The Dilemma of Healthy Eating

Lately I have made a huge effort to get our family eating healthier. I have bought whole food and grain cookbooks, read numerous blog posts about eating locally, and stocked my pantry with items like amaranth flour and agave nectar. Last week, I even made the hour trek into Winston-Salem to the Whole Foods Market to bask in aisle after aisle of everything organic, grass-fed, and devoid of high fructose corn syrup. It was wonderful.

Today, however, I read the following in Foreign Policy magazine:

"The trendiest new staple at your local Whole Foods is probably quinoa, an Andean grain so high in minerals, protein, and amino acids that the FAO says it can be substituted for mother's milk. Quinoa was introduced to the North American market three decades ago, but since 2000 it has really taken off, with the price jumping nearly sevenfold. That's great news for the Bolivian farmers who produce the vast majority of the world's supply, but it may be bad news for the country's health. With their country now exporting around 90 percent of its quinoa crop, many Bolivians simply can't afford it anymore. Domestic quinoa consumption has fallen 34 percent in the last five years, and health officials fear a rise in obesity rates as Bolivians abandon the highly nutritious grain they've enjoyed since the time of the Incas and switch to imported staples like rice and white bread. President Evo Morales's government has even designated quinoa a 'strategic' foodstuff and included it in a subsidized food parcel for pregnant women. But more drastic measures may be needed to keep up with the insatiable demand of Western foodies."

I have a whole container full of quinoa and I have made some very tasty quinoa muffins that even my children like. I felt so great about giving my kids such a nutritious breakfast. But how am I supposed to feel now? I may be snapping up the quinoa, using it to make myself feel better physically and mentally, and at the same time robbing a Bolivian family of a staple of their diet. I realize that the farmers who grow the quinoa are probably much better off now that there is a huge demand for a once lowly crop. I am glad for all of the fair trade efforts that exist today. But I can't help feeling guilty for the fact that I may be driving another family into subsisting on white rice and bread--the exact thing I am trying to avoid with my family.