About Food

A few nights ago, I flipped on PBS before bedtime for a little noise while I was getting ready to go to sleep. As I was walking from the bathroom to the bedroom, I glanced up at the TV only to be faced with coverage of cramped, scarier than hell chicken farms. Stunned, I stood in front of the TV a moment, trying to incorporate the images and brief initial commentary to something I'd either heard of or seen before. At the time, I couldn't.

But...

I couldn't stop watching. The program went on (I love PBS for their LACK of commercials!) and I became engrossed in watching what I later learned was Food, Inc, a documentary of our country's food industry. I still can't stop thinking about this film or about the information it presented regarding how our meat is processed; how our farmers are treated; how our workers are treated; and how it is far less expensive to buy Happy Meals than it is to buy fresh produce. I recall constantly messaging my fitness buddy with "OMG Are you seeing this?!" and "Oh no! No no no no no no!"

I knew there was a reason that I can't look at semi tractor-trailers hauling cattle or chickens or other livestock. It just conjures up every evil fear I have of how our meat is processed and how our animals are treated. This film just hammered the nail in the coffin for me. What I've always hoped was not true, likely is true, or at least, most of the time. I still can't get some of the images out of my head. For instance, coating meat with ammonia to ward off bacteria. WHAT!? We trade poison for bacteria. Nice. I've also recently learned about "meat glue" and about how our industry feeds corn to livestock rather than their natural diet, grass.

Before you start worrying and thinking I'm going to develop a soap box here or join PETA, you're wrong. I'm not. But, watching this film sent my mind going to how we look at food, consume food, and how we treat food. I mean to us, what IS food? Why DON'T we know more about where it comes from or what it's made from and how it impacts our bodies and our environment? Why do we simply order off the menu blindly and pick up packaged processed foods without a second thought? Because it's easy? Because we have trust in our government and food industries? Our farmers? Our planet? What is it that makes mindless eating possible?

First, as a result of watching this film, I'm certainly more interested in where my food comes from and what I put into my body. No ammonia or feces, thank you very much.

What gets me is that it took a documentary like this one to force me to evaluate more specifically why I eat what I eat and what foods I choose. Sure, I know, for the most part, the "bad foods" and the good foods," but this film drills down even further. Are certain foods safe? Have they been treated or packaged properly? Are they "REAL" food!? We eat so many chemicals nowadays that I'm not sure we give those ingredient lists much thought. When I think of all the diabetics and hypo-hyper thyroid patients and heart disease patients out there and then think about all of the processed or manufactured ingredients, it certainly makes sense that we face a nation of obesity and heart attacks. Don't even start me in on cancer.

So, how do we look at food? Rather, how do YOU look at food? I'm just recently starting to accept food as "fuel" and not just a means for pleasure or soothing some emotional sore spot. True, I'm a foodie too and I love a great meal and appreciate a well-prepared, creative dish. However, more often than not, I'm not getting that at most casual restaurants. Right? Right.
Those fine, gourmet meals are usually a treat, something prepared once in awhile. All the time? It's garbage city.

To me, food should not only taste good, but BE GOOD. Food should serve a purpose - fueling the body to perform its metabolic functions. It should be satisfying and with luck, incredibly tasty. Sure, it may feel good for a moment to devour an entire bag of Doritos or a pint of ice cream, but are those ingredients good for you or your system?
No.
The result? Panic and depression during bikini season and that's not even the half of it.

And then I think about how fortunate I am to have the OPTION to eat healthfully. I can afford to buy vegetables and fruit and lean meats and fresh dairy products. I'm not forced (usually) to count penny-by-penny or clip a lot of coupons to buy the groceries I need. (Mind you, I probably SHOULD clip more coupons.) What about all of the individuals and families who can buy a five-box package of Kraft Macaroni and cheese for the cost of several heads of broccoli or a few pears? Why is drive-thru $1 menu food less expensive than a bunch of carrots or pound of apples? It just doesn't make sense when we want our nation to be healthier, slimmer, and happier.

I know I'm rambling here, but this is what this film does. It forces the mind to race and to check all the ways in which we evaluate food and energy and how little value we place on where our food comes from. Why are we feeding children fruit juice loaded with sugar and additives? Why are we eating chips instead of veggies? So many things at home and in the larger world have to occur to turn the tide back, I'm sure.

I guess what blows my mind most is how easily I let all of this slide by me from day-to-day. It doesn't register, this food cycle, and how it plays an intense role in economics, my health, the health of my community, the business, and overall environment in which I live.

I am not a hippie.
I repeat:
I am not a hippie.

I'm becoming cognizant in an area where I wasn't appreciative or aware before. I've heard other people wax poetic about being vegan or vegetarian or animal rights activists and to me, there's a thin line between educated and making choices and being downright pretentious.
So far, I'm neither. I'm just learning and observing and hoping to incorporate wiser choices as a result of this unexpected opportunity.

I recommend checking this documentary out and I know there are many others out there that I've yet to watch. At the end of the day, be aware of food, I suppose, is what my message is. Be aware of what it means to you, your body, and others. How the process and implications of our food industry affect health, business, the overall economic landscape, and how we relate to one another. Lord knows this awareness is long overdue for me and I've been obsessed with health blogs and fitness articles for years now. I've somehow only subconsciously drawn connections - you know, the ones that quietly read: This doesn't REALLY apply to you. Have another chicken strip.

One action I took this year was to become more involved in one of our local farmer's markets. I buy SOME produce locally to support our local farmers and to enjoy fresher foods. There is nothing, NOTHING I say, better than a fresh, summer tomato, off a vine. No comparison to those in the grocery store.

Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil from the YLNI Barr Street Market (Fort Wayne, IN)


I've also tried to incorporate more organics into my diet. Mind you, they are more expensive and though I don't need to count every penny, it doesn't mean that every penny doesn't count. I suppose this is called making baby steps. If possible, I'd like to take a cleaner, healthier approach across the board, but this means addressing meat, fish, and dairy in a more mindful way too. That will come with time, I think. My current goal is to learn all I can and to adjust my diet slowly so as to make a more healthful impact on myself and eventually for others (by example or by my health being so good that I can do more for others). Lofty goals yes. Important goals? Absolutely.

I'm not becoming a vegetarian and I'm not evolving into a flier-waggling activist today. But I'm making small changes to a better diet and a better, healthful lifestyle. It's easy when you do one thing at a time. All it takes is a little motivation. This film will do it.

After all, doing a little is far better than doing nothing at all.

Here's to mindful eating!