natureguru’s Recent Comments

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  The purest of intentions

  Thank you so much, April! Although I do use soy margarine and silken tofu for things like cookies and puddings, I am dying to try your recipe. Do you have others? Keep on writing!On A decadent chocolate cake for your sweetie, minus the animal products posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago 11 Responses

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  A Bottom-Up Approach

  Great ideas, Tom. We just can't afford to ignore our nation's food crisis. Everyone has to eat, and our food choices are reflected in the number of health problems we've developed, thus increasing healthcare spending, etc. It's all interconnected.

  Change can also happen from the bottom up. With the help of the economic stimulus, funding for research and development of more sustainable farming and distribution methods should be a priority. In addition, local co-ops and CSA's would benefit from assistance, as large supermarket chains make it more difficult for them to compete. How about tax breaks for smaller, private food companies to provide more coupons to consumers? Healthier food is often more expensive, but coupons are hard to come by. I love your idea about bringing real kitchens and real cooks back to public schools. Funding programs that also educate parents and children on the whys and wherefores of healthy eating are also needed, however, if we're to expect them to actually eat healthier. Old habits die hard.

  We can't count on the USDA or the Farm Bill to save us from undernourishment. The forces of evil agribusiness and chemical companies are very strong. Although we should never stop writing letters and signing petitions, we can do our part by returning to a simpler, healthier way of life. By growing our own food, supporting local co-ops, recycling, and learning how to cook and eat seasonally, we can live a life more in balance with nature, and still eat well. On Think locally, act infrastructurally posted 10 months ago 15 Responses

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  A Bottom-Up Approach

  Great ideas, Tom. We just can't afford to ignore our nation's food crisis. Everyone has to eat, and our food choices are reflected in the number of health problems we've developed, thus increasing healthcare spending, etc. It's all interconnected.

  Change can also happen from the bottom up. With the help of the economic stimulus, funding for research and development of more sustainable farming and distribution methods should be a priority. In addition, local co-ops and CSA's would benefit from assistance, as large supermarket chains make it more difficult for them to compete. How about tax breaks for smaller, private food companies to provide more coupons to consumers? Healthier food is often more expensive, but coupons are hard to come by. I love your idea about bringing real kitchens and real cooks back to public schools. Funding programs that also educate parents and children on the whys and wherefores of healthy eating are also needed, however, if we're to expect them to actually eat healthier. Old habits die hard.

  We can't count on the USDA or the Farm Bill to save us from undernourishment. The forces of evil agribusiness and chemical companies are very strong. Although we should never stop writing letters and signing petitions, we can do our part by returning to a simpler, healthier way of life. By growing our own food, supporting local co-ops, recycling, and learning how to cook and eat seasonally, we can live a life more in balance with nature, and still eat well. On Think Locally, Act Infrastructurally posted 10 months ago 14 Responses

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  Yummy!

  I own cookbooks by Madison and Moskowitz, and I find every one of these recipes to be simple, fresh, and emminently doable. Kudos!On Monica Segovia-Welsh's Chocolate Panforte posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 2 Responses

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  We've started something here

  What a great conversation we've got going. Thanks, Umbra, for getting it started. It's important to get people thinking about where there food is coming from. As a former meat-eater, I can understand the resistance to totally eliminating meat. Although I'm vegan, I say that any steps you take to eat healthier and live better are steps in the right direction. Small farmers aside, commercial enterprises are not interested in treating their animals with respect and dignity. They are interested in "processing" as much flesh as possible as quickly as possible. How can the product be good for you? I stopped eating meat and dairy for many reasons - health (too much saturated fat and cholesterol), ethical (I love animals - you wouldn't eat your dog, would you?), and environmental. We grow much of our food, and what we don't grow we pick up at our local co-op. Many believe that going "veg" means that they eat alot of soy. That's not the case. My boyfriend and I eat soy maybe twice/week. We make our own soymilk or rice milk (easy!) from organic beans, and do our own cooking, eating out only rarely. Is it difficult? Yes! Do family members treat us differently? Yes. Do we regret it? No. Having lost 25 pounds, and feeling and looking better than ever, I know that I've made the right choice for me. Find your path, ChickenedOut, and stick with it!On Umbra on homegrown meat posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 33 Responses