This might be a good time to remember that we should not be asking why “real” food costs so much, but rather, why is processed food so cheap? This reminded me of one of my posts from last year – facts and figures about how we spend money on food that truly startled me when I first learned of them. See: food shopping. Yes, we need to teach our children well!
My daughter and I have this same conversation on a regular basis, why is processes food so cheap? We find ourselves shopping more and more at our local bulk food store, which is not only healthier for us but we are also supporting local families, instead of the large corporations. An added bonus is that the new owners have started selling take-away food, so we often buy our very healthy and incredibly delicious lunch there, as a treat! We could spend way less if we shopped elsewhere, but buying good, basic ingredients to cook with at home is a priority to us. My other daughter is extremely health conscious as well, my eldest son rarely eats take-away and is opposed to eating anything greasy, and my youngest, well, he has some catching up to do, but three out of four healthy children in the family isn’t too bad, and I think that Adam is taking note of how he feels when he doesn’t eat well these days. 🙂
Joanne, it’s encouraging to know that you and your family are making similar efforts to support local farmers over the cursed factory farms, aka torture chambers for improperly fed animals. And don’t get me started on genetically modified fruits and vegetables!
We had a health food store nearby that sold organic/local take-out food, too, but sadly, it went out of business. That is what can be so discouraging – how small the market is for health building “real” food. Most people just don’t understand that they’re being penny-wise but pound-foolish when they invest in processed food. We belong to a food co-op which we visit as often as possible, even though it is inconveniently located across the river.
I wish I had learned all this earlier in my life so I could have raised my children differently. I still talk to them about it whenever I see them and my daughter has caught on. My sons, not so much…
homemade pumpkin soup is delicious at this time of year, spicy to keep out the chill of autumn and full of goodness, thanks Barbara
Tai, my mouth is watering! 🙂 Something tells me I would love to be in your kitchen in the autumn months, sampling pumpkin soup and your apple crumbles! Will go look for a pumpkin soup recipe now…