Hunger in a time of Bounty
Now is probably one of, if not my favorite time of year. The days are just long and warm enough to enjoy as if still a long lazy day of summer and the nights are just cold enough to hint at fall’s full onset, offering just enough of everything. Similarly, this time of year is overflowing with an amazing bounty of food; fresh succulent summer peaches and plums can be found alongside crisp apples, multitudes of pumpkins and squashes.
It is easy to look around at the bounty of fruits, vegetables, and other foods being reaped during this time of harvest and believe the cornucopia is endless and offers limitless healthy food to all.
But, the cornucopia is neither endless nor offering limitless healthy food to all.
Instead, 36 million Americans, including 13 million children, struggle with hunger every day.
You may ask how is it possible for our American society to be plagued by such a horrible problem while our American society is also considered to be plagued by an obesity pandemic. Similarly, how is hunger among so many possible when so many fast food restaurants offer $1 menus?
The answer is not that food is not available. Neither is the answer that hunger equates to lacking of access to food.
Instead, it is better to consider the hunger crisis in terms of access to information about nutrition and foods offering dense nutritional value.
A body’s energy comes from three sources: Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats. Proteins and Carbohydrates offer about 4 calories per gram while fats offer about 9 calories per gram.
Considering our instinct is to seek out those foods offering the most energy and not necessarily the most nutrition, and the foods offering most energy happen to be fats, is there any real wonder why we would choose to eat an order of chicken nuggets dipped in a BBQ sauce with high fructose corn syrup as the primary ingredient, over a salad of fresh tomatoes with salad greens, thinly sliced steaks and a sauce of basil, garlic, parsley, olive oil and balsamic vinegar?
Similarly, when you walk into a coffee shop, what catches your eye longest? The lovely looking cracked bulgar salad with green onions, parsley, and tomatoes or those plump cinnamon, spice and rum soaked raison scones with the crunchy sugar sprinkles twinkling like stars and just enough to be seen? Since I just made myself hungary by typing the second description, I suspect the scone is the correct answer.
If you are tempted, what about everyone else? What about someone who might not be as interested in food as you and I, or someone who might not have the time, money or other resources to shop and cook the same as you?
So, during this time of amazing bounty, transition and the beginning of the fall and winter holidays ultimately leading us into 2011, it is important to remember the bounty offered to us can only be for all of us if each of us takes action to spread change and help those how ever possible.
