This month I pledged to not eat meat. Having done it before, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem. Well, the next day I read my blood type diet: eat right for your type! It stated I was the carnivorous type and should, in fact, consume meat. I persevered despite my blood telling to do the opposite, but ended up at dinners where meat was just a part of it… (a particularly good part I might add). No matter how tasty, however, keeping meat to a minimum typically makes me feel good. Plus, I have high cholesterol so animal products are a no no. Really, I stay away from meat for completely selfish reasons. I like feeling good and am hoping to live a long life. However, it has become an integral part of the human diet and I am constantly flip-flopping between whether or not it should be.

This recent hyper-awareness of what I consume prompted me to download and watch Food Inc. The film provoked ill will more toward the government that meat itself. I, now, understand political vegetarian- and vegan-ism. I tend to veer away from domestic politics (despite being a PoliSci major), but this past month so many issues have come to my attention that not only cause me to question our government, but the goodness of human nature as a whole. Meat-processing, agriculture and farming are now in that realm more than ever before.

I thought I would watch Food Inc. and be disgusted by animal treatment. I was, but even more so, I was disgusted by the lack of empathy and compassion people in positions of power have for the people they are meant to lead. It doesn’t make any sense. Well, I guess if the only goal is  unlimited control, power and money their actions are dead on. Where are the people that actually care? The ones who want equality, fairness and health. They seem to be getting bulldozed by large corporations and bullshit legislation. Those who are not the cream of the crop financially don’t have a system that fights or even works for them. It’s in food, agriculture, medical care, social security, education…

…we as Americans are trapped under a culture of all work, little play and a system that makes it impossible to escape. Loans, mortgages, bills, feeling like we have to build some huge careers…which then confines us to a life of the masses. America, you’ve done an incredible job at brainwashing worlds into thinking we are lucky and this is normal. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY. Yes, we are fortunate in so many ways, but really…the bureaucracy that life has devolved into is depressing and does much more harm than good. There are so many stellar, smart and driven people here. I look around at my friends and am regularly in awe of the people they are. I can’t seem to wrap my head around why these types are not leaders. Then I realize…I wouldn’t want to be a leader. I believe in affecting change from person to person. Leaders deal with corruption, threats and power hungary monsters with no ethics. Am I being too harsh? Rambling? This poor little post that was supposed to be about food has clearly led me on a tangent. I am saddened by the corruption that runs governments and corporations and wonder if it is reparable.

Back to food. Check out the Food Inc trailer:

You are what you eat right? This explains the toxicity that persists in our institutions. Kidding kidding…

So, rather than a pledge to go vegetarian, I am resolving to do good and TRY to eat more organically. My roommate pointed out that when we stayed in other countries for an extended amount of time, our bodies react differently to what we consume. She, for example, is able to eat nearly anything in France (of course continuing to work out) and feels much better there than if she ate identically in these states. I have similar feelings on how my body reacted to travels and food. Not only is the food we eat harmful, but its producers have become money-hungary giants. At this rate will we be able to get organic, fresh food in a decade? America’s amber waves of grain are becoming a gray shadow on the face of our food industry.

While Food Inc. is a documentary to watch, clearly exposing the wide-spread effects of a corrupt and unethical system. I’d like to share something on a local level that is being negatively affected by this same system. In Venice, California there is a store called RAWesome (read reviews here). Great name, right?! Well, they encourage people to eat raw and eat healthy. They sell raw and organic fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, etc. I happened to wandered by and notice they have a “bouncer” and a long list of rules at the door. Clearly, I wanted in…so I asked what this RAWesome space was all about. I was fortunate to be talking to one of the owners of this all-raw grocery store who explained they have been forced to make their store members only. Members have to sign a contract stating they acknowledge everything is raw and has more/different bacteria and it is not FDA approved. This healthy movement is not only completely unbacked by the FDA, it is under attack at both the local and federal levels. It all seems like a big conspiracy. After talking to people there and seeing the operation, I wish I were ready to eat completely raw. It is a wholly legitimate and rAWESOME business.

I provide this example because it is another in which our not-so-rawesome government has their priorities all mixed up. The owner of RAWesome described to me how officials raided their small operation with weapons drawn. They insisted on taking more than what is necessary to test and left all the refrigerators open to spoil the food. The government is regularly trying to silence stores and raw/organic farms like this one. Check out the video on it below to see the raid and learn more about the raw movement and a hearty U.S. reaction to it.

We take food for granted. If you know me, you know I’ll eat pretty much anything. But how is does that play out in the long run? I appreciate living in Los Angeles because people are generally health conscious. I was perusing Trader Joe’s this morning and actually heard people talking about Food Inc. We need more Trader Joe’s out there to promote these conversations AND make organic affordable. Stay healthy everyone!

Finally… Click here for RAWesome on the Colbert Report for a chuckle.