Health & Beauty

GOOD FOOD FOR A GOOD FUTURE

Dr Tanja Harrison, lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Chester, helps identify food that’s sustainable – that is, good for us, for the planet and for our communities

Do you have an impending sense of doom every time you look at the news? Climate change is one of the topics with an increasing sense of urgency. We are more aware that our diet – the types of foods we eat and how often we eat them – is an important factor in the warming of our planet.

Ever wondered how we actually measure whether a food might be sustainable or not? It depends which indicator you use to determine the impact of a food item or ingredient on the planet. Whilst we hear most about greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), there are other important considerations such as land use, water use and the risk of causing algal bloom in waterways (called eutrophication). For example, while tree nuts don’t score too badly in terms of GHGE, they tend to be bad news for water use, especially if they are grown in hotter climates where water is often scarce.

A new study looked at the combined impact of these four indicators on the environmental sustainability of foods found in UK supermarket aisles. The researchers also considered the nutritional values of these foods to see whether being kind to the planet comes at a cost to our health. What they found confirmed to a large extent what we have been told for a while. Fruit and vegetables overall are good for both our own and the planet’s health. Meat and dairy products are problematic in terms of environmental impacts. We know from other studies that the results with regards to their healthiness have been mixed, depending on the context of the overall diet. So what to do?

Impact indicators

Food plays an important role in our lives, not only from an environmental and nutritional perspective but a cultural one. So, yes, whilst there is a strong argument to eat spag bol less often, and to replace some of the meat with lentils or mushrooms, we should also consider what we can do to support growers close to home. We can do this by spending the same money on less but higher quality

“What can we do to support growers close to home?” produce from farmers and food producers in our own counties. Not only will this aid our own and our planet’s health, it can help those producers to make sustainable changes for the better in the long term. It’s a win–win.

The current cost of living crisis makes these decisions even more difficult. We need to find better ways to ensure we can continue to consume foods that can be linked to health, sustainability and a sense of place.

Buy local where you can If you eat meat, consider eating it less often

MYTH BUSTER

This time we’re looking at some of the strange stories that circulate about blood

Your blood type dictates the kind of person you are

Not so. Despite theories that people with blood type A have the worst hangovers, type O the best teeth and type A2 the highest IQs, there is no evidence whatsoever to back up any of these claims. Scientists do believe that certain blood types are at greater risk of developing certain health conditions, however – although it’s still not fully understood why. risk of developing high blood pressure does run in families, but it’s not always the case – nor is it unavoidable. If your parents or close blood relatives have had hypertension (to use the medical term), you are more likely to develop it. However, lifestyle choices have allowed many in this category to avoid it themselves.

O negative is the most important blood type

This is true in cases of emergency and when blood is needed quickly as O negative blood is universal – so it can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type. It is the blood type most in demand by hospitals and paramedics since it can be used in the interim, while medics wait to screen the person in need to determine and match their blood type.