Keep it simple
Published: Mon, 07/15/13
Food should really be a simple issue. In Western society at least
the food supply industry is well developed. From farming all over
the world, through a well established distribution network to the
shops where we can buy a huge variety of food all the year round.
It is quite a remarkable achievement and as a result no one living
in an 'advanced' society such as Europe or America really
has an excuse for not being properly fed. The reason such a
variety of food is available at competitive prices is that the
free market is at work matching supply to demand in order to make a
profit. In the old Soviet Union the collective farms often worked
very well producing plenty of perfectly good food. However the
shops in Moscow and other big cities often had empty shelves and
huge ques for whatever was available. The problem was in the
distribution system and since making a profit was legally forbidden
there was no real incentive to make the effort to get produce to
customer.
The problem with profit driven free market food distribution is
that there is only so much profit in good wholesome food. So the
temptation is towards monopoly even if it is local. It is well
known how small independent retailers struggle to stay in business
when a superstore has got established locally. As well as this
there is the drive towards 'increasing value' of basic
products. You could feed yourself for a week on £5 worth of
potatoes, with some imagination it wouldn't even be boring and
potatoes are not hard to grow or store if you have a bit of space.
So the money is in marketing and selling products like crisps,
which means a massive markup on the value of the potato plus all
the salt, fat and additives. I am not saying never have a pack of
crisps as a treat occasionally but be aware of the difference
between basic foodstuffs, which are readily available at usually
quite reasonable prices (especially when in season) and the highly
processed versions which will cost a lot more and will have lost
most, if not all, of their nutritional value.
I haven't touched on the nightmare of GM crops and the
monopolistic impulse behind that technology.
For today, think about making your food as natural and as
unprocessed as possible. Healthy eating is largely about eating a
balanced diet of real food. If you learn to listen to your body
you will find out what is right for you.
Stav training this coming Saturday afternoon in Somerset. If you
would like to join us reply to this message and I will send you
more details.