Do you know where your food comes from?

6 Oct

Let’s start with a question...

Do you know where the last thing you ate came from?

Your pantry or fridge maybe, but before that where?
Was It overseas, was it local, do you know what ingredients were in it?

You may think this is over kill or a little bit funny of me to ask. But I think it’s important because we have become so disconnected from our food that we don’t even know where it’s from. To me, there is something seriously wrong with that.

Sitting here, I just ate a mandarin from a farm down the Mornington Peninsula, which is close to where I live. We receive a weekly farmers grocer box, where I know exactly where my food comes from, how cool is that!

I recently read a 2014 study run by Woolworths that found some crazy statistics from surveying 1,600 Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years.

- 92% of children didn’t know bananas grew on plants.

- 61% (6 in 10) were unaware that herbs grew from the ground.

- 56% were unaware that radishes grew underground (beetroot was 54%).

- 59% (6 in 10) couldn’t identify a leek.

- 58% (6 in 10) had difficulty naming a nectarine.

- 41% (2 in 5) couldn’t identify a zucchini or an apricot.

We need to think of the bigger picture, if you don’t know where your food comes from, or are mindful, how will the next generation? Those statistics speak for themselves.

I like to know where my food comes from, to ensure its quality, to help the environment and support my local community.

Eating locally reduces the food miles of your food. This is fantastic for the environment; less transportation leads to reduced carbon emissions. Which makes it a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint.

It's difficult to know these days what's in season and what's not, as supermarkets import produce from around the globe to fill their shelves all year round. I shared an article some time ago about the benefits of eating seasonally which you’re welcome to read up on here.
Eating Seasonally will assist in eating locally as produce is less likely to be imported (of course depending on certain climates some produce is required to be imported).

Natural Spoonfuls advocates for organic farming and important farming practices such as permacultures (which focus on natural ecosystems). This traditional and healthy approach has been replaced with large scale farms and intensive practices, which are not supporting the environment nor the nutrient retention in our foods. Their priorities are sales, not the health of the world and us. On the other hand, an organic farmer, yes, they are trying to earn a living, but I bet that they are wildly passionate about the health of the world and YOU. Two very different priorities… who do you want to support?

Overall, I think we have become so far removed from our lifeline... our FOOD.
I urge you to think about what you are buying and the effects that this has on the world and your body.

In my Low Tox Food Program, I share how to read food labels and educate you on what exactly you should be buying and from where. We cover all food groups, and you will learn what products to ditch and why. Not only that, but you will also feel empowered and in control to enhance your health with natural food choices!