There is one topic these days that is uniting people across the political divide. It is the issue of health. Food is one of the most crucial links between us and the natural web of life surrounding us. By focusing on how we grow food we also take bold steps towards healing our soil, waterways, economy and climate. Our economy is ruled by consumer spending habits. Here’s how we can eat our way to a more enlightened society.
“Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine.” — Hippocrates
We absorb a lot from our environment. This includes pollution, constant media influence, electromagnetic frequencies and the people around us. There are some things about our immediate environment that we can’t change. Yet we do get to decide the food that we put, and don’t put, into our bodies. These choices not only effect our personal health, they influence the health of our environment and community.
The Organic Effect
In May of 2015 the organic effect was released. Since then the movement towards organic food and regenerative agriculture has continued to gain traction. The video is about a family who switches to an all-organic diet. It shows the results on their health after only two weeks. It is quite revealing to see the test results for pesticides in their bodies before and after they go organic.
Eating organic is not just about food. It is about supporting agriculture that doesn’t pollute our water or kill the bees and butterflies with pesticides. Eating organic puts money in the pockets of farmers who have chosen not to support toxic agricultural practices.
Going Mainstream
In the 10 years since The Organic Effect first aired, public sentiment has shifted dramatically towards examining diet and health. The Covid Pandemic probably played a huge role in shifting attitudes. What started with “fringe” groups like hippies and foodies shopping at local health food co-ops has now become mainstream.
The alternative health community used to be primarily made up of politically left-leaning individuals. Yet today if you tune into popular podcasts like Joe Rogan or even right-leaning personalities like Tucker Carlson, you will hear in-depth conversations on this topic. Food and health discussions often overlap with commentary on government corruption and industry corruption. Corporate capture of the FDA and health agencies including America’s struggle with affordable healthcare have taken center stage in the aftermath of the pandemic.
When people start looking into the topic of health it becomes easy to notice how everything is interconnected. It stretches to our agricultural practices, environmental factors, healthcare, diet and mental well-being. Suddenly in the midst of extreme political polarization Americans have some common ground and a place where they can agree.
Bridging the Divide
In the midst of this cultural shift a few unexpected personalities have emerged and captured public sentiment:
Vani Hari, also known as the Food Babe gained popularity as an online blogger in 2011. She attended the Democratic National Convention in 2012 as an elected delegate. Sitting in the front row she held up a sign saying, “Label GMO’s!” during the Secretary of Agriculture’s speech. Hari posted her first online petition in March of 2013 at Change.org asking Kraft Foods to remove FD&C yellow#5 and FD&C yellow#6 food dyes from their Mac & Cheese. She has raised awareness about chemicals in American food. Many of which are banned in countries around the world because of their toxicity.
Casey and Calley Means are brother and sister Stanford graduates. Together they co-authored the book, Good Energy which is about metabolic health. Casey Means is a medical doctor and her brother Calley worked as a consultant for Big Pharma and food manufacturers. Calley saw first-hand how large corporations like Coca Cola funded the American Diabetes Association. He became disgusted with the corrupting influence of money on health.
His sister Casey as a student at Stanford also noticed that Big Pharma funds most of the medical universities. This has a corrupting influence on curriculum which naturally doesn’t teach students about nutrition or preventative medicine. Together the Means siblings appeared on Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson.
Two thirds of the costs of continuing medical education in medical schools and teaching hospitals is paid for by drug and medical device companies… -NIH
Nicole Shanahan is a billionaire attorney from the Bay Area. She served as executive producer for Kiss the Ground Film. This inspiring film introduces the value of Regenerative Agriculture and soil remediation as important pieces in solving the climate puzzle.
Politically, Shanahan was a financial contributor to various Democratic candidates. Things took a serendipitous twist when she became RFK jr’s running mate as a Democrat. Later she backed the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)campaign and Trump picked RFK jr as part of his transition team. This exemplifies how the health movement bridges polarized political divisions to create common ground.
Localizing the Movement
Buying local, like from a farmers market is important for many reasons. Purchasing food grown close to home means less distribution cost and lower carbon footprint. Shopping at a farmers market also reduces packaging waste. A reusable bag, along with a stroll through a farmers market will also help you connect with your community. If you are really lucky you can ride your bike to market. In addition to health this is also a huge step towards becoming more self-reliant and sustainable locally.
Even better than buying local is to grow your own food. Organizations like Native Seed Search give you endless varieties of native and heirloom seeds for your summer garden. Being in the garden is relaxing and good for your health. Recent studies even show that getting dirt under your finger nails is good for your immune system.
“a strain of bacterium in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to trigger the release of seratonin, which in turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety.” –It’s in the Dirt, Healing Landscapes
Conscious Lifestyles Lead to More Conscious Societies
Three decades ago most heath food could only be found at small local coops. In 2017 Jeff Bezos purchased Whole Foods for $13 billion. Even Walmart now carries organic food. The demand for organic food has shifted the market and with that it has changed how we approach agriculture. The movement towards healthy lifestyle choices is now mainstream. The impact of the choices reaches far and wide.
Integrating food-related choices that invite us to embrace a new lifestyle is a whole lot of fun. It is also great for your health. Exercise, yoga, social bonding and healthy food are preventative medicine. Make an adjustment to your diet and slowly your lifestyle will also shift for the better too. Explore Culture Collective for more inspiring and solutions-oriented stories.
Empower yourself with choices for positive change. If our economy is ruled by consumer spending habits then maybe we can eat our way to a more enlightened society.
