Huntingdon Pennsylvania Yoga Massage Health Wellness

Food Production and the Healthiest Approach.

by Keppy Arnoldsen, MS Horticulture

Did you know our food purchasing choices affect the economy and health of our community? Food production represents a large portion of our energy use and therefore contributes to carbon emissions and global health. This is primarily due to the use of commercial fertilizers that are used in growing most of our food. Commercial fertilizers are man-made using the energy of fossil fuels to produce the “fertilizers in a bag”. So today about 20% of our fossil fuel consumption is used to feed us. What happened to the good ole’ days when rotten kitchen scraps and composted animal manures were used to richen the soil and provide us with wholesome foods?

Soils need to be refurbished with organic matter such as compost in order to leave them in a healthier state. The industrialization of food production relies on commercial fertilizers and these do little to improve our soil structure or the long-term health of soils. They lack organic matter and are derived from expensive energy rather than the natural free energy of the sun. Commercial fertilizers are a quick fix to grow nutrient-intensive crops such as corn. It is not a sustainable method of production in the long run. Furthermore, our current cycle of food production is non-cyclic. It uses fossil fuels to make fertilizers, that are used to grow the corn, (that feeds the beef, that rarely eats grass, that is fed to us for dinner, with processed side dishes, composed mostly of corn). The old days when sunshine and hard work provided the seasonal foods that we eat are becoming a way of the past.

Think about growing our own food. A myriad of health benefits may come to mind: pesticide and toxin-free foods, the best possible freshness, ability to harvest the foods when ripe, much better taste, and cutting down on grocery store costs while knowing how the food was grown. The gratification of growing your own food is also hard to beat, especially the pleasure of sharing the harvest with friends and family. Yes, the healthy benefits of home-grown foods are ones that have been passed down through our family lineage – taught to us by our parents and grandparents. Have the days of gardening heritage and family farms gone the way of the dodo bird? Is “Old MacDonald’s Farm” destined to be only a memory in storybooks?

In today’s world for most Americans, the grocery store is the only place to get produce and meats. In Huntingdon and other rural areas, we are fortunate to still have that down-home ability (and desire) to grow some of our own foods and raise some of our own meats. And this is a very healthy approach. But for most Americans, the foods eaten are grown in all corners of the globe. Year-round availability and top quality with no blemishes are expected. The idea that foods are only available “in season” is a fading concept in the food chain of today. Do you ever wonder how much it costs us (I mean really costs us), to have these foods at our fingertips whenever we want?

Author and New York Times journalist, Michael Pollan, has addressed this very issue, and helps to shed light on our national epidemic of obesity and poor health. In his 2006 book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, he states that many Americans suffer from a national eating disorder based on super-sized, corn-fed diets. In a recent interview with National Public Radio, Michael exclaims “We eat way too much corn!” He uses the expression “corn chips on legs” to provide a vivid image of American people. “We eat a lot of corn. Corn makes up the majority of most foods. Soda is 100% corn, hamburgers are 50%. It’s in coffee and in vitamins. There is even corn in salad dressing!” “One-crop eating is a dangerous way to eat. We need 20 or 30 nutrients from plants for good health, such as lycopene and beta carotene. As a generalist species, we require 50 different molecules to survive. And you get that from eating a variety of different foods, not from eating a monoculture of corn”. He also discussed how people on fast-food diets are often suffering from micro-nutrient deficiencies. And about the costs, his research led him to some very eye-opening discoveries that further emphasized our obsession with food and our ever-growing lack of knowledge about where that food comes from, how it is grown, and how much it costs to get it here. Many people are hooked on “convenience foods”…. things in a pre-prepared box, or a fast-food store, ready to be micro-waved, or even in a quick-fix vitamin pill. But Mr. Pollan reminds us that “the dinner table is where we socialize. Even that important social hour is on the verge of extinction.” So if you stop and think about all these things, the benefits of growing your own or buying locally grown foods, become even more apparent.

And just like in the 1970s, a health food craze is happening again. There are sections in our grocery stores with organic processed foods and local and organic produce. Specialty stores featuring locally grown foods are also springing up in our area. “Stone Soup” in State College, is an example of an organic food store. A network of people dedicated to healthy living and “buying locally grown foods” run the co-op. They have delicious soups made with locally grown produce, a compassionate and caring membership, and a networking center for people that care about what they eat and the health of their own (and other) communities. I feel so “at home” when I go there, and it brings back memories from my days in the “organic district” in San Diego where I was first introduced to community health and well being as an extension of what we eat.

In Huntingdon we can shop at our local farmer’s market. This helps support the local economy and families in Huntingdon and provides us with healthy locally grown foods. It is held every Thursday from noon until 6 pm at Portstown Park. The members of market are working hard to bring us healthy local foods. In a recent interview with Pam Cavanaugh (partnered with James Pingry as a vendor at Huntingdon’s Farmer’s Market), I discovered some local feelings about food production that mimic mine. She told me that “the biggest thing for people to realize is that it tastes better. What we grow for the farmer’s market is what we would grow for our own families.” Pam agreed with me about the energy and community benefits of locally grown foods. She remembered the vanishing agricultural acreage of farms in Connecticut where she and James met before moving to Pennsylvania. Pam also shared a concern with me. She stated that the average age of farmers in Pennsylvania is around 56 years old. So when this generations farmers are gone, who will feed us?

So the next time you buy that head of lettuce or decide where to shop for your winter squash and pumpkins, remember that your shopping decisions affect more than just your own health.