If you are the kind of person who is constantly on the move and doesnt pay much attention to your health and wellbeing, it is time to break from the robotic routine and pick up some healthy habits. Unfortunately, people often forget that a bad lifestyle can lead to severe health conditions which in most cases may result in undesired consequences.

The first step to changing this poor way of living is to accept that you must take matters into your hands. And the good news is that you dont have to make any drastic changes, but instead you can switch up your current routine and embrace a healthier lifestyle.

Whether it is increasing your water intake to stay hydrated or taking a walk more often, such small steps will certainly have a great impact on your life in the long run. So, if you are willing to change your life for the better, take a look at these simple habits you can build in order to boost your wellbeing as well as your quality of life.

It is well known that drinking water is the best choice for overall health and wellbeing. However, another alternative for a healthy beverage is tea. Herbal teas, in particular, are full of antioxidants and vitamins that help fight many diseases and infections, protect against oxidative stress, and enhance the immune system.

There are so many herbal teas to choose from. However, many people still prefer more traditional tea choices. So the herbal experts at Harney & Sons recommend Earl Grey tea for its many health benefits. It is a mix of black tea leaves and bergamot orange which gives this hot beverage a mild citrus-like taste. The bergamot extract consists of powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties and immune system benefits.

Another herbal tea known for its calming effects is chamomile tea. Besides having antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, this tea serves as a sleep aid and relieves pain symptoms.

Jotting down your personal thoughts, experiences and goals is a great way to increase self-awareness. By keeping up with your daily journaling, you will be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses and able to come up with ways to better yourself in every area of your life.

The truth is keeping a daily journal has many benefits. Firstly, you will be able to record all of your ideas, goals, and ambitions in one place at any time and anywhere you want. Secondly, writing down your feelings and thoughts is a great way to relieve stress. By expressing yourself on paper you will free up any tension that may be preventing you from feeling happy.

Lastly, writing a journal unleashes creativity which means you can let your imaginations run wild and record each one at the same time.

Eating a well-balanced diet provides your body with all the necessary nutrients it needs to function properly. However, in order to improve your eating habits, you must make small lifestyle changes that you can keep doing over time.

For example, instead of gobbling down your food, you should take your time to chew it and enjoy it properly. By adopting this habit, not only will you enjoy the taste of your food more, but you will most likely eat less too.

Another eating habit that goes a long way in focusing on what you are eating and not on how many calories you are consuming with every meal. This is very important to know in order to be able to differentiate between good calories present in fruits, vegetables, and protein and bad calories present in sweets, fast food, and fizzy drinks.

One of the secrets to keeping your health intact is by engaging in regular exercises that control body weight and reduce the risk of developing health conditions.

If you are putting off exercising only because you dont like going to the gym, there are other fun activities you can take up to get your body moving. Whether it is playing tennis, doing yoga, or even taking dancing lessons, you should choose an activity that fulfills you and brings you enjoyment.

Besides this, you must remember to not overdo it and completely drain your body while exercising. Since most things in life come down to balance, moderate exercising is no exception. It is important that you listen to your body and slow down when you feel too exhausted so your body gets the rest it needs.

Another way to cope with stress is by taking up a new hobby. Generally speaking, having a hobby you enjoy can certainly enrich your life, fulfill your leisure time, and give you an opportunity to learn new skills.

The best way to develop a new hobby is to try something new. Remember that you cannot force yourself to like things, but instead, it should come to you naturally. Luckily, the world is full of exciting activities which can accommodate everyones taste. Whether it is drawing, cooking, gardening, or playing an instrument, you should choose something that interests you and allows you to be innovative.

In fact, one of the biggest advantages of having a hobby is that you will be relying on your creative side to explore new ideas and ways that can further help you with your personal growth.

In the past, people usually went to visit the doctor only if they werent feeling well. Nowadays, precautionary healthcare has become very important as it helps people stay on top of their health. Fortunately, many are becoming more proactive in getting medical advice about how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Regular health checkups bring many benefits. Firstly, they help find potential health issues before they turn into serious problems. Early detection gives you a better shot at getting the right treatment and avoiding further complications. Consequently, they bring more awareness of your health conditions. This way you will be informed about your overall health. This will provide you with the opportunity to stay peaceful and stress-free.

So dont forget to add a routine health checkup to your lifestyle and keep track of your overall health.

All in all, adopting healthy habits is key to a long life. Granted, embracing them may be difficult at first. However, you will soon realize that they are in fact very beneficial for your overall health and wellbeing. So if you need help coming up with new healthy habits, keep this postmarked. Dont be shy to take up some of the ideas mentioned here.

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6 Healthy Habits To Boost Wellbeing And Quality Of Life - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

By Sheri McIntosh, today at 11:22 am

Eating healthy meals is one of the major components of creating a healthy lifestyle. Because of COVOID-19, eating out has been limited and we need to prepare meals at home. With preparing meals at home, we need to create a process that incorporates our kitchen. Now is the time to strategically stock your kitchen. Get rid of unhealthy and outdated items. Organize your kitchen with healthy foods including fruit, vegetables, nuts, and lean meats. Load your kitchen with spices. Different spices have health benefits including assisting with weight loss, improving brain function, reducing nausea and inflammation, and boosting immunity. Store healthy snacks including nuts, cucumber, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, and fruit. This will help you avoid eating unhealthy snacks like potato chips, snack bars, and crackers.

Whether you purchase your food online or in person, you need to plan. Plan your meals and purchase your food based on the meals you will cook for the week. Take time to create a shopping list. Creating a shopping list will help prevent making random purchases.

I like cooking so it is easy for me to plan meals. If you do not like to cook, search the Internet for quick recipes. There are also shortcuts you can take. I write a lot about not eating processed foods. There is one exception. You can purchase frozen vegetables that can be prepared quickly. There are studies that show frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh vegetables. Just make sure the vegetables do not have any added ingredients like salt or sugar.

You are in control when you prepare your meals at home. People who prepare their own meals usually eat healthier than people you eat out a lot. Also, preparing most of your meals at home is cheaper than eating out. There is nothing wrong with occasionally eating out. You should make living a healthy lifestyle your goal. Yet, having an occasional treat is okay.

Continue reading here:
Make Your Kitchen Part of Your Healthy Routine | Spiritual and Physical Wellness - ChicagoNow

From picture books and poetry to memoirs and newspapers, reading is a lifelong habit that can have powerful benefits for your health.

Here are five proven health benefits of reading and tips to read more:

Reading facilitates new connections between different parts of the brain. A small 2013 study found that reading a novel increased communication between parts of the brain that control language processing. It also created long term changes in the bilateral somatosensory cortex, the part of the brain that processes sensory information.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City, says reading creates neurons in the brain, a process known as neurogenesis. Neurons are cells that send messages and transmit information between different areas in the brain.

"Reading material that requires thought, consideration, and effort to metabolize what's being described leads to the creation of new neurons in your brain," Romanoff says. "These neurons also increase new neuronal connections, both with each other and older networks, which accelerates processing speed."

Cognition includes the ability to learn, remember, and make judgments. Attention and memory are the two aspects of cognitive functioning most likely to be affected by age. Scientists believe reading can reduce age-related cognitive decline and protect cognitive function.

A large 14-year study published in 2020 found those who read one or more times a week were less likely to have cognitive decline at 6-year and 14-year intervals. After 14-years, older people who read more often had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to those who read less often.

Reading is even associated with a lower risk of dementia. A very large 2018 study in China tracked people aged 65 and older over the course of five years and found late-life participation in intellectual activities like reading was associated with a lower risk of dementia several years later.

Research has found reading for just 30 minutes can reduce the physical and emotional signs of stress.

A small 2009 study of full-time undergraduate students compared the effects of yoga, humorous videos, and reading on stress levels. It found students who read news articles for 30 minutes experienced a decrease in physical markers of stress, like heart rate and blood pressure, compared to before they began the activity. They also had lower scores on stress surveys.

The study concluded "neutral" reading material, or material that doesn't elicit a strong emotional feeling, is relaxing, and decreases arousal of the sympathetic nervous system which directs the body's response to stressful situations and danger. However, reading the news may not be relaxing for everyone. Instead, you can opt for novels, short stories, or other reading materials.

Not only is reading beneficial for brain health, but it is also linked to a longer life. A large 12-year study published in 2017 found reading books is associated with a 20% reduction in risk of mortality compared to those who didn't read books.

Reading may not cause you to live longer on its own, but it might be associated with an overall healthy lifestyle and a lower risk of early death.

While the brain isn't a muscle, it still benefits from exercise. Similar to how lifting weights makes our bodies stronger, reading is a cognitively demanding process that can strengthen memory and concentration.

When humans read, we create a "mental map" of written text. This mental map helps us process words we are reading and aids in knowledge recall and memory. Romanoff says a regular reading routine helps the brain "practice" mental processes that contribute to memory functioning.

"Our brains also mentally process written words as if we were writing them," Romanoff says. "These processes require mental effort and concentration. With continued reinforcement, there is a greater capacity for memory functioning."

A 2013 study of elderly men and women found people who participated in mentally challenging activities like reading and writing had a slower rate of memory decline earlier and later in life compared to those who did not engage in such activities.

Uma Naidoo, MD, a nutritional psychiatrist and the director of nutritional & lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that the easiest way to start reading more is to schedule it into your daily life.

"Like with any activity that promotes our better brain health such as how we eat, sleep, or exercise we need to create space for these," Naidoo says. "Setting aside a half-hour or an hour, for example, before bed or during an afternoon break could be a good idea to make sure you are reading."

Other tips to start reading more include:

Reading is an entertaining activity that doubles as an exercise for your brain. Reading, in general, can boost cognitive functioning, improve memory, and is even linked to a longer life.

"Each and every time we learn something new our brain forms new connections and neurons and makes existing neural pathways stronger or weaker," Naidoo says.

Link:
5 science-backed health benefits of reading and how to make reading a daily habit - Insider - INSIDER

Maybe youre popping vitamins and upping your intake of key nutrients in the hope of strengthening your bodys defenses against COVID-19 and the flu.

But is this a sound strategy?

We consulted Dr. Nora Zabel Tossounian, an internist at Hackensack Meridian Health Primary Care and Womens Health in Lodi.

She cautions against too many megadoses of vitamins or overeating a certain type of food just because it may supply a specific nutrient.

There are some good medical studies that support it and there are some that dont, she says of foods and supplements touted as immune boosters. The main thing that it boils down to is healthy lifestyle habits and the importance of good, balanced nutrition and exercise and sleep. Cant beat that.

A vitamin-based defense and clean eating may possibly help mitigate health risks on some level, but theyre not a substitute for wearing a mask, social distancing, avoiding crowds and washing your hands.

While some supplements may be advisable, Zabel Tossounian says we should start with our plates. Make that a moderately clean plate.

I always tell my patients to try to get the nutrients as much as possible from food thats minimally processed, she says.

Ditch juices in favor of whole fruit (in moderation), she says, and try to cut down on processed, refined and bleached carbohydrates.

That doesnt mean buying something just because it says natural or organic on the label.

Many people try to say, Well, these potato chips ... they say theyre natural, she says. Thats a processed carb.

Baking, a favorite pandemic pastime, can make us more vulnerable to reward eating. As we eat more carbs, our bodies produce more insulin to keep up with the sugar. Cookies can seem like a good quick fix for stress, but if we're trying to avoid inflammation, insulin spikes are not our friend. Steve Hockstein for The Star-Ledger

Zabel Tossounian points out that carbs in excess are problematic because they cause belly fat and weight gain and increase insulin levels.

What does that have to do with immunity?

Insulin is known to be a pro-inflammatory marker, she says. It can make it more challenging for our immune system to fight off infections.

Of course, starting in March, when grocery stores began to feel the strain of the pandemic, a whole lot of people were panic-buying chips, cookies and other treats. Even if the irony is a time-honored one, we were using unhealthy behavior to try to soothe our fears about the health crisis.

A lot of us during these stressful times tend to overeat or emotionally eat, Zabel Tossounian says. Mindful eating is so important. Sometimes we do make the wrong choice intentionally because we need to have that satisfaction.

If opting for oat milk, nut milk or other milk alternatives, look for products fortified with vitamin D. But this may not be enough to reach an optimal vitamin D level.Thomas Urbain | AFP via Getty Images

Want to enlist vitamin D in strengthening your bodys defenses?

Sources of vitamin D in your diet could include milk, cheese and yogurt. Zabel Tossounian tells her patients to stick with varieties that have reduced fat. Those who are lactose intolerant or vegan can opt for nut milks or milk alternatives like soy, almond, hemp and coconut. Oat milk has become one of the most popular, but check the labels.

Sometimes they may not fortify with vitamin D, Zabel Tossounian says. And even if they are fortified, the amount can be less than optimal.

The majority of patients in our practice tend to be vitamin D-deficient, she says. Many take supplements. (You can always ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level.)

Avocado on toast or not may have become a trendy food associated with the finances of millennials, but it is also a source of fiber, protein, healthy fat and vitamin C.Anna-Rose Gassot | AFP via Getty Images

Some studies in COVID patients have shown that (zinc) does help with the mechanism of the immune system fighting off this virus, Zabel Tossounian says. We also use it to a certain extent in certain hospitalized patients.

Natural sources of zinc include mushrooms, beans, chickpeas and nuts.

Most fruits and vegetables do have a fair amount of zinc, she says. Zinc is very important.

She tells patients who would prefer a supplement that they can try 50 milligrams of zinc a day.

Vitamin C is most traditionally associated with a perceived defense against ailments like the common cold.

Many patients during this time will down glasses of orange juice or take megadoses of vitamin C, Zabel Tossounian says. First of all, orange juice contains a lot of carbs.

People wanting to limit carbs should stay away or stick to one serving, she says. Those who are worried about acid reflux can avoid orange juice altogether in favor of a 500-milligram daily supplement. The catch: only do this if you can drink at least 64 ounces of water per day.

The reason for that is long-term, higher doses of vitamin C in some patients can increase the risk of kidney stones, Zabel Tossounian says. Another option is to only take a vitamin C supplement during the fall and winter months.

Salmon: a good source of protein and healthy fats.Eric Piermont | AFP via Getty Images

Zabel Tossounian says that in order to avoid lopsided diets that are too heavy on the carbs, for instance, she counsels patients to make one third of their plate low-fat protein, one third vegetables and one third minimally processed starch.

Salmon is a good go-to protein and supplies necessary healthy fats, she says. Another option is baked or boiled (not deep-fried) chicken as long as the skin is removed.

Vegans and vegetarians can opt for beans, bean-based pastas and avocado for protein (and healthy fats). They can also choose plant-based meat substitutes, though Zabel Tossounian says to watch the fat content on your favorite plant-based burgers. Either limit how many times theyre in the rotation or cut down on fats and oils elsewhere in your meal.

She tells patients to limit red meat ideally lean cuts to no more than twice per week.

About those processed carbs. A lot of patients have been coming to Zabel Tossounian with weight gain in the pandemic what some have been calling the COVID 19.

In the beginning of the pandemic, aisles that normally stocked flour and sugar were half (or all) empty since many people started baking.

They loved it and they did with their families, she said. As we know, food, in all cultures, is a way of connecting with your loved ones. The kitchen became the most important room in the entire home.

Has your kitchen become a production line for cakes and cookies in the pandemic?Sarah Rice | The Star-Ledger

Why not focus on food when you can plan your day around the meal youre going to have at night? Of course, that makes it easier to overeat or stray from good eating, especially if theres a sense of reward involved.

A lot of it comes from entitlement, Zabel Tossounian says. Had a bad day at work or had a difficult Zoom meeting? You know, Im entitled to that Snickers bar. It gives temporary satisfaction. All of us do it, were human.

She suggests eating clean 80 to 90% of the time and leaving a bit of room for indulgence.

More vitamin D and C may not mean much without vitamin sleep and exercise.

Moving for at least 30 minutes five days a week can help us feel better.

Why? Its not just the lack of guilt for not exercising were talking about here. The happy hormones, or endorphins, released during a workout can help to ease stress, anxiety and depression.

This 24 Hour Fitness gym in Springfield reopened in September. If you can't get to a gym or don't feel comfortable going, there are many free options for online workouts. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

Another benefit of exercise is that when you start thinking about how many pushups you may need to cancel out a candy bar, you may think twice and temper emotional eating, Zabe
l Tossounian says.

Even if your gym has gone out of business, there are ways to stay fit in the winter. Zabel Tossounian often recommends that patients check out free resources like the YMCA 360 website, which has on-demand fitness videos, or workouts on the Nike Training Club app.

Some local gyms are still offering online classes and virtual memberships to a wide range of workout programs are available online.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.

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How your diet could help boost immunity as COVID-19 and the flu loom - nj.com

BEAUFORT, S.C. (PRWEB) December 18, 2020

The Kitchen Community (https://thekitchencommunity.org/), the leading online destination for all kitchen and cooking information, today announced the completion of its acquisitions of The Blissful Chef (https://theblissfulchef.com) and Southern from Scratch (https://southernfromscratch.com).

We are extremely pleased with the current integration of both entities, noted Managing Editor Cassie Marshall. The Blissful Chef has been a respected voice in the vegetarian and vegan community for years. We are proud to add that voice to our own. Southern from Scratch likewise has gained prominence in the baking and home cooking niche. We look forward to further integrating both media properties into the Kitchen Community family.

The Blissful Chef was founded in 2010 by noted author Christy Morgan. Since its inception, it has been dedicated to making sustainable, plant-based, delicious cuisine that nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. They have inspired others to create balance and harmony in their lives through food that not only makes you feel great but also preserves the planet. Created in 2017 by Aimee Broussard, an award-winning cookie creator, Southern from Scratch is all about making and baking from scratch.

About the Kitchen Community

The Kitchen Community is a leading brand focusing on healthy living and healthy eating. In todays fast-paced way of life, the Kitchen Communitys goal is to be a resource for all things related to a healthy lifestyle.

CONTACT INFO

Company: The Kitchen CommunityEmail: marketing@thekitchencommunity.orgWebsite: https://thekitchencommunity.org/Address: 2015 Boundary Street, Suite 300, Beaufort, SC 29902Phone: (843) 321-4666

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The Kitchen Community Completes Acquisition of The Blissful Chef and Southern from Scratch - PR Web

Elected leaders should follow the science on mask-wearing

Recent bursts of sunshine, nearly cloudless skies and summer-like temperatures have got us all outside, recovering not only from the long New Hampshire winter but also from the isolation of COVID-19. It also has us wondering when we might be able to give up the masks weve worn for the past year. Local elected officials are holding public hearings, soliciting input from citizens on mask mandates. Its a controversial issue, with strong feelings on both sides.

Now is the time for strong leadership.

As elected officials, I believe we have to follow the science. This will help us with our fear. There are objective facts out there, and it is our duty to pursue them. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine and director of AIDS research at the University of California at San Francisco, who was a strong proponent of masking, is now strongly suggesting that we take them off.

In a recent PBS interview, she draws from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as such publications as JAMA, to update us on the research. What might appear as a sudden reversal of opinion regarding mask-wearing, she explains, is not.

Study after study has shown the effectiveness of the vaccines. They are even more effective than originally thought. The vaccines, she further explains, also block transmission.

Additionally, she worries about decreasing the strength of our immune systems through continued mask-wearing. Humans simply need exposure to some pathogens in order to remain strong. (Remember our worries, eons ago, about overuse of antibacterial cleanser on our hands that it might lessen our immunity? That was a solid worry, it turns out.)

Finally and Im drawing directly from Dr. Gandhi here we should remember to be grateful. We live in the richest country in the world: The vaccines were developed in record time, and they have been dispensed with record speed. For those of us who have traveled in developing countries, we can be grateful for the resources that we have at our disposal.

I hope that this means we can be happy, and hopeful.

WENDY PIPER

Enfield

The writer is chair of the Grafton County Commissioners.

Forum contributor Margaret D. Hurley describes the cruelty to animals and the damage to our health and the health of the planet by the consumption of meat and dairy (Stop normalizing animal cruelty, May 25). She seems to be despairing of the Valley News ignoring this kind of news. But I see the printing of her letter as a sign of validation of the subject.

I believe many of us are aware of the cruelty of factory-farmed livestock. Those methods torture and exploit animals and yet, unfortunately, continue to flourish. Maybe this is due to conditioning, habit and the advertising and marketing practices of the meat and dairy industries.

Just eliminating the consumption of factory-farmed animals may not satisfy those opposed to it, but it would be a step in the right direction of living a more compassionate and healthy lifestyle.

As to our own health, studies such as Colin Campbells The China Study point to a whole-food, plant-based diet as a healthy food choice. Yet we seem to be on our own as far as learning how to go about this. I guess many health care practitioners may not feel adequately trained to include that in their wellness programs. Luckily, there are helpful resources, such as foodrevolution.org, run by John and Ocean Robbins.

To the list of documentaries on the subject of plant-based diet, a good one to add is The Game Changers. This may especially appeal to sports-oriented folks. It is gripping and convincing and may begin the process of change, namely starting with compassion for our own bodies.

Self-compassion may be a good entrance point to this ever-evolving journey of a step-by step move toward a more sustainable and compassionate future. When we learn to take care of ourselves we can really thrive and be as healthy as possible.

It may automatically lead to compassion for animals, our co-inhabitants, and to the healing of our beautiful but severely overtaxed natural world.

BINEKE PEL OORT

Wilder

My maternal grandfathers birth surname was Yerushalimsky, a Europeanized version of Yerushalmi, which means of or from Jerusalem. That itself means nothing, of course, but my grandfather was a kohen, or hereditary member of the priestly caste, and careful attribution of that lineage is taken quite seriously in Judaism. Performance of every ritual for significant life events depends on it. And my father was a hereditary member of the priestly assistants class, ditto and likewise. (Imagine the shonda when I became a Muslim and remained so for a considerable number of years!)

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaibs maiden name was Harbi, which means of or from the tribe of Harb, originating in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula. (Of course, if you boil us down, Im just a Brooklynite and shes a Detroiter.

But funny thing: A handful of my cousins were born in Mandatory Palestine, and therefore were legally of Palestinian citizenship, according to the governing British law of the time, before they acquired Israeli citizenship.

Why do ethnic groups now self-identified as Palestinian speak the non-indigenous language of Arabic? If thats your mother tongue and you call yourself a Palestinian, your people come originally from colonizers or the colonized. And invaders from practically time immemorial kept carrying my ancestral people away in chains, if they managed to survive massacres. Im glad a maternal great-aunt, and a maternal great-uncle, and my various cousins, survived all the massacres in 1929.

Both Jews and Arabs, and their governing authorities, have been perpetrating atrocities and cruelties upon each other for a very long time.

Want to stop them? Shut the money spigots pouring into the hands of fundamentalist crazies on both sides. They mirror each other in every single way. They have every bad thing in common. I promise you, as one whos been a bat mitzvah girl and an Eid celebrant, Ive got a heck of a mishigas meter.

Want the possibility of peace over there? Neuter the evil twins and let everyone else breathe.

SARAH CRYSL AKHTAR

Lebanon

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Forum, May 28: Elected leaders should follow the science on mask-wearing - Valley News

Dublin, Feb. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pea Protein Ingredient Market - Global Industry Analysis (2017-2020). Growth Trends and Market Forecast (2021-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The market is expected to show favourable growth during the forecast period, reaching US$ 1,374.3 million in 2020. In the next five years, the market is expected to register a CAGR 8.4%. The global pea protein market is expected to flourish owing to multifunctional properties of pea protein.

This latest market research report on global pea protein market discusses the changes in the global diet. The growing popularity of veganism in the West and awareness of environmental impact of meat consumption are expected to play a critical role in shaping the market. The research report highlights key drivers, restraints and potential threats to the pea protein market globally.

According to analysts, increased preference of convenience food products is likely to be the key driver. Pea protein is gaining wide popularity as it provides a healthy alternative to lactose intolerant consumers, vegetarians and vegans. Heated conversations around healthy lifestyle choices and conscious consumption are boosting the demand for nutrient-rich protein alternative. Pea protein is also being widely consumed as it can be easily absorbed and digested in the body. The market is increasingly substituting meat industry as it provides simple storage options and has lower processing cost.

The dry segment is expected to lead the global market. The pea flour extracted in the form of powder is dry pea protein. The dry pea protein is known to be more sustainable compared to the conventional protein sources therefore, providing enhanced functionality by increasing its range of applications.

Europe is expected to dominate the global market during the forecast period. This dominance will be due to large scale consumption and production of plant based products. Furthermore, shift of consumer preference towards veganism will also drive the regional market. The growth of this regional market will also be attributable to the awareness about benefits of pea protein. This has also led manufacturers in this region to comply with the EU standards regarding non-GMO products. These factors are likely to boost the demand for market in this region.

The key players are investing in research and development activities to expand and improvise their product portfolio. This will create dominance and increase competition in the market. They are actively investing in research and development activities along with focusing on mergers and acquisitions to stay ahead in the competition.

Key Highlights

The key players operating in the global pea protein market are

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary1.1. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Snapshot1.2. Future Projections1.3. Key Market Trends1.4. Analyst Recommendations

2. Market Overview2.1. Market Definitions and Segmentations2.2. Market Dynamics2.2.1. Drivers2.2.2. Restraints2.2.3. Market Opportunities2.3. Value Chain Analysis2.4. Porter's Five Forces Analysis2.5. Covid-19 Impact Analysis2.6. Economic Overview2.7. Key Developments2.8. Key Regulations2.9. Key Patents

3. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-20253.1. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, by Nature, Volume (Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2017-20253.1.1. Key Highlights3.1.1.1. Organic3.1.1.2. Conventional3.1.2. BPS Analysis/Market Attractiveness Analysis3.2. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, by Format, Volume (Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2017-20253.2.1. Key Highlights3.2.1.1. Isolate3.2.1.2. Concentrate3.2.1.3. Hydrolysate3.2.2. BPS Analysis/Market Attractiveness Analysis3.3. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, by Application, Volume (Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2017-20253.3.1. Key Highlights3.3.1.1. Food & Beverages3.3.1.1.1. Cereals & Snacks3.3.1.1.2. Meat Substitute3.3.1.1.3. Bakery & Confectionery3.3.1.1.4. Performance Nutrition3.3.1.1.5. Beverage & Desserts3.3.1.2. Animal & Pet Food3.3.1.3. Pharmaceutical & Dietary Supplements3.3.1.4. Cosmetics3.3.2. BPS Analysis/Market Attractiveness Analysis3.4. Global Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, by Region, Volume (Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2017-20253.4.1. Key Highlights3.4.2. BPS Analysis/Market Attractiveness Analysis

4. North America Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-2025

5. Europe Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-2025

6. Asia Pacific Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-2025

7. Latin America Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-2025

8. Middle East & Africa Pea Protein Ingredient Market Outlook, 2017-2025

9. Competitive Landscape9.1. Company Market Share Analysis, 20199.2. Product Heatmap9.3. Company Profiles9.3.1. Company Overview9.3.2. Regional Presence & Revenue9.3.3. Business Segment Revenue9.3.4. Product Portfolio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ji7cfk

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Global $1.37 Billion Pea Protein Ingredient Market to 2025: A Healthy Alternative to Lactose Intolerant Consumers, Vegetarians and Vegans -...

A Survey on Digestive Health of Indian families, ahead of World Digestive Health Day today, May 29, 2021 commissioned by ITCs Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains, on Momspresso, one of Indias leading platform for mums, revealed that 56 per cent of Indian families have reported Digestive Health issues.

The study was conducted amongst 538 mothers, aged 25-45 years across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. This sample constituted working mothers, including businesswomen, entrepreneurs, those employed, and home-makers alike.

The value-added atta variants survey results revealed consumers lifestyle and eating habits. The findings suggest that 77 per cent of Indian mothers consider digestive health to be extremely important, while 56 per cent mothers think their families suffer from digestive health issues. The study found that more than 50 per cent Indian families report suffering from 2-3 digestive health issues. Gas, acidity, and indigestion were found to be amongst the top 3 issues as more than 50 per cent respondents reported suffering from atleast one of these three.

More than 50 per cent think that digestive health has an impact on weight management, energy levels, and the experience leads to abnormal bowel movement amongst others. Forty per cent consider their family and their own gut health as Poor while husband followed by in-laws/parents and self as most affected, respectively. Factors that contribute to gut health include lifestyle and dietary choices. Irregular sleep cycle, consumption of spicy, oily, or fried food, low water intake and 1.5 times/week being the average frequency of physical exercise amongst others were reported as common lifestyle patterns. More than 70 per cent highlighted that they resorted to home remedies and improving daily eating habits as a measure to tackle digestive health issues.

Enriching ones diet with fibre rich food such as wheat-based products, cereals, fruits, leafy vegetables, etc. can aid digestion and it can also relieve bowel issues, provide energy and promote a sense of satiety, thereby enabling weight management.

Speaking about this initiative, Ganesh Kumar Sundararaman, SBU Chief Executive Staples, Snacks and Meals, Foods Division, ITC Ltd.said, Digestive health issues can impact ones quality of life. But they can be managed by introducing changes in eating habits. The World Digestive Health Day is an appropriate occasion to create awareness about the importance of digestive health. Our endeavour has been to support consumers with products such as Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains that has a wholesome mix of six different grains wheat, soya, channa, oat, maize, and psyllium husk which makes it a source of high fibre. Including Consuming this atta as part of the daily diet could be one of the convenient ways add to ones daily fibre intake. Inclusion of other foods that are high in fibre, along with an active regimen, can support a healthy lifestyle.

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56% of Indian families report Digestive Health issues, reveals survey - The Statesman

Cognetics Group will bring its smart supplement, EXCEL, the latest in nootropic formulations, to America next year to help combat the looming mental health epidemic in the U.S.

Cognetics EXCELs formula includes nine powerful and effective natural ingredients, such as Lions Mane, Choline Bitartrate, N-Acetyl Carnitine, Tyrosine, Theanine, Bacopa Monnieri, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Huperzine A, and Rhodiola Rosea.

PALM BEACH, FL, Dec. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognetics Group will bring its smart supplement, EXCEL, the latest in nootropic formulations, to America next year to help combat the looming mental health epidemicin the U.S.

The timing could not be better since 9 out of 10 Americans now consider mental wellbeing as important as physical health. Americans concern for their mental wellness is not surprising, with 26 percent of American adults experiencing mental health issues in any given year.

Mental health is now discussed openly, said Matthew Denneny, managing director and founder of Cognetics Group based in London. There is no longer a stigma attached to mental disorders. People realize mental health conditions are the same as heart problems or cancer.

Denneny said consumers are searching for ways to improve their cognitive ability.

We developed Cognetics EXCEL, a multi-faceted nootropic, to improve mental acuity, Denneny said. Cognetics EXCEL helps people who experience a lack of focus, brain fog, poor memory, decreased productivity and motivation.

Denneny said Cognetics EXCEL is food for the brain and nutrition for the mind.

Cognetics EXCELs formula includes nine powerful and effective natural ingredients, such as Lions Mane, Choline Bitartrate, N-Acetyl Carnitine, Tyrosine, Theanine, Bacopa Monnieri, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Huperzine A, and Rhodiola Rosea.

We list all of our ingredients on our label because we believe in transparency in contrast to many competitors who hide behind proprietary blends, he said.

Denneny understands his supplement is part of an overall healthy lifestyle, including getting plenty of sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising.

Sleep is important for optimum brain function. Eating brain-boosting food, such as salmon, is also important, as is exercising, which increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, Denneny said, adding that meditation, yoga and drinking water also helps keep the brain healthy.

Denneny understands the challenges his consumers confront every day.

As a high-performing executive in the health industry, Denneny often suffered from a lack of energy, brain fog, and everything else associated with burnout.

I challenged myself to find a solution, Denneny said, adding that he worked with a pharmacist with 20 years of experience and other neurological therapeutic experts to develop Cognetics EXCEL.

As a company, Denneny said the Cognetics Group donates $1 from every purchase to non-profit organizations that help people struggling with mental health conditions.

The hard work paid off with Cognetics EXCEL, a nootropic supplement to increase productivity, improve memory, and increase overall brain function, Denneny said, adding that EXCEL targets the essential characteristics of successful, high-performing individuals.

For more information, visit Cognetics Excelonline.

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Cognetics EXCEL Nootropic for Enhanced Focus, Increased Productivity, Improved Memory and Healthy Brain Function Coming to America - GlobeNewswire

Gigi Robinson is a photographer and influencer with a focus on body confidence, chronic illness, and clean beauty. As a child, she was diagnosed with a trio of conditions:Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). These are all part of a group of medical disorders known asdysautonomia, which affects more than 70 million people worldwide. Living with chronic illnesses, Robinson often experiences pain and flare-ups on a day-to-day basis. After being inspired to make the switch to a plant-based diet, she has experiencedfewer symptoms and transformed the quality of her life, improving her pain, energy, and sleep. Now, you can find her sharing plant-based recipes and talking about her lifestyle on her TikTok channel @itsgigirobinson, inspiring hundreds of viewers every single day.

In an exclusive interview with The Beet, Gigi Robinson talks about her journey into becoming a plant-based eater, the power of food as medicine in alleviating her pain, and even tips for making the switch to clean beauty. Let her words inspire you to take charge of your health and use plants as medicine to nourish your body.

Gigi Robinson: I have a few friends that are vegan activists who always rave about the benefits of being vegannot just for health, but also for the environment. I sometimes thought about trying a plant-based diet after hearing their stories but never took a step forward until much later. I think the tipping point was when one of my friends told me how she felt better after going vegan, which really drove me as I live with invisible illnesses. After that, I did my own research to explore the benefits of how a plant-based diet positively affects gut health and the mind-body connection. My ultimate thought wasI hate taking medicine, so its as simple as switching to a plant-based diet to alleviate my pain and ease my gastrointestinal (GI) tract issues, then why not try it? Ever since I have been eating plant-based and adding plants to every meal.

GR: I personally have tried a variety of diets recommended by experts for the conditions I live with. For instance, I have tried the low-FODMAP diet for the management of IBS, which really didnt help my symptoms. When it came to adopting a plant-based diet, I took small steps before making big leaps. One day, I stopped red meat, then stopped chicken, then eventually substituted those with plant-based meat options like seitan and tofu. While transitioning to this diet, I realized that eating fruits and vegetables dont make me feel bad, so I started eating more of them. There were and still are days when I have cravings for dairy products and I do indulge once in a while. Ultimately, what drives me to live a plant-based lifestyle is for my health and wellbeing.

GR: Becoming plant-based literally changed my life. Living with a chronic illness, I get a lot of painful symptoms at random times and I eventually found out my diet was contributing to those symptoms. For instance, eating meat would lead to indigestion, where I experienced abdominal pain, acid reflux, and bloating. Dairy products would also make me sick and trigger a lot of my flare-ups, which negatively impacted my sleep and energy levels. Now, on a plant-based diet, I feel much better and rarely experience indigestion symptoms. I still experience migraines, fatigue, and brain fog because of my POTS but overall I have definitely seen transformational changes with my health.

GR: Im definitely proud of how much progress I have made in leading a plant-based and healthy lifestyle. For example, I find myself embracing new foods and cooking them in innovative ways. I used to really dislike mushrooms before going plant-based, now I use them all the time as plant-based meat substitutes. One of my all-time favorite recipes is the Minimalist Bakers Portobello Steaks with Avocado Chimichurri recipe, which you can find me cooking on a regular basis.

GR: My family has been very supportive throughout my whole transition to a plant-based diet. I initially thought it would be quite difficult to become plant-based, living in a home full of meat-eaters, but its actually pretty simple as my family is pretty accommodating. For instance, if my mom is making marinated lamb chops or something, shell set aside some fresh marinade for me to use with plant-based meat. I typically use the marinade for seitan or tofu so I dont miss out on the same flavors my family is enjoying for that meal. While my family is very supportive of my plant-based diet, they are personally not interested in trying it or changing their diet.

GR:

GR: I would probably not leave home without any kind of almond or oat milk for my coffee. If I am going on a trip or something, Ill make sure I have some NoBull burger patties on hand and some portobello mushrooms for an easy plant-based meal.

GR: I would really recommend them to educate themselves about a plant-based diet. Until I took the initiative to research the diet myself, I really didnt feel much attached to it. One of the ways to do this could be watching documentaries about the dairy industry and the meat industry. Once I saw how horribly meat is processed in our country, I definitely did not want any of that going in my body. One of the best documentaries I have watched and recommend watching is What The Health.

GR: I share my plant-based journey on social media in the hope that individuals will be inspired to go plant-based. I do get a lot of messages from people who thank me for plant-based recipes and tips, which Im definitely glad to hear. I try to share as many plant-based recipes, staples, and techniques as I can but Im actively learning from my community and always seek to diversify my palate.

GR: I feel like I have always kind of been aware of what products I use for my haircare, skincare, and makeup. Its really important to me to put clean beauty products on my skin, without toxic irritants and chemicals. Its been a few years now and I have been educating myself on vegan beauty and making the switch for more eco-friendly choices. As an influencer, I also only use my platform to work with brands that have cruelty-free products filled with high-quality, clean ingredients. Some of the brands I have had the honor of working with areStarface, Thrive Causemetics, and Hourglass Cosmetics.

GR: I recommend people to make the switch to clean beauty for three main reasons: (A) most clean beauty brands give back to charitable organizations, so a portion of your money is going for a good cause, (B) they care about whats in every product and use high-quality ingredients, most of which may be from a plant-based source and (C) the brand may be a small business, and giving them a boost is really important right now because of the pandemic.

GR: I believe everything you need is within you now.

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This Chronically Ill Influencer Eased Pain by Going Plant-Based - The Beet

Having a sweet tooth is the worstespecially when your 2021 New Years resolution involves eating healthier. Its daunting to cut out sweets all at once, especially when theyre all you can think about eating. Having a go-to recipe that can help curb your craving is really important when transitioning into a new, healthy lifestyle. And if youre looking for a guilt-free, sweet tooth-approved snack, then you have got to try Martha Stewarts latest creation: Citrus Chips.

Stewart shared the innovative recipe with her Instagram followers last night, writing, Snack healthier with a batch of citrus chips! Whenever youre craving something sweet, try these bright little bites. Baked low and slow, these citrus crisps taste like sunshine. Not only do they taste like sunshine, but they look like sunshine. Seriously, how colorful and fun do these look?

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This is definitely not a quick snack to eat when you are in a pinchthese fruit chips take four to six hours to bake in the oven. But go ahead and bake a big batch in advance its totally okay because they can be kept for up to one month as long as they are stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Click here to read the full article.

In fact, waiting for them to be ready might just be the toughest part of this recipe. There is no added sugar to these chips, just naturally sweet citrus cut into thin slices, deseeded, and baked in the oven. Which also means it is totally beginner baker-approved. So pick an afternoon, bake your heart away, and you will have a healthy snack to turn to when all you want is a big bowl of gummy bears.

Check out Martha Stewarts Citrus Chip Recipe.

Before you go, check out Martha Stewarts Best Dinner Recipes below:

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Launch Gallery: The Martha Stewart Dinner Recipes We're Loving Right Now

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"Its much easier to meet goals when you have dedicated support in place"

It comes from Chichester Wellbeing, which offers a variety of services and support including mental wellbeing, work life balance, healthy eating, exercise, menopause, smoking cessation, alcohol awareness, pre-diabetes, home energy and more.

Adults living and/or working in Chichester can work on a one-to-one basis with a specialist wellbeing advisor to make small changes to their lifestyle, which it is hoped will make a big difference to their health and wellbeing.

The aim is to support and motivate people to lead a healthy lifestyle.

This may also include helping people to access other local services which may benefit them.

Councillor Roy Briscoe, cabinet member for community services and culture at Chichester District Council said:

"Christmas can be a difficult time and especially on top of what has been an incredibly challenging year.

"We know that lots of people need support and we can offer that in the form of Chichester Wellbeing.

"This year has shown us all the importance of our health and wellbeing and the dedicated team at Chichester Wellbeing are here to help you in making changes to ensure that 2021 can be your healthiest year yet.

"Its much easier to meet goals when you have dedicated support in place and so I would encourage you to get in touch to find out more."

People can find out more information and make an appointment with Chichester Wellbeing by calling 01243 521041 or emailing info@chichesterwellbeing.org.uk .

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.

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People in Chichester can get free advice on improving health and wellbeing - Free Radio

Healthy students are better learners. They are more likely to attend school, earn higher grades and graduate from high school. However, too many children, including the 4.4 million who are uninsured, have difficulty accessing comprehensive, quality health care. In turn, these access and quality issues perpetuate chronic, multigenerational health problems.

The pandemic has amplified this stark reality.It has also cast attention on the fact that education and health care are intrinsically connected.To minimize the long-term health and academic impacts of the pandemic on our children and to better prepare for a future public health crisis, President-elect Biden must dramatically improve and expand access to school-based health care.

The fundamental purpose of public education is not to provide health care.However, it has long been recognized that health can be a major impediment to student success. In 1902, Americas first school nurse, Lina Rogers, recognized the connection between health and education. She began promoting good hygiene and educating families about disease to reduce the high rates of absenteeism in New York City due to preventable communicable illness.Her success in furthering a healthy lifestyle among her students sparked a national movement to staff schools with nurses.

Over the next five decades, the role of the school nurse continued to focus on health education but also expanded to include aspects of primary health care delivery, including medication administration, immunizations, health screenings and referrals to critical support specialists when needed. The expansion of the role of the school nurse gave way to school-based health centers by the late 1960s.

School-based health centers create equity by meeting students where they spend a significant amount of their time; in school.Beyond providing critical primary care services, and often mental and behavioral care, centers reduce the practical burdens like scheduling, transportation and costs associated with private health care access that many low-income families struggle with. But only 11 percent of public schools nationwide provide access to centers, and only 40 percent have a full-time school nurse.

We cannot realistically expect these limited in-school services to keep millions of children healthy enough to support the learning that will be required to get them back on grade level academically.That learning will be all the more difficult because of new and exacerbated health challenges.

An overwhelming need for new services to address these issues exists, including catching children up on immunizations, treating the rising tide of anxiety and depression in children ages six to 17 and assessing the impact of increasesin opioid and other drug-related overdoses on children.

What better place to concentrate these services than in schools? Schools have demonstrated throughout the pandemic their remarkable will to ensure their students are safe and healthy. Biden must aid them in this effort by providing the resources and support to permanently embed health and wellness into the fabric of public schools across America. Heres how:

First, the incoming administration should provide states with the resources and technical assistance to launch public-awareness campaigns that focus on childhood health and wellbeing and its importance in enabling students to get back on track academically. These campaigns should help all families identify the qualified service providers in their local area and how to access them.

Second, the administration should close the existing childhood insurance gap. After reaching a record low in 2016, the rate of uninsured children increased a full percentage point to 5.7 in 2019. Closing this gap can be accomplished by creating new incentives to encourage insurance companies to enroll low-income families in Medicaid and removing the administrative barriers that keep families from enrolling their children. Congress can help by extending two provisions put in place early in the pandemic: a higher federal matching rate for Medicaid dollars and a prohibition on dis-enrolling children and families.

To close the child insurance gap, the administration should also provide states with the resources to support the integration of health insurance screenings into existing school-level processes and training school personnel to advise families on how to access public health insurance programs.And it could clear the way for more schools to seek Medicaid reimbursement for the services they deliver. Medicaid currently spends an estimated $4.5 billion annually in reimbursing school-based health care, a figure that could rise as states take advantage of increased flexibility.

Third, it should make school-based health care a critical component of any infrastructure package. This includes, at minimum, doubling the number of school-based health centers and community schools, modernizing facilities and upgrading hardware to support the expansion of telemedicine in schools.

Finally, it must work to make state and local governments more transparent and effective by providing incentives for better integration of child-facing services across the social safety net and eliminating funding inefficiencies across the bureaucracy.

Research demonstrates that healthy children are likely to be more successful adults. At this critical juncture in our childrens lives, its time to put this evidence to work by expanding and improving school-based health care.

Mario Ramirez, an emergency medicine physician, served as acting director for pandemic and emerging threats at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is managing director of Opportunity Labs, a non-profit consultancy and product design firm, and a Senior Fellow at FutureEd, a nonpartisan think tank at Georgetown University. Andrew Buher is the founder of Opportunity Labs, a former chief operating officer of the New York City Department of Education and also a Senior Fellow at FutureEd.

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The Biden administration must dramatically expand school-based health care | TheHill - The Hill

Test yourself: How do your habits measure up?

Think you're leading a healthy lifestyle? Aside from occasionally veering off the path, most of us think we do a fair job of maintaining our health with good (or at least OK) eating habits and physical activity whenever we manage to fit it in. But is that enough to be considered "healthy?"

According to a recent study, very few adults actually meet the criteria for a healthy lifestyle. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that only 3% of American adults got a perfect score on what the authors say are the four basic criteria for healthy living. Just 13.8% met three of the criteria; 34.2% met only two criteria. Women scored slightly better than men.

See how well you measure up on the researchers' four keys to healthfulness:

The good news is that these behaviors should not be foreign to you, as all but one are an integral part of the Weight Loss Clinic. Numbers 2 through 4 are the foundation of the WLC program, habits that we continually discuss, write about, and recommend.

Everyone knows smoking is bad for your health. If you are one of the lucky ones who never became addicted to nicotine, pat yourself on the back. Smokers, I hope you are working diligently to kick your habit. It's impossible to underestimate the importance of a smoke-free life for your health -- as well as for the sake of those around you.

While those four habits are indisputably important for a healthy lifestyle, some may argue that more factors should be taken into consideration. What would be on your list?

Just for fun, I came up with my own personal top 10 list of healthy behaviors (beyond the four basics) that contribute to wellness and satisfaction with one's lifestyle:

Your list of healthy lifestyle behaviors may be different from mine. The most important thing to remember is that you can make a difference in your health and well-being. Take charge of your life, and be mindful of small behavior changes that can make your lifestyle a healthier one.

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

SOURCES: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 25,2005.

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In addition, the authors looked at 10 different ways patients with heart rhythm disorders can maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage stress as the pandemic continues:

1. Stay informed.

Getting news from reliable sourcesnot exclusively your distant cousin on Facebook, for examplecan work wonders for a persons mental health.

2. Take breaks from the newsand social mediato avoid fear or anxiety.

3. Know the symptoms of your heart condition and have a plan for contacting a healthcare provider.

If you have new or worsening heart symptoms, your provider may want you to be seen in person, wrote lead author Lindsey Rosman, PhD, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues. Hospitals and clinics are taking extra steps to protect your health during in-person visits, such as scheduling additional time between appointments to limit contact with other patients, requiring masks, and allowing you to stay in your car until they are ready to take you directly to an exam room.

Patients should call 911 immediately if they believe they are having a heart attack or stroke, the authors added.

4. Manage your medications.

In times of stress, it can be easy to forget to take your medications, the team wrote. Write out a medication schedule or use a smartphone app or pillbox.

5. Take care of your body.

This includes getting a good amount of sleep and avoiding drugs and alcohol. Limit caffeine, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

6. Be active at home.

7. Relax and recharge.

8. Focus on the thigs you can control.

Changes to daily routines, fear, uncertainty, and isolation can make your life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do, the team wrote. Take charge of your life by focusing on the things in your life that you can control.

9. Connect with others.

10. One tip specifically for caregivers: Take care of your own health as well.

The full analysis from Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology can be read here.

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10 helpful tips for heart rhythm patients as the COVID-19 pandemic continues - Cardiovascular Business

Colon cancer prevention involves following a healthy lifestyle for instance, exercising and not smoking and periodically getting a screening test such as a colonoscopy. But what impact do diet and medications have? A recent review of 80 statistical analyses published over the last 40 years explored this question. The review was published online Oct. 1, 2020, by the journal Gut.

Over all, the results were disappointing in that no specific drug, food, or supplement stood out in the body of evidence. Yet some of the reviewed studies did show a link between a lower risk of colon cancer and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) and a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber. But other studies did not.

The findings did not provide clear-cut information on doses and durations of supplements and food or whether certain ones were better. Most importantly, there is no proof that NSAIDs prevent colon cancer in the general population, and therefore you should not take an NSAID just for cancer prevention unless advised by your doctor. But making some nutritional adjustments in your diet, like adding more fruits and vegetables and getting more fiber is reasonable, since these offer other health benefits as well.

Disclaimer:As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Certain foods and drugs may lower risk of colon cancer - Harvard Health - Harvard Health

Chunping Lu,1,* Xinli Chi,2,* Kaixin Liang,2 Si-Tong Chen,3 Liuyue Huang,2 Tianyou Guo,2 Can Jiao,2 Qian Yu,4 Nicola Veronese,5 Fernanda Cunha Soares,6 Igor Grabovac,7 Albert Yeung,8 Liye Zou4

1The Greater Bay Area Institute of Educational Research, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Peoples Republic of China; 2Center for Lifestyle and Mental Health, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Peoples Republic of China; 3Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne 8001, Australia; 4Exercise and Mental Health Laboratory, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Peoples Republic of China; 5Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; 6School of Physical Education, University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil; 7Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Wien 1090, Austria; 8Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Liye ZouExercise and Mental Health Laboratory, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86 188-2343-7684Email liyezou123@gmail.com

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate associations of physical activity time (PAT) and sitting time (ST) independently and jointly with insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents in the context of COVID-19.Methods: A cross-sectional study including 965 adolescents (mean age = 15.26, SD = 0.46) was conducted in May 2020. PAT, ST and the symptoms of insomnia, depression and anxiety were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scales, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale via an online survey platform. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between COVID-19-related fear, PAT, ST and combinations of PAT and ST with insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms.Results: COVID-19-related fear was associated with higher odds of insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms. PAT was associated with lower odds of insomnia and depressive symptoms, while ST was associated with higher odds of these three symptoms. After combining PAT and ST, the group with both low PAT and high ST was set as the referent. For insomnia, groups with low ST reported significantly lower odds of symptoms. For depression, groups with high PAT and/or low ST reported lower odds of symptoms. Regarding anxiety, only the group with both high PAT and low ST reported lower odds of symptoms. Generally, group with both high PAT and low ST reported lower odds of the three symptoms than the referent.Conclusion: COVID-19-related fear was a risk factor for developing insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Fortunately, moving more and sitting less were good for sleep and mental health in Chinese adolescents during the pandemic. Educators should help adolescents to be more physically active in their daily life in the primary prevention of adolescent insomnia, depression and anxiety.

Keywords: exercise, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, mental health

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Harry Shum Jr. is a man of many hats. He's known for his acting on Glee, dancing in Step Up, and taking on lead roles in films like All My Life. So, its no surprise that he has to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to keep up with it all. Mens Health recently caught up with the Costa Rican-born actor in his Los Angeles home to get an inside look at his gym and fridge to discuss how he stays in shapeand why restraint is key for his sanity.

The 38-year-old does pretty well with keeping a clean diet. Some essentials you can find in his fridge: oat milk, berries, coconut milk yogurt alternative, Daves Killer Bread, and vegan kimchi. Although, he does admit that he has some strange (but still relatively healthy) eating habitslike snacking on spring mix salad just like a bag of chips, eating frozen bananas for the ice cream-like texture, or turning to sardines for comfort food.

I would never say no to any food unless theres so many preservatives and its just like fake food, said Shum. I like to eat real food as long as its good and done in moderation.

Men's Health

When it comes to staying fit, Shum works out about four or five times a week in what he calls his sanctuary of a home gym, always starting off with 10 minutes of meditation before his strength training. Youll only catch him doing an intense workout about once or twice a week though. On those days, hes working up a sweat until he literally cant lift anymore.

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When I was in my twenties and even my teens, I worked out way too hard and worked out to impress, he said. Now, Im just doing it for myself and my health and not pushing myself 100% because nobodys got time for that.

Shum's philosophy is: He works out to eat. He makes sure to get in his reps of cardio so he can order his favorite burger at In-N-Out. Shum has a personal trainer when working for movies or TV shows but takes their tips and incorporates them when he's grinding in the gym on his own to ensure his body is always ready for anything.

As an actor, you might have to get super skinny or gain a lot of weight," he said. "So, maintaining and just keeping a point where I can go one way or the other is my goal right now.

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It's been hard to stay active during the coronavirus pandemic.Many people spent the spring lockdown binge watching TV shows, baking bread or sitting on the couch all day.

Naturally, 71 million Americans have gained weight during the pandemic and, as a result, 52% say they feel down about they way they look, according to astudy commissioned by the biotechnology company Gelesis.

"While our survey has found Americans have been motivated to develop healthier habits amidst the pandemic, it has also brought to light how many Americans who want to lose weight continue to struggle," Elaine Chiquette, Gelesis chief scientific officer, said in a press release.

Geles surveyed 1,012 adults online and used U.S. Census data to ensure the demographics of those participants represented the population. The poll had a margin of error of 3.1 points.

While there are limitations to every survey, John Morton, medical director of bariatric surgery at Yale New Haven Health System, said he's seen patients in telehealth appointments who've gained anywhere from five to 30 pounds in quarantine.

"Anecdotally, we are definitely seeing weight gain," Morton told Yale Medicine. "You can put on 30 pounds really quickly you can do it in three months."

A global study from researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana showed a decline in healthy behaviors during the pandemic were correlated with widespread lockdowns regardless of geography.

"Individuals with obesity were impacted the most and that's what we were afraid of," Emily Flanagan, author of the study, toldThe New York Times. "They not only started off with higher anxiety levels before the pandemic, but they also had the largest increase in anxiety levels throughout the pandemic."

The Gelesis researchers found people became overwhelmingly sedentary, reduced the intensity of their workouts and caved to their food cravings during lockdown.

Women were more likely to report weight gain during the pandemic. Sixty percent of women said they felt self conscious of their appearance.

Anxiety, stress and lack of motivation were common effects of the pandemic, too. Fifty percent of respondents said they lacked motivation, 33% were more anxious and 41% were more stressed.

Yale Medicine said COVID-19 has created a perfect storm of stress and uncertainty that can lead to weight gain.

"Life has been disrupted in a major way," said Artur Viana, clinical director of the Yale Metabolic Health and Weight Loss Program. He cited gym closures, heightened stress, postponed checkups and physicals among the contributing factors.

"We know that obesity's causes are multifactorial and that stress is involved," Viana said. "Not only are there organic body changes, but we turn to food as a way to cope with stress."

The survey also found 40 million Americans would give up social media for the rest of the year if it meant losing 10 pounds but only 17% of those surveyed were willing to part with TV streaming services like Netflix or Hulu.

"In a year when weve all already given up so much, our data shows that people would give up even more if it meant being able to lose weight by the end of the year and they remain hopeful about losing weight and feeling healthy in 2021," Chiquette said.

Over half of those surveyed said that maintaining a healthy lifestyle under quarantine was a challenge, and that they needed more support to lose weight. Their top challenges included the cost of healthy food, limited time to exercise or cook healthy meals and a lack of long-term motivation.

So how do you lose the weight?

One pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories.The key to shedding weight is cutting 500 calories from your diet every day through exercise and reducing calorie intake, Kathleen Zelman, a registered dietician, wrote in a WebMD story. Following that protocol, you could lose up to a pound a week.

Eating more produce and less processed foods is an important part of weight loss, she said. People should also avoid sugary beverages that contain excess calories.

Maintaining a daily routine, planning meals and dressing up for work even if you work from home can help you stay on track with your fitness goals, Morton and Viana, of Yale, said. Staying in your sweat pants all day may hide any gradual weight gain.

Experts say to never skip the most important meal of the day. Studies show that people who eat breakfast every day have lower body mass indexes than people who skip it, Zelman noted.

Time spent in shutdown can be used to try new, healthy recipes that have whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats.

"When you are eating foods you like, you can learn to get a taste of fullness from taste as opposed to only the quantity of food," Morton said.

Exercising regularly helps keep off the weight after you lose it, Viana said, and prioritizing sleep can help shed pounds. Studies show that obesity is linked to adults who don't get enough sleep each night. Adults should aim for at least seven to eight hours a night.

The World Health Organization recommends adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise to vigorous exercise per week. Experts suggest finding creative ways to get it during the pandemic: create a makeshift gym, hold family yoga sessions or use household cleaning as a way to increase daily steps.

Originally posted here:
How to lose weight gained during the 2020 pandemic: Eat healthy, exercise more, experts say - PhillyVoice.com

If youre like 95% of American adults, you had chickenpox as a kid. Before the United States started its widespread vaccination program in 1995, there were roughly four million cases of chickenpox every year. So, most people suffered through an infection with this highly contagious virus and its itchy, whole-body rash.

But unlike many childhood viruses, the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox doesnt clear from the body when the illness ends. Instead it hangs around, taking up residence and lying dormant in the nerves, sometimes for decades, with the immune system holding it in check. In some people, it lives there harmlessly for the rest of their life. But in others, the virus can suddenly emerge and strike again, this time appearing as a different condition known as shingles.

Like chickenpox, shingles also causes a blistering rash, but this time it generally appears as a painful band around one side of your ribcage or on one side of your face. The first symptom for many people is pain or a burning sensation in the affected area. You may also have fever, a headache, and fatigue. Along with the rash and other temporary symptoms, shingles can also bring unpleasant, long-lasting, and sometimes permanent complications, such as skin infections, nerve pain in the area where the rash appeared, or even vision loss.

Experts dont fully understand this. One theory is that shingles occurs when your immune system loses its ability to keep the virus in check.

After you get chickenpox, your immune system is able to recognize the varicella-zoster virus thanks to specialized immune system cells, called B and T cells, that are able to remember the virus and quickly marshal an attack on it. Factors that weaken the immune system increase your risk of developing shingles. These include

While you may not be able to control certain factors that might trigger shingles, there are strategies you can use to prevent shingles. The most important is vaccination. Research shows that the shingles vaccine Shingrix is 90% effective in preventing an outbreak of shingles. Even if you do get shingles after being vaccinated, Shingrix greatly reduces your risk of developing persistent pain in the affected area, known as post-herpetic neuralgia.

In addition to getting vaccinated, its always a good idea to take steps to keep your body healthy, such as choosing healthy foods, staying active, and getting sufficient sleep. Its not clear if healthy lifestyle habits like these can prevent shingles, but even if they dont, theyre worthwhile because they will benefit your body in many other ways.

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Shingles: What triggers this painful, burning rash? - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health