As a start, I want to clear up a few points and share a few resources that I have read/viewed and highly recommend.
1. I am not on a diet. Although I may comment on topics like calories, fat content, sodium levels, etc. it's more for discussion purposes. What I'm looking to do is understand what is in the food I regularly eat and figure out the best possible sources for my everyday food to ensure maximum quality. This includes nutrition, taste, cleanliness, sanitation, environmental responsibility, humaneness, etc . ..
2. I in no way intend to preach a diet or lifestyle on anyone. This is all about choices I have made after reading and learning about what apparently exists in the current mainstream food system. My goal here is to share information that I find, read and view. I will also be commenting on said information. You are free to agree, disagree, correct me if you think I'm wrong, and form your own opinions about food and health.
3. I am not a vegetarian or vegan, and do not intend to be. If you are a vegetarian or vegan and would like to share information about your experience, please do. I myself tried a few years ago to stop eating meat, and didn't last more than a month. After about three weeks, I was feeling weak, dizzy, and in a fog all day like I did not sleep the night before. That said, I am open to trying more meatless days from now on.
4. I am not a scientist. Just an educated consumer who has started to pay attention. Most, if not all, of the information I share will probably be secondary, meaning it's my commentary based on someone else's research/writing, etc.
5. At the heart, I believe in good old American capitalism and the market system. I believe in an individual's right to make as much money as possible by doing something well and selling it. But I do not believe in a lot of the practices that Big Food employs to achieve success. These practices and their effect on us will be a frequent topic of discussion in this blog. I believe that you as a consumer are free to buy and eat whatever you want, but what's unfair is when consumers are knowingly kept in the dark about exactly what it is they are eating. Based on what I have read and viewed, I believe this practice is common in today's food industry. Many attempts have been made by the public to get lawmakers to change this, and nothing ever happens. But the lovely thing about a market system is that it's a two way street. Simply put - if we consumers stop buying the crap, they'll stop making it.
6. I am not delusional. I know I will fall off the wagon once in a while Face it - the way our food system is set up, it's hard and rather expensive to always avoid the supermarket, or to completely avoid mass-produced foods. That is a topic I also plan to discuss. For example, the dish pictured at the top of this post is made with farmer's market eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, but the cheese was regular mass-produced ricotta. I try, but I'm not perfect.
Below are a few of the materials I've read or viewed so far:
Books-
What to Eat by Marion Nestle Ph.D., M.P.H.
In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Death by Supermarket by Nancy Deville
TV and Film-
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Food Inc.
The Weight of the Nation (HBO docu-series)
Blogs-
http://www.foodpolitics.com (Marion Nestle)
http://michaelpollan.com/articles
http://www.brucebradley.com/
http://markbittman.com/
Currently on my to-do list -
Real Food, What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
Sugar Nation, the Hidden Truth Behind America's Deadliest Habit and the Simple Way to Beat It
Food Politics by Marion Nestle Ph.D., M.P.H.
In addition I follow a handful of relevant pages on Facebook and will be sharing articles and postings.
This is just the beginning for me. I will be adding to these lists as I go. Feel free to weigh in and share any recommendations you have.
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