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AI 101: AI Explained
Do you struggle with AI? Have parents, friends, and others who struggle with terminology and understanding what AI is good for?
The guide defines basics terms that are often mentioned in numerous online videos and definitely can be confusing to a new user.
Check out my guide, free to use, no data collected.
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Which supplement should I take? #Supplement Explorer
Are you always on your phone looking at which supplements you should take? Do you look at reviews? How do you decide what to buy?
As someone who has been in the nutraceutical industry for over 10 years, I’ve worked with many suppliers and companies to understand why an ingredient is chosen, what research is behind it, and how to sell it to a consumer, so if you are looking for some answers to questions you may have, drop a comment, or even better check out the Supplement Explorer on the site. It is free to use, 3 questions, and a simple output. No info is stored.I made the Supplement Explorer purely for my use and then thought, well, if it is useful for me, maybe it is useful for others. The tool is not affiliated with any company or brand, but was just a way for me to showcase what I find useful. If you use it, do give me feedback as to what you’d like to see it on too.
Stay well and remember, before taking any supplements, check with your doctor if it is a good fit for you or not!
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Shopping season is here!
This weekend I was at Target and two things surprised me. What were they? One was that people are still shopping and ready to spend money for Christmas and the holidays. That’s good to stimulate the economy but we got to remember that many can’t afford holiday spending this year due to the pandemic so do try to volunteer or donate as you are able to, if you can. Two, I saw many people wearing masks in the store! That’s great because the pandemic isn’t over and it seems like people will still gather to celebrate and I’m pretty sure most won’t be wearing a mask at home but that’s another story but at least we can stay well while shopping at Target. So what does all this have to do with today’s post?
It is just a friendly reminder to keep wearing your mask and not to let your guard down during Nov and Dec as both months are likely going to show even more spikes in Covid-19 cases in the US. Please stay healthy and safe!
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#FF What did you miss this week?
A historic week began this week with the US elections ending but as the world awaits for what’s next, you don’t have too. The Manmorandum’s post that you missed out on this week are below:
A new day
Insect protein
Cricket protein
Need a new book to read?
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Need a new book to read?
A book that I recently completed is The New Power Base Selling by Jim Holden and Ryan Kubacki. Typically, we all go to the store or online and pick up products that we like but do you know what goes behind delivering that end product? I thought this book was interesting for many reasons including that decisions are hard to make and how you make them can affect what the end result is.
Some highlights that stood out for me included that in a business or in a team or in a project, there is always a “fox” someone whose opinion is of utmost importance to move the project forward so if you don’t know who that is, will you be achieving what you set out for. Also, if you can’t get to the fox on that group, then do you know who is the power base or those that the fox relies on and can support your approach. Finally, what unexpected value does your product provide that the competitor doesn’t? Knowing the answers to some of these questions perhaps might give you leverage that you might not have had otherwise. The beauty of this book was a lot of what was shared can be applied to not just your work life but your personal life because often times we are in leadership positions outside of the home.
Stay well!
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Cricket protein
Yesterday, I wrote about insect protein so today let’s talk about a specific one, cricket protein. Are you ready to eat crickets? What type of question is that? Well, more and more products are starting to contain insect proteins so would you be surprised to taste your favorite bar with cricket protein vs pea protein or whey protein?
Yes, cricket protein is a legit viable source for protein. There are numerous reasons this industry–the insect industry–will flourish. One is crickets are very sustainable and leave a small eco-footprint. This is important as think about all the cows and chickens their diets and farming that are required to give you that proteins supplement that you are taking. Two, cricket protein is loaded with nutrients including B12, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber. Plus, the main reason you want to take this is that it has 2x the amount of protein than beef!
So you might be thinking well how does it taste? Well, pick up a cricket bar from Amazon and try it. Taste is subjective but for me, I think it tastes great especially if you choose the right flavored bar. You might also be wondering how you will convince yourself that you are about to eat crickets? Well, this one is easy to answer. When fruits and veggies are grown on a farm, insects are all around them so you are kinda already getting exposed to them there. Plus, most food products allow a few insect parts in them. Two examples that come to mind are peanut butter and chocolate. Peanut butter can have up to 30 insect fragments per 100 grams while chocolate can have up to 60 insect fragments per 100 grams. Now, that is something to truly munch on!
If you aren’t ready to dry the cricket bars as a first step, you can always buy cricket flour to bake with so there are options for you to try if you are willing to give this ingredient a shot!
Sticking to a healthy diet doesn’t have to be limited to just plant-based and our traditional animal-based products, today there are multiple options including crickets as a source for healthy living.
Stay well!
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Insect protein
I recently read an article about how pet food is now going to introduce insect protein in it. That got me to thinking that since human food is lacking behind in accepting insect protein, will pet owners gravitate towards it? Would you care if your pet food had black soldier fly protein in it? Would that change your purchase decision?
Being a dog owner, I personally would have to see how much is in it, what benefits does it provide, and of course, will need a sample packet to see if my dog will even eat it. I think pet owners will gravitate towards it if there is an incredible value attached to it from health benefits to sustainability to something else. Price also will play a factor as novel ingredients could result in price increases. So much to consider. I think we are just at the beginning of the revolution of insect protein reaching our market and think once we get over the “ick” factor, it might be another protein that is as common as whey or pea protein. What do you think?
Stay well!
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A new day
Let’s start this Monday and this week with much positivity and love. With the US elections now ending, I’m sure no matter who you voted for, there is some sort of relief and some of the stress is reduced! Things can only get better!
With so many health issues plaguing our country today, anything that we can do to change our mindset is only going to help each of us. The political turmoil in the US was just one more woe added to our plates so just like anything else that knocks you down, one must get up and move on. Hope is for a better future and unity is what we can strive for and hopefully, we are turning the corner.
As I have said before, change doesn’t come overnight but just like your health journey, it is all about one step at a time!
Stay well!
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#FF What did you miss this week?
Well, November started off with a bang right—daylight savings time ends and US elections were underway. What a week! In this crazy week, perhaps you need a quick 5 mins read.
Here’s what you missed this week:
Weight gain season is here!
How’s your Vit D level?
Pizza! Yum! Yum!
Is your grocery bill going up?
Stay well!
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Is your grocery bill going up?
How is your choice of purchase affecting your grocery bill? How do you get your groceries? Do you drive to your local supermarket and spend about 30 mins to an hour with your grocery list and pick up the items you want or do you browse the store until you find what you want or do you go when you are hungry and buy too much of stuff that you don’t need? I’m sure many of us have fallen into one of those scenarios but did you know that grocery shopping online is becoming a huge trend.
As our lives get busier, we often find ways to eliminate the mundane activities that consuming a lot of time, hence we shop online. Perhaps, you have bought groceries via Amazon Prime Pantry and get it delivered or maybe you have used Amazon and Wholefoods relationship to get food delivered to you or you have tried some of the other sites like Thrive Market or Google Express or Brandless to find items? All these sites are serving one purpose, convenience but you are paying for it! How? Perhaps, through higher prices or delivery fees but you are paying for it and you might not even notice the climbing grocery bills.
One great option is to see if you can order ahead online what you want from your local grocery store so that you can swing by on your way home from work and pick it up. Of course, the downside is that someone is picking up the fruits and veggies based on their choice and not yours so that may be a con but on the other hand, it is like going to eat out, someone else is preparing your meal so is it really a con? Personally, I like to touch and feel the produce so I’m OK with not ordering fresh produce from my local grocery store online and would rather take the 15 mins to go find what I want but each person’s situation is different.
With plenty of choices available to the consumer, why should grocery shopping be hard today? Plus, why should the grocery bill have to climb up for convenience only? I prefer more options and I’m sure my wallet does too.
There are plenty of ways to get food on the dinner table without going for fast food so choose wisely the service that works best for you and eat healthily!
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Pizza! Yum! Yum!
Earlier this week I wrote about weight gain, so of course with Halloween just passing and Thanksgiving right around the corner, loads of sugar, sweets, and indulgences are around the corner so don’t fall in the trap of eating everything because those few weeks of cheating will definitely make it harder to return to your healthy ways especially if you are getting older. My favorite indulgence is pizza, as seen in the pic, but should it be eaten in one sitting? What can I do about it aside from not eating it?
What can you do so you don’t miss out on the wonderful meals? Eat smaller portions, continue to go to the gym, and eat 2 out of 3 meals as clean as you can so that the cheat meal doesn’t turn into a cheat week or cheat month.
Not sure if your family does Pizza Fridays but that is something we enjoy in our house so I shouldn’t avoid it, right? Family time is so important during the holidays but so give them the attention they seek and your waistline the attention it deserves too!
Stay well!
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How’s your Vit D level?
I’ve written several times about the importance of Vitamin D and the more you read or see in the news, you do see some impact from it on your health. Is it true or not? I don’t know but you and your doctor can sure have a discussion about it. Why? Fall weather is slowly coming followed by the bleak winter months. Lots of eating and staying inside and of course a lack of sun but all is not lost. You can still feel great—Vitamin D, cleaning eating, and exercising are just some of the keys..read on to know more.
Want strong bones? Exercise and muscle are important but nutrients are too.
You’ll often see Vitamin D combined with other minerals like calcium, phosphorus, or even vitamin K but why? Mostly because one or more nutrients uptake is helped by the other.
What happens if you don’t combine these vitamins and minerals together?
Well, you’ll be deficient in these unless you’re eating super well and hitting your recommended daily values
If you want stronger bones, then you’ll need both vitamin D and calcium. Also, calcium can help protect you from kidney stones if your diet is in check.
Also, remember too much vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, or even vitamin K can result in toxicity resulting in high or low bone mineral content depending on which is the problem nutrient. So what can you do? Check with your doctor before choosing the dosage and supplement. Supplements are exactly that, supplements to a diet, not a cure to fix anything. So how’s your Vit D level? Is your Vit D level up or down?
Stay well!
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