Have you ever considered the far-reaching implications of how you spend your food dollars? Every time you buy food you are making a decision affecting much more than your own health. There are environmental, political, cultural, social and ethical consequences of every dollar you spend. To find out more, read Alice Waters’ article entitled Slow Food Nation, written back in 2006 but just as relevant for us today http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060911/waters.  Alice was one of the original champions of the movement to eat local and organic food. Next, I encourage you to look at the three podcasts recently produced by News 21 at the University of North Carolina http://unc.news21.com/index.php/stories/diet/from-pasture-to-plate.html.  In an interview with food journalist Michael Pollan, he discusses how our eating decisions impact the environment in no less powerful a way as the car you drive. He suggests eating “real food.” By his definition this means “not processed, recognizable, knowing where it comes from and who cooked it. There is a podcast where you can track the fossil fuels that it takes to get your food from “pasture to plate.” Have you ever considered the cost to the environment when you eat food shipped from Chile or other faraway places? Be aware of where your food comes from and consider making the choice for local whenever possible. The third podcast answers a variety of “food questions” including how you can eat locally grown or organic food on budget. For instance, consider growing your own garden this spring. Think you don’t have space for one.  Consider gardening in pots or, in our area, the Community Garden Coalition is a not-for-profit volunteer group that provides support, supplies and garden plots to community gardeners who might not be able to have a garden on their own.  More information on community gardening is available at http://cgc.missouri.org. There are many ways that you can make a difference when it comes to the food you eat. How you are voting?