Eating Smart & Sustainably

You watched Food Inc., you read The Omnivore's Dilemma, and you're trying to stay afloat amidst the ebb and flow of conflicting health-trend news. Every day the media bombards us with the truth-of-the-moment: Eat more meat! Be vegetarian! Don't consume dairy! Buy only organic! Don't buy organic if it comes from China! Buy Local! Buy only from farmers with 2 heads, four legs, and three left arms!

It's a lot to take in, even for folks as dedicated to food and nutrition as we are at The Bite Me Kitchen. I shudder to think what the average person hears, believes, and understands about the myriad of Food Do's and Don'ts. Massive food recalls, horrific animal cruelty photos from industrial feed lots, looming apocalypse from deforestation and noxious gases, and the price of real food skyrocketing make the future look bleak! People of Earth, how did we get here!?

Let's all take a deep breath. Feel better?

I'm a big believer in common sense. I don't need a specialist, or a scientist, or a newscaster to tell me what that means or how it works. Do I see ingredients in my food that I can't identify? Does what I buy come from a farm, or a factory? Is it something my body needs, or something I just want? Do I eat too much pre-packaged food that generates extra waste? Was my chicken, egg, cow, or pig raised by a farmer, or a merchant? Here's a basic outline, a springboard rather, to begin change in your own home without feeling helpless or overwhelmed.






Take Baby Steps:

Once you start asking these questions, the answers can be unsettling. Some of you will be stirred to action, others will continue to look the other way. For those of you who want to make some changes, start small. Choose one food group to tackle at a time. After seeing Food, Inc. we immediately decided to make two small but significant changes. We now buy only local, organic, free-range eggs, and organic (non-GMO) soy products. Some people chose to stop eating meat after watching Food Inc., which completely boggles me. I found the implications of the Monsanto (the leading producer of GMO soybean seeds) segment to be far more disturbing. Buying only organic soy products is our middle finger to massive corporations like Monsanto, and their questionable business practices. The lesson here is that small changes in our diets and behavior are generally more effective than short-lived radical measures. Try eating less meat. Try eating some organic foods. Try reading your labels. A little bit at a time, chip away at old habits and forge new ones.

Look Around!


Take the time to think about your food; who makes it, where it comes from, and how it came from soil to store. Farmer's markets are an excellent place to buy local and organic food while supporting workers in your community. We found a stall at our Farmer's market in Irvine, CA for the 5 Bar Ranch. Singly-owned, locally raised (Silverado Canyon), grass-fed beef, sold to you by the rancher himself! We will be doing an article on this guy. We challenge ourselves to find food that is more local, real, clean, and fresh. We buy locally-grown avocados for $1.50 instead of Chilean avocados for $1; organic eggs from 45 minutes away in Norco (they have these at Costco, fyi), instead of eggs a third the price from far, far away.






Don’t Be a Pig!

These are difficult economic times for everyone. For those of you that worry about cost, make a goal of eating less, but higher quality food. America is a nation of fat people obsessed with losing weight. On the freeway I see obese people in cars stuffing their faces with fast-food as they drive under “Lose Weight Now” Lap Band billboards. You don’t need a double cheeseburger. You don’t need a 12 oz. steak. You don’t need a double chicken breast Marsala. Seriously, you don’t. You might want that, but your body doesn’t need that much protein by a long shot. I’d rather have less steak of higher quality, better taste, and positive impact on the world. I’m willing to bet that the average American can halve the amount of protein on their plates and be happier and healthier for it. You know what fits perfectly in that empty space left on your plate? Vegetables. Real, fresh, nutritious, and low-calorie vegetables. Weird science, right?

Be educated! It’s your body, your health, and your planet.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/get-involved.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/6-baby-steps-toward-a-mor_b_481624.html

www.animalfactorybook.com 

www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org