In the “at least things haven’t gotten worse” department, the price of food and other essentials stabilized somewhat but remains well above what it was pre-pandemic. Factors maintaining high prices include the continuing effects of the pandemic on the food chain and the impact of the Russia/Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, climate chaos (a phrase that’s much more accurate than the anodyne “climate change” or “global warming”) is already causing havoc, contributing to higher food prices by bringing droughts to some places and floods to others, leading to crop failures and economic hardship.

In many parts of the world, climate chaos will continue to hamper food production, particularly in areas suffering from prolonged drought and relying more and more on groundwater — leading to accelerated aquifer depletion. This threatens to create massive disruptions when wells run dry — something that’s already happening in many places and is likely to intensify dramatically in the years ahead.

I was stunned by a recent opinion piece in the New York Times about Uzbekistan’s disappearing Aral Sea. A photo accompanying the article shows rusted boats stranded in a lifeless desert that used to be a thriving port — now 75 miles from the nearest body of water.

All these developments highlight the critical importance of eating lower on the food chain. Doing so can save massive amounts of land, water, and other natural resources — and can significantly reduce the food system’s contribution to climate chaos.

And, as we frequently discuss on this site, eating more plants, fewer animals, and less processed food can also be a great move for your health.

In short, the mission of the Food Revolution Network is more important than ever.

A Couple of the Many Lives Changed by the Food Revolution

At FRN, we’re privileged to hear, almost every day, from people whose lives have been touched by our message. Some of the stories we hear make us cry! And all of them fill us with determination to carry on and to spread the word.

Here are just a few of the memorable member stories from 2023:

WHOLE Life Club member Diane M. from Saugerties, NY, USA, wrote:

“With WHOLE Life Club, I sought support and information to help me on my journey to a…  whole food, plant-based diet. It has done that and a whole lot more! I have lost over 120 pounds since September 2022. My A1c dropped from 10.4 to 4.5, my triglycerides are now in a normal range, my LDL cholesterol has dropped tremendously, and my HDL cholesterol is in a healthy range and creeping higher. I feel so much better, with more energy, motivation, and a healthier mindset. Thank you to WLC and all its members! I enjoy how positive everyone is, and the nonjudgmental way the leaders include everyone as they teach, no matter what phase students are in on their journey.”

Plant-Based Coaching Certification graduate Terry Baker from Oro Valley, AZ, USA, wrote:

“Food Revolution Network’s Plant-Based Coaching Certification was truly the answer to my prayers, and I am so eternally grateful. I value the PBCC so highly because not only did I learn about the vast intricacies of the human body and exactly what it needs to be truly healthy at any age, but also I gained the knowledge and confidence to successfully share this vital information with others, hoping to end unnecessary suffering and disease. Do not hesitate in taking this course! You have no idea what a beautiful, powerful, and positive impact you could have in this world! Thank you to EVERYBODY in the Food Revolution Network for making this course possible.”

The Future of Plant-Based Eating

More and more people around the world are showing an interest in moving toward a more plant-based diet, and the number of people who make the shift is also increasing.

Veganuary — a fun portmanteau of vegan and January — broke all previous records with more registered participants than ever, from nearly every country in the world. And many of those folks maintained a more plant-based diet after the 31 days of the event.

More and more restaurants, businesses, and other organizations are responding to an increased demand for plant-based options — and sometimes leading it — by cutting down on animal products or eliminating them altogether. NYC Health + Hospitals, which operates 11 public hospitals in New York City, now serves plant-based meals to inpatients by default. Not only are the meals healthier than before, but they’re also changing perceptions of how “hospital food” tastes — with chefs creating dishes inspired by Latin American, Asian, and other cuisines representing the populations served by these institutions.

In a move that might have seemed unbelievable just a few years ago, the US Conference of Mayors (a nonpartisan organization that includes the mayors of all 1,400 US cities with populations of 30,000 or more) ratified a resolution supporting a plant-based approach to fighting the epidemic of chronic disease, mitigating climate chaos, and saving money desperately needed by the municipalities.

The number of restaurants offering plant-based menu options is also increasing. According to research by the Plant Based Foods Association, 95% of restaurants that offer plant-based selections expect sales of those items to remain steady or increase. And four times as many foodservice operators were planning to add plant-based options as the number that were planning to remove them.

A student-led campaign in the UK, Plant-Based Universities, is working to get all university catering facilities to transition 100% of their menus to plant-based. Begun in late 2021, the campaign has given a voice to students who are voting to remove animal products from university food halls specifically to address the climate crisis.

And in the US, Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts won our “best acronym” award by introducing the Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today (PLANT) Act in the House of Representatives on July 28, 2023. If passed, the act would establish an Office of Plant-Based Foods and Innovative Production at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and help fund farmers who produce ingredients specifically for plant-based foods, like legumes and mushrooms. It would also create a research program to further the development of plant-based proteins that could replace meat and offer technical and financial assistance to businesses that move the food industry in a more plant-forward direction.

Plant-Based Diets Continue to be Better for Your Wallet, Health, and the Planet

One of the nice things about advocating for more plant-based eating is that it tends to make people’s lives better right away — starting with their wallets. A study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that adopting a low-fat vegan diet led to a 16% reduction in grocery bills, for an average savings of $500 per person per year.

If you’d like to avail yourself of the economic advantages of a plant-based diet, a good place to start is our article 7 Healthy Recipes for Eating Plant-Based on a Budget.

While the benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet to your pocketbook can be felt immediately, it might take a few days, weeks, or months to notice health improvements. But scientific research continues to find more and more evidence that such improvements are likely.

A 2023 study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine followed 59 patients with type 2 diabetes as they were placed on a low-fat, plant-predominant diet for six months, along with receiving standard medical treatment. By the end of the study, 37% of the patients, whose average age was 71, had their diabetes in remission.

A 2023 study published in the journal Nutrients looked at how diet, genes, and lifestyle factors contribute to obesity by analyzing body fat in adults. Researchers discovered that a plant-based diet helped reduce the risk of obesity, even for those with a genetic predisposition to higher body fat.

Another article published in the past year collected data from 55 recent human trials on the effects of a plant-based diet on cardiovascular disease. The authors wrote that the preponderance of evidence showed that incorporating more plant foods into the diet can protect against heart disease and may also help prevent other chronic conditions.

Plant-based eating, especially a diet rich in whole foods, was also found to be predictive of mental health. A 2023 study found that a high-quality plant-based diet may offer protection against depressive symptoms and should be considered as a lifestyle-based treatment for people suffering from the condition.

And in November 2023, the results of a carefully conceived and remarkable randomized controlled trial involving 22 pairs of identical twins were published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Network Open. The study authors concluded: “The findings from this trial suggest that a healthy plant-based diet offers a significant protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy omnivorous diet.”

What About the Earth?

One of the major drivers of the trend toward more plant-based eating is increased awareness of the scope of the chaos wrought by human-made climate change. While switching to electric vehicles and replacing energy-guzzling appliances with more efficient ones are steps in the right direction, the impact of these actions pales in comparison with the effects of adopting a plant-based diet.

Research published in the prestigious journal Nature in 2023 found that, on average, vegans produce 75% fewer food-related greenhouse gas emissions than meat-eaters. And plant-based dietary patterns also reduce harm to land, water, and biodiversity.

Becoming a B Corp

Speaking of impacts on the world around us, we wanted to share some exciting company news about FRN. In 2023, FRN submitted an application for B Corp status with high hopes that the submission will be approved in 2024 (our Owners and Board members are Ocean Robbins and John Robbins, as you might guess).

A B Corp, or benefit corporation, is a type of company that’s recognized for meeting higher standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Corps are committed to generating positive impacts on society and the environment.

The application process includes an extensive review of the company’s mission and where its impact is and is not aligned with that mission. The review looks at things like donation of money, products, or services to social causes and at-risk communities; decreasing pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and production of waste; use of renewable energy and resources; support of tree planting and other forms of carbon sequestration; equitable compensation of team members; integration of mission-related responsibilities into employee performance evaluations and job descriptions; and providing employment and advancement opportunities for women, people of color, and other traditionally marginalized groups.

Since we started FRN in 2012, our mission has been front and center. We’re committed to healthy, ethical, sustainable food for all! So becoming a certified B Corp seems to be a natural next step to formalize our values.

Our 2023 Contributions to the Food Revolution

In 2023, thanks to you, our million+ community members, and 25+ FRN staff, we accomplished an amazing amount.

• We published 106 articles on nutrition, health, and sustainability topics and more than 148 new plant-based recipes. Our content reached more than six million unique readers, and our website was accessed over 13 million times.
• Through customer purchases of our digital products, we supported the planting of over 75,000 organic fruit or nut trees that will sequester more than 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide while providing food to low-income communities with Trees for the Future.
• In terms of non-digital products, Food Revolution Network put out its first physical cookbook this year. Real Superfoods: Everyday Ingredients to Elevate Your Health was published by Hay House on October 31, 2023. Over 9,800 people took part in the Real Superfoods Challenge leading up to its publication. And the book was an Amazon bestseller in its first week!
• Ocean delivered a captivating and inspiring TEDx Talk at the prestigious TEDx Alexander Park this year, and the excitement is contagious! His presentation, entitled “Eating Your Way to Happiness,” has already racked up more than a million views.
• Ocean was a featured speaker at Holistic Holiday at Sea, a plant-based cruise to the Caribbean, where he presented two keynotes. More than 150 FRN members and hundreds of other wellness enthusiasts participated in the cruise. To find out more about the cruise and get a $50 onboard credit for the next one, visit the Holistic Holiday at Sea website.
• Across our social media pages, Food Revolution Network had a combined reach of 5.6 million people, over 6.2 million impressions, and over 560,000 followers. Video content was the preferred medium on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
• The 2023 Food Revolution Summit was a special one, debuting as a full docuseries for the very first time. This year’s Summit reached 437,302 participants who viewed over 209,800 hours of empowering and groundbreaking content.
• We debuted FRN’s first foray into the coaching world with our Plant-Based Coaching Certification (PBCC). New and experienced coaches learned unique skills to help them empower their clients to transform their lives through a plant-based lifestyle. In the first cohort, PBCC welcomed 244 students. Graduation timing is flexible, but by the end of 2023, more than half of the inaugural cohort had already graduated. After completing a brief exam administered by the Lifestyle Prescriptions University in partnership with the nonprofit Lifestyle Medicine University Foundation, graduates received 24 CE/CPD credits from the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching and 24 CE/CPD credits from the CPD Standards Office. Additionally, for RDs/RDNs, all activities offered by the Food Revolution Network’s Plant-Based Coaching Certification were eligible to receive CPEUs by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
• FRN helped over 10,468 people improve their blood sugar balance and metabolic health with our Tackling Type 2 Masterclass and course with Brenda Davis, RD.
• Over 46,990 people received transformative guidance on implementing a healthy diet with our Food for Health Masterclass, and nearly 2,900 went on to enroll in the Plant-Powered & Thriving course it introduces.
• We shared The Need To GROW — an award-winning, solutions-based environmental documentary — with more than 181,300 audience members.
• We gave an awe-inspiring look into the mushroom kingdom to more than 61,600 people with the film Fantastic Fungi.
• The groundbreaking health film From Food to Freedom debuted to over 81,300 viewers.
• Our Healthy Heart Masterclass reached over 23,500 people, with 1,500 enrollments in the Healthy Heart course with holistic integrative cardiologist Mimi Guarneri, MD.
• FRN relaunched our Brain Breakthroughs Masterclass, taught by husband and wife neurologist team Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, to over 31,700 people, and shared their Healthy Brain course with over 1,750 people.
• More than 19,850 people participated in our first-ever Eat the Rainbow Challenge with the reopening of WHOLE Life Club registration.
• We helped over 3,300 people take small steps every day for two weeks with our 14-Day Plant-Powered Accelerator. Participants received healthy eating secrets straight to their inboxes to support lasting changes to their diets.
• And within WHOLE Life Club, we provided 53 Action of the Week videos, 12 expert interviews, 312 recipes, and monthly live member events (In the Kitchen Live Calls, Culinary and Coaching Q&As, and Community Connection Calls) with our WLC community, which has grown to more than 10,000 active members.

The Most Popular Food Revolution Network Blog Posts Published in 2023

These were FRN’s most popular new posts of 2023.

• Is Bone Broth Good for You? (88,432 views)
• Plant-Based Lysine: Do You Need Meat To Get Enough Lysine? (87, 715 views)
• The Importance of Fiber in Gut Health and Hormonal Balance (64,881 views)
• Goitrogens: Should You Worry About Their Effect on Your Thyroid? (58,403 views)
• The Zesty Truth About Limes: Exploring Their Health Benefits and Potential Risks (50,054 views)

The Most Popular Food Revolution Network Recipes of 2023

Snacks dominated the top-viewed recipes list this year, along with a couple of tasty and legume-filled curries. Unsurprisingly, our Super Simple Homemade Date Paste made the top ten again but has been dethroned as the most popular recipe.

Our most popular recipes for 2023 were:

• Easy Cheesy Herbed Crackers (18, 474 views)
• The Best Creamy and Crunchy Snack! (14,486 views)
• Thai Almond Chickpea Curry (13,409 views)
• Super Simple Homemade Date Paste (13,403 views)
• Sweet Red Lentil Curry (13,214 views)
• Creamy Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Pudding (13,206 views)
• Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie (12,376 views)
• Super Seedy Granola (9,794 views)
• Oatmeal Banana Bites (9,393 views)
• Sheet Pan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (9,139 views)

On a Personal Note

In 2023, my dad, colleague, and dear friend — and FRN cofounder — John Robbins, experienced the progression of a health condition, post-polio syndrome, that has had a significant impact on his life and on our family. He is working with it in a profound way, and we shared about it in this video. We have received nearly a thousand deeply moving responses to this sharing, and they have lifted our family’s spirits. The way my dad is working with this condition is profoundly moving to me — and to many other people, too.

My dad and I are profoundly privileged to work with an amazing team of 25+ at FRN. This is, without a doubt, the most friendly, cooperative, dedicated, accountable, and effective team either of us has ever been a part of. The FRN team works virtually, and as much as digital tools like Zoom and Slack allow us to collaborate and be in each others’ lives, they aren’t a perfect substitute for in-the-flesh human interaction. So I’m delighted to share that in October 2023, we hosted our first in-person team retreat since 2019.

Thank You for All that YOU Do

We work hard at FRN, and sometimes the mission that we’ve staked out, along with the tasks and deadlines that bring that mission to life, can feel daunting. So it’s important for us to constantly remind ourselves that the food revolution movement is a mission much bigger than my dad, much bigger than me, much bigger than any one person, and much bigger than the FRN staff. It’s a movement that is growing and gaining traction, saving lives and bringing healing to our world.

And that movement includes you, about whom I’ve saved the last word.

FRN has a voice and influence because of you. When famous and influential people and brands consider whether to partner with us, one of the things they look at is our “reach.” Because we’re over a million members strong, we can work with the folks who gave the world movies like Fantastic Fungi and The Need to GROW. We can interest a book publisher like Hay House in publishing our cookbooks (with another coming back for final editing next week for publication in 2024).

We can attract an all-star lineup to share their ideas in our annual Food Revolution Summit because they know that a huge audience is there to “eat up” their wisdom — and use it to improve the lives of themselves and their loved ones, their communities, and the entire world.

There’s a video that was published in 2009 on YouTube that went viral and has now amassed over 24 million views. Titled “Sasquatch Music Festival 2009 — Guy Starts Dance Party,” it’s a 3-minute clip showing a lone dancer doing a series of pretty goofy moves. After a while, he’s joined by his first follower and then a second. A little over one minute into the video, it suddenly turns into a dance party — a mass movement. The energy grows and becomes contagious. When I first watched it, I wanted to jump through my laptop screen and join in.

Without you, dear reader, my dad, our staff at FRN, and I would still be the first three dancers, enjoying ourselves but lacking impact at scale. Your willingness to embrace the mission and the frequent calls to action — and to share and amplify the messages and make them your own — is what allows us to make the contributions highlighted above.

So please know how absolutely grateful we are to you for all the ways you generously support our work and provide loving and helpful feedback to help us improve. And for all the ways you assume leadership in your families and communities, day in and day out.

Like: Moving toward a plant-based diet. Choosing organic produce when you can. Buying local, from farm stands and farmers markets. Buying less and loving more. Donating to worthy causes. Loving the people you love with your whole heart. Trying new healthy recipes from our blog articles. Sharing articles, films, and healthy food with friends and loved ones.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you for caring about the food that you eat and the food you share with others. Thank you for caring about the well-being of the people who produce that food.

Thank you for aligning your actions and purchases with your values, and for being willing to look at inconvenient truths and adapt your behavior accordingly.

Thank you for all the ways in which you strive to be the change we all wish to see, and to manifest, in the world.

Here’s to all we accomplished together in 2023, and to the healing, compassion, and beauty we’re creating, one meal at a time.

May all be fed. May all be healed. May all be loved.

Ocean Robbins and John Robbins

Cofounders, Food Revolution Network

Tell us in the comments:

• How has the food revolution impacted your life in 2023?
• What was your favorite Food Revolution Network article from this past year? What made it special for you?
• What are you looking forward to in 2024?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Irina_Strelnikova

Read Next:

• Food Revolution Network’s End of Year Review: Looking Back on What We Accomplished in 2022
• Why the Global Rise in Vegan and Plant-Based Eating is No Fad (30x Increase in US Vegans + Other Astounding Vegan Stats)

The post Looking Back: Food Revolution Network’s 2023 Year in Review appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

But by the end of the 20th century, the dieting trend was starting to decline. The reality that diets very rarely produce sustained weight loss started to sink in. People gradually shifted their emphasis from shrinking their size to improving their health.

The Health at Every Size and Body Positivity movements were central to this shift. And the Dove brand received widespread praise for its Real Beauty campaign, featuring models with full-figured bodies.

By the 2010s, polls were showing record lows in the percentage of people who wanted to lose weight, and news outlets were reporting that fewer than 1 in 5 people in the US was dieting. All this spelled trouble for the weight loss industry.

Fast forward to the present day, and — shazam! — the semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have hit the scene. It turns out that people still want to lose weight after all.

The New Weight Loss Drugs

If companies needed reassurance that weight loss can still be big business, they’ve gotten it. Novo Nordisk, the Danish corporation that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, is now the most valuable company in all of Europe, with a market capitalization of $425 billion dollars, an amount greater than the entire economy of Denmark.

But what are these drugs, and how do they work? Are they really that effective for weight loss? What are the benefits of being on them, and what are the side effects? And, more importantly, are they safe?

There are indeed some surprising benefits — and also eye-opening risks — to semaglutide drugs for weight loss. And in this article, we will cover all of them. We’ll even introduce you to an alternative approach that research shows produces weight loss results equal to Ozempic and Wegovy, without the negative side effects. (Hint: it’s not weight loss surgery, and Big Pharma is not involved).

But first, we need to start at the beginning. Should people even try to lose weight in the first place? And why have conventional approaches to weight loss failed them?

A Rise in Obesity and its Health Effects

Over the last 50–75 years, the average weight of the human population has risen steadily, in lockstep with dramatic changes to our food supply.

According to the World Obesity Atlas, by 2035, fully one-half of all people worldwide, over four billion people, will be living with overweight or obesity. And that’s not good news, for many reasons.

There is still a tremendous stigma associated with excess weight, making overweight and obesity difficult to live with, both socially and psychologically. Obviously, we should continue to strive to reduce that stigma. And people should aim to be healthy, and to love and respect themselves, their bodies, and the people around them, no matter their size.

If negative stigma were the only issue, universal size acceptance and body positivity would be the straightforward answer. However, research continues to confirm that body size is not at all irrelevant to human health.

Furthermore, health-promoting efforts like exercise do not fully offset the risks of carrying excess weight. For example, in a large study of over 50,000 people, researchers found that even robust levels of physical activity don’t neutralize the profoundly damaging toll that obesity takes on cardiovascular health.

Alas, excess weight is simply not benign. It’s linked with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, conditions of poor well-being like fatigue and chronic pain, potentially life-ending conditions like heart disease and 13 forms of cancer, and, of course (as we were all reminded by the media over and over in 2020 and 2021), severe illness and potential death from diseases like COVID-19.

Bringing our body composition in line with the body fat ratios that our ancient ancestors used to have may well be the healthiest for longevity, not to mention quality of life along the way.

The Truth Behind Weight Gain and Weight Loss

So, what’s driving all this weight gain?

It’s easy to assume that our sedentary lifestyles are to blame. But research shows that active people in hunter-gatherer tribes actually burn no more calories than sedentary people in the Western world.

How can that be?

It turns out that, when we’re very active, the body compensates by burning significantly less fuel the rest of the time, resulting in little to no change to overall daily energy output.

Keep that in mind the next time you think you’ll go to the gym to “burn off” the food you’ve just eaten. You can do that workout, and it will absolutely be healthy for you overall. But when you come home afterward, your body will shift into low gear. (And after a few days, you will have burned no more total calories than if you had just stayed home.) This is part of the reason why exercise won’t make you thin.

Ultra-Processed Foods

More and more experts are starting to converge on the opinion that the true cause of the obesity pandemic is all the ultra-processed food we’re eating. And indeed, solid research shows that ultra-processed foods drive us to eat more and gain weight quite rapidly.

In fact, even when controlling for total presented calories, energy density, and grams of protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, sugar, and salt, on a processed foods diet (versus an unprocessed diet of nearly identical composition), participants in the above trial ate significantly more and gained weight in as little as two weeks.

People eating ultra-processed foods don’t just gain weight, though. Their brains and bodies change. Inflammation rises, baseline insulin levels go up, and triglycerides increase. Together these changes are associated with leptin resistance, a condition that means the brain never gets the signal to stop eating.

Plus, ultra-processed foods are addictive, creating the same deficit in dopamine receptors that’s characteristic of cocaine and heroin addiction. And this change in brain chemistry causes powerful food cravings that further drive people to overeat.

This is all bad news for humankind because ultra-processed food consumption is only becoming more and more prevalent.

Today, a full two-thirds of the calories children consume is not what their grandmothers would have called “food” at all, but rather industrial concoctions born in a factory and poured into a plastic wrapper. And the trends aren’t stopping — they’re just going global.

Every 10 hours in 2023, a new McDonald’s opened in China, with a record 900 new franchises added by the end of the year. That’s on top of the roughly 1,200 new KFC and Pizza Hut stores that opened in China as well. The US has spread its “cuisine” around the world — with devastating effects.

How the Brain Can Sabotage Weight Loss Efforts

On a personal level, for the 70% of people in industrialized countries today carrying excess weight, the conundrum is that once weight is gained, it’s incredibly difficult to shed for good. And this is by design.

The brain is happy to allow us to gain weight. After all, fat stores are what will keep us alive when food becomes scarce over a long winter. But the brain fiercely protects our current body weight (even if it’s too high for optimal health) by launching a full-fledged hormonal assault when we lose weight. It very deliberately toggles our hormonal dials: lowering thyroid hormones (reducing our metabolism), increasing ghrelin (triggering hunger pangs), and lowering leptin (so the brain comes to think we’re starving), making sustained weight loss about as easy as holding our breath while climbing a long staircase.

Many people engage in yo-yo dieting and ultimately find themselves demoralized. In a nutshell, diets don’t work. People tend to lose perhaps 2–7% of their starting weight (when they might be aiming to lose several times that much). And then, almost always, they gain it back. Indeed, weight loss programs don’t tend to publish results beyond one year, because after that, weight regain is the norm.

Enter Ozempic and Wegovy

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No wonder people are looking for a different solution. And for people who have tried everything else, the new weight loss drugs are offering much-needed hope again. Celebrities of every ilk, from actors, models, and comedians to business magnates and even the former Prime Minister of the UK, are talking about their use of these drugs. But is the hype warranted? Let’s dive in.

What Are the New Weight Loss Drugs and How Do They Work?

Semaglutide drugs were originally designed to help control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. They work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1, which has an appetite-suppressing effect.

Tirzepatide drugs, which are also part of the current weight loss trend, mimic both GLP-1 and the hormone GIP, but overall have a similar effect. They increase insulin released from the pancreas and decrease glucagon from the liver, which balances out blood sugar. As a result, people lose weight because they become less interested in eating.

Additionally, these drugs modulate dopamine levels in the addictive centers in the brain, resulting in fewer cravings and decreased anticipation of pleasure from eating. In animal models (FRN’s stance on the use of animals in medical research is here), these drugs were able to reduce cocaine, amphetamine, alcohol, and nicotine use, too. And in fact, reports are flooding in that people on Ozempic and Wegovy are not just eating less, they’re also smoking fewer cigarettes and losing their taste for alcohol.

With the double whammy of less hunger and fewer food cravings, weight loss results can average upwards of 15% of starting body weight. This is many times greater than what people can expect from a conventional weight loss program.

From that perspective, it definitely is the case that semaglutide drugs can work for weight loss. However, from the perspective of a 300-pound person looking to lose perhaps 35–60% of their body weight, the prospect of losing 15% of their starting weight isn’t exactly a home run.

For context, the average person getting Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery — the approach that results in the most dramatic weight loss but also comes with a 3.34% mortality rate — can expect to lose a lot of weight initially and then regain a fair bit, settling at a net loss of about 25% of their starting weight after five years. Certainly, weight loss surgeries are far more invasive and involve a host of risks. But are weight loss drugs risky, too?

Is Semaglutide Safe?

The question “Are they safe?” requires us to consider our standards for safety and our tolerance for risk. Is driving a car safe? Flying in an airplane? Jumping out of an airplane with a parachute?

One might argue that carrying a lot of excess weight isn’t “safe,” which means it really comes down to managing risk. So, what are the risks of semaglutide and other weight loss drugs?

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

The main side effects of semaglutide drugs are gastrointestinal in nature, and they can range from very mild to severe. Many people who start on these drugs experience symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, sharp pain, belching, gas, bloating, or intestinal blockage.

For some people, the side effects are problematic enough that they stop taking the drug. In fact, many prominent celebrities have done so because it made them feel too sick. But most people find that the side effects subside with continued use. Starting on a low dose and then gradually increasing it can reduce the likelihood that GI symptoms will be debilitating.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any clear long-term data on what these drugs do to the gastrointestinal system over time.

Thyroid Cancer Risk

People taking semaglutide drugs may also have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, so people with a family history of the disease are cautioned not to take them. As a result, the FDA has put a black box warning (its highest level of warning) on the Ozempic and Wegovy packaging for thyroid cancer.

That said, a meta-analysis of 45 randomized controlled trials showed an increase in thyroid disorders, but not thyroid cancer. Because these instances are rare occurrences, more research is needed.

Muscle Reduction

Finally, many outlets have reported that semaglutide drugs reduce lean muscle mass (rather than just fat mass). But there are also several studies that contradict that claim — so the jury is still out on this point.

How Much Does Ozempic or Wegovy Cost?

One of the biggest downsides to semaglutide drugs for weight loss is the financial cost. Getting a weekly injection (and yes, most of these drugs are administered by injection) of Wegovy can cost over $1,300 per month in the US — that’s around $16,000 per year. The drugs are priced significantly lower in other countries (although still expensive). But these sky-high prices are resulting in insurance companies dropping these medications from their plans, so getting coverage can be difficult.

There are innumerable plans, and policies change frequently, so a Google search is not likely to help you determine whether insurance will cover Ozempic or Wegovy. If you have health insurance, the best way to find out is to contact your insurance provider directly. There are some coupons and programs that help people pay for the drugs. But the bottom line is that the financial investment is likely significant.

And the cost doesn’t just impact the user. Any time insurance providers, even including governments, pay for an expensive treatment, the cost is ultimately absorbed by everyone in their covered pool — through higher premiums and/or taxes. This means that if costly weight loss drugs come to be used widely, the price of medical insurance could go up for just about everyone.

Weight Regain

If you’re not prepared to be on the drugs for the rest of your life, then it’s also important to know that, once the drugs are discontinued, most of the weight tends to come back rather quickly.

One large study found that participants regained two-thirds of the total weight they’d lost within the first year of stopping the medication. This is perhaps not surprising. When you stop taking cholesterol medication, you expect your cholesterol to go up again. The same logic applies to semaglutide drugs.

It would be nice if the brain would adapt to your new, lower weight and allow you to maintain it as a “new normal.” But it doesn’t. This means that someone taking the drugs for weight loss will either need to prepare to be on them for life or adopt new lifestyle interventions that will allow them to manage their weight when they wean off.

The trouble is that, when appetite and cravings are artificially suppressed, motivation is not strong to adopt rigorous new eating habits. If the person could have done that in the first place, they would have lost weight without the drug.

Are There Long-Term Studies on the New Weight Loss Drugs?

Unfortunately, no. We don’t have a lot of long-term data on Ozempic or Wegovy. But the first GLP-1 agonist to be approved for type 2 diabetes was Byetta (Exenatide) in 2005. You can think of it as a first cousin to Ozempic and Wegovy.

That drug does have a study on long-term outcomes. Results showed that Exenatide continued to provide blood sugar stabilization to type 2 diabetics with no unexpected adverse events for seven years.

Semaglutide drugs also seem to protect people from death and adverse events from heart disease, so much so that the FDA has approved Ozempic as a treatment for heart disease.

In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial with 17,604 patients, weekly semaglutide injections were found to reduce cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks by 20%.

Are There Alternatives to Ozempic and Wegovy?

Since the Ozempic and Wegovy craze has hit the world, reports have been coming out that eating more fiber (the kind naturally found in whole, plant-based foods) can have a semaglutide-like effect.

Interestingly enough, just the act of chewing increases GLP-1 release. It also decreases the release of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. That’s super interesting because ultra-processed foods are designed to minimize chewing, and experts have highlighted the stark difference in chewing intensity and frequency between eating the standard American diet versus a diet of whole, real foods.

In short, it’s reasonable to conclude that, if you’re eating the right foods, the results that people are getting with Ozempic and Wegovy should be achievable through diet alone.

And, there is a line of research that shows exactly that. Over the past nine years, a habit-based program focused on eliminating ultra-processed foods and eating only whole, real foods, Bright Line Eating, has published weight loss results comparable to semaglutide drugs.

Full disclosure: I developed this program, which grew out of my decades of research in the field, and I’m the CEO and owner of an organization that champions bringing this body of work into the world. The following graph shows the weight loss results, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, of many of the most common commercial weight loss programs, compared with Bright Line Eating and semaglutide drugs.

References:

Click here to view sources

Bright Line Eating is the only commercial weight loss program that addresses the addictive nature of ultra-processed foods. Indeed, it’s tailored mainly for people who score between 7 and 10 on a Food Addiction Susceptibility Scale that goes from 1–10. By taking this short quiz, you can see how you score.

Research also shows that losing weight within a community like Bright Line Eating is associated with positive “side effects” such as higher energy, greater feelings of connection, better quality of life, decreased depression, and fewer days of poor mental health — and that with this way of eating, hunger and food cravings go steadily down.

The Future of the Weight Loss Industry

Without a doubt, the genie is out of the bottle. Weight loss drugs are here to stay. And the development of further drugs in this category is progressing rapidly.

Currently, the drugs approved for weight loss require regular injections because the peptides in semaglutide don’t absorb well through the digestive system. But Novo Nordisk has innovated a pill form of semaglutide called Rybelsus that the FDA has already approved for the treatment of diabetes.

In November of 2023, the FDA also approved Zepbound, a new tirzepatide drug developed by Eli Lilly, for weight loss. Given the multibillion-dollar market that’s available here, there’s no doubt that the rapid development of new options will continue. And as generics come out (Novo Nordisk’s patent on Ozempic expires December 5, 2031), the cost will eventually come down at least somewhat from the current stratospheric levels.

About 45% of people polled in the US say they would consider taking a weight loss drug. That comes down to 16% if it’s not covered by insurance. But these are people who have come to believe that sustained weight loss is largely impossible without a pharmacological or surgical solution.

But the results of Bright Line Eating highlight the reality that lifestyle-based approaches are worth pursuing, and that ultra-processed food addiction needs to be addressed for people to be successful.

Losing weight when you’re hungry and plagued by food cravings is unsustainable. We now live in a world where there are drugs that can take away excessive hunger and addictive food cravings. But emerging evidence shows that we can eat to reduce hunger and cravings as well. Not to be Twiggy, but to be healthy.

Tell us in the comments:

• Are you trying to lose weight or have you tried to in the past?
• What do you find most challenging about weight loss?
• Do you plan on trying a semaglutide drug like Wegovy or a more natural alternative?

Featured Image: iStock.com/CR

Read Next:

• What No One Tells You About Weight Loss
• 11 Top Weight Loss-Friendly Foods

The post Are Semaglutide Drugs Like Wegovy and Ozempic Safe and Effective for Weight Loss? appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Eating leftovers day after day can also get old. And having one or two ingredients left after preparing a dish feels like a waste as it creates extra work in figuring out what to do with those scraps. So, what are some tasty and easy-to-implement ways to use up those holiday leftovers to prevent food waste?

First Off, Wasting Food Is, Well… A Waste!

Food waste is a big issue in the US and other industrialized countries. According to the USDA, food waste is estimated to be 30–40% of the food supply in the United States, increasing by 25% during the holidays. And in China, household waste is 10% of all food purchased, with the largest category being fruits and vegetables.

That being said, there they are, those leftover food scraps staring you right in the face on your plate, or in your fridge. Maybe you took more food than you could eat at once. Or you didn’t end up using an entire fruit or vegetable for a recipe. So what do you do with those food scraps before they go bad? Don’t throw them away! You can save those scraps in a bin or airtight container in your refrigerator. Or check out our article How to Use Food Scraps for all the know-how on making the most of those bits and pieces.

Another tip to avoid food waste is to not leave perishable food out for longer than two hours. If you’re planning on having a buffet-style meal with people coming and going throughout the day, consider placing cold, perishable food over ice or hot food over warming plates to keep everything at the proper temperature.

Or, if your party is more of a sit-down dinner, consider taking perishable food out of the refrigerator just before your guests arrive and putting it away immediately after they leave. If friends or family members still have food on their plate, or you have a significant amount of leftovers, consider providing eco-friendly to-go containers.

Store Leftovers Efficiently

Properly storing food and consuming it within a safe time period is key when it comes to perishable foods. The USDA recommends consuming refrigerated leftovers within four days. And storage containers should be airtight. You’ll want to practice first in, first out for prepared food — use up what you have on hand first before opening something new.

Another option is to freeze vegetables or whole meals. Portioning them into individual serving containers makes it easier to grab and go as needed.

Leftover dry goods and pantry staples can continue to be stored in a cool dark place (like a cabinet or pantry) in airtight containers. Things like whole grains, legumes, and flour do have expiration dates. Therefore, make sure to store them properly, use them before they expire, or consider freezing them to extend shelf life.

Visit our blog posts Healthy Plant-Based Pantry Food Essentials for tips on setting up a plant-based pantry and 10 Easy Pantry Meals to Make Using Minimal Ingredients for ideas on how to use those staples.

Get Creative and Think Outside the Box

When it comes to reusing leftovers, allow your creativity to shine. Think beyond what they were intended for. For example, “dinner food” doesn’t only have to be eaten at dinner. A savory breakfast can be delicious, or you can split meals up into snacks.

For an additional bit of flavor and nutrition, add a plant-based sauce to veggie dishes. Cauliflower Squash Cheese Sauce is a house fave, or try one of these homemade sauces.

Have ingredients left over that you tend to only use during the holiday? Try googling (or Ecosia-ing if you like to plant trees while you search) the name of your leftover ingredients along with the word “recipe” and see what pops up. You just might find yourself a new favorite dish, like Green Bean Casserole or a twist on mashed potatoes!

Ideas for Using Up Holiday Leftovers

Watch the video below for more creative ways to use up leftovers and create new recipes.

Leftovers Recipes

Need fresh ideas on how to use up your holiday leftovers? Even if you don’t have leftover food scraps from the holidays, you can still give new life to batch-cooked items from your weekly meal prep. These highly adaptable and delicious plant-based leftovers recipes will spark new life with whatever you have on hand!

1. Harvest Grain Breakfast Bowl

If you love the idea of leftovers for breakfast, this is the recipe for you! Harvest Grain Breakfast Bowl is a wonderful way to use up leftover veggies you may have been holding on to as well as batch-cooked grains you may have on hand. Those leftover ingredients will come straight to life once you give them a try with this recipe’s creamy orange tahini dressing, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and sweet dried cranberries. The fall flavors add a pop of freshness and zing that makes even the simplest leftover ingredients into a winning recipe.

2. Energizing White Bean and Kale Soup

This soup has it all — lots of colors, tons of flavor, and the ability for customization based on whatever you have on hand. Perhaps you have some leftover collard greens from your family’s latest gathering. Or maybe you have leftover homemade vegetable broth from the food scraps you saved up during the week. Taking full advantage of any unused ingredients is a wonderful way to explore kitchen creativity, prevent food waste, and create a tasty meal, all at the same time. We think you’ll love this nourishing beans-and-greens leftover soup!

3. Green Bean Casserole

Casseroles are one of the easiest ways to use up any leftovers, especially if you have a leftover condiment or two. Just throw all the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake it in the oven. This Green Bean Casserole is seemingly indulgent but loaded with nutrition, and makes using up leftover mushroom gravy and cashew sour cream a breeze. Plus, the crispy (baked) onions on top take this recipe from good to great!

Eat Your Leftovers!

Don’t let leftover conundrums add to any holiday stress. With some proper planning and storage, a bit of curiosity, and a little creativity, you’ll be able to give those leftovers a second and third (tasty) life.

For starters, give some of the ideas in the video a try, or make one of the recipes provided. Let us know what you think. Or, if you have your own favorite way to use leftover dishes and ingredients, please share!

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite way to use up leftovers?
• What’s currently in your veggie scrap bin, and how will you use those veggies?
• What’s the first tip you’ll try to reduce food waste this holiday season?

Featured Image: iStock.com/KoliadzynskaIryna

Read Next:

• How to Cook: How to Keep Produce Fresh to Avoid Food Waste

The post How to Cook: What to Do with Holiday Leftovers appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Turmeric’s nutritional profile has also led to its status as a superfood for its multitude of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds. In fact, Food Revolution Network recently published a cookbook called Real Superfoods — written by Ocean Robbins with recipes by yours truly — where turmeric features prominently in many a recipe.

In addition to flavoring dishes and lending its powerful health benefits, turmeric also contributes its bright yellow color, which has led to its use as a natural food dye. (And if you’ve ever spilled curry on your shirt, you know that turmeric is also a powerful and permanent fabric dye.)

So how can you reap the highly prized benefits of turmeric? And what are some ways you can incorporate it into your own cooking?

In this article, we’ll look at where you can find the golden spice, whether it’s better fresh or dried, and how to use turmeric in recipes.

What Does Turmeric Taste Like?

I’m going to sound like a wine sommelier for a minute here because turmeric is a complex spice that isn’t easy to describe. So here goes nothing. I’d say that the best words for the flavor of turmeric are “earthy,” “fragrant,” and “somewhat bitter.” I might also throw in “peppery” and “pungent” for good measure. Those attributes, as well as the spice’s bright yellow color and potent health benefits, can be traced back to curcumin, the active compound in turmeric that’s a proud member of the polyphenol family.

And while turmeric bears a close resemblance to some curry powders, it’s not the same thing. You can often find turmeric as an ingredient in curry, which is actually a spice blend that also features cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, among others (this curry is brought to you by the letter C).

Where to Buy Turmeric

Like curry powder, you can find dried, powdered turmeric in most grocery and health stores in the US and throughout the industrialized world. You can also find it online and at Indian grocery stores. Both of these options are good sources if you plan to use it often and prefer to buy it in bulk.

Fresh turmeric is harder to find. In the US, the tropical plant is grown mainly in Florida and Hawaii, where it’s in season from winter to summer. If you live in a tropical zone, you may be able to get fresh turmeric at a local farmers market. But because it’s hard to find US-grown turmeric, the US is actually the world’s largest importer of turmeric.

Some Western grocery stores (including Sainsbury’s in the UK and Publix, Walmart, and Whole Foods in the US) may carry fresh turmeric. It looks a bit like fresh ginger root, except the turmeric root is thinner and yellower. Natural foods and Indian grocery stores may also have it in stock. In Europe, the Netherlands has become the champion turmeric purchaser, surpassing the UK following the trade upheavals that accompanied Brexit.

However, India is the world’s largest producer of turmeric, with the majority coming from the state of Andhra Pradesh. The two turmeric growing seasons in India are February–May and August–October.

If you happen to be in India, you will have no trouble finding turmeric at the many spice markets in towns and cities across the country. The Indian healing tradition of Ayurveda has venerated turmeric for millennia for its culinary and medicinal properties. It’s also used on religious occasions and in wedding ceremonies. Brides don necklaces dyed with turmeric. And in the pre-wedding haldi ceremony, couples and loved ones are smeared with a turmeric paste.

How to Choose and Store Turmeric

Like its cousin ginger, turmeric is a rhizome, or subterranean plant stem. Shop for fresh turmeric the same way you would for ginger: Look for pieces that are plump, firm, and free of soft bits, mold, or cuts. The root should have a bright orange or yellowish color.

A healthy turmeric rhizome will keep for a couple of weeks in your refrigerator. Store it in a produce bag with a paper towel wrapped around the root to absorb moisture and prevent mold.

After cutting fresh turmeric, store it in an airtight container. You can also freeze turmeric. So if you find a nice root at a good price, you can preserve the goodness for up to six months. Just cut it into pieces first, and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container. For bonus points, peel or scrape off the skin, so you have cooking-ready turmeric as soon as you pull it from the freezer. Frozen turmeric is delightful to grate, as long as you remember to stop before adding your fingertips to the recipe.

Dried turmeric, like many other dried herbs and spices, can last up to three years. If you like, you can try your hand at making your own turmeric powder by first drying turmeric in a food dehydrator. After it’s dry, you just break it down in a food processor or blender and store it in a cool, dry place.

How to Cut and Prep Fresh Turmeric

Before using fresh turmeric, wash it well to remove any dirt. Research shows the best way to clean produce of any kind is in a solution of baking soda and water. This not only cleans the item but also helps remove surface pesticides.

Fresh turmeric can stain your hands, cutting boards, clothing, and pretty much anything else it touches. If you aren’t into temporary amber-colored tattoos, you may want to use kitchen gloves when cutting the roots.

Peeling turmeric is optional, but may be a good idea texture-wise since it removes the papery skin. Once peeled (or not; you do you!), the most common ways to prepare it for cooking are grating or thinly slicing the pieces.

Increasing its Bioavailability

While turmeric is a culinary superstar on its own, it’s also a team player with other spices. Pairing fresh or dried turmeric with black pepper increases the bioavailability of its curcumin.

While most of the research on this phenomenon has been conducted on rats, the levels are astounding and probably apply to humans as well.

A 2010 study found that adding pepper to turmeric that was fed to epileptic rats (our view on the use of animals in medical research is here) increased the absorption of turmeric by a whopping 20 times.

Another study (with human subjects) found that 2 grams of curcumin combined with 20 milligrams of piperine (the active component in black pepper) increased the bioavailability of curcumin by 2,000%! As you can see, you don’t need much black pepper to significantly increase the effects of curcumin.

If black pepper isn’t something you routinely add to meals, heat and the addition of fat alongside turmeric (like in FRN’s Creamy Golden Milk below) can also increase curcumin’s absorption — although these two methods are less effective than black pepper.

How to Use Turmeric

If you’d like to use fresh turmeric in a recipe that calls for dried turmeric powder, a one-inch piece of fresh turmeric is the equivalent of one teaspoon of dried turmeric.

Now that you know that, however, what are some of the best ways to use turmeric in your diet? Here are just a few ideas:

• Raw and grated over salads
• Cooked into stir-fries and rice
• Steeped to make tea
• Mixed into drinks like smoothies or golden milk
• As part of a homemade spice blend for curries and other Indian dishes
• In stews, soups, and chilies
• In baked goods
• In sauces, dressings, and marinades
• To color tofu when used as an egg substitute, like in tofu scramble and breakfast hash (pro hint: you need less turmeric than you think)

Turmeric Recipes

Turmeric is a diverse and nourishing spice that is warming, comforting, and nourishing with its earthy flavor and vibrant golden hues. Whether you choose to use fresh or dried turmeric, there is no shortage of creative and delicious ways to enjoy the benefits of this healing spice. Discover some of the best ways to cook with turmeric!

1. Turmeric Tahini Slaw

Turmeric Tahini Slaw is a simple yet creative way to enjoy the healing benefits of turmeric, whether on its own as a crunchy and craveable salad, or as a topping for tacos, burgers, burritos, or grain bowls. There’s plenty of fiber, a cornucopia of colorful veggies, and powerful anti-inflammatory benefits from turmeric — what’s not to love?

2. The Ultimate Immune-Supporting Soup

The Ultimate Immune-Supporting Soup can help you feel well in cold weather and beyond. This savory soup is filled with powerful spices, including turmeric, ginger, and cumin, and alliums, like garlic and leek. Along with herbs and spices, it’s bountiful with cruciferous veggies and plant-based protein, too. Enjoy a big bowlful of this turmeric recipe whenever you need a boost in nutrition!

3. Buckwheat, Tofu, and Broccoli Curry

Hearty, satisfying, and invigorating, thanks to curry spices, plant-based protein, chewy buckwheat, and crunchy broccoli, this dish delivers flavor, texture, and nutrition. Turmeric gives this superfood buckwheat curry a deeply rich golden color (and lots of anti-inflammatory power) that will warm you from the inside out — which may have you glowing from the inside out, too.

4. Saffron Turmeric Rice

Fluffy, fragrant, and full of flavor, Saffron Turmeric Rice is a savory and vibrant fusion of fragrant saffron-infused brown rice. Along with the pure anti-inflammatory goodness of golden turmeric, this recipe creates a delightful rice dish that ranks high in nutrition. It’s also a fun and tasty way to enjoy the healing powers of both saffron and turmeric!

5. Zesty Turmeric Ginger Carrot Cake

Fresh ginger and turmeric bring this wholesome carrot cake to life. These two spices are anti-inflammatory superstars with their phytonutrients gingerol and curcumin, respectively. Heat activates the curcumin in turmeric. But you also have the option of adding a bit of black pepper to the dry ingredients, which has been shown to be most effective in turning on curcumin’s magical powers. Enjoy a slice of this carrot cake with your favorite plant-based milk, and let dessert nourish you!

6. Ginger Turmeric Pineapple Lemonade

Refreshing, yet invigorating and healing — that’s how this soothing Ginger Turmeric Pineapple Lemonade feels as you’re sipping and savoring it. Use fresh ginger and turmeric if you’re able to find them, as they really make a difference in the flavor of the drink. However, ground turmeric and ginger are lovely options as well (and just as healing as fresh). Let this drink comfort you as you’re enjoying a relaxing activity!

7. FRN’s Creamy Golden Milk

If you love a bit of earthiness paired with a creamy texture and a touch of spice, then this golden milk is for you. Sip on this healing tonic in the morning as a replacement for coffee or as a calming beverage before bedtime, preparing your body for deep sleep. One of our favorite ingredients, tahini, gives this golden milk recipe a little extra creamy sweetness and is a great way to absorb the benefits of healing turmeric.

Get Cooking with Turmeric!

Now that you know how to choose, store, and use turmeric, you can welcome this golden spice into your kitchen to transform ordinary dishes into extraordinary culinary creations. Its earthy and somewhat bitter notes, complemented by the magical health benefits of curcumin, make it a valuable spice across various cuisines, from Indian curries to Middle Eastern delicacies.

And when it comes to incorporating turmeric into your culinary adventures, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Experiment with turmeric-infused recipes, creating dishes that delight both your taste buds and your well-being.

Tell us in the comments:

• Do you already cook with turmeric? What are your favorite dishes using the spice?
• Have you ever seen fresh turmeric root at your market or grocer? If so, have you tried it?
• Which turmeric recipe will you try next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Madeleine_Steinbach

Read Next:

• What Is Curry? — And How to Use It in Your Kitchen
• What Is Cumin, and Should You Eat It for Your Health?

The post Terrific Turmeric Recipes: How to Use Turmeric appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

At first glance, the operations of We Are The New Farmers and iwi could not look more different. One occupies a 1,200-square-foot space in a warehouse on the waterfront in Brooklyn, New York, where a microscopic organism called Arthrospira platensis grows in stainless steel tanks illuminated by grow lights. The other sits on 300 acres of scrubland in West Texas, where a similar single-celled species thrives in brackish ponds surrounded by mesquite and javelinas.

Despite the vastly different settings and scale, these companies are tackling the same challenge: producing food for a world in which fresh water and arable land are increasingly scarce.

With as many as 10 billion people crowding the planet by 2050, the world’s farmland, strained by extreme weather events, will be hard-pressed to churn out enough calories to feed everyone. It doesn’t help that the Western US is seeing the worst drought in 1,200 years, and American farmers are experiencing lower yields and livestock forage as a result. Or that the US has lost 11 million acres of farmland to development in the last 20 years.

Enter microalgae, a life-form that, like a plant, gets its energy through photosynthesis. It can grow in fresh, brackish, or salt water, and it doesn’t need soil.

While most often used in animal feed and nutritional supplements, algae like the kind We Are The New Farmers and iwi grow is gaining attention as a sustainable food for humans. It is “a crop for people who want to turn climate-stressed land into more productive, more resilient forms of agriculture,” says Jonas Guenther, cofounder of We Are The New Farmers, which started producing Arthrospira platensis — more commonly known as spirulina — in 2017. The start-up’s dark green food product, which has the consistency of hummus, can add protein, vitamins, and minerals to anything from smoothies to veggie meatballs.

The wide range of possible environments and the speed with which the single-celled organisms grow leads Miguel Calatayud, the CEO of iwi, to call microalgae “kind of perfection.” His nutraceutical company plans to make it a central ingredient in a line of protein bars and drinks later this year. “It’s unbelievable, like it’s coming from a different planet,” he says. “This is really a revolution in farming.”

Growing Algae

At iwi’s farm in West Texas, in a region where most conventional crops struggle to get enough water, the microalgae Nannochloropsis thrives. Iwi pumps brackish water from aquifers that have grown saltier over time from generations of agricultural use, and the algae love it. And since it’s grown in ponds, soil quality is irrelevant.

Algae is pretty much the most efficient organism at converting sunlight into nutrients.

Sean Raspet, Co-Founder and Product Developer of Nonfood

The growing process itself is also incredibly water-efficient. “It sounds counterintuitive because it grows in water,” says Guenther. During harvesting, the tank-grown spirulina makes several trips through a filter to remove more than 90% of the H₂O. The same goes for the Nannochloropsis grown in iwi’s open ponds. That reclaimed liquid nourishes the next round in a process that can be repeated several times.

Outdoor ponds inevitably lose more water to evaporation than indoor operations. “We can’t get around that,” says Jakob Nalley, iwi’s director of agronomy. But those losses are offset by how much protein algae provides with the relatively little water and land it requires, he says.

One analysis found that microalgae yields between 22 and 44 tons of protein per hectare, depending on the region. That’s as much as 36 times the amount from soybeans. It helps that the entire organism is edible — algae has no stems, no roots, and no leaves. It also grows at a staggering rate; under ideal conditions, spirulina, for example, can double its biomass in as little as 48 hours.

“It’s explosive growth,” Guenther says. Given that, algae can be harvested as often as every few days. And indoor systems can be customized with the ideal temperature, light, and salinity levels for a given strain, making the yields even higher and more consistent throughout the year. (It’s even possible to grow it without any light at all.)

“Algae is pretty much the most efficient organism at converting sunlight into nutrients,” says Sean Raspet, cofounder and product developer at Nonfood, which produces a microalgae powder meant to supplement savory food dishes. Raspet and others also celebrate the crop’s minimal “resource footprint” —  most algae operations do not use pesticides, and although they all require electricity to run, they don’t need fossil-fuel-intensive equipment like tractors.

Eating Algae

When Guenther first learned of spirulina in 2017, he recalls asking himself: “If we have this magic crop, if you will, why is it not something that we eat a lot more?”

Of course, you can’t eat the scum on the sides of a pool or poisonous algal blooms, but humans have been enjoying a handful of edible algae varieties for hundreds of years, if not longer. The Aztecs harvested spirulina and ate it as a dried cake. And it has long been harvested from Lake Kossorom in Chad, as well as in many countries in Asia. But algae is not a regular part of the modern diet in the Western world.

Guenther learned that microalgae’s primary market for humans is in the form of nutritional supplements because many varieties are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Companies like EarthRise, Nutrex Hawaii, and iwi grow algae for exactly that purpose. But Guenther saw an opportunity to use algae as the foundation of a whole range of foods.

“We want to create a world in which microalgae is a staple in every kitchen, making any meal better, brighter, and more sustainable,” says Guenther.

The folks at Nonfood had a similar idea: The best way of expanding algae production, they thought, was to produce an appealing product consumers could easily add to almost any dish. Nongredient, which is microalgae in powdered form, can be used in stews, curries, salads, and more, enriching them with protein and healthy fats. Cofounder Lucy Chinen says it has an umami flavor profile, and she compares it to nutritional yeast, a product vegans turn to for its savory, cheesy flavor.

Chinen isn’t aiming to create the next fake meat product. Algae stands on its own as both a historical food and something novel. “There’s a lot of talk… about meat replacements and stuff like that,” she says. “Nonfood is not really a replacement for anything.”

Scaling Up Microalgae Production

According to the Department of Energy, 139,886 square miles of land in the United States is suitable for microalgae ponds — a figure that does not include current cropland, forests, or environmentally sensitive areas. That’s larger than New Mexico. Although that analysis was aimed at expanding biofuel production, the fact remains there is plenty of land available to grow algae, regardless of its end use.

But a few hurdles need to be addressed for the algae industry to reach its full potential. Algae start-ups are tackling consumer barriers to embracing algae as a food by demonstrating just how many ways it can be eaten.

Another barrier to seeing algae in more kitchens is its cost. But We Are The New Farmers believes it can make algae more affordable by increasing yields. It is experimenting with injecting carbon, which drives algae growth. They predict the increased productivity, along with expanding production, will bring down retail prices. Iwi, which uses about 20% of its ponds, hopes its new algae bars and drinks will bring production to full scale.

Guenther hopes that by 2050, one-fifth of protein consumed worldwide will come from algae. While most of it won’t be produced in high-density areas, like the New York warehouse his company occupies, he sees growing algae in cities as a way to decentralize the supply chain. “Instead of building one large facility somewhere in the middle of nowhere where it’s super cheap, I’d rather have six facilities close to a major population,” he says. “And if there’s one thing we learned during the pandemic, it’s that being reliant on just one single stream of output is not the best way of operating.”

No one is arguing algae will become humanity’s primary source of food. But there is a growing understanding among environmental scientists, algae producers, and consumers that the magical single-celled organism, which thrives pretty much everywhere, could be a critical part of our culinary future. “We believe in the potential of microalgae to reimagine how we eat,” says Guenther. He hopes for “a circular future in which what we consume supports — rather than depletes — the planet we live on.”

For any environment, from abandoned industrial buildings to regions where the water is too salty for terrestrial crops, there is a type of algae (and a type of growing method) that can work. And that versatility is its power. “We can bring farming to places in the world where farming wasn’t even a concept,” says Calatayud.

Tell us in the comments:

• Would you eat algae?
• Have you ever had spirulina or another algae-based food product?
• What other sustainable crops are contributing to the future of food?

Featured Image: Mihály Köles on Unsplash

Read Next:

• Are Sea Vegetables Good for You and the Planet? — And Are Some Better Than Others?
• Are Green Powders Healthy?

The post Why Algae Could Be a “Magic Crop” for a Drought-Stricken World appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

The collapse didn’t happen, thanks to, depending on what you believe, the hundreds of millions of dollars spent upgrading code in the late 90s (whoops, 1990s) or because there was never any real risk of calamity.

But the hype — some would say hysteria — that gripped many as January 1, 2000, was approaching forced the world to consider what would happen if our information networks shut down. Now, imagine if those information networks were inside your body instead.

Your nervous system is kind of like a miniature version of the internet. Your bodily tissue (or fascia) contains approximately 250 million nerve endings, all of which are continuously gathering and sharing electrical impulses back and forth between your brain and the rest of your body. When everything works well, you can just go about your day without giving your nerves a second thought.

But when even a few of those quarter billion nerve endings are damaged or otherwise dysfunctional, you may experience a cascade of calamities throughout your body. Damaged nerves can’t deliver electrical signals optimally, or in some cases at all. This dysfunction can cause pain and a number of other symptoms, including the sensation of pins and needles, muscle problems, and even loss of normal bodily functions like digestion and breathing.

The word for this kind of nerve damage is neuropathy.

Many neurologists recommend surgery or medications as first-line treatments for neuropathy, and in fact, many advanced cases can benefit from this approach. But there’s evidence that some neuropathies, especially in their early stages, could benefit more from what’s in your pantry than what’s in your medicine cabinet.

In this article, we’ll look at neuropathy nutrition and the relationship between what we eat and nerve health.

What Is Neuropathy?

Neuropathy is the medical term for damage to nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. This damage can cause pain, numbness, weakness, and other uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous symptoms. It’s also called peripheral neuropathy, as it disproportionately affects nerve endings that are located closer to the body’s extremities than the core.

Neuropathy can mess up nerve signals in three ways. It can lead to complete loss of signaling, inappropriate signaling, or distortion of the messages that are sent.

If only one nerve is affected, that’s called mononeuropathy. A common mononeuropathy is carpal tunnel syndrome, which is often caused by repetitive use damage to the median nerve of the arm. Polyneuropathy, which involves multiple nerves (and not talking parrots), is the more common condition.

Types of Neuropathy

There are also subcategories of neuropathy, named for the nerve function they affect.

Motor Neuropathy

Motor neuropathy interferes with the movement of the muscles typically under conscious control, such as those used for walking, grasping things, or talking. Examples include muscle weakness or shrinking, or uncontrollable muscle twitching (which is also called fasciculation).

Sensory Neuropathy

Sensory neuropathy interferes with the transmission of sensory data from the extremities to the brain, such as temperature, the pain from a paper cut (ouch!), the feeling of a light touch, or information about the location of limbs in relation to one another. This can lead to loss of reflexes, coordination, or balance; burns or infections because there’s no impulse to pull away from a hot stove or clean a wound; and feeling pain from stimuli that aren’t actually harmful, such as the weight of a blanket on the feet.

Autonomic Neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy impairs the brain’s ability to regulate activities that people do not control consciously, such as breathing, digesting food, and heart and gland functions. People who suffer from this type of neuropathy can experience heat intolerance and excessive sweating, light-headedness from low blood pressure, and vision problems, among other things.

Proximal Neuropathy

Proximal neuropathy is a type of nerve damage centered in the hip, buttock, or thigh. It usually causes pain in just one side of the body.

Focal Nerve Neuropathy

Focal nerve neuropathy affects a single nerve and may cause symptoms such as double vision, weakness on one side of the body, or partial paralysis, and associated pain. This type most often targets nerve endings in the legs, hands, head, or torso.

What Causes Neuropathy?

There are more than 100 different conditions, both inherited and developed, that can lead to neuropathy. But a few of them cause the vast majority of cases.

Neuropathy and Diabetes

Diabetes, both types 1  and 2, commonly causes neuropathy. That’s because high glucose levels can damage the small blood vessels that supply your nerves. As those nerves cannot access the nutrients they need, their fibers suffer damage and they may eventually die. At this writing, there’s no known way to reverse the damage once the nerves have atrophied. But there are many ways to prevent and reverse prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. (I hosted a whole masterclass on the topic with diabetes expert Brenda Davis, RD — to watch it for free click here.)

Neuropathy and Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases cause harm by attacking the body’s own cells and tissues as if they belonged to a foreign invader. Two autoimmune conditions that target the nerves include Guillain-Barré syndrome and celiac disease.

Guillain-Barré syndrome typically presents after a gastrointestinal or respiratory infection, or following a vaccination. For some reason, the immune system responds to these challenges by starting to destroy the myelin sheath that surrounds the axons of many nerve cells. It can then progress to damaging the axons themselves.

Most people recover fully, a process that can last from a few weeks to a few years. But in some cases, the neuropathy progresses to paralysis that can threaten the ability to breathe.

The most common form of neuropathy that accompanies celiac disease involves both motor and sensory nerves. Other autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren’s syndrome, are linked to both neuropathy and celiac disease. Because the nerve damage appears to be triggered by exposure to gluten, symptoms may improve or even resolve on a gluten-free diet.

Neuropathy and Alcoholism

Neuropathy is among the most common negative side effects of chronic alcohol overconsumption. It typically shows up as pain, pins and needles, and lack of muscle control in the lower extremities. Alcohol, it turns out, directly poisons nerves. And the poor nutrition that often accompanies alcoholism is a separate risk factor for neuropathy. Patients who abuse alcohol also tend to consume fewer other calories, and their gastrointestinal tracts struggle to absorb the nutrients they do encounter.

Because alcoholism is a chronic condition, the neuropathy it causes may become permanent. But in cases that are caught early enough, stopping alcohol consumption may help improve neuropathy.

Other Causes of Neuropathy

Toxins other than alcohol can also cause neuropathy, among them mercury, certain types of toxic mold, and chemotherapy drugs. Injury and trauma can also induce neuropathy if it involves compression or crushing of a nerve, as can happen in automobile accidents, falls, sports, and even some medical procedures.

What Vitamins and Minerals Help with Neuropathy?

We know that certain vitamins and minerals are essential for healthy nerve function. And a lot of studies have looked at specific nutrients focused on supplemental forms and doses, but very few have looked at the impact of dietary nutrients on neuropathy. So it makes sense that one of the best ways to reduce your odds of developing neuropathy is to eat a diet rich in the nutrients known to nourish your nerves. But unfortunately, the evidence for this statement is a bit indirect and circumstantial. Therefore, let’s look at the specific nutrients that have been studied, remembering that all of these nutrients are available in foods as well as in supplements.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 helps your body produce a substance called myelin that shields some nerves and helps them transmit information and sensations faster and more efficiently. You can think of them as the insulation on electrical cables and wires. Getting enough B12 is essential for your health, and specifically for the prevention of neuropathy, which is the most common symptom of B12 deficiency.

Supplementing with B12 (especially in plant-based eaters who have a harder time getting this nutrient from food) can improve peripheral neuropathy, including the forms that are primarily caused by diabetes.

For more on B12, including how to ensure that you’re getting enough along with the best plant-based sources, check out our comprehensive article: Vitamin B12: Why it’s Important and How to Avoid B12 Deficiency.

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, is also a critical nutrient for your nerves. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a B1 deficiency, something that’s seen as part of the cluster of symptoms associated with beriberi. That’s because B1 plays a key role as a coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism, which is the main energy supply for nerve fibers. It also protects nerves from oxidative damage.

Supplementing (with food-based thiamine or with a synthetic analogue, benfotiamine) or eating foods rich in B1 can help prevent or treat deficiency and neuropathy. In severe cases, patients may need intravenous thiamine to relieve symptoms.

Vitamin B3

Another neurological superhero from the B-Vitamin Cinematic Universe is vitamin B3, aka niacin. B3 plays a key role in the development and survival of nerve cells. Studies of rats have shown that supplementation with this family of vitamins can protect against nerve pain and injury, preserve muscle function and vision, and lessen pain and discomfort. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

For people who are dealing with ongoing neuropathy, B3 supplementation appears to help only when done in combination with other B vitamins. When neuropathy is associated with cardiovascular disease, there’s research indicating that B3 may work better in conjunction with statins.

For more on the B vitamin family, check out our article: What B Vitamins Do You Need — And What Are The Best Vegan Sources of B Vitamins?

Vitamin E

Your central and peripheral nervous systems are both big fans (and avid users) of vitamin E. Deficiency of this nutrient negatively affects both systems and can lead to peripheral neuropathy. That’s because not having enough vitamin E can cause changes in peripheral nerves and hasten the loss of a type of neuron known as a DRG cell. DRG — dorsal root ganglia — cells are of particular importance because they are afferent neurons, conveying information inward from the body to the brain and spinal cord.

A 2014 study found that vitamin E supplementation reduced neuropathic pain in patients with diabetes. And a 2021 study of people with peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy also found that vitamin E supplementation was an effective treatment.

For more on vitamin E, including its health benefits and some possible risks of supplementation (spoiler alert: it’s probably better to get it from food than from pills!), read our article on Vitamin E Benefits: Why it Matters & the Best Places to Find It.

Magnesium

Magnesium is important for the nerves to transmit messages optimally, as well as for neuromuscular coordination. Magnesium plays a bunch of roles in the nervous system, including keeping overexcited nerve cells from self-destructing. In blocking a nerve receptor called N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), magnesium both calms the nervous system and prevents pain hypersensitivity.

Patients with diabetic neuropathy also tend to have lower levels of magnesium in their blood. And a 2015 study of rats showed improved neurological function recovery and enhanced nerve regeneration with a high-magnesium diet.

Find out more about magnesium in our article: All About Magnesium: Health Benefits, Risks, & Magnesium-Rich Foods You Should Know About.

Omega-3s

Omega-3s are another nutrient group that’s essential for the development and maintenance of healthy nerves. They can help prevent the death of nerve cells and improve their function by chilling out pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways.

A 2017 study that gave supplements of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA to mice showed that the supplementation sped up their nerve regeneration and, based on observations of a reduction of pain behaviors, reduced their pain as well.

A 2021 study of humans with diabetic neuropathy also found that the lower the plasma DHA levels, the more prevalent multiple neuropathies were. Giving the subjects omega-3 therapy led to greater nerve regeneration.

Find out more about omega-3s in our comprehensive article: Omega-3s: Why Are They Important — And What Are the Best Sources for Your Health?

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that your body manufactures in the mitochondria (or energy center) of your cells. It works to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS), and helps with neuropathy by improving circulation and enhancing the dilation of blood vessels. It also helps suppress a cytokine called prostaglandin E2, which is a key compound involved in inflammation. By affecting several different pathways of oxidative stress, alpha-lipoic acid may reduce sensory neuropathy pain.

Foods That May Help with Neuropathy

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What to Avoid with Neuropathy

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Recipes That May Help with Neuropathy

Increasing consumption of healing plant-based foods could be a wonderful and gentle support to anyone who is suffering from (or wants to avoid) nerve pain. With these tasty plant-based recipes, incorporating foods that contain supportive nutrients necessary for your nervous system can be enjoyable, simple, and nourishing for your nerves and your entire body.

1. Matcha Muffins

Whether enjoyed with your morning tea or as an afternoon pick-me-up, our Matcha Muffins are a testament to the idea that wholesome ingredients can be both delicious and supportive of your well-being. Made with oats, which contain a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucans, these muffins may aid in reducing inflammation and supporting overall nerve health. Their subtle sweetness and earthy undertones create a harmonious flavor blend that will satisfy your sweet cravings without the refined sugar.

2. Kale Caesar with Tofu Croutons

Kale Caesar with Tofu Croutons has many vital nutrients that can positively influence the health of your nerves. Kale contains sulforaphane, which may go a long way in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, providing relief to those experiencing nerve damage and discomfort. The creamy Caesar dressing, nutty walnut parmesan, and crunchy tofu croutons are also brimming with nutrients such as B12, omega-3s, and magnesium — all essential for proper nerve functioning. This wholesome salad is a great go-to meal when you are looking for something consistent to enjoy in your journey toward improved nerve health.

3. Saffron Cauliflower and Chickpeas

Saffron may not be the first thing you think of when you consider natural remedies to help with pain relief, but it has actually been shown to have therapeutic effects for those living with neuropathy thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. When combined with sulforaphane-rich cauliflower, this wholesome side dish will not only be a savory delight for you to enjoy but a nourishing experience for your nervous system as well.

Consider Your Diet When Dealing with Neuropathy

Healthy nerves require good nutrition. And without some specific nutrients, neuropathy can develop or become worse. For people with diabetes, it’s particularly important to eat a diet rich in nutrients, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, all of which contain compounds that act like superheroes for our nerves.

On the other hand, some foods, especially those high in sugar and saturated fats, act a bit like neuropathy villains, worsening the problem and causing additional suffering. Once you understand the connection between what’s on your plate and how your nerves feel and function, you can make choices to support your health and quality of life.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you or anyone you love ever experienced neuropathy?
• What are your favorite foods for neuropathy?
• Which neuropathy-busting recipe will you try next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Sorapop

Read Next:

• The Best Foods (and Diet) to Help You Tackle Type 2 Diabetes
• How Diet and Good Gut Health Can Help Manage Pain & Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The post Neuropathy and Diet: How Nutrition Impacts Nerve Damage appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

If none of these seem like the perfect gift for the special people in your life, and you’re thinking of maybe even staying away from mass-produced items entirely, here’s another suggestion: Give the gift of homemade food.

Everybody eats. And while there are lots of delicious items you can buy in stores, there’s really nothing that compares to food made with love and care. And it’s even better when that food was created with you in mind.

Now, let’s put the oven mitt on the other hand and consider how cool it would be for you to make delicious homemade treats for the special people on your “nice” list. Whether for holidays, birthdays, or — my personal favorite reason for gift giving — “just because,”  there’s a unique joy in both giving and receiving something homemade, especially when it’s edible!

Unlike mass-produced food items, food gifts are not just about what’s inside the package but also about the love, effort, and care that you pour into the final product.

In this article, we’ll explore the art of giving homemade food gifts with seven delicious recipes that you can easily give any time of year. And in keeping with our mission here at Food Revolution Network, they all pass our triple test of “healthy, ethical, and sustainable” — in addition to being totally delicious and festive!

Why Homemade Food Makes a Great Gift

Gifting something homemade rather than store-bought is great for you, the recipient, and the planet.

1. Save Money on Gifts

For one thing, you can save money by making gifts in bulk for multiple recipients. For example, the toasted spice blend recipe below includes sunflower and sesame seeds, as well as small amounts of several spices. You might pay up to $15 for just one spice blend from the store — or you can spend $20 on ingredients and get up to a dozen homemade batches that you can gift to others.

2. Reduce Plastic Waste

The planet benefits when you avoid the plastic waste that often serves as packaging for store-bought food and gifts. (I hereby declare that you get bonus points for gifting the food in a reusable container like these stainless steel food storage containers or even wide mouth mason jars.

3. Practical and Useable

The recipient of a food gift gets something usable and delicious, and, if you’ve done your homework, something they actually want. And — since it’s made with your love — they’ll get something unique. You and your recipient will also know the item was made and given with love (and received with love), which can strengthen and enrich your connection.

4. Controlled Ingredients

Speaking of homework, I’d recommend finding out about your recipients’ taste preferences, dietary restrictions, and allergies, so you can tailor your homemade food gifts to each person. Not only does this ensure a personal touch that store-bought gifts often lack, but it can also avoid the unfortunate situation where your holiday nut brittle sends your favorite aunt to the emergency room in anaphylactic shock.

Even without allergies to think about, when you make food gifts yourself, you get to control the ingredients. You can choose high-quality, whole-food ingredients without any refined sugar or questionable additives.

5. It’s Fun!

Homemade food gifting can also be fun for kids and adults, both as givers and receivers. Let your creativity go wild and create something you’re proud of!

Tips for Choosing a Food to Gift

When choosing a food item to gift, do so with the recipient’s likes and dislikes in mind. The easiest way to gather this information is also the most straightforward: Ask them.

A high-probability strategy to avoid seriously bad outcomes — especially if kids are involved — is to make something that does not contain any of the nine major allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame seeds). If you stick to 100% plant-based treats, you automatically avoid four of them, so you just have to be cognizant of the nuts and seeds, wheat, and soy.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of food gifting is the chance to cook in bulk, saving both time and money. If you’re unfamiliar with the practice of batch cooking, our meal prep guide has you covered.

Since you’re not FedEx, you may also want to consider making food gifts that are small or at least portable and easy to transport. If you’re going to gift wrap them, think about a form that’s easy to wrap, or at least to stick a bow on.

Some ideas of small and conveniently transported food gifts include the following:

• Baked goods
• Homemade canned goods, quick pickles, preserves, etc. (here’s where mason jars come in very handy)
• Dried herbs, spice mixes, and loose-leaf teas (also a good use of mason jars — look for fancy ones often sold as wedding favors for that extra dash of class)
• Spiced nuts and seeds or granola
• Fire cider or kombucha
• Sauces, soups, dressings, spreads (and DIY kits to make them)
• Fruits, vegetables, and herbs from your garden

Unless you know that your recipient will want to consume the gift right away, it’s typically more convenient for them if the food is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration.

Alternatively, you can always gift a coupon for an item that the recipient can redeem at your mutual convenience (and you can have fun and use all your artistic creativity creating the coupon).

Where to Get Food Gift Ideas From

To get ideas for food gifts, peruse your favorite cookbooks, or think about cherished family recipes. At the risk of immodesty, this feels like a good time to mention the very first Food Revolution Network hardcover recipe book, Real Superfoods: Everyday Ingredients to Elevate Your Health.

Some of the recipes in that book that might qualify as excellent gifts include Golden Glow Lemonade (an awesome and delicious healing tonic), Crispy Miso Onion Chickpeas, Super Seedy Granola (seedy in a good way, I assure you), Velvety Chocolate Berry Dessert Cups (yes, healthy, although your recipient may not believe it after taking a bite), and Sublime Sweet Potato Mini Drop Biscuits. To whet your appetite, I’ve included two giftalicious recipes from Real Superfoods below: Sweet and Savory Spiced Pecans and FRN’s Fuel the Fire Cider.

You can also find candidates for food gifts in many other wonderful health-focused, plant-based cookbooks that we love. Check out the cookbook roundup on our blog for additional inspiration.

Practice Food Safety

Since you probably aren’t going to be preparing these food gifts in a commercial kitchen that has to undergo regular safety inspections, it’s really important that you practice fundamental food safety protocols. You do not want to share a side of salmonella with that jam because you did a slapdash job of washing a cutting board.

For kicks, let’s take a minute to review the basics:

1. Keep things clean: wash your hands and food prep surfaces often.
2. Separate: don’t cross-contaminate. Don’t chop veggies, for example, on a cutting board where you prepared a block of tofu (or meat if you eat it).
3. Cook: heat all foods to proper temperatures to kill any pathogens, checking with a food thermometer to be on the safe side.
4. Chill: refrigerate promptly to prevent bacteria from colonizing foods left for too long at room temperature.

If you will be canning items, be sure to also follow recommended food preservation guidelines to prevent spoilage.

What to Store or Wrap Your Gift In

While the food inside is the main attraction, the food gift packaging can also add fun, sparkle, and class to the experience. You won’t care how great your friend’s homemade applesauce is if they just ladle a pint of it into your lap — which I realize is an extreme example. But this is what my mind sometimes does when I’m a bit hungry while writing about food.

As we’ve seen, another great thing about homemade food gifts is the opportunity for sustainable or zero-waste packaging. And you can decorate this packaging with love and the help of your cleverness and creativity.

Mason jars — and here are a pair of very fancy ones that just scream “vintage” — or upcycled glass containers work well because they’re see-through, so a beautiful spice mix or granola can serve as its own decoration. You can also paint on the glass, or adorn it with ribbons (which I realized just moments ago is an anagram of my last name) and other accents.

You can wrap baked goods in a classy tea towel, a pretty fabric scrap left over from a project, or a reusable food wrap. Then you can deliver them in a basket, tin, or decorated produce bag.

Cereals and mixes can go in reusable silicone bags, which themselves make lovely and thoughtful gifts for someone who likes cooking. If you enjoy secondhand shops and garage sales, you might be able to amass a collection of vintage cookware that would make excellent containers for your homemade food gifts.

Recipes to Give as Food Gifts

Giving can be just as fun as receiving, especially when you tap into your creative talents as an expression of thoughtfulness, care, and gratitude. Giving the gift of scrumptious food not only provides an exciting and rewarding experience for you, it makes sharing delicious plant-based foods even more fun. We hope you enjoy creating and giving these wholesome gifts from the heart with the help of these nourishing recipes!

1. FRN’s Fuel the Fire Cider

Give the gift of warmth this holiday season with Food Revolution’s Fire Cider. Warming and immune-supporting ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic, and horseradish root create an invigorating, nourishing, and healing tonic that is the perfect gift to give those who could use a little plant magic. What’s more, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. When the vinegar runs out, simply refill and steep again!

2. Toasted Spice Blend

Creating your own homemade spice blend as a gift is a thoughtful and tasty way to express your love and appreciation any time of year. This easy-to-make blend is bursting with flavor from the variety of healthy seeds and spices and can transform any meh meal into a fantastic one in a snap. Plus, it’s guaranteed to put a huge smile on the receiver’s face!

3. Pickled Beets

Vibrant jewel-colored beets set the tone for a merry and bright gift that is as delicious as it is festive! These sweet and tangy beauties are quick to make and don’t require complicated canning. Just stick them in the fridge overnight and enjoy! Pickled beets are an affordable, sustainable, and unique gift that the receiver can enjoy again and again on their own or as an ingredient in a variety of plant-based recipes.

4. Sweet and Savory Pecans

When giving the gift of Sweet and Savory Pecans, be prepared for many thank-yous and compliments. What may seem like a rather complex and elegant gift actually couldn’t be more simple to create. These easy-to-make pecans are perfectly sweet, a little savory, and plenty crunchy. To gift them, add them to a mason jar, reusable box, or storage container. In fact, you may spend more time considering how you’d like to present the gift than making the gift itself!

Editor’s Note: Obviously, this is not a recipe for those with nut allergies. If you or your recipient is allergic to nuts, you could make a variation of this with sunflower and pumpkin seeds or try our Super Seedy Granola instead.

5. Balsamic Fig Jam

This jam is sweet, savory, and just a little bit tangy. A delightful fusion of caramel figs, tart-yet-sweet balsamic, and minty thyme, Balsamic Fig Jam makes a great hostess gift to bring to your next gathering or to contribute to a celebratory vegan charcuterie board! We highly encourage you to whip up a few batches to gift to those on your list who love a sweet and sentimental gift made from whole fruit.

6. Crispy Rosemary Cracker Thins

Cracker-making in your own kitchen?! It’s not only a fun activity for you and your family to do together, but it can also make gift-giving even more exciting! These homemade crispy cracker thins are a simple way to express your thoughtfulness and care. Best of all there are no natural or artificial flavorings needed. Thanks to the addition of rosemary, you’re left with a festive and delightfully herby flavor that’s perfect for the gift-giving season!

7. Pecan Cranberry Snowball Cookies

Show your appreciation to friends, family, and neighbors this year with the gift of these tasty snowball cookies. You can gift them in a recyclable container or large mason jar. And don’t forget to include a handwritten note about how much you appreciate them (the recipient, that is, not the cookies). Once they try these snowballs, however, they’ll likely send some appreciation right back to you. (P.S. Double the batch so you have some to keep for yourself!)

Editor’s Note: For a nut-free version of this recipe, replace the almond meal with another cup of oat flour and use seeds in place of the pecans.

The Gift of Food Is the Gift of Health

Homemade gifts can be incredibly special both for the giver and receiver. And food, in particular, makes a great gift. You know it’ll get used, and it won’t take up space the way many consumer goods do.

There are many different ways to give food as a gift. But you can start by unleashing your creativity in the kitchen. And then keep that creativity going by using reusable or upcycled items for packaging and containers. Because with homemade food gifts, you’re also giving a piece of your heart, time, and effort, which is a beautiful way to express your love and care for the recipient.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever received a homemade food gift? What was your favorite thing about the experience?
• What are some dishes you make that might make great gifts?
• Who are three people you can think of who would be grateful recipients of the gift of homemade food?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Daisy-Daisy

Read Next:

• Healthy Crunchy Snacks to Beat Those Potato Chip Cravings
• Food Revolution Network’s Holiday Gift Guide — 37 Healthy, Ethical, & Sustainable Wellness Gifts

The post From the Heart: Homemade Food Gifts That Speak Volumes appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

The principles of eating so-called alkaline-producing foods were first made clear by French biologist Claude Bernard, a giant of science who made many important discoveries, including that the liver stores and releases glycogen and the pancreas releases digestive juices.

It was Bernard’s word on what was later called “homeostasis” that led to the evolution of the alkaline diet. Bernard believed that among the factors that promoted or disturbed a healthy internal environment was the pH of the body and blood. He theorized that an acidic environment, in particular, is a breeding ground for chronic disease — and that what you eat can impact your bodily pH.

Variations of this acid-alkaline dietary pattern have existed since the beginning of the 20th century. But its popularity skyrocketed again in the last few decades via early health influencers like Robert Young, author of The pH Miracle, and the Honduran herbalist Dr. Sebi (who inspired many people to adopt a vegan alkaline diet).

But is there any truth to these theories that the pH of food impacts blood pH, and, therefore, susceptibility to disease? And is the alkaline diet inherently a healthy dietary pattern?

In this article, we’ll take a look at the alkaline diet, comparing its claims to the available scientific evidence.

Understanding pH

In order to understand the alkaline diet and its claims, we need to at least have a basic understanding of pH. Potential of hydrogen or pH is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a liquid. The pH scale goes from 0.0 (highly acidic) to 14.0 (highly alkaline or “basic”) with a neutral point of 7.0.

Our stomachs are very acidic environments with a normal pH of 1.5–3.5. We secrete hydrochloric acid to help us digest our food, activate enzymes, and break down proteins into amino acids. Maintaining those stomach acids also helps protect us from pathogens in the digestive system.

On the other hand, blood is slightly basic or alkaline, with a pH of 7.35–7.45. The body’s acid-base balance is mainly controlled by the respiratory system and the renal system (kidneys). Maintaining this equilibrium is important for the functioning of basic bodily systems, and any disturbance in this pH can be a serious (and even life-threatening) problem.

So What Does the Alkaline Diet Claim?

The central claim of the alkaline diet is that what you eat can alter the pH level of your blood and cells. And that a more alkaline body pH (achieved from the food you eat) can prevent many diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis, while also providing increased energy and well-being.

When it comes to cancer, the theory is that cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment, so ingesting more alkalizing foods will create a more alkaline and anticancer environment. In this view, eating too many acid-forming foods can put your body into a state of acidosis and result in a decrease in blood pH, with serious metabolic and respiratory consequences in the body.

The bone health theory goes like this: Your body works diligently to keep your blood pH at a healthy level in your arteries and slightly lower in your veins. If you acidify your blood (by eating acid-forming foods, among other things), your body will do whatever it can to achieve equilibrium, including pulling calcium, an alkalizing mineral, from your bones.

To sum it up, the standard Western diet, according to this theory, degrades health and increases the risk of chronic diseases because it promotes an acidic body environment. And an alkaline diet alkalizes the body and blood, staving off chronic disease.

The Alkaline Diet: Foods to Eat vs Avoid

So what foods are supposed to contribute to this alkalizing effect in the body, and which foods don’t?

Most alkaline diet protocols encourage you to eat more alkaline foods that, when metabolized, also leave an alkaline “residue” in your body. Eating this way doesn’t necessarily mean removing all acidic foods from your diet, but instead prioritizing alkaline foods (75–80% of your diet) over acidic ones (20–25% of your diet).

Alkaline foods include many, but not all, vegetables, as well as some fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, and cold-pressed oils. Neutral and low-acidic foods are also okay in moderation, the majority of which are fruit. Most of the high-alkaline foods are green in color, with leafy greens, green vegetables, and sprouts topping the list.

On the other hand, the foods to avoid on an alkaline diet are those believed to produce an acidic effect. Meat and poultry, dairy, eggs, bread, sweets, and condiments; processed, canned, and fast foods; and beverages like coffee, alcohol, and tea are all off-limits on an alkaline diet.

What the Alkaline Diet Gets Right

Ultimately, there’s a lot of focus on the consumption of whole, plant-based foods and the elimination of most animal products and processed foods on the alkaline diet. So whether or not the underlying theory of the alkaline diet is accurate, there’s no question that eating the preferred foods — whole plants — confers many nutritional benefits.

Conventional Western-style diets are notoriously low in fiber, which is one of the most severely lacking nutrients in industrialized societies. But because the alkaline diet prioritizes whole, plant-based foods, it can make it much more likely you’ll achieve the 25–35 grams of recommended fiber per day.

Eating more fruits and vegetables also means that you’ll be ingesting lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And choosing whole foods over processed or fast foods improves your sodium-to-potassium ratio, which can benefit bone health, reduce muscle wasting, and mitigate other chronic diseases such as hypertension and strokes.

The diet may also be helpful for people with chronic kidney disease because it tends to be relatively low in protein. One systematic review showed evidence that the inclusion of alkaline-producing fruits and vegetables or a vegetarian diet low in acid-producing protein (animal products) can slow kidney disease by reducing metabolic acidosis.

In effect, the alkaline diet can be a perfectly healthy eating pattern for many people because it’s predominantly a plant-based one.

What the Alkaline Diet Gets Wrong

Food Affecting Blood pH

The big problem with the claims made by alkaline diet proponents is that they’re based on a misunderstanding of pH and how the body regulates blood pH. The relative alkalinity of the foods you eat doesn’t generally affect the alkalinity or acidity of your blood.

Acids are continuously being produced in the body during normal metabolic processes, but they don’t influence overall bodily pH in healthy individuals. Your body works hard to keep that 7.35–7.45 blood pH range, which is slightly on the alkaline side. If there’s too much acid or base in your system, built-in physiological buffers get rid of it through your urine.

Changing your diet might change the pH of your saliva or urine, but it’s practically impossible to affect the pH of your blood by what you eat. The only times that blood pH is affected is in the case of an acid-base disorder such as advanced stages of shock, diabetic ketoacidosis, or kidney failure — all of which are medical emergencies and not the result of not eating enough alkaline foods.

Focusing on the Wrong Benefits

Not only does the alkaline diet theory misunderstand the mechanisms through which your body regulates its pH, but the narrow focus on this one attribute of plant-based foods ignores the many benefits of plant-based eating that are actually backed up by science. A whole food, plant-based diet supplies an abundance of powerful antioxidants, fiber, and a rainbow of health-promoting phytochemicals. In short, the alkaline diet’s health benefits are real, but they likely have little to do with pH.

Confusing and Restrictive

With a focus mostly on pH and choosing the most alkaline foods, there’s a risk of dietary restriction to the point of nutrient deficiency. It’s easy to get confused about what you are and aren’t supposed to eat, as there’s a lack of consistency in the recommendations, which vary widely. Some lists, for example, say that mushrooms are highly acidic, while others tell us that they are alkalizing.

Little to No Scientific Backing

And most problematic of all, there’s minimal scientific evidence to support the alkaline diet’s biggest claims around diet alkalinity protecting against chronic disease or affecting blood pH.

One 2010 study found that low urine pH predicted neither low bone density nor bone fractures, while another from the same year discovered no correlation between dietary acid load and bone mineral density in older women. A 2011 study found no correlation between dietary acid load and lower bone density, except possibly in older men.

And a 2016 review of over 8,000 published articles relating to dietary pH and cancer found a single clinical trial on the topic. This trial found no relationship between the acid load of the diet and bladder cancer. The researchers concluded, “Despite the promotion of the alkaline diet and alkaline water by the media and salespeople, there is almost no actual research to either support or disprove these ideas.”

The Bottom Line

The alkaline diet, which focuses on pH balance, is a popular diet with many adherents and proponents. It is inherently whole food, plant-based, which can be great, and it’s been shown to be helpful for chronic kidney disease. But beyond that, there’s little to no scientific evidence to support its other health claims. In fact, it’s likely that its benefits have more to do with all of the known advantages that come with a whole food, plant-based diet that steers clear of added sugars, highly processed foods, and animal products.

Tell us in the comments:

• Were you already familiar with the alkaline diet? Have you ever tried it?
• What do you think of the alkaline diet approach?
• What other dietary patterns do you have questions about?

Featured Image: iStock.com/vaaseenaa

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• Does Science Support the Blood Type Diet?
• A Guide to Going Plant-Based: What to Eat, Benefits, and How to Succeed

The post The Alkaline Diet: Separating Fact from Fiction appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

The doctrine of signatures says that plants that resemble a condition or body part can in some way treat or alleviate related illnesses. Following that thinking, walnuts, which look like brains, were thought to ease headaches and mental health issues. Similarly, the scarlet roots of bloodroot were thought to treat diseases of the circulatory system. And since ginseng root looks like a human being, it was thought to aid and strengthen all parts of the human body. Indeed, the very word “ginseng” comes from the Chinese word for “man-root.”

But the doctrine of signatures is controversial and based on theory over scientific fact. So is it true that walnuts are actually good for brain health? What other walnut health benefits are there? And are walnuts good for the environment?

What Are Walnuts?

If you’re a word lover, you might enjoy adding “juglandaceous” to your vocabulary, in case you were missing a word for “of or pertaining to walnuts.” Walnuts are proud members of the Juglans genus, along with about 20 other tree species, including hickories and pecans.

Technically, walnuts can be classified as nuts or dry drupes, which is science’s alliterative way of talking about fruits with a single seed and a dry husk. Walnuts grow in groups of two or three and range between 1.5 and 2 inches in circumference.

The nut of the walnut forms inside a soft green outer husk and a hard shell. Crack that shell open carefully enough, and you’ll behold a whole walnut that resembles a human brain — including wrinkles, folds, and ridges.

Types of Walnuts

There are two main types of walnuts that you’re likely to encounter in your culinary adventures: English walnuts (also known as Persian), and black walnuts.

English or Persian Walnuts

English walnuts are the kind most walnut-eaters are familiar with, as they’re the type you’re likely to see in grocery stores. They have a sweet, mild flavor, and feature prominently in desserts, salads, and many savory dishes.

Although Persian walnuts originated in what is now Iran, they’re often referred to as English walnuts because they were brought to England by the Romans and traded throughout Europe. Since then, their popularity has led to them being grown commercially worldwide.

In the US, English walnut trees grow best in USDA Zones 4–8 (a classification system that tells farmers and gardeners which plants are hardy enough to thrive in various locations). More than 99% of US commercially grown English walnuts come from California, which supplies about half of the world’s walnut trade. Romania has become the main producer and exporter of walnuts in Europe.

Black Walnuts

Black walnuts are native to North America, and almost all of them come from trees growing in the wild rather than in commercial orchards. Since black walnut trees don’t grow in neat, evenly-spaced rows, they’re harvested by hand rather than by machine. The largest black walnut processor is Hammons Black Walnuts in Missouri.

Black walnuts are bolder and sweeter than English walnuts, with a distinctive earthy or musky flavor.

These nuts were and are an important part of Indigenous diets in the regions where they grow. It takes a lot of effort to harvest and remove their tough green husks and then crack open their extremely hard, black-ridged shells. There are even specialty nutcrackers made just for black walnuts.

In addition to eating black walnuts, you can use them for their oil, and for making deep black or brown dyes.

Walnut Nutrition

Like other tree nuts, walnuts have been an important source of plant-based fat and protein throughout much of recorded human history. They contain polyunsaturated fat in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, including roughly 2.5 grams per ounce of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega-3s can also reduce the risk of heart disease and contribute to brain and immune health, as well as bringing anti-inflammatory benefits to the body.

Walnuts are high in B vitamins and are a rich source of minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and copper. Of all the tree nuts, walnuts are antioxidant champs, with higher concentrations than any other commonly consumed tree nut. As a whole plant food, they’re also a solid source of fiber.

Black walnuts may pack an even more potent nutritional punch. They’re higher in zinc and selenium than English walnuts and contain more antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The Health Benefits of Walnuts

Measuring the amounts of nutrients found in walnuts is all well and good, but what’s the effect of all that nutritional goodness on human health? There’s some powerful evidence showing that eating walnuts can benefit your heart, digestive system, and, yes, your brain. They may also be able to fight cancer and decrease chronic inflammation.

Walnuts and Heart Health

A 2013 clinical trial found that people who added walnuts to their diet improved the health of their blood vessels. The addition also improved their cholesterol efflux, a process by which the body removes excess cholesterol from blood vessels. Both of these outcomes are beneficial for heart health.

A large study published in 2018 looked at health and dietary outcomes for over 200,000 participants, none of whom had heart disease at the start of the study. After following them for 25 years, about 14,000 of the participants experienced coronary events (heart attacks and strokes). But those who ate at least one serving of walnuts per week had a 13–26% lower risk of heart disease.

Since walnuts are high in calories, some people worry that they might contribute to weight gain and thus increase the risk of heart disease. A 2018 meta-analysis addressed that very concern.

Researchers looked at 26 studies that included over 1,000 participants, to see the effect that walnuts had on lipid levels, weight, and other heart disease risk factors. Their analysis showed that, on average, walnuts actually lowered total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and didn’t impact weight one way or the other.

Walnuts and Digestion

Walnuts can help to improve your gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria.

A 2018 study found that when healthy people started eating just 43 grams of walnuts a day, after eight weeks, their gut microbiomes became healthier and more diverse.

Another 2018 study found that eating walnuts increased concentrations of beneficial bacteria that produce a substance called butyrate, which is good for intestinal health. Additionally, walnuts can reduce the number of harmful substances produced by certain bacteria that can cause inflammation and increase “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Walnuts and Brain Health

Now we get to the brain. Are walnuts good for cognitive health?

A 2014 review article concluded that walnuts should be included in prevention strategies against the epidemic of cognitive decline and dementia. The phytochemical substances present in walnuts not only decrease oxidative stress and inflammation in brain cells but also boost communication between neurons, stimulate the formation of new neurons, and assist in the removal of harmful proteins associated with the development of dementia.

While human studies have repeatedly shown that diets that include walnuts are associated with improved cognitive performance and better memory, a 2020 mouse study explored the possible mechanisms for this. The study found that walnuts’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties suppressed the production of free radicals and enhanced antioxidant protection, consequently lowering the risk of brain degeneration. (Our view on the use of animals in medical research is here.)

A 2022 article also reviewed some of the ways walnuts are known to combat neuroinflammation, a major contributor both to aging in general and to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s in particular. It quickly got technical on me, with phrases such as “inhibition of peripheral inflammation mediated by macrophages.” But the bottom line is that walnuts appear to reduce neuroinflammation through a number of synergistic biochemical mechanisms.

Walnuts and Cancer

A 2019 clinical trial studied the impact of walnut consumption on breast cancer growth and survival. Women with confirmed breast cancer cases were divided into two groups, one whose members began eating two ounces of walnuts daily after their initial biopsy, and a control group that did not change their diet.

After about two weeks, further samples were taken from the tumors. In the walnut-consuming group, the expression of 456 specific genes in the tumor was significantly altered to encourage cancer cell death and suppress cell growth and migration processes. This supports the idea that eating walnuts could potentially slow the growth of cancer cells and increase breast cancer survival rates.

A 2020 study found that black walnuts also demonstrate impressive anticancer activity, thanks to compounds such as penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose and quercetin 3-β-d-glucoside. I tried to remember the names of these compounds by putting them to the tune of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” but I couldn’t get the syllables to match.

Walnuts and Inflammation

Black walnuts, in particular, show amazing anti-inflammatory powers. Two cultivars, named Surprise and Sparrow, demonstrated the ability to suppress inflammatory human white blood cells in a 2019 test-tube study.

But common English walnuts are no slouches in the anti-inflammatory department, either. In 2020, researchers published the results of a two-year trial in which one group of older adults consumed roughly 15% of their daily calories from walnuts, while others ate a similar but walnut-free diet. They found that the walnuts had a health-promoting effect on several inflammatory molecules implicated in cardiovascular disease.

Walnuts may battle inflammation through a compound known as ellagitannins, which can do some very cool anti-inflammatory things. It breaks down in your body to release another compound called ellagic acid. And your gut bacteria then transform this into substances called urolithins, which may have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Are Walnuts Sustainable?

In general, nuts and other plant-based protein sources produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based food products. The main issue for walnuts is their need for water since half the English walnuts consumed in the world are grown in California — a state perennially vulnerable to drought.

Each pound of walnuts takes about 1,260 gallons of water, which is less than a pound of almonds or beef (which is kind of in a class by itself, requiring 2,400 gallons of water per pound), but still quite a bit — especially in a water-poor region.

However, walnut trees can also benefit the environment in some important ways. Walnut plantations studied in China increased soil carbon and promoted microbial growth and activities.

And black walnuts are potentially even more sustainable, at least on a small scale, since they are wild-grown and harvested by hand. They require no pesticides and don’t need fossil-fuel-driven machines for harvesting.

Walnut shells also have many industrial uses, some of which are being explored to replace less environmentally friendly alternatives. For example, the shells are being added to substances called geopolymers that can make highly effective insulation.

Walnut shells also have uses as gardening mulch and ground cover, animal bedding, ingredients in the manufacture of activated carbon, abrasive elements in cleaning products, and an energy source for bioethanol production.

Walnuts for the Win

Walnuts are an important tree nut and have been for thousands of years. And while they do use a lot of water, walnuts can also be good for the environment by pulling carbon into the soil. Their impressive nutritional profile makes them a standout for both culinary purposes and medicinal uses. Walnuts are a rich source of healthy fats and protein. And they’ve been found to have benefits for heart, brain, and digestive health, as well as in fighting cancer and inflammation.

For more on how to choose, store, and use walnuts in recipes, check out our article here.

Tell us in the comments:

• How often do you eat walnuts?
• What are your favorite ways to enjoy them?
• What surprised you the most about the health benefits of walnuts?

Featured Image: iStock.com/aslanyus

Read Next:

• You Won’t Believe How Healthy Nuts Are for You
• Are Hazelnuts Good for You? How & Why to Use Hazelnuts

The post Walnuts: Understanding Their Benefits, Nutrition, and Sustainability appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Before long my fever was raging at 104 degrees, and I was so weak I was unable to muster a cry.

I’m grateful that my parents took me to a doctor, who put me on antibiotics. Within hours, my fever was down, and my sickness had reversed.

That antibiotic prescription may have saved my life.

What Exactly Are Antibiotics?

Alexander Fleming, a professor of bacteriology at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, discovered penicillin — the first antibiotic — in 1928.

He’d been experimenting with colonies of Staphylococcus bacteria growing in Petri dishes. And he noticed that one dish had a spot of mold with a clear ring around it. This ring was a secretion from the mold that prevented further bacterial growth. It turned out to be penicillin.

Fleming and his colleagues worked to isolate penicillin, discovering its ability to attack other bacteria, like streptococcus, meningococcus, and diphtheria bacillus.

In later years, researchers developed new antibiotics that were effective in killing different classes of bacteria.

Altogether, antibiotics have saved millions of lives worldwide — overpowering such potentially lethal diseases as meningitis, tuberculosis, and cholera.

When used appropriately, antibiotics are a blessing and a welcome arrow in humanity’s medical quiver. But the reality is that they’re vastly overprescribed.

According to the CDC, in 2021, health care professionals prescribed 211.1 million antibiotic prescriptions — and many of these prescriptions are unnecessary.

Many health care professionals prescribe antibiotics at an alarming rate. Sometimes they prescribe them without making sure the drug will effectively attack whatever germ is involved — or without confirming that it is a bacteria and not a virus. (Antibiotics are completely ineffective against viral infections.)

And this lax approach doesn’t come without consequences.

The Dark Side of Antibiotic Use

Antibiotics don’t just target harmful bacteria in your body. They’re destructive to all microbes, which can leave your body’s natural microbiome unbalanced and damaged.

And this ecosystem won’t always go back to normal unless you consciously make an effort to make it so. Odds are, if your microbiome is currently out of balance, past antibiotic use has significantly contributed to your condition.

It’s also likely that the health care professionals who prescribed those antibiotics to you didn’t discuss how to counteract the collateral destruction of good bacteria in your body.

A couple of years ago, I was considering taking antibiotics to fight a strep infection. I asked my doctor if he could recommend any protocol for repopulating my body with healthy bacteria.

He replied that he didn’t learn anything about that in medical school, so he couldn’t offer me any advice. “My wife took a nutrition class online,” he told me, “so she’d be a better person to ask.”

It’s pretty crazy, if you think about it, that our medical system is so good at destroying a bacterial ecosystem but so ineffective at rebuilding it.

For more on the importance of gut health, and the use of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, read our in-depth article here.

How Antibiotic Overuse Is Creating “Superbugs”

Not only do antibiotics damage good bacteria, but their overuse encourages the widespread development of “superbugs,” or bacteria that display antibiotic resistance.

Bacteria, you see, are very much like accountants. No matter how much you change the tax laws, there will always be wily accountants who will find a way around them to escape taxes. Similarly, when you increase the dose of antibiotics or engineer new ones, some bacteria will find a way to mutate and resist them.

As a consequence of antibiotic overuse, we’ve had to start turning to “last-line” antibiotics, or medications typically only used as a last resort when the usual medications no longer work.

These drugs are meant to be used sparingly in human medicine to limit bacterial exposure to them, in the hope of preventing the development of antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, because antibiotic resistance has increased, the prescription of last-resort antibiotics has also increased.

Antibiotic Resistance Can Be Deadly

Antibiotic resistance is leading to more and more deaths that were once preventable. That doesn’t sound like the kind of progress we’ve come to expect from the field of medicine.

In the United States, nearly three million people contract an antibiotic-resistant infection each year — with more than 35,000 people dying. Worldwide, antibiotic-resistant microbes are estimated to cause nearly five million deaths per year. And these numbers are rising.

Superbugs now threaten to make many common infections, such as urinary tract infections and pneumonia, lethal once again.

Many public health authorities fear that we could be on the verge of entering into a “post-antibiotic world” that threatens to kill millions of people annually by 2050. Antibiotic resistance already costs over $55 billion in medical treatment and hospitalizations just in the US. And this number is expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that the World Health Organization has declared antibiotic resistance to be one of our greatest global threats to health, security, and development.

But is the medical overuse of antibiotics really the primary cause of the rise of the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotics in the Livestock Industry

Factory farms, also known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), were created as a way to keep up with an enormous demand for animal products that’s emerged in the last century.

Modern farms look far different from farms of the past. The images that leap to mind when many of us think of a farm — the iconic red barn or a green pasture full of animals happily grazing in the sun — no longer represent how most farm animals spend their lives.

To say that animals in CAFOs endure close quarters and overpopulation would be an understatement. The average chicken raised for meat has less than one square foot of space per bird. And modern broiler operations have bred birds to grow so quickly that they often become unable to walk. As a result, these birds spend their lives sitting in feces. Animals regularly get sick, injured, and even die as a result of these miserable conditions.

So how do modern CAFOs cope with the threat of disease wiping out their livestock? Antibiotics to the rescue! Antibiotics are routinely administered (through injections or medicated feed) not just to livestock who have become sick, but rather to every single animal housed in these filthy and brutally inhumane conditions.

In addition to helping keep animals alive in an unsanitary environment, antibiotics serve another purpose, too. It turns out that antibiotics make animals gain weight faster — which increases producer profits.

How Do Bacteria Become Antibiotic-Resistant in CAFOs?

When bacteria have continual exposure to low doses of an antibiotic, any of the microbes that are resistant to the drug will survive and reproduce. The rest die off, resulting in a new bacteria population resistant to the antibiotic.

Modern factory farms provide continuous low doses of antibiotics to billions of livestock — thus creating the perfect conditions for breeding antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

If, for some diabolical reason, someone wanted to create conditions that would breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria, they would be hard-pressed to do better than the conditions prevalent in industrial meat production today.

The Truth About Food Recalls

Already, the breeding of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics in modern meat production is hurting human health in many ways.

Have you ever gotten sick after eating at a restaurant? It’s an experience that’s not easy to forget. You just ate the most delicious meal, yet hours later, you’re regretting ever leaving the house that day.

Foodborne illnesses — such as salmonella, listeria, and E. coli — affect one in six Americans every year. That’s more than 55 million people annually. About 128,000 of them have to be hospitalized for their symptoms. And 3,000 of these people end up dying.

Two of the most common foodborne pathogens, Salmonella and Campylobacter, cause a combined 660,900 antibiotic-resistant infections in the United States each year.

Where do these bacteria come from? The truth is most pathogens that cause food poisoning originate with the intensive, confinement-based livestock production methods used in factory farming.

The US federal government tests supermarket meats to track trends in bacteria and resistance. Recent findings show that 73% of bacteria that FDA testing found on ground turkey were resistant to tetracyclines, the most widely used antibiotic in farm animals and a critical medicine to treat serious bacterial infections in humans.

Additionally, one in five strains of Salmonella in chicken meat were resistant to amoxicillin — the second most frequently used antibiotic on farms and the number one medication prescribed to children. And 1 in every 25 packages of raw chicken is said to have Salmonella contamination, according to the CDC.

E. coli has also been found to contaminate 40% of raw chicken samples tested. But beef is the most common source of E. coli exposure for humans. This bacteria is thought to cause up to 85% of urinary tract infections each year. It’s also a major part of the Salmonella risk.

What About Food Recalls from Vegetables?

“But, wait!” you say. “What about the E. coli that have been found in plant foods, like romaine lettuce or tomatoes? Aren’t vegetables as risky as animal foods?”

It’s a reasonable question to ask, given the media coverage of E. coli outbreaks. But the truth is, E. coli lives in the intestines of animals.

Last I checked, romaine lettuce and tomatoes don’t have intestines. The only way any vegetable can be linked to E. coli is to be contaminated by the feces of animals.

Usually, this contamination happens because there’s a factory farm upstream (or up-manure) from a vegetable farm. It’s remarkable how often these plain facts are not conveyed in media coverage of E. coli scares.

Pathogens, like E. coli and Salmonella, are abundant in animal waste, which can run downhill during a rainstorm or seep into underground aquifers, ultimately getting into nearby water systems that spread the pathogens elsewhere.

These hardy pathogens can spread not only to raw meat products but also to produce (through water or soil contamination) and to cooking surfaces where food is prepared. When you consume this contaminated food, that’s when you may get sick.

The largest multistate E. coli outbreak in over a decade, related to romaine lettuce, occurred in the spring of 2018. It ended up affecting people in 36 states, resulting in 210 illnesses, 96 hospitalizations, and 5 deaths. What caused it? All evidence points to a large industrial cattle farm near the affected romaine crop in Yuma, Arizona.

How Factory Farming Drives the Problem with Antibiotics

It’s true that antibiotics are overprescribed to people, and that is a problem. But antibiotics are used and abused even more egregiously in animal agriculture.

According to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2015, the world uses about 63,000 tons of antibiotics each year to raise cows, chickens, and pigs. That’s roughly twice as much as the volume of all antibiotics prescribed by doctors globally to humans.

In fact, 80% of the antibiotics used in the United States are not given to sick humans, but to animals on CAFOs.

And antibiotics are typically NOT used to cure disease on CAFOs. Rather, they’re used to promote growth or prevent diseases from keeping animals in unsanitary conditions.

What’s worse, last-resort antibiotics for humans are commonly used in CAFOs. So it’s no wonder that resistant bacteria are rampant in industrial meat products.

Regulatory Efforts Have Been Botched

Attempts have been made to better regulate antibiotic use in CAFOs.

In January 2012, the FDA prohibited the use of cephalosporins in food animals. This didn’t make much difference, though, because this class of antibiotics makes up less than 1% of the antibiotics used in the United States on food animals every year.

A study published by researchers at Ohio State University in 2016 warned of the very real potential of a post-antibiotic age. The study was sparked when bacteria that was resistant to last-line antibiotics was found on a Midwestern hog farm.

The FDA eventually took action in 2017, stating that farmers were no longer allowed to give antibiotics to animals for the purposes of weight gain, nor could they buy antibiotics without the oversight of a veterinarian.

But even after the 2017 attempt to crack down on CAFO antibiotic use, government records show that things haven’t changed as much as many had hoped. While sales of antibiotics for agricultural purposes dropped right after the 2017 ban on use for growth promotion, they’ve somewhat leveled out since then. Officially, there’s no ban on using antibiotics to prevent or treat diseases in animals — and so many animals in CAFOs are unhealthy, that this could potentially allow for very widespread use. The fact is that many companies that pledged to reduce antibiotics in their food supply haven’t followed through.

Beef suppliers for some of the largest fast-food corporations, like McDonald’s and Taco Bell, are still using the highest priority, critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) on farm animals, despite the risks to human health. USDA testing shows that between 2017 and 2022, all 10 of the biggest meat packers in the US were using at least one HP-CIA on livestock. And according to reporting by The Guardian, the dosages used are identical to the ones used previously to fatten up cattle.

Because there’s no universal ban on antibiotics in the food supply, companies seem likely to continue finding ways to exploit regulatory loopholes.

Antibiotics Aren’t Only Used for Land Animals

Just as we’ve industrialized agriculture for land animals, we’ve done the same to aquatic animals. And although fish aren’t what typically comes to mind when we envision factory farms, that doesn’t mean that farmed fish are living in better conditions. Antibiotic use runs deep in the aquatic environment, too — and so does antibiotic resistance.

Farmed fish are often packed tightly together in huge, unsanitary pools. Just as happens in the factory farming of land animals, the fish are given antibiotics (and other drugs, like pesticides) to prevent the spread of disease.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials sheds light on this hidden problem. Researchers looked at 27 fish from 11 countries. The researchers found residues of five antibiotics — including tetracycline and other drugs used to treat human infections.

Remarkably enough, they even found residues in farmed fish with an antibiotic-free label. It turns out that farmed fish don’t have to be given antibiotics directly to carry them because many are eating antibiotic-contaminated fish meal.

Levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in seafood have exploded in the past 30 years.

For more on the true cost of farmed fish, see this article.

What Can You Do About Antibiotic Resistance?

The hope, of course, is that one day, governments will take stronger action against antibiotic use on factory farms.

Some countries have done so already, including Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands. And they are seeing significant reductions in antibiotic overuse.

Whether or not government policy grows more enlightened, we can all take positive actions now to help preserve the efficacy of antibiotics and to support better industrial food practices.

The most significant contribution we can each make is to transition to a plant-powered diet. And for those who opt to consume animal products, it’s best to go organic since the use of antibiotics is not permitted under organic certification. If enough of us make these changes, we’ll drastically reduce consumer support for industrialized animal agriculture — the inhumane industry that’s fueling this public health crisis.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has made avoiding factory-farmed animal products easier than ever with this handy Shop With Your Heart Grocery List.

How to Change the Future Right Now

Antibiotics are a miracle of medicine. But now, thanks to factory farming, antibiotic overuse has become a driver of what could become one of the most terrifying public health emergencies in history.

Unless we take action to preserve the viability of antibiotics for future generations, millions of lives will be lost.

The problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria isn’t one that any of us can solve all by ourselves. Slowing its spread is going to take collective action from governments, farmers, corporations, and concerned citizens around the world. It’s also going to take reducing the frequency with which doctors prescribe antibiotics to humans.

But just because you and I can’t solve it all by ourselves doesn’t mean we should refuse to do what we can.

As a concerned citizen who wants a safe future for humanity, the number one step you can take is to boycott factory-farmed animal products. You can also go a step further and urge restaurants and supermarkets to do the same.

We should ensure a future in which, if a crisis arises, every baby’s life can be saved by these miracle drugs the way mine was when I was three months old.

Tell us in the comments below:

• Have you ever encountered antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
• Does this help you understand antibiotic resistance and how antibiotic use on factory farms affects humans?
• What did you find useful, interesting, or surprising in this article?

Featured Image: iStock.com/branex

Read Next:

• Unhealthy Conditions for Farm Animals are — No Surprise — Bad for Humans, Too

The post The Surprising Truth About Antibiotics, Factory Farms, and Food Recalls appeared first on Food Revolution Network.