One thing that I meant to add to my post on Monday was the concept of how much YOU can change the food system, just by the things that you eat and where you spend your money. The end of the movie Food, Inc. really touches on this and I whole-heartedly agree. If you believe that your body does not need hormones, pesticides, artificial flavors/colors/additives, etc. then you can make a choice with your wallet.
Frankly it is sad that some people do not have this choice. It is cheaper to go to McDonalds and buy a hamburger off the dollar meal than to buy ingredients to make a healthy salad. Not everyone has the choice to buy organic as it is not in their budget or they do not have farmers markets/grocery stores that carry these products. It is sad that in 2010, some cities don’t even have a grocery store where you can buy produce, let alone organic produce!! But the more money people put into organic products, the bigger the market will get. The more selection we will have. And hopefully, the “cleaner” our food will get.
Case in point: CP and I went out to dinner two weekends ago. I was thinking that the scallops and spinach entree sounded good, but then I heard that one of the specials for the night was a organic, all-natural, no pesticides and hormone-free piece of sirloin. I immediately chose that as my entrée. I think that it is fantastic that this restaurant has this option on their menu, so I wanted to make sure that I supported it. Usually sirloin is not a very good cut of meat, but this was tasty (even CP agreed!). I can remember my time down in Argentina, where most of their cattle is grass fed and allowed to roam anywhere and everywhere (literally!). HOLY CRAP the steaks in Argentina are TO DIE FOR. You simply don’t understand until you are down there. I kept telling CP how AMAZING they were and he simply did not believe me until he joined me for 10 days in the country. He then ate at least one steak a day (no joke!). The reason the steaks taste so good is mainly because their beef is not pumped full of corn, antibiotics, and other crap. It is how beef should taste.
Frankly it is sad that some people do not have this choice. It is cheaper to go to McDonalds and buy a hamburger off the dollar meal than to buy ingredients to make a healthy salad. Not everyone has the choice to buy organic as it is not in their budget or they do not have farmers markets/grocery stores that carry these products. It is sad that in 2010, some cities don’t even have a grocery store where you can buy produce, let alone organic produce!! But the more money people put into organic products, the bigger the market will get. The more selection we will have. And hopefully, the “cleaner” our food will get.
Case in point: CP and I went out to dinner two weekends ago. I was thinking that the scallops and spinach entree sounded good, but then I heard that one of the specials for the night was a organic, all-natural, no pesticides and hormone-free piece of sirloin. I immediately chose that as my entrée. I think that it is fantastic that this restaurant has this option on their menu, so I wanted to make sure that I supported it. Usually sirloin is not a very good cut of meat, but this was tasty (even CP agreed!). I can remember my time down in Argentina, where most of their cattle is grass fed and allowed to roam anywhere and everywhere (literally!). HOLY CRAP the steaks in Argentina are TO DIE FOR. You simply don’t understand until you are down there. I kept telling CP how AMAZING they were and he simply did not believe me until he joined me for 10 days in the country. He then ate at least one steak a day (no joke!). The reason the steaks taste so good is mainly because their beef is not pumped full of corn, antibiotics, and other crap. It is how beef should taste.
Picture CP took of a parilla in a Buenos Aires restaurant
Recently, the Environmental Working Group posted a list of the foods that are best to buy in organic form in order to minimize pesticides. http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods I have entered this list into my Blackberry so that when I am at the store, I can make informed choices- and also think about our food budget!
For those of you too lazy, here are the things that your should buy in organic form, if possible:
Apples
Bell Peppers
Blueberries
Carrots
Celery
Cherries
Grapes
Kale
Lettuce
Meat
Milk
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Do you buy organic products? If so, do you follow these lists?
4 comments:
the money aspect of health really gets to me. of course people want to eat better, but you cannot fault people who buy processed food at WalMart when they are struggling with bills. it's such a hard system and yes, we are lucky if we can afford the alternative.
i very rarely bought organic...but you can bet after food, inc., i started doing it more! thanks for the list!
I think there are two important things about the food we put into our bodies. As you mentioned, one factor is how it's grown and organic is one way to dictate that. But, another factor is where it's grown - is it local? If an organic item is grown thousands of miles away, we're still leaving a huge carbon footprint to get it to you. Farmer's markets are a great way to ensure you're buying local!
The good rue of thumb when bying organic is if you eat the outer portion (like spinach) and it has s soft outer portion like an apple.
I try to buy organic and local when I can. But the prices can be outrageous so then I have to opt for other options.
Nilsa- yes I forgot to mention that buying local is very important. We have done CSAs the past few years and it's has been a great way of knowing that our food is local AND pesticide-free. :-)
Post a Comment