¿Cuántas veces te has puesto a pensar en cómo te afecta lo que comes? Hoy, más que en ninguna época en la historia de la humanidad, tenemos acceso a un mundo de alimentos procesados y sabores “fabricados” a la medida de nuestros paladares, pero no siempre a medida de nuestras necesidades alimentarias. Con tantos sabores a nuestra disposición es muy fácil dejarnos caer en la gula e ignorar los efectos a mediano y largo plazo de consumir cierto tipo de alimentos. Y así podemos ir por la vida pensando que comer saludable es una opción cuando en realidad es una necesidad si queremos tener una mejor calidad de vida.
A poor diet can lead to malnutrition and trigger other health problems. Our body requires vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other nutrients in certain proportions for proper functioning. In our day-to-day lives, do we really think about the effects that food has on us? A great evidence that we don‘t is the levels of obesity, especially in Mexico. According to the Mexican government, 70% of the population is overweight and nearly a third is obese. Overweight and obesity, combined with lack of physical activity, are responsible for 32% of deaths in women and 20% of deaths in men at the national level. It is paradoxical that although we have access to a large amount of food, we actually live malnourished and overweight.
Another characteristic of processed foods is that they are based on a resource exploitation model that only takes into account monetary profits. Large food companies modify entire ecosystems to dedicate them to certain crops and use pesticides that contaminate the soil. Monocultures gradually erode the nutrients of the soil and the use of fertilizers becomes mandatory, further modifying our environment.
Healthy eating is not only a commitment to our bodies, but also to our environment. Our decisions today as consumers will have an impact on the food security of future generations. That is why healthy eating necessarily implies a transition to a sustainable food system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "a sustainable food system is one that ensures food security and nutrition for all in such a way that it does not compromise the economic, social, and environmental bases for future generations."
One of the first steps we can take to eat in a healthier and more sustainable way (in addition to abandoning "junk" foods) is to consume organic products, and as much as possible, consume those foods that are produced locally. The transportation of food worldwide has a large carbon footprint that contributes to the degradation of our environment. Seasonal fruits, fresh vegetables without pesticides, and free-range chicken eggs are some products that have more nutrients than any processed and packaged equivalent. The price of organic food may seem higher than that of processed food in the short term, but in the long term, what is the price of our quality of life?