Sustainable Food

An international team of researchers has found that about 50% of the fish consumed globally is farmed.

Here are some of the facts, and a discussion of the potential implications of the upward trend of aquaculture.

Raj Patel takes us on a sobering journey into the bowels of the political and economical forces that shape the way we eat in this fascinatingly reproachful book. Here are some snippets from "Stuffed and Starved" - inspired by Jim's post: Food, Poverty and Guilt.

Please don't say go vegetarian, please don't say go vegetarian, please don't....ah crap!!!! (More on this later).

According to ecologists, an energy crisis could be averted if Americans cut their calories.

David Pimentel of Cornell University and colleagues estimate that energy demands could easily be halved, which could stave off the prospect of further rises in the costs of fuel. Here are some of their conclusions based on their research;

With a food crisis on our hands and the prospect of shelling out big bucks for our food sources of phytochemicals, many people have thought about starting a garden. The prospect of growing one's own fruits and veggies does have a certain nostalgic appeal to accompany the financial one. The idea is certainly gaining ground (at least in my neck of the woods in western Canada). Companies that sell seeds, soil and other essentials have seen unprecedented demand for their goods.

Because the idea of gardening is new to me, I've had to pull together some resources to help get me started. I would recommend doing your homework, speaking to someone who works at a gardening store and clip some articles from the web.

Here are some basic tips on how to start a vegetable garden:

We're all becoming more conscious not only of the nutrients in our food, but of the wider environmental factors involved in what we eat. Concepts like "food miles", "organic", "sustainable" and "locally produced" are often on our minds. But just how far would you go?

In Britain, we've come up with a novel way to deal with the long-standing problem of grey squirrels - we're eating them.

The 100-Mile diet – now an international phenomenon written by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon has helped spark a movement of eating foods that are locally produced (within 100 miles of the home).

Based on the staggering fact that the average distance our food travels from farm to plate in North America is 1500 miles, the authors set out to eat only locally for an entire year. This movement has spawned the term “Locavore”.

Why Become a Locavore?

As this recent discussion shows, there are a myriad reasons why we don't eat healthy foods. One of these is the issue of convenience. Driving a long way to a farmer's market to get fresh organic produce is not workable for some.

However, if sustainable eating does interest you, here are some resources that may help.