Farming and eating habits that better health

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one-third of adults worldwide have high blood pressure, and one in ten adults worldwide have diabetes.

These diseases are already well known in the United States, where high blood pressure affects 31 percent of American adults. However, the highest levels of hypertension now occur in many African countries, where more than 40 percent of adults are affected, and where the money and infrastructure needed for treatment are most lacking.

While there are multiple causes of high blood pressure and other chronic diseases, poor diets are among the most significant. In the world today there are nearly one billion people hungry and one billion people overweight, and in many countries these problems now exist simultaneously. Both hunger and obesity have been linked to diets lacking in nutrients.

Over the past fifty years, the modern agriculture system has had great success boosting crop yields around the world; however, the amount and variety of essential nutrients in many crops has declined. The result is that the same amount of corn, potatoes, or bread now has far less zinc, calcium, and iron than it did fifty years ago. At the same time, global emphasis on calorie content has increased access to high calorie, processed foods around the world, even as access to nutrient rich fruits and vegetables has declined.

One of the most powerful tools in changing the nutrient value of the foods farmers grow is choice. Across some developing countries, farmers armed with knowledge about new markets for their products and more effective farming practices, as well as the freedom to choose how and what they grow, are taking the initiative to do things differently. Their knowledge and creativity are already improving the health of families, communities, and environments.

8 Recommended Strategies for Creating Healthier Food and Agriculture Systems

Eat more vegetables and fruits

Eating less than three-to-four servings of fruit and four-to-six servings of vegetables every day, can result in getting 80 percent fewer nutrients than are needed to maintain a healthy diet. Failing to meet these guidelines increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity, and some cancers. The Organic Centre recommends choosing items that are high in nutrients but low in calories. Strawberries and romaine lettuce are two nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. Oranges, green bell peppers, and boiled cabbage and carrots are also great options.

Strengthen soil with intercropping, agroforestry, and cover crops

Many essential nutrients come from the soil, making soil health critical to producing nutritious food. Intercropping with legumes, including beans or peas, helps return nitrogen to the soil and support healthy plant growth. Using cover crops, which can be ploughed into fields after harvest and return nutrients to the soil, is another strategy that helps increase the amount of nutrients in food. Planting trees on farms--or agroforestry--can also help keep nutrients and water in the soil. ICRAF is helping farmers plant fast-growing trees that regenerate soil and fertilize crops naturally, rather than requiring expensive fertilizer out of a bag.

Know your nutrients

Many don’t know that kale, sesame seeds, dried figs, salmon, and broccoli are excellent sources of calcium. Dark green, leafy vegetables are also rich in vitamin K, which is similar to vitamin D in the way it helps the human body make the most of the calcium in food. The Harvard School of Public Health website features a section called The Nutrition Source, which offers an easy to browse list of topics on specific nutrients in foods and the benefits of different products, such as coffee or fish oil.

Support family farmers

Small and medium scale family farms are more likely than big farms to produce nutrient rich crops, using practices that help keep nutrients in the soil. Family farmers also produce more nutrient dense foods, including fruits and vegetables. The United Nations declared 2014 the International Year of the Family Farmer to honour and support these individuals.

Choose whole grains

Whole grains are valuable, low-cost sources of protein and fibre, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, and other diseases. Unfortunately, buying real whole grains can be confusing. Whole grains include rice (both brown and coloured), millet, corn, barley, oats and sorghum.

Eat out less

It is not only advisable to eat healthy but also not to overeat. Eat only portions of food required for the energy you can dispense.

Buy and grow organic

Organic fruits and vegetables have equal or greater nutrient content than the same conventional produce. It is advisable to eat organically produced foods because they contain less toxic materials used in conventional agriculture.

Choose grass-fed meat

Lean meat can contain many valuable nutrients that support a healthy diet. Grass-fed meat usually has less fat than conventional corn- and grain-fed meat products. Grass-fed meat has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid, and antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E. When choosing animal products, two of the best labels to look for are “organic” and “pasture-raised.”

In honour of World Health Day, Food Tank: The Food Think Tank is highlighting the importance of nutritious, environmentally sustainable food in combating hypertension, obesity, malnutrition, and other diseases every day on our website. There’s much that can be done to increase the nutritional quality of food, both at home and around the world!