Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [12]
LOCAL, IN-SEASON, ORGANIC BERRIES
We’ve gotten used to seeing berries in the store all year-round. In spite of the weak flavor of out-of-season berries, they still sell well. Fruit grown out of season is flown to us from tropical climes, requiring a huge expenditure of fossil fuels. But in addition, berries are one of the most heavily sprayed of any crop. The United States Department of Agriculture has rules about what pesticides can be used for agriculture in this country, even though many Americans consider the rules not nearly strict enough. In Latin America, however, where many of the berries on our shelves are grown, growers may legally use pesticides that are forbidden here, including chemicals rated Class 1 toxins by the World Health Organization.
It’s impossible to wash off all pesticides, especially from a fruit like a strawberry, which can’t be peeled. I settle for buying nonorganic berries at the farmers’ market during the summer. I trust that the farmers I speak to every week aren’t putting high concentrations of toxins into the food I’m buying, and if they are, at least I am only indulging myself for a few months a year. As an alternative, try growing your own organic berries. In winter, avoid lackluster berries and choose seasonal fruits like pomegranates, citrus, and persimmons instead of berries; you may find you like them just as much.
UNPROCESSED, ORGANIC SUGAR
Because of the environmental fallout from sugar production (see “Earth-Friendly Alternatives to White Sugar”), as well as its quick-hitting effect on blood sugar, I avoid buying conventional white sugar. If I need a dry sweetener for baking, there are several options, including date sugar and maple crystals, but plain organic sugar is still more eco-friendly than the nonorganic white variety. Organic sugar is grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, using methods that prevent soil erosion.
When craving store-bought sweets like ice cream or cookies, choose items that list organic sugar in their ingredients. Many brands have begun using organic sugar in their products, spurring industry heavyweight Domino to produce a version made from sun-sweetened sugarcane grown without pesticides. This groundbreaking change in the industry came about through consumer demand—remember, your voice has an impact.
If cost concerns and availability are forcing you to decide which foods to buy organic, keep these choices in mind. Even if these are the only organic foods you insist on, you will be making a significant positive impact on both your own health and the health of the planet. And keep the slightly increased cost in context; as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” The only reason non-organic foods have traditionally been so cheap is that the environment itself has been shortchanged. With organic, fair trade, and pasture-raised foods, we are finally paying the real—and perfectly reasonable—cost of producing earth-friendly foods, and treating nature as a valued partner.
Eco-foodie words to watch
The eco-friendly food movement has a language all its own, and it’s good to be familiar with some of the most commonly used terms. Here is a glossary of food labels, shopping buzzwords, and food-related environmental terms that will give you a handle on the vital discussions about food and conservation that are taking place in the media, at restaurants, on farms, and in home kitchens.
BIODIVERSITY
A contraction of “biological diversity,” this term refers to the wide range of plants and animal life that nature supports, and the genetic variety and richness that environmentalists are working to protect. The more biodiversity we have, the healthier the planet will be. For example, healthy populations of pollinators like bees, birds, and bats help to ensure flourishing trees and plants in our fields and forests. Living