These are my personal views and beliefs about food. This is my personal blog so therefore these are my personal thoughts…inspired by many, influenced by a lot, but you are free to believe as you wish! I also believe in God so he ties into my thoughts as well.
So that being said, I have a bottom line when it comes to food and nutrition….and if you’ve asked me for nutritional advice and you’re religious you’ve heard me say this! Bottom line: GOD KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. I believe God gave us plants, nuts, seeds, and even animals as resources for food. However, that being said…lets look at how [we’ll call them] the “cavemen” used to eat. They would gather their own food and because of that plants, fruits, etc were much easier to obtain. For meat, the man would actually have to hunt for an animal. While I don’t think that we need to hunt for our animals, I do believe that God intended us to treat them with respect and not eat massive amounts of them. I think it’s okay if people choose to eat meat, but I feel it should be in a responsible, respectful way. I also think it’s okay if people choose not to eat meat. I also think that God knew what he was doing when he made corn, soy, etc….he did not intend us to go genetically modifying things so that we could get rich & be lazy! I think eating should nourish our bodies and should be earth and animal friendly.
Animals should be raised and killed humanely, cows should be fed grass and not corn which they can only tolerate for so long, all animals should be vegetarian fed (no animal byproducts in the feed), NO antibiotics, NO carbon monoxide in the packaging to make the meat red longer. Also meat was meant to be on the side, NOT the main dish. Think about how much you eat & if you know where it comes from.
Produce should be local when possible, in season, NO pesticides/chemicals, and should NEVER be genetically modified
Dairy products should be from cows where NO rBST was given & are raised per above
Everything we eat should contain NO artificial ingredients or chemicals! We should strive to eat whole ingredients whenever possible with minimal-to-no processing (think as close to the earth as possible!)
So I have always been one to eat pretty healthy. I’ve always loved & eaten lots of fruits & vegetables and whole grains. I make healthy choices, don’t add a lot of extra condiments, etc. But I have also known how I should be eating. In 2010 I started to cut out processed foods as much as possible. I got off to a great start but slacked later on in the year. So 2011 I chose to eat how I truly believe. It is a little more expensive, I’ll admit that but for me & my health its worth it. And since I’m almost a vegetarian now (only eat meat a couple times a week, if that) I save plenty on not buying meat. Beans, lentils, and whole grains are much cheaper :) So what do I eat? Lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans/legumes, and some dairy. I no longer have sugar or sweetener in my home and use agave nectar. Does this mean I never cheat? Of course not! I allow myself to have processed foods on occasion (otherwise I’d never be able to go out to eat!!) and if I eat meat I make much smarter choices for my meat source. Plus, as I’ve always felt…if you have a healthy base then those treats are okay every once in awhile.
This might be too dramatic of a change for you to make, but for me it was a matter of stopping the excuses I was making to myself. I knew the truth on how I should be eating but I was being lazy about it. So even if you want to just make a small change in one area, that’s how it starts! It was small changes for me too :) And with allll this being said – you might start to notice some changes in the recipes I post. They might not be as traditionally family friendly as before, but they will be more health, animal, & earth friendly :) Which is just the kind of thing I plan on teaching my family when I have one.
"Perhaps more than any other, the food industry is very sensitive to consumer demand." - Michael Pollan“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” – Hippocrates“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Childhttp://truefoodnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cfs-shoppers-guide.pdfhttp://www.letsretakeourplates.com/
