Blog #4 Reflection- Food Meat Production

I was asked as a blog requirement to write down my food intake over the last 48 hours. It goes as follows.

Day 1 Sunday

• 2 slices of fresh french bread (local bakery)
• 1 bowl of homemade vegetable soup (leftovers)
• lot's water from our own waterwell
• guacamole chips
• 2 kokanee beers (from Crescent, Britsh Columbia)
• baby carrots (from California I think)
• mashed potatoes (Im thinking from Mexico, or last summers growth in MB)
• a bit of beer can chicken (don't eat meat but this was grown on a Mennonite farm close by, and cooked on the barbecue)

Day 2 Monday

• 1 green apple (most likely from California)
• 1 grapefruit (most likely from Florida)
• 1 -12" vegetable sub from Subway
• 1 bowl of vegetable soup
• popcorn

I was asked what kind of foods do I eat regularly. It goes as follows:
Green Apples, Grapefruit, Potatoes, Lettuce, Celery, Onions, Carrots, Tomatoes, Bread, Moose Meat, Deer Meat, Rarely Beef from my sister's farm, Cucumbers, Bananas, Cheese, Homemade Pickles, Cereal, Milk milk milk, Water, Popcorn, Corn, Beer, Vodka, Coffee

My diet is based on vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. When we spoke about Food miles in our February 24 class It really made me think about where my food comes from, I mean how many days in a truck did it spend before arriving to its location to go onto another truck to get distributed to stores in that region. Living in Manitoba we do not have much choice when it comes to eating healthy in the winter. Fruits and vegetables are almost all from accross the borders. Unless we grow gardens ourselves in summer and preserve vegetables over the winter, but this is highly unlikely because most people do not have time plant such a big garden. With our affluent lifestyles an average household needs to have 2 working adults to keep up with bills and other expenses. In cities people don't have any room to grow gardens, they have to rely on markets near by that usually don't sell local food. I have significantly reduced my consumption of meat but I do still need some in my diet. Meat has become the main dish in our meals and in my household as well. When people, including my household, prepare a meal we think about what to cook for meat and then what would go well with this type of meat.

My food contributes to Fossil Fuels energy, to pollution of our water, land and atmosphere. To harmful toxins being released into the air, and alot that is staying in our food. I try hard to be aware of what I consume and I try to bring awareness to the people around me, alot of my family and friends reactions are "oh you environmentalist you". Most of them do not understand why I eat or not eat certain things. My immediate family understands more because they hear me preach as much as they want to hear. My mom even incorporated a Meatless Monday to her meal ideas. One small step at a time, one person at a time, one small decision; we can make a difference.