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