introduction to finance

psychological well being and wellbeing within the office – RoSPA Office Security Weblog

Greater than ever earlier than, psychological well being is a subject for open dialogue within the media, inside our social circles and naturally at work. Psychological well being and wellbeing is all about how we predict, really feel and behave, and is often brought on by a response to a tough life occasion, which will be prompted or made worse by work-related points. Particularly, working in isolation away from managers and colleagues can add stress to a workforce that’s already dealing with a major quantity of strain.

The size of the issue

Globally, an estimated 264 million folks undergo from melancholy, one of many main causes of incapacity, with many of those folks additionally affected by signs of tension.

A latest World Well being Group (WHO) – led research estimates that melancholy and anxiousness issues value the worldwide financial system $1 trillion every year in misplaced productiveness.

The UK’s Well being and Security Government (HSE) reported that 12.8 million working days have been misplaced due to stress, melancholy or anxiousness throughout 2018-19. In response to the psychological well being consciousness charity, Thoughts, roughly 1 in 4 folks within the UK will expertise a psychological well being drawback every year.

Clearly, supporting staff to handle their very own psychological well being and making a working setting that allows all to flourish is a matter of urgency for enterprise leaders and well being and security managers.

Dangers to psychological well being within the office

In response to the WHO, the next can set off or exacerbate psychological well being points within the work place:

  • Insufficient well being and security insurance policies
  • Poor communication and administration practices
  • Restricted participation in decision-making or low management over one’s space of ​​work
  • Low ranges of assist for workers
  • Rigid working hours
  • Unclear duties or organizational goals

Constructing a optimistic office psychological well being tradition

Sadly the office can intensify a pre-existing situation and may carry on signs or make their results worse. Whether or not work is the reason for a well being challenge or intensifies an underlining challenge, employers have a obligation to assist their employers and supply enough psychological well being and wellbeing assist.

RoSPA’s place on psychological well being at work is to encourage employers to undertake a holistic strategy to managing the dangers to the well being, security and wellbeing of their employees. There’s additionally a necessity to enhance the extent of entry which staff have to acceptable occupational well being companies and assist.

Whereas that is nicely developed in lots of companies, many employees, notably these in lots of SMEs, nonetheless haven’t got entry to a suitably skilled or empowered occupational well being skilled. RoSPA’s suite of psychological well being programs will help you handle this inside your group and construct a piece place setting that’s supportive to these experiencing psychological well being difficulties.

Psychological Well being Programs

Step one is for the management to know the significance of selling a supportive setting for his or her employees. All administrators and managers ought to have some type of psychological well being and wellbeing coaching. Among the many senior group at any organisation, a very good place to begin could be to have at the least one one that is skilled as a wellbeing coordinator.

The Office Wellbeing Coordinators course is appropriate for all skilled teams which might embrace; wellbeing leads, well being and security practitioners, human useful resource professionals, senior managers and employees which have been tasked with the corporate’s wellbeing.

To assist and promote a optimistic wellbeing program it is also essential to have staff in any respect ranges invested and a spread of individuals skilled to assist assist colleagues. Our Office Wellbeing Champions course teaches learners how efficient communication can assist well being messages, to advertise enhancements within the well being and wellbeing of others and perceive the influence of conduct change of enhancing a person’s well being and wellbeing.

The HSE states that it is strongly recommended that in case you work in an organization with 5-50 employees, there must be at the least one individual skilled in psychological well being first help. It is best to then want one other first-aider for each 50 employees after that.

Our Psychological Well being First Support (MHFA) coaching programs will train your employees easy methods to spot the signs of psychological well being points, in addition to provide preliminary assist and information an individual in the direction of assist. These programs are all about educating you to hear, reassure and reply, even in a disaster and doubtlessly cease a disaster from taking place.

As well as, we provide a number of psychological well being digital classroom companies to deal with the psychological wellbeing of staff who’re working in isolation, remotely, or at residence. A digital classroom is a web-based studying setting that enables for reside interplay between the tutor and the learners as they’re collaborating in studying actions. In different phrases, the digital classroom is a shared on-line area the place the learners and the tutor work collectively concurrently.

Above all you will need to keep in mind that all of us have psychological well being which might fluctuate and alter over time. It will be unacceptable for any group to not make changes for somebody’s bodily wellbeing, so the identical ought to use for psychological well being and wellbeing. For extra data and recommendation on our suite of psychological well being programs please go to our web site, name us on +44 (0)121 248 2044 or e-mail.

US Girls Getting Fatter | Diabetic Mediterranean Weight loss plan

September 5, 2022 · 7:00 PM

US Girls Getting Fatter | Diabetic Mediterranean Weight loss plan
You males are gaining weight, too!

From the Journal of Weight problems:

…. 10-year weight acquire is considerably larger in US ladies in comparison with males. On common (±SE), ladies gained 5.4 ± 0.3 kg and 9.2 ± 0.4 p.c of their preliminary weight over the earlier 10 years, whereas males gained 2.6 ± 0.2 kg and three.8 ± 0.3 p.c of their preliminary weight. basically, in comparison with US males, ladies gained about twice as a lot weight (kg) and a pair of.4 instances extra weight expressed as a p.c of preliminary weight, over the earlier 10 years. Fourth, 10-year weight acquire is considerably larger in Non-Hispanic Blacks than in different racial teams, particularly NH [non-Hispanic] Black ladies. Furthermore, 10-year weight acquire is considerably decrease in Non-Hispanic Asians in comparison with different racial classes.

When you assume in kilos as a substitute of kilograms, like me, be aware that 1 kg = 2.2 lb.

Since 2000, US weight problems in adults has elevated from 30% to 42% of the inhabitants. This does not even embrace suspected pandemic-related weight acquire.

imply [~average] 10-year weight acquire was 4.2 ± 0.2 kg or 6.6 ± 0.2% of preliminary physique weight inside america.

The incidence of extreme weight problems had elevated from 5% in 2000 to virtually 10% now. (The article seemingly defines “extreme weight problems” however I did not catch it in my fast scan.)

Not sufficient People are studying and implementing my books!

Steve Parker, MD

front cover of Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes

Filed below Weight Regain

US regulators protect Silicon Valley Bank depositors and shore up the financial system

US regulators said Silicon Valley Bank depositors would be fully repaid as they acted to shore up the banking system after the lender’s implosion, unveiling emergency funding measures and closing down a second financial institution.

The Federal Reserve announced a new lending facility on Sunday aimed at providing extra funding to eligible institutions to ensure that “banks have the ability to meet the needs of all their depositors”. The US central bank said it was “prepared to address any liquidity pressures that may arise”.

The Fed facility is part of a broader effort by regulators, including Treasury secretary Janet Yellen, Fed chair Jay Powell and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation chair Martin Gruenberg, to avoid spillovers across the financial system and reassure customers that their money is safe following the second- largest bank failure in US history.

The measures come after a frenzied weekend marked by a chaotic search for a potential buyer for SVB and regulators’ closure of New York-based Signature Bank.

The so-called Bank Term Funding Program will offer loans of up to one year to lenders that pledge collateral including US Treasuries and other “qualifying assets”, which will be valued at par.

The program will eliminate an institution’s “need to quickly sell those securities in times of stress” and would be enough to cover all uninsured US deposits, the Fed said. The facility is backstopped by the Treasury, which put up $25bn. The discount window, where banks can access funding at a slight penalty, remained “open and available”, the central bank added.

The regulators said all depositors of SVB would have access to their money on Monday, as would those of Signature, which was closed by the New York Department of Financial Services before being placed under FDIC control and marketed for sale.

Officials on Sunday said no losses stemming from the resolution of either SVB or Signature’s deposits would be borne by the taxpayer. Any shortfall would be funded by a levy on the rest of the banking system. They added that shareholders and certain unsecured debtholders would not be protected.

A number of venture capitalists said Signature was the most exposed lender after SVB because it also had a concentrated customer base, significant exposure to cryptocurrencies and technology companies, and a high proportion of uninsured deposits.

Of Signature’s $89bn in deposits, 90 per cent were not insured by the FDIC at the end of last year, according to a regulatory filing. Roughly a fifth of its total deposits were related to digital assets as of December 31.

Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler vowed on Sunday to “investigate and bring enforcement actions” in the event of violations of the federal securities law.

A senior US Treasury official told reporters on Sunday that Yellen had consulted with US president Joe Biden before signing off on the plan to invoke a “systemic risk exception”, allowing all depositors of SVB and Signature to gain access to their money on Monday. In terms of SVB, there had not been enough time for a buyer to emerge and complete a successful auction.

Biden said he was pleased that his economic team “reached a prompt solution that protects American workers and small businesses, and keeps our financial system safe” while “taxpayer dollars are not put at risk”.

The senior Treasury official denied that the move represented a bailout because shareholders and bondholders of the two banks had been “wiped out”. The official said the “economy remains in good shape” and the financial system had a more solid “foundation” than in 2008.

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Anat Admati, a finance professor at Stanford University, said regulators over the past few years had allowed the banking system to become fragile again and had no choice but to bail out SVB.

“When it gets to this point and you are in a hostage situation, there is nothing else you can do,” Admati said. “But there is no other word for this other than to call it a bailout.”

The move underscored US regulators’ concerns about potential spillovers, which motivated the establishment of the Fed facility to help prevent bank runs. The senior Treasury official said they saw “similarities” in the situations at some of SVB and Signature’s peers and wanted to ensure depositors would not suddenly withdraw.

Neither SVB nor Signature — leading lenders for the start-up community and cryptocurrency industry — was likely to be acquired by a rival bank as all the potential buyers had so far walked away, said people with direct knowledge of the negotiations and who have been working with SVB and the government.

PNC, a large US bank, and Canada’s RBC were invited to buy SVB but decided against bidding, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

America’s five largest banks, including JPMorgan and Bank of America, would also not be buyers, these people said.

For a transaction to make sense for any buyer, the US government would be required to cover part of their losses, said a person working with SVB.

Separately, New York-based investment bank Centerview Partners has been hired to sell SVB’s assets not related to customers’ deposits, including its investment bank and capital business, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Additional reporting by Joshua Franklin and Stephen Gandel in New York, Stefania Palma in Washington and George Hammond in San Francisco

Dow Jones Futures Fall; Regulators Protect All SVB Deposits, But Bank Stocks Keep Tumbling

Dow Jones futures and S&P 500 futures fell Monday, while Nasdaq futures rose after a flurry of news Sunday evening. The FDIC and other financial regulators announced that all SVB Financial depositors would get access to all funds Monday, while also announcing a plan to limit the contagion. Regulators also closed embattled Signature Bank (SBNY).




X



Treasury yields plummeted while the Fed rate hiked odds faded, but bank stocks continued to sell off, including such as First Republic Bank (FRC), Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL) and Charles Schwabs (SCHW) as regulators stressed they would be no bailouts for shareholders.

President Biden will speak on the banking crisis at 9 am ET.

First Republic stock crashed more than 60% Monday morning, even after saying it got fresh funding from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan. Western Alliance also is off over 60% as well. Schwab lost 6% despite a Citigroup upgrade. JPMorgan Chase (JPM), which found support on Friday, fell 1% even with a Wells Fargo upgrade. Bank of America (BAC) retreated 3%. The XLF financial ETF fell modestly and the KRE regional bank ETF declined sharply.

The stock market suffered big losses last week as SVB Financial (SIVB) and crypto bank Silvergate Financial (SI) collapsed, triggering intense losses for bank stocks. The major indexes sold off hard, breaking multiple areas of support during the week as many leading stocks also came under pressure.

Dow Jones Futures Today

Dow Jones futures fell 0.7% after surging more than 1% Sunday night. S&P 500 futures sank 0.4% and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.%. Futures are active and volatile.

The 10-year Treasury yield, which dived last week on safe-haven flows, tumbled 21 basis points to 3.48%. But the 2-year Treasury yield plunged 50 basis points to 4.9%, as the Fed rate hike odds fall.

Markets are now pricing in just one quarter-point rate hike, with a solid chance that the Fed will pause on March 22. A few days ago, markets expected 50 basis points on March 22, with at least two more quarter-point hikes after that.

Crude oil futures plunged 5%.

Bitcoin rose sharply Sunday and largely held those gains Monday morning. The cryptocurrency tumbled last week on the Silvergate and SVB collapsed.

In other news, Pfizer (PFE) will buy Seagen (SGEN) for $229 a share, with an enterprise value of $43 billion, following weeks of talks. PFE stock fell modestly while SGEN stock jumped nearly 20%. Sanofi (SNY) will acquire Provention Bio (PRVB) for $2.9 billion, or $25 a share. SNY stock was little changed while PRVB stock was more than tripled.

Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.

The video embedded in this article discusses market action in depth while also analyzing JPMorgan Chase, Palo Alto Networks and META stock.

FDIC, Regulators Protect SVB Financial Depositors

Shortly after Dow futures opened, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Federal Reserve issued a joint statement that SVB Financial’s “[d]epositors will have access to all of their money starting Monday, March 13.” They also announced that Signature Bank, which had a lot of crypto exposure, would be closed due to systemic risks. Signature Bank’s depositors will also be protected.

California regulators shut down SVB Financial and its Silicon Valley Bank subsidiary on Friday, the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual in the 2008 financial crisis.

The FDIC held an auction over the weekend for Silicon Valley Bank, with final bids due Sunday afternoon, according to multiple reports. No winner has been announced.

HSBC Holdings (HSBC) will buy SVB’s UK arm for just over $1.

Meanwhile, the Fed is creating a new financial backstop for other banks. The facility will offer loans of up to one year to banks and other institutions. They’ll have to pledge high-quality collateral such as Treasuries, agency debt and mortgage-backed securities. Notably, that collateral will be valued at par, not marked to market. Banks have been sitting on unrealized debt losses as the Fed rate hikes sent rates soaring over the past year. That was a big fact in SVB Financial’s collapse.

Hundreds of companies, including many venture capital and tech startups, have deposits or business ties to Silicon Valley Bank. There were reports that many would struggle to meet payroll without accessing accounts soon.

Notably, SVB and SBNY shareholders and certain unsecured debtholders will not be protected.

Stocks Near Buy Points

Amid a weak, volatile, uncertain market, investors should not be making new position trades and instead be mostly or entirely in cash. But keep an eye on stocks holding up near buy points. Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Facebook parents Meta Platforms (META), Ulta Beauty (ULTA), Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) and United Airlines (UAL) are five stocks showing strength, near buy points. PANW stock has formed a handle on a long consolidation, while META stock has a new flat base. ULTA stock is finding support at key levels. Monolithic Power is working on a long cup-with-handle base while UAL stock has retreated from a buy zone.

meanwhile, apples (AAPL) has a new flat base as well. Tesla (TSLA) sold off hard this past week, but did find support at its 10-week line on Friday. TSLA stock is far from being actionable. Wolfe Research downgraded Tesla to peer perform on Monday, saying the SVB collapse added to macro pressures.

Insullet (PODD) will replace SIVB stock in the S&P 500 before Wednesday’s open. PODD stock jumped Friday night.

PANW stock is on the IBD Leaderboard watchlist. MPWR stock is on the IBD Long-Term Leaders watchlist. Monolithic Power, United Airlines and ULTA stock are on the IBD 50. Meta Platforms was Friday’s IBD Stock Of The Day.

Join IBD experts as they analyze leading stocks and market conditions on IBD Live

Stock Market Weekly Actions

The stock market started off higher but quickly reversed lower for major losses on Fed rate hikes fears and later the SVB Financial and Silvergate shutdowns.

Twice on Friday, stocks bounced as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressed confidence in a “resilient” banking system. But the positive momentum quickly faded.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 4.4% in last week’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index sold off 4.55%. The Nasdaq composite skidded 4.7%. The small-cap Russell 2000 dived 8%.

Apple stock fell just 1.7% for the week to 148.50, holding above its 200-day line. But that’s after reversing from Monday’s intraday high of 156.30, nearly hitting AAPL’s 157.48 buy point.

The 10-year Treasury yield plunged 29 basis points to 3.69% this past week, after hitting a 2023 high of 4.09% on March 2. The 2-year yield tumbled 27 basis points to 4.59%, including 31 basis points on Friday and 48 points on Thursday-Friday.

US crude oil futures fell 3.8% to $76.68 a barrel this past week, but did rise on Friday.

ETFs

Among growth ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) plunged just over 6% last week, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) slumped 3.4%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) gave up 5.7%. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) retreated 3%, with MPWR stock an SMH holding.

Reflecting more speculative story stocks, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) dived 10.9% last week and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) 11.4%. Tesla stock is a major holding across Ark Invest’s ETFs. TSLA fell 12.3% for the week, amid fresh price cuts and safety probes. But shares edged up on Friday.

The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) sold off 11.1% last week. The Global X US Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) retreated 7.1%. US Global Jets ETF (JETS) descended 4.8, with UAL stock a key component. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) stepped down 4.85%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) gave up 5.3%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) slumped 3.85% to the lowest point since October.

The Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) dived 8.5%, with JPMorgan and SCHW stock big holdings. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) plummeted 15.7%, its worst weekly loss since the Covid crash in March 2020. SIVB stock and Western Alliance are notable components.

Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now

Market Analysis

The stock market suffered damaging losses this past week, with the major indexes selling off hard and breaking through multiple support levels. The indexes tried to bounce back from Friday’s early losses, briefly turning positive, before tumbling to fresh lows.

The S&P 500, Nasdaq composite and Russell 2000 tumbled through their 21-day lines early in the week and finished desperately below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 finished Friday below the close of the Jan. 6 follow-through days.

The Dow Jones is at its worst levels since early November.

Fed chief Jerome Powell’s signal that he favors “faster” rate hikes hit the market on Tuesday-Wednesday. But SVB Financial and crypto bank Silvergate Capital rocked banks late in the week.

A Friday morning rebound attempt fizzled as the FDIC announced SVB Financial’s failure.

If bank contagion fears grow, that would be grim for Wall Street and the economy. However, if SVB Financial’s woes are seen as isolated and broader banking fears quickly fade, that could restore overall market confidence. But that would also likely send Treasury yields and the dollar rebounding higher, with the Fed rate hike also increasing odds.

The odds of a half-point Fed rate hiked surged from 30% on Monday to over 80% following Fed chief Powell’s testimony, then fell back below 40% on Friday. The odds fell further over the weekend.

Leading stocks also sold off hard last week. A number of names held up for much of the week, but most of those were struggling by Friday’s close.

Up until Thursday, Friday’s jobs report and the upcoming March 14 CPI inflation report seemed like major events. And they are still important. A relatively tame CPI inflation rate could give Fed’s chief Powell and his colleagues the excuse they need to raise rates by only a quarter-point.

But in the very near term, Wall Street will likely take its cue from the banking sector. So pay attention to banks, from the biggest recent losers such as First Republic to broad ETFs and relative stalwarts such as JPM stock.

JPMorgan was the S&P 500’s second-best stock on Friday, even as SBNY stock, First Republic and Schwab were the worst performers. That’s a sign that investors see JPMorgan as relatively safe. But if JPM stock breaks this past week’s lows, that would be concerning.

Time The Market With IBD’s ETF Market Strategy

What To Do Now

The stock market is selling off hard amid bad news and even greater uncertainty.

This is not a healthy environment. Investors should be largely or entirely on the sidelines, waiting to see how this shakes out. If conditions clear up in a few days or weeks, new buying opportunities will arise.

Build your watchlists with a focus on the stocks showing strong relative strength. If they’re near potential buy points like META stock, Monolithic Power or Palo Alto, great. But that’s not the priority right now.

Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors.

Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.

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Should You Be Concerned About Arsenic in Rice?

Should You Be Concerned About Arsenic in Rice?

Arsenic-based pesticides have been used in agricultural practices for many years, and, accordingly, soils and groundwater in the US are contaminated with varying levels of arsenic. Because arsenic exists in soil and water, it finds its way into our food supply. And nearly all foods contain some level of arsenic.

What Foods Have the Most Arsenic?

Studies show that most of the arsenic in the American diet comes from meat, milk, poultry, pork, eggs and seafood. Poultry is the worst offender. Some chickens exceed the EPA safety limit for arsenic by 2,000%. Meat and poultry are high in arsenic because animal feed and the antibiotics and intestinal parasites drugs are regularly given to animals containing high amounts of this element. The arsenic then accumulates in the flesh of the animals.

Bone broth, beer and wine, and commercially-available juice and mushrooms contain high levels of arsenic. Rice and cruciferous vegetables can also have high amounts of arsenic depending on where they are grown.

Because the amount of arsenic varies greatly from sample to sample depending on where and how the food is produced, it is technically impossible to list foods according to their arsenic levels; however, meat, milk, poultry, pork, eggs, seafood, bone broth, mushrooms, rice, wine, and juice have consistently tested with the highest amount of arsenic of all foods.

Arsenic in Rice

Rice usually does contain more arsenic than other grains, but the real reason why we associate rice with arsenic isn’t because rice has the highest amount of arsenic from top food sources, but rather because rice is the food that the media decided to highlight. Eating rice every day of the week doesn’t give you as much arsenic as eating meat a few times a week does.

While arsenic certainly isn’t something we want to ingest, there are a host of other, even more dangerous toxins in our food supply. A diet that contains animal products results in greater exposure to these pollutants than does a plant-based diet, because these toxins accumulate up the food chain.

A diet that contains animal products results in greater exposure to these pollutants than does a plant-based diet, because these toxins accumulate up the food chain.

For example, studies show that people who consume dairy products, take in a hundred times the acceptable daily exposure to industrial pollutants, some of which are far more dangerous than arsenic. This is not to minimize the risk of consuming arsenic, but rather to put it in its proper perspective.

How to Reduce Arsenic in Rice

To reduce the amount of arsenic you get from rice, purchase rice grown in California, India, or Pakistan. On average, rice grown in California has 40% less arsenic than rice grown in the southern US (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, etc.) because arsenic-based pesticides were more heavily used in the southern states.

Lundberg Farms tests their rice and their rice is generally lower in arsenic than that of other growers.

Black rice, red rice, short-grain rice, and basmati rice have the lowest levels of arsenic. (Interestingly, the arsenic in brown rice appears less bioavailable than the arsenic in white rice, meaning that the body doesn’t absorb the arsenic in brown rice as readily as it absorbs the arsenic from white rice.)

How to Reduce Your Overall Arsenic Consumption

And here’s how to reduce your arsenic consumption overall:

1. Avoid foods that tend to have the highest amounts of bioavailable arsenic – meat, seafood, poultry, bone broth, wine and fruit juices, and mushrooms.

2. Avoid food grown in soils that contain chicken manure (used as a fertilizer).

3. Avoid brown rice syrup and commercially available foods that have this sweetener in the ingredients. (Read the ingredient label.)

4. If you use rice milk, consider replacing it with another non-dairy milk, such as almond milk.

5. Enjoy a wide variety of whole grains, including those that usually have lower levels of arsenic, like quinoa, buckwheat, millet, oats, amaranth, teff, and sorghum.

Bonus tips:
Consider growing your own garden so you can grow your own cruciferous vegetables. Improve soil health by making your own healthy compost and avoiding using chicken manure.

If this information has been helpful to you, consider giving a donation so we can continue to provide unbiased information for you and keep ads off the site.


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US Life Span Falling Behind Our Peer Countries

March 6, 2023 · 7:29 AM

US Life Span Falling Behind Our Peer Countries

From NPR:

The average life expectancy for Americans is shortened by over seven months [in 2021]according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That decrease follows an already big decline of 1.8 years in 2020. As a result, the expected life span of someone born in the US is now 76.4 years — the shortest it has been in nearly two decades.

But we still have the best healthcare system in the world, right? Not if you judge it by life expectancy. From Health System Tracker:

Life expectancy in the US and peer countries generally increased from 1980-2019, but decreased in most countries in 2020 due to COVID-19. From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth began to rebound in most comparable countries while it continued to decline in the US The CDC estimates life expectancy at birth in the US decreased to 76.1 years in 2021, down 2.7 years from 78.8 years in 2019 and down 0.9 years from 2020. The average life expectancy at birth among comparable countries was 82.4 years in 2021, down 0.2 years from 2019 and up 0.4 years from 2020.

Click the article links for potential explanations.

Steve Parker, M.D

PS: Healthy diet, exercise, and weight management improve longevity. Let me help.

front cover of Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes

Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars – JennifersKitchen

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free Coconut Breakfast Bars

One thing I do not do:

Spend more than 10 minutes in the morning preparing breakfast. When it’s breakfast time, I want to eat – not measure, stir, cook, chop, or bake.

That means that make-ahead breakfasts are a regular part of my meals. Preparing breakfast ahead of time means that either my crockpot or my freezer always has something delicious waiting for me in the morning.

Like these Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars.

Naturally sweet, these Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars are packed with both flavor and nutrition. And they’re freezer-friendly, so you can have a stash in the freezer for whenever you need a quick breakfast (which, for me, is every morning).

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free Coconut Breakfast Bars

Why You’ll Love These Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars

These delicious Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars are:

Made with healthy and wholesome ingredients

These Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars are made with healthy and wholesome ingredients like oats, coconut, flax and chia.

Sugar free

These breakfast bars are naturally sweetened with dates, orange juice, date sugar (see about date sugar below).

Oil-free

The consumption of oil is associated with a number of diseases. These breakfast bars are made from wholesome ingredients and healthy fats

Refined flour free

With no refined flours, these bars are super nutritious.

Quick and easy to prepare

They take only 12 minutes of your time.

An easy, make-ahead breakfast

Make a double batch of these and keep them in your freezer for an easy breakfast anytime.

Wonderful textures

What I love most about these bars is the texture. Slightly chewy, yet soft, and still hearty enough to satisfy.

Gluten free

Make them with gluten-free oats, and these bars are a great gluten-free breakfast option.

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free Coconut Breakfast Bars

About Date Sugar

What is date sugar?

Date sugar is a whole food that is made from dried dates that have been thoroughly ground. It has not been refined like other sugars which means it still contains all of the fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants of the whole date.

Date sugar is a perfect whole-food sweetener for use in baked goods or hot cereals.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free Coconut Breakfast Bars
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Oil-Free Coconut Breakfast Bars

Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars

Enjoy these delicious, whole-grain breakfast bars as part of a healthy breakfast.

Prep Time 12 min

Cook Time 30 min

All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are the property of jennifer’s kitchen and cannot be republished without written permission.

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8” baking pan with parchment paper.

  • In a small pan, combine the orange juice concentrate and chia seeds. Cook until hot. Remove from heat and stir in flax meal until no lumps remain.

  • Stir in cashew (or macadamia or coconut butter), apple sauce, and vanilla. Set aside.

  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together the oats, date sugar, salt, shredded coconut and chopped dates.

  • Pour the flax mixture into the oat mixture and stir well. The mixture will be somewhat dry.

  • Press mixture into prepared baking pan and flatten out the surface.

  • Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until edges are nicely browned.

  • Cut into squares while warm.

Make Ahead Instructions: These breakfast bars are freezer friendly. Just wrap the cut bars in parchment paper or plastic wrap and then place in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

>> One quick request: if you like this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. Ratings help more people find these healthy recipes!

PrintRecipe

Keywords: gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free, vegan

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No calorie counting. No portion sizes.

Managing the risk of ‘gray fleet’ – RoSPA Workplace Safety Blog

With the growing trend for online shopping, next-day delivery and the retail/hospitality experience showing no signs of slowing down, businesses frequently need to recruit extra staff to meet increased demand (particularly in the run up to Christmas). A major national newspaper has reported that approximately 250,000 temporary positions will be on offer over the festive period and not just in restaurants, bars and shops, but also in warehouses and delivery.

Yodel, the courier giant recently announced they need an extra 1,500 temporary staff nationwide, including HGV class 1 drivers, warehouse operations, van drivers and couriers to fulfill client demands. With an increased number of vans, HGVs and delivery vehicles on the road, inevitably comes a greater risk of accidents. Look back 2 years to December 2017 and there were 462 fatal or serious accidents involving goods vehicles.

What is Gray Fleet?

During these busy periods online retail companies will often use ‘gray fleet’ drivers to deliver to customers. Gray fleet is simply the term used to describe any vehicle that does not belong to the company, but is used for business travel.

According to one BBC investigation, on a typical day a delivery driver for a leading company will make 150-200 deliveries. Although most companies will advise drivers to take regular comfort breaks, the reality is that this frenetic pace of work allows very little time for breaks, often resulting in extreme tiredness.

Sadly, tiredness is a major contributing factor to road accidents but isn’t the only risk of having a greater number of ‘gray fleet’ vehicles on the road:

Gray Fleet: The risks

Because gray fleet vehicles do not belong to the company, fleet managers face a complicated set of issues when it comes to managing the safety of their fleet. For one thing, employees using their own car may be outside of the established insurance and servicing policies, meaning their vehicles are not covered for company travel. Another issue is trying to keep track of the status of gray fleet vehicles to ensure they meet legal road requirements, including:

  • Driving license validity
  • Insurance details including business use
  • MOT certification
  • Road Tax validity

In addition to this, businesses also need to consider the suitability of the vehicle for work purposes. This could include the age and condition, or whether the vehicle is equipped with ABS, ESP, air conditioning and whether or not it is suitable for the journey requirements of the company.

To help avoid accidents on the road, RoSPA recommends that all delivery drivers are trained or trained in handling risks on the road. RoSPA offers a bespoke Gray Fleet management training course which allows companies to manage their gray fleet.

The benefit of undertaking such training is a quick and simple self-certification process, which is accessible to all drivers and sends alerts automatically to individuals and managers for MOT’s, insurance, road tax etc.

For more information on our Gray Fleet Management course visit our website, email or call us on +44 (0)121 248 2233.