#d: it was worth 20 dvs!

[obeydecoded]

BONUS:

HELP... 😭 MY HEART... 😫

[deesseshesca]

PAC : Life update 

 DING ! DING ! DING ! Last stretch before school start again. 

FLASH SALE 

For the next 2 weeks all readings on my ko-fi is 20$, only 

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

There’s 3 spot open for a free full reading (audio form) 

To participate: You must like, re-blog and comment on this post. 

With much love, Shesca 

Good evening,pretty souls, let’s check out your last run around the block before you go back to being responsible. 

Choose the image that’s speak to you and allow yourself to soak ONLY what’s reasoning with YOUR SITUATION 

Rules and Disclaimer 

I am the type of tarot reader to say as it is. Nothing is sugar coated but everything is sent with good intention. If you are not ready to face some truth, you should vagabond somewhere else. 

TW: DV,Addiction

PILE 1 

What’s going on inside your mind ? 

Star (reverse), Ace swords (Reverse),1122

STOP PLAYING THE VICTIM 

You guys are overwhelmed with everything that’s going on in your life. You need to work towards a happy life. I’m hearing, ��’ BUT I’M ALREADY DOING IT !’’. B*itch calm down. You are not doing it. You are so used to sadness that when nothing is happening in your life, you choose to fill that void with sad music, gut wrenching books or trauma full movies. Even in times of peace you CHOOSE to feel bad and the fact that you can’t even recognize how mess it is. Just show how deep in the victim mentality you really are. 

STOP MOVING GOALS 

Stop following that unexpected willpower at 3 am. Is probably a manic episode but anyway… I digress, stop thinking you can change your life overnight. You need to go one step at a time. Wake up and schedule what you can do. Not what you want to do. And allow grace to be with you, because even if you fail just know you are actively working towards something great. Then just that on its own is worth a standing ovation. 

What does the heart want ? 

You are dealing with a super bad person, I felt like punching him/her a couple times through my screen. Him/Her cheated on you, broke up with you and expected you to stay faithful. How the heck on this green earth does that F*CKING work ?!

Ace swords, Tower (reverse) 

Open communication 

Your relationship may be facing challenges (alter ego: YOUR RELATIONSHIP IS IN THE GUTTER) and you need to allow yourself to speak up (alter ego: what are you.. a dog ? Why do you have to ask permission to speak). Right now, you don’t speak. You are even scared to voice your emotion because you are scared he/she will flip on you. Which usually ends up withyou  running in the bathroom crying and then him/she yelling like an animal. He/she abuses you verbally. You know, they know, I know you are one fight away from them connecting their fist to your face. Instead of leaving, you are reminiscing about all the time you have spent on this relationship. Babe is time to choose. You OR this relationship (Alter-ego: Girl/Boy that’s no relationship, that’s a toxic mess. They deserve to feel my wra-)

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

There’s 3 spot open for a free full reading (audio form) 

To participate: You must like, re-blog and comment on this post. 

💌If you want more insight regarding the situation you can always message me for a private reading, especially since they are on sale at the moment. You can comment a purple heart, 

Much love, Shesca 

PILE 2 

Check in: You have big boobs. Way bigger than normal and you love it. Most people in your situation may wish to have a reduction but you love it there. If you are an owner of a ‘’d’’, you may have a big d. That’s it,that’s all. 

What's going on inside your mind ? 

9 cups (reverse), Ace Pentacles (Reverse) 

Not everything that glitter is gold 

There is a contract that’s going to be presented to you. First you do deserve recognition. You've been putting in the work, the hours and you BEEN patient. Now is finally time to reap what you sow but be careful the same way you know your potential. The same way others see it and see big profit. Before you sign your life away in a slave contract that’s going leave you broker than broke, plz read all the little characters on the paper. 

You act like you are better than everyone. Nothing is ever good enough and nobody can seem to please you. You are full of yourself. You are so F*CKING immature 

CUT ! You have a very toxic family and that’s what they think of you. If you were looking for confirmation, here u go 

What does the heart want ? 

King pentacles, Hierophant 

You are in a happy and secure relationship. They are generous, dependable and very protective over you. They don’t care about anyone except you. They've been telling you that your family is your number one enemy. You refuse to take their opinion in. They want to get married, have children and fill out taxes with you and only you. Go ahead Pile 2, send them that pinterest board with all your wedding requirements, they will love it ! I sense that you are as possessive with them as they are with you. Awww, I love some equally possessive couple. Plus, they will do anything to have you and KEEP you. 

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

There’s 3 spot open for a free full reading (audio form) 

To participate: You must like, re-blog and comment on this post. 

💌Pile 2, tell me all the tea in the comments. What is, your cousin or your own brother ? Who is the hater ? Anyway if you like the reading you can always message me, especially since they are on sale at the moment. 

Much love, Shesca 

PILE 3 

What’s going on inside your mind ?

Ace cups , 3 cups (reverse) 

You might be a functioning addict. 

GO GET THAT PREGNANCY TEST 

Plan B failed. Trust me babe, better now than later. Clench your coins and go check on the 2 bars. 

NO MORE ‘’Get it Sexyy’’ 

You might be trying to run away from  the truth but Pile 3, you need to stop and sober up. You have an alcohol/weed addiction. You are so exhausted. Just to keep up, you were pondering on trying some other drugs. Stop babe. Right now you don’t like the people you are surrounded with but you lost all contact with your family. Making amends with them is your best bet, I know it can be hard. But better you spend time trying to get better than wasting it away unhappy knowing damn well you have too much to offer to the world. 

What does the heart want ?

Ace cup (Reverse), knight wands, 

They STILL and FOREVER want you 

You know you f*ck up. They loved you. Treated you well and just because they question your commitment a little too much to your liking. You went out of your way to show them you did not need them. I feel like you guys were at a party or the club and you kiss someone randomly. Now there is no contact. There is no official break up but there’s no communication going on between y’all. This is prime self-sabotage. You know damn well all they wanted was some communication, just to prove that they matter to you. They feel like you treat them like a simple sneaky link and it ain’t fair. Especially when you know they are the only ones in the corner. You know, they know, I know: they are going nowhere. They are so attracted by your independence and charisma but you keep using your quality against him/she.

 

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

There’s 3 spot open for a free full reading (audio form) 

To participate: You must like, re-blog and comment on this post. 

💌Is it positive ? Don’t worry pile 3, I know you are going to figure it out. If you need more support you can always message me especially since my reading is on sale at the moment. 

Much love, Shesca 

PILE 4 

You worked very hard to finally enjoy the life you have right now. Going on trip, exclusive pool party and twerking your a*s with your ratchet friends. You always save from pregnancy scared. Damn girl, you are lucky. If you are a man, you know damn well you should not be hitting it raw. But you did it anyway, lucky for you no pregnancy and no disease. 

What’s going on in your mind ? 

10 pentacles, Death (reverse), 3333, 

Keep working hard and playing harder. 

Expansion is on the horizon . I’m talking to the nail artists that love creating crazy drawings in all types of fonts, hair stylists that excel in dying hair, lash tech that are always book and mua that finally got their social media success. Is time to dream big. I'm talking about your own studio, your own lash equipment, your own hair care or even your own 1:1 teaching class. 

Kill the devil 

Don’t let the bad thoughts make you doubt the legitimacy of your success. Babe you did ! YOU ! All on your own. 

What does the heart want ? 

King wands (reverse), 8 pentacles (reverse), ‘’Yes! I cheated’’ 

Y’all are messing with the baby daddy of someone. At the time you did not know and did not care. As of now, you still don’t give a f*ck. Like that’s not your business that he cheated on her with you. All you care about is to have a good much. And he is, so he stays in rotation. If you are a man, you don’t care that she has a boyfriend at home. If she wants to suck your nuts then be it. Is not your fault she’s begging for it. Might as well make her dream come true. 

!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

There’s 3 spot open for a free full reading (audio form) 

To participate: You must like, re-blog and comment on this post. 

💌I support women's rights but more importantly women's wrongs ! Guys, is the head really worth all that fighting with bf, don’t let me hanging all I need is the tea in the comment section. Until then, if you want more shady tea regarding your situation, you can always message me. The readings are on sale at the moment. 

Much love, Shesca 

[amberrskiies]

Nah this was worth spending 150 DP and 10/20 DV for this re-release-

I can live peacefully now :'D

[thecpdiary]

A Guide to Understanding a Typical Food Label

Being able to read food labels can help you make informed choices about what you eat, especially if you're managing your diet for health reasons such as weight control, managing blood sugar, or reducing sodium intake. The following is a step-by-step guide to understanding the key parts of a typical food label: Serving Size

The serving size indicates the amount of food that the nutritional information is based on. If you typically eat more than the listed serving size, it’s important to adjust the nutritional values accordingly. For example, if the serving size is 1 cup but you consume 2 cups, you’ll need to multiply the calories, fat, sugar and other nutrients by two to reflect what you’ve eaten. This ensures you're aware of the total nutritional intake based on your portion size.

Calories

The calories section indicates how much energy you'll get from a single serving of the food. This is crucial for managing your overall energy intake. If you're focusing on weight control, it’s especially important to monitor this number. Foods that contain 400 calories or more per serving ,are considered high in calories, so keep that in mind when making your dietary choices.

Macronutrients

Total Fat

This includes saturated fat and trans fat. Saturated fats should be limited because they can raise cholesterol levels, while trans fats should be avoided entirely, as they are linked to heart disease and strokes.

Sodium

Check the sodium content if you're watching your salt intake. But even if you're not, it would still be worth watching. Foods with 5% or less of the Daily Value (DV) for sodium are low, while 20% or more is considered high. Too much salt can cause a temporary rise is blood pressure, intense thirst and other health issues,

Total Carbohydrates

This section includes dietary fibre and sugars. Look for foods with higher amounts of dietary fibre, as fibre promotes good digestion and heart health. On the other hand, try to limit foods that are high in added sugars, as they can lead to weight gain and other health issues.

Protein

Pay attention to the amount of protein listed, especially if you're aiming to maintain or build muscle, or if your diet requires a good balance of protein. Ensuring adequate protein intake is key to supporting your fitness or dietary goals. Vitamins and Minerals

This section lists essential nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. You’ll see the percentage of the Daily Value for each nutrient. Foods that provide 20% or more of a nutrient’s DV are considered a high source of that nutrient. This helps you select foods rich in the vitamins and minerals you need. Percent Daily Value (%DV)

The %DV helps you understand how much of a particular nutrient you're getting relative to a standard 2,000-calorie daily diet. A food with 5% DV or less of a nutrient is low in that nutrient, while 20% or more is considered high. This can guide you to choose foods higher in nutrients you need more of, like fiber or calcium, and lower in those you want to limit, such as saturated fat or sodium. Ingredients List

The ingredients list shows every ingredient in the product, listed from the most abundant to the least. This section is key if you're looking to avoid certain ingredients, such as added sugars (which can be labeled as high fructose corn syrup or sucrose) or allergens (like nuts, soy, or gluten). If whole grains or natural ingredients are important to you, check that they appear at the top of the list. Added Sugars

Sugars are a hidden extra in many foods. Collectively foods contain too many hidden sugars. Luckily many labels now feature added sugars, which are sugars added during the production process (not naturally occurring in the food, like the sugars found in fruits). Limiting your intake of added sugars is recommended to avoid empty calories and reduce the risk of health issues like obesity and diabetes. Footnote on Daily Values

At the bottom of some labels, you'll find a footnote explaining that the Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Depending on your personal needs, you may need more or fewer calories, so use this information as a general guideline rather than a strict rule. (Source: verywellhealth.com)

By paying attention to these sections, you can better understand what’s in your food and make choices that align with your health goals.

For more relatable, inspirational and lifestyle blogs, please check out my site https://www.thecpdiary.com

[clavis-baby]

The (possible) Downfall of Obey Me

5-16-21 (when writing this the event toys out)

(Tbh this post is just be trying to be naïve towards Solomare and at ever aspectthat I mention you have every single right to be upset and mad)

Okay so it’s no secret that Obey me is making bank and is very very obviously trying to make us money on the game with even trying to make us spend money with original stuff that was free to now secretly changing some mechanics behind our back

Here’s a post by @thalfox https://thalfox.tumblr.com/post/653994972840919040/i-just-noticed-a-little-bit-ago-that-the-barbatos that dose a really good job at explaining everything that has changed

(also this isn’t a hate thing fox has actually done a great work explaining everything to good detail of what has changed)

With all the changes I don’t think that it’s shocking to say that players are leavening the fandom because of many reasons to the games getting stupidly harder to even the game development

This is just a heads up this in no way is a post saying “hey this is why you shouldn’t feel this way” I kinda just wanted to see from a business standpoint and be naïve of what’s happening you have every reason to be mad at Solomare because even me I’ve been playing sense week 2 of game released and I’m only on lesson 42 every counter argument that I’m going to make I have complained about at some point

Arguments

(P.s grammar is really bad it’s sort of turned into more of a rant I wrote this at 5 am without any sleep so sorry)

1. Obey me is marketed as a free to play game

First there are many reasons people are mad this main thing that I hear about is from a lot of people is that is a “free game” which lets be honest is ridiculously hard

But still it is still essentially a “free to play game” I personally feel like the main prolog is lessons 1-20 to introduce all the characters to understand and getting the just on how to play the game

Okay and now here’s where I sort of stand with obey me, the gatcha rates are kinda ridiculously lucky when you play for the first week you luck is so amazing and is in my experience with gatchas the best luck I have ever seen for games so it’s not really hard collecting the cards

Now are they the best absolutely no, this I feel like is where you might have to spend money unless they up the skills on the Nightmare A

But what Obey me is technically trying to do is obviously making you pay by releasing your favorite demon card every 2 week which…aren’t essential they are really just hoping that you love your main demon enough to pay

With the high increase on the gatcha rate there really isn’t a pity unless you count the card pieces (but I’m not going to count that because you are more likely to roll your UR before completing the pieces)

Now after lesson 20 once the huge break I feel like Obey me almost expecting the players to keep logging in any doing jobs and some players did do that and boy did it pay off

But those players have not needed to spend a single dollar and are all caught up

Now for everyone else who didn’t the game was so difficult it’s unimaginable and because for that a whole lot of players left the game and personally I don’t blame them because of how much impact the next lessons were

Now sort of like Mystic Messenger you really just have to grind you ass off log in everyday and do JOBS :D and grind but as hard and long as it is you are still able to be a f2p but where obey me fails is that when grinding Mystic Messenger grinding was a lot more fun for me it took about a whole year to just get 550 hourglasses even when I purchased and same with Genshin Inpact it takes a while but with obey me there isn’t really anything else to do once you get to a certain point which I think obey me really lacks and could be part of a reason why people left. Grinding just is not fun (now I do think that on a phone there is so much you can do with a app game but I feel like there could be a bit more they could do)

Personally I’m just going to come out and say it don’t spend your money for one UR card for your favorite demon it’s really not worth it now im one of those Mammon stans but if I ever wanted a specific card for instance the Mammon bunny card when it first came out I wanted it so badly and didn’t get it but I also knew there would eventually be a revival so I saved and did not spend any DV(demon vouchers) until the revival

The events

Some people complain about getting the cards in the events onestly for me this one kinda makes a bit of sense I noticed the first change when the Vampire even came out and how it wasn’t as easy to get the second card but if you think of it it makes sence why

When the first event came out (Santa event) you only had to collect about 30,000 gingerbread compared to the 100,000 in event today but when the first event came out no one was at high enough levels for the AP required and you would every day when times rest to gain gingerbread as well as there was only one part to the story so when people kept leveling up their AP Obey Me had to higher the bar so it wouldn’t be so easy to get all these cards and have a actual reward system but eventually they also added another story lesson starting at the Ruri Chan event

Second thing about the events is that one there started just getting plain out boring.

When lesson 20 finished and we were all waiting for season 2 I was still loving in everyday and logging in at 12 and 8 for the free 30 AP because I didn’t know what else to and would participate in the event but eventually what I think that all otome games that have constant events like Ikemen Vampire and Ikemen Revolution they just start getting repetitive and getting real boring so I stoped playing until there was something more interesting

The last thing that some people complain about the events is that you can’t keep up with the story and the events now I can’t find it but I believe that @0beyme said something about the events a long time ago about how you have to pick between the event and moving through the main story which I kinda think isn’t really the games fault and more just a discussion on maybe missing a event

Add ons

Okay so they did this from day 1 you spend a certain amount of Devil point that you guaranteed don’t have and get out a card

Now this is just spelling out a disaster

Yeah so for the first Charge Mission is when you log in which everyone had but essentially what they want you to do is spend $100 on a game that you just logged into and never experienced or played I don’t really understand what they were even thinking with that but it must’ve worked for them to keep doing them

The second time they did it was when the break was over and season 2 came out and they celebrated by doing another charge mission which was the Lucifer and Simon card which would cost again $100 again I really don’t understand what they were thinking

And now this is I believe the fourth time they have done this for the 1.5 anniversary where they know that Mammon is obviously a favorite for many Obey Me players and where smart to put it on the really stupid charge mission but the difference is, is that instead of it costing $100 it would cost almost $200(same with Levi’s) for one thing I don’t understand

But one thing that you do have to remember is is that this isn’t apart of the main gameplay it really just is a mini game if you would even call it that of dress up and optimization so still I guess would be just a add on that has no effect on the actual story and game so you could I guess still call it a f2p game with really really stupidly high priced add ons

VIP

Umm so I am the first one to call myself out I have bought the VIP package first when season 2 happened and I knew how much I loved the game so personally it was worth it to me to support the developers and gain something out of it

Now I haven’t really seen much complaints on the VIP because people more use it as a “hey the game is impossible with out VIP” but the people who say this ive noticed never bought it

For $9.99 each month it is 100%

IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!! Out of everything you get which honestly isn’t much you get some extra free space in jobs and really that’s it and if you choose to use all your job slots for the highest paying you get around 30,500 about a 10,000 difference not really worth it in my opinion

With VIP you also get other things like higher chance of gifts from Jobs which you will not notice one bit, and +20 AP (which if you play the events is sort of useful) as well as extra packages exclusive to VIPs so after paying $9.99 per month you also get more things to buy and that’s about it for VIP now if you really want to get more grim just use your AP and spend it of normal lessons you will get more AP that way

The Story and Kids

This could be all me just complaining and a theory by I wanted to include it anyway

Obviously many people are not even caught up or even playing but as more lessons went on the less interesting the story became to me I don’t know if it’s a me thing but season one was absolutely amazing the once season two came out it was good but not anywhere as good and one

One reason why I think that it to me became almost bland is the amount of kids that is on the app and how sensitive people were if anything bad happens

It’s no secret that the Japanese versions a lot more non-kid friendly for hell’s sake the characters don’t even swear as well as all the colors I feel like to a American audience bright colors is usually marketed towards kids but in other countriesI think many understand that that is not always the case for instance a lot of people will thing in America that anime is all for kids but I mean look at Attack on Titan or Tokyo Ghoul you would not let kids watch that of literal people getting brutally murdered you just don’t see things like that in the West where something looking kid friendly could also be very adult like

Also wtf dose this in the App Store say +12 with Ikemen Vampire and a lot of other games if you have a game rated +17 then there will be a actual pop up that says something along the lines of how “thier could be violence acts and sexual act are you sure you want to instal”

Now the story I’ve seen people point this out but there isn’t really much character development for instance Beel he dose not have a actual personality his personality (fight me on this one) all you really know about him is that he likes food and his family now I could be wrong cuz I’m on lesson 42 but still not much and this is kinda with all the characters except the special ones where the devs really favor and love for story

Some one mentioned how the developers hold back a lot which I agree with 100% they said how when there is character development they all the sudden pull back and never will almost talk about it again like ???? So there’s this constant bland story

——————-

Honestly if you liked this I might do more cuz as much as this post made me especially at the end I kinda liked ranting so...yeah there is also many other things that I want to rant about but I’m tired soooo

feel free to comment your opinions btw

Bye ima go sleep now

[timothymaleck]

Basics of the FDA Nutrient-Focused Daily Value

Based in New York City, Timothy “Tim” Maleck is an experienced financial professional with a focus on asset management. A sports and fitness enthusiast, Timothy Maleck has a strong interest in proper nutrition as a part of one’s everyday routine. One core concept worth exploring when planning meals is the daily value (DV) system. This is a system devised by the US Food and Drug Administration as a way of defining just how much of specific nutrients should be consumed each day as part of a 2,000 calorie diet. It is expressed in grams, with examples including a minimum recommended daily intake of 28g of fiber, 20mcg of Vitamin D, and 1,300mg of calcium. Nutrients in the “no more than” category include saturated fat (less than 20g), sodium (300mg) and added sugars (50g). Because pure numerical figures can be challenging to contextualize, most packaged foods have a Nutrition Facts label that provides percentage values of just how much of one’s intake of a specific nutrient is contained in one serving. In general, 5 percent DV or less is considered low, while 20 percent and above is considered high. One aspect of the daily value system that should be carefully considered is that not every person consumes 2,000 calories on a daily basis. If possible, track your diet for a week and determine just how many calories are taken in each day. You can then easily modify the percentage DV listed per serving to your specific consumption pattern.

[paleorecipecookbook]

Why Magnesium is the Vital Nutrient That Most of Us Are Short On (+ 11 Things You Can Do About It)

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in your body, including: (1)

Protein synthesis

Nerve function

DNA synthesis

Glucose regulation

Blood pressure regulation

Bone formation

Energy production

and more

Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in adults, with roughly 80 percent of the population not getting enough.

How can so many be deficient in such an important mineral? The two main causes boil down to soil depletion, which creates lower magnesium levels in crops, and the rise of digestive disorders that prevent magnesium from being absorbed properly in the gut.

10 Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium deficiency often goes undetected because it doesn’t show up on blood tests. This is because magnesium is mostly stored in your bones, cells, and soft tissues, causing it to easily be overlooked by doctors who see nothing amiss in blood samples.

If you have any of the most common symptoms listed below, it could be worth asking your doctor to specifically test your magnesium levels.

Symptoms of low magnesium include:

Insomnia

Osteoporosis

Mood swings

Hypertension

Cramps and muscle weakness

Constipation

Migraines

PMS

Depression

Chronic Fatigue

7 Health Benefits for Increasing Magnesium Levels

The benefits of increasing your magnesium levels are nothing short of impressive.

1. Improve Heart Health

Magnesium is a vital mineral for all activities in your body that require electrical activity, which includes your heart. Studies have shown that magnesium can improve overall heart function, reducing heart risk factors such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and arrhythmias. (2)

Researchers have also discovered that low magnesium levels can predict cardiovascular-related deaths, regardless of cardiovascular risk factors. (3) Adequate magnesium levels, on the other hand, have shown in studies to reduce risk of stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. (4)

2. Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

It turns out that not only are low magnesium levels a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, but also determine how it progresses. For instance, studies have shown that the lower the magnesium levels in diabetes patients, the faster their renal function deteriorates. (5) This shows that maintaining high levels can ward off deterioration caused by the disease, or possibly even prevent it from developing in the first place.

Additionally, magnesium deficiency is also associated with metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by a cluster of symptoms including obesity, hypertension, and glucose intolerance—all risk factors for developing diabetes. (6)

3. Reduce Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is the hallmark of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. When inflammation is present in your body, proteins like C-reactive protein and interleukin 6—both inflammatory markers—are detected in high amounts.

Low magnesium levels have been linked with an increase in these inflammatory markers, while adequate magnesium levels is shown to reduce them. (7)

4. Improve Mood and Calm Nerves

Magnesium plays an important role in the function of GABA, a neurotransmitter with a hand in producing the “happy” neurotransmitter, serotonin. Studies have shown that low levels of magnesium result in increased anxiety and depression, and also increases in stress and cortisol levels. (8)

Adequate magnesium intake has also been shown to have a protective effect against physical damage caused by excess stress. (9)

5. Improve Digestion

Magnesium’s ability to help bring calm also extends to your digestive system, where it works to relax the intestinal wall, helping to relieve constipation.

In fact, studies have shown that constipation is actually associated with low magnesium intake, and have found that taking magnesium supplements can be more effective than over-the-counter laxatives in treating it. (10)

6. Maintain Bone Health

Magnesium plays an important role in bone health by being involved in the regulation of calcium and the production of bone-building osteoblasts and osteoclasts. (11) Magnesium is also involved in vitamin D regulation, which helps maintain bone homeostasis.

Research shows that women with osteoporosis have low magnesium levels, and that magnesium deficiency is a risk factor for developing osteoporosis. (12) Studies have also shown that increasing magnesium intake can increase bone density. (13)

7. Boost Energy Levels

Magnesium is essential in helping cells produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is what provides your body with energy. A lack of magnesium can also negatively affect cells and mitochondria (the “power center” of cells), causing fatigue. (14)

Magnesium is also responsible for normal heart rhythm, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions, so a deficiency could cause workouts and day-to-day movements to become sluggish. (15)

8 Ways to Get Magnesium Through Your Diet

Even though many soils are depleted in magnesium, there are still several foods that contain abundant amounts. Try adding in a serving or two of at least three of these foods to your daily diet to increase your levels.

Note: The RDA for men is 400 milligrams, while the RDA for women is 310 milligrams.

1. Pumpkin Seeds

1/8 cup: 23% DV (92 milligrams)

Pumpkin seeds are a tasty, easy, and affordable option to include in your magnesium-rich diet. Toss them in salads, roast them with sweet and smoky spices, or just eat them plain as a snack. You can get almost half of your required daily value in one small serving of ¼ cup.

Try this: Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2. Dark Chocolate

1 square: 24% DV (95 milligrams)

One of the major theories behind chocolate cravings is actually magnesium deficiency, since chocolate is such a rich source. Add a square or two to your after-dinner ritual for a decadent magnesium and antioxidant boost. Just be sure the chocolate you buy has no additives and states that it contains at least 75 percent cacao.

Try this: Chocolate Coconut Drops

3. Spinach

1 cup: 40% DV (157 milligrams)

If you eat a daily spinach salad, you’re already ahead of the game. Just one cup provides almost half of your daily required amount, so add another cup or add a handful to a smoothie to really boost your amount.

Try this: Basil Spinach Salad

4. Almonds

1 ounce: 20% DV (80 milligrams)

Consuming almonds as a snack or adding them to salads or smoothie bowls is a quick and easy way to get a good dose of magnesium. Just be sure to stick to one small handful if you’re trying to lose weight, as nuts like almonds are extremely calorie-dense.

Try this: Almond Muffins

5. Chard

1 cup: 38% DV (154 milligrams)

Chard, like spinach, is another powerhouse source of magnesium. Add a cup to salads, smoothies, or a stir-fry to get nearly half your daily recommended amount.

Try this: Creamy Chard

6. Avocado

1 medium: 15% DV (58 milligrams)

Avocado is another rich source of magnesium, and is also extremely versatile in recipes. Use it chopped up in salads, or combine it with cacao powder, coconut oil, and almond milk in a food processor to make chocolate “pudding.” Bonus: you’ll also get a double-dose of magnesium from the cacao powder.

Try this: Avocado Chocolate Mousse

7. Figs

½ cup: 13% DV (50 milligrams)

Figs are a sweet way to get in your daily magnesium. While the fresh variety is rarely available year-round, you can always find them dried in health food stores.

Try this: Fig and Prosciutto Eggplant Toast

8. Sesame Seeds (1/4 cup, 32 percent)

1/4 cup: 32% DV (126 milligrams)

Before you judge them by their size, know that sesame seeds pack a serious magnesium punch. They’re great in all kinds of recipes, and can even be pureed into tahini to make salad dressings and as an alternative to peanut butter.

Try this: Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

What About Magnesium Supplements?

There are many magnesium supplements on the market, each with different levels of absorbability.

Magnesium citrate

For improving digestion or to use as a gentle laxative, magnesium citrate is often your best choice, as long as you don’t take more than the recommended dosage.

Magnesium chelate

This is the type of magnesium found in foods and is commonly used to increase levels if you have a deficiency.

Magnesium glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is said to have less of a laxative effect than other magnesium forms, and makes a great option if you have sensitive digestion.

Other Options for Magnesium Supplementation

If you do decide to go the supplement route but don’t want to mess with your digestion, one of your best options is magnesium chloride oil. Magnesium applied topically greatly increases its absorption, allowing you to get your levels up faster. (16)

Another option is to supplement your magnesium-rich diet with Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) baths at least three times a week. Similar to magnesium oil, Epsom salt is absorbed through your skin as you soak.

Cautions for Supplementation

As mentioned earlier, taking magnesium orally can have laxative effects. This is why it’s important not to take excessive amounts. Start with the recommended dosage, then increase it slightly by ¼ serving if you feel you need more.

Bottom Line

As you can see, magnesium plays a role in so many biological processes, it can be hard to tell if it’s the root cause of any one ailment. Getting your levels tested, however, can possibly mean the difference between developing diabetes or remaining healthy, or even between having anxiety attacks or not.

Either way, filling in a magnesium gap is bound to have positive effects through reducing stress and providing your body with the energy it needs to get you through the day.

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The post Why Magnesium is the Vital Nutrient That Most of Us Are Short On (+ 11 Things You Can Do About It) appeared first on Paleo Plan.

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[junkcereals]

Junk Cereals: Oreo O's

A few months ago, I broke it to you that Golden Oreo O's is a wretched no-seasons food. On the other hand, as I recently learned from voracious consumption, that the great forerunner Oreo O's is an all-day, all-night, all-week, all-seasons food.

To be sure, I don't want to see what your body looks like after basing your diet on Oreo O's throughout the year. This is not a challenge, like the idea of eating McDonald's every meal for a month.

However, pounding down a bowl drenched in Hershey's chocolate syrup is doable, and I, in my not-too-advanced age, live to tell about this thrilling experience. Actually, I did it twice because the first time was before I had a chance to put the bottle in the refrigerator. It's beautiful and decadent, and you wouldn't feel guilty if you're under the age of 25.

See that? Thick with chocolate. I will say this time and again: chocolate is the most dominant ingredient and you dominant after consuming this (at least for 20 minutes).

Granted, Oreo O's are really good with regular milk. The typical American who has no significant health problems can survive a normal bowl while using skim milk, or 2% milk or, you know what, Vitamin D milk is worth it because you are literally eating cookies in cereal form. This is a treat (in even the 21st century application of the idea).

At the end of the bowl, you get Oreo crumbs, maybe more than when you finish a full pack of Oreos.

Nutritional facts (more like nutritional submission to your nutritional dominant): 1.5 g fat, 150 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates (13 g sugar), 20% DV iron

How many bowls did it take? 12

How many do I wish? 25

[elfyourmother]

Character Design Questions: ALL OF THEM! jk jk... 1, 3, 5, & 10.

🕸 1. Who’s the oldest character of yours that you still use?

This one needs a bit of explanation! 

A long time ago on an AOL forum far far away I created an interactive story called Kupopolis (Hyrulean Adventures is usually credited with inventing IS but Kupopolis predated it by several months and p. much ripped off our format). Kupop is best described as a massive crossover JRPG universe that was essentially Kingdom Hearts about 20 years before Kingdom Hearts was thought of. It started off as a Final Fantasy 1-6/Secret of Mana crossover ‘verse but eventually grew to incorporate Chrono Trigger when it was released (yes, it’s that old) and a whole bunch of non-Square JRPGs from the 16 bit golden age. Eventually Kupop moved to its own forum when the Web became a thing and it’s still going sorta, albeit not nearly as active since we all grew up and got jobs and shit. I don’t have anything to do with the main community anymore (collabing w str8 white dudes worked my nerves too hard and they fucked w too many of my story assets when I was gone). But I still write in the universe on my own with Dandy.

My very first OC, Chrystalis, was from the Secret of Mana world in this setting. She was the goddess of mana/magic/love and is part of a sacred triad of deities around which Kupop’s major conflicts mostly revolve. She’s had a bazillion mortal incarnations; her first one I wrote about at age 13 was a moogle, but the one she’s had the longest, a human sorceress named Aurora, is the one I mostly write nowadays. Obviously she’s evolved a lot over the years, as I grew up and learned more and improved as a writer, but she’s one of the characters I point to as proof that people don’t need to treat childhood OCs as old shame, and proof that it can be a really fun exercise to take those old characters and re-imagine them as adults. Aurora’s fun to explore a lot of my esoteric/occult interests with, and a lot of Gisele’s character concept can definitely be traced back to Aurora.

💡 3. Has creating a character ever made you realize something about yourself?

Imani Shepard changed my life. I say that a lot, but it’s true. Pouring so much of my time, energy, and love into Imani made me realize in some small way that I was worthy of these things too. That I had a good creative voice that deserved to be heard.

It sounds weird, but I started playing Mass Effect when I was still really in the baby steps of my recovery from DV house, where so much of the abuse revolved around fandom and used fannish things as tools for abuse. My abuser told me on a near daily basis that I did everything wrong, that I was childish and stupid and incapable of interpreting anything correctly or on anything but the most shallow level, that my writing had no real intrinsic value. And she treated me as though the only worth I (and by extension my creative work) had came with proximity to her; I was her sidekick and literal Magical Negress and so were my OCs and any character I wrote or RP’d. I was not long out of that situation when Dragon Age came out and I first got back into Bioware fandom (I’m an oldhead from the Baldur’s Gate/NWN/KOTOR days). The bad old days of the BSN, when it was in the depths of the worst excesses of DA:O fandom, didn’t help my recovery from that situation, as an extreme understatement. I was bullied pretty extensively over Gisele and that carried on here in my early days.

So when i finally played ME and Imani came into my mind theater...man. She helped me get my groove back and start to love myself again. I unpacked a lot of internalized garbage, and that benefitted Gisele too.

🐲 5. Do you prefer to make human, animal, monster, or _____ characters? Why?

Elves. Elves elves elves. I blame childhood exposure to D&D but they’ve always been my favorite fantasy race. Give me a game--computer RPG, tabletop, whatever--and if I can play an elf, that’s pretty much all I will play. My favorite race in the setting will probably be some variety of elf. For all the racial fuckery Papa Tolkien begat with them, I love Standard Fantasy Elves precisely because of the tropes about them that some people hate: their beauty and valuing of art and culture and aesthetics, their intrinsic connection to magic and hunger for knowledge, the way they adapt to different natural environments, etc etc. I am 100% unashamed to say that the things generally associated with elves are things that I personally value and love. 

And for all their high and mighty traits, they’re also really flawed! I love elven drama. I love palace intrigue with a long-lived/immortal race that can keep the shit going for centuries, and lay machiavellian plots that may not even start to come to fruition in a human’s lifetime. Elves make Bene Gesserits look like amateurs.

But also I am just grossly uninterested in humans. I hate the extent to which humans dominate most high fantasy settings, mostly because of how they’re typically racialized in most of them (humans = white people, non-humans = poc). But mostly it’s like, jesus, I’m in a human body, I look at humans all day long in real life. I go to fantasy for escapism. There is nothing more fucking boring to me than humans in fantasy settings. I wouldn’t even play one at gunpoint.

(Which makes Imani pretty hilarious, but I actually loved playing a human in ME precisely because the galaxy DIDN’T revolve around them and they weren’t the dominant species...at least not until the third game.)

♨️ 10. Is there a character that explores your interests or fetishes (orrrr is that just all of you characters)?

Hahaha this would be all of them tbh. There’s reasons I tend to gravitate toward bisexual polyamorous mages who are into some level of kink.

[allaboveall]

Silver Linings Review: Top Badass Moments of 2016 to Inspire You in 2017

This week is going to be tough one - full of Trump foolishness, nominations nonsense, and who knows what else. To inspire you in the face of all this, here are some of the throwback moments I’m holding close from the last year. It’s easy to look back on 2016 with a pessimism: after all, the reality of Donald Trump as our next President has shaken many of us to our core. But we cannot let that erase the fact that in many ways, 2016 was a year of women kicking butt all over the place, whether it was with athletic prowess, astrophysics, policy, or musical brilliance:

10. Women shine at the Olympics.

It may seem like a long time ago now, but 2016 was the year of the Woman Olympian. They broke records: Simone Biles’ feats of gymnastic excellence made her the most decorated U.S. gymnast ever in a single Olympics, while Katie Ledecky brought in four golds and a silver medal as she broke not one but TWO world records. They also broke barriers: Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American athlete to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. She also won a bronze medal in fencing. As Muhammad said to US Magazine, “A lot of people don’t believe that Muslim women have voices or that we participate in sport…I want to break cultural norms.”

From gymnastics, to swimming, to fencing, women Olympians inspired us all.

GIF credit: https://giphy.com/gifs/gymnastics-women-usa-PzCQrX9zzGLx6

9. Beyoncé’s Lemonade changes the game.

What do we say about King Bey’s Lemonade that hasn’t already been said in a million think pieces and tribute gifs? First came the surprise “Formation” video. Then the explosive Super Bowl performance. Then the transformative Lemonade. THEN, she capped it all off with that defiant and joyful performance of “Daddy Lessons” with the Dixie Chicks at the damn COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.

Whatever else we say about 2016, it will go down as the year Beyoncé slayed. And slayed. And slayed. OK.

GIF credit: https://giphy.com/gifs/formation-black-power-section-12-6WbZfpAkmosgg

8.  Latina Scientists discover Einstein’s gravitational waves.

This year, Argentina-born Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez and Mexican-American Dr. France A. Cordova accomplished the impressive feat of detecting gravitational waves from two black holes colliding, a discovery that confirms many of Albert Einstein’s theories about the universe. This discovery by these Latina scientists is one for the history books!

Image Credit: girabsas.com

7. Purvi Patel is released from jail.

In 2013, Purvi Patel was imprisoned and sentenced to 20 years for feticide and the neglect of a dependent—all because she ended a pregnancy on her own. The story is shocking – after all, no woman should fear arrest or jail for ending a pregnancy, losing a pregnancy, or seeking medical help. A small measure of justice was won for Purvi when she was released from prison in September. This case also creates an important precedent that strikes back against disturbingly widespread state laws that criminalize a woman for ending her pregnancy.

Image credit: SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective

6. Survivors shine light on sexual assault.

A major highlight from this year’s Oscars was Lady Gaga’s performance of her Oscar-nominated song, “Til It Happens To You.” She was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden and ultimately joined onstage by survivors of sexual assault. This was an important moment of visibility for survivors of sexual assault, who also made headlines later in the year when the #NotOkay hashtag moved women from around the world to share their stories of sexual assault and rape.

GIF credit: https://giphy.com/gifs/lady-gaga-till-it-happens-to-you-the-hunting-ground-SKIVBph41yAOk

5. Women bare it all at the RNC.

Back when it was just sinking in that Trump would be the Republican nominee, 100 women posed nude while holding mirrors as part of an art installation protesting the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. While their motives and politics were reportedly very diverse, there’s no question that the women’s agency over their bodies carried extra resonance this election season. Whatever their reasons, it was a powerful moment and brave demonstration.

Photo credit: Lindsey Byrnes.

4. Women strike against abortion ban in Poland.

This year saw women across the planet declaring their human rights and resisting schemes to take those rights away. Polish women organized a massive strike to protest an abortion ban. It was incredible to watch – and is a tactic we may need to learn from if Trump, Pence, and their cronies in Congress have their way.

Image Credit: The Guardian.

3. The Supreme Court declares that abortion must be accessible in real life.

Think back to late June: people gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court to hear the happy news – in a 5:3 decision, SCOTUS struck down Texas’ clinic shutdown law, HB 2. This landmark decision affirmed that a woman should be able to get an abortion with dignity, respect, and WITHOUT politicians standing in the way. In the wake of that decision, several other clinic shutdown laws fell. While there is still a lot to be done, this was a huge moment.

Photo credit: All* Above All (Flickr)

2. “This is not normal.” Michelle Obama responds to Trump’s videotaped admission and history of sexual violence.

When Michelle Obama took the stage in New Hampshire shortly after the video surfaced of our now President-elect bragging about sexually assaulting women, she articulated beautifully and painfully what so many of us had been feeling. It’s worth quoting at length:

“It's that feeling of terror and violation that too many women have felt when someone has grabbed them, or forced himself on them and they've said no but he didn't listen — something that we know happens on college campuses and countless other places every single day. It reminds us of stories we heard from our mothers and grandmothers about how, back in their day, the boss could say and do whatever he pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped over every hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough.

We thought all of that was ancient history, didn't we? And so many have worked for so many years to end this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect, but here we are in 2016 and we're hearing these exact same things every day on the campaign trail. We are drowning in it…

This is not normal.”

With this speech, Michelle gave us the mantra we’ll need to get through the next four years, and face down the regressive policies Trump has promised. This. Is. Not. Normal.

Image Credit: The Nation.

1. A major party presidential candidate spoke out against the Hyde Amendment!

Even as we grieve, and cry, and even fear for our safety and the lives and well-being of those we love, we must remember this: More than 64 million Americans voted for a future where women are treated as human, and where the amount of money you have doesn’t determine whether you can get an abortion. Sixty-four million Americans voted to move forward, not backward, for love instead of hate, compassion instead of division. By a margin of more than 2 million, Americans voted for Secretary Hillary Clinton, the candidate who supported women’s health and rights and spoke out against the Hyde Amendment. While we won’t get to welcome her into the White House, we’ll always remember when she said:

“Any right that requires you to take extraordinary measures to access it is no right at all… [N]ot as long as we have laws on the book like the Hyde Amendment making it harder for low-income women to exercise their full rights.”

Here’s what I’ve learned from this year: women are STRONG AS HELL. We can do anything. We are resilient, we are talented, we are driven, and we resist. And that’s exactly what we’ll need to do to hold onto what we’ve won and keep fighting forward for as long as we have to.

Image credit: http://hbz.h-cdn.co/assets/16/44/980x653/gallery-1478362069-ev2i1649-dv-1024x683.jpg

[danteinthedevildom]

Like, ok, if you wanna know why I’m so salty about the birthday events and why they don’t feel worth it to me, here’s a rundown of how fucking difficult it is for me to get the UR card from the Pop Quiz:

(Note: I’m level 129 and pay for VIP)

There are 26 battles in the recent birthday event. Each one gives you 12 party poppers, and you can do a battle three times per day. That means each day, you can get a total of 936 party poppers.

The event ends on the 10th at 7am, meaning it lasts six days. 

Over the whole event, getting 936 party poppers for six days, I would get a total of 5616 party poppers. 

Out of 8000. 

5616 party poppers out of the 8000 I need to get the UR card, focusing only on this event, and maxing out all the battles each day. 

So, great. I’m not gonna get it without getting more battles. 

Each day I can watch 5 ads to get another 5 battles - one for each ad. Over the course of the event, that’s another 30 battles. So, that gives me another 360 party poppers. Which still only gets me to 5975. 

Okay, so, I need to get 2025 party poppers from somewhere. That’s 169 more battles. 

Atm I do have D-Energy, but lets pretend I don’t. I’m even gonna use literally all of them up rn for the sake of this experiment. (RIP D-Energy, you will be missed).

Spending 5 DP gives me another 3 battles. Since I need 169 more, I’d need to spend about 280 DP. 

So, okay, I need 280 DP to finish the stupid event with the UR. But that’s not the only thing I need to spend DP on! Because, ofc, battles require AP. 

At the moment, I get 120 AP per day (100 + 20 from VIP perks). It takes 5 minutes to get back 1 AP, so in 60 minutes, that's 12 AP. In 10 hours I'd be back at 120 AP. We also get the lunch and dinner AP grabs, sure, so another 60 AP per day.

If I wake up at 7am and use all my AP, by 5pm my AP would be refilled. Ofc if I got the lunchtime bonus I'd have to use it right away bc otherwise I'd lose OUT on AP overall. Then I could get the dinnertime AP bonus, which would also have to be used immediately. That would p. much be it bc my AP bar would only refill again at 3am. But since I go to bed at 10, lets say I get another 5hrs of AP, so 60. Plus 50 AP from watching videos, once per day, when I run out. 

In one day that gives me 410 AP to play with.

Each battle takes 8 AP. Since you can do a battle three times, that’s 24 AP. For all 26 battles in the birthday event in one day, that’s 624 AP.

So I’m short each day by 214 AP. 

Well, that’s fine. I can use DP to replenish my AP. 1 DP gives me 10 AP, so I’d need 22 DP to get all the AP I need for the battles. 

Great. So each day for six days, I need to spend 22 DP; that’s 132 DP. 

Each day by doing the dailies, you can get 18 DP. Clearly that’s not going to be enough. You can get DP from doing other things in To-Do, but lets say (like me) you’ve already expended all of those options. 

A cheaper way would be to get the “I’ve run out of energy” pack, which gives you 200 AP for 10 DP, once per day, after your energy has run out. Great! Then I just need to spend 2 additional DP to get me up to 214 AP, which totals 12 DP spent each day. 

That’s just 72 DP spent over the six-day event. Amazing!

Except that’s 72 DP that can no longer be spent on getting DV. 

Which means no saving up to get new cards for six days. 

Oh, and you’d have to ignore every level up bonus along the way. You know. The one that gets you 5 DV and Rainbow Glow-Sticks? As well as Grimm? And 100 AP? The one that’s actually pretty worth it, overall? Yeah. That smarts.

And all of this, mind you, still only gets you to 5616 party poppers by the end of the event. Remember: this is just the AP spent on the battles without refills!

I’d still need 199 more battles’ worth of AP to get the 8000 party poppers. 

That requires 1592 AP. Ofc, we do get AP from the devs for the event, and from the birthday bingo for completing the lessons - I think abt 400 AP? That gets it down to 1192, at least. Since I already used up the “I’ve run out of energy” pack each day, I have to spend another 120 DP to get all the extra AP we need.

So, in total? I need 472 DP to finish the event with the UR card. On top of using freebies. On top of collecting DP from dailies and buying AP efficiently.

And how much does 472 DP cost in real-life money? Well for me it’s most cost effective if I buy the 550pts bundle. 

For me, that costs £38.99.

Just to get the UR for a birthday event. 

Like, that’s all this money is going towards. Getting the AP and battles necessary to unlock the UR card. That fucker, for me, costs £38.99. 

And the only reason it costs this much is because it can only be gotten during this time. 

See, that’s the issue. Every other pop quiz event eventually comes back, so even F2P players can get everything from the Pop Quizes eventually. You’d have to wait 6 months and it’d take you a couple months to get everything, maybe - especially if you were juggling spending AP on ongoing events as well as comeback events - so it wouldn’t be fast, but it’d be doable if you wanted to spend your time doing it. 

What P2P players are getting out of that, then, is all of their rewards as soon as they come out, and exclusivity for 6 months. And that’s assuming that all F2P players are going to immediately get cracking on unlocking everything from comeback events as soon as they’re released - which, lets be real, a lot of people aren’t. So some of those cards? They might be genuinely exclusive. Not because they’re made to be by the devs, but because F2P players have decided it’s not worth the time/effort to get. 

That’s fair. That’s how P2P should work! It should never be “in order to get this thing, you must pay”, but rather, “if you want to have a significantly easier/faster time getting this thing, you can pay”. 

P2P players can still get a lot of benefits for paying and a fair amount of bragging rights, and F2P players won’t feel like they’re getting cheated out of something because, ultimately, it’s their choice not to put effort in that’s stopping them - not their inability to pay.

But with birthday events? The only way to get the UR card is to pay and to be dedicated enough to structure your life around the game. If you don’t pay, you legitimately can’t get the UR card. There’s just no way you’ll have the AP necessary to do it, let alone the battles, unless you stockpile D-Energies and AP boosts and DP - which might be doable if Solmare didn’t release events so quickly one after another.

It’s unfairly exclusive. Especially when it’s something like a birthday, which is going to happen every year, and which people are going to want to celebrate. That’s why people call it a cash grab; because Solmare knows players will want to get the UR card, and have strategically made the event impossible for F2P players. 

It’s genuinely exhausting trying to strategise the most effective way of doing it all. Just writing up this post has given me a headache and made me feel like I don’t even want to touch the game. That’s just... so much effort to not even get close to getting the card. So what’s the point? It makes the birthday events bitter and unenjoyable - which, frankly, a birthday event shouldn’t be. 

Solmare has every right to make money on their free to play game, I’m not disagreeing with that. But it should always be a player’s choice to spend money on a game to get what they want, not a requirement - and not on something like a birthday event that people are going to want to celebrate.  

[weightlossfitnesssinfo]

10 Foods High in Vitamin D to Boost Your Diet

Need to spice up your ranges of the very important sunshine vitamin? Gaby Vaca-Flores, RD, clues us in on 10 of the most effective meals excessive in vitamin D.

Why Vitamin D Is Important

Vitamin D performs a strong position within the improvement and functioning of our bones by regulating calcium absorption. Also often called the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D helps with necessary physique capabilities pertaining to each immune and muscle well being.

Unfortunately, many people wrestle with getting sufficient vitamin D. In reality, researchers estimate that over 40 p.c of Americans have a vitamin D deficiency. Deficiency usually outcomes from two sources: a scarcity of daylight publicity and an unbalanced weight loss program. If you lack vitamin D, sunshine will not be the most secure approach to go about elevating your consumption. As necessary as solar safety is, SPF can repel vitamin D-producing UV rays. And, after all, it is best to by no means maintain extended solar publicity with out sunblock.

Instead, I like to recommend you retain studying to find 10 vitamin D wealthy meals to up your ranges by diet.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?

The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) suggests a each day consumption of 400-to-800 IU’s of vitamin D to take care of bone well being and regular calcium metabolism. Of course, this worth can range relying in your well being standing, age, gender, and geographic location.

International Units, aka IU’s, are broadly used to measure fat-soluble nutritional vitamins based mostly on their efficiency. However, counting IU’s will not be consumer pleasant to most, particularly when studying meals labels whereas purchasing for vitamin D meals. As an answer, the FDA created % Daily Values, or % DV, for shoppers to raised perceive the nutrient content material for a serving of meals within the context of your total weight loss program.

Top 10 Foods High in Vitamin D

Note: The following serving sizes, % Daily Values, and International Units (IU) are all derived from the National Institutes of Health.

1. Cod liver oil

Serving measurement: 1 tbsp

% Daily Value: 340

IU’s per serving: 1,360

This fish oil complement is the best, quickest means so as to add extra vitamin D into your each day weight loss program. Consuming strong meals sources of vitamin D, corresponding to cod liver oil, is essential in serving to your physique take in the calcium it must assist wholesome bone improvement and upkeep. In mixture with different calcium-rich meals, including cod liver oil to your each day weight loss program may help offset age-related bone loss. As an added bonus (and like different fish oils), cod liver oil boasts excessive ranges of omega-Three fatty acids and vitamin A.

2. Swordfish

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 142

IU’s per serving: 566

The spectacular nutrient profile of swordfish is underrated and shouldn’t be missed. In addition to offering greater than the advisable each day worth for vitamin D, swordfish accommodates healthful micronutrients together with potassium and selenium. However, this meaty fish makes for an ideal occasional meal, slightly than a weekly dish, on account of its excessive mercury ranges.

Three. Salmon

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 112

IU’s per serving: 447

The World Health Organization recommends consuming one or two servings of fish per week, and it’s no secret that salmon makes an ideal choice. After all, salmon is a superfood chief for each mind and coronary heart well being. Not solely is it a wonderful meals supply of vitamin D, nevertheless it additionally supplies ample quantities of omega-3s, vitamin B12, and selenium—all of that are proven to assist cognitive and neurological well being.

four. Tuna

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 39

IU’s per serving: 154

Eating tuna (canned in water and drained) is a superb, moveable, high-protein snack choice. Like most fish, tuna supplies extra perks along with its excessive vitamin D content material. Eating tuna repeatedly may help assist wholesome blood stress, immune well being, imaginative and prescient, and robust bones.

Attention, non-seafood lovers: The subsequent choices are for you!

5. Orange Juice

Serving measurement: 1 cup

% Daily Value: 34

IU’s per serving: 137

Fortified orange juice is an easy, refreshing approach to begin your day with vitamin D. Orange juice naturally supplies key vitamins together with folate, vitamin C, and potassium. So what’s the take care of fortified juice? It’s typically enriched with calcium to assist maximize nutrient absorption. However, there’s important debate on whether or not or not juice is wholesome. But when consumed carefully, fortified juice can contribute to a well-balanced weight loss program.

6. Milk

Serving measurement: 1 cup

% Daily Value: 29-31

IU’s per serving: 115-124

Fortified milk is the poster baby for wholesome bones, because it accommodates added vitamin D. Additionally, plant-based milk choices are sometimes fortified with vitamin D to reflect the quantity present in fortified cow’s milk. Not a fan of milk normally? Then attain for yogurt to get your repair of vitamin D. With six ounces of fortified yogurt offering 20 p.c of the advisable each day worth, it makes for one more nice vitamin D meals supply.

7. Margarine

Serving measurement: 1 tbsp

% Daily Value: 15

IU’s per serving: 60

Looking for an easy approach to up your vitamin D consumption? Cook with margarine—however sparingly, after all. Cooking your favourite veggie stir-fry with a tablespoon of margarine may help fill any vitamin D deficiencies in your weight loss program. Margarine is a butter lookalike processed from vegetable oils that capabilities as a heart-healthy various to butter. However, it’s essential to notice that some margarine manufacturers have excessive contents of unhealthy trans fat. For that purpose, I don’t suggest consuming greater than a single tablespoon per day. (Tip: Look for “0 g trans fat” on the label.)

eight. Eggs

Serving measurement: 1 giant egg

% Daily Value: 10

IU’s per serving: 41

Although one egg supplies a modest 10 p.c of the advisable each day worth of vitamin D, it’s no secret that this meals has a severely spectacular nutrient profile. One giant egg provides vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, folate, selenium, and phosphorus. Talk about extra bang on your buck! However, it’s price nothing that vitamin D is simply discovered within the wholesome fat of the yolk, so be sure to not go away them out.

9. Fortified Cereal

Serving measurement: ¾-1 cup

% Daily Value: 10

IU’s per serving: 40

Fortified cereals have boosted nutrient profiles to make nutrient consumption handy and attractive. This fortification is especially fitted to American diets that lack vitamin D, calcium, iron, and different essential vitamins. It’s like having your favourite childhood consolation meals modified to be more healthy… however there’s a catch. Fortified cereals typically use their wholesome nutrient claims to cover unhealthy quantities of added sugar of their product. To make sure you’re adhering to a well-balanced weight loss program, it’s necessary to control serving sizes and your total each day sugar consumption.

10. Swiss Cheese

Serving measurement: 1 oz

% Daily Value: 2

IU’s per serving: 6

Although it might make solely a slight contribution in the direction of your each day vitamin D consumption, Swiss cheese can simply be added to different meals containing the sunshine vitamin. For instance, add an oz. to your egg scramble or as a facet to canned tuna so as to add up these IUs.

Final Thoughts

In sum, we at all times suggest aiming to get your each day dose of vitamins primarily by your weight loss program. However, when you don’t favor these meals excessive in vitamin D—or in case your ranges nonetheless fall quick—you possibly can at all times go for a vitamin D complement like HUM’s Here Comes the Sun.

The post 10 Foods High in Vitamin D to Boost Your Diet was first seen on Weight Loss Fitness

from Weight Loss Fitness - Feed https://weightlossfitnesss.info/10-foods-high-in-vitamin-d-to-boost-your-diet/

[weightlossfitness2]

10 Foods High in Vitamin D to Boost Your Diet

Need to spice up your ranges of the very important sunshine vitamin? Gaby Vaca-Flores, RD, clues us in on 10 of the most effective meals excessive in vitamin D.

Why Vitamin D Is Important

Vitamin D performs a strong position within the improvement and functioning of our bones by regulating calcium absorption. Also often called the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D helps with necessary physique capabilities pertaining to each immune and muscle well being.

Unfortunately, many people wrestle with getting sufficient vitamin D. In reality, researchers estimate that over 40 p.c of Americans have a vitamin D deficiency. Deficiency usually outcomes from two sources: a scarcity of daylight publicity and an unbalanced weight loss program. If you lack vitamin D, sunshine will not be the most secure approach to go about elevating your consumption. As necessary as solar safety is, SPF can repel vitamin D-producing UV rays. And, after all, it is best to by no means maintain extended solar publicity with out sunblock.

Instead, I like to recommend you retain studying to find 10 vitamin D wealthy meals to up your ranges by diet.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need?

The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) suggests a each day consumption of 400-to-800 IU’s of vitamin D to take care of bone well being and regular calcium metabolism. Of course, this worth can range relying in your well being standing, age, gender, and geographic location.

International Units, aka IU’s, are broadly used to measure fat-soluble nutritional vitamins based mostly on their efficiency. However, counting IU’s will not be consumer pleasant to most, particularly when studying meals labels whereas purchasing for vitamin D meals. As an answer, the FDA created % Daily Values, or % DV, for shoppers to raised perceive the nutrient content material for a serving of meals within the context of your total weight loss program.

Top 10 Foods High in Vitamin D

Note: The following serving sizes, % Daily Values, and International Units (IU) are all derived from the National Institutes of Health.

1. Cod liver oil

Serving measurement: 1 tbsp

% Daily Value: 340

IU’s per serving: 1,360

This fish oil complement is the best, quickest means so as to add extra vitamin D into your each day weight loss program. Consuming strong meals sources of vitamin D, corresponding to cod liver oil, is essential in serving to your physique take in the calcium it must assist wholesome bone improvement and upkeep. In mixture with different calcium-rich meals, including cod liver oil to your each day weight loss program may help offset age-related bone loss. As an added bonus (and like different fish oils), cod liver oil boasts excessive ranges of omega-Three fatty acids and vitamin A.

2. Swordfish

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 142

IU’s per serving: 566

The spectacular nutrient profile of swordfish is underrated and shouldn’t be missed. In addition to offering greater than the advisable each day worth for vitamin D, swordfish accommodates healthful micronutrients together with potassium and selenium. However, this meaty fish makes for an ideal occasional meal, slightly than a weekly dish, on account of its excessive mercury ranges.

Three. Salmon

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 112

IU’s per serving: 447

The World Health Organization recommends consuming one or two servings of fish per week, and it’s no secret that salmon makes an ideal choice. After all, salmon is a superfood chief for each mind and coronary heart well being. Not solely is it a wonderful meals supply of vitamin D, nevertheless it additionally supplies ample quantities of omega-3s, vitamin B12, and selenium—all of that are proven to assist cognitive and neurological well being.

four. Tuna

Serving measurement: Three oz

% Daily Value: 39

IU’s per serving: 154

Eating tuna (canned in water and drained) is a superb, moveable, high-protein snack choice. Like most fish, tuna supplies extra perks along with its excessive vitamin D content material. Eating tuna repeatedly may help assist wholesome blood stress, immune well being, imaginative and prescient, and robust bones.

Attention, non-seafood lovers: The subsequent choices are for you!

5. Orange Juice

Serving measurement: 1 cup

% Daily Value: 34

IU’s per serving: 137

Fortified orange juice is an easy, refreshing approach to begin your day with vitamin D. Orange juice naturally supplies key vitamins together with folate, vitamin C, and potassium. So what’s the take care of fortified juice? It’s typically enriched with calcium to assist maximize nutrient absorption. However, there’s important debate on whether or not or not juice is wholesome. But when consumed carefully, fortified juice can contribute to a well-balanced weight loss program.

6. Milk

Serving measurement: 1 cup

% Daily Value: 29-31

IU’s per serving: 115-124

Fortified milk is the poster baby for wholesome bones, because it accommodates added vitamin D. Additionally, plant-based milk choices are sometimes fortified with vitamin D to reflect the quantity present in fortified cow’s milk. Not a fan of milk normally? Then attain for yogurt to get your repair of vitamin D. With six ounces of fortified yogurt offering 20 p.c of the advisable each day worth, it makes for one more nice vitamin D meals supply.

7. Margarine

Serving measurement: 1 tbsp

% Daily Value: 15

IU’s per serving: 60

Looking for an easy approach to up your vitamin D consumption? Cook with margarine—however sparingly, after all. Cooking your favourite veggie stir-fry with a tablespoon of margarine may help fill any vitamin D deficiencies in your weight loss program. Margarine is a butter lookalike processed from vegetable oils that capabilities as a heart-healthy various to butter. However, it’s essential to notice that some margarine manufacturers have excessive contents of unhealthy trans fat. For that purpose, I don’t suggest consuming greater than a single tablespoon per day. (Tip: Look for “0 g trans fat” on the label.)

eight. Eggs

Serving measurement: 1 giant egg

% Daily Value: 10

IU’s per serving: 41

Although one egg supplies a modest 10 p.c of the advisable each day worth of vitamin D, it’s no secret that this meals has a severely spectacular nutrient profile. One giant egg provides vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, folate, selenium, and phosphorus. Talk about extra bang on your buck! However, it’s price nothing that vitamin D is simply discovered within the wholesome fat of the yolk, so be sure to not go away them out.

9. Fortified Cereal

Serving measurement: ¾-1 cup

% Daily Value: 10

IU’s per serving: 40

Fortified cereals have boosted nutrient profiles to make nutrient consumption handy and attractive. This fortification is especially fitted to American diets that lack vitamin D, calcium, iron, and different essential vitamins. It’s like having your favourite childhood consolation meals modified to be more healthy… however there’s a catch. Fortified cereals typically use their wholesome nutrient claims to cover unhealthy quantities of added sugar of their product. To make sure you’re adhering to a well-balanced weight loss program, it’s necessary to control serving sizes and your total each day sugar consumption.

10. Swiss Cheese

Serving measurement: 1 oz

% Daily Value: 2

IU’s per serving: 6

Although it might make solely a slight contribution in the direction of your each day vitamin D consumption, Swiss cheese can simply be added to different meals containing the sunshine vitamin. For instance, add an oz. to your egg scramble or as a facet to canned tuna so as to add up these IUs.

Final Thoughts

In sum, we at all times suggest aiming to get your each day dose of vitamins primarily by your weight loss program. However, when you don’t favor these meals excessive in vitamin D—or in case your ranges nonetheless fall quick—you possibly can at all times go for a vitamin D complement like HUM’s Here Comes the Sun.

The post 10 Foods High in Vitamin D to Boost Your Diet appeared first on Weight Loss Fitness.

from Weight Loss Fitness https://weightlossfitnesss.info/10-foods-high-in-vitamin-d-to-boost-your-diet/

[gethealthy18-blog]

5 Science-Backed Reasons You Should Eat More Bamboo Shoots

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/getting-healthy-women/5-science-backed-reasons-you-should-eat-more-bamboo-shoots/

5 Science-Backed Reasons You Should Eat More Bamboo Shoots

Ravi Teja Tadimalla December 31, 2018

Bamboo shoots are the edible shoots of several bamboo plant species. They are also called bamboo sprouts. Predominantly used in Asian countries, they add texture and bulk to dishes without piling on extra fat or calories. What’s fascinating about the shoots is the array of benefits they offer. You will know what they are as you read this article.

Table Of Contents

How Are Bamboo Shoots Healthy?

Bamboo shoots have a rich content of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fibers and very low fat. Freshly collected bamboo shoots have a good amount of thiamine, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, and E. They contain high fiber and phytosterols that help reduce fat and cholesterol levels. This dietary fiber also regulates blood pressure and helps treat obesity and some forms of cancer (1).

There are many other ways the shoots can benefit you. We will look at them now.

Back To TOC

How Can Bamboo Shoots Benefit You?

1. Can Help With Weight Loss

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Studies show that bamboo shoots can suppress high-fat induced obesity effectively. The fiber in bamboo shoots has prebiotic properties – it modulates the gut microbiota and improves metabolism (2). Also, the fiber from bamboo shoots was more effective in suppressing weight gain than other fibers.

2. May Help Prevent Cancer

The lignins present in bamboo shoot fiber are reported to have anticancer properties (3). The shoots also possess phenolic compounds that exhibit antioxidant properties – these also contribute to cancer prevention (4).

The fiber in the shoots may help prevent colorectal cancer too (5). It can also enhance bowel functions in individuals.

3. Can Boost Heart Health

Bamboo shoots are rich in potassium, a heart-healthy mineral that regulates blood pressure levels (6). The fiber in the shoots may help lower excess cholesterol levels too.

Studies show that pharmaceutical preparations of today are using bamboo shoot extracts for controlling cholesterol (7).

Research shows that the potassium in bamboo shoots can steady your heartbeat – further enhancing your heart health (8).

4. Help Heal Wounds

Bamboo shoots are used for cleaning wounds and sores. Studies also show that bamboo leaves can help in cutaneous wound healing (9).

5. Treat Menstrual Problems

Shutterstock

Regular intake of bamboo shoots was found to reduce problems related to reproductive health in women. The shoots are used by various local tribes to treat irregular menstrual cycle and infertility issues and reduce heavy bleeding post delivery and labor pain (10).

What makes bamboo shoots worth a try is their nutritional profile. They are quite low in saturated fat and sodium – two major threats to human health today. The shoots also have an incredible nutritional profile.

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What Is The Nutritional Profile Of Bamboo Shoots?

Calorie Information Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Calories 40.8(171 kJ) 2% From Carbohydrate 27.4(115 kJ) From Fat 3.8(15.9 kJ) From Protein 9.6(40.2 kJ) From Alcohol 0.0(0.0 kJ) Carbohydrates Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Total Carbohydrate 7.9 g 3% Dietary Fiber 3.3 g 13% Starch 0.0 g Sugars 4.5 g Fats & Fatty Acids Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Total Fat 0.5 g 1% Saturated Fat 0.1 g 1% Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g 1 Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g Total trans fatty acids ~ Total trans-monoenoic fatty acids ~ Total trans-polyenoic fatty acids ~ Total Omega-3 fatty acids 30.2 mg Total Omega-6 fatty acids 172 mg Protein & Amino Acids Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Protein 3.9 g 8% Vitamins Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Vitamin A 30.2 IU 1% Vitamin C 6.0 mg 10% Vitamin D ~ ~ Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) 1.5 mg 8% Vitamin K 0.0 mcg 0% Thiamin 0.2 mg 15% Riboflavin 0.1 mg 6% Niacin 0.9 mg 5% Vitamin B6 0.4 mg 18% Folate 10.6 mcg 3% Vitamin B12 0.0 mcg 0% Pantothenic Acid 0.2 mg 0% Choline 0.0 mg Betaine ~ Minerals Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Calcium 19.6 mg 2% Iron 0.8 mg 4% Magnesium 4.5 mg 1% Phosphorus 89.1 mg 9% Potassium 805 mg 23% Sodium 6.0 mg 0% Zinc 1.7 mg 11% Copper 0.3 mg 14% Manganese 0.4 mg 20% Selenium 1.2 mcg 2% Fluoride ~ 0

Quite nutritious, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you want to include it in your diet? But how?

Back To TOC

Top Bamboo Shoot Recipes For You

1. Spinach With Bamboo Shoots

What You Need

1 lb. of fresh spinach

¼ cup of bamboo shoots, finely shredded

½ cup of peanut or vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar

Directions

Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly under cold water and drain properly.

Heat the oil on a skillet on medium-high flame. Cook the bamboo shoots for about 45 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add spinach and stir until they are wilted.

Add the salt and sugar. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.

Transfer to a hot platter. Don’t add the liquid from the pan.

2. Pan-Seared Salmon With Green Curry Sauce

What You Need

A 13 ½-ounce can of coconut milk

3 teaspoons of fish sauce

3-4 tablespoons of Thai green curry paste

1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

A 5-ounce can of bamboo shoots

¾ cup of trimmed Honshimeji mushrooms

10 grape tomatoes cut in half

Zest from half a lime

A 12-ounce salmon fillet with the skin on

Salt and pepper for taste

Olive oil, as desired

Directions

Over low heat, in a medium saucepan, add the coconut milk, green curry paste, grated ginger, and fish sauce. Stir properly.

Add the bamboo shots, grape tomatoes, lime zest, and mushrooms. Simmer for about 25 minutes.

Season the salmon fillet properly with salt and pepper.

Sear the fish skin side down for 3 minutes in a medium pan, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat off and flip the fish to cook the other side. Do this for about 2 minutes.

You can serve the fish in a plate with sauce.

Simple yet tempting, aren’t they! This means you can include bamboo shoots in your routine every other day. But keep in mind – pregnant or breastfeeding women and individuals with a thyroid condition may need to stay away from bamboo shoots. Please consult your doctor before consuming it.

Conclusion

With almost no fat and sodium, bamboo shoots could be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Why don’t you start including them in your diet today?

Back To TOC

Did you eat bamboo shoots before? How did you like them? Do tell us by commenting in the box below!

References

“The nutritional facts of bamboo shoots and…”. International Scholarly Research Notices, US National Library of Medicine.

“Bamboo shoot fiber prevents obesity in…”. Scientific Reports, US National Library of Medicine.

“Bamboo shoots as a nutritive boon for…”. 3 Biotech, US National Library of Medicine.

“Nutritional properties of bamboo shoots…”. Horticulture International, Department of Horticultural Science.

“Effects of different types of dietary fiber…”. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology.

“Bamboo shoots”. Victoria State Government, Better Health Channel.

“Bamboo shoots: a novel source of nutrition and medicine”. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.

“What are bamboo shoots”. Washington State University.

“Preliminary investigation for wound healing…”. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, US National Library of Medicine.

“The nutritional facts of bamboo shoots and…”. International Scholarly Research Notes, US National Library of Medicine.

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[canaryatlaw]

alright, I’m pretty tired so let’s get this post going. I’m not really in the best of moods, mostly to do with my upcoming trip to New York for spring break, and mainly that it’s coming so soon, being that I’m flying out Thursday morning. Idk what to do with all of these feelings. I think most of it has to do with me stressing out over jobs, with the NYC interview coming up Friday morning and I’m just feeling very unsure about all of it. If I get offered the job, which I think there’s a fair likelihood will happen at this point (I mean, I made it to the second interview, so that’s gotta count for something, and I know I’m about as qualified as one can be for an entry level position) I’m gonna feel like I need to accept it,  because it is pretty much the only application I have going on that is *actually* what I want to do, and not just somewhat related to it. but now I just don’t know if I want to end up in New York because I don’t want to be lonely. It might be the best job offer, but if I end up cooped up in an apartment alone and miserable, what’s the point? Especially when the other option I have, staying here, is no longer going to be that way for me, it hasn’t been since the start of the year and I’ve been having so much fucking fun. should I sacrifice a better job offer for a more fulfilling overall quality of life? (or Jess can just move to New York with me and solve all my problems) That’s assuming I even get a job offer in Chicago, I’ve applied to tons of places and it’s all been radio silence so far, though I know a lot of them just haven’t gotten to that point yet so it doesn’t mean I’ve already been rejected from all of them. And some of them I think I’d be really good with, special education or domestic violence, both things I’m fairly qualified to do, it’s just not exactly what I was aiming for. I mean, it’s not like I don’t know what I want to do. I very much know what I want to do- I just don’t really have many options on being able to do it because the office I spent a year interning in is in a hiring freeze and has 3 semesters worth of impeccable performance reviews for me sitting in a file somewhere that will never be read (and trust me, they’re gold, I have no doubt that I would be offered a job there if the freeze gets lifted). So yeah, this is more of me not knowing what the hell to do. I looked up when the late registration for the Illinois bar exam ends, and it’s April 1st, so by the end of the month I’ll hopefully know what my final decision is going to be, because if it’s still in flux I’d have to risk putting one thousand fucking dollars down for a test that I’m not sure I’ll actually be taken, and that’s a load of bullshit. I will say though, it makes me happy that of all the New York options, the one that’s panning out for me is the one that’s totally unrelated to anyone my dad or my brother knows, it’s one where I’m being evaluated on my own merit, not by what my last name is, and getting the position because I worked my ass off to get here and I truly deserve it, not as a result of some nepotism. my dad will never understand this, because he thinks he worked his whole life so he could give us a leg up, and my brother was more than willing to take it, but I’m not my brother and I never will be, I didn’t follow him to law school, I decided on going long before he did. I want my achievements to be my own. I’m already aware of just how much privilege I’ve had getting here, how fortunate I’ve been to have parents who are incredibly anti-student loan and willing to help make that happen (although a lot of that was possible because I got rather large scholarships that significantly cut down the price tag). I get that, and I want this to be something that I at least do on my own merit, even if I was very much assisted in getting there, I want it to be about my skills and my abilities, not some misguided nepotism disguised as “connections” and “who you know” (which my dad has been telling me is what matters literally since I was a very small child). I know he’s never going to get that, but that’s okay. I will be pleased to know that I got this job because of my own work, not his. Anyway. I should probably get around to actually talking about my day now. Woke up at 10:55, got ready and took the 11:20 bus to the DV courthouse, then just caught the train as it was about to leave, so pretty much the opposite of what happened last week lol, and of course now I ended up getting to the courthouse early, because apparently my only options are early or late, on time just not being possible (oh well). Got checked in, then sat with my laptop open, hiding my phone behind it reading the case I need to read for civil rights tomorrow, because the clerks go all power hungry and don’t want anyone using cell phones inside the area, even though I have explicit permission to do so as a volunteer, but it’s just not worth getting into a fight over, so I disguised it with my laptop so they couldn’t see (they don’t have wifi so I couldn’t just bring the case up on my laptop, or I would’ve just done that. I waited probably a little under an hour before getting on a case, paired with one of the newer volunteers as has been the case lately, and was assigned to do the affidavit, as the other volunteer hadn’t done the paperwork yet (the affidavit is harder, but learning the paperwork is complex and I sometimes still goof it up despite this being my third year working here). Client was a very nice woman who was filing against the father of her child, who had apparently stalked her back to Chicago from Florida, though it was unique in a couple ways, one of them being that there was a DCFS case going on in Florida based on domestic violence allegations (which is a whole other subject that I will not get started on because I’ll never shut up) where their daughter was actually removed and placed with her sister, but she regained custody, and said the father’s rights had been terminated, but based on some of the other things she was saying about his contact with their daughter being allowed made me somewhat suspicious that that might not actually be the case, nothing malicious on her end at all, I’ve just seen many parents get tripped up and confused with the process and just misunderstand what’s going on because it is very complex. so there was some interesting stuff there, there had only been text and voicemail threats since the last DV incident in 2013 (which was rather horrific so I won’t go into it, but it definitely endangered the child as well), so that kind of hurts the argument that it is in fact an emergency, but he had been sending death threats, and the court does not take those lightly of course. But we didn’t end up getting to find out what the court would say because the client ended up having to go because her ride had to leave, and she was going to return tomorrow morning to finish up and go to court. so we ended up being released around 3:30, which was nice. I took the blue line to the bus stop, and just missed the bus, it was at the stop down on the street as I got off the train, and by the time I got there it was gone. I wasn’t too pissed though because I had kinda been wanting to get an ice cream from the donut shop right there, so I did that and waited for the next bus, which came in about 12 minutes. So that was enjoyable at least, but the bus ride felt incredibly slow, and I didn’t get home until 4:50 or so. After i got home Jess came over pretty soon afterwards, and I started cooking. I was trying a new recipe, a garlic parmesan chicken lasagna bake, so that required a bit of prep. As I detailed last week I was using the rotisserie chicken with the hope that it would flavor it better, as has been my ongoing battle with trying to cook chicken in a way that’s not absolutely terrible for you and still somehow tastes appetizing, which I haven’t been terribly successful with so far. It took a while to assemble, but then it was in the oven and was ready just before The Flash started. The Flash episode was probably one of the better ones of this season, though that’s really not saying much because this season has been not great so far. It was a decent enough episode though, I enjoyed Jesse being back, and the format of the episode was interesting, even if their scientific explanations were somewhat hard to follow. Black Lightning was pretty solid, I totally adore Anissa and her desire to protect her neighborhood and fight back, and I would like to think that if I had her powers I would feel the same way. Gamby is obviously being super shady so that’s gonna be a plot that deserves exploring. Poor Lynn though, first she had to go through this with Jefferson and now with Anissa, while I do think they should go be saving people, I can definitely empathize with Lynn’s pain not knowing if her loved ones will safely return to her. The whole last scene with the Lady Eve ambush was pretty crazy, definitely can’t say it was what I was expecting, and it looks like Tobias will end up being the big bad this season after all, I had been hearing some speculation that it was ultimately going to be Lady Eve and Tobias was just a underling. So we’ll have to see where it goes from there. After the episode Jess headed home because she was tired from staying up last night and of course has to get up early for her *real* job. So I started season 2 of Game of Thrones, which I will admit was somewhat hard to follow. I get there’s obviously a power struggle going on with different people wanting to claim the throne as their own, but I’m somewhat lost as to who Stannis is and how he plays into all of this. I feel so bad for Sansa basically being held captive, and I have to continue talking about my love for Arya and how she’s such a little badass that escaped the fucking king as a tiny child. And I’m still not sure how Daenerys plays into all of this, I mean I know her father was the king who got overthrown by the king who just died, but idk what she’s trying to do now with her dothraki army and baby dragons (though I look forward to seeing what happens with them once they grow up). After that finished I didn’t want to start a new one since they’re rather long, so I hung out for a little while longer before starting to get ready for bed, including cleaning the rest of the kitchen because my roommate cleaned it really well over the weekend and I don’t want to mess it up when I’m just going to leave in two days anyway. And yeah, did all that good stuff and now I’m here. Got PT in the morning and then my two classes. Again, kind of tired, and it’s 12:45 am now, so I’m going to take that as sufficient reason to retire to sleep. Goodnight babes. Stay awesome.