Our Food

I just watched Erin Brockovich for the first time, and maaaann did it get me all fired up. It actually made me think about our food system in the states and how it makes people sick, skews studies, and plays off of the ignorance of the people. I almost started crying I was so impassioned! I was going to E-mail Robyn from the book The Unhealthy Truth, which you all should read by the way. I think I'm going to reread it and then contact her. I've just been feeling more and more like I should do something about the situation int he States. Too be honest, one of the reasons I left was because of this. Now I'm feeling that, instead of running away from the issue, I should go TO it and help fix it. I just can't stand how the big businesses in food and agriculture literally KILL the people around you and me! And people just DON'T UNDERSTAND. they don't know. Think about how much you knew about health before recently? That is how MOST people in the US remain. The ignorance bothers me, but the people who take advantage of it bother me even more. People shouldn't assume that they need to do safety research about the food that they eat. They should be able to rely on the people who are doing the research and providing the food, to keep them healthy. I want to do SOMETHING about it. I want to get involved in making people more aware and help to fight against the companies that manipulate our people. I know, I just watched a movie and now I'm all excited, but if you read very early posts, I go into this. The film just reminded me of my feelings. Being away has numbed them a bit. Goodness. It is safe here in Switzerland, where the cows and chickens are right in front of you, and they don't allow US GM foods in. Where M&Ms are coloured with NATURAL colouring, while in the States they still feed the artificial stuff to people. It's easy to push aside the problem when you are away from it. I am moving back though, and soon.

Another reason the thought has been in my mind more recently is because of marketing class...and well all of my classes. If there is one thing I have learned at International School in Switzerland, it is that the US shapes the world in more ways than I knew or expected. Everyone makes fun of our country, but it has invaded every country, from its culture to its food. The US has been pushing HARD for the UK to accept its GM crops. The more it pushes, more likely it will be to happen. That freaks me out.

And, food is something I LOVE. Something that I think plays a huge part in our lives. In more ways than ANYBODY realizes. From mood and health, to social habits and mental ability. The fact that people play with it and destroy a necessaty and a pleasure is truely disgusting to me. We are already a confused culture, with little history with food. Our food culture has been based around business making money from it. If you look at Italy or France, or ANY OTHER place that has a longer cultural history, you will see a respect for food and an inclination AGAINST the US pushes for "their" food products and methods of production. And look at those people. In reference to The Unhealthy Truth, they have fewer food allergies (anyone at my school who worked with American guests tell me so many stories about how many had allergies to this, or intolerances to that). They have a lower obesity rate, though the UK is catching up quickly. They have fewer ADHD kids. They probably have better moods.

I mean, we can't really create a cultural food history out of nowhere is the problem. So what can we do when there are so many people saying so many different things about what is and isn't good for us? How can we move a country so confused? There has to be SOMETHING!