Never eat meat again.

[Susan Horn]

Like me, you've made a hobby of learning about various ways to eat and fine tune health. So much out there. Dry brushing is great. I often remember when I am in the shower though :roll::roll:

I love a parsley salad made with quinoa instead of bulgar. (tabouli) Can you eat quinoa? Never heard of a quinoa allergy

Quinoa-bouli is a staple; also oat groat-bouli and brown rice-bouli. With chick peas and changing up the seasonings. Even my fellas like these dishes, which helps a lot. Big drag trying to cook different diets for everyone, catering to health issues and taste preferences. Very handy when everybody can eat and like the same thing.

Here's the thing. I have been through similar issues twice before, and I would stick to the healthy life and diet for a while, but have found it (obviously) impossible to maintain that continually because of business and social things around food. Or just the desire to go somewhere and eat what everyone else is eating because that's easy; or have popcorn and coke at the movie; or cook what everybody wants and eat that, even though it's too fatty-starchy-whatever for me. For movies now, I take a big purse with my own herb tea or water in a bottle, and some nuts or rice cakes, just so I can munch on something and not feel totally left out of the fun.

I guess I just have to buck up and get over the jokes and odd looks and what feels like judgment from others about what I eat, not to mention the colossal PITA of taking my own stuff everywhere, and stick to what makes me feel good from here on out. Anybody gives me any sass, I'll give them an organic egg to suck, LOL.

 

[Susan Horn]

I think Michael Pollan's approach to food, as described so eloquently and deliciously in The Omnivore's Dilemma, is about the healthiest, most balanced way to go about feeding oneself that anyone could come up with, given the world and what's available here and now for most Americans. He doesn't come out and say so, but it's really a Slow Food sort of approach, and the more small local farms and community gardens we have, the more accessible this way of eating will be for everyone.

On Oprah the other day, he basically said, "Don't eat anything your great grandmother would not recognize as food" and then gave the example of the yogurt-in-a-tube things. What would she do with one of those? Would she think it was some fancy new package for glue? Is it toothpaste? But really, if I ate what my grandmother grew up eating on the farm near Thomaston, I would be healthy and I would have nothing to complain about! Bounty of fresh heirloom veggies all summer, and some through winter. Preserves, smoked organic meats and fresh ones, fresh unhomogenized milk, cheese, butter, yard eggs... Only bought what didn't grow at the farm -- spices, sugar, flour, rice....and back then, everything was organic. Makes my mouth water.

 

[Gidget]

Quinoa-bouli is a staple; also oat groat-bouli and brown rice-bouli. With chick peas and changing up the seasonings. Even my fellas like these dishes, which helps a lot. Big drag trying to cook different diets for everyone, catering to health issues and taste preferences. Very handy when everybody can eat and like the same thing.

Here's the thing. I have been through similar issues twice before, and I would stick to the healthy life and diet for a while, but have found it (obviously) impossible to maintain that continually because of business and social things around food. Or just the desire to go somewhere and eat what everyone else is eating because that's easy; or have popcorn and coke at the movie; or cook what everybody wants and eat that, even though it's too fatty-starchy-whatever for me. For movies now, I take a big purse with my own herb tea or water in a bottle, and some nuts or rice cakes, just so I can munch on something and not feel totally left out of the fun.

I guess I just have to buck up and get over the jokes and odd looks and what feels like judgment from others about what I eat, not to mention the colossal PITA of taking my own stuff everywhere, and stick to what makes me feel good from here on out. Anybody gives me any sass, I'll give them an organic egg to suck, LOL.

Ha ha! I can't tell you the last time I at movie crap. I always smuggle in my stuff usually bottle of water and nut/seed mix.

I have been to many affairs where I just don't eat, eat before and pretend to eat or just eat what I can within certain guidelines. I can tell you for certain that I have eaten more refined carbs and sweets since being here and building house etc...I am working toward getting back on track with exceptions only being once in a while. If you make exceptions at every turn then the become the norm and the healthy eating becomes the exception ;-) Crazy!!

Most people don't give a flip and if they do then it is often because misery loves company. Seriously, the people who push it the most are usually the most unhealthy. It is like if I say NO to a certain food then somehow that is a reflection on them. I know that eating healthy can come across as smug, but that's not the way I see it. I see it about survival and what makes one feel good in the long run. Each person has to just do what is best for them and in the case of this thread - the animals too

G

 

[scooterbug44]

With the exception of road trips (I just bring my own food and let others have their fast food) you can get pretty good at learning places to eat or tweaks to certain items.

My mother's trick is to just bring a hostess/potluck item that she knows we can eat and/or have a snack prior. That way you can still go places and socialize w/o feeling left out/hungry/a burden on the hostess.

And remember that between religion, pregnancy, allergies, diets, and personal preferences you are never the only one w/ special food needs.

 

[Gidget]

With the exception of road trips (I just bring my own food and let others have their fast food) you can get pretty good at learning places to eat or tweaks to certain items.

My mother's trick is to just bring a hostess/potluck item that she knows we can eat and/or have a snack prior. That way you can still go places and socialize w/o feeling left out/hungry/a burden on the hostess.

Exactly! At Cmas in Baton Rouge I carted a huge pot of my coconut vegan Thai Spicy Soup full of ginger and chunky veggies. I had what I liked and everyone gobbled up the rest. I do that frequently - it is a great way to share recipes too!

G

PS I sure look forward to meeting you some Sat at SSFM!

 

[Susan Horn]

Thanks for the encouragement and tips.

I was thrilled yesterday to find an insulated brewing tea mug made of BPA-free plastic. Perfect go-cup for me. Got it at Publix in PC, haven't noticed them at the others around here yet.

 

[John R]

Just curious, what's wrong with mixing different cows together assuming each cow individually is of high quality?

Did you ever go to Mountainfilm after I saw you? Not each cow is of high quality, as is evidenced by any footage shot at any CAFO, or as seen in the film above. Recalls are now nationwide due to the decreased number of processing plants handling more heads of cattle daily. Add to that the lack of inspectors from the USDA, which has no teeth and the possibilities are wide open.

 

[Susan Horn]

It's also an issue of scale. When they're processing that much meat all at once from that many animals, and there's one mistake, or one bit of contamination, it can infect vast quantities of meat that then gets shipped all over the country. The obscene scale of how they do it now creates far more widespread illness when something goes wrong, than would happen if done at a more local or regional scale. Same is true with industrial scale production and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables, and probably lots of other stuff I don't know much about.

Whenever you scale up production of anything, there comes a point at which quality tends to go down. (I know there are exceptions, that's why I said "tends" instead of "always") Which is why people are willing to pay more for all sorts of things that are made at a smaller scale, from cheese and chickens to paintings and furniture and houses.

There was a time when Americans toook pride in manufactured products that "no human hand had touched," and anything mass-produced, store-bought or imported had more prestige than homemade or local items. We were an entire nation of "country come to town." But it seems we've taken all that a little too far, it's out of balance, and we need to get the equation back in balance. IMHO.

 

[John R]

Not just meat: 39% of Bagged Salads Have Too Much Fecal Bacteria : TreeHugger

First the soda fountains at fast food restaurants, and now this--Consumer Reports has just published an investigation revealing that 39% of the packaged salads tested contained "bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination." And this despite the fact that such bagged salads often display claims of 'prewashed' or 'triple-washed' and attract customers who consider them cleaner and safer...

 

[scooterbug44]

Thank you! Mama Scooterbug thinks I am nuts because I want to wash "pre-washed" herbs and greens!