Food sovereignty is the term used to describe a nation's ability to feed itself. In North America, we are far from sovereign. Highly dependent on imports, we make the Phoenician mistake at an alarming frequency.
We forget to support our farmers. To buy fresh produce. To shop locally. We force our food growers who harvest a variety of crops to instead only focus on one single product, quickly exhausting our soils. Then we export that product.
Soil is to the earth what blood is to our bodies. It injects nutrients—vitamins and minerals—into our food. Ninety percent of soil is made up of rocks and minerals. The other 10 percent is organic, made up of living things. It takes 500 years to naturally create 1 inch of healthy topsoil. We are now depleting it at a rate of 1 inch every 16 years.
When we farm, minerals are carried up from the soil into our plants via earthworms. These are minerals that are essential to our health, such as calcium and magnesium. Essential vitamins like A and C are also absorbed through the soil. Sadly, the widespread use of pesticides kills off our earthworms, leading to decreased vitamin and mineral absorption.
Here is how a tomato today compares to a tomato in 1963. Modern tomatoes contain:
- 65 percent more fat
- 200 percent more sodium
- 43 percent less vitamin A
- 17 percent less vitamin C
- 62 percent less calcium
In the last 50 years, our potato has lost 57 percent of its vitamin C. Broccoli has lost 45 percent. The iron content of potatoes is down by more than half. And the Canadian potato has lost 100 percent (absolutely all) of its vitamin A.
This is something we should care about.
A Pear in a Can
Let's take the image of a pear in a can. It's still a healthy pear, right?
Here is how a canned pear differs from a fresh one:
- The skin is removed so there is no fiber.
- It contains additives and preservatives for color and freshness.
- There is BPA in the can lining that may have leached into the fruit.
- There is a carbon footprint on the packaging.
- There could be metal toxicity from the can.
- It has a lower nutritional value.
- It is not likely local and probably the product of mono-cropping.
- It is likely irradiated and not tree ripened.
What Can We Do?
Clearly food preservation is here to stay, so there is no easy answer for health-conscious shoppers. Start by thinking about your priorities and lifestyle. How serious are you about food?
Make a decision to live within your means this year, prioritize healthy food and exercise, and make lifestyle changes to save your sanity and well being.
No, cooking is not faster than a microwave dinner. But a meal prepared in five minutes is not necessarily better than one that took 30 minutes. Make the time.
Remember what it feels like to chop and peel and marinate overnight, and the rewards you feel from sharing good food with others. Healthy food doesn't happen by accident; it requires some planning and prioritizing.
What are the things that you really need in your life? What's taking up all your time? There will never be a better time to answer those questions for yourself than right now. Changes are always small and slow. The important thing is that you start somewhere.
What changes will you make for a healthier lifestyle? Leave a comment below to inspire others.
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