I can honestly say that this project in some ways has saddened me. I would not call myself an environmentalist however, being part of the Land and Food Systems facility I have been educated about similar food systems issues such as the one discussed by Manning. Briefly, I forgot that this was a project for a 100 level history class. I was reminded of a lecture in LFS 250 last year where we learned about how to approach an issue such as the food system crisis. We learned that the situation, through the application of systems thinking, was deemed a mess rather than a difficulty. A difficulty is, well, difficult, but in theory there is one solution that will alleviate the problem. However, a mess is far more complicated. It does not have a single solution because ultimately there is no single problem. In some cases, depending on your perspective, there may be no problem at all. At best using a systems approach we can improve but not fix a mess.

What I am getting at is that beyond reflecting on how fossil fuels and Manning’s article relate to our everyday food choices, this issue should be reflected on much deeper than this course requires.

As a consumer, food citizen, and future food system worker, I would encourage you to take what you have learned and apply it to the decisions made where ever your position in the food system may be. While fossil fuel emissions and oil energy for production will not be stopped, remaining anonymous to the situation will only intensify future problems and delay changes or potential solutions.

– Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”

To reduce our contribution of emissions, education and modification of our lifestyle choices are ultimately necessary.

It is either the nutritionist or gym rat in me, but when I look at food I only see carbohydrates, fats, and protein. And when you think of big guys lifting heavy weights in the gym soon enough the thought of protein -a gym rats best friend- will come to mind (they are nicknamed “meat-heads” for a reason after all).

In my case, whether I am truly a meat-head or not, I love my protein in many forms such as protein powder, chicken, canned tuna, eggs, and egg whites.

Manning considers a vital point when looking at the conversion of energy  to produce food. He discusses how livestock are able to turn grain and carbohydrate energy into protein energy. This is something we humans ultimately cannot accomplish. As a result we must admit that to produce high quality protein (beef and pork as mentioned in the article) or in my case chicken and eggs, grains are required.

Chickens must be healthy enough to produce eggs and grow to adequate size to be slaughtered for meat. This requires them to be fed generally grain based products which must be processed using oil energy. Manning mentions how the large American grain crop is completely unpalatable until it is processed. This gives us some understanding of how we are dependant on oil energy right to the core of our food system. Even if chickens were not fed oil dependant grains, transporting the animals or eggs requires transport trucks to move them to a processing factory. At this stage, factory settings are generally using and releasing fossil fuels as well. As mentioned in the first few posts customers such as myself also must transport these goods to our homes (most likely) through the use of cars. By the time these products have reached our homes, the amount of energy required to make the product is beyond what we ingest caloricly.

For example, Manning discusses a very costly product to produce; breakfast cereal. This is a product I avoid because (from a concerned nutritionist standpoint) it is heavily proceeded and loaded with additives and sugar. He states how it takes four calories of energy to produce a single calorie if energy during cereal production. He continues by mentioning that overall a half gallon of gasoline is burned in the making of a 2 pound bag of cereal.

Personally, I think this is a ridiculous amount of energy to produce food that is not even nutritionally beneficial. If the processed food industry uses 10 calories of fossil fuel energy for every calorie it produces, it is obvious that very quickly the typical (North) American diet can contribute immensely to fossil fuel emissions

However, on the flip side, there are many production energy issues related to those trying to avoid processed foods and/or eat what is deemed “healthy”. For example, the whey isolate protein powder I so proudly use to ensure I consume a high caloric percentage each day has just one ingredient…

100% New Zealand Whey Protein

and more specifically, 100% Cold-processed undenatured cross-flow micro filtration New Zealand whey protein isolate

HUH? New Zealand?? But I thought it was produced in Vancouver??

Well that changes things now doesn’t it?

So my special protein had to be processed and packaged (which required energy) in Vancouver..

and then loaded onto a transport truck (which required energy)

which then had to take a FERRY (which required energy) to get to the single grocery store

where I, using my car, drove (which required energy) to purchase said product…

BUT

Before any of that could occur, a factory in New Zealand had to process the single ingredient (in a way that sounds very complicated and even more expensive) so that the whey could begin its long journey into my smoothie.

The same goes for many other health supplements. Vitamins, BCAAs, Glutamine, pre/post workout drinks, metabolism enhancers, greens powder and endless other miracle pills and potions are (as many people seem to forget) very processed and very chemically ridden. So even when avoiding  sugary high fructose corn syrup products or breakfast cereals I am guilty of purchasing health products that use mass amounts of energy to produce. Between the fancy packaging, mystery ingredients, vehicles required to transport products to a from the factory and the store and my house, it would seem that I am no better than some who eats processed food on the daily in terms of energy requirements.

While I was never claiming superiority to anyone I did begin writing this blog with the thought that my lifestyle was relatively moderate in terms of the “Oil I Eat”. However, it has been brought to my attention that this lifestyle I choose is just as bad and in some ways potentially worsts when it comes to my individual contribution to fossil fuel emissions.

 

Source:

Richard Manning, “The Oil We Eat: Following the Food Chain Back to Iraq,” Harper’s Magazine, February 2004, 37-45. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/233478610?accountid=14656

 

BREAKFAST MEAL ONE

• 2 Organic Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Egg Whites
• 1 Tomato
• 5 Mushrooms

MEAL TWO

• 1 – Chicken Breast
• 2 tbsp – Siracha Sauce
• 1 – Sweet Potato
• 2 tbsp – Tzatiziki

MEAL THREE

• 1 – Banana
• 1 cup – Strawberries
• 1 scoop -Protein Powder

MEAL FOUR

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/2 cup – Oats (used to coat the chicken)
• 1 cup – Greek salad (red, yellow and orange peppers, sweet onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, Greek feta dressing)
• 1 bottle – Organic Raw Kombucha

MEAL FIVE

• 1 can – Tuna
• 2 – Hard Boiled Eggs
• 1 tbsp – Siracha
• 1 tbsp – Plain Yogourt
• Salt Free Seasoning
• 4 – Rice Cakes

This is a fairly accurate representation of my daily diet and intake of food. Generally, my meals are high in protein and low in carbohydrates except before and after a workout. I eat a lot of fish and other seafood during the summer but my staple protein is always chicken.

Simple. Clean. Boring. Delicious.

I must (shockingly) admit that I am no chicken farmer, nor do I possess the skills (or land for that matter) required to grow my own fruits and vegetables.

As a result, majority of my food was purchased from one of only two groceries stores near where I live. This week’s groceries were purchased at Claytons Heritage Market in Sechelt, BC.

 

First of all, I must point out that this grocery store is (at best) a 20 minute drive from my house. Side note -the gym is 40 minutes away which just shows you have to be fairly committed to be willing to drive that far 5 times a week. But anyway, my point being that living in a small town, or in my case outside of a small town, requires me to drive everywhere to do anything. Unlike when I lived in the city, walking and public transit are not reliable options here. As a result, my Suzuki and the gas I so painfully refill every 3-4 days are necessary for me to purchase  groceries. There is a  farmers market on Saturday mornings (which is just as far away, right outside the main grocery store) as well as my grandma’s brilliant garden where I can find some fresh produce. However, be it to the farmers market, to the grocery store or to my grandparent’s, all journeys require emissions from my car.

As Manning mentions, we must consider our personal contributions to transporting the food from the stores or markets to our houses. Regardless of where my groceries originated from, I still bear responsibility for the emissions required to physically transport the food to my home.

This is just an unfortunate fact; if I want food (which I always do -see first post for a reminder about how much I love food) I have to drive somewhere to get it. Ultimately, even the simplest act of buying groceries contributes to a much larger issue of fossil fuel and oil energy use. While I could probably bike or run (literally) to town when I needed food this is time consuming and not practical for my life.

Writing this post I have noticed something. Living in this small I have no choice but to drive my car to purchase groceries. While I lived in the city I was always able to take the bus to and from school and to buy groceries on my walk home. In some ways, that situation was better because I did not drive and ultimately limited my contribution to emissions with regards to purchasing groceries. However, the opportunity for locally produced food was reduced because since I was walking and could not go far my options were also limited.

To summarize this thought:

Small Town =More Access to Local Product = Must Drive

City Life = Less Access to Local Product = Able to Walk

I’m not going to argue which is better, or which I prefer, but rather just conclude that regardless of where I am living each situation has noticeable pros and cons.

 

Source:

Richard Manning, “The Oil We Eat: Following the Food Chain Back to Iraq,” Harper’s Magazine, February 2004, 37-45. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/233478610?accountid=14656

Before I dive into the core of The Oil Shelby Eats blog I would like to introduce myself:

My name is Shelby,

I am a forth year Food, Nutrition, and Health Major,

I am living on the Sunshine Coast for the summer,

I am a power-lifter and an aspiring fitness/physique contest competitor,

…and I LOVE food.

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