Eating Better...

I've had it on my mind for awhile now to start buying and eating local foods as a rule rather than an exception. It's been hard to change lifelong habits -- but I read Michael Pollan's books, 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and 'In Defense of Food' and that helped to give me a kick in the butt.

There are a lot of solid health benefits connected with eating meat, eggs and drinking milk that has come from "pastured" animals. Pastured is a new term to me -- it means the animals are allowed to eat grass in a field, and not an industrial mix of corn and other stuff they wouldn't normally eat. How crazy!!?? Anyhow, I've been eating pastured eggs and milk for the last few days and it tastes so good. I'm converted. Seriously, try it.

Also the benefits of eating organic as well as locally are huge -- less chemical use (therefore less petroleum use), less fuel to transport the food, the food is typically fresher and won't require preservatives, plus all that circle of life stuff.

Snohomish county has a few really neat resources for buying pastured products and local produce including the Sno-Isle Coop in downtown Everett, and The Organic Produce Shoppe which provides home delivery of organic food weekly.

Getting pastured meat is a little more tricky -- it seems like most farms that sell this type of meat sell it in large quantities.... if you want to go in on a 1/4 cut let me know!