Food and Health Room

[Anthea]

Iraqi parliament vote on

anti-tobacco law

A draft law on combating smoking and imposing additional taxes on tobacco products will be presented for voting in the Iraqi parliament, the head of the legislature’s health and environment committee told Rudaw on Wednesday

“We are in the final drafting stage of the law on combating smoking and protecting society from its damages,” Majid Shingali said, adding that they will share the final draft with experts for “legal and linguistic review” soon as a preparation to discuss it in next week’s session.

The 21-provision draft law has been passed through the first and second reading, making it ready for the final vote.

If passed, the law will impose a tax of 500 Iraqi dinars (around $0.38) on each imported pack of 20 cigarettes. It will also prohibit smoking in public places, with violators facing a fine of 50,000 Iraqi dinars (around $38.20). Additionally, individuals who sell tobacco products - including hookah materials, electronic cigarettes, and vapes - to minors will be subject to a prison sentence of no less than six months or a fine ranging from 250,000 (around $190) to 500,000 Iraqi dinars (around $382).

Dara Sekaniani, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s legal committee, expressed pessimism regarding the passage of the draft law, saying that the legislative product was initially enacted in 2012.

“I have never heard of anyone being punished for smoking,” Sekaniani said. “The government is not serious with its execution [anti-smoking law] and the citizens are not committed to implement it.”

Similarly, the Kurdistan Region parliament enacted an anti-smoking law in 2007 that banned smoking in public places and fined people breaking the law. Nevertheless, the law remained unenforced

Smoking is highly prevalent in Iraq, with smoking prevalence for people 15 years of age and above reaching 18.6 percent, and 9.5 percent for youth aging 10 to 14 years in 2022, according to the Tobacco Atlas, a World Health Organization (WHO)-recognized global public health initiative providing data-driven insights on tobacco control.

Tobacco Atlas also estimated that more than 27,000 people die from smoking in Iraq each year.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/020420253

[Anthea]

A Guide to Freezing Practically Any Food
Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Sure, the refrigerator can keep food fresher longer, but for serious life extension, the freezer is where you should focus your attention

Preserving food isn’t just better for reducing food waste, it’s crucial for staying on budget, especially as grocery prices hit new highs. Stop the pattern of bulk buying and bulk tossing spoiled food, and get comfortable with freezing more of your grocery haul. Here are the best ways to pack your freezer, the best things to freeze, and how to do it.

Organized freezers fit more and stay cold

Before we dive into specific foods, it’s important to set a standard for freezer organization. Keeping a tidy freezer (and fridge for that matter) will keep you from having a headache finding lost foods, allow you to fit more in the space, and ensure you’re eating older foods first. Freeze sauces, broths, and other liquids flat in freezer safe zip-top bags, and don’t forget to label them.

You might swear to yourself in the moment that there's no way you'll forget when you put that chili in the freezer, but then an unknown number of months passes and suddenly you're not so sure whether that chili is from June or September. Once your liquids are frozen flat, then you can stack them like books on a shelf. Read here for more detailed tips on portioning sauces in the freezer.

If you don’t like the idea of freezing in plastic freezer bags (keep in mind that many can be washed and reused up to 10 times) then buy a set of freezer-safe storage containers that can be stacked. The goal is to fit as much as possible in your freezer while still having access to all of the items. You don’t want things getting lost in the back.

As an added benefit, more frozen food in the ice box keeps the temperature steady, and your appliance won’t need to draw as much energy. Less money spent on energy is another chicken cutlet in the freezer.

Finally, consider investing in a chest freezer. You’ll be able to freeze larger, irregularly shaped items, like a rack of lamb or a whole turkey, easier in one of these. Plus the storage down at your feet rather than up high makes it a better place for heavy items. My current Brooklyn apartment doesn’t have the space, but you better believe that the first thing I’m buying when I do have more space is a chest freezer.

Carbs

Let’s start with the best thing to freeze: carbs. Breads, cake, choux puffs, cookies, English muffins—they are all freezer champions. I say this because they freeze quickly, freeze for a long time, and revive like nothing ever happened. They’re the best example of what a great time capsule the freezer can be.

Keep any bready item in the freezer. The carbs I always freeze are sliced bread, loaves of bread, pre-split English muffins (it’s less annoying later), pancakes, waffles, cooked rice, cakes, frostings, cookies (as dough or post-bake), burger buns, bagels, and biscuits. Some of these can be frozen in their raw form, but you might run into leavening problems if you try baking them after they’ve been frozen. If you haven’t tried to do it before, I recommend baking the bread, cookies, or biscuits first, cooling them completely and then freezing them on a baking tray. After they’re hard and frozen, consolidate the item into a container or freezer bag.

Revive breads in a 350°F oven for five to 10 minutes, or in the toaster oven for pancakes and waffles. I’ve revived breads after five months of freezer time and they’ve suffered no degradation in flavor or texture.

Meats and other proteins

Meats are easy to freeze both raw and cooked. The only thing you really have to be careful of is freezer burn. I recommend portioning your meats when you bring them home from the grocery store. You can cut chicken into slices or form ground meat into patties while it’s thawed, then wrap them securely in freezer-friendly containers or bags to freeze. I’ll sometimes reuse plastic grocery bags just to double bag them and hopefully prevent moisture loss. Other proteins I like to freeze are shrimp and tofu.

To use frozen proteins, put the portion size of your choice into the fridge overnight. If you’re using the meat in a soup or sauce, you might be able to just toss it into the hot pot of liquid to thaw and cook more quickly. According to this USDA freezing chart, frozen foods stay safe indefinitely—it’s really quality and texture that you’re looking out for. Here are their guidelines on how long different proteins can be frozen before texture or quality starts to suffer.

Cheeses

Frozen cheese is a lifesaver when you need to make a boring meal a tad more appealing. Shredded and low-moisture cheeses freeze well.

You can easily freeze a block of cheese, like low-moisture mozzarella, cheddar, or swiss, straight in its plastic packaging. When you need to thaw it, leave it in the fridge overnight and it should be ready to go the next day.

If you know that you’ll be using it for particular uses, like pizza toppings or lasagna layers, slice or shred it before freezing and keep it in freezer-safe containers. Then the container can essentially live in the freezer. You can just reach into the bag and pluck out exactly what you need, leaving the rest to stay frozen until next time.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits, vegetables, and fruits we call vegetables are all freezable. It’s really the thawing that can cause trouble for some produce. When you’re preparing to freeze fruit, slice it into bite sized pieces first, if needed. For example, berries don’t need to be prepped, but pineapple does. Peel fruits and veggies that you’d normally eat peeled—probably not necessary for bell peppers, but you’d do this for bananas. They should be peeled first and then cut into smaller pieces for using later. I’ll usually peel ginger root and julienne it because that’s how I’ll normally use it in soups and curries.

Lay the pieces out onto a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and put it in the freezer for an hour or two until solid. Then consolidate the fruit into a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to use the produce, drop it straight into the cooking dish—there’s no need to thaw it. In fact, thawing the ingredient first will probably cause it to be mushy. That’s why fruits and veggies that have been frozen are often great for cooking—they transfer all of their flavor beautifully and it doesn’t matter if their cell structure has gotten a little busted up. Try using them in stews, soups, muffins, pies, or smoothies.

Milks and liquids

As I mentioned earlier, freezing liquids in flat planks can help you stack them and conserve space, as opposed to finding spaces for blocks of liquid. However, it’s really a matter of preference. I wasn’t privy to the world of freezing milks until recently when I learned that I could freeze and thaw coconut milk. It turns out you can freeze cow milk equally as well.

This is a huge boon, since dairy milks tend to spoil rather quickly, but buying a whole gallon is usually more cost effective than the smaller sizes. Now you can buy the bigger size, pour half of it into a freezer-safe container and pop it into the freezer. Use the other half at your normal pace, and when you’re ready, thaw the other portion.

Thaw frozen milk in the fridge overnight and give it a shake to smooth it out. If you’re in a rush, you can put the icy milk block into a pot on the stove and warm it up. Then return it to the fridge in a container to use in cereal, tea, and coffee over the next five days.

Entire cooked meals

Take it from the freezer aisle of your grocery store: a lot of completely cooked meals can be frozen. While you could meal prep for the freezer, I use this as an easy way to save leftovers from the garbage can. If I make soup, a huge batch of chili, a casserole, or a stir fry and find that I have way more left over than I expected, then I’ll portion it out into containers or freezer bags and freeze it. This is especially helpful for when you’re leaving for vacation or you have dinner plans for the next four nights.

Depending on the meal you’ve frozen, the best way to reheat it is to use the original cooking method. If it’s soup, throw the frozen blocks into a pot, cover it with a lid and heat it over low heat to revive it. If it’s a casserole, gently reheat it in the oven covered with foil so it doesn’t dry out. A stir fry or sautéed meal will reheat best in a lightly-oiled large pan. Start it off on low heat with a lid so the humidity can help thaw the food. After you can break up the pieces easily then you can keep the lid off and bump up the heat to get a nice fry going, and evaporate any excess moisture.

Tough to freeze items

There are some items that just don’t fare well in the freezer. Whole eggs with their shells on are not recommended for freezing because their shells can crack as the interior expands; this may allow bacteria to potentially contaminate the inside. However, you can crack them and freeze them free from their shells.

Watery fruits, vegetables, and tender herbs, like lettuce, cilantro, melons, and cucumbers freeze well but lose their structural integrity after thawing. These can be frozen, and as long as your intentions are to use them in something blended (like a soup or smoothie) then you won’t be disappointed. There’s no need to thaw them, just dump them straight in the soup, sauce, or blender.

https://lifehacker.com/food-drink/how-t ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

Safer Than Smoking?

Vaping Tied to Alarming Rise in COPD Cases

The use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has only continued to increase in popularity over the years. In the U.S., e-cigarettes are the second-most common form of tobacco use. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over one million middle and high school students identify as e-cigarette users, with the percentage of adult users increasing from 4.5 percent in 2019 to 6.5 percent in 2023.

When it comes to traditional “combustible” cigarettes, the health risks are long-studied and well-defined. However, there is a lack of long-term studies on the health effects of vaping, especially for adults.

A new study out of Johns Hopkins Medicine gives us important insights into the health risks associated with e-cigarettes

“There remains great uncertainty about the relative harm of e-cigarettes as compared to traditional smoking,” says Michael Blaha, senior author of the study and professor of cardiology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a press release. “Until now, there has been scant longitudinal data in large, high-quality datasets linking exclusive e-cigarette use to new-onset cardiometabolic health conditions.”

Vaping and COPD

The study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, confirms the link between e-cigarette use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This counteracts some claims that e-cigarettes are the “safer” option when compared to traditional cigarettes.

It is well-documented that traditional cigarettes carry a host of health risks, including COPD, heart disease, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. In the U.S., eight out of ten COPD-related deaths can be linked to smoking traditional cigarettes, as reported by the CDC.

Although the risk of developing COPD while smoking traditional cigarettes is higher than vaping-only, researchers found a significant association between e-cigarettes and COPD. They also found that vaping minimally increases your risk for hypertension, as well.

These results align with previous studies that have found vaping can increase your chances of developing asthma, along with a general higher risk for new respiratory disease symptoms.

Largest Vaping Study

A study of this scope and scale has not been conducted before on the health effects and risks associated with vaping in adults. For this analysis, medical information was gathered on a diverse group of almost a quarter-million people ranging in age from 30 years to 70 years old.

Out of the people studied, 3,164 reported that they exclusively smoked e-cigarettes, while 8,316 commonly used both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. Another 33,778 were traditional-only smokers, and the remaining 203,932 didn’t smoke at all.

The research team followed up on the medical records of these individuals four years after the initial report. They found that there were 23,745 new cases of hypertension, 13,179 cases of type 2 diabetes, 9,801 cases of heart failure, and 7,925 new cases of COPD.

There was no significant correlation between those who only smoked e-cigarettes and an increase in type 2 diabetes or heart failure. But there was a notable increase between e-cigarette smoking and COPD diagnosis that researchers think deserves long-term attention.

“These results are a critical stepping stone for future prospective research on the health effects of e-cigarettes. While in this short-term study there was no association between exclusive e-cigarette use and cardiovascular events, there was an association with incident COPD and possibly hypertension that will need to be closely watched over longer term follow-up,” continues Blaha in a press release.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/health ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

King of poisons is building up in rice

Throughout the Yangtze River Delta, a region in southern China famed for its widespread rice production, farmers grow belts of slender green stalks. Before they reach several feet tall and turn golden brown, the grassy plants soak in muddy, waterlogged fields for months. Along the rows of submerged plants, levees store and distribute a steady supply of water that farmers source from nearby canals

This traditional practice of flooding paddies to raise the notoriously thirsty crop is almost as old as the ancient grain’s domestication. Thousands of years later, the agricultural method continues to predominate in rice cultivation practices from the low-lying fields of Arkansas to the sprawling terraces of Vietnam.

As the planet heats up, this popular process of growing rice is becoming increasingly more dangerous for the millions of people worldwide that eat the grain regularly, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Lancet Planetary Health. After drinking water, the researchers say, rice is the world’s second largest dietary source of inorganic arsenic, and climate change appears to be increasing the amount of the highly toxic chemical that is in it. If nothing is done to transform how most of the world’s rice is produced, regulate how much of it people consume, or mitigate warming, the authors conclude that communities with rice-heavy diets could begin confronting increased risks of cancer and disease as soon as 2050.

“Our results are very scary,” said Donming Wang, the ecological doctorate student at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences who led the paper. “It’s a disaster … and a wake-up call.”

Back in 2014, Wang and an international team of climate, plant, and public health scientists started working together on a research project that would end up taking them close to a decade to complete. Wading through rice paddies across the Yangtze Delta, they sought to find out just how projected temperatures and levels of atmospheric CO2 in 2050 would interact with the arsenic in the soil and the rice crops planted there. They knew, from past research, that the carcinogen was a problem in rice crops, but wanted to find out how much more of an issue it might be in a warming world. The team didn’t look at just any rice, but some of the grain varieties most produced and consumed worldwide.

Although there are an estimated 40,000 types of rice on the planet, they tend to be grouped into three categories based on length of the grain. Short-grain rice, or the sticky kind often used in sushi; long-grain, which includes aromatic types like basmati and jasmine; and medium-grain, or rice that tends to be served as a main dish. Of these, the short-to-medium japonica and long-grain indica are the two major subspecies of cultivated rice eaten across Asia. Wang’s study modelled the growth of 28 varieties of japonica, indica, and hybrid rice strains central to cuisine for seven of the continent’s top rice consuming and producing countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam. India, Vietnam, and China are among the group of eight nations that lead the rest of the world in rice exports.

After nearly a decade of observing and analyzing the growth of the plants, the researchers discovered that the combination of higher temperatures and CO2 encourages root growth, increasing the ability of rice plants to uptake arsenic from the soil. They believe this is because climate-related changes in soil chemistry that favor arsenic can be more easily absorbed into the grain. Carbon-dioxide enriched crops were found to capture more atmospheric carbon and pump some of that into the soil, stimulating microbes that are making arsenic.

The more root growth, the more carbon in the soil, which can be a source of food for soil bacteria that multiply under warming temperatures. When soil in a rice paddy is waterlogged, oxygen gets depleted, causing the soil bacteria to rely further on arsenic to generate energy. The end result is more arsenic building up in the rice paddy, and more roots to take it up to the developing grain.

These arsenic-accumulating effects linked to increased root growth and carbon capture is a paradoxical surprise to Corey Lesk, a Dartmouth College postdoctoral climate and crop researcher unaffiliated with the paper. The paradox, said Lesk, is that both of these outcomes have been talked about as potential benefits to rice yields under climate change. “More roots could make the rice more drought-resistant, and cheaper carbon can boost yields generally,” he said. “But the extra arsenic accumulation could make it hard to realize health benefits from that yield boost.”

Arsenic comes in many different forms. Notoriously toxic, inorganic arsenic — compounds of the element that don’t contain carbon — is what the World Health Organization classifies as a “confirmed carcinogen” and “the most significant chemical contaminant in drinking water globally.” Such forms of arsenic are typically more toxic to humans because they are less stable than their organic counterparts and may allow arsenic to interact with molecules that ramp up exposure. Chronic exposure has been linked to lung, bladder, and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes, adverse pregnancy, neurodevelopmental issues, and weakened immune systems, among other health impacts.

Scientists and public-health specialists have known for years that the presence of arsenic in food is a mounting threat, but dietary exposure has long been considered much less of a risk in comparison to contaminated groundwater. So policy measures to mitigate the risk have been slow going. The few existing standards that have been enacted by the European Union and China, for example, are considered inconsistent and largely unenforced.

No country has formally established regulations for organic arsenic exposure in foods. (In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has established an action level of 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, but that recommendation for manufacturers isn’t an enforceable regulation on arsenic in rice or any other food

Wang hopes to see this change. The levels of inorganic arsenic commonly found in rice today fall within China’s recommended standards, for example, but her paper shows that lifetime bladder and lung cancer incidences are likely to increase “proportionally” to exposure by 2050. Under a “worst case” climate scenario, where global temperatures rise above 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and are coupled with CO2 levels that increase another 200 parts per million, the levels of inorganic arsenic in the rice varieties studied are projected to surge by a whopping 44 percent. That means that more than half the rice samples would exceed China’s current proposed limit, which limits 200 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in paddy rice, with an estimated 13.4 million cancers linked to rice-based arsenic exposure.

Because these health risks are in part calculated based on body weight, infants and young children will face the biggest health burdens. Babies, in particular, may end up facing outsize risks through the consumption of rice cereals, according to the researchers.

“You’re talking about a crop staple that feeds billions of people, and when you consider that more carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures can significantly influence the amount of arsenic in that staple, the amount of health consequences related to that are, for lack of a better word, enormous,” said study coauthor Lewis Ziska, a plant biologist researching climate change and public health at Columbia University.

But everyone should not suddenly stop eating rice as a result, he added. Though the team found the amount of inorganic arsenic in rice is higher than a lot of other plants, it’s still quite low overall. The key variable is how much rice a person eats. If you are among the bulk of the world that consumes rice multiple times a week, this looming health burden could apply to you, but if you do so more sporadically, Ziska says, the inorganic arsenic you may end up exposed to won’t be “a big deal.”

In that way, the study’s projections may also deepen existing global and social inequities, as a big reason rice has long reigned as one of the planet’s most devoured grains is because it’s also among the most affordable.

Beyond mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions — what Ziska calls “waving my rainbows, unicorns, and sprinkles wand” — adaptation efforts to avoid a future with toxic rice include rice paddy farmers planting earlier in the season to avoid seeds developing under warmer temperatures, better soil management, and plant breeding to minimize rice’s propensity to accumulate so much arsenic.

Water-saving irrigation techniques such as alternate wetting and drying, where paddy fields are first flooded and then allowed to dry in a cycle, could also be used to reduce these increasing health risks and the grain’s enormous methane footprint. On a global scale, rice production accounts for roughly 8 percent of all methane emissions from human activity — flooded paddy fields are ideal conditions for methane-emitting bacteria.

“This is an area that I know is not sexy, that doesn’t have the same vibe as the end of the world, rising sea levels, category 10 storms,” said Ziska. “But I will tell you quite honestly that it will have the greatest effect in terms of humanity, because we all eat.”

https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/ ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

How Denmark changed the diet – and health

of their entire nation

Lunchtime in Copenhagen, Denmark. The place is packed and staff are talking customers through the menu. Would we like the slow-roasted pork with pearl barley and mushrooms? How about the rye pancakes with salmon, cream cheese and avocado? I decide on the beetroot tartare with horseradish and rye toasts, and a spelt side salad

This isn’t a fancy new Nordic restaurant – it’s a work canteen. These chefs feed 900 workers from DSB (Danish State Railways) every weekday. As well as looking and tasting great, each dish served here contains fuldkorn (wholegrains), from breakfast smoothies with oats to afternoon treats such as today’s wholemeal scones. There’s a good reason for this: DSB recently signed up to a national programme that aims to get more wholegrains into employees.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Danish Whole Grain Partnership, a group on a mission to make Danes healthier, one slice of rye bread at a time. Its members include the government, health NGOs (the Danish Cancer Society, the Danish Heart Foundation and the Danish Diabetes Association) and industry (bakers, food companies, supermarkets). It has been incredibly successful.

When the partnership began in 2008, the average Dane ate 36g of wholegrains a day. By 2019, they were eating 82g, the highest intake in Europe. In contrast, the average Briton eats 20g a day, and one in five don’t eat any wholegrains. In the US, just 15% of grain consumption comes from wholegrains (dietary guidelines recommend at least 50%).

What’s so good about wholegrains? “Eating wholegrains helps to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. They help lower your cholesterol, stabilise your blood glucose levels and improve the health of your gut microbiota,” says Natasha Selberg of the Danish Heart Association. Rikke Neess, the campaign’s leader, adds: “Wholegrains make you feel full, so can help prevent obesity.” (Denmark has some of the lowest obesity rates in Europe.) “They add texture to your food – and taste really good.”

In Denmark, there are nine recognised grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rice (brown and red), rye, oats, millet, corn (dried) and sorghum. The category may soon be expanded to include “pseudo-grains” such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. Eating a grain’s whole kernel, which includes the bran, germ and endosperm, means you benefit from “all the good parts”, says Neess – the fibre, vitamins and minerals.

“The project started because of the [low-carbohydrate] Atkins diet, which was very popular in Denmark,” Neess says. “Sales of bread were decreasing. At the same time, there was increasing evidence that wholegrains decreased the risk of cancer.”

One of the Whole Grain Partnership’s first moves was to create an orange logo for products high in wholegrains. In 2010, 190 products carried the symbol; by 2019, it was 1,097. In a 2024 survey, seven out of 10 Danes recognised it. “The logo makes it really easy for consumers to choose wholegrains,” says Neess.

“We’ve also had a very positive response from industry. It gives them a competitive advantage to have the logo on their products.” Selberg adds: “This logo gives producers an incentive to develop and reformulate healthy products.” According to a 2022report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), these products are no more expensive than their refined grain equivalents.

The government has supported the initiative by updating official dietary guidelines. In 2009, it recommended four servings of wholegrains a day. In 2013, it set a more specific target of at least 75g a day, and in June last year that was increased to 90g

I visit Lantmännen Schulstad, the biggest producer of rye bread, a Danish staple. “Rye bread has been part of our culture for 1,000 years,” says Neess. But young people are increasingly choosing white bagels, wraps and burger buns over boring old rectangular rye bread. In response, Lantmännen Schulstad is bringing out new shapes and sizes that are more convenient for children’s lunch boxes. “We have to make rye bread great again,” jokes Neess.

Pernille Bang-Löwgren, Lantmännen Schulstad’s chief executive, shows me a table heaped with different kinds of bread. They are set out in varying amounts, illustrating how much of each type you’d need to eat to get your daily wholegrain quota. Dark rye bread? Just four small slices. White rolls? You’d have to munch your way through a towering pile of 50.

For some people, that knowledge is enough to make them choose the rye bread. But many others base their choice on taste, or price, or what the kids will eat, and may even be put off by a virtue-signalling wholegrain logo. For that reason, the partnership has encouraged producers to put a little bit of wholegrain flour in all their products, even the white sliced bread. Most started with 3% – nowhere near enough to see or taste – and are increasing very gradually: 5%, 7%, maybe as much 9%.

These stealth wholegrains are listed in the ingredients, but not trumpeted anywhere else on the label. “There is a lot of fast food in Denmark, but the strategy of just adding a little bit of wholegrains to burger buns is a good start,” says Neess. This tactic is aimed at the 6% of Danes who eat less than 25g of wholegrains a day. “We have to get the people who eat the least amount to eat more,” says Selberg.

At Valsemøllen, a Danish bakery founded in 1899, I bake bread with Erik Olsen. We’re experimenting by making sourdough with different ratios of wholegrain flour, from zero to 90%. It is surprising how little difference it makes to the appearance, texture or taste – even Olsen, who has been baking since he was 13, is taken aback. If you like the tang of white sourdough, you could probably switch to 75% wholegrain and barely notice.

Olsen has also baked some delicious cinnamon buns with 25% wholegrains. Adding a percentage of wholegrain flour into cakes is another easy way to up people’s intake, especially in Denmark, where pastries, cakes and biscuits are a big deal. Sweet treats don’t get the wholegrain logo – products have to meet official guidelines on sugar, salt and fat, too – but adding wholegrains can still make them a bit healthier. The same goes for ultra-processed packaged food, says Selberg. “The fibre, vitamins and minerals in ultra-processed rye bread may be more important than the additives, which may just help the bread last longer.”

The Whole Grain Partnership runs annual events to raise awareness. On National Whole Grain Day in January, there are activities such as cooking, baking, singing and playing games in schools, libraries and hospitals; this year a prison took part. Supermarkets have special offers on wholegrain products at this time. “It’s a day with so much positivity, happiness and community,” says Nees.

There is also a smørrebrød (open sandwich) week in June, a breakfast week in September and a new dinner week in November. “Most Danes get wholegrains at breakfast and lunch, but not many get so much in the evening,” says Selberg. “Our new campaign focuses on dinner: wholegrain pasta, rice and bread.”

I ask Neess how she gets her 90g a day. “I always eat oatmeal with blueberries and almonds for breakfast, a piece of rye bread for lunch, and focus on wholegrains at dinner – pasta, rice, pizza – with lots of veg,” she says. “I really like crispbread as a snack in the afternoon.”

The EU and the OECD have awarded the partnership best-practice status for promoting public health, in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The OECD report said: “Given there is strong evidence to support the link between high wholegrain consumption and lower risk of developing certain cancers (eg colorectal cancer), type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the DWGP plays an important role in improving population health.”

How easy is it to change the diet of an entire nation? “It’s very difficult to change eating habits on a population level,” says Selberg. “You need industry partners who can increase the availability of wholegrain products and reformulate recipes to increase the amount of wholegrain. You have to ensure customers can make healthy choices in supermarkets, and increase consumer awareness and demand.”

Neess agrees that the most important thing is availability: “It should be easy to make a wholegrain choice everywhere we go.” We stroll around central Copenhagen, popping into shops and supermarkets. The wholegrain logo is everywhere: on bread, cereal, pasta, rice, biscuits, snacks …

Neess stresses the importance of cooperation. “We want to increase public health, but that’s a difficult task for only one partner to achieve. But when we work closely together, we can make it happen. There is very high trust among the partners,” she says. “Not all countries can work together with government. It’s not a political project. Leftwing and rightwing governments have all been very supportive.”

“Our public/private partnership is a very Danish thing, and it’s very successful,” adds Selberg. “Most of Europe is moving more to the right. Politicians are not allowed to decide what’s on people’s plates.”

Indeed, Denmark is leading the way with this kind of alliance. In October 2023, the country drew up the world’s first action plan for plant-based food, an unlikely agreement between farmers, politicians and environmental groups, aimed at reducing meat consumption for environmental as well as health reasons.

Wholegrains are a part of this – they are filling but require far less water, land or energy to produce than meat or dairy. “Wholegrains have a low carbon footprint,” says Neess. “Only 25% of Danes are aware of that.”

The partnership is now trying to spread the wholegrain word beyond Denmark. “We’re part of the Fortified Whole Grain Alliance, a Rockefeller-funded project trying to increase wholegrain consumption in Africa,” says Neess. “We also have partnerships in Germany and Japan, and we’ve just launched a partnership with Sweden.” The International Whole Grain Summit was held in Detmold, Germany, earlier this month, advocating for refined grains to be replaced by wholegrains over the next few years.

How can other countries follow in Denmark’s footsteps? “Small steps. The food industry should look at what people eat and increase the amount of wholegrain gradually: 3%, 5% etc,” says Neess. At home, “If you bake a cake with 25% wholegrain flour, you’d never guess. You could make a lasagne with 50% wholewheat pasta, 50% white.”

On my last day in Copenhagen, I have breakfast at my hotel. It’s easy to choose wholegrains: a bowl of oatmeal with fruit, a piece of rye toast with hummus, a wholemeal pastry. They fill me up for a morning of sightseeing – and, as Neess promised, they taste really, really good.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... wtab-en-gb