If You Ate Today... THANK A FARMER

Hmmm.  I saw this picture on Facebook the other day, and it got my wheels a spinning.  These days, who can we thank for our food?  More than likely, it's not the farmer down the road who grows large crops of soybeans or corn.  Should we thank McDonald's, Hamburger Helper, or Kraft?  And what should we be thanking them for?  The mistreatment of animals, unsanitary conditions, pesticides on our food?  Where do these big brands get their food?  It's certainly not the picturesque farms that we conjure in our minds.  Not the rolling hills, cattle grazing freely, rows of corn ripe and ready to be picked.  

• Two percent of livestock farms now raise 40 percent of all animals in the US. 
• In the United States, 79% of pigs are raised on farms with 2,000 pigs or more.

Facts from:  http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/factoryfarming/

For most people, who shop at stores such as Wal-Mart or Kroger for groceries, we can thank huge, industrial OPERATIONS.  Not farmers.  Not men in overalls plowing the fields, but factories designed to maximize output.  Several years ago, Adam and I watched a documentary called "Food Inc." and it changed the way we eat forever. 

This movie opened my eyes and frankly, exposed our food system for what it truly is.  The changes we've made since then have been small, but we feel that any change is better than no change. 

Here are some simple things we can all do to try and change our food system:

1) Eat local, organic food when possible.  Shop at the farmer's market, or the organic section of your supermarket. 
2) Eat foods with less ingredients.  The less processed a food is, the healthier it is for you.  Avoid the middle aisles of the grocery store.
3) Cook your meals at home.
4) Have a "meatless" night at least once a week.
5) Raise a garden.  There is nothing like growing your own food. :)


Check out these links to learn more:

Pesticides on our food:  http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/

Environmental Impact: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/campaign/coolfoods/

Food Rules:  http://michaelpollan.com/books/food-rules/

~Trina