Over the past weekend, I traveled to Gainesville, Florida to visit one of my friends. She is a vegetarian and has been for the past year or so. I decided it might be interesting to try to be a vegetarian for the weekend. Surprisingly to what I had previously created in my own mind, not eating meat wasn’t quite as difficult as I had originally imagined. Although I will say, it is easier to eat vegetarian when you are in a city surrounded with restaurants dedicated to vegetarian/vegan/organic alternatives and being around other people who chose to eat that way. All weekend I ate organic eggs, cheese enchiladas, guacamole, salsa, beans, rice, bagels, pancakes and organic spinach pizza. Overall, I have to admit I felt better about myself.
After reading all of the horrors in Fast Food Nation and Omnivores Dilemma, morally and ethically I felt more sound and whole. I mean, how can you NOT feel disgusted and repulsed about the journey our food takes before it reaches us? As we read in Home Grown, our food travels thousands of miles to reach us, but before the long journey, animals are treated so inhumanly it’s disturbing. Chicken have their necks sliced while still alive, they often are in such poor shape by the time they reach this stage in the food production from everything injected in them that many do not make it here. We learned all of this in class and in a few of the documentaries we watched, but having my friend Breklyn to reinforce this every time my eyes were drawn towards a chicken or meat dish on the menu was a constant reminder. I vowed to make a change.
I returned home from Gainesville on Monday and after I got off work at 9pm I decided to go grocery shopping for the week. Reminding myself to focus on what I had practiced over the weekend, I set out determined to fill my basket with organic, healthy, vegetarian items.I began in the produce section with all organic celery, Honey Crisp apples and grapes. I continued to add bagels, cheese, yogurt and other items that I normally eat to my cart. Turning a blind
eye to the produce and meat section I begrudgingly continued on my grocery trip. Nearing the end of the store I realize, I don’t actually have any meals. I have foods I can eat for breakfast and snack on, but no full meals I can make. I make the decision to purchase some organic chicken from Publix’s GreenWise section. Reminding myself that changes like aren’t as easy as they seem and that if I continuously cut back on my chicken intake, maybe over time I won’t have the desire to eat it at all.
In my naivety, I had not taken as close of a look as I should have at the prices on my organic finds and led my way to a hefty $63.00 total. Stunned at how my bill got so high with a cart so seemingly empty, I browse over my purchases. My organic seedless grapes rang in at an astounding $6.00 and my three Honey Crisp apples… a whopping $7.00. My Publix GreenWise frozen pizza cost less than both of these items at around $5.00. (The photo is one that I took on my mobile phone)
My chicken tenderloins were the least of my problem also at $5.00. The produce is what killed me! No wonder lower income individuals are stuck in such a vicious cycle of fast food. Food is my main expense every month, but how on God’s green Earth can anyone afford to eat organically all the time? I know I will not be able to afford to eat organically on the budget my parents give me per month. Many families as we learned at the Harry Chapin food bank are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table, let alone organic.(photo credit)
Curious about Publix’s GreenWise products I checked out their website. They note that they created their GreenWise food line because of the demand for naturally delicious and environmentally sound products. Their website continues on to note, “Our organic items are raised without added growth hormones or synthetic antibiotics, steroids, pesticides, or 
fertilizers and are all-natural with no GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Minimally processed, our all-natural items have no artificial colors, flavor, preservatives or sweeteners. Our earth-friendly products are produced in such a way to minimize any negative impact on the environment.” On their website, they also list what products they offer in this manner, their nutrition labels and how they can be used as a snack or in a meal. Some of their GreenWise items are similar in price, just cents being the difference, with non-organic items. Overall, from now on I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to be more involved and decisive about my food. While I’ll admit that I will not always be able to purchase organic items, due to price, when I can I will. (photo credit)
