The term "corporate food" is pretty disturbing if you stop to think about it. Corporations aren't usually known for their strong ethics or for placing people above profit. And yet, somehow, more than 70% of food in America is processed and almost two-thirds of the food available comes from only 4% of the farms. This means that a very high percentage of the food consumed in America was somehow provided by a corporation whose main goal is profit, not nutrition. (Read more about the dangers of this type of consolidation.)

And lately, there has been recall after recall after recall of things that honestly should be safe to eat.

We would all be much better off if we focused on local food and cooked from scratch, wouldn't we?

Please remember that rebellion doesn't mean that you have to lead a protest against some Big Food company's national headquarters or march through the fields of a nearby industrial farm, waving signs. You can rebel quietly and staunchly by refusing to purchase what they are selling. Growing your own, buying from small local farmers, avoiding processed food like the plague that it is, and cooking from scratch are powerful weapons against corporate food.

Cookbooks

Mason Jar Salads: One of the biggest reasons that healthy eating plans go awry is a lack of time. If food is not convenient when you're hungry, you are far more likely to reach for something processed or go through drive-thru. I recently discovered the wonderful world of mason jar salads and life will never be the same.  (Obviously, as a canner, I have many jars just waiting to be filled with healthy ingredients.) If you like to prep your food ahead of time so that something good is always at hand,  check out this awesome little book with 50 recipes for mason jar food prep. These are kid-friendly, too, since you can customize the ingredients to suit the tastes of picky eaters. Mason jar salads will stay good for 4-5 days, meaning that you can make an entire week's worth of lunches in a Sunday afternoon. There is a little more to it than just slapping some ingredients into a jar, though, so pick up this book! ???? (Note: as with all successful books, there are quite a few knock-offs, many of which aren't very good. Ensure that you get the original book!)