Health

The Live Green Co - Team Picture

© The LiveGreen Co

The Plant Revolution: Clean Label Food Needs to Be The Norm, Not the Exception

Priyanka “Pri” Srinivas, founder and CEO of The Live Green Co, here writes a special guest article for vegconomist, putting forth her thoughts on why companies in the health food industry need to get on board with clean label products. Perspectives on healthy eating have been shifting significantly worldwide, inaugurating a general “green” trend moving towards more plant-based and sustainable diets. It was shown that plant-only eating doubled in continental Europe between 2016 and 2020 and another report found the number of vegans in the United States rocketed up by 500% over a similar time period.  While it is important that this “plant revolution” retains its authenticity and credibility, even vegan ‘meats’ can fall into the newly recognized category of ‘ultra-processed’ food, which has been …

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pea-based softgel

© Roquette

Roquette Develops Gelatin-Free Pea-Based Softgel to Make Medications Vegan-Friendly

Roquette has created a pea-based softgel solution that can be used to make an alternative to gelatin capsules. The new launch will make it easier for companies to produce vegan-friendly medications and supplements. Made from pea starch, carrageenan, sorbitol, and a gelling agent, Roquette’s ready-to-use pharmaceutical-grade solution is called LYCAGEL™ Premix. It is fully plant-based and meets EU and US standards for both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. The solution allows manufacturers to easily make capsules with comparable characteristics to the conventional gelatin-based variety. These characteristics include strength, seal integrity, quick drying time with no stickiness, fast disintegration, and no cross-linking. The capsules also have a higher processing temperature suitability than gelatin. Animal-free pharmaceuticals Around 70% of medications contain ingredients of animal origin. Surveys suggest that …

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Runner on the track at a sport stadium

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New V-Label Survey Finds Plant-based Ingredients in Sports Nutrition Gaining Popularity in Europe

Data from 18 European countries show that plant-based ingredients are appealing to consumers interested in sports nutrition products. For instance, 18,000 Europeans are interested in: plant protein (71%), rice protein (60%), potato protein (59%), wheat protein (59%), pea protein (58%), soy protein (56%), algae protein (41%), and hemp protein (41%). Interestingly, the most common protein on the market – whey – was second in terms of favorability, chosen by 69% of respondents. Egg protein was even lower with 57%. The survey demonstrates that food producers that want to introduce new products or boost sales should continue educating consumers and focus on communicating the various benefits their ingredients and products may bring to their consumers.      Ingredients and flavours Sports nutrition food and drink producers introducing new …

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oat drink smoothie

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SternVitamin Releases New Micronutrient Premixes to Fortify Oat Drinks, Vegan Burgers & Alt Seafood

It is argued by some that a fully vegan diet can lack certain micronutrients, such as vitamins B12, B2 and D, and calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc, as well as the amino acid lysine and certain omega-3 fatty acids. SternVitamin GmbH develops individual vitamin and mineral mixes that also include functional ingredients like amino acids and plant extracts, suitable for enriching foods, beverages, and nutritional supplements. SternVitamin develops premixes to meet certain target-group-specific needs, such as strengthening the bones, the immune system or gut health. “Customer interest in micronutrient premixes for plant-based products is growing,” says SternVitamin Product Manager Dr Christina Mesch. “So together with our sister company Planteneers, we have developed further concepts for plant-based drinks that address the current health trend.” Oat drinks …

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Happy multiracial friends eating breakfast

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Vegans in USA are Happier Than Meat-Eaters, Study Finds

An organisation called Tracking Happiness surveyed 11,537 respondents from the United States in a study called Eat Green, Be Happy: Evidence Of The Connection Between Veganism And Happiness, which found that the average happiness rating was higher amongst vegans and vegetarians. “We believe that happiness and sustainability go hand in hand. Sustainable behavior is linked to increased mental health” The researchers asked questions such as, “If you look back at the last year of your life, how would you rate your happiness on a scale from 1 to 10?” and found that the average happiness rating of all 11,537 respondents was 6.90, but was found to be higher amongst vegans. Vegans report higher happiness levels than meat-eaters (+7%). Happier people are more likely to turn …

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Benefits Of Plant-Based Diet Recognized By Canadian Healthcare Professionals at Annual Conference

Internationally acclaimed speaker and award-winning author, Brenda Davis, RD will give a keynote speech titled “Unleashing the Power of Plant-Based Diets” at this year’s Canadian Plant-Based Nutrition Conference (CPBNC). The two-day event brings together Canadian healthcare professionals and members of the public to highlight the many benefits of a whole food plant-based diet.

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Desiree Mora Victualiv

Founder Desiree Mora ©VictuaLiv

Latinx Military Veteran & Serial Entrepreneur Founds VictuaLiv, Reverses Her Borderline Anemia

VictuaLiv, translated as food and life, was founded by Latinx entrepreneurs Desiree Mora and Alexander Hovik, a former sponsored athlete who is also plant-based. Three-time entrepreneur Mora says that through creating VictuaLiV, a vegan supplement offering a formula of nine essential nutrients, she was able to reverse her borderline anemia and thrive on a plant-based diet.

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veggiepharm

@veggiepharm

70% of Medicines Contain Substances of Animal Origin – Veggiepharm is Here to Make Change Happen

Veggiepharm was founded by Luc Lamirault and Kévin Bondiguel in 2017 as the very first pharmaceutical company to develop medicines certified without animal ingredients and not tested on animals. The two founders come from Medipha Santé, an independent French pharmaceutical laboratory that develops drugs and acts as a service provider for other French and international laboratories.

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Noko Post Training

©NØKO FOODS

NØKO FOODS: Sports Recovery Foods, Made For Fighters and Powered By Microalgae

NØKO FOODS from France is participating in the current cohort of the ProVeg incubator programme, founded by a professional boxer, engineer, certified coach in nutritional sciences, who states that his brand’s mission is to shape the future of fight foods, to accelerate fighters’ progression and to make them better. “We are initiating a new generation of world champions with pro performance, healthy and sustainable foods, using the highly functional power of microalgae.”

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Vegan Toys

©Vegan Toys

Ethically Made Sex Toys, Lubes and Condoms For a Very Vegan Valentines

We covered the subject of vegan condoms (yes that’s a thing and no they aren’t usually vegan) back in 2018 when vegan was far less mainstream. These days we have a plethora of ethically made, cruelty-free adult products available at a click – so for this Sunday 14th of Feb, here are a few ways to have some 100% animal-free fun and feel good on all levels, including morally!

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EU Commission

EU to Stop Promoting Red and Processed Meat in Newly Published Cancer Plan?

This week, the EU Commission published a new plan to fight cancer, stating a commitment to encourage a “shift to a more plant-based diet, with less red and processed meat and other foods linked to cancer risks and more fruit and vegetables.” Compassion in World Farming says to vegconomist that an earlier leaked version was more ambitious and indicated a phasing out of the promotion of red and processed meat. Between 2016 and 2019, the EU allocated EUR 138.7 million to advertising campaigns promoting meat and meat products, including the controversial “Beefetarian” campaign. CIWF says that this is nevertheless a good step in the right direction and will hopefully help with cancer prevention as well as the obvious other benefits in terms of animals and …

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Dr Natasha Fernando

Dr Natasha Fernando

Study of 10,000 Brits Shows Health Differences Between Vegans & Non-Vegans

A ‘veganalysis‘ by leading UK health check service Medichecks cross referenced key biomarkers for both plant-based and omnivorous eaters, and found significant differences between the results in both groups. Vegans had a lower blood sugar (HbA1c) count, which means they have lower risk of type 2 diabetes Vegans showed reduced non-HDL (unhealthy) cholesterol and lower overall cholesterol than meat-eaters – meaning decreased risk of heart disease and stroke Vegans had around a 30% higher blood level of folate compared to those following a non-vegan diet. (Folate is one of the B-vitamins needed to make red and white blood cells and it converts carbohydrates into energy) The marker for liver health (GGT) was 25-30% lower for vegans Ferritin (iron) levels were 30% lower in vegans versus …

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