My Food Rules

In the spirit of my self-proclaimed "Food Week" The following are my "Food Rules."  They are not totally my own and acquired primarily from what makes sense to me, from Michael Pollan's books and philosophies, from various documentaries and movies about food and the food industry, and ultimately, what makes me feel good.

image from stilletochef.com

1. No Meat. This rule is based mostly on the fact that I don't live on a farm or near a really great farm like this where I can get meat. I have no qualms with people eating animals.  That idea, at its core, is entirely natural.  But, I do have serious issue with people eating animals that were not raised humanely and that were slaughtered in gigantic meat production factories. Unless I can see a cow or chicken or pig, etc. from birth until food, I'm not going to eat it.

2. Tons of Veggies and Fruits. Why try to fill ourselves with empty calories and "treats" when there is an abundance of delicious in the produce department? Seriously, I have grown to love Veggies and Fruits and rarely find myself buying anything outside of the Produce department.


3. Buy Seasonally. Buy what is in season - it's usually cheaper and healthier for the environment (i.e. less fossil fuels used getting an orange from chile or spain to cleveland in the middle of February). Also, it just makes sense to eat root vegetables in winter, asparagus and peas in spring, tons of citrus in the summer, and pumpkins and gourds in the fall.

image from thegazette.com

4. Buy Locally. Again, we can all reduce our carbon footprint if we buy things to eat that are local.  Or even from the U.S.  Often it costs a little more to support the mom & pop bakery or the blueberry farm down the road or the fishermen in the Gulf, or the Citrus farmers in the Rio Grande Valley.  But seriously, local always seems to taste better.  I am constantly finding amazing Texas foods that are some of the best things I've tasted... ever. Search out your local vendors. It's delicious.

5. Buy Organics. As often as I can, I buy organically. I totally get that a lot of the organic farms are HUGE conglomerate farms in California and a lot of the produce is really not that much different from conventional produce. But, the extra (possibly false) security I get from eating an organic apple rather than a conventional apple is worth the extra cost.  Seriously, there is some crazy stuff getting sprayed on those plants sometimes.

6. Nothing out of a Box or a Can. Caveat up front: I do not apply this rule to pasta (like, real pasta folks) and some teas that for selling sake have to be in some container. BUT, I do apply it to pretty much everything else.  Simply because "food" does not grow in boxes.  There are scary things put into stuff that at one time was food to make it last for years. Seriously, I do not want to buy a box of something today that I could eat in 2 years.  This rule is the hardest for me, I'll admit. Not when it comes to obvis like pop-tarts, granola bars, crackers, cookies, and mac & cheese, most salad dressings, and all frozen meals, BUT, I often find myself for convenience sake grabbing a can of black beans instead of making my own or grabbing a can of whole tomatoes.  I'd LOVE to make black beans and stew my own tomatoes, but sometimes it's just not feasible.  I do what I can though, and really try to think about what is actually in those boxes and cans.

There are a ton of other little rules I try and follow, but these 6 are the biggies for me. And if nothing else, think before you eat/put it in the car.  We try on our clothes before we buy them, we interview people before we hire them, and we research gadgets before we buy them... doesn't it make sense to think about where our food comes from before we put it into our bodies?