Welcome!

I had an old blog on LiveJournal, but honestly, it seemed to have no purpose other than vent my rantings and ravings about my life. I haven't posted to that blog in over a year. So after much thought, I decided to create a new food blog because food has become my passion lately.

This won't just be a recipe blog, though I'll have recipes on here. Nor will it be a restaurant blog, though I do enjoy eating out and I'll probably write about some of those experiences. I really want this blog to mostly be about mindful eating, and what issues are involved. I want this blog to invite debate because even if I hold a certain viewpoint, I want to be challenged if I don't have all the information! So please, disagree with me! But back up that dsagreement with information.

To start, I'd like to subdivide mindful eating into three categories: self-responsibility, social responsibility, and environmental responsiblity. They should be fairly self-explanatory, but just in case:

Self-Responsibility: I truly believe that the old adage "You are what you eat" is true. Our health depends on how we nourish our bodies, so clearly, if we don't eat well, our bodies suffer more for it. Now, of course, there are many conflicting ideas on how best to nourish the body, and I do believe that different people have different needs on a physiological level. But basically eating garbage doesn't do anyone any favors, so if we want want to take real control of our health, we need to cut out the garbage. I'll explore garbage vs. real food in later posts.

Social Responsbility: Farmers work hard, and should be compensated fairly in return. Large corporations that employ farmers, however, tend to bully farmers into lousy practices and pay them pittances. This kind of business model serves no one well except for the corporations, and buying from them only makes the situation worse. I hope to explore this topic further with alternatives.

Environmental Responsibility: What kinds of food sources are best for the environment? Local? organic? What is sustainable and what isn't? And why should we care?

Now, who am I to write about food, anyway? What is my background? I'm not a farmer; in fact, I'm lucky that I can keep my bamboo and aloe plants alive. I've been overweight for years and have been trying to figure out the best way to control it. I have hypothyroidism, diagnosed about 6 months after my beautiful daughter was born. But I want CHANGE. I love food, but I want my food to be good not only for me, but to have come through good sources. I want my body to become the healthiest it has ever been, but not through food gotten through ill sources. And I want to pass this legacy on to my daughter.

I will warn my readers that I consider myself an ethical omnivore. I eat meat. I love eating meat, and don't plan to stop any time soon. But I seek out meat that comes from well-treated animals that eat properly as often as I possibly can. Factory-farmed meat doesn't do anyone favors. But I honestly believe that we need animal protein and fats in our diets for optimal health; I know many will disagree with me, and I look forward to that debate! Don't worry, folks, I love my veggies too!

Okay, that's all for now. More posts to come soon. I hope you enjoy this blog, and I look forward to insightful commentary. Let the fun begin!