SALT LAKE CITY Many New Years resolutions include becoming healthier in one way or another.

A popular diet challenge has emerged the last few years which has people "quitting sugar" altogether. But do you really need to eliminate all sugar from your diet to lead a healthy lifestyle? Registered dietitians shared their thoughts on quitting sugar this new year.

To start, Amy Good, registered dietitian from the Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, says "Sugar is an umbrella term that can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. When someone says to me 'Im cutting out sugar,' I have no idea what that means to them."

To some, sugar might be only added sugars, which include foods like candy, soda, cake, ice cream, cookies, chocolate, pastries, pies and so on. To others it might go so far as to include entire food groups like fruit and dairy.

Good goes on to say, "In general, sugars are carbohydrates and are necessary for survival. They are our bodies' preferred fuel source and provide us with short-term energy. Carbohydrates are also our only source of fiber, which is vital for a healthy gut."

Sarah Pflugradt, registered dietitian nutritionist of Salubrious RD says we live in an all-or-nothing diet society, and that needs to change.

"Those who cut out all sugar leave behind so many good foods like fruit and dairy. We need to educate on eating so much added sugar and how it contributes to inflammation," Pflugradt says. "Keeping your added sugar below the American Heart Association recommendation is a great way to enjoy all the yummy foods but still stay within a healthy boundary."

Registered dietitian Sarah Schlichter of Bucket List Tummy says villainizing sugar contributes to a good-and-bad food mentality, which can lead to feelings of guilt or shame when someone eats something considered "bad."

"This tarnishes a person's relationship with food and teaches them to make decisions based on external rules and factors rather than intuition," she says. "When youre making a decision based on something you want and enjoy, you realize that if you ate high amounts of sugar all the time, you probably wouldnt feel your best. Whereas, if you include it moderately youll find that you also crave and choose other nutrient-dense foods, as well. I tell my clients to focus less on the individual ingredients and more on the overall pattern of intake and health behaviors, since health is far from 'all-or-nothing.'"

Registered dietitian nutritionist Kelsey Lorencz, of Simply Nourished Home encourages people to stop fixating on how horrible certain ingredients are and look at the diet as a whole instead.

"If all you eat is sugary foods, you will likely feel those health consequences. Eating sugar yes, even refined added sugars is not dangerous or unhealthy when consumed as part of a diet that includes several other nutrient-dense foods."

"When we consider health, its so important to consider every aspect of ourselves. By not demonizing sugar or trying to completely cut it out, we can allow it to be an enjoyable part of a varied diet, not an emotionally consuming ingredient," she adds.

Registered dietitian nutritionist Lauren Harris-Pincus, of NutritionStarringYOU.com and author of "The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club," suggests following the American Heart Association guidelines of 24 grams of added sugar per day for women, or 36 grams for men.

"Choose wisely and really enjoy what you choose," she says. "Make sure the bulk of your diet includes produce, nuts, beans, seeds, whole grains and lean proteins so the sugar you do eat is merely an addition to a nutritious diet."

Registered dietitian nutritionist KeyVion Miller, of themillerskitchen.com, believes a true healthy lifestyle leaves room for a little sugar.

"It can actually be the difference between someone drinking milk (dairy or non-dairy) or eating yogurt," Miller says. "Quite honestly, plain yogurt is pretty boring! Adding a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup could be that difference maker in adding probiotics and calcium to someones diet. I think this is so important when we know many people fall short of calcium and live, active cultures to support our gut health."

Registered dietitian Sarah Chapel says a healthy lifestyle is all about balance.

"A diet that is completely sugar-free would be void of all fruit, whole grains and dairy foods we know offer many nutritional benefits," Chapel says.

She suggests, instead, taking an honest look at how many foods in your normal diet have added sugar.

"The fancy sugary coffee drink, the 'nibbles' here and there, your overall portions of sweet stuff. Eliminating all sugar isnt realistic or encouraged. Instead, figure out your norm and decrease. Used to having ice cream after dinner? Reduce to a 1/2 cup portion or try fruit or yogurt."

My No. 1 tip to keep added sugar intake in a reasonable range while still enjoying your food is to cook from scratch at home when possible. This way you are in charge of what goes in your food including how much added sugar. Sometimes it may be the full amount when baking a birthday cake, while other times you might choose to swap out sugary cereal for some homemade oatmeal.

The main thing to remember is that what you eat is your choice and that it's not only OK, but it's definitely possible to include some sugar in your diet and be healthy at the same time.

About the Author: Brittany PoulsonBrittany Poulson is a Utah registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. She shares her passion for health, food and nutrition on her blog, http://www.yourchoicenutrition.com, where she encourages you to live a healthy life in your unique way.

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Dietitians explain why you don't have to 'quit sugar' to be healthy - KSL.com

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Need help planning your New Year's Resolution? The Knoxville Health and Fitness Expo wants to help you stick to those goals.

This weekend, vendors from around the city will be at the Knoxville Expo Center to share how they can help people make better food and fitness choices.

The event hosts a variety of vendors including apparel, sports nutrition, personal care products, gyms and health clubs.

Vendors were able to show off their new technology and ways to prepare meals so you can eat both quickly and healthy.

One vendor said it's important to pick a plan that will be sustainable for a long time.

"I wouldn't say if you were trying to do a new healthy lifestyle you would call it a diet because then you are saying no to things you like and then that's not sustainable," said Ariane Mitchell with Hello Fresh.

The Knoxville Health & Fitness Expo is a free event to attend and will go on 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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Knoxville Health Expo offers tips to succeed with fitness goal - WBIR.com

06 Jan 2020 --- Fiber-rich foods are known to deliver health benefits, mainly with a pronounced focus on gut health. This is why they are popular among todays health-conscious consumers and are touted as a key trend for 2020. Moreover, wellness has become a lifestyle focus for many and fiber is aligned to this trend. Consumers understand and recognize the benefits of fiber and increasingly seek foods and beverages that are better-for-them, thus fueling healthier lifestyles. FoodIngredientsFirst takes a closer look at fiber ingredients and the drivers behind the trend.

There is a growing interest in fiber and this is expected to remain a theme throughout 2020. Forty-four percent of US consumers say they have increased their consumption of fiber (Innova Market Insights consumer survey 2018).

This places fiber almost at the same level as protein as a top benefit in the eyes of consumers, Susanne Srgel, Senior Director, Platform Strategy, Pectin and Carrageenan at CP Kelco, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The clean label megatrend is now the norm and ingredients play a more important role. There is a push for manufacturers not only to simplify or reduce ingredients on their labels but also have them be consumer-friendly and deliver added function to fuel healthy lifestyles, she explains.

Fiber can also play a critical role in sugar-reduction formulation, a growing number of products support both fiber and sugar claims. For example, in 2018, 16 percent of products launched with a high fiber claim also came with a no-added-sugar claim and 10 percent came with a low-sugar claim, according to Innova Market Insights.

In addition, there is also a high overlap between products with fiber claims and high/source of protein claims (40 percent), allergy claims such as gluten-free (27 percent), as well as vegan, organic and no additives/preservatives claims (25 percent).

In recent years, the fiber food space has been highly competitive. Products launched with fiber claims have shown tremendous growth over the past five years (23 percent). The most active categories for new product launches with fiber claims are in bakery, cereal and sports nutrition, according to Innova Market Insights data.

Click to EnlargeFiber comes with a health halo and is easy for consumers to understand.Health halos and taste maintain significanceFiber comes with a health halo and is easy for consumers to understand. Linked to the overall health and wellness trend, fiber is also associated with good gut health and is essential for managing blood sugar levels. For consumers, finding new ways of adding fiber to your diet can be appealing, Srgel asserts.

According to Thomas Schmidt, Marketing Director at Beneo, many consumers struggle with reaching their daily recommended intake of fiber. However, the 2017 Beneo prebiotic research found that more than a third of Europeans agree with the statement that a healthy lifestyle is important to me and looking after my digestive health is part of it.

In this space, Schmidt also notes that on-pack claims that appear the most appealing to consumers are high in fiber, promotes digestive health and prebiotic.

As well as incorporating appealing, functional benefits such as prebiotic on-pack, taste remains the most critical factor to encourage consumer repeat purchasing, he adds.

The term prebiotic is also gaining traction across Europe. According to 2017 Beneo prebiotic research, consumers agree that the term prebiotic sounds healthy, and two out of three European respondents consider the term prebiotic to be appealing.

By developing great tasting products that offer added digestive health benefits, as well as meeting the needs of major consumer trends, food manufacturers can help consumers keep their digestive systems healthy, naturally and with ease, without having to make any significant changes to their lifestyle or diet, or to sacrifice on taste or texture, explains Schmidt.

Functionality and opportunities out of traditional fiber useFor Karin Meissner, Cargill Business Development Manager, Fibers, it is clear that fiber enrichment statements appeal to a broad base of consumers as a means to help them reach their healthy diet goals. However, fibers have another important role to play: by helping brands achieve calorie and sugar-reduction formulation goals, she comments.

In many applications, fibers can serve as low calorie bulking agents, bringing back lost volume and replacing some of sugars functional attributes, Meissner notes. Fibers also fit with clean label trends. Consumers want to recognize the ingredients used in their foods and understand where those ingredients come from. Plant-sourced fibers offer a label-friendly option that can easily be incorporated into a range of applications, from ice cream to baked goods. Fibers have a lot to offer in foods, so its no surprise that manufacturers today prioritize reformulation with added fibers, Meissner explains.

Jolanda Vermulst, Manager Market Intelligence at Sensus, also agrees with this notion. The list of specific benefits that consumers want to obtain from fiber foods is long. It includes improving general health, supporting immunity, improving digestive health, decreasing calories, increasing fiber intake, eating plant-based and natural, she tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

For decades, professionals from all sectors of the food, nutrition and health space have been urging consumers to include more fiber in their diet. Despite this long-held attention and buzz around healthy food generally and fiber, in particular, most consumers fall short in actually including enough fiber in their diets, she states.

The mounting evidence for the need to increase fiber intake has not appreciably changed the fact that only a relatively small proportion of consumers eat the recommended amount of fiber daily therefore a fiber gap persists, Vermulst notes.

According to Srgel, this space is still emerging and is ripe for innovation. However, we anticipate that as fiber claims continue to grow, so too will the need for education and differentiation, such as how functional fiber can help with clean label reformulation.

Gut and brain health propelsClick to EnlargeRecently, the gut microbiota has been the subject of research indicating that dietary changes such as increased dietary fiber can influence mood and behavior, via interaction with these bacteria.Meanwhile, links between the community of bacteria living in our gut and the brain have been established. Recently, the gut microbiota has been the subject of research indicating that dietary changes such as increased dietary fiber can influence mood and behavior, via interaction with these bacteria.

An emergent and exciting branch of research has begun to elucidate a communication pathway between gut bacteria and the central nervous system, the so-called gut-brain axis, Vermulst affirms. Thus, future research into the gut microbiome-brain communication and dietary components as prebiotics may be applied to improve various aspects of mental health such as mood.

As more and more effects of fiber intake are demonstrated, we expect gut health and microbiome modulation will stay hot topics for 2020, she adds.

As scientists continue to unlock the secrets of the microbiome and the links between the gut-brain axis, the importance of digestive wellness to consumers will continue to grow, Schmidt further adds. With this in mind, we expect the cross-category phenomenon of digestive wellness to further increase in importance over the coming years, with more new product developments to be seen in categories such as dairy, baby food, beverage, snacks, bakery and cereals, he notes.

New horizons for inulin?Julian Mellentin of New Nutrition Business is an international specialist in the business of food, nutrition and health. Mellentin highlighted the potential for inulin, naming it a top ingredient for 2020 in the new report, 10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition and Health 2020, stating: For companies who cho
ose to use inulin in their brands for digestive benefits, a big plus is that it delivers a feel-the benefit effect one of the most compelling reasons for someone to keep buying a product and one of the most significant marketing advantages you can have.

Additionally, Mellentin says that the use of inulin in brands for digestive benefits delivers a feel-the-benefit effect, which is a significant reason for consumers to repeat-purchase products.

Vermulst also notes that as people age, they find themselves dealing with more health issues and changes in nutritional needs. Fibers, and especially inulin and oligofructose, have been shown to provide several health benefits, especially for the elderly population, she comments.

Several government programs aiming to educate consumers have been enacted, so that they will take responsibility for a healthy lifestyle, preferably starting at a young age, she states. To support consumers, the food industry has to take responsibility and provide basic food products with lower sugar levels. Sensus ingredients, specifically Frutafit inulin and Frutalose oligofructose, have proven to be helpful to lower sugar and calorie level in a wide range of food products, adds Vermulst.

Paul Vennik, Director Marketing and Sales at Sensus, says the most significant challenge moving forward could be wannabe dietary fibers. That is fibers that claim to be of natural origin but that are synthetic and therefore, cannot be found in nature. The consumer will not accept these artificial fibers as they go 180 degrees against the trend of being natural and plant-based. It is, therefore, important that consumers are well informed about the differences in fibers for them to make a natural choice, he comments.

Knowing that, inulin is predicted to be the 2020 ingredient of the year, consumer interest will boost many developments, he concludes.

By Elizabeth Green

To contact our editorial team please email us at editorial@cnsmedia.com

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Closing the fiber gap: Functional fiber space is ripe for innovation - FoodIngredientsFirst

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Published: January 6, 2020 2:10:28 pm Add some healthy flavours to your winter days with these delicious salads. (Designed by Gargi Singh)

Winter is when we feel like indulging in fried samosas and tikki. But how about giving a healthy spin to your diet this winter? As more and more people have started to adapt to a healthy lifestyle, we thought why not replace plain, boring salads with some classic winter veggies that are not only refreshing but filling too. So if you are in the mood for some mouth-watering salad recipes, we have some help for you.

Try these DIY, delicious and quick salads that make for a wholesome treat.

Beetroot Tartare Salad by chef Tarun Sibal, director, One Fine Meal

Ingredients

For Walnut and Mooli Curd

1/2 cup Hung curd5ml Fresh lemon juice1tbsp Grated radish4 no Crushed walnutSalt to taste

*Mix all the ingredients together

For Beetroot Tartare

2 no Large red beets3tsp Walnut oil2tbsp Apple cider vinegar1tsp Pepper1tsp Madras curry powder1tbsp Vinegrette dressing

Method

For the beets

*Blanch the beets in water, vinegar, salt, sugar.*Dice it into small cubes.*Temper with madras curry powder and walnut oil.

For avocado and cashew

*Blend ripe avocado and hydrated cashews into a paste. Add salt, pepper, lemon.*Serve the tarter with a help of a mould. Add pea shoots, pine nuts, vinaigrette, and cracked black pepper .

Warm Sprouts Salad by chef Vineet Bahuguna, Hilton Garden Inn, New Delhi/Saket

Ingredients

100g Beans sprouts30g Bell pepper juliennes30g- Carrot juliennes20g Green onion juliennes5g GingerLight soya sauce to taste5g Sugar10ml Sesame oilCrushed black pepper to taste5ml Lime juiceWhite sesame seeds for garnish

Method

*Heat sesame oil in a wok, add ginger, carrot and bell peppers. Saut for few seconds then add the sprouts and stir well.*Add in soya sauce, sugar, crushed black pepper and toss well on high flame.*Add green onions and give it a toss.*Finish with lime juice and white sesame seeds garnish.

Grilled Chicken Poke Sriracha Aioli by chef Sidharth Sharma, corporate chef, Saints N Sinners Gurgaon

For base

1/2 cup Boiled and cooled soba noodles

For Grilled Chicken

1 no Boneless breast of cleaned chicken2 no Chopped garlic clovesSalt to taste1tsp Virgin olive oil1/2tsp Chili flakes1/2tsp Crushed black pepper

For dressing Sriracha aioli

1tbsp Sriracha sauce1tbsp Extra virgin olive oil2-3 np Chopped garlic cloves1/2tsp Lemon juice

Toppings

1/2 no Beetroot (roasted/raw)4-5 no Avocado slices1/2 no Carrots peeled and sliced1/4 cup Red cabbage, cut into squares1 no Spring onion greens1/2 no Bell peppers (optional)2-3 pods Edamame beans

Method

*Clean and marinate the chicken breast and keep aside for at least half an hour.*In the meantime, prepare the dressing by mixing the ingredients. Use a whisk to blend the dressing evenly.*Drizzle the boiled and cooled soba noodles with some dressing and arrange it on a clean plate or a shallow bowl.*Grill and slice the chicken breast and arrange it over the soba noodles.*Individually douse each of the toppings in the dressing and arrange them around the soba and grilled chicken.*Drizzle some dressing on to the dish.*Additionally you can sprinkle a mix of healthy sunflower, flax seeds etc to add crunch.

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Enjoy a healthy winter with these easy salad recipes - The Indian Express

and Happy Birthday to Doris Thorson (Jan. 5), and Joey Berry of Beech Creek

Word of the Day

Noctilucent Luminous at night

Quoteof the Day

Dont gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold.

Bob Marley

Christmas tree pickup

The city of Lock Haven is offering to pick up and discard residents Christmas trees on Jan. 13, 14, 16 and 17, weather permitting. Trimmings and tinsel must be removed and the tree should be placed on the curb outside your residence. Trees can also be discarded at the citys Public Works building at 99 Second Ave.

Lifestyle Reboot Program

Have you been thinking about making a change today for a healthier tomorrow? Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital is offering a program for those with prediabetes or at risk for developing diabetes. This interactive group program is open to the public and offered at no-cost. Participants 18 years or older meet about once a week for one hour, starting on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., to learn how to improve their health by making healthy lifestyle changes. Caregivers, friends and family are welcome to attend. Please call the Geisinger health & wellness department to register at 866-415-7138.

Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser

A Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for Boy Scout Troop 54, Wednesday, Jan. 15, Sons of Italy, 1 N. Henderson St., Lock Haven. Tickets are $8. adults, $5 children 10 & under. Takeout 4 5 p.m. and sit down 5 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased from Scouts in Troop 54 or by calling 570-660-6867. Tickets also available at the door.

New Year, New Me

Join Geisinger health and wellness for a cup of coffee on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 10 10:30 a.m., 1020 Thompson St., Jersey Shore, (Community room), and learn to how to keep your New Years resolution this year. Through this presentation, you will understand the most common pitfalls of resolutions, the importance of goals, SMART techniques, strategies, and ways to overcome setbacks. Registration required for presentation and space is limited, so call our team at 866-415-7138 to reserve your spot.

SUNDAYDayWild:8Pick 2: 2-1Pick 3: 4-5-1Pick 4: 1-2-3-0Pick 5: 8-5-2-3-1Treasure Hunt: ...

Cancer Support Group meets Jan. 9 LOCK HAVEN The Cancer Support Group will hold its monthly meeting on ...

TODAY Howard Area Lions Club Food Bank distribution for Centre County residents at the former Beech Creek ...

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Around the Town | News, Sports, Jobs - Lock Haven Express

A sip of freshly brewed coffee often awakens our senses in the morning.

For general practitioner Dr James Liew, it kept him on his feet for hours.

I needed coffee to survive my housemanship years but I would then suffer from gastric pains throughout the day, he says.

It wasnt the scent or taste that sparked his fascination with coffee, but a rather uncomfortable gut that drove him to research the drink and led him to gain certification in Coffee Sensory Skills from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).

His curiosity started with simple questions regarding the reactions he had with coffee.

I started experimenting with different dosages to find the optimum amount that would perk me up without the negative side effects, he recalls.

According to Dr Liew, up to 400mg of caffeine a day, equivalent to three to four cups of brewed coffee, is a safe level of consumption for most healthy adults.

It is important to remember that caffeine is not only present in coffee but also in other food and beverages including tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and ice cream, he says.

Mild, adverse effects of having too much caffeine are palpitations, tremors, agitation and gastrointestinal upset. These are common but will usually pass on their own.

More severe adverse effects, though uncommon, such as arrhythmia, ischemia, seizures and hallucinations, would warrant a visit to the doctor.

Many people also experience side effects after consuming too many energy drinks.

Over-drinking coffee does not constitute addiction or abuse as it does not interfere with a persons normal life patterns.

You need to be careful about drinking caffeinated energy drinks in excess, especially if you are mixing them with alcohol, which is considered a suppressant and can mask the signs of caffeine overdose such as palpitations, he says.

And yes, there are differences between light and dark roasts.

Dr Liew explains, Although dark roasts have a stronger taste, they actually have slightly less caffeine than a light roast. The roasting process burns off some of the caffeine.

It also doesnt mean that when coffee is more bitter, it has more caffeine.

An espresso may have less caffeine than another type of brew.

Brewing myths

Coffee has been the subject of many claims and myths. Some say it will extend your life, some say it will shorten your life.

Its pretty confusing, so what is to be believed?

Many of the observational studies had sample sizes that were not big enough to account for other compounding factors, so dont believe everything you read.

If you are drinking coffee, there is not enough negative evidence to tell you to stop. And, vice versa, there is no reason to convince someone to drink coffee for health benefits, he points out.

There was however strong evidence, from randomised controlled trials, of some positive effects of coffee and caffeine.

Sitting on top of the list, and the reason why many reached out for a cuppa every morning, was increased cognitive function.

A 2010 study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, of people suffering from jet lag or shift work disorder found that caffeine significantly improved their concept formation, reasoning, memory, orientation, attention, perception as well as prevented errors when compared with groups who were drinking a placebo.

The pick-me-up effect was also sought after to improve athletic performance in sports or at the gym.

It has been shown to increase endurance but I see a lot of youngsters abusing caffeine for the purpose of fitness. It increases performance, but some overdose by getting into a cycle of drinking coffee followed by energy drinks.

They then end up at our clinics as they are dehydrated, he warns.

Another interesting discovery was the relationship between coffee and gout.

Dr Liew says coffee has been shown to reduce levels of uric acid. This was not due to caffeine however, as decaffeinated coffee led to similar results.

So its not the caffeine but other components in coffee that helps prevent gout, he explains.

Keeping it pure

A key point to note was that these benefits of coffee were related to pure coffee brewed from beans, without additives.

It is not the same as instant coffee, local coffee and the 3-in-1 mixes, Dr Liew says.

Those have additives such as margarine and sugar. Drinks such as frappuccino usually contain 5% coffee with the rest made up of milk, syrup, sugar and cream.

It was also believed, with moderate evidence, that coffee has other positive side effects such as helping constipation, improving heart health, reducing incidents of stroke, diabetes and cirrhosis.

The antioxidants in coffee helped to slow down the progression of liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C infection.

Another study found a link between coffee or tea and a decreased risk of Parkinsons disease although it is still unknown how caffeine might protect against the disease.

On the flipside, coffee has been shown to increase blood pressure in people who are not habitual coffee drinkers. Coffee could also increase cholesterol levels.

For those who have high cholesterol, choose filtered coffees, rather than those that just use metal sieves, as paper filters will remove coffee lipid compounds. However, more often than not, it is the high fat milk in coffee that is the culprit. If you really have difficulty controlling your cholesterol, try cutting down on the milk, says Dr Liew.

Data also showed that for older women, drinking coffee decreased bone density and increased osteoporosis, particularly in those with low calcium intake.

That means if you are not taking much calcium, and youre taking coffee every day, that risk is much higher. You have to balance it out, he says.

Dependence and abuse

People confess to being coffee addicts but Dr Liew says that over drinking coffee does not constitute addiction or abuse as it does not interfere with a persons normal life patterns.

A headache is one of the signs of caffeine-withdrawal symptom. TNS

It does not make you give up on your work and studies or shirk your responsibilities.

On the other hand, the existence of caffeine withdrawal symptoms are well established. Most regular drinkers would be familiar with symptoms such as headaches, tiredness, decreased energy, decreased alertness, drowsiness, decreased well-being, depressed moods, difficulty concentrating, irritability and feeling fuzzy headed. Flu-like symptoms, nausea, and muscle pain have also been reported.

Hence, says Dr Liew, if you need to abstain from coffee, for example, prior to an elective medical procedure you should do so gradually by reducing your intake over a week to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Those who love the drink should also take note that they could be unintentionally drinking toxins with their coffee. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds (fungi) and can be found in variety of different crops including coffee beans, often under warm and humid conditions.

Mycotoxins can cause acute poisoning to long-term effects such as immune deficiency and cancer.

To avoid this, Dr Liew suggests consumers buy whole fresh coffee beans whenever possible; inspect coffee beans for evidence of mould, and discard any that look mouldy, discoloured, or shrivelled; store coffee in a dry but not too warm place; and do not keep coffee for extended periods of time before being used.

Its important to remember that coffee is just one component of our daily lifestyle. If we have a healthy lifestyle and a healthy idea of what we want to eat, then coffee is not going to be a problem.

Simply put, if you are not drinking coffee, thats fine and if you are, enjoy it! says Dr Liew.

This article is courtesy of IMU Healthcare. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be cons
trued as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the readers own medical care. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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Is coffee good or bad for you? If you lead a healthy lifestyle then drink away! - The Star Online

High blood pressuremeans the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high, and, overtime, a consistently high reading can hike your risk of developing deadly complications such as heart disease. Luckily, the condition can be reversed by making healthy lifestyle decisions such as eating a healthy, balanced diet. Ongoing research is shedding a light on the foods that provide specific blood-pressure lowering benefits so it is important to include them in your diet to ward off the threats associated.

One mealtime staple that has been shown to lower a high blood pressure reading is chicken soup.

Research published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry attributed the blood-pressure lowering benefits to a chemical found in the soup known as ACE inhibitor.

These inhibitors reduce high blood pressure by reducing the tension in your mussels, which relaxes your blood vessels.

To arrive at their results, Ai Saiga, a scientist at Hiroshima University, carried out tests on rats and found proteins produced a significant and prolonged decrease in blood pressure.

READ MORE:High blood pressure: Three healthy snacks to help lower your reading

The cruciferous vegetable also contains a high amount of vitamin C, an antioxidant that strengthens your blood vessels and retains nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels.

It is also important to cut down on certain culprits that can send your blood pressure soaring, such as salt.

To be on the safe side, the NHS recommends eating less than six grams (0.2oz) of salt a day, which is about a teaspoonful.

You should also limit your alcohol intake because excessive alcohol consumption can raise your blood pressure over time, warns the health body.

Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:

In addition to making healthier dietary decisions, it is also important to keep your weight under control to prevent high blood pressure.

As the NHS explained: Being overweight forces your heart to work harder to pump blood around your body, which can raise your blood pressure.

The health site added: If you do need to lose some weight, it's worth remembering that just losing a few pounds will make a big difference to your blood pressure and overall health.

In addition to losing weight, exercising regularly can directly lower your blood pressure reading.

Mayo Clinic explained: Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

Becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure the top number in a blood pressure reading by an average of four to nine millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). That's as good as some blood pressure medications, explains the health site.

The NHS recommends aiming for at least 150 minutes (two hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.

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High blood pressure: Eating this type of soup could lower your reading - Express

Having shared his experiences through a workshop on Natural Living, at an event organised by Mother Earth Environmental Consciousness Society (MEECONS) in Vizag, Minimalist and Naturalist Shailender speaks with Yo! Vizag on how to have a healthy lifestyle.

Dressed in a white dhoti, sporting a turban and a long beard, Shailender resembles a yogi. So, it comes as a surprise to know that he is a Computer Science Engineer with five years of experience in the IT industry. While working for different IT companies, he realised his calling and quit his job. I stayed at Sai Geetha Ashram for ten years and learned the essence of natural living. Ive been practising a chemical-free lifestyle, says Shailender.

One doesnt have to be a yogi in order to lead a life in coherence with nature. By making little alterations in ones daily routine, one can live life the natural way, even in urban spaces, he further adds. Here are some insights from Shailender.

Milk and milk products:

Milk is best avoided as per Shailender. However, if it is an essential part of your diet, then boil the milk over a small flame for a long time before consuming it. Buttermilk is always better than milk. To avoid milk tea and to get sufficient minerals, calcium and anti-oxidants, Shailender suggests the recipe of herbal tea. Moringa (50%), pudina, tulasi, curry leaves (25%) all leaves should be dried in the shade and then kept for an hour in the sun covered with a cloth. They should then be crushed and stored in a bottle. While preparing the tea, add one spoon of these crushed leaves to boiling water and allow it to infuse. After an hour, filter it, add jaggery, saindava lavanam, and lemon juice, and consume it.

Cooking utensils:

Use earthen pots, iron tavas and brass vessels. Avoid pressure cooker, aluminium and non-stick cookware.

Water for consumption:

The drinking water supplied to homes is treated with chlorine and fluorine. We can consume that directly, and our body also adapts to it and does its own detoxification. However, it is better to keep water in the open for a minimum time of one hour to 24 hours. This ensures that water imbibes the energy of the sun, moon, and stars. For maximum benefits, he suggests taking a container, adding chilliginjalu and moringa seeds, vattiveru (Chrysopogon zizanioides) and pasupu kommu (turmeric). So while, vattiveru gives minerals, turmeric works as an antiseptic. The pot should be covered with a cloth. Natural filtration takes place, minerals are added, and chlorine goes away. We store the water in a pot, put a copper coin in it and consume, shares Shailender.

Clothes we wear:

Synthetic clothes block the skin pores harming us. Also, when disposed of, these wont decompose easily, becoming a major threat to the environment. Cotton, therefore, is much recommended. Now, with BT cotton harming the environment, one should stick to organic cotton options.

Preventing cancer:

Due to depleting oxygen in cells, a person is prone to getting cancer. One way to prevent this disease is by avoiding acidic food. Humans these days cannot sustain only on fruits, and the food that we cook is acidic. Eating some raw food daily can help maintain balance, Shailender shares.

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Living the natural way: Naturalist Shailender speaks on healthy lifestyle - Yo Vizag

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PUBLISHED: 14:28 02 January 2020 | UPDATED: 15:48 02 January 2020

Kevin Hurley

Kevin Hurley launched his own personal training firm, Hurley Fitness, in 2012, which started solely as a one-to-one service. Picture: KEVIN HURLEY

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Having run my personal training business Hurley Fitness for seven years, helping people achieve their health and fitness targets has been a core aim of mine.

It's that time of the year again. We're recovering from over-indulging on mince pies and tubs of chocolate sweets, not to mention the dreaded booze.

But it's also a time of reflection. 2020 is a chance to start afresh, avoiding the mistakes we've made.

The traditional New Year resolution may typically involve something to do with improving health or losing weight. You've probably made the same promises the year before, and the year before that.

Let's be honest, it doesn't provide a sustainable plan. It's something vague to make us feel better at the year end, where failure is likely.

But having began small group training sessions to help making a healthy lifestyle affordable as well as achievable, here are four steps you can take to improve your health and fitness, not just for 2020, but forever.

Take Up Weight Training

This idea is becoming mainstream, but there's the myth that weight training makes you bigger.

It's fuelled by images of muscle-headed men or ladies looking 'ripped' on stage in body-building competitions.

Firstly, bodybuilding isn't weight training. Bodybuilders have eaten, trained several times a day, taken supplements and pills to achieve that enhanced look.

Weight training improves strength, posture, boosts metabolism, burns fat and improves confidence. It will also make everyday tasks like lifting shopping easier.

If fat loss is your goal, be aware that weight training over a prolonged period burns more fat than traditional cardio.

Monitor Your Calories

What works for one won't work for another.

I detest calorie counting and the apps that help you do so. For some, it's a method that has revolutionised their understanding of nutrition.

Calorie counting is unsustainable and pretty boring, yet it's the go-to method for almost everyone, which I recommend.

Firstly, focus on food quality. Keep as much as possible to natural, wholesome, foods. Secondly, monitor your portions, not by measuring calories, but with your hand.

Based upon three to four meals a day for females, each meal should contain a palm-sized portion of protein, a fistful of vegetables, a cupped handful of carbs and a thumb-size portion of fat. Men should double these amounts.

This is a starting point, so you may have to reduce or increase your portions depending on your progress.

Think NEAT

What's NEAT? It's a mouthful: Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Simply, this means everything you burn while you're not eating, sleeping or exercising, such as housework and even fidgeting!

While we focus on improving nutrition and getting more active, we could become more active daily.

The average person who has a busy life and a demanding family usually needs to start moving more at the outset.

Things like standing more or a ten-minute walk before dinner may seem insignificant, but they all add up!

Give Yourself a Reason

I've spoken to people over the years who exercise for the sake of it. They know it's good for them, but that's about it.

That's unlikely to motivate you when things get tough and you don't feel like moving when nights are dark.

'Getting fit' is extremely vague and doesn't make your heart burst with inspiration, does it? That's why fitness regimes usually crumble within weeks. What does inspire is having a clear reason to keep working towards your goal.

This can be done by, for example, writing in as much detail as possible how you'll feel on your summer holiday having achieved your goal.

By using these four points in 2020, you could be well on your way towards developing and sustaining a healthier, active lifestyle.

For more information on Hurley Fitness, visit https://www.hurleyfitness.co.uk/ or email kevinhurleyfitness@gmail.com.

Continued here:
Kevin Hurley on ways to gain healthy lifestyle in 2020 with Hurley Fitness | Ely and Soham Sport News - Ely Standard

The 1980s have gone down in history as the decade of excess (as if the gas-guzzling V8 cars of the 1970s or the rise of fast fashion in the 1990s never happened). But the 2010s have put it all to shame.

This was the decade where convenience crushed everything else. Prime two-day shipping became not a luxury, but a way of lifethat would give way to one-day shipping, then same-day shipping. Grubhub, Doordash, and Uber Eats became the ubiquitous, on-demand service to have any delicacy delivered. We had the explosion of smartphones, built from rare, mined materials. These were the supercomputers in our pockets, but due to planned obsolescence, fundamental fragility, or just the promise of thinner, faster, better, they still mandated upgrades every 12 to 24 months (no matter the consequence). Over the past decade, so many of the consequences of consumption became invisible: We forget that every search we make or song we stream has a cost: The cloud is really a server farm that needs impossible amounts of energythough that did nothing to quell the cryptocurrency boom.

None of this hit home until the last days of 2019, when I reached out to expertswho specialize in everything from packaged food to airline travel to architectureasking them to share their predictions for their industries in 2030. And while I said nothing about the environment, it was top of mind for almost everyone.

The products we choose to consume are more important than the clothes we wear or the cars we drive. People dont post pictures of their cars, but they post pictures of their food regularly. They want their friends to know two things: 1) what new thing they have discovered, and 2) what the decision to consume it says about them. This spirit of sharing and discovery has made people more adventurous, but where it was once about a specific in-restaurant dining experience, it now extends to everyday consumption of snacks and beverages.

Thankfully, advancements in e-commerce infrastructure have allowed our industry to make more product varieties available to consumers.

The tension we will face going forward is balancing consumer demand for endless options with the inconvenience of having to actually make choices. Choices can sometimes create friction in the purchasing process. We will have to design and deliver indispensable offerings and provide consumers with the knowledge and guidance to select products that best meet their needs.

Related: How will consumers balance the struggles of prioritizing sustainability with the need for convenience? Our consumers need for convenience is real, and its not going awaythats why delivery is on the rise. However, convenience creates waste: bags, boxes, plasticware. When my team is innovating at PepsiCo, sustainability is one of the top considerations. In the future, packaging must be more responsible while still being portable.Dena vonWerssowetz, senior marketing director for global beverages, PepsiCo

With absolute certainty, climate change will be the defining force in the next decade for all of us. There will be a growing earnestness to rethink how we live, work, and move around in response to conspicuous signals that were in trouble, from everyday tidal flooding to increasingly bizarre weather. Despite these alarm bells, the challenge ahead for designers will be to reconcile these necessary changes with our penchant for greed and laziness as consumers. This can be done, though, and here are two opportunities that fit this bill.

First, not moving around as we much as we do now will become a focus, especially for private and public employers compelled to curb business travel in the interest of reducing their carbon footprints. The design opportunity here is to create all-new ways of replicating in-person collaborations. Forget videoconferencing, which is a cave person version of whats ahead. Instead, there will be breakthroughs in extended reality, robotics, and smart surfaces that let us transcend geography.

Second, well have to be a lot more efficient when we are moving around. All transportation will become intermodal (meaning it orchestrates handshakes with other modalities) and multifunctional (meaning it does more than just one thing). Jammed city infrastructures will not tolerate one-dimensional vehicles that just deliver people or just deliver freight. This will require new vehicle form factors that are born of co-designing. Earlier in the decade, vehicles that are actually designed for both ride-sharing and delivering food and parcels will emerge. Later on, well see wilder mashups between cars and non-automotive brands that offer entirely new mobility experiences. Devin Liddell, principal futurist, Teague

Whether its CEOs declaring the need to redefine capitalism or the climate movement sparked by Greta Thunberg, there is a reexamination of fundamentals afoot: of the place and purpose of governments, businesses, and individuals in society. As we look at whats ahead, were seeing a groundswell of peopleenabled by digitalexerting pressure on organizations to redefine their success in ways other than financial growth alone. People want their purchases to reflect the social, environmental, and political causes they care about. After a long streak of pure profit-chasing, this is an epoch-defining opportunity for companies to reimagine their business models, services, and products around new definitions of valueto switch from digital transformation to purpose-led transformation.

Well see more leaders espouse purposeand then get caught up because its not aligned with some element of their operation. This reality is going to be really hard to resolve because as we transition, everyone is open to critique about something. Social media may not make plastic or dig up minerals that cannot be renewed, but it is open to criticism that it is causing social and political distress. Retailers may shift to ethically sourced products, but ship from halfway across the planet. The important thing is to startand that means with metrics. French corporate services giant Sodexo, with a number-driven emphasis on cutting food waste, is a great example. Could they reinvent everything they do? Probably. Should they start somewhere (and they have)? Yes. Ethical paralysis is not an option and will be called out. We believe it is better to be on the journey and admit you have a distance to go than burying your head. Theres a cynical game being played of looking at percentages as they are applied to contributors to global warming. There is always a sector more responsible than yours for CO2 emissions for example. But if we all take that approach, then nothing changes.

Over the next few years the idea of consumer will come to feel really backward as a labellike the idea of servant is pretty awkward in the 21st century. As causes grow as a motivation for purchase, we will see companies try to grow a direct link between the purpose of their employees and that of their customers, and to grow that as a direct connection. If you look at Bo, a new U.K. bank from RBSthey are explicitly trying to help their customers develop better money habitsas they say you do a little, we do a little. Its not hard to imagine a next step that connects their employees directly to customer outcomes.

As people begin to shift from a me to we mindset, tomorrows success stories will belong to organizations that design with all life in mind. As designers, we must begin to address people as part of a greater ecosystem, embracing a broader, more holistic systems mindset that starts to make the traditional user-centered design approach sound way too self-centered. Mark Curtis, cofounder and chief client officer, Fjord

In the next decade I believe experiential design will play a greater role and impact lives as people interact with the built environment. With the launch of 5G technology, the ability to create and transmit massive amounts of new content while were in constant motion and engagingin real timewith the built environment will be a major disrupter in communities. Expe
riential designs elevation to customizable and personal experiences that are built around individual behaviors and preferences will impact daily actions from a healthcare doctor visit, to educational experiences at two- and four-year institutions, to even vacations.

Imagine if youre a history buff, standing at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Youre presentedbased on your profile and interestsinformation as to how Lady Liberty was created and built. Then youre connected to details about Ellis Island regarding immigrant passengers, maybe even about your ancestors and the ships they arrived on. Instead of going back and researching, the information is curated and accessible in real time. Our engagement impact within the built world will be defined not only by what we see and feel, but with tailored experiences and information.

I believe the next decade will couple and improve these individual experiences with a greater focus on personalized health. With companies designing more high-tech wearables that gauge and record data, knowledge focused on healthy lifestyle and well-being choices will shape physical spaces, from college recreation spaces to athletic performance and research facilities, where the built and virtual environments become more integrated and seamless. Bradley Lukanic, CEO, CannonDesign

While tech boosters, hypemongers, and Davos dwellers continue to proclaim that we are living in a moment of technological revolution, economists, historians, and other observers have been telling a different story over the last decade: that we have been experiencing an extended period of slow economic and productivity growth since the 1970s. One possibility is that this period of slow growth will keep on going for many years, a potential some economists are, in fact, predicting. Overhyped and buzzword-laden technologieslike todays ubiquitous AIwill continue to underperform on expectations and incremental change will remain the norm.

Part of what makes meaningful growth so hard is that we underestimate the amount of significant change that has taken place over the last 150 years. Uber and Lyft provide some improvement over taxis, but that advance is not as great as the ones humans experienced earlier through the invention of automobiles, concrete and asphalt roads, and, well, taxi companies themselves. The difficulty in creating deep change is reflected in companies failing to produce profits. Lyft and, especially, Uber have struggled to be profitable, but so have WeWork, Tesla, Twitter, Peloton, and several other hyped firms. Moreover, research productivity in general has decreased over the last 50 yearsthat is, it takes more human effort and money to produce new researchperhaps in part, because, as some argue, all of the low-hanging fruit of technological and scientific change has been plucked. While boosters will always argue that some revolutionary technology, be it nanotechnology or true AI, is just over the horizon, theres really no reason to go along with such predictions or assume that our extended period of slow growth will end soon.

In this possible low growth future, our infrastructure will continue to degrade, and we will persist in our mastery of not acting to stop global climate change. Designers might capitalize on this moment by creating cheap solutions for consumers to adapt to their ever-warming world. But designers might also find their work increasingly casualized and precarious, as employers turn to temp labor and Uber-like apps that define designers as partners, not employees. Jobs will come and go, but wages will remain stagnant. This isnt your grandparents dystopia, a Blade Runner-esque hellscape of skyscrapers, androids, and flying cars, but rather something not much different than what we live in now, just continuing to molder. Lee Vinsel, assistant professor of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech

Excerpt from:
The next decade of design will be about fixing the last century of excess - Fast Company

There are innumerable health advantages of exercising regularly. Adding to the benefits, a recent study suggests that physical activities and exercise can reduce the risk of developing cancer.A study of nine trials of 7,50,000 people showed a reduced risk of seven types of cancers with a fixed amount of physical activity during leisure time. Many types of cancer have a relationship of 'dose/response' from the seven cancers identified in the report.The study was conducted by researchers of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and National Cancer Institute from the American Cancer Society and is published in the Journal -- Clinical Oncology."Physical activity guidelines have largely been based on their impact on chronic diseases like cardiovascular illness and diabetes," said Alpa Patel, senior scientific director of epidemiology research of the American Cancer Society.The guidelines for activity stated that 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity workout in a week or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity is the ideal amount of physical activity for sustaining a healthy lifestyle.Researchers after the study found that engaging in recommended amounts of activity (7.5 to 15 MET-hours/week) was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of seven of the 15 cancer types studied, with the reduction increasing with more MET-hours.Physical activity was associated with a lower risk of colon cancer in men (8 per cent for 7.5 MET-hours/week; 14 per cent for 15 MET-hours/week), female breast cancer (6-10 per cent), endometrial cancer (10-18 per cent), kidney cancer (11-17 per cent), myeloma (14-19 per cent), liver cancer (18-27 per cent), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (11-18 per cent in women)."These data provide strong support that these recommended levels are important to cancer prevention, as well," said Patel.The researchers' results have directly supported the activity levels suggested for cancer prevention.

Excerpt from:
Study reveals physical activities that can reduce cancer risks - Times of India

HOW HAVE THE first few days creating the 'new you for a new decade' been going? Have the chocolates remained in the cupboard? Are the Apple Watch wellness rings being completed? You should be up to 50,000 steps on your pedometer by the 5th - all good? Regardless of how successful your exercise plan is going, when it comes to the nutrition side of the equation there is always one Middle Eastern staple, which appears to attract its fair share of conflicting opinions in regards to its benefits: coffee. We absolutely love a cup of the brown stuff and on the face of it (barring you're not topping your mug with a tonne of cream) can't see any downside to chugging away throughout the day. Just to be on the safe side, though, we caught up with Nespresso's first coffee ambassador in the region, Yassir Corpataux, to get the inside track.

Let's get straight to it, how much coffee do you believe people should drink per day?

Moderate coffee consumption has its place in a balanced and healthy lifestyle. For Nespresso, 'moderate' translates to three to five cups of our Original system drinks. For more specific information on the impact of coffee and health have a look at coffeeandhealth.org. This organisation is amazing. Coffee is one of the most studied foods for its effects on health and scientific evidence shows that moderate coffee consumption can be beneficial to a person's wellbeing as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

What do you think of coffee trends such as adding spoonfuls of butter?

When I started my career back in 2007, my focus was exclusively on the perfect cup of coffee served as an espresso. The more I discussed with consumers, the more I observed and tried new interesting trends. Lately, I am a big fan of adding a pinch of salt in my cup to sweeten my blend if too bitter. Depending on the mood and the time of the day, I'll consume coffee differently. In the end, the consumer's taste prevails.

What is your favourite type of coffee and is having a machine really as good as visiting a barista?

In the morning, I will always select a fruity balanced coffee such as a sun-dried Ethiopian Arabica with a drop of milk to add some sweetness to the overall flavour. Single-serve machines offer a consistent coffee quality and save resources by using only the necessary coffee beans, water and energy needed to brew a single cup. The carbon footprint is therefore minimised. Ask any barista, from the moment you grind coffee, you have only a few seconds to make it or the oxidation will impact the aromatic profile. Our infinitely recyclable aluminium capsules protect coffee from the oxygen, humidity and light, which guarantees consistency and sustainability.

david@khaleejtimes.com

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UAE health matters: how much coffee is too much? - wknd.

A free program that aims to make obese children healthier will be offered in Surrey and eight other B.C. cities this winter.

The Generation Health program is offered to families with kids aged eight to 12 who are off the healthy weight trajectory, with a 10-week session set to start Feb. 7 at Tong Louie YMCA.

The sessions will be held there on Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., plus online sessions and group activities.

The family-focused, interactive program uses a lifestyle behaviour approach for promoting healthy weights in children and youth, according to a post at generationhealth.ca, where registration is now open. People can call 1-888-650-3141 for more details, or email info@generationhealth.ca.

The program will support you in making family changes to healthy behaviours such as healthy eating, physical activity, screen time and sleep that support your childs own health behaviours, a description says.

Its all focused on practical, fun activities that build family connectedness while building both the parent/caregivers and the childs skills to make lasting changes. As well, the program incorporates positive mental health activities that build resilience and self confidence and help to enhance overall well-being.

The program is funded by the provincial government via the Childhood Obesity Foundation, which launched a pilot for it in the fall of 2018.

READ MORE: Anti-childhood obesity program launching in Surrey all about habits, not weight

Almost one-third of children and teens in B.C. are above a healthy weight, said foundation chair Dr. Tom Warshawski, a Kelowna-based pediatrician. Several years ago, the province came to our foundation and said, What can we do about this? This is the made-in-B.C. program thats been developed.

The program is for preteens who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) above the 85th percentile for their age.

Warshawski said if parents think their kids are of an unhealthy weight, they probably are.

To make sure, they should visit a doctor have their height and weight measured, he said.

We dont talk about weight in the program at all, its about putting people on a more healthy lifestyle, and that involves the whole family everyone gets involved, Warshawski added.

The program is offered at sites in Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby, Campbell River, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Penticton and Prince George.

CLICK HERE to see video about the program.

(story continues below)

A Family Goal Setting blog was posted to generationhealth.ca on Dec. 31.

As the New Year rolls around, we all tend to think about resolutions or accomplishments we hope to strive for individually or as a family, the post says. Sometimes all we do is think about them or perhaps work towards them for a brief time then feel lousy when we dont meet our goals. Its key to focus only on a short list of achievable or S.M.A.R.T. goals if we want to be successful instead of demotivated.

S stands for specificinstead of saying were going to be more active, individually or as a family, quantify it like we are going to do one family physical activity each weekend and brainstorm together to create a list of ideas to get you started (e.g. going to the pool, trying a new hiking trail or hitting a trampoline park).

M stands for measurableensure you set a target so you stay motivated and know youre reaching success. Think up a fun, non-food reward, for meeting those milestones like buying a new board game or going to a movie everyone is excited to see.

A stands for achievableit wouldnt make sense to choose the above goal of adding a family physical activity each weekend if one family member works weekends for example, or to train for a full marathon when current running levels are only a couple of kilometres. Make sure everyone is in agreement about the attainability of the type and timing of the activity or family goal.

R stands for realisticperhaps your goal is about cooking and eating at home together as a family more often. Is it realistic to set the goal for every single evening, especially on a day thats busy with extracurricular activities? It might be more realistic to strive for 5 out of 7 days for example or one more day than your family is currently cooking and eating together.

T stands for time-basedconsider setting one or two long-term goals but also some short-term daily, weekly or monthly goals. Its very motivating when you achieve success with the short-term goals and can continue to strive for the long-term ones.

RELATED STORY, from 2017: Online ads for foods and drinks aimed at kids should be nixed: Heart and Stroke.

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter

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Free program in Surrey for families of kids 'off the healthy weight trajectory' - Surrey Now-Leader