Balanced diets are often talked about, but beyond eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, perhaps not everyone understands how diets can be balanced. Equally, sustainable diets are often referred to, and this phrase is becoming increasingly popular. However, what is a sustainable diet, and can a balanced diet also be a sustainable diet?
Many of us look forward to spring and at SEFARI we are no different. It’s the time our gardens start to come back to life and usually at this time we would also be sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm with families young and old at the Edinburgh Science Festival. We really enjoy developing and running a range of free to access activities hosted at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh during the festival each year.
Are urban community food growing projects the answer to the problem of food poverty and the seemingly ever-increasing number of food banks?
In recent years, sustainable diets are increasingly being promoted as a way to reduce the impact of human activities on the planet as well as to improve population health. Food consumption is responsible for up to 30% of the environmental impact of household consumption, and recently sustainability has been added to dietary goals in several countries (albeit not in the UK yet).
Results from the Scottish health survey indicate that further work still needs to be done if the desired changes in food practices are to be realised. It has been suggested that these desired dietary changes have not been realised in part because the food practices acquired during childhood are difficult to break.
Leading industry and SEFARI science representatives from Scotland’s food, drink and agricultural sectors came together to discuss and speculate what Scotland’s dinner plate may look like in 2050.
Patrícia works on projects associated with the Health Behaviours theme within the Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen. Her current research interests are focussed around the use of economics in health improvement and she undertakes microeconometric analysis of interventions to reduce health inequalities, particularly relating to the impact of individual lifestyle choices such as diet and physical activity on health outcomes. Recent studies within the Strategic Research Programme have looked at economic factors influencing food choice.
Dr Madalina Neacsu is a research fellow at the Rowett Institute who trained as a biochemical engineer and did her PhD on Natural Products Chemistry. She now specialises in natural products food formulation and bioactivity and, in a previous role, worked commercially overseeing the development of several plant-based bioactive formulations for use in food ingredients that subsequently received EFSA approval.
Rob is a senior crop physiologist and biochemist at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. In his current role he works across a range of crops to identify physiological and biochemical mechanisms underpinning crop yield and quality in response to the biotic and abiotic environment. He works extensively with geneticists and breeders where his mechanistic insights facilitate the identification of genetic markers underpinning agronomic traits.
The James Hutton Institute
Invergowrie
Dundee DD2 5DA
Scotland UK
My research focuses on healthy psychology and around processes of behaviour change within individuals. This work generally involves relatively intensive monitoring of behaviour and behavioural determinants using various digital devices and paper-based diaries, looking to detect the timing of (short-lived or sustained) behaviour, and whether its determinants are similar or different across individuals.