What to Eat Recap II

Okay, after a brief book break, I am again slogging through What to Eat. And I'm glad. The second half is going fairly quickly. I really like Marion's common sense style and enlightening but not overly technical prose. She writes like a very good teacher speaks, and illustrates her points well. The second half of the book deals with a lot of the things I don't even look at or buy anymore, like frozen processed foods, cereals and kids stuff. I don't even have to go down those aisles in the store anymore.

I did take a closer look at some bread packages in the store because of her chapter on grains. And I do feel justified in buying organic (unless it's from China) even when it doesn't matter (mostly it does), just to cast my vote for organic farming. So I searched a little harder for the bread that said "made with organic grains" and then I looked for the fiber content and picked the one that had the most fiber from whole grain.

Fish: No farmed salmon. No shrimp. Go nuts on the farmed mussels and shellfish. But not raw, at least not often. Go here to get your fish advisory card from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (This is an overlap from last time, as fish spans several chapters.) The fishing industry is for the most part an "extraction" industry-- like timber and mining-- unless regulated otherwise. You have to vote with your dollars and your voice to force the industry to become sustainable. Some parts of it already are.

Eggs: Don't eat too many. Cook them before you eat them. Don't buy eggs that are "United Egg Producers Certified"; it doesn't mean anything at all in terms of how the eggs are produced or the hens are treated. BO-gus marketing crap.

Frozen Processed Food: Skip it. Does it really take that long to heat up a quesadilla? Make yourself some soup, grill yourself a sandwich. Go to Epicurious, or even the George Foreman Recipes page for some inspiration.

Frozen Vegetables: A-ok. The shorter the ingredient list the better. Nutritionally, often as good as fresh.

Oils: All oils have the same calories. Look for oils vs. solid fats, and aim for zero trans-fats and zero saturated fats. Animal fats have cholesterol, vegetable fats don't. Look for olive, safflower and canola oils.

Refined Flour, Sugar and Cereals: Read the label for hidden sugars (including processed fruit juices), aim for whole-grain products. Try and keep sugar to 10% or less of your daily calories.
Cereal boxes with the Heart Association endorsement have to pay for that privilege. Boxes that say "proud supporter of" pay for that as well-- it doesn't have anything to do with what's in the box. Post cereals don't get to have the Heart Association heart because they are owned by a company that makes cigarettes.

Bottled Water: Don't need it. Try a re-fillable Kleen Kanteen or Sigg bottle.

What it often comes down to is the fact that every industry wants to continue to grow and profit, and nobody wants to change or stop doing what they are doing until it becomes profitable to change or inevitable that they will die if they don't. Sustainability only works if there is financial motivation to be sustainable. Organic growers who can't make a profit will perish. So support what you believe in.

I do feel like I've gotten a good foundation in what's real and what isn't from the book, and I'm pretty happy with my buying habits. By the way, I calculated the cost per day of our weekly veggie box from River Dog , and it's less than $2.50 a day. That's a latte. Or a fancy bottled water if you buy it at the gym. For organically grown vegetables, in season, picked close to home and delivered the day they are picked. If you have a CSA nearby, it makes sense to support it. Here's a resource to find one.