In the same few weeks that a compulsory housing order for chickens was announced publicly because of Bird Flu, the EU also authorized the use of mealworms as a novel food. The company Nutriearth in France are leading the way here with the only authority to sell yet... A very fancy website with plenty of the right words. Selling pet food and supplements, the mealworm is being well utilized for its properties of being a protein substitute. So between doggie dinners and vitamin D supplements we are slowly being sensitized and what starts out as novel becomes standard..but how do you make people buy in to the concept??
 
Here is what they say about it themselves…
 
Among all edible insects, Tenebrio molitor (or mealworm) is the first insect approved by the European Food Safety Authority as a novel food under specific conditions and uses, testifying to its growing relevance and potential.
 
Tenebrio molitor is not only suitable for animal feed, but is also considered ideal for human consumption and has even been recommended as a bio-regenerative survival food for space missions.
 
A bio regenerative survival food for space missions….. I can hear echoes of another generation saying it clearly   “what planet are they on??”  
 
Meanwhile the culling of chicken has begun in Northern Ireland. Thousands of birds culled because a flu virus is detected. Imagine the same approach on humans? The kill all approach is considered the answer…like roundup, broad spectrum antibiotics will we eventually realise that it is counterproductive to the health of the species? How about survival of the fittest strategy? Or does progress in science and immunology count for anything now? Selective science I’d say.
 
Or perhaps the investors in meal worms are keen to take the market once and for all? Cutting out the middlechicken and we can eat the meal worms direct. What a cost saver! 

​Anne Maher

There is no doubt you cannot put an old head on young shoulders. How do you teach younger folk about the importance of a sustainable food system and protecting our farming culture?
 
It has taken me years to understand it, despite being in the food game of teaching home economics and public health nutrition.
 
Gaming teenagers with only interest in phones and play are hard to square with the reality of life sometimes. What life skills do they have that are useful?
 
But I do remind myself often that there was a time when my priorities were different too. A major life change for me happened in 1992 when I made the decision to teach in Botswana. Now with no internet, this did mean finding information in libraries etc. (Remember those times?) Training courses with APSO in Dublin were kind of exotic and adventurous. I know I would not have access to the “comforts” of home and would have to adapt. To be honest I was very naïve at 25 and to put that in context I was slightly obsessed with how I would cope not knowing how I would manage without my weekly fix of Coronation Street. Deirdre was about to go to jail…
 
Suffice to say I survived. The addiction was severed and I saw the world differently. Thank goodness. It’s amazing what you see and learn when you are not distracted.
 
The virtual world is many people's reality now. Rather than a dedicated timeslot for our addictive screen, they are with us 24/7. It is concerning. Are we losing the ability to make common sense of reality? Wellbeing is centred around grounding ourselves in reality. Touch the soil, connect with people, turn your face to the sun. You never know what answers you will find!

Anne Maher

This one has captured the angst of the awakening real foodies.. we have noted the rising numbers coming in looking for real milk with “none of that new fangled feed” that apparently keeps the bovine flatulence in control. The climate friendly milk etc. Sigh…..
 
Some thoughts on this one.. as a feed additive this isn’t a new concept. We will find it very difficult to avoid Bovaer throughout the food chain already..you may have avoided it in your choice of milk but probably consumed in plenty of chocolate over Christmas! Food processing involves so many interventions along the way that to actually consume the original food is difficult enough. If you rely on a label to give the “trusted” information then it is easy enough to change that and mislead you into consuming again… Feed additives are not new and our digestive systems and metabolic health are suffering for decades. All the additives along the food chain to extend shelf life and effectively act as the proverbial botox and filler to enhance the visual appeal certainly have their side effects on our health. Emulsifier, colourings, flavourings etc can cause havoc with our health and I cannot see Bovaer being different despite the assurances. I’d suggest they don’t use the term “safe and effective” in their marketing taglines.
 
 Bovaer though may be slightly different as a feed additive in that it presents a “moral” defense for its use. Who would have thought that we would be encouraged to buy a product from fart free cows to save the climate… Funny how the climate can be saved with lots of companies making money..? Where does this money come from? The farmers who have to pay to feed it to their animals? The consumers who have a premium added on to their shopping? There is a lot to be said for going direct to your local farmer and saving the climate all those wasted air miles. The infamous middlemen won’t be amused. 

Anne Maher

The American election has happened and it appears that the shock is wearing off for many who were surprised at the result. It remains to be seen how this will all play out but I for one am hopeful that the Make America Health Again mantra will have a profound effect in reality. While most people seemed to focus on the figurehead of Trump, I have been interested in the team in the background. Recognition of the poisoned food system and the acknowledgement of the role of our farmers as a solution is tantalising stuff! Talks of school meals for children being organic…imagine that! I admit to getting rather excited at the prospect of Joel Salatin being asked to be an advisor to the new government on behalf of agriculture. The ultimate example of regenerative farming at policy level? Woooa! Progress! Enlightenment! The SAD (standard American diet) may become happy again…
 
Yin and yang later in the week on the other side of us a Uk political advisor John McTernan announces that farmers are “ an industry we can do without. We don’t need small farmers”. Ireland sits in the middle, a tug of war metaphorically speaking as changes are afoot. Amidst change there is bound to be chaos so hang on tight! Keep nourished and carry on! 

​Anne Maher

This time of year you will notice a significant rise in advertisements on TV for perfume. Pretty young models selling a lifestyle that is inferred if you purchase. Another layer of chemical brew to add to the current cauldron of beauty products. What is real any more?
 
From fake tan, contouring caked makeup, false eye lashes, hd brows, lip filler, botox, hair products, gel nails and let’s not forget the teeth scenario it is amazing that there is time to get out the door every day. If I was a 20 something would I be slathered in fake tan perfumes and have false teeth and lip filler as the norm because I was groomed into thinking this is normal?
 
The lotions and potions of the beauty industry are staggering in volume. Is the demand that much?  How on earth can our body cope with the onslaught of toxicity? In reality it doesn’t. Our bodies adapt and adjust. Our babies take the brunt. We are paying the price everyday with the impact of this toxic overload. These concoctions end up in our waste water and environment along with all the pesticides and herbicides. The beauty industry has many dark secrets and are becoming an environmental concern in more ways than one.  The reality is disturbing but the evidence of harm is clear to see more and more. But perhaps I can see it now because I am older.
 
People have choices of course. I am not here to judge. I will make a point though about the smell factor. Perfumes, deodorants and body sprays are that miasma that invades directly into everyone else’s space whether you like it or not. I have a teenage daughter who thinks it is totally usual to have a cloud of spray around her going to school. Husband is totally against any personal care products and just relies on cold showers. So you can imagine the conversations in our house. Our homes can be somehow controlled. But what about the  workplace? Second hand smoke impact resulted in the justifiable smoking ban. Thoughts were of the workers in pubs and restaurants. Imagine if we had a similar version in legislation for extreme perfume users in the work situation…? A perfume shed as it were. So that we had areas of clear air we can breathe in while we work? Hairdressers, nail bars, pharmacies, department stores having dedicated strong smell areas. Or should the workers in these areas wear a dedicated protection such as a gas mask? Work places that insisted you removed all excess before starting work?  When you are on that health journey of detoxing you find that smells become difficult to bear. I do believe we are reaching our limits of tolerance. The excess smells may be pushing us over an edge. 

Anne Maher

Here is one that has exorcised me lately. I was looking through some strategy documents in some research rabbit hole for ourselves and came across an interesting (yet unsettling) point.

The Autism Innovation Strategy 2024 launched recently obviously has taken a few years of work and included a public consultation process. While the emphasis is more towards acceptance of autism and neurodivergence I was curious about how policy would feature the role of food in this document. I must admit to expecting the standard mantra… ensure a healthy diet etc.. but when I put the word “food” into a search I found nothing. I then decided to check another broader document  to check the same detail. Action Plan for Disability Services 2024 – 2026. Again? Nothing. What does this mean? Have we forgotten the basics of health? Are our most vulnerable in society being actively and passively denied the opportunity to be nourished? Is it assumed it is all ok? Are we being distanced from the role food plays in our health? Actually that is a daft question because I think I know the answer.
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It is time to bring food back into policy and make a conscious commitment to nourish our community. We are working on it from a bottom up approach. The top down approach had better catch up…!  

Anne Maher

Having the opportunity to enjoy a few dine out options away from the stove and kitchen sink seems 
a treat at times. Holidays allow those moments and as a family we made a conscious effort to enjoy a few new places this year. We do enjoy eating out and over the years it has become easier to manage this feat as a parent now of teenagers. I was reminded of a visit to Dingle years ago and attempting to enjoy a trip to a notable fish restaurant with small children in tow. Short story? In this social setting of appreciation for the culinary work small children did not add to the ambience. We bailed out early. Teaching children to adapt to social settings is one of the tasks of parenthood. An unhappy screaming child is not conducive for a relaxing meal out for anyone. That said I have to draw attention to the dining etiquette that seems to be a common go to for parents now. At a recent hotel breakfast with many young families I was struck by how all set up individual screens for their small children and toddlers to watch while they ate or were spoon fed. No direct interaction. Mindlessly placing food in mouths with little engagement in the present. Peppa pig prattles on while you chew on sausages? This isn’t new behaviour but I must admit that the “normality” of it now is disturbing. Roll on a few years and parents may wonder why their children feel anxious in social settings!
 
Food is your gateway to society and an opportunity to learn how to be together and converse. Learn this skill as early as you can and practice it. #connect.
 
……I had to add to this story since I wrote it. Another family restaurant dining experience since and we noted a family of 2 adults with 6 (!) small children contentedly eating their meals with relish and without screens. I overheard the waitresses comment to each other about how unusual it was to see. It certainly made me breath a sigh of hope! 

Anne Maher

Atwater Factors. Recognising in hindsight that I enjoy numbers it is no surprise that I embraced the concept of calories. Not so much to eat this way but when teaching nutrition it became a formulaic way to translate the information of why the food pyramid was such a wonderful teaching tool. Carbohydrates had less calories than fats. Therefore you could eat far more. Fats were the reason we were overweight…etc etc. I am truly sorry for passing on this as knowledge.
 
Roll on many years and I am having none of it. Food pyramid education and calorie counting are so wrong on many levels. Lets face it. If it was right would we be in the metabolic mess we are in? It turns out that the numbers game is a lucrative one though. Get people to a point where they associate a number with success or failure and they can be guilt ridden enough to part with money to appease it. We have been taught to measure our health in numbers at the expense of common sense. You might feel ill, have no energy, be depressed, have digestive issues etc etc but feel delighted when the doctor tells you that your cholesterol level is low..
 
A meal with real food is substituted for a slimming shake full of ingredients that has a set low number of calories and you might feel virtuous in your weight journey. Before long we loose the plot. We stop seeing food for what it is and count the numbers instead.
 
I see this strategy again for climate change and CO2. Measure it and charge for it accordingly. Be careful about loosing sight of living life as we spend our time counting the unnecessary..

Anne Maher