July 2017
Why you should eat a plant-based diet
Katherine Livingstone Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University. Plant-based diets are often shown to be good for health. Yet Australians eat a lot of meat and are sometimes reluctant to completely cut meat from their diet. So it’s important to know that eating a plant-based diet doesn’t have to mean becoming a vegetarian. Plant-based diets are high in vegetables, wholegrain bread and cereals, legumes and whole fruits, yet can still contain small amounts of lean meats and reduced-fat dairy products. A survey of Australians found most (70%) thought a plant-based diet would prevent disease. But what does the literature say? And is meat really bad for you? Health benefits of plants Plants are rich sources of many nutrients that are important for good health, including unsaturated fats, vitamins (such as folate), minerals (such as potassium), fibre and protein. Eating a plant-based diet has been linked to lower risk of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation and cancer. A recent study that followed more than 200,000 US adults for more than 20 years found that eating a diet high in plant foods and low in animal foods was associated with a 20% lower risk of diabetes compared with individuals eating a diet low in plant foods. Well known variations to plant-based diets include the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. These dietary approaches are known as dietary patterns as they focus on the overall diet rather than single foods. Rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes and reduced-fat dairy products, these dietary patterns have been linked to lower risk of obesity and chronic disease. Is the processing of plant foods important? Processing can remove many of the nutritious benefits of plant foods and can often result in the addition of salt and sugar. For example, whole foods, […]
4 ways Africa can achieve a manufacturing renaissance
Manufacturing production in Africa more than doubled over the past decade. For the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union), African leaders adopted the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want– a vision for a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development. One of the defining features of this agenda is the structural transformation of African economies towards achieving shared growth, decent jobs and economic opportunities for all. So far, the structural transformation that shifts productive resources from agriculture and mining to manufacturing – which has helped many countries achieve greater prosperity – has bypassed most African countries. According to a recent International Monetary Fund report, the limited structural transformation in Africa has not translated into more jobs, because the manufacturing sector itself requires extensive reform. Therefore, what Africa needs is a manufacturing renaissance, with more local value-addition that would create more and better-paid jobs, and contribute to fulfilling the aspirations of the Agenda 2063. It could make African countries become more resilient to economic shocks and less dependent on natural resource exports. Africa can achieve this ambitious goal if it taps into available opportunities, while mitigating the challenges it faces. There are already several positive signs. Overseas Development Institute datashow that African manufacturing production, exports and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have developed positively over the last decade. Between 2005 and 2014, manufacturing production within Africa more than doubled from $73 billion to $157 billion, growing 3.5% annually in real terms. Some countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, have achieved more than 5% annual growth in the recent past. Overall, sub-Saharan African manufacturing exports almost tripled between 2005 and 2015 to more than $140 billion. A reduced reliance on the traditional OECD market is also clearly visible, with China and […]
This is how a universal basic income can end financial exclusion
A customer withdraws money from a Bank of Baroda automated teller machine (ATM) in Mumbai, India The main argument for a universal basic income (UBI) is that it would reduce poverty and income inequality. Yet UBI advocates often overlook a range of other potential benefits. Digital UBI payments can bring people into the financial system and build their financial capability, unlocking a range of development benefits for citizens and governments alike. Take Mongolia for example. In 2014, 92 percent of adults had a bank account—by far the highest share in the developing world. (By comparison, only 43 percent of adults are banked in similar lower-middle income countries.) Young adults, a population often financially disenfranchised, see some of the most impressive usage of financial services; account ownership among Mongolians aged 15-24 years old is 93 percent. Smart policies, digital payments, and greater inclusion of traditionally marginalised groups all helped Mongolia achieve nearly universal account ownership. The Mongolian Human Development Fund (HDF) distributes revenues from the mineral and mining sectors with the objective of redistributing wealth. A flagship program funded by the HDF is the Child Money Program (CMP), launched in 2012. As part of CMP, the government makes monthly electronic deposits into savings accounts opened in children’s names, helping to ensure that all Mongolians will eventually be banked. The program pays about $10 a month to all children aged 0 to 17, thus ensuring that the parents of every newborn open an account in their child’s name. Alongside South Africa, Mongolia has one of the developing world’s largest shares of adults receiving government transfers—35 percent—with two-thirds of these payments made directly into bank accounts. Seventy percent of account owners in Mongolia make or receive any payment through their account, while in East Asia and the Pacific as a whole the share is 50 percent. These accounts […]