The Big Food Waste

10 million tonnes of food waste is produced every year, this is 1/3 of the food produced on the planet which is thrown away without being consumed. This is equivalent to 20 to 30 kg of food thrown away per person per year in France, including 7 kg still packaged.

Food is perishable

630 million euros in new products are destroyed each year, and companies are looking for innovative solutions to reduce food waste. So let’s put the food waste subject on the table!

In other words, a third of the energy and resources needed to produce, transport and distribute our food are thrown in the trash! Waste is an ecological, social and economic nonsense.

Ecological and environmental nonsense

The food waste produced by human beings is so large it would be ranking as the third 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the USA. Food production is the main emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere today already, and 1/3 of it is not necessary.

As a result, every time you throw some of your food away, it’s CO2 emitted into the atmosphere for nothing. And therefore a brake on the fight against global warming could be easily achieved simply by reducing our food waste.

Social consequences

The food thrown away in France could feed 10 million people. It’s more than the number of wasted products in the world. More than half of the products thrown away are damaged or oversized fruits and vegetables. These percentages vary according to geographic areas and business sectors. People in need in France, which stands at 8.8 million people, could be fed by just using all this food waste.

Economic impacts

Waste costs more each year than the hole in Social Security. It’s a fact as exprts estimate that food waste costs 16 billion euros each year.

From the field to the plate, is it possible? Food waste is a problem that affects every link in the food chain: from producer to consumer to distributor. The costs of all this waste in the world is enormous.

This waste has an economic, environmental and social cost. The FAO estimates that the direct economic cost of lost or wasted products is 900 billion euros per year. If we add the environmental and social cost, it is 2340 billion euros.

The main causes of food waste are:

• Short expiration dates
• Storage
• Transport
• Minor faults and aesthetic criteria
• Losses related to the preparation
• Forgotten in the fridge
• Poor anticipation
• Order errors

As we can see from the list above, there are many possible reasons why food is wasted, and we clearly will never reach a zero waste situation. But 1/3 wasted is a huge percentage to lose and it is clear as well that this number can be improved. Using more effective junk removal techniques, better forecasting, better preservation methods and focusing on food that are less perishable are some options.

Here are some tips you can follow to help you lose weight and achieve the healthy weight and the lean belly you deserve without spending money or adding extra time to workout in the gym.

Keep Your Exercise Gear In Your Car

People with hectic schedules tend to forget to work out. By keeping your workout gear by the door, or in your car, you always have it with you. You will literally have no excuse to blow off an exercise session.

Do Not Rely on Sugary Coffee

Coffee early in the morning is one thing, but buying a sugar and milk-based drink that contains 700 calories per cup should be avoided. If you need an energy boost, you may opt for a black brewed coffee or a cup of green tea.

Declutter The Kitchen

Knowing that you spent money on them, it will be difficult to throw away chips, cookies, crackers, frozen treats and other junk food items from your kitchen. But having no access to these processed foods will compel you to eat healthier options.

Do Not Hide Your Healthy Food

After decluttering the kitchen, stock on healthy alternatives such as fruits. Make sure that you put them in your line of sight where you can easily reach them whenever you are starving.

Keep Water and Healthy Snack At All Times

It is a good idea to keep water and small and healthy goods in your office pantry or purse. As soon as you feel the need to snack and refuel, eat a handful of trail mix or a small cup of yogurt and drink plenty of water. This will avoid the feeling of intense hungry later on.

There is always a way for you to turn your lifestyle around. Follow these tips above! Even with a hectic schedule, you will surely lose weight slowly but surely.

We’re all busy running on the treadmill of Life. We have so much to accomplish in the course of a single day.

There are deadlines to meet, bills to pay, emails to answer, texts to acknowledge and appointments to keep. We take care of our families and ourselves, trying to balance the responsibilities of being a good parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend.

The speed of our treadmill gets faster as we age when our responsibilities sometimes become more burdensome, sometimes financially difficult and often exhausting.

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ~Sophia Loren

During this stage of our life, the stage I call my Second Chapter, we can be empty nesters or recently retired. Perhaps we’ve changed or lost our jobs, or we’ve moved to a new location altogether.

Economic crises and a discouraging job outlook force some people to work longer while saving less. Family and friends move or pass away. Health issues arise and our free time is filled with doctor appointments, sometimes forcing us to remain close to home.

The ups and downs of life are inevitable. But there is good news. We can begin to prepare now by learning some useful tools that will help us weather any storms that come our way.

Journaling

According to Dr. Andrew Weil:

“Therapeutic journaling” or “expressive writing” are the terms used to describe the writing you do as a means of dealing with stress, pain or chronic disease. An early study of the effects of journaling showed that it improved immune function in healthy people, and in 1999 the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study from North Dakota State University showing that writing about the stress in their lives actually reduced physical symptoms among people with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis.”

I began journaling when stress started to affect my health. Create your own journal by jotting down random thoughts or constructing well-thought-out sentences. You are the Editor-in-Chief of your own work; write whatever makes you feel good. Journaling can be extremely satisfying and cathartic.

Meditation

Studies have shown that meditation can re-wire our brain through the power of thought. It has been proven to help us “de-stress”, maintain health, increase our ability to better concentrate and enhance emotional stability. The Internet is a great place to find basic instruction. There are many videos offered on Youtube or Yoga Journal.

I recommend reading The Self-Healing Benefits of Meditation by Susan Piver who recommends learning about meditation from a reputable resource. Check out her website at www.susanpiver.com.

Yoga

I love gentle yoga and learning how to breathe in and out with full inhalations and exhalations. In times of crisis, we tend to hold our breath and our muscles become tense. Focusing on our breath helps us feel more present while melting stress away.

Visualization

I’ve learned to use visualization to help me de-stress. I picture a healthy body, visualizing how it will look and feel as I easily move about my day with an able body.

“Animals are people too, ya know!” ~Radar O’Reilly, M*A*S*H

Pets

It has been documented that pets help lower blood pressure, are a constant source of comfort and boost peoples’ moods.

The day our son asked us to adopt our first cat was one of the best (and smartest) days of our lives. Our cats give us unconditional love. They are a joy to have and are part of our family. They add peace to our lives, are endlessly entertaining and can always be counted on for comfort and love.

What tools do you have in your toolkit?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, at least thirty minutes of mid-intensity workout for five times a week is acceptable. You may also opt a twenty-minutes high-intensity workout three times a week. But if you are looking to lose more weight, you must increase the time and frequency of your exercises.

In the simplest term, cardio exercises’ goal is to improve your cardiovascular health. It stimulates the heart rate to beat at a more accelerated pace than the usual. It also targets your breathing rate and elevates it in a such a way that can be sustained for an exercise session.

Running, swimming, walking, dancing, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are just some of the many forms of this type of exercise. Regardless of the form you choose, these exercises can burn your calories, shed the excess weight, achieve a lean belly and tone the arms and thighs. Aside from the benefits of your physical attributes, cardio exercises also reduce stress, promote quality sleep, relieve anxiety and depression.

If you are new to fitness, cardio is the best place to begin. It is after all the most basic form of exercise. You can simply sign up for a gym membership and start using the treadmill. If you wish to avoid spending, you can simply put on your pair of running shoes and start jogging around your local park.

Remember, the body is made to move. Living a sedentary lifestyle will do no good for your health. Think about how great it feels to have flexible muscles and waking up in the morning feeling energized. Exercising can make you feel good. Staying active helps increase your muscle blood flow and strengthen your lungs and heart.

In the present era, modernization and work load has increased the intake of fast food coupled with a hectic life style our eating habits have changed for the worst leading us towards obesity.

Deadlines, stress at work and home front, competition etc have all led to binge eating, which is one of the major causes of obesity. Lack of physical activities and sleeping directly after a heavy meal, no proper meal timing all pave the way for obesity to set into our life.

The after effects of obesity are heart strokes, blood pressure, breathing problems and this is because of the weight our body has increased, hence weight management plays a very important role if we want a healthy body.

Weight Management

Weight management is the burning of the excess calories in our body and this can be done by making the following changes.

1. Exercise regularly and be fit.
2. Practice yoga in different postures. This makes your body flexible and leads you to lose weight.
3. Swim and play outdoor games to burn your calories.
4. Go for a brisk walk regularly. A walk of half an hour day burns 200 calories.
5. Cycling, cardio exercises make you sweat and reduce your weight.
6. Eat and follow nutritious food and avoid processed foods, sugar laden foods, white bread, pasta, as they are too high in calories.

Obesity is caused by excessive accumulation of fats in our body.

In this state our body consumes more calories than we require and burns lesser calories in comparison. Hence we tend to put on weight and be obese. Obesity can result in heart stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes.

Obesity is spreading fast throughout the world and the causes are:

1. Over eating of high fat foods.
2. Eating junk and fast food which have excessive calories.Causes of obesity
3. Lack of exercises and not following the fitness routine daily.
4. Slow body movements, no brisk walking.
5. Lack of proper sleep due to hectic and fast life style.
6. Genetic cause as obesity may run in the family.
7. Low self esteem: This makes us eat more leading to increase in weight.
8. Medication like insulin, steroids, anti depressants.
9. Lack of nutritious balanced diet.
10. Excessive intake of alcohol especially beer.

There are many other causes which lead to obesity. But the above mentioned ones are the most common ones.

The condition of obesity can be cured or controlled by making some changes in our everyday diet and lifestyle and including a vigorous exercise regime.

At least that’s how I felt.

When I was young, I was addicted to old black and white movies.  I’d picture myself as Katharine Hepburn in “The Philadelphia Story”, Jean Arthur in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” or Rosalind Russell in “His Girl Friday.” I’d be beautiful, savvy, sophisticated and hard working like they were.

But life doesn’t always imitate art, and when I was 26 years old my dreams were slightly altered inside The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

Let me go back a few years.

I was working in Manhattan at my dream job and lived a short bus ride away in New Jersey.  One day on my way home, I was running late and needed to hurry up in order to catch my bus.  As I approached the gate, I realized my gait was wobbly as if I were drunk.  I looked down at my feet, and to my surprise, I had one shoe on.  When I glanced at the floor behind me, I saw my other shoe lying on its side.

My shoe slipped off, and my feet were too numb to feel it.

I hadn’t paid attention to this change in my body.  I was too young and naïve to be bothered with such things.

I was too busy to recognize that something was very wrong with my body.

The short of it is this: I quit my job, moved back home with my parents and went to see a neurologist.  One month later I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple something?  Did they mean Muscular Dystrophy? What were they talking about?  I never heard of it.

They must have been mistaken.

They weren’t, and the next few months were spent getting used to the idea of having an incurable disease.

It wasn’t long until I began to spring into action.  I went to the library and took out any book I could lay my hands on about MS.  I called MS organizations to request whatever reading materials they had available and reached out to support groups to speak to others going through what I was.

Without knowing it, I became my own advocate, quickly recognizing that I had to be in charge of my own health.  I needed a crash course on how to better care for my MS and myself.

Now, I’d like to share three simple things that helped me in those early years.  They can be helpful for anyone who is newly diagnosed with MS, or any other illness.

Don’t worry. I won’t send you to the library!

Stay positive.

It’s normal to take time to adjust to a new diagnosis, but after a while, it’s time to move on. Being negative is a waste of time and energy.  Remember, a positive outlook goes a long way toward looking and feeling better.

Read.

Find credible information from reliable sources about your illness.  I mainly turn to government or health websites such as Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic, among others.

Reach out to others for support.

This is critical to your well-being.  Surround yourself with people who care about you and your health.  Spouses, children, parents, friends, health care workers or support groups. It’s important to discuss your situation with others.