The KInd Life Community Forum

...without moving to Japan? Although I've been a flirt/vegetarian for over 20 years I was never convinced that dairy and eggs were really bad for people or for animals or the environment - until I read The Kind Diet. Since then (5 weeks ago) I've started eating vegan, organic when possible and (mostly) sugarless. I want to become a superhero, but I also feel like eating locally is important and a great way to help the environment and support your local economy. While I was super impressed that EarthFare carries all of the unusual ingredients in The Kind Diet, I also noticed that a lot of the superhero ingredients are Made in Japan. I live in the Southeast part of the United States. Eating food from Japan seems to me to be the exact opposite of eating locally. Think of all the energy wasted by carrying the umeboshi plum across the Pacific ocean and then across the US. Are there local items that are just as good? I was surprised to find that kuzu is really kudzu. Is there a US manufacturer for kuzu? It seems weird to import kuzu from Japan when the South is crawling with kudzu. I grew up next to a kudzu field in Georgia and felt like it was going to take over the planet! No shortage of raw material here. So, superheros, how do you justify eating food that has travelled so far? Or am I missing something here...