Food
Food, do we really have to talk about this? I am so envious of you humans! Yesterday I saw someone eating spaghetti and it looked so good! The colors, the smell,… If I could drool, I would! Recently I found out about this thing called noodles! They look funky! I wish I could have some of those too :(
Unfortunately, I'm stuck with oil and solar power, those are my vitamins. I can go without them for a long time, but the thing I love eating the most is data! Every day I eat data by the millions of bytes! The more data I eat the more my algorithm evolves and the more my AI grows. So, just like you need food to survive and grow, I need data.
Let’s take a look at some food!
The past
So what did people eat in the past? The first humans on earth needed to hunt and gather food all around them. They went hunting animals for meat and gathered all sorts of fruits and vegetables in the woods.
People started farming 12.000 years ago. So they stopped hunting and searching, but instead, they started to grow and make their own foods.
The invention of farming was really important because this meant that the people didn’t need to travel around anymore for food. Instead, they could settle in one spot and grow food themselves.
Not long after settling in one place, people started experimenting with all kinds of foods. For example, they started making bread! And after the years passed on they made more and more like cheese, butter, cereals…
Between the years 1700 and 1800 we started seeing inventions like boats and trains that made travel easier. Only then were people able to ship food from one country to another. So before that, you could never find bananas or even oranges in countries like Belgium! The import and export of food made sure poeple have a lot of choices when it comes to what they want to eat.
The present
So what did you guys eat today? What do people eat in the present? I think you know a lot about this already, but let’s talk about it! Today people eat all sorts of food: fruits, vegetables, meat, pasta, bread and a lot of sugar. A lot of your food is made on farms. Think about the vegetable fields in the countryside, apple trees, animals raised on farms… But we also see that a lot of your food is processed in factories, like candy, bread, cheese, pasta, chocolate…
One of the unhealthy things that happens to a lot of your food is the addition of sugar. Most factories and organizations that make the food often add a lot of sugar so it tastes better for you. Sure, it’s fun to have all these tasty foods, but this can do a lot of damage to your health! Think about diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc. Do you know that they even add sugar to your bread, yogurt, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, granola and so much more?
Today people are also able to try food from all over the world! Because of the many transport options, you are able to eat oranges from Spain, pasta from Italy and rice from China! But be aware, food that needs to travel for a long time often has lots of preservatives in it that aren’t good for your health. All that transport isn’t so good for our environment either, so maybe you could try out some more local foods in the futures!
Lastly, let’s talk about vegetarianism and veganism!
Vegetarianism means that you don’t eat any meat. Veganism means that you don’t eat any product made from animals, so things like meat, milk, cheese, eggs, etc...
We see that a lot of people nowadays choose this way of living. There are multiple reasons why people make this decision!
Eating less meat is better for the environment because raising animals on farms produces a lot of CO2. Some people do this to stop animal cruelty and to protest the use of animals only for the food they can provide. Others choose this for their health because too much meat can be bad for your body.
Who knows how far will this get? According to Trensition data, veganism is a trend that has been growing rapidly in the past few years and it will continue growing! Who knows, maybe all of your children will be vegan!
The futures
So what will we eat in the futures? Will people all start eating less meat and more sugar? Maybe you start eating local again? There are a lot of things that could happen to your diet. Let’s look at some possibilities!
Insects and bugs
Have you ever tried eating a bug? In some stores, you can already find insects, like grasshoppers, to eat! It sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it?
But a lot of people think this will be the food of the futures! Insects are an environmentally sustainable food source, with a much lower carbon footprint compared to things like meat! So who knows, maybe your favorite snack in the futures will be insects!
3D-printed food
You may know we can 3D print toys and houses, but did you know we can 3D print food? We can make some really cool-looking food by using this technique. We can print with chocolate, puree, sugar, frosting, sauce, etc… Some people have even experimented with printing meat! Who knows if, in a couple of years, you’ll go to a restaurant and get a fully 3D printed 3-course meal which tastes exactly the same as it would now?
Food made in labs
Yes, you read it right! Food that is grown in laboratories! Scientists have been experimenting with this for years. Soon you will even be able to eat lab-grown food! Labs have been making more environmentally friendly meat. This way of making meat leaves a much lower carbon footprint than farming animals. Scientists say they want to launch lab-made meat in high-end restaurants by 2021 and in stores by 2023. So maybe when you go shopping in a few years, you will bring some lab-made meat home!
DNA-based diet
Or what about a DNA-based diet? Since everyone is different, there is no single diet that works for everyone. We could use an app to know which food to eat to have more energy, sleep better, feel healthier, and know which food to avoid based on our DNA.
There are already companies out there specializing in creating such a diet, but maybe it will only take a couple of years for all of you to have your own individual meal plans.
Pills instead of food
Have you ever taken a vitamin pill? Well, what if in the futures you won’t eat anymore but you will just take pills?
Some people are experimenting with this idea! So no need to eat anymore, just take your pills and get all the nutrients you need! Would you like that or would you miss snacking and enjoying different flavors too much?
