#and he has a brain the size of a chickpea

[scarycranegame]

the garbage eater..

[cjlouwho]

👉👈 For the prompts, maybe something along a similar vein to Financially Irresponsible Tommy? Like, maybe Tommy refuses to write down a grocery list and just goes to the store and buys whatever he feels like, driving Buck insane?

A little off, because (technically) he did write a list 😂 enjoy!

“You bought six jars of spaghetti sauce?” Buck asked, staring at the pile of groceries laid out on the kitchen island.

Tommy smiled, very proud of himself. “They were buy one get one free.”

“Right. And you got six, because?”

“Because the guy restocking the shelves said the sale would end today. I don't know when they'll go back on sale, and you're always looking at the flyers that come in the mail to see the deals.” He picked up one of the jars. “This was a deal.”

Buck nodded. “I do love a good deal. It- It just seems like when you buy so many at once, it kind of adds up anyway. Plus, I've always made homemade sauce.”

Tommy began unloading the final bag. “I know you do, and it takes forever. This is going to save so much time, Evan.”

“You make a compelling argument.”

Buck continued looking everything over. Three cans of green beans, a family size bag of cinnamon cereal, baking chocolate, three different kinds of flour, two half gallons of milk, one very small can of beanie weenies, taco seasoning, and two 24 count cases of green, and only green, gatorade.

There was plenty more mixed in, but there was one glaring thing missing.

“Hey, Babe?”

Tommy turned from where he was standing at the pantry, putting away the six pack of canned split pea soup. “Mhm?”

“You didn't buy any pasta.”

“Why would I get pasta?” Tommy asked.

Buck closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “For the six jars of spaghetti sauce you bought.”

“You're not even eating pasta right now, Evan.”

Another deep breath. He should really start going to yoga. “Ignoring the fact you can get low carb pasta, why did you buy six jars of sauce if we're not eating pasta?”

“For when we do eat pasta,” Tommy replied as though it should be obvious.

Buck pushed himself away from the counter, walking closer to Tommy. “Tommy, Honey,” he started, bringing his hands to Tommy's face, “I love you, I really do, but this might be how I die for a second time.”

Tommy eyebrows furrowed. He wrapped his hands around Buck's wrists and pulled them back far enough to speak. “What are you talking about?”

“This,” he said, nodding back toward the groceries, “makes no sense to my brain. Have you ever made a grocery list before?”

“I had a grocery list!” he defended, letting go of Buck's wrists to pull the list from his back pocket. He handed it to Buck, who looked even more dismayed as he read it over.

“I think I'm gonna have an aneurysm.”

Tommy rolled his eyes playfully, heading back to the island to grab more groceries. “You're being very dramatic. I got everything on that list.”

“The list consists of five items!” Buck exclaimed. “Three of which are ineligible!”

Tommy came and stood behind Buck, peering over his shoulder. “Which three?”

As Buck pointed, Tommy began to read them off one by one.

“Chickpeas.”

“Why do we need chickpeas?”

“In case I want hummus.”

“You know it takes more than chickpeas to make hummus, right?”

Tommy glanced over at him. “I do now.”

Buck sighed. “What's this one?” he asked, pointing to the second item.

“Onion powder.”

“Okay, but we already have onion powder here.”

“And now we won't run out for a really long time.”

Moving on, Buck pointed to the last item.

“Meat.”

That's when Buck turned, pressing the list against Tommy's chest for him to take. “You didn't get any meat, Tommy!”

“Yes I did!” Tommy reached over and picked up an item, holding it out for Buck to see. “I got canned ham.”

“Canned ha- Tommy, my head is gonna explode,” Buck replied, pressing his fingers against his temple.

Tommy simply smiled at him, leaning in and giving him a peck on the lips. “You're so cute.”

“You're never going shopping again,” Buck decided. “Ever. I- I'll take over grocery shopping full time.”

“Evan, I go grocery shopping to decompress. You can't take that from me.”

“Your decompression is gonna be the reason I start taking blood pressure medication.”

Tommy placed the can of ham back on the counter and moved closer to Buck, wrapping his arms around his waist. “What if we go together next time?” he asked. As Buck's arms drifted over his shoulders, Tommy began swaying them gently back and forth as though they were dancing along to music. “I can show you my method firsthand, so you understand it better.”

Buck thought it over for a few seconds. “Can I bring an AED with us in case you need to restart my heart?”

Tommy nodded. “We could even pick up Jee on the way, for emotional support.”

“I don't know if I could subject her to this.”

“Christopher then?”

“Yeah,” Buck agreed. “Yeah, that'd be good.”

Tommy kissed him again, Buck sighing into it. One thing Tommy's kisses could always do is melt Buck's tension away, even if he was the one causing it.

“Why don't you go relax?” Tommy suggested once they parted. “I'll finish putting everything away and start dinner.”

“Okay,” Buck agreed. “What are you gonna make?”

Tommy looked around at all the random things he'd purchased. “How does canned ham with chickpeas and gatorade sound?”

Buck pursed his lips together. “Yeah, I'm gonna order food,” he replied, giving Tommy a pat on the ass before walking away.

[brookeolin]

All meat tastes like the work it did. It's why kidneys pong of urine—they make it. It's why brains melt like meat jelly—their delivery system is mostly fat. And it's why spleen crumbles in your mouth like a coarse medieval blood sausage. In a sense, that's exactly what it is. The spleen is a deep purple bruise caged by the ribs. It deals in blood—sorting, holding, moving—its soft red pulp held by an elastic casing. Like a lot of offal, mass amounts of spleen disappear into sausages and pet food, but unlike say, sweetbreads or liver, spleen is rarely on the menu.

My friend's father, Mr. Leonardi, is Sicilian and grew up in Brooklyn. He once drove two hours with a hankering for a vastedda, a Sicilian spleen sandwich. Though he lives in Riverdale, every now and then he visits Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens to meet his brother for lunch at Ferdinando's Focacceria, a restaurant whose cow spleen sandwiches have been meticulously documented by offal enthusiasts for the last decade. The restaurant slices it raw, simmers it in lard, and tucks it into a soft sesame bun under a scoop of ricotta.

Recently, I decided to ask if it tastes good.

"It tastes just like what they used to eat when they were boys," Mrs. Leonardi says. Meaning, I think, that when you're 80 and you eat the thing you ate as a boy, it's always good. Or, just as likely, that it can never be good.

The wiry Italian at the counter asks if I've had the vastedda before and I shake my head. I had spleen once, but it was at 9 o' clock in the morning after doing shots with Fergus Henderson. That morning, I could have enjoyed the braised tongue of my own shoe.

"You like chicken liver?" the guy asks. "If you like chicken liver, maybe you'll like this, I don't know."

We have to compare things to other things to describe them, but spleen has very little in common with chicken liver. And the fat French blood sausage I had in mind before is relatively dainty. Spleen tastes like the boiled, grizzly flotsam of a prehistoric monster. Like a fictional creature butchered and left to rot in an ogre's cellar. After a few bites I lift the bun to peek and the sandwich yawns an ancient, meaty stink. The crumbly slices have pieces of chew (artery, membrane, anonymous gristle). Comparing things is tricky: spleen is more like meat than most offal I've had, but less like it too.

Verdict: the sandwich at Ferdinando's is the size of a fist, incidentally, the size of your own spleen, and after eating it you will feel full, which is of course the purpose of a sandwich. It also tastes awful. (Hey, if you want something that tastes good, try what Mrs. Leonardi has for lunch, the five-dollar pannelle sandwich, a squishy bun stuffed with deep fried squares of chickpea batter and ricotta. It's lovely.)

Like so many culinary relics, pleasure is not its purpose. Vastare, the Latin from which the street snack gets its name, means to lay waste. It suggests an act of devastation. And truly, if the universe were running too smoothly for your liking and you wanted to momentarily obliterate yourself with a sandwich, you could do no better than a vastedda. The spleen inside tastes like the work it did. It leaves the rank taste of blood in your mouth, confirms that you're alive, reminds you that you're meat.

Tejal Rao, May 3, 2010 The Atlantic

[sunliferx]

The Role of Protein in Weight Loss: Foods That Pack a Punch

Weight is one of the prime indicators of your health, when you visit a doctor, he will normally ask you about your weight first. Both being underweight and overweight are unhealthy. You can live a healthy lifestyle if you have a healthy body weight. Keeping a healthy weight is beneficial to your overall health.

Maintaining a healthy weight lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and a variety of other health issues. Maintaining a healthy weight has also been proven to improve overall mental health and well-being. Overweight and obese people are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, whereas losing weight can enhance self-esteem and confidence, as per the research.

The things we eat can also have an impact on our weight. Sugar, fat, and calorie-rich foods can lead to weight gain, whereas foods for weight loss that are abundant in fiber and protein can help in weight loss and weight management.

Role of Protein in Our Diet

Protein does play an important role in weight loss since it keeps you fuller for a longer period and helps you keep muscle mass while losing fat.

Protein consumption causes the release of hormones that signal fullness to the brain, which can help you regulate your appetite and reduce your overall calorie intake. Furthermore, protein has a high thermic impact, which means that your body burns more calories processing it than it does carbohydrates and fats. Maintaining muscle mass is particularly important during weight reduction since losing muscle slows your metabolism and makes it more difficult to lose weight.

In addition to these benefits, a high-protein diet can help improve your metabolic rate and stimulate fat reduction. A high-protein diet has been shown in research to result in more weight loss and fat loss than a low-protein diet.

It is important to note that, while protein can help with weight loss, it should only be taken as part of a well-balanced diet. Overeating protein or relying only on protein for weight loss can have serious health consequences, such as kidney damage and dehydration. Consult a healthcare professional or a qualified dietitian to understand the right quantity of protein your body needs.

Protein is a necessary macronutrient, but not all protein sources are equal. Protein can be found in muscles, bones, skin, hair, and almost every other body part or tissue of the body. It is the building block of enzymes, which power many chemical reactions, as well as hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in your blood. At least 10,000 different proteins contribute to your identity and keep you and your body the way it is.

Foods That Pack a Punch of Protein

There are many foods that we consume throughout the day that may or may not contain the quantity of protein that our bodies require, but there are some specific foods that have a higher protein content than others. Protein is a vital component that helps in the formation and repair of tissues, the production of enzymes and hormones, and the maintenance of a healthy immune system. These are some high-protein foods to consider if you want to enhance your protein intake.

Dairy products: Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are all high in protein, with Greek yoghurt being an especially healthy option.

Legumes: Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are all high in protein and fibre, as well as other nutrients.

Nuts and seeds: Protein and good fats are abundant in almonds, peanuts, cashews, and chia seeds.

Soy protein: Tofu, tempeh, and edamame are all excellent sources of plant-based protein.

Fish: Salmon, tuna, cod, and other types of fish are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Eggs provide roughly 6 g of protein per egg, making them a quick and easy protein source.

While selecting protein-rich foods, keep portion sizes in mind and balance your protein intake with other key nutrients such as carbohydrates and healthy fats. Conclusion:Protein is essential for weight loss and management. Eating high-quality, low-calorie protein sources throughout the day can help with hunger reduction, muscle building and recovery, and overall weight loss goals. But, for long-term effectiveness, it is important to maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine.

[immodestmussorgskyy]

you have (1) new message

“I don’t believe in you!”

“I believe in you…”

You can’t help but snort, bursting into a fresh round of giggles. The dialogue in Nightmare on Elm Street is absolutely diabolical-- you struggle to figure out how anybody could consider this a horror movie. But hey… meteoric fame is hard to come by. It’s a cult classic for a reason. 

You’d usually be marathoning classic slasher flicks with your roommate, Chloe, but she’s on a month-long Hawaii dream vacation with her new boyfriend. What happened to bros before hoes? But hey, his wealth is apparently abundant enough to fund weeks of paradise beachside living, so good for her for getting that bread. And anyway, you’re content to sit alone in your little mousehole apartment and melt into the couch after work with a family-size bag of salt & vinegar chips under your arm. 

You watch the flickering screen with mild interest as you chomp down another handful of chips. Freddy Krueger is definitely failing to get you on the edge of your seat. Wiping your hand on your sweatpants, you pick up the remote and turn the movie off. 

“Nightmare, my ass.” you mutter under your breath. 

As much as you’d like to, eating nothing but salt and vinegar chips for dinner seems like a great way to end up with an upset stomach and a lot of regret later tonight. The pantry is well stocked with Chloe’s foods of choice-- organic steel-cut rolled oats, a billion different kinds of nuts and seeds all in cute little labeled mason jars, gluten free bread, a mockery of cheese puffs (chickpea puffs? Come on!). Your side is a library of boxed or canned foods in stark contrast: a couple opened boxes of Pop-Tarts, a few boxes of Kraft mac & cheese, a family sized box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and, the only thing not in a box: another bag of salt & vinegar chips. 

The fridge tells a similar story. Chloe’s avocados, farmer’s market tomatoes, and thick stalks of celery gleam in the vegetable drawer. She’s consumed half the shelf space with just kombucha and a few swanky craft beers. And bottles of oat milk, or soy milk, or some kind of thing pretending to be milk. You actually don’t have much in the fridge besides leftover Indian food from your favorite place downtown and a gallon of milk for your cereal, so you don’t mind her hogging more space. 

Muffy, Chloe’s ragdoll cat, stalks into the kitchen with you and gives you a tiny yowl. You lean down and give her an affectionate scratch behind the ears. 

“Scram, Muffy.” you murmur to her. “I’ve already fed you.” 

She looks up at you with a look that can only mean “and you’ll feed me more.” 

She stalks back into the living room, fluffy beige tail disappearing behind the wall in a flick and a wave. You tie your hair back and yawn. What’s on the menu for dinner tonight? 

Before you can think too much about eating, you remember that Chloe left you a voicemail before she took off. You fish your phone from your pocket and open your voicemail, tapping your toe against the linoleum floor as the dial tone plays. 

You have one new message, chirps the robot voice of your mailbox. 

“Hey girl. I’m boarding soon, so you probably won’t hear from me for a while. Make sure you feed Muffy, water the plants…” she clicks her tongue a few times, “take your meds, and don’t lay in bed for too long on the weekends. You know how that tanks your mood.” 

Chloe might be a total hipster health nut, but it doesn’t make it any less sweet that she frets over you so much. You break into a smile and make a mental note to call her back. 

“And. You can eat anything perishable of mine in the fridge or pantry while I’m gone. I doubt the bread or the veggies are gonna last long… you need to eat healthier anyway. No potato chips for dinner.” 

Your smile grows. She knows you so well. 

“I gotta go, but I’ll send you tons of pictures when I get there. Bye, babe.” 

You hang up and set your phone down on the counter. Eyeing the bland looking loaf of brown bread, you decide you’ll have breakfast a la Chloe for dinner. 

You toss the loaf onto the counter, then stalk to the fridge. The avocados seem pretty ripe. Tomatoes, too. You pick out one of each, then pluck a couple eggs from the carton you two share and set it all on the counter. Avocado toast with scrambled eggs sounds pretty Chloe. 

You gut the avocado, tossing its pit in the trash and scooping its innards out into a bowl. The fork makes quick work of it, turning it into a mound of mild green paste. Salt, pepper. Done. 

Hey, if Chloe let you eat her food, she’s bound to not mind that you’re using her nice kitchen knives too, right? You cut a few slices of tomato and grimace at its gelatinous, glistening center. You never liked tomatoes much, but she’s kinda right-- you do need to improve your diet. 

Before long, you’ve got a nice thick slice of toast slathered in avocado and garnished with ripe red tomato sitting next to a steaming pile of scrambled eggs. This may not be your beloved salt & vinegar chips, but it sure looks delicious. 

You snap a photo of your meal and text it to her. Am I healthy yet? you type, with a grin on your face. 

Muffy stalks up to you, looking up expectantly. You sigh and toss her a morsel of scrambled egg. “That’s all you’re getting, you little twerp.” you admonish through a mouthful of toast. It’s not… delicious, but it’s not bad for some mushed up vegetable on top of an excuse for bread. You curse yourself for not adding some cheese to your scrambled eggs. That would’ve really been delicious. 

You’d usually be scrolling through your social media right now, but something inspires you to look longingly out the window of the kitchen. The sky is a starless, inky black, obscuring everything except for whatever is illuminated by the weak orange streetlights. Usually there would be more traffic or drunk yelling-- you and Chloe didn’t exactly get lucky with the placement of your unit-- but tonight it’s eerily silent. That’s perfectly welcome to you, though. It’s much better than cranking up the volume of your music to drown out whatever street fight is occurring three floors below you. 

Suddenly, your musing and its silence is broken by the sound of your ringtone. It’s half past midnight… who in their right mind would be calling you right now? 

Unknown number. You frown and let it go to voicemail. Probably just some spam caller. 

You finish your dinner and sit there in the silence, then check your phone again. You can’t help but be curious as to what message they’ve left you. Gingerly, you open your voice mailbox again and listen dispassionately to the dial tone and the little robot voice. 

You have one new message and one old message. 

The voice that erupts through your speaker is unfamiliar, smooth, low. All you can discern is that it’s a male voice, its tone almost perversely cloying. 

“I was hoping you’d pick up.” A long inhale, a long exhale. “You seem a little lonely. Breakfast for dinner… cute.” 

Ice cold horror washes over you and you can barely move your fingers to hang up. This has to be some kind of joke. Some stupid kid getting really, really lucky with their prank call. 

But a question still sears into your thoughts:

Who would have known what you were doing? 

That you were alone in your apartment? 

Maybe, just maybe, by some insane stretch of the imagination, Chloe’s new boyfriend got ahold of her phone, saw your text, and decided to pull some prank. Yeah, that sounds about right. That’s the only situation that makes sense, unless… 

Somebody is watching you.  

You nearly jump out of your seat as the phone rings again. Unknown number. Your hands tremble over it as your panicked brain deliberates picking it up. Before you can think about it any more, you’ve snatched it into a sweaty palm and brought it up to your ear. 

“Chloe, this isn’t fucking funny. Cut it out.” you try to sound intimidating, but your voice trembles in just the wrong way with each word. 

“You picked up.” the voice breathes, and you swear you can hear a sinister smile creep onto whoever’s face it belongs to. “You must really be lonely.” 

“I said stop, Chlo--”

“My name’s not Chloe.” he snarls, and your empty threat dies in your throat immediately. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, his voice slips back into that relaxed, amused tone. “But I do wish I were spending a month in Hawaii right now. Lucky girl, isn’t she?” 

Another pang of fear hits you like a brick. You swallow hard, biting your lip. “Whoever you are, leave me alone. Or I’ll… I’ll call the cops.” 

“What exactly are you going to tell them, sweetheart? That some big mean boogeyman is leaving scary messages on your phone?” he lets out a mocking laugh. “They’ll send their best officers, I’m sure.”

“Leave me alone.” is all you manage to say, breathless and trembling, before you force yourself to hang up and practically slam your phone down onto the counter. Muffy jumps and cocks her head at you. You force yourself to break out of your panicked stupor and hurry over to the kitchen window, glancing hurriedly to the left and right of it. If somebody were on the fire escape, you surely would have heard it. 

At least, that’s what you tell yourself. 

You yank those curtains shut, then the curtains on the living room window, then finally the ones in your bedroom. You remember Chloe locking and shutting her windows, so there’s no need to check in there. Something tells you to anyway.

You creep to her doorway, palms sweaty. There’s probably nothing to see in there, you think to yourself, the curtains were already shut. 

Looking into her room, your stomach drops. 

The curtains are tucked neatly to the side, and her window is cranked all the way open, letting in the cool night air and the sounds of the streets. You nearly choke in horror and rush over to shut the window, making sure the lock is tightly down before throwing the curtains back over them. You must have just misremembered. She probably left the window open to let some fresh air in, or something.

But she never leaves her window open, or Muffy would get out, you realize. 

“Oh my God.” you gasp to yourself, before you sprint to the kitchen and grab the biggest, meanest looking knife in the drawer, as well as your phone. Muffy meows at you curiously, then yelps in indignance as you swiftly scoop her up by the stomach and fly to your room. 

“Sorry.” you mutter as you practically toss her onto your bed, then lock your door. It’s a pathetic, flimsy mechanism, and could probably be picked with a fork, but it’s better than nothing. You pause, surveying the room for any heavy objects, and settle on jamming your full laundry hamper under the doorknob. At least this way you’ll hear any intruder before they make it into your room. The knife you tuck under your pillow as you scramble under your covers and turn your lamp off. 

Your hands shake as you dial Chloe’s number. The phone rings once, twice, then goes straight to voicemail.

“Hey, Chlo,” you say shakily. “Uhm, I got some really weird calls from somebody tonight and I think our apartment might have been broken into. Or something. Uh,” you swallow hard, “Muffy and I are locked up in my room right now and I have a knife. I could be just imagining things, but if you don’t hear from me for a while, I probably got murdered or something.”

God, you sound so stupid right now, but it’s the best you can muster when your thoughts are racing at a million miles an hour. 

“I’ll call you when I wake up tomorrow. Bye.” 

You plug your phone in and set it on your nightstand, shrinking down underneath your duvet. Nothing is visible in your room, even as your eyes adjust to the darkness, except for the glow of the hall light you left on under your door. 

It’s going to be a long night. 

Check out this story and the rest of its chapters on AO3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28688007/chapters/70331253

[unclefungusthegoat]

A CONFUSION OF TONGUES - Far Cry 5 Week Day 3 (The Resistance)

Day 3, YAY! I had the greatest time ever writing this. It’s just a pile of stupid crap but @lucy-and-loki wanted a story where Chad, Wheaty and Cheeseburger were mentioned and so this is what I came up with.

And anyway, it’s about time Chad gets some love hahahaha

Chad Wolanski simply wants to mind his own business, work out what the hell a vegan burger is so that he can woo Adelaide Drubman, and preferably not have to talk to the obnoxious John Seed, who has just shown up at The Grill Streak, with a proposition and a couple of thinly disguised threats.

And what is he going to do about it?

Let's just say the Tower of Babel has got nothing on Chad.

This can be read on AO3: HERE

My whole Far Cry Week series can be read: HERE

Chad Wolanksi had never made a vegan burger in his entire life. As far as he was concerned, plants were plants and the only way they should be anywhere near his grease-slathered grill was having been digested once by the elk or bison sizzling over the heat.

Only… Adelaide Drubman wasn’t of that opinion.

Not since she’d met that spinach worshipping, kale for brains Californian.

God, that woman was a cougar , sex on legs with a quick wit, flirty charm and a healthy appetite to boot. Exactly the sort of woman Chad Wolanski went for. He held the long revered stance that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach… and so here he was, on a blisteringly hot July afternoon, stood on the porch of The Grill Streak, experimenting his way through heaps of unfamiliar produce to whip up the perfect vegan burger.

He’d drop by the marina and give it to her personally.

Maybe he’d invite her out for a steak?

Show her what she was missing out on.

As he mushed and mashed and squashed and pounded his latest attempt into a patty sized lump and tossed it onto the grill, he heard brakes screeching to a halt in the parking lot. One of those horrendous Peggie songs was blasting on full whack through the open window. The smooth humming cut out as the engine was switched off, the door slammed dramatically behind the driver, and footwear obviously inappropriate for the mountainous Whitetail region came striding towards him.

“Mr Wolanski?” Chad could hear the smug grin in the way the approaching voice drew out the syllables of his name, hissing a little on long ‘s’. He knew exactly who it was. Being a business owner of some renown, reputable and profitable in a county famed for its carnivorous population (Chad would rather die than miss the annual Testy Festy), he’d been expecting the manicured bastard for a while.

A fly danced around the misshapen patty of black beans, green beans, corn-beans right off a cob, whatever those goddamn chickpea-beans were, and something which the folks at Sunrise Farm called an ‘eggplant’. Didn’t look much like it came out of a chicken’s ass, but if it did, Chad very much wanted to get his hands on whatever oversized and no doubt juicy hen dropped the purple monstrosity.

Chad squashed the fat little insect straight onto the counter and watched it burst.

That’s exactly what he’d like to do to his latest visitor.

He turned and was faced with the ever irritating John Seed. A rare sight in this area, often far too busy sticking people’s heads into rivers down in the Holland Valley or looking at himself in a mirror, and definitely an unwelcome one.

“You are certainly an industrious man, Mr Wolanski, to be braving the heat of your kitchen in this weather.” John laughed, slick lawyer small talk weakened only by the fact that Chad could see that the man’s brow was glistening. He was probably desperate to be back at his ranch being fanned by swooning women. And why the hell was he insisting on wearing that ugly coat in 100 degree fahrenheit weather?

Chad offered no reply.

He sure as hell wasn’t about to offer a cold beverage either.

He’ll take my beverage, then he’ll take my restaurant.

All it took was a single step and Chad Wolanski was not going to take it.

John sauntered forward, surveying the Grill Streak in all her shabby, oily walled and grimy bathroom-ed glory, almost rubbing his hands together.

“You’ll be aware, Mr Wolanski, that my brother Jacob has, what one might call, an insatiable appetite for the protein food group. Something on which I’m sure the two of you can relate. And the same goes for rather a lot of his men, the ones who no doubt have paid a visit to your most nourishing and nurturing establishment.”

Chad watched this walking bacterial virus run his tattooed fingers along the surface of one of the outdoor seating tables, and rub the residual coating of meat juice between them.

The wince of disgust didn’t go unnoticed.

“They are the new alpha pack of this county, strong, loyal, a collective, more united than ever. A true militia. They make Eli Palmer’s group look like a book club. And you must take some of the glory for that, Mr Wolanski. You have provided a great service to these men and women. Fed and watered them, shared your bounty, relinquished your greed and gluttony and gave it to the community. You should be proud.”

Chad smelt his heap of mangled beans burning, and cursed under his breath. Damn Seed family, never shutting up, a permanent pain in the ass. He’d have to start all over again, and cutting up the eggplant had been hard enough last time. Ignoring John, he turned and grabbed his spatula, scooped up the patty and tossed it into a nearby garbage can.

“I have a proposition for you, Chad-”

“Iaigihtgohnnsyll, Jwn, sogtffmylndbakinyrfcycahrnfukff” Chad growled, hauling himself down the front stairs, spatula raised, wielded like a pitchfork, as if he were defending America from the British.

John’s face became utterly blank, that smirk finally wiped away. Eyes wide, brow furrowed, mouth agape at the string of unintelligible words he’d just had hurled at him. Chad relished in just how nervous even the spatula seemed to be making him. A part of him wished that John would cause trouble, and he could give him a good hiding with his utensils.

Whitehorse wouldn’t have cause to charge him with assault if he was defending his property… and would also probably be glad to hear that John Seed’s backside got what was coming to him at the hands of Hope County’s finest spatula.

“Imntinrstdinyrkultshihsujsfukffnlivmhtmwrk”.

John still didn’t move, just stood and stared.

“Dntmkmywsthz…” Chad raised his makeshift weapon again.

A bird squawked in the trees.

One of Jacob’s chosen sped on by, honking their car horn in victory.

The stifling airless day was suddenly treated to a short lived breeze.

“... I’m sorry… WHAT?”

All pretence of polite society and schmoozing was gone.

“Yhyrdm.”

“Uh… I…” John spluttered, completely oblivious to what was going on.

“YcntkyrPrhjctnshviuyrss”

“Are you even speaking English right now?”

“Alystmnhtspkinssholunlysmonuh-”

Chad could have sworn that John nearly reached into his inner coat pocket to retrieve a crucifix, in the hope that he could banish the demon that spoke in tongues.

“Those aren’t words- ”

“Yrthonlfkrnthcwntwhudnunstnm-”

“Do they not teach diction in Montana?”

“DthynhtichyhwtnhdrhssnthdhknGyhgh?”

“Maybe if you spoke a little slower , a little louder ?”

“IlspkhwwIwnthnyvrmuh-”

The usually dangerously collected lawyer was seething with visible rage. Chad couldn’t tell if he had a holster on his hip under that coat of his, but suspected that even with his track record of behaviour that went beyond questionable legality, John Seed wouldn’t be stupid enough to draw a pistol on a man armed only with a spatula in broad daylight.

“If this is supposed to be humorous, I warn you now, I am not a man who appreciates or tolerates being messed around and made to look a fool- ”

“Wlyhlkafllrhdyfyhcntuhndstnamnspkyonlngwg.”

“The Father requires your co-operation in these matters, and it would be wise not to play games with his patience, or mine- ”

“Ivlrdygvnmnswrntsno.”

John clamped his lips together, and breathed heavily, trying to regain his composure. There was a vein throbbing in his forehead, sweat now running from his hairline as they faced each other in the almost unbearable sunlight. Chad wondered just how much longer the man was going to endure this undignified performance, but realised he was in for an encore when John pushed his shoulders back, and plastered a smiling grimace on his face.

“Now, Mr Wolanski... we’re going to try again.” His voice was low, ominously quiet and all the wrong kinds of pleasant. “I have a proposition for you, one that would bring you into the Project’s embrace as a brother-”

“ThnkbhnthnkmnonlchdnIlkithawy.”

John threw his hands up in frustration.

“Do you have a sous-chef who I could speak to…” John cut himself off before finishing his point, folding his arms and resting his head in his trembling hand, rubbing at his temples, “No, why am I even asking , of course you don’t…”

“OnlnIndsm, ImnbsdmnckswthaBlngs, nIdfyntldntnyh-”

“Will you just silence yourself, for a moment, so I can think- ”

“Mlnmryls-”

“I warned you about the punishment for disrespect , Mr Wolanski, I am not an enemy you want to have. I can make your life exceptionally difficult- ”

“GhydIdlktsyyhtrhy, Jwn, Iljsthrwynmgrlnwhchycklkthundrfdgohtyr-”

“Pride is the most unforgivable of all sins, Chad-”

“FnyIhrdiwsbyna-”

“Utter another string of mumbled incomprehensible slop and I’ll-”

“Ylwh? Wwosaonwthspatulahr?”

John’s eyes darted towards the spatula, having finally picked up on a single, solitary word. Chad bared a knowing smile, unbrushed teeth yellowed with age saying everything else he wanted to say. I’m not afraid to use this and make it hurt. Maybe Adelaide will see him as a hero, cast her beetroot smoothie chugging toyboy out into the water for Ragnar to eat, and come running into his bare rugged chest and muscular arms? The scene briefly played out in front of his eyes, like the cover of one of those cheesy romance novels he flicked through in the clinic waiting room when he went to have his cholesterol measured.

More music came from the road, and Chad couldn’t have been happier to see Wheaty rolling up in a deep red 1970 Kimberlite ZZT, with Elton John’s ‘Tower of Babel’ crooning out of the speakers. Upon seeing the situation at hand, the teenager stuck his head out of the window, looking deeply concerned.

“Guess I got here just in time, huh? I’ve seen what he can do with that thing, Mr Seed, believe me, it’s not pretty.”

He hopped out of the car and half-skipped awkwardly over.

“Uh, if it’s not a bad time, Mr Wolanski? Wade asked me to pick up his usual?”

Not relinquishing his grip on the spatula, and not taking his eyes off of John, Chad replied:

“Thgtthbyrwznadyht?”

Wheaty shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand sheepishly.

“Well, Cheeseburger’s been a bit grouchy since he’s been on the diet Doctor Lindsey recommended and uh, well Wade’s feeling a bit sorry for him, y’know?”

“ImnhtsprhzdWytprthgcnlvnfsh, nydsmytngudolAmyrcnchz.”

“Yeah, I know right? Poor thing’s looking miserable as hell right now...”

“Ilmkhizomthndntywrryh.’

“Thanks Mr Wolanski, that’s a big help-”

Wheaty trailed off, double taking at their audience, and Chad saw that John was gawking again, his gaze this time dancing between the young boy, who was so effortlessly communicating with what he had considered to be crude, Neanderthalic grunting, and Chad, who had not let up on said grunting.

“Wha- HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT? WHAT IS HE SAYING? ” John demanded, screeching like a PTA mother offended by store bought cakes at a bake sale.

Wheaty frowned, confused by the question.

“What is it that you don’t get, Mr Seed?”

“I- wha- he’s not saying any words. There are NO WORDS THERE. ” John was losing it, looking like he was on the verge of fainting with utter bewilderment. He wobbled, and gripped the side of the nearest greasy table, eyes scanning the floor, looking at nothing, as he tried to process what the hell was going on. Chad chuckled to himself silently. He couldn’t wait to tell Adelaide how he’d made John Seed squeal like a mid-tantrum toddler.

Maybe he’d get a steak and sex?

“...Are you OK, Mr Seed? Are you having a stroke?” Wheaty made no move to help the man, but pulled out his cell phone. “I could try and get a signal and call an ambulance?”

“Trznzygnlhr-” Chad started.

John’s head snapped up and he threw both of them a filthy glare. Straightening up, he adjusted his vest and jacket, smoothed his hair back, still visibly vibrating with boiling rage, and flounced away towards his sun-warmed Mercedes, calling back as he went.

“Mark my words, Wolanski, I know your game! The wrath of the Father shall rain down upon you for your contempt! You will rue the day you made a mockery of me... and I shall so enjoy watching this shithole burn to the ground! And when you feel the hand of the Project’s justice, there’ll not be a single goddamn person there to listen to your insolent vociferating- ” He spat, before climbing into his car and speeding away towards the Henbane River as fast as the engine could take him.

Chad and Wheaty stood watching the dust rise behind him in a daze.

“And he says he can’t understand you … what the fuck does ‘vociferating’ mean?” Wheaty asked, as they retreated back to the safety of the shady Grill Streak. Both were in need of a Whistling Beaver beer and Chad wasn’t exactly one for being too concerned with age of drinking laws, or even permits to sell alcohol in the first place. No one asked, so he didn’t say.

“Idnszpzwlevrno, hsrahllancminbk” Chad laughed, before suddenly deflating again at the sight of mountains of uncooked beans.

Wheaty leaned over to peer at it, frowning at how unappetizing it all looked.

“Mrs Drubman coming for dinner?”

Chad beamed at his young friend.

Things would soon be as they should again. Seed-less, bean-less and vegan-less.

“Yh. Ihpzo.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------

WHEATY'S GUIDE TO SPEAKING CHAD

Iaigihtgohnnsyll, Jwn, sogtffmylndbakinyrfcycahrnfukff - I ain’t gonna sell John, so get off my land, back in your fancy car and fuck off

Imntinrstdinyrkultshihsujsfukffnlivmhtmwrk - I’m not interested in your cult shit so just fuck off and leave me to my work

Dntmkmywsthz - Don’t make me use this

Yhyrdm - You heard me

YcntkyrPrhjctnshviuyrss - You can take your project and shove it up your ass

Alystmnhtspkinssholunlysmonuh - At least I’m not speaking asshole, unlike someone

Yrthonlfkrnthcwntwhudnunstnm - You’re the only fucker in the county who can’t understand me

DthynhtichyhwtnhdrhssnthdhknGyhgh? - Do they not teach you how to not dress in the dark in Georgia?

IlspkhwwIwnthnyvrmuh - I’ll speak how I want, thank you very much

Wlyhlkafllrhdyfyhcntuhndstnamnspkyonlngwg - Well you look a fool already if you can’t understand a man speaking your own language

Ivlrdygvnmnswrntsno - I’ve already given my answer and it’s no

ThnkbhnthnkmnonlchdnIlkithawy - Thanks, but no thanks, I’m an only child and I like it that way

OnlnIndsm, ImnbsdmnckswthaBlngs, nIdfyntldntnyh - Only one I need is me, I’m the best damn cook south of Billings, and I definitely don’t need you

Mlnmryls - My land, my rules

GhydIdlktsyyhtrhy, Jwn, Iljsthrwynmgrlnwhchycklkthundrfdgohtyr - Go ahead, I’d like to see you try John, I’ll just throw you on the grill and watch you cook like the underfed goat you are

FnyIhrdiwsbyna - Funny, I thought it was being a...

Ylwh? Wwosaonwthspatulahr? - You’ll what? Who’s the one with the spatula here?

Thgtthbyrwznadyht? - Thought the bear was on a diet?

ImnhtsprhzdWytprthgcnlvnfsh, nydsmytngudolAmyrcnchz - I’m not surprised, Wheat, the poor thing can’t live on fish, needs meat and good old American cheese

Ilmkhizomthndntywrryh - I’ll make him something, don’t worry

Trznzygnlhr - There’s no signal here

Idnszpzwlevrno, hsrahllancminbk - I don’t suppose we’ll ever know, he sure as shit ain’t coming back

Yh. Ihpzo. - Yeah. I hope so

[wildwestcoaster]

You get to do all of the odds now haha

Haha I guess I had that coming!

1. Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?

Spotify!

3. What color are your eyes?

Blue, but they change to green or gray depending on my mood, the weather, or what I’m wearing.

5. What is your relationship status?

Single. Ho hum.

7. What color hair do you have?

I’m getting used to saying brown because it used to be blonde but anesthesia is a bitch and ruined my hair. 

9. Where do you shop?

Target, Sports Basement, Amazon…lots of online shopping.

11. Favorite social media account.

@_the_undressed_chef_ on instagram. He is HILARIOUS.

13. Any siblings?

A half brother, but I have never met him. 

15. Favorite snapchat filter?

I don’t use snapchat. I only have it for bitmoji.

17. How many times a week do you shower?

At least seven. It depends on the week’s activities.

19. Shoe size?

I’ve been wearing a 12 since 4th grade. Tall trees need good roots.

21. Sandals or sneakers?

Both. Again, depends on the activities. I practically live in running shoes, though.

23. Describe your dream date.

Honestly, the activity/activities don’t matter to me as long as both people are comfortable and enjoying each other’s company. That’s what matters.

25. What color socks are you wearing?

I am currently sockless. 

27. Do you have a job? What do you do?

I do! I teach middle school special ed.

29. What’s the worst thing you have ever done?

Well, I try to not do bad things. I’m sitting here racking my brain and I guess I’d say recently ghosting someone I had been on two dates with and just wasn’t vibing with is pretty bad. I still carry some guilt because of it.

31. 3 favorite boy names.

Patrick, Declan, and Thomas.

33. Favorite actor?

Hm….the first person the first person to come to mind was Jack Black. Though now I’m thinking of Dennis Quaid and Tom Selleck.

35. Who is your celebrity crush?

Chris Evans. Am I right, @madoddthings?!

37. Do you read a lot? What is your favorite book?

I love to read. It is one of my favorite things to do. That being said, I haven’t been able to concentrate on a book since school started. I read The Boys of Winter every year once the NHL season is over. Other than that, the McKettrick Cowboys series by Linda Lael Miller is my favorite. Oh, and Harry Potter. Beartown by Fredrik Backman is my most recent favorite, though. I could talk about books all day lol.

39. Do you have a nickname? What is it?

I have a few. They don’t get used much anymore, though. My uncle calls me Lambchop, my mom calls me Sarrie or Sarah Beth, some friends call me SareBear. I got the good ol’ Jolly Green, Sasquatch, and Amazon Woman growing up. They still make me chuckle.

41. Top 10 favorite songs.

How am I supposed to choose? I’ll have to come back to this because it’s a pretty impossible list to make. One of my current favorite songs, however, is The Piano Guys’ version of Fight Song/Amazing Grace. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. 

43. What is your skin type?

Eh, I have pretty average combination skin. Oily T-zone. Everything else is pretty normal.

45. How many kids do you want?

If I have kids, I don’t think I would want more than two.

47. What type of house do you live in?

An average house? Three bedrooms, two baths, etc, etc.

49. What was the last compliment you received?

My district’s sped director dropped by my classroom and observed for a few minutes. My principal then told me that the sped director loves me and to keep doing what I’m doing; that I’m doing better than I think I am. 

51. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real?

I honestly don’t remember finding out. I think it was a gradual thing? But really, I have no idea.

53. Opinion on smoking?

Tobacco? Unless it’s an occasional cigar, absolutely not.

55. What is your dream job?

Special ed teacher. Go figure.

57. Do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

Depends on the quality of the product!

59. Do you smile for pictures?

Always.

61. Have you ever peed in the woods?

Yes, but I am not good at it, if you catch my drift!

63. Do you prefer chicken nuggets from McDonald’s or Wendy’s?

McDonald’s with sweet and sour sauce!

65. What do you wear to bed?

A t-shirt and a pair of chones. Sometimes I’ll lose the shirt, though. Apparently, I move a lot in my sleep and I don’t like the tangled/constricted feeling. 

67. What are your hobbies?

Not that I have time to really do many of them right now, but reading, hiking, taking drives, traveling, exploring, cooking, baking, knitting, drawing/coloring…

69. Do you play an instrument?

I used to play piano and clarinet. I would like to get back into piano.

71. Tea or coffee?

It depends on the mood or time of day. I’ll go for fully leaded coffee until around noon, unless I need to be up later than normal. After that, I’ll have decaf or tea. 

73. Do you want to get married?

I would definitely like to, yes.

75. Are you going to change your last name when you get married?

Unless his last name is more difficult to pronounce/spell than mine, then yes I am. Come at me, feminists. My last name is my father’s and I have no reason to keep it. I should have changed it when I turned 18, but didn’t because the paperwork was overwhelming.

77. Do you miss anyone right now?

I do.

79. Do you believe in ghosts?

I’m not sure. I think so?

81. Last person you called?

The receptionist at my dentist’s office lol.

83. Regular Oreos or golden Oreos?

Regular!! I’m not a heathen.

85. What shirt are you wearing?

The race shirt from the 2016 Big Sur 5k.

87. Are you outgoing or shy?

A little bit of both. Depends on the situation and the people. Although I am much less shy than when I was younger.

89. Do you like your neighbors?

Most of them. My neighborhood has gone down the crapper the last few years, so there’s a small crew of us who keep a lookout for each other. Good neighbors are really hard to come by.

91. Have you ever been high?

Hahahahaha yes. 

93. Last thing you ate?

Chickpea rotini with homemade spaghetti sauce with brussels sprouts on the side.

95. Summer or winter?

Winter for sure!

97. Dark, milk, or white chocolate?

Dark or white on occasion, but milk is my first choice.

99. What is your zodiac sign?

Taurus!

[kathleenseiber]

Inside Biology’s Black Box

This article from the March issue of Cosmos has been shortlisted for the 2020 Eureka Prize for Long-Form Science Journalism. The prize will be announced November 20.

A new device for bioengineering embryo-like structures is shedding fresh light on those earliest, most mysterious – and largely unobservable – moments of human development. Great leaps forward in safe, successful pregnancies and congenital defect prevention await, but so do a host of ethical questions.

The development of two stem cell groupings at 6 hour increments. Credit: Jianping Fu

I count six little ziggurats side by side, stolid and squat and obviously man-made. They are not going anywhere, but in between them things are on the move.

Circles of dots have begun to roil and rotate, angry blimps rising up  among the static trapezoids, their contents swirling in a frenzy of disorder. Then, in each one, a ring solidifies and grows in the chaos.

It’s fleeting, and the jiggling hoop is soon churned back into the mass as the riot spreads unchecked.

These dots are human cells and their acrobatics are the beginnings of human life, though not as we know it. There is no womb, no pulsing maternal heart. Instead, the cells are born in an elaborate plastic chamber under constant video surveillance, and I am witness to their first two days of existence, compressed into a sparse 18 seconds by the wonders of time-lapse video.

The architect of this dazzling piece of cellular music hall is bioengineer Jianping Fu, whose field of expertise – mechanobiology – tries to understand how living cells change in response to physical forces.

Working from his University of Michigan lab on the outskirts of industrial Detroit, Fu is bringing the measured mindset of the machine-builder to the job of constructing life. He is one of an elite cohort of scientists trying to build a replica of the human embryo from the ground up to try to understand just how we are made – and where it can all go horribly wrong.

This area of science aims to alleviate the gamut of reproductive misery, from the anguish of infertility and miscarriage to gathering information about drugs like Thalidomide, which seem innocuous but have grave consequences if taken during pregnancy.

Fu’s bundles of cells, dubbed embryoids, could be used to screen drugs for toxicity in the womb. They might also unravel the mystery of why two out of every five pregnancies fail before 20 weeks. But these scientists, tinkering at the dawn of life, don’t know how far the cells can develop. There is talk their creations could one day provide a source of organs for transplant. The spectre of a baby in a dish looms ominously in the public imagination.

Which is why Fu’s bit of kit, written up in Nature in September and described by leading embryologist Ali Brivanlou as “a major advance in the knowledge of early human development”, is also an invitation for humanity to do some circle time on what it means to build a human.

The invention that’s created this excitement is a simple-looking chamber with three channels. In one, Fu places pluripotent stem cells, blue-sky building blocks that can become almost any human cell. They are immortal and can be frozen and thawed, forming a renewable resource that can be used for years.

Some of these are embryonic stem cells, originally derived from human IVF embryos. Fu also uses “induced pluripotent stem cells” – iPS cells for short – that come from adult skin cells re-programmed back to a primal state.

In the second channel Fu pours a liquid containing morphogens, the fertilisers that hurry stem cells on with the job of remaking themselves over and over. In the third, he lays a gel to support the growing masses, each one hived into its own mini-domain by evenly spaced support posts – the ziggurats.

In many respects there’s nothing novel about this. Researchers the world over are growing stem cells into structures that mimic the early embryo, before getting them to switch course in the first few weeks and become heart, brain or kidney cells.

These grow to make mini organs or “organoids”, about the size of a stunted chickpea, that are used to model diseases on the lab bench and test if drugs or gene tweaks might be a cure.

But Fu is aiming to make the whole shebang.

There’s no diverting cells off into hearts and brains – rather, he wants them to run their course and become something that resembles the early human embryo.

Fu has pushed these embryoids as far as anyone’s been yet and, true to his engineering pedigree, he’s done much of it by inventing a new 3D world for the stem cell colonies to grow in.

“Most excitingly… in this first set of experiments, is the fact that in a subset of those colonies we start to see some asymmetric tissues, asymmetric embryonic structures,” he tells me by phone.

Credit: Jianping Fu

Embryologists tend to get breathless about symmetry, or lack of it. After natural conception, when the sperm fuses with the egg to form the singlecelled zygote, there follows a cascade of dividing, with new cells budding outwards in a uniform ball which, at day three, becomes the 16-cell morula – Latin for mulberry, which it resembles.

But around day six there is a major break from the order of symmetry, as the front-to-back, belly-to-spine axis appears. Anyone aiming to make a human embryo needs to nail this. Fu didn’t just meet the milestone; he also produced the cells that become the amniotic sac – the fluid-filled bag in which the foetus floats.

“These asymmetric structures, basically they resemble the core of the peri-implantation human embryo,” he says.

Implantation. It strikes at the heart of this project. Somewhere between six and 12 days after conception, the human embryo nestles into the fleshy wall of the uterus. This is essential if the pregnancy is to continue. But when it goes wrong, it’s disastrous. Nearly three quarters of all pregnancies that miscarry by 20 weeks are a failure to implant. And the two months after implantation are when the embryo is most vulnerable to the effects of drugs or maternal infections that cause birth defects.

Given the gravity of these issues, you’d think an avalanche of research would have shed light on them. In fact, we know so little about the period it’s called the ‘black box’ of embryology.

The implanted embryo, key to the enigma of early life, is mostly invisible to science. The first reason is structural: the embryo is sequestered in a uterus beyond our gaze. The second is ethical: scientists have grown human IVF embryos for 13 days in the lab, but no one has gone beyond two weeks.

Endorsed by the UK’s Warnock Committee in 1984 and then by the US National Institutes of Health’s Human Embryo Research Panel in 1994, the 14-day rule bans lab research on embryos beyond that point.

It is around this time that a groove called the primitive streak appears in the embryo: among other things this marks a cut-off beyond which twinning is impossible. This is the defining line of the individual human which, some believe, is morally significant. The 14-day rule is enforced by legislation in at least 12 countries.

The reasoning is clear, but the effect is to keep the black box in shadow; science hasn’t had a way to illuminate it.

Now the spotlight falls on Fu’s plastic channels, properly called microfluidic devices. In Fu’s earlier experiments, only around 5-10% of his embryoids reached that asymmetry waypost. But in his lab just a short drive from the factory where Henry Ford christened the first of his Model Ts, Fu has rewritten the rules of embryoid production.

“With this microfluidic system, now we can generate such human embryo-like structures with very high efficiency, up to about 95%,” he says.

Fu’s system isn’t just meeting quality benchmarks, and this is where the parallels with Motor City’s early denizens become a little more pronounced. “It is a scalable system,” he says. “I would even say that now… it becomes a manufacturing system, depending on the needs, right? Depending on how many you need.”

Fu’s tone is measured, matter of fact. But on this moonshot to the dark side of our collective beginning he carries the interests of Everyman, so be reassured that he tells his tale with deep concern for our wellbeing.

What if we could develop a screening mechanism, that’s an adjunct to pharmaceutical development, that enabled us to provide a safeguard for a new drug?

When he says the system “will be very useful for high throughput screening”, that clinical parlance describes the potentially vast benefits to real embryos of testing hundreds of drugs on embryoids first. His work could also show why so many pregnancies miscarry – and improve our measly IVF success rate of 20%.

Indeed, his precision-tooled temperament may be a prerequisite for the kind of slog needed here, to get an embryoid to trace the footsteps of a real human embryo, in something the scientists call recapitulation. It is only by mimicking the true-life course that a dish-bound doppelganger can give test results that are valid.

And that is a big ask, not least because there is no gold standard; the ‘black box’ means there is no definitive embryo library to provide reference points for the journey. Then there are the endless variables in embryoid research: the physical layout of the device, when to add morphogens and chemical signals, and countless other tiny details.

Which is where Fu took his Enterprise into deep space. His embryoids reached the early phase of another critical developmental stage called gastrulation. When the furrow-like primitive streak appears at 14 days, it signals that the cells below, a little like the settling of ploughed earth, are falling into three layers: the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, respective precursors of skin and brain, muscle, and internal organs. Their emergence heralds the laying down of the body plan.

But Fu’s embryoids also showed something else undeniably human. Budding off from those furiously dividing balls were the barely discernible outlines of germ cells. These define the male and female sex – they are the cells that go on to produce sperm or eggs.

Megan Munsie is Deputy Director of the Centre for Stem Cell Systems at the University of Melbourne and has been entangled with the stem cell story for two decades, first as a researcher and now as an expert on policy and ethics. The appearance of these sex cells left a deep impression.

“This is a part of human development that we just really can’t follow,” she says. “The start of the germ lineage I think is absolutely fascinating.”

Nor was it the only aspect of Fu’s achievement that gave her pause.

“When we looked across his images I found them quite extraordinary,” she says. “In almost all the clusters in the wells the patterning was consistent, and as you can imagine in this area of biology there is often quite a lot of inconsistency.”

That cookie cutter reliability is essential if you want to screen a bunch of drugs for harmful effects; the substrate has to repeat faithfully across each test. One example, of course, stands out.

“Thalidomide, who was expecting that? What if we could develop a screening mechanism, that is an adjunct to pharmaceutical development, that enabled us to provide a safeguard for a new drug?” asks Munsie.

Barely a kilometre from Munsie’s office, across Melbourne’s verdant and expansive Royal Park, Andrew Elefanty is using stem cells to try to make bespoke blood for people whose bone marrow has failed, or is in overdrive making blood cells that don’t work properly – the leukaemias.

It is the kind of medicine that shows just how personalised the embryoid project could become.

Credit: University of Michigan Engineering

In order to create the customised blood, Elefanty’s team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute takes blood samples from volunteers. The immature red cells are removed and, with the help of genes delivered in a virus, programmed back to a pluripotent state – they become iPS cells.

In crimson culture fluid in blue-capped flasks, these iPS cells are then urged by the team towards the embryoid stage. But, unlike Fu, the team halts development at the point of gastrulation, directing the cells to become mesoderm alone.

Why? Because it is that layer, as Elefanty shows me in a stunning photo, that fashions the seminal version of our biggest blood vessel, the aorta, in whose walls, at this rudimentary time, the red blood cells are made.

Duplicate Elefanty’s process with the blood of someone with leukaemia and the hope is that, one day, you could make healthy blood for them that’s a perfect match.

But I’m confused about something.

Since stem cells were first coaxed into tiny 3D brain-like structures in 2008, scientists have produced a cornucopia of organoids. All of these – mini brains, hearts, kidneys and even blood cells – can be made directly from pluripotent stem cells. Why, then, would you want to push them through the embryoid pathway first, which seems to be taking the long way round?

“The way that works the best, if you like, is if you try to direct them via a trajectory where you do actually try to replicate some of the steps during embryonic differentiation,” says Elefanty. “That’s the road map that you’re following.”

The whole process is artificial, but there’s something of a “nature knows best” adage at its heart. Elefanty is leveraging nature’s navigational toolbox, whose items have been checked off by the rigorous oversight of evolution, to make a better blood cell.

The embryoid pathway could also be a way forward for organ replacement.

Writing in Nature in 2018, stem cell pioneer Martin Pera and colleagues noted that mini brains, livers and kidneys made from stem cells are pretty basic, and that maybe we can do better.

“Initiating organ development in an environment as similar as possible to the developing embryo might… generate structures that more closely resemble mature, functional organs, for drug screens or even for transplantation,” they write.

Usable organs, however, both in terms of sophistication and size, would need the embryoid to be pushed much further along the developmental path than it has been. Elefanty points out two largish hurdles to that ever happening.

“If you don’t have the right cell type you can’t make a whole embryo. And secondly, what people can’t underestimate is the difficulty in reproducing the environment that is the same as the implanted embryo,” he says.

Here’s the rub. Fu’s whirling cell clusters are the right ones to make the headline act of the embryo, but are missing the supporting entourage: the trophoblasts that become the placenta, and the hypoblasts that go on to make the yolk sac, needed to nourish the early embryo.

These are critical kit in their own right, but they also play a key role in what is called patterning, which plots the layout of the body – for example, getting your liver and spleen in the right spot or crystallising the geography of the brain’s bumps and folds.

Here, however, the incoming breakers of science seem relentless.

In 2018, Japanese researchers cultured human trophoblast stem cells for the first time, raising the prospect of an artificially grown placenta. Another announcement last June, however, may have leapfrogged that altogether.

A group led by Xuefei Gao from the University of Hong Kong created something called “expanded potential stem cells”. With some clever chemical coaxing they heightened the potency of human embryonic stem cells and iPS cells – stem cells on steroids if you like. Crucially, expanded potential stem cells can make those missing bits – the placenta and yolk sac.

The final step would be replicating implantation, and in October 2019 the Salk Institute’s Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte led a team that created expanded potential stem cells from mice, some by reprogramming cells from the critters’ ears, to make what they say “could potentially be… fully functional synthetic embryos in vitro”.

Jianping Fu looks on as postdoctoral fellow Yi Zheng examines stained stem cells. Credit: Jianping Fu.

Equipped with placenta and yolk sac, these are primed to become fully fledged foetuses – and Belmonte successfully implanted the structures in a mouse uterus. Only 7% took and, after a week, they were badly malformed. But it is early days.

As the science rushes onwards it is hard enough to understand it, let alone pass judgment on how far it should all be allowed to go. There are ground rules in place. The 14-day rule is as bedrock as ethics gets, exerting global influence. But, for the purposes of regulation, is an embryoid an embryo?

In Australia it probably is, even though no one is pushing the experimental agenda at anywhere near Fu’s level.

Dianne Nicol is Chair of Australia’s Embryo Research Licensing Committee, which would make any such adjudication should the question arise. It hasn’t – yet. She originally trained as a developmental biologist and is now a Professor of Law at the University of Tasmania.

Nicol directs me to The Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002, which defines a human embryo as something made by fertilisation of a human egg by a sperm. But it goes beyond that, to things with a human nuclear genome that have “the potential to develop up to, or beyond, the stage at which the primitive streak appears”.

“That does seem to me to include these embryoids that have a capacity to develop to the primitive streak. And if that’s the case then we have a regulatory environment to deal with them,” she says, careful to stress she’s speaking in her capacity as legal academic, not Committee chair. Should the Committee decide similarly, research like Fu’s in Australia would require a licence.

The Act specifies that any research on human embryos must be done under a licence issued by the Committee, a second layer of scrutiny after review by an institutional ethics committee. The decision whether or not to grant such a licence would, almost certainly, take cues from philosophers who specialise in stem cell ethics.

One job for those professional thinkers is to look at why the primitive streak is a moral line in the sand, beyond the question of individuation.

The standard answer is that it heralds the arrival of ectoderm, which prefigures the nervous system, which transmits pain that will, way on down the track, be perceived by a conscious brain. So the primitive streak seems to mark a point beyond which harm could be inflicted.

I asked Insoo Hyun, a Professor of Bioethics and Philosophy at Case Western Reserve University in the US, if the moral weight attached to the primitive streak is justified.

“I think, from a secular point of view, it is very hard to defend that, because we’re not even at the point where we’ve got functioning neurons or any kind of capacity for experience or pain,” he says.

Hyun also notes that many versions of the 14-day rule are nuanced, specifying that culture of embryos cannot go beyond 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak, whichever comes first.

That points to 14 days being relevant only because it coincides with primitive streak formation. But the whole embryoid project could rejig the developmental order – scientists could, theoretically, make the primitive streak happen earlier or later.

Adding to the regulatory imbroglio are the tectonic shifts we’ve seen in the ways of concocting human life, from test tube babies to reproductive cloning.

In 1996, biology superstar Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. Fashioned by putting DNA from a sheep’s udder cell into a sheep embryo – a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer – Dolly was proof of concept for reproductive cloning, which remains universally banned in humans.

Along with those reproductive advances, Hyun tells me, the laws that define embryos have shifted focus. “You’re seeing embryo definitions in legislation that have less and less to do with how it was created and more and more to do with what they can become,” he says.

You’re seeing embryo definitions in legislation that have less and less to do with how it was created and more and more to do with what they can become.

Which suggests, he adds, that the lawmakers are preoccupied with one big issue when it comes to reproductive technology: “Does the thing in question have the power to make a baby if transferred into the womb?”

When the moral rightness of something hinges on what it could become, you have what philosophers call an “argument from potential”. But such arguments, says Hyun, can get hoisted on their own petard as science advances.

What would happen if, following Belmonte’s work, you could program a human skin cell into an expanded potential stem cell that could ultimately make a baby under the right conditions? In that brave new world, would a flake of dandruff meet a requirement for moral protection?

And what of social potential? If regulation itself prohibits transfer of research embryos into a womb, should that allay concerns about what they might become?

Good ethics, of course, starts with good facts, and Elefanty reminds me that our capabilities are limited.

“There is still a considerable degree of concern over making embryos in a dish which will make viable organisms and so forth because that’s still got a degree of playing God associated with it,” he says.

“I think it is partly moot because I think the technology is nowhere near there.”

Elefanty could well be right. And no one is even remotely suggesting we could, or should, grow a baby in a lab. But the science is moving at speed, and so it may be prudent to get our ethical ducks in a row sooner rather than later.

Just in case.

This article appeared in the March 2020 issue of Cosmos magazine. You can subscribe to the magazine here.

Inside Biology’s Black Box published first on https://triviaqaweb.weebly.com/

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New Post has been published on Strange Hoot - How To’s, Reviews, Comparisons, Top 10s, & Tech Guide

New Post has been published on https://strangehoot.com/best-vitamins-for-kids-to-improve-health-energy-for-kids/

Best Vitamins for kids to improve health & energy for kids.

Do Kids Need Vitamins?

Regular meals including vegetables, grain food, fruits, dairy products, chicken, eggs, meat, fish, & nuts are the best source of essential vitamins for a kid’s growth, energy, and development.

Essential vitamins include vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K which are necessary for their energy, activity, learning, and behavior, to boost immunity and fight against infections.

Kids not having these essential vitamins may lead to serious health problems. Breastfeeding mothers supply most of the vitamins to their kids. The best vitamins for kids are – 

1. Vitamin A:

Vitamin A is the best vitamin to promote the growth and development of the cells and tissues of the body, improves eyesight, repairs tissue, revitalizes skin, and fights against infections.

Yellow and orange pigmented fruits and vegetables, egg yolks, dairy products, fish oils and apricots contain vitamin A.

Deficiency Symptoms: visual impairment and blindness, rashes all over the body, liver disorders, weakened immunity, loss of energy, retardation of growth and respiratory infections.

2. Vitamin B:

It includes – Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Vitamin B7 (biotin), Vitamin B9 (folic acid), Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).

All these best vitamins actively contribute to the healthy nerves, production of red blood cells, digestion, muscle growth, energy production, brain development, and stimulates healthy skin, hair, and nails in kids.

Seafood, dairy products, leafy green vegetables, peas, beans, wheat, oats, eggs, poultry and meats are a rich source of vitamin B.

Deficiency Symptoms: epilepsy, delayed growth, loss of energy, diarrhoea, poor concentration, dermatitis, body weakness, nausea, muscle weakness, poor blood formation and abdominal pain.

3. Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is vital for a kid’s good health and development especially during winter for cold and flu.

It is the best vitamin that helps the body to fight against infection in any cut or wound and helps the wound to heal faster.

Vitamin C is important for keeping gums, bones, and blood vessels in good shape.

Foods rich in vitamin C include all citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, sweet red peppers, and broccoli.

Deficiency Symptoms: scurvy, cold, cough, poor wound healing, muscle weakness, loss of energy and bleeding gums.

4. Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is the best vitamin for calcium absorption and for strong bones and teeth.

Regular exposure to the sun is the most natural way to get sufficient vitamin D. Foods rich in vitamin D include milk, egg yolks, fish, meat, and orange juice.

Deficiency Symptoms: muscle cramps, soft bones, skeletal diseases (rickets), bone fractures due to tender bones.

5. Vitamin E:

It protects the cells and tissues from damage. Vitamin E is also needed for the production of red blood cells.

Good sources of vitamin E include breast milk, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, and wheat germ.

Deficiency Symptoms: loss of coordination, loss of energy, difficulty in walking and standing, muscle weakness and slow reflexes.

6. Vitamin K:

Vitamin K is the best vitamin for blood clots. If a kid gets a wound and has severe bleeding from the wound and doesn’t clot, it indicates that the kid is having vitamin K deficiency.

Foods rich in vitamin K are leafy green vegetables, fruits (blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, and avocado), tomatoes, figs, dairy products, soybean oil and broccoli.

Deficiency Symptoms: excessive bleeding from wound or cut, decrease bone strength and prone to osteoporosis.

7. Iron:

Kids’ body needs Iron to make hemoglobin. Without Iron, the body will stop producing red blood cells (RBCs).

Hemoglobin is essential for the blood to carry oxygen and deliver to all the cells. Foods rich in iron include fortified cereals (oatmeal), red meats (beef, organ meats, and liver), chicken, green leafy vegetables, and beans.

Deficiency Symptoms: muscle weakness, anaemia, loss of energy, low immune system, slow learning skills, and delayed motor skills.

8. Calcium:

Kids need calcium to prevent a disease called rickets. Calcium is needed to build strong bones and to keep the nerves healthy.

Kids/children, who get enough calcium, start their adult lives with the strongest bones.

Tofu, soybeans, almonds, sesame seeds, white beans, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, chickpeas, milk, cheese, yogurt, and other green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium.

Deficiency Symptoms: rickets, bow legs, stunted growth and weak muscles

Do Kids Need Vitamin Supplements?

Picky Foods

Vitamin supplements are not necessary for most healthy kids who are growing normally. Many kids are picky food eaters and may turn up his/her nose at mealtimes.

This is sometimes a real struggle for the parents to feed their kids at the right time. So what should the parents do…?

Don’t worry – your child will not starve herself! You should keep offering a variety of good or new foods with different recipes without pressurizing the kid to eat.

It is always good to plan a family meal, instead of feeding the kid while your kid is walking around, playing or watching television.

The meal should always be served from distractions like the television or computer.

Do not have toys at the dining table. You can make the food fun by arranging the food in eye-catching, creative ways (colourful sizes and shapes) which kids can recognize.

You can also try serving unfamiliar foods, or flavours (sour and bitter or sweet and salty), is a great combination for the taste buds.

Time is also important, kids should get enough time to eat the meal.

10 Best vitamin-rich recipes kids will love to eat….

1. Fruits bars: Blend, cashews, dates, raisins, and cocoa together to make ‘chocolate’ bars.

2. Coconut and mango Lollipops: Coconut water with coconut and frozen mango pieces are blended. Add 2 tablespoons of malt syrup and 2 – 3 big tablespoons of natural unsweetened yogurt. Pour into lollipops moulds.

3. Butterscotch candies: Boiling brown sugar and butter together in the water. Add some dried fruits.

4. Vegetables blended soups: Make vegetable (carrots, celery, cabbage, greens peas, beetroots) soup and add pulses like peas, chickpeas or lentils to bulk it up.

5. Tomato-based sauces: Homemade tomato-based sauces are the best in which you can blend vegetables along with tomatoes.

6. Sweet potato fries: Slice sweet potatoes into discs/sticks, toss with olive oil, and bake on a sheet until they are golden brown and crispy.

7. Serve fortified: cereal with fresh fruits like strawberries or mango to increase the iron absorption in the body.

8. Scrambled eggs – As egg yolks are a great source of iron

9. Quinoa soup – It is ideal iron-rich soups for vegetarians or kids who do not like meat.

10. Tofu Cube: Cut tofu into cubes and serve. Tofu is a good source of iron.

Sometimes it is seen that kids are picky food eaters and working parents are not having enough time to feed their child or he/she is suffering from chronic medical conditions such as asthma or digestive problems.

It is also seen that fussy eaters simply do not eat homemade food and eat a lot of fast food, convenience food, and processed food.

As far as possible these fast foods, carbonated sodas and fried foods should be avoided.

You can take your kid to a pediatrician if you think whether your kid is getting the recommended level of best vitamins.

The pediatrician will recommend the best vitamin designed for your kid’s age group. Few of the multivitamin which is available in the market are as follows –

1.  Children’s Multivitamins & Minerals:

The container contains 90 chewable multivitamins & mineral tablets which boost the immune system, protect cells from oxidative stress and maintain electrolyte balance.

It comes with Tutti frutti flavour. HealthAid has created the ideal supplement to ensure that your children are getting the best vitamins they need to stay healthy. Recommended for children age 2 and up.

2. Multivitamin and Mineral Gummy:

This is the best vitamin supplement which contains vitamin A, C, D, E, and zinc, and is for kids who are of growing age.

Their body is continuously changing, they are more physically active and thus, healthy bones and joints are required.

This multivitamin container contains 30 gummies that are needed to build healthy bones and joints, healthy metabolism, growth and development, better vision, boost the immune system, and to have balanced mental health and energy.

Manufactured by Meadbery Pharmaceutical Company.

3. Activkids Brain Boosters:

1 choco bite daily helps to promote your kids’ healthy brain, improves concentration, energy, increases grasping power, builds stamina, and improves learning capacity.

It contains milk compounds, almonds, minerals, flavors, vitamins with added flavors.

This multivitamin container contains 30 counts of choco bite. Manufactured by Cipla Pharmaceuticals.

4. Multivitamin Alvitom Drops For Kids:

It is a great tasting multivitamin with an iron supplement in orange flavour for a picky eater.

It is the best vitamin which helps to support the kid’s healthy growth, development, increase energy levels, and boost the immune system.

This multivitamin container contains 30 ml drops. It delivers 100% of the daily intake of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B, and D. Manufactured by Sherwell Biotech.

5. Kids Multi + Probiotic Vitamin Gummies:

This bite-sized multivitamin is packed with all the essential ingredients kiddos need in a delicious gummy, plus a boost of the good probiotic bacteria to help little bodies thrive.

This multivitamin container contains 70 counts of delicious gummy. It is a blend of vitamins A, C, D, E, B’s and zinc.

Available in fruit punch and berry blast flavours. Distributed by Olly Public Benefit Corporation.

6. Smarty Pants:

Smarty Pants gummies include the best vitamins and essential nutrients required for your kid’s immune system, increase energy levels, healthy brain and memory.

It includes all-natural flavours derived from sources like spices, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

No addition of synthetic colours, artificial flavours or artificial sweeteners. It is available in 3 delicious flavours, strawberry banana, orange, and lemon.

It is a blend of vitamins D3 (for boosting immunity), vitamin K (for healthy bones), omega 3s, prebiotic fibre, beta carotene and the natural colours (organic turmeric, organic black, carrot juice and annatto).

This multivitamin container contains 90 counts of gummies.

7. Strong Calcium + K2:

This calcium drop contains 100 mg calcium and 5 mcg vitamin K2 per serving size (3 Dropper – 3 ml).

The unique patented ratio of calcium and K2 vitamin helps to improve calcium absorption by the human body which leads to healthy bones and teeth and it also tastes great.

Drops may be given directly into the mouth or mixed with fruit juice, or other foods.

8. EFA Blend for Children Eye & Brain Function:

These soft gels are enriched with vitamin E, Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and fish oil which is required for maintaining good vision, brain function and increase energy levels of the kids.

These soft gels can be cut open and the contents are mixed with food or drink. Container contains 120 soft gels.

Does Multivitamin have side effects?

The side effects of a multivitamin are usually temporary and may disappear as your body adjusts to this medicine.

Too much of vitamin C or zinc can cause nausea, loss of energy, dizziness, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

Too much selenium could lead to loss of hair, gastrointestinal problem, fatigue, and mild nerve damage.

Read more: How To Do Business Marketing On Quora & Write Answers?

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17 Week Pregnancy

During the 17-week pregnancy, we wrote baby development in the womb, changes in the mother, things to consider and much more for you! Start reading now!

How is the 17 Week Baby Development?

"How many grams will a 17-week-old baby be?", "How is the 17-week pregnancy baby weight?" You wonder the answers to questions like? The information of the 17-week-old baby in the womb is in the table below! 17 week old baby development17 weeks old baby11-13 cm17 week old baby weight100-150g During this week it will be almost as much as one hand is fully opened.Fat begins to build up in your body this week and in the coming weeks. Fatty tissue is important for the body's heat production and metabolism. At the end of pregnancy, the fat in the baby will be approximately 2.4 kilos in an average of 3.5 kilos.This week, the preparations continue for that big day when the baby will be born. The most important abilities she's currently working on are sucking and swallowing! In other words, he is preparing for the first sips from the breast or bottle.In the 17th week of pregnancy, the heartbeat is now regulated by the brain. So now random strikes are over. It makes 140-150 strokes per minute. Week 17 - Week by Week Pregnancy - Pregnancy 17 Week Baby Image

17 Week Baby Image How Many Months of 17-Week Pregnancy? How old is the 17-week pregnancy? Let's answer the question.17 week pregnancy corresponds to the 4th month. Considering that we divided the pregnancy into 3 trimesters for 13 weeks, the first trimester (ie the first 3 months), the 1st trimester is over, and the 2nd trimester has begun to live with the 4th. The 17th week is the last week of the 4th month. 17 Week Pregnancy Ultrasound Image

Let's make a little warning. It may not be the same here with the 17-week ultrasound image you had taken. However, this is not a problem; The movements and postures of every baby in the womb may not be the same. Baby Movements in 17 Week Pregnancy You may feel your baby moving this week or very soon. But the 17-week-old baby movements aren't what you can feel every day, so don't panic when you don't have mobility. As the pregnancy progresses, she will already realize that her baby is strong and frequent. If you say "I'm 17 weeks pregnant, I don't feel my baby's movements!" Few mother candidates, especially those expecting their first baby, feel the first kick in the 4th month. These movements cannot be felt by the mother because her arms and legs are tiny, although the embryo started to make self-movements from the 7th week. The first feeling that there is life inside comes between the 14th week and the 26th week, but usually mid 18 to 22 weeks. Of course, deviations from this average can also be seen.

What are the changes in the mother during the 17-week pregnancy?

In the 17-week pregnancy, the womb is now evident. It becomes more obvious that you are pregnant and there is a marked swelling in the lower part of your abdomen. The size of the uterus below the belly button is about 5 cm.The best way to notice changes in your abdomen every day is to hug each other with your partner. Hug and see how the distance opens every day. You can even make a small commemorative album for yourself. Take a photo by hugging each other in the same place in the same place every week and take the last photo the week after birth. This time, your little baby will be on your lap, not in the navel.With the 17th week of pregnancy, it is better to start wearing more clothes in order to feel more comfortable in your daily life. You should now get away from tight, uncomfortable clothes that put pressure on your stomach or groin. Apart from the abdominal area, the rest of the body is changing day by day. It can be considered normal to have gained 2.25 to 4 kilos until the 17th week of pregnancy. 17 Week Pregnancy Image

Does Gender Determine During 17 Week Pregnancy? 17 weeks of pregnancy is one of the weeks that allows for gender determination. Because the reproductive organs have developed enough to give an opportunity to understand this. But there are some factors that affect ultrasonography findings for gender determination. Gestational week during the ultrasound,Position of the fetus in the womb,The quality of the ultrasonography device,When factors such as the experience of the physician come into play, it becomes difficult to say exactly which week will be determined. But 17 week old baby sex is probably detected. Changes in the Womb in the 17-Week Pregnancy: Growing More and More! As pregnancy progresses, the peak of the uterus almost takes the shape of a sphere.Its length increases faster than its width. Therefore, the uterus becomes oval, not round.The uterus now fills the pelvis and begins to grow towards the abdomen.The intestines are also pushed up and to the sides.The uterus eventually extends to the liver. It does not move, but it does not depend on a point either.Your uterus touches the anterior abdominal wall when you are standing.You can easily feel your uterus most in this position.When lying down, it can be pulled back into the spine and blood vessels. Round Ligament Pain: What Is It? The round ligaments are on either side of the upper part of the uterus and adjacent to the side pelvis wall. During pregnancy, during the growth of the uterus and the baby, these ligaments are stretched and pulled. It becomes longer and thinner. Your movements can stretch these bonds. But do not be afraid, this is not a problem, it indicates that your womb is growing. All these changes may be the cause of uterine pain and uterine contraction during 17 weeks of pregnancy. The pain can be on either side or only on one side. This is not harmful for you or your baby. When you have pain, you can feel better by lying down and resting. If the pain is severe and is accompanied by other symptoms, you should definitely talk to your doctor. Warning signs for serious problems; Vaginal bleeding,Fluid loss from the vagina,It is severe pain. Increased Vaginal Discharge: Is it Infection or Not? It is normal to have vaginal discharge and increased secretions during pregnancy. This stream is usually white or light yellow and quite dark. It does not usually indicate infection. If there is a heavy discharge, you should use a pad and change it frequently.You should avoid wearing pantyhose and nylon underwear.You should prefer cotton underwear that provides air circulation. Vaginal infections may also occur during pregnancy. These foul-smelling infections are followed by the discharge. Its color is yellow and green.It causes inflammation or itching.It can cause groin and vagina pain. If your vaginal complaints come to this point, you should definitely get support from the doctor. Most doctors agree that you should not wash your vagina while you are pregnant (even when you are not pregnant). Spray showers are definitely inconvenient because they disrupt the pH value inside the vagina. A Little Suggestion For Leg Cramps During Pregnancy! If you have cramps on your legs, you should not be standing for a long time.You should try to lie on your side as often as possible.Stretching exercises can also help with this.You can also apply a hot compress to the cramping areas, but not longer than 15 minutes.You can add potassium-rich foods such as raisins and bananas to your diet to be useful before the cramps on the legs begin.Potassium prevents the formation of cramps in the body.You should also make sure that he drinks 2-3 liters of water a day. The 2 most critical exercises for leg cramps during pregnancy!

Nutrition in 17 Week Pregnancy: Eating Meat or Not!

Some women prefer vegetarian nutrition, while others get sick from meat during pregnancy. But animal protein is very important during pregnancy. Of course, eating a vegetarian while you're pregnant is a choice, but you need to be very careful with the type and combination of foods you eat. If you stop consuming meat, you need to get enough calories to meet your energy needs. These should also be quality calories. Like fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes.It is necessary to avoid empty calorie foods with little or no nutritional value. The goal during pregnancy is to feed on different types of protein sources where you can get enough energy for the baby and yourself. It is also important to get the vitamins and minerals you need. Wide variety of whole grains,Legumes,Pea,Chia seeds,Mung beans,Chickpea,Lentil,Dry kidney bean,If you eat wheat germ, it can meet the body's iron, zinc and other mineral requirements. You should get support from other sources to meet Calcium, B group and D vitamins. As a result, if you cannot consume meat, you should plan your nutrition properly with your doctor and a nutritionist.

Triple Scan Test or Quad Scan Test?

The quad screening test helps roughly determine if you have a baby with Down syndrome. It also helps to detect and prevent other problems, such as neural tube defects. As we mentioned in our 15-week pregnancy letter, the quad screening test is the most important test that should be done in the 2nd trimester. The most ideal period to do is between the 15th and 18th week of pregnancy, but it can be done until the 22nd week. So if you haven't got it done yet, you can have it at the 17th week of pregnancy. The quad screening test is the same as the triple screening test , except for the fourth assessment, Inhibin A level . This fourth assessment (inhibin A level) increases the sensitivity of the standard triple screening test to detect Down syndrome by 20%. Therefore, it is more reasonable to apply only a quad screening test instead of a triple screening test after the first trimester double screening test. Because quad scan already includes triple sweep! Pregnant Photos! Do you want to take photos of these periods when the change in your body is becoming visible? If you say I want it, you are in the process of starting to meet with photographers to get information and consult. Saying it from us! To make it easier for you to decide what you can do, you can check out our Pregnant and Birth Photographer page. Sports is Important in Pregnancy! During pregnancy, there will be changes in her mental state and restrictions in her physical activities. These may bother you, making you feel more nervous. That's why we suggest you turn to healthy things that will make you happy. Sometimes this can be a yoga session, sometimes pilates movements suitable for pregnant women or a day to unwind with a spa, who knows! Decide and do! Read the full article

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Zinc & The Immune System: Learn How It Works

When Thomas B., a technical director from Sherwood, Arkansas, started looking at all the benefits of taking the essential mineral zinc, he was amazed. "I started reading about zinc and knew I had to start using it," he says. "I remember thinking: How could I be missing something this important?"

Thomas takes zinc as soon as he thinks he might be coming down with a cough or cold. The key is to take zinc within 24 hours of developing symptoms because that’s when it’s most effective.[1]

"Zinc is my go-to whenever I’m coming down with something," says Erin F., a writer from Flemington, New Jersey. "As soon as I feel that familiar post-nasal drip in the back of my throat, the one that warns of a cough or oncoming cold, I reach for it."

Keep reading to find out about the crucial role zinc should have in your supplement regimen.

What Is Zinc?

Zinc is an essential trace element that your body needs for different cellular processes, such as dividing cells, making proteins and DNA, healing wounds, and activating enzymes.[1]

Your body needs zinc to support healthy and clear skin, brain and eye health, and the immune system. It also plays a role in testosterone production and male sexual health.[1, 2]

Your body can’t store zinc, so you have to get enough daily. According to the United States Office of Dietary Supplements, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for most adult men and women is 8 mg. When pregnant, the need increases to 12 mg.[3]

How Does Zinc Deficiency Affect the Immune System?

If you are low in zinc, it affects your immune function by increasing your risk of getting an infection.[4] This mineral affects your body’s ability to make immune cells and produce antibodies that are necessary for the immune response.[4]

Without enough zinc, your body can’t make and activate immune system cells like T-lymphocytes — white blood cells that shut down infected cells.[1]

You’ll find zinc in every cell of your body. It’s involved in over 300 enzymes and 1,000 transcription factors — proteins that help in cell division by copying DNA. You can’t be in full health if you don’t get enough of this mineral.[2]

Why Zinc Is a Great Immune System Booster

From a runny nose that won’t stop to a scratchy throat, getting sick makes it hard to focus on anything else.

When you feel poorly, it can force you to miss school, work, or other activities. The good news is that zinc may help you kick the sniffles and aches to the curb — before they begin.

Below are the top ways that zinc boosts the immune system.

Helps With Common Cold Symptoms

When people think about dealing with a sickness, they focus on cold remedies or different ways of managing the symptoms. But a robust immune system can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place. We know that taking zinc when you first notice the sniffles or a cough can lower the severity and duration of your symptoms for both adults and kids.[5] Research suggests that upping your zinc intake within 24 hours of when you feel something coming on makes it most effective.[5]

Many parents are seeing the benefits of giving zinc to their kids. "I started giving my 12-year-old daughter, Natalie, zinc after one snowy winter when everyone around us was getting sick," says Mary M., a nursing student from Chicago, Illinois. "I added zinc to her daily vitamins, and she’s been feeling great."

Has Great Antioxidant Properties

Zinc has strong antioxidant properties that help your body deal with free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), unstable molecules that damage cells and tissues.[6] Antioxidants — from vitamin A to zinc — counteract the oxidative stress from these free radicals. Oxidative stress over time can lead to chronic disease.[5]

Zinc works as well as other potent antioxidants, like vitamin C.[6] When 3,640 adults with macular degeneration (a type of eye disease) were split up into groups, the ones who took zinc showed the same improvement in vision as those who took other antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene).[6]

Promotes Natural Wound Healing

When you get a cut or a scrape, you probably reach for a bandage. But you might also grab some zinc. This trace mineral plays a part in many wound-healing processes, including repairing membranes, coagulating blood, fixing tissues, and forming scars — not to mention your body’s immune defense response.[7]

Topical zinc applied as a paste to the skin is particularly effective for wound healing.[7]

Thomas uses zinc when he gets a cut on his hand. "I’ve used zinc for wounds before. I feel like it really helps," says Thomas. "I believe it makes my whole body function better and heal faster."

How Zinc Works

So how does zinc actually work inside the body? When you have an infection, your body recruits zinc to the scene. Zinc not only helps produce proteins that help in the immune response but also stops their production when they’re no longer needed. So zinc helps regulate an "on-off" switch in the immune system.[8]

When an infection or injury occurs, so does inflammation — think of the swollen, red tissue near a cut. On most days, you don’t want to have inflammation in the body, but during an infection, it plays an essential immune system role. Typically, white blood cells rush to the scene of an injury, protecting your body from bacteria or other invaders. That inflammation should stop once the body's normal response has dealt with the infection.

What happens when there is a deficiency in zinc, according to fascinating research out of Ohio State University, is that the whole system malfunctions.[8] This leads to excess inflammation since zinc isn’t there to turn the switch off. That can lead to excess puffiness, redness, and swelling.

During an illness or infection, the body also diverts zinc from the blood to organs, so taking more during these times ensures that the whole body keeps enough in circulation.

Best Zinc Sources

It’s possible to get zinc from both food and supplement sources, but not everyone eats a well-balanced diet. I recommend using plant-based foods to get enough zinc daily. Remember, your body can’t store this mineral, so you must continue consuming it every day.

Best High-Zinc Plant-Based Foods

Some of my favorite high-zinc foods include:

Dark chocolate

Nuts: cashews, pine nuts, almonds

Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, peas, beans

Seeds: pumpkin, sesame, watermelon

Garlic

Oatmeal

Zinc-Rich Strawberry-Guava-Watermelon Smoothie Recipe

I find that smoothies offer a quick and delicious way to get the nutrients you need in your diet. You can drink them on the go or at home, so they’re convenient. It’s best to drink smoothies naturally sweetened with fruit, but you can use honey or monk fruit if you feel you need them. You can use fresh guava, but because they’re a tropical fruit, it may be easier to find them frozen.

Equipment

Blender

Knife

Cutting board

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh watermelon

1 cup of cashew or almond milk

1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries

1 banana

¼ cup frozen guava

1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds

Directions

Cut up the watermelon into small cubes without the rind. Make sure to keep the seeds, which are high in zinc and entirely edible.

Slice the banana.

Remove stems and leaves from strawberries and wash them. Cut them if they are large.

Add all the ingredients to a blender.

Blend until smooth. Make sure the seeds get crushed well.

Serve in a glass and enjoy!

Zinc Supplements

As a supplement, you can find zinc lozenges or syrup.[1] You can also find zinc in liquids, tablets, and capsules. I recommend avoiding zinc nasal sprays or gels because they may affect your sense of smell.[9]

Erin prefers to take zinc by mouth. "When I feel an oncoming cough or congestion, I reach for my zinc supplement, wash it down with plenty of tea, and finish it off with a solid’s night sleep," she says. "By taking zinc once in the morning and once before bed, I’ve been able to avoid the sickness that’s been invading my office."

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Coming Soon: Global Healing Liquid Zinc!

Our vegan, liquid zinc supplement is extracted from certified organic guava leaves and combined with Energized Trace Minerals™ for maximum absorption.

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Points to Remember

Are you wondering if you should try zinc for seasonal ailments? Zinc is an essential mineral that your body needs every day but can’t store. It’s involved in a variety of cellular processes, including wound healing, the immune response, and cell division.

We know that zinc can help at the first sign of the sniffles or a cough, but it’s important to take it within 24 hours of symptoms showing up. Zinc also has excellent antioxidant properties that help fight free radical damage in cells.

Plant-based foods like nuts, legumes, seeds, and oatmeal, are the best sources of zinc for your diet. If you’re worried that you’re deficient in zinc, or you want to boost your immunity during the winter months, then consider taking a supplement.

Have you tried zinc for colds, infections, or any other purpose? Share your experiences below!

The post Zinc & The Immune System: Learn How It Works appeared first on Dr. Group's Healthy Living Articles.

Zinc & The Immune System: Learn How It Works published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[petstutorial]

VICTOR Yukon River Canine, Dry Dog Food Introduction Any responsible pet owner will want to ensure that his furry friend gets the best nutrition free of artificial chemicals.  A high-quality pet food full of nutritional benefits will give your canine a clean bill of health by ensuring that he stays healthy and energetic all year round. Fortunately, Victor Food products have an array of top-rated pet food that caters for dogs throughout all life seasons and lifestyles. In this article, we are going to review one of its top-notch dog foods: Victor Select-Grain Free Yukon River Canine. Read on to learn more about this premium pet feed. See also: [su_note note_color="#eff9de"] Victor Hi Pro Plus Dog Food Reviews Victor Active Puppy Food Reviews [/su_note] Victor Yukon River Dog Food Reviews Manufacturer All Victor Dog foods brands are manufactured and owned by Mid America Pet Food located in Texas. Although Victor Dog Food was introduced in 2007, Victor, as a brand name, has been in existence since 1945. All Victor Products are produced on-site using the company’s facilities. Recall History While this company has been in operation for a relatively short period, since 2007, there is no record of public recall of any of their products. This is commendable as it shows that the company pays essential attention even to the slightest details. Product overview [amazon box="B00CHCOMX0" grid="1"] Its manufacturer applauds Yukon River Canine as its most hypoallergenic preparation in their entire collection. This means that this food is your ideal solution if your canine is prone to allergenic reactions to certain types of protein sources such as grains, pork, chicken, or lamb. This premium dog food has fish as its main ingredient, and it’s appropriate for large and small breeds at all stages of life. Ingredients Yuko River Canine is a top-rated formula that combines different nutritional elements to meet your dog’s specific needs. The blend of ingredients meets the nutritional levels established by   AFFCO Dog Nutrients Profiles so you can be sure you are making a quality purchase. Let us have a more in-depth look on these components Menhaden Fishmeal This fishmeal is a by-product of the rendering process. As the moisture is removed from the fish, a more concentrated and high-protein substance is left. Menhaden fishmeal is a rich source of omega 3 and 6. These essential fatty acids are known to improve the health of your dog’s heart, promote shiny fur, and provide a range of other health benefits. Chick Peas Chickpeas, otherwise known as Garbanzo beans, are packed with proteins and fiber. They also provide carbohydrates that keep your dog energized all day long. Chicken fat This is an ingredient obtained through the rendering process. Chicken fat is skimmed from the stew, and the resulting product is highly concentrated and rich in linoleic acid as well as omega 6 fatty acid. This product is preserved using a mixture of tocopherols. Dehydrated salmon The high content of essential omega 3 and 6 make salmon a critical ingredient in any dog food. These fatty acids are known to promote a robust immune system and also maintain healthy bones and muscles in your pup. Dried salmon is an excellent choice because the moisture concentration has been reduced, giving you a highly nutritious meat meal. Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes are gluten-free and an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. They are also naturally rich in dietary fiber and a source of vitamin A. Vitamin A promotes a healthy coat and shiny fur and supports muscles and nerves in dogs. Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal Dried Alfalfa contains up to 22 percent protein, 10 percent ash ad less than 5 percent fats. It also contains crude fiber, which eases digestion, calcium, and potassium. Besides, this meal is a source of beta-carotene, various B vitamins, and vitamin K. The leaves of this plant provide chlorophyll. Flaxseed This is a superb source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Also, it contains a substantial amount of protein B vitamins and several essential minerals. Yeast Culture Yeast is a fantastic source of B vitamin. Yeast is a controversial ingredient considering that it is a by-product of the beer-making process. However, this element boasts up to 45 percent protein as well as other healthy nutrients that support the health of your pup. Also, Yeast is an exceptional probiotic that aids in digestion. Proponents of this ingredient also believe that it repels fleas. Dried Seaweed meal This ingredient is made from Rockweed and contains several nutrients. Seaweed meal is popular in livestock feed and only used in dog feed to provide inexpensive carbohydrates. Tomato pomace This is a by-product after processing tomato into juice, soup, or ketchup. Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient because many people see it as inexpensive filler. However, this item is packed with notable dietary fiber, Vitamin A, several B vitamins, and lycopene. Powdered cellulose This ingredient is vital because of its high fiber content. Vegetable oil Unspecified vegetable oil from an unknown source.  It is difficult to determine the nutritional value of this oil because its specific cause is unknown. From the analysis of the ingredients, it is evident that this product derives most of its proteins from animal sources. This is good news because animal-based proteins are to know to be more superior and to supply all the nutrients and essential oils your dog needs. This promotes healthy development and aids your pet in achieving significant milestones in life [su_button url="https://amzn.to/2LO3nJC" target="blank" style="default" background=" #fe8d2e" color="#ffffff" size="5" center="yes" radius="square" icon="icon: thumbs-up" rel="nofollow"]CHECK LAST PRICE[/su_button] Pros 100% grain-free making it ideal for dogs with particular sensitivities Features real fresh fish as the main ingredient, a perfect choice if your pup is allergic to other types of proteins Alfalfa meal which provides premium fiber, protein, and chlorophyll Packed with an array of vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids. All these ingredients blend perfectly to offer a top-notch pet feed. Easy to switch to from other formulations. Presence of selenium yeast which an excellent probiotic. No GMO or artificial ingredients Cons Has a quite strong smell Kibble size too large for small dogs Shorter shelf life than other dog foods Customer’s Reviews The majority of customers who reviewed this product praised it for the positive impact it had on their canines. Here is what some had to say. “This is by far the BEST DOG food on the market today- The cost is great, and the dogs love it- This has NO FILLER- This company is the real deal- If your dog suffers from Allergies- This dog food will help. Highly Recommend. We have a dog rescue and feed 16 dogs- LOVE, LOVE IT.”- Mrs. Copper “I have 3 Great Danes and have had trouble finding food that wasn’t plant-based and contained a high enough amount of protein. This one did the trick. My dogs loved it. I have tried other foods but wasn’t happy with the fact that I was feeding mostly a plant-based diet. My special needs Dane is itching less, and they never leave anything in their bowls.”- Wendy Thiel [su_button url="https://amzn.to/2LO3nJC" target="blank" style="default" background=" #fe8d2e" color="#ffffff" size="5" center="yes" radius="square" icon="icon: thumbs-up" rel="nofollow"]CHECK LAST PRICE[/su_button]  Our Verdict Victor Yukon River is a nutrient-dense dog food that boasts high levels of proteins, vitamins, essential oils, and dietary fiber. It is a perfect choice for all life stages and offers balanced nutrition for pregnant and lactating dogs. 76 percent of protein in this product is derived from fish making it a premium feed for dogs allergic to other types of protein such as beef, lamb, or chicken. Ocean fish meal also provides the essential omega 3 fatty acid that helps in the repair and development of healthy bones and brains, as well as a glossy coat and fur. Your canine friend will love the Victor Select Grain Free Yukon River formula. We highly recommend this food, especially if your dog suffers from allergic reactions. Best Selling Dry Dog Food of Victor [amazon bestseller="victor dry dog food"] This post has appeared for the first time in https://petstutorial.com/victor-yukon-river-dog-food/?feed_id=119&_unique_id=5e2be7bfa372e #pets_tuttorial #jane_brody #pet_blog #pet_training #pet_products_reviews #best_dog_products #best_cat_products

[urgentpodr]

TO BE DESTROYED http://nycdogs.urgentpodr.org/garbanzo-a1100908/

GARBANZO - A1100908

TO BE DESTROYED 01/10/17 A volunteer writes: “My little jumping bean.” That’s what I say to myself through a grin as little Garbanzo hops into my lap and asks for more cuddles. Roughly the size of a chickpea, this 48 lb. dynamo lured me right in with his calm kennel presence and oh-so-sad, puppy eyes. But lest you be fooled like me, I’m here to let you know that this beanie baby is anything but sad. He is light and fun and feisty and free, and full of beans enough to know the right way to burrow into your heart. From the moment he’s leashed, Garbanzo is all about fun. He’s full of life and excitement, and everyone we encounter must be greeted with a hug. Nope, no “bean there, done that” attitude here. Garbanzo seizes every moment — and every toy — with happiness in his heart, and joy on the brain. When it comes time for photos, well, our sweet pea is less than thrilled. There are people to meet, birds and squirrels to see, and so many more hugs to give. But when he finally indulges me for one and I excitedly spout, “good boy!”, he sits without my asking, suddenly calm, quiet, and serene. “Good boy,” “good boy,” “good boy,” I say time and again, and each one garners the same response. A sit, and a look, a recognition of my praise. And now — two peas in a pod (or a pen) — I’m left with zero doubt that Garbanzo has known love. He crawls again into my lap, gives me another sad-eyed look, and as I scratch under his chin, his tail erupts into a wag. Everyone needs more stand-up hugs in their life, more happiness in their heart, more joy on the brain. So what you need is to meet Garbanzo. And when you do? “Where you bean all my life?” Pretty sure that’s what you’ll say. Garbanzo is waiting in adoptions at Manhattan’s ACC.

[riannagalvez]

Hello, dolls!!! ❤ I am 38 and half weeks pregnant now and I am so ready to meet my baby girl! It’s funny how anxious I am to get the next phase of this journey started when I know I am also going to miss being pregnant (oh you know, just a typical day in my brain lol).  

My pregnancy with baby #2 did not start well. I had morning sickness ALL DAY and felt really weak during my first trimester. When I felt better, I told myself that I have to enjoy this journey in every way I can. So I looked up activities and events that I could participate in and made sure I would give myself enough time to prepare for baby girl’s arrival. I am happy to say that I can look back at this moment in my life and know that I have wonderful memories….finally.

Raise your hand if you’re a Mama like me who loves free goodies! Especially FREE baby products! So before I tell you how I brought all this home, let me share how my recent trip to New York was for Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower.

 I got the invitation to be one of the Influencers to cover the biggest baby shower in New York months before May 7. I immediately told A there is no chance I will miss it! That even if it’s a work night and we will have to travel from Baltimore to New York, I know in my heart it would be worth it, and it was.

I had the biggest smile as soon as I walked into the venue — excited about everything in store for Moms like me!

It could be a bit overwhelming because of the number of brands they have at the venue but Big City Moms made it very easy to go around each booth.  Do not be discouraged that you can’t bring your stroller in if you have a baby with you, because trust me it’s better that way.

There were lots of people at the event that day but I love how it did not feel like space was too tight, there was no pushing, and the noise level was moderate enough that you do not have to shout when talking to someone.

When I was pregnant with little A, I wasn’t able to go to any informative classes or read a book about pregnancy or newborns…nothing! I did all my “research” after he was born during our night feedings. This time, I want to devote more time to learn more about Motherhood and parenting so seminars are one of the things on my list!

Big City Moms set up two bars to keep everyone hydrated, how convenient!

Here are some of the brands that I learned from. Each table had great things to offer to parents and babies, it felt like 3 hours flew by after A and I went around each table!

  Ellie 

Ellie is a parenting group app founded by a Mom in New York. I can’t wait for them to expand to Baltimore someday because I know it would be beneficial for Moms like me who want to escape the chaos of some Mom groups on Facebook. I feel like sometimes you get judged right away when you ask a question! lol

Lassig is a German company specializing in diaper bags and other travel/baby accessories. They caught my attention because I noticed the interesting finish of dishes they have! The designs are so cute.

Upspring was there with their lactation goodies AND Shrinkx belly strap. I was able to talk to them about their cookies and drink mix but I kind of wish I asked about their belly straps as well because I need a new one. I was unhappy about the belly strap I bought after I gave birth with little A and I am still scouting for the perfect one!

Similac and Enfamil were there with a generous amount of formula samples for everyone.

  Stokke was there with their hottest baby gear, but what really caught my attention was this Jetkids trolly that is on my dream list for so long now after seeing their video ad for the product. For those who love to travel like me (especially with kids), this is such a great addition to your packing list because it converts into a bed that you can attach to the seat.

Palmer’s with their awesome skincare products.

I love how they had snacks going around during the event!

Seedlip  is a brand that sells non-alcoholic spirits. I love how regal the bottles look so it would be nice to have a bottle or two on our bar cart for when I have my Mom friends over 😛

We sampled the Grove 42 which is their citrus flavor.

Mommy photo break! 

I loved how they had cute backgrounds for taking pictures. They had 4 in this specific area which was awesome because I did not feel like I was holding up anyone.

  For photobook lovers like me, Little Book of You is a great company to order your baby’s own storybook from.

  One of the brands that I want to make little A try is Banza. They had samples of their mac and cheese made with chickpea pasta at the event and I honestly liked it — which says a lot because I am not a “mac and cheese person”. I, however, like chickpeas though so I think having a box of Banza for my “lazy-lunch-at-home” with the kids would be very helpful!

What a treat! Puff Delights was there to give us a sugar rush ❤

People close to us know how much my husband loves British brands. This is him so engrossed at the Maclaren booth, the only brand he spent more than 10 minutes talking to. We learned tips on how to utilize our Maclaren Quest more and even got a nice gift from them!

  Lil Mixins , Cloud Water Sparkling CBD , Re play dishes , and Twelve Little.

There were interesting services in New York that participated in the event I wish we could sign up for. The ladies from CozyKin were adorable and really good at what they do, they still told me about the company even after I informed them I live in Maryland!

I couldn’t believe how many Dr. Brown’s products I did not know about. Seeing this table full of stuff I can use for little A and baby girl made me want to go to Target right away! lol

This convertible bottle tote caught my attention.

One of the brands we used for little A was Dr. Brown’s and as much as I love how sleek the bottles are and how it prevents him from being gassy, I hated how sometimes it would leak! The lady I spoke to was very informative and told me a tip I will definitely do once baby girl starts using bottles — do not heat your milk with the middle part of the bottle to refrain it from expanding.

EZPZ had an amazing deal at the event that I could not resist. Little A used to throw his bowl or plate off his highchair before so I am going to try to avoid that this time. I purchased a set of mini mat, training cup, and tiny spoon!

Babo Botanicals was there with great organic products for the family.

If you are a fan of Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard then you probably know they started their own brand earlier this year. Hello Bello was there with their products and I was able to feel how soft the diapers are! I am considering trying it for baby girl eventually.

More snacks up for grabs! Cloud10 rice crispies, YUM!

The event was AMAZING! It definitely is one of the highlights of my pregnancy. I would go again if I could! Just the experience itself, the energy during the event and the wonderful team behind Big City Moms make it super worth it to go.

Taking home all these free goodies was the best part about it, of course! 😛

I brought home 4 bags full of products from different brands. When we left Baltimore on Tuesday morning, A gave me a look when he saw we are bringing a large empty suitcase, I told him “you’ll see”. LOL

So how did I get 4 bags?

*1 regular swag bag that you can purchase with your ticket

                       *1 Influencer swag bag that Big City Moms gave me as a thank you for covering the event.

                        * 2 purple tote bags that A and I got when we walked into the event and fill with goodies from the brands.

Regular Swag Bag goodies.

Lotion and Body wash from Baby Magic

A full-size bottle of Hello Bello lotion

Butt paste/cream from Noleo and Boudreaux’s

Ducray hair lotion

…and diapers from Babyganics!!! (Was really looking forward to bringing home a pack of diapers..so yay!)

Sample packs of wipes, lactation drink, and vitamins for kids! My favorite is the mini first aid kit from Shipt.

Formula from Similac and Enfamil

Baby Bottle from Dr. Brown’s

EvenFlo pacifier and baby bottle

Mam baby bottle

Breastmilk storage bags from Nanobebe (which I can’t wait to try!).

Munchable snacks from Nosh (I love this brand so much! It was my #1 choice for little A’s snack when he started eating).

A full-size bag of lactation cookies from Booby Boons.

Booklet of baby’s first holidays

My Influencer goodie bag contained great products from amazing brands. Just getting this bag alone made our trip to New York very worth it.

I may have screamed out of happiness a little bit when I saw Hello Bello gift set in my bag. It has 3 FULL-SIZE bottles of bath stuff AND wipes! #HappinessOverload

Wipes and Diaper Samples

Full-size bottles of Baby Magic Lotion and Body Wash

A full-size bottle of Dapple body wash (after seeing all the bath stuff in this bag, I like to think I will be good on toiletries for baby girl until the end of the year lol!)

Another item I was very happy about, EZPZ tiny cup!! Now we have two at home! How convenient ❤

Sippy cup from Replay that little A is using now (without the cover lol)

Pacifier from Avent

I can’t believe my goodie bag came with a TwelveLittle fanny pack!! They cost $60 originally so it was such a lovely surprise! ❤

Treats for Mommy! I love how the bag came with a full-size bottle of Palmer’s skin therapy oil. I was running low prior to this event and I was happy to get one…for FREE!! ❤

Goodies from the 2 bags A and I filled during the event. I like to think we did GREAT! Lol

Travel bag with formula cans and ice pack from Enfamil. I can never have enough cooler bags here at home! I am thinking of using this when we travel to the Philippines at the end of the year, so this is so perfect!

Melissa from Spoonful One sent me an e-mail prior to the event so I made sure I had time to stop by at their booth and learn about the brand. I LOVE the idea behind it especially since A and I are such foodies. She pretty much filled our bags with Spoonful One snacks — how generous!

Bada Bean Bada Boom and Cloud 10 snacks.

Bowl and spoon set from Replay. I love how they reuse milk jugs to make their products.

My favorite out of this bunch is the Pact onesie. It is the softest onesie I’ve ever touched!

I forgot my sanitizer in Baltimore *facepalm* so when I saw Halo and Shipt were giving away sanitizers, I told A we should each get one! lol

I am now convinced that TwelveLittle is a generous brand! They gave away this year of the pig wet bag. I love it because it’s to represent luck and it’s pink so it will be perfect on baby girl’s stroller 😉

THE BEST giveaway that night, Maclaren cup holder!! A and I loved talking to the lady at the Maclaren booth so much and I mentioned we lost the attachment for our cup holder during our trip to London. It was very nice of her to give us this.

Needless to say, I was one of the happiest Mommas that night! ❤

I love how it also felt like a babymoon for A and I. We stayed in New York that night and was able to try two new restaurants throughout our stay.

Some of my friends thought it was daring of me to take a trip to New York when I am already 37 and a half weeks pregnant. For weeks, I told myself not to go into labor because I would hate to miss the event! Almost a week after, I am just anxious and ready to pop! lol

Thank you, Big City Moms for giving me one of the best memories during this pregnancy! ❤

xx

R >3

  Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to cover this event and received free products and admission. My opinion and EXCITEMENT are all unbiased 😉 

Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower New York May 2019 Hello, dolls!!! ❤ I am 38 and half weeks pregnant now and I am so ready to meet my baby girl!

[abiteofnat]

72 HOURS OF “RESTAURANT WEEK CHICAGO” LATER I’M A NEW WOMAN...

Because when you have very little funds after traveling for five days and have food poisoning that just won’t even let you eat crackers, you should go out for 3 really nice multi-course meals. Logically. It all makes sense. 

Restaurant Week in Chicago is like a frenzied Olympics of the mind, stomach, and Instagram (especially when you’re a food blogger) because the goal is to eat at as many places as possible, and you want all those places to be new and exciting so you can write fresh takes on fresh foods for the followers. And to show other bloggers, “I am relevant and cool.” So I did JUST THAT and even though one of the three places I tried a Restaurant Week menu is a long-time favorite, I strayed from my usual choices to expand my taste bud horizon. If you know me, this is rare, because once I find my favorite menu item at a repeat location it’s probably never going to change unless I experience a horrific interaction with it (aka &Pizza in D.C. a couple weeks ago, RIP to the mushroom-truffle pizza sauce that was my #1 Saturday night and then caused me to sleep in the bathtub so I could vomit freely Sunday night. Why do I tell you this? Because years from now I’d love to read this and laugh, even though now I still just gag at the remembrance of it. Oh, &Pizza... the shortest love affair ever had). 

ANYWAY, since I am one to not back down from a challenge of the food variety, the first Friday of Restaurant Week I was lucky enough to be taken out for dinner at Fleming’s Steakhouse in River North, and then had a lovely early dinner Saturday night at Ema, also in River North, and ended the weekend at Siena Tavern... in River North. There’s a theme here- it’s almost like there’s a section of the city that houses some realllyyyyyy good restaurants... hmmm. I’m going to walk you guys through the menus and what was had by all, and hopefully since Feb. 8 was the last date to try out the pre-fixe menus you can store these places in your brain until next year! It’s always fun to treat this week like a reason to go out and get a little bourgeois, because most of the places on the Restaurant Week Chicago list are a killer steal for the $44 set price. 

Here we GO:  

1. FLEMING’S STEAKHOUSE 

Fleming’s was a choice that shook a lot of people because they follow up, “Wow that sounds so nice!” with “But what does a vegetarian eat at a steakhouse?”

Well, I’m a girl who tends to eat my weight in sushi multiple times a week, and I will never turn away from a big plank of salmon dripping in sauce, which is exactly what came my way course #2... and oh my god, that salmon was so good that I almost didn’t feel guilty it wasn’t still swimming in a creek somewhere. (Whatever, a bear probably would have gotten it before me anyway). 

Fleming’s is a somewhat modernized steakhouse off Ohio Street that has an incredible wine bar on the first floor, worth sitting in for a pre-dinner drink for SURE, and their upstairs is a plush, warm environment that gives you steakhouse vibes while still being slightly intimate and even “cozy”. It might have been the entire bottle of red wine we drank but I recall the room being all orange, red, and gold colors so you’re for sure not sitting in some dark cave ripping into a steak (which is how some of the suburban ones can feel- Morton’s in Northbrook is literally a dimly lit daddy cavern). Our waiter couldn’t have been nicer, even when we quizzed him on his age because he looked like a rather tall fifteen year old to be handling wine (he was 25 and engaged- wow), and he made sure our meal was entirely to our liking. The meal was as follows:

Course One: Bread + various butters, all delicious. Then, a lobster bisque that was super creamy, rich in color, garnished with herbs and crème fraîche, and worth every single calorie since it was clearly made with an entire cow’s worth of cream. Not to mention a whoooole lot of butter, however when you’re committing to a bisque, you want it to be so heavy that United makes it pay for it’s luggage, and this bisque did not disappoint. 

Course Two: A whole salmon smoked + grilled perfectly, giving it a robust woody flavor but then slathered in a BBQ sauce that had just the right amount of molasses in it to make it sweet, savory, and even a tad salty. This slab of salmon was the first real plate of food I’d had in what felt like years, and WOW did my body need that iron. I asked for it well-done to give it that meaty texture and they made it the most perfect, succulent salmon ever, however most steakhouses blow my mind with how they can make a wiggly fish into a 5-star meal. My now-boyfriend (Fleming’s was a pivotal turning point for us) got the steak and entered a new dimension upon eating it, so for all you carnivores try the steak because it looked + smelled beyond awesome. Can’t give you more details on the taste tho! 

Course Three: A couple of sides that can’t really be counted as a separate course, but given how long it took me to enjoy the mashed potatoes it turned into a 20-minute flavor endeavor. We got the Fleming’s potatoes that have jalapeños stirred in- delicious - and then the good ole mashed potatoes that I knew would absolutely kill and THEY DID. A pound of butter, some salt, and the red potato skins mashed in there for texture... job well done. They deserved every single minute spent on them, which were a lot of minutes, because I was so full but my love of mashed potatoes meant leaving a little behind as possible. 

Course Four: DESSERT! Because it’s stupid to have two of the same thing on any table, I got the carrot cake and he got the cheesecake, and then I proceeded to eat two bites of the carrot cake and then eat most of the cheesecake since that was easily the star of the show. Everything was delicious though so there was no wrongdoing!!! Fleming’s is worth it even not during Restaurant Week, so go check it out if you want to have a fancy lil night out. 

2. EMA

So Ema is somewhere very familiar but I’m never sick of, given the atmosphere is literally perfect and the food is insanely flavorful and fresh for its price! It’s normal to start the meal with a spread or dip anyway, so getting to pick two for the first course for Restaurant Week?? I was sold on heading back there for a girl’s-night dinner to see if anything new peaked my interest. 

Course One: Anything with their fresh, hot house pita bread that has olive oil, salt, and rosemary sprinkled on top is a friend of mine so I got the spicy hummus and the charred eggplant spread as my two appetizers... AND WAS SHOOK. Usually I’m a hummus girl but sometimes it can taste a little too much like nuts (due to the chickpeas) and that evening, the hummus was sooo overshadowed by the charred eggplant. I’d never had that before and since eggplant can be slimy, I was nervous, but near the end I even started eating the eggplant with a spoon since the bread was gone and I couldn’t fathom wasting the flavor. GET THE CHARRED EGGPLANT SPREAD. It’s so smooth and has a lemony punch that plays with the savory nature of “char” flavor very well. 

Course Two: Risotto! They had a butternut squash risotto on the Restaurant Week menu which I’d somehow never noticed on their usual menu, and my #1 choice for dinner at Ema is always the octopus because it’s a huge serving and comes with even more delicious sauces. However, on a wintery afternoon, butternut squash risotto with parm and crispy sage seemed much more appropriate. Then- the flavor punch NO ONE SAW COMING- SQUASH VINAIGRETTE DRIZZLED ON TOP. It all played together beautifully and had the rich, oatmeal-like texture of risotto but with a light kiss of balsamic and then the punch of sage that is so unexpectedly important. This dish felt like a blind date that ends up being your life partner... yup. 

Course Three:  DESSERT AGAIN!

I got the small chocolate cake that was a thick dark-chocolate gnache with a very smooth vanilla whipped-cream dollop on top, and it had chunks of freshly-ground sea salt sprinkled on the plate so if you got the perfect bite it would be like jumping into the ocean on a hot day. Refreshing, insanely pleasing, and then that flicker of salt on your tongue. This dessert did a lot for me and was only the size of a granola bar, so it wasn’t overly indulgent. 

You can see photos of this meal on in a saved story collection on my Instagram, just go to @abiteofnat and hit “Top Meals”. Enjoy!!! 

3. SIENNA TAVERN 

Oh Sienna Tavern, how I adore you. After going once freshman year for an over-the-top date with a friend to avoid the bars, I really got hooked on the intimate restaurant experience this place gives you. It’s low lighting, plush leather and dark wood accents, and upscale Italian-inspired food- what more can you want??? On Super Bowl Sunday this is where my sister wanted to celebrate her 18th birthday so away we went, enjoying the empty highways and empty restaurant since everyone was watching the Patriots get their ass handed to them, and my final Restaurant Week menu commenced. 

Course One: Since main courses at Sienna Tavern are delicious pizzas and pastas that you don’t want to miss out on, starter was a kale caesar salad that had truffle mixed into the dressing and made kale not taste so much like dirt. I loved this salad and the portion was huge, so everyone could take a little and it was ideal for sharing since the dressing was decadent. Eating kale makes you feel healthier too, so when the pasta laden with pasta came to the table we all felt slim + like we could bear to splurge. 

Course Two: BUTTERNUT SQUASH PANSOTI! It’s like triangle ravioli! To be fair this wasn’t on the Restaurant Week menu, but my sister got a pizza selection off it and I ordered this pasta so it all worked out. This pansoti is astounding: the al-dente pasta alone is at least 1/2 centimeter thick, which makes it a voluminous shape when also filled with sweet butternut squash paste, and then five of them are plated and covered in a heavy brown-sugar-butter “Alfredo” of sorts that you just want to coat your whole body in. And the black cracked pepper on top? Beautiful. It is easily the most filling, indulgent dinner on the menu and you can fight me on this, but it’s worth being uncomfortably full after finishing it. 

Course Three: DESSERT FOR THE THIRD NIGHT IN A ROW! We HAD to get their house favorite, the bombolini donut holes that you get to FILL WITH FILLINGS YOURSELF. These fat, meaty potato-based donuts are deep fried and coated in sugar, and then come in a little paper bag with caramel, chocolate, and raspberry syrups to infuse with. The raspberry is easily the most delicious since it’s a crisp, fruity finish to an otherwise dense meal, and the crunch of sugar makes the citrus in the syrup pop. OOOO SO GOOD. 

Sienna Tavern, you can do no wrong. 

So there you all go! I ate so much fucking food in one weekend that I genuinely don’t know how I made it to the gym without passing out the following Monday, and I want to thank each and every one of you who helped me accomplish this horrifying feat! To my boyfriend, thank you for one of the best meals + company to enjoy it with, to Luzi, I’m always thrilled to spend the evening with you and your beauty, and to my family, thank you for teaching me to love food and a good dining experience from my childhood through right now. AND TO YOU FANTASTIC READERS: GET OUT THERE FOR RESTAURANT WEEK 2019. SEE YOU ON THE BATTLE FRONT! 

Until next time, Happy Eating! 

-Natalie

[itsjaybullme]

How Steve Weatherford Has Chiseled Out One of the Fittest Bodies in the NFL

Marius Bugge 

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2013 when Steve Weatherford was still a punter for the New York Giants.

M&F: You don’t need to train as hard as you do to play the position you play. Punters have traditionally been the most average-looking guys on the field.

Steve Weatherford: I think I have “little man” syndrome. As a kid, I was always very athletic and very fast. I was always good at sports. I wasn’t big and I wasn’t strong. When I was 13, going into my freshman year, I decided that if I was going to be the short guy on the team, I’m going to work as hard as I can to get the most out of my body. I started reading all types of books on how to get bigger, faster, and stronger—nutrition books, Muscle & Fitness magazine, stuff like that, just to try and figure out how to get the most out of my body and eventually I did start growing. It was difficult as a child because I loved sports, but I wasn’t big enough to compete at an elite level, so I developed an elite work ethic, and then I grew to an elite size.

I’m glad that it happened the way it did, because if I had been big and strong naturally, I wouldn’t have the work ethic I have now, and it wouldn’t have gotten me as far as it’s gotten me because I wouldn’t have developed that as a young kid. I developed it at a young age. It’s become a habit and a lifestyle now, waking up and training as hard as I possibly can, 5-6 days a week. I’ve been very fortunate because I’ve stayed healthy, but I have to attribute a lot of it to my maniacal diet and training regimen.

That’s very interesting because I believe it works the same way with players and coaches. It’s rare that you see a great coach who was an amazing, naturally gifted player. The true naturals don’t necessarily learn the fundamentals.

Right. You won’t work at it. Ability will only get you so far. I’ve seen tons and tons of guys over my NFL career get into the league off of natural ability, but the Hall of Fame guys—like Jason Taylor, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson—I’ve played with all those guys and obviously they’re all physically gifted, but the amount of time they’re willing to spend in the weight room, the film room, and taking care of their bodies…You don’t hear about those guys getting arrested for partying at night because they don’t party. It’s all about football all the time. Even though I don’t play an athletic position like they do, I still try to take that same mindset of: If it’s not going to help me get better at what I want to get better at, then I’m not going to do it. I don’t really drink alcohol. I mean, every now and then I’ll have a glass of wine with the wife; I’m not anti-alcohol, but if it’s not going to help me get to where I want to get, then it’s not part of my regimen.

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I read about your irregular heartbeat a couple years ago but haven’t heard anything about it since then. Are you all in the clear?

Yeah, I think so. The way they explained it to me was that 90% of the time with this—it’s called PSVT (Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia)—that people are diagnosed with this syndrome, they were elite athletes as kids. I ran uber-competitive track from age 10 until leaving college. So the reason I had that is because your heart becomes so efficient at pumping blood and oxygenating your body that your brain thinks that your heart is already an adult-size heart, so your heart will kind of mutate and develop an extra artery to help distribute the amount of blood your body needs…So my heart developed an extra artery, because my brain thought it was already fully developed, to be able to handle the volume of work that I was giving my heart. I ended up having surgery—they went in and found the extra artery and cauterized it.

You mentioned Eli. Obviously he’s the cornerstone of the franchise, but training and nutrition are probably secondary concerns for him compared to film study and other kinds of game preparation. So do the guys have a lot of fun with the fact that the punter is in so much better shape than the quarterback?

[Laughs] Well, not to sound arrogant or anything, but a lot of the guys on the team are like, “Why are you in such good shape?” Because I have the lowest body fat percentage on the team and I think pound-for-pound I’m probably the strongest guy on the team. But they view me as a football player and as an athlete and I don’t think a lot of punters and kickers in the NFL are viewed that way. I’ve kind of earned my respect in the weight room, the fact that I’m as strong as I am and that I’ve been able to stay healthy for eight years. I can run. I can jump. If I went to the combine right now at 30 years old, I think I would be able to compete and could put up as good or better numbers than a lot of the new safeties, 21-year-old guys who are coming into the NFL, and a lot of the guys respect that. I work really hard at my craft, but I also work hard in the weight room, and I’m very disciplined with my diet as well. It’s really flattering to me when a lot of my teammates come up to me and ask me for nutrition tips, whether they’re trying to gain weight, get stronger, or get their body fat lower. So knowing these guys are elite athletes and they’re coming to me for advice, it’s very flattering.

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Marius Bugge

So you can compete with 21-year-old safeties at the combine right now?

Absolutely.

What are your best all-time weight-room numbers?

I bench 385, 490-500 on squat, I power clean probably 335, my vertical is 39”, my broad jump 11’1’’, my 40 is 4.48. These are my all-time best. It might not be the same now, but I’m probably very close. If I were to be a safety at the combine those would be great numbers. I am blessed athletically, but I do work very hard.

Hypothetically speaking, if the team were decimated at a skill position, could Coughlin turn to you and ask you to play running back or corner?

There is a big difference between running fast and jumping high and all that, and running the football in a pro football league. That’s a real skill. Although without my shirt I may look really tough, I am not trying to get hit by those 330-lb defensive linemen. As far as athletically, I think that I could run with those guys, but they’re getting hit by some big boys, and that’s not something I’m willing to do.

What position would you play if not punter?

I think I’d be a wide receiver. I think in terms of my body type, I’m more like that than anything else. I couldn’t be a linebacker. Those guys are 240, 250lbs. So, wide receiver or safety.

In terms of aesthetics, no one on the team can really touch you. But what about the rest of the NFL? Who do you think is the fittest man in the NFL?

I think I am. [Laughs] I think Vernon Davis is another guy that’s a freak, I think the safety from Indianapolis—LaRon Landry—is a big, big guy… It’s tough to say who the fittest guy is. All I know is that when I go to bed at night, I have trained as hard as humanly possible to get everything I can out of my body. So I know I’m as fit as I can possibly be right now. I feel confident in saying that. Am I the most fit guy in the NFL? I gotta be in the top 5. 

Jeff Feagles was a guy who punted into his 40s. Sure, he took care of himself, but not in terms of the degree that you do. Do you think you can set a new benchmark for longevity at your position? Barring any unforeseen injuries, of course.

I would love to do that, but I just take it one day at a time. I know how quickly this blessing of playing in the NFL can be taken from you. I thought when I had that heart scare in 2010 in the playoffs, I thought my NFL career was over because I didn’t think there would be an NFL team that would want to have the liability of their punter having a heart attack on the sidelines. I am very blessed to be able to get that cleared up. As far as playing as long as I can, that’s something I am definitely interested in doing. That’s one of the reasons—but not the only reason—I take care of my body the way I do. I want to play this game for a long time. I want to be able to see my kids grow up, to be a grandfather, and to enjoy my family. Longevity in life is more important to me than longevity in the NFL, but it’s all part of my training.

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What is your diet like? What are your main sources of protein, carbs, fat?

I eat a lot of quinoa. I try to get as many plant-based proteins as possible. I just feel like my energy levels are higher whenever I’m eating plant-based proteins. I’m not a vegan, but I’m pretty close, with the exceptions of eggs, chicken, and I eat red meat once a week. I eat a lot of quinoa. My favorite meal is a quinoa black bean burger that my wife makes. I eat a lot of chickpeas. As far as my diet is concerned, my wife is amazing in the way that she feeds me. It’s a lot easier to go get fast food and have a hamburger than for her to spend an hour cutting this stuff up. It’s not the easy route, but she knows how important it is to me. I have three children and they eat very similar to the way I eat. I’m very proud of the way my wife and I feed our family.

It sounds like you don’t count macros and calories and you just keep it clean.

I keep it clean and I eat as much as I want. I have a very active metabolism. If I don’t eat a lot, I’ll lose weight, muscle mass, and power, so I eat a lot, but I eat clean, so that enables me to eat as much as I want. I don’t eat tons of pasta—I’m not carb-free or anything, but I try to eat high protein with lots of leafy green vegetables and all that. I drink a lot of vegetable juice too, from this place Juice Generation in New York City. I have 21 juices delivered to my house every week. I have three vegetable juices per day, usually comprised of kale, spinach, watercress, ginger, parsley, and apple, so I know I’m getting tons and tons of live nutrients.

Do you have a favorite motivational quote? 

My favorite motivational quote is Steve PreFontaine: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” I try to live my life by that. We’re all gifted with our health, but I’m trying to maximize as much of my ability as I possibly can—to obviously play as well as I can, and as long as I can. And like I said, I’ve got kids, too, so it’s more than just being fit for sports. I want to be healthy for the rest of my life. 

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from Bodybuilding Feed http://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/steve-weatherford-sickest-body-nfl via http://www.rssmix.com/