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If you weren’t already aware, I have to tell you that I have a huge hippie side of myself that’s lurking inside of me at all times. This past weekend, that hippie has been released and rolling around as happy as a pig in shit.
I’ve always had that nature and animal-loving, super liberal side of me but the self indulgent, McDonald and Starbucks loving, bacon eater has been taking precedence lately. I’ve read about veganism and studied it fairly in depth, and even worked at a mom and pop owned health food store for a couple years that was so tree hugger and hippie it was named Grass Roots.
I’ve been on a documentary watching kick for the past few weeks, obsessively consuming the best documentaries that I can find. This lead me to watching the recently hyped-by-Oprah documentary called Food, Inc. And, it’s ruined me. I can’t look at what I eat the same. I’ve been traumatized, but in an enlightened way.
I’m well aware that our American culture is an over consuming-natural resource oblivious-self indulgent society, but I haven’t had the motivation to do anything personally about it before. Whatever I do, won’t have any impact. Or so we all think.
Watching Food, Inc. has opened my eyes to the horrors of the food industry, and made me want to make a change. The end of the movie has profound words, that float by against a black background and one line struck me the most. It said something to the effect of:
“We all make a choice to change the world, three times a day.”
The injustices in the movie went far beyond the obvious animal-loving arguments. They showed how the agricultural industries in America are all big business, money-based monopolies. In the past thirty years, the entire industry has changed. Farming crops and raising animals for our food consumption is all centered around making the most money. This makes sense since it is a business, but the price that we pay is our health. The typical American diet is literally killing us.
My hippie-indulgent weekend included consuming the documentary King Corn and an episode from Morgan Spurlock’s brilliant FX TV series 30 Days about animal rights.
Did you know that thousands of acres in Iowa are farmed for a type of corn that is virtually inedible until it is processed? The majority of this genetically modified corn goes to produce corn by products, such as high fructose corn syrup that is one of the biggest contributing factors to the staggering statistics for obesity and diabetes in our culture. It also goes to produce a corn feed product to feed cows in a way that is unnatural to them as a species. We use it because it fattens them up in a manner that their natural grass fed diet would never allow. And this corn diet is so bad for the cows that if we didn’t butcher them in the time line that we did, this diet would kill them anyway.
The topic of saving the planet, and saving ourselves through better consumption practices just makes sense to me. The more information that I learn, the harder it is to go back to my previous ways. Now don’t get me wrong, I had McDonald’s for lunch on Friday. I easily spend 60% of my income on eating out. A life without bacon makes me cry little silent tears on the inside. But, I want to do better. When I learn that 75% of hamburgers that we eat are made with a filler which is rinsed with ammonia to kill the ecoli from the animal parts prior to putting it in my food, it disgusts me.
We are a society that is so busy, and rushing all the time that we are out of touch as to where our food comes from. I’m first to admit that I haven’t a clue. But it feels so good to be more conscious. It feels so much better to eat healthier and less processed foods. I have yet to meet a person that can tell me that they feel healthier and more energized after eating fast food. I certainly don’t.
I don’t believe that everyone should eat organically just because it’s the trendy thing to do. But, I think we have a responsibility to our own health, and our kid’s health to be more informed. Take the time to watch Food, Inc., King Corn, and 30 Days: Animal Rights (all are linked above). I’m not against eating animals at all, but I believe in doing it in a natural and humane way. I want to find local farms to purchase my meat and go visit them. I want to go to organic farms where I can pick my own produce. I want to go live in a commune without electricity and grown my own vegetables. Wait a minute, no I don’t. I’d miss my laptop too much.
So, I’m doing my part and trying to change the way I eat. I’m beginning to research where my food comes from, and cook more at home. I have a choice to change the world, three times a day.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Karen,
I think our health is the most important thing so beyond all arguments, this is for me the most important one to eat the right way. It amazes me how people in general, not only Americans, will ignore this aspect for a long time, then wonder why they feel sick, old and drained of energy.
All the best,
Eduard
Hey Karen!
Oh man I love documentaries. I haven’t seen those ones specifically, you might enjoy Who Killed The Electric Car, I found that one fascinating. I also liked Encounters at the End of the World, though I am not sure what the lesson in that one is. I thought it was awesome though – really interesting characters.
Awesome article Karen-
I bought the ipod version of Food Inc and have watched it three times. I am amazed at how ignorant and unhealthy we are. I try to buy grass fed, cage free as often as possible, but I also tend to buy a dollar meal chicken sandwich too.
It is tough when we all don’t support the healthy things and support crap like processed corn products.
Thanks for sharing this with many. I would love more to learn from this. Plus pick up Food Rules by Michael Pollan. Great guide!
David Damron
The Minimalist Path & LifeExcursion
Excellent article. Scary when you wake up all at once *BANG* like that, eh? Not quite so with me, but the actual decision to go vegetarian overnight was only the predecessor of the things I was to later learn. That was two years ago this month. While I’m not vegan, really, I do know exactly and approve of where both my eggs and milk (separate sources, both used sparingly) come from. I’ve talked to the animals’ people. And they are just that. They don’t own the animals; they treat them as…well, maybe not the members of the family I did when my family had cows for a while when I was in school, but they treat them well. They are what I call “happy cows” and “happy chickens”. Room to run and kick their legs, beaks intact to catch their real food, insects, which they can do because they have a yard in which to run. Let’s face it…how sad is it to see a poor, beakless calf?
Seriously, though, good on ya. Be careful, though. One step leads to another. Before long, you’ll be riding only a bicycle, even when you live in nothing little TinyTown, and growing your own bean sprouts. And I kid you not, there’s a recognition of a deeper spirituality, a true meaning in everything once you start connecting on a level like that. Truly. Next thing you know, you’ll be meditating. *Om shanti shanti shanti.
*Namaste’,
Tee
*a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known what these phrases mean, now they are holy mantras that resound in me. Funny how things change.
Hey Karen
Great post and thanks for the links. I became vegetarian again just over a year ago …. I loved eating meat but on some level it never felt right for me. “Diet for a New America” is another great book you might like.
I loved eating meat too, but I honestly think I have missed it once or twice in the last year and seem to be trying more different foods as a result. I don’t think veganism and vegetarianism are for everyone but just bringing more awareness to where our food comes from causes a massive shift … even cutting down on our animal consumption can make a massive difference.
Great post Karen!
I had my beef rancher parents watch Food Inc. and I was almost sure they would hate it as “socialist/liberal/hippie garbage.” They actually liked it….they started raising their own chickens that are REALLY free-range because the chicken situation is so yucky. They have been wanting to do grass finished beef for quite a few years. Unfortunately there are too few grass finishing facilities in the U.S. The only places for my parents to sell their livestock is the yucky grain finishing feedlots. I hope this documentary makes way for Grass-Finished Beef so that the rancher can actually produce the kind of meat that is better for the nation.
I plan on joining a Co-op when we get back to the States, for veg/fruits and maybe a pig. (The beef is given as Christmas presents in my family!) There are so many people doing that now and it sounds like an awesome idea to get back in touch with our food source.
Awesome post….I could talk about this movie all day!
Hi Karen – I’m also on a food related documentary kick! Mine started with another fascinating food related pic called How to Cook Your Life. It’s about a Zen Buddhist monk who started as a cook in the kitchen at the monastic center, and it follows a cooking and meditation retreat that he leads. Really, wonderful perspective on cooking whole food.
I was also deeply inspired by Food Inc. so much so that I’m cutting soda out of my diet and cooking from scratch. Amusingly enough, I’ve already taken a lot of the big steps; I’m already vegetarian and have bought a local organic farm share for the summer. I look forward to hearing more about how these documentaries inspires you.
Good grief, we really do share a brain! I’ve just started (tonight) watching “Whale Wars” about these insane people who risk their lives to stop whaling, and it’s really made me think about what I eat. I’ve long thought about going veg, though I love meat dearly, and vegan… I don’t think I could give up dairy. But I do try to buy locally farmed products and I’m just going to have to cut back on my shoe fund to buy grass-fed meat.
It may interest you to know that the Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle cooks everything fresh, everything is organic, and 70% (I think I have my stats right) of his beef is grass-fed, and all other meat is free-range. I’m willing to pay more for that sort of thing, but hopefully we’ll get to the point soon that we won’t have to. McDonald’s is horrible, but it’s cheap, and low-income families can get a lot of food for less than $10. Lots of politics involved in this one, but thinking about it is the first step, so welcome to the club! 
Hey Karin,
It is truly chocking to see, how animals are treated in the food industry. Here in the Netherlands there are some regulations, but still isn’t enough. But indeed the people nowadays are more focused on their own being, that that they take notice of others, or even the food they eat. It has to be fast, more and easy and mostly its egocentric.
An other benefit of eating less meat, or at least one I’ve have encountered, is the positive effect on your weight: If you want to lose some weight, cut back on your meat consumption! I had some trouble with my stomach and intestines. Therefor I’ve started a more vegetarian diet. Not only did my problems go away, i lost some weight to! And as extra bonus, I’ve helped some animals that are trapped in the food industry.
Right now, as I’m living @ my parents place temporally, I can follow my vegetarian diet that close as I would like (Mom likes to, but Dad doesn’t/isn’t interested). And I’m not happy with it :’(. But it has to be for now..
Greets,
Rik