HOTTEST
Among many other superlatives, the United States claims the most expensive healthcare system in the country. Though the whole country is lumped together in that honor, the reality is that healthcare quality and access can vary greatly depending on where in the country you are. A new study conducted by Forbes attempts to break down the intricacies of healthcare in all 50 states by examining 24 metrics across four key categories: healthcare access, healthcare outcomes, healthcare cost, and quality of hospital care. Georgia takes the title of the worst state for healthcare in the country. Interestingly enough, seven of the top 10 worst states for healthcare are in the South: Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. North Carolina ranks as the worst state for healthcare costs, Utahns struggle the hardest in getting healthcare access, New Mexico has the worst quality of hospital care in the country, and Mississippi is the worst state for positive healthcare outcomes.As for the best state in the country for healthcare, that honor goes to Minnesota. It’s an outlier in the region, as even of the 10 best states for healthcare are in the northeast: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Pennsylvania. If you find yourself in one of the 10 worst states in the country for healthcare, try to find a doctor and a hospital that can best serve you in times of need. GeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaMississippiSouth CarolinaArkansasNew MexicoTexasNevadaIndianaAll of the 10 best states for healthcare lie north of the Mason-Dixon line. If you’re looking for quality care or other important factors, you might want to consider one of these states. MinnesotaMassachusettsRhode IslandConnecticutVermontNew HampshireMichiganOregonMainePennsylvania More
As you may have realized, I have no shame in my natural skin care products game. I love purchasing high quality, effective products from brands I love and trust. The Green Beauty Shop is full of products I believe in and feel confident recommending to you. That being said, natural skincare doesn’t always involve purchasing […] More
You’re familiar with whey, pea, and soy, but potato protein? It might not be just a fad. A new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that consuming protein extracted from potatoes has the same benefits for helping your body rebound after a workout as consuming milk protein—long believed to be the go-to source for post-exercise recovery.
Plant proteins are typically considered less useful in recovery because they’re harder to digest and are incomplete in their amino acids compared to animal protein, but potatoes, it turns out, have all the essential amino acids that milk does.
In the study, Dutch biologists asked a group of fit guys to consume a beverage made with 30 grams of either potato or milk protein powder after resistance training. The result? Muscle protein synthesis (a.k.a. recovery) was enhanced equally for both groups, says study co-author Luc J.C. van Loo.
But since whole potatoes contain a measly 1.5 percent protein based on their weight, potato protein powder (protein extract from the “juice” of the potato) is definitely the way to go.A newcomer to the fitness supplements market, potato protein is expected to reach $115 billion in sales by 2030, according to some estimates. For now, though, look for it in your local health food store.
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It can be supremely frustrating trying to figure out what type of meal plan works best for you. There are so many fads and trends, all battling against solid advice and reputable research. Finding the right nutritional balance can be overwhelming—fast. It’s enough to make a guy give up and revert to continuously snacking on bags of baby carrots. But a recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has shed a little more light on this diet dilemma by pitting perennially dueling macros—carbs and fats—against each other. What’s better: keto or a low-fat, plant-based diet?
In the small but controlled four-week study, researchers analyzed 20 diabetes-free adults and found those who ate a low-fat, higher-carb plant-based diet consumed fewer daily calories—550 to 700 fewer—compared to subjects on a low-carb, higher-fat animal-based plan, or a ketogenic diet. And, even though the subjects on the low-fat, high-carb diet consumed less overall, they ended up with higher insulin and blood glucose levels. Possibly a result of three-quarters of their meals containing carbohydrates.
None of the subjects gained any weight even though all had access to three meals a day, plus snacks, and could eat as much as they wanted. There were also, between the two diets, no differences in hunger, enjoyment of meals, or satiety. And though both groups also lost weight, only the participants on the low-fat diet burned off a good amount of body fat (plus the high-fat subjects didn’t gain any fat).
The study macro breakdown for the plant-based, low-fat diet folks was 10 percent fat and 75 percent carbs, while the animal-based, low-carb people ate 10 percent carbs and 76 percent fat. Each meal included about 14 percent protein. All meals were minimally processed with about the same amounts of veggies.
Chelsea Kyle for Men’s Journal“Interestingly, our findings suggest benefits to both diets, at least in the short-term. While the low-fat, plant-based diet helps curb appetite, the animal-based, low-carb diet resulted in lower and more steady insulin and glucose levels,” said study lead Kevin Hall, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the NIH.
“Despite eating food with an abundance of high-glycemic carbohydrates that resulted in pronounced swings in blood glucose and insulin, people eating the plant-based, low-fat diet showed a significant reduction in calorie intake and loss of body fat, which challenges the idea that high-carb diets per se lead people to overeat. On the other hand, the animal-based, low-carb diet did not result in weight gain despite being high in fat,” he said.
Though the study doesn’t provide a solid answer to whether or not you should eat carbs over fat or vice versa, it does help show that consuming too many carbs daily can mess with your insulin levels, which over the long term, could lead to pre-diabietes or worse. And that, as has been shown before, eating high levels of fat doesn’t neccssairly lead to weight can or increase in fat stores.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! MoreYou could say Mark Wahlberg’s most at home when he’s training. His inner drive is genetic and by some standards borderline obsessive—but that’s why the man’s so successful. He previously spoke with Men’s Journal about his daily routine, saying “breakfast is at 3:45 a.m., by 4 I’m training, 5 a.m. is prayers, and I’m golfing at 6.” So it was only natural for him to make a personal venture into supplements. Enter Performance Inspired.
After all, what better way to maximize recovery and gains than to have a direct hand in optimizing pre-workouts, BCAAs, creatine, and bars? From the beginning, Wahlberg adopted a startup mentality, hustling to research the competition and reaching out to distributors (you can read all about his journey into the supplement biz here). His partner, Tom Dowd, worked at GNC for 25 years and was involved with an exhaustive range of product development. His know-how and Wahlberg’s determination to provide clean, natural products to everyone from student athletes to weekend warriors made PI a success.Now, they’re welcoming a new ownership union with pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau. He’ll take an active leadership role in shaping PI’s line of products and work with Wahlberg to inspire others to lead healthier lifestyles through fitness and nutrition. (We foresee many brainstorms happening over a round of golf.)
“The PI team created a full line of all-natural, clean products you can trust and their commitment to quality is what drew me to their products,” DeChambeau said in a press release. “I look forward to helping them develop more products and introducing healthy options to the golf and fitness community. Everyone is looking for healthy options on the course and at home, and I can’t wait to help inspire others to improve their golf fitness and their overall health, the right way!”The hope is to develop a “Golf Fitness” strategy largely influenced by DeChambeau. (If you’ve been following his 40-pound bulk-up, you know why.) DeChambeau’s been creating a buzz ever since he beefed up—prioritizing strength, flexibility, and nutrition—and started driving the ball, on average, 322 yards. He finished the 2020 PGA Tour season as the longest hitter in the history of professional golf. If it seems like DeChambeau and Wahlberg are a match made in heaven, that’s because they are.
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