Same thing here, but you can't choose any words. You have to choose one that relates to school work. Select words that are general and that applies to most types of jobs.
"I think my professor would describe me as a great team member and consistent in my school work."
This is good because school has group projects. It shows team work experience and it also mentions consistency.
"My professor told me one time that I was like a fireball. I always had a good attitude that positively affected other students in group activities."
"My professor always told me that I was very creative. He liked my papers because it showed that I really thought about the problem and tackled it in a different way."
This answer can be short. Use key words that show how you are a good fit for this position. If it if a salesperson, mention things like, an easy person to talk, good personality, and dependable as the traits. But if it is for a manager position, then you can use different words like organized, helpful, considerate, and smart. So it all depends on the position. Most people will be honest and say what the best friend will actually say, but it is more effective to choose the words so it relates to the job. Here are some examples.
"Oh, let's see... I think my best friend would describe me as honest, detailed, and very organized."
"I think my best friend would say that I'm very responsible. Whenever our group of friends had to coordinate an activity, they always relied on me."
"My best friend would probably say that I'm warm, friendly, and understanding."
It doesn't have to be long, but don't blurt out the answer without thinking. Then it makes it appear as you are thinking about it instead of saying an answer you already prepared.
Samsung launched its Galaxy A9 Pro phablet in India last year, at a price of Rs 32,490. Now, the company has given the smartphone a price cut, bringing down its price down to Rs 29,900. The new price will be effective from March 3 and the smartphone can be purchased from Flipchart. Samsung will also be offering EMI and exchange offers with the handset.
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MWC 2017: 9 hottest smartphones launched
MWC 2017: 9 hottest smartphones launched Nokia 6 Nokia 3310 Huawei P10 Plus LG G6 Moto G5 Plus Sony Xperia XZ Premium Sony Xperia XZs BlackBerry KEYone ZTE Gigabit Phone
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MWC 2017: 9 hottest smartphones launched
The world's biggest mobile industry conference Mobile World Congress (MWC) is underway in Barcelona Spain. Every year, companies launch their flagship smartphones, across categories and price brackets, at the event. MWC 2017 is no different. Some of the world's biggest smartphone brands LG, Huawei, Lenovo, Nokia, Blackberry, Sony and ZTE launched their upcoming smartphones on the sidelines of the event. Here are nine hottest smartphones launched at the event.
Nokia 6
HMD Global announced the global availability of its Nokia 6 smartphone, which was earlier launched in China. In addition, the company launched two more Android-based smartphones - Nokia 5 and Nokia 3. The Nokia 6 will be available in Q2 this year. Some of its key hardware specifications of the handset include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. For imaging duties, there’s a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing shooter. Backed by a 3,000mAh battery, the Nokia 6 has a starting price of EUR 229 (roughly Rs 16,100).
Nokia 3310
Apart from three new Android-based smartphones, HMD Global also launched a modern version of Nokia’s iconic 3310 feature phone, which originally came out in 2000. The feature phone, which will be made available in Q2 this year, is priced at EUR 49 (approximately Rs 3,400). In terms of specifications, the new Nokia 3310 features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 2MP rear camera and microSD card support. It’s claimed to have 22 hours of talktime and one month standby time. The reimagined classic phone even comes with a new, colorized version of the hugely popular game Snake.
Huawei P10 Plus
Huawei launched its duo of P10 and P10 Plus flagship smartphones at MWC 2017. Out of the two, the P10 Plus is the more powerful and is also the company’s first smartphone to support 4.5G LTE connectivity. It has a 5.5-inch Quad HD resolution display and is powered by Huawei’s own octa-core Kirin 960 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There’s also another version that comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. For imaging duties, the smartphone has a dual-camera setup developed in collaboration with Leica. It includes a 20MP module and a 12MP module. There’s also an 8MP selfie-shooter with f/1.9 aperture. Huawei P10 Plus has a starting price of EUR 699 (roughly Rs 49,200).
LG G6
South Korean tech giant LG launched its newest flagship smartphone - G6, at a pre-MWC 2017 event. The handset sports a 5.7-inch 'FullVision' Quad HD+ display of 1440x2880 pixel resolution. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and comes with a dual camera setup at the back, comprised of two 13MP modules. There’s also a 5MP front-facing shooter for the selfie lovers out there. LG claims that the G6 is the world’s first smartphone to come with Dolby Vision technology. The premium handset is backed by a 3,300mAh battery.
Moto G5 Plus
Lenovo-owned Motorola unveiled its long-rumoured Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus smartphones at the ongoing MWC 2017. Of the two, the more powerful Moto G5 Plus packs in a 5.2-inch Full HD resolution display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM. There’s also 32GB/64GB of internal storage, 12MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing snapper and a 3,000mAh battery rounding off the spec sheet. As for the pricing the smartphone is priced at EUR 299 (roughly Rs 21,100).
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony launched the successor to its Xperia XZ smartphone - Xperia XZ Premium, at MWC 2017. The smartphone sports a 5.5-inch 4K resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. For imaging, the smartphone comes with a 19MP rear camera and a 13MP front-facing snapper, with a 3,230mAh battery rounding off the spec sheet. Sony Xperia XZ Premium includes stereo speakers for an enhanced audio experience. That said, the price and availability of the handset have not been announced.
Sony Xperia XZs
Besides the high-end Xperia XZ Premium, the company also launched the compact Xperia XZs. The smartphone has a 5.2-inch Full HD resolution display, a 19MP 1/2.3" primary camera with 'Motion Eye' technology, a 13MP front-shooter, 32GB of internal storage and a 2,900mAh battery. Just like the XZ Premium, the price and availability of the XZs have not been announced either.
BlackBerry KEYone
BlackBerry took the wraps off its new Android smartphone - KEYone, the first handset to be launched after the company collaborated with China-based TCL to manufacture smartphones. The handset will be made available in the US and other selected regions at a price of $549 (roughly Rs 36,500). Some of the key specifications of the smartphone include 4.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage (with microSD card support), 12MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing snapper and a 3,505mAh battery.
ZTE Gigabit Phone
As expected, ZTE launched what it claims to be the first smartphone in the world to come with 5G mobile internet support. Dubbed Gigabit Phone, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 835 chipset and supports download speeds of up to 1Gbps. It can also record 360-degree panoramic VR videos and supports ultra fast downloads of Hi-Fi music and videos.
MWC 2017: 9 hottest smartphones launchedNokia 6Nokia 3310Huawei P10 PlusLG G6Moto G5 PlusSony Xperia XZ PremiumSony Xperia XZsBlackBerry KEYoneZTE Gigabit Phone
The key highlight of the Galaxy A9 Pro is its large 5,000mAh battery. The smartphone also sports fast charging technology, which it claims can charge the battery from 0% to 100% in just two hours. A 30-minute top-up is claimed to be enough to charge the battery up to 32% can charge the battery from 0% to 100% in just 2 hours. A 30-minute charge can recharge the battery up to 32%.
For those unaware, Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box and features a 6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM. There's also 32GB of in-built storage which can be further expanded up to 256GB via microSD cards.
For imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro comes with a 16MP autofocus rear camera and an 8MP front-facing snapper. Additional features include fingerprint scanner, Samsung Knox, S-Voice and screen mirroring. Connectivity options include 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0 and NFC.
Earlier this year, Samsung launched its Galaxy C9 Pro smartphone in India. Priced at Rs 39,900, the Galaxy C9 Pro is the first Samsung Galaxy smartphone to come with 6GB of RAM. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 SoC.
The Galaxy C9 Pro a 6-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution and weighs 189g. For imaging duties, the handset has a 16MP rear camera with f/1.9 aperture, phase detection autofocus and dual-tone LED flash. There's a 16MP module on the front as well.
India Post is expected to open the financial bids for the contract in the next few days and pick a winner after these two firms qualified in the technical rounds, they said.
According to an official aware of the development, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has bid along with Indian IT major Infosys, which has in-house core banking software Finacle. Fidelity Information Services (FIS) has bid with its own banking software, the person said.
India Post Bank is likely to tap World War-era tech to garner business
Digital payment and e-commerce player Paytm has already opted for Infosys' Finacle to power its upcoming payment bank. India Post's contract is the latest in a number of large technology contracts following the Reserve Bank of India's decision to give payment bank licenses to 11 firms.
ET had reported in October that the posts department, which is racing against time to ready India Post Payments Bank, has had to re-tender its technology contract after its first tender received only one bid, from Polaris India.
This prompted India Post to tweak some of the regressive clauses in the tender concerning intellectual property rights, cash flow and payment terms, and come out with a fresh tender.
"After India Post tweaked the contract, it made business sense because of which companies were willing to participate," said the official cited earlier.
Besides HPE and Fidelity, Tata Consultancy Services too was said to be in the race for the India Post project. FIS did not comment on ET's query. In an emailed statement, HPE said it does not comment on rumour or speculation in the market.
India Post Payments Bank will follow a bottoms-up approach, targeting around 500 million people who have feature phones and around 350 million who have no mobile at all, its chief executive AP Singh had told ET earlier.
Telecom minister and Finance minister launch India Post Payment Bank
The bank has already started pilots in Ranchi and Raipur, and the idea is to have a office in every district of the country. Singh had said that by September, he hoped to start operations in at least 650 districts of the country.
"Something that others are not doing but might emerge as our USP is door-todoor banking with the help of the postman. Plus, simplified payment solutions for the masses is what we will be targeting," he had said.
India Post also plans to make the 12-digit Aadhaar number as a single point payment address. It proposes that over 112 crore Indians who have an Aadhaar number till now will be able to transact -send and receive money - only on the basis of the unique identification number, irrespective of the fact whether it is linked to a bank account or not.
The $500 million fundraising would value the ride-hailing service between $6 billion and $7 billion, the source said.
A Lyft spokeswoman declined to comment.
Lyft's fundraising efforts have been ongoing for months, and the company retained Qatalyst Partners in part to assist them in raising a fresh round of cash, according to other sources with knowledge of the matter.
Larger ride-hailing competitors, Uber and Didi, have raised so much money that Lyft's options of finding new investors who can write big checks are quite limited.
Uber is valued at about $70 billion and Didi's valuation is about $35 billion after its merger with Uber's China operations in August.
(Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco and Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
An investor committee that advises the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will next week review if Snap Inc's decision to deny shareholders voting rights might also reduce the social media company's public disclosures on executive pay and other governance matters, the head of that committee told Reuters on Wednesday.
Snap, the parent of the popular messaging app Snapchat, priced its eagerly awaited initial public offering at $17 per share on Wednesday, above the expected range, giving the company a value of close to $24 billion, the richest in a U.S. tech IPO since Facebook Inc in 2012.
The IPO shares will give investors no voting rights, an unprecedented feature that has raised concerns among corporate governance leaders that other high-valuation companies may follow suit and leave investors with little say over company operations.
Snap insiders and early investors hold shares with voting rights, giving them control of the company.
For Snap, "The question becomes, since there are no common shareholders' proxy votes to do, what does that do to the level of disclosures it will have to do for annual meetings and annual reports," Kurt Schacht said in a telephone interview.
Schacht is chairman of the SEC's Investor Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the regulator and was set up by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms. The SEC does not have to follow its suggestions. Schacht is managing director of the CFA Institute, which accredits investment professionals.
The committee has a meeting scheduled for March 9 that will include a discussion on "unequal voting rights of common shares," according to a published agenda for the session.
RACE TO BOTTOM?
Schacht said a concern was that Snap's non-voting shares could inspire other unicorns - the unofficial name for privately held technology companies with valuations of over $1 billion - to follow suit.
"We feel it's worth asking the question of, is this a one-off novelty pump-and-dump IPO, or is this a new trend with these unicorns?" he said. If so, he said that would "a troubling race to the bottom."
A Snap representative declined to comment.
In a Feb. 27 securities filing, Venice, California-based Snap said it will invite its new non-voting shareholders to its annual meetings and to submit questions. It also said it will provide them "the same proxy statements, information statements, annual reports, and other information" it delivers to those who hold its other classes of stock, including Chief Executive Evan Spiegel.
But the company may disclose some information to investors up to four days after a material event has occurred, the filing states. In the filing, Snap also calls itself an "emerging growth company" under U.S. law, leaving it free to exempt itself from some reporting requirements.
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The scheduled review is only the latest test of transparency for Snap, which has gained a reputation for secrecy befitting its disappearing-message app, even as it has rebranded itself as a "camera" company making video recording glasses and tools.
Snap's IPO also is seen as a test for big mutual fund firms, traditionally some of the largest buyers of tech IPOs. The companies lately have made shareholder rights a rallying cry and some governance specialists have called for funds to avoid the IPO because of the unusual voting situation.
Schacht said Snap declined an invitation to appear at the March 9 meeting. He said the discussion will also explore the company's viewpoint on governance and the argument its voting structure could be cheaper than for a company with traditional voting rights.
"We'll try to explore both sides. Is this is a slap in the face of corporate governance, or is this the market efficiency of the future?," he said.
(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Additional reporting by Lauren Hirsch in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby)
On Wednesday, in response to a letter by a fifth grade student, the founder and chief executive of Tesla made another announcement on the social media platform - the company will hold a contest for homemade advertisements.
Bria, daughter of Twitter user Steven, suggested that Musk should run a competition to find the best homemade commercial for Tesla, which has been averse to commercials.
"Thank you for the lovely letter. That sounds like a great idea. We'll do it!" Musk responded to the letter in a tweet. bit.ly/2mN9X3N
Bria, who aspires to be a politician, wrote in the letter that Tesla cars were the "best thing" she had ever seen and that she hoped to drive a Tesla car in the future.
"You could give the winners a year of free Supercharging or a Model 3 Easter Egg or something," Bria suggested in the letter, which was written for a school project.
"The cool part is that you still won't be taking the time and money to advertise for yourself," she wrote, adding "it would be so cool if you could hook me up with a Tesla t-shirt."
She also expressed her disappointment over Tesla cars not being sold in Michigan.
Steven, who shared the letter, is a journalist and a professor at Art Institute of Michigan, his Twitter account showed.
Snap Inc's in-demand shares are set to start trading in New York on Thursday after the owner of the popular Snapchat messaging app raised $3.4 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, above its price expectations.
Snap's IPO was oversubscribed by more than ten-times, indicating a hunger for the shares that might produce a pop on the first day of trading.
The New York Stock Exchange carried out a trial run last week to make sure the third-biggest ever technology IPO goes smoothly.
Facebook Inc's eagerly awaited market debut in 2012 was marred by a technical glitch at rival exchange Nasdaq.
After pricing its IPO at $17 a share, the owner of the popular disappearing-message app has a market value of roughly $24 billion, more than double the size of rival Twitter Inc and the richest valuation in a U.S. tech IPO since Facebook five years ago.
The share sale was the first test of investor appetite for a social-media app that is beloved by teenagers and people under 30 for applying bunny faces and vomiting rainbows onto selfies, but has yet to convert "cool" into cash.
Despite a nearly seven-fold increase in revenue, the Los Angeles-based company's net loss widened 38 percent last year. It faces intense competition from larger rivals such as Facebook's Instagram as it grapples with decelerating user growth.
Snap priced 200 million shares on Wednesday at $17 each, above its expected range of $14 to $16 dollars a share.
The sale was well timed, as investors look for fresh opportunities after 2016 marked the slowest year for IPOs since 2008. The launch could encourage debuts by other so-called unicorns, tech startups with private valuations of $1 billion or more.
Investors bought the shares despite them having no voting power, an unprecedented feature for an IPO at odds with rising concerns about corporate governance over the past few years from fund managers looking to gain influence over executives.
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Although Snap is going public at a much earlier stage in its development than Twitter or Facebook, the five-year-old company is valuing itself at nearly 60 times revenue, more than double the 27 times revenue mark Facebook fetched in its IPO.
To justify its relatively high valuation and fend off concerns about slowing user growth, Snap has emphasized how important Snapchat is to its users, how long they spend on the app and the revenue potential of the emerging trend for young people to communicate with video rather than text.
Snap is set to begin trading on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SNAP.
(Reporting by Lauren Hirsch in New York; Editing by Bill Rigby)
The university announced the plan last July as a way to save $30 million over five years. The University of California system, which includes health care and research-focused UCSF, has been struggling to raise revenue and cut expenses.
Globalisation and outsourcing have become hot-button political issues in the United States, as more employers cut costs by farming out work to low-cost workers in far-flung parts of the world. President Donald Trump campaigned on promises to restore lost US jobs and to penalise companies that move factories overseas.
LAYOFFS DUE TO RISING COSTS OF TECHNOLOGY
This was the University of California's first outsourcing, said a spokeswoman who added that the layoffs were necessary due to rising costs of technology. In addition to the 49 staff layoffs, another 48 positions that were vacant or filled by contractors were eliminated.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein last year said the university had a responsibility to keep jobs in the United States and pledged to seek reforms to stop domestic jobs being outsourced.
Kurt Ho, 58, a laid off systems administrator, carried a box of his personal items with an American flag draped over it, and said the university's decision will hurt service for a medical staff that relies on a smoothly running and secure computer network.
"It's a downgrading of services and a slap in the face for the customers," said Ho, who has worked in IT in the Bay Area for 25 years. He said he plans to look for a job but worries that outsourcing of IT services is a growing trend.
Last year UCSF entered into a $50 million contract over five years with India-based HCL Technologies Ltd to do the work.
The President fervently rehearsing his speech in his limo.
"I have never seen this before. A President on the way to giving his, well, almost State of the Union and actually practicing it on television," remarked an MSNBC anchor.
Four officials say the administration's decision follows pressure from the Pentagon and State Department. They had urged the White House to reconsider Iraq's inclusion given its key role in fighting the Islamic State group.
Trump is expected to sign the new order Wednesday. It is designed to replace an earlier Trump order that was blocked by federal courts.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the order before it is signed.
They said six countries - Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- will remain on the travel ban list.
But this will ultimately depend on the finer details of how the proposal is implemented.
In his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Trump said the US should give out green cards using a merit-based system similar to those of Canada and Australia in place of its current "outdated" programme.
"Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others -- have a merit-based immigration system," he said. "It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially."
By not following such a system, he said the US was "straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon.
"Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages, and help struggling families -- including immigrant families -- enter the middle class," he said.
THE BIG H1-B VISA QUESTION
Trump did not make any mention of those working in the US on temporary professional work visas known as H-1B.
In earlier speeches, he had said that he would root out abuses in that visa category and restrict them if they were to throw Americans out of work.
Those who qualify for H1-B visas under more stringent conditions either imposed by the Trump Administration or by a bill introduced jointly by a Republican and a Democratic in Congress would likely have a leg up in the merit system.
Any drastic reform of the immigration process will be a difficult undertaking for Trump.
Trump did not spell out how the merit-based system would work.
On the face of it, Indians would make a good fit for a merit-based system going by the community's current profile.
According to a report by the Pew Research Center, 70 per cent of Indians in the US are college graduates.
The US Census Bureau reported that in 2013, the median household income for Indian families was over $100,000.
HOW MERIT-BASED SYSTEM HELPS INDIANS
But there are other factors such as whether the current national quotas or limits on people from any country who could be admitted in a year are retained could ultimately determine how it plays out for Indians.
The proposal will have to clear many hurdles.
First of all, it will run into opposition mainly from the Democratic Party which would argue that it would not help the poor and the unskilled immigrate to the US and discriminate against immigrants from Latin American countries whom the party counts as a key part of its base.
A way out for Trump might be to barter the merit-based reform for allowing some illegal immigrants to stay on in the country.
In Canada, applicants for immigration are given points for different qualifications like education, skill levels, employability, language and family ties.
They would have to meet a minimum score to be allowed to immigrate.
Currently, the US immigration system restricts the number of people who can immigrate from each country to seven percent of the total number allowed in except for immediate relatives of citizens.
This has led to several years' wait for Indians to get their green cards.
There is also an annual limit of 140,000 on employment-based green cards.
Because of the limits, most professionals from India have to wait as long as 12 years for a green card and those with "exceptional qualifications" nine years, according to the State Department visa availability data for March.
A merit-based system has the potential to cut down the wait.
How the reform would ultimately affect Indians could depend on how country limits and the cap on the number of employment visas are retained or handled and also on the retention of the immigration privileges for brothers and sisters of citizens and their families.
The reform may also affect the ability of brothers and sisters and elderly parents of citizens to immigrate if they are subjected to a points system.
"I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's security, and to restore respect for our laws," Trump said.
He appealed to the Democrats for bipartisan support for immigration reform.
"If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens, then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades," he said.
In his annual State of the Union Address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump said, "My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the US."
Presenting a gentler version of his America First policy, he said Washington will "respect the sovereign rights of nations".
"Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people - and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path," he said.
"But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict - not more."
US WILLING TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS
Instead of isolationism, the President said, "Our foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world."
For this, he said, "America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships, where shared interests align. We want harmony and stability, not war and conflict."
As for American leadership, he said it will be "based on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the globe".
These elements of his emerging foreign policy mark a break from previous Democratic and Republican administrations' policy of nation-building and exporting democracy.
In practice, though, these policy claims mired the US in wars even as they exposed the hypocrisy of supporting dictatorial regimes where it suited the economic or foreign policy interests.
FIGHT AGAINST ISIS TO CONTINUE
Tuesday's speech also toned down the strident 'America First' agenda that he presented at his inaugural address on January 20.
But he reiterated his promise "to demolish and destroy" the Islamic State, which he described as "a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs".
"We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet," he said.
While offering continued support to the NATO and other allies in an attempt to allay fears, Trump reiterated his condition they should meet their share of the financial obligations.
"And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that," he asserted.
"We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle East, or the Pacific - to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost."
On international commerce, Trump said he believed in free trade but brought up his criticism that it was not currently fair and led to loss of millions of American jobs.
"I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers, be taken advantage of anymore," he said.
"I am going to bring back millions of jobs. We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers."
"I was shocked the other day to read that India, on one rocket launch, deposited more than 100 satellites in space," former Senator Dan Coats told lawmakers on Tuesday during his confirmation hearing for the position of Director of National Intelligence.
HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Former Senator Dan Coats said the United States cannot afford to be seen lagging behind.
"They may be small in size with different functions and so forth but one rocket can send up, I think it was 104 platforms," said Coats, who if confirmed would be in-charge of all major American intelligence agencies including the CIA.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on February 15 successfully launched a record 104 satellites on a single rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
Launching of more than 100 satellites simultaneously is a feat not achieved by any of the space-faring nations so far.
In another development, President Donald Trump in his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night said the US should give out green cards using a merit-based system similar to those of Canada and Australia in place of its current "outdated" programme.
"It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially," the President said.
China is worried that Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people from western China's Xinjiang region, have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for militant groups there, having travelled illegally via Southeast Asia and Turkey.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese hostage in 2015, demonstrating China's concern about Uighurs it says are fighting in the Middle East.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Xinjiang in the past few years, most in unrest between Uighurs and the ethnic majority Han Chinese. The government blames the unrest on Islamist militants.
WHO ARE UIGHURS
The Iraqi arm of Islamic State has released a half-hour long video purportedly showing Uighurs training, as well as some images from inside Xinjiang, including Chinese police on the streets.
One shot that shows Chinese President Xi Jinping gives way to flames in front of a Chinese flag.
"Hey, brothers! Today, we are fighting with infidels across the world! I'm telling you this, 'Come and live here! Stay strong!'," one of the fighters says, according to Uighur speakers who analysed the video for Reuters but who asked not to be identified.
"We will certainly plant our flag over America, China, Russia, and all the infidels of the world," it says.
In another scene, a chant in Uighur says: "Our land of sharia has been constructed with spilt blood." It then shows pictures of martyrs indicated as "al-Turkista ni", or men from Turkestan, the name many Uighurs use for Xinjiang.
THIS HAS STIRRED STORM IN CHINA
One of the men speaking has an accent from Yarkand, close to the old Silk Road city of Kashgar in Xinjiang's southern Uighur heartland, one of the people who reviewed the video said.
Another fighter refers to the "evil Chinese Communist infidel lackeys".
"In retaliation for the tears that flow from the eyes of the oppressed, we will make your blood flow in rivers, by the will of God!" he says.
The video was released this week by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant groups online.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday he was not aware of the video and had not seen it.
"But one point is very clear. We oppose any form of terrorism and proactively participate in international cooperation to crack down on terrorism," Geng told a daily news briefing.
"We have long said that East Turkestan forces are a serious threat to China's security and we are willing to work with the international community to jointly crack down on East Turkestan separatist and terrorist forces," he said.
The government says foreign militants have stirred up tensions in Xinjiang, where it says it faces a determined campaign by separatists who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.
However, many rights groups and exiles doubt the existence of a coherent militant group in Xinjiang and say Uighur anger at repressive Chinese policies is more to blame for the unrest.
Caffeine has made its way to most commercial fat burning supplements, for good reason.
It is one of the few substances that is known to help mobilize fats from the fat tissues and increase metabolism.
Coffee Contains Stimulants
Coffee isn’t just warm black water.
Substances in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink.
In fact, coffee contains several biologically active substances that can affect metabolism:
Caffeine – a central nervous system stimulant.
Theobromine and Theophylline – substances related to caffeine that can also have a stimulant effect.
Chlorogenic Acid – one of the biologically active compounds in coffee, may help slow absorption of carbohydrates (1).
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The most important of these is caffeine, which is very potent and has been studied thoroughly.
What caffeine does in the brain, is to block an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine (2, 3).
By blocking Adenosine, caffeine increases the firing of neurons and the release of neurotransmitters like Dopamine and Norepinephrine.
Coffee Can Help to Mobilize Fat From The Fat Tissues
Cup of Coffee
Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, which sends direct signals to the fat cells to tell them to break down fat (4, 5).
Another thing that caffeine does is to increase our blood levels of the hormone Epinephrine, which is also known as Adrenaline (6, 7).
Epinephrine travels through the blood, to the fat tissues and send signals to break down fats and release them into the blood.
This is how caffeine helps to mobilize fat from the fat tissues, making it available for use as free fatty acids in the blood.
Coffee Can Increase The Metabolic Rate
How many calories we burn at rest is called the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).
The higher our metabolic rate, the easier it is for us to lose weight and the more we can allow ourselves to eat without gaining.
Studies show that caffeine can increase the metabolic rate by 3-11%, with larger doses having an even bigger effect (8, 9).
Interestingly, most of the increase in metabolism is caused by an increase in the burning of fat (10).
Unfortunately, the effect is less pronounced in those who are obese.
In one study, the increase in fat burning in lean people is as high as 29%, while in obese individuals the increase is about 10% (11). The effect also appears to diminish with age and is more pronounced in younger individuals (12).
Caffeine can improve athletic performance via several mechanisms, one of those being increased mobilization of fatty acids from the fat tissues. Studies show that caffeine can improve exercise performance by 11-12%, on average (13, 14).
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Coffee and Weight Loss in The Long Term
Coffee Beans
There is one major caveat here, and that is the fact that people become tolerant to the effects of caffeine (15, 16).
In the short term, caffeine can boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning, but after a while people become tolerant to the effects and it stops working.
But even if coffee doesn’t make you expend more calories in the long term, there is still a possibility that it blunts appetite and helps you eat less.
In one study, caffeine had an appetite reducing effect in men, but not in women – making them eat less at a meal following caffeine consumption. However, another study showed no effect for men (17, 18).
Whether coffee or caffeine can help you lose weight in the long term may depend on the individual. At this point, there is no evidence that it can help with weight loss in the long term.
Take Home Message
Even though caffeine can boost your metabolism in the short term, this effect is diminished in long-term coffee drinkers due to tolerance.
If you’re primarily interested in coffee for the sake of fat loss, then it may be best to cycle it to prevent a buildup of tolerance. Perhaps cycles of 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off.
Of course, there are plenty of other great reasons to drink coffee, including the fact that coffee is the single largest source of antioxidants in the western diet, outranking both fruits and vegetables, combined.
In fact, adding more protein to your diet is the easiest and most effective way to lose weight.
Studies show that protein can help curb your appetite and keep you from overeating.
Therefore, starting your day with a high-protein breakfast may be an effective weight loss tip.
Should You Eat Breakfast?
In the past, skipping breakfast has been associated with weight gain.
We now have good evidence showing that recommendations to eat or skip breakfast have no effect on weight gain or loss. You can read more about that in this article (1).
However, eating breakfast may be a good idea for other reasons. For example, it may improve mental performance in school children, teenagers and certain patient groups (2, 3).
This may also depend on the quality of the breakfast. Even if the stereotypical breakfast (like high-sugar breakfast cereal) has no effect on weight, a breakfast that is high in weight loss friendly protein may have different effects.
Bottom Line: Recommendations to eat or skip breakfast have no effect on weight. However, the same may not apply to a high-protein breakfast.
How Protein Helps You Lose Weight
Protein Rich Foods
Protein is the single most important nutrient for weight loss.
This is because the body uses more calories to metabolize protein, compared to fat or carbs. Protein also keeps you feeling fuller for longer (4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
One study in women showed that increasing protein intake from 15 to 30% of total calories helped them eat 441 fewer calories per day. They also lost 11 pounds (5 kg) in just 12 weeks (9).
Another study found that increasing protein to 25% of total calories reduced late-night snacking by half and obsessive thoughts about food by 60% (10).
In yet another study, two groups of women were put on weight loss diets for 10 weeks. The groups ate the same amount of calories, but different amounts of protein.
All the women in the study lost weight. However, the high-protein group lost about half a kg (1.1 lbs) more, and a larger percentage of body fat (11).
Protein may also help you maintain weight loss in the long term. A study found that increasing protein from 15 to 18% of calories made dieters regain 50% less weight (12, 13, 14).
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Bottom Line: Adding protein to your diet is a very effective way to lose weight. It may also help dieters sustain long-term weight loss.
High-Protein Breakfasts Help You Eat Less Later
Egg and Measuring Tape
Many studies are examining how protein at breakfast affects eating behavior.
Some of them have shown that high-protein breakfasts reduce hunger and help people eat up to 135 fewer calories later in the day (15, 16, 17).
In fact, MRI scans have shown that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the signals in the brain that control food motivation and reward-driven behavior (18).
Protein also helps you feel full. This is because it activates the body’s signals that curb appetite, which reduces cravings and overeating.
This is mostly due to a drop in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the fullness hormones peptide YY, GLP-1 and cholecystokinin (19, 20, 21).
Several studies have now demonstrated that eating a high-protein breakfast changes these hormones throughout the day (4, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25).
Bottom Line: High-protein breakfasts reduce calorie intake later in the day. They improve the levels of your appetite-regulating hormones, leading to reduced hunger and cravings.
How Protein at Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight and Belly Fat
Woman Wondering Whether to Eat Meat or Vegetables
High-protein breakfasts can reduce appetite and cravings. They may also help you lose belly fat.
Dietary protein is inversely related to belly fat, meaning the more high-quality protein you eat, the less belly fat you have (26, 27).
One study of obese, Chinese teens showed that replacing a grain-based breakfast with an egg-based meal led to significantly more weight loss over 3 months.
The higher-protein breakfast group lost 3.9% of their body weight (about 2.4 kg or 5.3 lbs), while the lower-protein group lost only 0.2% (0.1 kg or 0.2 lbs) (23).
In another study, people on a weight loss program received either an egg breakfast or a bagel breakfast with the same amount of calories.
After 8 weeks, those eating the egg breakfast had a 61% higher reduction in BMI, 65% more weight loss and a 34% greater reduction in waist measurements (25).
Bottom Line: Eating protein for breakfast can lead to significant weight loss, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose.
Protein May Slightly Boost Your Metabolism
Weight Scale
Speeding up your metabolism can help you lose weight, as it makes you burn more calories.
Your body uses much more calories to metabolize protein (20-30%) than carbs (5-10%) or fat (0-3%) (4).
This means you burn more calories by eating protein than by eating carbs or fat. In fact, a high protein intake has been shown to result in an extra 80 to 100 calories burned each day (8, 28, 29).
A high protein diet can also help prevent muscle loss during calorie restriction, and partly prevent the reduction in metabolism that often comes with weight loss, often referred to as “starvation mode” (11, 30, 31, 32, 33).
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Bottom Line: A high protein intake has been shown to boost metabolism by up to 100 calories per day. It can also help you maintain muscle mass and a high metabolism when you restrict calories.
Which High-Protein Foods Should You Eat For Breakfast?
Female Chef Frying Eggs
In short, EGGS.
Eggs are incredibly nutritious and high in protein. Replacing a grain-based breakfast with eggs has been shown to help you eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours and lose more weight and body fat (4, 11, 15).
However, fish, seafood, meat, poultry and dairy products are also great sources of protein to include for breakfast.
For a complete list of high-protein foods, read this article.
Here are a few examples of high-protein breakfasts that can help you lose weight:
Scrambled eggs: with veggies, fried in coconut oil or olive oil.
An omelette: with cottage cheese and spinach (my personal favorite).
Stir-fried tofu: with kale and dairy-free cheese.
Greek yogurt: with wheat germ, seeds and berries.
A shake: one scoop of whey protein, a banana, frozen berries and almond milk.
Protein pancakes are also a very popular breakfast food at the moment.
Bottom Line: Eggs make a great, high-protein breakfast. However, other high-protein breakfast foods are also good choices.
If You Eat Breakfast, Make it High in Protein
If you do choose to eat breakfast, eat one that is rich in protein.
The protein content of the breakfast meals in the studies above ranged from 18 to 41% of calories, with at least 20 total grams of protein.
To read more about the health benefits of protein, check out this article
However, most of them will make you hungry and unsatisfied.
If you don’t have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans quickly.
The plan outlined here will:
Reduce your appetite significantly.
Make you lose weight quickly, without hunger.
Improve your metabolic health at the same time.
Here is a simple 3-step plan to lose weight fast.
1. Cut Back on Sugars and Starches
The most important part is to cut back on sugars and starches (carbs).
These are the foods that stimulate secretion of insulin the most. If you didn’t know already, insulin is the main fat storage hormone in the body.
When insulin goes down, fat has an easier time getting out of the fat stores and the body starts burning fats instead of carbs.
Another benefit of lowering insulin is that your kidneys shed excess sodium and water out of your body, which reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight (1, 2).
It is not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this way, both body fat and water weight.
This is a graph from a study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in overweight/obese women (3).
Weight Loss Graph, Low Carb vs Low Fat
The low-carb group is eating until fullness, while the low-fat group is calorie restricted and hungry.
Cut the carbs, lower your insulin and you will start to eat less calories automatically and without hunger (4).
Put simply, lowering your insulin puts fat loss on “autopilot.”
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Bottom Line: Removing sugars and starches (carbs) from your diet will lower your insulin levels, kill your appetite and make you lose weight without hunger.
2. Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables
Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Constructing your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of 20-50 grams per day.
Girl Eating Kebab
Protein Sources:
Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon, etc.
Fish and Seafood – Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobsters, etc.
Eggs – Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
The importance of eating plenty of protein can not be overstated.
This has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day (5, 6, 7).
High protein diets can also reduce obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, reduce desire for late-night snacking by half, and make you so full that you automatically eat 441 fewer calories per day… just by adding protein to your diet (8, 9).
When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients. Period.
Low-Carb Vegetables:
Vegetables
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Kale
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Lettuce
Cucumber
Celery
Full list here.
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Don’t be afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive amounts of them without going over 20-50 net carbs per day.
A diet based on meat and vegetables contains all the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. There is no physiological need for grains in the diet.
Butter Curls
Fat Sources:
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Avocado oil
Butter
Tallow
Eat 2-3 meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.
Don’t be afraid of eating fat, trying to do both low-carb AND low-fat at the same time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and abandon the plan.
The best cooking fat to use is coconut oil. It is rich in fats called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are more fulfilling than others and can boost metabolism slightly (10, 11).
There is no reason to fear these natural fats, new studies show that saturated fat doesn’t raise your heart disease risk at all (12, 13).
To see how you can assemble your meals, check out this low carb meal plan and this list of low carb recipes.
Bottom Line: Assemble each meal out of a protein source, a fat source and a low-carb vegetable. This will put you into the 20-50 gram carb range and drastically lower your insulin levels.
3. Lift Weights 3 Times Per Week
Dumbbells
You don’t need to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended.
The best option is to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Do a warm up, lift weights, then stretch.
If you’re new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice.
By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight (14, 15).
Studies on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat (16).
If lifting weights is not an option for you, then doing some easier cardio workouts like running, jogging, swimming or walking will suffice.
Bottom Line: It is best to do some sort of resistance training like weight lifting. If that is not an option, cardio workouts work too.
Optional – Do a “Carb Re-feed” Once Per Week
Overweight Man Eating Cake
You can take one day “off” per week where you eat more carbs. Many people prefer Saturday.
It is important to try to stick to healthier carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, etc.
But only this one higher carb day, if you start doing it more often than once per week then you’re not going to see much success on this plan.
If you must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, then do it on this day.
Be aware that cheat meals or carb refeeds are NOT necessary, but they can up-regulate some fat burning hormones like leptin and thyroid hormones (17, 18).
You will gain some weight during your re-feed day, but most of it will be water weight and you will lose it again in the next 1-2 days.
Bottom Line: Having one day of the week where you eat more carbs is perfectly acceptable, although not necessary.
What About Calories and Portion Control?
Apple And Calculator
It is NOT necessary to count calories as long as you keep the carbs very low and stick to protein, fat and low-carb vegetables.
However, if you really want to, then use this calculator.
Enter your details, then pick the number from either the “Lose Weight” or the “Lose Weight Fast” section – depending on how fast you want to lose.
There are many great tools you can use to track the amount of calories you are eating. Here is a list of 5 calorie counters that are free and easy to use.
The main goal is to keep carbs under 20-50 grams per day and get the rest of your calories from protein and fat.
Bottom Line: It is not necessary to count calories to lose weight on this plan. It is most important to strictly keep your carbs in the 20-50 gram range.
10 Weight Loss Tips to Make Things Easier (and Faster)
Here are 10 more tips to lose weight even faster:
Eat a high-protein breakfast. Eating a high-protein breakfast has been shown to reduce cravings and calorie intake throughout the day (19, 20, 21).
Avoid sugary drinks and fruit juice. These are the most fattening things you can put into your body, and avoiding them can help you lose weight (22, 23).
Drink water a half hour before meals. One study showed that drinking water a half hour before meals increased weight loss by 44% over 3 months (24).
Choose weight loss-friendly foods (see list). Certain foods are very useful for losing fat. Here is a list of the 20 most weight loss-friendly foods on earth.
Eat soluble fiber. Studies show that soluble fibers may reduce fat, especially in the belly area. Fiber supplements like glucomannan can also help (25, 26, 27).
Drink coffee or tea. If you’re a coffee or a tea drinker, then drink as much as you want as the caffeine in them can boost your metabolism by 3-11% (28, 29, 30).
Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Base most of your diet on whole foods. They are healthier, more filling and much less likely to cause overeating.
Eat your food slowly. Fast eaters gain more weight over time. Eating slowly makes you feel more full and boosts weight-reducing hormones (31, 32, 33).
Use smaller plates. Studies show that people automatically eat less when they use smaller plates. Strange, but it works (34).
Get a good night’s sleep, every night. Poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for weight gain, so taking care of your sleep is important (35, 36).
Even more tips here: 30 Easy Ways to Lose Weight Naturally (Backed by Science).
Bottom Line: It is most important to stick to the three rules, but there are a few other things you can do to speed things up.
How Fast You Will Lose (and Other Benefits)
Obese vs Thin Woman
You can expect to lose 5-10 pounds of weight (sometimes more) in the first week, then consistent weight loss after that.
I can personally lose 3-4 lbs per week for a few weeks when I do this strictly.
If you’re new to dieting, then things will probably happen quickly. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose it.
For the first few days, you might feel a bit strange. Your body has been burning carbs for all these years, it can take time for it to get used to burning fat instead.
It is called the “low carb flu” and is usually over within a few days. For me it takes 3. Adding some sodium to your diet can help with this, such as dissolving a bouillon cube in a cup of hot water and drinking it.
After that, most people report feeling very good, positive and energetic. At this point you will officially have become a “fat burning beast.”
Despite the decades of anti-fat hysteria, the low-carb diet also improves your health in many other ways:
Blood Sugar tends to go way down on low-carb diets (37, 38).
Triglycerides tend to go down (39, 40).
Small, dense LDL (the bad) Cholesterol goes down (41, 42).
HDL (the good) cholesterol goes up (43).
Blood pressure improves significantly (44, 45).
To top it all off, low-carb diets appear to be easier to follow than low-fat diets.
Bottom Line: You can expect to lose a lot of weight, but it depends on the person how quickly it will happen. Low-carb diets also improve your health in many other ways.
You Don’t Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight
If you have a medical condition then talk to your doctor before making changes because this plan can reduce your need for medication.
By reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, you change the hormonal environment and make your body and brain “want” to lose weight.
This leads to drastically reduced appetite and hunger, eliminating the main reason that most people fail with conventional weight loss methods.
This is proven to make you lose about 2-3 times as much weight as a typical low-fat, calorie restricted diet (46, 47, 48).
Another great benefit for the impatient folks is that the initial drop in water weight can lead to a big difference on the scale as early as the next morning.
Here are a few examples of low-carb meals that are simple, delicious and can be prepared in under 10 minutes: 7 Healthy Low-Carb Meals in 10 Minutes or Less.
On this plan, you can eat good food until fullness and still lose a ton of fat. Welcome to paradise.
More about how to lose weight:
30 Easy Ways to Lose Fat Naturally (Backed by Science)
The 20 Most Weight Loss Friendly Foods on The Planet
How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day to Lose Weight?
6 Proven Ways to Lose Belly Fat (No. 2 and 3 are Best)
The Military Diet: Lose 10 Pounds in Just 3 Days?
People, even qualified experts, often seem to have the exact opposite opinions.
However, despite all the disagreements, there are a few things that are well supported by research.
Here are 27 health and nutrition tips that are actually based on good science.
1. Don’t Drink Sugar Calories
Sugary drinks are the most fattening things you can put into your body.
This is because liquid sugar calories don’t get registered by the brain in the same way as calories from solid foods (1).
For this reason, when you drink soda, you end up eating more total calories (2, 3).
Sugary drinks are strongly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and all sorts of health problems (4, 5, 6, 7).
Keep in mind that fruit juices are almost as bad as soda in this regard. They contain just as much sugar, and the small amounts of antioxidants do NOT negate the harmful effects of the sugar (8).
2. Eat Nuts
Despite being high in fat, nuts are incredibly nutritious and healthy.
They are loaded with magnesium, vitamin E, fiber and various other nutrients (9).
Studies show that nuts can help you lose weight, and may help fight type 2 diabetes and heart disease (10, 11, 12).
Additionally, about 10-15% of the calories in nuts aren’t even absorbed into the body, and some evidence suggests that they can boost metabolism (13).
In one study, almonds were shown to increase weight loss by 62% compared to complex carbohydrates (14).
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3. Avoid Processed Junk Food (Eat Real Food Instead)
All the processed junk foods in the diet are the biggest reason the world is fatter and sicker than ever before.
These foods have been engineered to be “hyper-rewarding,” so they trick our brains into eating more than we need, even leading to addiction in some people (15).
They are also low in fiber, protein and micronutrients (empty calories), but high in unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined grains.
4. Don’t Fear Coffee
Coffee has been unfairly demonized. The truth is that it’s actually very healthy.
Coffee is high in antioxidants, and studies show that coffee drinkers live longer, and have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and numerous other diseases (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21).
5. Eat Fatty Fish
Pretty much everyone agrees that fish is healthy.
This is particularly true of fatty fish, like salmon, which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and various other nutrients (22).
Studies show that people who eat the most fish have a lower risk of all sorts of diseases, including heart disease, dementia and depression (23, 24, 25).
6. Get Enough Sleep
The importance of getting enough quality sleep can not be overstated.
It may be just as important as diet and exercise, if not more.
Poor sleep can drive insulin resistance, throw your appetite hormones out of whack and reduce your physical and mental performance (26, 27, 28, 29).
What’s more, it is one of the strongest individual risk factors for future weight gain and obesity. One study showed that short sleep was linked to 89% increased risk of obesity in children, and 55% in adults (30).
7. Take Care of Your Gut Health With Probiotics and Fiber
The bacteria in your gut, collectively called the gut microbiota, are sometimes referred to as the “forgotten organ.”
These gut bugs are incredibly important for all sorts of health-related aspects. A disruption in the gut bacteria is linked to some of the world’s most serious chronic diseases, including obesity (31, 32).
A good way to improve gut health, is to eat probiotic foods (like live yogurt and sauerkraut), take probiotic supplements, and eat plenty of fiber. Fiber functions as fuel for the gut bacteria (33, 34).
8. Drink Some Water, Especially Before Meals
Drinking enough water can have numerous benefits.
One important factor, is that it can help boost the amount of calories you burn.
According to 2 studies, it can boost metabolism by 24-30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours. This can amount to 96 additional calories burned if you drink 2 liters (67 oz) of water per day (35, 36).
The best time to drink water is half an hour before meals. One study showed that half a liter of water, 30 minutes before each meal, increased weight loss by 44% (37).
9. Don’t Overcook or Burn Your Meat
Meat can be a nutritious and healthy part of the diet. It is very high in protein, and contains various important nutrients.
The problems occur when meat is overcooked and burnt. This can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that raise the risk of cancer (38).
So, eat your meat, just don’t overcook or burn it.
10. Avoid Bright Lights Before Sleep
When we’re exposed to bright lights in the evening, this disrupts production of the sleep hormone melatonin (39, 40).
An interesting “hack” is to use a pair of amber-tinted glasses that block blue light from entering your eyes in the evening.
This allows melatonin to be produced as if it were completely dark, helping you sleep better (41, 42).
11. Take Vitamin D3 if You Don’t Get Much Sun
Back in the day, most people got their vitamin D from the sun.
The problem is that most people don’t get much sun these days. They either live where there is no sun, or they stay inside most of the day or use sunscreen when they go out.
According to data from 2005-2006, about 41.6% of the US population is deficient in this critical vitamin (43).
If adequate sun exposure is not an option for you, then supplementing with vitamin D has been shown to have numerous benefits for health.
This includes improved bone health, increased strength, reduced symptoms of depression and a lower risk of cancer, to name a few. Vitamin D may also help you live longer (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50).
12. Eat Vegetables and Fruits
Female Doctor Holding Two Apples
Vegetables and fruits are the “default” health foods, and for good reason.
They are loaded with prebiotic fiber, vitamins, minerals and all sorts of antioxidants, some of which have potent biological effects.
Studies show that people who eat the most vegetables and fruits live longer, and have a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and all sorts of diseases (51, 52).
13. Make Sure to Eat Enough Protein
Eating enough protein is incredibly important, and many experts believe that the recommended daily intake is too low.
Protein is particularly important for weight loss, and works via several different mechanisms (53).
A high protein intake can boost metabolism significantly, while making you feel so full that you automatically eat fewer calories. It can also cut cravings and reduce the desire for late-night snacking (54, 55, 56, 57).
Eating plenty of protein has also been shown to lower blood sugar and blood pressure levels (58, 59).
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14. Do Some Cardio, or Just Walk More
Doing aerobic exercise (or cardio) is one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical health.
It is particularly effective at reducing belly fat, the harmful type of fat that builds up around your organs. Reduced belly fat should lead to major improvements in metabolic health (60, 61, 62).
15. Don’t Smoke or do Drugs, and Only Drink in Moderation
If you’re a tobacco smoker, or abuse drugs, then diet and exercise are the least of your worries. Tackle those problems first.
If you choose to include alcohol in your life, then do so in moderation only, and consider avoiding it completely if you have alcoholic tendencies.
16. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest fat on the planet.
It is loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants that can fight inflammation (63, 64, 65).
Extra virgin olive oil leads to many beneficial effects on heart health, and people who consume olive oil have a much lower risk of dying from heart attacks and strokes (66, 67).
17. Minimize Your Intake of Added Sugars
Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.
Small amounts are fine, but when people eat large amounts, it can wreak havoc on metabolic health (68).
A high intake of added sugar is linked to numerous diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many forms of cancer (69, 70, 71, 72, 73).
18. Don’t Eat a Lot of Refined Carbohydrates
Not all carbs are created equal.
Refined carbs have been highly processed, and have had all the fiber removed from them. They are low in nutrients (empty calories), and can be extremely harmful.
Studies show that refined carbohydrates are linked to overeating and numerous metabolic diseases (74, 75, 76, 77, 78).
19. Don’t Fear Saturated Fat
The “war” on saturated fat was a mistake.
It is true that saturated fat raises cholesterol, but it also raises HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and changes the LDL from small to large, which is linked to a lower risk of heart disease (79, 80, 81, 82).
New studies that included hundreds of thousands of people have shown that there is no link between saturated fat consumption and heart disease (83, 84).
20. Lift Heavy Things
Lifting weights is one of the best things you can do to strengthen your body and improve your body composition.
It also leads to massive improvements in metabolic health, including improved insulin sensitivity (85, 86).
The best approach is to go to a gym and lift weights, but doing body weight exercises can be just as effective.
21. Avoid Artificial Trans Fats
Artificial trans fats are harmful, man-made fats that are strongly linked to inflammation and heart disease (87, 88, 89, 90).
It is best to avoid them like the plague.
22. Use Plenty of Herbs and Spices
There are many incredibly healthy herbs and spices out there.
For example, ginger and turmeric both have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, leading to various health benefits (91, 92, 93, 94).
You should make an effort to include as many different herbs and spices as you can. Many of them can have powerful beneficial effects on your health.
23. Take Care of Your Relationships
Social relationships are incredibly important. Not only for your mental wellbeing, but your physical health as well.
Studies show that people who are close with friends and family are healthier and live much longer than those who are not (95, 96, 97).
24. Track Your Food Intake Every Now and Then
The only way to know exactly what you are eating, is to weigh your foods and use a nutrition tracker like MyFitnesspal or Cron-o-meter.
This is important to know how many calories you are eating. It is also essential to make sure that you’re getting in enough protein, fiber and micronutrients.
Studies show that people who track their food intake in one way or another tend to be more successful at losing weight and sticking to a healthy diet (98).
Basically, anything that increases your awareness of what you are eating is likely to help you succeed.
I personally track everything I eat for a few days in a row, every few months. Then I know exactly where to make adjustments in order to get closer to my goals.
25. If You Have Excess Belly Fat, Get Rid of it
Not all body fat is equal.
It is mostly the fat in your abdominal cavity, the belly fat, that causes problems. This fat builds up around the organs, and is strongly linked to metabolic disease (99, 100).
For this reason, your waist size may be a much stronger marker for your health than the number on the scale.
Cutting carbs, eating more protein, and eating plenty of fiber are all excellent ways to get rid of belly fat (101, 102, 103, 104).
This article lists 6 evidence-based ways to lose belly fat.
26. Don’t go on a “Diet”
Diets are notoriously ineffective, and rarely work well in the long term.
In fact, “dieting” is one of the strongest predictors for future weight gain (105).
Instead of going on a diet, try adopting a healthier lifestyle. Focus on nourishing your body, instead of depriving it.
Weight loss should follow as a natural side effect of better food choices and improved metabolic health.
27. Eat Eggs, and Don’t Throw Away The Yolk
Whole eggs are so nutritious that they’re often referred to as “nature’s multivitamin.”
It is a myth that eggs are bad for you because of the cholesterol. Studies show that they have no effect on blood cholesterol in the majority of people (106).
Additionally, a massive review study that included 263,938 individuals found that egg consumption had no association with the risk of heart disease (107).
What we’re left with is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, and the yolk is where almost all of the nutrients are found.
Telling people to throw away the yolk is among the worst pieces of advice in the history of nutrition.
Many methods to improve your health are pretty straightforward: to lose weight, eat less and exercise more; to boost your energy, get more sleep; to prevent dehydration, drink more water. Others, however, are totally counterintuitive. The following 12 tips really do work—but they may leave you scratching your head.
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Drink coffee to have a better nap
In a Japanese study that examined how to make the most of a nap, people who took a "coffee nap"—consuming about 200 milligrams of caffeine (the amount in one to two cups of coffee) and then immediately taking a 20-minute rest—felt more alert and performed better on computer tests than those who only took a nap.
Why does this work? A 20-minute nap ends just as the caffeine kicks in and clears the brain of a molecule called adenosine, maximizing alertness. "Adenosine is a byproduct of wakefulness and activity," says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine. "As adenosine levels increase, we become more fatigued. Napping clears out the adenosine and, when combined with caffeine, an adenosine-blocker, further reduces its effects and amplifies the effects of the nap."
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For healthy teeth, don't brush after eating
Don't brush your teeth immediately after meals and drinks, especially if they were acidic. Acidic foods—citrus fruits, sports drinks, tomatoes, soda (both diet and regular)—can soften tooth enamel "like wet sandstone," says Howard R. Gamble, immediate past president of the Academy of General Dentistry. Brushing your teeth at this stage can speed up acid's effect on your enamel and erode the layer underneath. Gamble suggests waiting 30 to 60 minutes before brushing.
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To wear a smaller size, gain weight
Muscle weight, that is. If two women both weigh 150 pounds and only one lifts weights, the lifter will more likely fit into a smaller pant size than her sedentary counterpart. Likewise, a 150-pound woman who lifts weights could very well wear the same size as a 140-pound woman who doesn't exercise. The reason: Although a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle, muscle takes up less space, says Mark Nutting, fitness director of SACO Sport & Fitness in Saco, Maine. "You can get bigger muscles and get smaller overall if you lose the fat," he says. "The bulk so many women fear only occurs if you don't lose fat and develop muscle on top of it." Cut back on calories and add weight to your workout to lose inches.
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To eat less, eat more
Grabbing a 100-calorie snack pack of cookies or pretzels may seem virtuous, but it's more likely to make you hungrier than if you ate something more substantial, says Amy Goodson, RD, dietitian for Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine. "Eating small amounts of carbohydrates does nothing but spike your blood sugar and leave you wanting more carbs." Goodson recommends choosing a protein such as peanut butter or string cheese with an apple. "They are higher in calories per serving, but the protein and fat helps you get full faster and stay full longer—and you end up eating fewer calories overall," she says.
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Skip energy drinks when you're tired
Energy drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than coffee, but the boost they provide is fleeting and comes with unpleasant side effects like nervousness, irritability, and rapid heartbeat, says Goodson. Plus, energy drinks often contain high levels of taurine, a central nervous system stimulant, and upwards of 50 grams of sugar per can (that's 13 teaspoons worth!). The sweet stuff spikes blood sugar temporarily, only to crash soon after, leaving you sluggish and foggyheaded—and reaching for another energy drink.
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Drink water when you're bloated
When you feel bloated, drinking water sounds as if it would only make matters worse, but it can often help, says James Lee, MD, gastroenterologist with St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. If you're on a high-fiber diet, for instance, then your body needs more water to work more efficiently, says Dr. Lee. "Water mixes with water soluble fiber and makes it into a gel like substance. This affects the motility of the gut and reduces the symptom of bloating." Drinking more water also relieves bloating caused by dehydration. When you're dehydrated, your body clings to the water your body does have, causing you to puff up.
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Ditch diet soda to lose weight
You should ditch all soda, including diet. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health revealed that overweight and obese adults who drank diet beverages ate more calories from food than those who drank regular soda. Additionally, a University of Texas study found that diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference than non-drinkers over the course of about 10 years.
"In addition, many people think 'low-fat,' 'low-sugar,' or 'light' means fewer calories, but that's not always true," says Goodson. "Typically when manufacturers cut something out and the end result tastes just as good, they've added something like additional sugar."
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Drink a hot beverage to cool off
Which will cool you off faster on a steamy summer morning: iced coffee or hot? Two recent studies say the latter—and so do other cultures where drinking hot tea in hot weather is the norm, like in India. When you sip a hot beverage, your body senses the change in temperature and increases your sweat production. Then, as the sweat evaporates from your skin, you cool off naturally.
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Exercise when you're tired
After a long, exhausting workday, exercising sounds like the last thing you'd want to do, but getting your sweat on will actually energize you. Fatigue along with mood and depression improved after a single 30-minute moderate intensity exercise session, according to a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. "Everything we do uses oxygen, so when you exercise it helps you work more efficiently and you don't tire as easily," says Nutting. "You also function better mentally."
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Handwrite notes to boost your brainpower
Typing notes enables you to jot down more material, but you're more likely to remember those notes if you handwrite them, according to research from Indiana University. "To learn something means you have processed it," says Dr. Towfigh. "And when you take handwritten notes you 'process' or learn more information. You begin the learning process as you listen to the lecture." Plus, since you look at the page on which you are writing, you naturally review the material and reinforce the information you've already processed, Dr. Towfigh says.
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To improve your relationship, spend less time together
Jumping from one social event to another without any time to come up for air could sacrifice the quality of your relationships. Spending time alone allows you to process your thoughts rather than act impulsively and, as a result, you get to know yourself better, says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love. "Alone time enables you to be more in touch with yourself and can better give and receive," Lombardo says. "In addition, it reduces stress and anxiety, which could also contribute to relationship strains." Meditate, go for a walk, sit in a café and people watch, or even clean out your closet, she suggests.
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Ditch antibacterial soap to prevent illness
Reaching for the soap bottle labeled "antibacterial" won't necessarily reduce your risk of getting sick or passing illness to others—in fact, there is no evidence that antibacterial soaps are more effective than regular ones. What's more, long-term exposure to some ingredients in these products, such as triclosan, may pose health risks like bacterial resistance or hormonal effects, according to a 2013 FDA statement. More research on the effects of triclosan is needed, and in the meantime, the FDA is working toward requiring manufacturers to prove their products are safe for long-term use—and the state of Minnesota has banned triclosan-containing products altogether, which goes into full effect in 2017.