The Omnivore's Dilemma

As I was curling my toes in the sand of my favorite beach (the multicolored mirage of Emerald Isle, NC), gripping the pages of my new favorite read, The Omnivore's Dilemma, I felt moved to write my first blog post... again.

My first attempt at a blog was inspired by my suitemates in college, Katina and Morgan (@katerinaalexis.blogspot.com and morganicnyc.blogspot.com ) but I lacked the knowledge of myself to be able to write cohesively and persuasively about something else. Not to say I'll do any better this post- but we shall see!

As I looked over the expansive water, I became quickly frustrated with many of the groups that Michael Pollan pointed out as the reasons for the gaining distance between what nature has provided us to eat and what business have marketed us to eat. Look at the ingredients on the back of a cereal box and you will struggle to pronounce half of them... Pollan has narrowed down these ingredients to corn derivatives. This corn is produced by farmers who only become poorer as they go against the laws of supply and demand to produce more corn- to make more money.

This frantic production lowers the cost to food companies who easily make a profit off of uneducated Americans. Frustrated at the lack of knowledge I, too, held about what I was eating I started pointing fingers at the food companies who pocketed the extra money instead of letting it flow back to the farmers, the government for subsidizing corn and corn derivatives and the too many americans who view life as a spectator sport. I decided that I did not want that to be me.

I promised my self I would start shopping at Whole Foods and farmers markets Morgan introduced me to. This past year I even tried veganism for a month (which is where you eat no foods consisting of or made from animals). It wasn't right for me, but even at this time I would still prefer a veggie burger over a meat burger- maybe vegetarianism is in my future. I did, however, finish my beach read with a strong desire to continue putting healthy, organic foods into my body.