Key Messages
The Future Of Food: Understanding How Our Eating Habits Impact The Planet
Have you heard the common misconceptions out there about food and nutrition? People might tell you that eating certain kinds of meat and dairy can actually help the environment, or that it’s healthy to eat lots of red meat.
But the truth is, these ideas don’t stand up to careful inspection.
That’s why it’s important to look closer at where our food comes from, how it’s produced and what type of diets are really healthy and sustainable.
It turns out that there is much more to learn than popular beliefs suggest!
Fortunately, you can learn the real keys to sustainable, healthy eating in this book.
You’ll get valuable insight into conventional meat and dairy farms, discover why you should be consuming less red meat, and find out how to choose the most humane eggs.
In addition, this book can also help bust any myths around nutrition for good—so that you can make better choices for yourself as well as for the health of our planet.
The Impact Of Our Food Choices On Our Health And The Planet
Making the right food choices is essential for your health and for the planet.
It’s something that biochemists and nutrition scientists understand and agree on: up to 80 percent of chronic diseases can be prevented through healthy dietary habits.
But it’s not just our own bodies that are affected by what we eat; it also has an impact on our planet.
The way we produce food currently is doing a lot of damage to our air, soil, and water, producing vast amounts of greenhouse gases like nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide which all contribute to climate change.
It is possible to produce enough food for everyone in the world if we use sustainable, eco-friendly production methods – but the food choices we make today have a direct effect on those decisions.
Every time you reach out your hand towards a product at the supermarket or restaurant, you’re making a choice – whether you think about it consciously or not – that reflects personal values about the kind of world you want to live in.
The Efficiency Of Modern Farming Practices Comes At A Cost To Our Health And The Environment
Modern farming practices may be efficient in terms of production, but they aren’t good for the planet.
To reach these high levels of efficiency, CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) must use chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics to make animals grow faster and keep infections at bay.
This means that these substances then end up on the dinner table and sometimes even in our drinking water!
Not only can this affect human health directly by causing antibiotic resistance, but it also takes a heavy toll on those who work in them.
In 2015 alone, nearly 5,000 American farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers lost their lives due to workplace accidents caused by dangerous machinery and often unsafe working conditions which has resulted in many injuries.
Additionally CAFOs can also have an effect on air quality too as they release harmful gases such as methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere which can cause asthma and chronic bronchitis.
These same gases are also known to be significant contributors of climate change – so it’s no wonder why many people are beginning to question their worth?
The Health Risks Of Consuming Too Much Meat
Meat has an important role in providing essential nutrients such as zinc, Vitamin B, iron and protein.
Calories-wise, pork has the highest with 310 for a three ounce portion, and is followed by beef at 245 calories, lamb at 235 and chicken at 120.
While it provides important nutrition, there are risks to eating too much red and processed meats.
Processed meats often have high sodium content, sugar levels and preservatives.
Charred meat products too have compounds that are linked to cancer.
In 2014, an analysis of over 800 studies concluded that a daily intake of 50 g of processed meat may increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.
Similarly, 100g daily intake of red meat increases the risk by 17%.
These findings pose serious implications on our diets that often contain large amounts of red or processed meats.
It is clear then that consumption of red and processed meats must be moderated so as not to outweigh their nutritional benefits with potential risks.
Understanding The Good And Bad Of Processed Food: From Minimally Processed To Resource-Intensive
When it comes to food processing, it’s important to recognize that there is actually a spectrum of processed foods.
On one end you have “minimally processed” foods, such as canned fruit or dried beans.
And on the other end, there is “ultra-processed” food, which includes items like packaged bread, sugary snacks and breakfast cereals.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that all minimally processed foods are healthy and all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy.
Generally speaking, however, minimally processed foods tend to be higher in nutritional value than their ultra-processed counterparts.
Flash frozen vegetables and fruits qualify as minimally processed and retain their natural nutrients because they’re frozen at peak freshness – and happen to be better for the environment too!
Meanwhile, ultra-processed foods often contain large amounts of sugar and salt – plus the packaging and processing required means these types of foods have a high environmental impact.
It’s also worth mentioning that in many countries people get most of their calories from ultra-processed foods – so if you’re buying pre-packaged items it’s always a good idea to check the label for nutritional value.
Food Labels: Don’t Be Fooled By Misleading Marketing Terms – Know What They Really Mean
When you’re trying to make healthy choices, it can be difficult to decipher food labels.
Terms like “conventional”, “organic” and “natural” are everywhere, but what do they actually mean? And how does cage-free compare to free-range eggs?
The key message here is that even though food labels may be confusing or meaningless at times, they can still help you make better choices.
Let’s look at “organic” – while definitions differ from country to country, organic generally refers to farming practices that avoid genetic engineering and synthetic pesticides.
However, natural substances like rotenone may be used in organic agriculture – yet this can still increase your risk of Parkinson’s Disease if exposed.
Another label you should watch out for is “natural”.
This one has no strict definition and is simply used as a marketing technique- the granola bars labeled ‘natural’ might still have added sugars that are far from healthy!
Egg labels can also be overwhelming: cage-free means the birds live in confined warehouses (with only a square foot of space); free-range indicates some time outside; certified organic needs must meet certain certification standards; and pasture-raised means the birds roam outdoors with access to natural ingredients like grass and worms for their diet.
While food labels can often appear deceiving or unclear, by understanding their meaning we can make more informed decisions about our purchases!
Cholesterol And Gmos: Debunking Common Misconceptions About Foods
When it comes to food and nutrition, there are still many misconceptions surrounding dietary cholesterol and GMOs.
For years people thought that the cholesterol we eat was directly linked to “bad” cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – with the American Heart Association recommending an intake of no more than 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day and limiting egg consumption to no more than three per week.
But studies have since shown that eating eggs has little effect on LDL levels.
Similarly, GMOs have been subject to much debate due to misunderstanding about their safety.
Numerous tests and a meta-analysis of over 1,500 studies have revealed that GM crops do not pose any significant health or environmental risks.
In fact, they may even be beneficial in some cases – with one 2014 study highlighting higher crop yields and less pesticide needed mainly thanks to the technology.
Misunderstandings such as these can be common but it’s important that we get our information from reliable sources so that we can form well-informed opinions on these matters.
Good Bacteria And Good Fats Help Create A Healthy Gut And Improve Wellness
We often hear about the negative impacts of fat on our health.
However, not all fats are equally detrimental to our bodies.
In fact, just like cholesterol, there is such thing as good fat – healthy fats that can support metabolic function and stabilize blood sugar levels for those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
These healthy fats come in the form of unsaturated vitamins and fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6, which are found primarily in olive oil.
But it’s not just fat that has an impact on our health – bacteria plays a role, too!
Our gut microbiome is composed of 90% bacteria, which acts an essential part of human metabolism; without these bacteria, our digestive systems would suffer greatly.
Probiotic and prebiotic foods contain necessary nutrients that actively support this healthy gut environment: probiontic foods bring live organisms into our systems while prebiotics are packed with fibre and starches beneficial for the bacteria in our gut microbiome.
The take away? Not all fat is bad for you, but it’s important to be mindful of what type you’re consuming and how much.
You should also aim to get plenty of probiotic and prebiotic foods in your daily diet to create a healthy gut microbiome – this will help improve digestion, reduce bloating/abdominal pain symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome and possibly reduce diarrhea episodes.
The Key To Weight Loss Diets: Understanding The Power Of Calories And Nutrients
Are you thinking about going on a diet? If so, it’s important to remember that one-size-does not fit all.
Diets often focus on reducing your intake of carbs, fats or proteins – whether that be the ketogenic diet, low-fat diets, or anti-carbohydrate ones.
But the key to success when it comes to weight loss is to scientifically consider how many calories you’re consuming.
This means doing more than simply “meal planning.” In order to ensure that you’re losing weight safely and effectively you need to be mindful of your dietary habits and look at ways of cutting calories in a way that fits with your lifestyle.
The total number of calories consumed is always more important than which foods we eat.
It may sound daunting, but with the right guidance and support group – plus some careful calorie counting – you’ll find it much easier to lose those extra pounds and keep them off!
Remember: when looking for the right weight-loss option for you, make sure to scientifically consider the amount of calories involved before making a decision!
Wrap Up
At the end of the day, our nutrition is key.
It can be challenging to choose foods that are healthy, both for you and the planet.
But there are some ground rules that exist.
Try to avoid ultra-processed foods and concentrated animal feeding operations to help keep our emission rates down and help reduce climate change.
Read labels to check out what you’re consuming and make sure it aligns with your nutritional goals.
Choose probiotic and prebiotic foods, as well, for a healthier digestive system.
Most importantly, stick to filtered coffee – avoiding those containing grounds which can mean an increased amount of “bad cholesterol” can negate all the goodness of coffee itself!
So by following these simple modifications in diet, you’ll be able to get a balanced blend of nutrition from just what you eat!
