Eco Alley
Living Green with Connie Pumphrey
Food - Is it really?
I read constantly - so much so that an old boyfriend told me that I lived my life through books rather than in the real world. Last night’s book club selection were works by Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Botany of Desire). The discussion was about food sources and EVERYONE was knowledgeable about the subject. I was taken to task for my (not so) “organic” lettuce purchases, learned of a source for ordering local farm food (made easy to pick up), discussed culturing yogurt, was surprised to discover that if I was on a desert island and could choose only one item besides water, hot dogs would be a smarter choice than alfalfa sprouts, spinach, chocolate, etc., because we are carnivores and need the protein, oil and fat to sustain us. I love smart women!
The central theme of Pollan’s “Dilemma” is corn and how the crop has ruined farmland and made us fat. Corn is sugar/carbs with almost no nutritional value. Pollan had the content of a typical fast food meal measured and was told it is about 65% corn. Commercial “farmers” feed corn to cattle, chicken and pigs to fatten them for market but the animals’ systems were designed for grain and slow grazing. Cows can literally explode inside from the gases that corn create so commercial farmers inject them with steroids and antibiotics to keep them alive for 18 months so they can go to market for slaughter. It isn’t a pretty picture but it is the reality of our food sources these days and something we should consider a top priority to correct.
My former boyfriend died four years ago after crashing his Harley on his way to Bike Week. He would not have wanted to go any other way. Maybe we are OK going down with our junk food choices but, if we want to live a little longer and healthier (with our conscience clean), we should make better food choices.
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