Some things I have quit eating and drinking

• Meat
  But you knew that already
• Coke of any kind, but especially Diet Coke.
  It's either corn syrup, Nutrasweet or Splenda. I'm thinking any of 'em could kill me.
• Frozen, processed food
  Still eating plain frozen vegetables when fresh aren't available
• Canned food, except tomatoes
  Have to see how many I can put up this summer
• Store-bought potato chips
  As of last night. I "borrowed" the deep fryer my sister was sending to Goodwill. I made homemade potato chips. Both the 2yo and I died and went to heaven. Not buying store-bought again. Ever.

About a year ago, I read What to Eat by Marion Nestle. What a great book -- Nestle, a nutritionist and researcher, examines the food industry from top to bottom -- Meat. Seafood. Dairy. Fresh produce. Canned. Frozen. Corn syrup. All of it. She doesn't condemn it all -- but you walk away from the book knowing so much about where your food comes from. If you're like me, you won't like it.

So, I've been trying to reduce the hands [and chemicals and machines] that have touched what my family and I eat. Please don't misunderstand -- our food industry is in so many ways just a miracle. We're producing so much food in America, so much that I'd hazard to say a substantial percentage is going to waste. The "starving children in China" that we were warned about as children are still starving in some underdeveloped country [or down the street...real hunger still exists in America, in Nashville, but that's another post], and we're throwing food away as fast as we can buy it. Or eating more than two people need in any given day.

So in the midst of such abundance, it seems wrong to me to either waste food or to treat it as a commodity. I'm trying instead to view it as a great blessing, and treat it with reverence. If the food is junk, it's not worthy of me or my family. It has to taste good and be good to meet my standards.

Not to say we're perfect in that -- we had fast food the other night. I'm still struggling to deal with the time required to make every meal nourishing and reverent. And work full time and be president of a nonprofit board and be really, really involved in two other nonprofits and did I mention, I'm a mom to two kids?

But I'm not trying to have a whinefest here. Instead, just saying, we're paying more and more attention to what we eat. And being more purposeful about it.

Comments

[Ginger]

Wow, interesting! I think I'll pick a copy of the book up and give it a read. Pretty much everything you've given up is what I eat. UGH!

[fluffernutter]

Marion was a speaker at a panel at the IACP conference last year, and she was absolutely stupendous. Her knowledge of food production, sanitation, nutrition, ethics -- there was no audience question she couldn't answer. Her book is so timely.

[lcreekmo]

Oh, I am jealous of you for getting to hear her. I just love her work.

[Pookie]

Part of the problem is that a person with less disposable income can fill their stomachs at a fast food establishment cheaper than they can prepare it at home. Therefore, so many people are eating unhealthy which leads to obesity and higher health costs.

[Pookie]

Part of the problem is that a person with less disposable income can fill their stomachs at a fast food establishment cheaper than they can prepare it at home. Therefore, so many people are eating unhealthy which leads to obesity and higher health costs.