Drew and I just watched Food Inc. last night. This is a documentary that shows just how pathetic American food processing and our eating are. This is what I learned from it:
1. Eat pesticide-free, natural fruits and veggies. America's grocery stores don't have seasons anymore. You can buy kiwi in the middle of December from Mexico, all the while, it has been chemically-ripened. Same with tomatoes and several other fruits and veggies.
2. Buy as much as you can from local farmers. This film made me very sorry for the true farmer, who doesn't use chemicals to grow their livestock, chicken, veggies, and fruits. They are trying to leave the foods unadulterated by unnatural substances and are sometimes sued/prosecuted by the FDA for unsanitary means of growing food.
3. Support your farmer by going to local farmer's markets. Yes, the eggs may cost twice as much as the 'fake' eggs, but would you rather pay for your food now, or pay the doctor later????
4. Meat production in the USA is at an all-time low. If you watch the film, you will see the abuse and all the chemical that go into packaging meats so they will be deemed 'safe' by the public. (They wash your chickens (Purdue, Tyson, etc) in AMMONIA before they package them up to send to your local grocery store. Sound good to you?)
5. There is way too much monopolization going on in the US with food production. You would be amazed how much McDonalds actually controls our food industry. They are the largest buyer of meat, chicken, pork, potatoes, and apples in the country. How is it that every McDonalds burger tastes the same in every country?
6. The chicken coops that your Tyson or Purdue chicken comes from are not what God intended when he said that "Man should have dominion over all the earth." The coops are dark, no windows, the chickens are covered in feces, and many die every day because of these conditions. One farmer was quoted for saying, "Why wouldn't you want to grow a chicken in 48 days what others are growing in 3 months? More money in my pocket."
All in all, I learned that food in its natural state is the way we should be eating. Find your farmer's markets or food that is grown locally and buy from them. They deserve your money for food not corporations who are trying to make cheap calories for big bucks. Eating more wholistically is hard and can be expensive, but we can change the demand for food if we start investing in the local farms. Maybe if we stopped buying soda, chips, and candy we could flip the food market. If we were buying more fresh food, it could become cheaper in the long run. Food Inc. states that we have 3 votes a day to try and change our culture and its food.
4 comments:
This is so true.
Ooo I'm so excited to watch! I am still so confused though how to make it work with our food budget- if I'm honest. Especially the whole meat aspect of it. I swear to get two salmon filets at Whole Foods is almost over 10 bucks!?! Do you have ideas for how to keep your grocery budget down with buying whole foods?
Kirra,
I think that when we start buying quality food; we will use it a little more sparingly. Planning meals that use more produce and way less meat will keep cost down. If you want salmon, maybe don't buy 2 fillets, buy 1 and incorporate it into a meal. I am finding since I stopped eating chips so much and cheese that my grocery bill is a little more free therefore leaving me more room for veggies/ fruits or my favorite whole foods. Whole foods is expensive, Trader Joes is less expensive, and check Jewel's organic or whole foods section and see what they have to offer for cheaper.
So see what you could buy less of that you don't really need and use it towards the better stuff. :)
Also, whole foods (not the store) also includes hamburger and chicken w/ no antibiotics/ hormones and raised on vegetarian diets. So eating more of the "cheaper" meats will still be healthy for you in the right quantities.
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