You are what you eat.

Since the beginning of this class just a week and a half ago, I have already noticed many changes in my attitude toward my food. For one thing, I just consider what I’m eating more. Every time I put something on my plate, I wonder, “Where did this come from? What’s been added to it?” A lot of the time, I admit I still go ahead and eat it without actually knowing the answers to these questions. However, at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Aside from that, I’ve found that since we watched the movie Fresh in class I have been unable to consider eating meat…especially chicken (the poor baby chicks being thrown from crates was too much for me). Aside from shuddering at the treatment of the animals we eat, the movie also caused me to seriously consider what meat I eat because I am terrified that I (or someone I’m close to) will get seriously sick and not be able to be treated because of all the antibiotics I’ve consumed through meat. According to a CBS News article, this is not an unrealistic concern. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor said, “We think the science is very solid in showing that largely indiscriminate use of antibiotics contributes to resistance.” (You can read the whole article here.)

Aside from thinking about what I myself eat, I’ve also started telling my friends what’s in their food. At first, I thought I should probably stop, because, really, who wants to know all the stuff that’s in their food? But really, we should all want to know what we’re putting into our bodies, right? I am guilty of stopping people when they tell me the truth about my food, saying, “I don’t want to hear that!” But I do want to know. I want to have a choice about what I’m putting in my body, and if I don’t know what I’m putting in my body, how can I choose what’s best for me?

So why do people so often NOT want to know what they’re eating? I think it’s because people don’t realize that the alternatives to what we usually eat can often be more flavorful, healthier, and nearly as convenient and readily available. With everything we’ve been learning and doing in class, I think I could confidently start changing my eating habits. We’ve done everything from grow our own plants… 

…to learning about raising chickens… 

…to harvesting our own veggies. 

And on the side I’ve practiced some cooking skills of my own. 

Hopefully with the growing food movement, people will begin to realize that eating healthier, fresher, better food is not a distant fantasy, but can be a realistic possibility.  It's really just a matter of making the choice...If you are what you eat, what do you want to be?