Making the switch to a more plant-based diet? You need to make sure you get the following essential nutrients.
Iron: wholegrains, quinoa, nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas, lentils, leafy green vegetables, dried apricots and egg yolk.
Vitamin B12: a supplement of B12 or B12-fortified non-dairy milk alternatives.
Calcium: non-dairy milk or yoghurt alternative with added calcium; tofu made with calcium sulphate (check the label); chickpeas, beans, kale, broccoli and almonds.
Iodine: multivitamin and mineral supplement containing 150 micrograms of iodine.
Best plant proteins
Chickpeas: contain about 9g in half a can, plus significant amounts of iron, magnesium and a type of fibre that feeds the 'good' microbes in the gut.
Chia and hemp seeds: unlike other seeds, they contain all eight essential amino acids, making them 'complete' proteins. They are also excellent sources of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fat.
Tofu and tempeh: made from soya bean curd, both are complete proteins and are rich in isoflavones, which have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Quinoa and buckwheat: contain one and a half times more protein than pasta or rice and are good sources of iron and zinc, both important for the immune system.
Edamame beans: these are young soya beans and excellent sources of protein and fibre, as well as phytochemicals that help lower blood cholesterol levels.
Source: Feature in Good Housekeeping, September 2018 and February 2019.
Sunday, 31 March 2019
Sunday, 17 March 2019
What Does Your Waste Become?
Recycling Technologies Ltd (Swindon)
Waste materials used: all waste plastics including black plastic, plastic wrappers, plastic bags, crisp packets and yoghurt pots (even with food residue present).
Method: Pyrolysis (where waste plastics are heated without oxygen and reduced down to their constituent molecules of oils and waxes, ready to be processed back into useful products, including plastics, lubricants or indeed fuels).
https://recyclingtechnologies.co.uk/
MacRebur: the Plastic Road Company
Waste materials used: a mix of waste plastics.
Method: The waste plastics are ground into pellets and added to traditional road materials asphalt and bitumen. In addition to reducing the cost of road surface materials, the roads themselves last longer. Road surfaces have been created for lorry parks, airport runways and council roads.
https://www.macrebur.com/
Alternatives to Plastics
Corn Starch Biocompostables
Method: Corn starch is converted into a polymer to produce materials that have a plastic-like feel (sometimes called PLA plastics) and are moulded in the same way as plastics.
Disposal: PLA plastics cannot be recycled in landfill (which are created with an impervious layer below and above to prevent biodegrading and avoid production of methane) or composting in local authority green waste methods as they degrade slowly. (PLA plastics must be kept separate from the usual waste recycling streams to avoid contaminating those streams.) They may break down in three months in an industrial composting facility heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and fed a steady diet of digestive microbes.
Environmental impact: Typically made from genetically modified corn and may use land that could be used for food crops.
END
Waste materials used: all waste plastics including black plastic, plastic wrappers, plastic bags, crisp packets and yoghurt pots (even with food residue present).
Method: Pyrolysis (where waste plastics are heated without oxygen and reduced down to their constituent molecules of oils and waxes, ready to be processed back into useful products, including plastics, lubricants or indeed fuels).
https://recyclingtechnologies.co.uk/
MacRebur: the Plastic Road Company
Waste materials used: a mix of waste plastics.
Method: The waste plastics are ground into pellets and added to traditional road materials asphalt and bitumen. In addition to reducing the cost of road surface materials, the roads themselves last longer. Road surfaces have been created for lorry parks, airport runways and council roads.
https://www.macrebur.com/
Alternatives to Plastics
Corn Starch Biocompostables
Method: Corn starch is converted into a polymer to produce materials that have a plastic-like feel (sometimes called PLA plastics) and are moulded in the same way as plastics.
Disposal: PLA plastics cannot be recycled in landfill (which are created with an impervious layer below and above to prevent biodegrading and avoid production of methane) or composting in local authority green waste methods as they degrade slowly. (PLA plastics must be kept separate from the usual waste recycling streams to avoid contaminating those streams.) They may break down in three months in an industrial composting facility heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and fed a steady diet of digestive microbes.
Environmental impact: Typically made from genetically modified corn and may use land that could be used for food crops.
END
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