A couple of months ago my husband and I sat down to watch the Academy Award nominated documentary Food Inc., thereby instantly altering the way we eat permanently. I believe that all parents should watch this film because it is so shocking and terrifying AND WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! I can’t think of another instance where my entire life was changed by a small piece of media influence. Since watching the film, we’ve significantly cut back on the amount of meat we eat (we ate a lot of chicken before this film and now maybe eat it a couple of times a month) and we’re choosing quality (i.e. organic) meat over mass produced. I’m also buying more organic veggies, but to be honest because money is an issue I’ve been tending to stick to organic veggies for Little Miss’ food and regular ones for us – I figure you’ve gotta start somewhere!
I was recently referred to a great blog post about how to avoid chemicals at the grocery store and was shocked to discover that tin cans contain BPA – did you know that? I have no idea what this means for the large amount of tinned tomatoes we buy, but obviously now I know that I need to take this into consideration (because sadly ignorance isn’t bliss if it can kill you – LOL!). The other great thing on the post mentioned above is the Dirty Dozen, a list of fruit and vegetables that have the highest pesticide residue (ummm … why does this list include most my favourites?). This list is a great jumping off point if you are thinking about buying organic, but can’t afford to buy ALL organic all the time!
It’s scary living in a world where something as simple (and as important) as the food we eat is killing us. It’s also hard when the options (making all your own food or buying organic) means more of a sacrifice (either time or money) when most of us are already crunched in both areas. That said, even the smallest changes can have a large impact and it is our kids lives we’re talking about! Did you know that kids today are predicted to be the first generation who will die at a younger age than their parents due to obesity-related bad health? And we’re not talking a little bit early – kids who are obese in their early teens are TWICE as likely to die by the age of 50! FIFTY! If you want even more motivation to make foodie changes, then check out Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. I watched the original British show/experiment called School Dinners and the difference he made was AMAZING – I mean kid’s behaviour (and even handwriting) changed and asthma inhaler use dropped significantly all thanks to removing overly processed, crap food from kid’s systems! If you live in the US, you can sign Jamie’s petition here. Canada and the rest of the world sign here.
And if you need even MORE inspiration check out real moms’ posts as part of Food Revolution Fridays at Scattered Mom.
As parents we have an amazing opportunity to use our voices – and our wallets – to demand better for ourselves and our families and to create a fantastic amount of change! Go to it!
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Emily is very proud to be one of the Spilt Milk Moms ‘founding mothers’ as well as being Mama to “Little Miss” (who was born in August 2009) and Wifelet to her Husbando. She spent seven years living in London which helped her to develop a keen eye for amazing products from around the world. As an actress and producer, Emily ensured her place in hell with over 3 years in children’s advertising (her job was “to create want where there is no need!”) but looks to undo the damage by finding the best things around for mamas and little ones. Emily is always ready with fresh baking, a silly song, or a glass of chardonnay and is renowned for always being overdressed and having a killer collection of heels that she’s not afraid to wear (even whilst babywearing!). You can also find her on her personal blog Aprons & Heels ~ emily (at) SpiltMilkMoms (dot) com |
Twitter: mybusychildren
says:
Thank you for linking to me. We definitely need to do something. I dread the day my kids will go to school and will have to eat the processed food every day
Twitter: mybusychildren
says:
Imagine if all moms stopped buying canned food (with the exception of Eden canned beans which are BPA free), manufacturers would do something about it.
Great post! My husband and I recently sat down to watch Food Inc as well. Just before he hit play he looked at me and said “This is going to change the way we eat, isn’t it?” I’ve been leaning toward healthier eating for our family for the past couple years, but had little support from him and VERY little support from our kids! Since watching this documentary, my husband harasses EVERYONE who walks through the door about the way they eat; he asks to come grocery shopping with me (so he can read labels), and whenever I plop a plate of food down in front of him he asks “Is this healthy?” It’s nothing short of a miracle!
We’ve spent hours researching local farms for grass fed, free range, cruelty free beef and poultry, and plan on taking our boys to visit some the farms soon. I think it’s important for them to see where their food comes from. Just like Michael Pollard said on the documentary, we have three votes a day- I vote for organic, cruelty-free meat and produce. You’re right- it’s not cheap and it’s not easy- but I think it’s worth it.
Thank you for shedding light on these issues. I signed the U.S. petition after I saw your tweet. And you KNOW how I feel about Food Inc.
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