On Sunday night my husband, Ryan, and I hit the local arts theater to watch the new documentary, Food Inc, by Robert Kenner and author, Eric Schlosser (best known for his bestseller, Fast Food Nation).

The film is about the hidden truths of our nation’s food industry, controlled-as you’ll learn from the film-by just a handful of large corporations.  These companies, to the dismay but agreement of those interviewed for the film (author Michael Pollan of Omnivore’s Dilemma fame, Gary Hirshberg from Stonyfield Farms, and Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms’), often put profit above the safety of their own workers, as well as the health of those they are feeding and the environment.

What it’s doing is churning out a culture of obese and diabetic Americans, both young and old.

For me, the film was a review of information I’ve known and, to a good degree, grew up knowing.  But it was a swift reminder of the importance of knowing where and who your food comes from.  The importance of buying local foods, and foods from small batch producers.  And the importance of remembering that every time we make a purchase we are voting with our dollars.

If you haven’t yet, go see the film! Take a friend or a family member.  Buy tickets for someone who wouldn’t normally go.  Then take action – join a CSA, sign the petition on FoodIncMovie.com, start eating more organically grown and produced foods, and begin reading labels and taking the time to learn about the foods you’re eating.

I’m not saying you have to change your food habits overnight.  That’s never my message.  But I am saying that you should become more aware, and little by little start making changes to your diet.