Public Service Announcement: Do you know where your next meal is coming from?

What you need to know about food your systems!

Don’t worry this isn’t another blog about telling you how all the food choices hurt you or the environment. Your probably asking what is a food system or that you may already know and not think there is anything for you to get from reading this. But I ask you to just take a few minutes out of your busy day, and continue to reading. I am not going to tell you that you should be vegetarian or vegan and stop eating meat. Because I know no matter what fact or statics I present to you the likely hood of you not ever eating meat again is slim to none. Although yes I was a vegetarian for a few years, it was until I had surgery and had to start eating meat again because I didn’t consume enough protein. I know that is not the option or choice for most people. I am simply here to present the subject to you, and hope that something I say triggers a curiosity in you to start exploring food systems large and small far and wide.  

Did you know 1 in 5 Children here in American are considered to food deprived and go to bed hungry every night (No Kid Hungry, 2016). Or that 4 percent of households (17.4 million households) were food insecure (Feeding American, 2016). With food prices increasing and cost of living going up more and more people are starting to not be able to afford a basic necessity of life, food. But yet we have more food deserts, more poverty, and more food waste than ever before. How is it that we can let billions of Americans go without food?  I believe that food is a right not something that anyone should go without because of where they live o don’t live or how much they make. Everyone deserves the right to food no matter who they are.

Now I am not telling you all of this to scare you away but simply to help you be aware of what’s going on around you. Your neighbors perhaps, your best friend, a coworker maybe. They could all not know where their next meal is coming from. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our worlds, our problems; social media not helping the case any either. That we are blind to see anyone else but ourselves and what is wrong with us and how we have it the worst. I know I am guilty of this as well. I know your probably thinking but what about state assistants or, food banks and soup kitchens. Those only help out such a small percent of people. The government and nonprofits can only do some much. The rest is up to us, we have to pick up where they can’t. I guess the point to me saying all of this is to bring a light and awareness to anyone who reads this. I have 4 easy tips on how you can start making a difference in your communities now with very little effort and without changing much that you are currently doing.

1.)    Go buy some produce from a local farmers market

·         Help support local farmers and your local economy by simply stopping by and buy a few things off your grocery list.

2.)    Start your own vegetable garden

·         Even if you live in an apartment a few flower pots and you can grow tomatoes or strawberries, even mint.

3.)    Recycle and Compost

·         Make sure you are recycling if your housing development or apartment doesn’t find a recycling plant in your county you can make some extra cash just from bringing in your recyclables

·         Composting can seem like a bit of a daunting task but with YouTube and Pinterest helping out it has made the processes extremely easy.

4.)    Read your food labels

·         This seems like a simple task and at first when your reading it might make you a little freaked out that’s okay it’s a part of the learning process of knowing your food.

Until next time 

Tammie