Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed Friday that a major factor behind his decision to endorse President Donald Trump was the opportunity to help "Make America Healthy Again" in a future Trump administration. "Don't you want healthy children?" said Kennedy. "And don't you want the chemicals out of our food? And don't you want the regulatory agencies to be free from corporate corruption? And that's what President Trump told me that he wanted." Days later, Time magazine signaled a possible narrative shift regarding American health with an article titled "What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren't as Bad as You Think?" — having just months earlier published an article entitled "Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are So Bad for You." Kennedy, unwilling to buy what Time appeared to be selling, tweeted, "Yeah, what if? And what if ultra-processed foods are WORSE than you think?" The newly minted Trump ally was responding to a post from Dr. Casey Means, the co-founder of the food-health monitoring company Levels, who hammered Time for the apparent attempt in the Monday article to rehabilitate ultra-processed foods' public image. "Mainstream media playbook," Means wrote on X. "When the culture seems to be turning TOWARDS health, rapidly spin up a BS article (like this one that was published yesterday in TIME)" in order to seed confusion; normalize the problem with a "meaningless anecdote"; distract and shut down the discourse by focusing "intensely on social justice issues and questions of food access rather than science"; "mention but then QUICKLY minimize the innumerable studies that say ultraprocessed foods impair hormones, metabolic health, and are associated with early death"; and avoid mention of "funding sources and conflicts of interest at NIH, USDA, FDA, academia, OR THE NEWS OUTLET THAT IS PUBLISHING THE ARTICLE." Kennedy added, "And don't talk about the conflicts at NGO's like NAACP and the Diabetes groups that get their funding from the processed food lobbyists." A race-obsessive's fight to be unhealthy Time's controversial article by Jamie Ducharme — the health correspondent who suggested in 2021 that debilitating vaccine side effects were "normal" — told the tale of how pro-obesity dietician Jessica Wilson took offense at the success and conclusions of an actual medical doctor's recent book concerning the consequences of ultra-processed foods. Ducharme wrote: Wilson, who specializes in working with clients from marginalized groups, was irked. She felt that van Tulleken's experiment was over-sensationalized and that the news coverage of it shamed people who regularly eat processed foods — in other words, the vast majority of Americans, particularly the millions who are food insecure or have limited access to fresh food; they also tend to be lower income and people of color. Wilson felt the buzz ignored this "food apartheid," as well as the massive diversity of foods that can be considered ultra-processed. Dr. Chris van Tulleken, a practicing infectious diseases doctor who earned both his medical degree and his Ph.D. in molecular virology at Oxford University, recently penned an international best-seller titled "Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food." As part of what appears to have been a marketing campaign for the book, Tulleken increased his intake of ultra-processed foods for a month, such that they accounted for 80% of his diet. He was left with anecdotal evidence of what he had otherwise demonstrated on the basis of hard science. "Ultra-processed foods" are defined in the NOVA food classification system as: industrial formulations made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, and proteins), derived from food constituents (hydrogenated fats and modified starch), or synthesized in laboratories from food substrates or other organic sources (flavor enhancers, colors, and several food additives used to make the product hyper-palatable). Manufacturing techniques include extrusion, moulding and preprocessing by frying. Beverages may be ultra-processed. Examples of ultra-processed foods include store-bought biscuits; frozen desserts, chocolate and candies; soda and other carbonated soft drinks; prepackaged meat and vegetables; frozen pizzas; fish sticks and chicken nuggets; packaged breads; instant noodles; chocolate milk; breakfast cereals; and sweetened juices. Tulleken told the BBC that after a month of primarily eating ultra-processed food, "I felt ten years older." 'Ultra-processed foods exposure was consistently associated with 32 adverse health outcomes.' The doctor indicated that during the experiment, his hormones and weight destabilized; his brain underwent changes; the quality of his sleep worsened; he experienced anxiety; and he suffered heartburn, a low libido, and sluggishness. "If it can do that in four weeks to my 42-year-old brain, what is it doing to the fragile developing brains of our children?" asked Tulleken. Lethal groceries Blaze News reported earlier this year that a massive peer-reviewed study published in the BMJ, the British Medical Association's esteemed journal, found evidence pointing to "direct associations between greater exposure to ultra-processed foods and higher risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease related mortality, common mental disorder outcomes, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes." The international team of researchers from institutions such as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Sydney School of Public Health found that ultra-processed foods exposure was consistently associated with 32 adverse health outcomes, including all-cause mortality; cancer-related deaths; cardiovascular disease-related deaths; heart disease-related deaths; breast cancer; central nervous system tumors; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; colorectal cancer; pancreatic cancer; prostate cancer; adverse sleep-related outcomes; anxiety; common mental disorder outcomes; depression; asthma; wheezing; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; obesity; hypertension; and type 2 diabetes. "On the basis of the random effects model, 32 (71%) distinct pooled analyses showed direct associations between greater ultra-processed food exposure and a higher risk of adverse health outcomes," said the study. "Additionally, of these combined analyses, 11 (34%) showed continued statistical significance when a more stringent threshold was applied." Heart disease-related death, cardiovascular disease-related death, all-cause mortality, type 2 diabetes, wheezing, and depression were among the 11 adverse health outcomes that showed continued statistical significance in the face of the more stringent threshold. Junk science Prickled both by Tulleken's discussion of such harmful health effects and by his firsthand experience with their impact, Wilson — an activist who ran a "6 week queer exploration of the joys and terrors of having a body," touts herself as the "co-creator of the Amplify Melanated Voices challenge," and apparently believes the desire for thinness is racist — reportedly asked herself, "How can this entire category of foods be something we're supposed to avoid?" According to Time, Wilson similarly adjusted her diet for so that 80% of what she ate for a month was highly processed foods. After Wilson chowed down on soy chorizo, Trader Joe's ready-to-eat tamales, cashew-milk yogurt with jam, tater tots, and other highly processed foods for a month, Time reported, "A weird thing happened." "Wilson found that she had more energy and less anxiety. She didn't need as much coffee to get through the day and felt more motivated. She felt better eating an ultra-processed diet than she had before, a change she attributes to taking in more calories by eating full meals, instead of haphazard combinations of whole-food ingredients," wrote Ducharme. Time magazine's health correspondent posed the question: "How could two people eating the same type of foods have such different experiences? And could it be true that not all ultra-processed foods deserve their bad reputation?" Despite citing numerous legitimate studies indicating ultra-processed foods are indeed harming and possibly even killing Americans, Ducharme hedged, writing: Most people who care about their health have the same question about processed foods: Are they killing me? And right now — despite their looming possible inclusion in dietary guidelines — no one really knows the answer. There's limited cause-and-effect research on how processed foods affect health, and scientists and policymakers have yet to come up with a good way to, as Hess says, "meaningfully delineate between nutrient-dense foods and nutrient-poor options." The Time article concluded with Wilson's insinuation that she would choose ultra-processed foods "every time" if it meant going to bed feeling full. The article has been roundly ridiculed online, with many critics noting the politically expedient timing of its release. Adam Johnston, of the Substack "Conquest Theory," responded to the article, writing, "We can't speak the truth about ultra-processed foods because it will shame marginalized groups. So we have to keep pretending our diets are healthy while obesity soars and people die. We wouldn't want to hurt the feelings of marginalized groups, now would we?" Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon noted, "If you need more motivation to ditch ultra-processed foods, this headline from this publication should do the trick." "Not a week after @RobertKennedJr raised the awareness back to the masses on the dangers of ultra-processed foods," wrote Turning Point USA spokeswoman Isabel Brown. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has firmed up its policies regarding the participation of social and medical transvestites. While the church has stressed the need for compassion for the reality-averse and gender-dysphoric, LGBT activists have nevertheless expressed outrage over the church's apparent unwillingness to subordinate its beliefs to their current set. Last week, the Mormon church made multiple updates to its digital General Handbook, providing instructions for leaders and members alike on the issue of social and medical transvestism. The handbook, prepared under the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, maintains that gender is reducible to biological sex at birth and that "worthy individuals who do not pursue surgical, medical, or social transition away from their biological sex at birth may enjoy all the privileges of Church membership." The handbook also counsels against Mormons "pursuing surgical, medical, or social transition away from one's biological sex at birth," indicating that those who do so will be met with certain membership restrictions. Those who undergo sex changes or "social transitions" will, for instance, be barred from "receiving or exercising the priesthood, receiving or using a temple recommend, and serving in some Church callings." Per the updates, transvestites are also now barred from receiving baptism and confirmation in the church. The guidance does leave room for potential exceptions but notes that the baptized transitioner will still be precluded from pursuing the priesthood, a temple recommend, and other callings. The church noted in its guidance for local leaders that under the new changes, transvestites are not allowed to attend overnight co-ed activities such as youth camps. Additionally, they are "not called or assigned to (1) fulfill gender-specific roles, (2) serve as teachers, or (3) work with children or youth." De-transitioners who embrace their biological sex and demonstrate they are "worthy and committed to keeping God's commandments" may once again enjoy all the privileges of membership. As for restroom use, the guidance indicates that transvestites should use the facility corresponding with their biological sex, a single-occupancy restroom, or their preferred bathroom under the condition that a "trusted person" makes sure nobody else is inside. While barring medical transvestites from various ministries and denying them a handful of privileges, the church has emphasized that the gender-dysphoric and their family members should be treated with kindness, compassion, and Christlike love. Doug Anderson, a spokesman for the church, told the New York Times that the guidance updates "seek to help Latter-day Saints follow Jesus Christ's example of minister with love, patience and respect." 'All are affected by the messages conveyed in these policies.' LGBT activists are up in arms over the updates, with some expressing surprise that the church — which opposes homosexual "marriage" and homosexual sexual activity — would continue to stand against gender ideology. The advocacy group LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends, for instance, said in an Aug. 20 statement, "We mourn with our transgender siblings as we wrestle with the painful impact of recent policy changes and guidelines released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." "Rather than seek to better understand, include, and affirm transgender individuals who are also Latter-day Saints, leaders of the Church have opted to further restrict these members' ability to participate," said the advocacy group. "While these changes specifically impact individuals who have socially or medically transitioned, all are affected by the messages conveyed in these policies, which reject authentic experience and identity." Laurie Lee Hall, a transvestite who left the church in 2017 after his sex change, told the Associated Press that the guidance, particularly the prohibition on transvestites working with kids, "implies that a trans member is somehow a danger to others." "It's dehumanizing and far too toxic to handle for members who are still in the process of reconciling their gender identity with their faith," said the father of four. "It's going to be a while before a legitimate social policy change occurs in the church." The Utah Pride Center, which has received donations from the church in the past, stated, "This policy forms unnecessary barriers for trans youth and adults who just want to stand in what they believe are holy places," reported Axios. "The new rules produce a tremendous amount of shame for individuals who chose to live authentic, vulnerable, and honest lives," added the activist group. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It's safe to say that Subnautica has very much earned its place as one of my favorite videogames of all time. Despite the dangers that lurk in the dark, floating around the vast oceans of a weird, wonderful aquatic world never gets old. But Subnautica 2 is far, far away if Unknown Worlds' most recent comments are anything to go by, so I've found myself craving something new but equally as chill. Enter Astrobotanica, a brand-new survival game from a team of industry veterans. Continue reading New survival game Astrobotanica feels like Subnautica on land MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best open-world games, Best relaxing games

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Sure, it’s skinny, but it’s also blocking the second wall outlet in this image. | Image: Genki If you’re in need of a compact and portable USB-C charger, then Genki’s TurboCharger might fit the bill. The gaming accessory maker says its new gallium nitride (GaN) accessory is the “flattest” 100W wall charger on the market, capable of folding to a thickness of 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) to make it easier to pack. The TurboCharger is compatible with Power Delivery (PD 3.0) and has a pair of USB-C ports on the bottom, which can each supply up to 100W or a 65W / 30W split if charging two devices simultaneously. Its skinny design also means it can fit snugly in tight spaces like behind couches or cupboards, and it keeps its weight closer to the wall to provide a more secure connection that’s less likely to fall out. And while the... Continue reading…

Popular throughout Central and South America, the tamal is a traditional dish made from ground corn filled with a variety of ingredients, wrapped in leaves, and steamed until cooked. Believed to have originated in Mesoamerica as far back as 8000 BC, the name tamal originates from the Aztec Nahuatl word meaning “to wrap.” These days there are hundreds of variations; While Mexican tamales are usually wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, in Ecuador they tend to be wrapped in achira leaves from a plant native to the Andes known as Canna edulis. These leaves are used to impart aroma and flavor. Although it originated in and around modern-day Mexico and Central America, corn is now a staple food in the Andes. Introduced to the region thousands of years ago, corn became an integral part of Andean agriculture and cuisine through a complex process of selective breeding by indigenous peoples over centuries. These early farmers cultivated corn at increasingly higher elevations, and today it is even grown at 11,500 feet, highlighting not only its resilience but also the ingenuity of indigenous agricultural practice. The Incas, in particular, were highly advanced in farming techniques, optimizing crop production and ensuring the adaptability of corn to various environmental conditions. Read moreSection: NewsGeneralAncient PlacesAmericasEditorialsHistoryAncient TraditionsPreviewRead Later