Some of you requested a yummy Elderberry syrup recipe after our post... last week so here's what I do!1 cup fresh Elderberries2 cups water 5 small slices of ginger 2 cinnamon sticks1 tsp grated lemon peel1 tsp grated lime peel1 cup raw honeyPour the water into a saucepan and add the elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, lemon and lime peel. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about an hour until the liquid has reduced by half.Remove from heat and let cool until it can be handled. Squish and mash the berries then pour through a strainer into a bowl big enough to add the honey. When the liquid is lukewarm, add the honey, stir and bottle into clean jars... and VOILA ! Store your yum syrup in the fridge and enjoy! Here's an older video on our blog if you want to learn more about Elderberry and what magic it will share with you! http://bit.ly/2kv7krN See More

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The School of Evolutionary Herbalism - facebook.com

Here's a published dialogue that I did with my friend Deepak Chopra in which we discuss the challenges of standing up for Spirit in a secular culture. Enjoy!

__________________________________

ANDREW COHEN: What I wanted to speak with you about, Deepak, is what it really means to be a spiritual hero. This is kind of a bold and audacious idea. But especially now that there are so many people looking for ways to step forward to make the world a better place, I think that more and more of us are going to have to be willing to take responsibility for where we are all going. Were going to have to be willing, in all our imperfection, to embrace leadership and to really be exemplars of whats possible.

I see you as a very courageous expression of that heroic spirit. Youre someone whos willing to stand for the truth and reality of Spirit in a disbelieving world. And the reason thats important, as you well know, is because when we awaken to that truth and reality, we see much more deeply into the nature of who we really are, into the nature of reality itself, and we discover a fearless courage to live this life for the highest reasons. I think the degree to which each and every one of us is willing to do that is the degree to which were actually going to have a significant effect.

DEEPAK CHOPRA: Well, the way I see leadership, now and in the future, is that a leader is really the symbolic soul of group consciousness. And the soul is our core consciousness, for lack of a better word, where we find meaning, context, relationships, and the yearning to access the larger archetypal being that we really are. As leaders, we represent the collectives deepest longings and aspirations, and the highest level of imagination and creativity, all of which exist in the collective consciousness but need a little stirring from a leader so that they can unfold.

A real spiritual leader unlocks not only his or her own potential but the potential of everyone on the planet. He or she harnesses the evolutionary impulse of the universe for greater good, truth, harmony, justice, and equality. Spiritual leadership is the call to rectify all of the problems that plague humanity right now, whether its radical poverty or social injustice or war or conflict or ecological devastationand not at the level at which they were created but from this deeper level where we cannot help but bring light where there is darkness.

ANDREW: What would you say are the personal implications of this kind of leadership? Especially for the individual who is inspired by spiritual sentiments and intuitions, and by an evolutionary philosophy and worldview, but still experiences a fear or reticence or existential hesitation to step out and be seen? To say, I am awake to the ultimate reality and to the deepest truth of who we all really are, and Im willing to stand for that in all the imperfection of my evolving humanity?

DEEPAK: Well, we have to ask ourselves: What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of world do we want our childrenand their childrento live in? What is our role or contribution in bringing about this new world?

When you ask yourself these questions, you live these questions. And you realize that youre not alone but part of a huge impulse in collective consciousness. When you realize this, it energizes you and gives you passion for what you want to create right in this moment.

ANDREW: No, were not alone. But its all too easy to sit back, observe what the problems are, and fall into a state of despair or cynicism. It takes spiritual courage to step forward and begin to take responsibility for the solution in our own ways. Our ability to make a significant difference depends on how wholeheartedly and with how much commitment were willing to do that.

DEEPAK: I think if we want to really succeed in this, we first have to have a regular discipline or practice that weve made our own. We have to get in touch with that deep consciousness inside us through meditative practice. We also have to start to pay attention to the fact that love is a very powerful force, and the more we create the energy of love in our environment, as we are delving deeper into our own consciousness, the more we can harness and combine the two forces of being and love. Then the third element is creativity, and the fourth is action.

Being, feeling, creativity, and doing are the four expressions of our consciousness. And we now have the ability to harness these collectively, an ability weve never had before. Our collective being, our collective love, our collective creativity, and our collective action can solve not only any problem that exists in the world, but they can take us to a new plane of consciousness where we can literally begin to manifest what people will call heaven on earth. It is up to us now. As has been said before, we are the ones weve been waiting for, so lets not wait any longer. Lets act.

The naysayers are only part of the dying paradigm, which isnt going to last much longer anyway, so we shouldnt pay any attention to them. I say stay immune to criticism, be responsive to feedback, and then just make the move and actually hang out with the right people. There are three important Sanskrit words: simran, remember who you are; satsang, hang out with the right people; and seva, lets start doing things without selfish motivation.

ANDREW: Thats absolutely inspiring. And this issue you just brought up, about hanging out with the right people, has been a very big theme in my teaching. Finding each otherfinding those other individuals who also feel as passionately as we do about the kind of change were speaking aboutliberates our own spirits and gives us the courage to take very bold steps that we otherwise might not take.

DEEPAK: Thats right. For years and years, weve said theoretically that consciousness is a field, but now through new technologies and new research, were finding out that this is literally true: If you have a happy friend, your happiness goes up fifteen times. If your happy friend has a happy friend whom you dont know, it goes up another ten percent, and if the happy friends happy friend has a happy friend, it goes up another ten percent. This can only happen if consciousness is a field. And if we understand that consciousness is a field, and that we are the field, then theres nothing that can stop us.

ANDREW: If consciousness is a field, then our individual actions and responses to life are obviously going to have an effect on the field.

DEEPAK: Absolutely. Every individual is interdependently coalescing with every other individual in that sea of consciousness.

ANDREW: And individuals who have the greatest confidence in the reality of Spirit, and in its immortal and indestructible nature, are in a position to have a greater impact on the spiritual evolution of the field itself.

DEEPAK: Thats right. And we can also imbue each other with greater confidence. Our interactions with each other will enhance that confidence and give it more and more power.

ANDREW: Its really like coming out of the closet. And the more we come out, the more we realize, Oh, I can come a lot further out, until we get to the point where we realize theres no way back.

DEEPAK: Yes. There is no way back. Its irreversible. A child that is born cannot return to the womb.

ANDREW: Thats right. Of course, once weve come so far out of the closet that were actually living for Spirit itself, our identity as an individual in the world becomes one of Spirit. The more of us who are willing to do that, the more the field will be affected in quite a profound way, and well be on our way to creating a cultural revolution.

DEEPAK: Thats precisely correct, Andrew. I couldnt have said it better.

ANDREW: So I agree with everything that youve said, that its important to have a spiritual path and a spiritual practice, one in which we can find access to the infinite source of our own being as Spirit. And alongside that, its also important that we embrace a progressive and leading-edge perspective about the evolution of culture. Because, for example, there are individuals who are expert meditators but live in a traditional cultural context, so when they come out of their meditative trance, they advocate worldviews and perspectives that people like you and me would find inappropriate for a modern or postmodern context. The perspectives simply wouldnt be relevant at this moment.

So meditation or spiritual practice is important in order to access Spirit, but we also need an evolutionary worldview and philosophical perspective that will enable us to embrace the world of progress as well as the process of cultural development. This is what will allow our spiritual enlightenment to carry real meaning and power in the world.

DEEPAK: I think thats the purpose of conversations like this, because the world in the end is a projection of our collective conversation. We do need to realize that much of our old religion and old spirituality is really a cultural mythology that has become obsolete and isnt consistent with what we know about evolution or cosmology or everything that we call reality.

A new secular spirituality is emerging that transcends those tribal and localized cultural expressions of spirituality, which have a great deal of truth in them but may not be relevant in their entirety as they are originally packaged. So we need to evolve with this secular spirituality, which is consistent with science, and actually elevate science itself to a new level of expression.

ANDREW: Right! And I imagine well get to the point sooner rather than later when it will no longer be a secular spirituality but an evolutionary spirituality. It will be based on science and upon the discovery that were all part of a cosmic process thats definitely going somewhereand is urgently in need of, and ultimately thrilled to have, our higher participation in it.

DEEPAK: I like that phrase, evolutionary spirituality, much more than secular spirituality, which is the stage we must actually get over in order to become the evolutionary impulse of the cosmos. I like that because neither spirituality nor science are going to go away, and we need to bring them together to find this impulse.

Download a free chapter from Andrew Cohen's book, Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening.Click here to download now.

Image: olly - Fotolia.com

The rest is here:
Why the World Needs More Spiritual Heroes - Big Think

Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in the fifth century B.C. in what is now Nepal and northern India. He came to be called "the Buddha," which means "awakened one," after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death, and existence. In English, the Buddha was said to be enlightened, although in Sanskrit it is "bodhi," or "awakened."

For the rest of his life, the Buddha traveled and taught. However, he didn't teach people what he had realized when he became enlightened. Instead, he taught people how to realize enlightenment for themselves. He taught that awakening comes through your own direct experience, not through beliefs and dogmas.

At the time of his death, Buddhism was a relatively minor sect with little impact in India. But by the third century B.C., the emperor of India made Buddhism the state religion of the country.

Buddhism then spread throughout Asia to become one of the dominant religions of the continent. Estimates of the number of Buddhists in the world today vary widely, in part because many Asians observe more than one religion and in part because it is hard to know how many people are practicing Buddhism in Communist nations like China. The most common estimate is 350 million, which makes Buddhism the fourth largest of the world's religions.

Buddhism is so different from other religions that some people question whether it is a religion at all. For example, the central focus of most religions is one or many. But Buddhism is non-theistic. The Buddha taught that believing in gods was not useful for those seeking to realize enlightenment.

Most religions are defined by their beliefs. But in Buddhism, merely believing in doctrines is beside the point. The Buddha said that doctrines should not be accepted just because they are in scripture or taught by priests.

Instead of teaching doctrines to be memorized and believed, the Buddha taught how to realize truth for yourself. The focus of Buddhism is on practice rather than belief. The major outline of Buddhist practice is the Eightfold Path.

In spite of its emphasis on free inquiry, Buddhism might best be understood as a discipline and an exacting discipline at that. And although Buddhist teachings should not be accepted on blind faith, understanding what the Buddha taught is an important part of that discipline.

By themselves, the truths don't seem like much. But beneath the truths are countless layers of teachings on the nature of existence, the self, life, and death, not to mention suffering. The point is not to just "believe in" the teachings, but to explore them, understand them, and test them against your own experience. It is the process of exploring, understanding, testing, and realizing that defines Buddhism.

About 2,000 years ago Buddhism divided into two major schools: Theravada and Mahayana. For centuries, Theravada has been the dominant form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, (Myanmar) and Laos. Mahayana is dominant in China, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea, and Vietnam. In recent years, Mahayana also has gained many followers in India. Mahayana is further divided into many sub-schools, such as Pure Land andTheravada Buddhism.

Vajrayana Buddhism, which is chiefly associated with Tibetan Buddhism, is sometimes described as a third major school. However, all schools of Vajrayana are also part of Mahayana.

The two schools differ primarily in their understanding of a doctrine called "anatman" or "anatta." According to this doctrine, there is no "self" in the sense of a permanent, integral, autonomous being within an individual existence. Anatman is a difficult teaching to understand, but understanding it is essential to making sense of Buddhism.

Basically, Theravada considers anatman to mean that an individual's ego or personality is a delusion. Once freed of this delusion, the individual can enjoy the bliss of Nirvana. Mahayana pushes anatman further. In Mahayana, all phenomena are void of intrinsic identity and take identity only in relation to other phenomena. There is neither reality nor unreality, only relativity. The Mahayana teaching is called "shunyata" or "emptiness."

It is said that wisdom and compassion are the two eyes of Buddhism. Wisdom, particularly in Mahayana Buddhism, refers to the realization of anatman or shunyata. There are two words translated as "compassion": "metta and "karuna." Metta is a benevolence toward all beings, without discrimination, that is free of selfish attachment. Karuna refers to active sympathy and gentle affection, a willingness to bear the pain of others, and possibly pity. Those who have perfected these virtues will respond to all circumstances correctly, according to Buddhist doctrine.

There are two things most people think they know about Buddhismthat Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that all Buddhists are vegetarian. These two statements are not true, however. Buddhist teachingson rebirth are considerably different from what most people call "reincarnation." And although vegetarianism is encouraged, in many sects it is considered a personal choice, not a requirement.

More:
Introduction to Basic Beliefs and ... - Learn Religions

I tried Gwyneth Paltrow's personal diet and exercise routine. Here's how it went. I decided to embark on this project because I wanted to see if I could handle two hours of exercise a day.

THE EXERCISE ROUTINE

Gwyneth exercises for two hours a day: one hour of cardio and one hour of weights.

Before this experiment, I was pretty sedentary. I didn't do much exercise. When I'm feeling super lazy, I'll go on occasional runs.

So for the week, I started on Monday, I skipped Friday because Gwyneth only does six out of seven days, and then I carried through on Saturday and Sunday as well.

I would exercise after getting home from work. I got a medicine ball and a big pile of handheld weights, and I would go to town on those every night. A lot of it was lunges, some Russian twists, things that I kind of remembered from my varsity swimming days.

I'm a decent runner that wasn't too hard for me. I would hop on the treadmill, sometimes I'd go outside.

I was pretty much at a loss on how exactly to fill up an hour with weight exercises. So I was pretty much doing random stuff for at least 30 minutes of the time. I think that probably contributed to me getting hurt as well. Part of it was me just lying on the floor trying to recover, so I was definitely not working out the entire hour. There were breaks. And running to get water and petting my dogs, who were very confused about what was happening.

I woke up very sore on Tuesday. So I was worried about how the rest of the week was going to be. Thursday morning, I woke up, my shoulder was killing me, and I decided to skip the weights that day. Friday was my free day. Over the weekend, it was much easier to squeeze in two hours of exercise because you're off work.

THE DIET

Her diet consists of skipping breakfast, a low-carb lunch, and a decadent dinner. So I usually start the day with a bagel, then have either another bagel or slice of pizza, and then have whatever for dinner. All of this is punctuated with a lot of soda.

I decided to start skipping breakfast, made myself a giant salad that I ate for lunch throughout the week, and did whatever for dinner. She didn't get too into what she typically has for dinner, but she did mention occasionally having homemade french fries or a baguette drizzled with cheese.

Figured out I could melt Gouda cheese in a frying pan with some olive oil, and it didn't explode my kitchen. So I would have that. The nice thing about this was that it was kind of decadent, especially after a day of just salad. It was kind of like a treat at the end of the day.

We had our holiday office party on Thursday and I freaked out, ate a lot of chocolate, drank a lot of wine, so that's my bad.

THE CONCLUSION

So Gwyneth Paltrow's not exactly telling people to dedicate two hours to exercise a day. This isn't something that's part of her Goop line. She's just a pretty intense lady and this is how she exercises.

One of the advantages that Gwyneth Paltrow has over me is that she has a personal trainer. I don't have a personal trainer, and I believe I ended up pulling my shoulder.

This whole experiment has made me realize that I probably should fit more time for jogging and cardio exercise into my life. I think it's kind of kicked me off a bit of a junk-food habit for now, which is great. I did it, but I'm really glad it's over.

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We did Gwyneth Paltrow's diet and exercise routine for a ...

A healthy diet is a diet that helps to maintain or improve overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients, micronutrients, and adequate calories.[1][2]

For people who are healthy, a healthy diet is not complicated and contains mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and includes little to no processed food and sweetened beverages. The requirements for a healthy diet can be met from a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods, although a non-animal source of vitamin B12 is needed for those following a vegan diet.[3] Various nutrition guides are published by medical and governmental institutions to educate individuals on what they should be eating to be healthy. Nutrition facts labels are also mandatory in some countries to allow consumers to choose between foods based on the components relevant to health.[4]

A healthy lifestyle includes getting exercise every day along with eating a healthy diet. A healthy lifestyle may lower disease risks, such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and cancer.[1][5]

There are specialized healthy diets, called medical nutrition therapy, for people with various diseases or conditions. There are also prescientific ideas about such specialized diets, as in dietary therapy in traditional Chinese medicine.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the following five recommendations with respect to both populations and individuals:[6]

The WHO has stated that insufficient vegetables and fruit is the cause of 2.8% of deaths worldwide.[8]

Other WHO recommendations include:

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends three healthy patterns of diet, summarized in the table below, for a 2000 kcal diet.[9]

It emphasizes both health and environmental sustainability and a flexible approach. The committee that drafted it wrote: "The major findings regarding sustainable diets were that a diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with less environmental impact than is the current U.S. diet. This pattern of eating can be achieved through a variety of dietary patterns, including the Healthy U.S.-style Pattern, the Healthy Vegetarian Pattern" and the "Healthy Mediterranean-style Pattern".[10] Food group amounts are per day, unless noted per week.

The American Heart Association, World Cancer Research Fund, and American Institute for Cancer Research recommend a diet that consists mostly of unprocessed plant foods, with emphasis on a wide range of whole grains, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables and fruits. This healthy diet includes a wide range of non-starchy vegetables and fruits which provide different colors including red, green, yellow, white, purple, and orange. The recommendations note that tomato cooked with oil, allium vegetables like garlic, and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, provide some protection against cancer. This healthy diet is low in energy density, which may protect against weight gain and associated diseases. Finally, limiting consumption of sugary drinks, limiting energy rich foods, including fast foods and red meat, and avoiding processed meats improves health and longevity. Overall, researchers and medical policy conclude that this healthy diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease and cancer.[11][12]

It is recommended that children consume less than 25 grams of added sugar (100 calories) per day.[13] Other recommendations include no extra sugars in those under 2 years old and less than one soft drink per week.[13] As of 2017, decreasing total fat is no longer recommended, but instead, the recommendation to lower risk of cardiovascular disease is to increase consumption of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, while decreasing consumption of saturated fats.[14]

The Nutrition Source of Harvard School of Public Health makes the following 10 recommendations for a healthy diet:[15]

Other than nutrition, the guide recommends frequent physical exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight.[15]

David L. Katz, who reviewed the most prevalent popular diets in 2014, noted:

The weight of evidence strongly supports a theme of healthful eating while allowing for variations on that theme. A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention and is consistent with the salient components of seemingly distinct dietary approaches.Efforts to improve public health through diet are forestalled not for want of knowledge about the optimal feeding of Homo sapiens but for distractions associated with exaggerated claims, and our failure to convert what we reliably know into what we routinely do. Knowledge in this case is not, as of yet, power; would that it were so.[21]

Marion Nestle expresses the mainstream view among scientists who study nutrition:[22]:10

The basic principles of good diets are so simple that I can summarize them in just ten words: eat less, move more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables. For additional clarification, a five-word modifier helps: go easy on junk foods. Follow these precepts and you will go a long way toward preventing the major diseases of our overfed societycoronary heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and a host of others.... These precepts constitute the bottom line of what seem to be the far more complicated dietary recommendations of many health organizations and national and international governmentsthe forty-one key recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, for example. ... Although you may feel as though advice about nutrition is constantly changing, the basic ideas behind my four precepts have not changed in half a century. And they leave plenty of room for enjoying the pleasures of food.[23]:22

In addition to dietary recommendations for the general population, there are many specific diets that have primarily been developed to promote better health in specific population groups, such as people with high blood pressure (such as low sodium diets or the more specific DASH diet), or people who are overweight or obese (weight control diets). However, some of them may have more or less evidence for beneficial effects in normal people as well.

A low sodium diet is beneficial for people with high blood pressure. The Cochrane review published in 2008 concluded that a long term (more than 4 weeks) low sodium diet usefully lowers blood pressure, both in people with hypertension (high blood pressure) and in those with normal blood pressure.[24]

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a diet promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the NIH, a United States government organization) to control hypertension. A major feature of the plan is limiting intake of sodium,[25] and the diet also generally encourages the consumption of nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables while lowering the consumption of red meats, sweets, and sugar. It is also "rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as well as protein".

The Mediterranean diet, which includes limiting consumption of red meat and using olive oil in cooking, has also been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes.[26]

Most people who are overweight or obese can use dieting in combination with physical exercise to lose weight.

Diets to promote weight loss are divided into four categories: low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and very low calorie.[27] A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials found no difference between the main diet types (low calorie, low carbohydrate, and low fat), with a 24 kilogram weight loss in all studies.[27] After two years, all of the diets in the studies that reduced calories resulted in equal weight loss regardless of whether changes in fat or carbohydrate consumption were emphasized.[28]

Gluten, a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains including barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids (such as spelt, kamut, and triticale),[29] causes health problems for those with gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.[30] In these people, the gluten-free diet is the only available treatment.[31][32][33]

There may be a relationship between lifestyle including food consumption and lowering the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. A diet high in fruit and vegetables appears to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, but not cancer.[34]

Eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise can maintain body weight within the normal range and prevent obesity in most people, and thus prevent the chronic diseases and poor outcomes associated with obesity.[35]

The Western pattern diet which is typically eaten by Americans and increasingly adopted by people in the developing world as they leave poverty is unhealthy: it is "rich in red meat, dairy products, processed and artificially sweetened foods, and salt, with minimal intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, and whole grains."[36]

An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, overweight/obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.[37]

The WHO estimates that 2.7 million deaths each year are attributable to a diet low in fruit and vegetables.[37] Globally such diets are estimated to cause about 19% of gastrointestinal cancer, 31% of ischaemic heart disease, and 11% of strokes,[5] thus making it one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.[38]

Some publicised diets, often referred to as fad diets, make promises of weight loss or other health advantages such as longer life without backing by solid science; many fad diets are based on highly restrictive or unusual food choices.[23]:296[39] Celebrity endorsements (including celebrity doctors) are frequently associated with such diets, and the individuals who develop and promote these programs often profit handsomely.[22]:1112[40]

Consumers are generally aware of the elements of a healthy diet, but find nutrition labels and diet advice in popular media confusing.[41]

Fears of high cholesterol were frequently voiced up until the mid-1990s. However, more recent research hasshown that the distinction between high- and low-density lipoprotein ('good' and 'bad' cholesterol, respectively) must be addressed when speaking of the potential ill effects of cholesterol. Different types of dietary fat have different effects on blood levels of cholesterol. For example, polyunsaturated fats tend to decrease both types of cholesterol; monounsaturated fats tend to lower LDL and raise HDL; saturated fats tend to either raise HDL, or raise both HDL and LDL;[42][43] and trans fat tend to raise LDL and lower HDL.

Dietary cholesterol is only found in animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy. The effect of dietary cholesterol on blood cholesterol levels is controversial. Some studies have found a link between cholesterol consumption and serum cholesterol levels.[44] Other studies have not found a link between eating cholesterol and blood levels of cholesterol.[45]

Vending machines in particular have come under fire as being avenues of entry into schools for junk food promoters. However, there is little in the way of regulation and it is difficult for most people to properly analyze the real merits of a company referring to itself as "healthy." Recently, the Committee of Advertising Practice in the United Kingdom launched a proposal to limit media advertising for food and soft drink products high in fat, salt or sugar.[46] The British Heart Foundation released its own government-funded advertisements, labeled "Food4Thought", which were targeted at children and adults to discourage unhealthy habits of consuming junk food.[47]

From a psychological and cultural perspective, a healthier diet may be difficult to achieve for people with poor eating habits.[48] This may be due to tastes acquired in childhood and preferences for sugary, salty and/or fatty foods.[49] In the UK, the chief medical officer of the government recommended in December 2018 that sugar and salt be taxed to discourage consumption.[50]

Animals that are kept by humans also benefit from a healthy diet, but the requirements of such diets may be very different from the ideal human diet.[51]

Read more:
Healthy diet - Wikipedia

By Paige Greenfield; image from Freepik.com

And the winner isIn a perfect world, everyone would workout enough and eat correctly allthe time. But thats not always possible, so we turned to the experts to findout what really matters most dieting orexercise for losing weight, fighting disease and boosting overall wellbeing. Here, we crown the champ in each category.

The winner: DietThe reason: As research makes clear, trimming kilojoules from your diet is the most direct route to a smaller dress size. Its much easier for most people to cut 2 000kJ from their diet than it is to spend an hour in the gym trying to burn the same amount of kilojoules, says dietician Charlene Giovanelli-Nicolson. However, both diet and exercise are essential for keeping that weight off.

READ MORE: Heres Exactly How To Use Breakfast To Lose Weight

The winner: ExerciseThe reason: Exercise causes the brain to pour out invigorating neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, says exercise psychologist Dr Patrick OConnor. People who train consistently report surges in energy, according to some 70studies.

The winner: DietThe reason: If you had to focus onone nutrient that would lower your heart disease risk, itwould be omega-3 fatty acids, says cardiovascular disease physician Dr William Harris. Instudies, omega-3s from oily fish lower heart disease risk by up to 64 percent. That said, working out does strengthen your cardiovascular system, reducing risk.

READ MORE: 4 Easy Exercises You Cant Ignore If Youre Walking For Weight Loss

The winner: ExerciseThe reason: Around 840 000 South Africans have diabetes. Achieving a healthy weight through diet and exercise is the strongest defence against the disease, but physical activity has a slight edge. Active muscles gobble up glucose from the blood for fuel, which helps keep blood-sugar levels stable.

The winner: BothThe reason: Eating a mostly plant-based diet and exercising regularly remain the gold standard for warding off cancer. Keep in mind: the more consistently you work out, the greater theprotection.

The winner: ExerciseThe reason: A20-minute sweatsession can be enough to perk up your mood for awhopping 12 hours, reports a recent US study. It may also be as effective as medication for treating depression. And exercise can lead to changes in the brain that protect you from stress.

So, which is actually better: cardio or weights? Plus: 6 bizarre things that can make you fat other than food.

This article was originally published on http://www.womenshealthmag.com

READ MORE ON: Diet Advice Healthy Eating Tips Weight Loss Weight Loss Tips

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Which Is Actually Better For Weight Loss: Diet Or Exercise?

Healthy diet and exercise routine work in tandem to produce effective weight loss results. While the body withstands tiring workout sessions at the gym and uses up loads of energy, food replenishes the nutrients and energy lost. An all-inclusive diet plan will always strategise your meals according to the physical activities you indulge in. And, if you are into an intense fitness regime, it is all the more important to take care of your diet. A healthy diet boosts your weight loss goal while a not-so-healthy diet may affect it adversely. While devising your diet plan, it is important to know what you eat before you exercise that will prepare your body for the impending burn-out.

A study conducted by the researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia suggested that consuming carbohydrates can increase your strength to endure rigorous exercises and help you perform better. The findings of the review paper were published in the 'Journal of Nutrition'.Nancy Cohen, a professor specialising in nutrition said, "By eating carbohydrate-rich foods that are low in fat and low or moderate in protein, you can make sure you have enough muscle glycogen as fuel for your physical activity."

(Also Read:6 Delicious Homemade Protein Shakes for Weight Loss)

Carbohydratesimprove performance during workout

If you exercise for more than one hour, then you should consume one to four grams of carbohydrates per every 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) of body weight. Eat your carbohydrate-rich meal at least one hour before you start exercising.

(Also Read:Post Workout Foods: 5 Healthy Recovery Foods That Reduce Muscle Soreness)

For the morning workout regime, it is advised not to start off on an empty stomach as you are already fasting the whole night before. "While exercising on an empty stomach may burn fat, it does not seem to be beneficial in the long run. And, if the fatigue means that you are not able to exercise at full performance, then you will also not be able to sustain as effective a workout," Cohen added.

Another important thing to remember is to keep your body hydrated with lots and lots of water. "Sufficient fluids are also important. In general, you can consume 5 to 10 millilitres of water per kilogram of body weight in the two to four hours before a workout," Cohen added.

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Pre-Workout Diet: What You Should Eat Before An Intense ...

Diet and exercise: these are two topics that always come recommended together. In the last blog post, we explored the dietary habits needed for living successfully with heart failure. Here, we will look at physical activity challenges and recommendations that can help those with heart failure live an active lifestyle.

A common misconception about heart failure is that exercise needs to be avoided because it would strain the heart. This thinking is outdated, and the opposite is actually recommended. The many benefits of physical activity or movement include:

To get a sense of how that works, let's check in with Mr. S, a 69-year-old male with chronic combined heart failure involving both the heart's ability to pump (systolic) and to relax (diastolic).

In 2016, Mr. S had an ejection fraction of 38%, meaning that his heart with each contraction could only pump 38% of its blood to his body (normal is 55-70%). At his lowest point, Mr. S barely had the energy to walk downstairs from his second floor apartment. Even the most minimal physical exertion would quickly wear him out.

However, Mr. S also owns a dog, so for the health of his dog, he trained himself every day to walk the dog a little further. While difficult at first, slowly easing back into the routine of walking now allows Mr. S to walk nearly 2.5 miles each morning.

His body sees the benefit of this exercise. His ejection fraction is now 68%, which is in the normal range. Although a recovery like this is unusual, Mr. S' case shows the powerful benefits of exercise for heart failure patients.

Like Mr. S, people with heart failure should ease into exercise gradually, rather than immediately jumping into high-intensity physical activity routines. Finding an activity such as walking outside, biking, or even using the elliptical trainer at the gym are all great ways to adopt daily exercise. Those with heart failure should discuss physical activity plans with a doctor before starting out.

There are also common challenges heart failure patients facewhen trying to exercise.

Common heart failure symptoms are swelling in the legs, shortness of breath, wheezing, and fatigue. All of these symptoms can limit exercise but should not discourage a cautious routine.

Stanford cardiologist Fatima Rodriguez, MD, recommends aerobic and strength exercises, even if it is just light stretching or walking on a flat surface.

"Being stationary or inactive will just make the symptoms worse. Try to get even the minimal amount of movement in, whether is it doing stretches at your chair or slowly walking around your home," she recommends.

While exercise can be very beneficial, it is also important not to over-exert yourself or ignore warning signs while exercising. Some symptoms to watch for are:

These symptoms should be discussed with your doctor, or, if urgent, treated immediately.

Heart failure patients have many different options -- from walking a dog to joining an exercise class or taking a swim --to incorporate daily exercise into their lives. Consistent exercise is a powerful approach to both prevent heart failure and mitigate its symptoms. It isn't so easy to get started, but for both prevention and treatment, daily physical activity is key to living a healthy and vigorous life.

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts,Demystifying Heart Failure, to help patients and family members better understand and help mitigate heart failure.The next blog will focus on medications for heart failure.

Min Joo Kim is a master's degree student in Community Health and Prevention Research at Stanford studying the patient experience for those with chronic conditions and identifying barriers to treatment.Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, focuses on strategies to improve chronic disease treatment, including engaging patients in their own health care.

Photo by Beth Thompson

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Demystifying Heart Failure: Exercise is A-OK - Scope

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.We should like to skip the intermediate stages.We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;your ideas mature graduallylet them grow,let them shape themselves, without undue haste.Dont try to force them on,as though you could be today what time(that is to say, grace and circumstancesacting on your own good will)will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spiritgradually forming within you will be.Give Our Lord the benefit of believingthat his hand is leading you,and accept the anxiety of feeling yourselfin suspense and incomplete. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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The Bernard Shaw in Dublin has announced that it will be closing its doors next month.

The pub made the announcement on its website, and shared a link on social media. They said that the decision was out of their hands, and they even tried to buy the premises but nothing worked out.

The statement said:

"Its with heavy hearts that we announce the end of our Bernard Shaw adventure. At the end of October 2019 we will close the Shaw, Eatyard, all organisational, art and performance spaces and everything else in the building and yards for good. Weve tried really hard over the last few months to renew the lease, stay on longer, or buy the place. A lot of things didnt go our way over the last 12 months either, but its out of our hands now unfortunately."

They went on to say thank you to everyone who helped them out and worked for them over the past decade.

"Wed like to say a huge thank you to everyone who was part of this 13 year adventure. Our landlord, our neighbours & the council were by and large all brilliant and very helpful & supportive. The artists, makers, designers, bands, DJs, promoters, hustlers and lunatics who did their thing at the Shaw we couldnt have done it without you. We have had amazing, loyal customers, many who came, and left, and came back again over those 13 years as life got in the way while we were busy making plans and being busy fools."

Above all we want to thank our crew. Past and present we have had incredible people work with us. Everything we do is about people. their ideas, trying things out, making a mess of it, trying again, getting it right, having fun, making memories, and when the partys over, lets plan another party. But parties werent meant to last"

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