Gaia's Goodies vs Man's Monstrosities

The most vital thing about any food is the basic product from which it is made. Every creature that works intimately with food knows this.

Recently the push for buying local has grown more prominent. Rest assured this is not a new phenomena nor a passing fad. The shorter the time-span between picking and consuming the better the nourishment we get from our food.

Food, when it is harvested, begins to change. The life is cut once the food is harvested from the ground. The nutrients change as well. If we eat foods that are grown locally, the nutrients are retained because the food hasn't traveled a long distance. The local and regional agriculture and food systems provide an incredible security for each region as well. So it's something that people can feel good about.

-- Anthony Rodale (Rodale Press and Institute) -- Taken from Ethical Markets by Hazel Henderson p180

The best thing to do for good health is to stop pointlessly mowing and start growing your own vegetables and herbs. This way you will know exactly what is going on with your food and the earth it is grown in. After researching nutrition for several years I finally realised that if food is not grown in mineral-rich soil then it will not have the health-giving properties that it should naturally have. The earth is primary.

Wild foods are simply great. They naturally spring up where they most love to grow. As a result they have more vitamins and minerals in them than force-grown food. When harvesting wild foods be sure to respect their need to propagate. Don't destroy the plant - just take what you need. Be mindful. Don't harvest near a busy road as there will be pollution from the passing traffic on the plants.

For many of us it is impossible to afford organic foods. With the change of the regulations in 2006 and a large percentage of our organic produce coming in from China, we are probably not getting what we are led to believe we are paying for.

Even though it is best if you know the farmer who is behind your produce, there is a chance that organic might still be a bit better than conventionally grown produce. Hopefully at least it isn't genetically modified. But to be honest I have seen genetically modified "organic" products. There is no guarantee in the United States of America about exactly what you might be getting unless you are well aquainted with the farmer or grow it yourself.

Personally this terrifies me. When I really think about what I might be eating, I get in such a bad mood, the smallest thing pisses me off (please see my rant). It really agravates me when I start thinking of my sister's struggles to provide wholesome food for the rapid development of her rambunctious one year old.

Therefore, I have developed some tricks (and a couple slights of hand) which help prevent me from creating an illness in myself by worrying about it all the time.

If you are unable to access produce that is treated respectfully here are some general guidelines that might be helpful:

• What is being done to animals and to meat is really cruel. Avoid all meats unless they are raised with awareness. It would be ideal to get it from a farmer or butcher you know. Community Supported Agriculture is great for this. I have found the best meat I can generally afford is organic chicken legs (including the thigh). I prefer brown meat anyway so this is perfect. These bones are great for chicken broth, and this is the best meat for curry.
• Eat a lot of beans, nuts and seeds to get most of the protein you need. This saves a lot of money which can subsidize purchases of organic bones to make nourishing broths, organic butter, whole or raw milk, and free-range eggs. All of these are nutrient dense, easily absorbed and highly satiating.
• Soybeans and corn in the United States are mostly genetically modified. Try to buy these items from organic farms. Corn is great for making popcorn. This saves money and health. Coat it in organic butter, chili and cumin for the best snack ever! (GE Food Alert)
• Industrially grown potatoes and onions are reputed to have high amounts of sprout inhibitors absorbed into them which has caused cellular damage in animals. It is also best to buy these organically.
• Breakfast cereals are not as healthy as we imagine due to the high heat and pressure methods that are used in processing them into cute shapes and forms. Trying to metabolize these will overly tax your digestive enzymes. Grains soaked overnight with whey and then made into porridge are much more easy to assimilate.
• Eat butter! After living in New Zealand for 5 years, coming back to the US has been a huge disappointment in that regard. I am still trying to get someone to send me some New Zealand butter! In New Zealand all the cows are out roaming about the pastures. Butter coming from these cows is so sweet, you can eat it like cheese. Traditionally, many of our ancestors thrived on cultured dairy.
• Don't fall for the term "enhanced." I have been hearing of problems assimilating synthesized vitamins and minerals and prefer to find ways to get them naturally from my food. Have a look at the Pottenger cat studies. Raw dairy provides many necessary vitamins and fats.
• Herbs and spices are nutrient packed gifts from our great earth and should be used exuberantly.
• Refined vegetable oils should not be touched with a ten-foot pole. A great oil to use for cooking is coconut or palm oil and these are especially good in baking pastries or deep frying. Take the pure, terrifying fears you have been given for saturated fats and re-imprint them onto refined vegetable oils.
• Of course, avoid refined sugar like the plague. If there is any thing we need to surgically remove from us, this is it. I challenge you to do it, and no replacing refined sugar with artificial sweetners either. This type of sugar was created with the blood of slaves-we all should have nothing more to do with it. Use unrefined cane sugar, palm sugar, honey or maple syrup. But even these should be used with great respect.

Once we get started it's easy to get back to the diet our bodies and souls thrive on. The hardest step is cutting out the sugar. Once you have gotten through that withdrawal things start to make sense and fall into place of their own accord.

My last rule of thumb is this: if you absolutely have to go and eat a toxic fast food meal for some bizarre reason. Say a prayer and a blessing over it before consumption to help neutralize the damage. It is a good idea to get in the habit of appreciating your food before you eat it by kissing the chef who created it for you - this helps put your body in a peaceful receptive state for assimilation (unless of course it is a rabid, coked-up chef, but in that case I would avoid eating the food to begin with).

It is best not to eat when you are angry.