Sales of natural cosmetic products are on the rise but the market is still dominated by products formulated with a high proportion of synthetic chemical ingredients. Take a look at shampoos and hair conditioners which usually contain chemicals and although the amount used may be small, I often think about the sheer volume used nationally on a daily basis and the potential impact on our natural environment. So it is always good news to hear of new developments of more environmentally friendly cosmetic ingredients. I welcome the use of ingredients that are biodegradable and have low aquatic toxicity.
I think it’s healthy to routinely have a break from eating meat especially after hearing that a diet low in fibre and high in red and processed meat is a risk factor for bowel cancer. Pulses are great alternatives to meat and so versatile. Like meat, pulses are really filling and can make really tasty meals. Pulses are cheap, low-fat source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. They also count towards the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.
In April I watched the TV series Back in Time for Dinner on BBC2 and was amazed to see how little food and the lack of choice people had in the 1950s. I felt lucky to come from a generation where food is plentiful, affordable and available in such a wide variety that makes eating exciting. This may be great but I think it has stopped us seeing food as precious and so we don’t think twice about wasting it. I was inspired to write this blog after reading an article “use your loaf and save billions” by the charity, Waste Resources and Action programme (WRAP). The charity was established in 2000 to help recycling take off in the UK. In more recent years its focus has been on reducing food waste. According to WRAP the UK households throws away more than 4.2 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten. If that’s not bad enough, most of the food wasted ends up in landfill sites, releasing the nasty greenhouse gas methane. Apparently methane is worse than carbon dioxide causing climate change. This is something that I didn’t know. I am passionate about preserving our natural environment and in recent years I have become more conscious about wasting food. I feel that it’s important that I do my bit in preventing it. I therefore would like to share with you some examples of how I have managed to cut down on food waste.
