Some million or so years ago, humanoid creatures survived by throwing stones at attacking lions. Throwing stones may not sound like advanced technology, but we are the only animal that can do it accurately and effectively. (Our cousins the chimps can throw stones, but not with the accuracy to hit a lion on the nose.)
One person throwing stones would be useless — it takes a group of people creating a coordinated barrage of flying stones to make the lions give up and leave.
How did we manage to coordinate together? Was it instructions from a leader, or a financial incentive like a tax break? Unlikely. It comes from one of the most important characteristics of humans: each person asks themselves, “What sort of society do I want to live in — one where I get eaten by lions, or one where I don’t?”
Enough people decided that a society where people don’t get eaten by lions was better, so they worked together and we survived.
That may have been a million years ago, but the cooperative nature of humans has not changed.
Technology, Change and Health
Technology has changed dramatically, and the rate of change is faster than ever. Society is struggling to adapt to this rapid shift, and our technological advances are not always working for the benefit of society as they should.
My day job was technical innovation. I was selected by the Institute of Engineers as one of the top one hundred technical innovators for my work in computer-aided engineering. I believe that those who are fortunate enough to have the DNA of successful innovators also have a responsibility to ensure their work benefits society.
I like to think my work in computer-aided engineering helped create better products that improved people’s lives. But now I focus on food — specifically, how the way we grow our food affects our health. Health starts in the soil.
And I have to say, the modern food industry is not benefiting society.
Manipulation of Truth and the Food Industry
Manipulation of the truth is not unique to the food industry. The tobacco industry refined it into an art form — carefully selecting information that may be true in isolation while masking or discrediting evidence (or the scientists) that showed the health hazards of tobacco. They used false experts and created confusion in the public debate.
The fossil fuel industry has used similar tactics to discredit climate science. Flooding the internet with misinformation during elections is another example of truth being manipulated to the detriment of society.
But manipulation of the truth about food is killing people on a scale we have never seen before. After decades of medical advances that extended life expectancy, we are now dying younger from chronic diseases. The “fat in the wrong place” diseases — diabetes, obesity, dementia and related conditions — do not just shorten lives; they make life miserable for millions.
Every twelve seconds, someone loses a limb due to diabetes. It is also the leading cause of blindness. Being a blind cripple is not a lifestyle improvement.
Dementia is even worse. Sitting in a wheelchair, dribbling onto a blanket, losing control of bodily functions and having no idea who you or your loved ones are — this is not how most people imagine the end of their life.
These epidemics are man-made — the result of addictive food and misinformation.
From Problem to Solution
Complaining about the negatives is not enough; we need positive solutions. As usual, the solutions require a combination of technology and social change.
The technology is the easy part. There are thousands of studies from respected research institutions worldwide showing how diet impacts health.
I have contributed to the technology side by developing the Gbiota bed system, designed to change gut biology — a key factor in many health problems. Gbiota beds use a flood-and-drain cycle where plant roots are periodically flooded with nutrient-rich compost tea, full of essential minerals and nutrients and free from toxic chemicals.
But technology alone is not enough. We also need social change. The question is: how do we create this essential social change?
The Power of the Wallet
The obvious response might be to hold rallies outside parliament with slogans on cardboard placards. While this does little harm, it is unlikely to have much effect against powerful multinational corporations with vested interests in the current system and highly refined manipulation strategies.
The solution that can work is the power of the wallet.
We need a social movement where local groups decide they want to eat healthy food and are willing to spend time learning the basics of how food affects their health — and to understand that health starts in the soil.
Once people understand this, they have three options:
- If they have land, they can set up their own Gbiota bed.
- If they have cooking skills, they can buy directly from commercial growers who use Gbiota beds.
- They can eat at local cafés or restaurants that buy directly from Gbiota growers and have the culinary skills to make the food taste and look good.
After reading the information on these web pages, the next step in creating this social change is to join Gbiota and Become a Biofoodie. A Biofoodie is someone who wants to eat food grown in nutrient-rich, biologically active soil in a Gbiota bed.
