Last week while on my routine shopping trip to Target, wandering through the grocery aisles, trying to rule out what I did and didn't really need to buy, I stopped to grab a familiar box of cheesy snacks that I realized I was starting to miss from home. Though Annie's Cheddar Bunnies aren't exactly the pinnacle of the organic foods industry, or the best possible example of virtuous eating habits, as they sit on my desk they are coming to represent something more to me and serve as a reminder of these things.

Sounds goofy, I know. But recently I've realized how drastically my eating habits have changed since I've moved out of my house--and definitely for the worse. I can't totally justify this happening by the change in circumstances and surroundings; I have to own up to the fact that to some extent I've chosen to eat less healthily. However, my setting has made a big difference, and the shift in availability of different kinds of foods has had a major impact on what and how I eat. I grew up in a house where healthy eating was stressed, especially by my mom who's a bit of health nut. Not only did both my parents eat relatively healthy and balanced diets, they both avoid buying processed foods and try to buy organic and local when they can. We bought about half our groceries at Seward Co-op and half at Rainbow, a necessary compromise because of economic constraints. It's true that organic food tends to be pricier, however, it doesn't have to be unreasonable, seeing as my parents managed to find a balance between price and quality on an income that's somewhere between working and lower middle class. To me it seems that not buying processed foods, regardless of where they come from, is a key part of this, as that seems to be where things become most overpriced.

Anyway, the point is that growing up I was surrounded by relatively healthy foods. Whatever my parents bought and cooked was what I ate, and for the most part that meant eating things that were pretty good for me. Moving out of my parents and into the dorms, a very different picture of food has been readily available to me, namely easy access to all kinds of junk that I rarely used to eat or drink. Not to say I've been totally sheltered from pop and fast food, it's definitely been a part of my diet, but is now much more prevalent. Once I realized this, I found I had a lot more conscious choices to make than I have been if I want to eat well for either myself, the environment, or both. Unfortunately my grocery shopping habits have been shaped both by environment and economics. Going to Target is cheap, easy, and fun to do with friends, not to mention convenient because you can get EVERYTHING there, but doesn't really offer me the best options for food. Next year I will be in an apartment, meaning much more groceries and cooking on my own, which presents me with both a challenge and an opportunity. My homework for myself is to find out if and how I can get and make economic, healthy, and hopefully ethical food for myself so that next year (hopefully sooner) I can start making better eating choices.