Trans Fatless
According to the First Alternative Co-op's February newsletter, The Thymes, neither store will continue to sell products containing trans fats as of March 1st. Considering how many products contain partially hydrogenated oils, it's amazing that they've been able to find enough products to stock the shelves.
We started monitoring food labels for the words "partially hydrogenated" over a year ago, and with very few exceptions (every now and then, you just need a mint Milano cookie), we don't buy products containing such oils. Or high-fructose corn syrup. In the same period of time, more or less, I've lost about 65 pounds. That's not the only reason, but it sure makes it easier! In the same period of time, Corvallist kid has gone fishytarian (yes, I know the correct term is pescovegetarian) on me and I imagine I'll eventually follow.
But this weekend, I'm being treated to a nice steak at the Outback Steakhouse, and there's no way I'm turning that down. I'm not there just yet. I doubt I'll ever be a food Nazi... but it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. Just because I occasionally eat out without grilling the waiter about the origins of my food doesn't mean I should give up and start eating at McDonald's every other day.
For a die-hard carnivore, I consider it major progress that all the meat we buy in our household is free-range, locally-raised, organic and adult. We even printed out a card from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for reference when buying fish, so we can counter the arguments from those who mock us and claim we'll just end up depleting the oceans with our factory cow avoidance.
Still, living in an area of agricultural abundance makes it easy to live and eat healthfully. Once the farmers' market is back in full swing, we'll continue taking these small, environmentally-beneficial steps and hopefully will continue reducing our "footprint" on the earth.
The best part? Local food just tastes better. It doesn't have as far to travel, after all.
We started monitoring food labels for the words "partially hydrogenated" over a year ago, and with very few exceptions (every now and then, you just need a mint Milano cookie), we don't buy products containing such oils. Or high-fructose corn syrup. In the same period of time, more or less, I've lost about 65 pounds. That's not the only reason, but it sure makes it easier! In the same period of time, Corvallist kid has gone fishytarian (yes, I know the correct term is pescovegetarian) on me and I imagine I'll eventually follow.
But this weekend, I'm being treated to a nice steak at the Outback Steakhouse, and there's no way I'm turning that down. I'm not there just yet. I doubt I'll ever be a food Nazi... but it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. Just because I occasionally eat out without grilling the waiter about the origins of my food doesn't mean I should give up and start eating at McDonald's every other day.
For a die-hard carnivore, I consider it major progress that all the meat we buy in our household is free-range, locally-raised, organic and adult. We even printed out a card from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for reference when buying fish, so we can counter the arguments from those who mock us and claim we'll just end up depleting the oceans with our factory cow avoidance.
Still, living in an area of agricultural abundance makes it easy to live and eat healthfully. Once the farmers' market is back in full swing, we'll continue taking these small, environmentally-beneficial steps and hopefully will continue reducing our "footprint" on the earth.
The best part? Local food just tastes better. It doesn't have as far to travel, after all.
posted by Corvallist at
8:19 PM
2 Comments:
Local food tastes better than Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough flavored ice cream? I don't think so.
By
Christopher Farrell, at 8:15 PM
Funny that a term such as "pescovegetarian" should even appear in our language. Since vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal (including poultry and fish), calling someone who eats fish a "pescovegetarian" seems like a conflict in terms. "Doesn't eat fish, except when they eat fish." I like your term "fishytarian" better. It implies that they prefer to eat fish rather than cows, pigs and chickens. Similarly, we could call someone who drinks beer instead of wine or hard liquor a "beertarian" - but we wouldn't call them "dry" or "abstaining from alcohol." Wonder what a "Mint-Milanotarian" would be... :)
Thanks for the link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Interesting write-ups on safe fishing and food choices.
Also, Congratulations on the 65 lbs.
By
Anonymous, at 11:44 AM
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