Go Fork Yourself: Our favorite foods are disappearing.
How you can support sustainable farming practices.
Last week, I wrote an essay about how the drought in the American southwest is affecting our food system.
Spilled Milk readers had a lot to say in the comments. One of the most common sentiments? We know climate change is affecting the food system. What can we actually do about it.
This week’s Go Fork Yourself is a deep dive into not only how the food system is struggling, but what we as individuals can do. Here’s a few things we talked about:
Use less. You already know this, and I know it can be hard to do. If we all tried a little harder, it would make a big impact. Swap single-use plastics for reusable containers, start bringing your own grocery bags (they work better anyway!), buy some reusable straws, mugs, water bottles.
Eat less meat, both in frequency and in portion size. Look, I love a nice steak, but it’s a treat. Try to incorporate meat-free meals into your week. When you do eat meat, buy the best you can afford, and eat about a 4-ounce portion. Think of the meat as the side dish, and vegetables, legumes, whatever else you’re eating as the main.
Eat at restaurants that align with your value system. Scallops are incredibly expensive right now. Why? Because we’re catching less of them. Restaurants keeping them on the menu on are charging more, but the question really is why are they continuing to serve species under pressure? Spend your money at places paying attention to aquaculture and farming practices. How do you know who’s paying attention? Keep reading….
Become an educated consumer. There are excellent resources that track sustainable farming and fishing practices. A few of my favorites:
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. A fantastic resource for guiding your seafood choices. Learn which seafoods to enjoy (and which to avoid) on their website, a downloadable guide (fits in your wallet), as well as via an app.
Environmental Working Group. The EWG’s mission is simple: empowering people with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. Lots of great guides for making consumer choices, from the foods you eat to the products you use.Practice open-mindedness when it comes to meals. Reframe what dinner is… really, it doesn’t have to include meat. Try new vegetables, legumes, grains. Make an effort to try new foods, and try new cooking methods. Maybe you actually like Brussels sprouts, just not the way your grandma cooked them.
Farm your own. Even indoors, in winter! Try using a grow kit, like this one.
Try a home grow kit, like this one from AeroGarden. Call your representatives. This really does make a difference, and it doesn’t have to be scary. Your actual representative is not answering the phone— it’s someone working for them keeping a tally of who’s calling and about what.
Find your Congress Member
Find your Senator
Tips for contacting your representative.Spread the word. Send a link to the essay I wrote to your friends and family. Say something like “I learned this today,'“ or “I thought this was interesting.” Invite them into conversation. Share what steps you’re taking toward solving the problem.
Food shortages are directly related to PLANNED food and fertilizer factory fires! Who ever isn’t aware of this should research, and tune into anything but mainstream media who have been lying to us for years!!!
I love the idea of treating meat as a side dish! Serving sizes in the United States have become quite distorted over the years. 4 oz of high quality meat is a good serving size if you make that your new normal. 50 years ago, that was considered a standard serving. Highlighting less calorie dense vegetables is definitely the way to go for both health and financial reasons.