What's eating you?

August 13, 10:23 AMMemphis Green Scene ExaminerLeah Wells

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What are you eating?

Your grocery list is a direct reflection of your eating habits and values. Buying and eating fresh foods and foods grown locally can make a difference in your health, your budget and your overall well-being. Shopping on the outside edge of the grocery store is a very helpful and healthful strategy because this is where the freshest food is located. Making a list ahead of time makes the discipline of shopping easier.

With health issues like obesity, diabetes, cancer and asthma on the rise, it is important for all of us to pay attention to what we’re eating and drinking. WebMD also has some helpful suggestions for shopping healthier.

Many recent books and films have demonstrated the culture of unhealthy consumption in the United States. Among leading researchers and advocates are Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan. Both individuals consulted on the following film, recently released in theaters. If you missed it at the movies, you can add it to your Netflix queue or watch more of the trailers on YouTube.

From the Food, Inc. official website:

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.