In pursuing a diet of real, whole foods, I have come across a lot of touchpoint issues. I am in the process of determining my vision for this style of eating. I find when my commitment falters; when I get tired of paying twice and three times as much for local, organic food, raw dairy and pastured meats; when I just want to plop on the couch and call out for pizza; when the teenager complains yet again about the lack of white bread in the house; it helps me to have a mission statement, a compelling vision.
But there are so many great reasons for eating real food that I’m having a hard time choosing just one!
- Health I guess the idea of improving our health, reducing disease and protecting our teeth is a big reason. It’s how I got here and the area in which I’ve seen the greatest improvement. Not having health insurance, it’s important to me to do what I can to protect my family’s health.
- Community Being a hermit, I am surprised how important community has become for me since embarking on this journey. I never really gave any thought before to the farmer up the street, the dairy cows next to the high school, or the people at the farmer’s market. But now that I’ve shaken the hand that feeds me, my life has changed for the better.
- Education I love learning new things and tend to throw myself quite wholeheartedly into topics that interest me. I have learned so much about food, farming, the body’s use of food, sunshine, water, and consumer activism that sometimes I think my head will explode. And as much as I learn, I find there is always more!
- Consumer Activism, or as my friend Food Renegade calls it, Civil Disobedience Okay, I admit it. I have a rebellious streak. Supporting the local over the institutional, the organic over the conventional, the raw over the processed has a certain militant ring to it. Even better, I can start in my own comfort zone (my kitchen and home) and not out on the street holding signs and lobbying Congress. Yet.
- Spiritual Strengthening I tend to find times of communion with my Lord in the quiet moments when I reflect upon the things He created. I could spend half an hour meditating on a dandelion flower. It doesn’t get the garden weeded, but it is refreshing. The more I learn about eating whole, traditional foods, the more I am amazed by the variety of flavors, colors and shapes that are provided for our food. The more I learn, the more I glimpse the sufficiency of the grace provided for me for my day to day life. All I need is here, simply and elegantly, without enriching, bleaching, processing and packaging. This closer walk with nature brings me much closer in mind to the One who created it. Of all the points, I think this is my most compelling vision because it is nourishing not just to my body, my social life, my brain or my flesh, but the part of me that is eternal.
If you read this blog regularly, or are even visiting, I’d love to hear your comments. What is your compelling vision?
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April 9, 2009 at 3:46 am
Jen
I have a 15 month old son, and for me… the vision is all about him. I see all the medical and behavior problems in kids today, and can’t accept that outcome for my son. I stumbled upon the Weston A. Price Foundation Website while researching vaccinations, and spent hours reading all about the importance of diet.
It started with the meat. We love our meat, and I knew I didn’t want him eating GMO corn and soy fed, antibiotic and growth hormone filled meat. So before he started table food, we ordered 1/4 grass fed pastured beef, 1/2 pork, and 10 chickens from a local farm. By the way, this is a great way to save on high quality meat. It averaged to about $3 per pound from the filet mingnon down to the bacon, and it’s a LOT! Enough to last us a year or more.
From there, I started reading about dairy. It took me a year, but I finally found a source for raw milk, butter, and pastured organic eggs. Yes, it’s expensive, but so worth it.
Now I’m slowly switching over to all organic, local if possible, foods. It’s such a process! Just the other day my husband told me how good he’s feeling since we started eating healthier. That makes it all worthwhile!
I love reading your blog. It helps to know others are in the same boat on this journey.
April 9, 2009 at 7:11 am
localnourishment
It’s so wonderful, the changes we make for the love of our children. And that your husband is seeing changes, what a great motivator to stick with it! You must have a spare freezer hiding in your garage, I need one of those. Thanks for sharing your vision.
April 9, 2009 at 9:05 am
Michelle @ Find Your Balance
For me, #1 is my health. I feel 100x better when I eat well. That’s usually reason enough.
#2 is ethical. I want to use my dollars to support sustainable practices and companies/farmers I believe in.
#3 Curiosity! There’s always something new to learn about food, cooking it, growing it, etc. It crosses over into historical, social and political realms and I just think it’s fascinating.
April 9, 2009 at 9:29 am
localnourishment
Thanks for your input, Michelle. I totally forgot about my ethical reasons when I wrote the post. After seeing “The Meatrix,” I knew I couldn’t ever go back to eating the results of a CAFO operation.