Preview of an upcoming article for Yahoo.com
Sustainable farming practices are optimal. Livestock farming with a small farm pasture based livestock produces the healthiest meat and is most beneficial to the environment. Sustainable crop farming using multi cropping practices, minimal or no non- natural pesticide use and an intense focus in soil integrity and health will yield the most nutrient rich produce, while keeping communities safe and farmers healthy. Sustainable farming is only realistic if we slow down and the demand for convenient foods is eliminated. Fast food is the root of industrial farming, as soon as the demand goes away, so will all of the food waste and unhealthy production practices. The reality is, we have become too accustomed to having food at our finger tips, sustainable farming is almost a luxury or only available to those who are educated and wealthy enough to afford it.
The Most Eco-friendly and Non Eco-friendly Foods
1. Garden peas- eco-friendly. Not many foods give back more to the environment than they take. Peas, though, can be thought of as a sort of self-fertilizer, because they basically make their own nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of the most important chemical elements for plants. If there is not enough nitrogen available in the soil, plants look pale and their growth is stunted. Nitrogen fixing plants are called legumes. Legumes – and all peas and beans are legumes – are plants that work together with nitrogen fixing bacteria called Rhizobia, to “fix” nitrogen.
This means that they require much less synthetic fertilizer. If harvested in a sustainable fashion, pea plants will even help to enrich the soil with all that extra nitrogen, making them a true environmental hero in the vegetable world.
2. Broccoli- both non and eco-friendly. Why spray your crops with environmentally destructive pesticides when the plants can defend themselves? Like other members of the cabbage family, broccoli produces compounds related to a class of industrial pesticides. An isothiocyanate is the chemical group contained in a number of phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. While toxic in large quantities, there is quite a bit of evidence that isothiocyanates have anti-cancer properties at the concentrations found in foods. Some isothiocyanates are also used industrially and in agriculture to control pests and diseases. Don’t worry, though: broccoli’s pest defenses are 100% natural. This means farmers can grow broccoli without the need for excess chemicals.
The non ecofriendly problem with broccoli is that is consumes a lot of water (5.4 gallons). Since most broccoli comes from California this will add to the severe water shortage. In my opinion the health benefits of broccoli and the fact that little or no chemicals have to be used is more than worth the extra water. Water conservation can be used on less helpful crops than broccoli.
3. High-fructose corn syrup foods- non eco-friendly. High-fructose corn syrup which is found in most processed sweets, drinks, and even yogurts is one of the most environmentally damaging ingredients for a variety of reasons. Firstly, corn is grown as a “monoculture”, meaning the land is used only for corn and not rotated, which depletes soil nutrients, contributes to erosion and requires more pesticides and fertilizer, especially over a long time. The use of such chemicals contributes to problems like the “Gulf of Mexico dead zone”, a hyper-toxic area of the ocean where nothing can live because the water is starved of oxygen. Atrazine, a common herbicide used on corn crops, has been shown to turn male frogs into hermaphrodites. Milling and chemically altering corn to produce high-fructose corn syrup is also an energy-intensive practice.
4. Almonds- both non and eco-friendly. Aside from consuming almonds raw, in milk and as a nut butter, the shell is also used as a biodegradable polymer in color pigmentation and when concentrated, in the manufacturing of furniture and toys. Creating a completely new market for agricultural waste products. The eco-unfriendly problem with almonds is they are grown in the driest areas of California yet, they require copious amounts of water. A recent UC-Davis study estimated that in the 2014 almond growing season, pumped-up groundwater will replace as much as 75 percent of the surface water that went missing due to the drought. This is an immediate problem but with a booming agricultural almond industry, the excessive water needed to crop almonds is going to create even larger concerns in the mega-drought areas of California. State legislation has recently passed a bill that will require deeper regulation on groundwater consumption but the deadline is not for six years, it is simply a baby step in the right direction.
6. Avocados- Eco-friendly– Aside from being a super fruit rich in numerous vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, fiber and heart healthy fats. Avocados are at the top of the list for being eco-friendly. A single avocado tree can reach 80 feet and yield 100 to 400 fruits each year. A mature avocado tree absorbs up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year—enough to offset 26,000 car miles. This makes avocados a more environmentally friendly source of fat than dairy, since a single cow produces the equivalent of about 2.75 tons of CO2 per year. Also, avocado blossoms are pollinated by honeybees, providing a bonus crop: reddish avocado honey. Long-lived avocado trees can be productive for decades, creating a canopy and root system that maintains the soil and provides a rich habitat for birds.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/30/us-usa-california-water-idUSKBN0GU03M20140830
http://www.motherjones.com/documents/1310097-uc-davis-groundwater
http://todayinsci.com/F/Fairchild_David/FairchildDavid-Quotations.htm
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/nitrogen-fixing-bacteria.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-isothiocyanate.htm
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html
https://www.healthlisted.com/environmental-benefits-of-veganism/
Dr. Kantor’s greatly anticipated new children’s book, The Green Box League of Nutritious Justice, is now available. Be sure to order this highly reviewed book, filled with healthy living tips for the whole family. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.