::the food we eat::

{homemade granola}

I will admit that I make compromises with the food I buy.
I hate to admit that, but I am sure that I am not alone.
There are so many factors to consider when choosing the best food.
My choices also go beyond the actual food.
When I am buying groceries these are some of the questions that I ask myself :

Is this real food ?
Will it optimally nourish my family?
Is this food organically grown?
Does the company that makes this food steward the environment?
Does this food come in packaging?
Does this food come in non-recyclable packaging?
How far away does this food come from?
Am I supporting a small, local company?
Was the animal that produced this food treated humanely?
Does this non-organic food contain GMO ingredients?

And so on........

I can usually answer yes to the first 2 questions, because that is totally in my control.
Adhering to a value system in the food we buy can be confusing, time consuming and expensive.
If my only consideration was the first 2 questions, I'd have it made, no problem.
Because I have so many other considerations, I struggle making them all come together, and the biggest question, Can we afford it?

I truly believe that where we spend our money is where our values are. It really goes against our values to give money to companies that don't live up to them.

I cringe at the idea of not being able to afford the best food possible. I feel so strongly about all of the values we've placed on food purchasing. Each compromise affects a living system.
Humans, animals, and/or the Earth.

There are a lot of contradictions in food production. The one that troubles me the most is buying organic and free range meats that are packaged in plastic and styrofoam! You'd think that those companies could come up with some other option. Meats that are bought on the butcher block, that I can put in glass jars, are always more expensive and my choices are sometimes limited to lesser quality meats. This is a big problem for me.

I can save money and buy the best quality, if I buy packaged items. I hate packaging. It is forever marring the landscape of the Earth. Garbage, and more garbage. This is what I mean by compromise. There is always a compromise, and one that hurts something or somebody.

I have a large(ish) family and a strict grocery budget. I refuse to feed them junky non-food, in order to save money. This means buying less meat, cooking more from scratch, and growing some of our own food. This is the way we've been living for the last few years. Lately, we have seen a tremendous rise in the cost of food, which has brought me to this place. Compromise. It seems that hitting on all of our values all the time, just isn't realistic for us right now.
Perhaps I could create a list of of food purchasing values in order of importance. There would be times we could fulfil all on the list and sometimes not.

My main objective is to raise our family with the best nutrition possible within our budget, teach them that the food choices we make affect many living systems, and give them the knowledge to grow some of their own food.

This is where I will begin.

Coincidentally, I need to go grocery shopping today :~)

Have a blessed day, Tami