Tylour Smith
English 100
Prof. Corey Leis
16, December 2013

Nowadays it seems as if our bodies are under a constant health attack. American people are on the frontlines of battling heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and various types of cancer all from which can be caused by a poor diet. Sometimes we feel as though we are helpless as to what we put in our mouths. Mostly because either we feel as though we are stuck with buying the food that is a made available or are in a state of mind that the government may or may not always have public welfare and health at the top of their list, the latter being a bit more radical of thinking. The simple fact is, the only way to make completely sure that your health and well-being are completely and totally within your own hands is to have a “Do it yourself” mentality. Do it youself as in lets find a way to cultivate an understanding of the lad we already have, plant seeds of inspiration and possibly a little kale and to gather all the green thumb individuals of the area to help grow the organic produce and bonds that we a need and will come to eventually love. Nothing has a more DIY appeal then that of growing your own food. Community gardens are a custom of a past that will pave a way for our future. Way before the conventions of the modern Supermarket and the pesticide and insecticide usage in agriculture, towns and villages used to have their citizens come to market to buy produce, meat and dairy from the farmers that lived around them. Modern advances have instilled laziness, within our government’s agriculture department. This has led to certifications of certain chemicals to be used in process of growing our food and for deals to be made with seed and pesticide companies and for which is responsible for the creation of the monopoly on seeds and the American food market. Not only is our produce or “healthful” choices being controlled we’re also being bombarded with advertisements of fast food, processed foods and high sugary and fatty foods. Not to mention all of the food waste and garbage that comes along with processed and prepackaged food, that is taking a toll on our environment and natural resources. What doesn’t help is that along with all of theses factors, genetically, humans are predisposed. Humans are wired to want any and everything that has high amount of sugar, salt and fat and especially crave the activities that do not require large amounts of energy to get. In a nutshell, the establishment of community gardens will not only promote a healthy lifestyle, but also will create a stronger bond between citizens of that community and promote a more sustainable living.

Something that everyone likes to hear is that there is one easy “miracle thing” that is going to give them everything that need to be as complete as possible. Complete meaning being in a good to excellent state of health. Building up a community garden could be that “miracle”. Nothing detrimental on a large scale has ever coming from one growing their own food. Unless you count the Great Irish Potato famine from 1845-1852, but that was due to natural occurrences and development of diseases. Despite descrepancies that there may be, as with what tools and government approved fertilizer there are to use within the gardens, it is safe to say that they are benign. Studies have shown links to extremely positive results to better health when switching to an organic foods diet. Particularly an all plant-based diet without meat is what the documentary “Forks Over Knives” suggests will give you not only a well rounded perspective on organic health but the actual health that will com along with it. A study conducted by Ann Weltin on a Mallasese Village in Hawaii showed that by the villagers retreating back to their old ways of agriculture and kicking their “modern” diet of processed food shipped in form the mainland states that their prevalent population of Type 2 Diabetes within their