Finally - a Government Initiative I Support

It's mere days since the Canadian government dropped this campaign on us and already Big Food lobbyists are spinning it. Yesterday my doctor asked me what I thought of it. I adopted these ratios years ago, so yeah, but she declared it a shame parents are being told to avoid milk for their children. After scanning the 50-plus page report, I didn't see a single sentence about the evils of milk, just the suggestion to make water the go-to beverage of choice. I wonder - did she get the spin before she had time to read the fine print?

In fact the list of foods to be avoided is quite short. Go here to read them for yourself.

Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables is not hard once you develop the habit and discover recipes that make this task easier. The other two quarters of the plate we are already familiar with. We just need to eat less of them. The Big Food industry may not be happy about a smaller presence on our plates, because we have become reliant on convenient versions of them, loaded with additives and flavour enhancers that studies cite lead to some pretty serious disease. You may have noticed the huge selection of fruit and veggies sold in plastic now, as Big Food struggles to retain marketshare and remain the middle man for produce they did not produce.

The cancer industry and Big Pharma benefit from our disease. There is no incentive for the institutions they help fund to teach doctors about the benefits of blueberries. When I read the vast list of studies referenced in the report, it becomes obvious an update of my country's food guide has been long overdue. I applaud them for it. My only concern is this: the spin doctors are already telling us this plan means we will have to rely on imports for a greater percentage of the food on our plate. This statement is only true if we allow it to be. I think Big Food is counting on us to make it so.

Food security has become for me a worthwhile cause, one that I intend to dedicate the rest of my life to, because I have sensed the fragility of our food system grow over the past decade. The average Canadian has not had to ponder this very much as we have always been a country of abundance. I will attempt to elaborate another time why this is no longer the case when it could easily be. In the meantime, here's the thing; nourishment should not be not a luxury item but a human right protected everywhere on this planet.

The next series of posts will consist of first drafts from the cookbook I am writing as a way of helping my community to learn how to select and prepare local food. Until next time, be well Dear Reader!