food for nutrition.... not for environment

As you know, we'll be talking about food and agriculture during our next couple of sessions. Here are some questions to ponder (and respond to on your blogs) as we look to our next class:

1. What, exactly, do you think about when you make food choices? Do you have environmental considerations in mind? Or other stuff?

2. Take a few moments to consider everything you've eaten in the last day or two. Of the food or beverage items you've consumed, which, in your estimation, has had the greatest environmental impact? Why?

As of this past weekend, I have actually just started to really pay attention to the food that I was putting in my mouth, but in regards to nutritional benefits, not with environmental considerations in mind. I find myself--when I ever do decide to think about the food that I am putting into my mouth--always considering it in terms of how if affects me and my health, rather than environmental health. I think about the calories, the food groups, the high fructose corn syrup, and whether or not I really should eat that fifth double stuffed oreo. Of course I would prefer to eat food that is organically grown, but this typically isn't because I would prefer that farmers didn't use pesticides that harm the earth. It is because I would rather not put those nasty chemicals into my body.
Although I will likely never be able to become a vegetarian, I do try to limit my amount of meat intake. But again, this is not because I know that eating meat has large environmental implications in terms of the amount of feed that be fed to each cow, as well as the amount of energy wasted during execution and transport of the beef to the grocery store. This is the sad truth, but I also think that is it a step up from where I was about five years ago, when I would eat basically anything that my mom cooked for dinner. (Although always healthy, I have now been able to adopt her cooking menus in order to make myself healthier).
In the last couple of days, I would say that the Big Mac I ate at McDonald's (gross, I know) had the biggest impact on the environment. I eat mostly at TDR, at which they say they get their food locally grown. So I am trusting them on this, and will admit my failure at succumbing to McDonald's for lunch when TDR was closed. I do not know what went into the process of making this burger, but I am sure that its meat, lettuce, tomatoes, etc... traveled far to get to AU .