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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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Year 1 Top Post: Do you enjoy protein bars?
One of my quickest and easiest go-to-grab snacks is a protein bar but not all bars are good, right? Some are super chewy and some are just plain gross. They don’t taste well or stick to your teeth or have multiple other problems no matter how good the packaging looks.
With all that being said, the one product that I enjoy is Quest bars. Recently, I tried this new flavor, chocolate hazelnut, and was blown away. It tastes good and didn’t have that gritty feeling some bars leave. Plus, Quest products tend to taste good even with 20g protein in them. Plus, if you are on the keto diet, this is another good one to keep in your arsenal as it only has 4g net carbs and 14g fiber!
If you are looking to try something good and convenient that keeps you full, give this protein bar a shot!
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Year 1 Top Post: Number one cause of food waste-is this it?
Yesterday, I talked about produce food waste but what about all the other items. What do you think is the reason most food is thrown out by consumers? Like me, I’m guessing you go by the date on the item and decide when to toss it out. Confusion by dates is a leading cause of food waste!
Sell by, best before, use by, etc.. so many terms to define if a food should be eaten or not, no wonder consumers are confused. So what can you do about it? Understand why those dates exist on products. Not only will you likely eat healthier but you’ll also avoid any unnecessary micro issues that may arise from eating spoiled food.
Let’s start with Use By–this means that the product will retain its most nutritional value if used by this date. Of course, you can probably use some times after this date if it has been stored properly but again make a judgement call because you wouldn’t want to give a baby, for example, formula that is past this use by date since the nutritional value might be compromised.
Another one that you see is Best Before–means this product is fresh and best if consumed before this date. This does not mean that the product has gone bad after this date but rather that the freshness is not there. In other words, have you ever found an old snickers or kit kat at home and because it looked ok, you ate it? Well, you can eat it but it probably won’t be as good as one that is fresh and just bought.
Similar to best before date, Guaranteed Fresh is another date that you might see on bakery items which means that the product is going to taste great until this date though can be eaten after it too but it may not taste as good.
If you buy meat, you typically see a Sell By date on it. This means that the retailer has to get rid of that product before this date. It can be consumed after this date if stored properly. Also, if you buy meat and freeze it, then the dangers of eating it after the sell by date are further minimized.
Expiration date is often seen too and that means that this is the absolute last date you should consume this product and if you do eat it, you are eating it at your own risk.
Most date formats on products today use the Julian calendar. The first two digits represent the year and the remaining the day of the year. An example would be 18182 which means the product has a date of 2018 and the 182nd day of the year or July 1, 2018.
Also, fresh foods tend not to have dates since it all depends on how you store them and how quickly you use them. A good rule of thumb, if it smells bad or has fungi growing on it, it probably has gone bad.
Did you notice that even though all these dates are present on products, not one tells you when the food is actually going to spoil by? Hence, there is so much food waste today. However, some relief may be in sight because the USDA has asked food companies to use the label Best If Used By date to help minimize food waste. Let’s see if this will be implemented and do what it is supposed to.
image from Clem O.
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Year 1 Top Post: Do you throw out produce?
Have you gone grocery shopping this week? Did you buy a bunch of food from processed to produce? You probably bought the processed items (those in a can or box) because you know it will last longer and you don’t have to worry about it expiring or maybe it was just cheaper but you bought the produce because you know you have to eat it fast and maybe you had to buy more than you needed because smaller options are not available. Unfortunately, like many of us, you are most likely going to be throwing away the produce due to it going bad—resulting in food waste!
Growing up, we all are told to finish our plates or take the leftovers home but what does that really do? Do you actually eat those leftovers the next day or do you take it home, keep it in the fridge, look at it the next day and then get something else to eat and throw out your leftovers from the day before? I’m guessing most of us fall into the latter situation. What can you do to avoid food waste? The answer isn’t as simple as you think.
No matter where you live, I’m sure there are kids that are going hungry to bed so think about that next time you throw your food out. Yes, you may not be able to make an impact directly for them in this situation but what you are doing by not discarding food is reducing your carbon footprint and therefore helping the environment. Not convinced yet?
Going back to the beginning, you bought produce, now what? Buy fresh food and eat it by the date mentioned on the label. Remember, fresh food expires faster than packaged food so it must be consumed so that you are able to get all the nutrients that the item has. To limit throwing out fresh food, consider buying just what you need for your email. Even shopping at Costco, Sam’s Club, etc. and buying in bulk fresh food items should be limited because unless you plan to feed your family the entire item before it expires, it will end up as food waste. Sometimes that bulk price savings is actually bad in terms of the environment and waste. Finally, as mentioned earlier, when dining out, go for the smaller meal plates, not only will you avoid food waste but your wallet and body will thank you as well!
Food waste is continuing to be a big problem and as countries like India and China are demanding higher levels of food and beverage items, this challenge must be tackled so that we all consume what is necessary to sustain life and not over-indulge!
image from stokpic
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Top Posts
It’s been one year since I started the blog and have got some good readership of posts so I’m going to be posting the top posts of the past year starting tomorrow!
Thanks for reading along!
image from freestocks.org
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Spring allergies
With spring allergies on in full swing now, many of us turn to allergy meds or shots to reduce our symptoms but what if there was another way?
If you are already taking your Vitamin C, then the other option is to introduce a neti pot. You can buy a neti pot at your local Walmart for around $5. It is fairly simple to use, just add lukewarm water, salt, and drain each nostril. I know, sounds gross but it is super effective and you’ll be able to see results from this fairly quickly. I do this twice a day when I have allergies along with taking my Vitamin C and definitely feel better.
However, if this natural option doesn’t work for you, do ask your pharmacist about alternatives like Flonase and Claritin as they may help you. Finally, a good tip that I find works is wearing sunglasses while outside as less chances of irritants entering my eyes and causing redness. I wish I could wear a face mask while out and about like you see people doing at the airport but I don’t want to stand out unnecessarily especially if other alternatives exist.
Allergy sufferers do Google natural options and ask your doctor which treatment method might be best for you!
Image from public domain pictures
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Avocado for health
Recently, I read an article that avocados can help limit weight gain. So let’s break this down as most of us know that avocados are full of healthy fat and fiber so does this mean you can stop your weight gain?
Since avocados are made up of healthy fats and fiber, they can help you feel full longer and so yes, can help you limit weight gain but by itself eating high fats may not be the only thing that you need to do. Remember every gram of fat is 9 calories so you can actually gain weight on even healthy fats if you aren’t controlling your diet elsewhere, meaning limiting your carbs and proteins. Don’t be surprised if you see more high fat products showing up in stores now that carbs are being demonized. The popularity of the keto diet is ripe for further growth!
Science is going to constantly confirm and refute things that we know but what works best for weight control is eating healthy, fresh food and exercise. No substitute for hard work with long-terms good health being a perk!
image from foodie factor
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Do you resume buying recalled products?
With a growing increase in recalls year to year, one thing is clear that consumers will give up food that is recalled once they know about the recall but how many of you continue to buy the product once the recall is ended? What motivates you to keep buying it?
Tyson recently recalled chicken strips and that’s definitely a staple of American diets and a kid favorite so as a parent, you’ll likely throw it out because you don’t want to feed a product with possible metal pieces to your kids but do you wait a month or two months before resuming buying it again? We are so accustomed to hearing about fresh veggies having recalls and can see that impact at the store when the stores don’t stock it but that impact is lost when it occurs in other sections of the market. As a consumer what can you?
There is no true way to know exactly when a product recall is over but know this that if it is a packaged product, you can always reach out to the company to find out as companies want your business and having a recall affects them more than you know. The company has to not only take back all that inventory and face financial losses but has to trace it back to where in the manufacturing process the issue arose. Lots of people focus only on this at the company because poor quality can sink a company.
Recalls will continue to occur but as a consumer you can keep up with food news as well as cook your products to temp to avoid lingering bacteria, if it can be done. In this case, the motto is clear, be aware and beware!
image from Artem B.
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Environment change can benefit you!
Having participated in Crossfit for so long that I can’t even quantify it (maybe 10 years or so), one thing that I like about it is the variety of the movements. There is no true leg day or chest day but rather whole body days but what I like even more is the community aspect. Having moved around a lot, joining a Crossfit gym is like quick access to making friends which is great because you know you are meeting like-minded people but what happens if going to workout is no longer fun?
After going to my current gym for so long, I became aware that I wasn’t having fun while there because slowly my friends left and for me that was important as I was also the only non-white in the class so I tended to stand out and couldn’t relate to anyone. So what did I do? I tried different classes to see if that would make the difference, tried to talk to more folks but neither did much to make feel like part of the community that I enjoyed. The next decision that I made was to leave the gym. I looked at other options like joining a regular gym where I’d go and work out on my own or join boxing gym or join Orange Theory but nothing was giving me that warm vibes that I was looking for that would keep me motivated so what did I do? I joined another Crossfit gym in another town and now I am back to enjoying my workouts and slowly starting to become friends with others in the new gym.
Moral of the story is that if you are unhappy with what you are doing, find a different activity that excites you because sometimes all it takes is a new environment to rejuvenate you!
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Missing out on sweet potato?
One item that keeps showing up everywhere is sweet potato. Why is that? Sweet potatoes are not only nutrition rich in beta carotene (that orange color) but they also have more Vitamin A and C plus fiber compared to white potatoes. Not to mention, they taste good too! From products like chips that are in the market already, you’ll now see manufacturers using sweet potatoes as colorants since that on the label is clean label and natural sounding.
Think about this, we all want to eat something that has ingredients that we can pronounce so for a manufacturer to pick sweet potato to do so is actually pretty great! They get the sweetness profile plus the color option. Perhaps, one day it might show up in your favorite candy or beverage? I know, for me, that I like eating sweet potatoes as they do have a healthier halo and no matter whether you bake it or cook it, I feel that this satisfies my cravings for potatoes. However, beware that fried sweet potatoes are not necessarily any better than regular fries so eat in moderation if you are trying to follow a diet.
If you aren’t able to find sweet potatoes in your area right now, don’t fret! As demand for this vegetable continues to grow, you’ll be able to find it easier and not just during thanksgiving!
Image from Ella O.
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Beyond Meat–have you bought it yet?
With alternative meat gaining traction in the US and likely around the world, you are likely going to see more of it at your favorite restaurant. How is this good?
Well, now if you are in the mood for a non-meat product, you have the option of something other than a black bean burger. Plus, since this alternative meat is not geared only towards vegans and vegetarians, the flexitarian in you might actually try it. Oddly enough, I know a lot of meat eaters who frown on eating vegetarian meals but eating an Impossible burger or Beyond Meat burger, they enjoy! Go figure!
I think we are at the beginning of the plant based revolution as witnessed by the immense success of Beyond Meat’s IPO launch in the first week of May. My only concern is how does eating lab made meat with synthetic ingredients make it healthier than animal meat? Aside from avoiding killing animals for food, I don’t see how it helps the food consumer.
Oh well, I’m sure there will be other plant-based products that are actually good—remember bread is from grains so that makes it the original plant-based product!
Image from Alexander Mils
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