Seven Ways You Can Change the World by Eating

Seven Ways You Can Change the World by Eating

1. Shop at a farmer market. When you buy food at a farmers market, you directly support a farm family and the money you spend on food is likely to stay in your community.

2. Buy chicken, beef, pork or eggs directly from a farmer. Knowing the farmer who raised the food gives you the advantage of knowing what hormones or antibiotics were used in its production. You have more control in your food choices and the farmer is able to capture more of your food dollar.

3. Grow a garden. Even if you only have a few plants, growing a garden makes a statement about the food system you want. A garden also teaches children where their food comes from and helps them appreciate the work and care needed to put food on the table.

4. Ask your local grocer to carry locally grown food. Your local farmers raise meat, produce, eggs and dairy products, yet most of what we buy at the store comes from out of our local area or even out of the country. Consumer demand for local food will create a new market for local farmers.

5. Eat more "slow foods". Most fast food businesses are owned by mega-companies or chains which use lots of energy to transport and process food. The processing also lowers the nutritional quality of the food while the fast food service robs your family of quality time that could have been spent preparing fresh meat, vegetables and grains.

6. Join a Community Supported Agricultural farm (CSA). CSA's build partnerships between consumers and farmers. Members purchase shares in a farm at the beginning of the growing season to help the farmer meet initial expenses. They then receive a share of the farm production each week during

harvest.

7. Choose foods grown for the good of the environment, the people, the communities and your health. When you buy sustainably raised foods, you are doing your part to keep our water clean, to encourage wildlife, and to keep our soils healthy. You are also supporting a system that treats animals humanely and doesn’t expose farm workers to hazardous chemicals (from SSE Summer Edition 2001) Vote with your dollar, give it to your local farmer instead of a large corporation.

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