For our service learning project, my husband and I visited Green Meadows Organic Farm in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. We attended a lecture by Paul and Shou-Ching Shih Jaminet, on their book The Perfect Health Diet. I thought this would be an interesting project to undertake, since it encouraged me to learn even more about food, and the type of diets the human body has evolved to accommodate over time.
I first saw the book advertised on the Green Meadows Farm Event page, and immediately tried to find it at the Salem Public Library. I was unfortunately unable to locate it in time for the signing, but I found the information session so open and informative that I didn't necessarily need to read it in order to participate. We stayed for an hour and a half, and learned ways of adapting the Paleo diet to our own lives. The Jaminets' argue that Paleolithic humans met their diverse dietary needs by eating the plethora of plants that were available to them, as well consuming as many parts of an animal as possible. We can do this in our own lives by deriving minerals from bones by boiling them in stews, and adding gelatin to our soups. Also, we shouldn't just eat the fruits and vegetables offered to us by our supermarket's produce section. Farm stands and CSAs offer a more diverse array of plant life for our dietary needs. I also learned that fermenting vegetables prevents some of the toxins that enter food while cooking, and that raw milk and cream prevent some of the unpleasant side effects I get from drinking homogenized dairy products.
I'm not going to blow the "impact" of my service learning project out of proportion. If anything, I was happy to force my husband out of his comfort zone, because he is usually hesitant to learn about the true state of food and agriculture. I plan on reading The Perfect Health Diet, and sharing what I've learned with others. I do think it had at least some impact on the "greater good," because attending events during the winter helps support local farms like Green Meadows. It brings like-minded people together to be part of a cause.
I'm sure I'll do something like this again in the future. I'm no stranger to dragging my husband to random, uncomfortable events. In this case, I found what the authors had to say very interesting, but thought that the audience used the opportunity as a sounding board to hear themselves talk. After a while, I I had gotten all of the information I needed, but felt socially obligated to remain seated. If I were to do it again, I'd outline a better escape route.
If I were a teacher, I'd offer the opportunity for students to volunteer for service learning projects as extra credit. I'd also highlight the expectations of such an endeavor, so that students have a good understanding of what a service learning project actually is. I would make the service learning project voluntary, because in my opinion, you get the most out of it if you feel like it was your own choice to undertake it.
If you're interested in learning more, please visit their blog or read The Perfect Health Diet.
