Food, Inc.

Holy cow. We watched Food, Inc. yesterday for training. this being a "food blog" i think it's appropriate to talk about. i feel like everyone needs to see this movie. I do not think I can ever eat meat again (unless it's locally produced by small farmers, that may be the only exception).

the way our food is made is truly revolting. only a few people control so much with such little oversight, and so much power. (ie Monsanto. shudder.)

It makes me sad in a lot of ways. We've destroyed so much of our planet, so many varieties of different plants, so many small farmers (and entire economies) by buying into this system that perpetuates the exploitation of workers and animals, and creates food that is unsafe and unhealthy. i feel sometimes like i just need to mourn for what's been lost and what we're doing to ourselves. Also, thinking so much about food security makes me think of Andrew. With such an amazing advocate gone, I think we all need to work a little bit harder.

permit me to go off on a tangent for a second. Do you know what the first ingredient is in a surprising number of formulas? Corn Syrup Solids. Or whey (an unwanted by-product of milk production). What are we putting into our babies' bodies? (interestingly enough - here's what enfamil, one of the leading brands, will tell you to think about reading labels, and here's what they tell you about their different brands of formula - note how they never mention the fact that soy based formula contains corn syrup solids) Is it any wonder that childhood obesity rates are out of control?

you know what's particularly interesting to me, is the way that we all get so angry and defensive at the decisions that others make. People that eat meat get defensive about vegetarian and vegan's decisions to not eat meat - as if it's a personal critique of their choices (which, having lived with my fair share of militant vegans, at times it is). We also carry a certain level of defensiveness when we meet people that make commitments to buy only local, seasonal or organic produce. as if they're trying to say that they're better than us.

our money speaks for us in a lot of ways though. It speaks for the choices that we make, for the people and corporations that we support, whether or not we are conscious of these decisions.

I realize that i may sound hypocritical - that as a breastfeeding proponent, i'm getting angry at those that decide to feed their infants formula. I understand that there are many choices that people make that I will never fully understand I also understand that we live in an age where there is no societal support for breastfeeding, and where it risks being turned into a dying art. I also have seen the sneaky, nasty way that formula companies work. Also - as health care professionals we're constantly telling our patients the risks of smoking and obesity without being called sanctimonious. i really don't understand why it should be any different for breastfeeding - especially when the benefits are so clear.

I promise there will be recipes again at some point.