Orel Goldshtein

I learned many very interesting things from my local grocer. I learned that if I buy grassfed and grassfinished beef, not only the quality of the cut is less fatty and healthier, but its also good for the environment. The reason why cows are good for the environment is because the only thing they eat is grass, which means that the farmer doesn't spend money on cow food such as soy and corn. Growing these crops in mass amounts is very harmful because the farmers use pesticides and glyphosate to wipe out entire ecosystems of bugs, which affects the biodiversity of the farm locations, often affecting animals such as birds, spiders and frogs to name a few. The local farmer also told me that he uses the cows poop as fertilizer for his other crops, which helps him avoid paying for fertilizers that might contain chemicals. I also learned from this farmer that raw milk is illegal to buy and sell in Canada, but that its allowed to be used for personal consumption and he let me taste raw milk. The milk tasted very different and had a strong beef taste, you could almost taste the cow through the milk. The farmer said that raw milk can contain bacteria but that every batch he has is being analyzed in a lab first before consumption to ensure that it's safe for consumption. If the batch is infected, they pasturize it and sell it on the local market. Surprisingly, the local farmer is mainly growing crops, although he was very passionate about his cows. He told me that during the summer season, he has blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cherries, raspberries and many more vegetables that he sells at the local farmers market. I was shocked when the farmer explained to me that having cattle that are grassfed or chicken that are pasture-raised and not fed soybeans or corn is better for the environment. He says that all the crops he has are also organic, and if the bugs get to the crops, he either feeds it to his animals or uses the "wasted" crops as compost. He told me that all fruits and veggies that are layered with wax or pesticides are very harmful to the environment and that, for some reason, there is somewhat uneducated propaganda when it comes to eating animal food. Eating animals in a local, organic and regenerative way is very good for the planet and the only industries that are harmful are the ones that overdo it such as mass cow butcheries where cows never see the daylight and farmers that spray more chemicals on their crops than I do into my pool to get it ready for summer.

Honestly, I would rather use this money pretty much anywhere else but wasted food. I could pay for school supplies, buy smaller quantities of food from local markets or organic stores such as marche tau, I could pay for parking at JAC or go on a trip to Cancun with my friends during Summer Break.

Eating smaller portions is actually healthier for your body, because it prevents you from overeating and is better for digestion. Personally smaller portions help me deal with Acid Reflux symptoms and also because you eat more often throughout the day you have less cravings.

Growing up in Vaudreuil, I relied mostly on cars due to limited transit options, using the EXO train and STM buses for school made frustrated with public transit because they never arrive on time