Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of "Newman's Own Guide to a Good Life"

So far, I have read the rest of chapter one, and finished chapter 2 in Newman's Guide which is pages 14-39. The main topics I have read about at the end of chapter one have been organic food: why we should choose it, statistics, and what to look for when buying organic food. I especially found this last part particularly helpful. She talked about how we need to look for certain labels when buying organic products. These include three terms of certified organics: "100% organic," "organic," and "made with organic ingredients." Additionally, she mentions the importance of buying local produce in season, eating lower on the food chain, avoiding over packaged products, and buying for whole food stores. Several parts of the chapter discuss her opinions on the affects of society; one particular quote I highlighted was after she mentions people complaining about how expensive organics are and it states, "In terms of money, we have to learn how to cook food that is really tasty using vegetables. I don't think we know how to do that, we are so meat dependent. But vegetables and grains are very affordable foods...you pay for your health, and I want to give my money directly to the farmer." Like she suggests, when we pay for foods that have been over processed and shipped they are less healthy but cheaper, therefore you are paying for the depletion of our natural resources, and sacrificing your health. I think we need more information in public schools teaching health and more information in general on why eating organic foods and buying from local farms is so important! Chapter 2 was less interesting to me, but it still had some good information as well as helpful tips, such as how we can help the environment by keeping with the speed limit to save on fuel, not stomping on the gas and speeding off, taking care of our cars, carpool as much as possible, take the bus when you can, and try to incorporate an eco friendly car into your life.

  check it out!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 2: Weekly Update

Week 2 of my lifestyle change has been going really well. My goal was to cut down on how much meat I eat, and completely rid my diet of red meat. The second part of my goal was to only eat 2 servings or less of chicken or fish per week, and that goal was also achieved last week. I actually made wild rice veggie burgers one day with an awesome recipe that I partially acquired and partially made up. *great success* 

For the most part, I have not faced too many challenges on my way to switching over to vegetarianism: I guess my main challenge has been the fact that my parents have a very small hobby farm and raise chickens, so of course my mom loves cooking chicken hot dishes and sending them my way, but at least it is organic and I can limit myself and save it in the freezer. I DO feel better about this choice I have made. Not only is it environmentally friendly and better for animal welfare, but also making wild rice burgers last weekend for my friends was awesome because they all really enjoyed them, and now they also have a healthy alternative to meat, that they can try it on there own as well. (specifically getting one of my stubborn roommates AND my brother to like them was a landmark occasion). I guess what I have learned so far was that once you put your mind to a huge lifestyle change like this, you realize that the hardest part is actually just making that decision ( I never thought I'd be able to give up meat), and I've hardly had any problem so far with my change.  My plans for this next week are just to keep up with what I am doing, I already believe I am challenging myself, yet I don't want to make it any easier. I would at least like to challenge myself to eat more organic foods. 

Here is an interesting website I found that has given me motive to keep up with my vegetarian choices.

21 reasons to become a vegetarian! 

( toothpastefordinner.com )

Eye Opener: CSPI

For this weeks eye opener, I chose to do the "Score Your Diet" activity. At Center for Science in the Public Interest, you can rate your diet using a drop down menu that rates the amounts of different food that you eat, and gives you a total health score, an environmental score, and an animal welfare score. The options also allow for whether you eat organic food or low fat foods. 
My score showed an overall excellent health score, but my animal welfare and environmental scores both need improvement. Vegetables were my highest score by far, fruits came in second and whole grains came in third, which makes sense to me because I do eat a lot of veggies and legumes to make up for my lack of meat. My worst scores were in the amount of yogurt and cheese that I eat, which is apparently too much, but I feel like my diet works well and I wouldn't really want to give up anymore dairy than I already have after switching to soy and almond milk (tastes better than it sounds!) 2 years ago. My lowest scores overall were under environment, and I am not sure how to make sense of this because I got negative points under environment for eating fruits and vegetables, and more negative points for grains, so this rating was slightly confusing. My total score overall was 52 which ranked "good."
 I do eat organic some of the time, so my goal will be to slowly incorporate more and more organic food into my diet. What this activity has shown me, is that there is always room for improvement, and you have to alter your diet in the areas that work best for you, as well as what works best for the environment. I believe my personal diet improvements have come a long way and they will only get better.  It wasn't that long ago that I would eat just about anything in the spectrum...

(obtained from toothpastefordinner.com)