Food

I'm trying to find a balance in my life.  I've come across a lot of things about food, lately...specifically how bad our American diet really is for our health, and the way that we acquire food is basically bad for everyone.  This is worrisome to me for a lot of reasons.

First, I have two children who depend on me to give them the best foundation that I can in this world.  That is part of the reason that I am homeschooling my son.  His experience with school was causing him to become more emotionally fragile, and more closed to learning anything.  I have come to realize that the food supply has undergone a big change even from when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's.  (Of course, we all know that there is no longer "Fruit Float,"  but that is a whole different story).  The family farm  has been gobbled up by BIG BUSINESS, and our milk, meat, and vegetables are full of hormones, chemicals, antibiotics, bacteria, and genetically modified organisms.  Much of the food in the grocery stores that is supposed to be "healthy" is made up of chemicals of different kinds.  This cannot be good!

Second, I have a husband who keeps coming down with illnesses, many of them digestive.  I can't help but think that there has to be something that will help his immune system, or digestive system, or whatever system he is having problems with.

Third, I need to be healthy in order to take care of the rest of my family.

Fourth, buying food from BIG BUSINESS is only helping BIG BUSINESS, and is hurting the few family farms that still exist.  It also hurts the workers, who are many times unfairly treated.  And the environment, because of the unsustainable farming practices and the amount of transportation required for the food.  And the people in other countries who now cannot afford to grow their own wholesome food, because it has become cheaper to buy the processed junk.

I could probably think of many more reasons, but these are at the top of my list.  Now, what am I going to do about it?

First, I am researching all I can about nutrition and food production.  Here are some resources I have used:
 Food, Inc., a movie about how our food is produced in the United States,
Nourishing Traditions, a cookbook that explains how to prepare food based on time-tested natural methods (which inspired me to finally try making sourdough bread),
The Maker's Diet, a really inspiring book by a doctor about his victory over Crohn's Disease, mostly through changing his diet,and
"Feed Your Kids Right" by Lendon Smith, M.D., which I borrowed from the library and have just started reading.


Second, I am working on my garden, trying to fit as much food as I can on my half-acre lot.  (No, we are not really planting a cornfield in the front lawn!)  I also got a pressure cooker for my birthday, and plan to can as much homegrown or locally grown food as I can this summer for use in the winter.  We are also seriously considering getting chickens so that at least we will know what is in our eggs! (Okay, Mom, go ahead and comment.  I know you want to.)

Third, I am trying to find local places to acquire food that don't require going to the grocery store to buy their mass-produced and mass-transported food.

Fourth, I am trying to feed my family the best food I can find.  I've found that buying organic and natural foods does not really change the grocery bill if you are also eliminating things like chips and cookies.  I am also being conscious of planning meals better and trying to use up the leftovers better (Conglomeration, anyone?)

So that's my current obsession.  Hey - I've just noticed that it's almost time to get supper!  Healthy eating, everyone.