Local Food

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for the second time. The timing of picking up the book again was almost providential, as I was considering with John the reasons we had cut most meat out of our diet, and if it might be possible to begin incorporating some more into our diets, without feeling like we were making a poor ethical decision for our family.

The primary factors in our decision to nearly eliminate meat were environmental. The impact of CAFO's and industrial meat is truly horrifying. We felt that it would be better for our health, the environment, and the animals subjected to those conditions if we chose to severely restrict our intake. Of course, as I've said before, eating is a very personal thing, and each individual needs to make choices that they feel comfortable with. I can no more force someone to agree with me about food, than about politics or religion, two other deeply personal subjects.

So, John and I are revising our standards to incorporate some meat- from a local farm that raises pork, beef, goat, and chickens in sustainable, natural ways. The meat is healthier, leaner, YUMMIER, and travels just a few miles! You can't go wrong with that! It's more expensive than supermarket meat, but doesn't include the hidden costs of environmental damage, higher risks of antibiotic overuse and resistance, more health problems for unhealthy (TOO MUCH!) intake of meat proteins, and other costs that aren't calculated when we make our food budget each month. With the locally raised meat we can enjoy chicken soup, sausages, hamburgers, and a steak in our diet, with the majority of our meals remaining meatless.

Along with the change in our meat habits, we're trying to be more conscientious about buying our produce locally (or growing it ourselves!) and making local and seasonal food decisions wherever possible to maximize nutrition, lower environmental impact of processing and transportation, and support the local farm and food culture. Of course we still buy plenty of things at the supermarket, but we feel like we are headed in a direction that is responsible and healthful.

I am particularly excited about eating the local food in Italy, including prosciutto, cheeses, and produce. Yum! But that will be another story for another day.