Choices

I remember going to the grocery store as a kid – a large chain store, probably Safeway, and there were two kinds of apples; red and green. Occasionally there was a yellow apple but only seasonally. There was one kind of orange and iceberg lettuce. Oh yeah, more than one kind of potato as well.

          Now there is a huge selection, I would guess about 10 varieties of apples, four types of oranges, many types of lettuce, and at least three kinds of potatoes. My tired brain almost seizes up with the choices. Does anyone else feel that way?

2011 a good year for Tomatoes

          Anyone been in the yogurt section lately? Holy moly – there must be 40 feet of cooler space and six shelves of yogurt. Pre-biotic, pro-biotic, with fibre, with granola, fat-free, sugar-free, plain, flavoured, stirred, layered, unmixed, soy yogurt, organic (YEAH!) and even (occasionally) goat milk yogurt (YEAH again). If I wanted to buy some, I would stand there, stunned, trying to find the brand I liked. Now, of course, I am eating Tree Island Gourmet Yogurt (www.cultured-dairy.com) when I don’t have any of my own.

          Every part of food sales has diversified with the introduction of produce and products from all over the world. I am truly amazed at the country of origins of the products. I cannot believe how fresh produce from New Zealand, China and South America looks when it arrives at the grocery store.

          I will not buy any foodstuffs that are grown in China. The environmental conditions in most of industrial China are very polluted and the standards are not anywhere close to Canadian standards. Heavy metals are ubiquitous in the soils from all the industrial activity. It’s just not safe. I refrain from buying from Mexico and South America as the standards are practically non-existent and the use of pesticides and herbicides is rampant. Washing the produce doesn’t get the chemicals out of the cellular structure of the plants.

          Local is just much better. It might not be available year round but who really needs fresh strawberries in December? Eating seasonally has been the norm for most of human existence. We have thrived eating this way. I have treats; I eat bananas (organic) and some other imported food. The vanilla beans for our honey-vanilla gelato are from Madagascar – they are organic and fair trade as well.

          It’s all about choices and being informed. Try to find out where your food is from; get local if you can, get organic if you can’t get local.