Food Matters
“You are what you eat”, the popular saying goes. A truer rephrasing of that tends to be, “You become what you eat”. Anecdotally we’ve all seen someone start eating vegan or paleo etc. and watch them change to start to care more about food quality, farming practices and in many cases eventually structuring their lives in ways that are more congruent with their dietary choices.
The Movement
Many of those working to bring fresh food to underserved areas either by building farms, grocery stores or mobile farmer’s markets are, I believe, working with the idea that food matters. Organizations like Growing Power or Change Food (but a few)are working to ensure that everyone has access to food and that everyone is more connected to where that food comes from. Other groups like Edible Schoolyard work to make food from “garden to table” as a part of the educational experience of school children.
3 Rules or a Manifesto of Sorts
Brazil recently released some new dietary guidelines. These guidelines are food based and they have 10 guidelines to shape food choices(Hat tip to The Food Politics Blog). While these are a wonderful set of guidelines that anyone should follow, I’d like to pull out and condense 3 of them that seem most appropriate for those who live in areas that lack choice and seem to have many of the ails that seem endemic to those areas.
Limit consumption of ready-to-consume food and drink products
Buy food at places that offer varieties of fresh food. Prepare meals from fresh food and staples.
Develop, practice, share and enjoy your skills in food preparation.
These rules might not reflect the current reality of what’s available is some communities but as such they work as a goal to be achieved.
