There is nothing more fundamental about our relationship with Nature than the species we eat.
One evening, while trying to discern exactly what was in the bean casserole my traveling wife had kindly left in the fridge, I wondered: What is the biodiversity of my diet? How many plant and animal species do I consume regularly? And where did they come from? Later, I compiled a species list from one typical day for four meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. Then, using food labels and knowledge of where I bought the food, I tracked down their origin and ecological niche. If variety is the spice of life, we Homo sapiens are the spiciest of species. I calculated that in 24 hours, I ate 53 species spanning four biological kingdoms and five continents. Here’s why our diet biodiversity matters: www.grist.org/article/food-the-omnivores-delight-one-day-four-meals-and-53-species/
