Fair’s fair

Once you’ve committed to The Silver Cloud Diet, you know immediately that your shopping practices have to change.  Naturally, you will look for organic food products from produce to meats.  You will avoid processed foods with hidden diet bombs (sugar in all its forms, overly processed grains, chemicals, and all the other diet busters that can cause you to eat an entire bag of chips.)

But there’s one more step you need to take. When you aren’t buying local, and must find products from far away, look for products that are marked “fair trade”. You’ve probably seen this designation on coffee beans, perhaps teas, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruits, rice and vanilla.

But what does that mean? Fair trade started in the coffee business when buyers of beans realized that to preserve the economic health of their growers; they had to pay them a “fair” price. That meant the coffee growers could stay in business, feed their families, and refrain from destructive practices like slash and burn.

The coffee sellers in the U.S. (with Starbucks carrying the standard) soon realized that buyers would pay more for the so-called “fair trade” coffees. Now everybody was happy. The growers got more money, the purveyors got more money. The buyers got peace of mind that by the simple act of choosing the “right” cup of coffee they were taking a small step to save the planet.

So this small idea has now grown into a codified movement with Fair Trade Certification that empowers farmers, protects the environment, and teaches basic business skills to subsistence farmers so that they can get a fair price, provide fair labor conditions, and participate in direct trade to cut out the middleman.

Fair trade certification means farmers pledge to stay away from harmful agrochemicals, and GMOS are strictly prohibited in favor of sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve the valuable ecosystems for future generations.

What does that have to do with you, on The Silver Cloud Diet?  Well, you are what you eat, and by putting only pure, clean food in your mouth, you are helping yourself to a healthier life and a better shot at a normal weight.