I just finished reading this book, was a quick read as it is written in a down to earth Aussie style I like!

A timely and powerful investigation of the food choices we make every day.

Well what can I say? I am glad I stopped eating meat about 15 years ago and glad I decided to finally stop eating fish and seafood this year ……. after reading this book I have no doubt whatsoever of these choices. I had an idea of the terrible suffering inflicted on animals on ‘farms’ but no to this extent! About a year or so ago we were having lunch with some friends and one of our friends said ” I know you are going to think I am mad (I was the only other vegetarian at the table) but one of the reasons I had stopped eating meat is because animals know they are going to be slaughtered, in some cases can hear and feel the suffering of other animals killed before them and release powerful toxins due to fear and intense suffering ….” I can understand her reasoning NOW!

I doubt whether anyone can read this book and keep eating meat or at least doesn’t reduce meat consumption …..

I also learnt a few other things other than

• the suffering of ‘farm’ or rather factory animals,
• the environmental impact, antibiotics,
• over-fishing and over-fished species
• harmful additives in processed ‘food’,
• irradiation of food
• food miles,
• excessive food packaging,
• land clearing,
• GM foods (Food Inc. was all about this subject),
• organic produce
• it takes 16000 litres of water and 7kg of grain to ‘produce’ 1kg of beef

1. Mulesing 
2. Australia is the world’s biggest exporter of livestock
3. Shifting Baselines 
4. 70% of the world’s cocoa crop is grown in poor  countries in West Africa…..Child labour and even slavery ….
5. I was aware of the Slow Food movement but there is much more to it than I thought …. Slow Food 
6. Ark of Taste
7. I learnt about Locavore mostly from No Impact Man … 100 mile diet – respecting and understanding the journey each piece of food has made to get to us
8. Now this is WAY OUT! Freeganism: Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources.
9. Macro Wholefoods: since book was written has been bought out by big bully Woolworths …. hmmmm recently while playing bowls, a place in Bondi Junction was mentioned to me, seems like it is this one : The Suveran, will try it out soon

After reading No Impact Man I had decided to reduce my consumption of environmentally unfriendly goods or cut them out completely but this has diminished along the way (I started using cardboard boxes for groceries and also carrying my cloth bags … haven’t done that in a while!)  so I will make some changes:

1. consume less eggs and only buy organic & biodynamic eggs
2. use toilet and kitchen paper made from recycled paper
3. avoid dairy products – milk, cheese etc (this one is tough as alot of recipes I like have cheese, being a Mediterranean gal ricotta is like butter to a French gal!!)
4. chocolate: will use this guide  ie NO more Guylian, Ovaltine, Hershey’s, Reeses’s, Cadbury, Mars products (unless Rainforest Alliance Certified), Nestle, BUT more of Cocolo, Lindt, Scarborough Fair, Whittakers (I tried recently …. yummy), Ferrero (can live on these alone!), Cocoa Farm…. hmmmm will download and print whole list 🙂
5. will endeavour to buy organic & biodynamic wines when and if I must buy wines as a present
6. will buy mostly seasonal fruit and veg
7. will go to farmers’ markets in Bowral every week or every fortnight
8. use my car less and less and cycle/walk more
9. research recipes with substitute dairy … Chocolate oatmeal cookies, Sweet potato soup……….