Tag: health

What Lies Ahead?

Writing on WorldHealth.com, Dr. Robert Goldman, M.D., PhD., took a look at some of the big changes facing mankind in the not distant future.

Health: There are pharma companies building a medical device (called the ‘Tricorder’ from Star Trek) that works with your phone. The Tricorder takes your retina scan, your blood sample and a breath sample. It then analyses 54 biomarkers that will identify nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world class medicine, nearly for free.

3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies started 3D printing shoes. Spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station now has a 3D printer that eliminates the need for the large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.

At the end of this year, new smartphones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home. In China, they already 3D printed a complete 6-story office building. By 2027, 10% of everything that’s being produced will be 3D printed.

Business opportunities: If you think of a niche, ask yourself – in the future, do you think we will have that? If the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn’t work with your phone, forget the idea. And any idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed for failure in the 21st century.

Work: 70-80% of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a small time frame.

Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in third world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all days on their fields. Aeroponics will need much less water. The first petri dish produced veal is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal in 2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces are used for cows. Imagine if we don’t need that space anymore. There are several startups who will bring insect protein to the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It will be labeled as ‘Alternative protein source’ (as most people still reject the idea of eating insects).

Education: The cheapest smart phones are already at $10 in Africa and Asia. By 2020, most humans will own a smartphone or a device that has access to world class education/information. Every child will have access to tools for learning art, engineering, design, languages, science, music, mathematics, etc.

Longevity: Right now, the average life span increases by three months per year. Four years ago, the life span was 79 years, now it’s 80 years. The increase itself is increasing and by 2036, there will be more that one year increase per year. So we all might live for a long long time, probably way more than 100.

Dino’s Storage offers “EATING HEALTHY” tips!

Several polls and studies show one of the most common new year resolutions are to eat healthier (another common one is loosing weight).  Unfortunately, these are also two resolutions most commonly not kept. So if your resolution is to eat healthier, this may help you keep it and make sure you are doing it right.

5 FOODS YOU ARE EATING WRONG

(How to cut, cook & sip for the most health benefits)

Choosing whole foods over supplements or fresh produce instead of processed potato chips is a no-brainer. But how to cook those foods to get the most bang for your buck isn’t always as obvious. Should you make enough salad for the whole week? Is it better to blend fresh or frozen fruit in a smoothie? Which is ideal: steaming or boiling your vegetables?

The short answer is that the healthiest cooking and prep methods change from food to food. “Heat, water, storage and exposure to air can all cause certain foods to lose their nutrients”, says Mary Cluskey, Ph.D, R.D., associate professor of nutrition at Oregon State University.

Vegetables

Your mistake: Microwaving or boiling them

The fix: Steaming

Why it works: Steaming helps retain cancer-fighting nutrients in broccoli better than other cooking methods, reports a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sulforaphane (a plant compound with strong anti-cancer properties) is abundant in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and arugula. The enzyme myrosinase is necessary to release the compound, but most cooking methods destroy it. Steaming is a slower, gentler heat, and isn’t intense enough to kill myrosinase, explains study author Elizabeth Jeffery, Ph.D. – Cook broccoli in a steaming basket for 3 to 4 minutes for the biggest cancer-fighting boost.

Strawberries

Your mistake: Slicing them before eating

The fix: Eating them whole

Why it works: Whole strawberries contain 8 to 12 percent more vitamin C than the cut fruits, according to a 2011 Brazilian study. That’s because vitamin C begins to break down when it’s exposed to light and oxygen. For the biggest C boost, store whole strawberries in the fridge – cool temperatures help retain vitamin C, too, finds the same study.

Wine

Your mistake: Letting a bottle “breathe”

The fix: Sipping a freshly opened bottle

Why it works: When red wine is decanted for long periods of time (up to 12 hours) the organic acids and polyphenols begin to break down, according to a 2012 Chinese study. Leaving the bottle open overnight nixes the usual benefits of a glass of red, including decreased depression, increased testosterone and a healthier heart.

Tomatoes

Your mistake: Eating them raw

The fix: Heating them up

Why it works: Tomatoes have been linked to lowering men’s risk of stroke, helping fight prostate cancer and preserving brain power with age. Heating tomatoes significantly increases their levels of lycopene, the chemical that can up antioxidant levels. In fact, a recent study in The British Journal of Nutrition found that raw foodists (people who eat mostly uncooked produce) were deficient in lycopene. Cook tomatoes in olive oil for the biggest nutritional boost: Lycopene is fat-soluble, meaning you need fat in your diet for your body to absorb it properly.

Frozen produce

Your mistake:Skipping the frozen food section when shopping

The fix: Hit the freezers

Why it works:  “Most people think only fresh is healthy, but this is a huge misconception,” says Cluskey. In fact, U.K. scientists found that in two out of three cases, frozen fruits and vegetables packed higher levels of antioxidants (including polyphenols, vitamin C and beta-carotene) than the fresh kind. As produce ages, nutrients begin to change and break down, says Cluskey. It’s therefore better to eat food that was frozen at prime ripeness with its nutrients intact than week-old produce that no longer has the same beneficial chemical makeup.