Confused about veggie diets? Here’s a guide.

Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian—you hear these words thrown around in a world that is rapidly warming—if you’re confused, here’s a quick rundown on veggie diet terms.

Diet	Food they eat
Flexitarian	This varies from person to person, but it is mainly a plant-based diet with occasional intake of meat, seafood, dairy and eggs. May eat honey.
Pescatarian	Eats seafood and fish, but no meat. May eat dairy and/or eggs. May eat honey.
Ovo-vegetarian	Plant-based diet. Eats eggs. May eat honey.
Lacto-vegetarian	Plant-based diet, but person eats dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream. May eat honey.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian	Plant-based diet, but person eats eggs and dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream. May eat honey.
Plant-based	A fully plant-based diet with absolutely no animal products eaten. For example, a person on this diet does not eat honey.
Vegan	This is more of a lifestyle than a diet. A vegan is someone who has a fully plant-based diet and also does not eat or buy any sort of animal products in their life, such as leather boots or beeswax.

Of course, diets are very personal. Some may follow a certain diet for the animals, for Earth, or for health, and for whatever reason someone chooses to eat a certain way, we should all respect their decisions.

Recipe for Healthy Ageing – the new toolkit by Health Promotion Board

*this post was written as a test in response to media materials provided by Klareco Communications

Health Promotion Board’s new nutritional toolkit – with a nutrition guide, a recipe book and an educational poster – will assist in preparing healthy food choices. As part of the National Seniors’ Health Programme, it aims to aid seniors in committing to making healthy food choices a part of their lifestyle.

 

Singapore, 15^th May 2016 – Today at REACH Youth Powerhouse, Health Promotion Board (HPB) is launching “Recipe for Healthy Ageing” – a nutritional toolkit that advises the importance of healthy eating. The nutritional toolkit is the second in a series of healthy lifestyle campaigns under the National Seniors’ Health Programme, launching after the “7 Easy Exercises to an Active Lifestyle” campaign last September.

 

The National Seniors’ Health Programme is part of the Action Plan for Successful Ageing announced by Mr Gan Kim Yong, the Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Ageing. The plan hopes to instil health awareness and encourage better health choices among seniors in order to maintain their physical and mental well-being.

 

To maximise audience reach, the materials in the toolkit are printed in the four main languages of Singapore. The toolkit will encourage making healthy food choices and will be distributed to seniors via HPB’s partners, such as NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong and Watsons.

 

Developed by nutritionists, the materials are comprehensive and contain a nutrition guide, a recipe book and an educational poster. The materials will aid in choosing and preparing daily food as the recipe book contains healthy eating tips along with each recipe for local delights such as mee goreng and sliced fish bee hoon.

 

Today’s guest of honour is Dr Amy Khor, the Senior Minister of State from the Ministry of Health. She notes that despite the target audience of the toolkit, healthy eating should be of interest to everyone: “Healthy eating is not age-specific, but rather everyone should aspire to live a healthy and balanced diet, and one is never too young or old to start.” She will be preparing two dishes from the nutrition toolkit’s recipe book for today’s food demonstration.

 

Through today’s interactive nutrition session, we hope that seniors will enjoy learning about nutritional requirements via the food preparation activity with their family. The food preparation activity will allow for family bonding time while showing that healthy food can be prepared without sacrificing flavour. Coupled with the food demonstration, we believe that the attending seniors and their family members will pick up tips and tricks to incorporate healthy food choices into their lifestyle.

 

Thank you for attending today’s session and we hope you enjoy it. Should you require help arranging interviews with seniors and their families regarding today’s session, or have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at 6333 3449 or 9144 8476.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on plastic straws

At my recent internship at the National Parks Board, I was enlightened about the problem of plastic straws and started using metal straws for my drinks and bubble tea. There has also been a recent furore over KFC banning plastic straws and Starbucks removing plastic straw usage by changing the design of their lids (which may use more plastic than before to produce). IKEA and MacDonalds are also on board.

While these are great steps to reducing single-use plastics, as well as increasing awareness of single-use plastics, I do think that there are bigger problems at hand. I am sure that the plastic cups these drinks come in generate more waste than the straws do. What about the plastic bags – ubiquitous in Singapore for grocery shopping? What about the single-use plastics for food takeaways and utensils? I find it even more abhorrent when customers are having their food in-store and single-use plastics are used to serve the food, for the convenience of having less to wash up after.

I believe F&B chains and shops could provide better incentives for people to bring their own tumblers and containers, or providing reusable food containers for customers having their food in-store. On the consumer-end, plastic use could cut down drastically if people brought their own containers and utensils.

Other small steps encouraging bigger change in Singapore  – such as the packaging-free shopping store ‘UnPackt’ are a welcome sight to many. I do hope that many such changes come to Singapore and that consumers will be open to these changes.

For those interested in taking a bigger-picture perspective to use less plastic, Bea Johnson’s Zero-Waste lifestyle book is worth reading.

 

An ode to menstrual cups

Speak to anyone who uses a menstrual cup, and their review is likely to be glowing.

So what are menstrual cups? Typically made of medical-grade silicone, or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) (for those with silicone allergies), the contraption sits inside the vaginal canal and collects menstrual blood.

Pros:

• low cost over a lifetime
• environmentally friendly (no more tampons, pads and pantiliners!)
• extremely reduced risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (associated with tampon usage)
• convenience – 12-hour usage times (varies depending on flow) compared to more frequent changes for tampons and pads as it is able to hold more blood
• suitable for those with active lifestyles (running, swimming, diving etc)
• can be used for up to 10 years!

My ‘low-waste’ period essentials kit! Reusable pantiliners from ecofemme from LiveLoveLuna, menstrual cup from Freedom Cups and MenstruHeat for combating cramps.

Most of the ‘pros’ I have listed relate to environmental sustainability. According to Organicup, ‘An individual goes through approximately 11,000 disposable pads and/or tampons in a lifetime’. Pads and tampons are made up of cotton and plastic – a water-intensive crop and an environmentally harmful pollutant. It’s even worse when non-organic cotton is used. In contrast, most menstrual cups are made from silicone, a material derived from silica, a kind of sand – when degraded, it will return to its original form, already abundantly present in the Earth’s crust and does not cause harm to the environment. Considering the number of years a menstrual cup lasts (with proper usage and cleaning), the number of pads and tampons that can be prevented from entering landfills, our waterways and oceans is astounding.

If you aren’t already using one, consider switching to a menstrual cup for your health and environment!

A response to a critique on a plastics news article

Dear Nicole,

I agree with your opinions on the article. The article appears to be more of a photo-journalistic piece rather than an informative article, and the author could have better used the compelling images to educate the public on the threat of plastic pollution to marine ecosystems. Other than the indirect problems of plastic pollution you mentioned in your response, plastic debris can also cause direct problems like entanglement, drowning and starving.

I find the ‘hitch-hiking’ point you brought up interesting, as I had not known about this before reading your response. Having plastic debris in the ocean can allow for more dispersal pathways of marine organisms that may not originally be able to travel as far, and cause unpredictable harms in areas that were not possible previously.

Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5 millimetres in size. Microplastics are formed when larger plastic debris degrade into smaller pieces or come from resin pellets from manufacturing industries, or microbeads present in some beauty products, as well as from other sources. It is certainly true that microplastics have a large impact on marine organisms. As mentioned by the photographer quoted in the article, the manta rays feed on plankton. The presence of plastic trash in their surroundings, when degraded, form microplastics that the plankton may consume. The manta rays will then have the microplastics in their systems when they consume the plankton. Additionally, through the food web, the effects of such bioaccumulation in other organisms can eventually transmit to humans that consume seafood. It is pertinent to realise that our actions will eventually return to hurt us. The area in which the photos were taken is in the waters of Indonesia – after China, Indonesia is the country that contributes the most to marine plastic pollution. This could be largely due to the single-use plastics prevalent in Indonesia, which is also a common sight in Singapore.

Recently, National Parks Board (NParks) conducted a microplastics analysis workshop on the 27th January 2018, to educate members of the public about microplastics via the hands-on experience of collecting microplastics and a panel discussion. While helping out for this event, and another microplastics collection on another date, I was shocked by the number of microplastics collected at both sites. It is dismaying to realise the amount of microplastics present on our shores. Through conscientious efforts to reduce plastic use and increase recycling efforts, I hope that the effects of plastic pollution can be gradually abated. I am of the belief that it is better to do something than nothing at all. Our choices and actions regarding plastic use will determine the future not only of marine life but all of earth’s organisms.

In addition to education and awareness, as you mentioned, Indonesia’s government and governments of the world’s countries need to improve legal categorisations of plastic trash (biodegradable, recyclable etc) and enforcement procedures to crack down on plastic littering. Doing so can increase the sustainability of the fight against plastic pollution.

This article written by Amanda Cashmore (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5357601/Diver-surrounded-tornado-plastic-rubbish.html) highlights the severity of the plastic pollution problem in Indonesia through the images of a diver surrounded by a tornado full of plastic waste. The photographer mentioned his hopes in bringing about awareness to recycling and for the need for proper waste management, yet its consequences were only briefly mentioned.

In reality, marine and coastal ecosystems globally face the constant threat of plastic pollution. In a recent study, plastic debris can serve as a medium for alien species to colonize in an area far away from their natural habitat. Known as ‘hitch-hiking’, species such as barnacles, molluscs and algae are able to attach on the hard surfaces of plastics and are carried away by the currents that eventually settle down away from their natural habitat. These pose major threats for native species in the area, as alien species may become invasive, possibly wiping out native species if left uncontrolled.

Another problem caused by plastic pollution is the health-threat posed to marine organisms. As micro-plastics resemble the phytoplankton that some marine organisms consume, ingestion of plastic material hinders growth and causes internal injury which eventually results in death. Not only are marine organisms affected, but even ecosystems such as coral reefs are taking a toll by contracting diseases from the introduction of bacteria on plastics according to a news article by TODAY.

These are only a few issues that stem from ocean pollution, but were however not mentioned in the article. This could undermine the actual severity of the issue because ocean plastic pollution is a global problem that affects almost all aspects of marine life. However, the general masses may not realize the severity of ocean plastic pollution, for which public education is needed to increase awareness. Perhaps the editor of the article (Amanda Cashmore) could have brought up various consequences of plastic pollution to add more weight and severity of the problem to her words, instead of quoting the photographer. Her input could further emphasize the importance of keeping our waters clean and persuade others to bear in mind the consequences of irresponsible plastic littering.

A response to ‘Catch-all fisheries are squeezing Asia’s seahorses’

A response to ‘Catch-all fisheries are squeezing Asia’s seahorses’

Conservation of threatened species is always an issue that requires a viewpoint from many stakeholders. The IUCN Red List designates at least 15 seahorse species as Vulnerable, Near Threatened or Endangered.

According to the article, seahorses are sold as pets, tourist trinkets and used in traditional medicines, but it is not intentional harvesting that is causing the decline of seahorses. Rather, indiscriminate fisheries pose a larger threat, given that at least 37 million seahorses are caught annually from bycatch. Scientists believe that trade bans and ending traditional medicine use will not help unless bycatch is addressed. Another issue is that seahorse fishing may be the only livelihood for some fishermen.

While the scientists interviewed believe that bycatch should be addressed by improving fishing methods, I believe that legislation, together with enforcement, is the overarching method to address the other problems. Legislation such as export bans, designating protected areas do not help the problem as bans do not solve the underlying bycatch threat and fishing continues in protected areas due to lack of enforcement. Legislation plus enforcement can also ensure better fishing methods and reduce use in traditional medicine. In order to implement legislation and enforcement, the governments of the countries mentioned need to work with scientists, fisheries, conservation groups and local authorities, as well as across governments. Governments could also help fishermen find other sources of livelihood.

The article did not mention specifically which seahorse species are affected by bycatch. Perhaps studies could be conducted to determine this, and efforts to reduce bycatch could be redirected to areas where the species are present. Another unmentioned issue with bycatch is that seahorses are unlikely to survive even if released back into the sea, thus educating fishermen to separate and release seahorses would not work. Additionally, the article did not mention the biomedical effect of the seahorses in TCM, which has been scientifically proven to some extent. This, coupled with culture and beliefs, would increase the time needed for conservation progress.

Saving the seahorses requires much work that perhaps only governments working in tandem with various stakeholders can provide.

Photo by DoDo PHANTHAMALY on Pexels.com

Parrots love music just as much as you do

Music has been enjoyed by humans since time immemorial. Just like certain genres of music may provide soothing properties in humans, different genres of sounds may provoke different responses in animals. This has been studied in kenneled dogs, exotic animals, and now, parrots.

In 2016, Isabelle Williams, Will Hoppitt and Rachel Grant studied whether different types of auditory enrichment affected the behaviour of ten captive parrots in Zoological Society of London Whipsnade Zoo, located in the UK. The study was done to examine whether auditory enrichment could help resolve or prevent stereotypic behaviour in parrots. Stereotypic behaviour include screaming, biting and feather plucking, and may be caused by lack of interaction with other parrots and the type of housing conditions that the parrot is housed in.

The species observed were: yellow-headed Amazon parrot, African grey parrot, hyacinth macaw, scarlet macaw, military macaw, and blue and gold macaw. While the study involves various parrot species, most parrot species have similar behaviours. The researchers exposed the parrots to six different types of sounds: classical, control, parrot, pop, rainforest, and talking radio. They also compared effects of the sounds between hand-reared (reared by humans) and parent-reared (reared by the bird’s own parents) parrots and effects between parrots that were isolated and parrots that were housed in groups.

The results of their study indicate that the behaviour of captive parrots can be influenced by auditory enrichment, housing condition and rearing history. Across the board, frequency of preening behaviour and calm vocalisations improved. Preening behaviour is normal grooming behaviour of parrots and calm vocalisations are typical contact calls and sounds that parrots use to communicate within their own species – both are normal behaviours of parrots and usually indicate that adequate welfare is provided. Given the increase in preening behaviour and calm vocalisations of parrots in their study, this represents a positive impact on the birds’ behaviour. Their study also showed that hand-reared parrots displayed more stereotypic behaviour than parent-reared birds. In addition, solo-housed parrots displayed more stereotypic behaviour and less preening behaviour than parrots housed in groups. Their study raises important issues that parrots face. The first issue is that parrots are often hand-reared to satisfy demand for tame parrots in the bird trade. These parrots will tend to display unhealthy sexual and social behaviours when they grow older. The second issue is that as parrots are social animals that live in large groups, keeping parrots isolated may be detrimental to their psychological health. This leads to a possible consideration that parrots should not be hand-reared, which the authors state is supported by banning of the hand-rearing practice in some countries, one of which is the Netherlands. Additionally, where possible, it would be best for the parrot’s mental health to be housed with another parrot of the same species.

Their results also raise a new possibility to improve welfare for parrots kept in captivity. A busy parrot owner may have little time to provide enrichment to parrots, similar to the zoo keepers interviewed in the study, therefore providing auditory enrichment to parrots is a potential cost-effective and low maintenance form of enrichment.

While the researchers acknowledge that their study may not apply to all parrots as their sample size and study period were not ideal, their findings mark the beginning of improving the welfare of our feathered friends.

REFERENCE

Williams, I., Hoppitt, W., & Grant, R. (2017). The effect of auditory enrichment, rearing method and social environment on the behavior of zoo-housed psittacines (Aves: Psittaciformes); implications for welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 186, 85-92.

COURSERA – WRITING IN THE SCIENCES WEEK 6 HONOURS ESSAY – CRYSTAL HO

A blog to record science bites

I started this blog to document science news and information interesting to me. Topics may range from animal behaviour, evolution and environmental sustainability. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Thanks for joining me!

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. — Carl Sagan