by Anna Danso-Amoako
Before, during or after reading this article you will come
into contact with one of the most needed substances throughout our lifetimes.
Food.
It is a topic which graces our headlines frequently but what
actually are the biggest issues surrounding food today? Well, I hope you stick
through my three course meal of what I consider to be the most important topics
concerning food today and come away a
little bit fuller of food’s impact on our bodies’, our society and our world.
Firstly, it is almost impossible to think about modern day
eating without acknowledging the obesity epidemic we are currently living
through. Now, in every part of the world with the only exceptions including
sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, there are more people who are obese than are
normal weight . In the UK alone there were 10,660 admissions yearly to
hospitals primarily due to obesity. The consequences of obesity are too dangerous
to ignore as it has been directly linked to an increased risk of developing
both psychological and physical conditions, the most worrying of which include
a higher chance of developing cancer.
We recognise that increasing obesity is the product of change
in lifestyles and change in the type of
food and amount of food we eat. Due to technological advancements we are able
to meet the demand of food needed to feed our ever growing population however
the food we supply is increasingly unhealthy. It is becoming a deadly mix of artificial additives mixed
into highly processed food creating a questionable quality at best.we are
noticing words in ingredient lists
getting longer by the day. While some are widely known for their adverse
effects, such as High Fructose Corn Syrup, found in food from cereals to fizzy
drinks, causing weight gain and inflammation, while others are deemed not as
serious. Now consider the nightmare of many artificial food colouring known to
cause hyperactivity in children added to highly sugary sweets and the stress on parents
and teachers to calm them when needed.
Humans are nothing if not resourceful though, so it is easy
to say that we could possibly find natural alternatives to all the artificial
additives in our foods in the near future which we are beginning to see, as you
are very much aware, we are in the
middle of a climate crisis. Our planet is warming, melting and being covered in
a worrying amount of pollution. All global attention is focused on how best to
reduce or mitigate the resulting adverse impacts . We pledge to recycle and
reduce our plastic usage yet are are we willing as a global community to make the drastic step to reduce
the 21 to 37% of greenhouse gases contributed by our food systems alone? The
main culprit is livestock however it does not mean that all meat production is
unsustainable. Steps have been taken, for example, using land of low value farming potential for animal
husbandry . The best case scenario for us as everyday people who may already
eat meat is to reduce our consumption
while looking for better and healthier alternatives and staying mindful our food choices on our world. A stark recent
reminder is the Amazon fires and its
link to unsustainable food production.
The takeaway from this three course meal: we are what we eat
but also our choices in turn, eat at our world.
Bon Appétit!
Sources
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