http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

After losing 70 pounds, ridding myself of joint pain and finally feeling good to just be me, I know that a real wellness change — the sort that lasts long-term and is about way more than just the pounds lost — is a process.

Change, for me, didn’t happen from actually losing weight. Or I should say, it only happened in conjunction with a lot of reflection and, let’s be real, loads of therapy. These things were pivotal to understanding my relationship with food and making a long-lasting change.

To really show what this transformation looks like, I asked 11 people who all lost 100 pounds what they learned about their relationship with food. For each of them, their connections to food changed dramatically and, quite frankly, those connections are still changing. Here’s what they had to say.

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Chef Dan Kluger is a tinkerer: He grinds his own sausage, makes his own ricotta, and mills the wheat that’s used in his pizza dough at Loring Place in New York City. So we figured he’d have some strong opinions on the best tools to help him with all of these little tasks. And we were right.

We asked him to name the five kitchen tools he couldn’t live without and he had answers ready to go. They’re not just for pros, either — these five tools are all pretty important for home cooks, too.

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Carved or uncarved, pumpkins look great on the front porch or doorstep come October. But the gourds are, technically, food. So it’s no surprise they attract critters like squirrels! And not everyone’s available to sit on the stoop and shoo them away all day. Fortunately, there is an easy and cheap way to deter them — one that’s probably already in your kitchen.

It turns out, squirrels have an aversion to capsaicin, the oil that makes hot peppers taste hot. “There is some research to back this claim up,” says Chelle Hartzer, Technical Services Manager at Orkin. “High doses of capsaicin irritates the skin and the mucous membranes — it’s the “hot” in hot peppers that gives you the burn after eating them.”

Squirrels won’t eat foods that have capsaicin in them, and will avoid eating foods that have been treated with capsaicin. While you can buy squirrel repellent sprays at retail, there are a few ways to get capsaicin onto your pumpkins that are right in your kitchen.

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For a country where winter temperatures hover around freezing, the menu of the Costco food court in Iceland is surprisingly full of cold treats. The small menu, posted on Reddit by user AMIGOvalueshopper, offers just a half-dozen options — three of which are frozen.

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Carrageenan has faced serious scrutiny in recent years, since some animal studies suggest it can cause intestinal discomfort, ulcerations, and even cancer.

While the results of these studies are alarming at first glance, I believe that some of the concern surrounding them is unwarranted. Keep reading to find out more about this food additive and whether it’s healthy and safe to consume.

What Is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan is a food additive that’s commonly used as a stabilizer or thickening agent. It’s made up of an indigestible polysaccharide that comes from red algae. While carrageenan-rich seaweed has been a common gelling ingredient in some foods for centuries, modern food production techniques use an isolated, refined form of the additive—and that’s raised some concerns in the health community. (1)

Carrageenan is a common ingredient in almond milk, soy milk, and other non-dairy beverages, but is it safe for you to eat? Check out this article for answers to your questions about carrageenan.

There are two main forms of carrageenan that you might encounter: degraded, which is also called poligeenan, and undegraded. The undegraded variety is approved for food, while poligeenan is not.

Where You’re Likely to Find It

Packaged non-dairy milk is one of the most common sources for this additive. It’s often used to thicken up:

• Coconut milk
• Almond milk
• Other varieties of nut milk and non-dairy milk beverages

If you’ve given up dairy products for these alternatives, you’re probably increasing your intake of this thickener.

Is It Safe for You to Eat?

Most nut milk manufacturers include it in the ingredients list just to improve the mouthfeel of the end product.

So, is it safe for you to eat it? The short answer is, unfortunately, that it’s difficult to tell at this point. While much has been made in the past about a possible link between carrageenan and cancer, I’m not convinced that it poses a real carcinogenic threat, for reasons I’ll explain below. There is, however, some evidence that it may cause intestinal problems for certain people.

However, occasional exposure is probably nothing to be concerned about.

What You Need to Know about the Research

Many of the questions about this additive were raised in response to animal studies that seemed to suggest a link between carrageenan consumption and the formation of cancerous colon lesions and ulcerations. One 2001 review examined the results of around 45 studies before concluding that this additive had troubling “carcinogenic properties.” (2)

There is one important detail that often gets lost in the discussion, however: Many of these animal studies involved poligeenan, the degraded form of carrageenan that is not approved for use in our food supply. Poligeenan is not the additive you will find in coconut or almond milk, and it’s significantly more harmful to lab animals than carrageenan is. This lack of clarification between the two additives probably accounts for much of the concern over the safety of carrageenan.

In instances where researchers used food-grade carrageenan, not poligeenan, in their testing, the only time the additive seemed to accelerate tumor growth was when it was administered with a known carcinogen. That means the food-safe form of this additive has not been linked to cancer in laboratory testing.

The Possible Connection to Intestinal Problems

Some animal studies have also suggested a link between carrageenan and intestinal damage. Again, many of these studies used the poligeenan form of this thickener during experimentation.

One study examined the effects of poligeenan and carrageenan on rhesus monkeys. Researchers found that when poligeenan made up between 0.5 and 2 percent of the total diet for rhesus monkeys, the lab animals experienced hemorrhaging, diarrhea, and ulcerations. When carrageenan made up 1 to 3 percent of the diet, however, the rhesus monkeys did not experience any colonic changes. (3)

Unfortunately, there have been other animal studies suggesting a link between carrageenan, not poligeenan, and intestinal damage. However, there is significant variability between the results in each experiment.

According to the 2001 review I referenced above, one study using rats found that carrageenan caused:

• Epithelial cell loss (including cells lining the gut)
• Diarrhea
• Increased intestinal permeability, or leaky gut

In another study, carrageenan caused ulcers in the colon for guinea pigs, but there were no side effects for rats and hamsters. In yet another study, pigs showed abnormalities in their intestinal lining after consuming carrageenan, but there was no evidence of tumors or ulcerations.

And, in another rat-based study, researchers found no evidence of colon lesions or ulcerations after administering the additive for 90 days. (4)

Other Problems with the Existing Research

In several of these tests, the lab animals consumed this additive through their water supply, not their food. That method probably worsened the severity of the side effects the lab animals experienced. That’s because carrageenan interacts with protein molecules. Eating it as a component of solid food is generally much less harmful.

The lab animals in these studies also ended up consuming significantly more of this food additive than humans are likely to eat, as I pointed out above. Few people would ever be able to consume enough carrageenan to make up even 1 percent of their diet.

Given the details of these animal studies, it’s unclear how applicable or relevant the results are to humans.

Have Researchers Conducted Studies in Humans?

While researchers don’t run tests on human subjects for clear ethical reasons, we do have some data from in vitro experiments done on isolated epithelial cells from the intestines.

The results of these experiments do seem to support the idea that carrageenan can cause inflammation in the intestines.

Inflammation Is a Potential Risk

In one study, researchers noted pro-inflammatory activity in intestinal epithelial tissue exposed to the food additive; two indicators, or transcription factors, were expressed or “switched on.” (5) This seems to have been a protective response from the body. If either of the pro-inflammatory factors were suppressed, increased gut permeability resulted. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear whether this study involved poligeenan or not.

Two other studies echoed this one, both showing evidence that the additive triggered inflammation in isolated intestinal epithelial tissue. (6, 7)

Other Possible Side Effects on Human Cells

Other studies suggest that carrageenan can have even more wide-ranging and damaging effects on human cells, including cells in the tissue lining the gut.

For example, when researchers exposed human intestinal epithelium to the thickener, it had a negative impact on the vitality and functioning of the cell. (8)

In another study that also looked at the impact of exposure had on intestinal cells, researchers found that, even at very low concentrations, carrageenan led to:

• Cell cycle arrest
• Less cell proliferation
• Increased cell death (9)

Want to Avoid Carrageenan Altogether? Here’s How

If you are concerned about the safety of carrageenan, avoid it. Instead, choose nutritious, real foods over packaged products that contain this (and other potentially risky) additives.

Make Your Own Nut Milk (It’s Pretty Easy)

If you’re avoiding dairy products, crossing pre-packaged nut milk off your grocery list may sound like an impossible task. Not to worry—making homemade nut milk is a fairly simple process.

For detailed instructions, check out these recipes for homemade coconut milk and almond milk. Besides some basic ingredients, you’ll just need a blender, cheesecloth, and glass jars to store the final product.

These homemade drinks will stay fresh in the fridge for around four days.

Go Easy on the Almond Milk and Look for Additive-Free Options

Making homemade nut milk isn’t feasible for everyone, but that’s okay. Indulging in an occasional packaged drink is not likely to have a serious health impact. Look for brands that don’t include carrageenan in the final product. Check the ingredients first and otherwise to try to limit your exposure to products containing this thickener.

Now, I’d like to hear your opinions. Do you plan on steering clear of this food additive? Have you given up packaged options in favor of homemade nut milk? Tell me in the comment section below.

The post Carrageenan: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Chris Kresser.

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In the world of internet girl crushes, keep your Chrissy Teigen and Jeanette Ogden and give me Busy Philipps, please. Philipps is an actress, television host, and author who posts frequently on Instagram, sharing both intimate moments (such as randomly crying at the dinner table or in her car) as well as her favorite workouts.

When we interviewed Busy this past summer, I threw my favorite question in the hat. “What’s your Miracle Meal?” I asked, because even celebrities have nights where dinner plans go awry and they need pantry backup. Busy’s answer — a super-simple canned soup hack — has now become one of my own personal favorites, too. Here’s how you can make Busy’s minestrone soup with just 15 minutes and four ingredients.

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Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.

Please forgive me because I absolutely cannot resist making the following mushroom pun in reference to the recipe that I’m about to convince you to make tonight: “There’s not mushroom for improvement here because these honey balsamic garlic mushrooms from The Recipe Critic are absolute perfection.”

Whew, now that’s out of my system we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

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“You’ve lost so much weight! Tell me your secret!”

There is a woman — we will call her Cindy — that I’ve seen at the gym for the last eight years. I don’t know her well; only enough to exchange a friendly “hello” when we see each other.

Recently, I was in the locker room when Cindy walked in, and I suddenly realized it had been a couple of months since I had last seen her. It was impossible not to notice that she had lost a significant amount of weight. As usual, we smiled and exchanged a hello, and then I walked over to the bathroom sink as she started to change her clothes.

Another woman walked into the locker room, and it was clear that she knew Cindy but hadn’t seen her in a while either. As soon as the woman saw Cindy, she went wild. “You look AMAZING! You’ve lost so much weight! Tell me your secret!”

Cindy paused for several seconds and then said, “Well… I was laid off from my job of twenty years, and then my husband left me. I’ve been very stressed, and haven’t been able to eat.”

Of course the woman who made the remarks felt awful. She didn’t mean any harm, and apologized profusely. Cindy was gracious, and told her that she was OK, but there’s a powerful lesson in this exchange for us all:

We never really know what caused a person’s weight loss.

When I shared the story of Cindy on social media and in our free closed Facebook group SWOLE U, I received countless responses, private messages, and emails from women sharing their own difficult stories of receiving uncomfortable comments about their weight loss.

If you’re currently thinking, “But… acknowledging someone’s weight loss is a compliment! It’s being nice!” I understand why you might think so. Weight loss is often the default compliment — especially among women — and for years I complimented people on weight loss with the best of intentions.

Now I realize there were a lot of things I overlooked.

Stress and personal issues are only a couple examples of weight loss being caused by unfortunate things, making it inappropriate, awkward, or even hurtful to mention. Here are some things to consider prior to bringing up something as personal as the appearance — or changed appearance — of someone’s body.

Eating Disorders, Unhealthy Dieting, and Extreme Exercise

Several years ago I was following a very restrictive diet. I was losing body fat rapidly, and my family, friends, co-workers, and people at the gym were all complimenting me on my weight loss.

What they didn’t know was that I felt absolutely awful. I didn’t have any energy, I was moody, my sex drive was non-existent, and I was so foggy-headed that I struggled to concentrate on anything. The diet that I was following was dangerously restrictive, and I knew it.

I struggled to get off that diet and — I’m embarrassed to admit this — it was partly because of how much positive reinforcement I was receiving about my appearance.

Many women have shared similar stories. They were participating in extreme diets, or had an unhealthy obsession with exercise and were scared to eat more or exercise less for fear of gaining weight which would in turn cause the compliments to come to a stop.

Compliments on weight loss can potentially reinforce unhealthy (or even dangerous) behaviors.

Illness or Side Effects From Medication

Weight loss can be an unfortunate side effect of certain physical or mental illnesses. When a person doesn’t feel well and is showered in compliments about their appearance, it can feel confusing and irrelevant.

Additionally, most people don’t want to discuss something as private as their illness, which makes it very uncomfortable for them to navigate questions about what they’ve done to cause weight loss.

A Woman’s Worth Is Not Her Appearance

Society and many forms of advertising and marketing would like us to believe that a woman’s worth is centered around her appearance. Because of that, many women struggle to feel confident in their own skin regardless of what they look like.

By centering a woman’s body in a conversation, we are perpetuating the absurd notion that a woman’s appearance is the most interesting thing about her, and that her body is up for discussion. It’s neither of those things.

A woman’s appearance is the least interesting thing about her.

If you want to compliment a woman while also supporting her in feeling valued and worthy for who she is rather than what she looks like, the most supportive thing that you can do is remind her of all of the qualities that make her so incredible and that have nothing to do with appearance. Her body is her business.

What If the Goal Is Fat Loss?

When this topic was discussed on social media, a few well-intended folks asked about complimenting women when they know for certain that the person’s goal is weight loss.

Even in this scenario, I still encourage you to give attention to things other than their body’s appearance. Complimenting them on their hard work is something much more valuable to mention because it’s acknowledging their values, which is something far more important than their looks.

Additionally, a concern that often comes up from my clients who are working towards weight loss and are receiving compliments about it is, “What if I gain the weight back?”

If you shower a person in compliments when they lose weight, how will you be able to be supportive if they gain the weight back? This is something important to consider.

Try This Instead

As you can see, commenting on something as personal and private as someone’s body can feel intrusive, and make a person feel extremely uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.

Rather than complimenting a person on their body, you may consider giving genuine compliments on who they are, their values, or skills. For example:

• “You’re so enjoyable to be around!”
• “I really admire how hard you work on the things you’re passionate about.”
• “You are such a great listener.”
• “You have such a big heart!”

Weight loss is not always a good thing, and even if a person is working towards weight loss it’s important not to center their body or their appearance. Remind them how many other amazing qualities that they have regardless of how they look.

Coaches’ Corner

If you are a coach or personal trainer, you will likely work with some clients who are working toward fat loss. If you know that your client has a goal to lose fat, positive feedback can be motivating and encouraging. Acknowledging a decrease in measurements or body fat percentage as data points, and then emphasizing consistency, hard work, and dedication are wonderful ways to let your client know that you notice how much effort they have put into the process, without tying their value to their body composition.

For instance, you may say something like: “You’ve been working hard toward your fat loss goal for the last six weeks, and according to today’s measurement, you’ve lost an inch around your waist. You’re getting closer to your goal! You’ve been so consistent with your workouts and your nutrition habit of eating more slowly. Nicely done!”

Avoid objectifying comments, such as “Lookin’ good!” Stay away from remarks that are centered around your personal opinion of your client’s body, like “Your thighs look much better now that they’re smaller.”

It’s important to provide a wide variety of compliments and positive feedback, so that you can help your client see that they have so much more to be proud of than just the change in their body composition.

Some examples include:

• “You were such a good teammate today in class!”
• “You’re getting so strong!”
• “Your deadlift form has gotten so much better!”
• “You look so confident and happy!”
• “I know you’ve had a rough week. It was wise of you to recognize that, and pull back on your training a bit. Well done!”

Offering genuine compliments about consistency, effort, and dedication are all wonderful ways to let your client know that you notice and appreciate how much effort they have put into the process, while assuring them that their value in the past, current, and future has nothing to do with their weight.

The post Should You Compliment Others on Weight Loss? appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

“You’ve lost so much weight! Tell me your secret!”

There is a woman — we will call her Cindy — that I’ve seen at the gym for the last eight years. I don’t know her well; only enough to exchange a friendly “hello” when we see each other.

Recently, I was in the locker room when Cindy walked in, and I suddenly realized it had been a couple of months since I had last seen her. It was impossible not to notice that she had lost a significant amount of weight. As usual, we smiled and exchanged a hello, and then I walked over to the bathroom sink as she started to change her clothes.

Another woman walked into the locker room, and it was clear that she knew Cindy but hadn’t seen her in a while either. As soon as the woman saw Cindy, she went wild. “You look AMAZING! You’ve lost so much weight! Tell me your secret!”

Cindy paused for several seconds and then said, “Well… I was laid off from my job of twenty years, and then my husband left me. I’ve been very stressed, and haven’t been able to eat.”

Of course the woman who made the remarks felt awful. She didn’t mean any harm, and apologized profusely. Cindy was gracious, and told her that she was OK, but there’s a powerful lesson in this exchange for us all:

We never really know what caused a person’s weight loss.

When I shared the story of Cindy on social media and in our free closed Facebook group SWOLE U, I received countless responses, private messages, and emails from women sharing their own difficult stories of receiving uncomfortable comments about their weight loss.

If you’re currently thinking, “But… acknowledging someone’s weight loss is a compliment! It’s being nice!” I understand why you might think so. Weight loss is often the default compliment — especially among women — and for years I complimented people on weight loss with the best of intentions.

Now I realize there were a lot of things I overlooked.

Stress and personal issues are only a couple examples of weight loss being caused by unfortunate things, making it inappropriate, awkward, or even hurtful to mention. Here are some things to consider prior to bringing up something as personal as the appearance — or changed appearance — of someone’s body.

Eating Disorders, Unhealthy Dieting, and Extreme Exercise

Several years ago I was following a very restrictive diet. I was losing body fat rapidly, and my family, friends, co-workers, and people at the gym were all complimenting me on my weight loss.

What they didn’t know was that I felt absolutely awful. I didn’t have any energy, I was moody, my sex drive was non-existent, and I was so foggy-headed that I struggled to concentrate on anything. The diet that I was following was dangerously restrictive, and I knew it.

I struggled to get off that diet and — I’m embarrassed to admit this — it was partly because of how much positive reinforcement I was receiving about my appearance.

Many women have shared similar stories. They were participating in extreme diets, or had an unhealthy obsession with exercise and were scared to eat more or exercise less for fear of gaining weight which would in turn cause the compliments to come to a stop.

Compliments on weight loss can potentially reinforce unhealthy (or even dangerous) behaviors.

Illness or Side Effects From Medication

Weight loss can be an unfortunate side effect of certain physical or mental illnesses. When a person doesn’t feel well and is showered in compliments about their appearance, it can feel confusing and irrelevant.

Additionally, most people don’t want to discuss something as private as their illness, which makes it very uncomfortable for them to navigate questions about what they’ve done to cause weight loss.

A Woman’s Worth Is Not Her Appearance

Society and many forms of advertising and marketing would like us to believe that a woman’s worth is centered around her appearance. Because of that, many women struggle to feel confident in their own skin regardless of what they look like.

By centering a woman’s body in a conversation, we are perpetuating the absurd notion that a woman’s appearance is the most interesting thing about her, and that her body is up for discussion. It’s neither of those things.

A woman’s appearance is the least interesting thing about her.

If you want to compliment a woman while also supporting her in feeling valued and worthy for who she is rather than what she looks like, the most supportive thing that you can do is remind her of all of the qualities that make her so incredible and that have nothing to do with appearance. Her body is her business.

What If the Goal Is Fat Loss?

When this topic was discussed on social media, a few well-intended folks asked about complimenting women when they know for certain that the person’s goal is weight loss.

Even in this scenario, I still encourage you to give attention to things other than their body’s appearance. Complimenting them on their hard work is something much more valuable to mention because it’s acknowledging their values, which is something far more important than their looks.

Additionally, a concern that often comes up from my clients who are working towards weight loss and are receiving compliments about it is, “What if I gain the weight back?”

If you shower a person in compliments when they lose weight, how will you be able to be supportive if they gain the weight back? This is something important to consider.

Try This Instead

As you can see, commenting on something as personal and private as someone’s body can feel intrusive, and make a person feel extremely uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.

Rather than complimenting a person on their body, you may consider giving genuine compliments on who they are, their values, or skills. For example:

• “You’re so enjoyable to be around!”
• “I really admire how hard you work on the things you’re passionate about.”
• “You are such a great listener.”
• “You have such a big heart!”

Weight loss is not always a good thing, and even if a person is working towards weight loss it’s important not to center their body or their appearance. Remind them how many other amazing qualities that they have regardless of how they look.

Coaches’ Corner

If you are a coach or personal trainer, you will likely work with some clients who are working toward fat loss. If you know that your client has a goal to lose fat, positive feedback can be motivating and encouraging. Acknowledging a decrease in measurements or body fat percentage as data points, and then emphasizing consistency, hard work, and dedication are wonderful ways to let your client know that you notice how much effort they have put into the process, without tying their value to their body composition.

For instance, you may say something like: “You’ve been working hard toward your fat loss goal for the last six weeks, and according to today’s measurement, you’ve lost an inch around your waist. You’re getting closer to your goal! You’ve been so consistent with your workouts and your nutrition habit of eating more slowly. Nicely done!”

Avoid objectifying comments, such as “Lookin’ good!” Stay away from remarks that are centered around your personal opinion of your client’s body, like “Your thighs look much better now that they’re smaller.”

It’s important to provide a wide variety of compliments and positive feedback, so that you can help your client see that they have so much more to be proud of than just the change in their body composition.

Some examples include:

• “You were such a good teammate today in class!”
• “You’re getting so strong!”
• “Your deadlift form has gotten so much better!”
• “You look so confident and happy!”
• “I know you’ve had a rough week. It was wise of you to recognize that, and pull back on your training a bit. Well done!”

Offering genuine compliments about consistency, effort, and dedication are all wonderful ways to let your client know that you notice and appreciate how much effort they have put into the process, while assuring them that their value in the past, current, and future has nothing to do with their weight.

The post Why You Shouldn’t Compliment Others on Weight Loss (and What You Can Do Instead) appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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When I woke up this morning, an idea for a perfect on-the-go sandwich came to me in a flash. So, I took to Twitter and shared what I thought could be the Next Big Thing in breakfast: two freshly baked cookies (chocolate chip) hugging a nice, thick, breakfast-y layer of butter, completed with a slice or two of bacon.

( … What?)

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