Boost yourself on: Healthy eating, awareness, gardening, sustainability

Foreword

Have you been thinking about how you can eat healthier? Are you tired
of eating food that has been processed and laced with chemicals? Or do
you just want to turn that land that’s been lying bare into something
beautiful? In this tidbit, Barbara Kingsolver and her family take you on a
journey to a world where you can grow your food from the comfort of
your home.

Barbara Kingsolver is an author of 12 books of fiction, poetry, and

creative nonfiction. Her work has been translated into 19 languages and
won her a devoted worldwide readership and many awards, including
the National Humanities Medal. Steven L. Hopp teaches environmental
studies at Emory and Henry College and researches bioacoustics and
the natural history of vireos (small songbirds). Camille Kingsolver
attends Duke University, where she studies biology, anatomy, and dance
and teaches yoga.

“Over the last decade, our country has lost an average of 300 farms a
week. Large or small, each of those was the life’s work of a real person
or family, people who built their lives around a promise and watched it
break.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver

1. Your body depends on the choices you make daily —

make every single one of them count

Did you bother to check how many calories you allowed into your body
when you ate that snack you got at the store around the corner?
Probably not. Even if you did check, would you stop buying it? The idea
of you making your own chips from scratch may sound daunting, but it is,
in fact, possible.

These days, everyone seems to want a quick fix to everything, including

the food we consume. Sadly, this is doing more harm than good to our
economy, our lands, and even our bodies.

Producing your own food is not nearly as difficult as you may think. It is
actually a more efficient way to ensure you control your diet. With time
and practice, you can get the hang of it and be on your way to living a
more fulfilling life.

Children learn values when you constantly show them the importance of
buying locally grown food.
This summary will unearth how Barbara Kingsolver, her husband Steven
Hopp, and her daughters Camille and Lily experienced a total change in
their lives when they decided to leave their home in the city of Arizona to
start a healthier one in rural Appalachia.

2. Farming should be everyone’s business since we all

need food to survive

The food we eat does not come from a clean store as modern kids
believe, and it is our duty to prove this to them. It seems all our
knowledge of food has vanished as we have now started focusing
squarely on the urban lifestyle. We keep convincing ourselves that the
rural areas are not important. Many people see education as moving
away from manual labor and reject any thoughts of it being taught in
schools.

People hardly care about the farmers who grow the food they eat. Due to
the industrial revolution, farmers produce 3,900 calories per US citizen
daily, owing to a lot of synthetic fertilizers and a general change from
natural to mechanical production systems; many of these calories are
consumed unknowingly.

Food culture in the US takes the pattern of a privileged class. Humans

are genetically predisposed to doing certain unhelpful things, such as
choosing foods rich in fats over those that are more nutritious. It is,
therefore, no surprise that this generation is plagued with eating
disorders, as is evident in the many illnesses caused by bad eating
habits. Kids are predicted to have a shorter life span than before. And
while we are expected to eat more fruit and vegetables, the government
gives subsidies to farmers of commodity crops that are not healthy.

There is an increase in the rate of anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa,

and binge eating in this generation due to bad eating habits.

It is not enough to ban foods that are harmful to the body when
consumed regularly. A good food culture draws people closer to the land
that feeds them in two ways. First, it encourages them to live on this land
so as to be able to embrace the ideas of food and dirt in the same
sentence. Secondly, it urges them to start poking into the supply chain to
find out where food comes from.

“Several studies, including research done by Allison Byrum of the

American Chemical Society, have shown fruits and vegetables grown
without pesticides and herbicides to contain 50 to 60 percent more
antioxidants than their sprayed counterparts.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Did you know? Owing to the industrial revolution and change in the
farming system, humans now consume way more calories than ever.

3. Starting a healthy lifestyle might be difficult at first, but it

definitely has a lot of benefits

Growing your own food means you will have to shuffle between home
improvement projects, gardening, and even the canning of vegetables.
Since you’ve moved to a rural area, there will be differences in the way
the trees grow and how snow falls.
It is important that you take note of the differences in the weather and
land conditions when you’re deciding what and when to plant.

The average American family can be satisfied with the food obtained
from their garden. Although, clearing a garden that would feed a family
for a long time takes a lot of work and will be challenged by the
topography of the land.

One reason it is difficult to have a local food culture is not the price but
the attitude of the people. Patience and restraint are fundamental
virtues.

Waiting for a quality experience seems to be something that has slipped

from the American custom.

Making a grocery list can be very challenging when you are trying to
source all your food locally. Depending on how your family runs, you can
make room for each family member to have a luxury item not grown
locally. The aim is to choose what brings you the most happiness. But
whether you purchase a luxury item or eat just homegrown food, choose
happiness always.

It might be difficult to satisfy everyone in the family but always ensure

everyone is included in the decision making.

4. It is possible for food crops to go into extinction, but it is

everyone’s duty to prevent that from happening

Humans eat a lot of plant species, and over time, almost all human foods
have been reduced to 8 species. We are losing food crops because
people see the idea of plant varieties as patentable properties rather
than what it was before history — just food. Scientists have genetically
modified many food crops such that they either have a bacterial gene
that kills harmful insects or alters their physiology to withstand
herbicides.

These days, food has gone through so much processing that some of it
has lost its value.

Disease pathogens and their crop host are constantly improving together
or risk going extinct, making it possible for plant diseases to attack plants
in new ways. This puts food systems at risk and restricts our diet to just
a few corn and soybean meals. To combat this, some people try to
promote gastronomic culture by preserving rare foods by growing and
selling them internationally so these species can keep thriving.

If people keep growing rare foods, they’ll be preserved for future

generations.

You have a role to play in preserving plant species, even if you're not a
farmer. One thing you can do is seek the farmers growing these rare
plant species and patronize them regularly. You can also share your
experience of eating the plant with others, encouraging them to become
consumers too. The farmers will see a need to keep growing those
crops, and we will keep getting different food varieties. Win-win.
5. You contribute to economic and environmental growth
every time you eat locally produced food

Contrary to some beliefs, all the non-animal food we eat, except pine
nuts, seaweed, and mushrooms, comes from flowering plants. Most of
the vegetables we eat span one year. They start to grow in the spring
and finish their cycle in the fall. Most of all the food available to us, we
eat at the detriment of other generations.

Concentrating on local foods keeps the money for groceries in the

neighborhood to help local businesses grow.

Markets demand consumers who will choose locally grown foods.

Farming at its best optimizes both economic and environmental health.
Any plan that maximizes one at the cost of the other is bad farming.

Good farming improves both economic and environmental health.

In winter and June, the garden is usually quiet, but there is always
something to do. There are weeds to get rid of and compost to prepare.
In the last decade, over 300 farms were lost weekly. This is the end of
the road for some, but for those who thrive, it is a combination of luck,
courage, and adaptability. Some people perceive organic foods to be
only for the elite in the community, an obstacle to the farmer growing
food for middle-income customers whose highest food shopping priority
is the lowest price.

Raising food without polluting the land will always cost more than the
usual route many farmers take these days, but Americans want to spend
less on food. This explains the bad food habits that exist. People want
things that make them look cool rather than food that is good for them.
Plenty of studies have shown that eating cheaply produced fast food
regularly can give extra pounds that increase one’s risk of diabetes.
Organic farming is labor-intensive. Growing food locally requires
relationships and trust and ensuring that people can rely on the quality of
food that you produce.

6. The more you discourage the habit of eating out, the

more your children learn the importance of family and
other values

People don’t have time to grow their own food which is understandable.
So, the next step should not be to look for the nearest packaged food.
Many people do not cook anymore, and this only destroys the bedrock of
our culture.

Food is an integral part of any culture. Everyone ought to take great care
not to destroy it.

People often trade an opportunity to prepare a meal to have more time

for a career or other attractions. Agreed, people are busier these days
and may have little or no time to cook, but you could include cooking as
part of the things you do for fun. This will help you develop a routine that
will save time and help build a tradition for your family. The advantages
of cooking far outweigh those of eating out.
Sticking with home-cooked meals produces better eating habits, helps
you develop your own skills, and cuts a lot of costs.

You don’t have to lose nutritional value while striving for economic
success. It also puts you in control of what you allow into your body. The
more locally made foods you buy, the more you contribute toward your
community because you are helping farmers. You are also passing down
a very important culture to your children. You are teaching them a
healthy way of life and instilling values that are fast declining in the world
today.

Children learn values when you constantly show them the importance of
buying locally grown food.

7. Organic farmers put a lot of effort into growing different

healthy crops; you encourage them to do more when you
patronize them

It would seem that restaurants selling locally made foods would be the
simplest idea in the world, but many people do not appreciate it.

Buying goods from local businesses rather than national chains

generates about three times more money for the economy.

Organic farming involves a level of in-depth observation that people

hardly associate with farmers. Most people do not view farmers as
skillful or intelligent enough to carefully do the necessary things, which is
a major reason why some do not buy locally grown food.
Healthy farms produce the best kind of food for consumption.

There are different challenges farmers encounter regularly, and one of

these is the issue of weeds. Weeds can be useful at certain times but
can also threaten the existence of crops. Conventional farmers use
chemicals for weed control, but organic farmers don’t, posing a
challenge. In large operations where mulching is impractical, organic
farmers use a three- to four-year crop rotation using fast-growing cover
crops, which allow weeds to germinate. They then till the land to destroy
weeds before planting crops. Doing this means they are often unable to
produce crops regularly or do so on a large scale, so they farm products
for just their families. The few that farm large enough to sell need to be
encouraged. You can do this by patronizing them or making farm
supplies available at subsidized prices if you have the capacity to do so.

8. Your environment can influence your diet, but one needs

to be careful so you don’t limit yourself to only what you
can see

Most plants are affected by the temperature of the land at any given
time, but early planning helps you get ready for all the seasons.

As tempting as it is to buy all you need from the store, it is possible to

carefully plan to have your own farm supply you crops all year. To begin
this journey, you need to start planting in March or as soon as spring
comes. If you start early, you might not need to worry about your supply
till the following spring. A good plant to grow at this time is asparagus, as
you can find it in many places and makes for a balanced meal. Most of
what you’ve planted begins to blossom in April. Crops like cabbage,
onions, potatoes, and kale should be fully grown at this stage.

Summer is the time for many parties, cooking, and canning and
refrigerating for the coming seasons. In Autumn, plenty of fruits reach
maturity at this time. This is also the time meat lovers store meat for
winter. Winter is a calm month as nothing much can be done but to savor
the result of the work you put in earlier.

The seasons affect your diet. In the winter, the body craves warmth from
stews.

People who inhabit the world’s cold water regions eat more fish which
has been proven to reduce the rates of depression and bipolar disorder
due to the Omega-3 fatty acid in them. Winter is also best for baking, as
the heat from the oven is a good source of warmth.

Eating your meals mostly at home increases savings and reduces the
cost of groceries. In addition, family time becomes a happier experience
when you frequently eat homemade meals. Even if you can earn more
from doing other jobs apart from farming, chores like cooking and
canning can be delightful as well.

“Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from

when the apron strings wrap around you twice.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver
Conclusion

Farming is no longer an occupation restricted to poor men and women

with straw hats who, for lack of a better job, till the ground all day. You
can change your life for the better by simply deciding to eat healthy
foods that are locally produced by you or your neighbors.

Growing your own produce is a solution to numerous health,

environmental, and economic problems:

● Farming helps you eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.

● You’re able to decide what kinds of fertilizers and pesticides come

in contact with your food.

● You have control over when to harvest your food.

In a nutshell, you are in charge of what you eat from beginning to end.

You are what you eat; therefore, you need to be more deliberate about
the efforts you put into your food consumption. So, whether you live in
the suburbs or have a lot of land to spare, you can start your own little
garden where everything blooms and you are happy.

Apart from farming your food, one other thing you can do is patronize
organic farmers who put so much effort into producing healthy food for
all to eat but are underappreciated in many parts of the world. Buying
produce from farmers’ markets or patronizing local restaurants over
fast-food chains will go a long way in encouraging these farmers. And
you will overall be contributing to the health of the world.
“The average food item on a U.S. grocery shelf has traveled farther than
most families go on their annual vacations.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Try this:

Guarantee healthier meals that cost less by learning which plants grow
best in which season and trying to create your own little garden. When
growing your own food, start small and plant things you’d really like to
eat.