Noodlebowl

Choices Challenge

This has been brewing in my head for a while. I do try to eat well and  to make conscious decisions on what I choose to eat. I think I could do much better.  In these days of convienence, it is all too easy to turn a blind eye on where food comes from and even easier not to worry about how it is affecting your health.

So the challenge is this: 40 days of making conscious food choices.

It might be different for you. It might be not to buy cage eggs. It  might be to try a veggie delivery box. To be a vegan. To have your  recommended 5 veg, 2 fruit a day. To avoid any non seasonal vegetables. To drink more water. Whatever it is that you think is achievable and concerns you enough that you have considered it as a change in lifestyle. The primary goal is to make conscious decisions on what you are putting in your mouth, to vote with your wallet and to see what it is
like to live with these choices.

For me, I am choosing to:

 1. Only eat meat that has been raised ethically in and out of the  home.

 My definition of meat excludes seafood because the debate on ethical  seafood is still raging in my head. Maybe it will be the subject of  another challenge. But any cow, pig, lamb, veal, chicken bits I  consume over the next 40 days should all have had a good life before
 dying to be on my plate. Definition of good life to be researched - e.g. certified free range - is that good enough?

2. To be more aware of the processed foods I am eating.

I think I don’t think eat a lot of processed foods but I probably do. So I will be keeping track of what it is I am eating and post research on each item.

The 40 days begins Monday 28th July and ends 5th September. Comment here on what your challenge is and why. I will report back on how I am going each week.

Does this mean that you will be asking about what meat they use in restaurants? Or mainly eating vego when you dine out?

Yes to both. It is more than likely given the restaurants we frequent, I will be eating vegetarian. I will ask first where the meat is from though so as to show my wallet vote.

This is going to be hard!

Good luck with it all. Sounds very tough, but it’s a great challenge! Go, You!

Wow, best of luck to you! You can do it.
It sounds very interesting. I’m in the last stretch of a ‘Low GI in July’ challenge that I set for myself: to post every single day this month *something* that I have learnt, or tasted, or discovered about integrating a low GI diet and moderate exercise into my ‘new’ lifestyle. It’s been incredibly helpful writing every day… about 3 weeks in it became a little tough (a bit boring, a bit ‘have to do’) but I battled through and it’s powering on again.

I may even be a little sad when the month ends!

Good luck - both excellent choices!

I do the same thing regarding meat - in England that pretty much means eating vegetarian when we go out. I’ve actually enjoyed this - it means I’ve tried things I wouldn’t normally have eaten. The bit I find tricky is what to do when I go friends and relatives houses - they know I’m not vegetarian but I can’t reasonably expect them to change their shopping habits just for me (though obviously I do try to explain why I eat the way I do)

Thank you all!

good luck, brave lady!

i struggle with the meat issue constantly. it’s easy enough to buy organic for the house, but i still love a side of chinatown soya chicken every now and again, or a basket of dumplings. how good could a pig’s life be at $6/dozen? tchk.

Good on you, awareness is the first step to changing the world I reckon. I’m betting the processed food part will end up being tougher than the ethical meat issue, after all there is so much good fish and vegetarian food out there. But processed to me at least means cakes, biscuits, chocolate and almost everything sweet, lovely savory snacks like rice crackers, even bread by definition is a processed food.

@bowb I know. I am lamenting BBQ pork and dumplings already.

@another outspoken female: Yeh I am beginning to regret that one. But that’s why I phrased it as being more aware as opposed to cutting out…bit sneaky.

Because of the foodblogs, I was more inspired to try new and different foods, I am learning a lot and also thanks for sharing your ideas because at the same time I am also trying my best to learn how to prepare (decent meals Busby SEO challenge

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