We are all about eating real and good food — fruits and vegetables not infused with pesticides, meats from animals raised in pastures on grass, fish caught wild from the sea, and sauces and dressing not infused with sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
It should be easy for most people to find good, real food — right? Sadly, no.
Do you struggle with finding healthy foods to eat? Do the food labels confuse you? Well, guess what? Even with Marketer Ran doing most of the grocery shopping, it is sometimes difficult to decode the labels. And, guess what? It is even harder to shop while traveling full-time and trying to find farmers markets and food stores that sell organic products!
(By the way, if you are not seeking out healthier foods, we encourage you to do do your research and watch documentary films such as Food, Inc., Sugar Coated, Fed Up, Food Matters, King Corn, and GMO OMG. You can also check out Ran’s article on our sister site, EmpoweringRetreat.com: Live Longer. Eat Healthier Daily. Best Foods for You, A-Z.)
We do know this: When you can, buy your eggs and meats from a local rancher; your fish from a local fish market, and your fruits and vegetables from local farmers/farmer markets. Also, when you can, consider making your own sauces — or look very carefully for no-sugar alternatives to spaghetti sauces, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and the like.
We also seek out local natural foods stores and local butchers — to find local grass-fed and finished meats and farm-fresh eggs.
Next best? Buy organic and non-GMO products. For mainstream brands, organic is the best choice you have — though even organic is not as ideal as buying from a trusted rancher or farmer. Happily, many stores, including Costco and Vons/Safeway/Albertsons (and others) now carry a growing selection of organics. Find brands such as Organic Valley, Applegate Farms, Horizon Organic, and Green Valley — and others that are producing products the right way. (Note: Some organic brands are owned by major consumer companies, such as Hormel, General Foods, Perdue, and Campbell Soup — not necessarily known for being organic-friendly.)
Know this sad fact about food labeling: Natural and grass-fed; cage-free, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free… they all mean almost next to nothing in food labeling … but they sure sound good to us as consumers, right? (Read more about deciphering labels here –– and in this Washington Post article.)
We make our own Ranch Dressing (including our own mayonnaise base) — and seen in the picture at the top of this blog post — from all organic ingredients and using no sugar or other additives. (Find the recipe here.)
Consider also using a number of excellent websites that will help you find and connect with local producers, including:
We are what we eat, right? So we hope this blog post encourages you to really read labels carefully, research your food much more diligently, and seek out and support those local farms and ranches who are doing things the right way.
Just say no to horrible and disgusting feedlot meats, caged up and antibiotic-infused chickens and their eggs, and roundup-tainted fruits and vegetables.