KSI and Logan Paul's ambitious joint venture has encountered criticism from a substantial portion of its consumer base who were once avid supporters

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2023--

France's only national Sunday newspaper this weekend published its first edition under the leadership of a controversial far-right editor, whose appointment had prompted an...

Our bellies have always been the target of derision and ire. Long have they been poked and prodded. Sighed at and sucked in. Reprimanded and insulted. But ever since social media became the new WebMD for chronic self-diagnosers, it’s been open season on every little bodily function. Every involuntary twitch, skin bump and mood shift has been analysed to death – but none more so than the dreaded bloat. Stomach bloating can happen for all sorts of reasons. Often the main culprit is a big meal. It’s that feeling of being uncomfortably full and needing to undo the top button of your jeans, as if you’ve just had a particularly heavy Sunday roast. Unless you have real food intolerances or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or the symptom is caused by hormonal changes, bloating is the body’s normal reaction to eating a little too much. It usually subsides after a few hours. But this is 2023. A bit of bloating is no longer something you can just wait a few hours to get rid of – social media dictates that it needs to be gone immediately, and if it doesn’t then there must be something wrong with you. And not to stop there, either. You should also be cutting 10 different types of foods out of your life, doing five simple exercises 200 times a day and taking an assortment of supplements and pills because God forbid your stomach be round for the next two hours. According to Dr Tamara Alireza, a functional medicine specialist at Skinfluencer London, bloating should be taken seriously if it doesn’t come and go with food. If it becomes a chronic problem, or is accompanied by other symptoms such as persistent stomach and pelvic pain, changes to bowel habits, unexpected weight loss, fatigue and fever, vomiting, or bleeding, it may be something different entirely. “Excess bloating can be linked to IBS, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and coeliac disease, but also to more serious conditions,” she says. But we are a society obsessed with quick fixes, and anti-bloating pills have become a popular “cure” for the woes of a distended belly. Last month, fitness influencer Sam Cutler took it to new heights when she provided the pills for her wedding guests during the meal. Some viewers of her TikTok video – which sparked so much horror that it rapidly went viral – claimed that the pills were essentially “laxatives”. The glut of brands that have emerged in recent years would disagree, though. Many claim to use all-natural ingredients to “speed up digestion” and reduce gas without a laxative effect. Admittedly, curiosity got the better of me. I am lucky enough not to suffer from any particularly gut-churning conditions, but I do have eyes bigger than my stomach. It means I regularly end up regretting wearing trousers to a meal, cursing myself as my belly strains against the waistband. Could these pills really make me feel more comfortable after a big dinner, or would they just lead to some unfortunate toilet habits? I am kindly sent a couple of packs by Wild Dose, which lists extracts of ginger, liquorice, fennel seed, turmeric, peppermint leaf and dandelion root alongside a “proprietary enzyme complex” and a probiotic blend in each brown pill. They smell very herbal and are a rather unappealing greenish-brown colour – it initially makes me wonder if it’s an omen for what my guts are about to experience. After two weeks of taking them daily, I found that they did make a slight difference in my post-meal stupor and I feel comfortable quicker than before. However, the change has been marginal and, if anything, they made me more gassy, to the chagrin of my significant other. The medical community is reluctant to support the efficacy of similar supplements, as there remains little clinical research to back up their claims. Dr Alireza describes anti-bloat pills as a “Band-Aid on a fire hydrant” for people who have genuine problems with their gut. “I generally would not recommend taking any pills to counteract the bloating,” she says, “rather I would be keen to first determine the source of the issue.” She points to her practice, which aims to determine the root cause of symptoms and treat it – instead of providing temporary fixes. But I think the real reason behind social media’s obsession with bloating has nothing to do with #guthealth. Instead, it is our inherent fatphobia and fear of fatness that fuel this battle against the bloat. Are we so afraid of looking fat for even a couple of hours that we flock to pills and exercises with such abandon? Given the way people have fallen over themselves to get their hands on Ozempic, a drug intended to help diabetes patients but which has made a name for itself as a weight-loss miracle, it appears the answer is yes. It’s no mistake, either, that women are the primary targets for anti-bloating content online. Studies show that women are twice as likely to experience it as men, particularly during menstruation and menopause because of hormonal fluctuations. But the expectation for women to maintain at least the illusion of thinness at all times is also much higher. Many of us learned at an early age how to suck in our stomachs and – even as adults – keep them sucked in pretty much all day. As I write this, I realise that I’ve been subconsciously engaging my core muscles despite sitting behind a desk. No wonder the promise of no more bloating is so appealing, if it makes looking mildly smaller less of a chore. Joanna Dase, fitness expert and operations director of female-focused health clubs Curves, says that any medical conditions should be diagnosed by qualified professionals rather than social media. She acknowledges that while bloating can affect body image, no one should worry about your normal, natural responses to digestion. “If you have a professional opinion and there is no health problem related to it, then you just need to have an actual understanding of your body and its natural functions, and being OK with yourself. It’s just how your body breaks down food.” Read More Wellness gurus claim your hormones are out to get you – but is it just another scam? ‘Thanks Pfizer’: The weird world of shakes, health anxiety and illness online A One Direction fan claimed she had a brain tumour. 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National Vegetarian week (15-21 May) is the perfect excuse to give these stunning meat-free dishes a whirl. Full of texture, flavour and colour, you won’t feel like you’re missing out. Mediterranean vegetable and goat’s cheese galette Makes: 1 x 10 inch pie Ingredients: 300g plain flour 150g salted butter, cubed 3 tbsp cold water 1 packet of prepared Mediterranean vegetables (400g) or a mix of fresh – chopped into chunks 150g soft goat’s cheese, cut into slices 1 egg Salt and pepper Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C (fan). 2. In a large mixing bowl, rub the flour and butter with your fingers until a crumb consistency is achieved. Add the water and stir together to form a pastry dough. 3. Tip the dough out onto the lined baking tray and roll out into a large oval/circle shape (2-3mm thickness). 4. Arrange a layer of goat’s cheese slices in the centre of the pastry, top with the vegetables and then fold in the edges to encase everything. Place a few additional goat’s cheese slices on top of the vegetables. 5. Beat the egg and use a pastry brush or your finger to egg wash the folded pastry edges before seasoning the whole galette with salt and pepper. 6. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, allow to cool slightly and serve. Red pesto and parmesan dough knots Makes: 8 knots Ingredients: 1 packet fast action dried yeast (7g) 220ml warm water 400g strong white bread flour 1 tbsp white sugar 1 tsp salt ½ jar red pesto 170g cheese of choice, we recommend parmesan Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan). 2. In the measuring jug, combine the warm water and yeast. Stir and set to one side for 2-3 minutes to activate the yeast. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the yeast and water and stir them together with your hand to form a dough. 4. Sprinkle your worktop with a little flour and knead the dough until smooth, then return to the large mixing bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for at least 15 minutes to prove (this is where it will start to grow in size). 5. Using your fist, knock the dough back (this means push the dough back down to its original size) and tip out onto a floured worksurface before rolling into a large rectangle shape (about 5mm thickness). 6. Spread the red pesto on half of the rectangle, grate a thin layer of cheese on top and then fold the over half of the dough over the pesto and parmesan. 7. Cut the dough into 1 inch wide strips, then, holding each end, twist and knot each one before placing onto a lined baking tray. 8. Bake for 15-20 mins until risen and evenly browned then remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, grate more cheese on top and serve. Savoury crêpes Makes: 6 crêpes Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 2 large eggs 200ml milk 120g plain flour Butter for greasing pan For the fillings: Grated cheese and mushrooms (sliced and pan fried in butter – but these can be made with any filling of your choice!) Method: 1. In the large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk and flour with the whisk to form a runny batter. 2. Place your pan over medium heat and grease lightly with butter before spooning in about 2-3 tbsp of batter and swilling it around to form a thin, even crêpe. 3. Return the pan to the heat and leave to cook for 30 seconds, then using the spatula, or flipping if you feel confident to, flip the crêpe over and cook the other side for a further 30 seconds. 4. Place the crêpe on a plate and repeat steps 2 and 3 until all of the batter has been used, stacking them up as you go. 5. To fill, take one of the crêpes, place it back in the pan and sprinkle with grated cheese and mushrooms. Leave for 30 seconds, then fold the crêpe in half and then half again to create a quarter fold. Flip the whole thing over to brown the other side lightly and ensure all the cheese has melted, then serve. Recipes from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign. You can find more recipes and information on the campaign on fabflour.co.uk/easy-peasy-baking. Read More How to make TikTok’s viral whole roasted cauliflower What is coronation chicken? The story of the royal recipe and how to make it Healthy lemony smoked salmon pasta that takes zero effort Easy coronation chicken pie recipe chosen by Mary Berry Andi Oliver on turning 60 and channeling her anger into power Andi Oliver: Earl Grey tea bags are a gamechanger for barbecue chicken

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On TikTok, people know me as Emely With An E or Emely Moreno. For years, I have built a following through my name and everything it represents. But once upon a time, I didn’t share my real identity because I worried people I knew in real life would find my account. However, after that backfired, it taught me a crucial lesson: I could never allow anyone to dim my light.