Mindful Eating Pt. 3

Hey Steem!

This post will conclude my mini series on Mindful Eating. [https://steemit.com/life/@danigirl/mindful-eating-pt-2 / https://steemit.com/life/@danigirl/mindful-eating-pt-1] Part 3 will delve into eating mindfully in regards to our planet and all of its inhabitants.

I'd like to open with a short list of works that speak to this topic.

1. The Climate Diet by Jonathan Harrington
2. shrinkthatfootprint.com
3. The Flood (Leo DiCaprio's recent film)
4. An Inconvenient Truth
5. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
   
   I believe that there are multiple ways to eat with respect to our planet home. I have come to this conclusion through conversation and research, and want to emphasize that it is merely a perspective. I welcome challenge and dialogue, and am open to shifting my beliefs. My priorities when choosing foods are...
   ~ micronutrient density
   ~ minimal processing
   ~ close to the source
   ~ lots of plants
   ~ creative protein sources
   
   I have met strict vegans and local- vores and responsible hunters. I know people who grow their own food, compost, or grocery shop at farmer's markets. The fantastic thing is this: there are SO MANY ways to reduce our impact. Each of the aforementioned lifestyles carries validity because every choice makes a difference. Each choice made by each human matters. The results of our actions are painted across the Earth; in this way we are held accountable for everything. This is how it should be. May our tread become lighter, may our footprints fade.
   
   I'd like to elaborate on a couple of these lifestyles. I am primarily vegetarian due to the massive carbon footprint of livestock production. I also conceptualize it in terms of trophic efficiency. Plants exist as producers at the bottom of the food chain. Only 10% of their energy is available to the subsequent trophic level, with the remaining 90% being lost as heat. This indicates the gargantuan resource investment necessary to provide a meat- based diet to the human population. Plants kick ass and take names.
   
   One of my dearest friends is in the process of creating a permaculture farm on the Redwood hillside where she grew up. [https://steemit.com/permaculture/@anwenbaumeister/my-life-manifesto-realizing-my-dream-of-a-permaculture-healing-community-center] Food production is a sliver of her holistic vision, but I'll make it my focus here. Once the plants are thriving, Anwen will need only to step outside her back door to harvest the abundance. The implications of this are profound. No more:
   ~ using gas to drive to the store
   ~ consuming pesticides and herbicides
   ~ responsible for the carbon footprint of industrial crop production and transportation
   WOW
   
   This is why I believe that local- vores have got it goin' on. Their food is sourced from nearby farms, farmer's markets, ect... All of which involve stimulating the local economy and reducing the ridiculous impact of trans- conti- global (ya like that?) transportation. This philosophy can be applied to an omnivore's diet as well. When choosing animals as food, figure out how and where they were raised. Were they allowed to freely graze and roam? Were they nourished by natural food sources? Is it possible for you to talk to the farmers and hear from them? The answers to these questions bring awareness. Awareness should inform our following actions, and result in a truly bettered planet.
   
   Awareness is a gift accompanied by responsibility. We cannot unknow that food production wrecks havoc on Earth. Thus, we must hold ourselves accountable for the results of our actions. Choices are opportunities - seize them! Inform the people around you, so that we may all become woke. Remember- there exists a downright menagerie of responsible options.