Paul Kita

My girlfriend (now wife) had come in the door slightly distraught. She explained to me that one of the teenagers playing basketball in the back alley had told her that she looked good in her dress.

The way I remember it, I slapped down my kitchen towel, stormed out the back door, and yelled at the kid that he had made my girlfriend feel uncomfortable.

By comparison, I am starting to forget how many times Ive blown up at someone during the last six months under COVID-19.

Im not an <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a31981606/coronavirus-covid19-anger/" id="887e049b-c746-3521-ad84-a971e44da762"> angry man </a> , but Im becoming more so, as I amass an ever-lengthening spite list that includes but is not limited to: a complete breakdown of governmental leadership as it relates to the coronavirus, a complete breakdown of governmental leadership as it relates to police brutality, the shitheads at the HVAC company who left my family without hot water for three weeks and tried to stick me with a bill after incorrectly installing a new unit, any jackass who wont <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/style/g32099210/fabric-face-masks-buy-online-charity-donation/" id="f8b86569-86a1-3736-a846-47f474b5cd72"> wear a mask </a> because they believe its a patriotic right to endanger their fellow countrymen, the never-diminishing stack of dishes in the sink, the rotten egg smell coming from the shower drain, the fucked-up gutters in <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a31751358/shelter-in-place-what-it-means/" id="e5c254d6-c7e3-3321-ab37-1b2680b1d4bc"> this goddamn house </a> that Im in all the fucking time.

Im doing my very best to stay sane, but it is difficult. Although I firmly believe that my state of sanity would be far less tenuous if it wasnt for one saving grace.

Not an anger management specialist. Not a public health expert. Not a politician. Not a friend. Not my wife. Not even our toddler-aged son.

For the unfamiliar, Daniel Tigers Neighborhood on PBS Kids is a show that the network describes as an animated program for preschoolers ages 2 to 4 which builds on the pioneering PBS series, Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

So instead of Mr. Rogers as a host, you have Daniel, a small tiger in a nuclear tiger family with a diverse cast of friends that range from a persnickety owl to an excitable kitten to also characters that are human.

Like other childrens programming, it is fine, but maddening after the 16th viewing of the same episode in as many number of days.

Close-Up Of Roaring Tiger Against Black Background

Unlike other childrens programming, Daniel Tiger has a message with actual substance: Be kind to your neighbors, your friends, your family, yourself, and, yes, even the shitheads at the HVAC company who left your family without hot water for three weeks and try to stick you with a bill after incorrectly installing a new unit.

Our entire family walks around the house singing Daniel Tiger jinglesthe shows primary lesson-delivery systemand these songs are now so embedded in my grey matter that they run independent of whatever thoughts have mounted my mind and wont release. Its like having a split personality where one voice is a demonic doomsayer and the other is a free-spirited optimist.

But if Im truly paying attention to the meaning behind these Daniel Tiger jinglesif Im really listening to what that little red-sweater-wearing Panthera tigris cub is singing in his high-pitched voiceI, somehow, feel just a little saner.

<h1> Daniel Tiger Lesson of Sanity #1: If You Feel So Mad That You Want to Roar, Take a Deep Breath and Count to Four. </h1>

Season 1, Episode 4: Daniel Gets Mad

Daniel wants to go to the beach. It rains. That makes Daniel mad. Because we can all relate when outside forces demand we stay inside, CANT WE?

Daniels mother, ever an fount of poignant advice, encourages Daniel to recognize his feelings (Its okay to be angry.) and then center himself with breath and perspective.

Ive listened to Insight Timer meditations that are far less helpful than this short burst of melodic advice. I wish I could say that I remembered this jingle when I was on the phone with the HVAC guy, but I didnt.

<h1> Daniel Tiger Lesson of Sanity #2: Enjoy the Wow Thats Happening Now. </h1>

Season 4, Episode 10: Daniels Blueberry Paws"

Daniel visits an ice cream cart and orders a blueberry popsicle. He then undergoes an anxiety-fueled paralysis of choice as he ponders which other sweet frozen treats he could have ordered. As he rues his decision, the blueberry popsicle melts, until his mother reminds him to enjoy "the wow thats happening now."

Experts and regular ol' people alike have talked about how important a sense of gratitude is during the coronavirus. Ive tried to feel grateful. But for me gratitude only builds appreciation in a grander sense. Gratitude doesnt help me live in the momentit makes me more appreciative for moments past.

Enjoying the wow, well, thats not only being appreciative of something Im doing, thats also choosing to ignore all of the other things Im not doingor think that I should be doing.

Yes, this even includes watching more Daniel Tigers Neighborhood with my son.

<h1> Daniel Tiger Lesson of Sanity #3: Grown-Ups Come Back. </h1>

Season 1, Episode 3: Daniels Babysitter

Throughout COVID-19, Ive witnessed adults behaving like children. A different HVAC guy told me that he likes to wear a mask as little as possible because masks are uncomfortable. People on the Nextdoor account I foolishly joined are tattle-telling on their neighbors not following the rules of shelter in place. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8fkVqEZGRA" id="e12b470f-46b0-3cf7-a395-3777e4824842"> People </a> are throwing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKn9nNFkgPk" id="312ab1ff-45fe-3019-adab-3f6f84365cb2"> temper </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU4_ufWgP9Y" id="42e83e56-ab36-3e82-aaf2-6866592698a9"> tantrums </a> at Costco.

I have to remind myself that the world is undergoing collective trauma. Not everyone has the appropriate coping skills to survive tough times without reverting to some infantile reactionary state (myself included). Not everyone has Daniel Tiger.

Even though this episode deals with the D-man wondering if his parents will ever return after a date night, I think that the message is just as applicable to the current state of the world.

At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, us grown-ups will again return to acting as such.

<h1> Daniel Tiger Lesson of Sanity #4: If You Have to Go Potty, Stop and Go Right Away. </h1>

Season 1, Episode 11: Daniel Goes to the Potty

This episode is a classic in the DTN canonthe Twilight Zone equivalent of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734568/" id="0053142a-49cb-3267-a736-0d774d78b490"> Eye of the Beholder </a> . Any parent whose child likes Daniel Tiger knows this episode. And I mean knows.

When my friends ask me why I still havent seen Tiger King, I tell them its because Ive been so burned out from watching this episode every damn day with my son that I cant bring myself to watch another serialized tiger-centric show.

During shelter-in-place, the responsibilities of working from home and parenting from home at the same time have often forced me into forgoing basic human requirements, such as bathing properly, taking breaks, and, yes, going potty.

As Daniel Tiger Im sure will tell you when hes older: That email you want to send can wait until after you take a piss. Because, buddy, it's not that important.

I can remember exactly one time in the last 10 years when I blew up at someone.

There's Only One Thing Standing Between Me and Full-Blown COVID Rage

How are fast-food chains responding to these challenges?

With <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a29188136/what-does-plant-based-mean/" id="3a636c0a-750d-3824-a219-0c0bfb9e6541"> plant-based </a> breakfast sandwiches!

This week <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123236/single?parent=/food/hot-breakfast/breakfast-sandwiches-and-wraps" id="e8f1e563-9a9d-3222-a74f-f795e26bc434"> Starbucks </a> announced their new Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, which joins the Impossible Croissan'wich at Burger King (debuted in early 2020) and the Dunkin' Beyond Sausage Sandwich (the OG plant-based breakfast sammich, which came out <a href="https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog/dunkin-beyond-meat-sausage-breakfast" id="2c37af34-4ad2-3aa6-a429-8fa0b7901364"> late October 2019 </a> ).

With each new announcement of their plant-based offerings, the highly paid marketing departments at these global chains adorn their product with a sparkly health halo.

Dunkin' says of their sandwich helps "deliver the nutritional and environmental benefits of plant-based protein." Burger King advertises that their version is "sausage made from plants" and sets a picture of the sandwich to a backdrop of bright "eco" green on their drive-thru menus. And Starbucks advertises its plant-based breakfast sandwich as part of a new way to start your day.

As a longtime fan of meat-based breakfast sandwiches, and an occasional <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a27318918/impossible-burger-nutrition-information/" id="775d9fa0-2096-37e1-a574-a300e9f1c71a"> taste-test </a> and <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a30418321/impossible-pork-nutrition-information/#:~:text=Reports%20state%20that%20a%20serving,and%200%20milligrams%20of%20cholesterol." id="50b9e1e0-bcd8-3483-a1ce-f573a6d428f7"> health-check </a> reviewer of their plant-based alternatives, I decided to strike out from self-quarantine and try all three (yes, all three!) of these new fast-food, plant-based breakfast sandwiches in one morning.

And because I was stir-crazy and always in need of fresh ideas to entertain him, I brought along my toddler-aged son.

The Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich

Starbucks markets their brand-new faux-tein breakfast sandwich as a "plant-based sausage patty, combined with a cage-free fried egg and aged cheddar cheese on an artisanal ciabatta bread."

After my toddler and I waited in a lengthy queue that passed a series of increasingly aromatic dumpsters, I picked up our sandwich, parked, and found a table at an adjacent Five Guys. There we unwrapped our first plant-based breakfast sandwich (and my son's first ever!) in the morning light.

Starbucks' Impossible offering contains 430 calories, 22 grams of protein, 36 grams of carbohydrates (three of which are fiber and four of which are sugar), and 23 grams of fat.

We at Men's Health have long argued that you should eat <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a30378740/high-protein-and-fiber-meals/" id="855b5090-c399-3ef8-a2a7-29ed2570bc0e"> 30 grams of protein </a> at every meal. This sandwich comes in slightly short of that goal, but one 8-ounce glass of milk would help you reach that mark. The sandwiches' three grams of fiber, provided by the Impossible patty, are okay, but we encourage you to strive for five grams at each meal.

But prepare yourself for one heck of an <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123236/single?parent=/food/hot-breakfast/breakfast-sandwiches-and-wraps" id="0af24e49-3a2e-31c1-ac53-83942ceb2e45"> ingredients list </a> . Take a deep breath with me now...

Sesame Ciabatta Bun [Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sesame Seeds, Eggs, Durum Wheat Semolina, Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Butter (Milk), Salt, Paprika, Malted Barley Flour, Yeast, Cultured Wheat Starch, Microbial Enzyme (Amylase)], Fried Egg Patty [Egg Whites, Egg Yolks, Milk, Food Starch Modified, Salt, Citric Acid], Plant Based Breakfast Patty [Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Contains 2 Or Less Of Citric Acid, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Garlic Powder, Methylcellulose, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Niacin (Vitamin B 3), Onion Powder, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B 6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B 2), Salt, Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Soy Leghemoglobin, Soy Protein Isolate, Spices, Vitamin B 12, Yeast Extract, Zinc Gluconate], Sharp Cheddar Cheese [Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Microbial Enzymes, Annatto (For Color)]

So, in summary, it's a soy patty topped with an egg mixture patty, cheese, and a bun with sesame seeds, which makes it artisanal?

Being the incredible father that I am, I let my son take the first bite.

I was hungry, so I sacrificed myself. The sandwich was indeed blacktop-in-the-sun hot, but after searing at least the first layer of my tongue, some interesting flavors did emerge.

There was some subtle creaminess to the eggs. There was some nuttiness from the sesame seeds, which appeared folded into the dough instead of speckled atop like a burger bun. There was a little sharpness to the cheese, but more like a butter knife than a <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a30148897/best-kitchen-knife/" id="fa25f2e1-fab7-3f1e-a0cd-02b54eb7f2da"> Zwilling J.A. Henckels Bob Kramer Carbon Steel Chef's Knife </a> .

The bread had a nice chew, the cheese was a good kind of gooey, and the weird egg patty was as fluffy as a weird egg patty can be.

But from the Impossible patty? Nothing. The flavor was non-existent and the texture was ... how can I put this best? ... pre-chewed.

The sandwich had cooled, and after feeding my son a few bites of the roll, I pulled off a piece of the "meat" for him.

<h1> The Burger King Impossible Croissan'wich </h1>

My local BK, by comparison, was completely deserted. I breezed through the drive-thru, selected one of many parking spots, and climbed into the backseat with my son. He squinted at me, skeptical in regards to what I was holding.

"Do you want to try another plant-based breakfast sandwich?"

Nutrition and Ingredients

In terms of numbers, Burger King's Impossible Croissan'wich has 490 calories, 21 grams of protein, 35 grams of carbohydrates (1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of sugar), and 30 grams of fat.

Compared to Starbucks' faux-tein sandwich you're looking at about the same amount of protein for more calories, less fiber, and more sugar.

And ingredients-wise? No clue. I asked a public relations person at Burger King for an ingredients list, but they said it wasn't available. There's no sign of one on their website either.

"Novelty" fast-food items can get away with this kind of thing sometimes, and that's a shame, but, BK, if you want to add the ingredients list to this section, holler at me, because people miiiiight what to know exactly what they're putting into their bodies with this stuff.

Take Starbucks' Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, exchange the roll for a strangely sweet croissant, swap in a processed cheese single, improve the egg quality ever so slightly, and you have the Burger King Impossible Croissan'wich.

Oh, and also deliver onto the Impossible patty the fiery wrath of 1,000 suns of Hell because, for whatever reason, this thing is spicy.

Actually, I know the reason. On my drive from Starbucks to Burger King, I noticed a weird, slick film had clung to my mouth. It tasted the way that Saran wrap smells.

Burger King's solution to this post-Impossible, Saran-saliva phenomenon seems to be: JUST SPICE THE FUCK OUT OF THE THING.

And it worked because all I could taste after allowing this supersoft sandwich to slide down my gullet was heat.

Before the spice kicked in, I asked my son what he thought of the sandwich.

"Not good," he said, reaching for his sippy cup.

I kid you not, this is how he responded: "Not real."

And then, between coughs and saying "spicy," he asked me what we were doing "after this."

"We're going to Dunkin' Donuts," I said.

The Dunkin' Beyond Sausage Sandwich

dunkin donuts beyond meat sausage breakfast sandwich taste test review

My son had moved from slightly annoyed to cantankerous.

"Where's home?" he asked. He also kept instructing me to "no pay."

"Why, don't you feel like you're getting a good value for your plant-based breakfast sandwich selections?" I inquired. (Each of these sandwiches cost roughly $4.)

"Well too bad," I said, pulling up to the last drive-thru pay window.

A Dunkin' Beyond Sausage Sandwich will cost you 510 calories, 26 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates (2g fiber, 3 grams sugar), and 26 grams of fat.

It's higher in protein than the Starbucks and Burger King sandwiches, but it's also higher in calories and empty carbs too.

The ingredients list, which Dunkin' <a href="https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/food-drinks/sandwiches-wraps/beyond-sausage" id="a46dd486-3f26-3645-aba2-dabaea83a22c"> does publish </a> , is long like the Starbucks one and includes such appetite-whetting items as "Mung Bean Protein," "Pyridoxine Hydrochloride," and, everyone's favorite, "Cyanocobalamin."

Impossible builds their fake meat products from soy. Beyond uses pea protein, rice protein, sunflower protein isolate, and a little of that oh-so-tasty mung bean protein too.

Taste and Texture

Fatigued and suffering from greasy underlips, my son and I returned home to try our plant-based Dunkin' option. We even shared half with my wife.

None of us could make it through more than a bite. While I enjoyed the hints of herbs in the sausage patty itself, the muffin was wet and gummy, the egg sweaty, and the cheese a moistened salty spackling paste.

One last time I asked my son: "What do you think?"

This time all he said was "out!" As in, of his high chair.

This new wave of fake-meat breakfast sandwiches symbolizes the very worst of both the plant-based product movement and fast-food.

Plant-based products are not plants. They are ultra-processed foods made, in part, with soy and peas and sunflower and mung beans, which, yes, are plants, but these products also contain a ton of additives.

The scientific community does not yet have enough evidence to support the idea that including more ultra-processed, plant-based foods in your diet can improve you health.

Or, as Ryan D. Andrews, R.D., a Connecticut plant-based-nutrition expert and author of A Guide to Plant Based Eating, put it in <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a28830857/fake-meat-brands-taste-test/" id="10a79dfa-7cbc-3aef-a6b6-cca821e4db84"> this article </a> : These kinds of meat analogs are recent inventions, he says. We dont know the long-term health repercussions of regularly consuming them.

To ring these fake meat breakfast sandwiches with a health halo, as plant-based product companies and fast-food comes do, is presumptive.

And it distracts from the fact that not one of these sandwiches includes an actual vegetable. Not a leaf of kale. Not a tangle of spinach. Not a circle of tomato. Not even a few specks of parsley for posterity's sake.

Yes, you could side-order Starbucks' "Seasonal Fruit Blend," some apple slices at Burger King, or await, hold upthe menu at Dunkin' doesn't offer any fruit or vegetable-based sides unless you count hash browns. But no one does these things.

Fast food is forgettable food, and if chains actually cared about your health, they'd put more plants on the menu instead of more plant-based foods.

And, in the process of adding real plants, they may even make their food taste better.

3 Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwiches, Reviewed

Fast-food chains, like the rest of us, are struggling through the global pandemic. Sit-down dining options are still limited in many states, drive-thru lines are serpentine, and employees fear their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/business/coronavirus-fast-food-drive-throughs.html" id="e8aaaf2c-491f-37ed-a241-ca079a311e2a"> safety </a> .

I Tried 3 Plant-Based, Fast-Food Breakfast Sandwiches and Oh Boy

Because my ex-wife and I are cordial, I was invited over to her house for dinner to mark the occasion. Before we sat down to eat, Cia locked the dog in a room. During dinner, and unbeknownst to all of us, the puppy also made a meal of the bottom of the wooden doorframe.

I chased the dog around the house. Cia chased me. I told Cia to get me a rolled-up piece of newspaper. She kept repeating, No, Papa! No, Papa!

The pursuit ended in Cias bedroom, me with the newspaper baton at the ready and explaining that the dog needed to register the punishment with the event, the dog cowering in a corner, and Cia finally crying out, No, Papa! Thats not the way you raised me!

I left the room. I cried. I came back. I apologized. And I learned an important lesson that day: A good father shuts up.

My father had a voice that could stop anyonedog, human, horsedead in their tracks. It was loud and booming and it was a weapon, if he chose to employ it. Ive tried my very hardest not to yell as a father, which sometimes is in direct conflict with me trying to help raise four (yes, four) independent and powerful girls.

But the Puppy Incident proved to me that I could still be threatening and dictatorial even if I wasnt yelling. What I should have been then was silent.

My daughters are now all grown, and although Im no longer tempted to raise my voice at them, I am tempted to interject in their life decisions my opinions, suggestions, and general advice.

Instead, I presented them with an offer: Come to New Mexico, where I was filming Breaking Bad and am still filming Better Call Saul, and hike with me in the foothills of the San Andres Mountains.

Its so quiet there that I am forced into silence. The sky is huge. The peaks tower, unmoving. Everything is still.

On those hikes, I dont say anything. I wait, and, inevitably, my daughter will ask me a question and well talk. Ill ask her questions back. I rarely give advice unless solicited. What often results is a lot of me listening, hardly any of me talking, and almost always a sincere Thank you from one of my daughters.

This last fact is always amazing to me. As a father, I thought that, like my mother and father, I had to be direct and powerful to have an effect on my children as a parent. My mother used to say: Do as I say, not as I do. My version: Do as I do, which is not to overdo.

When our third daughter, Syrlucia, was seven years old, my ex-wife bought her a puppy.

Giancarlo Esposito Says to Be a Good Dad, You Have to Shut Up

"We need people to start turning out in force to give blood," says Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement.

That's largely because people are scared to donate blood due to <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/coronavirus/" id="5b6ad8b0-3006-36db-a3ae-04d7f9dd3ca3"> the virus </a> which is, of course, an important concern. But consider this <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-18-20-intl-hnk/h_b30dc266788f170714308fb4bda828fa" id="f59fb6bc-fa9d-366e-a9ca-485c07e6749f"> quote </a> , from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams: "You can still go out and give blood. Were worried about potential blood shortages in the future. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement."

It's a quote that, for me, a "sometimes" blood donor, finally pushed me to schedule a donation with my blood bank. Giving blood is giving. If I'm not giving, I'm not exercising that part of myselfa part of my humanitythat helps other humans beings.

I hadn't given blood during shelter-in-place even though I couldand largely due to the very fear that's driving a potential blood and platelet shortage. I was scared, rife with questions: Could I get COVID-19 from giving blood? If I had it, could I give it? I mean, it's a hospital-like setting, and people with COVID-19 go to the hospital. So wouldn't I be putting myself at a higher risk? Would giving blood lower my immunity?

Gratefully, health professionals have already addressed all my questions. Here they are, all in one place, ready to soothe your qualms, and then serve as your motivation to go out and donate. And not just donatebut give.

Schedule a donation through the Red Cross by clicking <a href="https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive" id="99c03095-d327-3d84-ae27-8341b9025e6d"> here </a> .

<h1> Can you get COVID-19 from giving blood? </h1>

Phlebotomist checking line whle patient donates blood in hospital

"There are no data or evidence that this coronavirus can be transmissible by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases worldwide of transmissions for any respiratory virus including this coronavirus," according to the <a href="https://www.redcrossblood.org/" id="88b4ef23-f2da-39c8-a742-6ae1b6b51805"> Red Cross </a> .

<h1> Are you putting yourself at higher risk of COVID-19 by donating blood given the hospital-like setting? </h1>

The Red Cross has put necessary precautions into place at donation centers in order to minimize risk, which includes, but is not limited to the following.

<ul><li> Employees wearing gloves and changing them often </li><li> Wiping down donor-touched areas after every collection </li><li> Using sterile collection sets for every donation </li><li> Preparing the arm for donation with aseptic scrub </li><li> Conducting donor mini-physicals to ensure health on day of donation </li><li> Enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment </li><li> Providing hand sanitizer for use before entering and throughout the appointment </li><li> Temperature checks before donors enter the blood drive or donation center </li><li> Following social distancing practices between donors including donor beds, as well as waiting and refreshment areas </li><li> Staff wearing basic face masks </li><li> For the safety of our donor community and in accordance with CDC guidelines, all donors are required to wear a face covering or mask. If you do not have one, a mask will be provided to you. </li></ul>

And, to that point, here's explicitly what the CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#:~:text=In%20healthcare%20settings%20across%20the,appointments%20ahead%20of%20time." id="55a87622-2a3d-3ff6-aa54-3a3fe9a26ca0"> says </a> about those guidelines as they pertain to blood donation centers: "Examples of these recommendations include spacing donor chairs 6 feet apart, thoroughly adhering to environmental cleaning practices, and encouraging donors to make donation appointments ahead of time."

<h1> Will giving blood lower my immunity? </h1>

selective focus of blood collection during blood donation and ball in palm for squeezing

"There is no evidence blood donation weakens the immune system," <a href="https://www.ribc.org/ways-give/donate-blood/covid-19-and-blood-donation/" id="2f1bf48c-d626-3a16-af85-3c87850da58b"> according </a> to the Rhode Island Blood Center.

(Their directness of which sort of makes me feel silly for asking, but still, thanks, Rhode Island Blood Center).

The Red Cross Urgently Needs More Blood Donors

The American Red Cross recently sent out an urgent request for blood and platelet donations. The message comes as a direct result of the evolving health crisis surrounding the coronavirus COVID-19.

Amidst the violence, law enforcement officials have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/police-tactics-floyd-protests.html" id="5a8c2c5c-384f-3d45-acc1-6a8aa8700922"> cited </a> as using shows of force, including with weapons considered less-lethal: <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a32758727/tear-gas-exposure-treatment/" id="c114cfd5-8e21-32ae-ae79-482d88f52f02"> tear gas </a> , <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a32745913/what-to-do-pepper-spray/" id="9429999e-9a5d-380c-a434-ddb05dcea5fc"> pepper spray </a> , <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a32742472/rubber-bullets-effects/" id="db09d2b6-8dc5-3109-a708-040b7606cac9"> rubber bullets </a> , and police batons.

Police batons are considered an "impact weapon," and can come in straight, side-handle, or collapsible versions.

But "less lethal" doesn't equal painless. A police baton is still a club, and can cause immediate and lasting injuries to a person.

What happens when a police baton hits the human body? What effects does the impact have? What does being hit with a baton feel like, exactly? And if you are hit with one, is there anything you can do to immediately lessen the pain and effects? If you see someone hit with a rubber police baton, what can you do to help them?

To get some answers, we turned to Jeffrey M. Goodloe, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., member of the Board of Directors for the American College of Emergency Physicians and Chief Medical Officer for the Emergency Medical Services System for Metropolitan Oklahoma City &amp; Tulsa.

Here's what you need to know about police batons, the injuries they can cause, and how to treat those injuries should they occur.

<h1> What happens when a police baton hits the human body? </h1>

While a police baton strike has fewer variables than a projectile rubber bullet, there are still factors that can change how the strike affects your body.

"A baton is pretty much a face-to-face, hand-to-hand weapon," says Goodloe. "The strike usually occurs within 2 or 3 feet or less. I'm not aware of too many law enforcement officers who are trained to swing softly. Theres going to be a fair amount of energy."

The variability comes from where you are hit. "Police batons are designed more for impact on the extremities: the arms, thighs, upper legs," Goodloe says. If you're hit in those places, the impact will likely be painful to the point of temporary debilitation.

Fractures do occur, and often out of self-defense. "A lot of injuries we see in the emergency department come from forearm fractures, when someone uses their forearm to block a hit to the face," says Goodloe.

Police baton strikes can occur to the head, the effects of which can range from simple bruising of soft tissue on the scalp to internal brain bleeding to eye injuries. Strikes to the chest or abdomen can result in fractures or internal bleeding.

<h1> What does being hit with a police baton feel like? </h1>

"Imagine youre out playing ball with a young child and theyre swinging a baseball bat and it hits you in the leg," says Goodloe. "Its a five-year-old swinging the bat, so youre most likely not going to get a fracture, but it's going to hurt."

The amount of pain also depends on the style of police baton and what part of the baton made contact with your body. All-metal batons are likely to deliver more pain than ones made of composite material. Being struck with the more tapered end of a collapsible baton would affect less surface area than being struck with less tapered end.

<h1> What should you do if you're hit with a police baton? </h1>

If you're hit in a extremity, most of the time youre going to be okay, says Goodloe. You'll feel pain for a few days. Ice the bruise, monitor it for infection, and take Tylenol and ibuprofen.

If you suffer a blow to the head and pass out, that's not normal: "You need to go to seek emergency services. You could have a mild concussion or internal brain bleeding," says Goodloe.

Same goes if you're hit in the neck. "If there's any concern that youre in trouble, find help via emergency medical services, using on-scene care if it's available," Goodloe says.

<h1> What should you do if you see someone hit by a police baton? </h1>

Get them away from danger, safe from where they (and you) could be the victim of further baton strikes. Ask them if they're okay: What month is it? What year is it? Who is the president? (Regardless of political beliefs, almost everyone knows who the president is.) Assess their breathing ability and consciousness. Check for bleeding. Then, when you are safe and informed, contact emergency medical services.

What to Do if You're Hit by a Police Baton

Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a32733153/how-to-protest-safely-covid/" id="e9abe31e-c74a-3632-a2bc-6d950f39cff3"> mass protests </a> , some violent, have erupted through the United States.

While many of these protests have remained peaceful demonstrations, some have turned violent. In an attempt to control demonstrations, law enforcement officials have turned to less-lethal weapons, such as tear gas, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a32745913/what-to-do-pepper-spray/" id="9429999e-9a5d-380c-a434-ddb05dcea5fc"> pepper spray </a> , police batons, and rubber bullets. ("Less-lethal," an emergent term and more accurate term, is replacing "non-lethal.")

That last method of less-lethal forcerubber bulletsmay sound innocuous (or at least less threatening than "real" bullets). But rubber bullets can deliver a debilitating amount of pain and carry both immediate and potentially long-term harmful effects.

So what, exactly, happens when a rubber bullet hits the human body? What effects does the impact have? What does being hit with a rubber bullet feel like, exactly? If you are hit with one, is there anything you can do to immediately lessen the pain and effects? If you see someone hit with a rubber bullet, what can you do to help them?

And then there's the matter of after-care. What should you do in the hours and days that follow to ensure that you're healing as well as possible?

For answers, we turned to Jeffrey M. Goodloe, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., member of the Board of Directors for the American College of Emergency Physicians and Chief Medical Officer for the Emergency Medical Services System for Metropolitan Oklahoma City &amp; Tulsa.

Here's hoping that you don't have to follow his advice, but it's here for you in the unfortunate case that you do.

<h1> What happens when a rubber bullet hits the human body? </h1>

This depends on several key factors: the composition and shape of the projectile itself, the distance between the person impacted by the bullet and from where it was fired, and whether the impact was a direct hit or a ricochet hit.

You see, rubber bullets are intended to be fired at the ground first, and then hit a person to modify the behavior that was of concern to the law enforcement officer, says Goodloe.

"So it really is designed to be aimed in a ricochet manner, directed at a non-critical areathe upper leg, thigh, or around someones hip," he says.

Most commonly the projectile will have a blunt head (shaped more like a rubber cork than an actual pointed bullet), be fired in the manner intended, at a distance intended. If these conditions are met, Goodloe says, then the rubber bullet will temporarily incapacitate the movement of the person it has been fired at.

This said, any changes in the variables previously mentionedthe bullet shape, distance traveled, or direction of the impactcan create more dangerous complications.

"If the strike hits you in the anterior part of your neck, it could cause significant cutting injuries or bruising of the airway. If the strike occurs in your chest, it could cause a deeper injury in chesta broken rib, a bruised lung. If the strike occurs to the face, it could cause permanent injuries to your vision," says Goodloe. Internal bleeding and damage to organs are other potential injuries.

In summary, when the unpredictability of rubber bullets meets the unpredictability of a chaotic environment, devastating effects can occur.

<h1> What does being hit with a rubber bullet feel like? </h1>

"Think about taking a golf ball to your thigh," says Goodloe. "If youre just a few feet away, thats going to hurt a lot. If youre a few blocks away, and it grazes you, and you're wearing a thicker fabric, maybe tightly woven denim, you may not have a mark on you."

<h1> What should you do if you're hit with a rubber bullet? </h1>

"Other than for the most minor of injuries, it's always better to see a professional," says Goodloe. If you're hit with a rubber bullet, you will likely know you were hit with a rubber bullet.

Warn others in the area that law enforcement officials are using rubber bullets and seek medical attention promptly.

"Its important for people to know to call 911, use on-scene EM services, paramedics, and EMTs," Goodloe says. "They are the local experts on which hospitals have which capabilities so that you can get the care you need for more specialized injurieseye care, throat specialists, chest care."

And, on that note: "Were not there to judge whats wrong or right. As a physician, I take care of everyone. My role is not to judge someone. My job is to assess injuries and determine how I can best take care of them. Thats part of the oath any physician takes. We want to be a place of safety and refuge."

If the injury is more minor, take care of it as you would any other contusion, says Goodloe. That means keeping it clean, icing it (a bag of frozen vegetables works just fine, he says), taking Tylenol or ibuprofen, and monitoring it for signs of infection.

<h1> What should you do if you see someone hit by a rubber bullet? </h1>

Ask them Are you okay? If that person took a projectile to the head, check to see if they are dazed, confused, and acting in a normal way. (Ask them what year it is, what month it is, and/or who the president is, suggests Goodloe.)

If the person took a shot to the face or neck, check to see if they're breathing okay. Projectiles do not usually cause an open injuries or lacerations, but they could, says Goodloe, so check for bleeding. If there is, apply direct pressure. Brisk, spurting, bright-red bleeding requires more direct pressure and a tourniquet.

If they can walk, help them to safety. "It's much easier and safer for EMTs and paramedics outside of the crowd," Goodloe says.

If the person is having trouble walking, help them do so, enlisting the help of another if needed.

Once the person effected is in a safe location, determine if you need to call 911 based upon that person's condition in regards to consciousness, awareness, bleeding, and other potentially dangerous circumstances.

If you choose to call 911, do so yourself, or ask someone else if you're unable. If asking another, rather than just screaming I NEED HELP, SOMEONE CALL 911 ask someone to make that call, make eye contact, point at them, and say "I need YOU to call 911 and I need an ambulance." Make sure theyre engaging in that conversation and understanding what you are saying.

Hopefully, with proper coordination and clarity, help will arrive swiftly.

What To Do If You're Hit With a Rubber Bullet

Spurred by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a32733153/how-to-protest-safely-covid/" id="e9abe31e-c74a-3632-a2bc-6d950f39cff3"> mass protests </a> have clutched the nation.

The other reasons include fighting disease-stoking inflammation, keeping your cholesterol in check, fortifying your immunity, staving off (or blunting the effects of) diabetes, nourishing your brain, elevating your energy, and building strength.

For people who are serious about getting in shape and building muscle, that last word is critical.Diet is a key piece of building strength, says Brian St. Pierre, C.S.C.S., R.D., director of nutrition at <a href="https://www.precisionnutrition.com/" id="35179ab0-af90-3f91-ab93-93efc4ce44ac"> Precision Nutrition </a> , a company whose clients include the Carolina Panthers and the San Antonio Spurs.

Without adequate calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients, you will not be able to maximize strength, adequately recover, or perform at your peak," St. Pierre says.

And that kind of strength doesnt just apply to your workouts but to everything in between: at work, with your family, during downtime.

Will you likely lose weight on this program, too? For sure.

Will you gain muscle? Absolutelyalthough a strength diet considers not just mass but other factors in overall health.

The true strength of the Strength Diet, devised with the guidance of St. Pierre, is less about what you lose and more about what you gain: vitality, longevity, and simplicity.

DIETING IS FOR losers. Keto, Paelo, Whole 30: America loves itself a fad diet, and some of them may even help you lose weight. Except that weight loss is only one of many reasons to eat a healthy diet.

Paul Kita

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