What would you choose?

[livinlovinlaughin]

     I am looking for a little insight. We have a family dinner at a resturant coming up. We eat mostly organic, whole foods and from scratch healthy cooking.

     At the resturant what would you choose for yourself and for your toddler? Atlantic Salmon, chicken, pork, pasta, rice? I can usually find a cleaner non organic veggie and ask for it to be cooked and served without any salt or oils. I struggle with which is the lesser of evils. The antibitoics and feed the chicken and fed during life or the pesticides on the salad etc. then there is all the junk in the salmon (I rarely find Wild Alaskan Salmon on the menu anywhere and we love salmon!)

     So, what would you choose? Which is the lesser of evils in your opinion and why? Keep in mind the family never chooses places with clean options on the menu. Once in a great while we find Amish chicken but that is about it.  TIA .

[Koalamom]

If they had wild caught fish I would chose that and if not, chicken (as long as it was grilled and not breaded). And I would have it with white rice anyday over white pasta.

[ollyoxenfree]

Perhaps chose a main that has relatively small amount of fish or poultry or meat. Eg. a pasta dish with chicken. There will probably be less chicken on the plate than if you ordered a chicken breast (or salmon or pork or whatever).  

[cristeen]

Atlantic Salmon is a bad choice if you're concerned with ethical husbandry.

Honestly, my first choice of land animals in those types circumstances is lamb.  While it may have received antibiotics, and fed conventional (rather than organic), it was not fed on corn/soy/crap.  My 2nd choice of land animals is pork, because they are natural scavengers, and while I may not like a lot of what they're eating, they're at least eating a diet somewhat in line with what they're supposed to be eating (unlike chickens or cows). 

However, my first choice (over the land animals) would be looking for more ethical seafood choices.  Out here that would be (Dungeness) crab, mussels, oysters, clams, etc...  If you're not familiar with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, I'd recommend you d/l the proper list for your geographic area here. 

Then I'd be sticking with non dirty-dozen veggies.  Neither wheat nor rice is "safe" by my standards, I'd honestly rather eat potatoes.  Most rice is imported from China, but I would prefer to not even eat conventional CA rice if I can help it, I know too much about what they're sprayed with. 

But, to be honest, if it's only an occasional get-together (rather than weekly), I'd set aside a lot of my personal preferences in order to just enjoy the outing rather than stressing about it.  Or else I'd be rather firmly suggesting a different restaurant for the next get-together.  Or possibly both. 

[livinlovinlaughin]

Thank you for your responses. I enjoy understanding other people's thought process when it comes to level of importance on this issue. If only we had only safe food choices. I know, keep dreaming.

 

Originally Posted by Koalamom 

If they had wild caught fish I would chose that and if not, chicken (as long as it was grilled and not breaded). And I would have it with white rice anyday over white pasta.

I am curious why you say white rice over white pasta?

 

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Atlantic Salmon is a bad choice if you're concerned with ethical husbandry.

Honestly, my first choice of land animals in those types circumstances is lamb.  While it may have received antibiotics, and fed conventional (rather than organic), it was not fed on corn/soy/crap.  My 2nd choice of land animals is pork, because they are natural scavengers, and while I may not like a lot of what they're eating, they're at least eating a diet somewhat in line with what they're supposed to be eating (unlike chickens or cows). 

However, my first choice (over the land animals) would be looking for more ethical seafood choices.  Out here that would be (Dungeness) crab, mussels, oysters, clams, etc...  If you're not familiar with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, I'd recommend you d/l the proper list for your geographic area here. 

Then I'd be sticking with non dirty-dozen veggies.  Neither wheat nor rice is "safe" by my standards, I'd honestly rather eat potatoes.  Most rice is imported from China, but I would prefer to not even eat conventional CA rice if I can help it, I know too much about what they're sprayed with. 

But, to be honest, if it's only an occasional get-together (rather than weekly), I'd set aside a lot of my personal preferences in order to just enjoy the outing rather than stressing about it.  Or else I'd be rather firmly suggesting a different restaurant for the next get-together.  Or possibly both. 

Why is wheat not safe?
 

[serenbat]

Why is wheat not safe?
 

heavy pesticide use

use of "enriched" really bothers me - see studies on colon cancer rates in countries that do not enricher wheat

some people feel "wheat" in not healthy

just a few reasons

[Megan73]

Why don't you just invite the family over to your house for dinner? Then you can control the menu.

[serenbat]

Out here that would be (Dungeness) crab, mussels, oysters, clams, etc...  If you're not familiar with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, I'd recommend you d/l the proper list for your geographic area here. 

you really need to watch "seafood" when eating out- ASK where it is from!

if it's cheap chances are it's not good!

cheap shrimp (mostly farmed and from Thailand or China)