Epiphany...

It was the summer of 2009. For a few months I had been reading and researching our food system. I guess maybe I started in hopes of losing a few pounds...(again!) Or maybe it was just one of those random journeys life has a way of taking you on.
It was around that time I was reading more and more on the Internet about the adverse effects of our food system. The epidemic of Type II Diabetes, obesity and heart disease were in the news daily. I wondered what was broken and why this was becoming so rampant.
Sure, people are way too stressed and they don't exercise enough, but there had to be more to this ever growing and widening story. (pun intended :))
I started to research the ridiculous low fat 80's! Yeah, I bought into it! I also bought my fair share of Snackwell's during that decade. I drank my diet coke and ate my Hamburger Helper. I can't say I'm proud of that era. I can say that I didn't know any better! Do I think the Western food system is a big ole conspiracy??? Yep, pretty much.
Hormones and antibiotics in our meat and dairy? Check...GMO's and high fructose corn syrup in  everything we consume? Check...Sad, sick animals living miserable lives and emitting stress hormones like crazy? Check...Boxes and boxes and bags and bags of fake food filling the grocery shelves? Check...Feeding our future generation "pink slime"? Check... I didn't know in the 80's and 90's or even the early 2000's. Now I know! And, now we can ALL know! Facts at our fingertips people!!!
There is so much information available now that I don't feel the need to list a bunch of links. It's easy to find and read and digest. Yup, I saw Food, Inc., I saw the movie, "Fresh", I've read most of Michael Pollan's books. Do I believe all that stuff??? Yes siree! I do...
Was it easy for me to switch gears and map out a new way of eating and living? Well...surprisingly it WAS! That doesn't mean there isn't a huge learning curve, it doesn't mean it's always easy to re-work your personal food system...what it means to me is that I don't want to eat fake, crappy food anymore! And, that's what makes it easy for me. That is the motivation for me and my family. We deserve better! You deserve better! (Well, the poor feedlot animals deserve better, too...)
What have I found along the way? FUN!!! Yup...you read that correctly! It has been fun. It's been exciting, never boring healthy fresh fun. My brain is stimulated and always searching for more answers, my creative thinking is in overload, my ideas never stop coming. And, you know what?  BONUS...I did lose a few pounds and I got stronger and healthier and happier.
That summer four years ago, I picked up a book by my favorite contemporary author, Barbara Kingsolver. I'm always on the hunt for her latest books. What I didn't know was how life changing her latest read would be for me.

No, I'm serious! It really did change my life! If you haven't read this book, run, don't walk, to your nearest library or bookstore! (I kind of want to be Barbara Kingsolver when I grow up)...
I am also going to go ahead and post one link, the link to her website about this book. I still really love looking at the slide shows and re-visiting her stories! Also...she has some awesome recipes on this website...

http://animalvegetablemiracle.com/