Written by Shannon of Nourishing Days.

There is a scene in the film Food Inc. in which a seemingly nice guy is interviewed about his giant confinement feed lot. In that interview he states that if the consumers were to demand ethically-raised meat, the farmers would change their practices to meet that demand.

In other words, the power is in our hands. Every dollar we spend on factory-farmed meat is a vote to continue that method of farming.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually feed my family meat every day. I have learned that our family is healthier with meat in our diets, but we try to avoid conventional meats at all costs and I try to serve a lot more vegetables with tons of nourishing fats as a large part of our meal.

Walk into a grocery store, though, and you’re likely to be staring at labels with claims that could mean just about anything, and often not what you might think.

The truth is, these labels are about tricking you into thinking animals live happy, carefree lives when nothing could be further from the truth. To find good meat… real meat… you have to outsmart the labels and beat them at their own game. [Read more…]