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This is a cookbook/ guide for making good food choices. It walks readers through healthy decision making based off of three criteria; what's good for personal health, what's good for the planet, and what tastes good. It illustrates how we can keep unhealthy and harmful substances associated with certain foods, such as chemicals and pesticides, out of our diet. It guides readers into what kind of plastics, fish, genetically modified fruits and veggies, etc. to avoid and why. It also discusses way to cook that are energy saving.

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The Conscious Kitchen: The New Way to... book by Alexandra Zissu

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Buy a cheap copy of The Conscious Kitchen: The New Way to... book by Alexandra Zissu. Your everyday food choices can change the world-- and make meals taste better than ever ? For anyone who has read The Omnivore's Dilemma or seen Food, Inc. and... Free Shipping on all orders over $15.

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For a few weeks, I plan on following some of the tips and tricks from the cookbook/ guide, "The Conscious Kitchen", by Alexandra Zissu. My goal is to challenge myself on incorporating not only a healthy eating lifestyle, but also follow a plan that is helpful to our planet. Some of the things I will look out for/ eliminate  are:

Harmful Chemicals

Harmful Pesticides

Plastics harmful to environment

GMOs

Energy Wasting Cooking Methods

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This book mentions the benefits of shopping locally and how it helps support the community. While I tried to shop close to home, it became harder the more I tried to find foods the are non-GMO, no chemical/pesticides, and had no harmful plastic packaging. Finding foods that were environmentally sustainable, as well as heathy, was much harder than I had anticipated. I had to go to multiple supermarkets to find what I needed to complete my week. Therefore, applying the shopping locally aspect of my 100 mile diet became increasingly hard. I also now realize that local supermarkets such as Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore do not have a great variety of sustainable and healthy food. Most of their products such as meats, breads, veggies, rices, pastas, etc. all have plastic coverings that are not environmentally friendly. This was rather frustrating as we should be doing more in our supermarkets to better the environment and our health.

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Avoiding Harmful Chemicals and Pesticides 

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Avoiding Harmful Chemicals and Pesticides 

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"The Conscious Kitchen" describes ways you can search if foods contain or use harmful chemicals/pesticides in production. While I was shopping I searched up what foods are high in pesticides and tried to avoid them as much as possible (strawberries, peaches, apples, cherries and more). One of the most common pesticides used for produce is glyphosate. As I picked items to add to my cart I took the time to search up the product and see if it is known to have associated pesticides or harmful chemicals. I also searched up what foods are not high in pesticides/ no pesticides and chose these items over others (onions, avocado, mango, and asparagus).

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An important part of this book is choosing when to spend your dollars on organic fruit and when to buy conventionally grown. When shopping I looked for fruits and veggies that were non-GMO but searching up their PLU (price look up) code.  I took the time to search up the product and see if it is known to have associated pesticides or harmful chemicals. I also searched up what foods are not high in pesticides/ no pesticides and chose these items over others (onions, avocado, mango, and asparagus).  Here are some of the things I purchased:

Carrots (organic, limited chemicals/pesticides, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

Bell Peppers (organic, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

Potatoes (organic, no chemicals/pesticides, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

Lettuce (organic, limited chemicals/pesticides, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

Onion (organic, no chemicals/pesticides, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

Garlic (organic, no chemicals/pesticides, picked out separately to avoid plastic bags)

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Looking for good starches was fairly easy. I found pasta that came in a paper box with no plastic, had no harmful chemicals/ pesticides, and was organic. The cheese was difficult has all cheese options came in plastic packaging. For butter, the book suggests buying foods that are from grass fed cows. I got a grass fed butter, no chemicals, and no GMOs. An organic, non-GMO, no chemical pasta was easy to find and came in a glass container that can be reused for other purposes. Here are some of the items I purchased:

Butter from Superstore (Grass fed, organic, no chemicals/pesticides)

Pasta noodles from Superstore (Organic, non-GMO)

Rice from Superstore (Organic, paper bag packaging, no harmful chemicals)

Pasta Sauce from Superstore  (Organic, reusable glass packaging, no harmful chemicals)

Cheese from Superstore  (organic, no harmful chemicals/ pesticides)

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Shopping for meats was probably to most difficult task during my 100 mile diet. I first went to Sobeys and Superstore looking for non-GMO, low in chemicals/ pesticides, and environmentally friendly products. It became apparent that finding beef and poultry that followed all three criteria was not going to happen at the superstore. I researched a place to go and found a store called the Free Range Store.  Here are some of the meats I purchased:

Chicken Breasts from Free Range Store (free from pesticides/chemicals and GMO)

Salmon from the deli counter of Superstore (brown paper covering, organic)

Ground Beef from Free Range Store (free from pesticides/chemicals and GMO)

Steak from the deli counter of Superstore (brown paper covering, organic)

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Pasta noodles*

Pasta sauce*

Ground beef*

Cheese *

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Steak seasoned with fresh garlic and butter

Potatoes mashed with butter

Salad made with lettuce and salad dressing

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Leftover rice

Leftover hamburger

Pasta Sauce

Bell peppers

Onion

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Salmon with Rice and Brown Sugar Carrots 

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Carrots

Rice

Salmon

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While this 100 mile diet was challenging, I am really proud of myself for completing this over the two weeks. It feels great knowing that I am doing something good for myself as well as for the environment. In completing this assignment I have a different outlook on the foods I choose. I think that following, or at least being aware, of these three criteria is something that will stick with me for my future. One thing I can say that was somewhat on the negative side was that the prices of my groceries were sometimes a lot more expensive than the typical things I buy. Regardless, I am pleased that I can further my journey of eating healthier for me and the environment. This assignment has made me realize how harmful the majority of foods are to the environment and to our heath just based off of or regular local supermarkets. I hope one day in the near future this changes.

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Local supermarkets such as Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore do not have a great variety of sustainable and healthy food. Most of their products such as meats, breads, veggies, rices, pastas, etc. all have plastic coverings that are not environmentally friendly. This was rather frustrating as we should be doing more in our supermarkets to better the environment and our health. Instead of choosing pre packaged foods, I picked fruits and veggies that I could buy separate without packaging. For instance, single onions, bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, garlic, etc. I also avoided using the little plastic bags supermarkets provide for single fruits and veggies. The most difficult part of avoiding harmful plastics in when shopping for meats. I went to the free range store to accommodate to buying healthier meats, but almost all poultry and beef had plastic covering. For the fish, I went to the deli counter to get a piece of salmon that was fresh and came in a brown paper covering rather than buying prepackaged.

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Potatoes

Ground beef

Bell peppers

Onion

Cheese

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Determine if a vegetable is genetically modified just from reading its PLU (price look up) code