We can think of plenty of reasons - How about additives, preservatives, chemicals, pesticides, toxins, herbicides, xenobiotics, genetic engineering, global warming, factory farms, cloning, trans fats, pollution, nutritional value, E. coli, fossil fuels, local economies, health risks… we could go on for decades.
Processed foods are full of preservatives and unhealthy additives. They come from far away, contributing to both air and water pollution. They take up much more energy than whole foods – an estimated 19% of the total amount of energy used in the US is used in the production and supply of food according to a
2008 Science Daily article. And just where did this food come from - a factory farm? What’s in it – pesticides? Unfortunately that isn’t the type of information that you’ll find on the package. And, quite simply, processed foods are worlds away from whole, fresh, “real” food when it comes to flavor. In the struggle against industrialized foods, what do you do? Naturally, we recommend processing food yourself.
Not only do you gain control over your food by choosing what goes into it, but you can reduce your footprint when you process your own foods. Here are a few suggestions:
Meat:
- If you don’t hunt your own game or raise your own livestock, find a local farm or ranch to purchase your meat from on eatwild.com.
- Use a Weston Meat Grinder to process your fresh meat into ground meat for burgers, hotdogs, sausages, and more.
- Use a Weston Meat Slicer to prepare steaks, roasts, and other cuts of meat.
- Don’t waste food! Preserve your bulk meats with our full line of Home Meat Packaging Products.
Fruits & Vegetables:
- If you don’t have your own garden, find a local farmer’s market or family farm on localharvest.org.
- Can your own fresh fruits and vegetables with a Weston Deluxe 5-Piece Home Canning Kit.
- You can also preserve your fresh harvest with a Weston Vacuum Sealer.
For more great home food processing supplies, browse the Weston store at http://www.westonsupply.com/.
Below are more resources on processed foods*:
User generated videos on food, green living, and more:
http://naturalnews.tv/
Author Alan Roettinger’s take on Processing Your Own Food:
http://veganascent.blogspot.com/2011/01/process-your-own-food.html
Reader’s Digest article on the Four Most Harmful Ingredients in Packaged Foods:
http://www.rd.com/health/4-most-harmful-ingredients-in-packaged-foods/
Miami Herald article on a family who recently gave up processed foods for 100 days:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/11/2161593/how-one-family-gave-up-processed.html
The 100 Days of Real Food Site:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/
The 100DRF site gives you 10 reasons not to eat processed foods:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/
Author Michael Pollan provides a great deal of information on the topic:
http://michaelpollan.com/
Michael Pollan’s “You Are What You Grow” article from the New York Times:
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/you-are-what-you-grow/
Michael Pollan’s “Unhappy Meals” article from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html
Robert Kenner and Michael Pollan talk about their documentary, “Food, Inc,” on CBS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmF_erEv1o&feature=fvst
Site for Food, Inc.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Any of Michael Pollan’s books also provide much information on the topic:
http://michaelpollan.com/books/
*
Disclaimer: These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Weston Products, LLC of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. Weston Products, LLC bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
