How you eat: Green eating matters.
Changes over the past several decades have drastically changed the way we eat and what we eat.
- We're too busy to cook: In 1975, about 1/3 of US mothers with young children worked outside the home. Today, almost 2/3 are working mothers. Gender issues aside, statistics say that Mom still bears most pf the household chores- infer the rest.
- We eat out more: A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the US was spent to prepare meals at home. Today, about half of the money used to buy food is spent in restaurants - mainly fast food restaurants.
- Nutritional content of our foods is lower, but not the calorie count: Mass prepared fast foods often have high calorie content, unhealthy trans fats and overly large portions. Bottom line on fast foods is that they can help you put the pounds on and develop diabetes. Obesity was the number one health risk for Americans in 2004, killing 400,00 people each year.
- Even our veggies are depleted: Another problem with our food supply is topsoil depletion. Topsoil depletion takes place when the nutrient rich organic topsoil that takes hundreds to thousands of years to build up under natural conditions is eroded or depleted of its original organic material. Civilizations have collapsed because of depleted topsoil.
- So we compensate with boosters: Overtillage, synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, and salinization of soil deplete top soil, meaning more and more chemicals and artificial fertilizers are added to keep the soil delivering vegetables.
If you want to learn more about how our food supply got to be the way it is, Michael Pollan's Book The Omnivore's Dilemma is a must read.
What to do?
Eat organic
Join the growing number of American shoppers who now buy organic products once a week, up from 17% in 2000.Whenever possible, eat certified organic foods, which have been grown without pesticides, antibiotics, irradiation. Start with your animal products, they retain more of the antibiotics and hormones given to the animals.
Organically produced fruits, vegetables, and grains are healthy to eat and more nutritious. Studies have shown that foods grown organically have a greater nutritional value than conventionally grown foods. At Rutgers University, researchers studied the mineral quality of conventional produce and organic produce and discovered that, on average, the organically grown foods had an 87 percent higher content of magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron, and copper. In another study, organically grown tomatoes have found to have significantly more vitamin C than conventionally grown tomatoes.
The "Today" show's Ann Curry talks with nutritionist Joy Bauer about organic food. Is it worth it? What should you look for?
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Organic vs. Local?
"Shipping a strawberry from California to New York requires 435 calories of fossil fuel but provides the eater with only 5 calories of nutrition," says Joan Gussow, author of This Organic Life.
The average food product travels 1200 miles before it reaches a mouth. This is what's causing people to start touting "local" as the new "organic." Even some of the "Big Organic" firms now use industrial- farming and long-distance-shipping methods that are energy intensive. They worry that these organics might be good for you but not good for the planet. The answer is whenever possible, eat locally grown organic food.
CSAs
One way to eat locally is to buy a subscription to a local farm. Through such community supported agriculture (CSA), you can receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, meats, or any sort of different farm products. You can find a farm near you at the website called LocalHarvest. A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 2000.
Farmers' Markets
Farmers' markets also often feature organic produce from nearby farms. The U.S. had 3,706 farmers' markets in 2004, double the number there were a decade earlier, so the chances today are better than they used to be that there might be one near you.
Ask your store to label food miles, so you can decide.
Learn more:
People who are committed to eating locally.
Participate in the eat local challenge.
Find a community supported farm.
What's in a label?
- 100% Organic" means that 100 percent of the ingredients in that product are organic.
- Organic" certifies that the product contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
- Made with organic ingredients" means the product must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
- Only 100% Organic and Organic-certified foods will carry the new USDA seal.
Learn more:
United States Department of Agriculture: The National Organic Program
United States Department of Agriculture: Alternative Farming Systems Information
American Dietetic Association |
