Well, Spring is here, and with it, all the assorted goodies of the season. Fresh asparagus, rhubarb, spinach and lettuce are a few of the items in season. With going back to work this spring, I missed out on sowing my spinach and lettuce for April, although I'm hopeful that the small lettuce plants I bought will thrive through the hot summer weather. Our rhubarb is HUGE this year - I may have to start pawning the bounty off on my unsuspecting neighbours. :)
Truthfully, our veggie garden is going to be smaller this year for a few reasons. One, I just don't have the time right now to tend a large garden. Two, we are in the process of landscaping our backyard, so some of my former veggie beds are under huge piles of dirt. And three, I've decided to start using our local farmer's market.
Last year, I had investigated getting a CSA share. With five of us to feed, I thought it might be economically worthwhile. However, the more I researched it, the more I realized that my picky eaters would not be happy with the variety offered by the CSA, and I'd probably end up composting quite a bit of the produce.
The farmer's market allows me to benefit from local, organic produce at reasonable prices, supporting local farmers' and agriculture, while providing me with the ability to pick and choose what I want to buy. I think it will be a win-win situation - I'll keep you posted.
Showing posts with label food industry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food industry. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, April 11, 2011
Purchase as many "dye-free" food items as possible (Change 114)
In conjunction with my change to make more things from scratch, I am also resolving to purchase foods that do not contain artificial colours.
We've noticed over the last year that our kids seem to really react to highly processed foods, especially those containing high concentrations of sugar, dye/colour, flavour and chocolate. This was really brought home last week when my doctor suggested that we start eliminating artificial colour from our diet, due to recent studies that investigate whether or not food dye causes or accelerates hyperactivity in children.
Some of you may have followed the debate in news about the FDA investigating the evidence. (http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/30/fda.food.dye.health/index.html; http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/fda-panel-digests-data-linking-food-coloring-hyperactivity/story?id=13264626). Unfortunately, the FDA found that there was not enough research to warrant labels on products, but stated that further study was needed.
However, we are going ahead with an elimination diet. It will be a slow process, as we remove coloured cereal, crackers, breads, baking supplies and processed fruits from our diet. I hope it means that my children will be healthier and happier, and that DH and I are less stressed about our active children.
We've noticed over the last year that our kids seem to really react to highly processed foods, especially those containing high concentrations of sugar, dye/colour, flavour and chocolate. This was really brought home last week when my doctor suggested that we start eliminating artificial colour from our diet, due to recent studies that investigate whether or not food dye causes or accelerates hyperactivity in children.
Some of you may have followed the debate in news about the FDA investigating the evidence. (http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/30/fda.food.dye.health/index.html; http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/fda-panel-digests-data-linking-food-coloring-hyperactivity/story?id=13264626). Unfortunately, the FDA found that there was not enough research to warrant labels on products, but stated that further study was needed.
However, we are going ahead with an elimination diet. It will be a slow process, as we remove coloured cereal, crackers, breads, baking supplies and processed fruits from our diet. I hope it means that my children will be healthier and happier, and that DH and I are less stressed about our active children.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Make more food from scratch (Change 100)
DH and I had a bit of a health scare last month. Driving him to the hospital when he had chest pains was not my idea of a fun time. He has had high normal blood pressure for years, but neither of us really thought anything of it. This time we took notice, and resolved to improve our eating and exercising habits.
One of the things we are trying to do is lower our salt and fat intake. We don't eat a lot of prepared foods, but our cupboards and refrigerator are still crammed with crackers, canned beans, ketchup, hummus and various other items that are made by someone else, stuffed with added salt and fat that we don't need.
I've never really given any true thought to the environmental impact of purchasing these products, but when you take the time to look at how your purchases contribute to the landfill, it can be an eye-opening experience. It also is not good for our health - some of these products can contain up to 40% of our daily salt intake in one serving. And who ever has just one serving?
For the new year, I am resolving to make more food from scratch. Make my own hummus, salad dressings and salsa to start. Then as I get more comfortable with the process, I am going to try my own ketchup, crackers and seasoning mixes.
There is less packaging, because I will be buying items in bulk and not throwing out one-time use containers. Our diets will be healthier because I will be able to control the amount of salt and fat we intake. This sounds like a resolution I can stick with.
One of the things we are trying to do is lower our salt and fat intake. We don't eat a lot of prepared foods, but our cupboards and refrigerator are still crammed with crackers, canned beans, ketchup, hummus and various other items that are made by someone else, stuffed with added salt and fat that we don't need.
I've never really given any true thought to the environmental impact of purchasing these products, but when you take the time to look at how your purchases contribute to the landfill, it can be an eye-opening experience. It also is not good for our health - some of these products can contain up to 40% of our daily salt intake in one serving. And who ever has just one serving?
For the new year, I am resolving to make more food from scratch. Make my own hummus, salad dressings and salsa to start. Then as I get more comfortable with the process, I am going to try my own ketchup, crackers and seasoning mixes.
There is less packaging, because I will be buying items in bulk and not throwing out one-time use containers. Our diets will be healthier because I will be able to control the amount of salt and fat we intake. This sounds like a resolution I can stick with.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Start looking for local sources of animal protein (Change 94)
I watched a very interesting, and very disturbing, movie the other day. For those of you who have seen Food, Inc. you'll understand why I'm now trying to find local sources of pork and poultry. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, you should. You will never look at food the same way again.
This quote from the movie's website (http://www.foodincmovie.com/) says it all - "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment......Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."
This movie (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary), watched in companionship with reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, both by Michael Pollan, has really prompted me to think about where the food I buy really comes from. DH and I enjoy growing our own vegetables - we've had fairly successful crops of lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes before. But winter means buying fruits and veggies at the store. And of course, having a house in the suburbs does not allow us to grow our own meat. And althought the film details American farming, I can't help but have a sneaking suspicion that the reality of Canadian farming isn't that far off.
I've been surfing the Internet in the last few days, trying to find local sources of grass-fed, preferable organic, animals, as well as starting to look at potential Community Support Agriculture shares. I've narrowed the list down to a few possibilities. In the New Year, after all the holiday craziness has died down, DH and I are going to take the kids on a road trip to check the farms out. I hope this leads to another eco-change or two in January - buying food directly from a local farmer.
This quote from the movie's website (http://www.foodincmovie.com/) says it all - "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment......Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."
This movie (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary), watched in companionship with reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, both by Michael Pollan, has really prompted me to think about where the food I buy really comes from. DH and I enjoy growing our own vegetables - we've had fairly successful crops of lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes before. But winter means buying fruits and veggies at the store. And of course, having a house in the suburbs does not allow us to grow our own meat. And althought the film details American farming, I can't help but have a sneaking suspicion that the reality of Canadian farming isn't that far off.
I've been surfing the Internet in the last few days, trying to find local sources of grass-fed, preferable organic, animals, as well as starting to look at potential Community Support Agriculture shares. I've narrowed the list down to a few possibilities. In the New Year, after all the holiday craziness has died down, DH and I are going to take the kids on a road trip to check the farms out. I hope this leads to another eco-change or two in January - buying food directly from a local farmer.
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