Caption + Potato Potato Food Truck Thursday June 22, 2017. Photo by Jef Kearney. .

Food truck culture is growing across the U.S. and, despite obstacles such as zoning and parking, it's growing in Colorado Springs, too.

Local culinary sleuths are up for the challenge and follow favorite trucks through social media and websites to find their daily and weekly locations. Although none of the current food trucks in the city is fully vegan, a few have solid, plant-based options.

Bison Brothers

I know, I know. A food truck with a meat mission doesn't seem like an obvious choice, but the Bison Brothers food truck serves up one vegan option that is worth the trip: quinoa spring rolls ($6.50). The ancient grain (seed, actually) is cleverly coupled with softened peanuts, offering a meaty bite. Scallions, green pepper and a seasoning combo offer a solid kick and make for a spicy dish tempered well with a dipping sauce of "honey" mustard (they use agave instead of honey to keep it vegan) that cools the fried and spice-filled heat. The two rolls come with a side of chips.

Potato Potato

Potatoes are vegetables, and an entire truck devoted to the spud must be vegan-friendly, right? It is. Potato Potato food truck is best known for its take on Poutine ($8.50) - a traditional Canadian dish starting with French fries and topped with gravy and curds (cheese). Hold the curds, and that super-savory vegetable-based mushroom gravy - vegan as is - gives you all the flavor you'll need. Umami-packed with soy sauce and vinegars, the thick gravy stands up over the hand-cut fries. The generous portion easily makes a meal.

Vore

How's this for an oxymoron? A "grilled cheese gastro-pub" has vegan options - as in, every item on the menu can be made vegan. According to the server at the counter, "We believe a vegan order shouldn't be about subtraction [of ingredients]; it should be about substitutions." The Deep Dish grilled cheese sandwich ($10) features mozzarella, provolone and ham - all vegan thanks to brand-name Chao (cheese) and Tofurky (ham) replacements. The hot sandwich is layered high, Dagwood-style; you've got to love a vegan cheese that melts! Order fried tofu or pickles ($6) for a down-home side.

The world isn't vegan, and that's why it's wonderful that more and more restaurants offer plant-based options. Food trucks are no exception, and the vegan offerings popping up at the four-wheeled dining destinations are a great addition to the vegan scene.

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3 Colorado Springs food trucks offer vegan options - Colorado Springs Gazette

The maker of vegan mayonnaise has been working on getting lab-made meat onto dinner tables everywhere. Its just that nobody knew about it.

Hampton Creeka company that built its name on plant-based condiments and vegan-friendly cookie doughstoday revealed that, for the last year, it has been secretly developing the technology necessary for producing lab-made meat and seafood, or as the industry likes to call it, clean meat. Perhaps even more surprising is that Hampton Creek expects to beat its closest competitor to market by more than two years.

By the end of next year, well have something out there on the marketplace, Josh Tetrick, CEO of the company, tells Quartz. Until now, only one of the handful of global startups developing clean meat, Memphis Meats, has openly talked about getting a product to market and that was by 2021.

Since it was founded in 2015, Memphis Meats has raised at least $3 million from five investors for the development of its meat products, according to Crunchbase. By contrast, Hampton Creekjust a 20-mile drive from its Silicon Valley rivalhas raised more than $120 million since 2011. Its one of Silicon Valleys unicornsa company that has a valuation that exceeds $1 billion.

The fact that Hampton Creek has so many resources at its fingertips is very promising for speeding up the commercialization of clean meat, says Paul Shapiro, the author of a forthcoming book on meat alternatives and vice president of policy at the Humane Society of the United States.

Now that Hampton Creek has unveiled itself as the latest entrant in that space, competition to reach consumers first will heat up. And once these products do get to supermarkets, it will open the door for a three-way battle for meat-eater dollars, as consumers will have a choice between three different products:

In the eyes of the people pushing the development of plant-based and clean meat products, this new crop of foods will revolutionize how meat is made and offer a clear path to feeding people across the globe in a way that emits less greenhouse gas and ends animal suffering.

Once we have clean meat that is cost-competitive with animal-based meat, that will be the beginning of the end of all the harms of industrial agriculture, says Bruce Friedrich, who leads the Good Food Institute, which supports and lobbies on behalf of meat alternative companies.

Earlier this month, Beyond Meat made headlines when it announced its plant-based burger patties would be stocked alongside animal products in meat cases at more than 200 Safeway grocery stores. Until then, it was sold mostly in the meat sections at Whole Foods Market locations. Getting into a mainstream supermarket chain was a significant step for the company, and a testament to the tenacity of Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown, whod spent years trying to convince grocery chains to carry his product.

Hampton Creek already sells its vegan condiments and cookie doughs at Walmart, Whole Foods, and other major chains, something that will assist the company as it attempts to get its clean meat products into mainstream stores. That will be very helpful, as opposed to starting all these relationships from scratch, Tetrick says. We happen to already be thereand not just in retail, but also in food service.

With that kind of entree into the consumer market, Tetrick says he also expects large traditional meat companies will potentially want to become significant investors. Were talking to a number of them right now all across the world, he says. Id expect one or two of these partnerships to cross the finish line [soon].

More money and product demand means it wont be long before Hampton Creek looks to expand, adding to its already large, 59-person research and development division. The company says it will be looking to add chemists, tissue engineers, stem cell biologists, and more.

It will need them, because one of the biggest reasons its so hard to get lab-made meat to market is because its really difficult to affordably make enough product to meet demand. Just a pound of clean meatgrown inside high-tech industrial vatscan easily cost thousands of dollars. A pound of lab-made beef would have cost $1.2 million per pound to sell in 2013. In four years, the price of lab-grown meat has fallen by 99%but its still higher than your usual animal-reared meat.

Thats partially because its tough to get a steady supply of one particular ingredient: fetal bovine serum, which is blood extracted from the fetuses of pregnant cows.

Until now, scientists working on clean meat have depended upon having access to that serum. Once its added into the vats along with meat cells and other ingredients, the serum triggers the cells to reproduce. But Hampton Creek says its scientists are investigating other ways to trigger cells to reproduce, by replacing the cow blood with nutrients coming from plants, according to Viviane Lanquar, the director of Hampton Creeks biochemistry division.

Still, theres a lot of work left to complete before the company is ready to sell a product, Tetrick says, likening the process to a creating a top-notch electric car. Just because youve nailed the battery doesnt mean youve nailed the electric car, he says. He refused to divulge more about his product.

Among the many challenges ahead for lab-made meat companies is trying to figure out how to achieve the Holy Grail of fake meat: creating a cut of meat that has the same texture, taste, and appearance of a steak. As of now, companies are able to make tiny pieces of meat, which when mixed together can be treated and used as a ground meat product. Producing a slab of meat will take more time and engineering.

Read this next: How the vegan movement broke out of its echo chamber and finally started disrupting things

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Vegan-mayo startup Hampton Creek is producing lab-made meat ... - Quartz

This week Apple is beginning to roll out the first new personalized playlist under Apple Musics For You section. The playlist, entitled Chill, is muxed based on editorial curation and algorithmic interpretation of your musical tastes.

A small number of test users got the new playlist yesterday evening. An updated Chill playlist will be delivered every Sunday to users who join the test group, which will roll out through the summer.

Its focus, unsurprisingly, is chill-ass music. A base layer of editorial curation will be used to determine what music gets included in the Chill playlist, which will then be augmented using the App Music algorithm. Theoretically, this should show you music you may not be familiar with that fits the category, while simultaneously being music that you like and actually care about.

While the 27 million Apple music users listen to a lot of different kinds of music, one of the prime themes is apparently that they all like to relax and they use music to do it.

This is where it gets tricky, because one person could consider Motorheads Burner the ultimate in smooth jamz, while another person might think that John Teshs Roundball Rock is the pinnacle of repose.

So the Chill playlists will take into account the music and genres you most enjoy and build the chillest set of tracks out of those genres. My mix prominently features Drake, Outkast, Ashanti, Trey Songs, Beyonc, Jeremih and Kehlani so we know where Im at on the spectrum. But it also picks from those artists most chill tracks according to editorial choice, and some general music genomic smarts like tempo and categorization. Its about 25 tracks and an hour and a half or so of music.

If you suddenly took up a liking for EDM over the next month or two, you would see that music get mixed into your playlist at the track level. With the hope that the music would still fit your taste and have a down-tempo relaxing energy to it.

Theoretically I could have an R&B-focused Chill list while you could have a rock or jazz rendition that met the same basic goals: help you relax.

At the moment the algorithmic tweaks being made are coming from inside the Apple Music universe. How you use the app, what you put into your library and listen to are all factors in how Chill (and the other two playlists, New Music and My Favorites) gets composited.

Currently, there will not be any spoken word content mixed in its all music. So if youre one of the millions that use ASMR and other soothing spoken word compositions for relaxation, youll have to wait it out.

Relaxation is a broad, fat target for Apples first new playlist in this model, but Id expect to see more that could apply across a wide swath of users. Thinking big means considering workouts, commuting, focused efforts like studying and more for inclusion.

Because this is brand new, Im interested in seeing what your playlists look like. Hit me up on Twitter or in the comments with a screenshot or link. Heres mine:

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Apple Music Personalized Playlist Chill, Algorithmic And Editorial - TechCrunch

It seems that the ear plays an important role in the awareness of the world around us. With the negativity that we have been hearing lately, it might be wise to treat our auditory senses to some entertaining and relaxing music. One way to maintain mind-soothing harmony this summer would be to enjoy selections of comforting music.

What if these musical opportunities were free and outdoors? The answer to that question is easier than you might think. Communities on the Eastside of Lake Washington offer the opportunity to enjoy music without cost at a variety of venues.

These free summer concerts offer an assortment of musical styles, including singer-songwriters, cover groups and symphonies. They are family friendly with opportunities to picnic, dance and meet others who enjoy music. Some sites have refreshments available for purchase.

Even though the concerts are free, sometimes there is an opportunity to put some money or bread in the performers jar, basket or a repurposed guitar case. If you truly enjoyed the show, often the performers have CDs for sale usually at a reasonable price.

The following is a list of the various shows to enjoy this summer. Each venue has a website that you can visit to check locations, dates, times and whos performing.

In Sammamish, Concerts in the Park take place Thursday evenings at Pine Lake Park. The weekly outdoor concerts happen from 6:30-8 p.m. between July 13-Aug. 31. Bring your own picnic or purchase dinner on-site. Parking for this event is available at Pine Lake Park, Discovery Elementary School and South Sammamish Park and Ride.

Note that parking at Pine Lake Park is extremely limited and fills up early in the day. There is a free shuttle that runs between the South Sammamish Park and Ride and Pine Lake Park before and after the concert.

In Issaquah, there are two weekly events: Tuesdays Concerts on the Green are held at the Issaquah Community Center lawn. This series runs from 7-8:30 p.m., from July 11-Aug. 28. Spectators often start gathering as early as 6 p.m. for community picnicking. On Thursday nights, the Downtown Issaquah Association, in partnership with the Washington Blues Society, presents the Gas Station Blues at the Historic Shell Station on Front Street from 7-9 p.m., from July 13-Aug. 24.

A very ambitious offering is presented by the Bellevue Downtown Association through its Live at Lunch concert series. These performances take place at various downtown Bellevue venues every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 12-1:30 p.m., from July 11-Sept. 14.

Redmond has Thursday Nights Rockin on the River Concerts (6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.) at the Redmond Senior Center Garden Plaza, from July 13-Aug. 10.

In Mercer Island, there is Mostly Music in the Park, from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursdays nights, from July 20-Aug. 24 at Mercerdale Park.

Newcastles concert series happens at Lake Boren Park from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday evenings, from July 19-Aug. 9.

Kirklands Summer Concert Series are held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights, from July 6-Aug. 17 at Marina Park.

Look for the opportunity locally to allow your acoustic perception to provide you with some free and fun relaxation. It has been stated that many times we do not hear the melody or the lyrics until we need the song. This may just be the chance to tune in and enjoy music and put your troubles aside.

Sammamish resident Larry Crandall is a retired educator.

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Maintain mind-soothing harmony with summer music concerts | My Turn - Bellevue Reporter

Former nurse plays healing music

Bradley Blackburn, WFAA 6:17 AM. CDT June 28, 2017

After decades spent helping patients as a registered nurse, Diane Michal found a new way to care for patients. (Photo: WFAA)

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- They say music has the power to heal, and it's the reason one Grapevine nurse is starting a new career.

After decades spent helping patients as a registered nurse, Diane Michal found a new way to care for them while following a lifelong passion for music.

"When we play for patients, it's not performance. It's service," said Michal. "We're looking at where they are in the moment, and what their needs are."

Michal still works as a nurse, but she's now pursuing a career as a certified music practitioner. She plays the flute weekly in the lobby of Baylor Grapevine, in addition to other Baylor hospitals.

"We are just there providing the music with no real expectations from the patient," said Michal.

She played songs ranging from classical to pop, rendered in the peaceful tone of the flute.

"Beautiful music, and it's really relaxing," said Emile LeBlanc, who was listening in the lobby as she cradled her 2-week-old baby. "She's sleeping right through it, so I think she's doing good. She likes it."

Michal is a volunteer, but there are several staff music practitioners. It differs from music therapy, where music is actually prescribed. This, Michal said, is less clinical but still with a purpose.

"They may have needs for comfort. They may have needs for distraction," she said.

Michal has loved the flute since she first picked it up in the fourth grade, and through high school, she thought of pursuing music as a career. Her parents suggested otherwise.

"My parents really discouraged me from going into music. I think they had this image of a starving musician," she said.

She largely gave the up flute as she focused on medicine. She served 20 years as a nurse in the Navy before moving to civilian work. But five years ago, she rediscovered her love of the flute when she began playing at her church.

"I started in the orchestra, picked up my old, old flute from high school," Michal said.

Now, after private lessons and a certification program, she is close to achieving her goal of becoming a certified music practitioner and hopes to do the work full time. She'll still be serving patients, but with renewed passion.

"To me, it's a blessing to play for them," she said.

2017 WFAA-TV

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Medicine & Music: Grapevine nurse pivots careers, picks up flute - KHOU

Kendra Conlon, WTSP 7:29 PM. EDT June 27, 2017

Bandid watches Dog TV , a channel full of frisky hounds running leashless in lush green fields to soothing strains of meditative music. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, 2012 AFP)

People in the Bay area love their pets and here's proof: Clearwater is one of the Top 10 spots in the country, where owners splurge for a television channel just for their dogs to watch while they're away from home.

DOGTV says Clearwater ranks No. 8.

The full top 15 list of cities streaming DOGTV:

The thought is your dog may not be as bored or have separation anxiety, and TVtime could help break bad behavior.

Dogs can watch other dogs frolicking through a corn field, playing at the beach, or napping to relaxing music.

He just sits there and watches it. I think its seeing other animals on the screen, and he is just mesmerized by it, says dog owner Shelley Horsley.

When Horsleys dog, Buddy cant be at the dog park, and she has to leave him alone, the channel's his companion.

He runs up and start looking at it, sometimes hell wag his tail. I don't understand dog-ese, but something is being said that he likes, says Horsley.

Riley, a 4-month-old lab, has already taken to it.

Especially with her and all her energy, she needs something to keep her entertained, says Rileys owner, Katie Craig.

If the dog is too sleepy, to relax all day, that's not good. You can develop a lot of behavioral issues, says DOGTV Creator Ron Levi.

Levi develops 24-hour programming focusing on relaxation, stimulation and exposing pets to sounds to help overcome noise phobias.

It's really to expose dogs to stuff they're afraid of, like fireworks, like thunderstorms, car noise, or children, says Levi.

Research shows dogs can see pictures on TV, recognize images like fellow dogs and hear sounds that theyre familiar with, such as barking.

They don't see the world in the colors we do. What we have to do is find the right content, and in the editing room work on the colors for dogs to see the picture a little bit better, Levi says.

Dog Trainer Christie Mault recommends some TV time to her clients, but says just like with a child, it shouldn't replace playtime.

It gives them that kind of boredom buster to be mentally and physically stimulated while you're gone which is great. The normal exercise, that's key to keeping a calm dog, says Christie Mault, The Canine Professor.

You know what, we're not going to turn your dog into a couch potato, says Levi.

Horsley just wants Buddy to be happy. He needs something to watch. We have things to watch. One channel isn't a lot to ask for him, says Horsley.

The breed of dog can make a difference if they'll take to TV. For instance, a bloodhound may be more interested in scent than visual entertainment.

DOGTV is on some cable providers like DIRECTV and XFINITY or digital media players and ranges from $5-10 per month.

10News is asking viewers: what do you do for your dog when youre away from home?

http://www.wtsp.com/votenow

Do you:

Turn on the TV?

Have a dog walker check in on your pet?

Leave him/her with another dog?

2017 WTSP-TV

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Home Alone: A TV Channel to Entertain Dogs | WTSP.com - WTSP 10 News

Photo:R. Bernard

Patron, Hennessy, Alize, and Cristal have all been named dropped in hip hop songs, but one liquor you rarely hear in a rap rhymeis whiskey.

Rapper G-Eazy is hoping to change that with a unique collaboration withStillhouse, thebreakout spirits company best known for its award-winning clear American whiskey that comes in ared, stainless steel can.

G-Eazy, theOakland-bred multi-platinum rapper, producer, and Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur (real name Gerald Gillum), has been named Partner and Co-Creative Director and will work tumbler-in-hand withStillhouse CEO & Founder Brad Beckerman, who has a background in music as theformer Chief Creative Officer at Live Nation.

Spirits companies had approached me with endorsement deals but that was just money, says G-Eazy in a press release. I kept running into Stillhouse everywhere and fell in love with the brand not to mention its smooth whiskey.

G-Eazy, who has been named to Forbes 30 under 30 list, seems like the ideal frontman for a top-shelf whiskey brand with his slick, bad boy look and pop culture hooks so its not a matter of if, but when we will hear him slip inStillhouse in an upcoming rap verse.

Stay connected with Stillhouse by visiting http://www.Stillhouse.com and follow along @StillhouseUSA.

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For Relaxing Times, G-Eazy Makes it Stillhouse Time - Crave Online

High achievers often face the problem of taking on too much. Their productivity causes these otherwise worthy individuals to create longer and more involved to-do lists than the rest of us. Many people ensure that theyll never get to the end of their list by continuously adding more tasks after accomplishing just a few.

This kind of approach to managing your to-do list is fraught with problems. It is both rewarding and appropriate when you cross off everything on your list and feel satisfied about your achievements. When youre able to finish your lists two to four times a week, you actually come back to work each morning with more energy, focus, and direction.

Conversely, when you perpetually leave the office with unfinished tasks on that days to-do list, you engender a situation in which you never quite feel satisfied, and you find yourself in a perpetual striving mode. In the short run, its okay to leave unfinished tasks, especially when youre on a specific campaign or project. In the long run, however, continuously overextending your daily to-do list can have a harmful, discouraging effect on your life.

Its understandable that ambitious trainers and educators want to achieve as much as they can and, if employed by others, desire to greatly benefit their organization. If youre not careful, however, and you attempt to accomplish one major task after another instead of alternating large and small tasks, your productivity will suffer, because trying to tackle one major task after another can be mind numbing.

Start choosing to tackle a handful of key tasks in a given day, alternating them with some minor tasks so you can maintain a fairly high level of energy and allow yourself to leave the workplace with a sense of completion. Youll work more effectively the next day, as well as throughout the course of your week, month, year, and career.

You can slow down time if you choose. How? Whenever you feel you're racing the clock or trying to tackle too much at once, try this exercise:

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a pleasant scene. You might be surrounded by trees or with a loved one. It could be something from childhood. Let the emotions of that place and time pervade you. Get into it! Give yourself more than a short moment for the visualization to take hold.

Open your eyes and return to what you're doing. In my experience, after doing this exercise, whatever task Im working on is not quite so bad, and the pace I work at becomes less feverish.

Imagine you're flying on an airplane. You have a window seat, and it's a clear day. As you gaze down to the ground below, what do you see? Life passing by. Cars the size of ants. Miniature baseball diamonds. Rivers the size of streams. There's something about being at great heights that enables you to reflect on life. The same phenomenon can take place from the top of a mountain or skyscraper. When practical things seem to be racing by too fast, seek a bit of distance for a clearer perspective.

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After the workday, listen to relaxing music with headphones, and close your eyes. A half hour of your favorite music with no disturbances can seem almost endless. When you re-emerge, the rest of the day takes on a different tenor.

An effective method for slowing down time and catching up with today is periodically deleting three items from your to-do list without doing them at all. Before you shriek, consider that any list can benefit from prioritization, and that means removing items that arent worth your time and energy. In most cases, eliminating three items won't affect your career or life, except for freeing up a little time for yourself in the present.

I have long used water to reduce stress. For 11 years, I lived in a high-rise condominium in Falls Church, Virginia, complete with its own 25-meter pool. No matter how hard I worked during the day, even if I did a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. stint, at 6:05 p.m. I was in the pool. After 30 minutes of laps, I had swum out many of the stresses and strains of the day. Find the swimming hole nearest you, or a regular exercise routine that gives you a similar sense of release.

Playing with your dog or cat can also release stress and make you more ready for the next day. Over and over, scientists have found proof for what was only once suspected: Contact with animals has specific and measurable effects on your body and mind. The mere presence of animals can increase a sick person's chances of survival, and has been shown to lower heart rate, calm disturbed children, and induce incommunicative people to initiate conversation.

The exact mechanisms behind this effect are still largely mysterious. Scientists suspect that animal companionship is beneficial because, unlike human interaction, it is uncomplicated. Animals are nonjudgmental, accepting, and attentive; they don't talk back, criticize, or give orders. Animals have a unique capacity to draw people out.

Even if you only have goldfish, sometimes simply staring at them in their silent world can help deaden your hectic pace.

Here are ways to gain composure and find some relaxation during your day:

When you consider all the ways you add unnecessary pressures to your day, you begin to see many ways to catch up with today

Originally posted here:

Are You Stretching Yourself Too Thin? - ATD (blog)

You cant always solve a problem by throwing money at it. In fact, you might just cause one instead.

Air travel can be scary, and so uneasy travelers often take solace in some sort of soothing pre-flight ritual. Some enjoy a stiff drink before boarding. Others calm their nerves by listening to relaxing music.

And then theres the 80-year-old Chinese woman with the family name Qiu.

On July 27, Qui was at Shanghais Pudong International Airport where she was scheduled to hop on a flight for Guangzhou with her husband, daughter, and son-in-law. Rather than entering the aircraft through a jet bridge that connects the gate and aircraft, the passengers for the 12:40 p.m. China Southern Airlines flight boarded from the tarmac.

Before getting aboard, Qiu said a quick prayer for a safe flight. Lots of travelers no doubt do something similar, but Qui then decided to punctuate her divine request by throwing a handful of coins towards the planes exposed engine intakes, ostensibly under the not-incorrect logic that the properly working engines are an essential part of air travel safety.

While eight of the nine coins Qiu tossed ended up falling back on the tarmac, a single disc, in what you could arguably call either a lucky or unlucky toss, found its way into the engines internal mechanisms. Thankfully, the problem was noticed before takeoff, and all of the roughly 150 passengers were removed from the plane while a safety inspection took place. The procedure ended up taking over five hours, with the plane finally on its way at 6:16 p.m.

Qiu has no previous criminal record, and her motivation appears to have been nothing more than a misguided attempt to ensure a safe trip for herself and her fellow passengers. Nevertheless, the incident serves as an important reminder that while there are a number of surcharges and fees involved in air travel, theres no need to tip the flight crew orflying machine.

Source: IT Media, The Telegraph, CNN Top image: Pakutaso

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Elderly Shanghai traveler throws coins into jet engine for luck, grounds plane for five hours - SoraNews24

Many grocery store shoppers believe that organic vegetables are healthier than their conventional counterparts, but studies comparing nutritional content have produced mixed results. Now, researchers have completed the first-ever multiyear field test of a crop grown with organic methods versus conventional ones. They report that organic onions contain a significantly higher amount of two types of flavonoidscompounds that some studies have shown may protect against chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer (J. Ag. Food Chem. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01352).

Previous studies of differences between conventional and organic produce have relied on vegetables bought off the shelf or have encompassed just a couple of years of side-by-side growth, making it difficult to rule out the effects of annual differences in weather or other factors. In this study, researchers from Teagasc Food Research Centre wanted to do a longer, better-controlled study by growing the same vegetables in the same location over six seasons using conventional versus organic methods. Between 2009 and 2014, the researchers grew red and yellow onionsRed Baron and Hyskin varietiesusing both organic farming practices as defined by the European Union and conventional methods, which involved the use of mineral fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. Then they analyzed the compounds in freeze-dried extracts from the onions using high-performance liquid chromatography and other techniques.

Not surprisingly, the red onions had higher levels of the red-pigmented flavonoid anthocyanin, while the yellow onions had higher levels of quercetin, which imparts a yellowish pigment. Annual weather factors like rainfall and temperature also contributed to variability in phytochemical content.

Overall, however, across the six years of the study, the total flavonoid content was 10-50% higher by dry weight in the organic onions. Consistently higher levels of individual flavonoids were also present in the organic onions, and the extracts had higher antioxidant activity in two assays that measure radical scavenging activity.

The teams analysis attributed the flavonoid content increase in the organic onions primarily to the differences in soil management and pest control practices. Under organically farmed conditions, the plant experiences more stress as it grows, explains Dilip K. Rai, the studys senior author. Without synthetic pesticides, for example, microbial attacks increase. Plants generate secondary metabolites such as anthocyanin and quercetin as a defensive mechanism, he says.

Rai points out that the studys findings align with a major 2012 meta-analysis that found no nutritional differences between organic and conventional produce but noted that flavonoids and other polyphenol compounds increase in organic farming. We have to make a distinction between nutritional compounds like protein and minerals that we need for growth and health-promoting ones, he says.

Pinning down whether the increase translates to real health benefits is difficult, however. Thats the million-dollar question, says Rai. Thunder Jalili, a nutritional scientist at the University of Utah who studies the physiological effects of phytochemicals, notes that a handful of studies have shown that taking quercetin reduces blood pressure. The doses given are generally much higher than could be consumed from onions, however.

Link:

Organic onions richer in flavonoids - Chemical & Engineering News