Food, Inc.

I told you not too long along that the Mr. and I watched Food, Inc., and I have to admit that I am still comprehending all that I saw on the video. I told the Mr. after watching it that we were never eating out or eating processed foods again.

As I sit here eating Velveeta, I ask myself, "how easy is it really to change your whole understanding of the impact the food you eat makes on you and the world?" This is what Food, Inc. tries to do.

Here is the synopsis from Food, Inc.'s website:

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. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

The meat that the Mr. and I cook at home comes from a family friend who raises cows humanely and pretty organically. But I forget all the meat that we eat when we go out. What cow in the plains had to stand in a stockyard their whole lives so that I could get an ok burger?

Now don't go thinking that I am going crazy treehugger on you and saying that everyone needs to quit eating the poor cows. If everyone did that would it help the environment? Yes. Am I at that point in my life or think you should be too? No. I still love meat. I do. I am just saying that I am starting to see the impacts that consuming so much meat (and not quality meat at that) make on our lives.

Don't forget all the other crap we eat that is unhealthy. I am a bad example on this front, too. I really want to push the Mr. and I harder into making these sorts of changes now, slowly, over time as to not freak ourselves out. Starting this month, I want to pull us slowly away from consuming so much meat and processed foods, and focus more on raw, unprocessed foods.

I am going to work on also keeping you all up to date on how this is coming.

Curious about learning more about food and the environment? Check out the reading list from Food, Inc.