Let them eat bugs!

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Israel, arguably the food-tech capital of the world, has come up with a new invention to supplement the alternative protein market: making a protein from black-eyed peas, also known as cowpea. The company says that the peas are gene-edited to make them easier for harvesting, but that the process does not fall into a GMO category. The company Better Pulse joins a long line of alternative meat and alternative plant-based solutions to feed a growing planet. We featured a recent round up of the top cultivated meat products from Israel (see Aleph Farms, Believer Meats) but what makes Better Pulse different is that it contains no meat protein at all but offers a reliable alternative for plant-based milk and yoghurts or any manufactured plant based protein product.

If you have ever read any modern criticism of agriculture (Michael Pollan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Yuval Noa Harari), you will know that most of our food is derived from monocrops. While there may be hundreds of different grain types or bananas, we typically eat the same ones over and over again. It gets worse when you look at our staple crops where more than 51% of our caloric intake is sourced from just four staple crops—rice, soy, wheat, and corn.

These crops are threatened by global warming. We need to diversify what we eat and how we eat it. Arguably the best solution is for us all to return to the land and start regenerative farming and foraging, but likely only a handful in every community will do that. For alternatives, Better Pluse hopes to offer another protein-rich solution for food resiliency and food security.

Black eyed peas hummous anyone? Try our ultimate hummus recipe and switch out black eyed peas for the chick peas.

Black-eyed peas plant are among the oldest cultivated crops which is also very tolerant to extremes in heat: “The looming effects of climate change on the resiliency of the protein supply chain, particularly soybeans, underscore the urgency of adopting Black-eyed peas as a solution,” says founder and CEO Alon Karpol, “Better Pulse’s enhanced Black-eyed peas genetics will fortify global food security, drastically reduce Black-eyed peas cultivation costs, and its protein will provide a sensory experience akin to various dairy products. 

Unlike its soybean or green and pea counterparts, Better Seeds’ Black-eyed pea protein is distinguished by its white color and subtle aftertaste profile – characteristics that are essential for food ingredients.

The company has concluded a Proof-of-Concept phase where it achieved the production of over 70% protein, and integrated it into diverse food products. The company has special access to black-eyed peas genetics that are ready for mechanized harvesting, enabling cost cost-effective, and profitable cultivation beyond Africa, the primary region where black-eyed peas are grown today.

The initial financial backing for Better Pulse was provided by BetterSeeds, a portfolio company of Israel’s Smart-Agro Fund.

The alternative protein in food is worth an estimated $6.7 billion USD with an CAGR of 6.7%.

::Better Pulse

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Americans are shrinking in height after becoming a giant of a population, thanks to cheap meat, lots of dairy and access to fresh vegetables. Current shrinkage in their size is now due to poor diets over the last couple of decades. Food deserts in cities where a bodega chocolate bar is easier to access than fresh fruit is partly to blame. So is access to cheaper fast food and supersize me.

A health supplement marketed to parents with small kids in America is now now being marketed to Asians who want taller kids, because height is still a first world sign for health and fecundity. The growth of vegan protein for adults, kids, pets, is part of the “Veganification” meta trend. Other examples of this meta trend include pea milk, vegan jerky, vegan collagen and vegan ramen.

If your kid can’t eat because they are sick, okay. Then market to physicians and hospitals. Because this height drink is starting to sound like Soylent for kids.

The Israeli-made drink is a protein shake for kids made to help them reach their full height, according to a company release. Most picky kids often eat pasta or white bread only because parents allow them to. Now a health shake can fill in the gaps. 

Unless your kid is undergoing a health procedure and can’t keep food down, I highly recommend giving your kids real, whole foods. Allowing picky eaters from the range of 3 to 9-years-old, the target range for this health shake, to drink a sweet shake instead is only putting salve on the wound. 

Good gut bacteria, immune system health, and so many important things a kid needs are tied to real food. . 

Healthy Height says their drink was developed and tested by paediatricians to give a holistic solution to nourish kids especially those with health problems. But it’s also for picky eaters who stress their parents out. 

Protein shake for kids?

Healthy Height is made with whey protein and the amino acid arginine. The company says it can be mixed with ice cream, pancakes or smoothies –– often the foods that picky eater parents return to when nothing else works. The chocolate and vanilla flavors however contain sugar (labelled as organic cane sugar, which is simply sugar), unless you go for the plain variety which does not contain sugar. 

The company claims that top medical professionals in paediatric endocrinology, gastroenterology, and nutrition were behind the research and development of the Healthy Height formulation:

“There is no doubt that genetics plays the most significant role in an individual’s height, with studies showing this accounts for up to 80 percent of final height,” a company rep said.

“There is a window of opportunity where we can influence the potential height of an individual. Parents are seeking natural solutions to help their kids grow, and Healthy Height certainly fills this gap.”

Unlike other nutritional products, Healthy Height is not a meal replacement, as the protein drink takes a more supplemental role, therefore still leaving room for a focus on developing healthier eating habits, the company notes. 

Children who included it in their diet for a one-year period added 13.8 to 34% to their annual growth in height. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was published in the prestigious Journal of Pediatrics.

But what about the remaining percentage? Researchers believe that environmental factors fill that gap, with nutrition being the most dominant factor.

Some of the countries showing the most significant gains from nutritional knowledge are in Asia. According to NPR, women in South Korea gained an average of eight inches in height in the past century — a bigger jump than any other population, globally. In Japan, the average increase has been 6.31 inches. Yet, Americans on the other hand are shrinking. The data are clear: Nutritional value plays a key role in growth.

Healthy Height could be a solution for medical challenges.

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So, you have also heard about one of the most happening diet plans that have made celebrities, as well as common people, go gaga over it. You might have known it through a magazine that says Kourtney Kardashian is an avid keto follower, or maybe your friend raves about its benefits all the time. Whatever is the case, now you want to try it to see if it is really worth the buzz. 

Different studies show that the ketogenic diet is not only the best in weight loss; it may also show benefits against some diseases, like cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

However, switching to a keto diet is not all about waking up one morning and making an announcement: From today, I am a keto person. I wish it was that easy, but it isn’t. You need to know about a few things before adopting a ketogenic diet.

Here is a guide for you to ensure your smooth transition to keto diet:

How the Keto Diet Works?

Before telling what is a keto diet and how it works, here is a warning alert for pizza and pasta lovers: this road is going to be tough for you. It is because the ketogenic diet is all about cutting on your carb intake and plugging in high-fat food items.

What happens is that your body initiates the ketosis process when you rely only on fats and limit carb intake. Ketosis starts when your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates to produce energy. It takes almost 7 days for your body to go into ketosis phase after cutting on carbs.

There are also keto supplements for those who want to trigger ketosis process in their body without ditching their love of life pasta.

Know the Keto Ratio:

Another important thing you need to know before jumping onto a ketogenic diet is that you should only take 5-10 percent of carbs, while 75-80 percent goes to fats. The remaining percentage is for proteins.

Here, 5 to 10 percent means that your carb intake shouldn’t increase over 30 grams per day. It means that even two bananas can harm your whole diet plan. You must keep your diet low carb because only the absence of carbohydrates can force your body to persist in the state of ketosis where the body burns fats for energy. If the set percentage of carbs will increase in the body, it will again switch back to the starch burning state instead of burning fats. So, knowing and sticking to the nutrition ratio is very significant in the ketogenic diet.

Food to Add into Your Chart:

Preparing a keto diet chart isn’t rocket science. You should remember only one formula while setting your diet chart: no starchy food. That’s it. Full stop. Other than that, you can eat anything and everything.

Unlike other kinds of diet plans, high-fat foods are welcomed here because higher the fat faster will be the ketosis process. So, eat cheese, dairy products, seafood, veggies (except sugary and starchy vegetables, like beets, yams, potatoes), avocado, eggs, etc.

There is also no rule that you should reduce the amount of your food. In fact, if it is high-fat food, eat as much as you want.

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