Read 'n' Seed 6: Final Review of "Eating Locally: 100 Mile Diet"

Since the next couple days are going to be very busy for me, I thought it would be best to write the final review of the "100 Mile Diet" today, instead of waiting until Friday.

OVERVIEW OF ENTIRE BOOK:

The "100 Mile Diet" is about a couple that decides to only eat food produced 100 miles of their Vancouver home for one year.  This book includes their detailed story as the authors connect with the people and places that produce what they can eat.  The narrators highlight the challenges the couple faced, the benefits they attained while engaging in this diet change, information about local food that they weren't aware of before, how large food corporations are steadily taking over, and goes in depth about stories and emotions they encountered throughout the year.


3 MOST SIGNIFICANT THINGS LEARNED:

1.)  Why is it important to eat locally?
     * Help flourish local economy
     * Locally grown foods are almost always better for you and also tastes better (no pesticides and chemicals!)
     * You help reduce global warming by eating locally (don't eat food that has to be shipped thousands of miles, just to reach your plate).
     * Local produce is much fresher
     * Better for air quality and pollution
     * More variety when eating local food
     *Local fruits and veggies have longer to ripen

2.)  People who buy from large food corporations do not have as much variety, in comparision with people who buy from local farmers markets.  I never recognized this issue until I read this book, but it seems so obvious to me now.  This is because large food industries want to make large quantities of food at a time (to make large profits), so they do not have the resources, money, or time to give their consumers the different options and varieties of the products.

3.)  By eating locally we avoid consuming processed foods, which in reality we are watching out for out health and reducing our chance of obesity and preventable health related diseases, such as heart disease and hypertension.  This foods produced by large companies do not have the same nutrious value as those products that come from a local market. 

*New terminology:  Locavore: a person who eats only locally grown food that is usually grown 50, 100, or 150 miles away from their home.



WHAT DOES THIS BOOK MEAN TO MYSELF AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT:

This book is so important for everyone to read, because it brings about the idea that there needs to be a collaborative effort to build more locally based and self-reliant food economies.  This needs to be done so we can flip the trend of large food corporations taking over and steadily gaining more power, every time a consumer purchases one of their items.  The people who manage the distribution of food should take into the considerations of air polluntion, water pollution, fossil fuels, global warming, and green house gases being released into our environment, while shipping food many, many miles.  Buying groceries from big corporations aren't only damaging our planet, but people should also be understand that there are drastic quaility characteristics in comparision to local markets.  This comes about because of the way the food is produced, leading to lesser quality of food coming from the large corporations.



DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? WHY OR WHY NOT:

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to become more informed on the idea of eating locally.  I had no idea about organic food, local food, and large food industries until I got ahold of this book.  I now feel very informed on the choices of food I have, and realize that what I select that I am going to eat effects much more than myself.

Pictures of Farmer's Markets in Duluth MN!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

My SMART goal:  To engage in an outdoor activity 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time.  When the weather started getting chilly and rainy, I decided to switch up my goal: to get outside if the weather permited, and if it didn't then I would just workout at the UMD gym.

Successes and challenges:  I found that when I had few work hours for the week, the weather was nice and sunny out, and my school work load was not that heavy was when it was the easiest to get outside.  It also helped me out greatly to have a "buddy" to get outside with, such as my boyfriend or my roommate.  I also realized that I really enjoyed running and/or walking at night.  I found it to be challenging to get my butt out the door when it was cold and windy out, so I thought the best answer to this problem was to start working out at the UMD gym instead of outdoors.  I also recognized that getting outdoors worked as a great stress reliever for me and made me feel so refreshed and energized.

Benefits and what I learned:  After starting to get outside regularly I realized that I slept much better at night than I previously did.  I felt healthier, more alert, and more focused during the weeks I attained my lifestyle change.  I learned that if I gave my self a goal within limits, I could attain it if I tried my best.  I also realized that after I reached my lifestyle change, it became second nature to me.  Although, there were some bumps along the way and adjustments that were needed.  This lifestyle change was very fun and I was bettering my health at the same time.

How did others/environment benefit:  Umm.....well my boyfriend and roommate benefited because I ended up dragging them outdoors with me most weeks to exercise with me.  Also, maybe if people saw me running outdoors, it would give them the motiviation to get outside and enjoy the scenary of Duluth.  I don't see the environment benefitting much in the situation.  Maybe next time I get outdoors I could include picking up trash that I see while exercising.

Will I continue this behavior: I totally want to continue this behavior.  I plan to stick to my exercise program of 3 times a week.  I will plan to workout in a gym until we get enough snowfall to get outside to go sledding or ice skate or something.  This lifestyle change has improved my health and attitude.

Recommendations for others:  I feel that it is extremely important to make an attainable goal, but don't make it too easy to reach.  I would recommend doing something that will better your health and/or the environment.  If you are having difficulties on reaching your goal, make some modifications, just don't give up.

Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Official

December 6, 2009
Senator Amy Klobuchar
United States Senate
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2304

Senator Amy Klobuchar,

I am writing to you to vote yes to the H.R. 3688 bill, which encourages programs of health promotion and disease prevention.  Obesity is a rising epedemic in the United States and I feel we need to make aware the risks of this deadly disease and promote health strategies, so people can avoid becoming a sufferer.  According to the Alliance for Health Reform, 130 million people are obese in America and 1 in every 3 children are considered to be obese.  This trend needs to be stopped and turned around and I feel this bill can help do such.

It is also essential to recognize that people who are most prone to obestity are people who have low economic status and those of Hispanic and American Indian decent.  This bill offers specific help for these people who cannot afford gym passes or the resources needed when becoming a healthier person.  Free gym use and  available gyms in areas where obesity is abundant will help impede this inclination.

It is also significant to understand how obese people are affected by their situation.  Obese people face damaging effects on their socialization skills, cardiovascular difficulties, hypertension, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, and the list goes on.  If a bill can help these people avoid those harmful concerns, why not we pass this bill and enhance our population to become healthier people?

I feel that it is extrememly important to put this bill into affect as soon as possible.  This bill will benefit society as a whole, by making exercising resources availble.  These available resources would incude improving or building gyms located in low income areas, free or very low cost gym passes, and gyms near bus lines.  By putting this bill into practice, the United States population's health will improve--both mentally and physically.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  I appreciate your time.


Sincerely,


Paige Jokinen
(Contact Information)