Farm-to-table is the best way to eat
Farm-to-table is a fairly new phrase created in the past decade or so to describe eating food directly from farms or home gardens. It promotes the sustainability of local farms by bypassing the supermarkets and large retail chains like Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, etc. The theory is that foods have more nutritional value the sooner they are harvested. Conversely, the thought is foods have a loss in nutritional value the longer it takes to consume through processing, manufacturing, and shipping that occur in these larger chains.
Nutrient Degradation
This process is know as nutrient degradation and you can learn more about it HERE but I’m going to go through a quick synapses of what nutrient degradation means. As soon as fruits and vegetables are picked they start losing nutritional value. Also, as soon as life ends for the animals we eat, this starts the process of nutritional degradation. That’s why it’s so important to process the food to be consumed as soon as possible.
Time is not on your side when it comes to food. If you’ve ever seen a rotten piece of fruit or smelled a spoiled piece of meat than you know what I’m talking about. This process of birth, life, and death is a natural law that’s been with us since creation. There is no avoiding it. Oxidizing begins the process of breaking down the life-giving elements as soon as they are severed from their source. This is why eating farm-to-table is so important and sought after.
Large food distributors are not the enemy
Look, I shop at Whole Foods all the time and I really appreciate how they connect with local farms to provide access and showcasing of local farmers products. It allows the farmers to unload their products and reduce spoilage rates that are always an issue when you’re dealing with food. Especially in cities, if we didn’t have companies like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or local Farmer’s Markets, many times we wouldn’t have access to eating anything but processed foods. I’m not trying to put down the large supermarkets or chains because they are extremely important to our food supply line. These companies have allowed us to eat the foods we love all year round and have made huge leaps in ending hunger in the first-world nations. After all, where else do you see obese homeless people except in America?
If we didn’t have these companies to process and ship all the food we need to sustain the country then our live would be drastically different. Farm-to-table wouldn’t be a trendy way to eat, rather it would be necessary for survival.
Eating farm-to-table helps reduce eating processed foods
As many of you may or may not know, eating processed food is bad for your health. I don’t care if something is labeled “natural” or “reduced fat” or any other marketing slogan these food processors come up with. The simple fact is that the more “processed” something is, the less chance the product is having a a positive nutritional outcome on your health.
Not only are many of these processed food items deceptively marketed, some are downright bad for you entirely. Many processed foods are loaded with sodium and preservatives to increase their shelf life. Even pasteurization and sterilization can bring down the nutritional value of the foods you eat. Fermentation also breaks down the composition of the food and can decrease nutritional value. The point is, eating from whole natural food sources is the best way to eat if you want the maximum benefits to your health.
Eating farm-to-table helps reduce obesity
This kinda goes along with what was talking about on processed foods. One of the biggest problems that we have in this country is obesity. I go into much greater detail on the obesity epidemic HERE, but one of the biggest issues are the phenomena known as food deserts. You can read more about food deserts HERE, but the gist of it is people in rural or urban areas that don’t have direct access to healthy foods due to location or poverty levels.
Many times people in these food deserts are obese because they only eat processed foods from corner stores, bodegas, or gas stations. Also, sometimes people live in such remote locations that the food supply line does not provide them with many options either. These locations don’t have the capability to provide whole natural foods because of space or spoilage factors. Subsequently, the people in these locations are forced to eat harmful processed foods that cause obesity rather than whole natural farm-to-table foods that would greatly benefit their health.
What about supplements?
You might be asking, “Well what about supplements? They’re ultra processed.” I am a firm believer in supplements and believe that they are necessary if you want to live well. That being said, I believe you should get most of your nutrients from whole natural food sources and use supplements as their name suggests… as a “supplement” to a healthy diet.
You should not be replacing meals with a protein shake or getting your vitamins strictly from a pill. I love having a green powder drink in the morning that I mix with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, but I always try to eat my greens in their natural form when I’m eating throughout the day. I also drink a protein shake after working out but I always make sure to get the majority of my protein from whole natural foods such as fish, chicken, beef, eggs, yogurt, etc. You cannot rely strictly on processed supplements as your only nutritional value or you’re gonna have a bad time.
Education is key to eating farm to table
Sometimes people don’t eat farm-to-table because they simply just don’t know any better. No one ever told them how much better it was for their health or they simply don’t care. Another big reason people don’t eat farm-to-table, especially when preparing the food themselves, is that it takes time and knowledge to prepare the food. Typically it’s more expensive as well but the benefits far outweigh the costs in time and money.
To teach people how to benefit from these positive life hacks is why I designed this site. We can never stop learning and making changes to live our best life. If you’d like to learn more about cooking, exercising, and staying motivated you can subscribe HERE. Otherwise I wish you well on your health-minded journey. So keep on researching and put your knowledge into practice to live your best life. Peace.
