A lot of food is wasted in the holiday season. To avoid this, plan your meals before you shop. Use up leftovers the next day instead of throwing them out. Let your guests take only as much as they want so that not a lot is wasted. Get creative and mix up the leftovers for a nice new dish. In addition, it's always wiser to buy frozen foods if you think you won't finish it before it goes stale.

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A study conducted by WHO which was recently made public said that in 2012, air pollution in India could have killed at least 6 lakh people. India ranks second in the world with regards to the absolute number of deaths due to air pollution. It comes just after China which has already witnessed 8 lakhs deaths due to the same. The report also noted that 80% of the people living in urban areas are exposed to dangerous air quality levels which exceed the limits stated by World Health Organisation.

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These straws are as indestructible as all other plastic materials and not only causing harm to our immediate environment but also to the environment of the ocean. They are literally killing whales in the ocean. According to the data, about 500 million straws are dumped in the oceans every day which is eventually consumed by whales, shutting their bodies down. When the dead whales are cut open, they spill out the plastic!

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Trees use the energy from the sunlight to produce glucose from water and carbon dioxide and in this process, they tend to release oxygen. Suppose a tree is growing by 5 percent every year, it will be producing 100 kg of oxygen each year. A normal healthy human being breathes about 9 and a half tonnes (740 kg) of oxygen in a year which contributes only up to 23% of that air. So roughly, 8 to 9 trees are needed for one person! Currently, India has 28 trees per person and China has 108 trees per person even though their population is slightly higher.

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A recent study has revealed that one of the biggest reason behind the weak memory of children is the deficiency of essential minerals like zinc and iron. It claims that children aged between 6 to 11 years of age have lower levels of iron and zinc mainly because of the lack of healthy food. Further studies showed that when these children were given these essential nutrients through healthy food continuously for 3 months, they showed significant improvement in the memory.

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According to the Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, the state is all set to plant 2 crore saplings across the state on 1st of July. Only twenty percent of the state land is covered by forest which is majorly affecting the adverse environment. Furthermore, a mobile application and a website shall be launched to track the plantations, he said. We would request everyone to participate and contribute to the same cause.

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Did you know that there are certain foods which interfere with the iron absorption process? Tea and coffee contain polyphenols which inhibit iron absorption and hence should only be consumed between meals and not along with any food. Cocoa is responsible for inhibiting iron absorption by nearly 70%. Proteins from soybean or soy products contain an acid called phytate which interferes with the process of iron absorption. Calcium rich foods and other dairy products are also known to cause the same to some extent.

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World's most frequent nutritional deficiency disease is seen in women and children is the iron deficiency anemia. Anemia is the result of gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhage, loss of blood from menstruation, injury, impaired iron absorption or an insufficient amount of iron intake. Dark Leafy Greens, Fortified Cereal, Beans, Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds are top five foods that are the greatest vegetarian sources or iron and should be included in your regular diet.

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The Eco-Sikh organisation recommended all gurdwaras to serve organic langar to support organic food to commemorate the Sikh Environment Day on March 14. Representatives of this organisation will collaborate with farmers to purchase direct organic items to have a positive impact and encourage the community to implement healthy food habits.

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Center for science and environment, a Delhi-based green body, will organize a farmers market on the 30th of jan 2016 were attendees will get a chance to learn about natural and healthy food. Their researchers have found unwanted contaminants and substances in human food like antibiotics, pesticides, etc., and hence want to educate people about the same and promote natural and good food.

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A new study whose findings were published in the journal, Environment Systems and Decisions stated that eating vegetarian food can contribute more to climate change than eating non-vegetarian food. It was observed that eating healthy food that comprised of a mix of fruits, vegetables, dairy and seafood, increased the environmental impact where energy use went up by 38%, water use by 10% and GHG emissions by 6%.

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