Sunday, July 18, 2010

the ugly truth

"We put faith in our government to meet our needs, and they aren't doing that at the most basic level." - Food Inc.
Yes, I am one of THOSE people - the kind of person who is very passionate about food ethics. This includes (but is not limited to): how our food is "grown", how our food is processed, how it is marketed, and why people eat the way they eat.
Food is a very personal subject, and I understand that at the highest level. I don't like people turning up their nose at what I eat, and I get very defensive (on the internal level) about what people think about my food choices. I am in no way an expert on this subject, but have many views on it. If you don't agree with me, that's fine - I totally respect that. But hear me out first.
Did you know that in 1972, the FDA conducted over 50,000 food inspections? In 2006, that number dropped to an astonishing 9,164 (Food Inc, 2008).

sorry government - i like to snoop.

Food today is not "food" for the most part, but food like substances. Don't believe me? Go to your nearest super market, go up and down the aisles, and try to find a "food" without corn or soy products in them. It is an approximation made, but it is said that over 90% of our foods today include one or the other. I am adamant on believing that I becamse intolerant to corn products because of their use in foods today. Our bodies get fed corn so much (even in most meats - your animals are eating it too!), and mine decided it couldn't digest it anymore. It was corn overloaded.

Here's why CORN is used as a filler these days: it's cheap. Not much money is spent on growing corn, and corn is able to "fill" foods and "fill" animals quicker and more efficient. The mass production of foods are a sure fire way to make a couple of people a heck of a lot of money.

I believe in eating non-GMO products. Why, you ask? Because something in my gut (no pun intended) tells me my food should not come from a test tube. When I go to eat food, I want it fresh - I want to know where it came from. I think about what I put into my body before it's ingested. I can assure you if many people did, these food products might not thrive as much as right now.

Why should science and technology be involved in my food?


However, that is not always the case. "It costs so much money to eat healthy!" You're right - it does. I make that sacrifice for myself. Some people can't though. When a family of four only has 5 dollars a day to eat and is scraping to get by, it is hard to see how they would ever be able to "make it" on fresh produce and organic meats. How sick is it that our food system is so skewed that people have to choose between healthy (the obvious) choices and chemically "enhanced" food products? "We are hitting the bull's eye on the wrong target." - Food Inc.

They say obesity and socioeconomic status are correlated - can you see why?

Some people are just not educated about food - it was a long process for me. It is also not easy. I am the "black sheep" when it comes to food. I am picky and often refer to myself as a food snob. I believe I get the choice to be. I am a firm believer in "you are what you eat" - why would I want to fill my body with chemicals, when I could have this:
It is also difficult to become educated about food when the food marketing is geared towards cheap, manufactured products.
I hope:
  • everyone has the opportunity to educate themselves about food choices
  • the FDA can come clean about their practices
  • healthy food becomes accessible to all who are struggling to scrape by
  • this post will reach and touch just one person to think about their food as a whole

I apologize if this was too heavy for you, offended you, or your views are different than mine. I also believe we all (including me) have those days where we cannot always eat the way we want to. I believe in a healthy balance - a diet which will energize and sustain me.

If you have never visited Lauren's page - please read her post on "Don't be a scaredy cat". Thanks for inspiring me to do this post tonight Lauren!
Question: What are your views on this subject? Do you agree/disagree? Why or why not? Do you find yourself still eating "those" foods even if you know you shouldn't?

16 comments:

  1. PREACH IT! :) I totally agree on everything you said - every one is out to make a quick buck, REALLY quick! That being said, I still eat "those" foods on occasion, mostly when options are scarce. That's not really an excuse, but I'd like to think I'm eating good, wholesome food 85% of the time, which is a lot better than most people my age :)

    Great post!

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  2. Wow girl you really know a lot! I learned some new things just reading this :) I also saw the pics of your new place, it looks so great already!

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  3. love this!
    thanks for the linkage btw :)

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  4. Ohhh I cannot even BEGIN to voice my frustrations on this subject. It makes me sick to think how much the government and food industry is messing with our food... it's like they WANT us to be sick. I've never understood why you can buy so much crap junk food for under $1, but a pound of organic bell peppers will cost you close to 7. Insanity.

    I used to be a big time junk food eater, but now I eat pretty clean and feel a lot better as a result. I'll never go back to my junky ways, and even my indulgences now are generally on the healthy side.

    Great post, girl!

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  5. Have you read anything by Michael Pollan? I feel like you might be a fan- he touches on some of the things you mention... :)

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  6. As a sociology PhD who did my 28000-word Honours thesis on ethical consumption, I completely agree with this and with your passion about it, particularly regarding the connections between poor diet and socioeconomic status. It's not just money, but as you say, education, and geopolitics, too! Because you find that poorer areas of society (and I see this particularly in the US) simply do not have access to fresh foods. I remember visiting New Orleans and staying down town and, without a car, the only "produce" I coudl get was a limp salad from McDonald's, as there were no supermarkets around. Sigh!

    P.S. End rant. Sorry!

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  7. they love to keep so much hidden from us! and let out bits here and there to make the consumer satisfied, but so much is bias and needs more transparency! stop FU#@ING with our food people!! lol haha xoxo

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  8. How could anyone not agree with you!
    Your post is very intelligent and very insightful. In the winter I read a book called "the Food Revolution," which covered many of the topics you are discussing...it's a great read. It's probably similar to Food Inc. and other book in that realm.
    Thanks for putting it out there. It's always good to have a reminder.

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  9. Great post! I also really like the link you posted to Lauren's page! Keep it up!

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  10. Amen sista. agreed 100%..no I never find myself eating "those" foods...I do everything I can to keep it away from myself and my family. :)

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  11. Preach it girl! Thanks for this post and your thoughts on the topic. We need to get this subject out there!

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  12. I could not agree more with this post!! I just watched Food, Inc. for the first time last week and now I can't stop myself from telling everyone about it! If more people knew how to eat right the world would be a MUCH better place.

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  13. btw thank you SO MUCH for your beautiful comment on my guest post!!

    and also, i'll be maknig the brownie batter pancakes on friday! i think that'll be so cool if we virtually make them together ;)

    xoxo

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  14. This is a great post...I used to eat tons of fake foods but now I won't touch them with a ten foot poll. I try to instill this in my 5-year-old as well but once in a while I let her have something with 50 ingredients and try not to throw up as she consumes it with a giant smile on her face!

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  15. Ahh I just read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and it talked a lot about this stuff! I love that little corn with the speech bubble. To funny. I just try to stay away from processed foods and when I do crave something, I indulge but don't worry because it isn't what constituted my whole diet all the time ya know?!

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