Our world is facing a huge challenge: we need to create enough high-quality, diverse and nutritious food to feed a growing population – and do so within the boundaries of our planet. This means significantly reducing the environmental impact of the global food system. Below is information about how you can identify ultra processed foods containing palm oil and other harmful additives, in order to avoid them – for your own health and the health of the planet.
Category Archives: Consumer Choice, Diet and Lifestyle
Soy and palm oil agriculture is destroying the planet: algae is the answer
Consumers, businesses and researchers have shown growing interest in microalgae in recent years. Use of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) as a food supplement is one example. Others include how microalgae can be used as crop support tools, bioplastics or biofuels. Agriculture is destroying the planet: algae is the answer The emerging and predicted impacts on agricultureContinue reading “Soy and palm oil agriculture is destroying the planet: algae is the answer”
Palm oil substitutes can offer beleaguered rainforests a fighting chance
Palm oil is a versatile substance used in a wide range of products from foods to cosmetics. The trouble with it is that the cultivation of oil palm trees has caused massive enviromental harm, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together account for 85% of palm oil production in the world.
But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.
Four Things to Know about Cholesterol
Cholesterol is among the most feared substances, but why? You need cholesterol to produce some hormones and to build vital structures in your body. But too much-referred to as high cholesterol-can build up in your arteries and lead to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. That’s why it’s important to get tested and knowContinue reading “Four Things to Know about Cholesterol”
Seaweed is high in vitamins and minerals – but that’s not the only reason westerners should eat more of it
Edible seaweeds and algae – or sea vegetables – are a group of aquatic plants that are found in the ocean. Kelp, dulse, wakame and sea grapes are all types of seaweeds that are used in seaweed-based dishes. Seaweeds are a highly versatile and nutritious food source that can benefit our diet. Seaweeds are often rich in fibre and high in vitamins and minerals. This includes iodine and vitamin B12, which can be lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets.
Reasons to Hope: Palm Oil Alternatives Made Without Deforestation
Environmental organisation Milieudefensie have calculated that every second, around 169 trees are cut down in tropical rainforests. So the race is on to find a real solution to stop this! Right now, several new technologies are furiously competing with each other to create a healthier, lab-created alternatives to palm oil. Palm oil has been historically grown inContinue reading “Reasons to Hope: Palm Oil Alternatives Made Without Deforestation”
How our food choices cut into forests and put us closer to viruses
Terry Sunderland, University of British Columbia As the global population has doubled to 7.8 billion in about 50 years, industrial agriculture has increased the output from fields and farms to feed humanity. One of the negative outcomes of this transformation has been the extreme simplification of ecological systems, with complex multi-functional landscapes converted to vastContinue reading “How our food choices cut into forests and put us closer to viruses”
Palm Oil Detectives 