There have been some amazing breakthroughs in understanding how food not only heals but maintains health when consumed in an appropriate amount and with a variety of mostly plant based foods.
The documentary Forks Over Knives and the wonderful website forksoverknives.com offer plenty of basic information regarding eating foods that are healthy while providing recipes to help people to transition away from reliance on meat and dairy and quick foods to plant based real foods. But beyond the basics, the newest studies regarding the relationship between healthy gut bacteria and mental health are really fascinating. Who would have thought that feelings do originate in the gut? Without healthy gut bacteria a person can not only feel physically out of sorts, they can suffer depression, anger, anxiety, and schizophrenia. With age, dementia can also be experienced.
If the way we eat can affect our moods and overall mental health, then certainly it follows that people who are struggling with such problems should be provided with the best foods to build up a healthy gut. This would mean that incarcerated, institutionalized and vulnerable people who rely on food banks and soup kitchens should all be receiving great food rather than cast off food that no one else wants- that is, if we are interested in healing rather than punishment or maintenance.
I can't count the number of times I have heard someone say: "They should be grateful for what they get" when speaking about the poor or those who are otherwise being fed by others. It is an excuse for not providing food that people would be happy to serve in their own homes. Along with this sad attitude, there are people and businesses that donate foods to food banks or soup kitchens that are many months over their expiration date, vegetables that are more than 50% spoiled, or even canned or frozen food that has been on the shelf for years! During the Mad Cow scare there were several people who called at my church and wanted to donate their frozen beef for fear that it was not good to eat. That feels so wrong. Sure, hungry people can and do eat anything to stop their hunger, but when it is possible to give them good food, why don't we?
I have decided that I am going to pursue my vision, reaching out to suppliers and those who care about health. I really believe that in the end, a society will be measured by the way it treats its most vulnerable people, and that includes pregnant women needing food assistance, school children, low income families using food stamps and food pantries, all of the incarcerated, institutionalized people, and those who come day after day to eat in church halls and public facilities.
When I serve people, I want to serve them well- at home or wherever food is offered.
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