The "skinny" on meat and a little bit on organics

Some foods may appear whole but they are not.  Such as non-organic vegetables or meats.  Obviously, they do not list everything that they are treated with (pesticides, preservatives, wax on veggies etc)  And don't be fooled - meat contains pesticides too.  When factory farms raise livestock, the animals are kept in such tight quarters that they are barely able to move.  They literally live in their own excrement because they have no where to go and because of their living conditions, they are prone to insect infestation and disease, so they are treated heavily with pesticides and antibiotics.  (note - 80% of the antibiotics manufactured in the US are used on livestock [not humans!] as routine 'preventative measures'.... 80%!!)  So even though a package of chicken breast may seem like it's just chicken, it's also pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and arsenic.  (There is arsenic in chicken feed, which you consume when you eat the chicken)

I once was about to buy some frozen fish and I looked at the ingredients.  At first, the label just read "salmon", but then I noticed that the "label" was a sticker label that was placed over the original... which I could read through.  What was underneath listed several "ingredients" that were completely unrecognizable to me.  A bunch of hard to pronounce chemicals were also included in the frozen fish. And they tried to cover it up.  Literally. 

Additionally, a green pepper or a cucumber may seem like just that, but it's also pesticides, preservatives and wax.   Now, of course conventional lean meats and vegetables are a better choice than a lot of other things you could be eating, don't get me wrong, but I want people to be aware what is in the food that we presume to be safe and healthy.   Go organic whenever possible.

And as for meat, you don't have to become a vegetarian in order to enjoy a meatless meal once or more per week.  Simply cutting down your meat consumption can improve your health, save you some money (the meat in your cart is by far the most expensive part of your trip at the grocery store!) as well as have a positive impact on the environment and reduce animal suffering.