in a world of excess

America is a nation of paradoxes.  We work ourselves sick to make money... only to spend that money to get healthy again.  We seek connection in social media... only to lose the ability to truly connect to the world around us.  It reminds me of George Carlin's "The Modern Paradox":

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,

wider freeways but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more but have less.

We buy more but enjoy less.

We've added years to life but not life to years.

In my nutrition classes, we learn time and again how the modern American diet -- an excess of sugar and preservatives -- is leading us to become an overweight, overmedicated population.  We learn about how our culture of excess has led to unconscious bingeing and convenience consumption.  But on the flip side... we are a nation with 16 million underfed children.

A few days ago, as I was searching for new recipes on some of my favorite food blogs, I stumbled across an internet-wide event sponsored by The Giving Table, an organization whose purpose is to empower others to "Do Good with Food."  

I know that I am a little late.  The event -- in which over 200 food bloggers posted budget-friendly recipes that cost $4 or less, the average amount that participants in our nation's food stamp programs receive per person per day -- commenced this past Monday.  But it provided a much needed wake up call... a reminder of the flip-side of our consumer culture.  It reminded me of the ever-widening gap in both wealth and wellness within our society and my responsibility to reflect... and act.  The honest truth is that food insecurity, which impacts 48.8 million Americans, is about a lot more than food.  It affects health, education, socioemotional learning.  And, in a nation of excess... well, it's unacceptable.

I wanted to leave you with a beautiful piece that I discovered as a part of Food Bloggers Against Hunger!  Have a beautiful weekend, my friends. xo