Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Goodbye fast and processed food!

I know I have said this before but this time I really mean it. No more fast food or food from a box, can, or the frozen section. This stuff is filled with things we were never meant to eat. If you can't pronounce the ingredients in what you eat you should not eat it. That's not to say I will never have junk food again. I have just made a commitment to make these things myself so I know exactly what is in them. I mean look at the ingredients in a bag of chips. Shouldn't they just have potatoes, oil, and salt?? Instead you get a bunch of artificial crap that you cant even read. I know that it doesn't seem realistic to make potato chips on a daily or weekly basis but the fact of the matter is that these kind of foods should not be something we eat regularly. So why not take the time on a special day once or twice a month and make the burgers and fries or whatever junk food you like with real fresh ingredients. That's my plan along with eating only organic fruits and vegetables, Grass feed, free range, hormone, and antibiotic free red meat, dairy, and free range, antibiotic free, hormone free chicken and pork. Yes eating this way does cost more but you will save a lot not buying prepackaged food. Also from here on out it is whole grain everything for us even the flour I use to bake with. I have researched and it seems to me the more you put into making your food from scratch with fresh local organic products the bigger the reward. One being weightloss along with many other heath benifits.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Food Inc. Great movie

Find organic, local foods
Sustainable foods can be found in your community by purchasing organic and/or locally grown produce and products. It's easy to find farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture programs, restaurants and more with the user-friendly Eat Well Guide. Simply type in your zip code to find out what's in season near you.
Diabetes and Obesity
High calorie, sugar laden processed foods coupled with our sedentary lifestyles is growing our waistlines and contributing to serious health issues like diabetes, heart ailments and cancers. One-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Tell Congress that kids should be served healthy meals, not soda and junk food.
Factory Farming
Approximately 10 billion animals (chickens, cattle, hogs, ducks, turkeys, lambs and sheep) are raised and killed in the US annually. Nearly all of them are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions. These industrial farms are also dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming.
Pesticides
Cancers, autism and neurological disorders are associated with the use of pesticides especially amongst farm workers and their communities. Learn about what pesticides are in your food and their effects.
Environmental Impact
Did you know that the average food product travels about 1,500 miles to get to your grocery store? And that transporting food accounts for 30,800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year?
The Global Food Crisis
Approximately 1 billion people worldwide do not have secure access to food, including 36 million in the US. National and international food and agricultural policies have helped to create the global food crisis but can also help to fix the system.
Kevin's Law: Foodborne Illness
In Food, Inc. we meet Barbara Kowalcyk, whose 2 year old son, Kevin, died from E.coli poisoning after eating a hamburger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Although Kevin's law is not in Congress right now, there are other important national food safety legislation pending now for you to support.
Put Nutritional Labels on Restaurant Food
Ever wondered how many calories are in your restaurant food? Most restaurants don’t list the actual nutritional value of their food. Listing calories on menus in chain restaurants is an easy way to educate consumers about calorie content to help them make the healthiest choice.
Genetic Engineering
Some of our most important staple foods have been fundamentally altered, and genetically engineered meat and produce have already invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries.
Farm Worker Protection
Farm workers are the backbone of our agricultural industry, bringing fresh food everyday to our tables. They deserve basic workplace protections like good wages, access to shade and water.
Cloning
In January 2008, the FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned livestock, despite the fact that Congress voted twice in 2007 to delay FDA's decision on cloned animals until additional safety and economic studies could be completed.




http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Pope Benedict XVI's

We should be careful, therefore, never to trivialise the concept or the experience of friendship. It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop on-line friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbours and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation. If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are necessary for healthy human development."

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Animals are Not People

So Stop acting like they are! I'm sorry but your dog or cat does not have the same value nor is it comparable in any way to a child. If one more person tells me that their dogs are like their children I am going to barf. If you do not have kids how can you make that comparison. I would not lay down my life for my pet. I would for my child.I'm not sure if it is a southern thing or what??? I grew up with dogs and cats. In fact I can't remember a time when we did not have a pet but the nonsense of treating them like little people is getting out of control. I see these dog bakeries popping up everywhere, people putting their dogs in little outfits and taking them with them everywhere they go. I know people who cant go out for an evening without checking in on their pets. They are animals put them out back and live your life. It wont kill for one night I promise. I guess it just plays into the new way of thinking. Instead of having children people get dogs. Strange