What are you eating?

Once upon a time, not very long ago, our considerations of what we ate were driven by what was available to eat in our surroundings, what the season delivered, what we knew how to prepare and what was left in the larder. Today plentiful inexpensive food supplies from near and far 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week, 365 days of the year, ready-made by the food industry mean that we no longer need to think in this way. Or so it seemed….

While one doesn’t wish to turn back the clock for many reasons such as better food safety standards and better quality nutrition there is an urgent need for all people today to learn about food anew: what food grown locally is, what eating seasonally is, what foods harm our environment and what foods can even help it, how to prepare food. Ultimately our personal health and the health of future generations depend on it.

The Nordic Food Debate
In a part of the world which has prided itself on being a leader in the environmental movement and for relatively low use of pesticide, it may come as a shock that there is still so much to do to adjust food habits so that they are sustainable. On the other hand, the steps required for greater sustainability seem less distant in cultures which treasure food from the wild and where recreational gardening and, with this, small-scale cultivation of fruits and vegetables is more popular than almost anywhere else in the world.

One new cookbook is published in Sweden every day and with this Sweden is the fastest publisher of cookbooks in the world. People in Scandinavia are enthusiastic about food and developing skills around it. When it comes to climate and ethical considerations around food, the supply of books is nowhere near the same but accelerating. The reason for this lag? Research about the sources of our food and impact on our environment still has many questions to address in order for us to know exactly what choices we should be making. On the other hand, we know enough to create a reasonably well-informed plan of action.

Tangled Arguments
Eating responsibly from a climate and ethical point of view is not the same the world over. Much has to do with where you live in the world and what grows there. There are no singular answers. Although we are generally in favor of ecological foods, eating an ecological apple might be less environmentally-friendly than eating a conventionally-grown apple, depending on where the apple came from. The question of what is best for our own health is no longer as narrow as the nutritional content of the apple, rather it is a broader question which goes to issues such as how will the consumption of this apple affect the climate of the planet that I live on? There are others who argue that eating ecologically encourages a responsible attitude towards the earth, irrespective of how far and how the food has travelled.

Knowledge not Money
One of the most troubled arguments is that eating responsibly is too expensive for most people. While organic foods tend to cost more, our consumption patterns are such that we could afford to buy better quality foods with the same budget if we purchased less. Environmentally responsible choices can also be the cheapest. In the end, eating responsibly isn't mostly about money, it is about knowledge.

With these thoughts in mind, I wanted to direct all of you my friends to the new issue of www.nordicwellbeing.com, the world's first e-magazine for wellbeing with Nordic inspiration, which at present is focusing on how we can eat more responsibly into the future. The issue is full of great recipes. This service is entirely free. Enjoy!