WHAT ARE FOOD MILES AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

What are food miles? Basically, it’s the distance - and journey - that your food has gone through to get to your plate. While our teff goes on a short and sweet journey to get to you <hyperlink> it’s very likely that other food on your plate might have had to travel a lot further...which isn’t ideal.

Here’s everything you need to know about food miles and how to reduce them:

Is my food racking up food miles without me even realising it?!?

As Australians, we like to think that we’re able to grow and produce most of the food we need right here. But do we?

Research shows that the average Australian shopping basket has travelled a staggering 70,000 kilometres. That’s the equivalent of 10 return trips to Perth, or 2 to London! And food miles are only increasing...the number of miles our food travels has increased by 140% since 1992.

What this means is that the food we’re buying isn’t half as fresh as we want it to be. But that is far from the only issue with food miles.

Why are food miles bad?

Food miles should be a concern for all of us as each mile travelled has a significant impact on the environment.

Basically, the longer the food has to travel, the more fossil fuels will need to be emitted to get it there. It also will most likely need more packaging which will end up in landfill.

Yet another consideration with food miles is the governance around what is cleared to make room for growing food in the first place. While in Australia, we do try to protect our environment, research shows that in developing countries, rainforests the size of football fields are regularly felled to make way for food crops for export.

How do I know where my food is from?

Think that ‘Made in Australia’ means your food was made here? Think again! Food packaging can be confusing. Here’s the 3 main types of food labels you’ll see and what they mean:

• Product of Australia: Means that each significant ingredient must come from Australia and all or almost all of the processing must happen here too.

• Made in Australia: Means that the product has been substantially transformed in Australia and at least 50% of the production costs have been incurred here (so a meat pie labelled ‘Made in Australia’ may have actually had some of their ingredients, for example meat, made elsewhere).

• Made in Australia from local and imported ingredients: With this description, whichever comes first is the greatest proportion of the food’s ingredients.

How do I reduce my food miles?

The good news is that it’s easy to reduce your food miles by shopping local! Here’s how you should shop to get the freshest produce and decrease your food miles significantly:

• Shop least: At bigger supermarkets, such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Costco. If you shop at a bigger supermarket, try to visit an independent one, such as IGA, Leos or Ritchies.

• Shop most: At Farmer’s Markets, organic grocers, or fresh-to-you online stores.  

• Eat whole instead of processed food

• Buy and eat in-season foods

• Grow your own food

TEFF LOVES YOUR GUTS

We’ve all taken a look at our tummies and thought...hmm, maybe I could do a bit better, but few of us realise that gut health is so important that scientists refer to it as our second brain! Your gut health influences so many different parts of you overall, from your weight to your digestion and how energetic you feel. But gut health is even bigger than this: research suggests that good gut health helps give you immunity from everything from emotional stress to chronic illnesses such as cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

But with all the confusing dieting and nutrition advice out there, it’s harder than ever to look after your gut, right? Not true! Swapping out your current grain for a superfood like teff is an easy way to feel gut-great. Here’s why:

It’s gluten-free: Our tummies are home to millions of microbes that keep things in good working order. So important are these tiny particles, in fact, that in general the healthier your microbes, the healthier you are overall! But unfortunately, gluten can cause quite significant damage to these critical bacteria, including reducing the total amount of bacteria, leaving you feeling bloated and lethargic. The answer? Go gluten-free with teff!

It’s a low FODMAP food: FODMAP, is case you’re ever asked at a trivia night, is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo- Di- Mono-saccharides and Polyols (yep, that will be pretty hard to remember!). Basically, FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, which can lead to bloating, especially for people with IBS. Although health professionals don’t recommend avoiding FODMAPs altogether, if you’re experiencing digestive issues, then it’s just another reason to give teff a try!

It’s naturally high in prebiotics: Remember how we said that gluten can damage our gut bacteria? Well, good news - teff can help replenish it! Teff is full of prebiotics that help stimulate the growth and activity of the right type of bacteria in your gut.

It’s just better for you: If you want your gut, body and mind to be as healthy as possible, then it’s pretty hard to go past teff. If you’re choosing between teff and quinoa...teff has 3 x the calcium, double the iron and just ⅓ the fat (making it good for your gut and your waist!). And if you’re comparing teff to brown rice, it has double the fibre, 30% more protein and 8 x the calcium. Talk about the healthiest healthy option!

So if you’ve ever looked at your tummy and thought you could do a bit better, grab some teff...your gut will say thanks.