Last Friday night I mentioned that I was heading to a get together to eat healhty, yummy food and watch Food Inc. with a bunch of lovely Twitter ladies. (Thank you Candace for being an amazing host and coming up with this brilliant idea!)
Turns out, that not only was the company fabulous, but the movie was incredibly eye-opening. We all had a thoughtful discussion after the movie – about what’s realistic in our food choices, how to find certain products, cost of eating organic or local etc.
Everyone has to make their own decisions about what we feed our families, and convenience and cost are huge hurdles for many of us, but after watching this movie (which I encourage you to do if you haven’t already), this is what I know:
-Our food doesn’t magically appear on store shelves. Where does it start out? Once upon a time, as a country gal who grew up watching her future supper graze in the field, I didn’t even think about what a factory farm is really like.
-As consumers, we have power each time we pull out our bank card and make a purchase.
-Educating ourselves is important. Shutting our eyes to the truth won’t help. Even if some things are unable to change for us instantly, the information will help guide us.
-Canada is no exception.
-I want to see change.
I won’t say that I think everyone should only eat organic – unfortunately, labelling something organic can sometimes be misleading too – an organic cookie is still a cookie – and in some cases, sustainability of crops would become an issue. But I do think we should try to buy organic if possible, and to me, more importantly, locally.
Also, after watching the movie, meat is a real issue. I like meat. I know that. I have no intention of becoming completely vegetarian (although, we do meatless nights during the week and eat a lot of seafood). But I need to make smart choices in my meat buying. Typically, I buy what’s on sale and what looks good. That’s not good enough for me anymore.
Unfortunately, this means more research and possibly higher cost. How long will this trend last? I’m not sure, part of my decisions have to be guided by my pocket book.
But since watching Food Inc. last week, I have only purchased seafood and organic beef and chicken, although I do have non-organic bacon waiting to be cooked in the am.
I am researching local farmers for beef, chicken and pork sources. I am watching for sales and in the meantime will do some meat-alternative dishes.
However, in this warm weather, I want a hot dog.
Old habits (and wants) are hard to break, and I don’t expect to make a complete change. However, these choices are made with good intentions and armed with information. Something I like to have.
Watch Food Inc. Tell me what you think.
I watched Food, Inc. a month or two ago, and I loved it. Having read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” most of it wasn’t new information, but it was a good refresher and it was illuminating to see the images.
I am so not perfect, and I eat meat, too. Even, sometimes, hot dogs. Luckily, I have found some good local sources and I rely on those primarily. There are people at my local farmer’s market who carry sustainably-harvested seafood, range-fed beef and free-range chicken. Of course, there’s also lots of local produce. It’s not all certified organic, but a lot of it is grown without pesticides or chemical. Plus you can TALK to the people who grew your food, which is so valuable. We need to know where what we eat came from!
When I first saw Food Inc. it was after I had already made the switch to only buying local pastured meat and sustainably caught seafood. I’m glad because if not, I think I would have been too disgusted to eat my food!
I had gone very low meat a few years back thinking it was best for my health. I now know that I do need meat in my diet, so I make the decision to buy local, organic, pastured meats, dairy, eggs and produce. What a difference in my health eating these healthy meats compared to industrial farm meats. If I eat regular corn-fed beef, I actually notice digestive symptoms.