later in life, both parents took ethical stances when it came to most produce, particularly meat - and very specifically, chicken. my mum grows the majority of her vegetables at home these days. when i first moved out of home, i had neither the mental capacity [first years of uni blur] nor the funds to be an ethical shopper. i was quite happy shopping for all my food requirements at the local supermarket. and i maintained a [largely] healthy food consumption.
some years ago, i decided to make a major lifestyle change. i went from a girl who ate meat whenever she got the chance to a pseudo-vegatarian. i rarely buy my own meat. however, i will never turn down my mum's cooking and i could never give up seafood. i need the occasional red meat hit due to a tendency to become anemic. the change coincided with a couple of events. one was that i undertook a liver cleansing, which lasted about three weeks. after this, i felt much lighter. about a year after this, i took a trip to india, where i declared myself vegetarian, to forgo the risk of catching anything serious from rancid meat [after tottering through slaughter factories in the back streets of mumbai, and seeing how the fish sold at a market near where we were working was thick with flies and sold from the bare earth, i feel this was a wise decision.]
the year following the trip, i was a campaigner for greenpeace, handing out food guides for gmo free shopping. i was taken back by the number of people who were interested in making such changes, particularly with their children in mind. campaigning saw me always having in the back of my mind which brands were ok when i shopped. sadly, it did not include fruit + vegetables. i grew most of my own herbs. if possible, when buying seeds for your own garden, try to find a local heirloom seed network, or seed exchange. let's bring back variety + be done with the increasing 'one size fits all' mentality.
a few months ago, i discovered the guide to ethical supermarket shopping. no doubt this was developed from greenpeace's research. the guide exposes which umbrella companies to avoid, due to their unethical practices, such as palm oil supply, animal testing, involvement with gaming, promotion of bottled water and involvement with certain military groups. it came as a surprise that although some products are declared to be fair trade and/or organic [particularly teas + coffees], the companies that own them fall short of ethical bench marks. of course, the guide only covers those brands sold in supermarkets around australia. there are now many small, local companies making wonderful products, which i try to support, funds allowing. coming from tasmania, i am a big fan of localism [supporting local production + consumption of goods, and local culture and identity].
more recently, michael pollan’s the omnivore’s dilemma has come to my attention. the book discusses food productivity and consumption, highlighting three principle food chains that sustain us: the industrial, the organic and the hunter-gatherer. i started reading the book a couple of days ago, and i have watched one of his lectures, which engaged me to the point of vocal contributions. i was aware of many of the facts, but only in a surface manner. i did not realise how just how prevalent corn was in the majority of our foods. in turn, this quantity will have even more serious environmental repercussions now that the world's population is increasing as frenetically as it is. i have to share my favourite quote so far from the book:
"naturalists regard biodiversity as a measure of a landscape's health, and the modern supermarket's devotion to variety and choice would seem to reflect, perhaps even promote, precisely that sort of ecological value." [p.17]in light of this, i really cannot ignore the way i feel about were my food comes from - not in light of prolific genetic modification, hormone enhancement, unethical practices, environmental degradation and huge food kilometres [the approximate distance the produce has travelled from their source to the shelf - which of course increases out carbon footprint].
i can no longer justify eating meat or animal products that have not obtained humanely, and i have made the switch to free-range meat. this does not include 'free-range' products from supermarket, simply because i feel that the label is not telling the whole truth. i predominantly buy my fresh produce from weekend and farmer's markets - organic if it is in my price range - because no pesticides is not only better for me, it is the safer option for the earth. this solves my fresh vegetable intake. the problem, however, with making this switch is that i can rarely afford the free-range meats and other animal products at decent butchers, and so i ended up as a sort-of-vegan-slash-pseudo-vegetarian by default.
so let's detail how this process works for me.
1. meats + animal products must be humanely raised, free-range, preferably organic.
2. eat local.
3. eat fresh.
most importantly:
4. do the best you can.
what do i mean by point four? i can't always abide by my own creed. for one, i never want people to feel uncomfortable because of the way i choose to eat. if i am out with friends and there is no vegetarian option, i do the best i can. sometimes there is a conflict in the rules. in trying to be careful about the meat i eat, i sometimes turn to vegan options and find even less fresh options there - they are riddled with ingredient names that even people who have studied organic chemistry cannot identify. sometimes i do have to give in.
it may not be a perfect way of eating, but i'm proud of the changes i've made in my life. not only do i feel like a socially conscious eater, i also feel a hell of a lot healthier. and there's nothing imperfect about that.
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