Health & Wellness

Returning to sanity with gusto: The vegetarians who turned into butchers

Melissa Clark
The New York Times
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 00:01 UTC

© Ryan Dearth for The New York Times
Kate Kavanaugh, who owns Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe in Denver, breaking down a rack of beef ribs, separating rib-eyes from rib plates.

At Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe in Denver, Kate Kavanaugh trimmed the sinew from a deep-red hunk of beef the size of a bed pillow.

"Flatiron steak is the second-most tender muscle in a steer's body," she said, focused on her knife work. "This guy sits on the scapula, and I love it because it has beautiful lacy fat."

After the meat was cut down into several smaller steaks, she wrapped one up, grabbed a couple of tallow cubes molded into the shapes of "Star Wars" characters, and headed to a nearby kitchen to cook us some lunch.

Comment: It's great to see vegetarians and vegans, with a rightful sense of disgust at the way conventional meat is produced, turn that emotional energy into positive action. Rather than try to opt out of the system entirely, an impossible task vegans and vegetarians fool themselves into believing, they are working from the inside to change the system for the better.

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Broadcaster Michael Buerk suggests NHS could save money by letting obese people die early as a 'selfless sacrifice'

Eleanor Sharples and Jake Hurfurt
MSN
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 10:40 UTC

Michael Buerk has claimed the obese should be allowed to die an early death in order to save the NHS money.

The 73-year-old broadcaster said people should be free to overindulge and, if they die, they should be seen as weak rather than medically ill.

'The obese will die a decade earlier than the rest of us,' he wrote in Radio Times. 'See it as a selfless sacrifice in the fight against demographic imbalance, overpopulation and climate change.'

Comment: Buerk is basically taking the hard line, that obesity is entirely caused by habits, and that people should be held entirely responsible for their condition. This isn't true, of course. There are many contributing factors to obesity, including the microbiome, genetics, government dietary guidelines and other dietary factors, hormones, how much screen time one has, how in sync one is with their circadian biology, and even exposure to environmental pollutants. So the idea that the obese are "eating too much" is far too simplistic. It's rarely an issue of gluttony.

Considering how all these multiple factors are combining to cause the crisis we're currently seeing, just 'letting them die' hardly seems like a viable solution. There are likely very few people who want to be overweight and unhealthy, but even fewer seem to have the access to information about taking positive steps to overcome the problem. So while one's weight is, at least partially, within one's control, having the right information, the ability to experiment and the will to make major lifestyle changes make the whole thing a rather sticky situation. Buerk should probably keep his simplistic, misinformed and outdated opinions to himself.

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Monsanto owner Bayer to potentially become involved with vegan meat production

Vegconomist
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 00:01 UTC

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer, which owns Monsanto, has said that it is closely watching the plant-based meat market, and that it could potentially enter the market as an alt protein producer.

According to Reuters, Bayer's head of research and development, Bob Reiter, made comments during an investor meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, when questioned by analyst about the impact of the rise of plant-based meat upon Bayer's business.

"They are sourcing different types of crops and that also could create opportunity for us, being a company that is a plant-breeding company," said Reiter, who works for Bayer's crop science division.

Comment: They're not looking to align themselves with veganism, and certainly not "environmental concern". They're seeing a lucrative market they have the potential to dominate. With the money they're losing in Roundup settlements, it little wonder Bayer is looking to branch out in other evil directions.

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The fundamental link between body weight and the immune system

James Hamblin
The Atlantic
Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:01 UTC

Inflammation plays a critical role in determining how we digest food, and it's only now starting to reveal itself.

It's simple: Eat less.

Sometimes combined with the directive move more, this mantra has a clear point. If you can't lose weight, you are either stupid or lazy — or, probably, both. See also: Calories in, calories out.

But if things were that simple, diets would work. Middle-aged people would not suddenly start gaining weight despite eating and moving similarly year after year. No one would have to endure the presence of that one friend with the "fast metabolism" who can eat anything he wants. And who, even though he knows you're on a diet, says through his overstuffed mouth, "I couldn't even gain weight if I tried."

Comment: That the microbiome can account for how much weight an individual holds onto is unsurprising given the number of properties now thought to be at least partially regulated by the bacteria in our guts. Maintaining a healthy gut biome seems to be as important as almost any other diet or lifestyle factor in staying healthy.

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'Significant' new medical procedure could delay menopause by 20 years

Sputnik
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 01:18 UTC

A new medical procedure that claims to delay menopause by up to 20 years in some women has been launched in the UK.

During the procedure, which is currently being offered by Birmingham-based firm ProFam, a small piece of ovarian tissue is removed and then frozen at minus 150 degrees Celsius. The tissue is then re-implanted back into the woman's body when she reaches menopause, at which time it can restore the woman's pre-menopause hormone levels.

In addition to prolonging a woman's fertility period, the procedure could delay common menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression and even osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak and brittle.

The procedure currently costs between $8,500 and $13,374.

Comment: It's likely that interfering with the natural processes of life could bring with it significant complications:

Wisconsin officials urge people to stop vaping after sudden rise in lung disease

Strange Sounds
Sun, 04 Aug 2019 00:01 UTC

More people hospitalized with serious lung problems linked to vaping have been found.

It was thought to be the healthy alternative to cigarettes. But it turns out that vaping is creating a sudden and mysterious rise in lung diseases. At least in Wisconsin, USA.

Since June 2019, an increasing number of teens and young adults have been hospitalized with serious lung problems - shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and weight loss - linked to vaping in Wisconsin.

In total, 11 cases have been identified, including a cluster of eight, and the state's disease detectives are looking into seven other possible cases.

Comment: Considering the chemical constituents included in vaping products, it's no real surprise that it's being tied to lung disease. Those people would, no doubt, be much better off smoking actual cigarettes.

No Beyond burrito: Chipotle's CEO says faux meat is too processed

Leslie Patton and Deena Shanker
Bloomberg
Wed, 24 Jul 2019 16:44 UTC

Restaurants are lining up to put meat substitutes from Beyond Meat Inc. and Impossible Foods Inc. on their menus -- but don't expect Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. to join them.

Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol said the companies' products are too processed for the burrito chain, which touts its simple food and a menu that uses only 51 ingredients.

"We have spoken to those folks and unfortunately it wouldn't fit in our 'food with integrity' principles because of the processing, as I understand it, that it takes to make a plant taste like a burger," Niccol said in an interview. "If there's a way for them to do this that would match our 'food with integrity' principles, I'm sure we would continue talking with them."

Comment: You know the world has gone crazy when fast food chains are the ones rejecting vegan propaganda burgers because they're 'too processed'. Maybe this should lead at least some people to question the legitimacy of fake meat producer's dubious claims.

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Addiction expert claims giving your child a smartphone is like giving them a gram of cocaine

Mandy Froelich
Truth Theory
Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:01 UTC

The world is changing at a dramatic pace. It's shifting so fast, in fact, that the childhood you remember is vastly different than the one your own kids will experience. This is largely due to the development and saturation of technology in modern society.

While there are perks to being hyper-connected, allowing children access to their own smartphone could produce detrimental effects long-term. It's so influential, top addiction therapist Mandy Saligari suggested in 2017 that giving your child a smartphone is like "giving them a gram of cocaine."

Speaking at an education conference in London, the Harley Street rehab clinic specialist explained that Snapchat and Instagram can be just as dangerously addictive for teenagers as drugs and alcohol. As a result, they should be treated and regulated as such. Saligari said screen time is often overlooked as a potential vehicle for addiction in young people.

Comment: It would be wise for us to begin viewing smartphones less as handy gadgets and more as powerful tools that can negatively affect our psychological well being. Yes, they can be useful and help in many ways to increase productivity and connection. But there is an undeniable dark side to this technology that all of us need to be aware of. Our personal relationship with technology can make the difference between whether we use it, or it uses us.

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Government panel rules saturated fat is bad for you but angry experts slam the 'outdated and incompetent' advice

Sam Blanchard
Daily Mail
Thu, 01 Aug 2019 17:37 UTC

Saturated fat, of which butter contains a lot, should not be avoided completely because people may end up cutting out foods which have other nutritional benefits, researchers have warned.

People should cut down on butter, cheese and red meats because the saturated fat they contain is bad for the heart, a Government committee has declared.

The fats have been demonised since the 1970s after they were linked to high cholesterol, but some evidence also suggests they can have health benefits.

After the first review of the evidence in 25 years, Government advisers have ruled that eating too much saturated fat does raise the risk of heart disease.

Comment: So there you have it. Another clueless government entity declaring how everyone should be eating based on severely outdated science (that was dodgy from the get-go). The truth about saturated fat has been disseminated so thoroughly at this point (it was on the front cover of Time Magazine, for crying out loud!) that pretty soon these institutions are going to find that very few people are going to take them seriously.

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Yerba Mate: This superfood tea is an anti-inflammatory superhero

Betty Gold
Food & Wine
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 00:01 UTC

Argentinian yerba mate is one of the next big tea trends on the horizon, and it's about to become your next healthy (caffeinated!) beverage of choice. But what is it, exactly?

A tea made from the leaves of the yerba mate tree native to Argentina, yerba mate has been enjoyed in Argentina for many centuries for good reason: it's a rich source of powerful antioxidants (even more than green tea!) and packed with B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, potassium and manganese, says registered dietitian Keri Glassman. Here are a few more reasons Glassman says we should all be saying yes to yerba mate.

With mail in voting likely to become a thing, does it really matter any more? Stick a fork in us...this country is done.

Bezel Bub

Other comets coming sooner, although not quite as big. E.g. "Leonard" this December https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2021_A1_(Leonard)

Tsidkenu

Tornadoes here in Aus too, as I reported here [Link]

Tsidkenu

Small tornado also struck Armidale. We had another tornado hit farmland near Bathurst last week. This summer will be the summer of floods, hail...

Tsidkenu

What mandate? There still is no "mandate" [Link]

Tsidkenu

Health & Wellness

Returning to sanity with gusto: The vegetarians who turned into butchers

Broadcaster Michael Buerk suggests NHS could save money by letting obese people die early as a 'selfless sacrifice'

Monsanto owner Bayer to potentially become involved with vegan meat production

The fundamental link between body weight and the immune system

'Significant' new medical procedure could delay menopause by 20 years

Wisconsin officials urge people to stop vaping after sudden rise in lung disease

No Beyond burrito: Chipotle's CEO says faux meat is too processed

Addiction expert claims giving your child a smartphone is like giving them a gram of cocaine

Government panel rules saturated fat is bad for you but angry experts slam the 'outdated and incompetent' advice

Yerba Mate: This superfood tea is an anti-inflammatory superhero

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