Healthy Information Archives - Healthy and Slim

Macromex and Next Root Management System: solution for food safety and healthy eating

Macromex, one of the main players in the Romanian food industry, together with Next Root Management Systems, a HoReCa consulting provider, is launching a solution aimed at optimizing food flows and safety, as well as bringing healthy nutrition to kindergarten canteens and schools and targets 40 beneficiary educational units by the end of 2023.

“I want every child who eats in school canteens to enjoy the best quality dishes, prepared according to high standards, under maximum food safety conditions. For our HoReCa partners, we want to bring more productivity and efficiency through our portfolio of products, recipes, advice and technology. And all these things cannot be achieved, neither for the children nor for the providers, if the respective location, in the present case – the canteen, does not have a planning of work flows, an efficiency and a standardization of operations. For this reason, we have joined forces with partners from Next Root Management System, to offer a complete service, for the benefit of the generations who are now in kindergarten or on the benches of schools”, says Albert Davidoglu, CEO, Macromex.

Through the project dedicated to kindergartens and schools, care and interest in healthy eating can be transferred outside the home, in the places where children and students spend the most time, during a week. The solution includes the verification of raw materials, along with an operational system adapted to each location, for added value for all these educational institutions and more safety for students

“With the desire to contribute to the improvement of services in education, we enter into a collaboration aimed at efficiency, standardization of operations, flow planning and food safety for production and storage spaces in kindergartens and school canteens. Our objective, for 2023, is to realize 40 such projects”, says Dragoș Panait, founder of Next

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By Margaret R. McLean

The microbiome thread: From farm to food to h

Deep within our bodies, millions of microbes help digest our food and provide nutrients to keep us healthy.

It’s a symbiotic relationship that dates back millennia, when the first bacteria appeared on Earth 3.5 billion years ago. Ubiquitous in the soil and environment, these microbes tagged along as more complex plants and animals evolved and became an essential part of human function. In fact, the human microbiome contains more bacterial cells than actual human cells.

“Even though they’re not part of our genetics, they exist in and on us,” said Dr. Davendra Ramkumar, a Champaign gastroenterologist and Associate Professor at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (COM).

Ramkumar and his wife, Dr. Japhia Ramkumar, internist and Associate Professor at the Carle Illinois COM, have key roles in a project seed-funded by the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative (IRAI) to explore the microbiome connection from farm to food to human health. “Regenerative Agriculture and the Human Health Nexus in the Age of Climate Change” is an initiative of Basil’s Harvest, an Illinois nonprofit promoting regenerative ag and human health. The project will shed light on how regenerative farming practices lead to healthier soils and plants, which produce healthier food, which in turn influences gut health and, ultimately, overall human health. The collaboration, which includes researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Water Resources Center, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has received a second year of IRAI seed funding.

“There’s a movement emerging that envisions transforming our agriculture systems in order to transform our health. Regenerative agriculture is a cornerstone in this movement,” the proposal states.

How does it all connect? Bacteria in our gut microbiome survive by extracting nutrients from what we eat. In return, they provide us with vitamins, help produce hormones, and modulate our immune

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By Margaret R. McLean

Kirinyaga health officials on high alert following cholera outbreak

Health officials are on high alert following a cholera outbreak in Kirinyaga County.

Dr George Karoki, the county health executive, said seven cases have been detected this month in the Gacaru and Kwavii areas of Ndia constituency.

He said of the cases, one person has been treated and discharged while two others are in stable condition while undergoing treatment at Sagana Sub-county Hospital.

The other four are being monitored pending the results of their laboratory tests.

Dr Karoki noted that cases of cholera, a highly contagious disease, have been on the rise in many counties in recent times, requiring sustained public action to prevent and control the disease.

Following the outbreak, the county government has intensified campaigns against the spread of cholera.

The campaign includes community awareness through public barazas, health education in schools and the use of public address systems in urban centres and villages to share information.

The health executive said the campaign was a multi-agency initiative involving the national government and the Ministry of Education.

Decontaminating homesteads

Besides public health education, the department has also been decontaminating homesteads where cases have been reported.

“We are also providing aqua tabs to enable vulnerable households in the affected areas to treat their drinking water, while at the same time providing protective prophylaxis treatment to people who have been in close contact with cholera patients,” he said.

The CEC has also appealed to members of the public to ensure that they follow good hygiene practices such as washing hands with soap and running water, drinking treated or boiled water, eating well-cooked and hot food and disposing of faeces properly.

He also called on all food vendors to ensure that food is prepared

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By Margaret R. McLean

Food banks forced to buy groceries due to shortages

By Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

17 May 2023

Updated 18 May 2023

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

The Trussell Trust said before the pandemic all food in its emergency parcels was donated

Food banks are having to buy groceries at high prices because donations fail to meet demand from families in need.

The Trussell Trust said 13% of food in emergency parcels was bought, whereas before the pandemic it was all donated.

Donations do not always match their most-needed items meaning charities have to buy more to cover shortages.

But new software may be helping solve this problem, by telling people exactly which groceries and toiletries are running low in their local food bank.

Paul McMurray, from North Shields, has created Donation Genie – a website that displays the items that are most needed at each specific food bank across the UK.

Visitors to the site can enter a postcode or area and it will show the four nearest food banks and which items they are in most need of.

Mr McMurray, a software engineer at Accenture used days offered by his company to do charity work to develop the idea.

“We want to use the simplicity of technology and kindness of people, then join them together to direct the right food to the right people.”

That could lead to “less hunger, less waste, and less food poverty”, he said.

The need is clear from data in his area. There was a 54% rise in food parcels handed out in the North East of England in 2022-23 compared with the previous year, among a record three million across the country, according to The Trussell Trust – the UK’s largest food bank provider.

Nearby, the network of 36 food banks in County Durham and Sunderland provided food to

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By Margaret R. McLean

What changes with the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency? LMH Health panel explains what patients should know | News, Sports, Jobs

photo by: Sylas May

South Jersey’s newest food pantry opens to serve 8,000 residents – including 3,000 children

One local church is stepping up to answer their community’s call for help to keep their residents happy and healthy in the face of food insecurity.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. – One local church is stepping up to answer their community’s call for help to keep their residents happy and healthy in the face of food insecurity.

Community members and leaders gathered at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Clarksboro Saturday to cut the ribbon on their new food pantry, and open their doors to new opportunities.

The St. Peter’s Community Pantry will be open every second and fourth Saturday of to all members of the community, regardless of income or religious affiliation.

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In Gloucester County alone, approximately 8,000 residents face food insecurity – 3,000 of them being children.

“Our food pantry here at St. Peters Community is so vital right now because there is just such a great food insecurity in our community, and we are really seeing that by people coming to churches and asking for help,” said Rev. M. Mantelle Bradley. “So we created this food pantry to make a real difference in our community and all the surrounding communities around us here in this area.”

For more information about the community pantry, or how to donate, visit St. Pete’s website.

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By Margaret R. McLean

Marion VA hosts eventful ‘Stuff the Bus’ food drive, health fair

MARION — If you come out to the Marion VA Medical Center on Thursday, you might have thought fair season opened early with all the music, tents, lawn games, drumming, lawn yoga, and refreshments.

VA2K. — Participants return from the VA2K walk at Marion VA Medical Center Thursday during a health fair event.

Robert Robbins

People came to the VA campus to see what the event was all about, which was a multifaceted health fair put on by the VA and community groups.

“We couldn’t ask for better weather for a better day!” said Willy Martinez, Public Affairs Specialist for the VA.

The health fair wasn’t just about one thing, but several.

There was a food drive called “Stuff the Bus” where people could donate their pantry goods in attempt to fill up a bus.

The Stuff the Bus event, meant to be a creative take on past donation drives, drew lines of people donating to food insecure veterans.

“I just want to say thanks to all the community partners who have come out to help us stuff the bus,” said Martinez.

Tents — A woman is seen walking across the parking lot of Marion VA Medical Center on Thursday during the health fair, near information tents educating the public about all the services the VA offers.

Robert Robbins

Another event going on was a health walk called VA2k, where community partners helped to put on the event and staff could be seen walking the campus grounds along the sidewalks.

VA Hosts health fair, VA2K, and food drive.

Robert Robbins

“We walk to show

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By Margaret R. McLean

Riverfront Museum, Peoria nonprofit partner to fight food insecurity

Peoria Grown workds to address the issue of food insecurity in the Peoria area, with an emphasis on locally grown foods and fresh produce. (Photo courtesy of Peoria Grown)

The Peoria Riverfront Museum is partnering with Peoria Grown to help residents get hands-on with their health.

The museum is hosting a Peoria Grown Pop-Up on Saturday, May 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. on the sun plaza, 222 SW Washington St.

The event is intended for the whole family, with live food demos, activities and challenges to improve individual and community wellness awareness.

Try an array of culturally diverse fruits and vegetables to fill a food passport. Participants can get their heart pumping with a dance party led by Studio Z.

Licensed dieticians will be on hand to answer questions and talk with individuals about healthy eating habits.

Peoria Grown is partnering with the Peoria Riverfront Museum for special events throughout the summer, planning heart-healthy events in conjunction with the Body Worlds RX exhibit at the museum, which opened May 13.

For more information on these events, visit RiverfrontMuseum.org.

The museum and Peoria Grown are looking for volunteers of all ages to help at one of these heart-healthy events. They will take place on the fourth Saturday of each month. See the dates and ages groups below:

May 27 — elementary students

June 24 — high school/college students

July 22 — senior adults 65 and older

Aug. 26 — open to all ages.

To sign up to volunteer, go to www.flipcause.com.

Peoria Grown was founded in 2018 with a mission is to address food insecurity issues through improved coordination of resources; access to affordable, healthy food with an emphasis on fresh produce; and education on nutrition and making healthy food choices.

The organization looks to address the

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By Margaret R. McLean

Commitment to soil health remains priority for Grain Place Foods CEO

“How your food is produced does matter.” Dave Vetter, CEO of Grain Place Foods, firmly believes in his company’s slogan.

Every choice he has made as an organic farmer on his family farm, The Grain Place, in Hamilton County, Nebraska, emphasizes the principle that healthy soils naturally produce more nutritious food. He has invested his life to regenerating the soil on his family’s land through organic farming.

Now, the Grain Place Foundation is developing local and regional opportunities to improve organic farming as a whole.

It recently signed a contract to be an administrator of programs for the top National Organic Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a division that helps farmers in their transition to organic.

Grain Place Foundation was established in 2015 to continue the research and focus on soil health that originated with Dave’s parents, Don and Mary Alice Vetter, seven decades ago at The Grain Place.

Farm experiment begins at Grain Place

The Vetter family farm initially began in 1953. Don and his father George Vetter bought 280 acres together, the same land that Dave still cares for today. A World War II veteran, Don intended to use the farming practices he had learned at GI school. This included the conventional farming methods of applying herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

Don immediately observed signs of distress in his fields. Notably, wildlife populations decreased and physical properties of plants changed after being sprayed. As a result, Don adopted organic farming, which was unpopular at the time.

Don’s ability to farm was nearly stripped away in 1959. He suffered a recurrence of malaria, which he had first contracted during World War II while serving in southeastern Asia.

While recovering in the Veterans Affair hospital, Don studied accounting.

“They thought that would be better for his

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