The topic I have chosen is a healthy diet and possible changes we can make as a community to address the increasing negative impact the meat and dairy industry have on the environment. My personal relationship with food has changed considerably since middle school with the addition of new knowledge about the importance of reducing animal products in my own diet and the environmental impact that meat and dairy farms have on our planet. Within the past few months I have transitioned to a primarily raw-food vegan diet (devoid of all animal products, including meat, eggs and dairy). The solution to reducing the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industries doesn’t lie primarily with eliminating these foods completely from one’s diet, it is multifaceted and requires changes in Western food systems, governmental policies, and implementation of regulations on the meat and dairy industry.
According to a recent study, meat and dairy production account for roughly 83% of farmland use and produce 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. For example, beef cattle raised on deforested land result in 12 times more greenhouse gases and use 50 times more land than those grazing rich natural pasture. (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987.full?ijkey=ffyeW1F0oSl6k&keytype=ref&siteid=sci).
Current Nutritional Guidelines:
The USDA states that a healthy diet should consist of 6-11 servings (bread, cereal, rice, and pasta), 3-5 servings (vegetables), 2-4 servings (fruits), 2-3 servings (milk, yogurt, and cheese), 2-3 servings (meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts), and 1 serving a week of fats, oils, and sweets (https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files /archived_projects/FGPPamphlet.pdf). This food pyramid advocates for both daily meat and dairy consumption. So how might dairy and meat made its way into daily nutritional guidelines? Due to mass marketing campaigns, such as the “Got Milk” advertisements, the dairy and meat industries have become a powerful force in influencing government nutritional guidelines. https://youtu.be/XRCj8LVTRyA
Studies Against Meat and Dairy Consumption:
A large study coming from researchers at the Uppsala University in Sweden specifically found that drinking milk led to an increased mortality rate and actually made bones more prone to fracturing, not less. Other studies have found that the long-term consumption of increasing amounts of red meat and processed meat is associated with an increased risk of total mortality, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes, in both men and women (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26780279). In understanding the importance of a healthy diet, we must take into account the nutritional benefits and environmental impact of certain food groups, vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, and dairy, as well as, how we can become a part of the solution.
Two questions I would like you to consider before Wednesday:
What do you consider a healthy diet?
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
1.) To me, a healthy diet is one in which meat and dairy are not prominent players. However, I cannot say that the total exclusion of these two is the pinnacle of health. I believe there are sustainable ways in which to consume foods in these areas (such as hunting your own meat) and that these foods can provide nutrition. However, when examining the daily consumption of meat, especially red meat, there are links to cancer and other deadly ailments (watch Forks Over Knives if you are interested in this aspect of food and its medical influences). Further, I have found that dairy and dairy products make me feel ill and that almond milk and other non-cow milk agrees with my stomach much better. A healthy diet is one in which vegetables and fruits (ideally local)are consumed often and processed foods, milk, meat, sugar, and “bad” fats are kept to a minimum.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the key is balance, and doing something “right” or “healthy” 90% of the time is great. Health embodies physical and mental health, and if ice cream after an incredibly hard day of work or sharing turkey with your extended family on Thanksgiving brings you joy, then that should be included in your diet.
2.) I am currently a vegetarian for both the moral and climate change implications that the consumption of meat has. As for dairy, I am a little more lenient as I purchase almond milk exclusively for cereal and baking, but cheese and some secondary dairy products are still a part of my diet. This blog served as a reminder that even the implementation of “meatless Mondays” in someone's life can make a difference. Maybe I can integrate a vegan day of the week into my diet.
General question: Whenever the climate and food are brought up, the impact of the dairy and meat industry is always touched upon (and rightfully so). However, the solution is often a vegan diet with means no egg product, but that industry is never brought up. Why is that and is there any information out there that outlines the chicken egg industry (if that is even a thing) and its impact?
I think your egg question is really interesting! I really like watching documentaries on Veganism and you're right the environmental aspect of the poultry industry is rarely a primary point. If I were to make an educated guess it would be that they focus on meat and dairy because those industries (and therefore animals) use a lot more natural resources (water and land). Industrial chicken farming may be harmful but probably less than the cattle industry... so it packs less of a punch in an informational documentary? I don't know... just some thoughts.
DeleteI think the emphasis on meat and dairy, as relating to their energy inefficiency, is a very good point. Given our globe's enormous, and rising, population, one of the most important ways to make our life more sustainable is to make our different practices, including food consumption, as efficient as possible. And that should probably include reducing meat and dairy consumption. However, I do not think, either, that meat and dairy consumption by themselves are the real problem. The real problems are quantity and excess.
ReplyDeleteBy this, I mean that meat and dairy consumption, at least originally, are quite natural. Mankind’s ability to use the nursing-milk from nonhuman animals is a fascinating adaptation with ancient origins. Furthermore, in order to have evolved the brain capacity to be what we are today (and in individuals, to fully develop this brain capacity), the sheer energy and nutrient density of meat could not have been foregone. Today, we do have many alternatives to meat and dairy, but at the very best our economy is not geared towards support of these greener alternatives, and at worst they may be inherently expensive. In other words, even shopping at Aldi , I don’t know if I could buy all-organic and non-dairy substitutes with my $20 per week grocery budget.
However, this doesn’t mean that our current levels of consumption are good or natural. Those referenced studies referring to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are studying developed countries, where meat intake is often daily and excessive. I believe the mechanism which links such consumption with these diseases is that excess, the ingestion of so much meat and dairy that our bodies cannot healthily process it all – leading to heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Historically speaking, meat consumption was more uncommon, and far more special, for almost all strata of society: a bountiful hunt was a rare gift for peasantry across the world, and slaughter of domestic animals for meat was reserved for holidays, times of need, or other special or extreme situations.
So, maybe a compromise solution? Eat meat, but only once a day, if that; and, if you can afford it, try to buy ‘greener’ meat. Plant-based staple foods that are still cheap around here include beans, bread, rice, potatoes, and eggs. Maybe substitution of some simpler meals is one major way to help. I don’t know how to convince people of this, though.
1.) To me a healthy diet consists of many fruits and vegetables, limited processed foods, and appropriate quantities of meat/ dairy. I do not mean to imply that everyone should eat meat/ dairy products, but rather that it is a part of my personal diet, and the quantities I consume should be kept in check.
ReplyDelete2.) Although I have a vague understanding of the impacts of meat/ dairy industry on the earth, I have not made radical changes in my diet accordingly. I may eat less meat knowing the information that I do, but I have not removed it from my diet. While I would love to eat locally sourced meat/ dairy more regularly, it is usually more expensive and I cannot always justify the additional prices. However, I treated myself to an expensive half gallon of milk the other day and was totally blown away-- It tasted SO much better than the milk available in the supermarket. Given a greater budget, I would certainly buy more of these types of foods.
1) This is something I have been giving a good amount of thought to recently. I have been a vegetarian for nine years, but even though I have been consciously choosing my diet for the last decade, I could not have had a more wildly varied experience. Recently, I've completely stopped worrying about the protein in my diet because I get it by eating a variety of vegetables, nuts, and cheese. I used to think the key to being a healthy vegetarian was to make meals that centered protein-fortified meat substitutes, but honestly I have barely eaten any of those soy burgers in the past year and I have not even gotten a cold (I always get a massive cold every winter, but this year I somehow avoided it). Instead, I have been trying to focus on how I feel and interpret my cravings (for example, if I crave something savory, then I probably need to eat some more protein, and if I'm craving sour candy then my diet is likely lacking a vitamin found in fruits). A big obstacle to this however, has been sugar, since I am badly addicted to processed sugar. I have been slowly easing myself off of sugar by eating a piece of fruit in place of a cookie or candy, but that is something I am still working on. Also, another way that I can assess the quality of my diet is... Poop! The texture, shape, color, and smell of your poop tells you sooooo much about your diet, and (sorry if this weirds any of yinz out, but not sorry) I have discovered that a quick peek in the toilet tells me more about my general well-being than anything else, as well as a guide that tells me generally what I need to eat more or less of. To me, a healthy diet is something personal; what works for me may not work for everybody else. Above all, the important thing is to eat foods that give you energy and make you feel good.
ReplyDelete2) My younger brother, a self-professed meat lover, shocked my family this winter break when he pronounced he was going to become a vegetarian for environmental reasons. While being a vegetarian for me was super easy and even enjoyable since meat always had a certain disgust factor to it, my brother had a more difficult time with it. He ended up allowing himself an occasional cheat when he was really craving meat or did not have good vegetarian options, and that is totally okay! Just cutting back on the amount of meat we eat can create a large impact because meat consumption in the United States is way more than the amount we need. More important than cutting it out completely is just being aware and mindful of what we eat and why we eat it. Also, I find discussions about climate change and meat consumption can sometimes become a bit problematic because they focus responsibility on the individual and can fuel a holier-than-thou attitude. While individual responsibility is important, it is not the whole picture, and focusing so much on individual things can often draw focus away from other important climate change factors like corporations influencing public policy and capitalism's waste-producing culture of consumption.
1) I consider a healthy diet to be a diet that includes a variety of foods--especially made up of a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains/rice, and eggs/fish/meat. Meats such as pork, chicken, or beef should not be consumed in excess, and cutting down on them can't hurt. I personally do not consume much dairy, but this is because I've avoided them for years (not officially declared lactose intolerant, but have all the symptoms). For me, a healthy diet consists of a high variety of items, but for many people what those exact items are (as long as they aren't super processed), can depend on their body and their needs.
ReplyDelete2) I once did a "food mileage" count of my meals for a day. What interested me the most was that what I considered my "healthiest meal" (an avocado/banana smoothie) had an extremely high mileage count--much higher than the other things I'd eaten. This was when I first realized how much I'd taken for granted buying more "exotic" and cheap fruits (like bananas) from the grocery store, not even thinking about the environmental (and economic!) impact. This what first pushed me to think to purchase food more locally, but often the price makes it difficult to say "yes" to local produce (in comparison to fruits at Meijers or Aldis). Also with local food I tend to think "I could grow that myself" (but I never do). Yet, also when thinking about local food, I think about the fact that I would really miss having out of season fruit readily available if strawberries weren't shipped from California or peaches didn't get shipped from New Zealand. Yet, the reality of the environmental impact of shipping these items is that it is harmful. But it's also hard to change. (Doesn't mean we shouldn't! But it takes sacrifices, which I know isn't always worth it to many.)
First off, I would like to say... thank you for the video! It was very informative and a history a lineage of stories that I had not previously considered. I found it fascinating to connect the dots between my love for dairy and dairy products... to the pushing that the government has done to make myself a literal addict to dairy products! I think it is especially interesting because I went to Ireland recently to visit family and their milk tasted completely different. It was richer, creamier, and sweeter compared to the U.S milk... when I got back I stopped drinking milk entirely and started drinking soy or almond milk only. I still consume it regularly though, about 2 glasses of the sugar free almond or soy milk daily.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you consider a healthy diet?
This leads into my second answer to your post, I do not think I have a very healthy diet. Many days I do not eat vegetables. I do love to eat vegetables when they are made available to me though. I also recently started to eat meat again after being a vegetarian for about 5 years. I was never strict though.... anyways, I am just stressed out and I don't have time to eat like I want to. I wonder if this bad habit of mine will change when I am out of college? Stay tuned.
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
I understand that meat consumption is a huge production of methane, and methane is a cause of climate change. However, I find that my meat consumption if any is few and far apart. I never buy meat products from the grocery store because I am unaware of how to prepare it, and I only eat meats if they are offered to me (say, a BBQ or friends birthday party!). I do not limit myself because life is short and I want to have fun. Yet, I do not know how to influence other people to consume less meat... because food is very, very personal for many people!
What do you consider a healthy diet?
ReplyDeleteFruits, veggies, grains. Meats sometimes, but fish is always a great option. A healthy diet for me encompasses these things, but I also eat my fair share of processed and sugary foods. I believe in balance, but it is so difficult to achieve.
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
I am certainly trying to eat foods that are closer (geographically) to me, as to reduce my carbon footprint. Also trying to think about seasons more so than I have in the past. What are foods that are indigenous to my area? When do they pop up? What are practices that I can undertake as to eat more thoughtfully? I also just recently started reading about how to identify plants and forage them... so that's another way I'm trying to think about these things.
What do you consider a healthy diet? That is such a great question. It's one of those questions that seems really simple, but when I really think about it the answer gets complicated. For me, I almost can't answer this first question without including a partial answer to your second question. For me, a healthy diet includes an awareness of the environmental impact of my food choices because I am aware that the health of my ecosystem (and global ecosystems) has a direct impact on my own health. Beyond breathing contaminated air or drinking contaminated water, if our soils are degraded to the point where plants are unhealthy because they can't take up nutrients, then how can they make healthy food for me to eat? If livestock are living in such unhealthy conditions that they have to be fed regular doses of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick (which is what happens in most factory farms), how can their bodies possibly be healthy for me to eat. And don't get me started on the health impacts of climate change! So,yes, eating for me is a form of communion with the earth and as such, I do make food choices based on environmental impact.
ReplyDeleteFor me a healthy diet means listening to my body. I try to notice what foods make me feel good and what foods don't. Even though I'm not a vegetarian, my body usually doesn't crave meat so I don't eat it much. About once or twice a year I crave a burger and I figure there must be some nutrient in red meat that my body wants so I try to find a source for beef that I feel good about eating. I think that if we all listened more to what truly feels good to us and stopped listening so much to what the "experts" (USDA, etc.) tell us we "should" eat, we'd all be better off--because as you've clearly demonstrated here, the "expert" advice about health is frequently more about economics than it is about health.
What do you consider a healthy diet?
ReplyDeleteI guess I think the term "healthy diet" is different to everyone because we all have different bodies and needs for our bodies! For me, I find myself feeling healthier and having more energy when I regularly eat fruits and veggies, as well as grains and sometimes meats (when I can afford it). Bread and butter are probably not the best for me but I subsist on them so they're staying in the picture. Past that, I think what's healthy can also sometimes be what you are craving! So long as one is aware of quantity (eg if you reeeeeally want that ice cream, maybe it's okay! Just find enjoyment in eating it!) It is also interesting to learn about just how much of our idea of "healthy" can come from governmental and corporate "experts", as Amy put it...
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
I'm not sure about food groups in particular (though I am aware that meat causes more greenhouse gases), however I have tried to become increasingly aware of single-use plastics when I go grocery shopping. I doubt that it is possible to completely get rid of them on a lower food budget. However, I have tried to reduce by being cognizant of what containers my foods come in and reducing plastic bags when I can (both the ones they sell for your fruits/veggies and in check-out aisle).
1. For me a healthy diet is good for the mind, soul, and body.In general I focus on eating primarily whole foods. I actually wrote my SIP on veganism and health so I am really excited about this topic! I am not personally a vegan, but I have been a vegetarian since I was 8 and have had extended periods of time where I was plant based. For me, this distinction has been important for my health in terms of my spirituality/ how I feel ethically regarding animals. With that in mind I don't think that there is one right way to eat healthfully, it can look like a lot of things to a lot of people.
ReplyDelete2. I think the relationship between morality and food is a very interesting one. I actually think that in general viewing food as 'good' or 'bad' can lead to disordered eating for people. With this in mind eating plant based for me is a morality issue... not 'good' or 'bad' in terms of my health but rather 'good/bad' in terms of society. I agree that industrial animal farming is a primary contributor to the degradation of our environment, so I choose not to participate in it. It makes me feel good to make daily choices that are good for the environment. For my SIP I interviewed a lot of individuals and some of them had had really negative relationships regarding food. For a lot of them switching to a vegan diet helped heal their relationship with food because they stopped hyper-focusing (in a negative way) on their bodies relationship with food and instead shifted their relationship with food to be inclusive of the larger society.For example, when talking about the environment their diets became a productive and positive point for them.
1.) One of the main pillars of a healthy diet for me is consciousness. I love the moments when you make a meal and just feel giddy as you sit down to eat it. The highest level of happiness I have felt when doing this was when I knew where the ingredients were from and how much they were going to contribute to the functioning of my body. But I have still felt great joy when a pizza is delivered and my friends and I share it. So, I suppose at this stage in my life, after 8 years as a pescaterian and a past struggle with a very restrictive eating disorder, being in the moment is one of the healthiest things one can do to foster a positive mental connection to food. Intuition comes into play here too, I think, and there are things I have changed (switching from dairy to almond milk, trying to limit sugar consumption) based on physical signals my body has given me that may not be the same as those others receive. And finally, although I am a pescaterian, I think it can feel really limiting or discouraging if we try to fit the criteria for a label just for the sake of having our diet have a name. If you love bacon but it is the only thing stopping you from being labeled "vegetarian," still eat the bacon if you want to. I think the intimidation of labels also can keep people from recognizing that even if they decide to do meatless Mondays or switch to a locally sourced milk, they too are making a difference in this world regardless of receiving a dietary title or not.
ReplyDelete2.) The current state of the environment has influenced my diet greatly, but I guess it is a constant balancing act between supporting the planet and keeping my body healthy and happy. The biggest example in my life is fish. I know that the shrimp and salmon industry are really not great, so I try to consume these foods in moderation. However, I'm not sure I want to eliminate them completely, as craving and consuming specifically salmon is something I have an instinctual and very powerful desire to do, possibly due to how my nordic heritage might effect what my body is programmed to want. It is a comfort food far more powerful for me than chicken soup or potato chips, and I have learned to honor that signal from my body. That being said, I think it is a great practice to evaluate one's diet and think about the elements one holds dear, as well as those that might be eaten out of convenience or necessity. If someone has the financial means to switch to free-range chicken or the time to grow their own tomatoes, I feel like putting in these efforts could be very rewarding and help foster a sense of connection to the state of the earth. As a college student on a budget, sometimes it's hard to know whether it's better to buy the unorganic apples so as to still have apples, or not to buy them as a way to not support the use of pesticides, etc. and I guess these daily dilemmas connect back to the concept of choices and what to privilege as we consider what to eat.
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ReplyDelete1. While I agree wholeheartedly that the food pyramid is based on no science at all, one thing I know for fact is that we need some animal-sourced food in our diet or we need to supplement very carefully. There are four key nutrients missing from plant foods that the brain requires and probably the most important of these are vitamin B-12 and DHA- the essential Omega-3 fatty acid. The expansion of the human brain, considered to be evolution’s greatest achievement, quite literally developed around the ingestion of meat. The brain cannot function and the body cannot sustain itself without those components. Now, I’m not discrediting all science that says that specific animal products are unhealthy for us- but I am going to say that a big issue these days is that most of the research done between health and diet are at the level of association. It turns out that a lot of the same people that eat meat are those who drink alcohol, eat more refined carbohydrates and refined seed oils. Unfortunately, conducting broad studies like the one mentioned above seems to only reinforce what we already know- that there’s something wrong with the Standard American Diet. Science hasn’t compared a high-fiber whole foods diet to a low-fiber whole foods, they compare a high-fiber whole foods, high-fiber high plant diet to a junky diet with lots of refined carbohydrates and these refined carbohydrates are stripped of their fiber. Without isolating variables, we’re making guesses at best. So for me, my healthy diet looks like no gluten or processed foods, limited dairy and sugar, and high in meat and healthy fats. Do I always follow it? Heck no. I think restricting too much can be unhealthy too. Also, I totally understand that everyone’s ideal diet looks completely different- we all have different ancestries that originated in different parts of the world and had different food groups available to them.
ReplyDelete2. Secondly, I understand that the environmental impact associated with eating animal products is real and very valid. But I think we need to keep in mind that due to the same Western food systems you mentioned above, we as humans have blood on our hands no matter what out diet is. Take the almond industry, for example- which many vegans use in liquid form to replace their milk-based recipes. Each almond takes about a gallon of water to produce and California, as the leading consumer of almonds by far, is in the middle of the worst drought in recent history. And for example, the king salmon, which are an incredible source of the nutrients mentioned above, are becoming seriously endangered due to the lower water levels.
1) I consider a healthy diet a balanced diet that works for the individual. A balanced diet also is something that needs to be realistically accessible and affordable, consisting of a variety of proteins, minerals, vitamins, and etc. I think that a healthy diet is what you make of it and a diet that works for you.
ReplyDelete2) Being aware of the environmental impact of certain food groups is fundamentally important. For me, I think it is a moral responsibility for us to learn that ourselves and put it into practice. However, I also think that there are a lot of other factors that come in to play here. I cannot tell other people how to live, act, and certainly eat. Being aware of the environmental impacts and making these incremental changes in our diets have to come from within.
What do you consider a healthy diet?
ReplyDeleteI think I have a very broad understanding of what a healthy diet is. This is due to the fact that I believe that healthy diets are largely determined on an individual basis. For example, I have a friend that has always struggled with maintaining her weight. For her, a healthy diet is super high calorie and high fat. My mom, on the other hand, is gluten intolerant and has IBS. For her, a diet that is high fat and low carb (a ketogenic diet) makes her feel best. That is what a healthy diet is about for me, eating what makes you feel best. For me, making sure I have a lot of diversity in my diet is key.
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
As someone who does eat meat and dairy, I think about the environmental impact of my diet frequently. I do my best to by my meat and dairy products from local farms, not large-scale operations and corporations. Growing up, my parents would always buy half of a cow or a full pig from a local farmer. When I am older, and have enough money to do so, I would love to do this as well.
1. For me and my family, what a healthy diet is has changed based on multiple factors. My parents grew up on vegetables and what few things they had access to. For instance, they would only eat meat once every week or two, didn't consume milk, but did cheese and cream. Their diet consisted of mostly nopales, tomatoes, chiles, corn, tortillas, avocados, and pretty much all legumes and roots. I grew up eating the same things, but with more meat and dairy within that diet. Because my parents did not have access to dairy and meat in their country, and were plagued with this information that dairy and meat were important aspects to a healthy diet upon arriving to the U.S. these were exaggerated. I became a vegetarian in high school, something my parents disapproved of. Growing up, they did not have an option as to what they could consume, but I did. So why was it that I rejected something considered a luxury they came to the U.S. to be able to afford and consume. It is due to this that to me a healthy diet is more complicated that what is good and what is not. My family and I have had to deal with language barriers, access to food considered "healthy", and generational and cultural differences. Though I am no longer a vegetarian, and my parents have also been diagnosed with diabetes, these events helped us connect more with foods that remind us of home that are more natural and has made my parents realize there are alternatives and actual benefits to them. My father is lactose intolerant, so instead of avoiding dairy he has been able to find alternatives. We eat meat, but only if the carnicero cuts all that fatty out. Most importantly, I think we are trying to have a "healthy" diet based on what we know and have known, what we have access to with minimal violence acted upon bodies like ours, and knowing that we have more options that before.
ReplyDelete2. Personally, I think that regardless of whether or not we eat meat, there are a lot of things to consider. For instance, do we ever consider the bodies picking the fruits and vegetables we consume? Like what does it mean to eat these products and completely remove them from the production, or only see them as objects of value due to what they produce? Their health, wages, families, etc? Or how quinoa and chia seeds are native to Latin American countries and have been labeled as superfoods without us considering what our consumption means for those cultures. So to me environmental impact is important, but also those inhabiting those places and how we communicate amongst each other.
1. I think my favorite discussion was one of the very first weeks- the topic was how a healthy diet can reduce environmental impact yet it became much more one about many of the morals we associate with the food we eat, and how this connection we have with the land that provides us food shouldn’t be spoken of as so separate. We had just learned about seeds and how we were destroying our biodiversity, in turn effectively destroying our own bodies and well-being- as our gut microbiome is in need of the exact same diversity of bacteria as our land and soil. I loved the idea of seeing our seeds as fellow family members rather than resources to be exploited. And it was important to me to definitively establish mother nature as someone who loves, cares and raises us in a “good enough” way, as long as we treat her well enough in return.
ReplyDelete2. I so love that you brought up how important doing has become to you in the last four years. Something I’ve struggled with a lot during my time here is balancing being versus doing- since I am only one person, and the life of a student requires us to be very much in a state of doing, I often find myself craving just “being” whenever I get a second of free time. I will define being as just dilly-dallying, maybe hanging out at home with no certain plans of what is coming next, or even checking in with myself and recognizing how it is I’d like to be spending my time and energy in that moment- but I believe the state of being looks different for everyone. Often times, people will say that keeping these two separate is a much more fulfilling way to live- sort of the work hard, play hard motto. I’ve found this mentality to be most common in Western society. Others have successfully found ways to integrate the two and swear by attempting to being fully engaged and present in all that student life has to offer, even through the challenging moments- “be here,” they will tell you. When thinking of many of the topics we’ve spoken of in class, I often come back to this theme when wondering how man could have made our very natural agricultural world's processes so much about doing and producing when at their core they are the epitome of being. I’ve wondered how to maintain this sense of “riding the wave and enjoying the ride,” while also manifesting, or rather taking control of the things I want, believe and strive for. I’ve personally learned that while doing is certainly very important for my well-being, it’s meaning is rather weightless when I don’t balance it with other moments of simply “being.” These thoughts have definitely become more and more prevailing as we approach “the end,” but I think they are something I’ve always considered and will continue to experiment with throughout my lifetime.
What do you consider a healthy diet?
ReplyDeleteWhat I associate a healthy diet with is balance. I think eating whole foods inducing fruits, vegetables, beans, and certain grains for those that can eat gluten are necessary for a well balanced diet. I don't think junk food is necessary for a healthy balanced diet.
In my opinion it should be more difficult to accesses processed junk foods than it is to access fruits and vegetables, but in this country it is the options. Low income black and brown communities are now living in food deserts, most of the time leaving families to resort to local liquor stores selling only processed foods. It is almost impossible for some families to get the foods that they need to live a healthy life.
How might the environmental impact of certain food groups influence your current diet?
One of my goals is to eat 100% vegan for both health and environmental reasons. The more I learn about how the meat industry influences climate change, the more I consider making the change now. I’ve started to only eat meat at restaurants, and not cook it at home. Doing this has cut down my meat consumption by a lot. When I eat, I think about what I’m eating, where it came from, who was involved in getting to my plate, and how the environment was impacted. If I’m being honest, I don’t think about all of those questions every time I eat, but I am a lot more conscious about what I’m putting in my body and I’m more aware of different food
Production processes.
1)When I think of a healthy diet, I think of one that is balanced and moderated. I dont like to ascribe value to the things we put into our bodies consdiering that moderation is usually the answer to living a healthy life that doesnt require banishing things that may not be accessible to everyone considering wealth and other conditions. I think about encouraging new flavors and recipes that can incorporate more of what is lacking in our current availability but in general I believe that true health in diets is found via mindful choices and portion/moderation control.
ReplyDelete2)I know that I hope as I get older and make more money that I would like to invest my relative wealth into eating things that are free-range/organic/less carbon-footprinty. I do like meat and other animal products but I dont need them all the time and eating them moderatedly and from better growing/manufacturing conditions is something I would really like to do and look forward to. I would love to say that I am someone who wants to be vegetarian or vegan but the most I can do is limiting myself to chicken and lots of veggies!