Happy Food Day!
Surprised? I was too. I only heard about Food Day a couple of days ago, but the more I learn about it, the more I like.
Food Day is a nationwide grassroots campaign to encourage Americans to move away from the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) and start eating real food. This is the first year, but Food Day is planned for October 24 each year.
The six objectives of Food Day are:
- Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
- Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
- Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
- Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
- Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
- Support fair conditions for food and farm workers
No matter what your diet looks like, from real foodie to junk food junkie, there is always something new to learn and new ways to improve. I’ll be spending some time today evaluating where I am and setting some new goals. Will you join me?
It’s not too late to plan a Food Day party, even if it is just for your own family. Take some time to sit together around the table enjoying real food and real conversation. Check out this Dinner Party Kit for ideas. Over dinner, talk about your food goals with your family.
No time to plan dinner? Why not try my Emergency Minestrone? You probably have just about everything you need in your pantry. Add some sandwiches or a simple salad and call it a meal.
Speaking of salad, instead of bottled dressing, consider making your own vinaigrette. Making your own salad dressing is easier than you might think – and so delicious.
Here’s one that we have been enjoying lately. Toss it with salad greens, feta cheese, sliced red grapes and toasted pecans for a real treat.
| Maple Vinaigrette |
- cup extra virgin olive oil
- cup apple cider vinegar (raw & organic, if possible)
- 2 T real maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: 1 T poppy seeds
- Place all ingredients in a mason jar.
- Tightly cap and shake.
- Pour over salad and toss.
While we are on the subject, I thought I’d let you know I now have links to all my recipes in one place. You’re welcome.
Looking for some more ways to celebrate? Would you consider taking a moment to let our government officials know how you feel about real food? It only takes a moment to make a difference.
Ask your Members of Congress to support the Eat Real agenda on behalf of all Americans.
Add your name to the petition to legalize Raw Milk on a federal level
Are you celebrating Food Day? What do you have planned?
NO! It is not the government’s job to “fix” our diets! The Founding Fathers would be appalled at the things that government is “doing for us”! Get government OUT of our lives and back to the duties perscribed in the Constitution.
The more government does, the more they want to do; Thomas Jefferson said “If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”
J
Jeanetta,
I’m sorry if I was unclear. This is not government sponsored – just the opposite, in fact. It is a grass roots effort designed to educate people about ways to improve their diets. Also, many people are asking their representatives to take notice of food related issues.
The organization behind this is the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit. Granted, I do not know much about them, but I’m fairly certain that they are not a government entity.
To a large degree the government does try to dictate what foods we eat: by outlawing them, as in the case of raw milk in many states – or by subsidizing unhealthy foods, making them cheap and appealing to the masses.
Efforts such as Food Day are the people’s way of taking a stand against these unfair and unhealthy practices. I’m enjoying Food Day with my family today, eating real food and talking about real issues.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify this.
Heidi
YAY for Food Day! I hope this catches on in this country and more people realize just how sorry the typical American diet is and start turning to real food! Thanks for such a great post!
AWESOME post, Heidi. I will totally be checking out the recipe links. I’ve been thinking about the S.A.D. lately too. I’d like to be making better, more informed choices. It’d be good to have a recurring annual reminder to think about how that is going in our family.
[...] You probably have just about everything you need in your pantry. Add some sandwiches or a Simple Salad and call it a meal. Speaking of salad, instead of bottled dressing, consider making your own [...]