Happy Eating

I've been hearing about the use of chia seeds for a while now, but I hadn't done any research. Yesterday I had the opportunity of meeting a lady a the gym who supplied me with an excitement for learning about it. Me and food... why do I find it "fun?"  From omega fatty acids to antioxidants, the benefits of Chia seed is amazing! (Thank you Susan! Should I pass along the info you sent me?)

Although I think my bowl of oats in the morning is a cost effective and healthy food, I do know that people need to minimize consumption of grains in general AND corn (which remember is a grain.) Corn is found in most all packaged foods and meat- even organic. Just one of the reasons for concern for high grain consumption is the omega factor. This is why when it comes to meat, you need grass fed animals since they are higher in omega 3's (remember you are what you eat eats.) Grains are high in Omega-6. This is not a bad thing in and of itself. The problem is that most everyone's ratio of omega-6 to 3's is waaaay off at about 10:1. It should be about 2:1. That said, eating more omega-3 is not enough if you do not lower your consumption of omega 6's. One important thing to know about omega-3 is that it is an anti-inflammatory.

I think every person's body is different for what their body requires, but as a basic rule... in the U.S. especially, we allow so much in our food and accept so many non-food items. I don't think the consumer is to blame and it really sucks that that we should even have to learn about what we eat. It is a very overwhelming subject and I for one, still have SO much to learn about! I am not trying to recruit anyone to eat my way... promise! :) I just get excited about food and like to talk about it all the time. I wouldn't call it an obsession, more of a passion. :) I talk to so many people that make comments or apologies about how they eat meat or even talking about it. For me, I went through stages until I finally just couldn't eat meat (even family farmed). The list of reason goes on and on!

SO, that said, here is one of my favorite sites for you meat eaters: http://www.eatwild.com/products/oregon.html

I was excited when I just put that link it because I noticed that it has a picture of Michael Pollan's Food Rules book. Never read it because from what I gather, it's a summary and sort of a hand book of the "to-dos'" from his book In Defense of Food. Maybe a great super-simple place to start???

Oh, other resources? I have even found people selling their cows, etc on Craigslist in the past. We started off just eating less meat and I wait and see what was on sale that week at New Seasons. The cost is always a shocker even when on sale. It really is the true cost. I know everything is grass fed there, but not sure about the certainty of the animals living conditions and slaughtering practices.

Food is a big subject, but just know enough to know that it is important stuff- even if it's just for the sake of your health. I can admittedly be a hypocrite at times and go through different spurts of learning and eating right. For now, my new "thing" is to incorporate Chia seed into my diet in place of flax seed.

OKAY, if you made reading this far... I'll shut up now! ☺

Eat Wild - Oregon

www.eatwild.com

Eat Wild - The clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming.

Earth Day

Yep, it's that time of year again! I know some of us like to do something special on this day, but I like to think of it as a reminder to make some continual changes or just plain stay on track! Happy Earth Day everyday!

Millions Against Monsanto Campaign 2011

Resistant Are We?

Eco Snobbery Sucks... I don't always pay attention to all of the constant Facebook updates, but I am glad that I took the time to read one from The Daily Green who shared the Eco Snobbery Sucks blog. In the past (and I'm sure again in the future), I have had conversations with people who are resistant to living green on the basis that they could never possibly do enough anyhow. I like the idea of a clever sustainable-oriented website that addresses "green" issues in a non-judgemental manner.

If you don't read The Daily Green article, here is one section:

"According to Jeffrey, the reason he founded Eco-Snobbery Sucks is to bring attention to the oft-forgotten truth that every step taken towards green matters, big or small. According to the site's faq, eco-snobbery could also play out when:

•People look down their noses at others for not doing “as much” as they do.

•Businesses make their operations or products seem more eco-friendly than they really are.

•Manufacturers charge an unfair “eco-premium” for products that don’t warrant it."

My Position???

Hard to swallow, but the cost of organic food is really the true cost of what it really takes to grow and produce it. We (especially in America)  are really mislead by the prices we find for conventionally grown and processed foods. There really is a big veil. The result? A lot of hidden ingredients contaminated by GMO foods and chemicals used for mass production.

The FDA  and the food industry says it's safe to use and eat GMO's, pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics and additives including food dyes. Yes, the average American consumes unimaginable amounts of these on a daily basis. This is safe? Out of the thousands of years that man has been on earth we only began ingesting these man-made substances as of the 21st century. Just keep in this in mind... plenty of money is to be made at our expense. Tell me this, is a box of Cocoa Puffs fortified with vitamins and made with GMO whole grains really food? (Answer: no.) Good 'ol marketing has us eating from packages labeled "healthy" and most of us believe it is. I personally don't trust fake foods that have only been around a short period of time. Don't tell me this huge scientific experiment on our bodies is safe after such a short period of time.

It has been said that we shouldn't 'go cheap' when purchasing meat. If you are forced to pick whether to choose between organic meat or produce, pick family farmed meat and  go conventional with produce. When you eat meat, you are eating a mass build up of all of the chemicals that the animal has eaten (consider all the GMO, chemically sprayed corn that ALL conventionally grown beef, chicken and pigs eat... you are what you eat eats.)

In an ideal world, we would all be consuming family farmed, organic meats and vegetables without having cheap substitutes as an option. (Can't you just see all the rainbows and butterflies- ha ha.) Money is a problem? Personally, I would rather live more healthy and not spend my time and money in a hospital or doctors office wondering, "If I had only eaten differently, would I have be healthier?" Don't get me wrong. I'm not feeling fear driven.  I just don't see why I would choose fake foods over real foods when given the option.

Food has become political. Far too many reasons why, but, one major powerhouse (if you don't already know) is Monsanto. Nothing could link money, industry and government more than this. They have dominated the GMO industry and there are many elected government officials who used to play strong roles within the Monsanto corporation. For further details, check out Organic Consumers Association.

P.S. I didn't even mention refined foods and sugars!

"What's Wrong With Our Food System"

He's really got it down!

Kevin's Law

This really shouldn't be old news... rather, it should be "old" law. Video on Kevin's Law is a perfect example of why industry should have tighter regulations in the meat industry. As for commodity crops (guaranteed to be GMO)... that's a whole other ball game that needs change!