Food: A Series of Reflections Pt. 4

I wanted to wrap up my food thoughts tonight by proposing an impossible but sustainable "dream" diet. This is more tongue-in-cheek than anything but I would say that if I could eat like this 100% of the time I would be a lot healthier as would most Americans.

So here is a list of eco-friendly foods:
- Grass fed, free-range, humanely raised/slaughtered, organic, local meat (chicken, lamb, pork, beef goat ect.)
- Fruits and Vegetables grown local, in-season, small farms and organic
- Dairy products from local small dairies with grass-fed, organically raised, free-range animals.
- Grains from non-GMO plants, grown by small time farmers and milled at local mills.
- Honey from local bee keepers
- Herbs from local farmers.
    
From this point you can make everything else you need. By using home canning and freezing methods you can preserve all of your food. Except for a few things such as yeast, salt, oils and a few spices the rest of these things could be purchased from local producers. I can then make whatever foods I like.

A list of foods that I am not so keen on right now are:
-Soy, GMO's are a big reason. Plus the soy industry bases its "heart healthy" argument off of a few small research projects. Excessive soy has been linked to high estrogen in both men and women and can cause hormone imbalances. (http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects)

-Highly processed frozen foods. They are high fat and contain tons of corn as well as ammoniated meat. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html)

- Cereals,crackers, chips, candy, sodas. All contain corn or soy in some form.
- Fast Food. Just watch Supersize Me.
- Canned Anything. 
- USDA School Lunches, Mainly because they are comprised of most of the things on this list. Plus the USDA makes sure they purchase these ingredients from big agri-business. School lunches and their high-fat options have been linked to all sorts of health problems. (http://motherjones.com/politics/2003/01/unhappy-meals)

To stick to this kind of diet might be impossible for some who live in areas where there isaccess to a garden. I think that being aware of where your food comes from and what it is packaged in is the first step to being a healthy and positive consumer.

Happy Eating,

CCosner