The Great Grocery Smackdown

I've never been a fan of Wal-mart, that's a fact. I always saw them as a major contributor to the problem of American obesity. They sell food... however until now it was always pre-packaged and high in fat and calories. (for the most part.) It was also far from sustainable and did not do anything to support local growers, which in turn beats down the environment (shipping, trucking, oil, etc.)

I just read the most uplifting article about the company. Wal-mart is making big changes. They are beginning to sell fresh produce from local farms. They are carrying organic milk and cage free eggs. The food is comparable to what you might find at Whole Foods in quality, and a lot of it comes from the same places! Walmart is able to charge lower prices because they are so huge and they can guarantee the growers that they will buy their crops. This is happening at the supercenters, and I don't frequent any Walmart supercenters, so I really wasn't able to see this for myself. However, in the small towns where Walmarts are a big thing, the Supercenter is what they get. I am officially impressed. It seems that Walmart does a lot behind the scenes and they don't really brag about it. Many props to the guys in charge - thank you for doing your part to give less-than-wealthy Americans some better options.

Check out the article on MSN!

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Food Revolution!

Jamie Oliver has a new show called Food Revolution.

Jamie has already revolutionalized school lunches in Great Britain and he's on a mission now to get the U.S. on board. Children of this generation will officially live shorter lives than their parents due to childhood obesity.... this will lead to adult onset diabetes, heart disease and worse. While this is just a television show, it is also extremely important and a great first step in getting our fat asses back on track. Check out the show on ABC, Fridays at 8pm.

Also, go to Jamie's website to sign the petition to change food in this country!

Here's the Premise: The American Food Revolution needs to start now! If you care about your country and the health of its children please help us make a difference. We need your support to get people back in touch with food and keep cooking skills alive before it's too late. We want to make sure every kid gets good, fresh food at school. It's proven that real food promotes more effective learning. If you want better health for your kids the junk food must go.

The Vegetarian Question

Why? I like the taste of meat, the smell, the full feeling. I don't think that it's wrong to eat animals - given that they were able to live a full and happy life. That's all i would ask you to grant any human, so why not give that same courtesy to a harmless animal? I don't agree with caging up any animal, forcing it to live in cramped quarters, feeding it sub-par grains rather than natural foods, etc.. My heart hurts when i drive past farms with sick cows staggering around helplessly. I just want to save them from their existence. They deserve to roam free. So do pigs, so do chickens, so do fish.

If one is out in the wilderness, lost and beginning to starve, i see no fault in killing and eating an animal. It is then a necessary action, a survival thing! (in addition to the fact that this animal probably lived a sweet life:)

It has taken me a few years to finally give up eating meat. It takes a lot of willpower and self control, but after a while you don't even miss it. Other foods just seem more appealing now to me. I have gone from being a plain meat and bread kind of girl to a try anything (except meat) vegetable lover. I feel better about my choices. This day will be my last day eating fish. Many of you know that this is what i love the most, so it will be difficult for me. But I can't be a half-assed 'pescetarian' anymore. It's official folks, Becky's done with meat forever.