Day 17 of My 40 Day Fast: It’s Time to Point the Finger at Ourselves

It’s too easy pointing the finger at government and corporations to fix the problems in the world. Then we don’t have to take account of our own actions.

I often hear that Gen Z is worried about climate change. I understand that, but what I don’t understand is that their actions don’t reflect their words. This is the generation that I see on Youtube doing food reviews. They use unhealthy meat and produce. They use latex gloves to mix their food. The takeout they get is in plastic bags and containers. We all know how littered the oceans are with plastic.

Creating real change in the world requires us to make the difficult choices in our daily lives. Younger generations complain that older generations have left the world a mess for them. If we don’t change our lifestyle to one that fosters a healthy planet and people, we leave the planet in worse shape for our children and grandchildren.

The produce is sprayed with chemicals intended to kill insects and it drips onto the soil, which destroys its biodiversity. A depletion of nutrients in the soil means a depletion of nutrients in the crops it yields. The animals are fed food not natural to them for the purposes of fattening them up. Their food is not organic, so it’s been sprayed with chemicals. Most farmed animals live in unhealthy conditions and this causes them stress.

We’re eating it. We believe this food is good enough for us and for our children, because we were born into this illusion. We have placed low standards for what goes into our bodies. The food is unhealthy and simply not good enough for us. Eradicating illness and disease requires our food to be of the highest quality.

If we continue buying produce sprayed with chemicals, we are demanding nutrient deficient produce. If we continue buying meat from animals fed soy and corn, we are demanding nutrient deficient and unhealthy meat.

We buy it and that makes us culpable. We are part of the system. These companies only supply the demand. If we continue to buy it we’ll never see real change.

People buy this low quality food because it’s affordable and widely available. We made it that way, and we can make the reverse happen. Good healthy meat is hard to find, so eat less meat. Securing a healthy planet and populace for future generations requires us to make the difficult choices.

Eating less unhealthy meat will have a positive impact on your wallet, and your overall well-being. Unhealthy meat is full of soy, which is terrible for hormone health. It causes an imbalance to the estrogen levels in the body. When I ate that meat, particularly chicken, if I added any other soy product to the meal, like soy sauce, it would trigger my menstrual cycle. Even if you don’t physically see it, soy affects hormone health and the meat is loaded with it.

Organic produce is widely available, as well as organic plant-based protein. For those who simply can’t afford organic, it’s up to those who can to purchase it until it becomes affordable.

The debate between organic crops and conventional crops wages on. Over time spraying chemicals on plants produces less yield because of the nutrient depleted soil. New fields are then sought because currently conventional crops produce more yield than organic crops. Organic crops yield more over time. At the end of the day we can’t continue farming far into the future unless we take care of our soil and its biodiversity.

The oceans are being overfished, and we’re seeing farmed fish in the stores and restaurants. There is a stark difference in appearance between ocean caught and farmed fish. You can physically see which one has more nutrients. Parasites and viruses run rampant in these farms, and they can leech out to other fish in the ocean.

I was at first resistant to all the changes I’ve made in my life. I was comfortable enjoying all the worldly pleasures. Walking away from it takes will power because it’s going against the norm. It makes you different from everybody else. In a world where everyone seems to be trying to fit in, it’s difficult to willingly be the pariah. It’s also difficult to let go of what you know and have grown to love.

What is within us we project out into the world. Raising the standards of what goes into your body will have a ripple effect in your life. You will raise the standards of what is acceptable in your life with regard to people and relationships, even with your own self.

What kind of world do you want for your children? I want better for my future children. We can eat less low quality fish and meat for them. We can eat less takeout and cook our meals at home for them. We can opt for organic for them. We have the power to create a world where the oceans are teeming with seafood and are garbage free; a world where healthy animals happily graze pastures; a world where the produce is full of nutrients; a world where the air is clean. This is entirely possible. It starts with us. We are breaking generational curses, and that is no easy feat. Be the inspiration that someone else needs to see.