Since this blog seems to revolve heavily around food at the moment, I decided I should probably be a bit more defining in my position as a Food Renegade. That's right....I just said it. I'm a Food Renegade. I am no longer one of the trusting mass of people who think industry and the government are out to help and would NEVER intentionally produce something that KNOWINGLY causes harm to humans or animals. For those still in that category, the Food Industry and Pharmaceutical Industry are the new Cigarette Company from the 50's. Think about it.
Please do not misunderstand. I was one of those trusting souls just a few years ago. I bought mass-produced meat with no thought to the health of the animal I was consuming or the conditions that animal lived in to give it's life for me to have life. I bought Oreos. Oh.....I do love Oreos. I can't buy them now because they would be gone in less than 24 hours even though I KNOW how bad they are for me above and beyond the standard 'knowledge' everyone thinks they have regarding food --"Oh, I really shouldn't....*gobbling it down*". The transition I've made has been a process over the course of a few years filled with research on my own. That's the key. Knowledge really is power, and as long as you don't even think about the repercussions of what you do in regards to food --let alone anything else-- you'll continue to be the giant experiment for someone's monetary benefit. Yep....I went there too. I should also mention, I'm not against Capitalism. I understand that for our country to function as it does, Capitalism must live on. I do not agree with Big Business in bed with the government, nor big companies lobbying against individual rights of each and every American Citizen. It's the perversion of these things that I don't agree with.
Back on topic though, since this is about food --even though this disconnect is, in part, the fault of the government...and those who elected said government and allowed them to grow uncontrolled-- and our ever-growing dilemma.
The title of my post is the Devastatingly Deadly Disconnect. The disconnect is something I acknowledged this past week as I spoke to my husband about the importance of the animals you eat being raised humanely. As mentioned in previous post, I'm not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do think that ethically raised animals are more than just about the animals themselves. I believe all things, including the dreaded spider *shudder* should maintain a quality of life. ALL life, in my opinion, has the right to quality, especially under the care of human beings. This is not discounting how 'cruel' Mother Nature can seem, but are we not more humane? How you treat the things you put in your body determines how your body treats you. For whatever reason, maybe because we don't actually hunt or forage for our own food anymore, a loss of respect has been brewing for generations. Most of us, go to work --not because we enjoy it mind you-- to earn a paycheck. One of the things we buy with said paycheck is our heart's content of whatever colorfully prepackaged, convenient food we want to make our lives as easy as possible. The less time we spend making our own food is the more time we.....spend in front of the TV?! I completely get NOT wanting to spend an hour or so every day as soon as you get home from work preparing a homemade meal. I get it. I'm in the same boat, but even if that was the only solution to the chemical laden, genetically modified solutions you wouldn't even CALL food if you really knew what all was in it --a McDonald's Chicken Nugget is approximately 50% chicken-- don't you OWE it to yourself and those you care for?
We all seem to readily forget the FACT that your body uses the food you put in it as fuel. All calories are not created equal, even when you compare apples to apples. Now, for those who like a 'good deal', maybe all of those 'extras' you get with store-bought, mass-produced food is your idea of the epitome of savings. You get beef, bone, marrow, and other less savory mentionables, antibiotics, corn, rBGH (growth hormone), and really, anything else the production facility wanted to pump into the feed trough. That sounds dramatic, but put it in this perspective...... What do you do personally to get the most bang for your buck without having to work hard for it? We all do cut corners, so why would a company, which only exists by making money, not do the same thing? A company run by people, you say? Those people don't know you and don't care. Don't think they are eating the same hamburger their workers pump out into tubes and sell to you. You are a 'people', so how much do you care about how your driving affects every one's life in the cars around you on the road? Really. If you can't care enough when you can actually SEE people without knowing them, how much less would you care if you didn't see those people at all?
Do you really wonder why things like early puberty (I don't know about 9 being the new average, but I was almost 14...can't imagine having a period at 9), type 2 diabetes, obesity, and a host of other issues is on the rise? It's because we are lacking RESPECT. You don't respect the animals providing their lives to supply YOU food to keep living, you don't respect your body by filling it with these animal products --this isn't just about animal products either....SOY-- and you don't respect the land providing not just life to you and the animals but to every other living thing, be it plant, arachnid, reptile, *insert example*. There is a general lack of respect, even for the person next to you or in the car behind or in front of you at the checkout --I truly hope you don't think my blog so important that you would read while driving. We have become so self-absorbed that we've forgotten what's important on so many levels beyond food, and forgetting what is truly important is what is slowly killing all of us, even those not willingly participating.
We've all forgotten the power we have with each choice we make, be it food, consumption, that pair of shoes, or whether or not to flip the person off behind you. I do not exclude myself. I'm just as guilty as anyone else. Most people truly do not realize the choices they are making for themselves AND the generations to follow. We've forgotten how important we are in the scheme of life itself. I'm not talking 'center of the universe' selfishness. I'm talking about we've forgotten how valuable our own lives are, and that makes it almost impossible to value any other life or the lives or animals, plants, spiders...
People who disagree often think someone like me wants us to revert back to where we came from. In some ways, yes. I think it would be great to turn off the TV and make a dinner together while talking instead of being on autopilot every second of every day, turning on the TV, and zoning out until bedtime. I completely understand --and personally do not want-- that society may not be able to become little homesteads again, but we can all make meaningful changes in our own lives that are impacting in the lives of people you don't know and people not even born yet. You are a good person and deserve better than a handful of Cheetos or a Lean Cuisine meal or Instant Rice or Instant Potatoes. You've just forgotten how important and meaningful you are, and how each choice you make really does affect more than just you, your life and those in your life. Society, as a whole, has moved into an almost mind-numbing expression of self-hate where ego has taken over and made each person more important than the whole of humanity. Each person is important, but ultimately none of us have the right to dishonor life or the home --read 'planet'-- we've been given. We're only hurting ourselves and those who come after us. All that being said, I should also point out that I believe the government has no right in mandating you live as I suggest, but in the same token, I don't want to be mandated either.
So this isn't some call to not sweeping your floors, never having anything of 'convenience', or going off the grid. I read a quote but do not recall the originator. It said, "In nature, there is no reward or punishment just consequences", and that is exactly it. What people are reaping now is a consequence of EVERY choice they've made and some choices they didn't make. This is a call to responsibility, and if that makes me a 'Tree Hugger', 'Hippie', or any other label you'd like to ascribe to feel superior to me, then so be it. Truth is truth, regardless of whether you believe it or not, and the evidence is growing around us, literally. Don't live on autopilot and remain disconnected because the consequences you'll receive are far worse than any extra time or money you would spend ensuring you're a conscious consumer.
11.16.2010
11.05.2010
Consumerism
I had a date night this week. It was literally our first date night - barring Sweetest's Day, which turned into an utter disaster - we've had in months. It was a lot of fun. My husband and I talked like we've not had the opportunity to talk in a long, long time. The subject of consumerism came up because it's something I've been thinking about frequently in regard to my life and the life of my child (and those to come).
I've been looking around at the life I have now the last week or so. It's nice. I have a lot of amenities. I have a lot of opportunity. We are middle-middle class to low-middle class. We have every thing society says you are supposed to have in your late twenties. We're married, have a small 'starter' home - that starter home idea died when the market crashed and so did any chance of reselling -, a dog, and one child thus far. We balance each other fairly well, even though I do sometimes wish he'd join me on the 'right' side sometimes. Sorry babe! We each have cars under 20 years old with the youngest being 10 years old. We have a tiny bit of 'disposable' income, and a whole bunch of debt from when we were younger and much more stupid.
Every thing we're supposed to have I have..... So why am I unhappy? I don't regret my marriage or baby....or dog, especially since I begged for a dog for 4 years. I have everything I 'need', but there's the catch. I started to notice a hunger for more things, but once I dug under the need to satiate self-worth with 'things' other people view as important I found that I really don't want many things at all. I want a much more simple life, like Little House On The Prairie, minus being a second class citizen as a woman and being so secluded you could die and no one would know because the wolves would eat you before they found your body. *Shudder* NEEDING things have consumed most of us so much we don't even realize every billboard, commercial, and jingle we hear is playing off of our 'need' to have more. Thinking I 'need' things has gotten me a bunch of stuff I actually don't want.
After 3 years in our home, I finally apologized to my husband because I never wanted it. My gut said to wait, but I let myself get caught up in the prestige of 'owning your own home'. There have been a lot of issues concerning material things versus finance that I haven't followed my gut on and regret. I regret them not because they are not nice and useful. Who wouldn't want to live in a house? I regret those things because they have caused the situation my family and I are in now. If I'd listened to that feeling in my gut we would've waited and bought AFTER the housing crash. We would've gotten more the 900 square ft over $100,000. Let me specify that by 'more' I mean we wouldn't have bought a 'starter' home and moved up to the next sized house when having kids. We would have bought a house big enough to grow in. Now, we're at the point where we're having kids and have a house that is already too cramped. Our only solutions are to sell and maintain at least $20,000 in debt --I doubt we'd break even on the house in this market-- the sale wouldn't cover, stay in it for at least 15 years and make an addition if the city would allow, or take over the garage currently housing tools and make it livable. I feel like I could have helped us avoid this problem if I would have voiced my inner opinion and not been lured by my ego.
Most of these realizations have been nagging at me for a long time, but it has been until the last week that I've finally started to put my finger on what's bothering me. I desperately want to be a stay-at-home-mom. That was our plan until we lost site of that goal amongst the 'things'. We can't sacrifice my pay right now because my it covers food, our envelope system, and medical bills. These things that made me happy for the moment have made me unhappy for a long time. Confusing? Failure is giving up what you want the MOST for what you want at the moment. I failed. I failed my daughter. I failed my husband. I failed any children we may have beyond our daughter. I failed my God. I failed his family and mine. It's a hard pill to swallow. Still with all of this, the hunger for new gadgets and other status symbols still exists.
How will I save Wren from the very green-eyed monster I'm fighting against now? How do I teach her the value of a dollar my government doesn't even value? How, in a world DRIVEN by the collection of 'things', do I teach her not to fall into that trap when everyone and every thing SCREAMS the need? You may say by showing her. I will strive to do just that, but there has to be more.
In this life, you sacrifice one of two things, time or money --sometimes both but one primarily. If you sacrifice time to gain money, you can buy a lot of stuff, but as much stuff as you can buy doesn't fill that gaping whole that only love can fill. You can try to convince yourself that things like jewelry, new cars, and bigger houses all equal love, but it's just an illusion. Love is not things, even though we've learned to show love with things. If you sacrifice money, you have the time to invest in the things that are important, and dare I say,....the very reason you were created. Most people will never put a face on the emptiness they have inside, and some will barely feel it because they continually fill it with the next latest and greatest thing. Most of my transition in life has happened in the last couple of years. From how/where I buy food to searching for something deeper than myself, so this is all fairly new to me. I didn't want to be the woman that longed to stay home and clean the house, cook, bake, line-dry laundry, cloth diapers, etc., but I am fast becoming someone who longs for a simpler life, even if it means NOT having an iPod Touch, laptop or bigger TV.
I've been looking around at the life I have now the last week or so. It's nice. I have a lot of amenities. I have a lot of opportunity. We are middle-middle class to low-middle class. We have every thing society says you are supposed to have in your late twenties. We're married, have a small 'starter' home - that starter home idea died when the market crashed and so did any chance of reselling -, a dog, and one child thus far. We balance each other fairly well, even though I do sometimes wish he'd join me on the 'right' side sometimes. Sorry babe! We each have cars under 20 years old with the youngest being 10 years old. We have a tiny bit of 'disposable' income, and a whole bunch of debt from when we were younger and much more stupid.
Every thing we're supposed to have I have..... So why am I unhappy? I don't regret my marriage or baby....or dog, especially since I begged for a dog for 4 years. I have everything I 'need', but there's the catch. I started to notice a hunger for more things, but once I dug under the need to satiate self-worth with 'things' other people view as important I found that I really don't want many things at all. I want a much more simple life, like Little House On The Prairie, minus being a second class citizen as a woman and being so secluded you could die and no one would know because the wolves would eat you before they found your body. *Shudder* NEEDING things have consumed most of us so much we don't even realize every billboard, commercial, and jingle we hear is playing off of our 'need' to have more. Thinking I 'need' things has gotten me a bunch of stuff I actually don't want.
After 3 years in our home, I finally apologized to my husband because I never wanted it. My gut said to wait, but I let myself get caught up in the prestige of 'owning your own home'. There have been a lot of issues concerning material things versus finance that I haven't followed my gut on and regret. I regret them not because they are not nice and useful. Who wouldn't want to live in a house? I regret those things because they have caused the situation my family and I are in now. If I'd listened to that feeling in my gut we would've waited and bought AFTER the housing crash. We would've gotten more the 900 square ft over $100,000. Let me specify that by 'more' I mean we wouldn't have bought a 'starter' home and moved up to the next sized house when having kids. We would have bought a house big enough to grow in. Now, we're at the point where we're having kids and have a house that is already too cramped. Our only solutions are to sell and maintain at least $20,000 in debt --I doubt we'd break even on the house in this market-- the sale wouldn't cover, stay in it for at least 15 years and make an addition if the city would allow, or take over the garage currently housing tools and make it livable. I feel like I could have helped us avoid this problem if I would have voiced my inner opinion and not been lured by my ego.
Most of these realizations have been nagging at me for a long time, but it has been until the last week that I've finally started to put my finger on what's bothering me. I desperately want to be a stay-at-home-mom. That was our plan until we lost site of that goal amongst the 'things'. We can't sacrifice my pay right now because my it covers food, our envelope system, and medical bills. These things that made me happy for the moment have made me unhappy for a long time. Confusing? Failure is giving up what you want the MOST for what you want at the moment. I failed. I failed my daughter. I failed my husband. I failed any children we may have beyond our daughter. I failed my God. I failed his family and mine. It's a hard pill to swallow. Still with all of this, the hunger for new gadgets and other status symbols still exists.
How will I save Wren from the very green-eyed monster I'm fighting against now? How do I teach her the value of a dollar my government doesn't even value? How, in a world DRIVEN by the collection of 'things', do I teach her not to fall into that trap when everyone and every thing SCREAMS the need? You may say by showing her. I will strive to do just that, but there has to be more.
In this life, you sacrifice one of two things, time or money --sometimes both but one primarily. If you sacrifice time to gain money, you can buy a lot of stuff, but as much stuff as you can buy doesn't fill that gaping whole that only love can fill. You can try to convince yourself that things like jewelry, new cars, and bigger houses all equal love, but it's just an illusion. Love is not things, even though we've learned to show love with things. If you sacrifice money, you have the time to invest in the things that are important, and dare I say,....the very reason you were created. Most people will never put a face on the emptiness they have inside, and some will barely feel it because they continually fill it with the next latest and greatest thing. Most of my transition in life has happened in the last couple of years. From how/where I buy food to searching for something deeper than myself, so this is all fairly new to me. I didn't want to be the woman that longed to stay home and clean the house, cook, bake, line-dry laundry, cloth diapers, etc., but I am fast becoming someone who longs for a simpler life, even if it means NOT having an iPod Touch, laptop or bigger TV.
11.01.2010
When will you be 'normal' again?
Apparently I have a thing with food because that seems to be all I write about.......
A lot of people have been asking me when my 'raw vegan kick' is going to end. They tease and make fun. I'm not even raw vegan, let alone plain, old vegan. I'm an omnivore, but I see the value in eating more raw food (who thinks it's weird to eat an apple....that's raw vegan folks). I also have the ability to eat desserts that I cannot have otherwise due to the dairy content. Because raw vegan desserts are made of different combinations of fruit and nuts, I'm satiated LONG before I over eat, unlike regular desserts. I could eat a whole pan of conventional brownies for a meal. It's usually 'one and done' with raw vegan desserts because it isn't loaded with mostly refined sugar and flour but fiber and good fats. Not to mention my face has cleared up a lot since stopping dairy consumption. It turns out I may just have an intolerance myself to dairy products and never knew it until I HAD to stop consuming dairy for Wren's sake.
So, no, I'm not going to start eating 'normal' again because what did normal get me? Let's see.... Overweight. Tired. Acne. Lacking in lifeforce/energy. An overall dumpy attitude. Why would I WANT to go back to that? Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've been losing weight since I started eating raw vegan, and the times I've strayed for a week or so I've gained weight back. I'm not a proponant of eating all raw, all the time. I personally couldn't do it, or rather, would not want to do it, save for a designated time period. Hot dogs, spaghetti, and fastfood as staples are a thing of the past, and I and my family will be the better for it.
The hardest part in all of this is helping my husband transition. He's a man of convenience when it comes to food, so it's 45 seconds between him and a 'meal' of a hotdog with a slice of american cheese and BBQ sauce. I find myself buying two different kinds of food (healthy and unhealthy), and I'm ashamed as the cashier rings out hotdogs after a head of kale, pears, bananas, etc. Not to mention, because the baby and I eat mostly whole, healthy food, the bulk of the grocery budget goes to support the healthy food, leaving said unhealthy eater feeling like he is getting the shaft. Before I had my baby in February, I used to take one day a week and cook a few things so we could eat leftovers throughout the week. Admittedly, I don't do that as much as I used to. I can't believe I once thought I didn't have time before having a baby, and I'm sure I'll think the same thing if we have more than one. It's just as convenient for him to heat up leftovers as it is for him to heat up a hotdog, but then again, I run into my ever growing ethical guidelines with food. As mentioned above, spaghetti, as a staple is out. No more sauce in a jar. No more whole wheat or regular pasta noodles. No more Aldi's brand, greasy, hormone ridden meatballs for ease of convenience. I now have to find either acceptable replacements or make everything from scratch. I would love to make everything from scratch, but I work full-time and have a baby and house to somewhat maintain, as much as my husband may contest I don't really maintain it (the important things in life, mister). The precious little time I have with Wren every evening is usually focused on Wren, trying to get as much love in as I can before she goes to sleep. I cannot explain to you how much it crushes me every day to have to leave her to do something I loathe. I've had to leave her every weekday since she was 9 weeks old. Anyway, ....
So.... How to make healthy food my husband will eat. As much raw as possible, but one of the downfalls with raw vegan cuisine is that, when transitioning in any sense from a Standard American Diet (SAD)..............your expectations are rarely met. Raw vegan brownies taste similar but are not dead ringers for SAD brownies. Brownies have been the only thing I've made that have rivaled the original version. Now, there have been some things, like raw vegan cheesecake, which taste good, but it's not like eating a cheesecake. Differences in textures and tastes... Let's be honest, I'm working with different combinations of nuts and fruit to simulate things that normally require milk in some form and, if not from scratch, a bunch of chemicals. It's just that, simulate. It isn't that these things do not taste good on their own but that calling it a certain name brings certain expectations in taste and texture.
How do I make healthy food sustainably in my limited time at home? How do I make this healthy food with an 8 1/2 month old roaming around and sometimes clinging to my legs to be picked up (can't be around a stove when that happens)? How do I do all of this and work on vegan baked goods recipes for my upcoming online vegan bakery (and raw vegan unbakery.....and conventional bakery if my MIL decides to sell product as well)??? I so feel like having the opportunity and sacrifice of being a stay-at-home-mom would make some things in my life so much easier. Hydroponic garden. Time to make good food and vegan baked goodies. *Sigh*
Well, I best get crackin' on this bakery.
A lot of people have been asking me when my 'raw vegan kick' is going to end. They tease and make fun. I'm not even raw vegan, let alone plain, old vegan. I'm an omnivore, but I see the value in eating more raw food (who thinks it's weird to eat an apple....that's raw vegan folks). I also have the ability to eat desserts that I cannot have otherwise due to the dairy content. Because raw vegan desserts are made of different combinations of fruit and nuts, I'm satiated LONG before I over eat, unlike regular desserts. I could eat a whole pan of conventional brownies for a meal. It's usually 'one and done' with raw vegan desserts because it isn't loaded with mostly refined sugar and flour but fiber and good fats. Not to mention my face has cleared up a lot since stopping dairy consumption. It turns out I may just have an intolerance myself to dairy products and never knew it until I HAD to stop consuming dairy for Wren's sake.
So, no, I'm not going to start eating 'normal' again because what did normal get me? Let's see.... Overweight. Tired. Acne. Lacking in lifeforce/energy. An overall dumpy attitude. Why would I WANT to go back to that? Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've been losing weight since I started eating raw vegan, and the times I've strayed for a week or so I've gained weight back. I'm not a proponant of eating all raw, all the time. I personally couldn't do it, or rather, would not want to do it, save for a designated time period. Hot dogs, spaghetti, and fastfood as staples are a thing of the past, and I and my family will be the better for it.
The hardest part in all of this is helping my husband transition. He's a man of convenience when it comes to food, so it's 45 seconds between him and a 'meal' of a hotdog with a slice of american cheese and BBQ sauce. I find myself buying two different kinds of food (healthy and unhealthy), and I'm ashamed as the cashier rings out hotdogs after a head of kale, pears, bananas, etc. Not to mention, because the baby and I eat mostly whole, healthy food, the bulk of the grocery budget goes to support the healthy food, leaving said unhealthy eater feeling like he is getting the shaft. Before I had my baby in February, I used to take one day a week and cook a few things so we could eat leftovers throughout the week. Admittedly, I don't do that as much as I used to. I can't believe I once thought I didn't have time before having a baby, and I'm sure I'll think the same thing if we have more than one. It's just as convenient for him to heat up leftovers as it is for him to heat up a hotdog, but then again, I run into my ever growing ethical guidelines with food. As mentioned above, spaghetti, as a staple is out. No more sauce in a jar. No more whole wheat or regular pasta noodles. No more Aldi's brand, greasy, hormone ridden meatballs for ease of convenience. I now have to find either acceptable replacements or make everything from scratch. I would love to make everything from scratch, but I work full-time and have a baby and house to somewhat maintain, as much as my husband may contest I don't really maintain it (the important things in life, mister). The precious little time I have with Wren every evening is usually focused on Wren, trying to get as much love in as I can before she goes to sleep. I cannot explain to you how much it crushes me every day to have to leave her to do something I loathe. I've had to leave her every weekday since she was 9 weeks old. Anyway, ....
So.... How to make healthy food my husband will eat. As much raw as possible, but one of the downfalls with raw vegan cuisine is that, when transitioning in any sense from a Standard American Diet (SAD)..............your expectations are rarely met. Raw vegan brownies taste similar but are not dead ringers for SAD brownies. Brownies have been the only thing I've made that have rivaled the original version. Now, there have been some things, like raw vegan cheesecake, which taste good, but it's not like eating a cheesecake. Differences in textures and tastes... Let's be honest, I'm working with different combinations of nuts and fruit to simulate things that normally require milk in some form and, if not from scratch, a bunch of chemicals. It's just that, simulate. It isn't that these things do not taste good on their own but that calling it a certain name brings certain expectations in taste and texture.
How do I make healthy food sustainably in my limited time at home? How do I make this healthy food with an 8 1/2 month old roaming around and sometimes clinging to my legs to be picked up (can't be around a stove when that happens)? How do I do all of this and work on vegan baked goods recipes for my upcoming online vegan bakery (and raw vegan unbakery.....and conventional bakery if my MIL decides to sell product as well)??? I so feel like having the opportunity and sacrifice of being a stay-at-home-mom would make some things in my life so much easier. Hydroponic garden. Time to make good food and vegan baked goodies. *Sigh*
Well, I best get crackin' on this bakery.
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