Who ever knew that sopping could require so much forethought? Te more goods that are available that say they are all-natural or organic, the more research consumers have to do. It used to be that getting something organic or natural required a trip to a local health food store, but now even mainstream grocery stores have at least one isle that's green or natural. But how do you know what's just using those words for marketing, since industries have figured out the value of courting conscientious buyers, and which ones are making a difference? And even more than that, in the debate versus what's local and what's brought in, how do you make the right choice on products that it seems are healthier from further away? By doing your research, of course, so that you can figure out what actually does the best thing for your body and the planet.
One of the biggest things in shopping healthy and shopping natural is knowing which products are legitimate. One of the places that this gets difficult is actually with seafood. A number of companies will advertise that their product was in the sea, wen really it was farmed, usually in a country far away. Especially when shopping for salmon, make sure that the package specifies wild-caught Alaskan salmon, so you know you're getting the right thing.
Another important distinction is the difference between organic and all-natural. There can actually be genetically modified ingredients in something all-natural, oddly enough. It's important, if you think you're making a good choice, to read all of the packaging and not just buy into the advertising hype. Otherwise, you might end up spending more but actually getting less.
A big debate that a number of co-ops and fish shares around the country have been having is whether or not it makes more sense to support local fishermen or to order something that's not on the danger list. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was nice enough to make a list of the most overfished species, and they update it regularly. While a lot of the fish share fish, like cod, is on that overfished list, things like wild-caught Alaskan salmon are not. But since these seafood items are flown in from far away, some folks think that it makes more sense to go with the local fish, even though this method is actually doing worse things to the environment.
But recently, the movement in doing the responsible thing with regard to seafood has been to spend the money on wild-caught Alaska salmon instead of farm-raised salmon or cod that was got through sketchy means. It just makes more sense to the sustainable approach to shopping. If your goal and objective is to make sure that there's still fish around next season, the best thing to do isn't to spend money on overfishing locally, but rather, spend the money supporting the stocks of fish, like wild-caught Alaska salmon, that are allowed to replenish enough that you shouldn't feel guilty for eating it.
Wit some careful reading of labels and a little bit of research, anyone can turn from moderately green-concious to well-educated and knowledgeable about the choices that don't just help your waistline, but the planet, too.
Alaska's fishing industry leads the world in environmental protection measures. From efforts to improve traceability to strict enforcement procedures, Alaska continually shows how committed it is to preserving the ocean for the next generation.
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