Free Range, cage free, grass-fed, certified humane, antibiotic free, pasture-raised, corn-finished, organic, heritage, all-natural... the conversation about food is definitely heating up, and the question "where does our food come from" and its sidekick "what's IN that?" are producing a veritable whirlwind of loaded and confusing vocabulary terms. Unless you're like me and your exciting beach read for the summer is the latest sustainable-food movement tome, you probably don't *really* know what all these terms mean - and who could blame you. People make a lot of money off our confusion. The best thing we can do for our health (and ultimately public health in general) is take a few minutes to educate ourselves about the issues, and then put our money behind the products we deem worthy.

So here is an attempt at breaking down the issues swimming around the meat scene, Part 3 of All About Organic: "Organic" Meat.

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 3: "Organic" Meat" »

Posted by themindfuleater on June 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week I began a series all about Organic and why it matters. This week I continue that discussion, folding in another potentially bewildering consideration about our food: Eating Local.

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 2: Local vs Organic" »

Posted by themindfuleater on May 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week while working my checkout shift at the coop, I often overheard members comment on this or that organic food... rationalizing buying it or not according to its level of harmfulness to our bodies. "Bananas don't need to be organic because you can peel the skins back"... "you can wash grapes off pretty well, I'm not paying the extra cost."

While our own personal health is one of the most compelling reasons to purchase organic products (and therefore avoid pesticides, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and other toxins used to help non-organic food fight off pests and grow marketable qualities), there's a lot more about the "organic" issue to be considered than our personal health. Inspired by this experience, I've devised a multi-part series to clarify some of the issues we hear tossed around, and shed light on some important overlooked details.

This week I'll begin with what "organic" means, and some of the top reasons you should consider buying it. Next week I'll discuss the contention between buying "local" and buying "organic".

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 1: Why We Should Care" »

Posted by themindfuleater on May 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)