The average North American consumes nearly a ton of food annually - literally the equivalent of a small car. So what we put in our mouth matters, both in terms of impact on human health and climate change. But, let us refrain from judgment.
Highly palatable, factory farmed processed food is easily accessible around the clock. It leaves a huge carbon footprint. If it were nutritious, bacteria would devour it, reducing product shelf life. Eaten long term, this nutrient poor food, can definitely reduce human shelf life. The body goes into storage mode. Fuel is locked up in fat cells, and try as we may, we can not access it. We end up overfed but malnourished - essentially starving metabolically.
Public health dietary recommendations often overlook the best science to appease the interest of powerful agribusiness stakeholders. Therefore, we are left to rely upon willpower and discipline (which in our busyness can be easily depleted) to make informed food choices.
But over the past decade, as a nutritionist, I have come to realize even the cleanest diet, eaten judgmentally does not serve anyone well. Food should not be divisive.
I have become ever more concerned about endorsing any one dietary protocol, examples: "low carb", "low fat", "vegan", "vegetarian", "paleo", "ketogenic". Demonizing dairy, or grains, or legumes, or saturated fats is counterproductive. Under certain circumstances, in the right amounts, any of these foods may become essential to health.
At times eating exclusively plant based can save the day. Other times animal derived nutrients must be relied upon. Believe it or not, there are times when even a low fibre diet is completely warranted. Sometimes, abstaining from all food consumption, becomes the best way to heal. Sometimes raw is best. Other times cooked is optimal.
Having grown up in an environment where we grew our own food, without petro-chemical inputs, it became perfectly clear that without domestic animals, we could not sustainably grow our plants. It was a symbiotic relationship - plants fed animals and animals fed plants. The circle of life was apparent.
Nevertheless, industrial livestock production presents a growing problem, on a global scale, in terms of environmental sustainability and human health. Perhaps insects have to become a delicacy. For the growing number of those who choose not to eat meat for ethical and environmental sustainability reasons, a solution being proposed is "cultured meat". Animal tissue is grown in a controlled environment using cell culture technology, rendering the raising and killing of animals for food unnecessary. I don't yet have enough information to voice an informed opinion on this option. Creativity should be encouraged though.
But all living things are programmed to ensure survival of their species. Unlike animals, plants can not run away from their prey. Therefore, to defend themselves they can produce and emit toxins. Improperly prepared plant proteins such as lectins, gluten, agglutinin, ricin etc. can be harmful or even lethal to health. Sadly, countless are reacting to some overproduced plant proteins.
I don't have all the answers on how to feed a rapidly growing world population sustainably. Perhaps eating the massive amounts of plant based foods we need to nourish ourselves optimally has become easier given cooking and blending. Herbivores (plant eating animals) have very large bacteria filled fore guts. They chew and re-chew the cud all day. Think about the cow. Large gut, small brain. The bacteria breakdown and convert fibres to produce building blocks for the growth and maintenance of body tissue. Their carcasses become mini steaks for the animal.
Humans have smaller hind guts and unfortunately, over time, the diversity of our health promoting gut bacteria has dwindled. But, according to Richard Wrangham, Harvard-based biological anthropologist, as the human gut shrunk our brain grew.
For now, eating smaller quantities of the most sustainably produced, nutrient dense foods we can afford, or produce ourselves, is wise. And let us not judge others who do not do as we do. Rather be a good role model, inspire and empower.
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."
~ Wendell Berry
Food for thought.
Originally published March 24th, 2017
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