According to a recent report, 81% of Egyptians don’t have enough to cover their monthly food bill A recent government survey has revealed an increasing number of Egyptians are struggling to clothe and feed themselves whilst keeping a roof over their heads. The report by the Egyptian Food Observatory found that of the 1680 households [...]
A plant-rich diet is best for your sexual and reproductive wellbeing. The Mediterranean Diet is often hailed as an excellent choice for those who want to ensure lifelong vitality, fertility and reproductive stamina. This diet is noteworthy for what’s it in – whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, fatty fish and [...]
Among those sweet baby scents have lurked not so sweet ingredients like formaldehyde, claim activists. If there is a signature scent associated with babyhood, Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo could win that prize. It’s a longstanding favorite with parents around the globe and has been for decades. Though the consumer products giant shut down their [...]
One of the great joys of eating seasonal,local food is the unabashed, seam-bursting happiness of eating something you haven’t seen since the last harvest. It’s the kind of excitement which comes from deprivation – food is always tastier when you’re hungry, and strawberries always sweeter, juicier, strawberrier, when you’ve not had them in months. Another [...]
According to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report on land grab, the oil-rich Gulf nations are big buyers of foreign land Since 2000, an estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide has been sold or leased by private or public investors. Most of that land grab took place between 2008 and 2010 and most of [...]
Vegetarian cuisine doesn’t have to be boring – Moroccan flavor can spice it up. When people think of Moroccan cuisine, they may think of some pretty exotic dishes – such as, say, deep fried lamb testicles. As someone with Moroccan roots I can testify that there are some out-of-the-ordinary Moroccan foods, such as pastilla filled [...]
This is not bubble gum or cotton candy folks; this is pink slime in all its glory! Photo via US News Following McDonald’s announcement that they are no longer using pink slime in their hamburger patties, news of this issue has been spreading around the world. Since McDonald’s can be found from Israel to the United Arab [...]
Rainy, muddy winter brings out the best of January produce in the Middle East. Our hot summers seem far away right now, but Middle Eastern winters are all too short. With ever-present water problems, we treasure every drop of rain and rejoice in the sight of succulent greenery springing up everywhere. Wild edibles are at [...]
Yearning for a sufganyah, but horrified at all that oil? Try this tasty alternative. While the menorah sheds its festive light, the family gathers at the table, noshing on traditional foods like sufganyot. You know sufganyot. Those brown disks of tender dough with hearts of jam and coats of powdered sugar that lingers on the [...]
Is the eco-friendly food movement getting even more complicated, or are ecotarians simplifying matters? The green movement is riddled with a lot of food ideologies. When it comes to food, there are a lot of environmental issues to consider: locavores protest the pollution stemming from the transport of food from far away, vegetarians (and vegawarians) [...]
You may be eating a dead person’s hair in your commercially-baked bread. Watch out for L-cysteine if you’re queasy. It’s name is inconspicuous enough, not something that would make the average consumer squirm as they read the ingredients label on a loaf of bread. The problem isn’t what L-cysteine does – it’s a non-essential amino [...]
Rising meat demand, rising risks in the Middle East: antibiotics, meat glue and global warming. World meat consumption is on the rise and this is despite increase awareness of the health risks of eating refrozen meat sold as “freshly cut”, and the dangers of eating an enzyme called transglutaminase otherwise known as “meat glue”. A [...]
Pot can prevent PTSD, finds a new study from the University of Haifa. Another socially redeeming value in that evil old weed? Post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in people exposed to life-threatening events or atrocities, like the arrest and torture of female activist and journalist Faranak Farid in Iran. The list of consequences after trauma [...]
Pomegranates are enjoying a resurgence in popularity around the globe, in part because they are nutritious as well as deserving of their reputation as a food to put you in the mood. This time of year, Mediterranean landscapes display the ripening fruits of the fall harvest season. Few are as impressive as the grand dame [...]
Hot weather meals call for lots of cool salads. Here’s an easy and attractive one featuring summer’s tomatoes. Sometimes all I want for lunch is about six kinds of salad. I can get my protein from one like our luscious quinoa salad, fill up on a satisfying potato/fava bean salad, go on the sweet side [...]
New research suggests that certain activities including making love and exercising regenerate key areas in the brain. It’s understandably a bit confusing to keep up with all the differing sexual health news. Recently, we reported on the mind-blowing effects of coffee, blowing your nose and making love: turns out these are just a few of [...]
UNICEF in this news piece has announced that although a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have made considerable progress towards improving the health of mothers and children, disparities within these countries persist, making this progress inequitable. “The health and well-being of mothers and children is often determined not [...]
With so many food options and food movements out there, what do you choose? Food is a major factor in human health, and in environmental health as well. There are an abundance of eco-friendly food movements out there, including vegans, vegetarians, vegawarians, locavores, and those who eat strictly organic food. By the way, those who [...]
Chinese biotech researchers hope consumers will develop a taste for their GM-altered bovine milk. Attitudes towards public breastfeeding in Israel are more relaxed, in general, than in the USA where the sight of mom’s nursing babies is often met with squeamishness (or worse) as various factions debate the utilitarian vs. pleasure functions of the female [...]
People around the world eat the penises of bulls, sheep, and goats, without a quiver. Keeping to the theme of eating all the animal that began with our post on lamb’s testicles, we now present our readers with another idea to get used to. Penis meat is eaten and enjoyed in the Middle East, Latin [...]
Apples have long been hailed as a pop culture super food and aphrodisiac. Nutritious and delicious, apples now have more promising benefits to impart: increasing lifespan by up to 10%. Research published in ACS’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports that, “consumption of a healthful antioxidant substance in apples extends the average lifespan of [...]
With GMO beets likely to hit the US market, and their sugar to reach global markets, savvy eco-conscious consumers are going to have to pay extra attention to finding organic, non-engineered beets. One prevailing assumption about GMO foods is that if one country bans them, her citizens are safe. But a statement from Wenonah Hauter, [...]
Are soy products increasing women’s health risks? Miriam takes up the debate. Hannah’s thoughtful post on increased breast size in modern women made me think of the effect of soy on hormone stimulation. The theory that genetically-modified, unfermented soy products stimulate estrogen flow production is gaining ground, paired with what we know about GM foods’ [...]
If you’ve been following this column on Green Prophet, consider yourself on the cutting edge of eco-sexuality. As this concept gains global traction, it’s becoming apparent to greenies and those who aspire to live greener lives that our personal lives can and should reflect a sexier shade of jade. From the foods we eat that [...]
Care for wild edibles as if you’d grown them yourself, and they’ll come back year after year. The Jewish springtime Tu B’Shvat festival is just around the corner on Wednesday night, the 19th of this month. The flowering of the almond trees on that day also signals new green growth on Israel’s dry soil. It’s [...]
Protect the environment by eating the (animal or plant) species trying to invade it. What does a Middle Eastern invasivore look like? Environmentalists have a lot of crazy eating habits. You’ve got the hardcore vegans who avoid all meat and animal byproducts, the vegetarians who will not eat meat (but eat dairy and eggs), the [...]
A fungus good to grow for sexual health: the company is donating 5% of their proceeds to support breast cancer research. A California startup called Back to the Roots is now offering a grow-your-own mushroom garden kit that can be kept inside on a windowsill for anyone with a penchant for urban farming. Consumers from [...]
Increasingly, we humans are going to have to share our coasts with a new pest we have created. Here’s a problem that will get worse in future centuries. The rise in jellyfish. Jellyfish populations are proliferating and evolving. They are moving to new regions. Scientists attribute the rise in jellyfish populations on our coasts to [...]
Researchers thought it only happened at the poles; new research between Israel and the US shows that bromine above the sea can make mercury way more toxic in fish. A joint US/Israel study funded by the National Science Foundation has found that the Dead Sea has measurable effects on the chemistry of the air above [...]
Which is a bigger environmental sin – imported produce or imported farmers? For the past few days Israeli farmers have been protesting a governmental decision to cut the amount of foreign workers legally permitted to come work in the agricultural sector, with the demonstration planned to continue tomorrow as well. The growers have been demonstrating [...]
Getting your sustainable, vegetarian Omega 3 supplements is easy when they’re hidden inside delicious confections. Getting kids to take their vitamins can be tough, which is why kids’ vitamins conveniently come in all kinds of fun shapes, colors, and flavors. I was a Flintstone vitamin kid myself, but I had friends who took vitamins disguised [...]
It’s no secret that the Gulf states are heavily dependent on foreign farmlands for their food and no more so than the United Arab Emirates which imports 80% of its food products. Most foods you see stocked in the UAE’s supermarkets will have been brought in from elsewhere ready to sell directly to the consumer [...]
Sperm Wars: What happens to sperm today has long term consequences for a male’s offsprings health and wellbeing, new research suggests, as a result of changes to the DNA. A recent article on this site documented the increased levels of toxins in pregnant women in Jerusalem vs. their counterparts in the states. It was an [...]
From Aztecs and A-list celebrities, the ancient healing practice of cupping has such an diverse fanbase and illustrious history that it’s hard to credit one culture with its conception. The practice is believed to date back to thousands of years with evidence of the method amongst medicinal traditions of the Egyptians, Chinese and Greeks. The [...]
Men from the Middle East don’t have to look far for the best diet for erectile health, says health experts. Read more about preventing erectile dysfunction in part II of this series. Last week, we looked at the impact of diet on men’s sexual function. Here we continue with fat-friendly information: “The focus of the [...]
Amirim, a unique vegetarian village in northern Israel, offers gorgeous views… and mediocre food. Once upon a time (according to the owner of the bed and breakfast that I recently stayed at in Amirim), a young group of idealistic vegetarians gathered in central Israel and decided that they needed to get away from all that [...]
Within Islam there are many herbs, plants and fruits that are believed to have medicinal and healing properties. Olive, pomegranate, dates and figs are amongst those that are directly mentioned in the Qur’an as blessed foods. However, there is only one that can stake a claim as a super food and that is Black cumin [...]
How much fatty food is in your diet? Could be time for a change. There are many issues with food that people are aware of, and try hard to control, such as high sugar levels and excess salt in processed foods. A less understood dietary issue is cholesterol. This is a substance which is often [...]
Detoxing your lifestyle of non-green habits doesn’t have to be as dramatic as drug rehab. It can be simple and is a great way to start the new year. Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, is only a few days away and as a time of reflection many of us may be thinking of ways [...]
Keep updated with Ramadan travelers Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq on their 30 Mosques in 30 States photo blog. If you haven't heard by now, 30-in-30 is the return of two fasting Muslims and their quest to find "green" Muslims in America.