Food for Thought: What message are you sending with your money?

I'm putting this blog in my "Vegan Vendibles" section because it's all about the message we are sending as consumers.  How we choose to spend our money is one of the best indicators of our core values.  What message are you sending with your money?

A friend of mine shared this article on Facebook, and I found it interesting.  Many of us watched Food, Inc. and were horrified by what we saw, even vowed to change our eating habits.  But how many of us actually did change our eating habits?  Now, I was already vegan when I saw the documentary, and I already was paying a lot of attention to the kinds of foods I did buy and the places I shopped.  However, since farmers' market season has died down and fresh, local produce is limited during the winter months, I have grown lazy.  Not to mention that my skyrocketing electric bill has forced me to cut down on my grocery budget.  However, this article has reminded me of the importance of choosing my food wisely and sending a message with my consumer dollars.  I am sharing this article not to preach at you, but to give you some food for thought.  You may not choose to spend your money on organics, and that's fine.  But, at least you should be able to make that choice for yourself.  And if you DO choose to buy organics, shouldn't you be getting what you pay for?  I encourage you to sign the petition to get large supermarkets and food producers to label their products with the truth about your food; I think it's an important step.  However, that is not the point of this post.  The most important thing is to use your money to do the talking.

What can you do to help (besides signing a petition)?
*Buy as much local, organically grown produce (and meat, eggs, dairy, if that's your thing) as you can!
*Shop at farmers' markets and small, privately-owned grocery stores for the bulk of your groceries/produce.
*Make a resolution to cook more at home (I mean from whole foods...not a package)!
*Find out which restaurants in your area support local growers/producers, and eat there!

I know most of the people who read this are my friends, local to the Indy area.  If you want to know more about shopping and dining locally, please ask!  I am more than happy to share with you what I know (which is very little compared to some of the friends I've made in obtaining this knowledge).  I just wanted you guys to know!

Read the article here:  http://www.naturalnews.com/031168_organics_Monsanto.html