For those of us trying to reduce our impact on the environment, switching from meat to soy products seems like a great way to start. Switching to soy can help us avoid some of the treacherous issues surrounding meat production, obtain protein and fiber, and have a satisfying meal. However, I have been thinking about whether or not soy beans and soy products are actually sustainable.
My main concerns about this arose last night as I chowed down on a frozen veggie burger in the cafeteria. I looked at the specks of color, beans, grains, and other vegetables and wondered where they came from, how they were produced, and how long it took to get to my plate.
What concerns me most is the origin of the soy. Practically all of the soy we consume here is grown in the US and Brazil--most of it is not organic or grown sustainably. Worse, the soybeans grown in Brazil are one of the main causes of deforestation.
I have no definitive answers on this for you, and my impending preliminary exams preclude me from researching this issue fully. This is a classic example of how tricky sustainable eating can be. In short order, do the best you can by focusing on whole, local foods. If you are a college student like me, a veggie burger might definitely seem like a better option than some of those mystery meat items...
Tuesday, February 16
Saturday, February 6
Winter Wonderland
As the weather in the Northeast (and unfortunately for the mid-Atlantic region) turns ever colder, winder, and bleaker, I've turned to my local foodies for some pick-me-ups.
Here are a few suggestions that keep even the dorm-dwellers in Ithaca happy, healthy, and sustainable!:
1. Keep up on your homework!
Reading, writing, and watching about local food, sustainability, and the environment are great ways to beat the boredom that can happen when you're cooped up in negative temps...
Along with the blogs, articles, and videos on the sidebar of my blog, I recommend Gourmet Magazine's "Diary of a Foodie." This show airs on PBS regularly, or for those of you who don't watch (or have) TV the (totally legal and awesome) Hulu has a channel called "Food and Leisure." Gourmet has done an impeccable job at highlighting beautiful, sustainable, trailblazing farmers, chefs, and foodies dedicated to changing and improving how we eat and grow food.
In fact, one of the farms/restaurants I profiled on my blog (Cabbage Hill Farm/The Flying Pig) was featured in the episode "The Green Kitchen"! Watching that episode gave me a little taste of home and a hungry tummy yearning for some delicious local foods!
2. Visit your local farmers' market
Yes, there are farmers' markets even in the winter! Many farmers' markets are open year-round, especially well established ones like the Ithaca Farmers' Market. Even if you live in Westchester, you can take advantage of beautiful produce grown around the corner. Support the Scarsdale Farmers' Market and vote with your food dollars to let those vendors know you appreciate the availability of sustainable goods all year round!
3. Cook up some exotic foods with nearby ingredients
Everybody loves a good stew in the winter (I recently made a delicious beef, yes beef, stew with grass-fed, local, organic beef that I lightly floured, then seared in a Le Creuset. Afterwards, I added tons of carrots, onions and some potato [all from the Scarsdale farmers' market] that I simmered with my daddy's red wine--as Rachael Ray would say Yum-O!), but switch it up. Add some different spices (think curries) to mix up the flavors and nutrients that you eat in the winter.
4. Order from a CSA or if you're a dorm-bound Cornellian, order your groceries from a sustainable delivery service!
By now, most people are already familiar with CSA memberships (Community Supported Agriculture aka weekly deliveries of local produce), there is a new realm of food delivery to look in to. My search for sustainable, healthy, and inexpensive foods that could be delivered to me grew out of my desperation after weeks of living off of my meal plan and a semi-stale box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal. While Cornell Dining often is quite yummy and nutritious and honey-toasted cereal out of a box may satisfy a late-night study snack craving, there's nothing better than having a minifridge full of salubrious, delicious, local foods. So after some snooping around on the internet, I found a site called Garden Gate Delivery. This website is awesome! It is a great example of entrepreneurial environmentalism that is all over Ithaca. The website is a hybrid between Peapod (Stop and Shop's grocery delivery) and a CSA. You order all sorts of prepared foods (from hummus to bagels to jam), produce (fruits and veggies), and even beauty products and books. Then they deliver it right to your doorstep on the next Tuesday or Thursday. For $38, a quart of plain yogurt, fresh hummus, multigrain bagels, a fruit combo box, apples, oranges, and carrots will be delivered right to my dorm room door! I'm very excited. The website doesn't stock my preferred cereal and nut butter (Kashi and almond-only almond butter), but it's going to be a such a treat to open up a big box full of lovely products that I know come from environmentally conscious, business savvy local producers. I'll let you know how it works out!
Enjoy my tips for a belly-warming, sustainable winter and bundle up!
Here are a few suggestions that keep even the dorm-dwellers in Ithaca happy, healthy, and sustainable!:
1. Keep up on your homework!
Reading, writing, and watching about local food, sustainability, and the environment are great ways to beat the boredom that can happen when you're cooped up in negative temps...
Along with the blogs, articles, and videos on the sidebar of my blog, I recommend Gourmet Magazine's "Diary of a Foodie." This show airs on PBS regularly, or for those of you who don't watch (or have) TV the (totally legal and awesome) Hulu has a channel called "Food and Leisure." Gourmet has done an impeccable job at highlighting beautiful, sustainable, trailblazing farmers, chefs, and foodies dedicated to changing and improving how we eat and grow food.
In fact, one of the farms/restaurants I profiled on my blog (Cabbage Hill Farm/The Flying Pig) was featured in the episode "The Green Kitchen"! Watching that episode gave me a little taste of home and a hungry tummy yearning for some delicious local foods!
2. Visit your local farmers' market
Yes, there are farmers' markets even in the winter! Many farmers' markets are open year-round, especially well established ones like the Ithaca Farmers' Market. Even if you live in Westchester, you can take advantage of beautiful produce grown around the corner. Support the Scarsdale Farmers' Market and vote with your food dollars to let those vendors know you appreciate the availability of sustainable goods all year round!
3. Cook up some exotic foods with nearby ingredients
Everybody loves a good stew in the winter (I recently made a delicious beef, yes beef, stew with grass-fed, local, organic beef that I lightly floured, then seared in a Le Creuset. Afterwards, I added tons of carrots, onions and some potato [all from the Scarsdale farmers' market] that I simmered with my daddy's red wine--as Rachael Ray would say Yum-O!), but switch it up. Add some different spices (think curries) to mix up the flavors and nutrients that you eat in the winter.
4. Order from a CSA or if you're a dorm-bound Cornellian, order your groceries from a sustainable delivery service!
By now, most people are already familiar with CSA memberships (Community Supported Agriculture aka weekly deliveries of local produce), there is a new realm of food delivery to look in to. My search for sustainable, healthy, and inexpensive foods that could be delivered to me grew out of my desperation after weeks of living off of my meal plan and a semi-stale box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal. While Cornell Dining often is quite yummy and nutritious and honey-toasted cereal out of a box may satisfy a late-night study snack craving, there's nothing better than having a minifridge full of salubrious, delicious, local foods. So after some snooping around on the internet, I found a site called Garden Gate Delivery. This website is awesome! It is a great example of entrepreneurial environmentalism that is all over Ithaca. The website is a hybrid between Peapod (Stop and Shop's grocery delivery) and a CSA. You order all sorts of prepared foods (from hummus to bagels to jam), produce (fruits and veggies), and even beauty products and books. Then they deliver it right to your doorstep on the next Tuesday or Thursday. For $38, a quart of plain yogurt, fresh hummus, multigrain bagels, a fruit combo box, apples, oranges, and carrots will be delivered right to my dorm room door! I'm very excited. The website doesn't stock my preferred cereal and nut butter (Kashi and almond-only almond butter), but it's going to be a such a treat to open up a big box full of lovely products that I know come from environmentally conscious, business savvy local producers. I'll let you know how it works out!
Enjoy my tips for a belly-warming, sustainable winter and bundle up!
Saturday, January 16
Haiti.
After enjoying an Italian dinner tonight, my family had some biscotti, or little biscuits.
Tonight, Haitians fortunate enough to have access to food aid from the World Food Programme will be able to consume a compact, highly nutritious, and portable "High Energy Biscuit." In a time that is so uncertain, so bleak, and so dangerous, these biscuits can be a source of nutrients and solace for survivors of crises and disasters.
And yet, as my family sat at the dinner table, our conversation drifted from talk of movies to politics to the disaster in Haiti. As much as we would like to help, or at least understand, the Haitians' situation, it was so difficult for us to fathom the extent of suffering and desperation that a 7.0 earthquake could cause a people as poverty-stricken as the Haitians.
One way we can familiarize ourselves with other people's suffering--and hopefully be more prepared to help--is to find a common thread that binds our well-being and identity with their existence.
Perhaps that is another role the High Energy Biscuits (HEB) can play ... linking different people in different areas together on a foundation of basic and non-threatening foods. When people from different cultures, regions, and ethnicities can identify with one another we can bridge the emotional divide that paralyzes us from acting to help others.
Tonight, Haitians fortunate enough to have access to food aid from the World Food Programme will be able to consume a compact, highly nutritious, and portable "High Energy Biscuit." In a time that is so uncertain, so bleak, and so dangerous, these biscuits can be a source of nutrients and solace for survivors of crises and disasters.
And yet, as my family sat at the dinner table, our conversation drifted from talk of movies to politics to the disaster in Haiti. As much as we would like to help, or at least understand, the Haitians' situation, it was so difficult for us to fathom the extent of suffering and desperation that a 7.0 earthquake could cause a people as poverty-stricken as the Haitians.
One way we can familiarize ourselves with other people's suffering--and hopefully be more prepared to help--is to find a common thread that binds our well-being and identity with their existence.
Perhaps that is another role the High Energy Biscuits (HEB) can play ... linking different people in different areas together on a foundation of basic and non-threatening foods. When people from different cultures, regions, and ethnicities can identify with one another we can bridge the emotional divide that paralyzes us from acting to help others.
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