Since I chose to go to the Fueling for Fitness session at the Healthy Living Summit, I had to miss out on Evan and Lin’s Ethical Eating presentation. From what I’ve read in Kelly’s recaps and from what I heard from other attendees, though, it was a great session!
Ethical eating is near and dear to my heart. Ever since I decided not to pursue a job with a big-name food company, my opinions regarding food have been growing and changing.
While I was g-chatting with Ashley on Wednesday, I realized that I haven’t been doing a very good job at sharing my learnings, ideas and tips with my Savvy Readers.
So here are my food ‘rules.’ thoughts on eating, in no particular order. I can’t bear to call them rules, because I don’t follow them 100% of the time; nobody is perfect!
1. When I can, I eat local, seasonal produce. In the summer and fall, this is incredibly easy. Just go to the Farmer’s Market, and you’ll have plenty of options! Winter is where things can get a little tricky, depending on where you live. I have some plans for freezing and canning to allow me to enjoy the summer flavors all year long, which I will be sharing in a series of posts next week!
And yes, there are exceptions. Sometimes, you just can’t avoid getting produce from far-away places… we can’t grow things like bananas in Ithaca!
2. Whenever possible, I choose grass-fed beef or bison and free-range, organic chicken from local farms. This does mean that I don’t eat a ton of meat. Mostly because the meat I do eat is admittedly expensive, but totally worth it in terms of ethics and taste, in my opinion.
3. I choose eggs from local farms where the chickens have room to roam whenever possible. Bonus: these eggs are often fresher (and therefore last longer and taste better). They aren’t that expensive, either; at the co-op near our house, I can get a dozen eggs for only 30-50 cents more than conventional eggs at the big grocery store down the road!
4. I choose products with the shortest ingredients list possible, and include no high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Don’t think you are being limited to pricey organic brands, either. Sometimes, these products have just as many ingredients and additives as other processed foods. Surprisingly, sometimes the best products are from the store brands found in the natural foods section!
5. I avoid products made with genetically modified foods whenever I can. This one is relatively new to me, and is really hard to figure out, but I’m working on it!
You may be wondering why I didn’t say that I try to eat only organic foods. There is, in fact, a reason that isn’t on my list. While I love the concept of organic farming, I know that the certification is expensive. Since I get a lot of my food from small local farms that perhaps can’t afford the official organic certification, I don’t worry too much about the label and still trust the sources I purchase food from.
Like I said, nobody is perfect. I try to eat this way most of the time, but I’ll admit it doesn’t always happen. I’ll be going more in depth on the science and my reasoning behind it all in following weeks!
What approaches do you take to your food in terms of ethics?
I agree with you on all those points!
I guess that’s why I didn’t feel completely out of place attending a healthy living summit when I don’t run or maintain much of a food blog. I just LIVE in the most healthy/happy way possible.
Good for you!!!
I agree with every item on your list. I strive to make ethical food choices and am trying my best to actually grow as much of my out food as possible! This includes eggs and hopefully next year, chicken and pork.
I recently gave up chicken, pork and beef after reading the book Eating Animals. I haven’t ate it for almost 3 months and don’t miss it at all. I might eat it again one day, but for now I have no interest in it and I actually feel better since going veg!
I also frequent our local Farmers Market every Saturday morning! In my experience it is actually a bit pricey to shop at the Farmers Market but it’s worth it. The fruit and produce is SO much fresher and more delicious!
I love love love this!
Especially the part about organics.
<3
I head straight to my grandmother’s garden, spoiled:) But I do try to show at local farmer’s markets. It’s hard where I live, but it’s worth every penny.
love this. i follow very similar guidelines when it comes to eating! ps: i bet your blueberry butter is amazing! it would be great on a savvy scone.
This is an excellent idea!
I agree about buying local – I am going to go into total withdrawl once the farmer’s market season comes to an end.
I don’t stress so much about “organic” when I’m shopping there, though at the regular market I do try to stick with organic for the dirty dozen. TOTAL agreement about high fructose corn syrup, too – once I became more aware I was shocked at how many products it weasels its way into!
Great ideas! I buy local (Michigan) as much as possible, to support the economy, and for freshness. I’m not perfect, but I do what I can
I try to eat fruits and veggies that are as fresh grown as possible, like you. Also, eating foods that have as few ingredients as possible. Fresher is better!
Excellent post. I do agree with you that it may be better to buy local and natural rather than organic all the time. organic may not be the best way to eat – e.g, compare organic grapes all the way from Chile or local grapes from your neighbour’s yard (not that I know anyone who grows grapes in their yard!). I really like your eating philosophy, though I don’t eat meat at all. Have you read Michael Pollan’s book “Food Rules”? It’s a lot like your post.
I haven’t, but maybe I should!
Great post! Though I eat 100% vegan and eat a great deal of organic produce, eating local is definitely something I could be better at. I have a great CSA that I sometimes use, but often don’t because I have to order it days in advance, never know how much I will need, etc… but those are all lame excuses!
This is a great post!!
I love this post! You eat pretty much the exact same way I do, with a focus on sustainability and making sound ethical choices!
I truly believe it is possible to be a ‘conscious/ethical omnivore,’ and you seem to as well.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts.