If You Are What You Eat...
- sjpdragonlady
- Apr 18, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: Jul 12, 2024
Clarimarket
Bob Marley: Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
Does our environment really affect what we eat?
There are many impacts of the environment on the quality, availability and cost of our foods. Fruits and vegetables grow best under specific conditions. If it is too wet, dry, hot or cold, crops can be harmed. Flooding can decrease the amount of land available to grow crops. When bees and other pollinators die, it becomes difficult for plants to produce well enough to feed us. Warming conditions may increase pests and diseases that kill plants. Pesticides can kill pollinators as well as threaten food sources such as vegetables and seafood. Pollution leads to too much carbon dioxide in the air, which decreases the amount of nutrients in our food. Wrapping materials and trash in the environment can become microplastics, which enter our foods and then enter our bodies when we eat contaminated foods. Pollution leads to increased levels of toxins such as mercury, which is particularly dangerous for pregnant women. When food becomes scarcer or harder to provide, the prices can increase dramatically. Healthy food may quickly become out of reach for many people!
ResearchGate
What impact does weather have on crops?
Heat has many impacts on plants and can severely damage crops. Heat stress can limit photosynthesis-- the process by which plants use water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to make food. Higher temperatures overall decrease the crop yield. For every day of a heat wave, the yield decreases proportionally. A study done by Cornell researchers earlier this year indicates that for every one degree rise in average temperatures, the yield of major crops like soybeans, corn and wheat drops by 16-20%. In extreme cases, heat can burn the leaves and stunt or kill the plants. Excessive heat also decreases the nutritional value of flowers, which decreases the food available to important pollinators like bees. Heat dries out the land and contributes to drought, further damaging crops. The impact of heat may drop a farmer's net income by more than half!
EOS DATA ANALYTICS
Crops are very sensitive to water, and can be damaged by too much or too little water. Soil that is too wet can cause root damage, which drops oxygen levels. If there is not enough oxygen, plants cannot absorb water and nutrients, which harms the plant and causes a significant drop in yield. Saturated soil also leads to nitrogen loss and the production of toxic ions, which decreases the nutritional value of the crop. Over-saturated roots are more susceptible to organisms that cause rot, leading to plant death.
Lodi Wine Growers
Plants growing in too wet of an environment may have:
Stunted growth
Yellowing leaves
Leaf scorch or burn
Water-soaked spots and blisters on stems and leaves
Canopy dieback
Wilting
Leaf loss
Drought significantly harms crops at all stages. Water is required for germination of seeds, and without sufficient water, plants may not even start to grow. Dry roots are brittle and break easily, making it impossible for a plant to absorb water and nutrients. Once they are growing, plants rely on water to transport nutrients and minerals from roots to leaves. Dry plants might suffer from small leaves, wilt or stop growing, topple over due to weakened plant stalks, and be more vulnerable to pests. Drought can stunt crop growth, resulting in smaller, lower quality produce. Prolonged drought can result in losses of up to 30% of crop yield. Winter wheat and corn are important crops in the United States that are particularly sensitive to drought.
Are we losing agricultural land over time?
Rising sea levels and coastal flooding are decreasing the amount of land available for growing crops. According to our best estimate, the ocean is rising an average of 3.6 mm per year. This is almost 1.5 inches every decade. While this may not sound like much, between flooded land and land that becomes excessively "salty" (saline intrusion), there has been a significant loss of agricultural acres. On the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, between 2011–2017, the area covered by visible salt patches almost doubled, with over 19,000 acres of farmland converted to salt marsh. The potential economic losses from the salt patches alone totaled over $427,000. Scientists from the University of Maryland estimate total yearly losses of between $39-70 million due to the reduced yield on farmland within 200 meters of salt patches. On both coastal and inland farmland, heavy flooding can cause erosion, leading to loss of nutrients upon which crops depend and further decreasing yield. A United Nations study done in 2014 estimated nearly 5,000 acres of land worldwide was being lost daily from salt degradation. At that time it was calculated that more than 150 million acres of farmland had been permanently lost.
ISAAA inc.
Does the environment impact pests and pollinators that affect crops?
The environment impacts crop diseases, which can decrease crop yield. Environments that are too hot, wet or dry can decrease a plant's ability to withstand problems like fungal infections. Increasing carbon dioxide levels make issues like powdery mildew and blight more severe. This drops the yield of produce ranging from peppers to wheat. Many pests prefer an environment that is warm and humid, so thrive in settings where there is excess heat or rain. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, up to 40 percent of food crops are lost to plant pests and diseases each year. It has been estimated that worldwide, the annual crop yield loss caused by pathogens (germs affecting plant health) and pests is US$220 billion. The loss of crops leads to widespread food insecurity and significant disruption of local, regional and global economies.
Gardening Know How
Worldwide, pests tend to prefer warmer regions. They possess powerful appetites and
consume more than 20% of crops worldwide. When the environment is hotter, pests spread into new regions, causing even more damage to crops. The loss of stable crops (rice, wheat, maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes) threaten food security and nutrition. Decreased cash crops such as bananas and coffee can drop personal incomes and derail national economies. In the United States, fall armyworms can only survive winter in Florida and Southern Texas. During the warmer seasons, they spread north into Canada. Their habitat expands as the environment gets warmer. They are
invasive pests that can damage hundreds of plant species, including staple crops like maize, cotton, rice, and sorghum. They can easily destroy as much as half of a crop and sometimes cause complete crop loss.
University of Florida
Attempts to limit pests can also harm crops. For example, the widespread use of pesticides can repel or kill bees, which are a critical pollinator. Honeybees are crucial to our food supply, pollinating more than 100 edible crops, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Without bees, pollen doesn't get moved as effectively from one plant to another, which limits crop yields. A University of Guelph study from June 2019 found that beekeepers lost 40% of their honeybee colonies over the previous year, partly due to the use of pesticides. Any loss of over 20% is considered a threat to long-term bee survival.
istockphoto
How does pollution impact our food?
rawpixel
Air and water pollution can damage crops in many ways
Nitrous oxide and other air pollutants can directly damage the cells of plants
Air pollution can also slow down photosynthesis, leading to smaller plants
Air pollution can also decrease the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables
Elevated levels of ozone, a type of air pollution, reduces crops by up to 15%
Aerosols can scatter light away from plants, decreasing photosynthesis
Smog and acid rain can damage plant roots and leaves
Very high levels of carbon dioxide make staple foods like rice less nutritious
Poor water quality can stunt plant growth and slowly kill plants
Salty water is harmful to most crops, damaging roots and burning leaves
Increased CO2 decreases the nutritional value of our food
Springer Link
Food wrapping ends up in the environment and causes a cascade of health problems
Sierra Club
Plastic on and in your food is not healthy! This may cause:
Heart and blood vessel damage leading to heart attacks and strokes
Damage to the lungs, liver and intestines
Problems with nervous and reproductive systems
Higher risk of cancer, including lung cancer
Problems with fertility
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Kidney disease
Endocrine disruption
Weight gain
Insulin resistance
The best ways to keep plastic out of your food is to buy foods in bulk, purchase fresh foods as much as possible, and dispose of or recycle plastic products appropriately.
iStock
Pollutants like mercury particularly harm pregnant women.
Daily Telegraph
The Mayo Clinic suggests the following strategies for minimizing mercury exposure:
Avoid large, predatory fish. To lower your exposure to mercury, don't eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.
Skip uncooked fish and shellfish. To avoid harmful bacteria or viruses, don't eat fish and shellfish that has not been cooked. That includes oysters, sushi, sashimi, and refrigerated seafood that hasn't been cooked that is labeled nova style, lox, kippered, smoked or jerky.
Understand local fish advisories. If you eat fish from local waters, pay attention to local advisories. If advice isn't available, limit fish from local waters to 6 ounces (170 grams) a week.
Cook seafood properly. Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius). Fish is done when it separates into flakes and appears milky white throughout. Cook shrimp and lobster until the flesh is pearly and milky white. Cook clams, mussels and oysters until their shells open. Throw away any that don't open.
Oceanus
There are many other ways in which the environment can affect the nutritional status of pregnant women:
Food-related illnesses, such as listeria and toxoplasma, can be life-threatening and increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature delivery. These infections may spread more easily when the environment is warmer. Extreme weather events may lead to power outages and difficulty keeping food fresh, further increasing the risk of food poisoning.
Food insecurity, which is exacerbated by extreme weather, is associated with the risk of major birth defects (cleft palate, transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, spina bifida, anencephaly), low birthweight, preterm labor, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension.
Increased pesticide use, resulting in increased pesticide exposures through food, may increase risks such as birth defects and neurodevelopmental complications.
One billion people worldwide do not have access to safe water. Water shortages will likely threaten pregnancy health, with implications not only for drinking but also for sanitation. Dehydration leads to increased risk of low birthweight and preterm birth.
Excessive heat poses significant danger to farm workers
AP News
Not only is extreme heat bad for growing fruits and vegetables, but it is incredibly dangerous for the people who bring us our produce! There are significant personal, social and economic costs associated with heat related illness. As the environment gets warmer, there is an increased risk of health problems like heat exhaustion, heat stroke, traumatic injuries, heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. Heat can also exacerbate underlying illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health disorders, and asthma. According to the National Institute of Health, farmworkers are 35 times more likely to die of heat-related illnesses than workers in other industries. Efficiency also decreases significantly as ambient temperatures rise, which means that farmwork is done less quickly. If the people who provide your food are unwell or unable to do their work effectively, food is wasted and the price of food increases!
OSHA guidelines for protecting yourself from heat illness:
During their first few days in warm or hot environments, employers should encourage workers to:
Consume adequate fluids (water and sport drinks)
Work shorter shifts
Take frequent breaks
Quickly identify any heat illness symptoms
Get used to the heat slowly to build up your tolerance
50% to 70% of heat-related fatalities occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments! START SLOW!
How does all this affect the price of food?
If food is harder to grow, is not picked as efficiently, or there is significant crop loss, the prices at the grocery store increase significantly!
Eat This, Not That!
Does our food industry affect the environment?
Transporting food is directly harmful to the environment. Researchers have calculated that transporting food from one location to another accounts for 20% of food-related carbon dioxide emissions, or 6% of ALL human-caused global emissions. (Food production overall is responsible for 30% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.) This is twice as much carbon than is released by creating the food in the first place. The total amount of carbon dioxide emissions related to food transport is 1.4 Gigatons of carbon dioxide. What is the take home message? BUY LOCALLY!
iStock
Methane has a significant effect on the environment. It is a key contributor to ground-level ozone. Ozone is a significant cause of air pollution, and contributes to one million premature deaths every year. Methane is also a powerful greenhouse gas. It is estimated that methane traps heat inside the earth's atmosphere 28 times more than carbon dioxide. Methane also stays in the atmosphere for 12 years before it is broken down into carbon dioxide. This significantly raises temperatures on our planet over time. Ranching contributes significantly to methane levels. One cow produces between 70-500 liters of methane per day, or 154-264 pounds of methane per year, mostly from belching. Cattle are the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gasses on our planet. It has been estimated that in 2021 cattle produced 73.5 million metric tons of methane worldwide. This adds up quickly; cows and other ruminants contribute 4 percent of all greenhouse gases produced in the United States. However, there may be ways to lower methane emissions from cows without giving up steaks. Scientists at UC Davis have found that adding 1–3% seaweed to a cow's diet can reduce methane emissions by up to 82%.
iCanvas
Pesticides are used regularly to protect harvests from threats such as fall armyworms. While this prevents the crop loss that these pests can otherwise produce, the pesticides come with their own risks. They can pollute groundwater, including streams, ponds, lakes, and wells. Pesticide residues in surface water can harm plants and animals, and kill important pollinators like bees and butterflies. Pesticides contaminate fruits and vegetables that we eat daily. Short- and long-term pesticide poisoning causes many severe symptoms. Short-term effects include stinging eyes, rashes, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, and death. Long-term effects include cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, immunotoxicity, neurological diseases, developmental problems, and damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs, and other organs. Pesticides have also been linked to Alzheimer's disease, attention problems, Parkinson's disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, kidney diseases, and autoimmune arthritis. Valuable land is stripped to mine phosphate, a key ingredient of popular pesticides. Production of pesticides directly leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to global warming. We must be responsible about limiting pesticide use when possible, and choosing carefully when they must be used.
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Ember Opinion:
I reviewed three different pesticides to see which one might be kindest to our planet. I looked at Wondercide, Captain Jack's and Mighty Mint. Might Mint has the advantage of being natural and being safe for children and pets. However, there are reports that it keeps bees away, which makes it harder to pollinate your garden. Captain Jack's contains Neem oil and kills insects, mites and fungus. It needs to be reapplied every 1-2 weeks. It is approved for organic gardening. However, Neem oil can harm bees and other pollinators. Wondercide is safe for animals, children and gardens. It claims to be safe for bees. It only needs to be reapplied monthly. It comes in a convenient bottle that can be attached to a garden hose. For these reasons, I recommend Wondercide.
How can I garden more sustainably?
Use cover crops-- they are useful for many reasons:
Increased soil health including important microorganisms
Erosion control
Water conservation
Weed prevention
Natural pest and disease control
Improved crop yields
Enhancing soil nutrients including nitrogen
Attracting pollinators
Country Guide
Three Sisters gardening is naturally beneficial!
From Farmer's Almanac (and before that, Native American legend):
As older sisters often do, the corn offers the beans necessary support.
The pole beans, the giving sister, pull nitrogen from the air and bring it to the soil to benefit all three.
As the beans grow through the tangle of squash vines and wind their way up the cornstalks into the sunlight, they hold the sisters close together.
The large leaves of the sprawling squash protect the threesome by creating living mulch that shades the soil, keeping it cool and moist and preventing weeds.
The prickly squash leaves also keep away raccoons and other pests, which don’t like to step on them.
Tritt Science Lab
There are many nitrogen fixing plants that enhance garden soil:
alfalfa beans
clover
asparsette
kudzu
lespedeza
peas
peanuts
soybeans
winter hairy vetch
Include more bee-friendly plants in your garden:
According to the Buddha Bee Apiary, these are the 7 best flowers to plant for bees
Bee balm (Monarda spp.)
White wild indigo (Baptisia alba)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Marsh blazing star (Liatris spicata)
Wrinkleleaf goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
Shutterstock
Traditional Central American agroforestry techniques can reduce artificial pesticides.
Rancho Mastal
I am not a gardener. What else can I do?
Buy foods in bulk and bring your own containers when possible!
This helps minimize plastic waste which may end up in the environment.
Civil Eats
Buy Locally! Farmers markets are a great source of healthy, organic foods.
They lower transportation costs and limit emissions of carbon dioxide
associated with food transport.
Farmer's markets are also a great way to support your neighbor's businesses.
Adobe Stock
Eat less meat! Plant-based diets are better for your health and for the environment!
CNET
The ideal diet for optimizing health and weight consists of 50% fruits and vegetables, 25% minimally processed carbs and 25% lean proteins.
Examples of minimally processed carbs:
Mashed, baked or boiled potatoes (not potatoes chips or french fries!)
Mashed, baked or boiled sweet potatoes (not sweet potato pie!)
Whole-grain, brown, red or purple rice (not white rice!)
Ancient grains like farro, quinoa or barley
Avoid white sugar, white rice, white flour (these are not minimally processed foods!)
Examples of lean proteins:
Chicken, turkey, fish (not shellfish!)
Hummus
Nuts and nut butters
Beans and legumes
Veggie burgers
Black bean burgers
Tofu and Tempeh
All of these foods have a lower environmental footprint than meat, and are much healthier! They cause much lower carbon dioxide emissions than cows. They also use a fraction of the amount of water needed for one hamburger!
Compost! This keeps trash out of the landfill
and makes rich soil that is optimal for your garden!
How to eat sustainably:
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