A National Eating Disorder

Americans have an eating disorder. I dont mean this in the sense of eating too much or too little in terms of nutrition, although many people do suffer from this affliction. I am referring to our national (and increasingly global) obsession with quick, easy, and processed foods. As a member of the affluent US middle class, I am well aware of my participation in this phenomenon. My life is always busy, and my budget is always tight enough to lead me to the cheaper, faster option. Rather than making lunch from organic bread and vegetables from the on campus farmers market, for example, I opt for the prepackeged ease of the Eagle's Nest, and even the consumer icon of McDonalds itself. My student's budget and lack of dispensable free time, however, are not the real source of my eating habits. I have been conditioned as an American citizen; I have been taught that our economic growth and the people that fought for our country have allowed me the luxury of having people prepare my food far away, and ship it to me in convenient packages. It is my god given right to eat processed food from the grocery store instead of reaping the benefits of local agriculture.
Because of this social phenomenon, I admit that my mind rarely takes environmental costs into account when purchasing food. True, I enjoy the satisfaction of a food labelled 'organic', and I take great pride in myself when I make the time to cook my own food, but all too often these are outweighed by my cost decisions. One thing I am conscious of is my consumption of beverages. I do my best to never purchase bottled water unless I have to, and rely instead on drinking fountains or bottles I bring from home. I have been conditioned well in the last few years to understand the mind boggling consumption and immediate disposal of plastic bottles, and it has definitely affected the way that I look at the refrigerator section of the cafe or grocery store.
In the past couple of days, I have purchased a variety of prepackaged goods. Potato chips, cans of soda, and a variety of other foods have been in my diet this week. I believe these types of goods to be the most harmful, because they involve a long line of production and transportation to reach my mouth, and have little to do with sustainable, local, or organic agriculture. If Americans want to dramatically decrease the strain they put on the environment, a good place to start would be prepackaged foods.