Is 2015 the year that we should take back some control of our health and that of our communities?

Future generations will look back at our era and shake their heads in astonishment. We are slowly but surely wrecking our planet.

The modern food system, based on monoculture, agricultural chemicals and genetically-engineered seeds, is decimating earth’s soils at an alarming rate.

Organic farming and properly managed grazing builds the soil, rather than destroy it, and uses much less water and fuel than monoculture.

Not only are agrichemicals making our soils sick but their long-term effects on humans have yet to be determined.

One of the most distressing trends of the 21st century is that our children may have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Our supermarkets are filled with nutrient-deficient, toxin-laden processed foods.

What this cocktail of chemicals is ultimately doing to our population is difficult to pin down but food additives, preservatives and artificial flavours have already been linked to behavioural problems, ADHD and cancer among other conditions.

Low fat recommendations have led to a dramatic increase in sugar consumption and it is in fact sugar, not healthy fats, that drive heart disease.

The low-fat craze has been particularly harmful because when the food industry removed the fat, they replaced it with high amounts of sugar to make the food palatable.

We need to make sensible food choices, avoiding the processed food shelves of our supermarkets. As a community we need to encourage our farmers to make healthier choices concerning the soil that they manage.

There are many out there already changing habits. We need more.

KATE TRAVERS

Sutton

Via e-mail