Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
First plant-based culinary academy in Asia offers courses for preparing healthy and nutritious foods
With the overwhelming health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, there’s a growing need for education. Vegan chef Matthew Kenney is opening Asia’s first-ever plant-based culinary academy. The academy offers month-long courses. The curriculum is based on the use of whole, organic, Read More...
Even The Wall Street Journal raises the question: Can organic agriculture feed the world?
It’s a sign of the increasing strength of the organic movement that The Wall Street Journal—a reliable stalwart of the establishment and the status quo—joins the debate about whether organic agriculture can feed the world. Yes it can, says Catherine Badgley, an associate professor in the Read More...
Steel factory becomes world’s largest indoor vertical farm
An old steel factory can become the world’s largest indoor vertical farm producing healthy food all year round. That shows that the opportunities to increase food production in a sustainable way are virtually endless. AeroFarms’ new 69,000 sq ft (6,410 sq m) facility in Newark, New Jersey will Read More...
Adding an egg to your salad makes you absorb nutrients better
Adding an egg to your salad may make it easier to absorb the nutrients better. A small study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes that the carotenoids that give veggies such as carrots and tomatoes their color make the nutrients in raw vegetables stick better. They're also Read More...
Can this tree provide financial security for 10 million people in Africa?
An icon of the African savanna, the baobab tree produces fruit and leaves that are very nutritious and easily cultivated, even in dry environments where traditional agriculture is not possible. London-based social enterprise Aduna claims a lot of the baobab bounty goes to waste, and aspires to Read More...
UK biggest supermarket chain gives food away to charities
The movement to reduce food waste is gaining momentum. In the wake of France’s new law banning supermarkets from destroying edible food, UK biggest supermarket chain Tesco just began to test a voluntary initiative to give away its unsold food to charities including homeless shelters. The group Read More...
Deaf children may receive the gift of sound from a brain stem implant
An FDA-approved clinical trial to give the gift of sound and speech to children who were born deaf is already yielding encouraging results. Read the story of Jiya Bavishi, a six-year-old girl who received an auditory brainstem implant. The implant is a microchip that receives sounds picked up by a Read More...
Solutions to clean up the palm oil industry
Palm oil is as ubiquitous in processed foods as it is controversial for its disastrous ecological and social impacts. Transparent supply chains, regulations, strict third-party verifications, alliances of companies and civil society are some of the necessary approaches to clean up the palm oil Read More...
Meditation physically changes the brain, says Harvard neuroscientist
The beneficial effects of meditation, such as increased compassion and overall quality of life, together with reduced stress, depression, anxiety, pain and insomnia, are getting better and better understood by science. Neuroscientist Sara Lazar has conducted several studies, finding that the brain Read More...
Plant-based diets are earning good reputation points in the U.S.
More Americans are inclined to reduce their meat consumption and eat more plants. Meanwhile, negative stereotypes surrounding the vegan lifestyle have been slowly fading away, according to the Nutrition Business Journal’s 2015 Special Diets Report. Healthier eating habits being incorporated into Read More...