Nutrition

Food is at the centre of most social gatherings. It is our personal source of energy and fuels us throughout the day. Not only our short-time survival but our long-term health depends on what we put into our bodies. Safe and healthy food is not only good for us; it also benefits the natural environment and the animals and organisms living in it. Organic foods have become increasingly popular over the past years.

Organic foods come from organic farming methods, which means that produce and meats are free of manmade chemicals like fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and genetically engineered foods (also known as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs). For farmers, this also includes practicing a more sustainable form of agriculture. Instead of chemicals, they use natural methods for parasite control, which maintains and enhances the health of soil, water, crops, and livestock.

(For an informative but tongue-in-cheek overview visit www.meatrix.com)

In addition, crop rotation helps maintain a healthy soil and ensures good crops in the long-term. This means sowing different types of crops every few years so that the soil is not depleted of the same minerals year after year. Other ecological methods include soil tillage, green manures, cover crops, composting, soil erosion control, and applying conservation practices.

Organic foods are more costly than non-organics but if you can afford beverages from Starbucks, you can probably manage switching at least to some organic produce. Start following some of these suggestions when shopping for your produce, meats, and other groceries.

The 100-mile Diet

Many of our packaged products and much of our fresh produce is imported. Often it originates from countries several thousand miles away. We have become accustomed to buying any kind of fruits and vegetables all year round, even when they are not in season, or grown in countries to reduce the costs for us consumers; for instance, strawberries from California, or garlic cloves from China. Without thinking twice about the impact, we expect access to fresh, exotic produce that has travelled around the globe to reach our supermarket shelves.

If you want to lower your impact, buy foods and drinks that are grown or produced within approximately 100 miles of your home. Your foods will be fresher, taste better, and you will be supporting our local economy and agriculture. Try the following whenever possible:

• Buy fruits and vegetables grown in your own country, preferably within a 100-mile radius from your point of purchase. This is not always easy when produce does not list its exact point of origin. A good way of ensuring your produce is local is to buy at a farmer's market or whole-food store, where you can buyfresh produce and locally made goods. This also supports local farmers and therefore helps preserve agricultural land. For a list of farmer's markets and health-food stores in Toronto, the GTA and Ontario go to:
  • Ontario Farmer's Market
  • toronto.com health food stores
  • Green People health food info
  • Yellow Pages listings
  • Veg.ca health food listings
• Try limiting yourself to produce that is in season; for example, buy more root vegetables and squash in the winter (e.g. beet roots, carrots, celery roots, parsnips, potatoes, rutabaga, turnips), and limit consumption of soft fruits to the summer and autumn depending on their growing season (e.g. any kind of berries, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches). And again, try to buy these locally grown. Winter strawberries from California are transported over 2,000 miles/3,600 km to reach you. If you cannot live without summer fruits, buy them in bulk when they are in season and freeze them for off-season consumption. To learn what is in season visit www.foodland.gov.on.ca

For more details, read the book, 'The 100-Mile Diet' by Alisa Smith and J. B. MacKinnon, or find out your 100-mile food radius by visiting www.100milediet.org

Bottled Water versus Tap Water

The main reasons people say they drink bottled water are convenience and health concerns about tap water. Maybe you don`t mind paying 200-500 times more (or worse) for 1 litre of bottled water than for the same amount from your tap? But did you know that most bottled water is in fact tap water?

The three most sold bottled water brands are filled using municipal water supplies: Aquafina by PepsiCo is tap water from Mississauga, Dasani by CocaCola is from Brampton, and Nestlé's Pure Life Aberfoyle is from Guelph. Did you also know that water bottling plants are amongst one of the least regulated industries in Canada, and are checked by health inspectors on average only once every three years? The Province of Ontario does not regulate the quality of bottled water. Toronto`s municipal water, on the other hand, is checked every four hours. (Source: Polaris Institute; and City of Toronto Water).

So if you really are worried about the safety of water, drink tap water. For a neutral taste, fill up glass bottles or jugs with water from your tap and refrigerate it for a few hours; this will neutralise any potential slight tastes or odours. Also have a reusable sports bottle filled and ready when you are on-the-go. Many brands offer safer and affordable aluminium or hard-plastic bottles, like Nalgene, but the safest option is stainless steel, like Sigg, KleenKanteen, or Bilt. They are available at stores that sell sports and outdoor equipment (e.g. Mountain Equipment Coop, EuropeBound, Canadian Tire), or health food stores (e.g. Grassroots, The Big Carrot).

The bottom line is: Tap water in Toronto and Ontario is safe. Buying glorified bottled water imported from Europe or the islands of Fiji has a significant impact on the environment in terms of resource consumption and pollution from transportation, recycling, or landfilling. For more information about common misconceptions surrounding the bottled water industry, or to get involved in a public campaign that calls for provincial and federal regulations on water as a public resource and a human right, visit the following links:

• For information on City of Toronto`s municipal water: www.toronto.ca/water
• For details on an Ontario-wide public campaign organised by Polaris Institute, Ottawa: www.insidethebottle.org
• For a collaborative project of Environmental Defence, and the Canadian Environmental Law Association: www.thewaterhole.ca
• To join a recently-formed Toronto-based group working on educating the public and lobbying schools, businesses, municipal and provincial government for regulations against privatisation and sale of Canadian public water, contact Toronto Waterkeepers at torontowaterkeepers@yahoo.ca or find some basic information on their Facebook page.