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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 […]
Live odds ban debate exposes sport and gambling’s uncomfortable mutual dependency
David Rowe, Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University. Watching sport on TV may not exactly be a healthy activity, but it should at least do more good than harm. Yet viewers are exposed to all manner of advertising and promotional messages extolling the dubious-but-seductive virtues of alcohol, fatty foods and sugary drinks. But it is gambling, especially online and mobile, that has come into focus as sport’s most potentially damaging byproduct. In 2013, the Gillard government banned the live spruiking of odds thanks to the barefaced over-reach of Tom Waterhouse and Channel Nine. Federal, state and territory governments have just signed up to a new National Consumer Protection Framework to help online problem gamblers. Now the Turnbull government, while charging the networks about A$90 million less for spectrum access, has banned gambling advertising and promotion on TV for the duration of sports contests until an 8.30pm watershed. This move stimulated vigorous resistance from sports, media corporations and betting companies. In doing so, they have exposed the ethically questionable foundations of their multiple mutual dependencies. How sport and TV became ‘addicts’ Genuine sports lovers, and those who simply wish to protect the vulnerable from harmfully manipulative messages, may wonder how sport and TV became so dependent on gambling. There has been betting and wagering on sport as long as someone kept the score. Variously, the practice has been banned, regulated, and taxed. It can be respectable, as in the case of a Melbourne Cup flutter; dodgy, when it involves unlicensed SP betting; and downright criminal, especially when syndicates manipulate results during betting plunges. But what is unprecedented about gambling on sport today is its astonishing visibility. Where once the logos of betting companies and the odds on sporting outcomes could be largely confined to those […]
Saturday in the park
The women’s march in Washington and in other American cities and towns was focussed on messages for a better way of being for all people. Around the world they marched as well and, by golly, The Donald, sitting in The Whitehouse must have wondered what the next four years will be like. Totally lacking in credibility with all the charisma of a snake salesman, The Donald has somehow become the most powerful, single individual on the planet. Although I am wondering how many people will actually believe that to be true. The position is the power and The Donald can’t be left alone with any switches! They say that the only thing to change in the U.S. since 1968 until now has been the years of Obama’s presidency. Everything else has been business as usual for the decisionmakers who hold the balance of power, control the money and have only been threatened by civil rights actions and marches against the Vietnam war. That’s getting to be a long time ago if you are really serious about change and fairness for all people With interest, we can follow if the weekend marches will bring about a new energy to the people, the Democratic party and the betterment of society. Can action now take place that brings about real change? Or was it just another stroll in the park? We can also be part of the change. -Doug Green, Publisher
What is competitiveness?
There are actually a number of definitions out there. The World Economic Forum, which has been measuring competitiveness among countries since 1979, defines it as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country”. Others are subtly different but all generally use the word “productivity”. Another way to think about what makes a country competitive is to consider how it actually promotes our well-being. A competitive economy, we believe, is a productive one. And productivity leads to growth, which leads to income levels and hopefully, at the risk of sounding simplistic, improved well-being. Why should we care about it? Productivity is important because it has been found to be the main factor driving growth and income levels. And income levels are very closely linked to human welfare. So understanding the factors that allow for this chain of events to occur is very important. Basically, rising competitiveness means rising prosperity. At the World Economic Forum, we believe that competitive economies are those that are most likely to be able to grow more sustainably and inclusively, meaning more likelihood that everyone in society will benefit from the fruits of economic growth. How do we measure it? Break down countries’ competitiveness into 12 distinct areas, or pillars, which group into three sub-indexes. These are “basic requirements” which comprise institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment and health and primary education. We call these “basic” as these pillars tend to be those that countries at earlier stages of development tackle first. Next comes the “efficiency enhancers” sub-index. Essentially we’re looking at markets – whether it is the functioning of goods, labour or financial markets – but we also consider higher education and training, and technological readiness, which measures how well economies are prepared for the transition into more advanced, knowledge-based […]
This is how India created its first ‘smart village’
In a way, Mahatma Gandhi conceptualized smart villages. A champion of participatory democracy and grassroots development, he believed that making villages self-contained and sustainable was the first step towards empowering India. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t against industrialisation, markets and competition as long as they did not lead to the passive or active exploitation of villagers. Yet, seven decades after independence, we are nowhere close to realizing Gandhi’s vision of empowered villages. Rural India remains in a deplorable state. One reason for this is institutional neglect. Headquarters of malnourishment A glaring example is Harisal, a small village in Amravati district in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. During my first fieldwork in this village, I learned that telephone lines and mobiles didn’t work here, infant mortality rates were alarmingly high, finding meaningful employment was impossible, school dropouts were the norm, and avenues for learning skills non-existent. In fact, soon after taking charge in October 2014, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis even referred to Harisal as the “headquarters of malnourishment”. Harisal was far from being one of the Narendra Modi-led central government’s smart villages. Being a passionate skeptic of blanket monolithic solutions, my vision for smart villages is for them to emerge as a cluster of connected communities, each having a distinct sense of style, purpose and being. For me, Harisal will be smart when a handloom weaver near the Melghat Tiger Reserve begins her day by powering her mobile internet through “White-Fi” (technology that leverages unutilized spectrum owned by television channels to provide low-cost internet connectivity), discovers business opportunities using a customer relationship management app, and partners with payment gateways, e-commerce firms, and rural transport services to provide finished garments from Mumbai to Jammu. So, over the past year, the Maharashtra government and Microsoft have collaborated to develop […]
Brexit – A very bad flu that UK caught
Richard Branson said this morning that the Brexit vote has reduced the value of Virgin by thirty percent. There are lots of Richard Branson’s in Britain at the moment and it will take them years to recover – if at all. The ‘deflockers’ of Brexit said get out because Globalisation created the haves and the have-nots to a greater extent than any time in history. Although if you go back a couple of hundred years there were always the haves and have nots. The UK got out of Brexit because of the slack entry requirements for refugees into the United Kingdom. There are a thousand other reasons why the UK left and only a few less than that as to why staying was an option. Fifty-two percent of the British population caught the Brexit flu and pretty soon there won’t be enough Panadol to go around. A company losing money in such a dramatic and monumental move is hardly surprising. However, that surprise is a real shock when you look at the rapidly reducing pool of money available from the banks and the future of business in the UK. Australia is going to look so attractive, especially with their way of dealing with refugees and their determination for national security. There is of course the state of the middle east and how it got to be the way it is. Bush and Blair and Howard invading caused a hell of a mess, the pain is now throbbing through every vein of every refugee. And every resident of Europe. The inaction to wipe out the Isis crisis is unforgiveable. Because if forces had been instructed to ‘clean them out’ we wouldn’t have Europe in such turmoil. The refugees would be at home in their own country. Compounding factors – globalisation and […]
Jo Cox: Proud Yorkshire lass who became local MP
Jo Cox was the Labour MP for Batley and Spen She was a self-proclaimed “proud Yorkshire lass” whose work for charity took her around the world and whose political success led her to Westminster. Jo Cox MP, who has died after being shot and stabbed in her constituency in Birstall, West Yorkshire, was elected as MP for Batley and Spen in the 2015 General Election. The 41-year-old mother-of-two increased Labour’s majority to 6,051. Prime Minister David Cameron led the many tributes to her on Thursday. He described her as a “bright star”. Helen Joanne Cox first worked in politics after graduating from Cambridge University in 1995, but then built a career working for charities including Oxfam, Save the Children and the NSPCC. She went to Heckmondwike Grammar School and then became the first person in her family to go to university – reading social and political studies at Cambridge. After graduating, she worked as an adviser for the Labour MP Joan Walley and then Glenys (now Baroness) Kinnock. By the end of the 1990s she was head of campaigns for the pro-European pressure group Britain in Europe. She also took on further study at the London School of Economics. It’s an over used word these days, but Jo was a star. She was brave, funny, and clever. In Westminster she was one of those rare people that whatever was going on in politics that day, however much backbiting there was, however many insults were being thrown around, the day was always improved if you bumped into her for a chat, a cup of tea, or heard her speak fearlessly and with compassion in the Commons. But a conversation with her was just as likely to turn to her young kids, or the family’s houseboat on the Thames, as it was […]
8 digital skills we must teach our children
The social and economic impact of technology is widespread and accelerating. The speed and volume of information have increased exponentially. Experts are predicting that 90% of the entire population will be connected to the internet within 10 years. With the internet of things, the digital and physical worlds will soon be merged. These changes herald exciting possibilities. But they also create uncertainty. And our kids are at the centre of this dynamic change. Children are using digital technologies and media at increasingly younger ages and for longer periods of time. They spend an average of seven hours a day in front of screens – from televisions and computers, to mobile phones and various digital devices. This is more than the time children spend with their parents or in school. As such, it can have a significant impact on their health and well-being. What digital content they consume, who they meet online and how much time they spend onscreen – all these factors will greatly influence children’s overall development. The digital world is a vast expanse of learning and entertainment. But it is in this digital world that kids are also exposed to many risks, such as cyberbullying, technology addiction, obscene and violent content, radicalization, scams and data theft. The problem lies in the fast and ever evolving nature of the digital world, where proper internet governance and policies for child protection are slow to catch up, rendering them ineffective. Moreover, there is the digital age gap. The way children use technology is very different from adults. This gap makes it difficult for parents and educators to fully understand the risks and threats that children could face online. As a result, adults may feel unable to advise children on the safe and responsible use of digital technologies. Likewise, this gap gives […]