Factory Farming

Corn is one of the most widely eaten foods in the world. It’s also incredibly versatile. You’ll find corn in baked goods and bread, popped as a snack, grilled on the cob, fed to cows, used to fuel cars, and as the base ingredient for a huge range of processed foods and additives. But is corn good for you? And how do you choose the healthiest corn to eat?

Dairy milk consumption is at an all-time low, and the market for nondairy milk is rapidly expanding, offering an unprecedented variety of options. So, if you want moo-free milk, what should you keep in mind? And, which milk alternatives are best, considering flavor, uses, and environmental impact?

Antibiotics are powerful drugs. And medical professionals often prescribe them. But the truth is, factory farms use the majority of antibiotics. And the overuse of antibiotics is causing antibiotic resistance — one of the most serious public health issues facing our world today. Learn more about the dark side of antibiotic use — and what this has to do with food recalls. And most importantly, learn what you can do about it.

Our food system can be cruel — especially for the animals who are raised for meat, milk, and eggs. But in California’s Santa Clarita Valley, a farm animal sanctuary is looking to save both animals and people from trauma and abuse. In this touching interview with the founder of The Gentle Barn, you’ll learn about their inspiring work and discover a message of hope and heart for humanity.

Carnivore diets have moved from the extreme fringe into increasing prominence in parts of the nutrition and wellness world. These zero-carb diets contradict pretty much every mainstream nutritional theory. Yet their proponents claim an impressive and comprehensive array of benefits, from weight loss to remission of autoimmune disease to improved psychological health. So what does science say about the pros and cons of living almost exclusively on meat?

Why are so many people talking about bone broth? Let’s explore why health enthusiasts seem to be jumping on the bandwagon, what the research says about some of the most prominent bone broth benefits and claims, and the potential downsides of participating in this popular food trend.

Scientists created polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to make our lives easier. But in the process, they’ve created “forever chemicals” that are contaminating our soil, water, and bodies. Find out how scientists at Michigan State University are working on removing PFAS from our environment and food supply.

At one time, small family farms provided most of the food eaten in the United States — and many of the livelihoods in communities across the nation. People knew where their food came from and how it was produced, and the profits mostly remained and circulated locally. These days, small family farms are in trouble. In this first article on family farms, we’ll take a look at the forces that threaten their existence and why their increasing loss is such a calamity for the food system.

There’s a food shortage going on that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 40 years. Billions of people around the world are now chronically hungry, and tens of millions may face imminent famine and starvation. So what’s going on that’s different from years past? And what, if anything, can we do as individuals to begin to make a difference?

Over the past couple of decades, insect populations around the globe have plummeted. While that might sound lovely if you’re thinking about mosquitoes and no-see-ums, it’s actually putting us on a collision course with an environmental catastrophe. Without pollinating insects, our food supply is at risk. And without insects in general, the entire web of terrestrial life would likely collapse. So what’s causing the insect die-off, and what can we do to reverse it?

Monocropping — the growing of a single crop over and over on the same piece of land — was invented to increase the food supply and combat hunger. Unfortunately, its unintended consequences threaten greater global food insecurity and worsen climate change. In this article, we'll explore monocropping pros and cons (spoiler alert: more cons than pros) and look at alternative growing methods that you can support.

Nitrates and nitrites are in some of the healthiest and unhealthiest foods around. So what’s the deal? Are nitrates bad? Should we avoid nitrates and nitrites whenever possible? Does the source matter? This article summarizes what you need to know to get the good out of these compounds while avoiding the bad.