On the cusp of spring, here in the high mountains of Colorado, I found myself embroiled in the weekly battle that my husband typically oversees: Recycling. I was appalled. We are environmentalists. We eat organic food. We buy local. We do, what we thought, was our best to eat and live responsibly given the constraints of the culture that we live in. But here I was, up against that unspoken behemoth of wastefulness: food packaging.
I decided then and there to embark on a 30-day adventure without packaged food. I convinced my husband to join me, cleaned out the cupboards, grabbed some tote bags and Tupperware, and headed to the farmers markets, the grocery stores and whatever farm stands I could find.
One of the rules was that plastic bags were banned. Instead, I had to bring my own containers from home and shop in the bulk and bakery sections. I discovered that you can bring your containers to the cashier at Whole Foods and have them weighed. They will write the tare weight on the container and then at checkout, you will not be charged for the weight of the container. I proudly filled my pre-weighed containers with meats from the meat counter and oils and sauces from the bulk section. I also brought smaller produce bags for fruits and veggies, fresh bakes loaves of bread, coffee, rice, beans and dried fruits. The trick is, making sure you bring enough bags and containers!
At times, I found it difficult to be out and about and not be able to stop by and pick up a grocery store sushi in a disposable clam-shell, or a drink or some snack. I probably lost a little weight the first week, but finally figured out how to plan and shop and cook ahead of time.
What I realized is that we live in luxurious times. Everything is accessible, and yet, in the midst of the toxic packaged lifestyle, we forget what real luxury is. This little experience was not only pretty easy, given how available organic and local unpackaged food is today, it was also entirely luxurious. I felt nourished, not only from the daily juicer, but from participating in a way of life that felt more real, less destructive, more rejuvenative.
This post originally written for Women of Green.
I decided then and there to embark on a 30-day adventure without packaged food. I convinced my husband to join me, cleaned out the cupboards, grabbed some tote bags and Tupperware, and headed to the farmers markets, the grocery stores and whatever farm stands I could find.
One of the rules was that plastic bags were banned. Instead, I had to bring my own containers from home and shop in the bulk and bakery sections. I discovered that you can bring your containers to the cashier at Whole Foods and have them weighed. They will write the tare weight on the container and then at checkout, you will not be charged for the weight of the container. I proudly filled my pre-weighed containers with meats from the meat counter and oils and sauces from the bulk section. I also brought smaller produce bags for fruits and veggies, fresh bakes loaves of bread, coffee, rice, beans and dried fruits. The trick is, making sure you bring enough bags and containers!
At times, I found it difficult to be out and about and not be able to stop by and pick up a grocery store sushi in a disposable clam-shell, or a drink or some snack. I probably lost a little weight the first week, but finally figured out how to plan and shop and cook ahead of time.
What I realized is that we live in luxurious times. Everything is accessible, and yet, in the midst of the toxic packaged lifestyle, we forget what real luxury is. This little experience was not only pretty easy, given how available organic and local unpackaged food is today, it was also entirely luxurious. I felt nourished, not only from the daily juicer, but from participating in a way of life that felt more real, less destructive, more rejuvenative.
This post originally written for Women of Green.
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