FOOD BITES: September 2020

Will Real Meat Become Obsolete?

Lab-grown meat, also known as in vitro meat, may soon be in your local grocery store. It could make meat production a new form of sustainable engineering. This type of “meat” is grown from stem cells harvested by biopsy from donor livestock and cultured in a lab for a few weeks. Products such as chicken nuggets, sausage and even foie gras could be created by this technique. Environmentalists believe in vitro meat could greatly reduce the environmental impact of large-scale animal husbandry, such as reducing greenhouse gas (most notably methane) by 96 percent. “Clean” meat is currently very expensive to produce, compared to the more traditional method of creating meat. It costs about $2,400 to make 450 grams of beef. As the technology matures and efficiency improves, these costs will likely fall dramatically.

Source:

• Interesting Engineering (https://interestingengineering.com)

Sugar and Your Immune System

Sugar has a number of harmful effects, including suppressing the immune system. While the sugar found in fruit or other natural sources can give the body a little boost, processed sugar tends to have unpleasant effects on the body. Consuming too much sugar can affect the cells in your immune system that target bacteria, researchers say. Sugar can trigger low-grade inflammation in the body, which can contribute to chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Research shows consuming 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution can hinder the body’s immune functions. (Seventy-five grams is the equivalent of two cans of soda.) Suppression of the immune system starts as soon as 30 minutes after the consumption of sugar and can last up to five hours.

Source:

• Huffington Post (www.huffpost.com)

Pay Attention to Diet and Nutrition as You Fight COVID-19

In addition to social distancing and regular hand washing, an effective method of reducing the risk and spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is being more vigilant about your diet and nutrition. Nutrition is linked to the risk and severity of infections. Following a good-quality diet and taking a standard multivitamin/multimineral supplement have become particularly important during the pandemic. A good-quality diet emphasizes eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts as well as moderate consumption of fish, dairy foods and poultry. It also advocates limited intake of red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates and sugar. This type of diet will provide appropriate amounts of healthy macronutrients and essential minerals and vitamins (especially C and D) to help you combat COVID-19. It will also ensure you have a sufficient number of immune cells and antibodies, which are important when your body responds to an infection. Even though you are isolated and tempted to binge on less-than-nutritious foods, this is not the time to go on a highly restrictive, crash diet. So continue to eat healthily and remember, no supplement contains all the benefits provided by healthy foods.

Source:

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-news)