Food, Inc.: Changing how we eat

Where does your food come from? What happens in the places where our food is processed? Is it really safe? Is it sustainable? These are the questions that the movie “Food, Inc.” sets out to answer.

It starts right in with the argument that even though there are 47,000 choices in the average supermarket, there is less variety than we think. Besides the big amounts of corn and soy found in everything, these foods are produced by only a few huge companies.

The productivity and mechanization of our food system comes at a cost.

If you are thinking about seeing this film, I highly encourage you to do it. It is not fun to watch, but these are things we should know. If we are informed, we can make better choices. Making better choices means a better life for us, for the animals we eat, for the workers that process them, and for the planet.

After all, as the film reminds us, we vote three meals a day.

If you have read Michael Pollan’s book “Omnivores Dilemma” you will be familiar with much of what is in the movie. But that is a big book and as much as I loved it, it took me a long time to get through it. “Food, Inc.” is a fast way to get the key points.

You can see a 24 minute PBS interview with Robert Kenner, the director of “Food, Inc.” at this link. I hope this tickles your desire to see the movie. You can see the opening few minutes of the movie here. Or visit their website for more information.

A few notes I made:

• McDonalds is the largest purchaser of ground beef (and potatoes) in the US.
• Chickens used to reach full size in 70 days. Now they are double that size in just 48 days. Their bones can’t sustain that weight: they can’t walk more than a few steps.
• Not only do we feed surplus corn to cows and chickens, but we are teaching fish to eat corn, including farmed tilapia and salmon.
• Snack foods are only cheaper than healthy foods because they are subsidized.
• Salt, fat and sugar are rare in nature. We are biologically programmed to prefer them. Food manufacturers exploit this to sell more product.
• 90% of soybeans come from Monsanto seeds (which are genetically modified). GMO seeds can be patented. Monsanto owns soy beans.
• 70% of all processed food is GMO (genetically modified).

One of the final messages was a great one: We can change the world with every bite! Think about what you eat. Choose consciously.

Here is a list of what you can do now.

Find more nutrition information and my monthly newsletter on my website:  http://healthyhabitscoach.com .    Eat Sustainably!