Editorials, ideas, opinions, news and articles concerning food and well-being.
WHEN BANANA RULED is a French documentary telling the story of the men who made bananas the most ubiquitous fruit in the world, through a multinational empire that dominated production and sales, overthrew governments, and created a business model still largely used by today’s tech giants.
It is at least refreshing, even positively promising, to come across a “Future 50 Foods” study devoid of synthetic meat, cockroaches and/or bio-engineering. Here’s a glimpse to a food-future built on traditional (did I mention “delicious”) wisdom from the recent past.
Lillian and her restaurant have a way of bringing people together. Their lives collide and mix with those around them, sometimes joining in
effortless connections, at other times sifting together and separating again, creating family that is chosen, not given. A beautifully imagined novel about the ties that bind, and links that break, The Lost Art of Mixing is a captivating meditation on the power of love, food, and companionship.
Dinner with Edward: as Edward and Isabel meet weekly for the glorious dinners that Edward prepares, he shares so much more than his recipes for apple galette or the perfect martini, or even his tips for deboning poultry. Edward is teaching Isabel the luxury of slowing down and taking the time to think through everything she does, to deconstruct her own life, cutting it back to the bone and examining the guts, no matter how messy that proves to be.
In addition to Sony’s existing business areas of “gaming” and “imaging & sensing,” Sony AI has set “gastronomy” as its flagship theme for new technical and business exploration.
Some in the world’s chocolate markets see a hefty premium charged by the largest cocoa producers as a blunt instrument wielded by a faraway cartel that artificially inflates the price of a precious ingredient. To the leaders of Ivory Coast and Ghana the argument is something else entirely: a lifeline for farmers and entire economies that would otherwise be held hostage to the vagaries of global commodities markets.
“Eat!” screams one headline. “Diet!” shouts another. Cut out carbohydrates, suggests one report. Carbs are good for you, says a different one. Lower your fat intake. No, fat’s healthy, sugar’s the problem. Coffee raises the risk of heart disease. But it lowers the risk of diabetes. And so on…
Deconstructing the Mediterranean diet – fiction: a critical review on a 60 year-old fallacy. If the suggestion of an East China Sea Diet is unacceptable, how is the suggestion of a Mediterranean Diet reasonable?
Five studies conducted in the 1980s suggested that vinegar could improve insulin sensitivity and thus help control diabetes. For some reason, the mass media and the public never caught on.
It is sold as a force that can help us cope with the ravages of capitalism, but with its inward focus, mindful meditation may be the enemy of activism. By Ronald Purser, The Guardian.
Research by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli, Italy has allegedly shown that people who consume chilli pepper on a regular basis have a reduced mortality risk by 23 percent compared to those who do not.
A diet high in sweet foods and sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with increased breast density, according to a new study funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society. Increased breast density is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer.
Monsanto predicted crop system would damage US farms – Internal documents describe how to profit from farmer losses and desire to oppose some independent testing
Public health expert David Heymann, who led the global response to the SARS outbreak in 2003, shares the latest findings about COVID-19 and what the future may hold.
In Why Dieting Doesn’t Usually Work neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt uses her personal story to frame an important lesson about how our brains manage our bodies, as she explores the science behind why dieting not only doesn’t work…
We shouldn’t be blind to the idea that there might be wisdom out there in traditional remedies. In kitchens around the world, from China to Mexico to Canada, there’s a belief that has held strong through generations of families: soup heals.
The Flavour Connection. Julia Child famously said that fat carries flavor, but perhaps instead we should give thanks to 4-methylpentanoic acid. Unique combinations of such chemical compounds give foods their characteristic flavors. Science-minded chefs have gone so far as to suggest that seemingly incongruous ingredients—chocolate and blue cheese, for example—will taste great together as long as they have enough flavor compounds in common. Scientists recently put this hypothesis to the test by creating a flavor map….
Food as medicine: How this Newfoundland community got ‘hooked’ on plant-based eating. The Rayapudis found that 80 per cent of the diseases they were seeing in patients were related to diet and lifestyle — and changing these two factors was more effective and safe than treating chronic diseases with drugs and surgery.
“We are seeing a large number of people in our practices that are suffering — people suffering from preventable diseases,” said Arjun.
They decided to run regular workshops for patients with a variety of health problems to teach them how to follow a plant-based diet…
Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. This study rejects that GM soy is “substantially equivalent” to non-GM soybeans.
Rapeseed oil, the main source of canola oil, contains high levels of erucic acid that has been associated with heart damage. Studies showed that erucic acid could trigger the development of Keshan disease, inflammation and calcification of arteries.
Call for Seafood Industry Boycott of AquaBounty’s Salmon Eggs. CBAN and other environmental groups in Canada and the U.S. are calling on the seafood and aquaculture industry to boycott AquaBounty’s Atlantic salmon eggs to prevent accidental mixing with the company’s genetically modified (GM) Atlantic salmon eggs produced at the same facility in PEI.
A Nasty, Nafta-Related Surprise: Mexico’s Soaring Obesity. Few predicted when Mexico joined the free-trade deal that it would transform the country in a way that would saddle millions with diet-related illnesses.
Huge levels of antibiotic use in US farming revealed. Livestock raised for food in the US are dosed with five times as much antibiotic medicine as farm animals in the UK, new data has shown, raising questions about rules on meat imports under post-Brexit trade deals.
Time to go organic? Gender-bending chemicals in CEREAL could make you fat, landmark study claim. It may be best to stick to having jam on toast for your breakfast. A landmark new study has unveiled the worst nightmare for cereal lovers – eating a bowl each morning could make you obese. Not only are certain varieties full of sugar, but they contain a common additive that could well be a gender-bending chemical.
Activist forces Canada to test food samples. An India-born Canadian citizen, Mr Tony Mitra, has made the Canadian government test food samples for glyphosate, a dangerous herbicide. It took years of effort for Mr Mitra, a retired marine engineer and has turned food security activist, before the Canadian government agreed.
Food Advocacy for Discouraging Times. How can individuals, use their love of food in all its dimensions—taste, culture, history, science, economics—to create a good, clean and fair food system in a more just and equitable society?
For anyone who has this question, I offer the same answer: Become an advocate.
Former advertising executive reveals junk food-pushing tactics. Dan Parker spent two decades working with ‘big food’ corporations – until obesity-related type 2 diabetes made him decide to change direction
Replacing half of the AC from high-GI foods with lentils significantly attenuates PBGR in healthy adults; this can contribute to defining a health claim for pulses and blood glucose lowering
Tahini seems to contain large amounts of fat. However, only 2 of the 16 g found in a 2-tbsp serving are saturated. The rest are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, known to be beneficial to the heart and overall health.
Sesame seeds also contain more phytosterols than all other nuts and seeds. These are important for their cholesterol-lowering and cancer-blocking effects.
Native Knowledge: What Ecologists Are Learning from Indigenous People. From Alaska to Australia, scientists are turning to the knowledge of traditional people for a deeper understanding of the natural world. What they are learning is helping them discover more about everything from melting Arctic ice, to protecting fish stocks, to controlling wildfires.
Argentine study links glyphosate herbicide to miscarriage. People living in an Argentine town in the heart of the GM soy and maize growing area suffer miscarriages at three times and birth defects at twice the national average rate, a new studyshows. In addition, the study found a correlation between a high environmental exposure to glyphosate and an increased frequency of reproductive disorders (miscarriage and birth defects).
Study shows glyphosate may be killing honeybees. Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer, has caused concerns over its potential risk to human health and the environment for decades. Now, new research shows that glyphosate may be indirectly killing bees
Milk and mushrooms may prevent metabolic diseases. What do milk and mushrooms have in common? They both regulate blood glucose levels, a property important for the prevention and control of Type 2 diabetes. Recent research conducted at Pennsylvania State University in the US studied the effect of mushrooms on glucose production in the body. Mushrooms are a probiotic food, which means they positively influence the bacteria in the gut.
Being vegan isn’t as good for humanity as you think.. The moral high ground of food just shifted a little bit. Using biophysical simulation models to compare 10 eating patterns, researchers found that eating fewer animal products will increase the number of people that can be supported by existing farmland. But as it turns out, eliminating animal products altogether isn’t the best way to maximize sustainable land use. Their work was published in Elementa, a journal on the science of the anthropocene.
Food cravings engineered by industry. On one billboard, recently put up in Toronto, the intention to make you reach for another one is prominently declared, in large letters that tower over the city street. It’s a picture of a box of crackers, and the promise “You’ll be back for more.”
They know you will be back, because they’ve done the research necessary to make it happen
Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes -WHO. Bacon, ham and sausages rank alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer, the World Health Organisation has said, placing cured and processed meats in the same category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco.
Algal oil turns U.S. milk ‘organic’ – and raises the price. Inside a South Carolina factory, in industrial vats that stand five stories high, batches of algae are carefully tended, kept warm and fed corn syrup. There the algae, known as schizochytrium, multiply quickly. The payoff, which comes after processing, is a substance that resembles corn oil. It tastes faintly fishy.
Olive Oil’s (-)-Oleocanthal kills cancer cells? We investigated the effect of OC on human cancer cell lines in culture and found that OC induced cell death in all cancer cells examined as rapidly as 30 minutes after treatment in the absence of serum. OC treatment of non-transformed cells suppressed their proliferation but did not cause cell death.
Acclaimed French chef asks to be stripped of Michelin Stars. One of France’s most celebrated chefs, whose restaurant has been honoured with three stars in the Michelin guide for almost 20 years, has pleaded to be stripped of the prestigious ranking because of the huge pressure of being judged on every dish he serves.
The Vitamin Myth : Why We Think We Need Supplements. On October 10, 2011, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women who took supplemental multivitamins died at rates higher than those who didn’t. Two days later, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that men who took vitamin E had an increased risk of prostate cancer. “It’s been a tough week for vitamins,” said Carrie Gann of ABC News
Major Grocery Retailers Reject Genetically Engineered Fish. As the world’s first sale of genetically engineered fish is underway in Canada, the top food retailers across Canada and the U.S. have made public statements that they have no plans to sell the genetically engineered salmon.
The Scary Thing About GMO That Nobody’s Talking About. Do a quick Google Images search for the term ‘GMO.’ I’ll wait.
Roasting tubers for science. The way that traditional hunter-gatherers roasted tubers can shed new light on how people prepared food in prehistoric times. Archaeologist Stephanie Schnorr has studied the food preparation culture of the Hadza in Tanzania.
Curcumin for Memory? and Mood?. We found that daily oral Theracurmin led to significant memory and attention benefits.
FDDNP-PET scans performed pre- and post-treatment suggested that behavioral and cognitive benefits are associated with decreases in plaque and tangle accumulation in brain regions modulating mood and memory.
Curcumin’s cognitive benefits may stem from its anti-inflammatory and/or anti-amyloid brain effects.
Farms could slash pesticide use without losses. Study shows almost all farms could significantly cut chemical use while producing as much food, in a major challenge to the billion-dollar pesticide industry. Virtually all farms could significantly cut their pesticide use while still producing as much food, according to a major new study. The research also shows chemical treatments could be cut without affecting farm profits on over three-quarters of farms.
Oregano : not just to cook with. Oregano oil contains an essential compound called carvacrol, which has antimicrobial properties.The herb has shown antimicrobial activity in a number of studies. One group of researchers found that Origanum vulgare essential oils were effective against 41 strains of the food pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.
The global food waste scandal. Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible — but because it doesn’t look appealing. Tristram Stuart delves into the shocking data of wasted food, calling for a more responsible use of global resources.
Thoughts on humanity, fame and love : Shah Rukh Khan. “I sell dreams, and I peddle love to millions of people,” says Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s biggest star. In this charming, funny talk, Khan traces the arc of his life, showcases a few of his famous dance moves and shares hard-earned wisdom from a life spent in the spotlight.
How to grow fresh air : Kamal Meattle.
Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common house plants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air.
On The History of Ugliness. In “History of Beauty,” Umberto Eco explored the ways in which notions of attractiveness shift from culture to culture and era to era. With ON UGLINESS, a collection of images and written excerpts from ancient times to the present, he asks: Is repulsiveness, too, in the eye of the beholder? And what do we learn about that beholder when we delve into his aversions?
How I fell in love with a fish. Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie’s honeymoon he’s enjoyed since discovering an outrageously delicious fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain.
Astroturf and manipulation of media messages. In this eye-opening talk, veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson shows how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.
The surprisingly charming science of your gut: Giulia Enders. Ever wonder how we poop? Learn about the gut — the system where digestion (and a whole lot more) happens — as doctor and author Giulia Enders takes us inside the complex, fascinating science behind it, including its connection to mental health. It turns out, looking closer at something we might shy away from can leave us feeling more fearless and appreciative of ourselves.
© myfoodistry.ca
