Granted, it may take a while to catch on. And it won’t be cheap.

The first lab-grown hamburger would cost around e250 000 (R2.73 million) to produce, said Mark Post, a vascular biologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, who hopes to unveil such a delicacy soon.

Experts say the meat’s potential for saving animals’ lives, land, water, energy and the planet could be enormous.

“The first one will be a proof of concept, just to show it’s possible,” Post said from his Maastricht lab. “I believe I can do this in the coming year.”

It may sound and look like some kind of imitation. Although in-vitro or cultured meat is a real animal-flesh product, it has never been part of a complete, living animal.

It is quite different from imitation meat or meat substitutes aimed at vegetarians, and made from vegetable proteins like soy.

Stem cells

Using stem cells harvested from leftover animal material from slaughterhouses, Post nurtures them with a feed concocted of sugars, amino acids, lipids, minerals and all other nutrients they need to grow in the right way.

So far he has produced whitish, pale muscle-like strips, each around 2.5cm long, less than 1cm wide and so thin as to be almost see-through.

Pack enough of these together – probably around 3 000 of them in layers – throw in a few strips of lab-grown fat, and you have the world’s first “cultured-meat” burger.

“This first one will be grown in an academic lab by highly trained academic staff. “It’s hand-made, and it’s time- and labour-intensive, that’s why it’s so expensive to produce.”

Not to mention a little unappetising. Since Post’s in-vitro meat contains no blood, it lacks colour. At the moment, it looked a bit like the flesh of scallops, he said.

Like all muscle, these lab-grown strips need to be exercised so they can grow and strengthen rather than waste away.

To do this Post exploits muscles’ natural tendency to contract and stretches them between Velcro tabs in the Petri dish to provide resistance and help them build up strength.

Supporters of the idea of man-made meat, like Stellan Welin, a bioethicist at Linkoping University in Sweden, say this is no less appealing than mass-producing livestock in factory farms where growth hormones and antibiotics are commonly used to boost yields and profits.

Conventional meat production is also notoriously inefficient. For every 15g of edible meat, you need to feed the animals around 100g of vegetable protein, an increasingly unsustainable equation.

This meant finding new ways of producing meat was essential if we were to feed the enormous and ever-growing demand for it across the world, Welin said.

Not sustainable

“Of course you could do it by being vegetarian or eating less meat. But the trends don’t seem to be going that way. With cultured meat we can be more conservative – people can still eat meat, but without causing so much damage.”

The World Health Organisation said annual meat production was projected to increase from 218 million tons between 1997 and 1999 to 376 million tons by 2030, and demand from a growing world population was seen rising beyond that.

Post said: “Current livestock-meat production is just not sustainable. Not from an ecological point of view, and neither from a volume point of view.

“Right now we are using more than 50 percent of all our agricultural land for livestock.

“It’s simple maths. We have to come up with alternatives.”

A 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report said industrialised agriculture contributed on a “massive scale” to climate change, air pollution, land degradation, energy use, deforestation and biodiversity decline.

The report, entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow, said the meat industry contributed about 18 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions. This proportion was expected to grow as consumers in fast-developing countries, such as China and India, ate more meat.

Hanna Tuomisto conducted a study into the relative environmental impacts of various types of meat, including lamb, pork, beef and cultured meat. She said the lab-grown stuff had by far the least impact on the environment.

Her analysis, published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal earlier this year, found growing our favourite meats in-vitro would use 35 percent to 60 percent less energy, emit 80 percent to 95 percent less greenhouse gas and use around 98 percent less land than conventionally produced animal meat.

“We are not saying we could, or would, necessarily want to replace conventional meat with its cultured counterpart right now.”

Tuomisto led the research at Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit.

But she said cultured meat “could be part of the solution to feed the world’s growing population and at the same time cut emissions and save both energy and water”.

Tasty?

While experts in the field agree that within several years it may be possible to produce in-vitro meat, like sausages or chicken nuggets, in a processed form, producing more animal-like products, like pork chops or steaks, could be much more complex and take many more years to develop.

Post is financed by an anonymous private funder keen to see the Dutch scientist succeed.

He hopes to hand the world its first man-made hamburger by August or September next year. But for the moment he admits what he had grown was a long way from a mouth-watering meal.

He hasn’t yet sampled his creation, but others’ reviews are not great. A Russian TV reporter, who came to his lab, tried one of the strips and was unimpressed.

“It’s not very tasty yet,” Post said. “That’s not a trivial thing and it needs to be worked on.”

But with the right amounts and right types of fat, and perhaps a little lab-grown blood to give it colour and iron, Post is confident he can make his Petri-dish meat look and taste as good as the real thing.

He also hopes the ability to tweak and change things will mean scientists will ultimately be able to make meat healthier – for example, with less saturated and more polyunsaturated fat, or more nutrients.

“The idea is that since we are now producing it in the lab, we can play with all these variables and eventually hopefully turn it in a way that produces healthier meat.

“Whereas in a cow or a pig, you have very limited variables to play with.” By 6Kate Kelland, Independent Online

An ADB report urged Pacific nations to increase local food production, particularly of climate-resistant crops such as taro, yam and cassava, and to use new technologies to improve traditional production systems.

The report, titled Food Security and Climate Change in the Pacific: Rethinking the Options, said the Pacific region is already experiencing worsening coastal erosion, floods, drought, and storm surges as a result of climate change.

“Rising temperatures and rising tides due to climate change could reduce food supply in the Pacific. With over 10 million people in developing countries in the region, this is a threat that we cannot ignore,” said report author Mahfuzuddin Ahmed, a senior economist in ADB’s Pacific department.

Ahmed said there should also be increased investment in agricultural research and development as well as training in areas such as plant breeding and resource management.

“Communities need to work together to find the best way to adapt to changing agricultural needs and countries should also work with each other and with regional agencies,” he said.

The report also noted that carefully managing the coastal fisheries will also be crucial in boosting food security in the beleaguered region.

The Manila-based ADB said agricultural productivity in the Pacific has stagnated for the last 45 years despite the region’s growing population.

“A steady flow of people from the countryside seeking better work in the cities has contributed to that,” by depriving the agricultural sector of manpower, the report said.

“This has left Pacific nations increasingly dependent on imported food, particularly in urban areas.” The report said all national planning and policies should take climate change into account, including infrastructure such as water pipes, roads, ports and coastal development. The Hindu

Corn futures in Chicago markets fell the most since November, while wheat experienced its biggest plunge since January 2009, as the U.S. government reported grain acreage and inventories that topped estimates by analysts.

“It was very much of a surprise,” said Arlan Suderman, a market analyst with Farm Futures magazine. “Corn was the biggest shocker in acreage and in stocks.”

U.S. farmers planted 92.3 million acres of corn this year, 1.8 percent more than projected by analysts in a Bloomberg News survey, and the second-most since 1944, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday. Corn stockpiles as of June 1 were 3.67 billion bushels, 12 percent higher than forecast.

In reaction, corn futures for December delivery slid by the daily limit of 30 cents, or 4.6 percent, to settle at $6.205 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the biggest drop since Nov. 16. The grain has jumped 66 percent in the past year, partly on surging demand from ethanol makers and livestock farms.

“For the end user, today was a windfall,” said Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities, an Iowa-based grain and livestock investment mangement firm. As commodity prices have risen over the past year, foodmakers like Minnesota’s General Mills Inc. and Hormel Foods Corp. have been increasingly passing down their higher costs to retailers and consumers.

For packaged-food makers, the drop in corn and wheat prices offers a short-term window to lock in relatively lower input costs. However, analysts say the underlying long-term equation of high corn demand and relatively low supply hasn’t changed. So the corn price retreat could be short-lived.

Why the jump in the short-term supply forecast? Farmers reacted to the market, Roose said, deciding to plant more corn because prices for that grain were comfortably high.

In Minnesota, soggy weather hasn’t been kind to corn farmers: They’re well behind schedule this year, a possible detriment to yields. The average height of corn plantings in Minnesota as of last week was only 16 inches, compared with a five-year average of 29 inches at this time of year, according to the USDA.

But the corn crop in major Corn Belt states such as Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska — which haven’t had the same weather issues as Minnesota — looks good so far, Roose said.

Prices for wheat traded in Chicago often follow corn prices, and that’s what happened Thursday. But longer-term factors are also putting downward pressure on wheat prices. Prospective global wheat supplies are improved over last year, when Russia rattled markets by banning wheat exports because of a major drought.

So far this year, wheat crops in Russia and throughout Europe are strong, Roose said. The same goes for many regions of the United States, he said, except the Upper Midwest. Farmers in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana — the nation’s largest producers of hard red spring wheat, a key grain for bread — have had a tough time due to wet weather.

The USDA said Thursday that it plans to specifically survey farmers next month in Montana, Minnesota and North and South Dakota on acreage planted for corn, soybeans, durum wheat and spring wheat.

“A large percentage of acres remained to be planted” in those states following the survey in the first half of June, the USDA said. By Mike Hughlett, Star Tribune

What if you could wave a magic wand to feel healthier, get slimmer and reduce your risk of dying from heart disease, while also lowering your chances of developing diabetes, cancer and other ailments – from diverticulitis to dementia?

A no-brainer, right?

Six to eight million people think so. That’s how many Americans have adopted vegetarian eating.

“Vegetarian diets – which contain no beef, pork, poultry, fish or shellfish – are naturally low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and packed with essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and cancer-fighting compounds,” says Neal Barnard, M.D., adjunct professor of medicine at George Washington University and president and founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nutrition advocacy organization that promotes vegetarian eating.

Still not convinced? Vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, according to a 2005 Tufts University study of 55,459 women.

While 40% of the non-vegetarians were overweight or obese, only 25% of the lacto-vegetarians (who eat no meat, poultry, fish or eggs) were overweight.

Improved health isn’t the only bonus of a vegetarian diet.

“Being vegetarian makes me feel good about myself,” says Jay Lavine, M.D., who authors The Nutrition MD website, a source for information on what he calls “the optimal diet.”

“Eating has become a spiritual experience and constant reminder that I’m serving a higher purpose,” he says. “The result is a long-lasting inner happiness, as opposed to a transient pleasure.”

After a lifetime of believing a meal isn’t complete without meat, doubts are understandable. Read on for information about vegetarian diets from registered dietitians and chefs, along with tips for making the transition.

Myth #1: I won’t get enough protein.

The truth: It’s easy to be a vegetarian and get the protein you need.

Your body needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, according to the latest Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). That translates to 0.36 grams of protein per pound.

“So, if you weigh 140 pounds, you need about 50 grams of protein [a day],” says Susan Levin, R.D., director of Nutrition Education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

That’s easy on a vegetarian diet. Enjoy a bagel smeared with peanut butter for breakfast (4 grams for 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 10 grams for the bagel); veggie burger for lunch, between 2 slices of whole-wheat bread (depending on the brand, can be 13 grams, plus 4 grams for the bread); and an afternoon snack of a cup of yogurt (14 grams) and a handful of almonds (8 grams in a 1/4 cup).

You’ve already met your daily protein requirement, and it’s not even dinnertime.

“If you consume enough calories, you’ll get enough protein,” Levin adds. “Most Americans get twice the recommended amount.”

Even some vegetables are high in protein.

For example, “broccoli gets one-third of its calories from protein,” Levin says. When cooked, it weighs in at 4 grams of protein per cup.

Legumes (beans, peas, lentils) are another good protein source.

“If you eat a cup of beans a day, along with whole grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds, you’ll get enough protein,” says Jill Nussinow, R.D., chef/instructor and registered dietitian at Santa Rosa Junior College in California, and author of a cookbook called The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment (Vegetarian Connection Press).

Like rice? You’ll love protein-packed quinoa.

Pronounced KEEN-wah, the South American seed is extremely easy to prepare, says Jeff Stanford, owner of Ravens, a fine-dining vegetarian restaurant on the Mendocino, Calif.

“Just put washed seeds into water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and serve,” Stanford says.

“Quinoa risotto with grilled spring vegetables is beautiful and delicious.”

To see how your favorite foods stack up, the protein content of many foods is listed here.

Myth #2: Vegetarian diets make you fat.

The truth: If you load up on cheese, junk food and white carbs (pizza, pasta, white bread), you may gain weight.

“Being a ‘pizzatarian’ or ‘carbotarian’ won’t do anyone good,” Nussinow says. “Cheese, dairy and eggs are high in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.”

That’s because white carbs – as opposed to whole grains that are full of healthful fiber and nutrients – are full of empty calories and lead to weight gain, says the Harvard School of Public Health.

“Oreos are vegan, but that doesn’t mean they’re good for you,” says Alexandra Caspero, R.D., campus dietitian for University of the Pacific and owner of Delicious Knowledge in Stockton, Calif., a nutritional counseling service.

“Vegetarians who turn to chips, candy and cupcakes may gain weight,” she says. “Or if you eat a lot of cheese – cheese enchiladas, quesadillas, cheese sandwiches – you will also increase the amount of saturated fat and calories in your diet.”

Myth #3: Vegetarians have to compensate with vitamins and other supplements.

The truth: Strict vegans, people who eschew all meat, fish, eggs and dairy, need to ensure they get ample vitamin B12 and omega-3.

Vegetarians are more likely to have too-low concentrations of vitamin B12 – found in highest levels in fish and meat – and omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil), according to a new (February 2011) review by Zhejiang University in China, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

But vitamin B12 also can be found in fortified non-dairy milks, energy bars and breakfast cereals. You can also take supplements, but first consult your doctor before taking this or any other supplement.

For vegetarians who want to avoid fish oil capsules, omega-3 is found in ground flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil and soy, as well as in vegan supplements.

Fortified nutritional yeast is a complete protein and a great way to sneak vitamin B12 in your daily diet. (Tasty tip: Try sprinkling it on popcorn.)

“I used to use it as a substitute for Parmesan cheese,” Levin says. “But now I add it to most of my foods because it tastes delicious and provides a B-vitamin boost.”

Myth #4: Vegetarians don’t get enough iron.

The truth: Vegetarians are no more likely to have iron deficiencies than non-vegetarians.

While vegetarians tend to have lower iron stores than meat-eaters, the “incidence of iron-deficiency anemia among vegetarians is similar to that of non-vegetarians,” according to the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

“But the form of iron found in plants is not as well absorbed [by the body] as that found in meat,” Lavine says.

That’s why the ADA suggests that vegetarians try to get 1.8 times more iron than people who eat meat.

Foods high in iron include dried fruit, beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole grains, baked potatoes (with the skin) and dark leafy vegetables, says the Mayo Clinic.

An easy way to ward off anemia: Cook with a cast iron skillet. It increases foods’ iron content.

Also, eat fruits and vegetables with vitamin C, such as strawberries and citrus.

“When eaten with iron-rich plant foods, they enhance absorption,” Lavine says.

But “iron is not a major concern to most people, and pregnant women, who have high iron needs, can always take a supplement,” he says.

Myth #5: Preparing vegetarian meals is complicated and labor-intensive.

The truth: Many of your favorite quick dishes can be easily modified and made meatless.

“Just eat what you’re used to,” Nussinow says. For example, “if you eat chili, switch to vegetarian chili.”

Besides, “a lot of foods you already eat are vegetarian: hummus, guacamole – even pizza, if you get rid of the fatty pepperoni and top with lots of vegetables,” she says.

Of course, veggie burgers and other meat substitutes (chickenless nuggets, tofu-turkey, and so forth) are an option.

But don’t rely on fake meats, because they’re very processed, full of preservatives and sodium, warns Nussinow.

If you’re craving a burger, “try a large Portobello mushroom,” Stanford says. “Just brush with oil and balsamic vinegar; then grill or broil.”

More simple and nutritious meat substitutes:

“Instead of tuna, mash garbanzo beans and mix with tuna salad ingredients for a sandwich filling. Swap black beans for ground beef in tacos. And tempeh (made from fermented soybeans), seitan (a high-protein meat substitute pronounced SAY-tan, made from wheat gluten) and tofu can be placed anywhere meat is used,” Caspero says. Peace FM Online

Meanwhile, having a perfect and delicious meal is manifested from an unplanned menu and spur-of-the-moment idea. By browsing deep in the pantry and making use of ingredients already sitting in the fridge and a quick trip to the store, perhaps you’ll put together an exquisite meal with a variety of accompaniments from copas. Not only they are well-known for their supply of turkeys to independent farm shops, but also are renowned as the best in the UK. So if you are interested, all you have to do is register online and you can shop faster, and be up to date on order status and keep track of all orders.

Staple crops such as maize could have risen in price by 180% by 2030, a new report by Oxfam predicts. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

The average price of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years, leading to an unprecedented reversal in human development, Oxfam has warned.

The world’s poorest people, who spend up to 80% of their income of food, will be hit hardest according to the charity. It said the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis, which is likely to be accompanied by political unrest and will require radical reform of the international food system.

Research to be published on Wednesday forecasts international prices of staples such as maize could rise by as much as 180% by 2030, with half of that rise due to the impacts of climate change.

After decades of steady decline in the number of hungry people around the world, the numbers are rapidly increasing as demand outpaces food production. The average growth rate in agricultural yields has almost halved since 1990 and is set to decline to a fraction of 1% in the next decade.

A devastating combination of factors – climate change, depleting natural resources, a global scramble for land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, a growing global population, and changing diets – have created the conditions for an increase in deep poverty.

“We are sleepwalking towards an age of avoidable crisis,” Oxfam’s chief executive, Barbara Stocking, said. “One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone. The food system must be overhauled.”

Oxfam called on the prime minister, David Cameron, and other G20 leaders to agree new rules to govern food markets. It wants greater regulation of commodities markets to contain volatility in prices.

It said global food reserves must be urgently increased and western governments must end biofuels policies that divert food to fuel for cars.

It also attacked excessive corporate concentration in the food sector, particularly in grain trading and in seed and agrochemicals.

The Oxfam report followed warnings from the UN last week that food prices are likely to hit new highs in the next few weeks, triggering unrest in developing countries. The average global price of cereals jumped by 71% to a new record in the year to April last month.

Drought in the major crop-growing areas of Europe and intense rain and tornadoes in the US have led to fears of shortfalls in this year’s crops.

The World Bank warned last month that rising food prices have pushed 44 million people into poverty since last June. By Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian

Alternative medicine guru Andrew Weil recommends an anti-inflammation diet, and plans like The Zone and the Mediterranean diet are also built on the principles of the anti-inflammation theory.

“When you talk about a diet that emphasizes antioxidants or a diet that emphasizes foods that are said to have an anti-inflammatory effect, the diets are going to look very, very similar,” says Lisa Cimperman, a dietitian at University Hospitals in Cleveland.

Each diet emphasizes slightly different things, but they all have plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, fish or small amounts of lean meat, whole grains, little to no processed or refined foods, and an emphasis on omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fish oil.

The idea is to eliminate foods that promote inflammation, like omega-6 acids found in vegetable and corn oils, processed foods and animal fats. Meanwhile, increasing foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals allegedly can prevent or reverse conditions involving inflammation and pain.

Cimperman says there’s no question that what we put in our mouths — and how much of it — has a big influence on our health. But no one diet has been shown to prevent inflammatory-linked diseases.

“We are not at the point yet that we can say that diet directly modifies the inflammatory process,” she says.

Not The Gold Standard

The problem is that the majority of studies linking diet to disease either are too small or are retrospective — that is, they ask people what they ate in the past and then try to correlate that to their current-day health. And studies have shown that people don’t accurately recall what they’ve eaten in the past.

“What they are doing is taking maybe some smaller study or a study that wasn’t as rigorous, and they are using that as a jumping point for making these claims,” Cimperman explains. “Beyond a good healthy diet in general, those claims that you see out there are largely overblown.”

The gold standard study — a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study — takes two groups of similar people, some eating normally, and others eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and compares the changes in their health over time. And the entire time, neither the doctors nor the patients know which diets they’re on. It’s the way most pharmaceutical drugs are evaluated, but studies looking at diet or nutritional supplements are rarely held to this standard.

But that doesn’t mean anti-inflammatory diets are all bad. In fact, Cimperman points out that these diets are simply variations of the same healthy diet she would recommend to anyone. But patients shouldn’t expect a miracle cure.

“It might be healthy, but it may not have the effects that they’re promising,” Cimperman says.

Modest Effects Of Certain Foods

But what about the people who do experience a benefit?

Eric Matteson, a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic, says people with sensitivities to certain foods, like wheat gluten or milk proteins, can benefit from eliminating them. But those cases are very rare, he says.

He argues that the biggest effect a diet can have on arthritis pain comes in the form of calories, not antioxidants.

“The most important thing to consider is the effect of having too much of anything in your diet,” Matteson says. “A big contributor to the worsening of arthritis is body weight.”

Matteson says the claims that certain foods have anti-inflammatory properties isn’t all hype: Proper clinical studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids and herbs like turmeric work the same way in the body as ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and pain. But he says the effects are subtle at best.

“In general, we could say that using the turmeric or using the fish oil might be equivalent to taking 200 to 400 milligrams of ibuprofen. It does vary a little from study to study what that effect actually is, but the effects are very modest,” says Matteson.

Experts say a healthy diet, weight loss and exercise are likely to make everyone feel better, including those with chronic pain. But they warn that diet is meant to enhance, not replace treatments that have been shown to work, and it’s something patients should discuss with their doctors. by Gretchen Cuda-Kroen, National Public Radio

“People may be surprised at how high prices can go,” predicts Colin Fenton, the head of commodities research at JP Morgan in New York. Fenton, in Denver this week to talk to clients, said inflation is well under way in everyday items consumers buy, even if the consumer price index reports a modest 2.2% rate.

As an example, he points to the little bag of chips that are a staple of sack lunches and sandwich shops. From November 2001 to August 2007, they were stable in price, rising only a penny to 34 cents. They now cost 45 cents, with a 6% jump the past 12 months.

Gasoline prices are where consumers probably notice commodity volatility the most. But people need to fill their tanks to get to work, he said.

Consumers may reduce their downloads from iTunes, the number of lattes they drink or cut their cable viewing, Fenton predicts, but they will keep buying gasoline. Last August, Fenton and his team turned bullish on commodities, and in January they issued a prescient warning that commodity markets had become too complacent about risk.

While he couldn’t have predicted the specific events that would push volatility higher — uprisings in the Middle East and a massive earthquake in Japan — Fenton’s forecast soon panned out.

Rising food prices contributed to revolts in the Middle East, which have contributed to higher oil prices, which in turn has pushed food prices even higher.

Most revolts have occurred in countries where food purchases consume 35% or more of household budgets. Other countries most vulnerable to food inflation include Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines. But the real force of higher commodity demand comes from growth in emerging economies, especially China, which is hungry for fuel. Although US consumers may grumble, the Chinese government is in a much stronger position financially to absorb price hikes. Fenton predicts oil will hover around $180 a barrel by 2016.

But not everyone is convinced that the strong demand out of China is sustainable. “The hard landing suggested by weakening Chinese stocks would no doubt burst the global commodity bubble, including agricultural product prices,” predicts leading deflationist A. Gary Shilling.

A reversal in China would hit other emerging markets dependent on commodity exports, dampening demand globally. But Fenton, who recently visited China, said that the country’s economy looks solid and demand for transportation fuel remains high. The Times of India

According to its Health Officer P. Kuganantham, teams of health department officials have been sensitised and trained to identify and seize mangoes that have been ripened artificially. In the last few years, some fruit vendors were found selling mangoes ripened using calcium carbide.

The last few years have seen the Chennai Corporation conducting raids on godowns and storage points of fruits every summer. “We have been adopting the practice for the last four years. We seized over 150 tonnes of mangoes in a year and over 25 tonnes of calcium carbide kept in some of the godowns,” Dr. Kuganantham said.

Food inspectors, along with sanitary inspectors, will conduct raids at different points across the 10 zones of the Corporation, including the wholesale market in Koyambedu.

Mangoes that have been ripened prematurely could be identified easily, say officials. The smell, the sheen of the skin and the taste will easily give away the use of chemicals, if any. “Premature ripening of fruits is not only in the case of mangoes, we find it in papayas and bananas, too,” says Dr. Kuganantham, adding that such fruits could have serious health implications.

While symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea are common among children who eat such fruits, adults might suffer gastrointestinal problems.

A team of officials of the Corporation’s Health Department is in the process of identifying godowns that will stock huge quantities of mangoes. “We will start picking up samples after the season peaks. The season has just begun,” he adds.

In addition to implications on health, the quality of fruits sold is an important consideration for those in the business, too. Whether it is about retaining customers or deciding on the price of the fruits, quality plays a key role, say wholesalers.

S.Srinivasan, president of Wholesale Fruits Commission Agents Association, Koyambedu, says the season of mangoes has just begun. Welcoming the Corporation’s initiative to raid, seize and destroy fruits ripened artificially, he said: “After they [the civic body] started the raids, there is more awareness and suppliers are forced to be cautious. That helps us ensure better quality,” he says.

While a reasonable stock of mangoes produced in different parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, including Salem, Tenkasi and Palakkad has begun making its way into the local market, wholesalers are waiting for the stock from Andhra Pradesh. “It is taking time. I think it is to do with the climate change. What we usually receive in March comes only in May these days,” he says.

Depending on the quality, one kg of the Banganapalli variety of mangoes is priced anywhere between Rs.40-80. The Imampasand variety costs between Rs.80-100.

“The Alphonso or the variety we call Goa here comes from Ratnagiri, Pune and Mumbai. The varieties are slowly coming in and we hope to have a good season.” By Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu

Eat well and feel good

A healthy diet has shown experts that food could be the answer to combat diseases. Foods can be therapeutic and also make you feel good. Says Dr Shikha Sharma, dietician, “Eat well not just for basic nutrition but to heal. After a lot of suffering, people realise it’s better to eat well than pop in medicines. Food science introduces us to foods that heal rather than just provide basic vitamins. Increase your intake of yellow and orange vegetables to prevent infertility. Leafy vegetables are good for eyesight and detox the liver. If you want to avoid depression, just eat lots of seeds, nuts and watermelons for a better nervous system. Salads make the digestion stronger as they have enzymes.”

Get your dose of Vitamin D

A dose of sunlight along with almonds will benefit those who want a baby. Says gynaecologist Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, “Eat to beat infertility which is on the rise and have foods rich in iron like apples and radish. A study done at Harvard revealed women with high iron intake in their diet were more fertile. It’s essential for menopausal women to take vitamins D and E, which are found in avocadoes, tomatoes, hazel nuts. Women can get vitamin D from butter and eggs too.”

Beat the blues with Omega 3

Don’t brood if you’re feeling low. Beat the blues by eating right, as certain foods can help cut the chances of depression. Says Ishi Khosla, diet expert, “Make sure you’re having enough Omega 3 fats from mustard oil, wheat, lobia, flax seeds, methi seeds, soybean and green leafy vegetables.” Even oily fish can be good to beat the blues. “Wholegrains are important, everything from oats to wholewheat bread to barley are great sources of slow-release energy that will prevent your blood sugar from nosediving,” adds Dr Sharma.

Beat brittle bones by drinking milk

There’s truth in grandma’s tips, drink lots of milk as a child. Be willing to transform your relationship with food. Dr Sanjay Sarup, orthopedic says, ‘Stock up your calcium in your childhood and teenage years. Diet remains important to bones in adulthood. Magnesium found in nuts, lentils and potatoes helps in building bones. Red beans, fish, seafood, ragi, dates, fenugreek leaves, and lotus stem are rich in calcium. Eat lots of yoghurt and paneer and make sure you have your daily intake of nuts. If you’re allergic to milk, just eat almonds, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, spinach.”

Olive oil for a safe heart

Don’t consume too much salt, warns cardiologist Dr Umesh Gupta. He points to a research by scientists at Lund University in Sweden, who found that a varied diet of foods containing antioxidants, wholegrains and fatty acids could bring blood pressure down by nearly one-tenth. “Avoid fatty red meats. Lean meats like chicken and fish are good for the heart. Fish like salmon and tuna prevent clot formation. Olive oil is good for the heart. Fruits and vegetables with high fibre, especially oats, reduce cholesterol. Apples reduce inflammation and formation of blood clots. In a study at Harvard of menopausal women, those who had almonds and walnuts every week reduced their chances of having a heart attack by 35 per cent. There are studies that say red wine is good, but that doesn’t mean you take three glasses. Then it’s a doubleedged sword. “

Herbs help blood pressure

Dr Ishi Khosla agrees, “To lower your blood pressure, limit salt intake. Squeeze lemon instead of salt in the food. Avoid cold cut meats as they have too much salt. Reduce total fat intake to not more than 3-4 teaspoons a day. If you drink, limit alcohol intake to not more than 60 ml per day. Restrict caffeine to not more than 2-3 cups of tea /coffee. Include herbs, green and herbal teas, and vegetables like celery, nettle (bichoo booti), lauki juice, cucumber, garlic, green coriander and parsley as they have diuretic effect, help in urine formation and control blood pressure. Include soya, nuts, fatty fish, mustard seeds, flaxseeds, fenugreek seeds (methi) in the diet.”

Garlic helps prevent cancer

Good foods have a holistic effect on the well-being of the mind, body and soul. Nutritional therapy helps in achieving optimal health. Adds Dr Shikha Sharma, “Nourish your organs and give them vitality. We should have an attitude of abundance while making food choices. Eat foods high in dietary fibre, especially found in wheat bran. Having oats, barley, fruits and vegetables also removes toxins in the body. Foods that are known to be anti-cancer are garlic, turmeric, green tea, red wine, whey, wheat grass, beetroot, pine bark, aloe vera, spirulina and some varieties of mushrooms, soy and soy products and flax seeds.”

So, change the way you eat and feel better!

Eat right to beat cancer

Simple dietary changes can prevent one-third of the 12 most common cancers. Food therapy in cancer can be a good preventive and cure. Says oncologist Dr Amit Bhargav with MaxHealthcare, “A junk diet increases the junk in our bodies. Don’t eat pickles as it can lead to foodpipe cancer.”  Nona Walia, The Times of India