The Wino's Dilemma

Many years ago I was far to skinny to be reading a book called Skinny Bitch (hope I'm allowed to say that), written by 2 former models about how they have stayed skinny without starving themselves. Sounds like great advice for someone trying to keep off the freshman 15 right!? Well the first couple of chapters were down right funny and very truthful, my personal favorite line going something like, "Skinny Bitches don't smoke, because smoking kills your taste buds so you eat things that taste like shit, when you eating things that taste like shit you get fat." not a direct quote but close enough.  But as I got farther into I realized I was being told the only way to be skinny was to eat only organic and to be a vegan! It was a watered down version of Food Inc. minus the research to back it up!

I was then given one of the least romantic valentine presents in the history of valentines day as a commercial hollidy...Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma.  (a used copy at that) It took me a full year to get over myself and read it.  I mean it was quite thought full in retrospect because it was some thing I wanted to read, but I'd sya that's more of a happy Thursday present and less of a romantic gesture.

 It was full of insight about where we get our food, why we eat what we eat, and how to make informed decisions about where our next meal comes from.

Ok Michael, sorry to say I will still choose the convenience of buying things at Kroger, but I will be smarter about brands and about choosing local hormone free chickens and such.

Skinny Bitches... I refuse to live by the label of "Organic" because if I learned one thing in undergrad it is that "organic" is a tricky tricky word.

So how does the title of my blog fit into this? Well the two above source are only a fraction of the things I think about when choosing what I do, buy, and eat.  I have seen the ugly side of me and the things stress and lack of time to make the right decisions can do to my body so i am now more aware of what goes into it that when i was a broke undergrad taking every opportunity to get a free slice of pizza.  Now I am a broke grad student raising my own egg laying chickens and eating fresher more filling and wholesome foods.  I am also a runner and watching my carb and calorie intake and I am human and want to wind down with a drink once in a while.  i stay away from the carbonation and carbs of beer and I'm not feeling the hard liquor thing without the added cons of mixers. So I turn to wine.  110 calories a glass and I am in a happier place.  But one thing I remember from skinny bitch was to stick to an organic red wine, good luck finding that at Corkey's!
Also with the things I have been learning in grad school I want to think about the environment and how the farming practices of a winery effect the world around them so I can enjoy a nice glass of vino at night.

Turns out there is a sustainable wine growers alliance in California!

They follow the 3 E's shown above and have been doing so since 2004.  They list their sustainability reports on their website and provide a list of wineries that are associated with their standards of sustainable practice so i can in turn make a smarter decision about the wine I choose to enjoy.And I am sorry to report my "go to" wine is not on the list and I hereby proclaim that I will no longer be buying it.  It is time to step out of my comfort zone, do a little research, and try something new while trying to make a little bit of difference in my world.
http://www.sustainablewinegrowing.org/