Natural is not easy

Eating natural foods in a natural state and living green. One would think this is a new concept instead of an ages old concept. Once it was just a necessity. There was very little in the way of processed food - just canned goods and smoked meat. Everything was recycled and everyone did the recycling.

Automation and factories took the canning out of the home kitchen. In fact, it took the cooking out of the kitchen. I wonder if the inventor of the TV dinner had any idea of the havoc he released. I see people at the store buying nothing but frozen dinners. No fresh produce, no fruit canned or fresh and beer and wine and sodas fill out the order. These meals are being fed to children as well as adults.

It is no longer just single mothers working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet. Many couples no longer see each other because they are both working 2 jobs. The kids are left on their own or with a sitter. In this day of rising gas prices which in turn raises the price of groceries, I see more and more of the retired population trying to find some way to cut costs.

Processed prepared foods and take out have become necessities. Blame it on the time crunch. Blame it on the economy - it is cheaper to buy a TV dinner for one or two than it is to buy fresh and cook. Time and money equal malnutrition.

We priced out a new counter top for the kitchen. Going green using recycled materials was very much more expensive than the other options except top of the line granite. Recycled paper made into paper napkins is twice as expensive as the cheap brand.

Plastic -- once the best thing every invented -- now the scourge of mankind for multiple generations. Where is the scientist who is working on turning used plastic into vehicle fuel? Add plastic to the list of things that actually harm your body. Plastics leach toxins into the food they hold - especially when placed in the microwave.

All those things that were supposed to make life better, easier and last longer have turned into bursting bubbles. Carbons emissions from everything from light bulbs, vehicles and even humans is slowly destroying the earth. All the labor saving devices that were supposed to improve the quality of life turned most of us into flabby couch potatoes.

There is a lovely woman who comes into the store occasionally. She is fit, trim, well dressed, vibrant and somewhat snooty - has no patience with over weight people. She also has a live in maid who does the meals and she herself spends her time with tennis lessons, golf lessons, the gym and spa and trips to Bermuda. Her reality is something most of my customers only dream about.

It is an easy answer - go green, live green, recycle, eat natural healthy. But the reality is that it is a hard choice. It is a more expensive choice -- a more time consuming choice.

It means that instead of picking that parking space in the back of the lot, you leave the car at home and walk to the store. You can't carry as much when you are walking so that is multiple trips on foot to the store. Now you also have to deal with the budget and not over buy. In fact now you must plan your menus so you know what you need for a couple of days. Wait, is there a good side to the gas price crisis? Will this price crunch force people to walk, to get healthier?

My mother used to tell me the story about going to the store. I was not even walking and my brother just a year and a half older. She would put us in a wagon and pull the wagon to the store. My brother had to walk on the trip home so there was room in the wagon for the groceries next to me. She did not do this to be healthy, she did it because she did not have a car and we had to eat.

If the grocery store is too far away to walk to, then you must plan one major trip buying all that you will need for the week. Savings on impulse buying, saving gas by not making more trips. When you are going to the store, see if your neighbor needs something - milk or bread and be a friend and save them a trip or take them with you.

With a little thought and planning, we can make it through this crisis and perhaps become a little healthier and make our planet a little healthier.

until next time - smile
Sharon