Commit to Real Food by October 24

Food Day is October 24, 2011.

Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life – parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes – to push for a healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.

The goal is to transform the American diet.  It's about time that we all started eating real.  Right now there are far too many people eating diets composed of salty, overly processed packaged foods clad in cardboard and plastic; high-calorie sugary drinks that pack on pounds and rot teeth, but have no nutritional benefit; and fast-food meals made of white bread, fatty grain-fed factory-farmed meat and French fries. 

Americans need to start cooking real food for their families again.  There should be fewer people at drive-thrus and bigger crowds at farmers’ markets.  We need to celebrate fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy whole grains – and to support the local farms and farmers that produce them.  Food produced in a sustainable manner helps to keep pesticides and other toxics out of our water and ecosystems.  When you buy food locally you also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation of non-local food sources. 

Food Day is a commitment to:

·         Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
·         Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
·         Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
·         Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
·         Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
·         Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

Transforming our diet is a big step in transforming the way we live so that we may be better stewards of the earth. 

Start now and be committed to these principles by October 24^th.  Don’t wait till Food Day to begin.