Sara B Consulting Principle #3: Clean Eating
Really...do you know? Do you care to know? The wonderful thing is you can choose to know and I encourage you to do so.
So what's the buzz, why do I care. I know some think it's crazy or unaffordable to buy a lb of grass fed beef or a bag of organic apples for an extra dollar or two. My goal is to help you get informed, from there you have the wonderful right to make a choice. There is always two sides to a story and I encourage you to have an opinion, this is the side I believe in and why I think there needs to be a "FOOD REVOLUTION."
Small steps, that's all you have to do. Start with one food item, one meal, grow from there...
I can try to share facts and info, but Michael Pollan, Author of Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules, will do it much better from this clip from Oprah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-78LasxRVWg
the end gets cuts off but what they go on to say is "bottom line...you get to choose what's best for you and your family"
Food Inc. Movie trailer (you can rent this on Netflix):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0
couple quotes from Food Inc: "You can help....you get to vote 3 times a day." "An average meals travels 1500 miles." "you can change the world with every bite."
2. join a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)....here's one in Des Moines/Ames:
http://www.smallpotatoesfarm.com/CSA_How_To_Join.html
3. start a garden!
Random note: I am proud to say Iowa City was voted one of the healthiest cities....one of the criteria: availability of local produce
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/mens_journal_says_charlottesville_among_healthiest_cities/51365/
To help make my vote count I have recently found two local farmers I can purchase food from:
http://www.localfoodsconnection.org/2009/08/13/a-visit-to-friendly-farms-in-iowa-city/
Do I buy 100% organic/natural/grass fed...NO, but I make a point to commit on a few items at a time. FYI...organic apples were actually cheaper than regular apples at HyVee last week.
Why grass fed:
"Switching a cow from grass to grain is so disturbing to the animal's digestive system that it can kill the animal if not done gradually and if the animal is not continually fed antibiotics. These animals are designed to forage, but we make them eat grain, primarily corn, in order to make them as fat as possible as fast as possible.
Grass-fed beef not only is lower in overall fat and in saturated fat, but it has the added advantage of providing more omega-3 fats. These crucial healthy fats are most plentiful in flaxseeds and fish, and are also found in walnuts, soybeans and in meat from animals that have grazed on omega-3 rich grass. When cattle are taken off grass, though, and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on grain, they immediately begin losing the omega-3s they have stored in their tissues. As a consequence, the meat from feedlot animals typically contains only 15- 50 percent as much omega-3s as that from grass-fed livestock." Food Revolution by John Robbins
Last night I made:
grass fed hamburgers with sauteed mushrooms
sprinkle a little Lawry's on them or other seasoning and grill away
sauteed mushrooms in olive oil
YUM!
Indianola, IA
I had a great time speaking with all the students and faculty and comparing the sugar of common high caloric drinks
5 lbs of fat....nasty...it certainly drew a crowd
Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good...
http://www.sarabconsulting.com/
Sara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for correctly presenting the information you read/viewed. I would encourage you to look into many of your local farmers/ranchers.
I agree with all of your opinions.
However, not ALL corn-fed animals "require" antibiotics. We raise 3 select groups of cattle. 100% Grass, Pastured Beef (on grass with grains offered) & a small group of Corn Finished beef in the winter months. Each group gets a different type of diet. These groups are determined by the time of year, and what time of year the animal was born.
We do transition some of our animals from a 100% pasture (grass) diet to a diet that includes corn. Some animals will not do well with corn in their diet. That's ok, we treat it as an allergy & the culprit (usually grains) are removed from their diet & they are completely fine with out any anitibiotics.
I would encourage you (& your readers) to keep learning about your food & KNOW where your food comes from! If you know your farmer/rancher, you will know what kind of diet your meat eats, the environment where it is raised. By knowing WHO your food comes from, you will ultimately make better choices.
If you would like to stop by our website is EbersoleBeef.com
I personally blog @ GreenRanchingMom.blogspot.com