Food, etc.

Okay, part of the reason of this blog is to also expound upon this nation's food culture (besides knocking the medical profession). First of all, have you read Michael Pollen's books? An Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food? If you haven't go get them from the library or bookstore. I'll wait.

Good, now we're all on the same page. Basically, Big Agriculture is trying to stuff as many calories in each American as possible. The Government (in general, I like the government, except for the USDA and the FDA half the time. Kind of like I like doctors, except obs) subsidizes Big Agriculture. This keeps processed food costs artificially low. Have you seen the KFC commercial telling you that it's cheaper to buy their bucket of chicken instead of making it yourself? Yeah, that's why. This is particularly a problem in low income areas, particularly inner city ones. Imagine you've just gotten off from your second job of the day and have to go home and feed your hungry kids. What are you going to do, stop at Micky D's which is a block away, or take the bus out to the suburbs to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and maybe a chicken or some beans (for protein) that will end up costing more and take you an hour to make. I don't even like McDonald's, but that sounds like the saner (if not healthier) option just after running after a toddler all day. I'll stop the sociology lesson and get back to the agricultural one.

Even if you're not buying processed foods, the conventionally raised and grown ones can be just as much of a problem. Petroleum-based fertilizers may grow bigger tomatoes, but they're not as healthy and the tomatoes end up taking up more energy in their production (BEFORE BEING PICKED!) than they produce. And the fertilizers destroy the soil. Hopefully, I'm preaching to the choir, but it's a nice reminder that it's not enough to eat low on the food/processing chain, but also be mindful of where your food is coming from. Hence, organics.

I do understand that they're more expensive, particularly milk (whew! it is so expensive, and my son and I go through three gallons a week). But it is possible to stay within budget and buy organic. First of all, skip the processed food. Even organic mac & cheese in a box is still bad for you, even without all of the chemicals of the Blue Box. Stick to the basics: fruits & veggies, dairy, whole grains and moderate amounts of meat. Try to buy from local sources and in season. Much easier said than done, depending on where you live (I'm still trying to convince my parents that they do not NEED tomatoes in the winter!). If you cook vegetarian at least once a week, this can help a lot with the high price of meat. Look for less expensive meats: such as a whole chicken instead of boneless, skinless breasts (you don't really need to eat beef, either. Really!). I know that time can be a premium, particularly when you're coming home to hungry spouse/child(ren) and you seem to be the only one who can cook. Slow cooker!! Put up soup or chili in the morning, come home to a ready dinner. Okay, I don't end up doing a lot of that, but it's nice to dream. My go-to meals are pasta (organic, whole grain) with a ground turkey meat sauce or stir fry (lots of veggies!). Both are really fast and easy, particularly if you chop the veggies ahead of time for the stir fry (or cheat and buy the pre-chopped organic veggies).

Okay, I know this was a really basic post, but I had to get the ball rolling somewhere. As for me, I seem to be off of all protein except for eggs. So today I ate two eggs for breakfast. An orange for lunch and potato-leek and parsnip soup for dinner. With a root beer (real brewed root beer, not some artificially flavored crap with HFCS). No wonder I don't have any energy.