According to the latest findings by global risk-analyser Maplecroft, Arab Spring countries are at greater risk of rising food prices in the coming year It’s no secret that the high price of basic food staples were a contributing factor to the revolts which began in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked the ‘Arab Spring’. The protesters […]
Overexposure by pregnant women to cookware coatings like PFC in microwave popcorn bags may result in underweight newborn babies. Be mindful of the risks when you cook. We wrote a few articles about the potential dangers of cooking with ceramic coated cookware, and the resulting lawsuit filed by one of these cookware manufacturers against the […]
A potentially dangerous form of fungus forced a Gulf family from their home. Is your building sick too? Sounds like a 1950’s horror flick, but it’s been no Hollywood experience for this family-of-five in the United Arab Emirates of Sharjah. They’ve been living in a hotel since September 4 when they returned from vacation to […]
Mafroum potatoes melt in your mouth and fill your senses with truly Middle Eastern flavors. A festive dish, mafroum is one of those foods that reminds me of Moroccan grandmothers who bustle into the kitchen, don an apron, and lovingly conjure delicious food out of vegetables and meat fresh from the shouk.And one of the […]
Reduce one food source and increase pressure on others. We’re all going to die! Only a lot later and with healthier arteries according to political satirist Stephen Colbert’s side-splitting riff on recent reports that the global bacon supply is “cooked”. Britain’s National Pig Association released data recently showing that European pig herds are declining “at a significant […]
Dates and goat’s cheese, a classic Middle Eastern combination that works as an appetizer, nosh, or dessert. Stately date palms grace many streets in the Middle East, giving the landscape an unforgettable silhouette. In Israel, municipalities prune their date palms and give out the big, rustling leaves gratis to those who like to roof their […]
This extract-based pesticide from a hardy Holy Land species of bush forms the basis of a new natural insect repellent. An Israeli company EdenShield has developed a natural, non-toxic bug repellent that masks the smell of plants and flowers –– and possibly even people. It’s like putting a nose plug on bugs so they can’t […]
A new SARS-like mystery illness has health authorities alert ahead of the millions-strong Haj pilgrammage to Mecca. There have been two recent cases of a mysterious SARS-like virus linked to Saudi Arabia. It killed one of its victims from Saudi Arabia. The second who is still alive travelled through the country. The unknown mystery virus […]
The UN is calling for urgent action to reduce human exposure to chemicals and save the lives of millions of people A couple of months ago, as part of my research for an article, I spoke to a young woman affected by a rather unique and misunderstand condition called ‘Multiple Chemical Sensitivity’. Also known as […]
A 45 minute shisha session is the equivalent of puffing 100 cigarettes. In a new study, Iranian researchers proved tobacco water pipes are as harmful as cigarettes, saying, “Our findings reveal profound effects of water pipe smoking on lung function, similar to the effects observed in deep inhalation cigarette smokers.” A student at Amman’s American Community School […]
This Egyptian bodybuilder’s biceps aren’t sustainable, or even good for his own health. Moustafa Ismail will appear in the 2013 Guinness Book of Records now that his 31 inch biceps have been confirmed as the biggest on the planet. The 24-year-old with arms as wide as a man’s waist began bodybuilding ten years ago. In 2007, […]
There’s good news for butter lovers in the future. Professor Oren Froy of the Agriculture, Food, and Environment department, Hebrew University, says that a high-fat diet may help weight loss. The trick is to include fats in regularly scheduled meals. We’ve written about different food theories here on Green Prophet, including a debate on if […]
Beef Products Inc says that the ABC network is to blame for its economic woes. What’s in a name? Beef Products Inc (BPI) is suing ABC News for $1.2 billion, claiming economic damage from the network’s use of the words “pink slime” to describe the mass of connective tissue ground together, washed in ammonia, and […]
Rosh HaShanah’s Symbolic Foods are only the start of the Jewish New Year’s feasting. While the Jewish new year is a time for contemplation and prayer, there’s nothing sparse about the festivities. Families gather together to feast in the late morning and again in the evening, after blessing the day with wine. Read about the […]
It takes only 38 days to raise a chicken for slaughtering – not a very nice existence Eating meat products anywhere is under fire recently, including fears that humans are destroying the planet for beef. Even poultry products are under increased scrutiny, with all kinds of growth hormones, antibiotics, and even poisons like arsenic being […]
Bake a batch of honeyed cookies for the Jewish New Year. Symbol of all things sweet and good, honey is part of many Rosh HaShanah recipes. Here at Green Prophet, we use only chemical-free honey. Our popular honey cake is based on a traditional recipe, and so are these honey cookies. German immigrants brought the […]
A mouth-watering grilled treat for the Jewish New Year. Jewish law allows transfer of one fire to make a new one on the major holidays. Taking advantage of that legal loophole, many enjoy a meal featuring grilled meat on Rosh HaShanah. And in the Middle East, grilled meat is king. This recipe calls for marinating […]
We speak to Shahrzad Mohtadi about the devastated drought that crippled Syria’s food centre and shook Assad’s political stability The link between climate change and political instability may still be ambiguous, but recent research is uncovering a connection between sustainable water and food policies and the survival of governments. Shahrzad Mohtadi found that whilst a prelonged […]
Dubai’s dream of exporting fresh camel milk to the rest of the world will soon become reality. Green Prophet’s been doing alot of yakking about camels lately. Prepare to hear a lot more as the camel products go commercially global. Camel milk is a healthy alternative to cow milk; Camel milk is for good for […]
Alzainah Albabtain, a 22 year old student, is growing her own food in the scorching heat of Kuwait and wants others to give it go too A green fingered student from Kuwait is taking the blogosphere by storm with her ‘It All Grows’ blog. Filled to the rafters with gorgeous photos of lovely fruit and […]
You eat more under stressful conditions. Did you ever notice that you eat much more popcorn during the tense scenes at the movies? It’s a self-comforting thing to do, a response to stress. Researchers Brian Wasink and Koert van Ittersum at Cornell University recently discovered a parallel in a study done at one of the […]
A study from Stanford University, California, concludes that organic food is no more nutritious than conventional. But how correct is that? A furor of debate is breaking over a statistical analysis of data on food. Over 200 studies on organic and conventionally raised produce, grains, eggs, milk, poultry and meat were collated by Stanford University’s Center […]
A tea made from a plant found in Pakistan, India, Africa and parts of Europe may help treat breast cancer, study suggests. Following our report on turmeric‘s benefits for natural breast health, science is finding more evidence for Mother Nature’s healing possibilities. According to ScienceDaily.com, “scientists at Aston University and Russells Hall Hospital have discovered […]
The same research laboratory behind the world’s first cloned camel and a hybrid llama and camel called Cama has recently announced that they are genetically modifying camels in order to produce pharmaceutical proteins through their milk. Dr. Nisar Wani from the Reproductive Biology Laboratory at the Camel Reproduction Center outside of Dubai says the project is […]
Drinking beer is definitely more of a Western tradition than one of the East where wine is preferred, but beer has its place where tradition allows. Miriam has covered beer expos in Israel where there is a rise in boutique breweries like the Dancing Camel and a demand for organic beers. My mom always said […]
