Broccoli Cupcake

Wow!  I think it’s going to take some time to digest (no pun intended) all that I took away from Food Inc.  I don’t think anyone can watch this movie and not be moved to take some sort of action – whether it’s at home – or on a larger scale.  I pray that I can convince my husband to watch it.  I’m sitting here with so many thoughts going through my head about positive changes we can make that aren’t a huge stretch from where we are now, but then I remember how picky my husband and son are and how hard our healthy new habits are for them.  To put it in perspective, my husband lost a bet at work, to pay up had to eat 5 bites of vegetables chosen by the winner.  He couldn’t swallow any of them without gagging and they cut his penalty to three bites to keep him from throwing up all over the cafeteria.     

It has taken time, but I know we are on the right track to improving our health and I believe there is more we can do as we continue to learn.  The more I read the more I understand how important what we eat is to our health and the health of the environment. 

I have to admit that after watching Food Inc. I wanted to forego my “everything in moderation” philosophy and try to eat solely off our (soon to be planted) garden and CSA share.  I seriously considered trying to feed my family without going to the grocery store at all.  Don’t worry.  I slept on that idea and came to my senses.  That’s not realistic for our family or for me.  We haven’t even been able to make it a month without eating out!    So here’s what we can realistically do.  The Food Inc. website lists 10 simple things anyone can do to change our food system.  I’ve listed them below with my notes on what we’re already doing or planning to do to meet these.  I think this is a solid start for now. 

Have you tried to implement any of these into your life?  How did it go?  What else are you doing to improve your family’s health?

1.  Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages. – We’ve done this for the most part although we still have an occasional soda when out to dinner or on a road trip.  I’m going to work on eliminating even the occasional soda from our diets. 
2. Eat at home instead of eating out. – I’m proud of the progress I’ve made in this area because we used to eat out ALL the time!  We’re down to an average of two times a week, but this is still a lot.  I’m working on my meal planning skills and time management and working toward saving meals out for special occasions and date nights.   
3. Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards. – Click here to learn more and sign a petition to support this legislation. 
4. Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks. – Visit Chef Ann Cooper, Renegade Lunch Lady, for ideas on how to improve school lunches (brown bag and cafeteria).  I’m planning to talk to the director at my boy’s school about a garden.  If you’d like more information or ideas about starting a garden at your child’s school email me at calie@broccolicupcake.com.    
5. Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week. – I know I have days where I don’t eat meat, but I can’t say the same for my husband and oldest son.  We’re going to work on going 100% meatless on Monday’s and build from there.  If you have yummy (and simple) meatless recipes please post them below.  I’ll share mine as I discover what works for our family.
6. Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides. –Because we’re cutting back on meat I’m going to apply the money we save to upgrading some of our fruit and veggie choices to include more organic options.  We’re also planting a garden at the end of the month and will be participating in a local CSA.  These options will help us get the majority of our fruits and veggies pesticide free.  For many families, this is a financial issue so simply commit to doing what you can.  If you’re following tip #1 and giving up soda, apply the money you save to upgrading a few key veggies to organic options.  Plant a garden or look for a community gardening project you can join.  You may not be able to buy everything organic, but if you eat a lot of apples start there. 
7. Protect family farms; visit your local farmer’s market.- We discovered that the local farmer’s market is a really fun family outing.  They usually have live music, animals to visit, delicious breakfast or lunch options and lots of products to buy and sample.  Here’s a link to find a farmer’s market near you. 
8. Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.-  This can be extremely overwhelming so I like to look for a few key words on my packaged products.  Local, organic, and humanely treated are few that let me know the item is worth a closer look. 
9. Tell Congress that food safety is important to you. – I wasn’t sure where to start with this, but then I found there are lots of organizations already working on it.  Rather than write my own letters and researching where to send everything, I’ve looked for relevant campaigns that I can join by signing online petitions or copying pre-written letters to send to my local representatives.  Here’s a link to get started.  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/899970673
10. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections. – I honestly wasn’t sure where to start here, but the Food Inc. website linked to the United Farm Workers site so I’m now following them on Twitter and Facebook to learn more.