BLOG 344 SUSTAINABLE
We live in a world where farm life seems ancient…. no one lives like that with a barn and fields. But until the 1950s and 60s, farms are where we got our food. Now we are disconnected from where food is sourced because farm to table is rare. We are eating food that is processed, chemical filled, and certainly not of its original form. After watching a documentary called, Sustainable, I thought about the amount of times in my life as a California girl, that I have actually seen a farm. My answer…. don’t know that I ever have.
Small farmers of today are struggling to continue. Fortunately, they have relationships with chefs and restaurants that are keeping up with farm to table. It’s difficult because farming is seasonal. It’s hard to keep the livestock healthy and warm in the winter. Microwaves and freezers have changed everything. Despite all this, farms stay in families for hundreds of years. The soil can be used over and over again through restorations processes like alternating crops. The external costs do add up like problems from erosion and run off with the soil. For example, fish could be affected by run off from pesticides into the water they live in.
Today’s food literally makes people sick with the idea of sustainability. Food has become industrialized. We say we want to support local farmers and some people believe they do when the Tropicana orange juice is made in Florida but has been shipped there from Costa Rica or someplace else. We see branding everywhere and are confused by all the mixed messages. By January 4th, over $100 million has been spent on marketing already to buy the processed foods. Think about it…. why does bread have over 50 ingredients?? Real bread has about 4 if you have ever made it. We are eating meat from sick animals. If one cow produces the waist of 20 people, imagine what a dirty cow industry is like.
In an ideal world, we would all grow our own. Make that fresh salad from the garden. Not exactly how we operate with the demands of life. Time, energy, and extra effort come into play. But we need to nourish our bodies right. The least we can do it cook at home and control what we can. Support the local business and support your fitness journey with better choices.
Sustainable, 2016, by Matt Weshcler