TreeHugger.com: Fasting – Re-Thinking The System That Is Food
Anamika
· 2 years ago
Wow! what a wonderful article. I completely agree with you on all the points you make in here. We have been spoiled in the Western world with ready access to [not fresh] packaged food which came from who knows where.
There are definite advantages to one's health by eating seasonal food that's been grown locally. This has the least effect on the environment and on our health.
KS_
· 2 years ago
> That being fat, in every way, is bad for this planet.
This is a silly argument. Highly packaged diet foods are bad for the planet. Eating meat is bad for the planet. Driving a car is bad for the planet. You can tell nothing about how much harm someone causes the planet by weighing them -- some people are just fatter than others.
As a fat, carfree, plus-size organic jeans wearing vegetarian, I'm offended.
Anonymous
· 2 years ago
You can tell nothing about how much harm someone causes the planet by weighing them
Of course you can.
-- some people are just fatter than others.
And in the vast majority of cases, it is the result of choices they make.
Griffin
· 2 years ago
Wild animals are never fat. Or at least not primates. I've actually never heard of a fat vegetarian. We learn something every day.
TC
· 2 years ago
OK, let's not get started with that morality game. Being overweight is unfortunately more complex than just eating less. Upbringing, economics, and the less fortunate family genes from (often overweight) parents make it harder for some than others. And not everyone is as lucky as those who live in areas where organic food is easily available.
Let's simply say that everyone can do something, but some have a harder time. We should help those who are disadvantaged via personal and government support.
Great article, very well written. I have fasted myself a few times and loved it. Very empowering indeed. I believe we will not be a better society until we REALLY understand and embrace the value of healthy food and its chain of production. I would vote for widespread free nutrition and food-economics information to everyone, especially school kids - make it as mandatory as math.
Jude
· 2 years ago
I can see now where my food addiction has wreaked havoc on the earth.
For some reason I have finally seen the light and am now trying a raw food diet .
But 15 years ago when I was regularly eating fast food bacon cheeseburgers I had no clue.
dating vegans also helped shed some light. But even so I learned how to make high fat vegan food and went out of my way to find sources of tradtional foods that were vegan.
ie making Jello brand pudding with soymilk, etc.
I wish the playing field was even in advertising. For every commercial for commercial type products there should mini-infomercials about where things come from and the damage they are doing to the earth/our health and where to go to learn more to make better choices.
researching raw food and incorperating more of it into my life has by far opened my eyes the widest.
great post.
well written and very thought provoking.
I would love to know where in France the writer went as this sounds like a dream vacation.
ashi
· 2 years ago
I think fasting is not key to understanding "the system that is food." It seems to me that fasting simply enabled the author to dig deeper into the food process currently used by the western world. Being educated on this issue is really the important message; it is the end goal. Although I understand that many people need first hand experience to comprehend these intricacies of our complex food system, it is not necessary. The average person in America has a hectic, complicated life: children/grandparents to care for, overtime work schedules just to pay the bills, loans to pay off, and many have large sums of credit card debt, etc. Slowing down really isn't an option. Most people that try to make a difference in this world have lots of problems to take on. But reforming one's eating habits based on documented evidence/facts seems more viable and practical for the average person than completely fasting. Regardless, I'm quite glad that the author has been enlightened during her fasting experience and is educating people on how the food system works.
In addition, I wanted to make the comment that I agree being overweight usually does signify eating more than necessary, but i don't see how being overweight decreases a person's integrity for helping the planet. An overweight person may have just as much of a positive impact or more on the earth than a non-overweight person. It really depends on the individual and the actions that he/she takes to innovating, practicing and promoting green living. Rash judgments from the author are rather degrading for a post that is meant to educate people rather than pass judgment.
Anonymous
· 2 years ago
OK, let's not get started with that morality game. Being overweight is unfortunately more complex than just eating less. Upbringing, economics, and the less fortunate family genes from (often overweight) parents make it harder for some than others. And not everyone is as lucky as those who live in areas where organic food is easily available.
Whether something is organic or not has nothing to do with caloric value. This isn't a "morality game", it's simple physics. Energy input, energy expended. For the vast majority of people, it's because they're either putting in too much energy, or burning too little of it -- or both. There's some more subtle factors having to do with when something is eaten and so forth, but by-and-large it pretty much boils down to simple input and output. And despite a social structure which isn't generally conducive towards being a proper weight, it still boils down to choices and actions individuals either make or don't.
Blaming it on genes or society is a copout.
jude
· 2 years ago
"Whether something is organic or not has nothing to do with caloric value. This isn't a "morality game", it's simple physics. Energy input, energy expended. For the vast majority of people, it's because they're either putting in too much energy, or burning too little of it -- or both. There's some more subtle factors having to do with when something is eaten and so forth, but by-and-large it pretty much boils down to simple input and output. And despite a social structure which isn't generally conducive towards being a proper weight, it still boils down to choices and actions individuals either make or don't"
if you are so convicted - why do you post Anonymously?
"Blaming it on genes or society is a copout."
it is much more complicated than that.
Andrew
· 2 years ago
Thanks so much for your long, thoughtful comment. As I've gradually thought about and changed my habits, I'm finding that changing how I eat (i.e. more slowly) has been the one of hardest things to do. I've considered fasting for a long time. Maybe I should do it.
I just want to point out quickly, amid all the gloom and doom, that not all our food is produced the way described above (although most if it, sadly, is). For people who want to help change the system, and eat healthfully while they're at it, there is the Eat Well Guide. Just type in your zip code and it'll display all the small, local farms near you, as well as the vendors who sell stuff from those farms. Check out the hyperlink here:
http://eatwellguide.org/
Tamara, thanks again for such a personal, in-depth post (which are actually kind of rare on TH). I await your next one.
brian
· 2 years ago
Not to sound crude.But if i can not kill it/clean it/cook it or grow it on my own.I don't have it.I hunt my land all 120 acres.I grow my own food.I weigh in at 210.But i am not fat.I work out by splitting wood and other activates.Learn to live without you be better off.I have no television/dvd player/vcr or alot of electronic junk.My laptop is my only indulgence.It keeps me in touch with friends and family.Living primitively is better for me.You got what you have and that is it.living without is easier.
Dean
· 2 years ago
What a fascinating article, where was this camp?
topbusinessopportunities
· 2 years ago
never had a problem with food.
Wendy
· 2 years ago
Wonderful post!
I was surprised though, that I don't hear anything in this story about sugar?
Guva
· 2 years ago
Congratulation Tamara, looks like you had a interesting week in France.
Now about being overweight (excuse my English, it's not perfect, but not being Brittish so you wo'nt get any: I'm Sorry)
I am overweight, i live on my own farm where the water comes from a natural spring, the power to this computer comes from our own solarsystem (we have two solar-ovens and two solar-toiletts as well)
Almost all what i consume comes from my own land and normally i buy salt, diesel & American Spirit tobacco (to mix with my own grass) cause the rest is grown by me or by my neighbours and then we trade (now thats what i call fairtrade)
Anyway back to that i have a BMI of 32:
I'm sorry to say that i feel perfectly OK with my +100 kilos
(and my girlfriend do'nt seem to mind) so who in that big country who is at war in other countrys, who indeed, living in a town can tell me (or you) how to live or who is to fat!?
I enyoy my life, i do not make to big a footprint with my way of living.
I do not expect to get your approval or respect but i love my land, family, music instruments & i do get dizzy when i go into big towns & citys.
Have a nice summer whatewer your weight is
dr4lom
· 2 years ago
I think this is a fairly good article, but you need to proof read it. There are tons of typos and misplaced words. Cleaning that up would make the message clearer. Because fasting is a good thing and something that humans can learn a lot from. That it took you into learning about food production is fine and all. In fact aside from the typos, I really enjoyed this article.
As to those complaining about your comments on fat people, well some people have trouble accepting that fat isn't good. Typically these people are fat. I can say this, because I've been fat. I've also starved unintentionally, and fasted purposely at different times and both can have their positives and negatives, obviously starving isn't all that great, but being on the edge of survival and actually surviving is quite uplifting in a sense. And while you can be fat and still be good about caring for the government, setting yourself as an example to others is often aided by personally helping yourself first.
Because of this, if you're fat, you should probably try to change that. While not all fat people get that way by overeating, many do get that way by eating the wrong foods. Nutritional education is terrible in the west. People over simplify by going on non-carb diets or eat packaged meal plans that don't provide the best ingredients for your body. Also many people don't exercise, and that's also a problem.
Being healthy and living healthy helps the planet because it puts your in a better position to help others. Being fat and accepting yourself is important for self-esteem, but depression from poor self-esteem can also be helped with better nutrition and exercise. Sometimes it's not all head games and pills people.
Matthew
· 2 years ago
>That being fat, in every way, is bad for this planet.
This is a silly argument.... Driving a car is bad for the planet. You can tell nothing about how much harm someone causes the planet by weighing them.
The author didn't say "fat people are bad for the planet;" she just commented on a specific action or situation person can have. You can't tell how much damage a person who drives a car does just by looking at them, but driving a car is still bad for the planet.
I think the author's message was: "If you're fat, you're either eating too much (using extra resources is bad), or not exercising enough (using cars instead of bikes is bad)." Generally, that is correct.
Daniel
· 2 years ago
Forgive me while I play the devil's spokesman. Could you clarify what you mean by "intended" when you say:
"We end up consuming more fat than nature had intended"
Someone once said:
"Imagine a being like nature, wasteful beyond measure, indifferent beyond measure, without purpose and consideration, without mercy and fairness, fertile and desolate and uncertain at the same time; imagine indifference itself as a power—how could you live according to this indifference? Living—is that not precisely wanting to be other than this nature? Is not living estimating, preferring, being unjust, being limited, wanting to be different?"
Entrepreneur
· 2 years ago
I think one of the important things in this article is consciousness. In our western world people have forgotten or never have known where food really comes from. "You mean cold milk doesn't just come from the guy behind the glass pushing more jugs to the front"?
If we are more aware of from where and how our food gets to us then we will be more selective about where and how it's done.
Not to mention what it does to our bodies. I think that there is a growing push for more natural and organic foods but it's only a step in the right direction.
inboulder
· 2 years ago
"That being fat, in every way, is bad for this planet.
This is a silly argument. Highly packaged diet foods are bad for the planet. Eating meat is bad for the planet. Driving a car is bad for the planet. "
All of the above is a silly argument. The planet is a giant ball of iron that is completely un-threatened by anything we could do to it. If you meant life on earth, or more specifically human life, I would tend to agree. But this planet stuff has always sounded childish to me.
Vegetarians can be just as fat and unhealthy as the rest of us, though it takes more effort. Thermodynamics is a harsh but fair mistress. Have you ever seen a fat hunter gatherer?
Gravisman
· 2 years ago
An economically ridiculous argument......it's very similar to the organic movement. Anyone ever noticed that organic food can never produce the yields that modern technological advancements can, and thus is much more expensive? The fact is, we could NEVER feed everyone in the current world using an "original world" view of eating. Human population is in a totally different state, and the fact that we have even achieved the population densities that we have has come largely because of the advancements we have made in food processing.
Jer
· 2 years ago
YAY let's go to an anti food brainwashing camp and try and get everyone else to do it!
The body was meant to eat. You don't get energy for basic life functions through absorbing dust in the air.
So what religion are you, Jehova's witness or Scientologist?
Jeff
· 2 years ago
I would like to know on your one week fast, what exactly did you intake. Pills, juices, water (obviously), etc...
David
· 2 years ago
I am a poor person. Just having anything to eat at all is a big deal for me.
beerjerk
· 2 years ago
So let me get this right, diary produces more CO2 than cars, or forest fires, or industrial processing, or deforestation? Sure....
Wil
· 2 years ago
WOW! De javu! This really brought me back to the days of 4-H. Now while our practices were not green, the ideology of appreciating food: for its growing/raising, processing, and cooking was a central facet of our counties program. I know ill probably get beat over the head by a billion animal protesters for mentioning 4-H, but you have to admit its important to realize how something goes from a seed to being on your plate.
All Comments
Wow! what a wonderful article. I completely agree with you on all the points you make in here. We have been spoiled in the Western world with ready access to [not fresh] packaged food which came from who knows where.
There are definite advantages to one's health by eating seasonal food that's been grown locally. This has the least effect on the environment and on our health.
> That being fat, in every way, is bad for this planet.
This is a silly argument. Highly packaged diet foods are bad for the planet. Eating meat is bad for the planet. Driving a car is bad for the planet. You can tell nothing about how much harm someone causes the planet by weighing them -- some people are just fatter than others.
As a fat, carfree, plus-size organic jeans wearing vegetarian, I'm offended.
You can tell nothing about how much harm someone causes the planet by weighing them
Of course you can.
-- some people are just fatter than others.
And in the vast majority of cases, it is the result of choices they make.
Wild animals are never fat. Or at least not primates. I've actually never heard of a fat vegetarian. We learn something every day.
OK, let's not get started with that morality game. Being overweight is unfortunately more complex than just eating less. Upbringing, economics, and the less fortunate family genes from (often overweight) parents make it harder for some than others. And not everyone is as lucky as those who live in areas where organic food is easily available.
Let's simply say that everyone can do something, but some have a harder time. We should help those who are disadvantaged via personal and government support.
Great article, very well written. I have fasted myself a few times and loved it. Very empowering indeed. I believe we will not be a better society until we REALLY understand and embrace the value of healthy food and its chain of production. I would vote for widespread free nutrition and food-economics information to everyone, especially school kids - make it as mandatory as math.
I can see now where my food addiction has wreaked havoc on the earth.
For some reason I have finally seen the light and am now trying a raw food diet .
But 15 years ago when I was regularly eating fast food bacon cheeseburgers I had no clue.
dating vegans also helped shed some light. But even so I learned how to make high fat vegan food and went out of my way to find sources of tradtional foods that were vegan.
ie making Jello brand pudding with soymilk, etc.
I wish the playing field was even in advertising. For every commercial for commercial type products there should mini-infomercials about where things come from and the damage they are doing to the earth/our health and where to go to learn more to make better choices.
researching raw food and incorperating more of it into my life has by far opened my eyes the widest.
great post.
well written and very thought provoking.
I would love to know where in France the writer went as this sounds like a dream vacation.
I think fasting is not key to understanding "the system that is food." It seems to me that fasting simply enabled the author to dig deeper into the food process currently used by the western world. Being educated on this issue is really the important message; it is the end goal. Although I understand that many people need first hand experience to comprehend these intricacies of our complex food system, it is not necessary. The average person in America has a hectic, complicated life: children/grandparents to care for, overtime work schedules just to pay the bills, loans to pay off, and many have large sums of credit card debt, etc. Slowing down really isn't an option. Most people that try to make a difference in this world have lots of problems to take on. But reforming one's eating habits based on documented evidence/facts seems more viable and practical for the average person than completely fasting. Regardless, I'm quite glad that the author has been enlightened during her fasting experience and is educating people on how the food system works.
In addition, I wanted to make the comment that I agree being overweight usually does signify eating more than necessary, but i don't see how being overweight decreases a person's integrity for helping the planet. An overweight person may have just as much of a positive impact or more on the earth than a non-overweight person. It really depends on the individual and the actions that he/she takes to innovating, practicing and promoting green living. Rash judgments from the author are rather degrading for a post that is meant to educate people rather than pass judgment.
OK, let's not get started with that morality game. Being overweight is unfortunately more complex than just eating less. Upbringing, economics, and the less fortunate family genes from (often overweight) parents make it harder for some than others. And not everyone is as lucky as those who live in areas where organic food is easily available.
Whether something is organic or not has nothing to do with caloric value. This isn't a "morality game", it's simple physics. Energy input, energy expended. For the vast majority of people, it's because they're either putting in too much energy, or burning too little of it -- or both. There's some more subtle factors having to do with when something is eaten and so forth, but by-and-large it pretty much boils down to simple input and output. And despite a social structure which isn't generally conducive towards being a proper weight, it still boils down to choices and actions individuals either make or don't.
Blaming it on genes or society is a copout.
"Whether something is organic or not has nothing to do with caloric value. This isn't a "morality game", it's simple physics. Energy input, energy expended. For the vast majority of people, it's because they're either putting in too much energy, or burning too little of it -- or both. There's some more subtle factors having to do with when something is eaten and so forth, but by-and-large it pretty much boils down to simple input and output. And despite a social structure which isn't generally conducive towards being a proper weight, it still boils down to choices and actions individuals either make or don't"
if you are so convicted - why do you post Anonymously?
"Blaming it on genes or society is a copout."
it is much more complicated than that.
Thanks so much for your long, thoughtful comment. As I've gradually thought about and changed my habits, I'm finding that changing how I eat (i.e. more slowly) has been the one of hardest things to do. I've considered fasting for a long time. Maybe I should do it.
I just want to point out quickly, amid all the gloom and doom, that not all our food is produced the way described above (although most if it, sadly, is). For people who want to help change the system, and eat healthfully while they're at it, there is the Eat Well Guide. Just type in your zip code and it'll display all the small, local farms near you, as well as the vendors who sell stuff from those farms. Check out the hyperlink here:
http://eatwellguide.org/
Tamara, thanks again for such a personal, in-depth post (which are actually kind of rare on TH). I await your next one.
Not to sound crude.But if i can not kill it/clean it/cook it or grow it on my own.I don't have it.I hunt my land all 120 acres.I grow my own food.I weigh in at 210.But i am not fat.I work out by splitting wood and other activates.Learn to live without you be better off.I have no television/dvd player/vcr or alot of electronic junk.My laptop is my only indulgence.It keeps me in touch with friends and family.Living primitively is better for me.You got what you have and that is it.living without is easier.
What a fascinating article, where was this camp?
never had a problem with food.
Wonderful post!
I was surprised though, that I don't hear anything in this story about sugar?
Congratulation Tamara, looks like you had a interesting week in France.
Now about being overweight (excuse my English, it's not perfect, but not being Brittish so you wo'nt get any: I'm Sorry)
I am overweight, i live on my own farm where the water comes from a natural spring, the power to this computer comes from our own solarsystem (we have two solar-ovens and two solar-toiletts as well)
Almost all what i consume comes from my own land and normally i buy salt, diesel & American Spirit tobacco (to mix with my own grass) cause the rest is grown by me or by my neighbours and then we trade (now thats what i call fairtrade)
Anyway back to that i have a BMI of 32:
I'm sorry to say that i feel perfectly OK with my +100 kilos
(and my girlfriend do'nt seem to mind) so who in that big country who is at war in other countrys, who indeed, living in a town can tell me (or you) how to live or who is to fat!?
I enyoy my life, i do not make to big a footprint with my way of living.
I do not expect to get your approval or respect but i love my land, family, music instruments & i do get dizzy when i go into big towns & citys.
Have a nice summer whatewer your weight is
I think this is a fairly good article, but you need to proof read it. There are tons of typos and misplaced words. Cleaning that up would make the message clearer. Because fasting is a good thing and something that humans can learn a lot from. That it took you into learning about food production is fine and all. In fact aside from the typos, I really enjoyed this article.
As to those complaining about your comments on fat people, well some people have trouble accepting that fat isn't good. Typically these people are fat. I can say this, because I've been fat. I've also starved unintentionally, and fasted purposely at different times and both can have their positives and negatives, obviously starving isn't all that great, but being on the edge of survival and actually surviving is quite uplifting in a sense. And while you can be fat and still be good about caring for the government, setting yourself as an example to others is often aided by personally helping yourself first.
Because of this, if you're fat, you should probably try to change that. While not all fat people get that way by overeating, many do get that way by eating the wrong foods. Nutritional education is terrible in the west. People over simplify by going on non-carb diets or eat packaged meal plans that don't provide the best ingredients for your body. Also many people don't exercise, and that's also a problem.
Being healthy and living healthy helps the planet because it puts your in a better position to help others. Being fat and accepting yourself is important for self-esteem, but depression from poor self-esteem can also be helped with better nutrition and exercise. Sometimes it's not all head games and pills people.
The author didn't say "fat people are bad for the planet;" she just commented on a specific action or situation person can have. You can't tell how much damage a person who drives a car does just by looking at them, but driving a car is still bad for the planet.
I think the author's message was: "If you're fat, you're either eating too much (using extra resources is bad), or not exercising enough (using cars instead of bikes is bad)." Generally, that is correct.
Forgive me while I play the devil's spokesman. Could you clarify what you mean by "intended" when you say:
"We end up consuming more fat than nature had intended"
Someone once said:
"Imagine a being like nature, wasteful beyond measure, indifferent beyond measure, without purpose and consideration, without mercy and fairness, fertile and desolate and uncertain at the same time; imagine indifference itself as a power—how could you live according to this indifference? Living—is that not precisely wanting to be other than this nature? Is not living estimating, preferring, being unjust, being limited, wanting to be different?"
I think one of the important things in this article is consciousness. In our western world people have forgotten or never have known where food really comes from. "You mean cold milk doesn't just come from the guy behind the glass pushing more jugs to the front"?
If we are more aware of from where and how our food gets to us then we will be more selective about where and how it's done.
Not to mention what it does to our bodies. I think that there is a growing push for more natural and organic foods but it's only a step in the right direction.
"That being fat, in every way, is bad for this planet.
This is a silly argument. Highly packaged diet foods are bad for the planet. Eating meat is bad for the planet. Driving a car is bad for the planet. "
All of the above is a silly argument. The planet is a giant ball of iron that is completely un-threatened by anything we could do to it. If you meant life on earth, or more specifically human life, I would tend to agree. But this planet stuff has always sounded childish to me.
Vegetarians can be just as fat and unhealthy as the rest of us, though it takes more effort. Thermodynamics is a harsh but fair mistress. Have you ever seen a fat hunter gatherer?
An economically ridiculous argument......it's very similar to the organic movement. Anyone ever noticed that organic food can never produce the yields that modern technological advancements can, and thus is much more expensive? The fact is, we could NEVER feed everyone in the current world using an "original world" view of eating. Human population is in a totally different state, and the fact that we have even achieved the population densities that we have has come largely because of the advancements we have made in food processing.
YAY let's go to an anti food brainwashing camp and try and get everyone else to do it!
The body was meant to eat. You don't get energy for basic life functions through absorbing dust in the air.
So what religion are you, Jehova's witness or Scientologist?
I would like to know on your one week fast, what exactly did you intake. Pills, juices, water (obviously), etc...
I am a poor person. Just having anything to eat at all is a big deal for me.
So let me get this right, diary produces more CO2 than cars, or forest fires, or industrial processing, or deforestation? Sure....
WOW! De javu! This really brought me back to the days of 4-H. Now while our practices were not green, the ideology of appreciating food: for its growing/raising, processing, and cooking was a central facet of our counties program. I know ill probably get beat over the head by a billion animal protesters for mentioning 4-H, but you have to admit its important to realize how something goes from a seed to being on your plate.