Investing in Our Children, Investing in Our Future

This summer, I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Israel and the Middle East. While there, I was able to observe many cultures and religions. I saw all their differences: family, food, entertainment, values, priorities, etc. However, in the midst of all these differences, I noticed one constant in the Human Spirit: Every people group has an innate love for children. This would make sense, of course, because it is biologically necessary for a species to survive. More so, who doesn’t love a snotty nosed child running around, giggling his little head off at absolutely nothing?  It’s hilarious and I am jealous of their ignorance. The biggest thing they care about is the fun they are having now.

However, we “adults” need to focus on their future for them, and what better way to do so, than to start with giving them the best bodies they can have. Our focus should be on equipping our children, our future, with the healthiest bodies they can possibly have. One can only be as good as their body will allow. The healthier the body, the healthier the person’s thoughts and actions.

America is a big melting pot of all the world’s different people groups, cultures, and religions. So, if we could get it right (or as close to right as possible) in America, then to me that says the world could do it as well (a little ambitious, but hey, it’s my blog). Sadly, we don’t have it anywhere near right. According to the American Heart Association, ”about one in three American kids and teens is either overweight or obese”. Not only does obesity give way to high blood pressure, Type-2 diabetes, high levels of cholesterol, and severely increased chances of obesity related problems at an older age, but it also hurts a person psychologically, causing low self-esteem, poor body image and depression. Yet, the scariest idea for me is that we are doing something way worse than killing our own children: we are putting them through Hell and then killing them. A lot of people would say that is a little extreme, but that is only because we don’t see the repercussions immediately after feeding them.

“Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.”

- Richard Carmona, former General Surgeon

Now, what can we do to alleviate this epidemic? It’s quite simple really: Think globally, Act locally. None of us (college students) have kids (at least more than likely), but we do have hungry stomachs at least three times a day. Since we have to eat, why not eat the tastiest food out there, which is of course the healthiest, most natural… naturally. Now, I am no expert on this yet, but I would guess that something along the lines of eating healthy for the sake of your own body, supporting locally grown foods and helping raise awareness in the community. When it comes time to have children, you will be healthy, thus your child will begin this world with a firm foundation atop a mighty springboard, and someday, with the right decisions and a little motivation, he too can do something great that will change a child’s world.

For Those Concerned About Eating Right: Where Can You?

If you are reading this blog, you most likely have done some research into the issues that currently plague the American food system. A person who starts with a concern over the chemical fertilizers and pesticides that our foods are grown with, might then learn of the hormones and antibiotics given to the animals we breed, after which they hear word of the genetic modification of organisms (GMOs), and finally end up panic stricken by the understanding of the harmful chemicals in the packaging that seep into our food. With this knowledge, how can we eat anything at all? Starting this last January, I began my own quest to eat right, or what some food advocates describe as “real food”, and found that while it can be trying, it’s more about finding the good in our food system than simply making a complicated diet with a list of foods you can’t eat.

Photo courtesy of In.gredients

Stuffed Mushroom Delight Q&A

Eating and buying locally has been a topic of discussion on our blog in the past. Should we buy locally? Is it really that worth it? Does it really taste that good? Here to give us a first hand perspective on eating and buying locally is Megan Convery, a fourth year nutrition major at the University of Texas. She recently conjured up some stuffed mushrooms made from mostly local ingredients, save for olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, that were very popular at a potluck she attended. A quick Q&A with her revealed the following:

Why did you decide to buy local?
I decided to cook these mushrooms after being invited to a ”Locavore Potluck” party.

What does ‘local’ mean to you?
Local to me means within a 75 mile radius. I believe San Antonio is local to Austin. If food is grown there then sold in Austin, I would consider it to be way more fresh than food from other states.

Where did you get your ingredients? 
I got my ingredients from the Downtown Austin Farmers’ Market, off of Guadalupe and 4th.
*The Downtown Farmers’ Market is hosted by the Sustainable Food Center.
For more info click here.

Which ingredients did you buy locally? 
Specifically, the mushrooms came from Kitchen PrideMushrooms, located in Gonzales, Texas. The Italian Sausage came from the free range Berkshire pork at Peach Creek Farms, in Rosanky, Texas. The marcapone cheese that I needed for my recipe was substituted with local goat cheese from CKC Farms, in Blanco, Texas. I found local parsley and scallions from assorted local produce booths.

Local Food: Consider the Consequences

From: http://bit.ly/v3hH2c

Eat local? Eat organic? Eat meat? Eat imported?

The food choices that we make can have long-term — and often unintended – consequences. Simply look to the history of agriculture, rife with examples of (occasionally) well-intentioned policy gone bad. Farm subsidies in America, for example, began during the Depression era and were meant to help farmers stay in business during years when supply was low. The producers of America’s food supply would stay in business even during a drought and the government could have a hand in keeping consumer prices in check. Seems like a good idea, right? Unfortunately, government subsidies do not work miracles; instead of their intended effect, subsidies have given us our current food production system. Subsidies have fostered the emergence of crony capitalists –  lobbyists from agriculture companies who snuggle up with Congressmen to ensure continued financial support –  in the food system. Subsidies allow for artificially low-cost junk food, the burning of food for fuel (which could lead to food shortages), and the damaging practice of growing monocultures on the same acreage, year after year, with no thought given to the long-term viability of the land.

With the serious consequences of food choices and the policies that we advocate, it’s vital to think critically about any potential food philosophy. So how does the locavaore view hold up?

The followers of the “Eat Local” philosophy are often environmentalists looking to do their part to contribute to a healthier planet. They want to cut back on the use of oil and fossil fuels, reduce their “carbon footprint,” and control the pollution that often comes from large-scale farms and CAFO’s. While this certainly isn’t representative of everyone who buys their groceries from local farms and business, it is the prevailing view of the activists of the movement. Those with their eyes set on the future and involved in policy initiatives. They envisage a smog-less skyline and healthy, nutrient-rich soil. They pine for the food that our grandparents ate and the days when nature could be free to be nature, free from human intervention.

Two of their platforms may, ironically, be two of the least environmentally friendly. The concept of “food miles” and the anti-GMO stance.  I’ll look at food miles in this post and save a discussion of GMO for my next.

The Scientist

This video has been out for a while, but I only just saw it. It took me by surprise while I was at the movies a few nights ago. I was having a nice conversation with my roommate when this video came on before the previews, and we both fell silent. I was eager to see where the video was going, what the point of it was. I knew it had something to do with sustainable farm practices, ethical treatment of animals, or organic food or something. The suspense was daunting, but when the end finally came, I was confounded. I was expecting to see an advertisement for PETA or Slow Food, something of the sort, but instead, I saw Chipotle.

I always knew Chipotle was different from other fast food restaurants, but I didn’t know it was such an advocate for naturally raised food. I was intrigued. After visiting the Chipotle website, scavenging through their links, and reading through their history, I found out a few interesting things about Chipotle I hadn’t known before. Maybe you haven’t either.

The carnitas at Chipotle is probably my favorite item to order on the menu, and now I know why. Turns out Chipotle sources 100% of their pork from farmers who follow these guidelines: raise animals in a humane way, feed animals a vegetarian diet, never give animals hormones, and allow the animals to display their natural tendencies. To add to that, 85% of their beef is sourced from farmers who follow the same guidelines, and they won’t stop until they reach 100%. Chipotle also tries to buy locally (within 350 miles from the store) when it can. Overall, I was just very impressed as I read through their facts and philosophies. There are many other initiatives Chipotle is taking to make the world a better place. Take a look for yourself here.

I was equally impressed with the video as well. I felt it went through the evolution of industrialization of food in a simple and understandable manner. I especially liked the part at 1:10 when the video shows the farmer’s remorse of how he raised his animals. I’m sure a lot of farmers feel the same way and are conflicted between providing for themselves and raising good, respectable food.

I think Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle, is on to something good. Maybe his business model can act as a catalyst of change, and other restaurants will start doing the same. Until then, support your local Chipotle.

FYI: McDonald’s doesn’t own Chipotle. McDonald’s was an investor until 2006. Chipotle is now it’s own public stock on the NYSE.

A Day in the Life of a Local Farmer

I’m taking a break, for a moment, from the local food series to try something a little more literary. Two weeks ago, I met Brenton Johnson, owner of Johnson’s Backyard Garden, in the hopes that I could talk to him about my senior thesis. I didn’t get what I came for – that is, a neatly recorded interview – but I left with good story. Here’s what ensued:

From: http://bit.ly/ovruDc

“I’ll be busy, but you can hop in the truck with me and we can talk,” Brenton told me over the phone last Friday when I asked if I could interview him for my senior thesis on local food. He gave me the address of his processing site and I grabbed my keys. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I said. He’d already hung up.

It was a warm day and the smell of rotting organic matter lay over the place, familiar, but unpleasant. As I walked into the barn amidst a group of volunteers cleaning onions and a handful of sweaty employees hauling boxes of vegetables, I wiped the lipstick from my lips with the back of my hand before knocking on the door of Brenton Johnson’s office. This is no place for make-up, I thought.

When I walked in to his office, Brenton told me, smiling, that he was in a online meeting with his accountant. “Ten or fifteen minutes,” he said quietly. Instead of waiting for him to finish, I walked out to the barn where the volunteers had formed an assembly line in front of a long slanted shelf carrying crates of vegetables. They were packing boxes for Johnson’s community supported agriculture customers. Sweet potatoes, baby bok choy, summer squash, mixed greens, cilantro, onions, peppers, bunches of mint. I squeezed into the line between a woman in her late-twenties who canned her own jams and a college student studying Chinese medicine at Austin Community College. We filled the boxes printed with the farm’s distinct logo for more than an hour. It was not hard work, but I could feel the back of my shirt becoming damp with sweat.

What is Local Food?

From: http://bit.ly/of9eM

In my previous post on Local Food, I raised several questions that I believe should be answered in order to fully understand the local food movement, where it’s going, and the principles that unite it. I’ll take a closer look at two of those questions. First, what do we mean when we say “local.” Does “local” food necessarily mean sustainably grown, pesticide-free, and organic?

Once we have a working definition, we can go further and ask: Why is local good? Is it good by virtue of its localness? Or are their other factors that make it valuable? Is it okay to say that all local food is good all the time?

I spoke with Andrew Smiley of the Sustainable Food Center last week about his work in the local food movement. According to the requirements his organization places upon farmers who sell through the SFC’s farmer’s markets, “local” means food that has been grown or raised within 150 miles of Austin. The produce does not have to be organic, as there are some vendors at the farmer’s market who grow their food conventionally, using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. While “local” does not mean organic and sustainable (there is some debate as to whether organic is “sustainable” – a topic for another post), the farmer’s market is primarily made up of “sustainable” farmers because consumers exert a decent amount market pressure on the conventional growers. They question where their food is coming from and how it was grown, and they voice their desire to buy certified organic. Basic supply and demand processes are at work.  Conventional growers are forced to either change their techniques or be pushed out of the market.

The “local” label, many believe, is an assurance that their food will not come from the heavily subsidized machine that is modern industrial agriculture. This is generally true. Consumers can drive just out of town on a Saturday morning to pick up their weekly CSA box at the farm, or talk to the farmer in person at the weekly markets about how his specific growing techniques. This allows for a great amount of transparency and helps to keep farmers honest and committed to their natural growing methods. This transparency is important in a society in which households do not have to produce their own food in order to feed their families. Many consumers who buy locally do so because they do not want to rely on government’s labeling requirements as a way of knowing what’s in their food (many even distrust the USDA’s “certified organic” requirements). Another perk of local food is simply that it often tastes better and is more nutritious than industrial-grown meat and produce.

But with all the good things that local food can bring, it’s important to recognize that it’s not inherently good, nor is it always better than food that is non-local. Some parts of the country do not grow some foods well because of variances in climate, soil, and access to water. Some parts of the country do not grow certain foods at all – coffee and bananas from South America, and star anise and Kobe beef from Japan, for example. Should we deprive ourselves of these foods because they are not local? Some would argue yes; others cannot imagine their life without the morning cup of joe (and nor, I might argue, should they have to).

So before you tell someone to “Go Local,” think about what you are advocating. Think about the practicality of local food – can everyone afford to eat locally, and if not, is it right to subsidize this food so that lower income families can afford to eat organically? Is local (and sustainable and organic) really a possible way to feed the world? Let’s talk about these issues in my next blog post. If you have thoughts, please send me an email!

Local Food: What is it? Is it Good?

From: http://tgr.ph/1jO7b2

Alice Waters, the mother of local food in America, has learned that “the people who were growing the tastiest food were organic farmers in [her] own backyard.” At her acclaimed restaurant, Chez Panisse, she insists on the use of locally sourced ingredients because of their exceptional taste and quality. The small family farms she buys from tend to care more for their crops than industrial food producers do. They care for their plants each day, they harvest them by hand, and they have a respect for seasonality, nutrient-rich soil and sustainable growing techniques. Because of this care, Chez Panisse is able to serve the vibrant and alive food that it is internationally known for.

It’s certainly true that there is some fantastic local food – in Austin and otherwise.  I buy my honey from Round Rock honey and love its pure taste. I have heard great things about the CSA programs of farms including Johnson’s Backyard Garden and Green Gate Farms.  Locally grown cage-free eggs are far superior in quality than anything that can be found in a modern supermarket, to be sure. And for someone who has been raised on tasteless, mass-produced food for his or her entire life, the bright, succulent taste of a strawberry from a farm right up the road can be transformative. It’s easy to understand why so many have adopted the “Go Local” food philosophy after an experience like this. And it feels good to eat local food – it tastes good, we’re supporting our local economy and our neighbors, and we feel as though we’re part of a greater cause.

But before we give ourselves completely to the “Go Local” mantra that is so pervasive in Austin, it’s important to critically examine the implications of the statement. We should be asking:

From: http://bit.ly/rf063V

• Is local food good by virtue of its being local?
• How do we define local food? Does its definition include “organic” as well?
• Is it practical to eat local?
• Ideally, should all our food be sourced locally?
• What about foods that we have grown to love – coffee, chocolate, and tropical fruits – that cannot be grown locally?
• Can everyone eat locally, regardless of socioeconomic standing?

These are the questions that we should be asking and answering in order to understand the local food movement comprehensively. Over the course of my upcoming posts, I’ll explore the issues behind the “Go Local” slogan.

If you have any thoughts, please don’t hesitate to email me.