4. Food and Health

So, off we go on the environmental journey. I started with the essentials (oils), and I am still overwhelmed by all of the things I don't know.

What I want to move forward with, is the impact of food on the environment. I don't really know where all of you are on your base knowledge of food as it relates to the environment. I myself have mastered the art of "small talk showboat". Ya know, like clearly I've read the headlines or googled a thing or two so I don't look like an arse or plain fool. In fact, I've read the headlines soooo well, that many of you probably believe I read the whole article. Sneaky trick: If you can't name the tittle of a single book or article you read, probably shouldn't be preaching.

Now to recap those headlines that many of us know and love....

1. Don't eat meat because every cow releases more toxic waste and methane gas than 20 humans combined. This is lovingly referred to as the "cow fart" dilemma.

2. ALL animal products are raised in captivity, and fed over-enhanced foods that destroy both their bodies, and ours when we eat them.

3. Only eat vegetables if they are locally grown, otherwise they have toxic chemicals in them, duh.

So I have a heavy sarcastic hand in that list. It is chalk full of taboos. However, they aren't completely off base.

I have scoured the internet and found some pretty helpful resources. Personally, I love a good documentary. Now, for you cynical people who know more than the "headlines", I want you to understand that I understand documentaries are not the catch all end all for information. I am aware that there are articles, books, tv shows, research journals, and more. I thank you for your moment of criticism, and I assure you that I acknowledge I am skimming the surface here with less than all of the facts and numbers. I also acknowledge that there may be information out there that contradicts some of my own findings. I hope you can take a sigh of relief and continue reading now that I've reassured you. ;)

An easy place for me to start was Netflix. They have some oldies that I have had on my watch list for years, but somehow managed to ignore. This last week I watched Cowspiracy, and Sustainable. Both films were about the food industry's impact on the environment, and how we can be better consumers. Because we currently are not, in case you were wondering. We are the tyrants on the planet eating up all of the natural resources and killing our world one day at a time. This is an issue. Well how do we help heal the world that we have been systematically killing?

Unfortunately for myself and many of you, one answer is (spoiler alert) stop eating animals and their products! Cut it out! Put your omnivorous days behind you and embrace your inner herbivore dying to break through! Now, I want you to know that I don't like Brussel sprouts, or Peppers, or Tomatoes really so this answer has troubled me. And my guess is, I haven't convinced you either. I will elaborate.

In the film Sustainability, the idea of "eating the farm" comes up over and over again. Eat the WHOLE farm, that way you have an agricultural system that supports itself and a society that supports itself, that's sustainability. I literally thought to myself, is that not the most poetic thing you've heard? In a world where we mass produce corn and mass produce "certain people", a big answer to the problem is variety. It doesn't mean you stop sharing commonalities with people, it means asking questions when you find you are the carrot seed in the cornfield. The farmers in this documentary grew a variety of crops as much as possible, and delivered to many different vendors as well. This system, allows the land to remain plentiful, the farmers to yield prophet, and the vendors to have quality control as well as product control. How neat is that? Eating local does come with difficulties though. Like, where on earth do I get these local goodies? What exactly is local? Unfortunately, I will have to let you problem solve for yourself. I for one am still in the process of figuring out where I want to grocery shop, and I have lived in Grand Rapids for 4 years. I will say, Fresh Thyme has local partnerships for it's produce. SO it is possible.

Another part of this documentary explained why farmers have been mass producing corn and wheat and using pesticides. For awhile everyone was using the chemicals because it was the quickest and most efficient way to turn a profit. But many farmers discovered that soil would begin to become less fertile because the pesticides threw off their natural chemistry. It all came down to Chemistry versus Biology. Farming was always a biological process which became chemical at some point. Maybe no one meant for it to happen, but here we are. Also, where do those chemicals go? They sink deep into the soil, or the run off makes it all of the way to the ocean creating toxic strips of water where marine life can not survive! (I will save my "hug the fish" tangent for another day) But my point is, one quick fix can lead to a lot of other problems.

Also the scene with Greg talking about his love of bread making..... Let's just say it is a cinematic experience and the music makes you feel like you are in a scene from Romeo and Juliet. This moment sold it for me! Check out Sustainability, so you too can feel inspired for a moment.

Now that I have covered the produce part of my diet, you may be asking: what about the rest?

I will tell you, I have always had a love for my dear Wilbur from Charlotte's Webb. I loved Wilbur so much as a child, that I started talking to every pig at every fair and calling them by the name Wilbur. I knew none of them could talk to me, but it was comforting to send them a salutation and be on my way. I loved feeling like a proper farmer. I will never forget the day I realized bacon came from a pig. I don't think that I ever wavered in my love for bacon, but I did waver in naming it Wilbur. All of a sudden the magic and charm of a pig became a sadness in my life. So shout out to Jacob A. from my third grade class for sharing this fun fact. Thanks bud! My love for pigs has not faltered over the years, which is a huge reason I wanted to learn about Animal agriculture. Also, I was raised in the FFA so shout out to all my blue and gold homies who lived through official dress. And if you don't know what FFA is, watch Napoleon Dynamite and fast forward to the scene where he drinks Cow milk. It explains a lot. ANYWHO. The point is, I wanted to learn about animal agriculture, so I turned to the documentary: Cowspiracy.

Cowspiracy rocked my world. Essentially: 51% of gas emissions in the atmosphere are from animal agriculture. That doesn't just mean eating meat. That includes animal products like eggs and milk and cheese and AHHH. If you are a vegetarian, give yourself a pat on the back and then go scold yourself in the mirror for not committing to the vegan life. Because being a vegetarian isn't enough to truly make a difference or solve the problem. This percentage wrecked me. Not only were the animals emitting toxic waste, but the energy needed to feed these animals was insane. These animals were also getting liver diseases from the nutrient intense feed they were being given. WHAT? I struggled to finish the film.

For some of you who don't know me, every Year January-April ( or Easter) I live life meat free! I started doing it my freshman year of college during my schools annual "kill-o-watt". This was a month of reducing our energy footprint as a campus. Being the extra gal that I am, I wanted to carry it through all of the Lenten season. Part of me also wanted to be the good Catholic that 2006 Hannah could be in awe of, and 2020 Joe LaJoye could chuckle at while eating salmon. I wish I could tell you that I have mended all my ways and become a vegan, but I haven't. I have begun my period of vegetarianism, but I am eating Macaroni and Cheese while I write this... I am sorry.

I am grateful that I have friends that live their lives as vegetarians and vegans. I'm doing my best to live up to their example and cut out Animal products. My issue will forever be cheese... I love cheese. The goal is to be vegan six days a week to start, and work my way up to full vegan. If I don't get there, please spare me. I am fragile. The fact of the matter is, even a little cut back is not enough to make a difference. Until I get to full vegan, the planet will continue to suffer and it will be my fault. It will be OUR fault, and I am not sure I can live with that.

These documentaries brought me anguish and profound sadness, but I also felt inspired. A common thread in these documentaries was this level of passion from the people themselves! Like WHOA The documentarian seemed to care more, or rather have more power than the "people in charge" he talked to. I just wonder if those men once had a passion that was squashed as they began to normalize their job, and their practices. Routine numbs us. I like to think that changing routine brings out some nuggets of passion that we didn't even know we had.

We can be the quality over quantity people!

So while I myself am tip-toeing into the waters of the vegan brotherhood, I don't fully expect you to jump in. I hope that you do, and I also hope that if you see me anywhere near a piece of bacon you scream WILBUR in my face.

Until next time, best of luck on your sustainable food journey. And take heart, It's Raining Somewhere!

-Hannah

***Honorable mention goes to: Einkorn. Google it and prepare to have your mind blown. Einkorn has lived more lives than any of us could imagine, and it has a bright future that I am interested to see play out. I feel as though I could not do it justice, you will have to see it to believe it.