Fresh vs Frozen - which food preparation is better?

IS FOOD STILL CONSIDERED FRESH IF IT HAS BEEN FROZEN?

You will hear a different response to this question no matter whom you ask. With so many options lining the grocery store aisles, choosing how to buy fruit and veggies and how to deal with them when you get home can be mind-boggling. But when nutrition is the deciding factor, what’s the best way to get the biggest bang per nutritional buck? To freeze or not to freeze? That is a question, for the food shoppers among us. When it comes to fresh versus frozen fruit and veg, a new study suggests frozen might be better for our health. When it comes fruit and veg, there's little doubt grabbing a bag of pre-washed, prepped frozen peas from the freezer section is likely to be cheaper and easier.
Many believe that fresh is best, but this doesn’t mean that frozen food isn’t fresh! At certain times of the year it can be near impossible to find fresh, local produce beyond root vegetables. So what is the second-best choice? Frozen? Or well travelled fresh?

We look at produce, meat, fish and poultry to help you make the freshest choice

PRODUCE
Most frozen produce is picked at peak season and then immediately frozen to retain nutrients and freshness. Fresh produce from faraway places, on the other hand, loses some of its nutrient value while travelling and then sitting on a shelf for days or longer. But the amount of nutrient loss varies greatly depending on the type of produce.


Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale are the most delicate and susceptible to nutrient loss, while vegetables and fruit with a skin or shell (think oranges or pumpkin) are more robust and stay nutritionally intact longer. In saying this, leafy greens are so nutrient dense that even when some nutrients are lost, you are still getting plenty in, so don’t let this deter you from getting your greens in! Pick the fresh option when it’s available but know that the frozen is not far behind when it comes nutrients.


MEAT, FISH AND POULTRY
Although they’re not seasonal, meat and fish are also part of the fresh vs. frozen debate. It’s important to know that with fish in particular, unless you caught it yourself, there is not such thing as fresh. All wild-caught fish, by law, has to be frozen in order to kill parasites. When it comes to meat and poultry, the same rules apply as with produce. Freezing them does not take away from nutritional values, yet it may make your meal prepping a little easier.

The most important thing is not to overthink the fresh vs. frozen debate. Chances are, you probably eat fresh food 90% of the time and if you sometimes get snap frozen veggies, or you freeze your protein for another time and that is perfectly fine too. Many people want to subscribe to the principle of fresh, nutritious food that fuels your body and makes you feel good. All our meals have a purpose, to make you feel better, perform better and look better.

But, what about your health?

It's long been assumed that eating fresh fruit and veg is hands down healthier. A number of previous studies have, however casts that common belief in doubt.

In one particular study, a team of scientists from the University of Georgia compared fresh with frozen, as well as a third category dubbed fresh-stored. This mimicked the typical length of time people tend to store fresh produce after buying it, and was found to be around five days.

The researchers focused on these family favourites:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• corn
• green beans
• green peas
• spinach
• blueberries
• strawberries

To judge how fresh each product was, the scientists measured levels of key nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. In many cases there was little difference between the fresh, fresh-stored and frozen varieties. But, where the researchers noted vast differences, they found the frozen produce outshone the fresh counterparts.

A common misconception is that fresh produce is the healthier option, experts say. The findings of this study do not support the common belief that fresh food has significantly greater nutritional value than its frozen counterpart. In the cases of significant differences, frozen produce outperformed 'fresh-stored' more frequently than 'fresh-stored' outperformed frozen.

The reason why frozen is often better for you, is down to the point at which it is placed on ice. A technique called fresh freezing ensures food is chilled quickly, often not long after it's picked. As a result the nutrients and goodness are trapped in at source. Though they may look freshly picked, chances are the produce in the fruit and veg aisle at most supermarkets has spent some time from when it's picked, being transported to the store and then home.

And the longer that time takes, the fewer vitamins and minerals will survive. Frozen vegetables are usually nutritionally equivalent to fresh vegetables because they're generally flash-frozen on site, immediately after harvest. This kind of processing may degrade some nutrients while making others more bioavailable. Therefore fruit and veg don't have to be fresh to pack a healthy punch.

Frozen mixed berries can be blended into a smoothie or frozen peas can be cooked and served on the side or added to a tasty dish such as risotto. Additionally, opting for frozen over fresh could save the average family more than £260 a year. Comparing 10 baskets of fresh and frozen items at Tesco, we found the ice-chilled variety was more than £10 cheaper than the fresh one.

Regardless of whether you opt for fresh or frozen, it's important to include as many fruit and vegetables in your diet. The NHS advises everyone to aim for five-a-day, as part of a healthy balanced diet. The five-a-day campaign is based on World Health Organisation guidelines, which recommends eating 400g of fruit and veg a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Is honey vegan?

In the vegan community, honey can be a sticky subject. If you are against eating it, it can be the bane of your existence when it comes to scanning the ingredient labels of beverages, breads, or desserts. For other vegans, however, it’s not a concern in the slightest.

As the vegan movement grew in popularity over the 2000s, there came a rising lackadaisical attitude towards honey. In the grand scheme of things, it fell into a “grey area,” being not quite as egregious as consuming milk, but not as acceptable as strictly vegan substitutes, like agave nectar. I have previously written about agave as an alternative to refined sugar. You can read it here: http://yaso-shan.blogspot.com/2013/08/stevia-great-sugar-alternative.html

By definition the term veganism is a way of living that aims to minimise animal exploitation and cruelty. Therefore, vegans avoid eating animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as foods that are made from them. However, many people wonder whether this extends to foods made from insects, such as honey.

The discussion therefore follows whether honey is vegan. Many vegans contend that honey is absolutely not vegan-friendly because it is, strictly speaking, an “animal product,” and because it harms bees by disrupting natural processes.

There are compelling arguments for both.

Why Honey SHOULD Be Considered Vegan-Friendly
The first point many pro-honey vegans make is that removing honey from your diet is far too restrictive to be realistic. As previously stated, honey appears in many products, and mixing all of them can get pretty prohibitive.

Bees are instrumental, if not critical in the production of many “vegan” foods, including “broccoli, canola, cherries, cucumbers, lettuce, peaches, pears, plums, sunflowers, and tomatoes” to name but a few. While you could argue that honey can be reasonably avoided, it is difficult to argue that vegans should avoid all of these products.

Moreover, extra restrictions could make omnivores reluctant (or even outright refuse) to try veganism in the first place. By loudly arguing against the consumption of honey, it could be a distinct turnoff  for encouraging people to reduce the consumption of meat, dairy, or other animal products.

Unlike overt animal foods like meat, eggs, and dairy, foods from insects aren’t always grouped into the vegan category. In fact, some vegans who eat an otherwise entirely plant-based diet may opt to include honey in their diet.That said, the majority of vegans view honey as non-vegan and avoid eating it for several reasons:

1. Honey results from the exploitation of bees; most vegans see no difference between bee farming and other forms of animal farming.
2. To optimise profits, many commercial bee farmers employ practices that are unethical by vegan standards.These include clipping the wings of queen bees to prevent them from fleeing the hive, replacing harvested honey with nutritionally inferior sugar syrups, and killing entire colonies to prevent the spread of disease, instead of giving them medicine.
3. Vegans opt to take a stand against these exploitative practices by avoiding honey and other bee products, including honeycomb, bee pollen, royal jelly, or propolis.
4. Honey farming may harm bee health; many vegans avoid eating honey because commercial honey farming may also harm the health of bees.
5. Honey’s main function is to provide bees with carbohydrates and other essential nutrients like amino acids, antioxidants, and natural antibiotics.
6. Bees store honey and consume it over the winter months when honey production dwindles. It provides them with energy, helping them stay healthy and survive during cold weather.
7. To be sold, honey is taken away from bees and often replaced by sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). These supplemental carbs are meant to prevent the bees from starving during the colder months and are sometimes given to bees in the spring to encourage colony growth and stimulate the flow of nectar. However, sucrose and HFCS do not provide bees the many beneficial nutrients found in honey. What’s more, there’s evidence that these sweeteners harm the bees’ immune systems and can cause genetic changes that reduce their defences against pesticides. Both of these effects can ultimately damage a beehive.
8. Honey farming may contribute to declining bee populations; bees play an essential role in the ecosystem. They help transfer pollen and seeds between a wide variety of flowers. Without bees, many plants would be unable to reproduce, causing a dramatic drop in crop yields and plant diversity.
9. Bee populations are unfortunately declining worldwide. Studies show that commercial beekeeping practices may contribute to part of this decline. Housing dense colonies in large hives and inadvertently interfering with the bees’ natural protection from the environment during routine colony inspections are part of the problem. Other common beekeeping practices, such as artificial insemination, manually replacing a hive’s queen, or even offering treatment against disease, can further interfere with natural selection and reduce the bees’ genetic diversity. Such practices are thought to lower a beehive’s ability to adapt and defend itself against the local environment, potentially leading to a decline in bee populations.

Why Honey SHOULD NOT Be Considered Vegan-Friendly
For some vegans the notion of animal welfare is equally important as not eating or using any animal products. It is therefore reasonable for them to argue that “I’m not harming any animals by eating honey.” But is that true?

Those who argue that honey is not vegan-friendly contend that the consumption of honey actually harms bees. Honey is created by honey bees during periods of cold or poor weather and stored for future consumption. It contains essential nutrients that maintain the health and well-being of the hive. Being an essential source of sustenance, honey needs to be replaced after it is harvested.

Unfortunately, the sugar substitute that harvesters use to replace honey is devoid of the nutrients, vitamins, and fats that bees require to remain healthy. Furthermore, as bees scramble to replace the lost honey, the hive can exhaust itself.

There are other ethical considerations as well. Selective breeding, a process intended to maximise production and profits, has significantly narrowed the gene pool of the honey bee population. This makes the species susceptible to life-threatening diseases, which can be spread to other animals and pollinators that are required to continue the cycle of nature.

As we’ve seen with the unintended culling of bees throughout the past several years, the environmental impacts can be enormous.

Making the Decision: Should You Avoid Honey?
Given these considerations, what is the best choice for you? Ultimately, what you choose to do is a deeply personal choice; you can’t be verbally coerced into refusing to eat honey. Avoiding all products that involve the exploitation of bees is a difficult task, so eating honey can be seen as a relatively minor transgression. However, because the consumption of honey causes harm to bees and the environment, many vegans choose to avoid it.


Vegan alternatives to honey
Several plant-based options can replace honey. The most common vegan alternatives are:

• Maple syrup: Made from the sap of the maple tree, maple syrup contains several vitamins and minerals and up to 24 protective antioxidants.
• Blackstrap molasses: A thick, dark-brown liquid obtained from boiling sugar cane juice three times. Blackstrap molasses is rich in iron and calcium.
• Coconut nectar: A syrup made from the sap and flowers of the coconut palm. It contains some nutrients, such as vitamin A and calcium
• Barley malt syrup: A sweetener made from sprouted barley. This syrup has a golden colour and flavor similar to that of blackstrap molasses.
• Brown rice syrup: Also known as rice or malt syrup, brown rice syrup is made by exposing brown rice to enzymes that break down the starch found in rice to produce a thick, dark-coloured syrup.
• Date syrup: A caramel-coloured sweetener made by extracting the liquid portion of cooked dates. You can also make it at home by blending boiled dates with water.
• Bee Free Honey: A branded sweetener made from apples, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. It’s advertised as a vegan alternative that looks and feels like honey.

Like honey, all of these vegan alternatives are high in sugar so it is best to consume them in moderation, as too much added sugar can harm your health. They can be available in a variety of flavours, textures, and colours.

In conclusion, it comes down to the different motives of being vegan. If it's a philosophical or ethical argument about exploitation without consent, then honey isn't vegan. But if the motivation is environmental, then is it vegan because beekeeping promotes pollination. However, the latter is very location-dependent. Beekeeping can be a bad or good depending on what plants the bees are pollinating. Vegans avoid eating honey to take a stand against bee exploitation and farming practices that are thought to harm bee health and reduce bee populations.

For more information visit: 
https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/honey-industry 
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/honey-factory-farmed-bees/ 

Ref: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-honey-vegan#bottom-line 

Sustainable Skincare

It is difficult to open any magazine, newspaper or online publications without reading something about the pressing concerns surrounding climate change (or more accurately according to some media outlets, climate crisis). It is without doubt, there is a real threat of such devastating impacts on natural habitats and wildlife.  Being close to the benefits of harnessing plant ingredients, perhaps botanical and natural skincare manufacturers and formulators have faced these threats and confronted the problems much sooner than most. This has perhaps given the industry the much-needed time to consider the way ahead and to implement strategies to mitigate the potential loss of natural ingredients that appear to be increasing in number by the day.

With the rising popularity of natural skincare and plant-based products, the demand has never been greater. However, with this comes a concern for the environment although other industries should share the burden of being a responsible manufacturer given than 1 in 5 plant species are at risk of extinction. The three biggest factors threatening plant species are:

• deforestation of habitats (31%)
• deforestation of timber (21%)
• construction of buildings and infrastructure (13%)

It is, after all in the interests of these companies to be mindful of ensuring sustainability and protecting our most valuable ecosystems so that we can continue to enjoy Earth’s bounty for many more years to come. So how can we ensure this?

Read the full article here:
http://www.soapmakingmagazine.co.uk/blog/index.php/2019/07/11/sustainable-skincare/?fbclid=IwAR3OyLyoSDTy8Ps6Xbje-HIylSd08tYCszGc4tkd0wagURo9apf49bTncj8

Health Risks of Wi-Fi

HEALTH RISKS OF 5G, MOBILE PHONES AND CORDLESS PHONES

Concerns about Microwave Radiation / WiFi Radiation / EMFs (electromagnetic fields), call it what you will is not new.  As such, there is a great deal of information about many aspects of this very broad topic.

One of the points he made which is important as it is a keystone of many arguments put out by the Establishment is the difference between thermal and non-thermal radiation.


Official studies and statistics frequently measure thermal values - in other words the amount a body heats up when using a device. This is not a valid measure because a body only heats up in ionising radiation, and microwave radiation (ie mobile phones, tablets, WiFi and smart devices etc) is non-ionising, and non-thermal.

So when you do your own research - and I urge you to do this - please ensure that the facts and figures you are looking act refer to non-thermal, non-ionising radiation. He pointed out, quite rightly, the question of insurance cover and EMFs.

The following quote from CFC Underwriting Ltd the UK agent for Lloyds of London comes from the Environmental Health Trust website:


"The Electromagnetic Fields Exclusion (Exclusion 32) is a General Insurance Exclusion and is applied across the market as standard. The purpose of the exclusion is to exclude cover for illnesses caused by continuous long-term non-ionising exposure i.e. through mobile phone usage.”


In the cases where a mobile mast is erected on a building - a church steeple, a school, a sports hall - it is the owner of the building who would be liable for any insurance claims for sickness due to the emissions of the mast, rather than the telecoms companies who actually own them.


5G: This is a big, important topic in its own right but in brief, 5G stands for 5th generation (following on from 3G and 4G). It is 10 times faster than 4G, which makes it very good for moving huge amounts of data at very high speed (financial transactions, downloading movies etc).

This is the world of the so-called Internet of Things and Virtual Reality as well as driverless cars, smart motorways and so on. It works in the bandwidth 246Hz - 90GHz (varies slightly by location).

5G uses MIMO - Massive Input, Massive Output. Far more ports or transmitters are needed for this huge amount of data: where 4G towers had 12 ports, 5G towers have 100 ports. And, along the route, lots of mini base stations are needed, boosters if you will, to help all this data on its way. These need to be placed every few meters - this is why you are hearing talk of a cell or transmitter on every lamp-post.

The signals also need to travel clear of interference, and it is this that has led to accusations that so many perfectly healthy trees in Sheffield (and other places) were chopped down, as the fluttering leaves would get in the way.

It is also being said that these same wavelengths have been / are being “weaponised” by certain agencies and  governments, with the implication that installation of so many little transmitters will allow for the lamp posts to become transmitters of lethal beams. Do your own research, draw your own conclusions on this.

With regard to 5G, the main health risks are:

• DNA single and double strand breaks
• oxidative damage
• disruption of the cell metabolism
• increased blood brain permeability
• reduction in melatonin levels

Main tips on protecting yourself from harmful radiation included the following:

• turn off the wireless router at night, along with all WiFi gadgets
• have a corded land line phone, not a cordless one
• don’t have a smart meter
• when using your mobile phone, don’t hold it next to your ear, use the speaker phone
• keep your mobile phone charged: the harder it has to work to pick up a signal, the more of the nasty stuff it throws out
• keep your mobile phone away from your body (ie not stuffed down your bra or in your trouser pocket)
• don’t have your mobile phone on your bedside table or under your pillow at night.
• if you need an alarm clock - go buy one, an old-fashioned one, not a digital one.
• wire in your laptop and printer; have a wired mouse and keyboard, not WiFi
• don’t put your laptop on your lap; don’t rest your tablet or your mobile on your baby bump.

Useful sources of information on 5G and other aspects of this broad area of Microwave Radiation are as follows:

• www.ukradiation.co.uk 
• www.es-uk.info ElectroSensitivity UK, charity providing practical help and advice
• www.radiationresearch.org charity focusing on research and science in the EMF field
• www.mobilewise.org mainly on mobile phones, as the name suggests
• www.powerwatch.org.uk run by technical people providing technical but accessible info

Alternatives to Palm Oil

With current concerns about the use of palm oil and the consequences on the wildlife, there are a number of campaigns that have been promoted to examine the use of palm oil. So what could we use instead by way of alternatives to such a valuable ingredient from foods to the cosmetics and skincare industries?

It is important here to mention the difference between Palm oil and Palm kernel oil. Both come from the palm oil tree, palm oil is pressed from the fruit and palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed. Both can be used in soap making and offer different qualities in a finished product.

Palm kernel oil  is used to make a white coloured, harder bar of soap that provides a fluffy, bubbly lather. This oil is in a solid state at room temperature, which contributes to the hardness of a soap bar.

Palm Kernel alternatives:
Two good choices for alternatives are coconut oil and babassu oil. Palm kernel oil is actually chemically more similar to coconut oil than palm oil, which is probably why many soap manufacturers use bo th ingredients as both give different properties. Babassu oil on the other hand is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the babassu palm and is indigenous to Brazil.

Palm Oil
Palm oil is used to create a hard soap bar with a stable lather, and is often used to make something more long-lasting and resistant to melting. Using palm oil in  soap will provide a moderate amount of cleansing and conditioning properties. This oil is solid only at cooler temperatures, and is sometimes used as a formula stabiliser in cosmetics. Palm oil is also used in candle making and a key ingredient in soap making because of its excellent lathering and hardening properties. However, in recent years palm oil has gained a bad reputation due to its questionable sustainability.

Palm Oil alternatives:
Some say there is no ‘perfect’ alternative to Palm oil in soap making because of its exceptional results but as always, it is down to product development and personal preferences. When searching for a replacement, we need to take these properties in to account as well as cost and of course, sustainability.

Below are some of the most widely used and acceptable substitutes to palm and why:

1. Shea Butter
2. Cocoa Butter
3. Animal Tallow

Shea Butter
Possibly one of the best alternatives and a favourite amongst those manufacturers concerned about our environment and sustainability. Also known as Karite butter, Shea Butter is made from the nuts of Karite nut trees that grow in the Savannah regions of West and Central Africa. It has the following properties that make it idea for soap making:

• Oil type – Hard (same category as Palm)
• High in oleic acid – conditioning and lathering properties similar to that of palm
• Excellent moisturising properties
• Softens skin
• Palmitic acid present to contribute towards soap ‘hardness’
• Organic variation available

Cocoa Butter
This is a vegetable fat which has a fantastic chocolate-y aroma. It is extracted from the cocoa bean and is also very popular in cooking as well as soap making. All the following factors mean it is a close second to palm oil in soap making.

• Oil type – Hard
• Provides moisture- good for eczema, dermatitis, stretch marks
• High in antioxidants
• Stable even levels of palmitic, stearic & oleic acids- gives hardness, a creamy lather & good conditioning.

Animal Tallow
The traditional roots were such that before palm oil, fatty oils such as beef tallow (fat from rendered beef) or lard were used, mainly due to their large availability being an animal by-product. Most historic soap recipes would usually call for tallow or lard because of their properties, which are listed below. This may not be a great alternative for everybody, because vegan products are now also talking over in popularity from animal products.

• Oil type – Tallow and Lard are both hard oils (same category as Palm)
• Not vegetarian/vegan friendly…
• However, it’s making good use of animal by-product
• Inexpensive
• Excellent creamy lathering qualities
• Traditionally used to create a hard bar of soap (Similar to reasons for using palm)

About Palm Oil and ‘RSPO’
The RSPO - The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable palm oil. Members of RSPO, and participants in its activities come from many different backgrounds, including plantation companies, processors and traders, consumer goods manufacturers and retailers of palm oil products, financial institutions, environmental NGOs and social NGOs, from many countries that produce or use palm oil. The RSPO vision is to “transform the markets by making sustainable palm oil the norm". If it’s grown sustainably, palm oil production can benefit local communities, and help to protect valuable species and forests. By using sustainable practices, farmers can increase their income by making more palm oil from less land”

Why is this important?
The palm oil supply chain, from the tropics to its use as an ingredient in retail products all over the world, is complex. It can be hard to know exactly where the palm oil in the final product has come from. To ensure the credibility of the sustainability claim at the end of the supply chain, all organisations that take legal ownership and physically handle RSPO certified sustainable oil palm products need to be supply chain certified. Transparency and credibility are assured through RSPO Supply Chain Certification and RSPO Principles and Criteria Certification.


It is also worth noting, as this is a ‘hot’ topic at the moment, that as humans in general we are using the earth’s resources to the point of destruction, if it’s not Palm oil plantations, then it’s soya or Shea. By boycotting one product, this will naturally put more pressure to produce larger amounts of another, so we should really be looking at how we can use highly renewable and sustainable products as we move into the future and start caring for our planet so the next generation (humans and animals alike) will still have a home.