Thoughts on Food, Inc

Only three more days to enter my Livin' Life Giveaway that includes two boxes of Nature's Path cereal, Oxygen magazine, bars, and more!!

Before I get to Food, Inc ... here is what I did with my huge zucchini and tomatoes:

Zucchini Lasagna! I used this recipe only ...
-I doubled it
-Instead of beef, I used lean ground turkey
-I nixed the flour
-I topped it with Parmesan cheese and some spinach

I used zucchini once to make raw lasagna, but hadn't ever made it cooked and with meat. We were very pleased with the results! Yum! My Food, Inc Thoughts

First off, if you haven't heard of the film, Food, Inc check out the link if you'd like to know what I"m talking about ; )

I found this to be an excellent film that was very informative and thought-provoking. Here are some random thoughts in no apparent order that I went away with ...

• It stinks that only a few companies own and control almost all of the food produced and they can get away with doing whatever they want at any cost
  
• It's very sad and very wrong that people (aka big food companies) are so greedy for money and willing to do anything just to be on top
• It's not right that you can buy Twinkies and/or a double cheeseburger for less money than fresh fruit
• I was saddened to see how many farmers have been completely wiped out of all their money and businesses destroyed while paying court costs fighting against ridiculous lawsuits

• After seeing many farmers showcased on the film, it really seemed to all come down to the fact that whatever, we, the consumer buys, the companies will produce. If we start demanding real, natural and whole foods, they will produce.

• Erik and I also watched Future of Food on Hulu (which had a lot of the same info in it as Food, Inc -- suggested by Andrea -- check it out!) and after watching both of these films, I most certainly detest the fact that GMOs (genetically modified foods) consist of most of the foods in supermarkets and are not required to be labeled as such.
  

• My take: I would absolutely LOVE to buy ONLY grass fed, organic meats, veggies, fruit, organic everything and for the most part we did for awhile it got really pricey, especially since it's not as readily available here in this part of MO as it might be in other locations. We pack our lunches every day for work, snack on fresh fruits and veggies, and cook dinner at home every night and all organic is just too expensive for us.

• I will definitely, however, continue to get organic foods as much as we can afford and as much is available in our not-exactly-known-for-being-a-really-health-conscious-and-fit town in which we live (KC is close, but not close enough for us to conveniently buy groceries from all the time)

All that being said ... what does one do in a situation like this?? I thought of some helpful tips in regards to this problem:

1. Buy the dirty dozen organic, but don't worry so much about the others; just be sure to wash all fruits and veggies well before use.
2. Become friends with frozen veggies. The fact of the matter is, while they may not be as exciting as fresh veggies, frozen may be more nutritious than the "fresh" because they "fresh" have typically traveled so far to get to your supermarket, while frozen veggies have most likely been flash frozen right when picked, causing the nutrients to be maintained
3. Find some farmers to be friends with and buy eggs and produce from them and/or shop at farmer's markets. **Are there any natural/organic farmers in Missouri around the KC area that want to be my friend??
4. Plant a garden. (I need to do this next year!)
5. Buy fruit and veggies in season; it's often cheaper and I find it a bit disturbing how they ripen many veggies for supermarkets that really aren't in season all year round that they've had to pick green and ripen themselves (aka, they're gassed with ethylene). Now I'm sure one could argue that this is not a "bad" thing or that it's not "harmful" for us, but I'd rather have my veggies ripen in their own time and naturally, thank you!

Anyone have tips to add to this list??

So just remember that what you buy really does make a difference and I agree with Food, Inc. that every time you go to the supermarket and purchase foods, you are voting for what kind of food you want to be produced and stocked on all those shelves. And to the best of my ability, I choose to vote for no GMO's, organic, natural, healthy, and whole foods!

If you haven't seen Food, Inc. I would certainly recommend it! And if anyone has any other food documentary suggestions for me to watch, please let me know ... I love watching them!

And to end ... a few quotes from my new favorite farmer Joel Salatin ...

"A farm regulated to production of raw commodities is not a farm at all. It is a temporary blip until the land is used up, the water polluted, the neighbors nauseated, and the air unbreathable. The farmhouse, the concrete, the machinery, and outbuildings become relics of a bygone vibrancy when another family farm moves to the city financial centers for relief."
- Joel Salatin (Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal)

"You as a food buyer have the distinct privilege of proactively participating in shaping the world your children will inherit"
-Joel Salatin (Holy Cows and Dog Heaven: The Food Buyers Guide to Farm Friendly Food)