According to Captain Joseph Hib-
beln, a lipid biochemist and physician at the National Institutes of Health, American diets have become deficient in omega-3 fatty acids over the past 100 years, largely because of industrial agri- culture. Hibbeln believes that consuming more omega-3s may be one of the most important dietary changes Americans can make to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improve mental health and enhance children’s brain and eye devel- opment, including boosting their IQs. Coldwater fish such as salmon,
mackerel, tuna and sardines provide excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, dairy and meat from animals raised on pasture can improve our intake, as well.
Faith How might eating with the “creation” in mind influence food and agricul- ture trends? Barbara Ross, director of social services for Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, be- lieves, “People’s common denominator is that we are all part of and integral to the creation.” She considers how “Food, agriculture, environment and economy are bound together in a way that requires we think, plan and act for the dignity of each person and the common good of the human family.” Ross explains that the choices we make in these vital areas affect the richness of our soils, the purity of our air and water and the health of all living things.
Hyperlocal Superstars
Food Corps is a national nonprofit with a mission to improve school food and thus children’s health and lifelong potential. Active in 15 states, it places teams of young teachers in limited- resource communities to establish school gardens, provide food-based nutrition education and supplement school meals with garden fresh pro- duce. Visit
FoodCorps.org.
Marie George, Ph.D., a professor
of philosophy at St. John’s University, in Queens, New York, agrees, “The serious ecological crises we see today stem from the way we think,” and “reveal an urgent moral need for a new solidarity” to be better stewards of the Earth and its creatures. For example, George sees it as contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer; that’s why she op- poses gestation crates and the push for cheap food that exploits animals and the environment in the process. Kelly Moltzen, a registered dietitian
in Bronx, New York, shares a passion for addressing food justice and sustain- ability from her faith-based perspective of Franciscan spirituality. She believes that, “When we connect our spirituality with the daily act of eating, we can eat in a way that leads to a right relationship with our Creator.” By bridging spiritual- ity with nutrition and the food system, Moltzen hopes to raise awareness of
how people can care for their body as a temple and live in right relationship with the Earth, which she perceives as “the larger house of God.” Fred Bahnson, director of the Food,
Faith and Religious Leadership Initiative at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, in Winston-Salem, North Caro- lina, is the author of Soil and Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith. His book takes the reader on a journey to four different faith communities— Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal and Jewish—to explore connections between spiritual nourishment and the cultivation of food. Bahnson speaks about sacred soil and the communities of mystical microorganisms that lie within and create the foundation for sustenance. He also describes the special power of communal gardens, which welcome all and provide nourishing food, yet come to satisfy more than physical hunger. Regardless of religious denomina- tion, Amanda Archibald, a registered dietitian in Boulder, Colorado, believes, “We are in a new era of food—one that embraces and honors food producers and food systems that respect soil, envi- ronment and humanity itself.”
Melinda Hemmelgarn, aka the “food sleuth”, is a registered dietitian and award-winning writer and radio host at
KOPN.org, in Columbia, MO (
FoodSleuth@gmail.com). She advocates for organic farmers at
Enduring-Image.blogspot.com.
38 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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