no fad

Thinking about food, as I have habit to do, I have to admit, I’m not much one for a diet. Or perhaps I should say an alimentation. I’m not much to say that I am only going to eat a certain element, high fat, high protein, low carb, all sugar, exclusively cheese (though sometimes I get close on that one). I used to be a vegetarian at a time when it was probably a good thing to do so. Good for the time, because well raise and unabused animal products were not available to me then, neither in place, nor in budget. In that case, vegetarian it was. I’m omnivorous now, but I get things from all the best places, locally, humane…as best as I can find. I will forego a vacation and a nice car to eat well.

And I pay what I need to eat well, though my salary is meager. A disproportionate amount of  my budget goes towards food. Because for me, I’ve decided that it’s probably the most impactful thing I can do. And, it’s the most valuable thing for me, hands down.

Also, I grew up in a generation that was all like “#^*% the man”. I’ll probably go to my grave with that sentiment, even knowing that most of us are “the man” in one way or another.  I don’t like feeling like I should be eating products just because the ad was shiny. 

But what I want to say to ya’ll, in this particular instance…is to encourage you to drop the alimentation defined by the lines of this “type” of food versus another “type” of food. To let go of the waistline and pay solely attention to how you actually feel. And to realize that the best diet for the future of the earth is not defined by whether you are vegetarian, vegan, or omnivorous. The best diet is one that is de-industrialized. The best diet is one that has relationships. The best diet is one that leaves you feeling good and leaves you feeling like your food is connected actually to a place. 

Our area here is under threat from a proposed 26,000 hog factory. I may go on some rants in the near future, because it is turning into a real instance of industrial destructive factories versus real agriculture. Myself and so many other farmers have been working in the area for years, and we risk losing everything. I will have more to say on this later, but now it is really driving home this fact for me: that the only true question before us is industrial factory foods vs real and nourishing farming, little importance whether that is vegetarian, keto, pixie sticks, or omnivorous. One path leads to nothing good, the other to culture, health and possibly a livable planet.  

Forget all the diet books and pose yourself on two questions: what do I like to eat, and do the things I eat come from someplace, a producer, that I know and like. Follow those to your plate, even if it costs a little more, and eat well for it.