Would I recommend an entrepreneurial life to anyone? Absolutely if you have a desire to change the world we live in for the better and want to join the millions of highly skilled entrepreneurs already navigating the journey. Challenges and rewards of being an older entrepreneur With a health warning in place, being an older entrepreneur is not easy and it can be a lonely, isolated existence, especially if you are a woman. It can be frustrating if you took a sabbatical to rear your children, or changed career direction and have lost years of networking and experience which can…
Author: Janet Colston
Read our comprehensive article Wasabi Japonica, which describes the unique medicinal properties in Wasabi. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” — Hippocrates For the past year we have been talking about how to boost the immune system with plant phytonutrients and how this can present new opportunities for farmers, particularly if plant pharmaceuticals can be extracted from plants grown in a controlled environment. With an increased knowledge of downstream processing, farmers could learn to take advantage of plant pharmaceutical power quickly and naturally and boost their market share. More than half our medicines come from plants…
“First, do no harm” Hippocrates Covid-19 effects are the most well known in the world. More than a year on from the start of the pandemic and despite the roll out of effective vaccines in richer countries we still have a limited drug arsenal with worldwide coverage to make life easier for those most at risk. According to physicians at the Mayo clinic, the FDA have approved the antiviral drug Remdesivir and emergency use of the anti-inflammatory drug Baricitinib for use in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. In the UK Dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroids is authorised for use in severe cases.…
“The part can never be well until the whole is well” Plato A diagnosis of diabetes is a time in your life when you may reflect on bad eating habits. Many of us do not understand the mechanisms of disease until we are directly affected but there are some things we can do to reverse the situation. Diabetes is a worldwide socio-health emergency caused by changes to our diets and a more sedentary lifestyle. Around 350 million people across the world are estimated to be diabetic and this is expected to more than double by 2045. The CDC reported Type…
Can eating healthy brain food from plants grown in CEA improve mental health? “The part can never be well until the whole is well” – Plato In a new series we discuss healthy foods from the aspect of people who are already suffering from an illness. A diagnosis is likely a time in your life when you reflect on bad habits or unfortunate genetics leading to disease. Mental health is an incredibly complex subject and if you are suffering it could be for an infinite number of reasons. It is important to stress that our brains and cognitive function are…
We have become accustomed to seeing rows of lettuce neatly lined up when it comes to controlled environment agriculture. There is no doubt this gives farmers control in their production where they can calculate growth versus yield and ultimately known profit margins. Lettuce and leafy green production is also an easy way for new growers to master CEA technologies. However the caveat is ‘everyone seems to be doing leafy greens’. While leafy greens are popular with new and established growers we suspect there are many that would love to grow a wider range of health promoting plants. We aim to…
By Janet Colston In 2020 we spent a lot of time reflecting on functional foods from crops that we grow in controlled environments analyzing how they benefit human health. In a new three part series we discuss why we should boost the immune system with functional foods to prevent disease and ask ‘Why Eat This?’. In addition, we at Urban Ag News will also start to explore why eating this is not only good for the body, but also how it might be good for the farmer and for the planet. New Year Resolutions This time of year we traditionally…
By Janet Colston Wasabi Japonica is not a name that trips off the tongue when you think of medicinal plants but this ancient Japanese herb is full of functional metabolites with a proven ability to heal disease. The Japanese have known for centuries that Wasabi bestows a remarkable array of medicinal properties with benefits to human health including significant anticancer and antimicrobial functions. Even the heart shaped leaves that grow out of the crown suggest it has cardiovascular benefits as Japanese herbalists used the plant as a vasodilator to improve blood circulation. We delve into these properties and how to…
By Janet Colston The potato was first domesticated in Peru and Bolivia between 8000 and 5000BC [1]. Andean farmers found they grew well in higher altitudes around the lakes of Titicaca where the ancestors of the Inca settled [2]. Rich in starch, potatoes contain higher vitamin C than oranges, more potassium than bananas, and more fibre than apples [3]. The Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe in the 15th century having realised the food security significance [1]. Almost a century later the governor of Bermuda sent plants to Virginia in the U.S. [4]. It would take another century and a half…
Bell pepper, Leafy greens and TOMATO By Janet Colston These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients and this week it’s the ubiquitous Tomato. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Is it a fruit or a vegetable? This is a question that often comes up when people discuss tomatoes. The answer is it’s both; the botanical definition of a fruit is a ripened flower ovary that contains seeds whereas vegetables are roots, leaves, or other secondary parts and…
By Janet Colston, PhD Bell pepper, Leafy greens and Tomato These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients, this week we discuss healthy leafy greens. Leafy Greens Traditionally we think about leafy greens being the lettuce common in our supermarkets, but there is a very wide range of leafy greens, all vying for unique taste, crunch and flavour. Microgreens are all the rage but what exactly are they? Generally they are the young seedlings of…
By Janet Colston, PhD Bell pepper, Leafy greens & Tomato These are the most common salad items added to our weekly shopping basket and they supplement our food plates adding nutrients to our diets. We want to delve deeper into their additional phytonutrients over the next three weeks starting with Bell Peppers. Bell Peppers (Capsicum annum) Bell Peppers belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and although technically a fruit they are considered vegetables as they are more likely to be added to savoury dishes. The capsicum family includes both sweet peppers and chilli peppers that are rated for heat and…
By Janet Colston, PhD Raspberries and blackberries are among the fastest growing fruit categories in the U.S. in the last 5 years according to analysts at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness [1]. These are a great choice for people who want a different texture from strawberries or blueberries but still want to eat berries high in phytonutrients. While raspberry production in the U.S. is predominantly located in California, the south-eastern states of Georgia, North Carolina in addition to Texas and Ohio have superb blackberry growing climates. Raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) The first known recording of raspberries dates back to 100 BC when…
By Janet Colston Emerging from the Coronavirus lock down can create fear for even the healthy, in particular with regard to the ability to fight off COVID-19. This has incentivized many to improve their personal health and wellbeing to build resilience for the future. Remember!The CDC recommends the following measures in regard to COVID-19.How to protect yourself • What to do if you are sickDisclaimer: We are not doctors and do not prescribe this blog as a medicinal alternative to bona fide medical advice should you contract seasonal flu or Coronavirus. Ginger: Zingiber officinale is a popular root and spice used in cookery…