If anyone has been to our clinics or workshops, you may have received a packet of seeds from the food plants from my garden. I do this for a number of reasons.

 

The main reason is that I believe as a society our food system has become broken and so has our relationship with food. We have lost so much food knowledge, and with that, a connection, appreciation, love and value for fresh, healthy food.  

 

Most of us now rely on people we do not know to grow our food at a place not close to where we live. We don’t know what that plant looks like through its life cycle, let alone how to care for it, harvest or check when it is ripe (before or after harvest?). We have lost the knowledge of how to cook the harvest in many ways or preserve a bumper crop.

 

Today fresh fruit and vegetables come pre-prepared and packaged; we do not even need to touch them when we cook. It is common to open a packet and dump some veggies in the pot or just reheat a pre-prepared meal in a rush to get food on the table. Eating this way often means the types of fresh foods like fruit and vegetables offered at the family meal table are limited. Kids do not learn about their food and therefore do not enjoy eating a wide variety of foods to pass healthy habits onto the next generation.

 

Food messages about ‘sometimes foods’ flood us everywhere we look, and by so very far, outweigh those ‘everyday food’ messages. From children’s books and TV shows, to all manner of food advertising, including those associated with sports games, at supermarkets, petrol stations and even at places like the hairdresser. The culture of eating ‘sometimes foods’ is so ingrained it is almost like any excuse is a valid one to eat foods our body does not need in great excess: for comfort, a reward, on holiday or to celebrate.

 

 

Is it any wonder our diets as a society are unhealthy, with 80% of us not eating enough fruit and vegetables and 30% of our energy intake from discretionary or ‘sometimes’ foods? This, along with high levels of sedentary activity and low fitness levels, has led to high rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes (25%), heart disease (6.2% and accounting for 25% of deaths) and cancer (18%).

 

 

The second reason I give a packet of seeds out is that there are so many life skills and qualities that food growing and healthy eating have in common.

 

 

Keeping a Diary

If you are a great gardener, you know your land, pay attention to the weather, and know which plants to plant. You probably would have kept a journal or diary to help you remember and reflect on all this information.

 

When it comes to eating, keeping a diary is a surefire way to become aware of what you are eating and develop a deeper realisation of what factors influence your eating habits. Is it stress, not planning your weekly dinners, not having a balanced meal or skipping a meal/snack, not making a shopping list for the week, you slept in because you had a big night or social events that get in the way? It may be a great many things.

 

Reflecting on your diary and addressing each issue for future occasions is one of the first steps to help you succeed at eating healthy and being healthy.

 

 

Planning

For great success in the garden, you need to plan. For example, how often do you plant certain seeds for a continuous crop, and how frequently do you water, fertilise, or turn the compost?

 

When it comes to eating, planning is key. Whether it is a daily plan of what your meals and snacks could be, a weekly family dinner meal plan, or perhaps a plan of what you often take when you are out and about, say when taking the kids to sport, going shopping or on holiday.

 

Having a plan makes it so much easier to achieve what you want to do. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

 

 

Patience and time

When you start gardening, you know things do not grow overnight. You need patience.

 

For many of our clients, making dietary changes will not cause significant changes in 1 or 2 weeks. Rather, a number of changes adding up over a long period will contribute to what their goals are: increased energy levels, better sleep, increased muscle mass or strength, reducing falls risk, reduced fat stores, increased fitness levels, feeling happier in themselves or better self-esteem.

 

 

Resilience

Any green thumb will know that setbacks happen, so you have to have a little perspective. Such as, when a plant dies, you do not get too upset and give up – you use this opportunity to reflect and learn from the situation. You may try several strategies to overcome the 1 problem, like planting multiple plants, companion planting and using physical barriers.

 

When it comes to diet changes, it is exactly the same - there may be certain situations where you fall back to old unhelpful habits. However, when you reflect on the situation, you may realise that several things impacted your choices. As a result, you can create some strategies to choose better options in the future. This may be having a cup of tea, a piece of fruit or changing your environment or activity when you have had a stressful day and turn to food. It may be avoiding buying ‘sometimes foods’ when it is not a party, telling friends and relatives to avoid buying them or taking a fruit plater or salad to your social outings.

 

 

Avoid Good and Bad labels

It may be a surprise that most plants we call weeds are not bad for our garden. On the contrary, they can actually be quite helpful, from bringing nutrients up to the topsoil, to attracting pollinators, being edible and having medicinal uses. 

 

Just like when discussing foods, it is beneficial not to label certain foods as good or bad. Instead, we say ‘everyday’ or ‘sometimes’ foods and allow those ‘sometimes’ foods at certain times and places in your lifestyle. By doing this, overall, you will find you will be eating healthier rather than falling into the overindulging, guilt, then restricting diet cycle.

 

 

 

 

Banking on it

Just like a tiny seed has the potential to grow (like money in the bank) into a plant with an abundance of qualities - providing oxygen, shelter and food - I hope my small act of giving seeds can help to make a big difference to our community’s health and well-being over time.

 

A little packet of seeds makes a great gift for anyone, it is cheap, easy, and a great activity to get the kids involved in. But 1 packet of seeds needs some friends and live in a seed bank. So, I suggest you start your own shoebox-sized seed bank today.

 

 

If you need help finding local seeds, there are a few options.

• Visit your local Community Garden. They would be more than happy to let you harvest a few seeds from their garden to get you started.
• Permaculture Central Coast has a fantastic seed bank from local seed savers. They meet monthly at various community gardens around the Central Coast. 
• Produce swaps are held monthly at Long Jetty/Bateau Bay, Matcham Holgate, and Woy Woy. You can swap or just pick something up, start your garden, and then give back at another time. There is always a surplus to take!

 

 

With the start of one small change, you have the potential to make a big difference in your, your family, and your community’s diet, health and well-being. So, get seed saving and planting today!