Knowing When Choosing Organic Will Have the Greatest Impact

If you've been reading my blog or or know me personally, you'll know that I'm not one to advocate for simply jumping on the bandwagon, "Because everyone else is doing it."  If you're going to make the decision to become a locavore, buy organic, or whatnot, I think it's important to learn about what you're doing and have a good solid reason why you're doing it.  You should know your facts and back-up your position.  Nothing bothers me more than someone who does something because it's the latest fad or because someone else told them it was the right thing to do.

The other day, I was reading one of the many blogs that I follow, Fed Up With Lunch, and I happened upon a link to an article called, "10 Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic."  While the article doesn't go into a lot of scientific detail, I liked it for two reasons.  First of all, it wasn't an all-or-nothing approach to eating organic.  It was a sensible approach where the author basically said, "Okay, we can't all buy all organic all of the time, but we can target the problem where it matters most--the top 10 most important items."

The second reason I liked it is because the author backed-up each of the 10 line items with at least some rudimentary mention of scientific studies and the effects on people and the earth.  At the very least, the article provided you with chemical names and studies to look into further.

It's this kind of sensible approach to making changes that we can all adopt.  While we can't be expected to go 100% local, 100% organic, or whatever all at once, we can make educated choices when faced with a limited grocery budget that may allow you to buy only one or two sustainably produced items that week.

Another Good Reason to Eat More Local/Organic/Home-Grown/Etc.

Most of the time, I don't push a specific position on most of the "earthy crunchy" movement in food (as I like to call it).  I think that you need to do the research, watch the documentaries, talk to your local farmers, and make your own choices for you and your family.  Generally speaking, I do believe that our food supply has become more factory-oriented and that we're doing ourselves and our bodies a disservice by continuing to support such practices.

At the same time, I understand the cost-prohibitive nature of eating locally or choosing organic over conventionally grown foods--even for middle-class folks like myself.  I realize that many families don't have the financial luxury to shop at places like Whole Foods, local markets, or even the higher-priced farmer's markets.  The fact is, our cost of living and our paychecks are calculated on the 99 cent per pound chicken as opposed to the $5.49 per pound chicken.

My personal beliefs on the subject aside, I think that once you've done the research and ironed-out your position, you can achieve some of your goals.  Even if we only swap-out 30% of the food we eat with something that is better or something that advocates for the better, we're doing ourselves and the industry a service--by "voting with our forks," as they say.

This morning, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Unearthing this Life and Jennifer posted this article about a recent study involving the nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables we eat and how that has changed over the years as farming becomes less about agriculture and more about manufacturing food faster and with fewer resources.  In a nutshell, the study found that the less time the food is spending on the plant, the less time it has to absorb nutrients and minerals that our bodies get from eating it.  It's really that simple and, if you think about it, it just makes sense.

I'm not saying we should all go out tomorrow and buy nothing but organic produce and pay the premium for it.  However, if you can swing by a farm stand on your way home or visit the farmer's market this weekend or even support your local non-chain grocer (who, in turn, can order better products for you if they are well supported and have the cash flow to do so), you're doing your part to say, "Yes, I want 130 mg of calcium in my broccoli instead of 48 mg."  And, you're doing your body some good...

It Aint Just McDonalds...

With all the discussion over obesity in America, we're always quick to blame McDonalds for providing us with the means and opportunity. What people don't often do is look at their favorite coffee shop and morning coffee with the same criticism.

The other morning at Dunkin Donuts, I heard a young-ish man walk up and ask for the following, "A medium iced, extra-extra, with two shots of caramel."

For those not from New England, let me translate. He ordered a medium iced coffee with extra sugar, extra cream, and two shots of caramel syrup. At Dunkin, a medium iced drink is 24 oz. That's 4 "cups" on your home coffee pot or two 12-oz mugs. Dunkin doesn't list that exact combination on their nutrition website, but a medium iced with a single dose of cream and sugar and no caramel is 288 calories, 14.4 grams of fat, and 48mg of cholesterol. Since most of that comes from the cream and sugar and he ordered "extra-extra," let's double it (576 calories, 29 grams of fat, and 96 mg of cholesterol).

As it turns out, Dunkin offers two different types of caramel flavoring. The "Caramel Swirl" added to their espresso drinks is standard, sugar-laden caramel sauce like you'd find on an ice cream sundae or a caramel latte. The caramel flavored coffee uses a sugar free caramel flavoring. This gets around having to brew multiple types of beans. I don't know which the young man received in his coffee, but having been a barista, I know that a "shot" usually means the sugar syrup. If we make that assumption, a "shot" is 1.5oz and two shots is 3oz (not to be confused with a "double shot" because Dunkin doesn't work with alcohol jiggers)... According to Smuckers, a 3-oz serving of caramel syrup is 300 calories, no fat, no cholesterol.

That brings us to: 876 calories, 29g fat, 96mg cholesterol.

To put it into perspective the recommended daily allowance is based on a 2000 calorie diet. 876 calories is nearly half that (45%). The RDA for cholesterol is 300mg (32%) and 65g for fat (45%). This is for ONE DRINK. Around here, it's not uncommon for many people to have two or more of these in a day.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not specifically Dunkin's fault this guy ordered and consumed what he did. However, their fantastic advertising (Everyone Runs on Dunkin) encourages us to think that a 24-oz beverage loaded with all that crap is and should be normal and that it'll keep us going all day long when, in fact, it's not and it won't. What's more, they've convinced many of us that it's normal to have at least one a day, or two, or three. Not a far stretch from that well-known not-so-subliminal message, "You want fries with that?"

Cork - The Other Oak

If you haven't been living under a rock, I'm sure you've been told by now that cork is "a renewable resource," and seen it used in everything from hardwood floor to, well, cork boards.

This week, Whole Foods did a blog entry about cork for a new cork recycling program they're running in the stores. While the recycling program didn't excite me too much (I drink inexpensive wine, which rarely has real corks anymore to recycle), I was rather intrigued by many of the "cork facts" in the article. For example, did you know that cork comes from an oak tree? Did you know that the trees aren't cut-down to harvest it? And, did you know that trees that have been harvested of their cork absorb five times the CO2 as other trees? That makes cork the "super wood" of the tree world, IMHO.

Check out the full article from Whole Foods' Blog, The Whole Story.


Image of a cork tree borrowed from "traed mawr" at Flickr under the Creative Commons attribution license.

Must Watch: Jamie Oliver's New Series

I'm so frustrated by what I'm about to say that I'm not even sure where to start... Seriousy. Ever see something that you were just so shocked at that you didn't know how to respond? Ever feel powerlessto do something about a situation that you know is just plain wrong? That's how I felt the other night while watching a new series on TV.

Jamie Oliver, the famed British Chef from "The Naked Chef," has teamed up with Ryan Seacrest to produce a television series for ABC called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Jamie has long been an advocate for local eating, knowing where your food comes from, simply prepared foods, and the importance of healthy eating. When I heard he had a new program coming out and that it was going to be on network television, I was excited and quickly set-up the Tivo to record it.

What I saw really and truly surprised and depressed me. It turns out that the premise of his show is that he's traveled to a community in West Virginia that has recently been named the fattest and most unhealthy community in the country (and effectively, the world). The town leads the entire nation in adult obesity, death due to heart disease and diabetes, and even elderly with few or no teeth. This community is a looking glass into the future of America if we don't change our eating and exercise habits very soon and curb the problem with childhood obesity immediately.

In his new series, Jamie has set-up shop in the community for several months and has pledged his own time and energy to start, "A Food Revolution," to get the townsfolk into better eating habits. His first stop is the school lunch system.

Here's what really bothered me about the lunch system:

• He arrived on day one to find the kids being served "breakfast pizza" for breakfast (it had sausage on it...that apparently made it breakfast) and chicken nuggets for lunch. Both meals were accompanied by sugary flavored milk (there was no white milk or juice in the cooler). The nuggets were accompanied by extra bread and the sauce on the pizza counted as the veggie.
  
• The lunch ladies were outright pissed that he was there and blatantly told him they "couldn't" make better food because they didn't have time or money and that they were making perfectly balanced meals by the book.
  
• As it turns out, "The Book," a 3-inch 3-ring binder, comprises of the USDA guidelines for school lunch programs nation-wide, supposedly based on the food pyramid. It actually dictates how many "units" of each food group should be served for each age range at each meal and the meal is not reimbursable by the Feds if it doesn't have the required number of units.
  
• At one point, the woman argued with Jamie that he needed "Two Breads" because the book said so--even though he had prepared a perfectly balanced meal containing vegetables, lean meat, and nutrient-rich brown rice.
• In a more recent episode, he had a great veggie stir-fry he was serving to the high school students. The same woman began arguing that there weren't enough vegetable units in the dish and, get this...french fries count as a vegetable.

After the lunch program fiasco, he went to a first-grade class with a basket of veggies and began to play the "What's This" game. Holding up a bunch of tomatoes, one of the kids thought they were potatoes. Holding up a potato, the kids had no idea what it was. Holding up french fries, they knew what they were but didn't know they came from potatoes. They couldn't identify ANY of the veggies he held-up. These kids had never seen a fresh veggie in their short little lives.

Then, there was the nugget test--one he's done numerous times in England, always with fantastic results. He took a small group of kids into his kitchen and showed them a whole raw chicken. He cut-off all of the "expensive" parts (breast, legs, wings, etc.) and was left with the carcass and meat that was clinging to it. He explained that in many countries, chicken nuggets are made using this piece of the bird. He then illustrated by grinding up the bird--bones and all in a food processor, straining the bones out with a sieve, mixing in spices and thickeners. He then rolled it out like a dough, cut with a round cookie cutter, breaded them and fried them. Of course, the kids were sufficiently grossed-out. Once the nuggets were out of the fryer, he asked for a show of hands as to who would STILL eat them after they'd seen that. ALL the hands went up...I mean it. Every single hand. So he handed the nuggets out, they devoured them, and the experiment was over. Fail.

I take for granted that I use very little prepared foods and that I can whip-up a meal from raw ingredients. I always knew other people ate more prepared stuff than I do but I never realized it represented 100% of the family diet for a huge number of families. That first-grade kids can't tell a potato from a tomato really scares me.

If you're able to, I highly recommend watching this new series. This is not a documentary made by earthy-crunchy, tree-hugging folks. This show is about real everyday people in a real town and is an eye-opening experience no matter who you are or how you choose to eat. This show makes "Supersize Me" seem like small potatoes.

...or is that tomatoes?

Is "Made in China" Always Bad?

If you've been reading my blog for awhile or you know me personally, you know that I fully support the "locavore" movement. I truly believe that it's important not only to source your food from local sources, but it's important to support and buy from locally owned businesses, use local tradesman, and in general, be a good steward of your community.

I'm not exactly Anti-Walmart or Anti-Target, but I do know that if you don't spread your purchasing generosity around, eventually all we'll have is Walmart and Target and having choices, particularly healthy ones, is what being American is all about.

That said, I was reading a blog post over at Not Dabbling in Normal the other day and one of the commenters was on her soapbox about the whole "Buy American" movement and basically making it sound like Asian countries were nothing blocks and blocks of big 'ole sweatshops filled with poorly-treated people who are overworked and paid very little for the sole purpose of supplying goods to us rich Americans. Okay, I'm paraphrasing heavily--no disrespect to the commenter intended. Her argument was actually excellent.

Her excellent point got me thinking about the two months I spent living in Thailand while doing a school-related project. During my time there, I met a lot of really wonderful, hardworking folks who were making a living growing, manufacturing, or packaging products bound for America and they weren't all being treated poorly. In fact, many were what we'd call, "small business owners," and they'd be lost if they didn't have the American market to sell to. The reason is that many of these underdeveloped Asian countries don't have a middle-class. When you don't have a middle class, you don't have a market for mid-range cost items. It's really just that simple.

For example, each day I would walk home after work and I'd pass by a building where the family lived upstairs and worked downstairs, essentially out of their garage, cutting, sewing, and screen-printing t-shirts. The entire family helped-out when they could--even the little ones. If we suddenly stopped buying all of our T-shirts from Thailand, families like this all over the country would be out of the job.

Another example was a family in the hill villages who had a small sawmill as part of their home. They had this big blue tarp out in front with small slivers of sticks in it that I couldn't immediately identify.
If you guessed chopsticks, you're right! This family home in a very rural area of the country where they often have no indoor plumbing and in some cases, no electricity, is a chopstick factory.

Not far from the chopstick factory was a small family farm that grew rice.
While they were probably primarily "subsistence farmers," meaning that they mostly grow food that they need in order to eat, many sell the excess product when they have an exceptionally good harvest and use that money to supplement their food supply or pay for gas for the family motor cycle. That's right...no mini-vans. If these families had vehicles at all, they might have a small motorcycle.

A fourth example is a woman who was sitting in a store front, minding the store. In-between helping customers, I noticed that she was wrapping small plastic toys in plastic bags and getting them ready for shipping. They were the types of trinkets you might find in the Oriental Traders catalog or inside of a Happy Meal. She probably gets a few pennies for each one she packs and uses that to supplement the income from the store.

I don't have a photo of her, but she was a very sweet lady and by no means did she look unhappy with life. She even helped me out with my Thai language skills a bit, getting a kick out of how bad I was.

Now I'm not saying that sweat shops don't exist. I'm quite sure they do and I'm quite positive that the likes of Walmart buy from them on a regular basis--even own some of them. However, the sweatshops are giving all of these independent folks a bad name. These people are working as hard, if not harder, than your local farmer or your local craftsmen, and they need our market to sell to just as badly. If we all stopped buying foreign-made things, these families would be out on the street.

So next time you hear someone ranting away about a "Made in China" label, remind them that China, or Thailand, or Indonesia, or anywhere else, all have hardworking small family businesses too and that they rely on us as much as we rely on them. Maybe one day, we'll be able to distinguish between cheap factory-made products and products made by overseas artisans and small businesses. In the mean time, don't be afraid to grab one or two items from the big box stores. You may be helping out someone like this.

Social Responsibility; GMO & Organic?

There's currently a measure on the table over at the FDA to authorize the growth of genetically modified crops of Alfalfa. This is a significant landmark situation for two reasons:

First of all, the FDA has been rubber-stamping genetically modified seeds for years and this is the first time a legal fight started by an activist group has stopped them in their tracks and forced them to use the proper approval process, which includes public commentary. This is going to set a great precedence where we actually get to help make the decision as the people who are eating the food.

The second reason this is a landmark event is because Alfalfa is a cover crop that's often planted in beds on the off-years and during the winter to give the ground time to rest and acquire nutrients. Alfalfa is an open-pollinated grass, which means that pollen will blow off of the Alfalfa fields and into other fields and pollinate other crops, producing second-generation crops with part of the DNA from the genetically modified Alfalfa, effectively contaminating the gene pool. For folks who are dead-set on eating 100% organic and non-GMO products, this is a nightmare.

I have a slightly different view on the matter. First of all, I do think that we have the right to know where our food comes from and how it was grown. That's what personal choice and American freedom is all about. If I were to choose to eat organic, I'd want to know that I'm truly doing so and not eating organically grown products that have been accidentally cross-bred with GMO crops.

My second opinion on the matter is that the politics behind GMO crops are just plain nasty and hurt the smaller, more quality-oriented farms. People don't realize this, but once you genetically alter a crop, you can patent the seed for that crop. Whenever another farm wants to grow from your seed, you are entitled to payment for using your patent and they pretty much have to buy the seed from you, the patent owner. You can't collect seed at the end of the year for re-use because they want their royalty fees. To make matters worse, there's basically only one company left, Monsanto, that owns the majority of the world's GMO seed patents. Monsanto is so large that they've got all the legal bullying power to put small farms out of business and they use it often and with a heavy hand.

Here's how it works. You're a small farmer that wants to grow non-GMO food. You plant your beds and the farm down the street that is using GMO seeds open-pollinates your field by mistake (the wind blows where it blows). You collect the seeds from your crop at the end of the year with the intention of using them again next year to save money. However, some dude from Monsanto knocks on your door and says, "Prove to us you're not collecting and re-using our genetically modified seeds." And of course, you can't because your seeds do indeed contain part of the genes from their seeds.

The small farmer then gets buried in legal paperwork by Monsanto until he can no longer afford to fight and has to close-up shop. Morally speaking, the farmer is every bit within his right--and probably legally speaking too. However, he doesn't have the money to go up against the giant, so legal or not, he loses.

Kinda sucks, doesn't it? Read more about it here and decide for yourself how you feel. If you feel as strongly about it as I do, be sure to submit your public comment to the FDA before the comment window closes on March 3rd.

Social Responsibility - Shopping Locally When You Can't.

This post is one of a series I've been writing tagged as "Social Responsibility" The series focuses on eating and shopping locally, choosing healthier food sources, supporting your local economy and merchants, and learning to do all these things without hurting your budget. I hope you enjoy the posts.

Recently, I wrote a post about shopping locally and buying local products. I'm sure many of you were thinking, "Yeah, easy for you to say. Do you KNOW how much more money you have to spend to shop locally?" Or, perhaps you thought, "But what if I don't have access to locally produced food?"

Well, there are some really great foods in the regular supermarket that qualify as "local" foods in my book. They may not be local in the traditional sense, but they're companies with the same philosophy on food...that you shouldn't compromise quality to make an extra buck. They also contribute to the communities in which they operate and take good care of their employees.

First, a few national brands...

King Arthur Flour
I've personally been up to KAF headquarters and shopped in the company store. Now here's a company that puts its money where its mouth is. They sell nation-wide but still operate out of a timber frame building in Vermont and they're entirely employee-owned. Their flour may be upwards of an extra buck over the store or national brands, but the quality and love that goes into the product makes the extra money well worth it.

Bob's Red Mill
Here in Rhode Island, you can even find Bob's products in discount stores and they're not second quality. Bob's still operates as a small operation in Oregon and you can really taste the difference. Plus, their products tend to be pretty reasonably priced.

Annie's Homegrown
Annie's is perhaps most known for its line of organic boxed Mac & Cheese, but they also make cereal and organic alternatives to a lot of other kid-friendly foods. They still hold true to their core values and still operate out of the Napa Valley area.

Green Mountain Coffee
Even though they're the parent company of Keurig, a device they themselves admit to be not so Earth friendly (they're working on it!), Green Mountain takes planet stewardship seriously in nearly all of their operations. Not only do they produce organic and Free Trade blends, but they go so far as to do things like distribute their coffee bean hulls for use as garden mulch.

Cabot Cheese
Cabot Cheese was started as a farmer-owned co-op and still operates the same way. Even though they ship throughout the northeast, they have let other farms in those states join the co-op.

More Local
Of course, if you look around you, you'll find a lot of locally owned an operated companies that you never even realized were local. Here are just a few I've found in New England:

Marshmallow Fluff
Most people don't realize that Fluff (and the Fluffernutter Sandwich) were born and are still made in Massachusetts. In fact, the state legislature tried to make the Fluffernutter sandwich the "state sandwich."

Cain's Foods
Known for their Mayo and salad dressings, Cains is based in Ayer, Massachusetts.

Pastene
Pastene, importers and distributors of great Italian food, is based in Canton, Massachusetts. Their products are top-quality and delicious.

Autocrat
Autocrat Coffee is based in Lincoln, RI and they still roast all of their beans right there at the main headquarters. In fact, if you drive-by on RI Rte 146 at just the right time of the day or evening, you can smell the roasting coffee.

Supreme Dairy Farms
Located in Warwick, RI, Supreme makes fantastic cheeses, including ricotta and mozzarella.

Rhody Fresh
Rhody Fresh is a collaborative of RI farms who banded-together to produce their own milk brand. When you buy Rhody Fresh, you're supporting local RI cows!

Social Responsibility: What's the Real Benefit to Shopping Locally?

This post is one of a series I've been writing tagged as "Social Responsibility" The series focuses on eating and shopping locally, choosing healthier food sources, supporting your local economy and merchants, and learning to do all these things without hurting your budget. I hope you enjoy the posts.

One of the things I've been trying to do more lately is shop locally. In his book, Food Matters, Mark Bittman says something to the effect that, if you have a choice, choose locally grown organic food first, non-organic locally grown food second, organic non-local food third, and conventional food when you can't get the other three.

Why? A few reasons, actually...

Environmental Impact
Moving our food around the country can actually have a larger impact on the environment than chemical fertilizers. Think about it. Huge factory-owned farms, even organic ones, produce our food in the warmer regions of the country (or even outside of the country). These huge farms have enormous machines pumping diesel fuel into the atmosphere to grow, pick, and then process the crops. Once they're processed, they have to be shipped somewhere via train, truck, or plane, burning even more fossil fuels. Then, they enter the "megamart," big grocery stores that also have high carbon footprints and lots of waste because of the sheer volume of product that moves through the stores. In the end, when you buy from a local source, be it a farmstand, farmer's market, or even a locally-owned grocery store, you're cutting out all that transportation and carbon overhead.

Quality and Traceability
When you buy locally, you may even get to know the farmer who grew your product. Even if you don't, you know the product probably wasn't picked before it was ripe and that it probably is fresher, will last longer, and will taste a lot better.

Supporting the Local Economy
In today's economic mess, we need to support not only our little local stores, but that "Made in America," stamp that you see oh so rarely these days. We've gotten so involved in the "global economy," that it seems we've forgotten how to make stuff ourselves. By buying locally, or even American-made products over foreign or long-distance products, you help create demand within that industry and it will ultimately end-up in job creation and prices more comparable to the nationally or globally produced items.

So next time you're out shopping for groceries, head on over to the locally owned grocer or the farm stand instead. Even if you can only afford to pick-up a few items there or go every third shopping trip, you're still doing something good for your community, the country, and the planet.

Social Responsibility - How to Shop for Better Food and Not Break the Bank

This post is one of a series I've been writing tagged as "Social Responsibility" The series focuses on eating and shopping locally, choosing healthier food sources, supporting your local economy and merchants, and learning to do all these things without hurting your budget. I hope you enjoy the posts.

Over the past few months, I've been exposing myself to documentaries and books, and other literature revolving around food choices such as organic, local, all-natural, cage-free, free-range, etc. I've also been speaking to a few friends of mine who eat that way regularly. For a variety of reasons, which I will detail in future posts, I'm finding myself wanting to take advantage of many of these food choices but frustrated at the prices associated with them, which can often be 3 to 4 times the price of conventionally grown food.

That said, I'm slowly learning a few tricks and tips and I'd like to share them with you.

Take Advantage of Deals & Stock-Up
Many organic and socially responsible grocers offer weekly sales items even though they don't send out fliers. In the case of Whole Foods, one of the largest of these types of grocers, you can look-up your store's sales flier on their website.

When something is on sale, whether it be organic or free-range, or whatever, it's often close to the price of it's conventional counterpart at regular price. When I see those prices, I stock-up. This practice could make your grocery bills unpredictable (high one week and low the next), but it usually works out even in the end if your budget can deal with the fluctuation.

A perfect example is whole roaster and fryer chickens. I've seen packaged free-range fryers as cheap as 99 cents a pound and Bell & Evans roasters for $1.79 per pound. When I do, I buy two or three (depending on available freezer space).

Be Willing To Wait
Unlike the typical megamart, prices and availability have a tendency to fluctuate with market availability and the seasons. We've grown so used to everything being available year-round that we've forgotten the entire concept of eating what's in season. This is especially true with meats and veggies.

When something has a lower price because it's in-season, I take advantage of it. When they don't, I simply choose another veggie or meat that week or use something I have in the freezer.

Ask Questions & Special Order
If it isn't out on the shelf, it doesn't mean they don't have it. Ask someone. Butchers, deli, and produce employees at upscale grocery stores and local shops usually really know their products and don't always display everything they have or can get. Often, the item not on display is even cheaper than what is. If you want a particular cut of meat, ask for it. If they don't have what you want, ask if they can get it.

Case in point, I asked a guy stocking shelves for canned white beans one day day and he actually walked me to the opposite end of the store to show me where they were and then explained how I could buy ones packed in salt or ones packed in a special type of seaweed that supposedly helps you digest beans better and without many of the unpleasant side effects. Not only did he do all of this with a smile and interrupt his work stocking shelves, but I got a free lesson to boot. Certainly beats a blank stare and having, "Aisle six," grunted at you by a lethargic 16-year-old stock boy.

Don't Be In a Rush
The above-mentioned level of service does come with a price. In order to give other customers the same service you would like, the employees don't move too fast and you may get stuck in line for a bit. I once ordered six slices of prosciutto and the woman didn't have one open. It took her over 5 minutes to open the package, shave off some fat, and get the first slice off, but it was worth it.

To avoid problems, shopping late is a good strategy (like 1-2 hours before closing). It's usually much less busy and you don't usually need to rush to be somewhere. Also, if it looks like it'll be awhile to do a laborious task, often you can ask them if you can swing back and pick it up after you've finished working through the rest of the store. They may even be grateful if they can take the next three people in line before working on your more time-consuming order.

Make Quantity Changes To Your Diet
A friend of mine who shops almost exclusively locally and at Whole Foods recently told me that she's changed her way of eating so that they eat less meat and more veggies and she absolutely loves eating that way. This is similar to the philosophy behind Mark Bittman's book Food Matters. It also keeps her budget in line.

The premise is that "big business" and restaurants have brainwashed us into believing our portion sizes should be huge when, in reality, our bodies are scientifically built to only eat about a quarter of the protein, fat, and calories we generally eat. Whether you agree with the science behind it or not, there are a lot of well-known health benefits to increasing our veggie intake and decreasing our meat intake.

It just so happens that this model works well when shopping naturally because meat tends to have a higher difference in price from conventionally grown food than produce does. So double-up on the veggies and cut back on the meat. It'll save you money AND be a healthy choice.

Farm Stands & Farmer's Markets
Most communities have access to farmer's markets and farm stands these days, especially during the summer. Here in Rhode Island, we even have an indoor winter market. I try to make it to the market at least every other week and buy most of my veggies there.

Local & Non-Chain Stores
In most communities, there are few locally-owned grocery and food businesses left. However, if you're lucky enough to have them, they can be a great resource. They're often more than willing to stock items you like when asked and you usually can't beat the local knowledge and customer service.

Don't Try to go Whole-Hog
If you want to start buying organically, locally, or whatever, don't set the bar too high for yourself or you'll just get discouraged. I think many people, myself included, jump in head first and want 100% all at once. The simple fact is that it's difficult to do for financial and other reasons. Do what you can and don't worry about the rest. It's still way better than doing nothing.

Social Responsibility - Recycling the Christmas Tree

Today, we put the Christmas tree out for the city to pick up. Thankfully, my community is one of the few in Rhode Island to have its own compost and mulching facility. They come around and pick-up everyone's trees and then chip them into mulch. Residents can then pick-up loads of mulch for free to use in the garden. What a great way to recycle and keep stuff out of the landfill.

I also found a nice way to reuse part of the tree myself. Every time we visit LL Bean in Maine, I walk by a display of little pillows with "Balsam Fir" potpourri in them. Of course, I just have to pick them up and give them a sniff. They remind me of Maine and of the holidays because, Douglas and Balsim Fir trees are the primary trees used for Christmas trees in our area and many of them are grown in Maine and Canada. Unfortunately, I usually put it down and walk away because they get $5.95 for them and I think that's just silly for something that's essentially yard waste in a cotton or plastic bag.

Anyway, I took small snips of branches and needles from the Christmas tree today and filled a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy the wonderful smell of Christmas Tree in my home all year long. I can even pop a branch or a couple of tablespoons of needles into my electric potpourri warmer with some water and the house will smell amazing.

Social Responsibility - Why Shop Locally (Hear Me Out...)

This post is one of a series I've been writing tagged as "Social Responsibility" The series focuses on eating and shopping locally, choosing healthier food sources, supporting your local economy and merchants, and learning to do all these things without hurting your budget. I hope you enjoy the posts.

There's a small local retail chain in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts known as Benny's. Everyone who has lived in this area for any length of time knows that Benny's is the place to go when you can't find find it elsewhere. Can't find a replacement part for Grandma's 50-year-old lamp? Try Benny's. Can't find silver polish because most people use stainless steel? Try Benny's. Want to buy your kid a Big Wheel for Christmas? Try Benny's.

The unusual thing about Benny's is that they don't really fit into any one category of store and you can't really call them a "Big Box Store," a "Department Store," or even a "Discount Retailer." They're in a league of their own, carrying a little bit of everything, not a lot of anything in particular, but they always seem to have what you're looking for and the price is reasonable. The other unusual thing about Benny's is that they seem to have weathered the Big Box Store storm quite well. I'm not sure if it's pure Rhode Island stubbornness or good old fashioned business sense and good customer service, but there's are many Benny's stores mere blocks from a Walmart, Target, Home Depot, or Lowes and they've managed to stay standing.

It makes me sad to find fewer and fewer places like Benny's. Places like that offer you so much that the big guys can't offer:

• They can often get obscure items for you because they can order a handful at a time.
• Employees often have better knowledge about the products they sell.
• They're usually much more friendly, greeting you, saying thanks, asking if you want help--basic customer service things that you can't take for granted anymore.
• They often offer products from local producers and manufacturers that the big guys can't or don't offer.
• More of the money you spend there ends-up back in the local economy through jobs, taxes, and employees spending their paychecks locally.
• They're not afraid to tell you when they don't have something you want and refer you to a competitor that they know has it. You won't get that from the big guys.

Of course, there are many more reasons.

I used Benny's as an example because it has a special character about it that's great for illustrative purposes, but the same applies to food shopping. When you shop at a locally owned supermarket, farmer's market, etc., you're helping-out your local economy and creating local jobs--something we sorely need right now. You're helping local farmers who want to keep providing you with the best, most delicious and healthy foods and who don't want to have to produce foods to suit the factory-like needs of the big corporations.

Most importantly, you're demanding change, even though you don't think you are. Shopping locally creates more demand for local goods, increases production when necessary, and reduces wasted products that expire. The end result is better profitability for the producer, the seller, and eventually, lower prices for you.

A side effect is that you're sending a message to the big guys. It's no secret that they're willing to do whatever it takes to get your business, keep it, or get it back. Many larger grocers used to carry local products and I've seen the bulk of them discontinue the program, probably to keep their profits high. If we stop buying their crappy imported products and buy fresher stuff elsewhere, they'll eventually be forced to better the quality of their products.

I realize we can't do 100% of our weekly shopping at a local place. It's often not affordable and the selection isn't there. But if you can buy just one or two things locally, you'll be doing your part. Stop by a local fishmonger on the way home and pick-up some nice haddock for dinner. Make a trip to the farmer's market on the weekend. Or, pick-up milk at the local deli instead of the chain quickie mart and choose a locally produced brand. You may pay an extra dollar or two but it'll come back to you in the end.

Social Responsibility - A New Post Series

Over the past year or so, a lot has happened in my life. I've gotten married and started building a life with my wife. I've found myself in the role of primary cook for our new "family," having to make choices about what we purchase and eat and setting habits that will ultimately educate our children. We've found ourselves in hard times, unemployed with very little discretionary income. And, I've spent quite a bit of time learning about food related topics such as healthier choices, organic food production, eating and buying locally, where our food comes from, and how our food is produced.

Perhaps most sadly, we've seen young celebrities and one of our own family members die abruptly of ailments like cancer and heart disease. These and many other conditions are increasingly a problem in this country and science and common sense are suggesting strongly that the problem might be attributed to what we put into our bodies and the environment.

All of these experiences and the learning that I've done have caused me to look at my interactions with the world around us and the food we eat quite differently:

• I'm saddened that we, as a country, have allowed our food choices to get to where they are and that we're in a limited position to choose better products because so few control so much and the better choices out there have become unaffordable.
• I'm saddened that we pay good money for what we buy and accept poor quality and terrible customer service as the norm.
• I'm saddened that, after over two decades of knowing better, we still recycle very little, preserve compostable refuse in sealed landfills that are growing in size at an exponential rate, and we dump thousands of pounds of airborne "crap" into our atmosphere and oceans each year because the companies that provide basic services and products like cars, electric power, etc., choose to be irresponsible and we feel like we don't have the power to change it.
• It bothers me that every day I'm ingesting and breathing things that work against my efforts to live a healthy and long life and that other people and corporations beyond my direct control are at fault.
• As an omnivore, I'm disgusted with the way we "manufacture" our meat, poultry, dairy, and fish products in this country. Not only is it unhealthy and inhumane for the animals, but I'm growing convinced that it is unhealthy for us. There is a better way (and no, the answer isn't to go Vegan or become a card-carrying PETA member).
  

All that said, I have faith and hope and the knowledge that we live in America. If we could put the first black man into Presidential office this year against all odds, we have the power to fix the things I've listed above. We need that old America--the one that cares and that fought for freedom and rights. We, the younger generation, need to stop staring at our toes and doing what people or corporations tell us to do and stop accepting things because they're the only choice or the easy choice. We need to demand change and I truly think we can.

With this in mind, I've decided to write a series of posts focused on what I like to call "Social Responsibility Through Food." I'll be taking a look at and musing to myself and others about the relationship between food and the environment, between food choices and our health, and other related topics. I hope you find them interesting and I hope they inspire some open dialogue, some thought, and maybe even some change in your life. Feel free to comment when you feel the passion to do so and please be kind to those who have views other than your own. Everyone has something good to say.

I look forward to the discussion.

Now, let's eat!