Med Diet Helps with Healthy Ageing

New research on the Med Diet, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that middle-aged women who follow a Mediterranean diet* or similar, may increase their lifespan, with better chance of living past the age of 70, compared with those who did not follow the Mediterranean diet.

These "healthy agers" were also found to be free from 11 chronic diseases measured in the study, including kidney failure, cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
Furthermore, they showed no physical disabilities, no signs of cognitive impairment and no signs of mental health problems. 

Overall, the healthy agers consumed higher amounts of plant foods, whole grains, and fish or long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. They also consumed less red and processed meat, and they drank less alcohol. The researchers note that these findings may encourage people to follow a healthy diet in order to increase their lifespan and general health. They said:

"We found that greater quality of diet at midlife was strongly associated with increased odds of good health and well-being among individuals surviving to older ages. These data may have an especially important role in promoting a healthy diet. Maintaining physical, cognitive, and mental health with aging may provide a more powerful incentive for dietary change than simply prolonging life or avoiding any single chronic disease."

Source: Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268294.php

* The Med Diet mainly consists of high amounts of plant foods (vegetables and fruits), beans, nuts, cereals and seeds, fish and poultry, and olive oil as the main source of dietary fat.

Towards a Sustainable Food Society

Chefs Lead by Example (excerpts)

Food societies all over the world are under pressure due to many different reasons, par example increasing demands, higher resource prices, bio-based economies and richer populations. Food cultures have to change and food societies have to find ways to adapt to new circumstances in order to make sure next generations have access to sufficient, healthy, tasteful and divers food. Of course a transformation does not happen overnight but needs a step-by-step approach.

Governments, companies, ngo’s and other organizations are trying to find new approaches with the main question: “how can we feed the world in the future?” The World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS)- also known as World Chefs (worldchefs.org), the leading chefs association, representing 95 national chefs societies and over 10 million chefs has taken up the challenge to help chefs adapt to coming changes in order to create a more healthy and sustainable food society. World Chefs started the “Feed the planet” program to inspire and engage chefs to take action and facilitate them with tools to change their habits.

Chefs are professional consumers, creating the dishes of tomorrow. Chefs think about menus/diets, purchase food and operate a kitchens, activities a normal household kitchen performs as well. As professionals in food societies, chefs can lead consumers towards new food cultures. World Chefs and national chefs societies want to be partners in transforming food behaviour and making sure we can continue to enjoy the gastronomic beauty of this planet. To make this practical World Chefs and its partners is setting up the following projects and programs:

1.       Feed the Planet

Feed the planet runs in 2014-2015. Subjects are sustainability and health. Management structure is to set up committees and Ambassadors in 10-15 countries, who will lead national transformations. Goal is to reach 100.000 chefs in 2015 and 1 million chefs in 2020. On a global level a communication, training, toolkits and competitions are developed for national chefs societies to use. In addition, every chefs society will also develop their own program. Committees run the national programs, the Ambassadors exchange knowledge and experience between the chef’s societies.

2.       Culinary Capacity building

World Chefs want to strengthen the professional part of African chefs societies by strengthening national chefs societies, adding a chapter for informal chefs and creating a pan-African gastronomic business school to supply tools for transformation and development. This will lead to more healthy and nutritious servings in restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare catering and on the street. A more creative and diverse food society is the result.

3.       Research schools for gastronomic sustainability

Feed the planet is mostly focusing on increasing agricultural output, although the largest impact is created by changing diets. Chefs are the professionals to lead diet transformations where food security, sustainability and health issues are combined. Gastronomic research has to be done to find a better scope on how to transform diets and keep our diets within earth limits. Therefore research organizations are asked to form the so-called research schools for gastronomic sustainability. The first research proposal is developed in co-operation with the Future earth program and top scientists in the field climate change and sustainable development.

Of course World Chefs would like to help building new projects where chefs lead the food society and help to create a more sustainable and food secure world. For more information about the projects or participation in others, please contact Lars Charas, Project Manager "WACS Feed the Planet" program.

Chef Hassan Mahmoud Ahmed, Le Meridien

"Chef Hassan Mahmoud Ahmed, Pastry Chef at Le Meridien Heliopolis, demonstrating to Management new skills he recently learned in the Egyptian Chefs Association's Cookies workshop. It was this morning, a great success. In photo: General Manager  Mamdouh Farag  (left) and Director of Revenue, Moustafa El Kerdany, standing next to Chef Hassan."

Faten Halim, Director of Training, Six Sigma Green Belt, Le Meridien Heliopolis

 

WORKSHOP: Making the Perfect Cookie (March 1-2)

"I must tell you the feed back of my  participant in the Cookies training conducted  by Chef Abdel Moneim Ghoneim (photo).

First of all the organization  and planning of the event were extremely well done.

Chef Abdel Moneim is a real professional, he helped Chef Hassan Mahmoud Ahmed and encouraged him, he is a real model for the young chefs.

Chef Hassan returned extremely enthusiastic and is planning to give the Management a presentation beginning of next week, he wants to show us all what he learned."

 

Faten Halim, Director of Training, Six Sigma Green Belt, Le Meridien Heliopolis

Mohamed Rabiie

How do you feel you benefited from membership in the ECA?

ECA totally transformed my outlook! It allowed me to have a window on the international scene without having to travel abroad. When I first joined in 2007, I became more aware of modern kitchen skills and international culinary trends. Now I know about the WACS and the international community of chefs. That's in addition to the benefits of competitions and exhibitions. Competing is a very enriching process, it helps you develop self-confidence and learn from each other. Besides many other benefits, exhibitions help create knowledge of new products; they provide a much needed platform for learning and great exposure for Egyptian companies and their equipment and merchandise.
M.R. - Sous Chef - Cairo Capital Club

Mohamed Hussein Nosseir

What do you like about the ECA?

All of the Association's services are very much appreciated! The Chef's Corner news section is great to know what are the new establishments with their new concepts that distinguish them from other places. Right now, we are continuing to evolve the concept of Indigo and constantly striving to improve the offerings, based on the comments of our guests, including HE Mr. Hisham Zaa'zou and Chef Markus who visit us recently. I also like the ECA bookstore where the new books are highlighted, so it's easy to stay updated with the latest arrivals. Another important service is the complete Archive of Past Winners with photos. It's great to have this documented archive online so anyone can verify records of past wins, like Top Chefs did to verify my past achievements.

M.H. - Executive Chef - Indigo Restaurant

Ergonomics!

"Ergonomics" or "human engineering" is my word to describe the Egyptian Chefs Association! Simple word to describe a society that provides all Egyptians with great support for training, and education to young chefs and senior chefs. Over the past 15 years that it's been in existence, the ECA has managed to provide excellent international curriculums in training and workshops in all kitchen aspects and sections. From culinary computations to outstanding organization skills, the result has been spectacular both domestically & internationally.

Thanks to the outstanding training and logistical support by the ECA, we can now be proud of the National team who have achieved great results as individual chefs as well as team.

It was an honor to be a part of the judging panel at the last HACE'11 culinary competitions. There, the entire ECA team was deployed, providing all a chef need from culinary books, workshop handouts, to videos and jackets... it's a society within a society, doing super work!
At HACE, what struck me was also seeing the families come out to support their young, fathers and mothers that came to encourage their young chefs to try to win; and witnessing young ladies given the chance to work in the kitchen and compete, and seeing them perform as well as the male chefs, all this was heart-warming.

I am just so proud to have been part of such a team.
Many thanks!

[Latest Gulf Gourmet Magazine issue features Chef Tarek Mouriess Gulf Gourmet Magazine]