Detoxing...does this sound like any fun?
I feel like this is something I am supposed to do? That question may be totally false...but it sounds true. There are a million different ways to supposedly detox, but which way is best. Do you need to detox? Eating well and working out, shouldn't that be enough?
Do I really need one more thing to add to the list of have to's to find true health?
Maybe?
Too much research has left me confused. Very confused. I read through databases comparing organics food, products I use and lotions and detergents I use for my child and see if any of the ingredients have potential dangers for prolonged use. Ugh. The problem is that now I know too much.
I can't knowingly put lotion on my son that has ingredients in it that may be harmful down the road...or do that to myself. But, I don't want to go crazy checking lables and websites for every thing we use. I want to have time and energy to have a life. So, how do I not spend all of my 'lack of free time' researching?
I decided to start a personal journey of minimal detox...pick the things I felt were most important and do-able and see how it goes...the ups the downs...how many times I fall off the wagon, etc...
I started with food...ofcourse...
buying organic when the budget allows - this part has been easy and tasty, but sometimes pricey, so I have to pick and choose
limiting animal product consumption - this has been easy too
limiting processed foods - not so easy...processed foods are everywhere, in our routine, easy, fast, and many are cheap eats. I can make healthier choices in this category, but cutting it out completely feels overwhelming
limiting most processed sugars - this has been REALLY hard...I am on the sugar roller coaster...I know it's not healthy and I know I am addicted. when I cut processed sugar out, i am able white knuckle it for a week or so and then I crash and end up at the bakery buying chocolate chip cookies....and then craving sweets for days afterwards. ugh!
limiting alcohol - keeping this to a couple of beverages per weekend is normal for us, but cutting it out is not my idea of a good time. We do love craft beer and great wine...so this one may not get changed. the calorie loss in limiting alcohol would be awesome and its easier on the budget for sure...but we still like it...hmmm....however, this one is clear, alcohol is a poison to the body...anyway....back to this on another blog post
Now I am working on skin products, this is overwhelming. there is so much out there to choose from and so many sources for information on what ingredients are good, bad and totally dangerous. I am starting small...as I run out of whatever product I normally use, I am replacing it with a more natural (and supposedly healthier and safer product).
My latest experience has been with natural deodorants. I am trying to find an aluminum free, paraben free and preservative free products that helps me not stink...hmmm...this is challenging. I rounded up my experts (other friends who use natural products, lol), books and websites and skimmed over ratings. I chose one that seemed like the perfect product. Supposedly, conventional antiperspirants have clogged our sweat glands and normal bodily processes so much that it takes a couple of weeks on a natural product to work your way through the funk so that the natural product can even work...that's right...up to a few weeks with the funk. Look out people on the treadmill next to me, lol!
It's been a few weeks now and the stink is substantially less stinky, thank goodness! But still not the greatest. I have to re-apply through out the day and the consistency is so sticky that it attracts lint like crazy. If the particular brand I bought doesn't pull through in the next week, it will be time to try another one.
Until then...rock the funk, or not...
and sweet dreams!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
vegan flirting...
As if I don't have enough things to do, be concerned with, use my energy on, and to research, now I am rethinking the foundation of how I eat.
None the less, my addiction to documentaries about food, agriculture and the environment is taking over. I guess I love causes and this is one of the many my heart is drawn to.
Not that I am not interested in anything strict or overly structured regarding food...that sounds like hell. I don't like being told what to do or how to do it...so a rule book on how to eat is not my idea of a good time. Plus, I like beer and cookies, (although I am trying to minimize processed sugars because I feel SO much better with out it). Strict is just not for me.
Over the past 2 years I have watched a half dozen documentaries and read quite a few books on food and the last few I consumed are infecting my brain...in a good way...but in a way I can no longer ignore.
As I was watching the last film and reviewing the latest book with my hubby, he said, "I don't want to be a strict vegan, but I like the idea of going vegan". I laughed and said, "is there any other option for vegan other than strict?". Aren't those two things interchangeable...vegan is strict, right? He meant, that he wants to be vegan 90% of the time or something like that. Okay...now we're talkin.
I feel like I have been exposed to too much information to put the blinders back on and feel good about food I used to eat. Ugh. Now I will be super opinionated and piss some of you off...sorry...I love you.
I don't want to ingest food that has been pumped full of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, cleansing agents, etc. I don't want to eat food that was previously living in horrific conditions and then slaughtered. Beyond the horror factor of living and killing conditions...I believe negative energy resides in their physical being, because of how they lived and died. I feel as if I am getting some of that traumatic and negative energy when I ingest that meat.
I don't want my family to eat dairy from a cow that is constantly preggers so that it can produce milk and has their offspring taken away from them.
In my heart of hearts, I know the most humane way for meat or dairy consumption, would be to get it from an animal that lived on a farm where they roamed grassy farm land, ate food that was healthy and safe, got medical attention if they were ill and then were killed in the most humane way possible. That type of meat is not convenient to get and is expensive to buy. There is also that killing part and even if its humane, it's still killing.
There are a hundred other reasons to bring up on this issue, but these are on my mind at this moment.
I am still working my way through this. One day I eat eggs, the next few I eat no animal products...and so on. The one animal product that I really enjoy is sushi...other than that craving, I could easily walk away from eating animal products. I think I may start with a vegan 'cleanse' and see how I feel. Eating more plant based foods and whole grains...limiting processed foods too. Limiting processed sugars and other foods is making me feel so much better and happier.
Please share your thoughts with me on this and if you have a vegan recipe you love, please post it. Save your corner of the world in your own way....smile more, eat one less animal based meal per week, plant some flowers, compliment a loved one, think a happy thought, say a prayer...whatever it is....give it a shot. Change the world by changing your world, one baby step at a time.
If you are curious about the documentaries and books that are infecting my brain, here's a few to check out:
Documentaries that I really LOVED -
Forks over Knives
Food Matters
Dirt
Food Inc.
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Books that I enjoyed -
The Kind Diet
Fast Food Nation
You Are What You Eat
Until next time, sweet dreams!
None the less, my addiction to documentaries about food, agriculture and the environment is taking over. I guess I love causes and this is one of the many my heart is drawn to.
Not that I am not interested in anything strict or overly structured regarding food...that sounds like hell. I don't like being told what to do or how to do it...so a rule book on how to eat is not my idea of a good time. Plus, I like beer and cookies, (although I am trying to minimize processed sugars because I feel SO much better with out it). Strict is just not for me.
Over the past 2 years I have watched a half dozen documentaries and read quite a few books on food and the last few I consumed are infecting my brain...in a good way...but in a way I can no longer ignore.
As I was watching the last film and reviewing the latest book with my hubby, he said, "I don't want to be a strict vegan, but I like the idea of going vegan". I laughed and said, "is there any other option for vegan other than strict?". Aren't those two things interchangeable...vegan is strict, right? He meant, that he wants to be vegan 90% of the time or something like that. Okay...now we're talkin.
I feel like I have been exposed to too much information to put the blinders back on and feel good about food I used to eat. Ugh. Now I will be super opinionated and piss some of you off...sorry...I love you.
I don't want to ingest food that has been pumped full of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, cleansing agents, etc. I don't want to eat food that was previously living in horrific conditions and then slaughtered. Beyond the horror factor of living and killing conditions...I believe negative energy resides in their physical being, because of how they lived and died. I feel as if I am getting some of that traumatic and negative energy when I ingest that meat.
I don't want my family to eat dairy from a cow that is constantly preggers so that it can produce milk and has their offspring taken away from them.
In my heart of hearts, I know the most humane way for meat or dairy consumption, would be to get it from an animal that lived on a farm where they roamed grassy farm land, ate food that was healthy and safe, got medical attention if they were ill and then were killed in the most humane way possible. That type of meat is not convenient to get and is expensive to buy. There is also that killing part and even if its humane, it's still killing.
There are a hundred other reasons to bring up on this issue, but these are on my mind at this moment.
I am still working my way through this. One day I eat eggs, the next few I eat no animal products...and so on. The one animal product that I really enjoy is sushi...other than that craving, I could easily walk away from eating animal products. I think I may start with a vegan 'cleanse' and see how I feel. Eating more plant based foods and whole grains...limiting processed foods too. Limiting processed sugars and other foods is making me feel so much better and happier.
Please share your thoughts with me on this and if you have a vegan recipe you love, please post it. Save your corner of the world in your own way....smile more, eat one less animal based meal per week, plant some flowers, compliment a loved one, think a happy thought, say a prayer...whatever it is....give it a shot. Change the world by changing your world, one baby step at a time.
If you are curious about the documentaries and books that are infecting my brain, here's a few to check out:
Documentaries that I really LOVED -
Forks over Knives
Food Matters
Dirt
Food Inc.
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Books that I enjoyed -
The Kind Diet
Fast Food Nation
You Are What You Eat
Until next time, sweet dreams!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
How did we get to 28 months old?
So...I deided to open my blog. I haven't come here in a while. In fact, I have posted only two entires in all of 2011. I wrote a few entires, but only posted the two times.
My child has gone from my amazing, adorable, needy baby, who never sleeps or gives me a momment alone, to a two year old. He climbs terrifying equipment at the park, has opinions about my clothes and can repeat anything, remember and recall it at will. He knows when he's pooped...if only he would do that in a potty. Soon, soon, right? I am thrilled at his progress and sad that the baby-ness is passing.
The good, wait, I mean great news...he is sleeping so much better. Thank God!
So, my last post was about what to do with my life. How do I reconcile the challenges I face as a devoted stay at home mom who used to have a career and loved the independence of a career and is now feeling stuck somewhere in between.
My choices so far have been slow going. Working through the what if's and have to's and trying to find the healthy place instead has not been easy. Being a career girl has always looked a certain way to me. I have had a vision in my head of this since I was 12 years old. Being a Mom looked a certain way to me too. How do I combine both? How do I honor myself, my family and be realistic?
I have chosen, for now, to follow the stay at home mom and yoga dream. I am teaching yoga and branching out, looking for more opportunities within that community. I am toying with returning to school for a traditional masters, (in nutrition) or getting a certification in something like ayurveda. We toy with the idea of moving somewhere cheaper. Somewhere that we could have a bit more space...maybe a yard....grow vegetables...hang dry our clothes. We love the city, we miss the city vibe we felt attached to in Chicago...but we crave space. Is there a place for us where we could afford more space, have a garden and walk to the yoga studio &/or coffee shop down the road? Does this land exist. Please tell me that it does. I am putting out there that it does and that maybe it could be here. All it takes is a shift.
A shift in belief.
That shift is happening. That is progressing into a shift in our situation. It is there and it is happening.
I subscribe to the philosophy that thoughts and prayers are tools for change. Spiritual change, mental change and then tangible, physical change. I am praying and thinking about the opportunities that are there for my family and for all of us.
As for my 'baby' Dean...he doesn't like my motorcycle boots, will jump to his hearts' content with any good song, showers loved ones with hugs and kisses, and he does not want to share his truck with you.
Until next time, sweet dreams!
My child has gone from my amazing, adorable, needy baby, who never sleeps or gives me a momment alone, to a two year old. He climbs terrifying equipment at the park, has opinions about my clothes and can repeat anything, remember and recall it at will. He knows when he's pooped...if only he would do that in a potty. Soon, soon, right? I am thrilled at his progress and sad that the baby-ness is passing.
The good, wait, I mean great news...he is sleeping so much better. Thank God!
So, my last post was about what to do with my life. How do I reconcile the challenges I face as a devoted stay at home mom who used to have a career and loved the independence of a career and is now feeling stuck somewhere in between.
My choices so far have been slow going. Working through the what if's and have to's and trying to find the healthy place instead has not been easy. Being a career girl has always looked a certain way to me. I have had a vision in my head of this since I was 12 years old. Being a Mom looked a certain way to me too. How do I combine both? How do I honor myself, my family and be realistic?
I have chosen, for now, to follow the stay at home mom and yoga dream. I am teaching yoga and branching out, looking for more opportunities within that community. I am toying with returning to school for a traditional masters, (in nutrition) or getting a certification in something like ayurveda. We toy with the idea of moving somewhere cheaper. Somewhere that we could have a bit more space...maybe a yard....grow vegetables...hang dry our clothes. We love the city, we miss the city vibe we felt attached to in Chicago...but we crave space. Is there a place for us where we could afford more space, have a garden and walk to the yoga studio &/or coffee shop down the road? Does this land exist. Please tell me that it does. I am putting out there that it does and that maybe it could be here. All it takes is a shift.
A shift in belief.
That shift is happening. That is progressing into a shift in our situation. It is there and it is happening.
I subscribe to the philosophy that thoughts and prayers are tools for change. Spiritual change, mental change and then tangible, physical change. I am praying and thinking about the opportunities that are there for my family and for all of us.
As for my 'baby' Dean...he doesn't like my motorcycle boots, will jump to his hearts' content with any good song, showers loved ones with hugs and kisses, and he does not want to share his truck with you.
Until next time, sweet dreams!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
How are you and other random questions?
After a brief visit home and many conversations with friends there and here, about what life is like today, for them...I am now wondering how we all are doing?
I can guess that you too are faced with some of the following: financial scares, job insecurities, job loss, relationship stress, growing family, dividing family, moving, emotional trauma, therapy, promotions, buying houses, new jobs, sleep exhaustion, addictions, joy, accomplishments, achieving goals, overspending, vacations, foreclosure, births, deaths, disease, dieting, starting businesses, job hunting, surviving, thriving...
I wonder what will be remembered from this decade. We have more americans living in poverty than in the past 10 years. The current generation is operating at a lower income/higher cost of living than the generation prior. We have more knowledge and technology available to us than ever before. In this country where we have riches and freedoms, so much to be grateful for, so much to give, and yet, many are broken...emotionally, financially and spiritually impoverished.
How do you view suffering. I have read that some groups think that suffering is self-imposed. That when something bad happens to us, we then relive the experience over and over in our minds creating more suffering adding more ugly details. By that same line of thinking, is suffering contagious? After hearing about someone else's pain, do others cultivate more stories and ideas about pain, remembering their own past pain, pondering their own turmoil and the ill effects of it, only to create more personal suffering? Is suffering (and all negativity) a virus? If so, can it be stopped or cured...am I contributing to suffering to those who read this?
Are the people that are happy, joyful and 'moving onward and upward', despite pain around them, lucky? Are they blessed? Do they suffer less? Do they have more faith in a higher power? Have they evolved? Are they enlightened? Have they been through enough therapy or taken enough pills?
Is changing perspective enough to truly make changes? Is a change in viewpoint enough to effectively numb the pain or delay suffering long enough to create new neural pathways? Is limiting our own consistent return to the thoughts of suffering (in reality, or in our mind), the ticket to finding the staircase out of the quagmire?
I do truly believe that attitude and faith can alter reality. However, changing that at the core of one's being could be a life long process for some. How will this country change its attitude to end it's suffering? How will this country climb out?
I can guess that you too are faced with some of the following: financial scares, job insecurities, job loss, relationship stress, growing family, dividing family, moving, emotional trauma, therapy, promotions, buying houses, new jobs, sleep exhaustion, addictions, joy, accomplishments, achieving goals, overspending, vacations, foreclosure, births, deaths, disease, dieting, starting businesses, job hunting, surviving, thriving...
I wonder what will be remembered from this decade. We have more americans living in poverty than in the past 10 years. The current generation is operating at a lower income/higher cost of living than the generation prior. We have more knowledge and technology available to us than ever before. In this country where we have riches and freedoms, so much to be grateful for, so much to give, and yet, many are broken...emotionally, financially and spiritually impoverished.
How do you view suffering. I have read that some groups think that suffering is self-imposed. That when something bad happens to us, we then relive the experience over and over in our minds creating more suffering adding more ugly details. By that same line of thinking, is suffering contagious? After hearing about someone else's pain, do others cultivate more stories and ideas about pain, remembering their own past pain, pondering their own turmoil and the ill effects of it, only to create more personal suffering? Is suffering (and all negativity) a virus? If so, can it be stopped or cured...am I contributing to suffering to those who read this?
Are the people that are happy, joyful and 'moving onward and upward', despite pain around them, lucky? Are they blessed? Do they suffer less? Do they have more faith in a higher power? Have they evolved? Are they enlightened? Have they been through enough therapy or taken enough pills?
Is changing perspective enough to truly make changes? Is a change in viewpoint enough to effectively numb the pain or delay suffering long enough to create new neural pathways? Is limiting our own consistent return to the thoughts of suffering (in reality, or in our mind), the ticket to finding the staircase out of the quagmire?
I do truly believe that attitude and faith can alter reality. However, changing that at the core of one's being could be a life long process for some. How will this country change its attitude to end it's suffering? How will this country climb out?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
stay at home mom or working mom...worries and other strays
Lately, my head has been swimming with a crush of ideas and worries...(well that's not true, my head it typically swimming) with all kinds of things that I have no solid answers for. I hate that! I want the magic 8 ball that has all the answers.
I am past the end of 'my year'. I saved up so I could spend a year at home with my babe. That year is up by a few months now and I need to figure out what to do. Do I dig deeper into my savings, do I get a part time job, a full time job, etc? If diving back into the job market...what do I want to do? What is worth leaving my son for 8-10 hours a day for? Is there a new career that will allow me to earn more, provide better job security, better future, better hours...I don't want to go back to the specific industry I used to work in, where I have the most contacts and skills (and where it would make the most sense). Ugh. However, not dumping my entire savings and having some financial security and being able to plan for a future financially is important too. This may all sound silly or selfish depending on which side of proverbial fence you live on, when it comes to moms and careers. I want it all...and that possibility just doesn't exist. Or if it does, let me know. I want a great career and I want to be the one spending each day with my kid.
I am really torn and out of options. I need to find a source of income. So...what to do? Write an entry in my blog. Ha ha! Yes...writing may help, but does anyone have a magic 8 ball...really....c'mon, help me out.
What I want to do, start my own business, scares the crap out of me. I have some specific ideas of what I want to do and some facts on how it could turn out...but nothing is secure...not in this market and the fact that I still rarely sleep makes me worry that my exhaustion has got me delirious.
I was so hoping I would be getting more rest by now, so that I could at least occasionally feel like I had something more to offer my family and the work force. I miss being me. I miss feeling confident and secure and smart. Sleep deprivation (yes my kid still wakes up 3 times a night and is up by 4 am...many mornings), has robbed me of feeling consistently grounded. Scratch that...I will just have to make a new and altered version of 'feeling' grounded and all the rest of the things I think I need to feel okay.
Lack of sleep will not rule my life, dang it! Damn you lack of sleep!
Some of my ideas...idealistic...but here there are anyway:
*teach yoga and eventually open my own studio, teach kids yoga (contract with preschools), yoga to the elderly (contract with retirement homes), one on one yoga etc.
*go back to school and get my masters in nutrition and do yoga and nutritional counseling (I think this would be a great combo to offer potential clients)
*go back to school and get my masters in audiology/speech pathology (as this really interested me) and work in schools or hospitals and still teach yoga
*go back to sales, but in an industry where I am selling something that is not only wanted, but something I can be proud of and still teach yoga
*write a book...when I figure out something fun to write about...
Back to that proverbial fence...the issue of whether to work for a pay check or not is fascinating to me. Most of us have to work, because we need the money. However, paying for quality child care and then the expenses of work (wardrobe, gas, lunches...etc)...is it worth what is left over at the end of the month? In some cases, what's left is a lot and so it feels worth it. In some cases it's barely anything and it doesn't appear worth it. However, kids will grow up and go to school in a short number of years and then the career will need to start up again anyway (if money is the issue). Putting one's career on hold for too long can be detrimental. Taking care of a kiddo or kiddos during the day is hard work. I know some kids are easier than others, but for many, it's a tough job. This job has many perks and benefits. I just can't imagine someone else getting the hugs, kisses, smiles, dances, cheers and other wonderful 'perks' that I get and share with my boy each day. I also can't imagine not being able pay for basics when my savings is gone. (some of you know how frugal I am...so basics really does mean basics, studio apartment and ramen here we come). Some people might think it is selfish to stay home. Some people might think it is selfish to go to work. I think both choices are loving and require sacrifices. Either way, it's a tough decision.
Lots to ponder.
Until then, sweet dreams!
I am past the end of 'my year'. I saved up so I could spend a year at home with my babe. That year is up by a few months now and I need to figure out what to do. Do I dig deeper into my savings, do I get a part time job, a full time job, etc? If diving back into the job market...what do I want to do? What is worth leaving my son for 8-10 hours a day for? Is there a new career that will allow me to earn more, provide better job security, better future, better hours...I don't want to go back to the specific industry I used to work in, where I have the most contacts and skills (and where it would make the most sense). Ugh. However, not dumping my entire savings and having some financial security and being able to plan for a future financially is important too. This may all sound silly or selfish depending on which side of proverbial fence you live on, when it comes to moms and careers. I want it all...and that possibility just doesn't exist. Or if it does, let me know. I want a great career and I want to be the one spending each day with my kid.
I am really torn and out of options. I need to find a source of income. So...what to do? Write an entry in my blog. Ha ha! Yes...writing may help, but does anyone have a magic 8 ball...really....c'mon, help me out.
What I want to do, start my own business, scares the crap out of me. I have some specific ideas of what I want to do and some facts on how it could turn out...but nothing is secure...not in this market and the fact that I still rarely sleep makes me worry that my exhaustion has got me delirious.
I was so hoping I would be getting more rest by now, so that I could at least occasionally feel like I had something more to offer my family and the work force. I miss being me. I miss feeling confident and secure and smart. Sleep deprivation (yes my kid still wakes up 3 times a night and is up by 4 am...many mornings), has robbed me of feeling consistently grounded. Scratch that...I will just have to make a new and altered version of 'feeling' grounded and all the rest of the things I think I need to feel okay.
Lack of sleep will not rule my life, dang it! Damn you lack of sleep!
Some of my ideas...idealistic...but here there are anyway:
*teach yoga and eventually open my own studio, teach kids yoga (contract with preschools), yoga to the elderly (contract with retirement homes), one on one yoga etc.
*go back to school and get my masters in nutrition and do yoga and nutritional counseling (I think this would be a great combo to offer potential clients)
*go back to school and get my masters in audiology/speech pathology (as this really interested me) and work in schools or hospitals and still teach yoga
*go back to sales, but in an industry where I am selling something that is not only wanted, but something I can be proud of and still teach yoga
*write a book...when I figure out something fun to write about...
Back to that proverbial fence...the issue of whether to work for a pay check or not is fascinating to me. Most of us have to work, because we need the money. However, paying for quality child care and then the expenses of work (wardrobe, gas, lunches...etc)...is it worth what is left over at the end of the month? In some cases, what's left is a lot and so it feels worth it. In some cases it's barely anything and it doesn't appear worth it. However, kids will grow up and go to school in a short number of years and then the career will need to start up again anyway (if money is the issue). Putting one's career on hold for too long can be detrimental. Taking care of a kiddo or kiddos during the day is hard work. I know some kids are easier than others, but for many, it's a tough job. This job has many perks and benefits. I just can't imagine someone else getting the hugs, kisses, smiles, dances, cheers and other wonderful 'perks' that I get and share with my boy each day. I also can't imagine not being able pay for basics when my savings is gone. (some of you know how frugal I am...so basics really does mean basics, studio apartment and ramen here we come). Some people might think it is selfish to stay home. Some people might think it is selfish to go to work. I think both choices are loving and require sacrifices. Either way, it's a tough decision.
Lots to ponder.
Until then, sweet dreams!
Friday, October 29, 2010
grass fed sweet dreams
I was having a conversation with my hubby over dinner about a presentation he is doing regarding LSD and any mental illnesses connected to that...etc.etc...(he is going to school to be a therapist).
We started talking about the couple of disorders someone could be diagnosed with and then I remembered this odd thought that had crossed my mind a couple of days ago...
...totally off topic...but you know that sociopath's may have started out as kids who did horrible things to animals. So, I was thinking about all the people who work in slaughter houses and their job is to do horrible things to animals.
I eat meat...so this is not a vegetarian thing, this is just how my over tired brain works...but think about all of those people, thousands, maybe tens of thousands, who work in the most horrible conditions where they themselves and the animals are treated inhumanely. How this must wear on them physically, emotionally, spiritually! I can't imagine killing animals once, let alone every day...hundreds or thousands per day.
So, we have this 'system' that removes us from our food to a degree that we have no clue what's going on and most people don't want to have a clue. Then we have people who work in terrible conditions and do terrible things to animals (which if they were kids we would classify them as mentally ill). How much 'mental programing' has to go into this system to make it work. Programming people to be able to treat animals in terrible ways. This system has had to 'program' these people to a certain degree to get them to be okay with this enough that they will perform this work day after day. To top it off, the food is also so sick that it has to be cleansed in major chemicals before it is 'fit' for any of us to eat.
It's a sick cycle..sick system, sick people, sick animals, sick food. So, now that I am done barfing...I am back to pondering what the hell happened!
I do think that if I was forced to farm for my own food, I would eat a lot different. Even if I had a lovely farm, with free range, grass fed animals...treating animals in a healthy and 'humane' way, I would still have a very difficult time killing them so that I could eat meat. I would probably just eat eggs and hopefully have a river or something for fish.
There are so many worthy causes to get fired up about...and I promise not to blog about all of them, but I am really hung up on this.
For now...,enjoy a grass fed burger and sweet dreams!
We started talking about the couple of disorders someone could be diagnosed with and then I remembered this odd thought that had crossed my mind a couple of days ago...
...totally off topic...but you know that sociopath's may have started out as kids who did horrible things to animals. So, I was thinking about all the people who work in slaughter houses and their job is to do horrible things to animals.
I eat meat...so this is not a vegetarian thing, this is just how my over tired brain works...but think about all of those people, thousands, maybe tens of thousands, who work in the most horrible conditions where they themselves and the animals are treated inhumanely. How this must wear on them physically, emotionally, spiritually! I can't imagine killing animals once, let alone every day...hundreds or thousands per day.
So, we have this 'system' that removes us from our food to a degree that we have no clue what's going on and most people don't want to have a clue. Then we have people who work in terrible conditions and do terrible things to animals (which if they were kids we would classify them as mentally ill). How much 'mental programing' has to go into this system to make it work. Programming people to be able to treat animals in terrible ways. This system has had to 'program' these people to a certain degree to get them to be okay with this enough that they will perform this work day after day. To top it off, the food is also so sick that it has to be cleansed in major chemicals before it is 'fit' for any of us to eat.
It's a sick cycle..sick system, sick people, sick animals, sick food. So, now that I am done barfing...I am back to pondering what the hell happened!
I do think that if I was forced to farm for my own food, I would eat a lot different. Even if I had a lovely farm, with free range, grass fed animals...treating animals in a healthy and 'humane' way, I would still have a very difficult time killing them so that I could eat meat. I would probably just eat eggs and hopefully have a river or something for fish.
There are so many worthy causes to get fired up about...and I promise not to blog about all of them, but I am really hung up on this.
For now...,enjoy a grass fed burger and sweet dreams!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
cage free
SO...this isn't a post about babies. I have about 30 half written blogs about baby related stuff saved that I could work on finishing, but decided that I felt like writing about something else today.
I am mad. Mad at the way our food is advertised. It is our job as consumers to be aware, do our research and make sure what we eat is what we want. However, other areas, like the safety of our food, or the honesty of labeling should be provided by the FDA...shouldn't it??? I understand advertising, but this one really pisses me off.
There are MANY areas of this particular issue that I could share my bitterness about, but I will keep it to the 'cage free' issue today.
Hopefully you have noticed at your grocery store that there are many egg options...to mention a few you have available: traditionally 'raised' eggs, cage free and free range. Cage free sounds like a good thing. At first thought, eggs that were provided by a chicken not raised in a cage sounds like a much better situation than one where the chick was was raised in a cage. Cages sound cruel and awful. If you have ever read any books or seen any documentaries on how animals used for food are treated, you have seen(or read) the disgusting images or chickens in cases. So, you ask, where is the issue? Why am I writing about this? Cage free good, right?
Wrong!
Cage free is just a giant cage. It's a dark and dank metal shed. It's just another over-crowded, filthy and inhumane way to raise chickens. If you don't care about the cage thing, then buy the cheaper traditionally raised eggs. Save yourself the money. If you do care how chickens are raised, buy free range (or don't eat eggs...but I do like eggs). Free range is the only option where chickens get to roam around, stretch their lil' chicken legs, get fresh air and sunshine.
Rent or Netflix "Food Inc." if you want details on this and much more. Make the world a better and healthier place for our children.
Sweet dreams friends.
I am mad. Mad at the way our food is advertised. It is our job as consumers to be aware, do our research and make sure what we eat is what we want. However, other areas, like the safety of our food, or the honesty of labeling should be provided by the FDA...shouldn't it??? I understand advertising, but this one really pisses me off.
There are MANY areas of this particular issue that I could share my bitterness about, but I will keep it to the 'cage free' issue today.
Hopefully you have noticed at your grocery store that there are many egg options...to mention a few you have available: traditionally 'raised' eggs, cage free and free range. Cage free sounds like a good thing. At first thought, eggs that were provided by a chicken not raised in a cage sounds like a much better situation than one where the chick was was raised in a cage. Cages sound cruel and awful. If you have ever read any books or seen any documentaries on how animals used for food are treated, you have seen(or read) the disgusting images or chickens in cases. So, you ask, where is the issue? Why am I writing about this? Cage free good, right?
Wrong!
Cage free is just a giant cage. It's a dark and dank metal shed. It's just another over-crowded, filthy and inhumane way to raise chickens. If you don't care about the cage thing, then buy the cheaper traditionally raised eggs. Save yourself the money. If you do care how chickens are raised, buy free range (or don't eat eggs...but I do like eggs). Free range is the only option where chickens get to roam around, stretch their lil' chicken legs, get fresh air and sunshine.
Rent or Netflix "Food Inc." if you want details on this and much more. Make the world a better and healthier place for our children.
Sweet dreams friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)