Fitness Quotes

What does a permaculture practitioner eat?

The following is a direct quote from The current newsletter of the Permaculture Association UK: Permaculture Works (Vol II Issue 11 Autumn 2009) I would LOVE to hear your views particularly if you are a Permaculturist. Page 11 Your letters from Peter Wheat (direct quotes) 'What does a Permaculture Practitioner eat? Clearly local and vegetarian or Vegan, but the typical vegetarian diet is packed with things that only grow well in hotter countries (eg. soya, lentils, sesame, millet etc?) The other key consideration is getting balanced nutrition in terms of protein, carbohydrates and minerals. I would also be interested to know if any readers consider themselves expert in this area?' Peter Wheat End Quote: So Permaculturists what are the glaringly obvious problems here? Also see this and links: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ak0EzuEY1_Hsz2bNtOf9ph3ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090910065130AAVfO1m Sorry, I am finding it really hard to award best answer, both raise very valid points.

Public Comments

1. Vegetarianism isn't part of the "standard" permaculture taught by Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, and others who follow in that tradition. Permaculture builds ecosystems to meet human needs, and animals are one of the driving forces of an ecosystem. For example, chickens are used to control insects, till soil, heat greenhouses, produce fertilizer, as well as provide meat and eggs. It would take a human many hours to pick as many insects as a chicken, and humans have to control the chicken population somehow. In my part of the world, deer are overpopulated. They will leap a six foot electric fence to get to a garden. The only way to have a garden is to control the population, which also provides meat. Ecosystems contain predators, and predators are one of the main factors that regulate the system. I think that keeping livestock and hunting wildlife are integral to permaculture. I also believe that squeamishness about our role as predators is a symptom of alienation from Nature.
2. This permaculturist, and many I know, eat a diet low in carbohydrates with occasional meat (about once or twice a week), plenty of raw vegetables and fruit, fermented foods, and raw dairy products (including cow-share milk from a local grass-fed herd). I eat very few grains (and in moderation) being careful not to mix too many foods together. As much as possible, and for at least 30 years, I have eaten 80-98% organically-grown and locally-produced foods, and much of that from my own mineral-supplemented garden. I was a vegetarian for 25 years but began to suffer from debilitating joint pains until adding meat back into my diet. I don't recommend veganism to any of my students. Nutrition has been an ongoing subject of study for 35 years and after reading MANY books on every type of diet find myself more in resonance (and feel better) with the diets promoted by the Weston Price Foundation and raw-oriented folks. I do not promote only raw but consider it healthy to include around 60-85% raw food.