Knowing where our food comes from is a growing concern. Grocery shopping has taken on a whole new meaning and deciding what to have for dinner is wrapped up in the economic and social implications of how and where our food is grown. Factor health concerns into this dietary minefield, and eating starts to sound very complicated. But it doesn't have to be.
Registered holistic nutritionists Megan MacMillan and Sarah Dobec believe that deciding what to eat is simple if you focus on whole foods, grown in nutrient-rich soil. They believe this is the key to good health, and that there is no better way to go about it than eating locally grown food from sustainable, organic farms.
Not content with simply talking to people about how and what to eat, they started Field Trip, an organization that brings people to local farms as a way to connect them to the foods they eat and show them how simple healthy eating can be.
"We want to help people understand that good health is directly connected to where their food comes from," MacMillan says. Field Trip also aims to drive home the importance of supporting local farmers. After all, these are the people who are giving us the option to eat locally grown food. Without them, what choice do we have other than to buy imported goods? "Supporting local farmers is so important because these people are doing something that gives us such value," she says.
MacMillan and Dobec are both from urban backgrounds and MacMillan describes herself as a "typical urban girl." But both women have spent time working on farms and getting a hands-on education in local, sustainable farming.
Three different farms are involved in Field Trip including Cookstown Greens, Everdale Organic Farm and Learning Center and Mapleton's Organic, which also includes Reroot, an organic CSA. MacMillan says they wanted to choose farms where they knew the farmers were good at giving tours and that are often used as educational facilities. All three farms are different, Dobec says, so guests can go on all three trips and get a totally different experience at each one.
Trips begin with a tour of the farm, which gives farmers a chance to explain how the food is grown and how the animals are raised. Participants get a chance to ask questions, taste produce right from the fields and see the animals up close and personal. There's nothing quite like standing mere feet away from a herd of cows coming in from the pasture, being nose to nose with a baby goat or having a stare-down with an alpaca.
During each trip, MacMillan and Dobec aim to get two important nutritional themes across to participants. One is that digestion is the root of good health. "We can eat healthily, but if we're not digesting properly we're not getting the nutrients we need," says MacMillan. The second theme is that if the nutrients aren't in the soil, then they aren't in the food. She explains that if food isn't grown in healthy soil the food won't contain an optimal amount of nutrients. For example, if something is supposed to have a certain percentage of Vitamin C or iron, but wasn't grown in healthy soil, those percentages are going to be off.
When it comes to digestion, Dobec says people often become complacent and get used to any digestive aliments they may have and accept them as part of who they are. But if they change their diet and make a shift towards eating more whole foods, ideally grown in local, nutrient-rich soil, they will see many of their digestion problems and other health issues disappear, she explains.
Taking people to the source and showing them how simple it can be to eat well is something both MacMillan and Dobec are passionate about. People can get so overwhelmed and depressed about changing their diet, but it doesn't have to be that difficult, MacMillan says. "Eating local is not limiting, it's liberating."
These themes are discussed throughout the trip, beginning with a brief intro on the bus and then in small talks over the course of the day. MacMillan and Dobec make a point of talking to each person individually and are eager to answer questions and open up a dialogue with participants.
Along with the educational aspect of the trip, they want people to enjoy themselves and have a relaxing day away from the city. "We want to show people food is fun," MacMillan says. There's something about being on a farm that brings out the kid in most people and seeing people have fun is one of the things she and Dobec find most fulfilling. "I love seeing a grown man run around chasing a chicken," she laughs.
Field Trip day trips to local farms run on either Saturdays or Sundays approximately two to three times a month, for the remainder of the summer. The price is $45 per person and includes transportation to and from the farm with pick-up and drop-off at Broadview Station. The next trip goes to Cookstown Greens on August 2nd. To book a trip or for more information about Field Trip, please visit the website.
