Latest news with #TNS
The Star
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
When is a food considered processed versus ultra-processed?
Some processed foods may be better than their unprocessed counterparts, e.g. canned tomatoes, which are a better source of lycopene than fresh tomatoes. — TNS When I hear the term 'ultra-processed' food, my mind goes directly to what I see in most convenience stores. Sodas, energy drinks, candy bars, pastries and cheese puffs come to mind. These items contain more than their fair share of sugar and/or salt, and are sorely lacking in essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Not everything in a package is ultra-processed, however. In fact, many healthful foods are processed, meaning they have been altered from their original state in some way. From preserving meat to home-canning fruit and vegetables, we've been processing our food for centuries, says the US-based Institute of Food Technologists. Today, everything from bread and cut vegetables to canned tuna and peanut butter are considered processed foods. Some processed food can be safer, and even more nutritious, than their natural counterpart. Canned tomatoes, for example, are a better source of lycopene – a strong antioxidant that may help lower the risk for prostate cancer in men – than fresh tomatoes. Ultra-processed foods however, are often devoid of essential nutrients, which can be a problem if they make up the bulk of one's diet. A recent US government report says 'a growing body of research associates ultra-processed foods with negative health outcomes, including in children'. So what are ultra-processed foods? Good question. As of yet, nutrition and health experts have not agreed on one standard definition. Basically, the farther away a food is from its natural state, the more processed it becomes. Here are a few examples from several sources: Fresh corn on the cob: Unprocessed Corn kernels cut off the cob, cooked and frozen: Minimally processed Canned corn: Processed Corn chips: Ultra-processed Fresh tomato: Unprocessed Canned tomatoes: Minimally processed Tomato sauce or paste: Processed Ketchup: Ultra-processed Whole grains such as wheat or oats: Minimally processed Whole grain flour, bread, tortillas, fresh or dried pasta: Processed Refined flour, instant noodles, pastries, sweetened breakfast cereals: Ultra-processed Fresh milk: Unprocessed Pasteurised milk: Minimally processed with heat to kill bacteria Cheese/plain yoghurt: Minimally processed Sweetened, flavoured yoghurt: Processed Milk chocolate, packaged yoghurt snacks: Ultra-processed Fresh whole fruit and nuts: Unprocessed Dried fruit and dried nuts and seeds: Minimally processed Fruit juice and nut butters: Processed Boxed juice drink and peanut butter cookie mix: Ultra-processed Fresh meat, poultry, fish: Unprocessed Ground meat: Minimally processed Hot dogs, sausages and other salted meats, canned fish: Processed Laboratory-grown meat, chicken nuggets: Ultra-processed Fresh olives: Unprocessed Cured olives: Minimally processed (Note: Olives must first be cured to remove bitter compounds before they are edible.) Extra virgin olive oil: Minimally processed. By the way, say food technologists, organic food ingredients are processed in the same manner as non-organic ones. Come to think of it, perhaps the best choices in a convenience store might be the nuts or the lone bananas we sometimes see at the checkout counter. – By Barbara Intermill/Tribune News Service Barbara Intermill is a registered dietitian nutritionist in the United States.
The Star
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Miley Cyrus blamed for dad Billy Ray's smoking habit on 'Hannah Montana' set
Miley Cyrus says she caught some flack for her dad's pot habit on the set of the Disney Channel series 'Hannah Montana'. Photo: TNS Miley Cyrus says she caught some flack for her dad's pot habit on the set of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana . The Grammy winner, 32, shed some light on her child star days while appearing on Thursday's (June 19) episode of Sorry We're Cyrus , the podcast hosted by her mum, Tish, and big sister Brandi. Asked about an amusing 'core memory' from making the teen sitcom co-starring her father, Miley said: 'Dad smoking pot and everyone blaming me for it.' Tish said she remembered the drama, noting that once everyone realised it was actually Billy Ray toking on the set, people on the show kept calling her to say 'B-Ray was smoking pot.' She said she refused to believe it at the time, and tried blaming Miley's co-star Mitchel Musso instead. 'It was Mitchel Musso! It was both,' Miley replied with a laugh. During the episode, the famous family also addressed when Tish 'mysteriously' – as Miley teased – unfollowed her on Instagram last month, prompting speculation about the state of their relationship. Miley at the time dismissed the rumour mill, saying that though she 'rarely' bothers weighing in on the grapevine, her mum is her 'best friend' and the two 'are too tight for anything to ever come between us.' Much like Tish responded to one of her own followers, Cyrus said the move was a 'simple, coincidental and uninteresting' mistake, despite occurring just hours after Billy Ray broadcast how excited he was to see his daughter. They had their own dust-up in July 2024, when he apparently called Miley and Tish 'skanks' in texts and audio obtained by multiple outlets. About a year prior, Tish and youngest daughter Noah – who reportedly had a relationship with her new stepdad Dominic Purcell, before he wed her mum – put their own reported feud to bed. – New York Daily News
The Star
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Actor calls out Madonna for using iPad during Broadway musical 'Hamilton'
In 2013, Madonna was caught furiously texting during the New York Film Festival premiere of '12 Years A Slave'. Photo: TNS Former Hamilton star Anthony Ramos is calling out Madonna for being on her iPad the entire time she was in the audience of the Tony-winning Broadway hit. While appearing on Watch What Happens Live this week, the Brooklynite, 33, exposed the Queen of Pop's lack of etiquette after Andy Cohen asked him to identify 'the most terrifying celebrity' he'd seen in the crowd during his run in Hamilton . 'The most terrifying was Madonna with an iPad in her face … the whole time,' recalled Ramos, who originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. 'I was like, damn, shorty, if you're not enjoying it that much, you know the door's right there. You ain't gotta stay here.' In 2015, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda — who also originated the role of the titular Founding Father — wrote in a since-deleted tweet that 'tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage,' according to A source told the outlet at the time that Madge not only arrived late to the show, but used her phone multiple times during both acts. The Hamilton incident came about a year-and-a-half after Madonna was caught furiously texting during the New York Film Festival premiere of 12 Years A Slave in 2013. In the wake of that incident, the Alamo Drafthouse cinema chain said she was banned from their theatres until she issued an apology to moviegoers. However, Madonna might have mended her ways in the intervening years, having famously enacted a cellphone ban during her 2019 Madame X Tour. 'People loved it and appreciated it,' a promoter told London paper The Times . 'They could just enjoy the show and interact with each other with nothing obstructing the view.' A tour insider at the time also said Madonna was hoping to engender some 'intimacy' by playing smaller venues for screen-free crowds. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
The Star
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Drake shares receipts of RM34.2mil in gambling losses
Drake took to social media Wednesday night to share the receipts of all the money he's lost from gambling on the crypto betting site Stake, which he's been a partner of for the last three years. Photo: TNS Money apparently ain't a thing for Drake as the hip-hop superstar revealed he lost more than US$8mil (RM34.2mil) in a single month, all thanks to sports betting. The rapper took to social media Wednesday night to share the receipts of all the money he's lost from gambling on the crypto betting site Stake, which he's been a partner of for the last three years. 'Gotta share the other side of gambling…' he wrote on his Instagram story alongside a screenshot of his losses. According to his post, Drake placed nearly US$125mil in bets over the past month, resulting in a loss of US$8.2mil. While he didn't specify which specific wagers led to his financial misfortune, the NBA and NHL playoffs have both been in full swing in the last four weeks. In another Instagram post, the 38-year-old revealed an US$800,000 bet on Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. With the Oklahoma City Thunder leading the series over the Indiana Pacers, Drake placed US$600,000 on an OKC win and another US$200,000 on them winning by a 6-10 point margin. The Pacers ended up winning handily, 108-91. Last month, the rapper bet US$1.25mil on the Toronto Maple Leafs to win Round 2, Game 7 of the NHL playoffs and advance to the Eastern Conference Final — only for his hometown hockey team to miss the mark to the Florida Panthers. According to Forbes, Drake has an estimated net worth of US$49mil, though that figure was last reported in 2020. It's believed his current net worth is closer to US$250mil. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
The Star
2 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Kids with ADHD often have problems with urination
ADHD can cause challenges with bladder control in children for a few reasons. — TNS If your child has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also struggles with bladder control or toileting issues, you are not alone. Many parents are surprised to learn that these challenges often go hand-in-hand. The good news? There are clear reasons behind the connection. Even better, there are practical steps you can take to help your child feel more confident and in control. ADHD can cause challenges with bladder control for a few reasons. It is a condition where the frontal lobe of the brain has a processing issue. This can affect the brain's ability to interpret signals from the bladder when it is full. Meanwhile, impulse control and distractions can delay a child from developing healthy urination habits. Children with ADHD can also have co-existing conditions that can affect their peeing, such as constipation, sleep issues, oppositional defiant or conduct disorder, and anxiety disorders. Voiding dysfunction (challenges with bladder control) and enuresis (bedwetting) can take a longer time to improve in children with ADHD because of these reasons. Some medicines used to treat ADHD can affect urination as well. Amphetamine stimulants can sometimes make it harder for a child to relax their muscles to pee. Methylphenidate stimulants have been shown in animal studies to change pressure in the bladder and increase the bladder's ability to hold urine. This does not mean that your child should stop taking their medicine. But it is a good idea to discuss this with your paediatrician if you are noticing changes in urination habits after your child starts or changes medicine. Pay particular attention to this when changes to the dose of medicine are made. Mainstays of treating enuresis and voiding dysfunction include peeing on a regular basis, managing fluid intake and addressing constipation. Some children also benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy to learn how to relax certain muscles when using the bathroom. If behavioural changes do not help, medicines can be started if needed. Children with ADHD can benefit from a combination of the above behavioural changes with behavioural therapy recommended for ADHD. The following are some helpful tips for families: > Establishing a regular routine This can help strike a balance with distractions. Sometimes it can be hard to pull your child away from an activity that grabs their attention so that they can use the bathroom. It can help to have them learn to urinate as a routine before certain activities, such as before they get in the car to go to school, during recess, or before a fun activity or play date. > Setting small, reachable goals This can be based on using the restroom every two to three hours during the day, and right before bed at night can help as well. You can set a plan for these before certain activities in their daily routine. It is important to focus on building these habits instead of on the accidents that can happen. > Avoid punishments when accidents happen Children with voiding dysfunction and enuresis oftentimes already feel bad about this issue. Punishments can increase a child's struggle and make children feel worse about themselves. > Keep teachers in the loop This is so that they know to allow access to school bathrooms and prompt your child to use the bathroom before starting engaging classroom activities. Parents and caregivers can ask your child's paediatrician, urologist or nephrologist for a letter to allow them regular access to water and bathroom breaks. Bathroom accidents and bedwetting can be a tricky experience for any child and their caregivers. In children with ADHD, it is important to find routines that work for your child. This includes routines for going to the bathroom. It is also important to talk to your doctor if you notice your child is having struggles with accidents, wetting the bed or constipation. – By Asst Prof Dr Julie Cheng and Prof Dr Kathleen Kieran/American Academy of Pediatrics/Tribune News Service Dr Julie Cheng is an assistant professor of urology and Dr Kathleen Kieran, a professor of urology, at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital in the United States. They are both members of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Urology.
