diet, and if he was telling the truth, hes truly all of us when it comes to his favorite cheat foods.

One of Hemsworths three fitness rules is following a healthy diet. He eats plenty of lean proteins and vegetables but limits carbs. Combined with his workout routine, Hemsworths diet helps keep him in good health.

Still, it turns out the actor who plays the God of Thunder has a sweet tooth, and he lets himself indulge, as he told Wired:

But like anyone, you know, I have a sweet tooth. I have a real appetite and passion for pizza and burgers and ice cream and all the bad things, you know, but I try to give myself, you know, sort of an 80-20 rule. Eighty percent, 20% with the good being the 80 and 20% being the cheat meal, if you will.

Hemsworth lets himself indulge, but hes probably not eating a pound of chocolate for every five pounds of chicken breast, veggies, and rice he consumes.

Hemsworth starts eating almost as soon as he wakes up in order to maintain his Thor-like physique.

He starts his day with a plant-based shake or smoothie a couple of hours before eating a full breakfast. That breakfast usually includes a mix of protein, fiber, and complex (not refined) carbs. For example, multiple eggs with toast or oatmeal and some veggies. For lunch (and sometimes for dinner), the Aussie actor eats a substantial portion of meat-based protein balanced with veggies and starches, like a baked potato or rice.

Hemsworth often snacks before bed so he doesnt get hungry overnight. If that seems like a lot of food, it is, but he also burns calories with frequent workouts.

Hemsworths 80-20 diet, as he called it, involves a lot of thought on the 80%, and he works hard to earn the 20% cheat meals he loves so much.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.

RELATED: Chris Hemsworth Reveals the Greatest Challenge of Playing Thor, Which Is Also Part of the Fun

Originally posted here:
'Thor: Love and Thunder' Star Chris Hemsworth Is All of Us With His Cheat Foods in His '80-20' Diet - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Walnuts and other nuts help maintain our heart's health as we age

As we age, our organs go through wear and tear over time. This wear and tear may not be completely avoidable but can be slowed down. What we eat significantly Influences our health and can help slow down this ageing.

Superfoods are foods that contain exceptional nutritive value and provide various benefits to our bodies. Superfoods can help maintain better heart health. These foods can help maintain better heart health for people over the age of 50.

Superfoods for heart health at 50:

1. Whole grains

Unlike refined grains, whole grains provide much more benefits to the body, especially the heart. While refined foods increase the risk of heart diseases, whole grains protect the heart against general wear and tear.

2. Dark chocolate

Eating foods rich in antioxidants ensures your body and heart stay protected against toxins present around us. Dark chocolate is abundant in antioxidants and also rich in essential minerals that improve the heart's functioning.

3. Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables also known as green leafy vegetables include lettuce, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and so on. These vegetables are rich in fibre, and various other nutrients and promote better functioning of the muscles.

4. Fatty fish

Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, etc. are a great source of protein and healthy fats. The body requires protein for various functions. Along with this, healthy fats help absorb other vitamins the body requires to function properly.

5. Nuts

Nuts are one of the most nutritious superfoods. They are packed with nutrients and improve various functions in the body. Studies have shown, that walnuts can shield one against many coronary diseases.

6. Tomatoes

As mentioned under dark chocolate, an antioxidant-rich diet protects us against external radicals and toxins. Tomatoes reduce inflammation and have been proven to reduce symptoms of various coronary diseases.

7. Olive oil

Olive oil is another food abundant in antioxidants. Various oils may increase one's risk of developing coronary diseases while olive oil can help reduce it. A significant improvement was shown in the heart health of people that started using olive oil in their diet.

8. Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese more commonly known as paneer is a great food to add to your diet if you want to maintain a healthy heart. We start losing our bone density past the age of 35. If you wish to maintain a healthy heart at 50, it is important to consume nutrient-rich foods in abundance.

9. Legumes

One of the most common heart diseases in people over 50 is cholesterol. Legumes such as lentils, beans, and chickpeas have been proven to reduce cholesterol. They are also rich in essential minerals iron, magnesium, and potassium which help in our body's functioning.

10. Berries

Berries are rich in fibre, vista ins, and antioxidants. These components maintain and improve the health of our hearts. Post 40 you should be very careful about your diet. Berries such as strawberries and blueberries act as great snacks and substitutes for unhealthy candies and sugary foods.

It is ideal to incorporate these superfoods into your diet to ensure you have a healthy and disease-free heart. Besides this, we also encourage you to exercise regularly. Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk for various chronic and acute heart-related diseases.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Waiting for response to load...

See more here:
10 Superfoods To Improve Heart Health At 50 - NDTV

Imagine that you could lose weight without going on a diet.

Imagine that you could repair your broken relationship with food, with hunger, with your own skin, and in the process shed those 10 pounds youve been wanting to lose. Imagine that you could simply learn how to get in touch with your body thoughtfully, mindfully and teach yourself not to crave foods that dont nourish you. Imagine that you could transcend Americas toxic diet culture, and at the same time, you could also be really, really skinny.

Thats the dream that Noom, a buzzy weight loss app targeted to young people, has been selling for years. With Noom, every day is No Diet Day, it declared on Instagram last May. And yes, we also help people lose weight, it added in the caption. Nooms messaging insists that it teaches users healthy, sustainable habits that leave them feeling happy and satisfied as the pounds melt away.

The no-diet diet angle paid off. In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Noom was valued at $4.2 billion in May 2021, and late last year it expected its 2021 revenue to total more than $600 million. It was even circling the possibility of an initial public offering for early 2022, with a prospective valuation of $10 billion.

But the Wall Street Journal didnt think that IPO was going to happen anytime soon. Nooms key differentiator applying psychology to achieve long-term weight loss has recently backfired, it explained. Critics say that Noom is just another diet app at best, and a deceptive gateway to disordered eating at worst.

The idea that there could be a way to lose weight without having all of the psychological and emotional hang-ups around food and diet culture is super appealing, says Meredith Dietz, the reporter behind the recent Lifehacker article headlined Fuck Noom. But I dont think Noom actually delivers.

Virginia Sole-Smith, the journalist behind the fat activist newsletter Burnt Toast and a high-profile critique of Noom in Bustle last October, agrees.

In an interview, Sole-Smith said she was drawn to reporting on Noom in part because of the client base that its not like regular diets ad campaign was drawing on. I was hearing from a lot of people who were doing it who didnt think of themselves as dieters and wouldnt want to be doing a diet, Sole-Smith says. They were like, Well, its helping me rethink some of my habits and unpack some of my issues with food. And then a few months later, I would hear from them again being like, Actually, its ruining my life.

The fight between Noom and its critics is part of a larger cultural war that has begun to play out over the past 10 years over how we should think about food, weight, bodies, and health.

In one corner is the traditional diet culture most American women grew up in, which holds that weight is a crucial indicator of health. Under this system, its an article of faith that if you simply exercise a little willpower and expend more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. It is also an article of faith that its important for your overall wellness and your personal happiness that you be thin at all costs.

In the other corner are the rising anti-diet and Health at Every Size movements. Citing a mounting pile of research, these groups hold that the correlations between weight and health are not nearly as straightforward as diet culture would have you think. Whats more, they add, most diets do not result in long-term weight loss and can even damage your metabolism in the long run.

There is no other product that could have a 5 percent efficacy rate and be peddled as hard as diets are peddled, says Sonya Rene Taylor, founder of the digital media and education company The Body Is Not an Apology, citing a widely quoted study from 1959. (While the 95 percent number has been called into question, other studies do consistently show that the vast majority of diets fail.) And yet corporations still sell diets and sell the idea of a smaller body as a more valuable body, as an inherently healthier body, as a better body.

Noom appears to be trying to split the difference between traditional diet culture and the rising anti-diet movement. It positions itself as a program that teaches users to lose weight the smart, healthy way, following the tenets of the body positivity movement while still helping users make their bodies healthier.

Its critics say that beneath the buzzy wellness vocabulary and millennial pink branding, Noom is just another diet app. What makes it different from Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and their ilk is that Noom is all dressed up in the rhetoric that activists have been using for decades to try to take down diet apps once and for all.

While Noom celebrates No Diet Day on Instagram, in practice, it works like a classic low-calorie diet. After registering, users are prompted to set a goal weight and to decide how quickly they want to lose weight. Noom will then generate a daily calorie budget that users are expected to follow, and it instructs users to log their food every day to make sure theyre staying on track.

While a stated part of the Noom philosophy is that no foods are off-limits, it does give users a stoplight system to classify their foods. Green foods may be eaten in large quantities, yellow foods are to be eaten in moderation, and red foods are to be limited. Because Nooms system is based around the idea of caloric density, red foods reportedly include not only classic diet villains like desserts and potato chips and red meat, but also wellness favorites like nut butter and full-fat dairy. Green foods are those that contain a lot of water, like fruits and vegetables. Yellow foods include seitan, lentils, and avocado. (Noom doesnt make the full lists of color-coded food available publicly, but other sources have compiled more comprehensive lists.)

In addition to the calorie budget and the stoplight system, users get a Noom health coach, a peer support group, and daily lessons on the psychology of eating. The whole package costs $199 for an annual subscription, or $60 by the month.

Some users say Noom is a great experience. Emily Gonzales, a 35-year-old labor and delivery nurse based out of LA, was on Noom from May 2019 to August 2020. She says she lost 190 pounds and succeeded in alleviating her Type 2 diabetes. (Two studies suggest that a very low-calorie diet can improve diabetes control and perhaps reverse Type 2 diabetes in people with obesity, although symptoms may eventually return and reversal may not be possible for everyone with Type 2 diabetes. Per the CDC, a healthy rate of weight loss is one to two pounds per week.)

Ive tried everything, on and off, my whole life, Gonzales said over Zoom. Ive done Nutrisystem. Ive done Medifast, which is like five shakes a day and one real meal. I tried low carb. I tried starving myself.

Gonzales says she always lost weight on the diets she tried before, but as soon as they were over she would go back to her normal eating habits and gain the weight right back. She could never figure out why certain foods were supposed to be good and other foods were supposed to be bad on any particular diet, so she could never stick with the habits she made there.

Noom, she says, is different: They teach you the why. She knows which foods are dense in calories and which are high in water, and she says that eating less calorie-dense foods keeps her fuller for longer.

Im never hungry, she says. I eat tons of veggies, tons of fruit. Gonzales is currently on a diet of 1,400 to 1,800 calories a day and plans to continue on it, although she no longer tracks her calories daily. (Health professionals recommend women eat around 2,000 calories per day, although this number is highly variable depending on levels of physical activity, metabolism, age, height, and more.)

Other Noomers didnt have such a good time. Sara Davis, a 40-year-old marketing and communications writer in Philadelphia, says she turned to Noom in 2018 for help managing her chronic illness.

I had read a lot of fat acceptance blogs, so I knew that diets didnt work, Davis says. She has Hashimotos thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder that can include weight gain among its symptoms, and she had been gaining weight steadily for years.

It obviously negatively impacted my life in many ways, Davis says. I experienced body dysmorphia. I had to buy new clothes every year. I was seeking out ways to manage my weight that didnt seem to be diets.

For a while, Davis went to a nutritionist, who taught her to keep a food journal and watch her calories in and her calories out. Then she switched jobs and found that her new insurance wouldnt cover the treatment. Noom presented itself as an affordable solution: a way to lose weight that wasnt really a diet.

Once she signed up for a free two-week Noom trial, Davis found herself disappointed. She was already tracking her daily exercise and food intake in a series of detailed charts and graphs. She already had a basic understanding of nutrition, so Nooms daily tips and calorie-tracking systems werent doing much for her. It talked to me like I was very stupid, she says.

The one big change Noom did offer Davis was that it cut her daily calories, by a lot. She was already eating a fairly small daily allowance of 1,500 calories, but Noom brought her down to a 1,200-calorie diet. Thats what nutritionists consider the bare minimum required for most women to sustain daily living. Some of them call it a starvation diet. (Noom announced last November that it would no longer recommend 1,200-calorie diets and raised the level by 10 percent, setting a new minimum recommendation of 1,320 calories for women.)

As a person with Hashimotos thyroiditis, I always struggle with energy and mood and just being tired all the time, Davis says. But on 1,200 calories I was very tired. I could not think. Very achy. And then it made me mean. I was so irritable. I was snapping at people. I was impatient. I had kept having to apologize for things that I said. I was not myself during that period.

Davis decided to cancel her Noom membership before the free trial was over. She found, though, that Noom had gotten into her head: She kept counting calories and she kept trying to restrict them as much as possible.

After a few months, she decided she wanted more structure in her weight loss efforts. She applied to enter a weight loss study at the university where she worked.

There was just one problem. To enter the study, you had to go through a psychological screening first. Once Davis had been screened, she was told she couldnt join the study. Instead, she was given a reference to a disordered eating clinic.

So that was for me a wake-up call, Davis says. I was doing things that are considered normal by some by Noom, by the general culture. But theyre actually not. Theyre maladaptive behaviors. Theyre disordered behaviors.

Now every time Davis sees a Noom ad, she says, she reports them as a scam.

Davis and Gonzales had extreme experiences with Noom. A lot of people go through Noom without either curing their chronic illness or getting a diagnosis of disordered eating. Instead, many people have the same experience almost everyone has on a diet: They lose some weight, stop the diet, and then gain it back.

Yves Grant is a 50-year-old technical writer who joined Noom in 2019 after seeing a Facebook ad. I was the type of person that never had to watch my weight because I had a high metabolism or whatnot; I could eat whatever I wanted, he says. But at that time I was getting older and getting heavier. He liked that Noom advertised itself as offering community support, and that it told him it wouldnt be a diet but a lifestyle change.

In practice, Grant says, Noom didnt quite live up to his expectations. He thought hed get more personal attention and concrete tips from his health coach, who he says mostly offered reflective questions. While the daily psychological tips were useful, they rapidly got overwhelming.

But the food tracking and calorie restriction, he says, really were useful. Between May and August 2019, he lost 30 pounds, and he says he grew to enjoy the feeling of hunger.

After that initial drop, Grants weight loss plateaued. Around April 2020, he lost interest in Noom and stopped logging in, and he never renewed his membership. Now, he says hes gained back half the weight he lost, in part because he found the diet unsustainable. Never eating potato chips, never? he says. At one point on Noom, he began keeping a list of all the foods that he loved and felt he could no longer have.

Still, Grant doesnt blame Noom for his regained weight so much as he blames his own bad habits. If he wants to lose weight again, he says, he knows what he has to do.

They work for me! he says. Id love to see them succeed.

The anti-diet movement has been around since at least the 1960s, but only more recently has it begun to acquire cultural cachet, due in large part to social media. It has many branches: anti-diet, fat acceptance, body positivity, body neutrality. Its been pushed forward by dozens of journalists and food professionals and bloggers and authors. In recent years, nutritionist Christy Harrisons book Anti-Diet helped mainstream the concept of intuitive eating, while the popular podcast Maintenance Phase from journalists Michael Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon has been debunking the junk science behind diets.

At the center of the anti-diet movement are two scientific claims. The first is that the relationship between weight and overall health is unclear, and that its possible to be both a healthy fat person and an unhealthy thin person. The second is that most of the time, dieters end up gaining back all the weight they lost and then some within five years of the initial diet. So even if it were clear that being thin is important for health, that information wouldnt do much for most fat people.

The data on the first claim shows it to be mostly true, with caveats. A 2014 meta-analysis in the scientific journal World Obesity found that between 6 percent and 75 percent of those classified as obese were metabolically healthy, depending on the definition used for metabolic health. Another meta-analysis, this one in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2013, found that while those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 and above had a higher mortality rate than those with a BMI considered normal, lower grades of obesity were not associated with a higher mortality rate, and those who were moderately overweight had a significantly lower mortality rate. (Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI of 18.5 to 25 is considered normal, and 30 and above is considered obese.) Finally, a third meta-analysis in 2014 found that overweight and obese people who were fit had similar mortality risks as normal-weight people who exercised, while people who didnt exercise had twice the mortality rate, regardless of BMI.

All of these studies may be impacted by fatphobia, which, as Sole-Smith wrote in Scientific American in 2021, shows up in the questions that researchers dont ask questions like what other risk factors might disproportionately affect fat people, such as poverty, smoking, or the unhealthy effects of yo-yo dieting. Fatphobia even affects the way we measure obesity. While our medical system is built on the idea of the Body Mass Index as an effective measure of obesity, the BMI was originally designed to study populations, not individuals, and was based entirely on the average height and weight of white European men. The CDC and National Institutes of Health adopted their current BMI standards for obesity in 1998, on the advice of a private organization whose top donors were pharmaceutical companies making diet pills.

The data on the second claim is much more straightforward. Studies consistently show that it is very, very rare for dieters both to lose weight and to maintain their weight loss. One 2015 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that for people classified as obese, the probability of attaining a BMI-normal weight is 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women. For people classified as morbidly obese, the probability goes down to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women. Another 2015 study in World Obesity found that nearly all dieters gain back the weight they lose within five years, and one-third regain more than they lost.

While the science around weight is murkier than anyone would like to admit, there seems to be a fairly clear reason why dieters tend to regain their weight so consistently: Human bodies dont like scarcity. If you restrict your calories, after an initial period of losing weight, studies suggest that your metabolism will slow. It will become easier, not harder, for you to put on weight. And your body will crave more calories, with more and more strength, until you break your diet and, often, find yourself binge-eating uncontrollably.

So why, anti-dieters want to know, do we bother dieting at all? Why have we allowed an entire industry to rise up around telling people to do this impossible thing, especially if its not clear that its even medically necessary? What do we get out of dieting except alienation from our bodies, a deeply disordered relationship to food, and a dysfunctional metabolism?

In fact, anti-dieters argue, dieting can damage the very bodies it promises to heal. In addition to slowing the metabolism, frequent dieting is associated with higher mortality rates and can double the risk of death by heart disease in patients with coronary artery disease. It can also damage the mind. One study finds frequent dieting is associated with high rates of depression. Dieters can become overwhelmingly fixated on food. In the Minnesota Starvation Study of 1944, 36 male volunteers were kept in a state of semi-starvation for six months on a 1,570-calorie-a-day diet. Before long, they became obsessed with food, fantasizing about it and discussing it at all hours. Now doctors consider extreme preoccupation with food a symptom of starvation, in part because of this study.

Moreover, the boundaries between dieting and eating disorders can easily become porous. Anti-diet books like Intuitive Eating are pitched to dieters who have found themselves estranged from their bodys hunger and satiation signals and need to relearn how to eat. Meanwhile, in the pro-ana forums and hashtags where self-identified anorexics enable one another, posters brag about teaching themselves to enjoy the feeling of hunger.

In 2016, a woman who well call Amy finished her graduate degree in nutrition and her dietetic internship, making her a board-certified dietician. It wasnt an easy journey for her. Its not uncommon for many people in the nutrition field to get there by way of their own disordered relationships with food, and Im definitely in that camp, she says.

Amys plan was to help other people take control of their relationships with food, in the way she craved taking control of her own. They would all learn to eat less and more healthfully, to keep their bodies slim. As she kept exploring nutrition after graduating, Amy began to encounter new ways of thinking about food.

First, she learned about mindful eating, the practice of paying close attention to the food you eat and your bodys response to it. From there she learned of intuitive eating, the practice of rejecting all food rules and allowing your body to guide your eating. Then she began hearing about Health at Every Size, the movement that argues that its possible to live a healthy life no matter what your weight is.

I started reading the research from that lens, rather than my very much weight-biased lens, Amy says. Everything started to line up and I was like, Oh my gosh, this makes so much sense. It really turned my world upside down.

Amy was fascinated enough by what she learned about intuitive eating and body positivity to want to incorporate both into her growing practice as a nutritionist. She wanted more experience using both of them under someone elses supervision before she was ready to go into private practice. When she heard about a promising weight loss company that seemed to be using a lot of the rhetoric of intuitive eating, she jumped at the chance to interview for a job there.

In March 2018, Amy began working as a health coach for Noom. I was optimistic that there would be opportunities to use intuitive eating, especially since they incorporate it in their curriculum, she says. Now, she says, I think I was probably lying to myself.

(Amy asked not to be identified by her real name due to a nondisclosure agreement she signed with Noom. Vox has verified her employment with the company.)

As Amy put in her time at Noom, she found herself gradually losing faith in the company.

The health coaches, she says, were perennially understaffed. While the companys goal was to have each coach working with 300 users a week, at peak season, Amy says she found herself handling 800 active users a week. In an emailed statement, Noom said, We dont publicly break out the ratio of Noom Coaches to users, but caseloads are closely monitored to ensure that all users are receiving the support they need to reach their goals.

Amy says the staff received a cash bonus for the extra work, and she thought all her colleagues were supportive and well-intentioned. She was worried, though, about the users she was supposed to be coaching.

They were starting to see that theyd lost some weight but now they were gaining some back, she says. They were having a lot of difficulties. They were having a lot of food preoccupation. They were having all these really classic signs of starvation.

Amy tried to work closely with the cases she was assigned to. She would tell them that the calorie budget they had been assigned was a minimum, not a maximum, to try to keep people from starving themselves. Still, she found herself fighting against the design of the app, which flared bright red warning signs whenever users went over their calorie budgets. The high workload also meant she never had time to pack all the nuance into her conversations with users that she wanted to.

In September 2018, HuffPost published a feature story from future Maintenance Phase co-host Michael Hobbes titled Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong. It was widely read and widely shared across the internet, including inside of Noom.

That was one of the biggest articles that had come out in the mainstream [news] since I had been aware of the [size-]inclusive paradigm, so that was really exciting for me to see it getting that kind of coverage, Amy says. However, the response to it at Noom was not satisfying to me.

In his article, Hobbes argues that our cultures overwhelming focus on shaming fat people into losing weight is cruel, unproductive, and anti-scientific. Its time for a paradigm shift, Hobbes wrote. Were not going to become a skinnier country. But we still have a chance to become a healthier one.

Amy says that she had a productive conversation about the article with her supervisor, and that she saw plenty of her colleagues discussing it in good faith. People were starting to question some of the things that overall Noom was perpetuating, she says.

Ultimately, though, Amy felt that Nooms response to the article was dismissive. That, she says, is when she knew she couldnt stay at Noom.

It really just started grating on me, the whole curriculum they have, the way they explain it. Hearing their ads on NPR basically any time I turned the radio on, she says. It just got really frustrating to hear the message over and over again that were not a diet when they very clearly are.

Shortly after the HuffPost article came out, Amy transitioned from full-time to part-time. Six months later, she had enough money to leave for good and focus on developing her private practice as an anti-diet dietician.

Meanwhile, Noom was flourishing with the onset of the pandemic. Stressed stay-at-home workers began obsessing over whether they were putting on the Covid 15, and Noom was ready and waiting for them.

As Noom kept scaling up, the backlash was building. In January, Alina Stone tweeted, every noom ad is like were NOT a diet. were an eating disorder :). The joke was enough to get Noom trending worldwide, with former Noomers sharing their stories in the replies. (In an emailed statement to Vox, Noom director of communications Sara Cohen said, We take eating disorders extremely seriously and have since the earliest days of building our product.)

I was just kind of tired of hearing the ads and tired of them pretending they were not a diet, Stone says in a Zoom interview. It was constant, in podcasts and on YouTube. And its really hard to skip the ads on YouTube! They can use these buzzwords and catchphrases all they want, but its a diet.

For ex-Noomers, the anti-diet nutrition principles that the company claimed to teach arent quite neutral territory anymore. In her private practice, Amy says she regularly sees clients who went through Nooms program. When she tries to introduce intuitive eating concepts to them, she finds that she tends to have problems.

It takes a lot of work to go through these lessons again, she says. Theyre like, Oh, yeah, I understand that. And then when theyre talking, its kind of like, Im hearing that you dont [understand it], because of the way that Noom has discussed some of these topics. Its really keeping people in this disordered relationship with food.

Sonya Rene Taylor, the founder of The Body Is Not an Apology, says she wasnt surprised to see Noom present itself with co-opted anti-diet language. I expect capitalism to capitalize, she says. That doesnt mean, she adds, that Noom isnt hurting people.

At the end of the day, any modality that tells you that somehow youre wrong, that your natural body cues are failing you, and that somehow youre going to opt into a better life by being some other kind of body cant do anything but fuel oppression, Taylor says. And anything that fuels oppression is inherently, innately harmful.

Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism?

Millions rely on Voxs journalism to understand the coronavirus crisis. We believe it pays off for all of us, as a society and a democracy, when our neighbors and fellow citizens can access clear, concise information on the pandemic. But our distinctive explanatory journalism is expensive. Support from our readers helps us keep it free for everyone. If you have already made a financial contribution to Vox, thank you. If not, please consider making a contribution today from as little as $3.

Read the original here:
Noom: What is the weight loss app and does it work? - Vox.com

Visceral fat is a hidden health issue not talked about as much as it should be. While most people know about subcutaneous fatthe fat that you can see and pinch, many don't know about visceral fat, which is located deep in your abdomen. It wraps around your vital organs and can cause serious health issues like some cancers, stroke, type 2 diabetes and more. Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with Dr. Seema Bonney, the founder and medical director of the Anti-Aging & Longevity Center of Philadelphia who revealed three ways to lose visceral fat and what causes it. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

According to Dr. Bonney, "Diet is at least 80% of the equation when getting rid of visceral fat. Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables of every color. Some studies have shown that more calcium and vitamin D in your body is linked to lower amounts of visceral fat. Reduce or eliminate sources of sugar in your diet and simple carbs that turn into sugar. Avoiding processed foods will also help you lose and keep off visceral fat. Increase your intake of lean proteins and reduce intake of red meats. It's key to eat smart while some foods help you reduce visceral fat, others help you gain it so avoid foods with trans fats as well. At our longevity practice, our health coach helps patients read food labels to avoid ingredients like partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Dr. Bonney states, "Long-term lifestyle changes like making sure you exercise daily is key to losing visceral fat. And as far as the kinds of exercise you can do, specifically cardio is best when attacking visceral fat. In general, it's so important to keep moving. If your job is sedentary, get a standing desk and make sure to get some steps in every hour. If you can walk instead of driving close distances, opt for the walk. be sure to build some exercise into your daily regimen. Ideally you want to do 30 min of exercise daily, but studies have shown us that even 10 minutes of daily exercise enhances longevity!"

"Getting enough sleep is part of the plan to reduce visceral fat," says Dr. Bonney. "It's not only important for optimal physical and mental health as well as a healthy cardiovascular system. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology demonstrated that lack of sufficient sleep led to a 9% increase in total abdominal fat and an 11% increase in abdominal visceral fat. So beef up your sleep hygiene and track your sleep to see if this needs to be addressed with your functional medicine physician."

RELATED: Signs Your Gut is "Unhealthy," Say Physicians

Dr. Bonney says, "There are 2 kinds of fat in our bodies there's the subcutaneous fat you can pinch and feel and there's visceral fat deeper fat that wraps around our abdominal organs. You may not even know you have visceral fat because you can't feel it or see it. We have seen patients with flat tummies that still have visceral fat. Neither type of fat is optimal; however, the bigger problem with visceral fat is that it raises your risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, high cholesterol among other disease processes.Visceral fat is more sinister because it makes inflammatory proteins that damage blood vessels as well as tissues and organs inside the body."

RELATED: Habits Secretly Increasing Your Abdominal Fat, Say Physicians

Since you can't see or touch visceral fat, most people don't know it's there. Dr. Bonney shares how you can measure it. "Sometimes it's evident by your waistline and BMI. If you see your waist size going up, your pants being too snug in the belly area, this is evidence that you are gaining visceral fat. We have noted many men especially who have large bellies above their waist who over time get used to that fat, but it is a major red flag and needs to be addressed. Since our focus is optimizing health, we do a deeper dive into looking for visceral fat. We check waist sizes, BMIs, and do body composition scans on our patients that help tell us if they have visceral fat."

RELATED: I'm a Virus Expert and if You Have This Symptom, Get Help

Dr. Bonney says, "Not getting enough exercise and physical inactivity leads to a significant increase in visceral fat. High amounts of exercise on the other hand, can lead to significant decreases in such fat, even in a short period of time. Eating foods high in trans fats which are found in dairy and meats as well as in processed and deep fried foods will raise visceral fat. Trans fats cause a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and lead to a higher body weight, even when the total dietary calories are controlled. Other foods to avoid are sodas, processed baked goods, and foods sweetened with fructose."

See the rest here:
Melt Your Visceral Fat Fastest This Way, Say Experts Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Losing weight and shrinking excess belly fat can be a long and exhausting process to actually see results. But looking at a diet that keeps you full and satisfied, while also contributing to shedding some extra pounds sounds like the perfect place to start for long-term changes.

Including more protein in one's diet can foster weight loss in a number of ways. When combined with exercise, a high intake of protein helps build more lean muscle, and "lean muscle helps to burn more calories throughout the day," Medical News Today reports.

However, high protein foods can also "help with weight loss by decreasing hunger and promoting a sense of fullness," explains Brittany Dunn, MS, RDN, CD, who specializes in sports nutrition and has experience working with and educating athletes through Dunn Nutrition. High protein diets are extremely effective in weight loss, because "they preserve muscle mass and prevent decreased metabolism," she says.

A common misconception when it comes to high protein meals, is that many people want to overcompensate with the intention of losing more body fat, explains Dunn. Many people believe that "food sources of protein are not enough to contribute to a high protein meal plan and that supplementation is necessary," when in reality, "whole foods can provide enough and oftentimes, even more protein than expected," she says.

You should be eating "between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight" on a daily basis, if you're working towards overall weight loss, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

"Very few Americans consume inadequate amounts of protein," says Dunn. "However, if you do find yourself struggling to achieve enough protein in your diet, here are some tips: thicken sauces or soups with blended legumes (such as lentils) or [layer] tofu and sweet potato curry over steamed veggies."

To look into the nitty-gritty of what foods pack the best protein punch, here are six high-protein foods to help you reach your weight loss goals and shrink that waist! Then, for more weight loss tips, here are the Eating Habits to Lose Abdominal Fat As You Age, Say Dietitians.

What may seem like an obvious choice, choosing specific meats as a source of protein in your diet can make all the difference when it comes to shedding fat. Lean meats in particularsuch as skinless chicken, turkey, pork loin, bison, white flesh fish, salmon, and shrimpwill contain a high level of protein with low calories, healthy fats, and more often than not, less processed ingredients compared to red meat, Medical News Today explains.

When prioritizing eating lean meats, you can "limit the amount of saturated fat [you] consume to less than 10% of calories per day," according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

What does this mean in terms of weight loss? When you consume more high volume foods full of nutrients, like lean meat that are lower in calories (generally), you don't have to fill up on a larger portion to feel full and you will stay full for longer, explains Mayo Clinic.

Eating more fish like salmon and shrimp helps contribute sources of iodine and essential omega-3 fatty acids to filter good thyroid health and stable metabolism. Both of which support overall weight loss by helping keep overeating under control and also sustain fullness.

Another piece of the puzzle is how you cook your lean meats can help contribute to fat loss. To continue trimming excess weight, The Community Health Center (CHN) says "prepare your meat [by] grilling, broiling, or roasting to lower the amount of saturated fat."

If you love a classic Italian Wedding soup, Dunn recommends subbing in some turkey meatballs to give you a leaner protein power boost. You also could also spice up your shrimp with a shrimp fajita salad or curled up in a wrap, she says.

For more meat options to choose from, take a look at The Best Forms of Lean Protein You Can Eat

Sign up for our newsletter!

A plant-based source of protein that you can throw into just about any meal for an extra boost chickpeas.

"Chickpeas are what's known as a complete protein because they contain all nine essential amino acids," which play a key role in metabolism and body function, according to Cleveland Clinic. The high protein and fiber contents of chickpeas help to keep you fuller longer, which is important if you're trying to lose weight and maintain it.

Chickpeas are also a great choice because they are considered a legume, which has the nutrient value of high protein foods as well as vegetables, according to a review in Nutrients. The review also points out that the vast nutrients in chickpeas have major effects on losing weight by controlling the body's glucose and insulin responses. Both of which play their part in easing digestion and slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates, so you're full of energy while consuming a low-calorie food.

One way to incorporate chickpeas more into your diet is by adding a "legume based hummus on sandwiches and wraps," says Dunn.

Whole-grain foods are another group that has huge rewards in terms of protein. Quinoa for examplecan act as a carb-like substitute for rice or pastais considered a complete protein, which is made up of the nine of the essential amino acids your body needs. The plant-based protein source will easily fill you up and support your fat loss goals, by contributing to building more muscle and a strong metabolism.

Quercetin and kaempferol, the two flavonoid plant compounds in quinoa, also help with weight loss by protecting your gut cells and supporting strong metabolites. Having strong metabolites will help fuel your metabolism to function efficiently in turning food into energy versus the alternative (fat). But, be careful what you pair with this protein-packed food because combining quinoa with high calorie and fatty foods could hinder your fat loss journey more than support it.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a healthy carb with high protein content, especially when you're trying to lose fat. Black beans are a complex carbohydrate that is gluten-free and plant-based and sources both high levels of protein and healthy fiber. One study saw major weight loss results after including beans and legumes as a leading source of protein over the span of eight weeks.

The subjects of the study found they had lost significant body fat, reduced their waist circumference, and lowered their blood pressure and total cholesterol. Beansespecially black beanscan help lower the body's leptin levels, also known as the hormone that regulates the appetite. With a controlled appetite and a body full of healthy protein and fibers, you have a greater chance of losing more fat over time.

Dunn recommends filling up on a protein-packed burrito bowl with black beans, grilled chicken breast, grilled veggies, and salsa. Another meal to help implement more beans in your diet is our Vegetarian Black Bean Omelet Recipe.

Dairy products don't have the best reputation in supplementing a solid fat loss journey, but for many people consuming more dairy on a daily basis can potentially accelerate weight loss. Turning to fat-free milk, certain cheeses (such as cottage cheese), and low-fat Greek yogurt, can support your body's need for natural dairy-based nutrients (such as calcium) and a high source of protein.

The Journal of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity conducted research on participants in a reduced-calorie diet consuming three to four servings of dairy (in different types) a day, over the span of 24 weeks and many lost a great percentage of total body weight.

"It's clear from our research that the unique combination of essential nutrients in dairy foods has a powerful, positive impact on metabolism and weight loss," said lead researcher Dr. Michael Zemel, Ph.D., the director of the UT Nutrition Institute, in the journal review.

The study found that the calcium levels paired with the reasonable protein properties in dairy products contribute greatly to weight loss as they speed up the body's metabolism and improve natural energy storage.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Looking to sneak in extra protein? Try blending up a well-rounded smoothie with your choice of greek yogurt, low-fat milk (or a high protein non-dairy substitute), fruit, and veggies, Dunn says. If you're not a big smoothie fan, she also recommends topping Greek yogurt with seeds/nuts, nut butter, and hemp hearts.

Whey protein, in its original form, is mainly found in dairy products like milk and cheese. It's created during the curdling process of making milk and cheese and contains a total of eight protein groups and nine essential amino acids, explains Cleveland Clinic. The most important group of whey, in terms of fat loss, is the branched chain of amino acids (BCAA's)leucine, isoleucine, and valinewhich foster significant muscle growth.

It's highly recommended to consume whey protein for fat loss because it supplements more lean muscle throughout the body (similar to meat), which burns calories at a higher rate than body fat, says Dunn.

There's a reason why whey protein is one of the most commonly used and researched protein powders on the market. While protein powder isn't necessarily a food, it's great for on the go and can be blended or mixed into so many staple meals and drinks that are already part of your diet (plus, the wide variety of flavors can add even more taste to your food intake).

Here are The Healthiest Protein Powders for Weight Loss.

Read more:
6 High-Protein Foods That Shrink Belly Fat, Says Dietitian Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

In the hustle-bustle of everyday life, we tend to ignore the most important aspect of life- our health. Every year, April 7 is observed as World health day (WHD) to mark the founding of WHO in 1948. A sedentary lifestyle and habits such as overexposure to screens and consumption of carbohydrates can adversely affect our health. On the other hand, some exercise and a healthy diet go a long way.

On this World Health Day, CitySpidey talked to some residents from Delhi NCR to know about what they do to keep healthy-

Priya Agarwal,

a software engineer says, a resident of Cherry County, Coconut is one such elixir which can be considered a gift of God. I drink it regularly. What we do is what our children learn. Everyone knows that food and exercise are the best pair to make us fit and healthy, but in our present-day busy routine, we often do not find time, but we must take out time deliberately for exercising."

Shashi Bala,

resident of Nirala aspire and mom of two says, I start my mornings with cycling, a few other exercises and a healthy breakfast. I try to consume natural things instead of supplements. If you want to lose weight, follow the diet for weight loss or meet specific fitness goals. Sports can help wonders in maintaining good health."

Also read |Say hello to good health with these lifestyle habits

Vijay Malik (23) resident of Mahagun Puram, Ghaziabad is a gold medallist and two times trophy winner in the National game bodybuilding held in Meerut and Mr U.P in the bodybuilding championship by the BFSA federation. He says, I am a regular gym-goer, a workout freak and a highly active person. Being a video editor, I have a very tough schedule, still, I manage to take out time twice for my workout. Those who say that they don't have time, are the ones who are not dedicated towards their health.

Manish Kumar,

a resident of EcoVillage 1 says, To remain fit, I follow a strict plan of per day 50 km cycling ride with my companions every day. I wake at sharp 4.45 am and I am on-road cycling from 5 am to 7 am. I have never followed any diet plan but yes, our cycling is a rigorous task and in this, we increase our calcium intake."

Amit darshan,

a resident of Himalaya Pride says, There are five things that come to my mind when we talk about good health. One must always take a healthy diet. Exercising regularly is a must. Smoking and drinking should be limited. Weight should be controlled, and the consumption of alcohol should be limited. The key to a healthy life is happiness, I live happily and I keep my surroundings happy.

Amir Haider,

resident of sector 90 says, Sedentary lifestyle is the most unhealthy lifestyle, it leads to high blood pressure, heart diseases, obesity, diabetes and many other health issues. I believe in being active, by engaging myself in regular workouts and they are also a great stress buster. Many times, when I am not able to go to the gym, I prefer to take the stairs despite taking the lift."

He continues, I am observing Roza these days, still I am not skipping my gym. I keep fast and take fruits in the afternoon and evening open Roza in the office and still never skips gym.

Cdr. Narinder Mahajan,

a resident of Arun Vihar says, To lead a healthy life, I follow a very simple fundamental rule. No worries, No hurries and No curries. I am an ardent lover of everyday morning walks and also laughter yoga. One must never do fad diets. Everything should be eaten, but yes, in moderation. Every six months one must undergo all blood tests to ensure all the parameters. I had my bypass surgery 23 years back yet I am fit and fine today, it is all because I followed a healthy lifestyle."

Sanjeev Kumar,

resident of Assotech Windsor Court says, In the morning some Yoga and indoor exercise around 30 to 40 minutes. At night, I walk for around 4 to 5 km post-dinner. A good night's sleep is a must to stay healthy.

Tanushri Jha, a resident of Cherry County, Noida Extension says, The first step towards improving the health is identifying a bad habit. Everyone needs to set small goals, change the bad habit into good habits and by choosing healthy surroundings."

See the original post here:
World health day-residents from Delhi NCR share their fitness regime - CitySpidey.com

On World Health Day observed on April 7, actor Ravi Bhatia who rose to fame after he essayed the role of Salim in Ekta Kapoor's Jodha Akbar feels healthy diet plans and exercising is the best way to stay fit and healthy.He says, "Diets arent just for weight loss. While changing your diet can be one of the best ways to lose weight, it can also be a way to improving your habits, focusing on your health, and leading a more active lifestyle. I'm very conscious of what and how much I consume. Mostly I follow a healthy and oil free diet as it is has been considered the gold standard for nutrition, disease prevention, wellness, and longevity. This is based on its nutritional benefits and sustainability. It emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products and limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars and controls portion sizes."The actor, who has also featured in TV shows like Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Hamaari Beti Raaj Karegi, Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se, Ishq Subhan Allah among others, makes working out on daily basis a mandatory habit. He adds, "I enjoy working out daily. I also try my best to keep myself engaged in physical activities or playing sports whenever I'm free from my shoots or have a free schedules. This keeps me healthy. I feel there is no single type of exercise that can take care of all our needs. In fact, to get the most benefits from our routine, we will want a mix of activities during the course of a week. Each workout should also include a simple warm-up at the beginning and a cool-down at the end."

Continued here:
#WorldHealthDay: Ravi Bhatia feels diet plans and exercising best way to live healthy - Times of India

ALTHOUGH we're getting better at recognising it, we are surrounded by diet culture. On social media, in magazines, on the TV, in the classroom and our everyday conversations - it's literally everywhere.

And children seem to be worrying about the way they look more and more. According to the Mental Health Foundation, a body image in childhood survey by Be Real found that 79 per cent of 11-16-year-olds say how they look is important to them, over half (52 per cent) often worry about how they look, and 35 per cent of 13-19-year-olds said their body image causes them to 'often' or 'always' worry.

So, what happens if your child asks if they can go on a diet, or start a food and exercise 'regime'? As much as we'd love them to know nothing about such things, there probably aren't many parents who haven't tried WW, Joe Wicks, fasting or some other diet or fitness fad in the hope of losing weight, being healthier or becoming fitter.

Children are like sponges, so every time you've voiced an unhappiness about your body or weight, felt fantastic after shedding some inches, or got grumpy about having to eat or cook in a certain way - they've soaked it all up.

So naturally, if they don't feel happy with their bodies, they're going to look to the tried and tested methods they've seen first-hand.

So, what exactly should we do when ugly weight, diet and body conversations crop up at home?

"If your aim is to raise a child with a long-term healthy relationship with food, who's in tune with their body, who has a positive body image and treats their body with respect and kindness - and treats other people with bodies that don't look or function like their own with the same respect and kindness - then the very worst thing you can do is to put them on a diet," says author and campaigner, Molly Forbes.

"There are many different factors which can influence a child's weight. But diet culture teaches us that our body weight is a behaviour, entirely within our own personal control, and that higher body weight is automatically unhealthy.

"This is perpetuated by many of the public health policies we're seeing at the moment."

LET'S TALK ABOUT EATING DISORDERS

Jumping from diets to eating disorders might sound extreme, but what starts off small can sometimes grow into a much bigger problem.

"Dieting can be dangerous for children who are still growing and developing, as they may not be getting adequate nutrition," says Martha Williams, UK eating disorder charity Beat's clinical advice coordinator.

"Sadly, dieting has become so normalised in today's society that some parents may believe they're doing the right thing by putting their child on one, but putting your child on a diet can increase their likelihood of developing an eating disorder.

"A lot of people we speak to tell us their eating disorder began with a diet that gradually got more restrictive over time, or that dieting negatively impacted the way they thought about food."

She adds: "Dieting tends to promote categorisation of foods into 'good' and 'bad', which can cause disordered eating habits.

"We also know that diets can lead to an increased preoccupation with food, which can make it hard to concentrate on other important things."

Intrusive thoughts about food, or increased cravings for foods that the diet doesn't 'allow' are also frequently experienced.

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?

The most important thing any parent can do is give their child love. Adore every inch of them that's on the outside, as well as the inside.

"The very best thing you can do for your child's body image is to accept their body just as it is," advises Forbes.

"And then to really show your child that all bodies are good bodies - through representation (books are a great way to do this), conversations, and helping them to develop media literacy skills that allow them to think critically about some of the messages making them question their bodies, or making judgments of other people with bodies unlike their own.

"In the moments when a child might display body insecurity, or say they need to 'go on a diet', it's important to validate their emotions, rather than brushing it off.

"We all live in this high-pressure culture that makes it really challenging to accept our bodies as they are, so be honest with your kids about that, but let them know that while it might be hard to be friends with your body, it is possible.

"Body shame is not an inevitable part of life, however normalised it has become."

FIND OUT WHY

If a child tells you they want to be bigger, smaller or eat less, talk to them.

"It can help to try to get to the bottom of why a child is feeling this way - is there something else going on that may be bothering your child and making them seek control over food, that they may not have elsewhere, for example?" says Forbes.

"These are big things for parents to deal with alone, so my advice if anything like this comes up is to always seek professional help.

"Eating disorders are incredibly serious, and this could be a sign that your child is struggling, so seeking support is not something to put off."

Williams agrees, adding: "If a child is asking to go a diet, there may be underlying factors. We would encourage parents to approach these conversations sensitively and ask open-ended questions to establish the reasons for your child wanting to diet or increase their exercise levels.

"We also would recommend that parents be aware of the early signs of eating disorders."

SPOTTING THE SIGNS

People with an eating disorder often look perfectly 'normal' and weight isn't a reliable indicator. Beat says spotting the early warning signs involves looking out for changes in behaviour, such as social isolation, avoiding activities involving food or eating with others, difficulty concentrating, increased tiredness and irritability, low self-esteem and confidence, obsessive and/or rigid behaviour, perfectionism, increased amount of exercise, and disappearing to the toilet after meals.

The charity estimates that around 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, and all ages and backgrounds can be affected.

"Sadly, we have seen a rise in numbers of people suffering following the pandemic," notes Williams.

"There are lots of reasons for this - disruption of everyday routines, increased isolation, promotion of exercise during lockdown, and general anxiety about the pandemic.

"Due to increased numbers, services are currently struggling to meet the demand for those needing support and treatment."

So, if your child wants to go on a diet, shower them with love. Tell them they're perfect just as they are. Talk about diet culture and the unreal ways so-called 'ideal' bodies are presented. And teach them that everyone is different.

It is really, really hard to love your own body when we're bombarded with images and messages that tell us they're not good enough, but maybe you can learn how to do it together.

See the original post here:
Is it ever OK to put your child on a diet? - The Irish News

The National Cancer Institute recently awarded Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Public Health a new U01 cooperative agreement grant to support research into the impact of diet and exercise for women with ovarian cancer.

The National Cancer Institute recently awarded Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Public Health a new U01 cooperative agreement grant to support research into the impact of diet and exercise for women with ovarian cancer. Melinda Irwin, PhD, MPH, the Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean of Research at the Yale School of Public Health, and Associate Director (Population Sciences) at Yale Cancer Center will lead the research project, Trial of Exercise and Lifestyle (TEAL) in Women with Ovarian Cancer. The grant funding will enable Dr. Irwin and colleagues to investigate ways to improve treatment outcomes via diet and exercise in women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, with 90% of women diagnosed receiving chemotherapy. Timely and successful completion of chemotherapy is critical, as delayed or reduced chemotherapy dosage for ovarian cancer is associated with decreased survival; yet chemotherapy dose delays and dose reductions are common (~50% of ovarian cancer patients), with the primary reason for dose delays and reductions being chemotoxicity.

Tracy Crane, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Miami, is the co-principal investigator on the trial. Together, Drs. Irwin and Crane will work in collaboration with Yale Cancer Center members Elena Ratner, MD, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Peter Schwartz, MD, John Slade Ely Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Brenda Cartmel, PhD, Senior Research Scientist in and Lecturer in Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), Leah Ferrucci, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), and Tara Sanft MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), to execute the project plan.

The study will enroll 200 (100 non-Hispanic White and 100 Hispanic) women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and conduct a multi-site randomized trial over 18 weeks. The research teams hypothesis is that exercise and eating a healthy diet will improve chemotherapy toxicity and treatment adherence and efficacy, and in turn, improve ovarian cancer prognosis. Dietitians Maura Harrigan, MS, RDN, CSO and Courtney McGowan, RD, will be critical in helping with the diet intervention, and Linda Gottlieb, MA, CPT, CET, will assist with the exercise intervention.

Few studies have examined the role of lifestyle factors during cancer treatment and how lifestyle behaviors may improve treatment adherence, toxicity, and efficacy. We are hopeful that the results of this study will help to accelerate a paradigm shift where patients will routinely receive nutrition and exercise programming as standard of care in tandem with their cancer treatment, Dr. Irwin said. I look forward to launching the TEAL study with my colleagues in the coming months.

Originally posted here:
Yale Cancer Center and School of Public Health Receive Grant to Study Lifestyle Intervention in Women with Ovarian Cancer - OncLive