Eating with Environmental Awareness - A New Concept for me

1. What, exactly, do you think about when you make food choices? Do you have environmental considerations in mind? Or other stuff?

Until just recently (this semester), I am sad to say, that I have rarely if ever taken environmental considerations into account when making food choices. Save the immediate, obvious health concerns of food served or prepared in a dirty environment, my ecological impact did not ever cross my mind. Writing this post has made me ponder what the reason for this is: Part of it is lack of exposure to ecological thought concerning food. I was raised in a wealthy suburb of Dallas, and both of my parents work full-time jobs, so we spent more nights of the week eating out than preparing food at home. On top of that, I usually didn't accompany my mom to the grocery store, so not only did I not experience the cooking process, I also didn't really know much about grocery shopping or the different options that are available. Because of all this, I was extraordinarily distanced from the modern industrial agricultural system that our food comes from today. This semester, I am finally delving into environmental issues head first. I was pulled into the movement in opposition to fossil-fuel induced climate change, but have since seen that my scope of environmental thought was fairly narrow. Most of my life I have had a very American diet. TONS of meat, processed junk food, WAY too many calories for my body size. I have actually conducted numerous food experiments in my life, though until recently these were entirely exercises in self-will and health based endeavors. Beginning this semester though, I have begun thinking about the environmental impact of my food choices. I have cut back on meat. I have greatly increased the proportion of my diet that is plants.

2. Take a few moments to consider everything you've eaten in the last day or two. Of the food or beverage items you've consumed, which, in your estimation, has had the greatest environmental impact? Why?

Monday, I had granola, yogurt, canteloupe, 4 hard boiled eggs' egg-whites, and a banana for breakfast. I had a boxed lunch with a turkey sandwich, yogurt, an apple, and a banana for lunch. For dinner, I had three servings of mexican enchilasagna bake, a serving of pasta, two slices of pesto cheese pizza, and some rice. This morning's breakfast consisted of yogurt, canteloupe, grapes, and an apple for breakfast. Monday's dinner is without a doubt my least environmentally friendly, as well as least healthy, meal. The quantity of food that I ate, along with the food's composition of hamburger meat (in the enchilasagna) make that meal the least environmentally friendly by far.