New Book Demystifies Sustainable Food for the Average Consumer

WASHINGTON - April 3, 2015 - PRLog -- College anthropology instructor and former fast-foodaholic Julie Castillo is the first to admit it: she loves French fries and chicken tenders as much as anybody. But a few years ago, increasing concerns about industrial food production—from the quality of what she and her family were consuming to concerns about animal welfare and the health of the planet—inspired her to transform the way her family ate.

Turning away from conventionally produced and processed foods, she launched a mission to feed her family the “good stuff”—whole foods from local, sustainable sources—and to do it for even less than the cost of supermarket fare. She shares what she learned in her new book, Eat Local for Less: The Ultimate Guide to Opting Out of Our Broken Industrial Food System, due for release on April 7.

“This is a wonderful book to read,” wrote Christopher Shein, author of Creating an Edible Ecosystem. “Its broad depth helps the curious person navigate from our industrial food system into an ecologically minded local food system. This book has something for everyone.”

Castillo said many of us share her desire for a more mindful way of eating, but fear that such a change is out of reach. “People want to feed their families the healthiest food they can afford, but have yet to discover how to connect with local farmers or navigate the world of food co-ops and buyers’ clubs,” she said. “Terms like ‘all natural’ and ‘certified organic’ can also be confusing. I can help you get your hands on some of the best food in the nation without paying a fortune, wasting time in grocery store lines, or resorting to hours of kitchen drudgery.”

Castillo, a Frederick, MD resident and veteran of the publishing industry, has crafted an entertaining guide filled with fast facts, clever insights, practical tips, and even simple recipes—everything readers will need to launch their own edible journey. A great resource for anyone concerned about family cohesion, animal welfare, economic fair play, community wellbeing, or the impact of human activity on the environment, Eat Local for Less shows readers how to bring what’s on their plates in line with what’s in their hearts.

According to Booklist, “When sidebars—those parenthetical bytes of information—are just as interesting as the main narrative (and sometimes more), it’s almost a guarantee that the content of the whole book will prove mesmerizing. So it is with Castillo’s book: She’s embraced a topic of much debate, parsed and streamlined it to make sense to the average Jane Q. Consumer.”

Castillo’s book promises to help readers derive more pleasure from meals, enjoy better health, experience a deeper connection with nature, nurture a robust local economy, and support a fairer world, simply by sitting down to a deliberately chosen, lovingly prepared meal.

Eat Local for Less will be released April 7 in paperback and ebook, and is available for pre-order from rukapress.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other book retailers.