The Conscientious Consumer

[Ganepark32]

This thread is somewhat spurred on by Ashley’s recent self improvement thread (in respect to not really acting on ideas I have, so I’m already trying on that one) but mainly it’s something that’s been a big part of my life over the last year and a bit. I've thought about posting something along these lines before but never quite sure how it'd go down or if it's something worth discussing but I thought why not, there's no harm.

 

Up until maybe year or two ago, my diet was predominantly made up of the occasional bit of red meat, chicken, pasta, rice and various bits and pieces. Not exactly the most diverse diet but it worked for me. I didn’t eat huge amounts of meat and limited it to the chicken I mentioned and beef mince purely because of one ethos I’ve maintained for much of my life: If I couldn’t kill it myself then I wouldn’t eat it. Now, I know a lot of what happens in terms of meat production and it not being nice but for most of my life, it never really bothered me and didn’t hang over me, guilting as I ate meat. But more recently, I’ve massively stepped away from this, I still have the occasional bit of chicken when I can go to the butchers and get it from a reputable place but other than that, no meat.

 

Similarly, about 2 years ago I started having major problems with digesting dairy and since then, I’ve made a change to alternative milks, specifically almond milk, and more recently I’ve started eating cheese again in the form of vegan cheese. These changes have come alongside a higher consumption of whole wheat grains, vegetables and fruit from me leading to simpler meals but giving a much needed improvement to my eating habits and has allowed me to kick my sugar habit that I’ve had since I was a kid. It’s also meant that I’m cooking now more than ever and trying things which I previously wouldn’t and most importantly, I’m eating more vegetables which is something I have never been very good at doing consistently until now.

 

A lot of these changes came out of needing to change but some of the ones that I’ve made to my diet, such as trying to minimise the consumption of foods containing palm oil, have come about as a result of me being more conscious about where my food has come from and what it’s undergone to get from farm to plate. As I said, I knew a lot of what happens with animal farming for produce and I’ve always spent a bit more money on things like meat when I wanted it to ensure it came from somewhere that wasn’t mass farming and forgoing animal and livestock safety in pursuit of profit margins. But things like the palm oil thing are purely because of my feelings on deforestation and habitat destruction for agricultural gains and the loss or endangerment of species in the Amazon and Borneo.

 

This has somewhat extended into other aspects of my life. For instance, recently my partner and I have been buying a lot of handmade stuff that’s recycled (my wallet and satchel, for instance, are made from recycled cement bags and produced as part of an incentive to help people in Cambodia earn a good living) or made using hemp fibres. Toiletry wise, my partner has gone mental and has been buying all sorts of natural vegan products and while I didn’t put too much thought into it initially, it’s something I now do trying to ensure that things we get are cruelty free, aren’t tested on animals and are vegan.

 

You could arguably say I’ve done what is a typically student thing slightly later in my 20s and become more “hippy” but a lot of these changes have come about purely because of wanting to be conscientious about where my stuff comes from and trying to make a conscious effort to make sure that the products are reasonably sourced.

 

It’s a trend I’ve noticed a lot within my group of friends and I’m slowly seeing it in the towns and cities up here in Scotland, a bit more of a push to offer more healthier and ecologically valid options in terms of food, clothing and other products. So I’m just curious as to whether others have been upswept in anything similar and their thoughts on the subject. You know, do you give much thought to where your food is coming from or how it gets to your fridge/cupboard/plate as it is? Do you think about where the clothes you wear or the products you use come from and does it bother you to any degree?

[dwarf]

I've been vegan for a year now, which I've been pretty happy with as far as life decisions go, but I've failed to become a conscientious consumer in the other ways you've outlined. There aren't many high street clothing outlets that take ethical approaches to their products for example, and I haven't taken the time to seek out alternatives.

 

It's bloody hard to be a good consumer in today's society. I'm not one for advocating an ascetic existence whatsoever, but there's definitely a more delicate balance out there waiting for me. Seeing others lead socially conscious lives does renew my confidence in the good these actions can achieve collectively though, so I'll strive to keep learning and pick up ideas here and there.

[Charlie]

I have to admit that I'm not that conscientious at all when it comes to buying things. I've bought 2 pairs of Toms in the last few months and I love them. One of their big selling points is that for each pair of shoes they sell they help one person in need. This really didn't affect my decision in going for Toms over another brand though. I suspect other people may be different.

 

What I am really careful about is what I eat. I buy a lot of fresh vegetables now (I used to just get frozen stuff as it was easier) but Ali and I make a meal plan at the start of each week and we base it around "if we buy 3 onions, will we eat them all this week?" and similar. We try not to waste fruit and veg as it is so easy to do. Meat is easier as it can be frozen. As a result we eat much healthier and spend less money. It's a great decision all round. We share the cooking, generally whoever is home first will start cooking and this works really well for us. I'm home a lot at the moment so have done the bulk of the cooking over the last couple of weeks.

[Ganepark32]

I've been vegan for a year now, which I've been pretty happy with as far as life decisions go, but I've failed to become a conscientious consumer in the other ways you've outlined. There aren't many high street clothing outlets that take ethical approaches to their products for example, and I haven't taken the time to seek out alternatives.

 

It's bloody hard to be a good consumer in today's society. I'm not one for advocating an ascetic existence whatsoever, but there's definitely a more delicate balance out there waiting for me. Seeing others lead socially conscious lives does renew my confidence in the good these actions can achieve collectively though, so I'll strive to keep learning and pick up ideas here and there.

 

I've been trying a lot more vegan foods over the last year and I do find that I'm feeling a lot better for it. I can't quite do away with meat as yet and the substitutes don't quite have the right taste for me (though they are far better than I remember them when I was younger) but I've definitely moved away from it as much and I'm eating a much more varied diet as a result. My partner has been good for this as she's been vegan before and is moving back towards it again so she's been a big help in thinking up different types of meals to compensate for when we're not having meat one night.

 

It's just managing to find foods that aren't hiding things away in them as I know I look at labels a lot more nowadays and it's shocking how much crap is in some things. As an example, I went and got white rolls the other day and was genuinely shocked to see they had palm oil in them. Like you say, it's so hard to be a good consumer in today's society because like that, I just went in wanting rolls only to find out that they had palm oil tucked away in there (and I really have no idea why considering it's a roll and doesn't really need it). And then they can hide it under different names, which just confuses things even more. While we don't have as much of an issue as say the US on food labelling, it's still something that should be a lot more clearer.

 

It's only something I've done more recently with regards to clothing and such. It's hard to find things on the high street that haven't in some way come from some sweatshop clothes wise or something that hasn't been tested on animals. There are a handful of places that perhaps do it but obviously money becomes a factor. Why spend £20-odd on a t shirt from somewhere online that's fairtrade like Rapanui or THTC when you can go into somewhere like Primark and get 4 or 5 t shirts for that. For sure, I'd love to see it more easily accessible but the current economic climate and societal values don't fully push that way, though I am seeing a lot more people buying from places like the examples I mentioned so perhaps it's just slow progress and a need for the bigger questions to be asked of the government. I'm sure there was supposed to be some legislation with regards to hemp fibres becoming more wide spread in use coming in but think that's since been revoked.

 

What I am really careful about is what I eat. I buy a lot of fresh vegetables now (I used to just get frozen stuff as it was easier) but Ali and I make a meal plan at the start of each week and we base it around "if we buy 3 onions, will we eat them all this week?" and similar. We try not to waste fruit and veg as it is so easy to do. Meat is easier as it can be frozen. As a result we eat much healthier and spend less money. It's a great decision all round. We share the cooking, generally whoever is home first will start cooking and this works really well for us. I'm home a lot at the moment so have done the bulk of the cooking over the last couple of weeks.

 

This, probably more than anything, is my main thing at the moment and taking a bit more care for what I'm eating. Like you, I'm spending more on buying fresh veg as there's a green grocers near me that does local produce (and even has a subscription thing where you can pay £10 a month and get a box of veg for that month delivered to you from a local farm) but being more conscious about how I use it and not wasting it.

 

My partner and I have started doing what you're doing in trying to outline a meal plan for a couple of nights/the week ahead and making sure that when we pick up things, we're using them rather than throwing them away. And again, like you, we're ending up spending less on food shopping each month but eating a lot healthier. I think having that food plan is something that massively helps and is something a lot more people should do as it cuts down on the waste and saves a lot of money in the long run.

 

It just took a bit of a push to get to that point. I was never one for eating much veg but just being more open minded and trying different things has meant I'm eating healthier and more economically and feeling better for doing it. It's definitely the best decision we've made as our fridge freezer has been filled with less and less processed stuff and far more fresh food than ever. It's definitely not something I'd reverse on.

[Raining_again]

I avoid wheat. Triggers my migraines & autoimmune symptoms.

 

Sometimes I just want damn bread. lol