Food
The politics of food in this country encourages large corporations to gobble up smaller ones (economy of scale), large "farmers" to buy up small family farms and mechanize the operations, or companies to purchase produce and meat from cheaper foreign farmers. The goverment has declared food to be a commodity - food is merely food, it matters not, it is simply fuel, a calorie is just a calorie. Shove it in your mouth, it goes in one end and comes out the other eventually.
Ancient wisdom teaches us differently; we are what we eat. This is why all traditions teach us to say "grace" before meals - we should be grateful for the bounty of the Earth, the sacrifice the living things have made for us so that we may continue our own existance and spiritual development. We need to remain mindful of the source of our food, how it is grown, how it is prepared, how it tastes.
The best food for us is that which is fresh, seasonal, and local. If it has been grown in good soil, it will be full of nutrients. Good, balanced soil doesn't need fertilizers; the plants will be strong and healthy and will not attract pests that "require" harmful pesticides. The farmer can rely on natural methods that attract beneficial insects and birds to the land. After harvest, what is left is returned to the soil to enrich it for the next crop. The natural farmer also interplants crops that are beneficial to each other as well as to the human, and allows for continual harvests.
Commercial farms, by contrast, plant "mono-crops" - one thing such as a single variety of corn (often genetically engineered) which is susceptible to blight, drought, insect infestation. The cycle of plant, harvest, spray, leave the field bare depletes the soil within a few years; how depleted do you think the corn is? Then the corn is further "refined" - stripped of its nutrients (what might be left) - as it's made into cereal, and then a few vitamins and minerals are added back in. By the time you get that box of cereal from the store, that corn may have spent months on its journey from the field.
Then there's the issue of compassion for animals raised for meat, egg, and dairy consumption. Yes, animals have feelings - how many of you have animal companions? Have you ever watched a nature program that shows how wild animals raise their young? Domestic animals are the same - given the choice, they will care for their children as tenderly as any human parent. They feel pain, they feel love and affection, they feel resentment and anger. They deserve to be given adequate shelter, space to move, and the opportunity to socialize with others of their kind. When their time comes, it should come swiftly so they feel as little pain and fear as possible. The Jewish and Muslim rules for slaughter teach this. Tribal peoples taught this as a rule for hunting, as an animal which suffered was unfit to eat. This issue of compassion for animals has caused many to become vegetarian (one who may eat eggs or dairy) or vegan (one who eats no eggs or dairy).
It is not impossible to wean yourself from the Big Farm Diet. Begin with small things like vegetables (you will find that buying local produce is often cheaper - no plastic packaging!), especially once the farmers' markets open. Consider joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) group in your area - you can join with other families in your block and pool your resources and divide what you get. The farmers will often give you recipes for anything unfamiliar, give you samples to taste, may even host cooking lessons!
Then, invite your friends over for dinner and share your newfound cooking skills and hook them onto the Think Global/Buy Local express!
Those who are born are born of food.
Whoever reaches this Earth, from then on they subsist on food.
And in the end, they go back to it.
Food is the eldest among created things,
That is why it is called the universal medicine.
Tattiriya Upanishad
Ancient wisdom teaches us differently; we are what we eat. This is why all traditions teach us to say "grace" before meals - we should be grateful for the bounty of the Earth, the sacrifice the living things have made for us so that we may continue our own existance and spiritual development. We need to remain mindful of the source of our food, how it is grown, how it is prepared, how it tastes.
The best food for us is that which is fresh, seasonal, and local. If it has been grown in good soil, it will be full of nutrients. Good, balanced soil doesn't need fertilizers; the plants will be strong and healthy and will not attract pests that "require" harmful pesticides. The farmer can rely on natural methods that attract beneficial insects and birds to the land. After harvest, what is left is returned to the soil to enrich it for the next crop. The natural farmer also interplants crops that are beneficial to each other as well as to the human, and allows for continual harvests.
Commercial farms, by contrast, plant "mono-crops" - one thing such as a single variety of corn (often genetically engineered) which is susceptible to blight, drought, insect infestation. The cycle of plant, harvest, spray, leave the field bare depletes the soil within a few years; how depleted do you think the corn is? Then the corn is further "refined" - stripped of its nutrients (what might be left) - as it's made into cereal, and then a few vitamins and minerals are added back in. By the time you get that box of cereal from the store, that corn may have spent months on its journey from the field.
Then there's the issue of compassion for animals raised for meat, egg, and dairy consumption. Yes, animals have feelings - how many of you have animal companions? Have you ever watched a nature program that shows how wild animals raise their young? Domestic animals are the same - given the choice, they will care for their children as tenderly as any human parent. They feel pain, they feel love and affection, they feel resentment and anger. They deserve to be given adequate shelter, space to move, and the opportunity to socialize with others of their kind. When their time comes, it should come swiftly so they feel as little pain and fear as possible. The Jewish and Muslim rules for slaughter teach this. Tribal peoples taught this as a rule for hunting, as an animal which suffered was unfit to eat. This issue of compassion for animals has caused many to become vegetarian (one who may eat eggs or dairy) or vegan (one who eats no eggs or dairy).
It is not impossible to wean yourself from the Big Farm Diet. Begin with small things like vegetables (you will find that buying local produce is often cheaper - no plastic packaging!), especially once the farmers' markets open. Consider joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) group in your area - you can join with other families in your block and pool your resources and divide what you get. The farmers will often give you recipes for anything unfamiliar, give you samples to taste, may even host cooking lessons!
Then, invite your friends over for dinner and share your newfound cooking skills and hook them onto the Think Global/Buy Local express!
Whoever reaches this Earth, from then on they subsist on food.
And in the end, they go back to it.
Food is the eldest among created things,
That is why it is called the universal medicine.
Tattiriya Upanishad
posted by peacenicked at 4:52 PM
0 comments
