Last week, while most of us weren’t putting too much thought into what we were eating, two middle school girls embarked on a weeklong quest to attempt a 100-mile diet — a diet consisting only of foods produced within a 100-mile radius of Cochrane.
Nichole Bibaud and Dione Wearmouth, both Grade 8 students at Manachaban Middle School, chose to complete the diet as part of their teacher, Mrs. Pollard’s, social studies class’ environmental citizenship project.
“It’s been really hard,” said Wearmouth, as Bibaud looked on with a nod.
“My mom’s worried I’m not getting the nutrients I need. Even I’m a little worried about getting too much of some nutrients and not enough of others,” she added.
Because of the timing of the project, both Wearmouth and Bibaud are having a hard time finding locally produced fruits and vegetables. As of April 26 —just three days into the diet — the girls said they had yet to get their hands on fresh produce produced within 100 miles of Cochrane.
“It’s been almost impossible to do this right now,” said Allen Bibaud, Nichole’s father. “They should have considered extending the radius to 200-300 miles. Even in another three weeks, food will be being produced nearby.”
So far in the project, the diet for both girls has consisted of foods such as eggs, elk and some locally made breads. And, of course, lots of water.
“I miss juice,” said Nichole Bibaud with a laugh.
“But the project has me thinking about the environmental effect of the food industry and the size of the carbon footprint. It’s opened our eyes to where the food we eat comes from, what kind of food we’re eating and how old that food really is.”
The two well-spoken Grade 8 students are tracking each day of their diet in a journal, which details the food consumed that day, along with a brief description of how they’re feeling. So far, both girls said they’ve been feeling a bit tired.
The three-month long project, which Wearmouth said includes extensive research of environmental effects of the food industry, along with the weeklong diet experiment, culminates June 7 during Manachaban Middle School’s Environmental Expo.
