SUSTAINABILITY: One Bite at a Time

Introduction:

Sustainability in the kitchen should not be a practice that is only reserved for the radical environmentalist or vegan or health nut. Sustainable practices in the kitchen and at the dinner table are completely doable for the average American family. Sustainable changes don’t have to be complicated or expensive or radical, its merely an emphasis on simplifying the industrialized, commercialized food industry down to what food was intended to be, nutritious (and delicious too!). With a focus on locally grown, seasonal, and organic produce as well as meat-minimal diet and downsizing the consumption of processed and packaged food, the American family can nourish their bodies while doing their part to prevent further degradation of the environment. Food, something so simple and basic has become so complex and in recent years that a guide is necessary to help the average person navigate through the industrialized and commercialized food industry and make sustainable decisions. Food has become less about nutrition, and more about new products fueling the industrial food production complex. This guide is intended to refocus the average persons’ diet and practices/behavior in the kitchen on sustainable nutrition by providing tips and techniques on what to buy, where to buy it and how to cook it all up into delicious and nutritious meal, achieving sustainability one bite at a time.

WHAT TO EAT? (when eating/cooking sustainably)

Organic Produce-

What exactly does “organic mean”? We see it everywhere, on fruit labels, on signs of your local supermarket, at Farmer’s Markets, but it’s important to know what organic food/produce actually means. Food grown according to organic principles is free harmful herbicides and pesticides. Organic farmers rely on healthy, vibrant, and live soils to grow their crops in rather than synthetic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. Natural soil is replete with microbiotic organisms that can exist in harmony with plants. Organic farmers utilize, maintain and manage these organisms to promote their crop growth rather than destroy the natural soil with toxic chemicals and be forced to supply fertilizers. Organic farms do not leach harmful chemicals into groundwater or pollute waterways with runoff of toxic chemicals, fertilizers, and topsoil/sedimentation. They also do not rely on chemical inputs like fertilizer and pesticides that are derived from petroleum, and have a significant environmental cost due to not only their application but production as well.

Organically cultivated produce is not only better for the environment; it is generally a better product than traditionally cultivated produce. By growing in a synthetic pesticide/fertilizer free, live soil where organic matter and microbial activity create nutrients and minerals that are free to be absorbed into your food. Thus organically grown produce is healthier and more nutritious than “synthetically fed” traditionally grown produce and are free of any toxic residue. Not only are the organic produce healthier/more nutritious, they are often much more flavorful and tasty.

Fresh local seasonal produce-

Pretty self explanatory right? Local produce from local growers and farmers from within or surrounding your community, by buying locally you are also most likely buying seasonally. Buy buying seasonal produce, you reduce the waste associated with growing nonseasonal produce in heated greenhouses, or packaging and freezing nonseasonals, and also most nonseasonal produce must be shipped long distances to get to you, as in Grapes from Chile in the middle of … or bananas from Mexico year round. There is a massive environmental cost associated with the shipping and refrigeration of these nonseasonal and nonlocal produce from pollution and burning of fossil fuels, packaging. This environmental cost can easily be eliminated by buying local seasonal produce from community farmers. Not only does buying locally help the environment, it also helps your community by supporting small local farmers who struggle to make ends meet and who are overwhelmed by huge monoculture factory farms. Along with the benefit to the community, local produce gets to you faster and fresher- produce loses some of its nutrition the longer it sits on a shelf- thus local food tastes better and is nutritionally better for you.

Here's a link to Southland Farmers Market Assos. Guide to Seasonal Produce, check it out:

http://www.sfma.net/consumer/inseason.shtml#mayaugust

Sustainable Fisheries:

Here is a link to Seafood Watch pocket guide to help you make wise choices when eating fish.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx

Many fisheries are being fished irresponsibly and depleted almost to the point of no return. Avoid these unsustainable fisheries and instead choose fish that is either fished or farmed responsibly and sustainably. It is important to help maintain the health of the ocean and ocean species as well as land in our eating habits.

Soon to come:

The Meat Question: Carnivore? Vegetarian/vegan? or Moderate Meat-eater?

Packaging and Processing

Where to buy food when eating/cooking sustainably/how to shop!