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We looked at 700 plant-based foods to see how healthy they really are. Here’s what we found

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-marchese-1271636">Laura Marchese</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> If you’re thinking about buying plant-based foods, a trip to the supermarket can leave you bewildered. There are plant-based burgers, sausages and mince. The fridges are loaded with non-dairy milk, cheese and yoghurt. Then there are the tins of beans and packets of tofu. But how much is actually healthy? Our nutritional audit of more than 700 plant-based foods for sale in Australian supermarkets has just been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157524000516">published</a>. We found some products are so high in salt or saturated fat, we’d struggle to call them “healthy”. <h2>We took (several) trips to the supermarket</h2> In 2022, we visited two of each of four major supermarket retailers across Melbourne to collect information on the available range of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. We took pictures of the products and their nutrition labels. We then analysed the nutrition information on the packaging of more than 700 of these products. This included 236 meat substitutes, 169 legumes and pulses, 50 baked beans, 157 dairy milk substitutes, 52 cheese substitutes and 40 non-dairy yoghurts. <h2>Plant-based meats were surprisingly salty</h2> We found a wide range of plant-based meats for sale. So, it’s not surprising we found large variations in their nutrition content. Sodium, found in added salt and which contributes to <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/bundles/healthy-living-and-eating/salt-and-heart-health">high blood pressure</a>, was our greatest concern. The sodium content varied from 1 milligram per 100 grams in products such as tofu, to 2,000mg per 100g in items such as plant-based mince products. This means we could eat our entire <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/salt">daily recommended sodium intake</a> in just one bowl of plant-based mince. An <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09637486.2022.2137786">audit</a> of 66 plant-based meat products in Australian supermarkets conducted in 2014 found sodium ranged from 316mg in legume-based products to 640mg in tofu products, per 100g. In a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/11/2603">2019 audit</a> of 137 products, the range was up to 1,200mg per 100g. In other words, the results of our audit seems to show a consistent trend of plant-based meats <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09637486.2022.2137786">getting saltier</a>. <h2>What about plant-based milks?</h2> Some 70% of the plant-based milks we audited were fortified with calcium, a nutrient important for <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/calcium">bone health</a>. This is good news as a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/5/1254">2019-2020 audit</a> of 115 plant-based milks from Melbourne and Sydney found only 43% of plant-based milks were fortified with calcium. Of the fortified milks in our audit, almost three-quarters (73%) contained the <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/milk-yoghurt-cheese-andor-their-alternatives-mostly-reduced-fat">recommended amount of calcium</a> – at least 100mg per 100mL. We also looked at the saturated fat content of plant-based milks. Coconut-based milks had on average up to six times higher saturated fat content than almond, oat or soy milks. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/5/1254">Previous audits</a> also found coconut-based milks were much higher in saturated fat than all other categories of milks. <h2>A first look at cheese and yoghurt alternatives</h2> Our audit is the first study to identify the range of cheese and yoghurt alternatives available in Australian supermarkets. Calcium was only labelled on a third of plant-based yoghurts, and only 20% of supermarket options met the recommended 100mg of calcium per 100g. For plant-based cheeses, most (92%) were not fortified with calcium. Their sodium content varied from 390mg to 1,400mg per 100g, and saturated fat ranged from 0g to 28g per 100g. <h2>So, what should we consider when shopping?</h2> As a general principle, try to choose whole plant foods, such as unprocessed legumes, beans or tofu. These foods are packed with vitamins and minerals. They’re also high in dietary fibre, which is good for your gut health and keeps you fuller for longer. If opting for a processed plant-based food, here are five tips for choosing a healthier option. 1. Watch the sodium Plant-based meat alternatives can be high in sodium, so look for products that have <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eating-well/how-understand-food-labels/food-labels-what-look">around</a> 150-250mg sodium per 100g. 2. Pick canned beans and legumes Canned chickpeas, lentils and beans can be healthy and low-cost <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/71522940-decf-436a-ba44-cd890dc18036/Meat-Free-Recipe-Booklet.pdf">additions to many meals</a>. Where you can, choose canned varieties with no added salt, especially when buying baked beans. 3. Add herbs and spices to your tofu Tofu can be a great alternative to meat. Check the label and pick the option with the highest calcium content. We found flavoured tofu was higher in salt and sugar content than minimally processed tofu. So it’s best to pick an unflavoured option and add your own flavours with spices and herbs. 4. Check the calcium When choosing a non-dairy alternative to milk, such as those made from soy, oat, or rice, check it is fortified with calcium. A good alternative to traditional dairy will have at least 100mg of calcium per 100g. 5. Watch for saturated fat If looking for a lower saturated fat option, almond, soy, rice and oat varieties of milk and yoghurt alternatives have much lower saturated fat content than coconut options. Pick those with less than 3g per 100g.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222991/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-marchese-1271636">Laura Marchese</a>, PhD Student at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-looked-at-700-plant-based-foods-to-see-how-healthy-they-really-are-heres-what-we-found-222991">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

These 7 genius hacks will revive almost any plant

Look for signs of life If your plant has turned brown and lost some leaves, don’t give up on it just yet. There is hope that you can revive a dead plant if the plant still has a few green leaves and pliable stems – buds are a sure sign too. Melinda Meyers, star and producer of Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio segments, says that reviving a plant takes patience (sometimes even years). Think about the water Plants that are over-watered appear wilted and may have brown or yellow leaves that make it look dead but with very moist soil. By contrast, if you have forgotten to water your plants, the leaves will be brown but dried around the edges or curled up. Master gardener, Kristena LaMar, says that if you suspect over-watering is the cause of your plant’s demise, repot your plant in dry dirt. And if your plant is thirsty, water it! However, hold off on fertilising until the plant is in better health. Meyers warns that, “Fertilising a struggling plant can injure the tender roots of a recovering plant.” Consider your lighting situation If you recently moved your plant to a new spot, it’s possible it’s no longer getting enough light. Even if you didn’t move it, it’s possible its lighting situation changed. Did you recently buy heavier drapes? Plant a tree outside that’s now blocking the indoor sunlight? Try moving your plant to a sunnier window if it needs a lot of light. (Same goes with a plant that’s now getting too much sun; try a different location in your home.) Find a humid spot Plants absorb water through leaves as well as roots. So keep your plant in a humid spot that’s not too sunny and not too dry to help it recover. Feed your plant carefully People and pets aren’t the only things in your house that need food; plants can get malnourished, too. (Signs are discoloured leaves or slow or no growth.) Meyers recommends a fertiliser/nutritional supplement. Depending on the nutritional deficiency, providing the nutrition can help the plant recover nearly immediately within days. Other deficiencies may take longer – as in weeks – while others are chronic and may not ever fully recover, although these are rare with houseplants. IV for plants Another option for malnourished plants is a water-soluble fertiliser that will slowly release nutrients and is less likely to burn your plant’s roots. Add it to the watering can before watering plants. Only use fertiliser during the time when your plant should be growing. Over-fertilising or using the wrong fertiliser can burn the roots of the plant. Compost If you’ve tried everything, and your plant still can’t be revived, it might be time to let go. By composting your plants, the remains can be recycled as nutrient-rich dirt that can help your next houseplant thrive. Don’t beat yourself up – and next time buy a hearty, nearly kill-proof cactus. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/7-hacks-that-will-revive-almost-any-plant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Sapling planted at Sycamore Gap to "restore hope" removed by National Trust

UK resident Kieran Chapman, 27, is "absolutely gutted" after the sapling he planted in memory of the<a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/you-can-t-forgive-that-teen-arrested-after-felling-of-iconic-200-year-old-tree" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> felled Sycamore Gap tree</a> was heartbreakingly removed by National Trust. The 27-year-old spent hours on Friday planting the sapling just metres away from the stump of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, but his efforts were in vain, as the sapling had been dug up by the National Trust on Sunday morning. The conservation charity said that they had to remove the sapling because it is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. A National Trust spokesperson told the Newcastle Chronicle that while they understand “the strength of feeling following the events at Sycamore Gap” the site “is a scheduled ancient monument and a globally important archaeological setting, with UNESCO world heritage designation”. “Altering or adding to it can damage the archaeology, and is unlawful without prior consent from government.” But Chapman couldn't hide his disappointment: “It’s just devastating, isn’t it? It genuinely brought people a lot of joy and that’s been taken away," he told the publication. “I honestly thought if it got a good response they might end up keeping it.” Chapman planted the sapling because he wanted to “restore people’s faith in humanity, bring a smile back to people’s faces and just give them a bit of hope”. “I planned to go and take the dog for a walk next weekend there," he added. In a follow up post on Facebook, Chapman added that he was told by the National Trust that his tree will be replanted on another piece of land at the Housesteads Visitor Centre on Hadrian’s Wall. “Too many politics around all this for my liking, the top and bottom of it, it’s a tree, planted in soil. I understand the land is protected, but to protect a tree from being planted in the earth, where they’re designed to be, no matter where it’s location, is crazy,” he wrote. Two people were arrested over the incident, a 16-year-old boy and 69-year-old former lumberjack. Both have been released on bail, with the lumberjack insisting that he had no involvement in the felling. “You’ve got the wrong feller,” he told The Sun. “I’m a former lumberjack and I’ve just been kicked off my property so I can see why people have pointed the finger. “My brother came down to make sure I hadn’t been arrested as he had heard a rumour that I had cut it down. I didn’t do it," he added. Images: Getty/ Facebook

Travel Trouble

Priscilla Presley's reaction to movie based on her life

Priscilla Presley has shared how "emotional" she became after watching the new movie based on her life with her late rock star husband. The 78-year-old attended the premiere of the new film Priscilla, which was based on her 1985 memoir Elvis & Me. Priscilla took to the red carpet at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4th alongside director Sofia Coppola and the cast. "It was very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love," she explained at a media call following the premiere screening. "Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times and I really put everything out for her that I could," she added. Priscilla went on to explain why she thought her love story was so intriguing to a public audience, as she spoke about the early days of her relationship with the late rock star. "It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why, and I really do think [it was] because I was more of a listener," she said. "Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother which he never, ever got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection." She continued, "Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life, not in numbers. That was the attraction. People think, 'Oh, it was sex.' No, it wasn't. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old." Euphoria star and Aussie actor Jacob Elordi plays Elvis in the new film, with Cailee Spaeny in the title role of Priscilla, which traces Priscilla's early years and relationship with the music icon. Elvis Presley estate officials reportedly slammed the movie, with <a title="TMZ" href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/06/22/elvis-presley-estate-officials-slam-priscilla-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a> claiming unnamed officials were displeased with news of the production, labelling it a "money grab." Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

Eight key questions about lab-grown meat

<div class="copy"> It’s been around for a decade now — but <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/podcast/lab-grown-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cultured meat</a> still faces some huge hurdles. On 5 August, it will be ten years since the world was introduced to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23576143" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the first lab-grown burger</a>. A decade after its arrival, biotechnologist Professor Paul Wood answers eight key questions about cultured meat. <h2>What is lab-grown meat?</h2> Cultured meat, also colloquially referred to as lab-grown meat, is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/af/article/13/2/68/7123477" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the concept</a> of taking a biopsy from a living animal, selecting an individual cell type and growing these cells in large scale <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpcell.00408.2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioreactors</a>. Technically, it’s a viable alternative to growing an animal to maturity before harvesting meat from its carcass. Multiple cell types can be used from animals, such as muscle, fat or <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Fibroblast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fibroblasts</a>. The initial stage of cell selection requires the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123745538002537" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">creation of a cell line</a> which will grow continuously in a selective culture medium. <h2>How long has it been around?</h2> The technology for the culture of cells in laboratories has been used for many decades to produce drugs like <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy/monoclonal-antibodies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">monoclonal antibodies</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7161866/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">viral vaccines</a>. The difference with cultured meat is the cells themselves are used to produce edible products rather than used as production systems for monoclonals or viral antigens. Cultured meat was first introduced back in 2013 with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23576143" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the unveiling of the world’s first lab-grown burger</a>, which cost a whopping USD$330,000 to produce. The first commercial cultured meat product was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55155741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a chicken nugget licensed in Singapore</a> in 2020. <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-meat-approved-for-sale-what-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In June 2023</a>, the US Department of Agriculture granted two companies — Upside Foods and Good Meat — licences to sell chicken-based products. Significant excitement ensued in the food industry with <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ind.2021.29240.ctu?journalCode=ind" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predictions</a> that cultured meat will transform the meat industry by 2030. <h2>Is lab-grown meat commercially viable?</h2> Currently <a href="https://gfi.org/resource/cultivated-meat-eggs-and-dairy-state-of-the-industry-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">around USD$3 billion</a> has been invested in over 150 companies working on beef, chicken, pork, lamb and exotic cell-based products. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/03/woolly-mammoth-meatball-stunt-food-marketing/673578/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woolly mammoth meatball</a> anyone? Upside Foods has launched its <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/01/business/lab-grown-chicken-san-francisco/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new cell-based chicken product in a Michelin star restaurant</a>, but it is only available one night a month and the price has not been disclosed. Commercial success will require significant scaling in production, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bit.27848" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cost reductions</a> and consumer acceptance, or these products will be confined to niche markets for wealthy consumers. Cultured meat is unlikely to be the solution for the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/6/7/53" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increasing protein needs of developing nations</a>. The <a href="https://academic.oup.com/af/article/13/2/68/7123477" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technical challenges</a> involve scaling up cell growth in over 10,000 litre fermentation vessels, while significantly reducing the cost of cell-culture media, the capital cost of equipment and the operating cost of high-quality sterile biocontainment facilities. It has been estimated that the cost of production of cultured meat <a href="https://cedelft.eu/publications/tea-of-cultivated-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">must be reduced by over 1,000-fold</a> to match that of conventional meat production. Proponents of cultured meat like to quote the concept of <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/moores-law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moore’s law</a> that predicts that the cost of all new technology will be significantly reduced with time. However this law has never been applied to a biological system that has innate growth limits. <h2>Is it good for you — and does it taste okay?</h2> Currently <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20061-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">all cultured meats are hybrid or blended products</a>, in which the harvested cell paste — the meat component — is combined with plant-based materials, plus vitamins and minerals to produce burgers, meatballs, sausages and dumplings. Yes, you have to add the vitamins in, and no, you can’t make a steak with it yet. From a commercial perspective this is important, as cultured meat products will compete in the commodity meat market. Cultured meat does not produce a three-dimensional steak with multiple cell types and complex taste and texture. However, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2021/02/12/worlds-first-3d-bioprinted-and-cultivated-ribeye-steak-is-revealed/?sh=4b6baf0a4781" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">there are companies</a> aiming to develop whole cuts of meat using 3D printing and bioengineering technology. <h2>What is the motivation to produce cell-cultured meat?</h2> The drivers for cultured meat are that <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-05-06/vegan-alternative-plant-based-meat-grown-in-lab/9726436" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals are not slaughtered</a>, there can be less land and water usage and less greenhouse gases are produced than conventional meat production, particularly from ruminants like cattle and sheep. A lower manufacturing footprint is a terrific plus. And not killing animals is something a lot of people advocate for, but until cultured meat has been scaled significantly, it won’t be known if it’s really better for the planet or for humans. The <a href="https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2022/04/21/cultivated-meat-upside-foods-closes-400m-series-c-round-to-support-commercial-scale-plant-with-production-capacity-of-tens-of-millions-of-pounds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">largest facility built so far</a> is a pilot plant in the USA that aims to produce around 1,000 pounds (approximately 450 kilograms) of product per week, which is equivalent to the dressed weight of three carcasses — what a single suburban butcher processes in one day. <h2>Will it be expensive to buy?</h2> The taste and texture of food is critical to consumers — but so is value for money. So, it’s not surprising <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-meat-consumption-by-country-and-type/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chicken is the dominant choice of meat</a> currently. With high-end lab-grown meat products, both taste and texture can most likely be matched, and with supplementation with vitamins like B12 it should be possible to make cultured meat nutritionally equivalent to its traditional counterpart too. However, cost will be a major challenge and sales data indicated that <a href="https://www.freshplaza.com/oceania/article/9535792/consumers-are-not-willing-to-pay-more-for-sustainability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consumers will not pay any significant premium for slaughter-free or more sustainable products</a>. <h2>Who wants to eat meat grown in a factory?</h2> There are also questions around who the consumers will be for cultured meat. Vegans avoid animal products, vegetarians often reject the taste of meat and this new group of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224421003952" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flexitarians</a>, while interested in trying new products, are seldom converted to <a href="https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/11/16/What-do-flexitarian-consumers-want-Plant-based-innovation-opportunities-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regular customers</a>. In the US at least, this is one of the reasons that the many plant-based meat products have only captured <a href="https://gfi.org/marketresearch/#plant-based-meat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1.3 percent of the meat market</a>. It is also likely that plant-based products will be a <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/alternative-proteins-the-race-for-market-share-is-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">major competitor</a> to these new cultured meat products. <h2>Who will be next to approve cell-cultured meat?</h2> While the first cultured meat products have been licensed in Singapore and the US, it is expected more will follow from other regions. Even though <a href="https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/crosscutting-and-emerging-issues/cell-based-food/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a recent FAO report</a> identified over 50 potential health risks with cultured meat, it concluded that the overall risk was not greater than that seen with conventional meat products. There could be delays in Europe due to the conservative regulatory approach taken in the EU. In Australia, products are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-27/cultured-lab-meat-to-sell-in-australia-to-rival-plant-based-meat/102527330" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected to be approved in 2024</a>. For now though? Well, the message to Aussie meat producers is … don’t sell the farm. Image credits: Getty Images </div> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/nutrition/explainer-lab-grown-meat/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="null">Cosmos</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Is red meat bad for you? And does it make a difference if it’s a processed burger or a lean steak?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> A juicy burger is a staple in many Australians’ diet. Yet research shows regularly eating red meat can increase your risk of developing <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad336/7188739?searchresult=1">type 2 diabetes, heart disease</a> and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(15)00444-1/fulltext">certain cancers</a>. But is eating a beef burger worse for your health than eating a lean grass-fed steak? And how much red meat should we really be eating? <h2>Types of red meat</h2> First of all, it’s good to clarify that <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240074828">red meat</a> refers to all mammalian muscle meat. So that includes beef, lamb, pork, veal, mutton and goat. Then we can distinguish red meat types by how the animal has been raised and how the meat is processed. Here are some key terms to know. Conventional meat, also called grain-fed, is meat from animals that are grass-fed for part of their lives and then given a grain-based diet for the remainder. Most red meat available in major supermarkets is grain-fed. Grass-fed meat comes from animals that have grazed on pasture for their entire lives. This means grass-fed meat tends to have higher levels of unsaturated fats than conventional meat, and is why some <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/5/646">research</a> suggests it’s healthier. Grass-fed meat is also likely to cost more. Organic meat is seen as a premium product as it has to meet <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/controlled-goods/organic-bio-dynamic/national-standard">government standards</a> for organic produce. For example, meat labelled as organic cannot use synthetic pesticides or use hormones or antibiotics to stimulate growth. Processed meats have been preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by adding chemical preservatives. Examples include sausages, ham, bacon and hot dogs. <h2>What is the nutritional value of red meat?</h2> <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/lean-meat-and-poultry-fish-eggs-tofu-nuts-and-seeds-and">Red meat</a> contains many nutrients that are important for health, including protein, vitamin B12, iron and zinc. Red meat is a good source of iron and zinc as they are more easily absorbed by the body from meat than from plant foods. Red meat is often high in saturated fats, but this can <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/ausnut/ausnutdatafiles/Pages/foodnutrient.aspx">range widely</a> from less than 1% to over 25% depending on the cut and whether it’s trimmed of fat or not. Minced meat typically ranges from 2% to 9% saturated fat depending on whether its extra lean or regular. To limit intake of saturated fats, opt for leaner mince and leaner cuts of meat, such as pork tenderloins or beef steak with the fat trimmed off. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5243954/">Wagyu beef</a> (which simply translates to Wa = Japanese and Gyu = cow) has been touted as a healthier alternative to conventional red meat, as it tends to be higher in unsaturated fats. But research is limited, and ultimately it still contains saturated fat. Processed meats, such as bacon, salami and sausages, contain beneficial nutrients, but they are also high in saturated fat, sodium and contain preservatives. <h2>Is red meat bad for your health? And does the type matter?</h2> It’s widely reported eating too much red meat is bad for your health, because it can increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. But most of the evidence for this comes from observational studies, which cannot determine whether red meat intake actually causes the condition. Most evidence is observational because it’s simply not ethical or feasible to ask someone to eat large amounts of meat every day for many years to see if they develop cancer. So let’s take a look at the evidence: Heart disease and type 2 diabetes In a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01968-z">review</a> of 37 observational studies, the authors found weak evidence of an association between eating unprocessed red meat and heart disease and type 2 diabetes. But for processed meat, a recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/44/28/2626/7188739">review</a> showed that for each additional 50g of processed meat consumed per day, the risk of heart disease increased by 26% and the risk of type 2 diabetes increased by 44%, on average. Cancer Leading international organisations have declared there’s strong evidence consumption of red and processed meat <a href="https://www.wcrf.org/diet-activity-and-cancer/cancer-prevention-recommendations/limit-red-and-processed-meat/">increases the risk of colorectal cancer</a>. For example, in a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/49/1/246/5470096">study</a> of nearly 500,000 people, each additional 50g of red meat consumed per day increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. And each additional 25g of processed meat consumed per day, equivalent to a slice of ham, increased the risk by 19%. While <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34455534/">research</a> has linked consumption of red and processed meat with increased risk of other types of cancer, such as lung, pancreatic and breast, the evidence is not consistent. It also matters how red meat is cooked. For example, cooking a steak over a high heat, especially an open flame, chars the outside. This causes <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet">chemical compounds</a> to form that have been shown to cause cancer in very high doses in animal models, and some studies in humans have found an <a href="https://aacrjournals.org/cebp/article/16/12/2664/260099/Meat-and-Meat-Mutagen-Intake-and-Pancreatic-Cancer">association</a> with increased cancer rates. When it comes to how the animal was raised or its breed, based on current evidence, it’s unlikely the nutritional differences will have a substantial impact on human health. But research is limited in this area. <h2>How much red meat should you eat?</h2> Our national <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55a_australian_dietary_guidelines_summary_book.pdf">dietary guidelines</a> recommend the average adult eats a maximum of 455g of cooked lean red meat per week (or less than 65g a day, equivalent to one small lamb chop). This is also what’s recommended by the national <a href="https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/diet-and-exercise/meat-and-cancer-risk">Cancer Council</a>. For heart health specifically, the national <a href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/d5b9c4a2-8ccb-4fe9-87a2-d4a34541c272/Nutrition_Position_Statement_-_MEAT.pdf">Heart Foundation</a> recommends eating less than 350g of cooked, unprocessed red meat per week (or less than 50g a day). Many dietary guidelines around the world now also recommend limiting red meat consumption for environmental reasons. To optimise both human nutrition and planetary health, the <a href="https://eatforum.org/lancet-commission/eatinghealthyandsustainable/">EAT-Lancet commission</a> recommends consuming no more than 98g a week of red meat and very low intakes of processed meat. <h2>So what does all of this mean for your diet?</h2> The bottom line is that red meat can still be enjoyed as part of a <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/lean-meat-and-poultry-fish-eggs-tofu-nuts-and-seeds-and">healthy diet</a>, if not eaten in excess. Where possible, opt for unprocessed or lean cuts, and try to grill less and roast more. Consider swapping red meat for lean chicken or fish occasionally too. If you are looking for alternatives to meat that are better for your health and the environment, minimally processed plant-based alternatives, such as tofu, beans and lentils, are great options.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207927/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-red-meat-bad-for-you-and-does-it-make-a-difference-if-its-a-processed-burger-or-a-lean-steak-207927">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

The cost of living is biting. Here’s how to spend less on meat and dairy

Food & Wine

8 mind-boggling facts about your favourite flowers and plants

We’ve found some fun, quirky and downright mind-boggling facts about our favourite flowers and plants. 1. A sunflower is not just one flower. Each head is composed of hundreds of tiny flowers, called florets, held together on a single seed. This is the case for all plants in the sunflower family, including daises. 2. Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries and more are actually in the rose family, making them cousins to the long-stemmed flower of love. 3. During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. No wonder the Netherlands is known for their tulips! 4. Bamboo is the fasted-growing woody plant in the world. The current Guinness World Record title is held by a certain species of the 45 genera of bamboo, which have been found to grow at up to 91 cm per day or at a rate of 0.00003 km/h. 5. Strawberries are the only fruit that bears its seeds on the outside. It has on average 200 seeds. 6. The oldest known flower was discovered in 2002, in northeast China. The flower, named archaefructus sinensis, bloomed around 125 million years ago and resembles a water lily. 7. The titan arum is the world’s largest flower. The circumference of the flower can be over three metres and a single leaf can grow to the size of a small tree. However, it smells horribly like rotten flesh, earning its nickname of corpse flower. 8. You can change the colour of your hydrangeas by altering the pH level of the soil. Alkaline soil will create pinker blooms, while a more acidic soil will produce blue blooms. Image credit: Instagram Related links: <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/05/gardening-and-soil-ph/">What you need to know about your soil’s pH levels</a> <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/05/over60-community-gardens-part-4/">Take a look inside the beautiful gardens of the Over60 community</a> <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/06/attracting-birds-to-the-garden/">Top tips for attracting birds to the garden</a>

Home & Garden

6 best screening hedge plant

<h4>Lillipilly</h4> With its dense screen and fast growing habit, lillipilly can grow up to eight metres tall but should be pruned to thicken the foliage. The Syzygium smithii variety is commonly known as ‘Neighbours Be Gone’. <h4>Juniper</h4> A conifer such as Juniperas spartan is an excellent choice due to its dense evergreen dark blue-green coloured foliage. This column-shaped hardy plant grows to three metres in 10 years and no trimming or pruning is required. <h4>Camellia</h4> Camellias come in two main varieties, japonica and sasanqua. For hedging, the sasanqua is the preferred choice with its faster growing habit, smaller leaves and better sun tolerance. The flowers in autumn are an added bonus. <h4>Photinia</h4> Photinias come in larger and smaller leaf varieties with the smaller leaf types more suitable for hedges up to two metres. With an overall deep green leaf appearance, the new growth comes as striking red foliage. <h4>Murraya</h4> A great alternative to box hedges with a somewhat similar texture but lighter green leaves, murraya is fast growing and easy to care for, with a pretty flush of orange blossom scented flowers in spring and summer. <h4>English Box</h4> Box is the most popular choice for hedging and is the best choice for a more formal look. Its slow growing tendency means it will not provide privacy for several years, but the bonus is it’s easy to maintain. Image credit: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/gardening-tips/best-screening-hedge-plants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

How to decorate with indoor plants

If you want to add colour and freshness to your home, why not bring the outdoors in with some strategically placed indoor plants. Not sure where to start? Follow our tips to make the task simple and stylish. <ul> <li>Buy the best pot you can afford – it really does add the wow factor when you see a plant inside in a fabulous pot. In the same way, a great plant will lose its pizzazz if it is housed in a dull or cheap looking pot.</li> <li>Stay in fashion – always choose plants that won’t go out of fashion, even if you change your décor. Your local garden centre is a good source of information on the best plants for your climate.</li> <li>Keep your options open – there’s actually no need to pot your plant into your new pot. Just sit the plant inside and cover the top with stones or coconut fibre. This means you can easily move it around if you find it’s not working in its current home.</li> <li>Liven up your space – choose a plant that is an unusual colour or has an interesting leaf shape. </li> <li>Don’t go overboard – it’s best not to put too many plants in one area. Keep it simple.</li> <li>If in doubt, throw it out – if your plant starts to look a bit tired or sick it’s best to remove it from the indoors and try to revive it outside. You can easily replace it with a new plant for inside – after all it’s still cheaper than a bunch of flowers.</li> </ul> Related links: <a href="../lifestyle/at-home/2015/07/fragrant-plants-for-home/">5 plants that will keep your home smelling lovely</a> <a href="../lifestyle/at-home/2015/08/coat-hanger-hacks/">Genius things you didn’t know you could do with coat hangers</a> <a href="../lifestyle/at-home/2015/07/bathroom-storage-solutions/">7 creative storage solutions for your bathroom</a> Image credit: Shutterstock

Home Hints & Tips

Many people are tired of grappling with long COVID – here are some evidence-based ways to counter it

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kyle-b-enfield-1409764">Kyle B. Enfield</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-virginia-752">University of Virginia</a> A patient of mine, once a marathon runner, now gets tired just walking around the block. She developed COVID-19 during the 2020 Christmas holiday and saw me during the summer of 2021. Previously, her primary care doctor had recommended a graded exercise program. But exercise exhausted her. After months of waiting, she finally had an appointment at our post-COVID-19 clinic at the University of Virginia. She is hardly alone in her extended search for answers. Studies suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01214-4">from 10%</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101762">45% of COVID-19 survivors</a> have at least <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html">one of the following symptoms three months after recovery</a>: fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with daily activities or mental fogginess, otherwise known as “brain fog.” There are many names for this condition: <a href="https://theconversation.com/long-covid-stemmed-from-mild-cases-of-covid-19-in-most-people-according-to-a-new-multicountry-study-195707">long COVID</a>, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and chronic COVID. Patients report that their symptoms, or the severity of them, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007004">fluctuate over time</a>, which <a href="https://theconversation.com/deciphering-the-symptoms-of-long-covid-19-is-slow-and-painstaking-for-both-sufferers-and-their-physicians-164754">makes diagnosis and treatment difficult</a>. <h2>A response to infection</h2> Researchers and doctors have seen <a href="https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-2694">similar recovery patterns from other viruses</a>, including <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html">Ebola</a> and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, <a href="https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/middle-eastern-respiratory-syndrome-mers">or MERS</a>, which is another coronavirus. This suggests that the illness we see following a bout with COVID-19 may be part of a patient’s response to the infection. But doctors and researchers do not yet know why some patients go on to have persistent symptoms. My clinical practice and academic research <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2022&q=Kyle+Enfield&hl=en&as_sdt=0,47">focus on critically ill patients</a>. Most of my patients now are people who had COVID-19 with various levels of severity. I often tell these patients that we are still learning about this disease, which wasn’t part of our vernacular before 2020. Part of what we do at the clinic is help patients understand what they can do at home to start improving. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ype9O4rD3Gk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>For millions of Americans, COVID-19 is still a part of their lives.</figcaption></figure> <h2>Dealing with fatigue</h2> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95565-8">Chronic fatigue</a> can greatly affect quality of life. Exercise limitations can have their roots in problems with the lung, heart, brain, muscles or all of the above. Graded exercise therapy works for some but not all patients. Graded exercise is the slow introduction of exercise, starting slowly and gradually increasing in load over time. Many are frustrated because they feel more exhausted after exercising or even doing the routine tasks of daily living. The lack of progress <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109893">leads to feelings of depression</a>. The condition of feeling more exhausted after exercise <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/healthcare-providers/clinical-care-patients-mecfs/treating-most-disruptive-symptoms.html">is called post-exertional malaise</a>, which is defined as physical and mental exhaustion after an activity, often 24 hours later, that is out of proportion with the activity. For example, you feel good today and decide to go for a walk around the block. Afterward you are fine, but the next day your muscles ache and all you can do is lie on the couch. Some patients don’t even have the energy to answer emails. Rest or sleep do typically relieve the fatigue. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment; the severity and frequency of post-exertional malaise varies from person to person. <h2>Signs and symptoms</h2> Fatigue following any illness is common, as is exercise intolerance. So when should you see a medical professional? Diagnostic testing for post-exertional malaise exists, but it’s not readily available to all patients. These questions may provide clues to whether or not you are experiencing it: <ul> <li>Does it take more than one day to recover to your usual baseline activity?</li> <li>Do you feel unwell, weak, sleep poorly or have pain when recovering from activity?</li> <li>Are you feeling limited in your ability to do your daily tasks after activity?</li> <li>Does exercise activity affect you positively?</li> <li>Do you have soreness and fatigue after nonstrenuous days, or mental fatigue after strenuous or nonstrenuous activities?</li> </ul> All of these can be clues to discuss with your primary care provider, who may want to do additional testing to confirm the diagnosis, such as a <a href="https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Two-day_cardiopulmonary_exercise_test">two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test</a>. Before your appointment, there are a few things you can do at home that may help. <h2>Taking it easy</h2> One of those techniques is pacing, or activity management, an approach that balances activities with rest. The <a href="https://www.rcot.co.uk/">Royal College of Occupational Therapists</a> and the <a href="https://ics.ac.uk/">Intensive Care Society</a>, both in the U.K., developed what they call the <a href="https://www.rcot.co.uk/conserving-energy">3Ps – Pace, Plan and Prioritize</a>. Pacing yourself means breaking down activities into smaller stretches with frequent breaks rather than doing it all at once. An example would be to climb a few steps and then rest for 30 seconds, instead of climbing all the stairs at once. Planning involves looking at the week’s activities to see how they can be spread out. Think about the ones that are particularly strenuous, and give yourself extra time to complete them. This helps with prioritizing – and recognizing those tasks that can be skipped or put off. <h2>Focusing on the breathing</h2> Some patients with long COVID develop abnormal breathing patterns, including shallow rapid breathing, known as hyperventilating, or breath-holding. Either of these patterns can make you feel short of breath. Symptoms of abnormal breathing patterns include frequent yawning, throat-clearing, experiencing pins-and-needles sensations, palpitations and chest pain. Don’t ignore these symptoms, because they can be signs of serious medical problems like <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm">heart attacks</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/atrial_fibrillation.htm">abnormal heart rhythms</a>. Once those are ruled out, it is possible to relearn to breathe properly. You can <a href="https://longcovid.physio/breathing-pattern-disorders">practice these techniques at home</a>. The simple version: Find a comfortable position – either lying down or sitting upright with your back supported. Place one hand on your chest and the other over your belly button. Exhale any stale air out of your lungs. Then breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen, creating a gentle rise in the belly. You should feel the hand resting on your belly button move up and down. Try to avoid short, shallow breaths into the upper chest. Slowly exhale all the air out of your lungs. The goal is to take around eight to 12 breaths per minute. Focus on a longer exhale than inhale. For example, inhale as described for a count of two, then exhale for a count of three, as a starting point. If you take one breath every five seconds, you will be breathing 12 breaths per minute. As you get more comfortable with this, you can increase the time to further reduce your breaths per minute. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEmt1Znux58?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Box breathing is easy to learn and you can do it anywhere, anytime.</figcaption></figure> A more advanced tool <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uQXDkxEtM">is called box breathing</a>: Breathe in for a count of four to five, holding your breath for a count of four to five, breathing out for a count of four to five and hold that for a count of four to five. Long COVID patients who use these techniques show improvement in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00125-4">symptoms of breathlessness and sense of well-being</a>. <h2>The road to recovery</h2> The patient I referred to earlier did all of these things. As we worked with her, we discovered she had multiple reasons for her symptoms. In addition to overbreathing and symptoms of post-exertion malaise, she had a new cardiac problem, possibly related to her COVID-19 illness, that made her <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.121.024207">heart work less well during exercise</a>. Now she is recovering; while not back to marathon running, she is feeling better. Currently there is no cure for long COVID, though we hope research will lead to one. <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=long+covid&term=&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=">Clinical trials looking at potential therapies</a> are continuing. In the meantime, people should be cautious about using medications that are not proved to help – and if you’re having symptoms, get evaluated.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201451/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kyle-b-enfield-1409764">Kyle B. Enfield</a>, Associate Professor of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-virginia-752">University of Virginia</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/many-people-are-tired-of-grappling-with-long-covid-here-are-some-evidence-based-ways-to-counter-it-201451">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Body

"Makes us feel sick": Angry vegan slams meat-eating neighbours

A letter from a vegan neighbour has gone viral, as they asked a close-by resident to close their windows while they cook meat. The hand-written note was published on a community Facebook page for the Perth northern coastal suburb of Burns Beach, and was labelled as an "Important message" for the recipient to "Please take seriously". The note began, "Hello, neighbour." "Could you please shut your side window when cooking, please?" "My family are vegan (we eat only plant-based food), and the smell of the meat you cook makes us feel sick and upset." "We would appreciate your understanding." The letter went viral not long after it was posted, and drew in a range of divided comments. Some people believed the request was a ridiculous ask, with many people wondering where they draw the line when it comes to catering for others. "I'd understand if they were smoking cigarettes and the smoke and smell was spreading and affecting the family's health," one person wrote. "But not liking the smell of meat, this isn't really a good reason to ask someone to close their windows." "What does she do when she takes the kids to the park, and people are cooking BBQs? Ask them to stop cooking. Audacity." Others thought the request was reasonable, and praised the writer's politeness. "I feel like this was a genuinely polite letter, and it’s true the smell of meat is overpowering," one person wrote. "It would be nice to see some respect for your neighbours, and not publicly trying to shame them for holding strong ethical morals." Another put it simply, "Be vegan. Eat meat. Each to their own!" One commenter suggested the recipient resort to good old neighbourly pettiness, encouraging them to "Write back and say you're offended and sad by what they said about your cooking and could they please move to a different room as you would appreciate their understanding." Image credits: Facebook

Food & Wine

Learn to think like a plant: four questions to think about if you want to keep your houseplants healthy

You don’t drown by falling into the water; you drown by staying there (Edwin Louis Cole). I’d say most potted orchid deaths arise from drowned roots. Conversely, I’ve seen people desiccate cacti believing they don’t need water. True, I scarcely water mine for six months in the year, but in high summer I water them weekly. My potted orchids instead enjoy a good shower all year round. Houseplants all have their likes and dislikes. But once you know the rules of thumb, there are few homes in which you can’t grow a plant well. I’m a botanist and my work takes me all over the world in pursuit of plants. Seeing a plant in the wild helps you understand how it is adapted to a given environment and how you can recreate that environment in your home. When I bring a new plant into my home, I ask: how would you grow in nature? And where would you be happiest? The roots of <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/phalaenopsis/growing-guide">Phalaenopsis</a> (a popular indoor orchid) cling to tree branches in the wild. An orchid’s roots need air around them and they cannot withstand sitting in water. But showering the orchid regularly and allowing the water to drain freely mimics a tropical rainstorm, so it suits the plant perfectly. In a rainforest in the Philippines, I once saw an <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/912/alocasia/details">Alocasia</a> (a popular foliage plant with striking veins) growing just metres from a <a href="https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/asplenium-nidus/classid.2000028174/">bird’s-nest-fern</a> (another houseplant with glossy green fronds). The Alocasia was growing on the shady forest floor and the bird’s-nest-fern was sprouting from the fork of a tree above it. The Alocasia likes filtered light, and much like orchids, the bird’s-nest-fern enjoys good drainage. To grow a houseplant well, you must learn to think like a plant. So, here are my top tips for keeping your houseplants healthy. <h2>1. Where should your plant go?</h2> There’s a bewildering variety of plants available now that <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.10257">houseplants are taking over our homes</a>. But it’s good to remember the old adage “right plant, right place”. It’s no good growing a cactus in a shady corner – it simply won’t work. Start with the conditions you have in your home and go from there. A bright, humid place such as a kitchen or bathroom windowsill is perfect for most tropical or subtropical houseplants. <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/cacti-succulents">Cacti and succulents</a>, which are adapted to live in deserts, instead need as much sunlight as possible all year round. Many houseplants also thrive on a spell outdoors – typically from June to August. I place my succulents outside against a warm wall during summer. But avoid moving a plant into full sun too quickly. Even a <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/banana/growing-guide">banana plant</a>, which flourishes under tropical sun, can scorch if you change its conditions too abruptly. <h2>2. When and how should you water?</h2> Plants generally prefer liberal watering in the summer months when they’re growing actively, and far less in the winter. Taking this to extremes, I keep cacti and succulents in an unheated greenhouse and do not water them at all from October to April. Desert nights are cold, so many of these plants are surprisingly cold-hardy when dry. By contrast, I keep a large <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/140276/monstera/details">Swiss cheese plant</a> in a shady corner, and water it fortnightly in winter and weekly in summer. Like people, it thrives on routine. But even then, it’s important to water all of your plants with lukewarm – and never cold – water. This enhances absorption and avoids temperature-shock. Using body temperature (37℃) water is a good rule of thumb. Carnivorous plants, such as the <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/5893/i-dionaea-muscipula-i/details">Venus flytrap</a>, that derive their nutrients from trapping and consuming insects instead need rain. They hate tap water. <h2>3. Should you feed them?</h2> Most houseplants will plod along with little or no supplementary plant food (such as a liquid fertiliser). But some, including foliage plants like <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/95720/ficus-elastica/details">rubber figs</a> and Swiss cheese plants, will prosper if you do decide to feed them. This is best given in the summer months when the plants are growing actively. I use tomato feed for just about all my houseplants in the summer. But the feed is very diluted for some plants, such as orchids, that can be sensitive to over-feeding. Tomato feed for houseplants isn’t conventional but it works for me. Garden centres instead sell concentrated liquid feed specific for potted houseplants. <h2>4. When to repot?</h2> Many houseplants can withstand the same pot for a surprisingly long time, especially slow and steady growers like cacti. But if you keep foliage plants in warm conditions – particularly in homes with underfloor heating – they’re likely to need repotting regularly to avoid drying out. When repotting, choose one or two pot sizes up. This allows for root space, but avoids an excess of stagnant compost. It’s also important to use the right compost. Most plants do well in multipurpose compost – but not all. Orchids prefer “orchid bark” that provides drainage and allows plenty of air around the roots. Carnivorous plants require specialist compost because they object to the high concentrations of nutrients formulated in multipurpose. And keep things green by avoiding peat – destroying peat bogs to make garden compost <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-022-01900-8">is environmentally damaging</a>. To allow your houseplants to flourish further, top-dress your pots with grit or shingle. This will keep <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/fungus-gnats">fungus gnats</a> (those pesky little black flies) at bay. People often tell me they struggle to keep their houseplants alive. But keeping a thriving indoor thicket need not be difficult. Learning which plants to choose, how best to water and feed them, and how regularly they need repotting will all help to keep your indoor plants healthy. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/learn-to-think-like-a-plant-five-questions-to-think-about-if-you-want-to-keep-your-houseplants-healthy-204291" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

What To Plant For An Impressive Winter Garden

In some areas of Australia and New Zealand, winter is a season of ample rainfall and cool temperatures that can be enjoyed in the company of numerous garden plants. Although many plants slip into dormancy where winters are mild, there are plenty of evergreen trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as hardy annuals, that will keep the garden vibrantly alive with greenery and flowers through the slow season. The right time to landscape? If you are developing a new landscape, winter may not be slow at all. I n many mild-winter climates, autumn is the preferred planting season for perennials and evergreens, both large and small. When planted in the autumn, these plants will benefit from the cool temperatures and winter rains. By the time the hot weather returns the following summer, they are comfortably settled in with strong, deep roots established in the soil. In addition, autumn is the best time for dividing some perennials, such as daylilies, which can become crowded if they have spent several years in the same spot. When divided at the appropriate time, they will be well rooted and ready to bloom when spring arrives. The tyranny of the lawn The main feature of many gardens is a lush, green lawn. In warm climates, warm-season grasses, such as couch, buffalo and kikuyu, are the favoured grasses. During spring, summer and autumn, these lawns are green expanses that demand regular mowing, watering and lots of fertiliser. As the weather cools, warm-season grasses will wind down and may become dormant. In areas that experience winter frosts, warm-season lawns are liable to turn brown and lifeless with the first frost. While some varieties claim to hold their green colour through winter (including ‘Wintergreen’ couch and ‘Sir Walter’ buffalo), most warm-season grasses languish between dull green and straw colour. Some buffalo lawns may develop a crimson tinge, which can be removed by mowing in late autumn or early winter. If the thought of a brown lawn over winter is unappealing, it can be disguised under a blanket of green by oversowing it in autumn with cool-season grass seed such as rye or tall fescue. In climates with cold to mild winters and mild summers, cool-season grasses are the preferred choice for lawns, provided adequate water is available. These lawns demand lots of summer watering, but become lush and green in winter, and provide a pleasant green contrast to the bare branches of deciduous trees and shrubs. As the winter draws to an end, they are often starred with English daisies. Willing winter bloomers If you have acid soil and partial or filtered shade to accommodate them, camellias can be counted upon to colour up winter in mild climates. Sasanqua camellias lead the show with their first flowers opening in late summer and progressing through autumn into early winter. In late autumn and winter, the japonica camellias feature, with varieties opening progressively until spring. Camellias are a good choice for an evergreen hedge, or can be the central feature of your winter garden. For extra interest, edge with other winter-flowering plants such as pansies and primulas, or early-flowering jonquils and narcissus. In mild-winter climates gardens can be a mass of flowers with careful planning. In sunny spots, deciduous magnolias are stunning as they come into bloom in late winter while their branches are still bare. The display lasts into early spring as the leaves appear. Surround them with Marguerite daisies, African daisies and narcissus for a breath of spring in winter. In some areas of Australia and New Zealand, winter is a season of ample rainfall and cool temperatures that can be enjoyed in the company of numerous garden plants. Although many plants slip into dormancy where winters are mild, there are plenty of evergreen trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as hardy annuals, that will keep the garden vibrantly alive with greenery and flowers through the slow season. Colourful winter annuals In any mild-winter climate, there are lots of cold-hardy annuals waiting to be discovered for wintertime entertainment. Consider planting dusty miller, dianthus, ornamental kale, poppies, pansies and snapdragons. You can find them in garden centres in punnets from autumn onwards. They may not bloom much during the shortest days of winter, but will provide great colour again in early spring. When in doubt about the staying power of not-quite-hardy plants, such as snapdragons, plant them in a sheltered place. A wall or building can absorb heat during the day and radiate warmth to nearby plants at night. Such a sheltered spot also helps to protect plants from being damaged by harsh winter winds or frosts. In mild-winter climates, planning and preparation for the spring and summer garden continues through the colder months. In frost-free climates, make the most of the cool conditions to prepare new garden beds, or rework and replant existing ones. In subtropical areas, spring comes early in the garden as petunias and annual phlox burst into bloom. These annuals can be started in winter as seeds or seedlings. In all areas, you can keep winter and spring annuals such as pansies and sweet peas blooming for many months by regularly picking or deadheading spent flowers. The application of a fortnightly dose of liquid fertiliser will also help to keep your annuals growing and blooming well. What to look for: Compact plantings A mild winter usually means a long summer is ahead, giving you time to grow both cool-season and warm-season annuals. When looking into a design, group pansies, primulas and other cool-season annuals close together so that nearby permanent plants won’t be disturbed when you pull them up and replace them with summer annuals. Image credit: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/gardening-tips/what-plant-impressive-winter-garden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Hollywood’s 15 best movies based on kids’ books

Steven Spielberg’s recent film The BFG is the 12th adaptation of a Dahl book (11th, if you discount an animated “BFG,” done for British television, that aired in 1989). And because they have captured the imagination of people such as Spielberg and Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Nicolas Roeg (The Witches), they tend to turn out quite nicely, thank you. As I see it, two of them belong on anyone’s short list of truly excellent big-screen interpretations of kid-lit classics. Fantastic Mr Fox and James and the Giant Peach make my cut here among the 15 best of all time. There are talking animal stories on my list, there are kind wizards and evil witches, there are boys and girls who must find the courage to fend for themselves. There are horses that can run like the wind, a robot from outer space. If your favourites aren’t here, apologies. And let me know what they are. Like a certain green ogre whose tale I include, your BFFC (big, friendly film critic) is all ears. This is a subjective list, after all. But it’s a list that abounds with magic and adventure, danger and delight. Babe (1995) From Dick King-Smith’s 1983 children’s book The Sheep-Pig (published as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the US.), the film, co-written by Mad Max’s George Miller, received seven Oscar nominations, including one for best picture. It’s the tale of a pig who believes he is better-equipped to herd sheep, and who is befriended by a duck (who thinks he’s a rooster), a border collie and an ewe. James Cromwell is farmer Hoggett, and thanks to some innovative CG lip-synching and animatronics, Babe and company walk and talk without a hitch. A charmer. The Black Stallion (1979) Based on Walter Farley’s 1941 classic and directed by Carroll Ballard, this beautiful horse-and-his-boy adventure begins with a dramatic shipwreck off the coast of North Africa. The boy (Kelly Reno) and the horse (an Arabian stallion) bond on a desert island, are eventually rescued, and find their way to America, where Black – thanks to the help of an old, forgotten jockey (Mickey Rooney) – proves himself lightning fast on the track. As the race announcer says, “He could be the greatest sensation in racing history!” The Brave Little Toaster (1987) Jerry Rees’ animated feature, adapted from Thomas M Disch’s 1980 novel The Brave Little Toaster: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances, answers the oft-asked question: Do household appliances have souls? OK, maybe not so often asked, but the film - nominated for the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - answers anyway, with wit and whimsy, as the title character and four best buds (a vacuum cleaner, a lamp, a radio and an electric blanket) go on a quest to find their owner. David Newman wrote the score, Van Dyke Parks contributed songs, and influences from Busby Berkeley to Walt Disney to General Electric are homaged. Coraline (2009) From Neil Gaiman’s 2002 Hugo-winning novella, a glorious - and gloriously spooky - story about a misfit girl who discovers a parallel and seemingly idyllic universe through a small door in her family’s creaky new home. Henry Selick, of The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed the stop-motion animated gem. Moral: Beware of loving moms with buttons for eyes. Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) Wes Anderson’s meticulously staged, magically realised stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1970 book, about a wily fox, his painter wife, and an alliance of forest critters forced to do battle against some menacing farmers. Nominated for the animated feature Academy Award, it’s unique in modern-day ‘toons for Anderson’s decision to record his cast (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray among them) together, in an outdoorsy, woodsy setting, rather than isolate each voice actor in a sterile studio sound booth. The chemistry and spontaneity is palpable, the detail of the scale-model sets astounding. And is there a more dapper dresser than Mr. Fox? We think not. <img src="../media/27268/kids-movies-in-text_498x245.jpg" alt="Kids Movies In Text" width="498" height="245" /> Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) The third entry in the film franchise based on J.K. Rowling’s series of boy-wizard best-sellers is the first to fully capture that Hogwarts magic on the big screen. Thanks go to Alfonso Cuaron, who took over the directing job from HP 1 and 2’s Chris Columbus. Cuaron’s skills as a visual storyteller are out of this world, a fact borne out by his best director Oscar win in 2014 for the space odyssey Gravity. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) A young woman, a witch’s curse, a heroic wizard, an ambulatory steampunk castle - the fairy-tale elements come together with the grace and beauty that Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki is known for. An immersive and imaginative take on Diana Wynne Jones’ 1986 book. The Iron Giant (1999) Ted Hughes wrote the 1968 novel (called The Iron Man in the UK), about a humongous robot from outer space and the Earth boy who befriends him. Brad Bird, who would go on to direct Pixar’s The Incredibles and Ratatouille (and the rollicking live-action Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), oversaw the traditionally animated adventure, injecting energy and emotion into the Ike-era tale. James and The Giant Peach (1996) Roald Dahl’s surreal yarn - first published in 1961 - follows our boy hero as his parents are killed, and he is sent to live with two impossibly cruel aunts. A man with a bag of magic crocodile tongues comes along, a withered peach suddenly swells to gigantic proportions, and James meets a septet of talking insects who live inside the fruit. What’s next? A trans-Atlantic journey – by peach – to view the skyscrapers of New York, of course. Henry Selick’s terrific stop-motion animated adaptation, with a soundtrack courtesy of Randy Newman. A Little Princess (1995) “I am a princess – all girls are!” a defiant Liesel Matthews tells a severe Eleanor Bron in Alfonso Cuaron’s dazzling screen reading of the 1905 Frances Hodgson Burnett novel. Matthews plays Sara, a girl sent to boarding school when her father goes off to World War I. When news comes that he has been killed, the headmistress played by Bron makes the pampered schoolgirl scrub and toil for her keep, and sends her to a cold, uncomfortable space in the attic to live. But the stories Sara spins in secret captivate the other schoolgirls, and goodness and kindness win the day. National Velvet (1944) Elizabeth Taylor is 12-year-old Velvet Brown, an English girl who wins a horse in a contest, and who - with the help of a wanderer played by Mickey Rooney - trains the gelding to compete in the Grand National Steeplechase. Nothing can stop the girl and her horse - not even the fact that girls can’t be jockeys, and when the rider’s true identity is found out, well, who knew Enid Bagnold’s 1935 novel was a stealth feminist tract? Pinocchio (1940) Walt Disney’s adaptation of the 19th-century Carlo Collodi tale about a wooden puppet-turned-real-life-boy is one of the great cartoon features to emerge from the House of (Mickey) Mouse. Fun and frightening, an allegory about self-realization and social assimilation, the landmark animated film is full of iconic moments - the terrifying transformation on Pleasure Island, Geppetto’s journey with(in) Monstro the whale - and classic songs (“I’ve Got No Strings,” “When You Wish Upon a Star”). As Jiminy Cricket says, let your conscience be your guide. Shrek (2001) William Steig’s smart and snappy 1990 picture book - about a profoundly ugly ogre who must win the heart of an equally unsightly princess - experienced a fairy-talelike transformation of its own, losing the book title’s exclamation point, but gaining kazillions of dollars as a DreamWorks Animation megahit. With Mike Myers’ supplying the voice of the big green galumph, and Cameron Diaz as the princess, Fiona (no longer ugly, at least not during daylight hours), and Eddie Murphy as the wisecracking tagalong “steed” (a donkey), the eye-popping, computer-animated film mashes up a bookshelf of fairy tales, and also merrily bashes up (as in parodies) the tropes and traditions of its more-established competition, the Walt Disney Studio. Diehard fans of author/illustrator Steig’s original work grumble about the liberties and lampooning going on in the movie, but it’s hard not to laugh - a lot - at what the filmmakers have wrought. Watership Down (1978) Quiet and gentle and yet fierce in its depiction of how death shapes us all, the British animated hit based on Richard Adams’ 1972 novel follows a small band of rabbits on the run, forced to find a new warren before “the terrible thing” happens. The animals have their own laws, their own mythologies - and the voices of some wonderful British actors, including Denholm Elliot, Michael Hordern, John Hurt and Ralph Richardson. Set in rolling English countryside, with meadows and woods, with dangers from beast and man, this talking-animal cartoon has a poetry, and a profundity, that feels very real, indeed. Bonus points if you know the lyrics to Watership Down’s signature song, Art Garfunkel’s “Bright Eyes.” The Wizard of Oz (1939) Not just one of the best film adaptations of a children’s book ever, but one of the best films ever, period. With a teenage Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, the Kansas lass who rides a twister all the way to a magical Technicolor land, populated by Munchkins and flying monkeys and a seriously wicked witch. L. Frank Baum’s 1900 fantasy The Wonderful Wizard of Oz provided the rich source material, and Victor Fleming (with assists from several other directors) provided the Hollywood vision, casting a trio of unforgettable sidekicks - Ray Bolger’s Scarecrow, Jack Haley’s Tin Man, and Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion - to join Dorothy on her journey down the yellow brick road. Iconic. Which of these films was your favourite? How about your grandchildren? Let us know in the comments below. Written by Steven Rea. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Images: Shutterstock

Movies

6 things a food poisoning expert would never eat

If you want to know how to avoid food poisoning, you better listen to food poisoning expert and lawyer Bill Marler. He’s a products liability and personal injury attorney specialising in food-borne illnesses as well as the managing partner of Marler Clark, dubbed “The Food Safety Law Firm”. With twenty years in the industry, he’s won more than $600 million in compensation claims for his clients since 1998. In an article posted in the <a href="http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/six-foods-bill-marler-never-eats/#.VrJ3Kvl96uV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food Poisoning Journal</a>, Bill has revealed the six foods he refused to eat. Unpasteurised (“raw”) milk and packaged juices Unpasteurised milk, sometimes called “raw” milk, can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites. Between 1998 and 2011, there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk and raw milk products in the US—and keep in mind that comparatively few people in the country ever consume these products, so 148 outbreaks is nothing to ignore. As for unpasteurised packaged juices, one of Marler’s earliest cases was the 1996 E. coli outbreak from unpasteurised Odwalla apple juice. As a result, he won’t go near raw milk or juice. “There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurisation,” he says. Raw sprouts Uncooked and lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to more than 30 bacterial outbreaks (mostly of salmonella and E. coli) in the US since mid-1990s. As recently as 2014, salmonella from bean sprouts sent 19 people to the hospital. All types of sprouts - including alfalfa, mung bean, clover and radish sprouts - can spread infection, which is caused by bacterial contamination of their seeds. “There have been too many outbreaks to not pay attention to the risk of sprout contamination,” Marler says. “Those are products that I just don’t eat at all.” He did add that he does eat them if they’re cooked. Meat that isn’t well-done Marler orders his burgers well-done. “The reason ground products are more problematic and need to be cooked more thoroughly is that any bacteria that’s on the surface of the meat can be ground inside of it,” Marler says. “If it’s not cooked thoroughly to 160°F throughout, it can cause poisoning by E. coli and salmonella and other bacterial illnesses.” As for steaks, needle tenderising - a common restaurant practice in which the steak is pierced with needles or sliced with knives to break down the muscle fibres and make it more tender - can also transfer bugs from the surface to the interior of the meat. If a restaurant does this (Marler asks), he orders his steak well-done. If the restaurant doesn’t, he’ll opt for medium-well. Prewashed or precut fruits and vegetables “I avoid these like the plague,” Marler says. Why? The more a food is handled and processed, the more likely it is to become tainted. “We’ve gotten so used to the convenience of mass-produced food - bagged salad and boxed salads and precut this and precut that,” Marler says. “Convenience is great but sometimes I think it isn’t worth the risk.” He buys unwashed, uncut produce in small amounts and eats it within three to four days to reduce the risk for listeria, a deadly bug that grows at refrigerator temps. Raw or undercooked eggs You may remember the salmonella epidemic of the 1980s and early ’90s that was linked mainly to eggs. If you swore off raw eggs back then, you might as well stick with it. The most recent salmonella outbreak from eggs, in 2010, caused roughly 2,000 reported cases of illness. “I think the risk of egg contamination is much lower today than it was 20 years ago for salmonella, but I still eat my eggs well-cooked,” Marler says. Raw oysters and other raw shellfish Marler says that raw shellfish - especially oysters - have been causing more foodborne illness lately. He links this to warming waters, which produce more microbial growth. “Oysters are filter feeders, so they pick up everything that’s in the water,” he explains. “If there’s bacteria in the water it’ll get into their system, and if you eat it you could have trouble. I’ve seen a lot more of that over the last five years than I saw in the last 20 years. It’s simply not worth the risk.” Images: Shutterstock

Food & Wine

Attention plant killers: new research shows your plants could be silently screaming at you

If you’re like me, you’ve managed to kill even the hardiest of indoor plants (yes, despite a doctorate in plant biology). But imagine a world where your plants actually told you exactly when they needed watering. This thought, as it turns out, may not be so silly after all. You might be familiar with the growing body of work that <a href="https://theconversation.com/heard-it-on-the-grapevine-the-mysterious-chatter-of-plants-6292">provides evidence for</a> plants being able to sense sounds around them. Now, new research suggests they can also generate airborne sounds in response to stress (such as from drought, or being cut). A team led by experts at Tel Aviv University has shown tomato and tobacco plants, among others, not only make sounds, but do so loudly enough for other creatures to hear. Their findings, <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00262-3">published today</a> in the journal Cell, are helping us tune into the rich acoustic world of plants – one that plays out all round us, yet never quite within human earshot. <h2>Plants can listen, but now they can talk!</h2> Plants are “sessile” organisms. They can’t run away from stressors such as herbivores or drought. Instead, they’ve evolved complex biochemical responses and the ability to dynamically alter their growth (and regrow body parts) in response to environmental signals including light, gravity, temperature, touch, and volatile chemicals produced by surrounding organisms. These signals help them maximise their growth and reproductive success, prepare for and resist stress, and form mutually beneficial relationships with other organisms such as fungi and bacteria. In 2019, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/flowers-can-hear-bees-and-make-their-nectar-sweeter">researchers showed</a> the buzzing of bees can cause plants to produce sweeter nectar. Others <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15592324.2017.1368938">have shown</a> white noise played to Arabidopsis, a flowering plant in the mustard family, can trigger a drought response. Now, a team led by Lilach Hadany, who also led the aforementioned bee-nectar study, has recorded airborne sounds produced by tomato and tobacco plants, and five other species (grapevine, henbit deadnettle, pincushion cactus, maize and wheat). These sounds were ultrasonic, in the range of 20-100 kilohertz, and therefore can’t be detected <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924/">by human ears</a>. <h2>Stressed plants chatter more</h2> To carry out their research, the team placed microphones 10cm from plant stems that were either exposed to drought (less than 5% soil moisture) or had been severed near the soil. They then compared the recorded sounds to those of unstressed plants, as well as empty pots, and found stressed plants emitted significantly more sounds than unstressed plants. In a cool addition to their paper, they also included a soundbite of a recording, downsampled to an audible range and sped up. The result is a distinguishable “pop” sound. The number of pops increased as drought stress increased (before starting to decline as the plant dried up). Moreover, the sounds could be detected from a distance of 3-5 metres – suggesting potential for long-range communication. <h2>But what actually causes these sounds?</h2> While this remains unconfirmed, the team’s findings suggest that “cavitation” may be at least partially responsible for the sounds. Cavitation is the process through which air bubbles expand and burst inside a plant’s water-conducting tissue, or “xylem”. This explanation makes sense if we consider that drought stress and cutting will both alter the water dynamics in a plant stem. Regardless of the mechanism, it seems the sounds produced by stressed plants were informative. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers could distinguish not only which species produced the sound, but also what type of stress it was suffering from. It remains to be seen whether and how these sound signals might be involved in plant-to-plant communication or plant-to-environment communication. The research has so far failed to detect any sounds from the woody stems of woody species (which includes many tree species), although they could detect sounds from non-woody parts of a grapevine (a woody species). <h2>What could it mean for ecology, and us?</h2> It’s temping to speculate these airborne sounds could help plants communicate their stress more widely. Could this form of communication help plants, and perhaps wider ecosystems, adapt better to change? Or perhaps the sounds are used by other organisms to detect a plant’s health status. Moths, for example, hear within the ultrasonic range and lay their eggs on leaves, as the researchers point out. Then there’s the question of whether such findings could help with future food production. The <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/sitecollectiondocuments/abares/publications/Outlook2012FoodDemand2050.pdf">global demand</a> for food will only rise. Tailoring water use to target individual plants or sections of field making the most “noise” could help us more sustainably intensify production and minimise waste. For me personally, if someone could give a microphone to my neglected veggie patch and have the notifications sent to my phone, that would be much appreciated! Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/attention-plant-killers-new-research-shows-your-plants-could-be-silently-screaming-at-you-202833" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

10 worst movies based on TV shows

There was a time when Hollywood executives were convinced that television would end the movie industry. They were certain no-one would want to pay for entertainment when there was free TV to watch. Both the film and television worlds not only survived but also thrived. To keep up with the growing demand for new products to film, the movie executives turned to the same industry they once feared. Television programmes were adapted into big screen productions. The trend continues with Baywatch being the latest feature film to draw on a TV show for inspiration. Some of the efforts worked while others should have been cancelled before being released. The following list includes some of the worst movies based on a TV show. The list is long but here are 10 of the worst: 1. CHiPs (2017) Dax Shepard and Michael Pena should have been arrested for grand theft for their part in this robbery of the movie-going public. The effort to make this movie a spoof of the beloved TV show that ran from 1977-1983 might have worked had they had even one funny joke. No such luck as all the pair had to work with was a script - by Shepard - that banked on a running joke about masturbating to generate laughs. Shepard and Pena. Both are talented performers, but even those with skills can't milk laughs out of a script that is a lot like Los Angeles traffic. Most of the time it's moving at a slow pace but there are more moments when it just comes to a dead stop. 2. The Honeymooners (2005) It was a monster mistake to make a film version of the 1955 series starring Jackie Gleason. As much as 75 per cent of what made the original Honeymooners such classic entertainment was Gleason. It was his bigger-than-life personality that made the show a classic. Cedric the Entertainer has skills but not enough to be a modern Ralph Kramden. This movie should have been sent right to the moon instead of into theatres. 3. Lost in Space (1998) The biggest problem director Stephen Hopkins faced trying to adapt this '60s sci-fi series into a movie was that the original TV show never had a clear identity. In a span of three seasons, the TV show went from a serious space adventure to a cosmic goof. And, the film is just as big a cosmic goof. The casting of Gary Oldman as Dr Smith (the Snidely Whiplash of space hitchhikers) was smart but that's where the clever thinking left orbit. A convoluted script mixed with a bland Matt LeBlanc as Maj Don West should have forced the studio to have the prints lost in the space of a landfill. 4. The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) Few films based on TV shows have featured so much talent and potential only to end up missing the mark so much. Director Penelope Spheeris was coming off her massive success with Wayne's World and put together a cast that included Diedrich Bader, Jim Varney, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman. The one thing everyone forgot was that the TV comedy, which started in 1962, was a painfully light sitcom that relied on juvenile jokes and backwoods humour. That's OK when it's free on TV and there are other shows to watch but not worth the cost of a ticket. This was a wee-doggies of a film (with the emphasis on dog). 5. Inspector Gadget (1999) The only way this live-action version of the creative animated series could have been any worse is if the vanilla version of comedy, French Stewart, had played the robotic detective rather than Matthew Broderick. At least Broderick tried to bring the same kind of dry humour to the role that Don Adams had infused in the original series. Try being the operative word. Other than helping push some toys sales, Inspector Gadget had little worth. It was so bad that Broderick didn't return to the role for the sequel and was replaced by... French Stewart. 6. Car 54, Where Are You (1994) It was impossible to figure out the audience this movie was trying to attract. The big screen version of the TV show came along more than 30 years after the original went off the air. The goofball script didn't come across as being aimed at an audience that would remember the TV cop comedy. And the youth target market would have only heard of the series from their parents. The only good thing to come out of it was that John C McGinley was able to rebound seven years later to help make the TV comedy Scrubs a hit. So far, no word on a big screen version of that medical sitcom. 7. Dukes of Hazzard (2005) The entire movie comes across like star Johnny Knoxville is pulling a Jackass stunt on the audience, with a lack of funny jokes, good acting, interesting situations, human-like dialogue, anything really hazardous and the presence of Jessica Simpson. 8. Starsky & Hutch (2004) Ben Stiller had to have a place on this list and it was his forgettable work with Owen Wilson that earned him the honour. Watching the two stumble along as the big screen versions of the cool TV detectives ended up being a form of police brutality. The only saving grace was... OK, there was no saving grace. A shootout with the Dukes of Hazzard guys wouldn't have been enough to save this disaster. 9. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) The cast from the original films - which included John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis and Rosie O'Donnell - was replaced by the likes of Mark Addy, Kristen Johnston, Stephen Baldwin and Jane Krakowski. It's the best decision ever made by the original cast members to consider the franchise to be extinct. The replacements helped push this franchise back into the Stone Ages of movies. 10. Land of the Lost (2009) What would such a list be like without one Will Ferrell movie? He almost made the list by ruining the big screen version of Bewitched but it was this monumental stinker that was the worst. Written by Rick Bentley. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz.</a> Images: Getty

Movies

Plant enthusiast’s simple solution to get rid of pests

A plant enthusiast has come up with an easy way of getting rid of gnats and fruit flies around houseplants for good. Graphic designer Brad Canning created his own bug “trap” using three products, dishwashing liquid, apple cider vinegar and honey. The 29-year-old man, who owns more than 60 indoor plants, mixed the three ingredients in a small bowl and placed it near his houseplants. The method works because fungus gnats and fruit flies are attracted to the sweet smell and taste of apple cider vinegar and honey, once they try to drink it, the sticky dish soap would trap them. “How annoying are these tiny little bugs? They’re flying around because you’ve got a couple of houseplants. Lets get rid of them. It’s pretty straight forward,” Brad said in his <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/%20bradcanning">TikTok video</a>. He made his DIY solution by combining a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a dollop of honey and a splash of dishwashing liquid. Braid said white vinegar will work in lieu of apple cider vinegar. “Give it a little bit of mix," he said. “The gnats will be completely attracted to it. They’ll fly in there and will die,” Brad said, adding: “So this will only help to get rid of adult gnats.” The video went viral with many saying they can’t wait to give the method a go at home while those who tried it said it did in fact work. “I did this and it 100 per cent worked for gnats - took a day or two so be patient,” one said. Image credit: TikTok

Home & Garden

7 research-based resolutions that will help strengthen your relationship in the year ahead

The new year is going to be better. It has to be better. Maybe you’re one of the <a href="https://www.finder.com/new-years-resolution-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">74% of Americans</a> in one survey who said they planned on hitting the reset button on Jan. 1 and resolving to improve. Those <a href="http://maristpoll.marist.edu/marist-poll-national-results-analysis-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Year’s resolutions most commonly focus on</a> eating healthier, exercising, losing weight and being a better person. Admirable goals, to be sure. But focusing on body and mind neglects something equally important: your romantic relationship. Couples with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00393.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">better marriages report higher well-being</a>, and one study found that having a better romantic relationship not only promoted well-being and better health now but that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2020.1838238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">those benefits extend into the future</a>. The lesson is clear: Your relationship is important. Resolve to get it right. That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. But here are seven resolutions based on recent psychological research that you can make this New Year to help keep your relationship going strong. <h2>1. Set yourself up for success</h2> Adjust your mindset so you see your relationship as a key <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00373.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source of positive experiences</a>. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=v2ai_5wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Psychologists like me</a> call this boosting your social approach motivation. Instead of merely trying to avoid relationship problems, those with an approach motivation seek out the positives and <a href="http://peplab.web.unc.edu/files/2020/11/Don-Fredrickson-Algoe-JPSP-In-press-Approach-Paper-In-Press-.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use them to help the relationship</a>. Here’s how: Imagine a conversation with your partner. Having more of an approach motivation allows you to focus on positive feelings as you talk and to see your partner as more responsive to you. Your partner gets a burst of positivity, too, and in return sees you as more responsive. One partner’s good vibes spill over to the other partner, ultimately benefiting both. After a year when your relationship may have felt unprecedented external strains, laying the foundation to take advantage of any positives is good place to start. <h2>2. Be optimistic</h2> While things in the past may not have always gone how you wanted, it’s important to be optimistic about the future. But the right kind of optimism matters. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12342" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 research study</a> from <a href="https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/84-human-dev-family-sci/3008-farnish-krystan?Itemid=349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Krystan Farnish</a> and <a href="https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/14-human-ecology/259-neff-lisa-a?Itemid=349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lisa Neff</a> found that generally looking on the bright side of life allowed participants to deal with relationship conflict more effectively – as they put it, better able to “shake it off” – than did those who were optimistic specifically about their relationship. It seems that if people focus all their rosy expectations just on their relationship, it encourages them to anticipate few negative experiences with their partner. Since that’s unrealistic even in the best relationships, it sets them up for disappointment. <h2>3. Increase your psychological flexibility</h2> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Try to go with the flow</a>. In other words, work on accepting your feelings without being defensive. It’s OK to adjust your behaviors – you don’t always have to do things the way you always have or go the places you’ve always gone. Stop being stubborn and experiment with being flexible. A 2020 study by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Twiselton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Twiselton</a> and colleagues found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12344" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when you’re more flexible psychologically</a>, relationship quality is higher, in part because you experience more positive and fewer negative emotions. For example, navigating the yearly challenge of holidays and family traditions is a relationship minefield. However, if both partners back away from a “must do” mentality in favor of a more adaptable approach, relationship harmony will be greater. <h2>4. It’s OK to put ‘me’ before ‘we’</h2> It’s easy for some people to play the self-sacrificing martyr in their romantic relationship. If this sounds like you, try to focus more on yourself. It doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad partner. When you’re psychologically healthy, your partner and your relationship also benefit. Researchers have identified <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000231" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four main traits that are part of good mental health</a>: openness to feelings, warmth, positive emotions and straightforwardness. These traits help with being more clear about who you are, feeling better about who you are, expressing greater optimism and less aggression, exploiting others less and exhibiting less antisocial behavior. You can see how what’s good for you in this case would be good for your partner too. <h2>5. Do something for your partner</h2> But it’s not all about you. Putting your partner first some of the time and catering to your partner’s desires is part of being a couple. A 2020 study by <a href="https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/johanna-peetz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johanna Peetz</a> and colleagues found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12357" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prioritizing your partner</a> makes you feel closer to them, increases positive feelings, reduces negative ones and boosts perceived relationship quality. In the new year, look for ways to give your partner some wins. Let them get their way from time to time and support them in what they want to do, without exclusively prioritizing your own wants and needs. <h2>6. Don’t be so hard on yourself</h2> So many New Year’s resolutions focus on body image. Aspirations to eat better and work out often stem from the same goal: a hotter body. Yet, research from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xue_Lei8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xue Lei</a> shows that you may not really know what your partner wants you to look like. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12451" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Women tend to overestimate how thin</a> male partners want them to be. Similarly, men believe that female partners want them to be more muscular than women say they do. It may seem harmless, but in both cases individuals are more critical and demanding toward themselves, in part based on misreading what a partner truly desires. <h2>7. Stay in touch</h2> I saved the easiest item on the list for last: Touch your partner more. When <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cheryl_Carmichael" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cheryl Carmichael</a> and colleagues followed 115 participants over a 10-day period, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620929164" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they found that initiating and receiving touch</a> – things like holding hands, cuddling, kissing – were associated with both a boost in closeness and relationship quality. Importantly, being touched by your partner has the added benefit of making you feel more understood and validated. Who couldn’t use more of that in the coming year? This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-research-based-resolutions-that-will-help-strengthen-your-relationship-in-the-year-ahead-152349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

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