Still straining to smells wisps of the salty ocean breeze, I sit just barely tanned from our recent beach excursion. Gone are the days of seeking long hours in the sun, barely reapplying sunblock and never thinking I had enough of a tan.
This time we were armed with sunblock (reapplied at least every two hours), a large umbrella (that we actually made a point of staying in the shade as it moved), and a large beach hat. A huge shift in behavior from my years of entrenched sunning-at-the-beach habits.
But, I failed to choose an organic or less chemically damning sunblock. As I looked at the Badger sunscreen at Whole Foods selling for $16 for 2.9 oz. I froze. The Target Up&Up sunscreen was $11 for two 6oz. containers. Yet, Badger was really the only sunscreen I was prepared to buy, but six days at the beach meant a lot of sunscreen and suddenly the math in my head was telling me we could be looking at close to $100 for a week's worth of sunscreen for two people. So I folded. I bought not just sort of toxic, but a full 7 on the Skin Deep scale spray screen of Up&Up and Coopertone.
So now I sit here, less than tan, but full in the knowledge that I failed to follow my own guideline of using my power as a consumer to drive demand for better, safer products. Sorry skin, I'll go buy you some less toxic options this weekend.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Breaking Up with McDonalds
Sitting on the back porch of a good friend's house a new acquaintance remarked they were coming up on six years of being McDonald-free. Huh I thought at the time, how random.
I mean, I get not being all Super Size Me about eating there, but breaking up with fast food giant and its road side convenience seemed a little unnecessary.
Having a balanced diet means making a stop at McDonalds the exception, not the rule. With the plethora of summer produce available it should be no problem to skip it all together. We go months without consuming a morsel of golden arches anything and our household doesn't feel deprived.
But, as summer has arrived and the lunch choices on campus have gone from few to almost none (with McDonalds being one of the few places open), I've suddenly found myself tempted more often by the wafting smell of fries and the new snack size McFlurry.
The argument in my head about abstaining or just one bite fluctuates from day-to-day. So, I'm over it. No more excessive calories in a burger, special sauce, oreo mix-in tastiness. My willpower is too weak and we have to part ways. The healthier salad, oatmeal, fruit options do not appeal. No offense MCD marketing, I don't exactly think fresh when I think of you. It's not you, it's me.
I could turn this into a argument about the fattening of America; or the disincentives we've created in the food supply chain to access cheap, healthy food easily; or about the cost wasted on meaningless meals out, but I won't. You already know about that.
Bring on the packed lunches (better for the waist and wallet) and the planning ahead when traveling. Here's to a small step in being more mindful about what I eat.
I mean, I get not being all Super Size Me about eating there, but breaking up with fast food giant and its road side convenience seemed a little unnecessary.
Having a balanced diet means making a stop at McDonalds the exception, not the rule. With the plethora of summer produce available it should be no problem to skip it all together. We go months without consuming a morsel of golden arches anything and our household doesn't feel deprived.
But, as summer has arrived and the lunch choices on campus have gone from few to almost none (with McDonalds being one of the few places open), I've suddenly found myself tempted more often by the wafting smell of fries and the new snack size McFlurry.
The argument in my head about abstaining or just one bite fluctuates from day-to-day. So, I'm over it. No more excessive calories in a burger, special sauce, oreo mix-in tastiness. My willpower is too weak and we have to part ways. The healthier salad, oatmeal, fruit options do not appeal. No offense MCD marketing, I don't exactly think fresh when I think of you. It's not you, it's me.
I could turn this into a argument about the fattening of America; or the disincentives we've created in the food supply chain to access cheap, healthy food easily; or about the cost wasted on meaningless meals out, but I won't. You already know about that.
Bring on the packed lunches (better for the waist and wallet) and the planning ahead when traveling. Here's to a small step in being more mindful about what I eat.
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