Is ignorance really bliss?

Alternately titled: I needed to post something so that picture of Dave doesn't scare me every time I open the blog.

For the most part I'm a very health conscience person. I like to consume and learn about products that are good for me, good for the environment, free of chemicals and other harmful additives. My thirst for this kind of knowledge can sometimes border obsession as I scour all the sources I can get my hands on to further my intelligence on this subject. But sometimes, the information becomes too much to handle. It can become an overload of negativity on our government, our farmers, and the people making decisions about the food that will ultimately adorn my table. I'll give you two examples.

1) I'm currently reading Fast Food Nation which is an incredible wealth of information regarding not only our fast food industry but the whole meat processing industry. I highly recommend it, but caution you that it is incredibly disturbing and may leave you feeling helpless and in question as to what to do with the information given. What do you do after reading about the horrifying conditions at these factories, short of becoming a vegetarian (which I'm casually considering)? You have to be intentional about researching where your meat comes from and buy locally, which can be expensive and inconvenient. Sometimes I hate that cheap and convenient most often equals questionable products and chemical laden.

2) The water in Minneapolis has recently taken on a funny smell and a repulsive taste. It actually made the front page of the newspaper this morning. City officials have attributed the taste to an abundance of algae and leaves in the river where the water comes from, but reassured the public that the water is not harmful to drink and then listed all the chemicals used to treat the city's water. Thanks a lot Minneapolis. I was feeling good about my water drinking habits. We don't buy bottled water in an ongoing effort to be more "green." We drink out of the tap which I was feeling good about until reading the list of chemicals in the water that is longer than our grocery list.

But again...what do you do? Stop drinking water? I've heard that can be detrimental to your health. So here again, I'm stuck with knowing perhaps too much about what I'm consuming on a daily basis. It's one of those days where I just want to sit back and forget about all the things I have read recently and sigh and think to myself, "ignorance really is bliss."

Have a good weekend everyone. We are off to the cabin where we will eat lots of bad food, but at least we will be breathing in the clean country air!