So last night I grilled some rib-eye steaks with a yummy rub of black pepper, ground coffee and a pinch of salt. And this morning, thanks to Diet Blog I realize that maybe I shouldn’t have. Not because the steaks were unhealthy, but because they came from Whole Foods and were probably raised in Oregon.

Diet Blog uncovered an interesting twist in the whole food fight: The idea of eating food that comes from within a 100 mile radius of where you live. Since I live in San Francisco, and it appears the “food shed” movement started here, there’s a handy site called Locavores that indicates I can buy everything I eat from my very own food shed.

Now, I’m all for buying locally grown produce and have rarely if ever found the need to buy Chilean cherries for $10.99 a pound in the dead of winter. But the honest truth is, our food chain is now so convoluted that it’s honestly hard to know where your food comes from if you shop at major stores. According to Locavore, though, if I quit my job and spent my time foraging small and local producers for food, I could eat very well strictly within the Bay Area foodshed. It’s a nice idea, but perhaps not practical.

About 18 months ago, I read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It had a profound impact on me. I now only eat organic meats and poultry, and have nearly doubled my food bill by shopping almost exclusively at Whole Foods Market at Fourth and Harrison.

So I think the best I can do to support local farmers and sustainable agriculture is to shop at a place that wields a lot more power than I do in terms of buying enormous quantities of well-raised vittles (e.g. Whole Foods). And I can go to the Ferry Plaza Market on Saturdays to buy from small, local producers. But although the intent is great, I’m not sure the way life really works now works with the Locavore world plan for food.

It sure is complicated to eat well and in a manner that’s politically correct, isn’t it?