The Conscious Kitchen: The New Way to Buy and Cook Food - to Protect the Earth, Improve Your Health, and Eat Deliciously »

ALEXANDRA ZISSU writes about green living, food, and parenthood. She is the coauthor of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, contributes the “Ask an Organic Mom” column to TheDailyGreen.com, and blogs for PlanetGreen.com. Her stories on food and environmental topics have appeared in the New York Times, Green Guide, Plenty, Cookie, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, New York magazine, Details, Bon Appétit, Teen Vogue, Self, and Health, among other publications. She is also a public speaker and “greenproofer,” an eco-lifestyle consultant. Visit her website www.AlexandraZissu.com.

Your everyday food choices can change the world—and make meals taste better than ever
 
For anyone who has read The Omnivore’s Dilemma or seen Food, Inc. and longs to effect easy green changes when it comes to the food they buy, cook, and eat, The Conscious Kitchen is an invaluable resource filled with real world, practical solutions.
 
Alexandra Zissu walks readers through every kitchen-related decision with three criteria in mind: what’s good for personal health, what’s good for the planet, and what tastes great. Learn, among other things, how to:
 
- Keep pesticides, chemicals, and other harmful ingredients out of your diet
- Choose when to spend your dollars on organic fruit and when to buy conventionally grown
- Avoid plastic—including which kinds in particular and why
- Figure out what seafood is safe to eat and is sustainable
- Use COOL (country of origin labels) to your advantage
- Determine if a vegetable is genetically modified just from reading its PLU (price look up) code
- Decipher meat labels in the supermarket
- Cook using the least energy—good for the earth and your wallet
- Eat locally, even in winter
- Understand what “natural” and other marketing terms really mean
- Buy packaged foods wisely

Navigate farmers’ markets, giant supermarkets, and every shop in between to find the freshest and healthiest local ecologically grown and produced meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables—no matter where you live
 
With The Conscious Kitchen as your guide, you will never again stand in the market bewildered, wondering what to buy. You can feel confident you are making the best possible choices for you, your family, and our planet.
 
 
ALEXANDRA ZISSU writes about green living, food, and parenthood. She is the author of The Conscious Kitchen, coauthor of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, and contributes the “Ask an Organic Mom” column to The DailyGreen.com. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Green Guide, Cookie, Details, Bon Appétit, Self, and Health, among other publications. She is also a public speaker and “greenproofer,” an eco-lifestyle consultant. Visit her website, www.alexandrazissu.com.

Introduction 8

Essential Terms You Need to Know 14

Chapter 1 What Kind of Food to Buy 20

Chapter 2 Fruits, Vegetables, and where to Shop 33

Chapter 3 Farm Animals 48

Chapter 4 Dairy and Eggs 67

Chapter 5 Seafood 80

Chapter 6 Drinks 96

Chapter 7 Packaged Foods 121

Chapter 8 Pots, Pans, Food Storage, and Tabletop 142

Chapter 9 Appliances and Low-Energy Cooking 169

Chapter 10 Cleanup 194

Chapter 11 Waste 203

Acknowledgments 215

Credits 217

Index 219