the food groups

No, no, no not those kinds of food groups. In my mind people can be categorized into two different food groups: nourishment eaters and enjoyment eaters. The nourishment eaters are the type of people that food comes after everything else in their life. They may enjoy food but for the majority of the time they don't have time to cook, try new restaurants and are in whole basically just eating because they have to. The enjoyment eaters on the other hand are those who love to try new flavors, relish in a flavorful meal and for the most part their life revolves around food. Then there are obviously the in-betweenies: the people who want to be an enjoyment eater but for some reason or another have become a nourishment eater. 

My question here is not why someone is either group but why both groups continue to put up with foods that aren't good for you. I'm not talking here about a couple slices of bacon (which I did indeed have in my breakfast today -- yum yum) or donuts and chips, I'm talking about pesticides, gmo-s, and tomatoes in the dead of winter (Ill explain that one in a bit). For the most part foods that over the past century have changed for the worse because of humans, and why is that even though now we know this society isn't taking a stand. I'm not the type of person to get all riled and go picket the white house, well sometimes I wish I was, but realistically I'm trying to make a change simply by voting with my dollars.

Everyone knows about the cycle of supply and demand, so if the consumers increase the amount of organic, gmo free and locally grown foods they buy then the demand will go up. So then shouldn't the supply also rise. -- ahem, please note I am by no means an expert in economics, so if I've got this all wrong please point out my mistakes. But doesn't it seem like a matter of common sense that if we increase our spending in these markets there will become an overwhelming increase of options and availability?? 

Okay, so all you enjoyment eaters: If you truly love good quality, good tasting, basically the best food you can buy, why are you settling for foods that are not at their best?

And all you nourishment eaters: If you're eating just to make your body function, why are you filling it with pesticides and preservatives, when you could be taking in whole grains, naturally occurring nutrients and not to mention great flavor?

Is this REALLY necessary?

So let's get back to the pesticides, gmo-s and tomatoes. 

Pesticides first of all can be a necessity in some cases. They help to prevent famine and the like - but let me call into question why they are used on a regular basis. I doesn't seem to me that pesticides should be the go to preventative measure for fighting plant diseases and bugs. Remember back in the day when farmers grew multiple crops in one field. That way when one crop did get hit hard by a disease they had other income and food to fall back on. These days farming much like other industries has become just that - an industry. Our foods, not just vegetables and fruits, but our meat and dairy, are being mass produced. So if a farmer's massive farm, acres upon acres, of say, just soybeans, get one disease the whole crop could be potentially wiped out. This means that the farmer's have come to rely on using pesticides and other chemicals to prevent this and as a result we are ingesting them into bodies. Anyone else see a problem with this is picture? How about a nice sausage, egg and cheese with a side of hash browns a la pesticides. 

This leads me to the gmos. Gmos (or genetically modified organisms) are invading our food supply and we don't even realize it. One of the main problems with gmos is that they are patented organisms - which leads to problems for the farmers. Instead of being able to save seeds in fall from their crops to plant in the summer the farmers have to buy all new seeds every year. That may be okay for the farmers who chose to switch to gmo crops, but the law of the land is that seeds don't always stay where you put them. Therefore a farmer's seeds from miles and miles away could get brought onto your land through animals or blow off trucks traveling nearby. If the corporations who own the gmo seeds find you growing their patented crop without paying them for it you can suffer serious legal consequences for something you never did. Not only that but these gmos are usually very resilient seeds, because they've been designed that way. They're are knocking out other varieties of plants and are quickly going to make some plant varieties extinct. You say you like options, but huge corporations are taking about our freedom to choose and we don't even know it. Oh, I could on and on but instead if you're interested about gmo's check out this movie The Future of Food. I won't tell you it's the best cinematography I've ever seen but explains all the aspects of gmos and will seriously make you think about what you're actually eating.

And finally the tomatoes in the dead of winter. Have you ever bought a tomato at the grocery store and when you cut it open the insides are all green and white. Or ordered a delicious grilled chicken sandwich only to find it covered with limp lettuce and a white tomato? So what do you do: munch, munch no big deal - quality doesn't matter or do you send it back demanding fresher vegetables. Okay I admit it, I always eat up even though it hurt my soul a little bit to do. There is a better option for these problems. Vegetables have time and season where they are meant to be eaten. Becoming aware of these things can seriously improve the foods you eat. If you chose produce that is in the peak of its season it most definitely will taste like a tomato, not some starchy impostor. A good place to start is at Farm Fresh RI. Check out their listing of seasonal produce here: http://www.farmfresh.org/learn/harvestcalendar.php. It may seem a bit daunting I guarantee it will be worth it. There is also becoming more and more restaurants that offer seasonal menus and try there best to buy local foods. Next time you're going out to eat chose a place that has these options and take back the variety in your food. So all you enjoyment eaters and nourishment eaters next time you're at the grocery store think twice about what you're putting in your cart -- there may be a better option.  

By: Emma B. Taylor

Omega-3s vs. Omega-6s

What's the big deal these days with companies pasteing "high in omega-3s" all over their packages? I never understood why it is important for our bodies to have omega-3s until I just recently read an article in prevention magazine that summed everything up very nicely. 

Basically it comes down to the fact that our bodies were meant to consume foods seasonally, depending on what was growing during that time. Omega fatty acids come in three forms: omega-3s, omega-6s and omega-9s. None of which can be produce by our bodies, omega-3s and 6s are both necessary in our bodies. These omegas are both found naturally occurring in plants. Omega-3s originate in the green leafs of plants, while omega-6s are in the seeds of plants rather than the leaves. In these naturally occurring states, omega-3s are found in plants in the spring and summer. In humans they speed up metabolism and increase energy. If you think back to humans before they entered into the time of the rat race, spring and summer was the time when their bodies actually required the most energy. So just as these plants were beginning to grow and be available to eat, humans bodies were in need of them. Omega-6s on the other hand can be considered the storage fatty acid. Since they naturally occur in the seeds of plants, they are used in plants to store energy for the winter. 

Oh Spinach- you are quite possibly my favorite veggie.

Our bodies need a constant supply and demand of these two omegas. Omega-6s promote blood clotting and inflammation, which is often the underlying cause of many diseases (such as heart disease and arthritis). Omega-3s have been found to promote blood flow and very little inflammation. They also may prevent things like heart disease. In my mind this relationship can be compared to Newton's Third Law: everything has an opposite and equal reaction. Our bodies are very similar to this, they need to be kept in balance or else you will fall ill. This being said, we need both omega-6s and omega-3s in our bodies to maintain this balance. The correct combination of these two omegas help to create tissue with the right amount of blood flow and inflammation.

The main problem these in many people's diets today is that they don't realize how many omega-6's they are actually taking into their bodies. Since omega-3s are naturally occurring in leafy greens, we used to be able to rely on getting them from many different sources, including meats. Since cows, chickens, pigs etc. used to eat grass, bugs and other foods in their diet the omega-3s passed up the food chain to us. In recent years, with the advent of mass producing our meat and dairy products farmers have begun feeding their livestock corn and soybeans. Corn and soybeans both contain omega-6s, so foods that we used to be able to get omega-3s from are now filled with omega-6s. 

The best way to keep you omegas balanced is to eat locally grown food. By buying meats, eggs and dairy from a local farmer you will have the opportunity to find out what the animals are consuming in their daily diets. Another way to combat the omega three imbalance is to limit your intake of foods cooked in corn oil. Canola and flax seed oils have a relatively even ration of the two omegas. (for cooking: canola oil can be used by itself and flax seed oil can be combined with another oil to balance the omegas) Olive is another favorable option because it isn't high in omega-3 or omega-6s. Next time you're at the grocery check out your potato chip bag before throwing it in your basket, most labels will clearly state which kind of oil the potatoes are cooked in.

Cows at Simmons Farm in Middletown, RI.

Also be sure to continue getting the recommended amounts of leafy greens. (also legumes, and potatoes have a better balance of omega-3s to omega- 6s than most seeds and grains, so substitute these whenever possible)


To check out the article by Prevention click here: The Vanishing Youth Nutrient


By: Emma B. Taylor

Raising conscious awareness in our eating habits.

Pesticides are not as friendly as they may seem.

Eating local means you know what you’re eating.  Shopping at a major grocery store means that you are buying pesticide-saturated foods!  Pesticides are bad (I’m sure you haven’t heard that before!); but really, they are.  They kill bugs that would otherwise damage fruits and vegetables, and don’t kill us.  Just because they don’t kill us doesn’t mean they aren’t damaging.  Pesticides kill, and the only reason they don’t kill us is because we are (surprise) much bigger than bugs and insects.  We need a much larger dose of pesticides in order to cause mortal peril for us humans. 
Eating local is the new organic: it’s healthier, wholesome, and more pure. 

We should celebrate the natural earth and our bodies, not harm or damage them by smothering them in chemicals.  About a quarter of the American population shop locally once a week.  Join the movement! 

Our produce has a shelf life.  Chemicals and genetically engineered foods help alter the natural shelf life.  Fruits and vegetables are shipped in refrigerated trucks, on planes, and on massive tankers.  Are these chemically and genetically altered foods as good as locally grown foods?  They lose their sense of goodness.  We are so removed from the natural source of our foods. We should know what we’re putting into our bodies for sustenance, and celebrate the gifts nature provides.  The local farmer invests much time, care, and love into his/her product.  As consumers, we should also take time, care, and invest love into the world and the bounty it provides.  Celebrate food!  Celebrate life!

By: Molly Jacobus

What the labels on our food packaging should say.

The Importance of Eating Local!

So why should we eat local?  We hear about it, see some cool bumper stickers.  But why is there such an interest in eating local?

Well, for starters, eating local means we know where our food comes from.  We know who grows it, can ask them how they grow it, what chemicals they use, or don’t use.  Major food production corporations don’t need to tell us what chemicals, or pesticides, they use, according to the FDA regulations, if it’s below a certain percentage.  Most of us have no idea what we put into our bodies on a daily basis. 

How can one eat local?

We can go to local farmers markets, or find farms in the area.  On Aquidneck Island, there’s a fantastic little farm called Sweetberry Farm.  They grow and sell their own products, whether you go apple picking yourself, or choose to buy their homemade hot apple cider, made with the freshest of ingredients.  If you’ve never been to a farmers market, I suggest you go.  The atmosphere is full of positive energy, and many of the people selling their products are more than willing to talk about their products, and what they use or don’t use to help their products grow.  Some are organic farmers, and work with the land in order to produce a good crop.  

Check out Sweetberry Farm's Website here: http://www.sweetberryfarm.com/ 

If you go to a supermarket, and pick the bread off the shelf, the fruit out of a bin, you really don’t know who was involved in producing this, how this product got to the shelf, and where it actually came from.  Is it domestic, produced in our own country?  Was it shipped from overseas?  We must raise awareness to what we are investing in.  Food is energy, it’s a life-source, our life-source, and to not consider the root source of our energy is like putting on a blindfold and choosing not to see.  By not consuming from major corporations, you actually can decrease your carbon footprint.  Shipping foods and goods from all over the world or even across the country is expensive, and taxing to the environment.  Our society has become accustomed to living by instant gratification, and having all varieties of fruits and vegetables available to us at any time of the year even though they’re not in season, and not native to our lands.  

We don’t even take the time to think about it.  If strawberries are ripe at the end of August and September, then how on earth can we get them in December, March, May?  Where are they being grown and how are they being grown?  What chemicals are added to them to manipulate their natural growth cycle? 

We can all be more responsible citizens of the world.  We just need to think.  Starting with food, something we put in our bodies every single day, we can make a conscious effort to think.  You can help out the environment, and your own body, by being aware of the food you consume, and shifting where you shop to eating local.  

By: Molly Jacobus

eggplant

Fresh Eggplant from Atypical Farm (Fall 2010)