Food (1): Introduction
Our food supply is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases in percentage terms of all sectors. Moreover, the industrial approach to producing our food depletes the soil, which in turn is offset by huge amounts of fertilizers. In turn, this causes destruction of eco systems. And to achieve high production, large amounts of herbicides and pesticides are used that poison soil and groundwater. This also kills off many animal species, including urgently needed pollinators.
In addition, the consumption of fresh water for agriculture and animal industries is so huge that an increasing number of regions worldwide risk becoming completely unsuitable for growing food due to drought. Empty water reservoirs, rivers running dry, very low groundwater levels. If then climate change results in (much) less rainfall, we have broken the natural cycle and drinking water supplies are also at risk. On the other hand, regions with a huge increase in rainfall are just as vulnerable to crop failures.
So your food has a big impact on your ecological footprint.
At the same time, a lot of what goes through our mouths is a trigger for addiction. Smoking, alcoholic beverages, fatty foods, salty, sweet, chocolate or coffee ... and so on.
So it is a very rewarding, but at the same time a difficult part of your daily life to tackle.
As I wrote elsewhere, my wife and I eat plant-based foods. We are convinced herbivores, not principled vegans. But we sure don't want to inflict suffering on animals through industrial livestock, dairy, fishing....
But food is about much more than that, more than just personal preferences like taste, smell and appearance, and what you are used to eating.... Your and my food is also and increasingly about nutritional value, health, animal cruelty, excessive land and water use for animal protein production, food shortages, hunger and starvation, inequality, poisoning of soil water and air, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, species extinction, deforestation, shortage of fresh water...
Seeing a number of documentaries about this and reading articles, very basically, has also been an important trigger to change our lives as far as food is concerned. The more we became aware of all these aspects, the more we changed our menu. Incidentally, along with another important factor for me personally. I have a chronic intestinal disorder (diverticulitis), which it turned out I was able to get completely pain-free by changing my menu considerably. If you want to know more about that, contact me and I'll tell you all about it.
In the second part of Food I will give you a series of tips and considerations for changing your menu to benefit your health and for a lower ecological footprint. The third and final part is about food processing, from the land to your kitchen.
If you have questions, want to share your thoughts and experiences or if there is something you want more information about: please respond with a comment on the blog post or send me an email.
Artwork: Solar Flames
Want to inquire about an art piece?
All content © 2014-2020 Jacob Berghoef