When we consider the consequences of our actions, we can determine the best choices to create the outcome we desire.

So what is this real foods thing all about? Well, the real thing is not coca-cola, for those of you raised in the 70's! God designed us in an amazing and intricate fashion. In a nutshell, our bodies were meant to eat from nature to provide fuel to our cells which in turn run the metabolic machine that keeps us going.

Things like chemicals, food dyes, pesticides, herbicides, plastic, trans fats, fake sugar and such actually clog, congest and confuse our internal body functions. This is generally what the Standard American Diet (SAD) is made up of. This is why so many people feel crummy and are on one or more prescription drugs, act crummy- depressed, angry, unpleasant disposition and are generally cranky butts - stuck in their lives watching reality tv, gossiping about others, no sex drive, hate the neighbor and never really smile. Most of us know there is a problem out there, but what can we do about it. Well, we can WAKE UP and get informed. We have been trained and misinformed on so many things. The media has educated us brilliantly. Now it is time to think for ourselves.

The basics for healthy food choices:

• eat foods that are fresh, seasonal, local and in their closest to natural state.
• eat foods that are grass-fed, pasture raised, without hormones or antibiotics
• eat foods that are free from chemicals, food dyes and pesticides
• eat foods that are local organic over industrial organic - yes, there is also a war going on inside the organic world these days...the point is to be conscious and not get hung up on it.
• eat foods that are non-GMO and non-irradiated, this is huge, you midwesterners...how much corn and soy do you see along the side of the road in your community?
• eat foods that support sustainable agriculture and reduce your ecological footprint

Most of these things you have already heard of, but maybe don't know how to transition in your home. That is our journey. We have to start at the beginning.

Where does your food come from. Most of it comes from processing plants and factories far far away. It takes more fuel to get it here than you put in your car on a weekly basis. It was once food, but has been denatured or ripped apart and put back together...kind of like Frankenstien. The difference is, our food gets dressed up real pretty with shapes and colors and packaging before it goes out in public, but Franky, well, you've seen him.

Sustainable - Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.

Translation - Sustainable agriculture is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers and animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances communities.

If we don't get our food from 'home' or our local community we will become dependent on other countries for our basic survival. Sounds extreme, but look at what happened with the ecoli spinach ordeal. One location, one mishap, one big deal. Are you ready to make a change?

Action for today:

Look up your local grocer. You will find farmers markets, farms and stores from the links below. Maybe take a field trip in and see what it looks like. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There may be stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in your area too, but they usually won't come up on this site. It doesn't mean they aren't good, it just means that they are a chain. We are looking for options.

• http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/
• http://www.sandiegoroots.org/markets.html
• http://www.foodroutes.org/
• http://www.kidsfootprint.org/index.html - nugget for kids!