Modern agriculture started in the Middle East. Can people here switch to the Paleo Lifestyle and eat like Cave Men? What should humans eat for optimal health? The key word here is optimal. Our bodies are remarkable machines, and we can manage, more or less, on a wide variety of foods. But what foods work […]
Expressions of affection, even from mother to child, are often the way herpes is spread from person to person. From private organizations to the World Health Organization (WHO), the experts agree: regardless of region, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a pressing reality that stress individuals, families and communities, and call upon public health officials to […]
Certain foods common in Middle East diets are better at minimizing the symptoms of herpes, a sexually transmitted viral infection that causes painful lesions on the mouth and genitals. Good news for ecosexuals looking for more natural ways to promote intimate wellbeing: promising research suggests that an herb indigenous to mainland Europe and Asia, known […]
Although Ramadan is now officially over, Bahrain’s Information Affairs Agency (IAA) raised $4 million for famine-struck Somalis in keeping with their “religious, moral, and patriotic duty.” The Horn of Africa famine has already claimed 29,000 children under the age of five and shows no signs of abating. The images of emaciated babies with bones piercing […]
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 […]
Pack your kid’s lunchbox with wholesome foods to help her gain health, not weight. Across the Western world, parents and schools have woken up to the crucial link between the foods a child eats during school hours and his/her health. To control obesity, children are being encouraged to acquire a taste for real foods and […]
Jordan is championing water-efficiency and chemical-free farming at the stunning Mujib nature reserve Following Qatar’s plans to build 1,400 organic farms, comes the announcement that a Jordanian nature reserve will be growing organic crops and medicinal herbs. The farm at the Mujib Biosphere Reserve is spread over 10 dunums and is designed to demonstrate the […]
Does circumcision offer health benefits? A medical historian I spoke with says yes, it does. She’s now working in Africa with Zulus. It was a tradition long ago practiced. Now Zulu tribes in Africa are returning to the Jewish custom of male circumcision to reduce the spread of AIDS. In California where calls to ban […]
Like cockroaches, bed bugs have been around since prehistoric times. Good night, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite. If they do, grab a shoe and beat them till they’re black and blue! When my sibs and I were kids, we’d repeat that little ditty to each other before climbing into bed at night. […]
Miriam pointed out the perils of eating in front of the computer. Now, discover the cues that keep you munching when you’ve really had enough. Last week I lunched with a friend at an inexpensive Indian restaurant. We ordered the platter for two. Attractively arranged on a round platter were spiced rice, spoonfuls of chutneys, […]
Need a refreshing, sugar-free drink? Look no further than the container of natural yogurt in your fridge. Known as aryan in Turkey and drunk plain, the cooling, soothing yogurt-based drink is popular all over the Middle East. Syrians and Lebanese call it laban ayran. In Iraq and Jordan it’s called shenina. Traditional Middle Eastern recipes […]
See how permaculture is spreading across Israel during an international tour at the end of September. Permaculture, or the sustainable use of land and agriculture, has thankfully been spreading across the Middle East in recent years. Permaculture farms have sprouted seeds in Palestine, grassroots permaculture initiatives have popped up in urban settings such as Jerusalem, […]
It’s not only sharks and turtles turning up at butchers in the Middle East: When picking a cut of fresh meat in China, you might want to ask what it is. Continuing coverage on Green Prophet has dealt with food products like shark fins that are prized as delicacies by people in the Far East […]
In spite of some climate differences, most Middle Eastern countries raise the same crops. Don’t think that it means little choice, though. The huge variety of local fresh fruit and vegetables here, and their bright flavors, astound Westerners who have forgotten how a tomato or a green bean should taste. Real superfoods (see our article […]
Alcohol actually interferes with restful sleep. As a home wine maker, I don’t like to be told that a couple of glasses will do any harm at any time. And with all the exciting green developments in Israeli wine, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to taste some of the latest cool vintages during […]
Qatar is hoping to boost its food security by setting up 1,400 agricultural farms covering an area of 45,000 hectares Following the recent news that the United Arab Emirates is slowly embracing organic farming, are more signs that the Gulf States are slowly recognising the importance of food sustainability. Qatar has announced plans to establish […]
“Vegetarian option” doesn’t have to be a dirty word when using one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s luscious Mediterranean vegetarian recipes. For a nation most culinarily associated with fish and chips or shepherd’s pie, a vegetarian food option may not be the most appealing to the English. British-born celebs such as Paul McCartney might be promoting vegetarian […]
Can summer get much better than this? The good thing about the height of summer is watermelons with red, red hearts and lots of sweet juice. Green Prophet has some good ways to serve it, and here are some. Here in the Middle East they’re for sale everywhere right now. Even the little neighborhood grocery […]
Investigating the profit-motivated push to make genetically modified food ‘halal’ Back in December 2010, a conference held in Penang, Malaysia with biotechnology experts and halal proponents ended with the conclusion that genetically modified food was halal ( ‘permissible’ for Muslims) as long as the sources from which they originate from are halal. This decision – […]
Quick to make and satisfying – roasted chickpeas answer the need for a healthy snack. When we casually dump a can-full of chickpeas into a pan, we’re thinking of dinner, not how the ancient world ate the little yellow grains. But chickpeas found in Middle-Eastern archeological excavations have been proved to be eaten by folks […]
Since 2007, land dedicated to organic greenhouse farming across the United Arab Emirates has increased by 15 percent Despite some debate over the carbon-footprint of locally grown food when using desalinated water, it is widely accepted that growing your own food locally is better and greener than shipping it in from all corners of the […]
Kanafeh: sweet cheese filling under a crunchy topping. A favorite Ramadan dessert. Ramadan 2011 begins after sunset on July 31st. One of the many luscious traditional pastries served during the night meals of Ramadan month is kanafeh. Subtly flavored with lemon and rosewater, doused with syrup, it makes up for all the calories burnt off […]
Lack of space in urban environments often means that farming opportunities are limited, but a technique of farming indoors and upwards may resolve this problem Over a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend an event featuring Dickson Despommier, the grandfather of vertical farming. As Green Prophet editor Karin explains in an interview with […]
The public was ignorant about the the dangers of smoking till the 1960s. The fashion for meat glue in food seems ominously similar. Finding a scientist to talk about meat glue wasn’t easy. I spoke to neurologists, biologists, pathologists, the head physician at a local hospital, and biochemists. None had even heard of transglutaminase. When […]
“Fukushima cows” starving to death – but some got shipped to the meat markets. Revelation that some 84 Japanese beef cattle shipped to markets in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan may be contaminated with radiation may not have happened had the exposed cattle been genetically “profiled” by a new DNA tracing process being developed by […]
