I’m very privileged to be able to have choices about the food I eat. I remember my mother telling me about her family getting a box of oranges as a special treat at Christmas. I remember how my dad shooting a deer in the fall meant the difference between having a good year or not.
These are not my concerns today. Today I worry about my teenage sons getting too many of their calories from carbs or protein, not if they have access to food.
Sam sent me this article about organic produce:
http://modernliberals.com/organic-food-industry-pinnacle-white-privilege/
I have to agree with many of the points. Often the “organic” label is used to jack up the price of food with little return on investment. There are a few studies that indicate organic foods are cross-contaminated with pesticides from other foods during shipping. (Ya, look it up)
I’m one of those annoying white women who encourage folks to buy local, organic produce when you can. Why? Not for health benefits because many of those claims are unsubstantiated. Ya. You might be being fleeced if you go to a chain supermarket and buy organic foods. Sorry!
But there’s a thing about choosing local produce when you can. Want to be fit? How about, when you can afford it, buying locally grown food? It reduces your carbon footprint and supports your local economy.
I can’t be fit if I can’t drink the water in my tap or breathe the air in my city. So for me buying local food that is organic is about supporting agricultural practices I want to see. Small scale farming helps me feel connected to the people that grow my food. My food fuels my body to move me forward.
These things matter but if you need to buy 3 for a $1 instant noodles to hit your caloric intake please don’t let my preferences bring you down. You get to decide what you eat and what you like to eat.
As a kid I picked fiddleheads and in season berries. We didn’t call this foraging, it was just how we got our food. Now I get to buy all kinds of things. Will I buy in season organic food?
Heck ya!
Do I think it will make me incredibly healthy? No. Not really but it might just help tip the table to less egregious forms of agriculture and that is enough for me.
I am under no illusion that my small gardens in my urban yard will fully feed my family. I grown some of my own food simply to appreciate the sheer enormity of what is involved in growing my food. I buy local when I can, organic when I can’t and respect that these are incredibly privileged choices to make.
