CIRCULAR REVOLUTION: CIRCULAR PRODUCTS THAT BOOST OUR HEALTH

What if we were to produce products with health benefits using principles of circular economy?

Better still, what if we extract health-boosting substances from what’s discarded as waste?

The circular economy avails to us opportunities to exploit in this regard.

Here are some few.

BEEF TALLOW

What happens to excess fat from animals after slaughter?

Some of it is bought by dog owners…

Some of it goes to waste – which is what the circular economy seeks to address…

But some amount is taken up by a brand of health conscious individuals who convert it into beef tallow.

Beef tallow is cooking fat made from beef fat.

Now, before we delve into it’s benefits, let us look at it’s worthwhile competitor.

SEED OILS

Most of the cooking oil we buy today from retail stores is seed oil.

Some of these seed oil sources include sesame, sunflower, safflower etc.

Now seed oils are mostly unsaturated fats – those which are liquid at toom temperature – a trait that has been thought of as good for health.

However, there’s a catch.

Some seed oils have a low smoke point – below 200°C.

And since most stir frying- or deep frying – of foods happens at well over 200°C, these seed oils are converted into substances that are not as healthy as thought before.

They react with oxygen sometimes producing reactive oxygen species and aldehydes among other toxic stuff.

These byproducts affect our health in very negative ways possibly leading to some lifestyle diseases.

But that’s not all.

OMEGA-3 & OMEGA-6 OILS

Oils and fats could be categorised into two: saturated and unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats could be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats.

Most seed oils contain polyunsaturated fats making them liquid at room temperature.

But these polyunsaturated fats occur in various forms such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Now, human biology dictates that the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio be 1:1.

However, some seed oils have a very high content of omega-6 fatty acids that surpasses this value by far.

Take for instance safflower oil with about 70% content of omega-6 fatty acids.

Occasionally taking foods with a very high omega-6 content would be OK.

However, the advent of industrial edible oil producers makes it impossible.

Most of the oils in the retail market shelves have a very high omega-6 fatty acid content with linoleic acid being the most prominent in the omega-6 group.

It is scientifically proven that excessive consumption of linoleic acid increases risk of gut inflammation.

Small wonder that we have increased cases of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among other gut issues nowadays.

Which brings me to the beef tallow I had mentioned before.

Beef tallow possesses advantages most seed oils lack.

First, it’s a saturated fat.

Therefore it’s pretty unreactive even at high temperatures.

So it doesn’t convert into risky oxidised byproducts that mess up our health.

Second, it has a high smoke point.

The fact that it exists as a solid at room temperature means that it’ll take a very high temperature to destroy it.

Beef tallow is therefore useful in roasting and frying.

Third, it’s a naturally derived fat.

Seed oils are also natural but oil processors use industrial solvents like hexane to extract it.

Seed oils also undergo processes such as bleaching, which make it prone to additives whose effects could be risky to human health.

So imagine collecting all that waste beef fat to convert it into tallow which you could sell for profit.

But the circular economy could go way beyond this in providing us with healthy alternatives.

ESSENTIAL OILS

Whereas a number of essential oils are derived from useful parts of many plants, some could be sourced from what we view as waste

Consider the orange or lemon rind.

We dispose it off as soon as we get the citrus juice we have been longing for.

But hidden inside these fruit peels are glands that hold an answer to a number of health problems we encounter.

These glands have oils that could be extracted and used in many ways.

CITRUS ESSENTIAL OILS

Most essential oils from citrus rinds are extracted using solvents then concentrated for sale.

Most of them are used to flavor food and drink, improve the scent of soap and lotions and even in baking.

But citrus essential oils could also be used in aromatherapy – a technique of using pleasant smelling substances to manage anxiety.

Citrus essential oils have also been used to help manage weight as well as insect repellants against deadly disease agents like mosquitoes.

But essential oils aren’t the only health-based products in the circular economy warchest.

Useful antioxidants and vitamins could be derived from fruit and vegetable wastes also.

Imagine the colourful beetroot peel or the pineapple peel, among others.

These are rich in antioxidants – substances that fortify our bodies fron disease.

IN CONCLUSION

The circular economy could help us unearth very useful substances from waste material around us.

And what’s better is that these products could play a role in improving our health in more ways than we could imagine.

Originally posted on Cleannovate blog