So far my Eat Clean Live Green blog posts have pretty much treated clean eating and living green as two separate concepts. In reality, one of my main efforts to live more green is directly related to food:
I am an Ethical Eater
Ethical Eating explores the ethical and environmental implications of the food choices we make. It involves:
- Organic Food
- Local Food
- Non-processed Food (Real Food)
- Free-range, Hormone + Antibiotic Free Meats
- Vegetarianism
- Veganism
- Eating less meat
- Home Produced (baking, canning, cooking…)
Ethical Eating is not restrictive, it is a positive movement. Anything is better than nothing, and the more the better! You can make a difference with every choice you make!
What are the benefits of being an Ethical Eater?
- Animal products are hormone and antibiotic free, and thus excess hormones and antibiotics are not consumed by you or I
- The animals were treated humanely
- Money stays local, and is passed directly to the farmer
- The food travels shorter distances. This results in both fresh food, and energy and pollution savings
- Produce grown without pesticides*
*Research is inconclusive about whether or not pesticides are harmful to humans, and whether or not organic produce is indeed healthier. In general, studies performed have not considered both the use of pesticides and nutrient content. In my opinion, even if pesticides are not harmful, they are not helpful either, and it only stands to reason that if the plants are not protected by pesticides, they must develop some defences on their own, which may be beneficial to us.
Isn’t it more expensive? Yes. To me, the added expense is worth it. I did have to rearrange some priorities: I would rather spend more of my money on good food, so I cut back on clothes shopping and eating and dining out. Also, substituting some vegetarian, bean-based meals for meat-based meals cuts down on expenses a lot.
There are lots of options for Ethical Eating:
- Farmer’s Markets
- Local Food in Grocery Stores (not just produce! Cheese, Maple Syrup, Grains etc. might all be local!)
- Organic Food in Grocery Stores
- Organic Alternatives (ie. free-range or antibiotic-free. Not all of these type of claims are regulated though, so do your research on the company!)
The reality is, I can’t afford to buy everything organic, and especially in the winter, not everything I’d like to eat is available locally. In terms of priorities, I buy what I can ethically, working top to bottom:
- Meat
- Dairy Products (in the US. In my opinion, this is not as high priority in Canada)
- Dirty Dozen Produce
- Other Produce
- Canned Goods
- Grains
I really want to stress that Ethical Eating is a positive movement. It is not easy to do, and in no way would I judge someone for eating non-organics. But I will cheer you on when/if you consider Ethical Eating!
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that the added expense it worth it. Love this post!
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I think the little bit of extra money goes a looong way for us in the long run. We try to buy mostly organic ingredients, too when we can!
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I have sacrificed some of the same things you have so that I can spend more money on making better food choices. I certainly don’t do everything right, but I’ve made significant changes in the last year and my body and mind feel better about it!
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I agree that everyone should do what they can, and if that is just switching over one thing you eat then go for it!
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Such a great post…and I completely agree with you! The extra expense so 100& worth it…knowing exactly what you’re putting in your body is worth it!
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little xtra cash can go a LONG way in sustainable food! I love buying local food and prodcuts, this is one more reason I LOVE summer!! farmers markets are awesome and you can buy from the grower themselvs
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fantastic post, eating ethically is really fantastic!
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Great post! It is actually one of my resolutions to be more aware of eating ethically. I can’t afford to buy everything local or organic either (in this economy, who can?!), but I do my best. If the cost difference is small between organic vs. conventional, I always go organic. If it’s bigger, then I look at the food and assess it (i.e. Is it on the Dirty Dozen list?, etc.).
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I buy Oikos yogurt (organic) and organic hamburger, but I still buy regular chicken and burger too – I just can’t afford to eat ethically all the time. I do love to go to my local farmers market in the summer & I stock up on veggies & freeze them!
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I love ethical eating — food tastes SO much better when it is grown locally and in season! Also, I think ethical meat (when I used to eat it) tastes a million times better than its factory farmed counterparts.
The spending more on food thing is really relative; we spend far less $ on food as a percentage of income than previous generations, if I remember correctly, and for some bizarre reason we take pride in the fact that we spend so little on food. I think Michael Pollan makes this point in one of our books; we wouldn’t brag about buying the cheapest car or house, so why are we so proud of all the cheap food we buy?
Great post yet again, Allison!
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Allison Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
That is a great point Kara! I thoroughly agree
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Great post! I agree with you, it may be more expensive, but its worth it!
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Do you have any tips or ideas about how to obtain salad greens at this time of year? I love my baby spinach! I live on the east coast and I guess most everything comes all the way from California or Mexico this time of year.
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Agree 100%! I made a move to eat 99.9% organic a few months ago. I get it sent to my house and in season, most of it is local as well. To be honest, it’s not THAT much more depending on where you buy everything. Good post!
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