More and more, I have noticed that my family and friends are changing their diets. Recently, my brother became a vegetarian, so he only eats meat-substitutes. His switch was weird, because my mom has always cooked dinners consisting of a meat, vegetables, and a starch. Also, he has a friend who moved in with us who is a vegetarian as well.
Then, my sister--who is 13--has friends in middle school who do not eat meat. I assume that this is their parent's doing, because I presume that middle schooler's wouldn't make the conscious choice not to eat meat. This is just my assumption, because I know that when I was in middle and high school, I never even thought about it. All my friends ate meat. However, times are changing, and as information floods the media, people are becoming more armed with knowledge.
Lastly, my boyfriend told me that he wanted to stop eating meat. He is a huge animal lover, and he watched a lot of PETA videos that showed the animals being tortured, abused, and killed inhumanely. This reminded me of Food, Inc, specifically the way the chickens were treated. (The PURDUE farmers who kicked the chickens; the chemicals that are injected into the chickens so that they grow faster, and etc.) I have to admit, when he said he wasn't going to eat meat, I was upset. As mentioned previously, my mother has always cooked healthy meals consisting of meat, so what would become of her recipes? How could I provide meals for him? (OK, that is a tad sexist, but I want to cook for my man!) However, I know that I need to respect his decision and find other healthy alternatives to cooking.
Further, everything that I have learned has made me want to change my eating habits. Through the readings, Food Inc., and the research conducted for my collaborative research project, I know that I want to change my lifestyle. For example, I will start eating organic and natural foods, instead of processed foods that use high fructose corn syrup and corn oil. Recently, I went to the food store with my mom, and we were in the peanut butter and jelly aisle. Looking on the back of the peanut butter jars, we saw ingredients like these ones from Jiff:
Then, my sister--who is 13--has friends in middle school who do not eat meat. I assume that this is their parent's doing, because I presume that middle schooler's wouldn't make the conscious choice not to eat meat. This is just my assumption, because I know that when I was in middle and high school, I never even thought about it. All my friends ate meat. However, times are changing, and as information floods the media, people are becoming more armed with knowledge.
Lastly, my boyfriend told me that he wanted to stop eating meat. He is a huge animal lover, and he watched a lot of PETA videos that showed the animals being tortured, abused, and killed inhumanely. This reminded me of Food, Inc, specifically the way the chickens were treated. (The PURDUE farmers who kicked the chickens; the chemicals that are injected into the chickens so that they grow faster, and etc.) I have to admit, when he said he wasn't going to eat meat, I was upset. As mentioned previously, my mother has always cooked healthy meals consisting of meat, so what would become of her recipes? How could I provide meals for him? (OK, that is a tad sexist, but I want to cook for my man!) However, I know that I need to respect his decision and find other healthy alternatives to cooking.
Further, everything that I have learned has made me want to change my eating habits. Through the readings, Food Inc., and the research conducted for my collaborative research project, I know that I want to change my lifestyle. For example, I will start eating organic and natural foods, instead of processed foods that use high fructose corn syrup and corn oil. Recently, I went to the food store with my mom, and we were in the peanut butter and jelly aisle. Looking on the back of the peanut butter jars, we saw ingredients like these ones from Jiff:
Then, we picked up a jar of "all natural" peanut butter, and we saw words like: peanuts, sugar, salt and molasses--things that are real. Things that can be pronounced.
Taking from Micheal Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Taking from Micheal Pollan's, The Omnivore's Dilemma: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."