Food School: a 31 day course! (food labels day 7)
I would LOVE this kind of a food label! Wouldn’t you?
I know yesterday in Day 6, I mentioned that I would be writing about the chemicals in bleached flour . . . but I was doing some research and found this graphic in the New York Times. This is exactly how I have been assessing my food choices for the last few years. Of course the NYT does an incredible job of articulating my thoughts perfectly.
For example: Chicken.
- Stage One–gave it zero thought. The reason I gave it zero thought is because I was naive enough to think that the chicken I bought at the grocery store came from the same chickens I had growing up on the farm. I thought all chickens were called by name to breakfast by 4-year-old girls! Then my eyes were open to the industrialization of chickens and I was horrified.
- Stage Two–I bought free range chickens and thought I was making a difference! But I wasn’t–“free range” has many different meanings–it doesn’t mean they walk in grass and eat bugs.
- Stage Three–I decided to buy organic chickens from family owned farms via Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
- Stage Four–I decided to buy organic chicken from family owned farms–where I have spoken to the farmer about what his animals eat, how are they raised and are they given antibiotics. If I feel that his animals are living the life my chickens did when I was a kid, I buy from him!
- Stage Five–I have decided not to eat chicken. I still buy chicken for my family set forth in Stage four “guidelines” and the frequency that we eat chicken is limited.
It took me several years to come to the point of not eating chicken. I didn’t set out to NOT each chicken I just had a slow awakening of how my food choices have a huge impact on my health, the world and animals (represented beautifully in the graphic below). That being intentional and “awake” is the reason for this blog.
What gets really tricky is that chicken products are used in the craziest products! My solution is really easy. Cook my own food. Grow my own food. Share my menus and recipes :-)
What do you think would happen if our labels did look like this?
Would that change the way you eat?
Be Blessed.
Let me know in the comments if you like this label? What would you keep? change? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
To receive a free copy of my Blessed by Breakfast cookbook, please go to http://blessedbybreakfast.com and sign up! I send updates that include; family tested and approved recipes, video tutorials, tips and tricks on how to begin your day with the blessing of food.
Books I suggest: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat,
Young Readers Edition
Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet
Some of my friends have also joined the 31 day challenge:
Anastacia Maness http://rocksolidfamily.com/31-days-building-commitment/
Racquel Narciso http://howtomakeitinsanfrancisco.com/…/
Pamela Hodges http://ipaintiwrite.com
I’m linking up to these blogs.
this was a great movie about two guys who plant an acre of corn. The kids loved this movie–so many great teaching moments (we home school and this was great!).
This is about eggs, chickens and what exactly happens. I loved the interview with the “family farmer” who seemed clueless as to what the chickens eat, where they come from and what happens. This film is graphic. After I watch this video I called the BARE brand of chicken that I buy at Target–thinking that I was making a better choice. It turns out that wording is everything and it is NOT as great a life for a chicken as the package makes it sound.
Confusing! But maybe you will have a different reaction. What I did find disturbing is that cows need to be pregnant to give milk or just have had a calf . . . giving up dairy was easy after watching this video. I did learn quite a bit–I wouldn’t let the kids watch this one either.