Quality (Or: Why I Spend So Much $ on Food)

Quality matters big time when it comes to my food. Yes, I'd much rather pay more and eat less. Here's why:

1. It Tastes Better
Fresh, organic, local food tastes better. Period. Tell me you don't like carrots and I'll bring you one from the farmers' market. Hard to believe it's related to those watery little nubs you get in a bag at the grocery store. My secret to making vegetables and meals taste good? Start with ingredients you don't have to cover up. Use ingredients that speak for themselves. Then you're just playing with and enhancing them.

2. I Eat & I Vote
As consumers, we vote with our money. So support your friends not your enemies. Educate yourself. Buy fair trade where it's available. Who do you want to be supporting? Local farmers or Monsanto? Yes, it's easier on the conscience (temporarily, at least) to turn a blind eye to the widespread abuse of animals in our food system (google: CAFO), but is your eating in alignment with your values? Pigs are as intelligent and sensitive as dogs. How do you feel about dog abuse? I mean it. You want a better world for all? If you have the money, put it where your mouth is.

3. Healthy
Trust me, I know all the debates and studies (who's funding those again?) but I also have a pretty intelligent head full of common sense. Organic = no toxic chemicals, more diverse nutrients and antioxidants, responsible farming, healthy environment. This is even more important with animal products. If you are what you eat, so is your bacon. Ever notice how you store bad energy, fear and tension in your body (my shoulders and neck sure do), not to mention toxins, steroids, antibiotics? That is what's in your meat, going into YOUR body, unless you're buying organic, grass-fed, or pasture-raised, ethically-farmed animals.

4. Experience

I'm just not into (over)eating massive quantities of things, it doesn't turn me on. In fact, it makes me feel sluggish, fat, and guilty, and it kills my sex drive, my energy, and my confidence - all things I enjoy very much. Basically, I'd prefer to slowly and consciously savor my wild salmon, asparagus risotto, and chocolate truffles, than eat cheap Chinese takeout with my eyes glued to a TV screen, hardly even tasting what's going into my mouth (well, maybe I'd rather not taste that).

At the core of it all, I opt for quality because it is an expression of who I am and how I want to contribute to this world. How you eat is how you live. On many levels.