We have never in history been exposed to the level of sugars we are ingesting today.

The consequences of this is huge but it isn’t just sugars its all processed foods.

From 1982 to 2012 in America we have seen a 100% rise in process food consumption.

Yes ladies and gents we have DOUBLED our poisonous intake of these kinds of foods!!!

And well it’s simple to understand why, given that 74% of foods found in the average grocery store are spiked with added sugars. From salad dressing, to hamburger buns it seems like our chances of avoiding metabolic disease are dwindling fast.

It’s also important to note that Americans consume 130 pounds of sugar every year.

However this wasn’t always the case – in fact sugar in this form was introduced to the americas by Christopher Columbus.

A 2013 study found that at least 180,000 deaths worldwide are linked to sweetened-beverage consumption.

There are countless studies that show the spike in diabetes, heart disease, obesity and many other metabolic diseases are caused due to this radical shift in the human diet over the last 100 years!

I am addicted to processed foods

I’ve been getting better and better with it over the years but the truth is its a struggle that far outweighs my full control considering many studies link sugar to be as addictive as cocaine…

It’s actually the world’s most common addiction.

What I can also be honest about is that when I eat a bunch of sugar or anything that lacks substance I feel like I am consistently hungry. I feel sluggish, tired and lethargic on many days in which my diet isn’t on point and well it’s truly a weakness due to the lack of convenience of alternatives.

In all honestly when I started the Valhalla Farms to build an organic farm despite having never planted anything in my life it’s because I also knew my biggest weakness and that of many of us around the globe. Food.

You see food these days no longer has the richness that the soils once provided. We have lost our relationship with food and now we are more weary of a carrot with a little dirt on it than we are of a can of soda and well let’s just say we were programmed that way.

I say programmed because since I was a kind I have had this image plastered in my pantry and ironically it’s still there…

The truth is that we are consuming WAY too much…

Our food portions are at an astronomical proportions compared to what would be much healthier for us.

If we truly want to reduce our sugar intake the first thing we should consider is eating less period but also considering to eat much more nutrient rich foods for us to actually feel the satisfaction of being full – something sugar does not create.

This being said, this is exactly why I personally started on this journey quite some time back to be able to live an entire year (and ideally the rest of my life) from food that comes or at least could have came from the Valhalla farm directly.

Baring travel and social gatherings and diner parties I believe this is something that is achievable for not only me, who not long ago knew nothing about this, but also by many whom we will one day teach from our Sustainability Learning Centre we are planning to build…

Our goal is to promote amongst other things the use of permaculture and market gardening techniques to empower and teach both the young and old that food security and a healthy diet start right at home.

We can be in full control of what we put into our bodies and save tons of money both in grocery bills and also health care by considering the long term implications of what we put in our belly.

I truly believe that if we ate what we grew we would have a better relationship with our planet – the ecosystems around us and a better respect for our own bodies through our diet.

By Marc Angelo Coppola