Harvesting Health

Harvesting Health Has Moooooved

2010-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hello my fine feathered friends. We are outta' here! Please join us at our new domain, Tribe of Five. Please update your browsers. We'll leave this site up for a few more weeks and then it's coming down. We think the new site is a little more 'us'. Hope to see you over there!

The Cauliflower Conundrum

2010-10-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last week was an odd one, to be sure. Part of the problem was with our vehicle which meant I didn't get to the farm for my weekly produce pickup. No produce pickup = slim pickings for the rest of the week. So, in desperation, I trundled off to our local grocery store.

I wanted a cauliflower. That's it, just a cauliflower. It's still in season, there's plenty of them locally (I know, I see them at the farmer's markets all the time). There's nothing rare or exotic in my request. I was just looking for a plain ole' white cauliflower. Organic, please. Oh, and make it local so it's not dripping in petrochemicals. That would be nice.

Yah, like that.

I had two choices. I could pick the nice, jumbo cauliflower that was grown locally or I could buy the organic cauliflower that came from 'industrialized organic' in California. What's a girl to do? Of course, I want to buy local, but if it's not organic and I don't know the farmer, or even what farm it came from, how can I know how that cauliflower was grown? Pesticides, fungicides, GMOs, sewage sludge application, chemical fertilizers? What secrets does that cauliflower house in its pretty white florets? And the other? That organic cauliflower didn't have human waste or chemical fertilizers spread on its soil, but how was it produced? What are 'big organics' principles when it comes to preserving our soil? Do they even care about being true caretakers of the land, of ensuring that those fields are still viable when our kids inherit them to grow their food on?

Cauliflower bones for as far as the eye can see.

For me, eating sludge is a deal breaker. 80% of the sewage sludge in Ontario is now spread across agricultural land. If you think it's any different in your part of the world, a quick Google search may surprise you, especially if you live in North America. Sewage sludge, concentrated with heavy metals, volatile chemicals, and disease-causing pathogenic organisms has been used for years on most of our agricultural land. So, I'd say the odds are pretty good that the local, conventional cauliflower I'm looking at came from a toxic field. I believe in organic food, but it has to be more than that. I don't want organic cauliflower from some massive monocrop of cauliflowers shipped into Canada all the way from California. Rocket fuel, anyone?

Anything that grows on soil (that would be everything that lives, including us) depends on the quality of that soil to deliver the nutrients and bacteria within for our very survival. We've become removed from our understanding of just how dependent we are on dirt. We assume we get our vitamins and minerals from plates of veggies and good meat. Here's the clincher, where do you think the vegetables, fruits, and meats get their nutrients from? Soil, of course. Anything that is grown or raised in depleted soil is degraded right from the get go. Add to that prolonged storage and shipping, refining, and processing. No wonder our bloated bodies are still crying out for more food. We are, as the great Raj Patel so eloquently expains in his book, "Stuffed and Starved".

What of that cauliflower that was grown in questionable soil, on land that is not diversified and respected? Land that is only asked to give more with no understanding or questioning of what it is that it actually needs. The cauliflower, already in a sate of nutrient deficiency, gets thrown on a truck and travels thousands of kilometres to my local store where it then sits some more. Now what's happened to the vitamins and minerals that were already lacking? Who wants a two week old cauliflower? There's no life force left in that lowly little plant. Sure, there's probably a few vitamins and minerals that your body could squeeze out of it, but that's not how our bodies thrive. No wonder we're all starving, our bodies are desperate for the ingredients they need to build these wondrous temples of ours.

I didn't get the cauliflower. We're eating kale (again) with our grass fed beef roast tonight. We need to change our food policies. Everyone of us should have the right to buy local food that is grown and raised in a manner that supports our environment and our health. Human poop cauliflowers be damned.

Get on it:

People's Food Policy
Sustain Ontario
Food Secure Canada
Beyond Factory Farming
Bits&Bytes
BC Food Systems Network
Food Security Alberta
Soil Association
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Slow Food
International Food Security Network
La Via Campesina: International Peasant Movement
Google 'food sustainability' and your region to get actively involved in your local food scene.

My Day of Unrest

2010-09-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday is not exactly my 'rest' day. With work, three kids, a hubby in full time school, classes to attend, and all the other stuff that makes up life, I have to make sure that I'm well prepared for the week ahead. In case you haven't noticed, nutrition is pretty important to me. I'm loathe to get myself in a situation where I don't have a decent meal backing us up. So, with Saturday being hang out with my posse day, Sunday has been relegated to making sure we have good eats in the fridge so 'quick' doesn't become synonymous with 'crap'.

So, let's go on a pictorial journey shall we? Fun, huh? Join me in my kitchen to see what was up for some of this week's menu. Sorry, I didn't get pictures of my two slow cookers bubbling away some bison roasts that I later sliced up and put in the fridge.

So, here's where you see my dirty little secret. I make my fermented veggies in my giant, ceramic sink. I clean it first! For this veggie mixture I used some easter egg radishes, carrots, purple carrots, green and purple cabbage, green onion, some leek, ginger, and garlic. Oh, some green and red onion, too. I covered it in sea salt, pounded the snot out of it and then packed in jars. I'll give more details in another post.

O.k., this was a problem. Remember those boxes of organic plums I had? Well, aside from the jars of prunes I've made, I needed to come up with some other options. So, here's my plum butter cooking down. See the dirty wooden spoon on the side? I used my tongue to clean up that mess. So bloody good. I cooked those wonderful plums with cinnamon and cardamom. Aye yi yi. Can't wait to eat that with some pastured pork one day.

I'm not big on baking. That's not to say I don't like it, I just don't think there's much place for those sweet "neolithic paleolithic" treats around my waistline. To make matters worse, I hear Kurt Harris' torturous condemnation every time I pick up a spatula.

Still, with three kids, I do like to whip up a little ditty every now and then and then freeze some for those birthday party moments when the rest of the class has a sugar-loaded cupcake and my little urchin sits there with her bowl of fermented vegetables. Yes, that really did happen. So, my kids are thrilled with a muffin. These are made with coconut flour, ghee, some dried fruit I made, bananas to sweeten, and a mother load of eggs. They are moist and they are divine. That's my ghee in the background. I make it from raw, pastured butter and I mix it with organic, extra virgin coconut oil. We eat it with everything. Everything.

Canned plums. I added some allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. See mom? You can have some at Christmas. I source out the old jars, with glass lids. Newer jars, with the metal lids are lined with BPA. I'm not down with the BPA.

My post workout fuel source. Love me some sweet potats.

A peek in my 110 degree oven. Plums becoming prunes. I store the prunes in glass jars. I avoid buying any fruit in the winter, having prepared some ourselves. I also just don't think we were meant to eat much fruit in the winter (or at anytime really). A little dab will do ya'.

Pummeled and packed into jars. Now I just have to wait about a week and we'll have fermented vegorama.

O.k., so he's not a fermented vegetable or a dried plum, but come on! How could I not show you Pablo the Great Overseer. He perches himself up on that chair and makes sure I'm doing my kitchen duties to his satisfaction. He's a tough one, that little ginger cat. He keeps me on my game.

Preparing For Winter Like the Good Bapka I Am

2010-09-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

One of many, many boxes of fruit begging for my attention before the fruit flies devour them entirely.

My Bapka (Slovak grandma) was the best. And please, don't tell me your grandma was the best. She wasn't, mine was. Bapka could bake like nobody's business and she loved me. What more could you ask for? Oh, and strong, that woman was Strong. I remember her showing me how to make perogies, using her arms to scoop under the mound of crazy-heavy dough, trying to show me how to use my strength to stir. My puny arms weren't up to the task at the time. I think Bapka would be happier with my pipes nowadays.

So, my Bapka, she taught me a thing or two, but the most important thing, to me, was how she made us all feel loved by the food she prepared for us. I don't think that just because we eat a paleo diet, void of the gluten and sugar my grandma used, that the lesson is any less profound. Yes, food is fuel, but food is also a ritual, a time and event to enjoy with a sense of community and grateful gathering. I love without food and I love with food. There's many ways that we love. I'm happy that my family eats the meals I prepare and say, "we can feel the love in it". Mission accomplished. Because there really is love in there. That love comes both from the farmers, our friends, who cared for that animal and treated it humanely, with compassion and care and from me as I prepare it. By the way, you can pack love in a salad or slide it into a stew. Love doesn't only come wrapped in sugar. Never mind "only come wrapped in sugar", love shouldn't come wrapped in sugar at all.

Plums becoming prunes. Still about a days worth of drying to be done at this stage.

I'm finding, especially as I get older, that I am really starting to appreciate the old skills that have fallen out of favour in our crazy, give-it-to-me-now society. Hence, my love of fermenting, culturing, and drying food. I'm trying to dig up as many obscure, out of print books as possible in hopes of garnering further knowledge. The new books on food preservation are loaded with jam recipes using pounds of sugar. Not my thing.

Last winter, we successfully ate pretty locally. We didn't have any fruit at all. This year, we've been lucky to have found an amazing organic orchard that's kept us well stocked throughout the summer. I just got our last supply of fruit and I've decided to go on a drying rampage. My kitchen is lined with trays and fruits in various stages of drying. It smells divine

Speaking of drying, did you know that a raisin should actually taste like a grape!? Who knew? I've been drying organic Coronation grapes and the result is this plump raisin with a delicious mild sweetness and pungent grape taste. It's unlike any raisin I've ever tasted.

Organic Coronation grapes transforming into grapes. These are the grapes that pop out of their skin like an eyeball in your mouth. I think their concentrated skins are what makes them such tasty raisins.

I've also been drying boxes and boxes of plums. We're not huge dried fruit fans here. I don't buy dried fruit except on rare occasion, but it's nice to think that we have some frozen, canned, and dried fruit as a little something to remind us of summer on the impending winter days ahead.

I've gone through dozens of dehydrators. The one I'm buying next is a giant mother of a thing so I'll be saving my pennies for a while. Until then, my oven works fine. I put it on 110 degrees, line my pans with parchment paper and that's it. All it needs is a little time and a few words of loving encouragement.

Skinless Gyoza and Yummy Leftovers for Lunch

2010-09-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

The bright yellow colour on the zucching comes from the unrefined, organic red palm oil they're drizzled with.

So, I found a big bag of pastured pork at the bottom of my freezer (yes, I'm at the bottom, time to pick up my bulk meat orders). I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, but then I remembered my skinless gyoza idea. I used to love my gyozas, back in the day. Those little bundles of yumminess wrapped in white, tasteless dough. The dough contained the meat and was essential, or so I thought.

Turns out that you can make a pretty fine gyoza, or egg roll for that matter, without the crappy flour wrapping. You just flavour the meat with the right spices, give it a fry in some unrefined coconut oil, make a dipping sauce and you're done. As usual, I made more than enough so that we could make quick lunches for the next day.

I used this recipe (see video below) for my gyozas and his dipping sauce was really good, too. I put mine in some romaine lettuce with some cooked purple cabbage and mounds of cilantro. I wanted to use avocado, but somebody in our house thinks avocadoes are candy and keeps eating them faster than I can buy them (ahem, T, you know who you are).

I had to include the video, his little girl is just too darn cute.

I also cut some young zucchini into spears, drizzled them with organic, unrefined red palm oil (which is delicious if you haven't tried it), sprinkled on a bit of sea salt and thyme and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. I've had a bottle of palm oil for a while now, but didn't start using it until recently. We're really loving it. This particular type of palm oil is not refined in anyway, is rich in carotenoids and saturated fats and is, therefore, on par with coconut oil for it's ability to withstand heat. I wouldn't buy palm oil from a company that sells 'crude palm' which is a highly toxic, refined product. You can order sustainably produced palm oil directly from Wilderness Family Naturals if you're interested in giving it a try.

When we were done eating I got to making the kids' lunches. I just ripped up some of the romaine that was left, threw some olives, leftover cabbage and zucchini, fresh cilantro, and some gyoza patties into the mix. I drizzled it with some leftover sauce and gave them a lime to squeeze on before they ate it. It was really, really good. Oh, they got a nectarine, too. That was the last of our insanely delicious nectarines, straight from the organic orchard about an hour away. We're already looking forward to eating that amazing fruit again next summer.

Kids' lunches done in 5 minutes flat.

Foraging in the City

2010-09-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

My sink full of crabapples compliments of an elderly neighbour, nature, and some determined pickers.

Hubby and I have become pretty keen on backyard foraging (ours or somebody else's will do just fine). We've raided the library shelves for books on edible plants, seeds, fruits, roots, and nuts. It's unbelievable to think that all of this food is around us and we just walk on by, wondering what we should go buy at the market.

Once we started learning about all the food, all the free food, at our disposal, our walks in the forest, or even just in our neighbourhood, took on a whole new meaning. We check out what stage the black walnuts are in, if the squirrels have annihilated the hickory tree or if there's one or two left for us, where the good oak trees are so we know where to go when the acorns start falling. The list goes on and on. It brings an awareness to the season, the weather, and the bounty that surrounds us.

This weekends foraging was pretty pedestrian, but wonderful nonetheless. Hubby and daughter numero tres were walking down to hockey registration when they came upon a tree dripping with over-ripe crabapples and another one with massive, golden pears on it. So, they came home, strapped on some bags, grabbed me and off we went.

The pear tree was literally bowing down, begging people to pluck the heavy pears off of it.

One of the nice things about homes with old fruit trees in them is that they often have old people living there that can no longer pick them. We asked the owner for permission to pick her trees and ended up chatting with her for a while. She didn't want any, but suggested that she'd love some of the preserves I was going to make with them. Reminder to self: bring Beverly some canned pears.

We came home with bags and bags of fruit. I froze some, dried some, and preserved some. Even sweet hubby, tough guy that he is, was in the kitchen canning pears. He actually even confessed to liking it.

Our next assignment is acorns. I'm eyeing up those trees every day, waiting for the moment when they're just right, but before the squirrels figure that out too. Native Americans used to use acorns as flour. That's what I plan on doing too. Why buy crappy almond flour when you can make your own acorn flour? I'll keep you posted in Foraging in the City Part Deux. In the meantime, look up you never know what's there for the munching.

Mouse Melon Lunch in Ten Minutes Flat

2010-09-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

I found these adorable mouse melons at the farmer's market last year. They're more novelty than deliciousness, but they were definitely a hit with the kids. The look like little, baby watermelons, but they taste more like a cucumber.

Super quick lunch again today. I chopped up the mouse melons with some avocado and threw in some roughly cut cilantro. I drizzled on some homemade vinaigrette gave it a toss with a few sprinkles of salish. I sliced up some of the awesome grass-fed beef summer sausage we get from our farmer. This sausage is cured by dry smoking. There are no nitrites/nitrates or filler used. Instead, the farmer has the butcher use a small bit of ascorbic acid for the curing process. Iit's absolutely heavenly.

I also threw in a handful of sauerkraut for extra probiotic goodness. In all, it took me about as much time to eat as it did to make, but I felt clear-minded and energetic afterwards. The sauerkraut, as are all cultured and fermented foods, is especially good to stop any post-meal sweet cravings.

Lazy Girl Lunch

2010-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Instead of going with my default of frustration every time I have someone tell me they "wish they had time to eat well", I thought I'd try something new. So, here goes. I'm going to show everyone how truly lazy I am in the kitchen. Yes, my name's Tara and I'm a lazy chef.

Take exhibit a. Here we have my lunch. How long did it take to make? Five minutes. I swear, just five minutes. Last night for supper, we had bison hump roast with roasted veggies consisting of brussel sprouts, cauliflower, shallots, and mushrooms. I make bone broth every weekend and have loads of it in my freezer. It's a definite staple in our home for everything from sauces, soups, curries, and just to sip out of a mug.

So, I threw the stock in a pot, put in some cubed leftover hump roast, threw in the leftover veggies and cut the tops off my beets to get some extra green stuff in there. I then snipped up a piece of wakame seaweed directly into the pot and heated it up for a couple of minutes. That's it. Super nutritious, filling, incredibly satisfying in that soul-comforting type of way, and delicious.

Take away message: a.) always cook more than you need so you have leftovers for a couple more meals b.) bone broth is your friend c.) eating well means planning ahead not slaving in a kitchen.

Stay tuned for my incredibly complicated meatloaf soup recipe.

Fake Food, Big Bucks

2010-09-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Someone save that child.

I just came back from a jaunt to the grocery store. I had to pick up some green onions for the Kimchi I'll be starting later today. Every now and then, I like to take a walk through the aisles like some voyeur scoping out the new horrors being pumped out by the pretend-food factories.

How did we get to this place where the further we move away from real food, the more we forget that this stuff in the grocery store, this packaged, creamed, preserved, boxed and cellophane wrapped compilation of indiscernible ingredients is not food? Why do we buy it? I mean, why do we buy it literally, yes. But, why do we buy it, on a metaphorical level?

There was a vat of Kraft peanut butter being advertised as the latest and greatest food. "It's NEW"!! Hooray! Kraft has developed a new food product. Time to celebrate. The peanut butter was "whipped" so it's easier to spread and use as a dip, or so says Kraft on the bottle. The bottle is full of pesticide laden peanuts, trans fats and a couple types of GMO sugars. Why do we agree to pay more for cheap chemicals? How have we been convinced that a peanut is not worth as much as a pretend peanut?

Awww... look at the cute little bears ready to bring you to heart attack heaven.

Peanuts should not make up part of anyone's diet due to the aflatoxin content, a carcinogenic mold, and because of the issues with consuming legumes. But still, I can't help but shudder when I see them take an already harmful food and look for ways to make it worse (more profitable). Why have factory farmed dairy products when you can have factory farmed dairy products that are pasteurized and full of sugars and flavourings? Why eat pasta when they can sell you a sauce full of vegetable oils, artificial flavourings, and preservatives? Dump the pasta and the pasteurized dairy altogether. Why pay more for something that was detrimental to health even before they started making it worse?

They're trying to convince us that we can't do it ourselves anymore. We're losing our ability to preserve food, to store it, to culture and ferment foods the way our ancestors did. I can't tell you how many people I meet that marvel that I make my own stock or preserves. When we lose our ability to do these things, when we opt for simple, we teach our children what it is to trade health, tradition, independence for easy. The problem is, it's not easy in the long run. It's not 'simple and quick' when we are diseased, depressed, and fat.

My little laboratory. Kefir, raw milk yoghurts, butter, and creme fraiche, ghee, some kombucha, a jar of red wine vinegar with its mother, some kefired homemade apple cider, sauerkraut, lard, pastured bison tallow, and some raw grass-fed sheep cheese. Yum.

There's a great satisfaction, beyond the physical benefits, of creating and producing foods that are healing and nourishing. We teach our children by our example. They love us, they admire us, they believe us when we pick up a bucket of whipped peanut butter and tell them it's o.k. to eat it. We have to do better.

Further reading:

Modern Paleo does a good job of summarizing principles to live by for optimum health. Read it, learn it, live it, thrive!
The Late Role of Grains and Legumes in the Human Diet, and Biochemical Evidence of their Evolutionary Disordance by Loren Cordaines, Ph.D.
The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf

Chocolate Baby Formula

2010-09-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Enfamil has discontinued its chocolate baby formula due to heavy criticism. Of course, there's still vanilla. You could always add a squirt of Nestle Quik and voila! Instant fun.

I must have a pretty narrow group of comrades because I don't know a soul who would eat this, never mind feed it to their child. If you're interested in getting a peek into why our society's health has gone to hell in a hand basket, go check out the Enfamil page and scroll down to the bottom where the angry mom and dads are demanding Enfamil bring back the chocolate because their babies loved it, damn it.

No wonder our Canadian health care system is crumbling under the pressure of disease. I say Enfamil and all of the other junk food peddlers start contributing a % of every crap product they sell into our health care system. That way, when people inevitably get sick from all this pretend food, it will be the corporations who pay the price, not the individual taxpayer who is spending crazy amounts of money on quality food, gym memberships, and alternative care practitioners (ahem.. o.k., rant over).

Now, bacon formula.. that's something I could get behind.

when I grow up I want to be just like them

2010-08-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

He's 57, she's 56 and they're training for the Tough Mudder. My inspiration.

Home

2010-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

View the full movie here. Please, pass it on so as many people as possible can see this amazing film.

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.
The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being. For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film. HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet. Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Please view the entire movie here. It's free, meant to be shared and passed along. Please do so.

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

In a while, crocodile

2010-07-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a while now. Not away away, as in some grand trip, but just living a little more in the real world, a little less near the computer. It's summer after all. I have ragamuffins to entertain and sunbeams to bask in. Aside from that, I'm trying to find a little more balance. Good food is a good thing and health is of the utmost importance, but I need to get back to the girl that was strong and fast. That means more moving, less talking about the virtues of this or that.

Hopefully, there's enough information on this blog to hold you for a while. I'll be back in a bit. In the meantime, might I suggest some of the following fantastic blogs for recipe inspiration and sound health advice:

One Little Calf Had Raw Milk, One Little Calf Had None

2010-06-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Two calves, two very different outcomes. Michael Schmidt, of Glencolton Farms, recently completed a little experiment. Two calves were raised, one on raw milk and the other on pasteurized and homogenized milk (simulated dairy). You can see all the pictures and read the full story over at the Bovine.

The anemic, sad little liver on the left is from a calf that was raised on pasteurized milk. The liver on the right is from the raw milk fed calf. Photo: Bovine

The stomachs of the two calves. The one in the bucket, looking as it should, is from the raw milk calf. The one below, with its 'contents' spilled all over the place is from the pasteurized milk drinking calf. I found this image especially telling. Photo: Bovine

Abundance (or a 10 minute lunch done right)

2010-06-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Oh summer, how I love thee. Today was a good day, made all the better by a trip to one of our lovely, local organic farmers. I came home with a bounty of deliciousness and set to work making a ten minute lunch for me and my sweet man.

We came home with colourful swiss chard, radishes, asparagus, all types of lettuce, garlic scapes, flowering chives (so pretty), rhubarb, nettle, shitake mushrooms, green onion, and a whack of fresh herbs. Everything was so fresh and beautiful.

I grabbed a handful of my favourites, the shitake mushrooms, asparagus, some Shanghai bok choy, swiss chard, and the garlic scapes, gave them a quick rinse, and chopped them up in big hunks.

I grabbed my glorious raw butter, compliments of a happy, grass-fed cow, and melted a few dollops with the garlic scapes. Once those were softened up, I threw in all of the other veggies. I threw in a couple more spoons of butter, some sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

While all of that was going on, I was reheating a chicken quarter from last night. I always make enough meat with supper to give us leftovers for lunch the next day.

It's a pretty simple lunch, and really quick to make. I think a lot of people assume I make complex, time-intensive dishes, but when you have good food, there's very little that needs to be done to it. On the other hand, you can add mounds of sugar, colouring, sauces, and flavour enhancers to lousy food, but it's still lousy food.

Today's lunch is standard fare around here. I hesitated to show something so simple, but it's how we eat everyday and I thought it was a good representation of how easy it is to eat really good food. My food reminds me of the many things and people I have to be grateful for. My plate, an embarrassment of riches. I'm a lucky girl, indeed.

Real Orange Creamsicles

2010-05-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Real Oranges + Real Raw Cream = Real Creamsicles

Back in the day, when I was but a wee lass, I remember the sheer joy of hearing the bells of the ice-cream bike. That's right, bike. What's with this ice-cream truck business? The ice-cream dealer in our hood drove a bike that said "Dickie Dee" on the side of it. There was a long rack of bells on the handles of his bike that swung back and forth wildly as he pedaled around the neighbourhood. He was the purveyor of summer happiness. A few cents could buy you all sorts of frozen delights, but I was always a sucker for the Creamsicle.

A few years ago, remembering how much I loved those yummy creamsicles, I decided to buy one - purely for nostalgia's sake. It was revolting. The 'cream' centre was some sort of gelatinous, hydrogenated oily mess. Blech. Another one of my childhood joys relegated to the cobwebby crevices of my memory.

Yesterday, after melting in the 32 degree weather for a few hours, the kids and I decided to attempt a healthier version of an orange creamsicle. We decided to make a real creamsicle with actual oranges and cream. I was pretty happy with the results, but there's a few things I'd modify next time around. I listed my modifications at the bottom of the recipe.

The Healthy Orange Creamsicle

Organic oranges
Best quality organic, cream (raw, from grass fed cows is best if you can get it)
Honey or maple syrup/maple butter to taste
Organic vanilla extract or vanilla powder
(optional) Pastured, organic egg from a source you know and trust (it matters, you're going to eat it raw)

Juice or blend some oranges. I used our Vitamix and threw in a little cream (maybe a tablespoon or so). My daughter then filtred the juice to get a smoother texture. I don't suppose you would have to do that, but it seemed somehow more authentic to me. Pour the juice into molds and put them in your freezer.

While the juice freezes along the perimeter of the mold, you can make the cream filling. For this, you can either make some of your favourite ice-cream or try what I did. I just blended the cream, turkey egg, vanilla, and some of the yummy maple butter we just got from our pal's maple syrup farm (thanks, Ben!) together in a blender.

You will have to check the molds every half hour or so. The idea is to push the exposed parts down so the sides start to freeze, but you don't want the bottom (or top depending on how you look at it) to freeze over. When you see this happening, just push your finger into the centre to break up the frozen bits. Once the sides have frozen, you can pour the juice from the centre into a cup. You should now have an orange juice mold with a hollow centre.

Pour the cream mixture into the centre of the frozen popsicle, insert the stick, and put back into the freezer. Wait. Patiently. Just wait. Goodness is on its way.

That's it, that's all there is to it. They were yummy and refreshing and way better than the hydrogenated oil ones they try to pass off as "cream-filled" in the store.

What I'll do differently next time: I think I would actually use some of our homemade ice-cream. The cream centre worked well, but I found it dispersed into the orange a bit too much. I wanted the division between the centre and the orange border to be more distinct. If you try this option, be sure to use your own ice-cream or an organic version that isn't loaded with crapola. Lastly, I would not throw the oranges in the Vita-mix, opting instead to juice them. The bitterness of the pith seemed to amplify in the freezer. It wasn't a huge problem, but enough for me to try something different next time.

I'm thinking about trying mango and lime with my vanilla ice-cream next time. I think sour, citrus flavours would be especially good, but I will always remain loyal to the orange.

A Farm For the Future

2010-05-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Simply a must-see. Whether you're a farmer, an urbanite, or a zombie, if you're reading this, I assume you live on planet earth, and therefore, you need to see this to understand what it means to farm, to eat, to consume.

Part Deux

Part Trois

Part Four

"A Farm For the Future" final

My Dream Farm

2010-05-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

By now, most of you know that I'm pretty passionate about procuring food from my beloved farmers and of my intention of having our own farm soon. I've been lucky enough to meet all sorts of farmers who have shared with me their knowledge and some incredible experiences. Through my time spent working with and learning from farmers, I have been able to develop a clearer picture of how I will work with the land and animals to create a vibrant, productive farm.

I plan to create said farm employing some principles that I hold dear. I truly respect and value Biodynamic farms. I believe that this style of farming produces a nourished farm organism that 'gives back' to the land, rather than just taking. In addition, the food produced on Biodynamic farms is superior to any other I've ever tasted because it's packed with an energy, an abundance of nutrients, and things we can't really measure, but just inherently know are right.

This animal was shot, skinned, and gutted in less than an hour. Look at the beautiful, yellow fat from that solely pasture raised animal.

Aside from that, one of my strongest convictions lies in slaughtering and butchering my own animals. I can not tell you how many farmers I have met that shake their heads at the way their animals have been butchered. I have no intention of raising animals with incredible care only to load them on trucks and have them butchered at a commercial facility, by people who have no connection to that animal. At one of my friend's farms, I was lucky enough to take part in the butchering and slaughtering of animals. Before that, I would say that my understanding of what it meant to be grateful for my food was shallow, at best. There is a great duty, for those of us who eat animals, to understand what it truly means for that animal to give its life for us.

I have seen animals slaughtered in so-called sterilized factories and I have slaughtered animals in the sunshine. I know which one is more sanitary and I know which one is right. I could not compromise on that point.

So, my dream farm... I see my cows (I know the breed, but I don't want to say, let's just say they're an ancient breed that do well on grass and harsh Canadian winters). There's some sweet lambs over there, up on the hill, chewing grass. Over on the other side of yonder hill are the chickens. Sweet chickens for eggs and yummy chickens for our bellies. They too will be slaughtered on the farm. There's heritage pigs on pasture, maple trees that give us syrup, and bees that give us honey. Every now and then we get a mama cow that we can borrow some raw milk from. There's all sorts of green things, veggies, and berries sprouting up everywhere! Oh, and look, there's my sweet hubby and our cool kids sitting in the morning sun waiting for me to join them for breakfast! Better go before it gets cold!

The Ultimate Comfort Food

2010-05-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I don't know what comes close to a slow roasted pot of pork hocks and feet for its sheer yumminess. By slow roasting, you end up with incredibly tender, moist meat. The gelatin released from this yummy dish, is incredibly beneficial for bones and joint health. My farmer friends assured me that this dish was to die-for. I'll admit that when I first cooked pig's feet, I was a little apprehensive. Um, they're feet. But, one bite and any apprehension was gone. And, yes indeed, my kid's love this dish, too.

It couldn't be easier to make either. Just slow roast hocks and/or feet with some butter or some bacon fat that you have on reserve, some salt, and a couple of glugs of wine or homemade red wine vinegar. Let it roast in a 250 degree oven for approximately 10 hours. We like to eat ours with cauliflower rice because it does a great job of soaking up all of the wonderful drippings.

It shouldn't be too difficult to find pork hocks and feet. While I wouldn't use commercial sources, local farmers may have some for sale. We always make sure we ask the butcher to include all these juicy bits when we are giving our cutting instructions.

Oops, we made a mistake

2010-05-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Scientific American explores the folly of blaming fat for heart disease. Yet more evidence that it's the donuts after all.

Eat less saturated fat: that has been the take-home message from the U.S. government for the past 30 years. But while Americans have dutifully reduced the percentage of daily calories from saturated fat since 1970, the obesity rate during that time has more than doubled, diabetes has tripled, and heart disease is still the country’s biggest killer. Now a spate of new research, including a meta-analysis of nearly two dozen studies, suggests a reason why: investigators may have picked the wrong culprit. Processed carbohydrates, which many Americans eat today in place of fat, may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease more than fat does....

Continue reading "Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart".

Bill C-474 Passes and David Sweet is a Dud

2010-04-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

The good news: Bill C-474 passed which means that it now goes to the Agriculture Committee for review. But, hold on, the biotech companies are not ready to lay down and die. There's a lot of money on the line and they want it. As the biotech industry gets louder, so to must we. CBAN offers ways that you can take action now.

The bad news: Well, it depends. Maybe you have a better MP than we do. Mr. David Sweet, Dud Extraordinaire, voted against Bill C-474. What Who did your MP vote for? Mosey on over to the House of Commons site and check out the vote for yourself.

p.s. Dear Mama, I'm sorry to confirm your suspicions about your MP, Mr. Russ Hiebert. You were right all along, he is as big a disappointment as ole' Dave Sweet.

HISTORIC NDP GMO BILL PASSES CRUCIAL VOTE

Source: Boundary Sentinel

MP Alex Atamanenko, B.C. Southern Interior

A private members bill to protect farmers by calling for an analysis of potential harm to export markets prior to approving new genetically engineered seeds has passed second reading in the House of Commons. Bill C-474, proposed by New Democrat Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko (BC-Southern Interior), will move to committee for further study.

“Despite intense lobbying efforts by the biotech industry and the Conservative government to nip this bill in the bud, the opposition parties voted instead to protect the economic interests of farmers,” said Atamanenko. “I couldn’t be happier that Parliament has made this historic decision.”

This is the first time a bill to change the rules on GMOs has passed second reading in the House.

Atamanenko believes that the government‘s science-only approach to how GMO’s are regulated is irresponsible because it completely ignores market considerations.

“It was the government’s lax regulatory process that allowed GE Triffid flax to shut out Canadian flax exports from its key markets and hurt farmers,” explained Atamanenko. “For the first time, Parliament has a chance to seriously consider a regulatory mechanism that will ensure farmers are never again faced with rejection in our export markets because we allow the introduction of GE technologies that they have not approved.”

Take Action - Your MP Votes This April 14

2010-04-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Bill C-474 would "require that an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted." There's no time to spare, the Conservatives are opposing the bill. Without the Liberals support, the release of GMO strains of food will be relentless. Let Michael Ignatieff, the ruler of the Liberal party, know that you want them to vote for the Bill.

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network has more ways that you can take action. Call your MP and find out how they are voting on this important Bill and hold them accountable!

Aw, look! It's Mr. David Sweet, our local MP. Mr. Sweet voted against the mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Let's hope he's educated himself a bit more since then.

It's GMO Tuesday! Fun!

2010-04-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Foreign Aid Bill Mandates Genetic Engineering
Zambia's Conservation Farming Success
Herbicide Resistance in Western Canada
GE Seeds Creating Barriers to Exports for Canadian Farmers (but don't worry, if you're in Canada or the U.S., you can have all the GE foodstuffs you want!)
Check out Greenpeace's GMO guide to see if your favourite grocery store items are harboring GMOs. It's heartbreaking to see that infant formula, in addition to being such a poor substitute for breast milk, is also contaminated with GMOs.

If you are consuming meat or dairy products and the farmer is using non-organic sources for his/her feed, you are consuming GMOs. Locally sourcing your food is great, but it has to go beyond that. Ask your farmer about her farming practices. What are the animals eating? Where and how does he grow his feed? What about the farmers around him? At present, GMO canola, corn, and soy are being used in animal feed with the possibility of alfalfa looming on the horizon.

Saturated Fat Consumption Not Related to Heart Disease

2010-03-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well blow me over! Of course, this is nothing new for most of us, but I can't help wondering why mainstream medicine keeps touting the same old disproven factoids about the dangers of saturated fats even when their own colleagues and medical journals are publishing information that say otherwise? I mean, it doesn't surprise me that Dr. Margarine isn't curled up on his sofa with a copy of "Good Calories, Bad Calories", but again and again, we see studies being published in peer reviewed journals that go largely ignored. Yet another reason to educate yourself.

Speaking of educating yourself, here's a few articles I've particularly enjoyed reading over the last couple weeks:

Ryan Drum, "Thyroid Function and Dysfunction"
If you haven't read Weston A. Price's book, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration", you can click on the link to read the entire thing for free.
Theory to Practice, "Genetics, Epigenetics, and the Intersection of Athleticism and Musculature". Exactly what I've been pondering these last few days, all laid out in a way that gets my head nodding. Good read for any paleo athletes out there who are looking for higher performance.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's ENVIROPIG!!

2010-03-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm stunned silly. I wish I could come up with some great monologue about the new, genetically modified pig that's awaiting approval from Health Canada to be allowed into our food system. I wish I had a little more faith in the food regulators to do what is right and not just profitable, but having been given the rubber stamp of approval from Environment Canada, it looks like the transgenic pig is one step away from your dinner plate.

Photo: University of Guelph: "Furthermore, the technology is simple, if you know how to raise pigs, you know how to raise Enviropigs!" Golly, I'll have two, please!

The problems with industrialized, factory farms are many. They produce toxic waste by the mountain-full. They raise sick animals, confined to small cages. Animals that are fed antibiotics and growth hormones in their pesticide laden food. They are toxic, environmentally destructive, and completely unsustainable. Concentrating animals into such small quarters also amplifies the problem of waste. With pigs, there's the problem of phosphorous in that concentrated manure and the toxic effect it has on water tables, rivers, and creeks nearby.

Photo: The Epoch Times "Aerial view of hog confinement operation in Saskatchewan. Such facilities typically consist of a sow barn containing an average of 5,000 sows, a nursery barn with about 19,000 piglets, and a finishing barn with 12,000 to 14,000 pigs.

What should we do about these factory farms raising sick animals and then dumping the meat into our food supply? Well, we could look at sustainable farming practices that pay farmers a decent wage to produce food that nourishes us. We could look at supporting local farmers that are taking the time to raise animals to maturity on green pastures, in the sunshine, eating forages that are native to that animal. We could look at the dysfunction of factory farming and learn from our mistakes.

Environment Canada and some other financially interested parties have decided that they have a better way.

Why do things the right way when you can keep doing things the way you are, but easier? Enter Enviropig... hmm.. how do I put one of those little TM things with the circle around it in there? Anyway, read that as Enviropig trademark, please.

Enviropig is a genetically modified piggy capable of shooting green lasers out of its eyes and pooping out wads of cash letting factory farms keep factory farming while pretending that they are environmentally friendly by raising transgenic animals that have been genetically messed with to make them produce less phosphorous in their manure. Wow! How do they do that? Simple, they just splice a little bit of mouse DNA with a little drop of piggy DNA, whip it up, throw it in the oven for 9 minutes and you got yourself a nice, fresh roasted Enviropig! Yummy, can I have seconds, mommy?

Like all other GMO foods in North America, transgenic animal products will not be labeled at the grocery store. If you'd like to say something about this, now is the time to do it. Health Canada is deciding when farmers can start sneaking these critters into our grocery stores. Let the Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq know what you think of Mr. Enviropiggy. More importantly, what you can do involves what you do with your money. Don't buy grocery store meat. Refuse to support factory farms. Seek out your local farmers and purchase animals that were raised outdoors, in healthy living conditions. I know, I sound like a broken record, but consumers wield a lot more power than they realize!

Oink Squeak Oink Squeak

Further reading:

Check Biotech, "Genetically Modified Pork. Are We Ready For It?"
Meat Trade News Daily, "Canada - GM Pork"
The Epoch Times, "Will This Little Piggy Go to Market?"
University of Guelph, Enviropig!
The Journal of Animal Science, "The Enviropig physiology, performance, and contribution to nutrient management in a regulated environment: The leading edge of change in the pork industry". I'm sorry, but seriously, what a great title! Awesome way to say, "The Enviropig physiology, return on investment, and how to pretend we're environmentally friendly while still running an intensive pig factory farming operation, raising sick animals for as little financial investment as possible in order to make the biggest profit we can: The sad reality of the pig industry (emphasize industry, because it's not farming).

A Little Pinch of This, a Dollop of That

2010-03-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Photo: Macleans

I've been doing a cross between a WAPF/Primal/Paleo/GAPS style of eating for a long time now. Whatever it's called, it's low on the carbs, void of nuts and grains, ample with cultured and fermented foods, and full of pastured animal products and healthy fats (no thanks to the refined veggie oils). I've lately been entertaining the idea of changing things up a bit by dropping the raw cheese (especially now that I finally clued-in that my favourite organic, raw cheese brand is coming from cows that are being fed grain which likely includes corn and soy). I don't think the cheese is really adding anything to my nutrition. In fact, the cheese is likely the culprit behind my stalled weight loss. Sigh..

I like WAPF for its focus on healthy fats, grass-fed meats, fermented and cultured foods, and on the quality of the food. I also greatly admire and respect the support they show local, small scale farmers. Where I have a divergence in opinion is on the consumption of grains and nuts. I'm not a fan of either and don't understand how a food that needs such preparation to rid them of their 'anti-nutrients' can really be all that great for me. WAPF is also way too high in carbs for me.

Primal/Paleo eating is probably closest to how I eat right now with the exception of the aforementioned cheese. I also consume cultured dairy products which I attribute to my healing from leaky guy syndrome. While not emphasized on some versions of paleo/primal style eating, I think that cultured and fermented foods are integral to health. There can be a wide variation of opinions on the so-called "caveman diet" about the amount of fat one should consume with some touting low-fat meat, others suggesting we need plenty o' fat. There can also be the tendency to start making all sorts of little treats out of nuts and other goodies in the name of being 'primal'. That can be a problem.

GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet) was a God-send to me when I was dealing with that ole leaky gut of mine. I learned about the power of healing foods and it reconfirmed, for me, the magic of bone broth. Bone broth remains an integral part of our diets to this day. It was while on GAPS that I realized how negatively grains had been impacting our health. If you are suffering from any digestive issues or health ailments, I strongly recommend investigating the GAPS diet.

Suffice it to say that I don't think we can go wrong when we observe how our food is making us feel. Ask yourself if you are stronger/leaner/healthier/clear-minded/calm/happy when you eat certain foods. I don't think that there's a person on this planet that wouldn't benefit from dropping the sugars (in all of their magical forms) and refined foods from their diets. That's always the easiest place to start. After that, things get a little more personal.

Macleans recently did a decent story on a Paleo type way of eating, "Cavemen Who Walk Among Us".

The Story of Food

2010-03-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Story Of Food from USC Canada on Vimeo.

USC Canada

Crapshoot

2010-03-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

The National Film Board of Canada Presents Crapshoot: The Gamble With our Wastes

Grass or Grain Finished

2010-03-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

I received a great question from Robert about grass or grain finished meat. I took the opportunity to blab away a little too long and Blogger decided to put a cap on my comment. Nonplussed, I decided to just plop the whole comment here for anybody else that may get something out of my exchange with Robert.

Beef from an animal solely raised and finished on pasture.

Robert wrote:

From the comment above you wrote, "Healthy fat sources include saturated fats from grass fed (and finished) meats..."

From what I've read over the last couple years, grass-finished meat is supposed to be better for you regarding the EFA proportions.
A downside to that seems to be the leanness of the resulting (grass-finisished) meat.

I was going through my Nourishing Traditions book recently and was surprised to find in the "Beef & Lamb" section this statement:
"It is entirely appropriate for these animals to be fattened on grain during their last few weeks. Such practices imitate natural processes, as ruminant animals get fat on seeds and grains in their natural habitat during summer and fall. Grain feeding is an ancient practice that ensures that red meat contains ample amounts of fat.

It sounds as though they mean that during those last few weeks, the animal is on pasture, but is given a good amount of grain as well.

None of the grass-finished (red) meat producers I'm familiar with have mentioned this grain feeding during that last few weeks. Maybe some of them don't do it because they still don't have the whole picture: that it's not just about omega 3's and 6's, but about total fat content as well.

As long as the EFA ratios didn't get badly warped, I wouldn't be one to complain about fattier meat. I'll take all I can get.

What are your thought on this?

Hi Robert,

Grass-finished meat can be leaner than grain finished beef, but there are wide variables to consider. If a farmer is raising beef cattle, using the modern genetics we find in our common breeds today, there can be some difficulty in getting that animal to 'finish' on grass. These beef cattle have been bred to fatten on grain, quickly and cheaply. The 'industrial' beef cattle are mammoth, fat, barrel-bellied creatures that are used for the quick amount of time they can get to slaughter and the size they are able to pack on, making the financial return greater.

I have made the mistake of purchasing beef from farmers who are working to do the right thing, feeding on pasture, but who don't quite have their genetic lines figured out yet. It was a tough experience - literally. The meat just didn't have the flavour, texture, or taste that I was used to.

We move a lot, so that means always sourcing new farmers for our meat. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what the difference was in the beef animals I was filling my freezer with.

I'm sure you know that before about 10,000 years ago no animal, including us, were eating grains. So, when we start looking at wild game and grass finished meats, we see that while the meat is leaner in comparison to the cows fed grains, we can also see that perhaps that overly-fat beef is not the ideal.

Having said that, my previous point about genetics, is this: find the right farmer using the right lines and you will understand everything with one bite! I've learned to ask farmers what breed of beef cattle they're raising and asking for a sample steak before I purchase the whole darn thing. I have farmers that raise Dexter, Galloway, and even a heritage Angus herd. Normally, the newer angus lines leave me unimpressed with the grass finishing, but the beef from the older genetic lines is beautiful.

My last point is that cows are meant to eat grass. Their physiology requires grass, they have no effective way of dealing with grain in their diet and thus they develop acidosis. The farmers that I know that don't finish on grain refrain from doing so because it took them an incredibly long time to get that animal to weight on pasture. They certainly wouldn't want to ruin the final product by burgeoning that animal with a grain diet.

Just to be clear, grain is fed to fatten an animal fast. Grain causes inflammation and changes in the animal's rumen that can, and does, cause acidosis in the animal. I worked on a farm last year and we did a lot of butchering animals that were raised there (on pasture) and others that came from local farmers who were feeding grain or just finishing on grain. The difference was fascinating. The grass fed beef smelled pleasant, and had a firm texture with yellowed fat. The grain fed animals all, without exception, smelled sour and they were tough to butcher as the meat had a an almost greasy consistency because of the difference in fat texture. I wish everybody could see the difference because when you do, something instinctual tells you that there's something wrong with that grain-fed meat.

Does that steak look too lean to you? Look at that deep yellow, vitamin A rich fat! That animal never saw an ounce of grain its entire life. If I could, I would give you some of that steak and you would just inherently know that is the way meat should taste and make you feel.

There are a lot of great studies you can access online regarding inflammation, acidosis and all that good stuff. The Journal of Animal Science is a good jumping off point. Here's a study you may want to start with that showed the differences between finishing steers on pasture or grain were significant. While we want fat, healthy fat, there is a difference between overall fat and the types of fat animal products are composed of. The key is in the quality of that fat.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate you stopping by.
Tara

Sludge on Your Plate

2010-03-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a friend, yesterday, about some of the things that I witnessed while working on some local farms last year. The farms, all organic, were busting with fresh, beautiful produce. It was the goings-on in the periphery that disturbed me so.

There were days when I went to the farm only to be smacked in the nose by the most putrid smell. Sure enough, the sludge spreader was out in full force. Sludge, for the uninitiated, is the human waste that is separated from the water at treatment facilities. The treated water gets sent back into the water system, but what to do with the solids? Well, if you were with me last summer, you would see what they do with it. They spread it on the land. The land that grows our food.

Aside from the fact that this is human shit we're talking about, let's consider how contaminated the stuff in the toilet truly is. The Environmental Protection Agency has tested sludge that has found its way onto agricultural land and, yes, into garden centres being sold as "organic compost". The sludge, or "biomass" as the politically correct like to call it, is full of pharmaceutical drugs, heavy metals, pathogens, chemicals, solvents, viruses, and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, the plants grown in these soils bioaccumulate the toxins. Then, as it goes, either we eat the plants directly or indirectly via the animals that ate them first.

"...high quality, nutrient-rich, organic Biosolids Compost." Makes you want to eat something, doesn't it?

But it's not only sewage that composes the sludge, industrial abattoirs push the waste products from the killing floor directly into the water treatment system. These are the same industrial animals that are fed antibiotics every day in their feed, a known source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These diseased animal guts, blood, feces, and tissues are simply washed down the drain to join up with the rest of the sludge (composed of poop, condoms, tampons, etc..) that is going to be put onto fields that grow food.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a snazzy new name for the sludge. They now call it "non-agricultural source materials" (NASM). Sounds better than 'shit', I guess.

Environment Canada acknowledges that the spreading of sewage sludge is a risk factor in ground water contamination. Think of all the wells dotting the rural landscape. And yet, the practice continues. It's economics. The landfills are filling up, municipalities and cities need somewhere to dump their sewage that's cheap and so, they offer sewage sludge free to farmers or even, in some cases, offer to pay the farmers to take it off their hands. Farmers, not thoroughly warned of the hazards, assured the sludge is safe, and often operating under very tight financial margins, apply it to their land.

Another critical reason to know where your food is coming from. If you are eating commercially raised animal products, there's a pretty good chance that their feed was doused with human waste (besides being GMO). It's also important to visit the farms, check out not only what they're doing, but what's going on around them.

Further Reading:

The Case Against Land Application of Sewage Sludge Pathogens - Canadian Journal of Infectious Disease 2001 Jul-Aug; 12(4): 205-207
Something Stinks on Ontario Farmland - Mayday Magazine
Victims of Sludge Spreading in Canada
The Sludge Hits the Fan
Outrage in San Fransisco: City Gives Away 'Organic' Compost to Residents Containing Toxic Sewage Sludge
When Sludge Disposal Rules Are Broken - The Toronto Star
Cattle Graze on Freshly Spreak Sewage Sludge
SludgeFacts
Multiyear Study of Sludge Application to Farmland - Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Sewage Sludge Action Network
Dumping Sewage Sludge on Organic Farms? - The Environmental Working Group
Sewage Sludge - Center for Food Safety

Yet Another Reason Not to Support the Heart and Stroke Foundation

2010-03-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

Sarah Polley has pulled her name from a short movie she shot for The Heart and Stroke Foundation. Polley agreed to make the movie, believing that she was supporting the foundation and its work. When she later learned that the movie short, due to air during the Academy Awards, would be used to promote one of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's major sponsors, Becel margarine, Polley removed her name from the project.

Right, you read that correctly. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is working with Unilever, Becel's parent company, to tell us what to eat to keep our hearts in tip-top shape. Margarine. Unilever has emphasized the 'heart healthy' effects of Becel because, they say, it has no trans fats. What they don't talk about is what is in there: a plastic tub full of modified palm oils, genetically modified organisms in the highly sprayed canola and sunflower oils which are rancid to begin with, monoglycerides to smoosh it all up together, and some artificial flavour (MSG).

Heart and Stroke Foundation: Eat more margarine it plumps our bottom line is good for you.

So, Unilever and The Heart and Stroke Foundation want us to believe that a vat of rancid, bleached, GMO, pesticide laden, artificially coloured oils that have been "modified" are what our bodies were designed for. This is the stuff that our bodies, in all of their magnificent complexity, use to build our bones, run our immune systems, use as fuel to think, move, and grow? It's just common sense that this can not be so. Well, common sense and a load of science.

Way to go, Sarah!

Further reading:

If you're purchasing store bought ice-cream, you may want to do some investigating into what's really in there. If it's made by Unilever, expect GMO fish proteins. You may be surprised by how many brands of ice-cream Unilever actually claims.
Corporate Watch takes a peek at what Unilever is up to.
They may technically label it "trans fat free", but it's just a label. They're still altering these fats to get them to do what they want - last a long time and fool your taste buds. Interesterification to the rescue! Seriously, there is nothing that man can do to improve a food when it hits the manufacturing plant. Those of us in the natural health world knew about trans-fats decades before it became a buzz word and the health agencies decided to start letting the cat out of the bag. Stick to food the way it was grown or raised, with no processing (minimal, traditional processing is fine, I'm talking about the refined products we see filling our grocery store shelves), and you really can't go wrong.
It's a Butter Vs. Margarine Showdown over at the Whole Health Source corral.
Butter is Better.

"Pesky Bones" and Other Brilliant Posts

2010-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Whole Health Source has an interesting post about a study showing a correlation between omega-6 consumption and obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, and a bunch of other commonly seen diseases here in the Western hemisphere. "Dissolve Away Those Pesky Bones". Great title, Stephan!

Dr. Art Ayers, over at Cooling Inflammation, takes a look at gut health with his post, "Constipation, Gut Flora, and Health".

"What's Wrong With Paleo"? Well, nothing if you don't try to make a paleo/primal style of eating mesh with your addiction to all things sweet. No, our ancestors did not have bags of coconut flour, honey, and nuts to whip together some fantastical treat. While you're over at Carnivore Health, check out Danny's post, "Are Humans Natural Meat Eaters". I like the obese, cartoon pig part.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha' Gonna' Do When They Come For You

2010-02-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Batten down the hatches and throw those contraband chickens in the gully, the chicken police are looking for those rebel farmers selling crack cocaine eggs.

These are the "safe farms" the regulatory powers-that-be insist you to get your eggs from.

Small farm, pastured chickens. If there's more than 99, or the farmer tries to sell their eggs off the farm, they face steep penalties.

The Egg Police Crack Down on Local Grey Market Eggs

Sarah Elton, Globe and Mail

To farmers’ markets across the country they flock, foodies in search of free-range eggs fresh from the farm.

But they must move quickly because demand far outstrips supply. The eggs – laid by hens that roam free, eat bugs and live an existence that is antithetical to the life of the caged battery fowl that produce for supermarkets – sell out quickly. That is, unless you know who to ask and where to find them. Or, in some cases, the secret password.

Dawn Woodward, owner of Evelyn's Crackers, an artisan baked-goods company in Toronto, will show up at the market at seven in the morning for farm-fresh eggs or drive an hour out of town to find them. When she's leaving the city, she phones ahead to place an order with one of the hundreds of small farms in the country that sell pastured eggs.

“The flavour is better,” she says. “They are fresher and richer. They're sweeter, a fuller flavour.” She prefers eggs laid by hens allowed to scratch and wander – when she can get them.This longing for farm eggs has pushed the price of a dozen to about $5, roughly the same price you pay for organic eggs at the supermarket. In California, where alternative eggs have reached cult status and where the farmers who raise them are stars – starmers – a carton can cost $8 (U.S.). The eggs offer smaller producers a good revenue source. But this growing market for a different kind of egg is creating tension between the small farms that raise them and the egg marketing board that has helped to develop the mainstream egg industry in Canada and its large chicken farms.

This tension now is putting the future supply of this sought-after product in question as what some call the “egg police” crack down on the grey market.

“It’s a huge issue,” says Tom Henry, a Vancouver Island farmer and editor of the magazine Small Farm Canada. “The right to sell eggs is the small-farm equivalent of the right to bear arms.”

Egg farming is governed by a supply management system in Canada, which means provincial egg marketing boards control the number of eggs produced. This quota system maintains a constant price, and proponents say it ensures that farmers make a living and consumers have a steady supply of eggs. But the eggs produced on farms that hold the quotas are not the eggs that foodies desire. It’s the small, often organic operator who is supplying the fresh eggs to farmers’ markets.

Any farmer is permitted to keep 99 laying hens without buying quota, which is worth thousands of dollars, and they can sell their eggs from the farm gate without grading them, a process that evaluates quality. But they are forbidden from selling them elsewhere unless they are graded, which, for the small farmer, is a tough regulation to meet because grading stations are often a long way from the farm and it is expensive to set one up.

This has created a grey market for eggs. If you know the password, you can buy a verboten dozen at an Ontario health food store. Often those popular eggs at the farmers’ markets are kept out of sight – for a reason. “It’s more like Prohibition,” Mr. Henry says, “with far more people ignoring the regulations and selling eggs.”

But the risk may be high. There is talk of the “egg police” that keep track of who’s doing what and rumours of farmers getting in trouble for breaking the rules. In 2008, a farmer was fined $3,000 (Canadian) for selling eggs to Ottawa-area restaurants. And in a notorious case in Eastern Ontario in 2006, the egg marketing board, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and police officers raided one farm and pressed charges including unlawful possession of laying hens because the farmer allegedly owned more than the permitted 99.

Many small-scale farmers would rather not draw attention to their operations.

“I’d prefer not to be on the radar screen, period,” says one Ontario farmer who raises slightly less than 100 birds and tries to follow the rules. “It’s a bit frustrating because I know there is demand out there for the eggs we can produce.”

It is not only the income that draws the small farmer to raise hens, says Karen Maitland of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario. “They are part of the ecosystem when you look at a diversified farm,” she says, explaining that the birds add to a farm by producing fertilizer. Because quota is pricey, the system doesn't work for small farms who keep a few chickens, she says.

“We have to be careful because this is our system,” says Laurent Souligny, chair of the Egg Farmers of Canada, regarding the rational behind the rules. “We have to make sure there are enough eggs out there and we don’t to flood the system.” Supply management keeps prices fair for both farmers and consumers because it controls the amount of product for sale. His organization is worried that too many eggs on the market could disrupt this balance.

Mr. Henry sees it differently. He believes the egg marketing boards aren’t anxious to make room in the marketplace for these alternative eggs because they invite the consumer to compare and contrast the two different products. “There are a lot of tough questions being asked of conventional egg producers because of an increased awareness of how chickens are raised,” he says.

The solution, however, is not to get rid of supply management, says the small farmer in Ontario, but to figure out how to fit this kind of operation into the existing system. He would like to be able to sell his eggs without having to grade them, as has recently been allowed on Vancouver Island after the health authority instructed its inspectors not to distinguish between graded and ungraded eggs. You can now buy the sought-after eggs at the store and they can be used in restaurants and commercial kitchens.

“It’s ultimately going to be a political decision to change this,” the farmer says. “If consumers could taste the alternative, they’d want more.”

Diet Overhaul and Moving My Jiggly Butt

2010-02-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ew, my butt needs some squats. Seriously. Too much information? Too bad, I need to scream it from the mountain tops to shame myself!

I have been a weight lifter for the last 13 years or so. In the last year, things went a little haywire. Training became sporadic and then, eventually, faded away into oblivion. I'm pretty sure that all of my hard-earned muscle morphed into liquid that now sloshes about while I walk. O.k., I'm exaggerating, but I really do feel lousy.

Striations in a butt. Too ambitious? That there would be my hubby. What was that about fat making you fat? Ha! So, I don't want to look like that, but I wouldn't mind a fraction of the lean/hardness combo.

So, while our diet would be considered great by some standards, I see room for improvement. For one, we need to get rid of all the sugars in our diet, including the raw honey (liquid sugar with a massive wallop of fructose to really give it to your fat cells) that finds it way into my tea every afternoon. Speaking of tea, caffeine seems to have become a mainstay in my diet. It's terrible for my sad little adrenal glands so it, too, has to go. Bye bye organic coffee in the morning with my big dollop of lovely, raw cream. I will remember you always.

And while I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with raw, organic cheese, I'm going to cut back on that. I find that I have a pretty tough time really leaning out with cheese so I'm going to experiment a bit there. I'll let you know how it goes.

So, that's what has to go. Here's what I want to do more of:

Increase my consumption of raw animal products (eggs, meat, fermented raw dairy). I eat a good amount of protein, but most of it is cooked to some degree. I'd like to increase the raw foods for a while and see how it affects my energy and digestion.
Increase my fermented veggie consumption
Lift!! I will start lifting weights again this week. Heaven help me! Nothing like the pain one has to pay for being a slacker for a few months.
Maintain my level of healthy fat consumption for now. I might play with that a little later. For now, I'll leave it where it's at (meaning, plenty)
More bone broth soups. I really notice a difference when I'm consuming these nourishing, mineral-rich broths. Right now, we have broth a couple of times a week, I'd like to increase that.
I'm also going to switch out my raw butter for ghee in order to get rid of the remaining lactose in my diet.
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training three times a week. Sprints, hill runs, stair runs, all done for short duration, high intensity to rev my metabolism and preserve lean mass (the fat burning engine).
Longer duration walks in the woods, because it feeds my soul.

Now that I've put it out there, I'm committed. Here's what I want to get out of the deal:

Firm up all my bits
Clear my brain
Improve my energy levels
Kick the caffeine habit
Improve circulation and liver health
Feel strong and powerful in body and mind

What about you? Want to join me? I'm looking for more energy, to feel good in my jeans, and to improve my digestion. What do you want?

Oprah: REthink KFC

2010-02-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

Not new, but definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it before.

"This isn't about the milk.."

2010-02-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

The Province of Ontario has decided to appeal the court's decision to acquit Michael Schmidt on all charges for providing his milk share customers with raw milk. Premier McGuinty, and the rest of his posse, have clearly shown their inability to understand the basic freedoms we, the people of this country, are entitled to. Nanny state, indeed.

Oh well, nothing like the threat of having our choices taken away from us to really get some momentum behind a movement. Alright Ontario, bring it on!

Premier defends appeal of raw milk ruling

Updated: Tue Feb. 16 2010 3:13:15 PM

The Canadian Press

The province is right to appeal a verdict in favour of raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt because of ongoing public health concerns, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday, while the farmer called the move another example of a government intent on interfering with personal freedoms.

"My understanding is that there's still an overwhelming consensus among medical experts that raw milk presents a real risk to public health and we feel a responsibility to take this to a higher court and give the judge there an opportunity to speak to this," McGuinty said.

The government is appealing last month's decision by a justice of the peace to dismiss 19 charges against Schmidt of violating the Health Protection and Promotion Act.

Schmidt and his supporters say the appeal amounts to persecuting a small group of individuals seeking the right to make choices without government interference.

"This raw milk debate is about basic rights, which we have lost and we are losing every time this government passes another regulation without considering the most important factors of liberty and individual rights," Schmidt said.

"People are starting to rebel against the nanny-state."

The Durham-based farmer and activist vows to fight the appeal, and isn't backing away from what he terms "the raw milk movement," despite receiving two death threats since his acquittal and being publicly assaulted.

He has formed Cow Share Canada to help establish cow-sharing guidelines, testing and inspection procedures, he said. Meanwhile, the Canadian Constitution Foundation has approached the new health minister about eventually legalizing raw milk.

The appeal, Schmidt adds, is a political rather than a scientific one.

"During the trial, they never presented any kind of research which actually proved their point ... they had no evidence to counter our claims that the milk we produce can be perfectly safe and actually has health benefits," Schmidt said.

"They take all their research based on milk which is designated for pasteurization, but never did any research on milk which is specifically produced for human consumption."

While raw milk is legal to drink, it's illegal to sell in Canada because it's considered a health hazard.

During Schmidt's trial, food scientists and health experts testified that mandatory pasteurization laws are needed to protect public health.

Schmidt argued that government officials and food scientists could not guarantee the safety of any food, and suggested informed consumers should be able to buy raw milk if they want.

The yearlong trial found Schmidt's innovative "cow-share" program for raw milk consumers -- which elicited a raid by the Ministry of Health in 2006 -- did not violate provincial laws.

Karen Selick of the Canadian Constitution Foundation said she plans to re-open the constitutional issue at the appeal and ask whether the law in itself should be challenged.

Selick said she can't understand why the province would appeal the verdict, since the original justice of the peace gave a very careful decision and made clear his ruling applied only to Schmidt.

"The optics of this appeal are very bad and, frankly, it's going to stir up another hornets' nest that could have been left undisturbed," she said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't come back to bite the people who made the decision to appeal."

The appellate judge will have the option to dismiss the appeal, allow some part of it to go forward, allow a new trial, or proceed with a new trial in the appellate court, she said.

A decision isn't expected for some time.

Further reading:

National Post: Raw Milk Farmer to Continue Fight
The Epoch Times: The Ontario Appeal Takes Fight to 'Next Level,' Says Farmer
The Bovine

Remembering How to Play

2010-02-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

Frank Forencich of Exuberant Animal believes that we can accomplish some pretty amazing things by living the way we were designed to. A strong contributer to disease, both physical and mental, is stagnation. We are simply not meant to be sedentary beings.

Frank, however, is not out there doling out the recommendation to jump on that treadmill or elliptical machine. Frank wants you to play! Remember playing? That thing we did when we were young, but phased out when we 'matured'? Frank, and many like him, believe that play is not reserved for the very young. We should all be out there playing and laughing!

Wouldn't it be something if doctors gave prescriptions to play rather than a bottle of antidepressants? Check out another great article by Frank, "Just Don't Do It: The Case Against Exercise".

Birthday Partay!

2010-02-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

My seven year old daughter wants a birthday party complete with all sorts of things that will take me forever to morph into a healthy version of themselves. It's not like anything has to taste like their original, overly sweet, fast food brethren because she's never even eaten anything, but my version. So, pizza and sundaes it is!

What my sundaes will look nothing like. Gross. Honestly, Nesquick on a sundae?

How I'll do it:

Pizza:

Organic cauliflower crust
Homemade pesto sauce
Organic, pastured salami/pepperoni
Roasted mushrooms
Raw cheese

Giant Caesar Salad made with our favourite, homemade dressing from Nourishing Traditions, some raw parmesan, and a good sprinkling of organic, pastured bacon crumbs.

Sundaes:

Homemade ice-cream from raw cream (she loves ginger and vanilla) a la Nourishing Traditions
Crazy-yummy homemade caramel sauce (made with raw butter, maple syrup and sea salt)
Freshly roasted and salted pecans
Toasted coconut
Unsweetened, organic, 100% chocolate (I buy this and sweeten it myself so we can avoid the cane sugar in all of the sweetened organic chocolate). Cocoa Camino just came out with some bars that are organic and Free Trade, but for some reason, they aren't listed on their website yet.

Sweet Misery

2010-02-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

I'm a busy bee today, trying to catch up on my fermentation lab projects around the kitchen. I need to get some veggies chopped up and pounded down. I also have jugs of raw dairy waiting for a transformation to something bubbly and rich in happy, little bacteria.

In the meantime, the full "Sweet Misery" video is now available for your viewing pleasure. If you, or anyone you know, is still consuming artificial sweetener under the premise that it's safe, I suggest you sit down with a cup of tea and watch. Good stuff.

p.s. All this stuff about artificial sweeteners applies to that wad of gum you're chewing. Are you listening, my sweet children?

Suicide by Pesticide

2010-02-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

Farmers in India are committing suicide at staggering rates. Big industry has moved in to India with promises of miracles and prosperity. Only, it's not the reality. Pesticides touted as the answer to poverty have indeed buried farmers deeper in debt. Since 1997, more than 25,000 farmers have committed suicide, many by drinking the same chemicals that brought them to ruin.

Check out "Seeds of Suicide, India's Desperate Farmers" on Frontline World Rough Cut. Frontline has also provided a full page of informative links on the farming situation in India.

1500 Indian farmers commit mass suicide due to crop failure. Genetically engineered crops drive the farmers deeper in debt as they lose the ability to harvest their own seed.

P.S. You may have caught a glimpse of the brilliance that is Dr. Vandana Shiva on the above video. If you would like to learn more about this powerful woman, a woman who is making a real difference in this world, her blog is a good place to start. From there, you can find out what you can do to help.

The Fiber Myth

2010-02-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

Whole grain goodness or sugar on a mission to irritate? Hint: Pick the latter, pick the latter.

For decades, fiber has been touted as the holy grail to 'regularity'. If you were constipated, it was a lack of fiber and water. Back in 2005, the mainstream Journal of American Gastroenterology, published a study citing the futility in increasing fiber or water in hopes of increasing bowel transit time. In fact, the study debunks these myths entirely.

Out of the scope of the study is the consideration of what may be the solution. There's some interesting discussions happening over the importance of balanced gut flora playing a significant role in the health of our entire digestive systems. In regards to constipation in particular, probiotics appear to be essential in regular elimination.

I'm going to turn this one over to some sharper minds than mine. Please forgive my infrequent posts as of late. We've just moved to our new digs and I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes. A few more days and sleep will be mine!

Further Reading:

Science Daily: Debunking Constipation Myths, The Truth About High Fiber Diets and Laxatives
Carnivore Health: Screw You Fiber
Dr. Michael Eades with A Cautionary Tale
Fiber Menace

Victory! Michael Schmidt Found Not Guilty!

2010-01-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

I have just returned home from Newmarket, Ontario where my daughters and I sat in on the court ruling for Michael Schmidt. I am elated to report that Michael, biodynamic farmer, raw milk advocate extraordinaire was found not guilty!

Way to go, Michael! Thank you for holding strong to your convictions and doing what was right, even in the face of great adversity. What an example you are. I know that what we witnessed in that courtroom today taught my daughters and I a profound lesson. I can only imagine the ripple effect your courage will produce. Michael, we raise our glasses of raw milk to you, in honour of your tireless efforts and your steadfast convictions, we thank you. Cheers!

Today is a very good day, indeed. WooooHooooo!

CP: Ontario Farmer Found Not Guilty of Charges Related to Selling Raw Milk
NP: Michael Schmidt Acquitted in Raw Milk Case
Globe&Mail: Dairy Farmer Wins Battle Over Raw Milk

Canadian Court Ruling on Raw Milk

2010-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

If you're anywhere near Newmarket, Ontario on January 21st. Please come out and join us in supporting Michael Schmidt. If you would like to participate in the rally or view the court proceedings, more information can be found below.

Plan to promote connections between natural farmers and dairies and families who want fresh, wholesome and healthy natural food choices

Alliance for Raw Milk Launched in U.S. and Canada ally Scheduled for Date of Schmidt Verdict

By Online Saturday, January 16, 2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – In response to the increasing government offensive against raw dairy farms, U.S. and Canadian Alliances for Raw Milk (ARMs) were launched this month. These Alliances for Raw Milk (US ARM and Canadian ARM) and Family Farm and Food Freedom plan to promote connections between natural farmers and dairies and families who want fresh, wholesome and healthy natural food choices, based on their nutritional education and food traditions.

The ARMs and their members have declared they have the right and freedom to choose the foods they deem to maintain and restore their health and the right to farm their own land and trade/share the produce with others. The Alliances also come at a time of unwarranted and rapidly increasing legal, regulatory and enforcement actions by state, provincial and federal agencies against small natural, sustainable and organic farms and food operations, especially in the dairy arena.

The Canadian ARM is already organized in Ontario and British Columbia. In these two provinces raw dairy cow boarding programs are beset with regulatory harassment. These private agistment or cow boarding arrangements by their very nature are outside of the retail marketing system. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, works to defend the rights of these private contracts, with their built in transparency and accountability, to unregulated free trade.

Ontario farmer, Michael Schmidt, of Glencolton Farms, last year, sued the Canadian government for interfering with his right to farm, the judge’s decision in the case is due on January 21. British Columbia farmer Alice Jongerden of Home on the Range Farm, has recently had her milk accused of high bacteria counts in the press by health officials. A California dairyman, Mark McAfee, who himself has suffered losses due to regulatory abuse, claims that Health Canda’s findings show disregard for established lab standards, old fermented milk, and show the presence of good bacteria and not bad bacteria.

In the U.S. the states of Wisconsin, California, and Ohio ARM’s are well underway with thousands of members and more states are pending. Sources in major U.S. raw milk groups say there is strong interest for the EU and Australia and India to join forces in the Alliance.

Michael Schmidt, internationally known farmer and co-director of Canadian ARM, said:

“Forming local state, federal and international alliances of concerned individuals is of utmost importance. What has to be burning in our soul, is the urge to be free and the determination not to be returned to a modern form of slavery. Blinded by wealth, comfort and convenience we are in grave danger of unconsciously consenting to the takeover of our well being by Government. This battle about raw milk is a battle about food freedom and our individual rights. This is not an isolated battle, this is a global issue beyond our imagination.”

Michael Schmidt, a degreed Canadian biodynamic dairy farmer and teacher has become a well-known North American icon in the food freedom battle. The first joint event of the ARMs will be held the day of the verdict in his case is handed down.

Alliance for Raw Milk Rally

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Time: 12:00 noon - 3:30pm

Location: 465 Davis Drive Old Tannery, Newmarket Ontario

For more details see event posting.

US Alliance for Raw Milk

Canada Alliance for Raw Milk

Neolithic Paleolithic

2010-01-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's yummy, yes, but raw honey is still sugar in the body. Fructose, actually. Lots of fructose.

I find myself doing it again and again. A little here, a bit there and before you know it, I find myself craving all sorts of something-sweety-please. Eating a paleo style diet is, by its very definition, simple: grass fed meats, some wild caught seafood, healthy fats, some cultured veg and you got yourself a stellar meal.

The problems start when I decide to make a little 'treat'. Of course, I pacify myself by only using a little raw, organic honey, raw butter, a little almond or coconut flour instead of grains. Unfortunately, my rationalization doesn't translate to reality in my body. Those healthy, primal-style muffins I'm swallowing are chased with a glug of cravings-for-more.

I see it in my kids, too. What old Slavic gene of mine requires me to make them these little 'treats'? They all know the difference between a white flour pancake and our alternative, but, really, why have that alternative? Is it not just a vehicle to get some sort of sugar into the body? And when I say sugar I mean something sweet. Doesn't making these substitutes just maintain the desire for these neolithic foods?

Dr. Kurt Harris' recent post, "Smoking Candy Cigartettes" is a wickedly smart and insightful commentary on this little mind game we play with ourselves. Dr. Harris also comments on that oft-faced dilemma of what to do when social etiquette suggests we should stuff some grossness into our gullet, all in the spirit of keeping the peace.

Smoking Candy Cigarettes

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010 AT 11:58PM

Some of you are no doubt too young to remember them.

They came in two forms when I was a kid in the late 60’s. The first was a hard white candy stick the same length as a standard filtered cigarette but just a bit thinner. No particular flavor, unless “sucrose” is a flavor. There was a red, actually pink, smudge painted onto one end to simulate the ember of a real smoke.

The other kind was the one I preferred. It was actually a stick of pink bubblegum. Nude, this faux cancer-stick was not too realistic and certainly did not make you look tough, as it was pink, but if you could resist the urge to chew it right away, the dimensions were closer to a real cigarette and it had a white paper wrapper, the mouthward inch or so embossed with a printed pattern that made it look like a filter.

At least one of these – I know for sure the hard candy ones and I believe the gum ones as well - had a coating of fine confectioner’s sugar that, with a sharp puff outward, you could imagine for about two puffs that you were part of the sophisticated world of those who fit in – the smokers.

After those two puffs, you could become a regular gum-chewing or candy crunching kid, or you could go for another “smoke”.

The idea that a 9 year-old kid feigning a bad habit is more likely to take up the real and very deadly one it is modeled on makes a good libertarian roll his eyes- now what, even candy cigarettes are bad?

But there may be something to the idea. It turns out that no tobacco company has ever sued a candy company for using their brand names on candy cigarettes. It seems obvious that candy companies counted on Junior’s emulation of Dad and Big Tobacco allowed trademark infringement to enable candy companies to socialize the new recruits.

Does this remind you of anything?

When you go to the birthday party for your neighbor’s kid, and you eat the birthday cake, what message does that send?

You show up looking trim and fit. You pride yourself on being a nice person. You are happy with your progress and pleased if people ask you how you lost weight, maybe more when they seem to look at you funny – a little jealous, maybe even suspicious. After eating this way for a few years, though, you are perhaps most comfortable if no one says anything at all.

You are weary of the reactions -the incredulity, the mockery, the eye-rolling. Pushing 50, you’ve tried pulling up your shirt to point at your gentle washboard, but you’ve learned that the segue to explaining why you are not just cultivating an attractive corpse due to all that arterycloggingsaturatedfat that you live on is tedious and it gets you nowhere.

So, not having been clinically diagnosed as having celiac disease, when the rectangular slab of Hy-Vee or Piggly Wiggly birthday cake – frosted 3/8” thick and a stratum of oily granular sugar running through the middle to boot – is proferred, you say “thank you”, flash a non-Duchenne smile that only a trained psychologist would question, and accept it, holding the flimsy paper plate and plastic fork with both hands to keep it from tumbling onto the ground.

You repair to some corner of the party where you can nibble at the cake, maybe spill a few crumbs, and eventually hide the paper plate, now soggy with vegetable oil absorbed from the corpus of the cake.

Who are the agents of acculturation here?

Even if you are not Philip Morris, are you the candy company?

What do the kids think? Well, they probably think nothing at all. It’s a birthday party after all and presents and sugar buzzes and juice and soda and treats are the sea they swim in.

All the time.

They will have no opportunity to say to you, “How come you don’t want cake?” or to their parents – “how come that skinny man doesn’t eat cake?”.

OK, young children probably wouldn’t notice one way or another, but what if you said, “No, thanks” to the cake offer? What if mom is serving, and asks “Why not?”.

Is there not a small but finite probability that you could give an answer that might lead to a discussion – a discussion that might change someone’s life, even if it’s not the questioner’s.

Maybe an image conscious teenage girl notices an adult male who from the neck down looks fitter than all the boys at her school who don’t play sports, and some of the ones that do. Maybe she hears you talk about your lack of hunger and maybe, being a teenager, after all, she is attracted to the transgressive notions you hint at – carnivory, saturated fat -that obviously horrify her parents.

How can this scenario, however unlikely, ever occur if we all keep pretending that we eat agricultural food like everyone else. Food that is constructed or manufactured instead of killed, food that is not real, food that everyone thinks is just fine for people to eat, as long as it goes easy on the “fat”.

Maybe your response to me is “Hey, lighten up, man. I do my part. I preach paleonutrition and the virtue of real food and animal fats on a selective basis. I can’t be expected to ruin everyone’s day all the time.”

OK, you wear the Real Food Uniform often enough to do some good. No one expects you to get fired over diet advocacy at the office picnic.

If you nibble the cake to be neighborly, maybe the only damage you’ve done is some minimal aiding and abetting – The minions of Ancel Keys and the harpies of Ornish and Campbell have a little less work to do.

You’ve helped them just a little with your vignette of The Thin and Fit Old Guy Who Proves It’s Fine To Eat a Bunch of Sugar.

But what happens when you go home?

Do you doff the uniform of the Real Food Army and join Keys’ agricultural army reserve? Do you train yourself to crave the manufactured food of the dominant paradigm? Do you make and eat food with the modifier “paleo” in front of it?

Food that is designed to look and taste like signal dishes of 19^th and 20^th century industrially-inspired and manufactured food?

Paleo pancakes?

Paleo cupcakes?

Try a google search of neolithic treats with the prefix “paleo-” stuck on.

Here’s one:

You can make pancakes without flour? Yes! Recipe from xxxxxxxxx:

1. Beat/Mix:

1-2 eggs

1-2 table spoons of crushed almonds (or nut butter ... no peanut butter though .... peanuts are beans, not nuts)

cinnamon to taste

2. Fry the batter as you would a pancake on greased pan.

3. Top with fresh fruit. I usually heat up frozen mixed berries from Costco. When you heat them up they get all juicy and act as a syrup. I also like to add a little bit of honey even though this is not true paleo because of it's likeness to sugar.

Crushed nuts mixed with eggs? Who thinks this is not just a vehicle for sugar?

“Frozen mixed berries……get all juicy and act as syrup”

You bet they do!

Honey has a likeness to sugar ….well I suppose if likeness means “is”.

Here is another:

Paleo Pancakes Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Pecan Flour (or almond flour)

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup Butter, melted

1/8 Cup Agave Nectar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cook pancakes in a non-stick skillet.

Serve with natural fruit spread or pumpkin butter.

2 tablespoons of Agave nectar would give 18-27 grams of fructose, plus whatever is in the arbitrary quantity of “natural” fruit or sugar-laden pumpkin butter you put on it. A small pack of M&Ms candy has 12 g fructose.

1 ½ cups of almond flour is about 6 or 7 ounces. Almonds are about 17% PUFA, nearly all n-6 linoleic acid, probably well-oxidized after frying in a skillet hot enough to give the “pancake” that golden hue we all like.

That seems like a pretty big oxidized linoleic acid dose to just to manufacture a sugar vehicle.

Does anyone agree that “paleo pancakes” taste like complete shite unless absolutely smothered in hepatotoxic sucrose/ and or butter?

Why not just have 4 eggs fried in butter, cream in your coffee, and a few ounces of unfried almonds?

Why mash it together into a “pancake” if it’s not about the sugar?

If it’s because your kids will scream without a sugar vehicle (we all know 4-year-olds are more physically powerful than crossfitters and are messed with at your peril!), what will your kids do the first morning at University in the breakfast line when there is pile of all-you-can eat pancakes? Will they know there’s wheat flour in place of the ground-up almonds you’ve been conditioning them with?

Would it not be better to train your kids, and yourself, to avoid Neolithic food by the simplest expedient there is? So simple a child could manage it?

Something as simple as a simple rule.

A rule like:

Don’t eat anything that looks like Neolithic food, especially Neolithic food.

What is the point of all this? I just don’t get it, and I don’t think it is because I am just too lazy to make this stuff.

It’s easy to make fun of commercial junk in a box like “low carb” pasta, zone and atkins bars, etc. All stuff that may be gluten free or have sawdust in place of of high GI starch, but whose real reason for existence is just to appropriate what should properly be freestanding, honest, real food back into the maw of corporate big-agra commercial interests.

How about this:

I am not making this up. A “Paleo” chocolate cake loaded with Stevia, price $45 US. Note the high-end Barbara Barry tile in the background. I suppose that explains the price.

I am on record as stating that eating anything sweet should be totally avoided if you do not want to have difficulty avoiding sweets. I cannot prove it, but it seems plausible that eating and drinking artificial sweeteners is a physiologic version of “smoking candy cigarettes”. There is likely to be some neuro-hormonal conditioning along with three diet sodas a day. Is there any way a diet soda habit makes it easier to avoid the hyper-ubiquitous sweets we are surrounded by?

I think “cheat days” make just as much sense as a weekly Marlboro red for ex-smokers or lines of coke once in a while after you have left Hazelden. But I admit that is a mere common sense observation, and if it “works” for you to go hyperglycemic or have an extra BM once a week, go for it.

But this “paleo food” thing is bogus. If your food needs a prefix, it is not “paleo” in either the historical or the metabolic sense, and it is, more emphatically, not paleo in the sense that it is helping to keep alive the reigning agricultural paradigm – the one that wants our food to look like agricultural food so that we still crave agricultural food.

Manufacturing simulacra of grandma’s comfort food in your kitchen is either:

1) Pointless work to make something awful tasting

2) A veiled excuse to make a sugar vehicle

3) An unconscious exercise in the service of Ancel Keys’ Neolithic Food Army Reserve. Keep that big-agra-supplied uniform pressed and hanging in the closet, waiting for the call-up. For the day when the paleo-pancake is not doing the trick, and hell, why not have just one real pancake?

If you’re not as evil as the tobacco company or as cynical as the candy company, are you still unconsciously the kid at school sharing cigarette –shaped treats with his playmates at recess?

Are you nurturing the seed of the dominant agriculture-based dietary paradigm, an unconscious conscript in Ancel Keys’ sugar-is-innocent reserve army?

If you are a vector for cultural change, which way is the arrow pointing?

Wear your Real Food Uniform.

Active Duty.

Fly your freak-flag high.

Say no to the cake.

Top photo by Sally Mann - Candy Cigarette - 1989 - reproduced under fair use doctrine

Tales from Europa

2010-01-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, here we be, fresh off the gigantic KLM plane that delivered us safely home from our wonderful trip to Europe. I learned a few things while I was there. On a personal level, I learned that there's a reason why I don't eat gluten. My body doesn't like it and my brain doesn't work on it. Still, a croissant in Paris may just be worth some fleeting pain.

Here's some food stuff I was surprised by:

The cost of organic meat and raw, organic cheese! We feasted on raw cheeses, and all sorts of organic, biodynamic cultured goodies (Germany had all sorts of cultured dairy products that I'd never even heard of). I paid about 60-75% less for real food there compared to what I would pay here, in Canada.
It's easy to eat healthy in the parts of Europe we visited. A trip to the grocery store bought our family of five an impressive meal for less than 20 Euros.
Raw butter is ridiculously good and even more ridiculously inexpensive in Paris. We were looking for things to put it on. After a while, we gave up and just ate it sliced, like cheese. It was that good.
Glass! I actually bought my cultured dairy products in glass while in France. I avoid plastic, especially with enzymatically-alive foods, but I had no problem finding plastic-free stuff. And, wow, the yoghurt there is to die for.
Raw, biodynamic honey is 80% cheaper than what we pay here. Why? Same thing with organic coffee and raw, organic nuts.

The trip was wonderful and it was such a happy surprise to learn that eating well was actually going to be easy for us there. If I was paying those prices here, our grocery budget would easily be cut in half (at least).

Other things I learned is that it's easy for me to have a couple Belgian chocolates here, and then something delectable from a bakery there. It's not so easy on my body though. I have some work to do on squashing my sweet cravings and getting my routines up and running.

In the meantime, here's a great little idea that Health Canada is presently pondering: how to negate the toxic consequences of cooking starches at high heat (acrylamides, anyone?). Well, let's logic this one out, shall we? Acrylamides are cancer forming. People like their acrylamide-rich foods. Heck, let's just put the chemotherapy drug right into the food and then munch away happily! Chemotherapy fries! Bloody brilliant!

Cancer-fighting additive weighed for junk food

By CBC News

Canada is investigating whether to approve the use of a cancer-fighting additive in junk food, but Health Canada wants consumers to weigh in on the idea first.

The concern surrounds a chemical byproduct called acrylamide that is produced when carbohydrates such as bread or potatoes are cooked at high temperatures.

Studies in mice suggest acrylamide may cause cancer. There is less evidence in humans, but the suggestion that it might has governments and food manufacturers looking for ways to reduce the potential.

That's where the additive comes in. It's an enzyme used in some chemotherapy agents to treat leukemia. Food manufacturers say adding it could bring down levels of acrylamide in heated foods since the enzyme breaks down the acrylamide.

Health Canada's safety assessment of the enzyme, which is called asparaginase, didn't turn up any health or safety concerns.

Asparaginase had not been used in food until the discovery of acrylamide, said Varoujan Yaylayan, a food science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

'At some stage, we need to take responsibility for our own good health.'?Liz Head

Use of the enzyme is approved by regulators in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Denmark, and has been given a green light by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, Health Canada said.

The Canadian regulator is seeking public comments on the proposal until Feb. 21.

There are easier ways to deal with acrylamide, said dietitianJennifer House of Calgary.

"It makes common sense to just stop eating these foods when we know they're not good for us."

The Canadian Cancer Society takes the same position.

The proposal has already generated a lot of opinions from consumers.

"I thought Health Canada was supposed to encourage healthy eating habits," Judith Ryan told CBC News. "If the additive is used, people will think junk food is safe and eat more. The result will be more obesity, more diabetes and more heart disease, and eventually more costs to the health-care system. How smart is this?"

Liz Head called the proposal "rubbish."

"When are we going to learn that to be healthy human beings we need to change our eating habits? The best way to prevent cancer is to eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, complex carbohydrates and some protein.

"At some stage, we need to take responsibility for our own good health and I know those changes are hard to make. Just put some sour cream and onion chips in front of me!"

See You in 2010

2009-12-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Due to a little thing called 'Vaction in Europa!!!!', I will be off for a bit. I promise to think of you all here in blog-world often. Indeed, I'll keep my eyes peeled, my ears perked, and my taste buds at 'the ready' in an attempt to soak up all the experiences I can to bring back to you all here in 2010.

Merry Christmas! See you all in 2010.

My present for you. A virtual bison steak in all its glory. I swear, I didn't realize "The Vegetarian Myth" copy was in the picture, but I must say that I like it there.

Rendering Pork Fat

2009-12-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Pasture raised, Berkshire pig fat from Green Being Farm.

As opposed to this, rendering animal fat is an incredibly easy process. All you need is a healthy, grass-fed source of animal fat and a big pot. Cut the fat into cubes, place them in the pot, and place over a low temperature. You can use the oven on a very low setting as well (for our oven, that's about 180). Stir it up every 30 minutes or so. When the fat has sufficiently rendered, pour into glass jars. Store in the fridge.

The rendering state of affairs after about an hour.

It can take upwards of five hours, depending on how much fat you're rendering at once. In the pictures, I was rendering a large amount and it ended up taking about six hours.

Allo lardo. Voila, it's lard! I got about 8 jars out of the deal

Why would you want to render animal fat? Well, for one, it's the only stable fat to cook with. Vegetable oils are very unstable and hence quickly oxidize making them a poor choice for cooking (some would say they're already oxidized by the time they're put on the grocery store shelves). For a multitude of other reasons to include saturated fats in your diet, check out the links below.

Further reading:

The brilliance that is Dr. Stephan Guyenet: Stephan's entire blog is a treasure-trove of information. "The Dirty Little Secret of the Diet-Heart Hypothesis" is a grand place to start.
Weston A Price's primer on fats. It's a good place to start if you're still convinced that vegetable oils are a healthy choice.
The Daily Lipid. All of it.
Lard is making a comeback.
"Lard, the New Health Food" by Food & Wine.

Starving in the Supermarket

2009-12-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

Photo: Lyzadanger

Every couple of weeks I head into our local, gargantuan grocery store. I'm sure the grocery stores all over the place look pretty similar to ours. Row upon row of food products, glistening their shiny plastic labels and pretty colours under the fluorescent lights. The bakery fans aimed at your face when you walk in so you can get a good waft of the sugars just waiting for you. Frozen food aisles (yes, they are aisles now) offer quick convenience and nutrition to boot. Sauces, dressings, dips, and condiments take up entire sections of the store. Processed cereals beckon your children with their bright, happy labels. Nutritional claims abound!

This from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S.):
Over the last couple decades, grocery store supermarkets have been facing growing competition for the food dollar. More and more time-pressed people are eating out on a regular basis or buying takeout meals. Also, a greater variety of stores are selling groceries, with warehouse club stores and supercenters becoming some of the biggest food sellers. To compete with restaurants, fast food outlets, and club and supercenter stores, grocery stores have been selling more general merchandise items and providing a greater variety of services to cater to the one-stop shopper. They are also selling more prepared foods, deli items, and food to go. Some provide tables for eating in the store.

Nothing says love like a blob of goo fresh from the microwave.

Grocery stores are getting out of the food selling business and aiming their sites at where the real money is, getting consumers in there to pick up a quick, microwaveable meal or a bag of lettuce they can eat with their rotisserie chicken. We are losing our connection to food at an astronomical rate. We have been convinced that an industry can do it better, that we don't have time, that it's the same thing to buy that bottle of whatever as it is to make it with your own hands. Only, none of that is true.

I always do this mental deconstruction when I look at these packaged foods. For instance, when I look at salad dressing, I visually break it down to all of its raw ingredients and then review how many steps in manufacturing it took to bring that product to fruition. An orange juice company would like you to look at that tetra pack of orange juice and think about oranges and how nutritious they are. The manufacturer wants you to think that the juice in that foiled box is kissed by mother nature herself. If you ever make your own juice, you know that it doesn't last for more than a few hours. So, where's the magic here?

The magic is really just an illusion:

Picked oranges arrive at the manufacturing plant where they are sorted, washed with detergents, cut and squeezed by mechanical instruments.
Juice to be concentrated undergoes high-pressure steam to heat the juice which then evaporates the water.
The pulp is separated from the juice using ultra-filtration and extreme heat pasteurization.
The clarified juice is concentrated using heat and reverse osmosis.
The concentrate and pulp are recombined.
The juice is stored in large metal vats until it is ready for packaging or for use in other food materials.
Before using, "flavor packs" are added to the orange juice as much of its flavor and freshness has been lost in processing and storage. And, no, these flavoring agents are not listed, and by law, do not have to be.

"Not from concentrate" juice is really no better, they have just skipped the step that concentrates the juice and wisely marketed the product to convey the idea that it's somehow premium because it is "fresh". Unfortunately, that's not the case. Everything else still applies, especially the extra flavorings as "fresh" juice loses its flavor rapidly and the juice still sits for a long time before it ever sees a breakfast glass. The result is a glass of nutritionally-void sugar with the life pasteurized out of it, and only a "flavor pack" to give you the illusion that what you are drinking is somehow related to that orange you see on the label.

What the consumer ends up with, whether it's orange juice, apple juice, mayonnaise, salad dressing, whatever it is, is the same thing: a container filled with some denatured substance trying to convince your taste buds that all is well.

And that's just orange juice. 100% industrialized juice. Here's what Anders Olson, marketing director for Tetra Pak UK recently said when discussing a, then, newly launched 'smoothie' product aimed at children, called, "Happy Monkey":

“The kids market can be one of the toughest to crack, however the fully brandable surface of cartons makes them a good choice for brands wishing to target kids and parents alike. Happy Monkey does a good job of this, with its funky, ‘just for kids’ branding, and parent-pleasing nutritional values.”

"Pleasing nutritional values". Right.

"Febo" in Amsterdam. Automated food at your fingertips. My sister tried one. I'll spare you the horror of what happened next.

Over the next while, I would like to look at some commonly purchased grocery store products and show you why it's just as easy, and far more nutritious to make it yourself. In the case of basic foods such as dairy, meat, poultry, and eggs, it's all about your local farmer (I know, I say that a lot). In other cases, it's just about remembering that we were here long before the Krafts of the world. When we eat foods made with our own hands, foods that have been grown or raised with care by farmers that are stewards of the land, we nourish ourselves, we nourish our families, we support our local economies, and we are part of the solution to the growing food crisis.

O.k., enough heaviness.. yeesh! Any ideas on what convenience food I should tackle first? I'd love to hear it!

Further reading:

Speaking of orange juice, Alissa Hamilton, author of, "Squeezed: What You Don't Know About Orange Juice", has a great little interview over at the Boston Globe. Send it to all of your juice-loving friends.
Factory farms and their link to human health.
The Economist on "the fad for functional foods"
Bad chicken, bad, bad, bad!
Mmm... flattened cheese product wrapped in plastic. Delish!
Gamma irradiation? Fumigation? Zero-bacteria emulsions? No, it's not the making of a sci-fi flick, it's the employed technologies in manufacturing commercial spices and salad dressings.

The Better Protein Shake

2009-12-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

I happened upon a vending machine, the other day, with plastic bottles filled with flavoured milk. Gross. There were all sorts of crazy flavours, meant to make the milk look fun and exciting. In an attempt to make their product more palatable to a generation used to highly sweetened and flavoured products, the manufacturer loaded up their ultra-pasteurized (read: ultra-dead) milk with sugars, preservatives, and chemical flavour enhancers. What's left? Definitely nothing of nutritional value.

Years ago, in an attempt to get in some good quality protein (as the fitness industry reminds us we must do), I opted for shake after shake of whey protein. To be sure, I bought the good stuff, high quality with no sweeteners or flavouring, but I still ended up developing intolerances to the stuff. In retrospect, I see the folly of ingesting an extract of a whole food. Today, we stick with whole sources of protein, complete with the entire nutritional profile inherent in that food. I want all of it: the vitamins, the minerals, the fat, and the high quality protein. Everything serves a purpose.

Our oldest daughter, a competitive rower, makes herself a protein shake every morning, after her workouts. Her immunity remains high, even when under stress from her demanding training schedule and her fitness level continues to improve at a phenomenal rate. Most of all, she recovers very quickly from intense training. She has been able to significantly increase her lean, muscle mass while remaining very lean. I don't attribute all of this to her post-workout shake, what she does with her diet for the remainder of the day is just as important, but the shake is a significant boon to her recovery, giving her body just what it needs while in a depleted state.

Sunshine+grass+cow = foundation of our nutrition-dense shake. Image: TreeHugger

I hesitate to write a recipe for the shake simply because it's not the measurements that matter most, but rather the quality of the ingredients. We blend about 1.5 cups of raw, pasture grazed milk with 4 raw eggs, a few drops of vanilla, and a teaspoon or so of maple syrup or raw honey. That's it. We just blend it up like that. We may, sometimes, use organic cocoa in the shake to change up the flavour. In the summer, we might use some fruit, but in the winter, we avoid it. We also, sometimes, throw in some kefir or homemade yoghurt.

It's so easy to make and far superior to any product touting some miracle result. The key is to find local producers that are able to provide you with nutritionally dense products from healthy animals. I would never consume raw eggs from a grocery store, nor do I think that all raw milk is safe. Just another reason to get out there and meet your local farmers!

Your farmer is waiting:

Local Harvest
CSA Farms Canada
Eat Well Guide
Eat Wild
Simply 'Google' local farms/biodynamic/grass-fed/organic +farms +your local region. Contact the farmers and ask if they would have you out to see what they're up to. Most farmers are happy to show consumers what they are raising and producing on their land. Some of my most cherished relationships are ones that started out with a simple farm visit.

Watering Down 'Organic' Certification

2009-12-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Wild Salmon doing her thing. Wild Grizzly doing his thing, too.

I was at the grocery store the other day when I happened upon a new display of frozen "Organic" packages of seafood. Our middle daughter was excited to see that there was now organic seafood.. phew! At last! We can all rest easy, organic fish is pristine and much healthier than the regular stuff. Well, not really. So, I went into another of my mommy-educational-public-service-announcements. My kids love it when I do that.

Seafood, certified as organic, is farmed seafood. Period. In order to gain organic certification, the seafood has to be farmed. How can you certify that something is organic when it's wild? And there in lies the weakness of certifying or labeling food. I would much rather have a wild salmon, caught in the cold ocean waters than eat a farmed salmon that has been fed antibiotics, has lived in a completely unnatural habitat, been given pellets that make its flesh 'appear' to be that beautiful salmony-colour, has less omega 3s than the wild variety, is loaded with PCBs, and contributes parasites, pollution, and lice to the wild salmon stock. Oh, they also feed these penned-up fish a little something called 'fish meal'. Wanna' guess what that's made up of? Well, in part, it's the farmed salmon's wild brethren, wild salmon. Nope, I will not support that practice.

This all has me wondering about fish oils. We supplement with fish oil around these here parts and I trust the source that we get our fish oil from (only wild fish are used). But, it would be worth checking on sources from which any of you are getting your fish oils, especially if they're listed as 'organic'.

The part that's so bothersome about organic seafood is that people choose it because they really think they are doing something proactive. They believe that it's healthier for them and the environment. They pay more for something that delivers less.

Don't be fooled by the fish farming industry's latest attempts at convincing consumers that their product is in someway better than wild salmon. It's marketing, pure and simple. Unfortunately, it's another step in the wrong direction resulting in the watering down of 'organic' certification.>

Further reading:

Environmental Working Group: PCBs in Farmed Salmon
Desire Fish Company: About farmed fish
David Suzuki Foundation: Open net cage fish farming
Chicago Tribune: Organic definition for fish flounders
New York Times: A seafood snob ponders the future of fish
Enterprise News: Naturally, a new meaning of organic smells fishy
InjuryBoard.com: Fish food fight - can salmon be organic?
InjuryBoard.com: Proposed "organic" standards for fish fail consumer expectations
The David Suzuki foundation also offers free, downloadable reports on the status of wild salmon in Canada. You can find these reports here, just scroll down to the bottom of the page.

A Water Buffalo for Christmas

2009-12-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Who needs more stuff? Here's a couple ideas for gift giving that will truly make a difference in people's lives. You will even get a snazzy card to send to your loved ones to let them know that you gave in their name. Sweet.

The Problem with Almonds

2009-12-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Soaked and dehydrated Spanish almonds.

Most of you know that all almonds produced in California must now be pasteurized. That means that all of those delicate little enzymes are blasted to oblivion via high heat or with chemicals (yes, apparently chemical applications are now considered 'pasteurization'). And don't think you can spot these babies in the market! Nope, they are still legally labeled as "raw" even though they simply are not.

If you're looking for raw, enzymatically-alive nuts, I'd recommend looking for almonds grown in Spain. Alternatively, you may be able to find a California almond producer that will sell almonds directly to you, unpasteurized.

Further reading:

California almonds falsely labelled "raw"
Mandatory California almond pasteurization
What pasteurization and irradiation really mean

A Little Gary Taubes for Your Listening Pleasure

2009-12-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

So, I was feeling in need of a little somethin' last night. I had this craving, a real deep-seated need for... what? I wandered around my house picking up books and putting them down. I looked around the kitchen for some project to start. I did some pushups on the living room floor. But, still, nothing was hitting the spot.

Then, I caught a glimpse of my beloved on the book shelf - my worn out, dog-eared copy of "Good Calories, Bad Calories". I realized how long it had been since I had me a good dose of the ingenius, Monsieur Gary Taubes. It's been far too long.

So, with a cuppa' tea in hand, I sat down to listen to a debate between Gary (we're on a first name basis in my imagination) and Dr. Ronald Krauss. This is an oldie, but a goodie. If you haven't heard this little ditty before, I guarantee it's worth thirty minutes of your time. It's a great introduction to the problems with carbohydrates and the erred demonization of fat. Gary Taubes for President!

Bettah' with Buttah'

2009-12-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

A study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health has shown a correlation between decreased levels of heart disease and consumption of vegetables only when the consumption of produce is accompanied by fat.

Don't eat your veggies with butter or your berries with cream? Sorry, no happy heart for you. Eating low fat? Sorry, that doesn't work either. Um, vegetable fat? Nope, it has to be full-fat, creamy deliciousness, animal products. Wow, how often do studies actually show that we shouldn't deprive ourselves?

Those fat soluble vitamins and nutrients need fat to be absorbed by the body. So, there you have it. Smother that broccoli in butter. Drizzle ghee on your cauliflower. Dollop some raw, creme fraiche on your berries. Or, you could just take my youngest daughter's lead and use ghee as a dip for your cheese. Yes, even I shudder at that one.

More Evidence of Widespread Vitamin A Insufficiency

2009-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

Why, I do declare, that bison is sticking his tongue out at me! Bison roaming the range, as it should be.

More reasons to eat those grass fed organ meats, pastured eggs, and butter. Vitamin a does not come from a vegetable, beta carotene does. Your body actually has to convert the beta carotene to vitamin a, a process that wanes as we age and, apparently, is genetically absent in almost half of women (I would wager it the same in men and children).

NEWCASTLE, England, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Half of British women lack vitamin A due to a genetic variation, scientists found.
Researchers at Newcastle University in England, led by Dr. Georg Lietz, found 47 percent of volunteer group of 62 women carried a genetic variation that prevented their bodies from effectively converting beta-carotene into vitamin A.
The findings suggest beta carotene may not be an effective substitute for vitamin A for women whose bodies are not able to make the conversion, Lietz said. Beta carotene has been suggested for pregnant women since a 1987 study linked too much vitamin A with certain birth defects.
"Worryingly, younger women are at particular risk," Lietz said in a statement. "The older generations tend to eat more eggs, milk and liver which are naturally rich in vitamin A, whereas the health-conscious youngsters on low-fat diets are relying heavily on the beta-carotene form of the nutrient."
The study findings were published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal and were presented at the Hohenheim Nutrition Conference in Stuttgart, Germany.
Deep, yellow fat on pasture raised animals indicative of high vitamin a content and overall health resulting from the animal eating what it's supposed to eat: grass and living where it's supposed to live: outside in the sunshine.
Further reading on Vitamin A. Why you need it. Where to get it.
Vitamin A Saga
Some good information on the many roles vitamin a plays in our bodies.
The Pioneering Reasearch of Dr. Weston A. Price: The Whole, Natural Food Diet
Looking for sources of the good stuff? There's a lot of vitamin a in pastured beef liver. A lot.

The Vegetarian Myth

2009-11-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mark, over at Mark's Daily Apple, has written a fine review of Lierre Keith's wonderful book, "The Vegetarian Myth". Whether you're a vegetarian or not, this book is a must read for anyone concerned with food. That, in my opinion, should be anyone who eats.

Lierre’s book is profound on so many levels. I was a vegetarian, then a vegan, then a Nutritionist. I am now leaving that profession to farm. Her book is everything I’ve ever felt, learned, and experienced, written with such eloquence as to leave me gobsmacked. Lierre is able to write with compassion and understanding, bolstered by her incredible intelligence, and fueled thorough meticulous research.

I read parts of Lierre's book to my farming buddy – a guy who has farmed his entire life, raising bison, cattle, and sheep on pasture. He listened intently and nodded his head in agreement to excerpts I read on pastures, grass, soil, ecosystems, and ruminants. He gave the book his stamp of approval with one of his “she REALLY gets it” exclamations. What more do you need to be convinced?

Excerpts can be read on Google Books here.

Chemical Perversion

2009-11-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Plain ole' baking soda and some vinegar. That's it, that's all you need to clean everything. Trust me.

Bone Broth for President

2009-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

The one thing I just couldn't do without in my kitchen arsenal is bone broth. I've written about it before, but as I was making some the other day, I just couldn't help myself from marveling over the jars lined up on my counter.

Bone broth has everything going for it, it's the Prom Queen of the culinary world! It's cheap. It's delicious. It's full of minerals and vitamins. It's healing. It's health promoting. It's the base of amazing soups and sauces. It stands alone as a beautiful soup. Bone broth is make-me-feel-better-mommy-magic.

A thick, gelatinous beef bone broth. The gelatin is incredibly soothing and healing, especially for the gut.

Minerals are so sadly lacking in our diets due to the erosion of soil quality which means that the food we eat just simply isn't as nutritious as it once was. Bone broth brings those much needed minerals back into our diets. I make a bunch at once and freeze it in glass jars with a little headroom so they don't explode in the freezer. I use the broth to make soups and stews and emergency healing elixirs for sore tummies or runny noses.

Further reading:

Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease by Allison Siebecker, published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
Broth is Beautiful by Sally Fallon

Everyone Wants This Kimchi Recipe

2009-11-19T06:29:00.001-08:00

sigh... so much Kimchi, so little stomach

They really do. This isn't just any old Kimchi recipe, no sir, this is an authentic Korean Kimchi recipe given to me by my dear friend, Ruby. And trust me, Ruby knows Kimchi. Me? I don't know a lot about this fermented deliciousness in a jar, but I do know that it tastes divine and all of the bubbly, spicy, garlicky goodness we gobble down is teeming with probiotics and enzymes. That's about all I need to convince me that it's worth the preparation time (which really isn't that bad, I promise).

Via Saveur:

The distinctive taste of kimchi is familiar to anyone who has tried Korean food: the crunchy and cool cabbage leaves or chunks of daikon; the chile paste that burns the tongue; the pungent aroma, redolent of garlic and ginger and touched with a hint of the sea. In Korea, that spicy, earthy-tasting dish of fermented vegetables is on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and everything in between. I cannot think of a single food from any other country that is half as important to a nation's culinary traditions as kimchi is to Korea's. I have been to French restaurants where there has been no bread basket; I have been to Chinese restaurants where you have to ask for rice; I have eaten Italian dinners that didn't include pasta. But it would be unheard of to sit down to a meal in a Korean home or restaurant and not be served kimchi.

Ruby's Kimchi via Ruby's Grandma via Ruby's Grandma's Grandma.. and so it goes..

Ingredients:

2-3lbs Chinese (Nappa) cabbage, chopped up (roughly 2"x2")
1/2 cup Sea Salt (make sure it's non-iodized)
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 cup garlic, minced (I grate mine because I'm lazy that way)
1 cup green onion, chopped
1 Tbsp raw honey (if you don't mind cane sugar/palm sugar, you can use it)
1 tsp good quality fish sauce (read the ingredients, stick with anchovies/salt if you can get it)
1/4 Cup Korean crushed red pepper (it must be Korean red pepper)
unlimited amounts of love (it was written on the original recipe, so I have to include it or Ruby will beat me up).

Directions:

Wash and drain cabbage.
Layer cabbage with salt in a large glass/clay container. Place a glass plate on top of cabbage and weigh it down (I use glass jars filled with water). Leave overnight.
The next day, rinse cabbage well and drain out excess water.
Taste to judge saltiness. You may need to drain more if it's too salty or add more salt if it's not salty enough.
Mix all of the remaining ingredients together in the glass/clay pot you used earlier. Use a wooden spoon or gloved hands (the spices are pretty potent).
Pack tightly in a clean glass jar, pounding down with a tamper to get the juices flowing.
Cover loosely and place a plate underneath jars to catch any juice that overflows.
After a day, I tighten up the lid, place the jars in a cupboard or a wooden fermenting bench I have. Leave the jars for 3 days and check. Depending on the temperature and how 'sour' you like your Kimchi, you may leave it longer.. a week, or even a month.

We usually leave the Kimchi out for about 5 days, but in the summer it takes less. Store your Kimchi in the fridge when it's done fermenting.

Saveur magazine has an awesome Kimchi article in their November issue that highlights other types of Kimchi commonly eaten in Korea. Alternativley, I will be the happy guinea pig and try some of them out. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sunday Afternoon Snack

2009-11-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

What I ate:

Pastured, Biodynamic pork 'Summer Sausage' from Whole Circle Farm
Raw milk, organic cheese curds
Fermented Veggies
Grain-Free Crackers
Raw butter from pastured cows
Little dollop of mustard

Why it's good:

Animals raised outside on pasture provide us with essential vitamins A and D - critically missing elements from industrial animal products.
CLA from those same grass-eating animals.
Low carbohydrate = less glucose ravaging through the body = less inflammation = increased immunity = healthier people
Happy gut bacteria from the fermented veggies.
Appropriate amounts of protein and fat results in a steady blood sugar throughout the day for satiety that lasts for hours and hours.

Good to the Last Mouthful! Grain-Free Granola

2009-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

I do declare that this granola is really, really yummy. I don't make it that often because the nuts and seeds are pretty expensive, it's a little high on the carb count for my liking, and my children and husband just devour it in days anyway. Still, it's so darn good, that it's nice to have every now and then as a healthy treat. We like to eat our granola with homemade yoghurt, but a good glug of raw milk is pretty wonderful too.

Please just use this recipe as a guide. You can't really go wrong here. Try adding different types of dried fruit, some dried ginger if you like it, or different nuts and seeds.

Ingredients:

Approximately 4 cups of organic crispy nuts (soaked and dehydrated)
2 cups of various seeds (I like Chia, Flax, Sunflower, Pumpkin and/or Sesame)
3 cups of unsulphured, dried coconut
1 cup of finely chopped unsulphured, organic dates
1/4 cup currants
1 - 2 Tablespoons of organic cinnamon (it's worth sourcing "true cinnamon" if you can)
1/4-1/2 cup of raw, organic honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Having a jar of crispy nuts at the ready makes life a whole lot simpler.

Directions:

Soak seeds (not coconut) in water overnight. In the morning, lay them on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a thin layer. Dry them in a low temperature oven (as low as your oven will go) for a few hours, stirring them around every now and then. I usually do a bunch at a time like this and freeze some for another use. Set aside when completely dry.

The seed mixture after everything has been dried and the coconut has been added in.

Toast coconut in 200 degree oven, stirring often. It doesn't take coconut long to turn golden brown so watch carefully to prevent it from burning.

There's a fine line between 'golden brown' and 'hideously burnt'. Trust me on that one.

Place nuts and seeds in 200 degree oven until just warm.
Mix seeds, nuts, and coconut together in a large bowl and drizzle with honey or maple syrup while everything is still warm.

I use my hands to really get in there and rub the sweetener in so it's well dispersed. This also helps infuse the food with your love.
Throw in your dry fruit, spices, and salt.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Allow mixture to sit in bowl, stirring every now and then as it cools down. It will feel 'damp', but this will change as it dries.
After a couple of hours, put in an airtight glass jar.
This granola will keep for a really long time if you don't have granola-maniacs in your house. If you have extra, please send some my way.

I like mine extra-milky.

Stuffed and Starved

2009-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Click on the above image to hear Raj's audio presentation.

Please, go grab yourself a tea or something else that will force you to sit and immerse yourself in this wonderful audio presentation given by the genius that is Raj Patel. Raj wrote the brilliant book, "Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World's Food System". In his book, Patel examines our broken food system, one that leaves half of our world's population starving and the other bursting with excess.

While I'm discussing audio, I'd like to pass on one of the treasures that lives in my iPod. Deconstructing Dinner is an amazing radio program that discusses food issues, sustainability, and the real world challenges, successes, and developments on a local and global scale. The show is packed full of insights and a knowledge brought forth by it's amazing cast of contributors and the simple fact that the good folks at Deconstructing Dinner (in the words of my favourite farming couple) really get it. I mean, they Really Get It. You can download the shows or listen right now, here.

From the Deconstructing Dinner website:
The media plays a key role in keeping Canadians informed, however, Deconstructing Dinner believes that the most important stories about our food supply are not receiving adequate attention. As a result, we are rapidly losing sight of the most fundamental part of our lives - feeding ourselves.
There are countless groups, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, businesses, individuals and various levels and branches of government that are pushing towards creating more sustainable food systems. Yet to date, the media has played a minor role in tying these people together and broadcasting this important information to the people that matter most - you!
Deconstructing Dinner reports on current issues throughout the world of food, with a primary focus on local, regional and provincial issues. The show is not restricted to only current affairs, but probes into the processes and actions to which we have all become so accustomed throughout our daily routine, and "deconstructs" them to achieve a more discriminating awareness.

Delicious, Grain-Free Crackers

2009-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

I love these crackers, they make my life a whole lot easier. I know, it's a cracker. What in the world has happened to my life that a cracker can make it easier?! Motherhood.

You can put anything on these babies: nut butter, cheese, meat, homemade cream cheese style spreads, or even just a pat of raw butter or ghee. They're cheap and simple to make and great to have around as snacks for the kids (or the big people). They're loaded with all sorts of nutritional goodness and easy to load up with any sorts of spices or veggies you like which easily adds tasty variety. You don't need a dehydrator, your oven on its lowest setting will work, but a dehydrator keeps the temperature lower, which, in turn, keeps those wonderful enzymes intact.

A wee pat of raw butter and a sprinkle of sea salt is divine on these powerful little crackers.

The basic recipe is modeled, loosely, on what I do, but by all means, experiment with flavours you like. The recipe is pretty much foolproof. As long as you have the flax seeds in there to 'gel' it all together, you really can't go wrong.

Ingredients (organic and local is always best, if possible):

3 cups raw, whole flaxseed
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1 cup raw parsley or cilantro, chopped fine
1 cup random shredded vegetables (I will sometimes use grated carrot, sliced green onion, grated beets, grated ginger and garlic etc... whatever you like)
2 Tablespoons kelp powder
Sea Salt to taste
Eden Wasabi powder to taste (optional)

Directions:

Put the seeds in a large bowl with 1 tsp of sea salt, and cover with water, Soak for 6 to 8 hours. You will notice that the flax will continuously soak up the water. Just stir in more to keep the seeds submerged (about 1/2 an inch of water above the level of the seeds). By the end of the soaking time, your seeds will be plump and have a gelled consistency.
Add all of the other ingredients to the seeds and stir well. Clean hands do the best work here.
Spread the mixture out on parchment lined cookie sheets if using your oven. You want to spread the future-crackers out thinly. They should resemble the thickness that you want your crackers to be. If you're using a dehydrator, the same directions apply, only, of course, you are using the appropriate trays.
Put your oven on the lowest possible temperature (110 degrees is ideal, but if your oven doesn't go below 150 degrees or so, that's o.k.).
Dry for 3 or 4 hours, remove the trays and score into the size of crackers you would like. Return tray to oven or dehydrator to continue drying. It may take up to 8 - 10 hours to dry the crackers. Near the end, you can speed things up by breaking them along the scored lines and flipping them over to completely dry out the bottoms.
The crackers will be completely dry and crispy when done. There should be no moisture of 'chewiness'. Allow to cool before sealing in glass containers. These will keep for at least a month or two, although even when I make double batches around here, they're gone in a couple of weeks.

War in the Country

2009-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

CBC's, The Current, did a fantastic expose on the decline of the family farm and Agriculture Canada's support for the growth of factory farming. Whether you have an interest in farming or not is irrelevant. If you eat, you need to hear this. Our ability to feed ourselves is developing into one of the most impending crisis of our century. You can listen to the entire broadcast online or you can download it here.

From CBC:
War in the Country - Part One
There's a war in the country, according to Thomas Pawlick. He's an author and journalist who says the family farm is under siege from corporate agriculture, government policy and indifferent urbanites. At stake is the quality of our food and the foundation of life in rural Canada. We went to visit Thomas Pawlick at his farm in Eastern Ontario to talk about his new book, The War In The Country and dropped in on a couple of farms that represent a new face and new hope for family farming.
War in the Country - Part Two
We continued our conversation with Thomas Pawlick, author of the War in the Country ... a book about the decline of family farms and rural Canada. We spoke with him on his farm in Marlbank, Ontario.
War in the Country - Pellerin
Well, Laurent Pellerin has been listening to our discussion of the family farm and rural Canada. He's a hog farmer near Trois Rivieres, Quebec. He's also the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and in that capacity, he represents the interests of factory farms and small family farmers alike. He joined us from Ottawa.

Thursday Morning Snack

2009-11-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Although I don't eat sweet stuff very often, every now and then I get a hankering for some sort of deliciousness. Today was one of those days. I spent the morning in the woods taking pictures of the beautiful fall colours. It was nice to come home and warm up with a hot cup of tea and a relatively healthy treat.

Beautiful Ontario on a cool fall morning.

I've made this muffin recipe a few times now and it's pretty much disaster-proof. You can use the base of the recipe, omit the carrots, add whatever else you may like (lemon and poppyseed is yummy) and voila! It's a grain-free, refined sugar-free, lower carb treat that still manages to be delicious, moist, and nutritionally dense.

What I ate:

Grain-free carrot muffin
Organic, real Earl Grey tea with raw, organic cream and a teensy bit of raw, organic honey

Why it's good:

The muffins are made without grains, just a very small amount of coconut flour.
The muffins also have all sorts of healthy fats from the organic, extra virgin coconut oil, the ghee, the soaked and dehydrated, organic walnuts (the soaking removes anti-nutrients that interfere with digestion of the raw nut), and the pastured eggs.
The 'cream cheese' topping is made with homemade yoghurt which is high in beneficial, probiotic bacteria.
The organic Earl Grey tea is high in antioxidants and studies have shown that it's actually good for the our lub-dub hearts, but more importantly, it tastes divine. The raw cream is just my way of saying "I love you". Make sure to check your Earl Grey tea for real Bergamot oil. Cheaper teas offer 'flavouring' instead of the real deal.
A cup of tea and a little muffin after a fall walk in the woods fills my soul with gratitude for the abundance in my life.

Carrot Ginger Muffin Goodness

(adapted from Elana's Pantry)

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dry or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
6 large eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup ghee (or softened butter)
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 -3/4 cup soaked and dehydrated walnuts
1/2 cup raisins or dates

Sift the coconut flour into a large bowl. Stir in all of the other dry ingredients.
Blend the eggs, oil, ghee, maple syrup, and vanilla in a blender until well mixed.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir until mixed.
Stir in carrots, nuts, and dried fruit.
I prefer to use unbleached, parchment paper type muffin papers, but if you are placing your muffins directly in the muffin tin, grease first with ghee or coconut oil.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your tin. Makes 2 dozen muffins.
You can easily split this recipe in half if you would like to make less. These muffins freeze very well in case, like me, you relish the ability to just grab a few out of the freezer whenever company may show up (or you just decide you deserve one).

For the 'cream cheese' style topping, simply drain plain yoghurt for a few hours in cheese cloth. Directions can be found here. To the drained yoghurt, blend in some butter, a spot of honey, and some lemon rind. Spread the topping on the muffins once they're good and cool. That's all there is to it!

Grain-Free Human

2009-11-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have been asked (so very, very many times) why I don't eat grains. In fact, when people find out I don't, I am usually met with confusion or sometimes even hostility. We sure have bought into the idea that grain is important for our health, haven't we? You know, the "staff of life" and all that jazz. I find it difficult to put my anti-grain sentiments into little sound-bites of information when there's a multitude of reasons our family doesn't include them in our diets. These reasons include environmental (the destruction of entire ecosystems for mono-cropped fields) to health (grains are loaded with anti-nutrients that cause all sorts of mischief with our ability to absorb minerals and vitamins).

Mark, over at Mark's Daily Apple just wrote up a great little ditty, nicely summarizing our stance on living grain-free.

Further reading:

If you're interested in learning more about the factual science about what our bodies require for health and how we got so far off the mark with our public health policies, I highly (highly!) recommend Gary Taubes book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories". Gary Taubes is genius (I might just have a wee little crush on his brain...shhhh...).
Lierre Keith's book, "The Vegetarian Myth", is a brilliant look into the environmental, ethical, and health implications of eating a vegetarian/vegan diet. More than that; however, Lierre's book allows the reader an intimate look at a wounded world, hungry for her grasslands and woodlands, swamps and forests. Earth has been stripped of her complex ecosystems in order to grow mono-crops of GMO grain and legumes. "The Vegetarian Myth" is a profound, life-changing read and, I say, it should be mandatory reading for all those intent on saving the world by filling their plates with grains. This book is amazing. Amazing!

Avoiding the Post Halloween Sugar Coma

2009-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Our youngest daughter had a Halloween party at school today. That meant plates of cupcakes, fresh from the box, topped with blobs of hydrogenated icing, candy galore, and weird balls of pink taffy stuff. Blech.. The thing is, from a kid's perspective, this stuff looks pretty good.

I always try to give my kid's an alternative to what their class is eating in celebration of whatever event may be going. More importantly, however, I educate my kids on why I'm not giving them those foods, what those foods do inside our bodies, and what the foods they are eating are doing to contribute to their sharp minds, healthy bodies, and stable emotions. All of our kids probably have more knowledge on nutrition than 90% of the adults I speak with. It's important, to us, that they really understand 'why' so they can be empowered to go out there and consume foods that make them strong and vital.

Shelly, over at This Primal Life, has a great, simple (5 ingredients!), primal recipe for Almond Butter Pumpkin Brownies. They're good, I promise (I tried them last night). We don't eat roasted almond butter so I substituted that with ghee and homemade soaked walnut butter. Yumma Yumma in my Tumma.

Getting Oil from a Vegetable

2009-10-27T17:15:00.001-07:00

GlugGlug

I was taken aback, the other day, when I had a friend ask what vegetable oil is best to cook with. I mean, it's not that ludicrous of a question if one's source of information is radio sound bites, but this was one of my posse! This girl has endured my rants for years. I must have forgotten to give her the vegetable oil rant (or maybe she's just mastered the art of zoning me out). It got me thinking that there's probably a lot of people out there still confused about vegetable oils and whether or not they're healthy.

Vegetable oils are a highly processed food product. The raw oil, very delicate and unstable, and thus prone to oxidation, is extracted using chemical solvents. The lengthy process of taking this Omega 6 fat (something most of us don't need extra of, thank you very much) and turning it into that giant, plastic tub of oil on your supermarket shelf is nothing short of chemical mischief.

Upon arrival at the factory, the vegetable slurry, wannabe oil, is extracted with the petroleum derivative, Hexane. It is deodorized, bleached, dewaxed, treated with high heat and extreme pressure, and if it's lucky enough to be hydrogenated, it's processed with toxic Nickel catalysts.

By the time they're done with the delicate oils, there is absolutely no nutritional value left in that jug. On the contrary, what you have is a rancid, chemical-laden, nutritionally void bottle of refined oil that actually burdens your body. Add to that the fact that an extremely high percentage of vegetable oil crops are GMO. And there it sits, the toxic oil on the shelf, soaking up the estrogenic plastics from the jug it's in. Just waiting for someone to plop it into their basket and give it a nice, warm, home in their damaged arteries or maybe their fatty liver.

Suppose you buy organic, unrefined, cold-pressed oil from a health food store. These oils are extracted the old fashioned way, with a large press that squeezes the oil from the plant without the use of heat or chemical solvents. Oil of this type should also be stored in dark glass bottles to avoid oxidation. This type of oil is far superior to the commercial variety, but it is still a vegetable oil and, thus, should not be cooked with. It is also high in Omega 6 fatty acids so it should be used sparingly in the diet, more as a trickle for flavor here and there. Stick with extra-virgin, organic olive oil if you're looking for something to make your salad dressing with. Don't even bother with corn, soy, canola, or any of the other vegetable oils.

For cooking, saturated fats, stable under heat, are your best bet. Choose fat sources from healthy, pasture raised animals. Some good choices include tallow, ghee, lard, suet, extra-virgin raw coconut oil, grass-fed raw butter, and rendered fat from any grass fed animal including ducks, chickens, ruminants, and wild game.

Further reading:

"Unhealthy Vegetable Oils? Does the Food Industry Ignore Science Regarding Polyunsaturated Oils? Implications for Cancer, Heart Disease" by CJ Puotinen
Vegetable margarines claiming they're hydrogenation-free have a new little trick up their sleeve. Allow Frank Cooper to introduce you to "Interesterification - The Dangerous Replacement for Trans Fats"
The brilliant Gary Taubes writer for "Science" and independent investigative journalist on "The Soft Science of Dietary Fats"
The equally brilliant, Mr. Stephan Guyenet, neurobiologist and all-around genius blogger with a Butter vs. Margarine Showdown
Dr. Kurt Harris weighs in on "Fats and Oils"
What's wrong with polyunsaturated fats? Let me count the ways..

Check that Chocolate

2009-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Soy lecithin via Orison Chemicals.

Soy lecithin, a common emulsifier used in food products, both organic and conventional, is allowed to be used in organic products even though the lecithin itself is not organic. Lecithin is difficult to find in organic form, or so it was when organic legislation was drafted up. The good news is there is an organic lecithin source now, the bad news is that it's so cheap to use the industrial source, and outdated organic regulations still allow it so nobody bothers. Let's let the great Cornucopia Institute explain further:

Take a look at the bar of organic chocolate in your desk drawer or the carton of organic ice cream in your freezer, and you'll likely see a little-known but very common food ingredient: lecithin.
Unless the ingredients list specifically states "organic soy lecithin," the lecithin was processed from hexane-extracted soybeans, which are also likely to have been genetically engineered and sprayed with pesticides in the fields-in organic food.
Currently, food manufacturers can legally add conventional soy lecithin to organic foods.
To be labeled "ORGANIC," and to carry the USDA organic seal, food has to be made up of 95% organic ingredients. The only non-organic ingredients are ones that are unavailable organically and cannot make up more than 5% of the product.
When the organic standards were developed in 1995, organic soy lecithin was not commercially available. To encourage the growth of the budding organic industry, the organic standards included a list of conventional substances/ingredients that were not available organically, and could be added to organic foods. Organic soy lecithin was not available, so lecithin made it on the list. But times have changed.
Over the years, one pioneering organic company has not only developed a truly organic soy lecithin, but has invested in the ability to supply the organic version to every food manufacturer that needs it. Organic soy lecithin is not extracted with the use of hexane, a neurotoxic and polluting solvent prohibited in organic production. And the organic version always comes from organically grown, non-GMO soybeans (genetically engineered ingredients are also banned in organics).
Now that organic lecithin is commercially available, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the expert citizen panel that Congress set up to decide these issues, now needs to determine whether to recommend removing lecithin from this list of conventional substances that are allowed in organic foods. This is the first time in organic regulatory history that an ingredient has been petitioned to be removed from the National List.
The Cornucopia Institute urges members of the organic community to tell the NOSB members that you support the removal of lecithin from 205.605 and 205.606. If lecithin remains on the list, food manufacturers have no incentive to opt for the truly organic lecithin, and many will continue to put hexane-extracted, conventional lecithin in your organic foods-it's cheaper.
There is more at stake than simply the type of lecithin you can expect to find in your organic foods in the future. The regulations need to adapt, by removing lecithin from the list of allowed conventional substances. If the regulations do not change when companies innovate and develop new organic ingredients, why should anyone bother investing in the expensive research and development that gives rise to the availability of new organic ingredients?
We need to send a strong message to the NOSB members and the USDA that we stakeholders in the organic industry expect the regulations to change with the times. And change should be in the interest of organic consumers and innovative organic companies.

It might just be time to give your favourite organic, chocolate the once over (or any other organic prepared food you may buy). Personally, I avoid soy in all of its permutations, but it may be worth giving the manufacturer a jingle to find out the source if you're having a really hard time tossing it.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

2009-10-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

What I ate:

Pastured, organic egg
Pastured, organic bacon
Organic apple clafoutis
Homemade, raw goat milk yoghurt

Why it's good:

Pastured eggs are the only type of egg shown to contain a superior nutrition profile to other eggs (even those organic, 'free-range' ones they charge a premium for in the grocery store). They're high in vitamin A and D, and omega 3 fatty acids - crucial for our health and sadly lacking in our diets. The eggs were cooked in pastured bison fat. Saturated fat is the only fat stable enough to use for cooking. And, of course, saturated fat from healthy animals is integral to our health.

Pastured bacon brings you all the joy of bacon without the guilt of supporting industrial agribusiness confinement operations. Again, fat with vitamin A, and the overall heightened nutritional profile, from animals that have been raised on grass, in the sunshine.

The apple clafoutis was a take on a recipe I found on Elana's Pantry. We don't eat grains so this is a nice tart, similar to a pancake without the flour to knock us into a sleepy coma. It's made with eggs, raw goat milk, vanilla, and maple syrup that we purchased from our friend who produces the most wondrous, local, maple syrup. If you try out Elana's recipe, skip the agave in favour of raw honey or maple syrup.
The goat yoghurt is a tasty way to get some much needed probiotics into our guts. We aim to get some good bacteria in every meal, usually through kefir, different types of yoghurt, or fermented vegetables.
Most of all, our meal was good, as in 'goooooood', because it tasted delicious and I shared it with my lovely family on a slow, rainy Saturday morning. It was one of those mornings with no agenda - nothing to do, but sit and chat, sipping warm tea while the rain pitter-pattered on our roof.

Free Vegetable Culturing e-Book

2009-10-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Jenny, from Nourished Kitchen, has put together a beautiful e-book with some delicious recipes for cultured vegetables. You can access, "Get Cultured! Probiotic Food from the Nourished Kitchen" by clicking on the cover picture above.

I have big plans to try out a couple of them next week. Instead of waiting for my results, I encourage you all to try some yourselves! Let me know how it goes.

The Problems (and there's many) With Soy

2009-10-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Soy field encroaching on tropical rain forest in Brazil.

Soy is ubiquitous in our food supply. Processed foods are cooked in, made of, and plumped up with soy. If you think soy is a health food staple, you've been misled, along with millions of other people, by the soy marketing machine.

Soy is not a healthy food. It contains phytoestrogens that disrupt our hormonal systems. Soy lowers sperm counts in males and contains potent enzyme inhibitors prevent crucial enzymatic functions such as digestion and mineral absorption. Trypsin inhibitors in soy have been tied to pancreatic disorders and stunted growth. Soy consumption in pregnancy increases breast cancer risks in female offspring. The phytoestrogens in soy have also been shown to contribute to hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer and to inhibit iron absorption.

Soy is a cheap food that was never even considered edible until recently. Years ago, soy was only grown as crop cover, but now the soy industry is trying to convince us that it's some sort of wonder-food. The soy industry is a massive conglomerate with deep pockets. If you're curious as to how soy became so entrenched in our food supply, this article is well worth the read.

What about the argument regarding high soy consumption in Asian countries? Soy consumed in Asia is in much smaller quantities than you've been led to believe. And the soy that is eaten is typically fermented (miso, natto etc.). Fermentation breaks down many of the anti-nutrients inherent in soy.

Soy devastates our health and our land. Millions of acres of land have been mono-cropped to feed the soy machine. Farmers lose their livelihoods and the Earth forever loses fragile pieces of herself. That means millions of acres of diverse ecosystems, full of wildlife, plant species, and organisms are destroyed to make room for fields of soy. 91% of the soy planted in the US is genetically modified and that number is growing astronomically around the world.

Soy is commonly used in animal feed as a protein source (see, I told you it was ubiquitous)! This is just another reason to get to know your farmer. Find out if they're using soy in their feed. In the region I'm living in, soy is bountiful. I've been lucky to find an egg farmer open-minded enough to be willing to learn about soy. While her eggs were certified organic and pasture-raised, the organic feed the chickens were receiving had soy as the protein source. Our farmer has since switched to another formulation that is soy-free. Commercially produced animal products are all given soy in their feed ration because it's cheap. That alone should tell you something.

Happy, little soy-free egg.

The Weston A. Price Foundation has a very comprehensive page on their site with links to studies, articles, books, and other resources with factual information about soy. Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, Ph.D., have also written a thorough article siting independent scientific studies to bring you accurate information that counters the pervasive claims made by the soy industry, "The Newest Research on Why You Should Avoid Soy".

What can you do? Read labels, avoid food products and just stick with real food. Make your own snacks and treats and trust that anything you make with your own hands is bound to be infinitely better for you and your family. Most of all, arm yourself with knowledge.

H1N1 on Ontario Turkey Confinement Operation

2009-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Turkey Farmers of Ontario are being mum on the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus on an Ontario turkey farm. Well, we can rest assured that the outbreak wasn't on an organic farm, for if it had been, the TFO media machine would have been using it as fodder for their ongoing mission of ensuring no bird under their watch is raised outdoors.

Well, we know where the 'outbreak' did indeed occur. It happened in one of the turkey confinement barns housing 3,500 turkeys. This particular facility is owned by "Hybrid", a breeding company in Kitchener, Ontario.

Hybrid turkey breeding operation in Kitchener Ontario. See any turkeys?

These confinement operations are under very strict controls in order to give the immune-compromised birds an actual shot at living long enough to make it to slaughter. These are birds living indoors, under "high biosecurity conditions", including a "shower in/shower out" policy. They're pumped full of growth stimulants and antibiotics without real consideration for the affect it has on their, or our, health. Never mind the issue of genetic engineering. Hendrix Genetics, Hybrid's parent company, focuses on production and engineering of poultry and swine breeds by mutating DNA sequences.

Where is the common sense in all of this? Does anybody stop to think that a bird, by its very design, is intended to live outdoors? Our industrial models of food production have skewed our most basic understanding of growing and raising our own nourishment. Food is sacred, it is not a commodity.

Little hen perched in a tree.

It's acceptable to rear animals in an unnatural environment, feed them an unnatural diet, and keep them alive *just* long enough to make a little money, but, according to the Turkey Farmers of Ontario, it is NOT o.k. to let them outdoors. None of these confinement operation birds could live a few days outside without keeling over from some sort of little virus or bacteria. That should tell us all something. When I eat turkey, or any meat for that matter, it's from animals with strong, healthy genetics. Birds should thrive outdoors, soak up the sun, and eat all sorts of little buggy things. Let the TFO have their sick birds, but we deserve to have the choice to support a healthier model of farming.

H1N1 in breeder turkeys, urges farmer workers to get flu shot

By Helen Branswell Medical Reporter (CP)

TORONTO — A turkey breeding operation in southern Ontario has been hit by the H1N1 virus, the province's chief human and animal health officials reported Tuesday. It is only the second time turkeys have been reported to have been infected with the pandemic virus.

The outbreak likely poses no immediate threat to human health, and in particular should not have an impact on the safety of the food chain, the officials said, noting influenza cannot be contracted from well-cooked meat.

But experts do worry about the possibility that mutations could occur if flu viruses jump from one species to another and back again. And some also expressed concern that news of the discovery could turn some consumers off turkey, even though in terms of flu transmission people probably pose a bigger risk to livestock right now than the other way around.

"From my perspective as a veterinarian, I see the danger being to the economic well-being of the animal industry that's involved, and in food security - having food," said Dr. David Halvorson, an avian influenza expert at the University of Minnesota.
The finding was announced by Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Deb Stark, the province's chief veterinarian, both of whom refused to identify the affected turkey operation.

But their efforts to shield the company turned out to be futile. An industry group, the Turkey Farmers of Canada, posted a news release on their website announcing the outbreak had been discovered on a farm near Kitchener owned by Hybrid Turkeys.
Later, the company confirmed the report. Dr. Helen Wojcinski, a veterinarian and Hybrid's manager of science and technology, said turkeys in one barn on one farm experienced a drop in egg production - the telltale symptom of influenza infection in turkeys.

The barn, which contained 3,500 turkeys, is under quarantine. Wojcinski said it is expected the outbreak should run its course in about two weeks, at which point a decision will be made about what to do with the turkeys.
The birds are not free-range, meaning they live indoors under high biosecurity conditions. Wojcinski said the most likely source of the infection was a person with access to the barn.

King said local health officials are interviewing 19 people who had contact with the operation, trying to determine who might have brought the infection in to the birds - and if anyone contracted it from them. So far one person has been identified as having had influenza-like illness, she said, though it's not yet known if the person actually had the pandemic virus. Nor is it clear whether the person's illness predated the outbreak among the turkeys or followed it.

King said the incident serves as a "clarion call" to poultry and other livestock workers that they should get vaccinated with both seasonal and pandemic flu shots in order to lower the risk of flu transmission to the animals with which they have contact.
"We want to limit the amount of circulation (of H1N1) in the human population for obvious reasons and we want to try to avoid or minimize the possibility of transmission between people and animals and back again," King said.

The finding was confirmed by the National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases in Winnipeg, which compared amino acid sequences from three of the virus's genes to those of the pandemic virus, said Dr. Jim Clark, national manager of disease control for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's terrestrial animal health division.

Clark said the lab is currently trying to grow virus from samples taken from the turkeys to do a full comparison, but CFIA feels confident the virus that caused the outbreak is the pandemic H1N1.

The finding will be of keen interest internationally. While swine producers in a number of countries have reported finding the new H1N1 virus in pigs, the only other report of infected turkeys came from Chile, in August. Some experts have privately questioned whether that finding was real or the result of contamination of specimens.
Announcement of the outbreak comes just days after the publication of a study that suggested turkeys are not susceptible to the pandemic virus. The work, done by researchers in Italy, was published late last week in the online journal Eurosurveillance.

Well-known influenza researcher Dr. Ilaria Capua and colleagues at the OIE collaborating centre for infectious diseases at the human-animal interface in Venice tried to infect turkeys with the new H1N1 virus. The OIE is the acronym used by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health.
Turkeys are generally very susceptible to influenza viruses and one would expect to see illness among birds if they became infected with a flu virus, Capua said in an interview Tuesday.

But while her team exposed turkeys to massive doses of H1N1 virus, they saw no evidence of infection in the birds. Nor did they find any evidence of virus in the lungs, blood or tissues of the turkeys. Capua said teams of researchers in Britain, Germany and the U.S. have also tried to experimentally infect turkeys, also without success.
She said a lot of questions need to be answered about the new discovery in Ontario, including whether the full genetic sequence of the virus matches the pandemic virus.
"Before we say that this virus can spill into turkeys or into birds, I would really make sure that it's the right virus. And that there's no possible concern about any human error or contamination and that all the internal genes have been sequenced," said Capua.

But unpublished work from Canada suggests turkeys can catch this virus. Clark said scientists at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases were able to infect turkeys with the pandemic virus.

"Since we know that the genetic makeup of the virus does have some avian components to it, it's not surprising to us that we have a poultry flock - a turkey flock - that is infected," he noted.

Halvorson, who said Minnesota has seen swine influenza outbreaks in turkey operations frequently over the last 20 years, said the new pandemic virus is posing real challenges for livestock producers.
While the female turkeys used for breeding purposes have shown themselves to be "exquisitely" sensitive to influenza viruses of both swine and avian origin, there's never before been evidence of the birds being infected with human flu viruses.

"We've never, ever found that or suspected it of happening. So this is kind of new, you know," he said. "For both the turkey industry and the swine industry, it's quite new. How do you protect your animals from a human infection?"

Fermenting Veggies For a Happy Tummy

2009-10-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

There is probably little that comes close to the ease and nutritional-punch of fermenting vegetables. Cultures around the world have been fermenting food, including meats, vegetables, and dairy for centuries. It's a wonderful way to increase the nutritional value of your food while also increasing its life span.

When vegetables are fermented, their enzyme activity increases and the food becomes a source of good bacteria. There isn't many opportunities available in our processed food diet that afford us the ability to increase the healthy bacteria in our bodies and yet, our health is critically tied to the health of our guts. Indeed, 85% of the immune system is located in the gut wall. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance of gut flora (the bad guys outrun the good), can lead to a myriad of health problems including autoimmune conditions, depression, inflammation, hyperactivity etc.

If this topic is new to you, I highly recommend the book, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr. Campbell-McBride. It's a fascinating book that delves into the science of why gut health is so important and how it can be improved.

So, with that, I give you fermented veggies! This weekend I set aside about an hour to shred, salt, and pound a few different types. There's nothing easier than making these little jars of goodness. If you've never done it before, there's some great information in Sandor Katz's book, "Wild Fermentation". But, you don't need to wait to get started.

Easy Peasy Sauerkraut (Even My Little Sister Could Make)

A head of green cabbage (keep it simple, make it all organic)
A few carrots
Fresh ginger, garlic and, if you like, some dried caraway and juniper berries
Sea salt

To make sauerkraut, simply shred all the veggies and place it all in a big bowl (you'll want to use a non-reactive plastic, glass, or ceramic bowl for fermenting). Sprinkle on sea salt and work it all in with your hands, squishing and pounding as you go. You're trying to break down the vegetables as you work in the salt. The mixture should taste salty, but not overly-salty. The salt is going to pull out the juices and get those veggies fermenting so it's important to have enough to let it do its job. You should have a nice little flow of juices in your bowl. Pack the veggies in glass jars using a tamper to really jam them in there. There should be juice coming up at this point. You want the juice to cover the veggies. Put on the lid tightly, place on a tray (they will leak a bit), and leave in a warm place for 4-5 days. I usually use the top of my fridge in the winter, and just a cupboard in the summer.

You can give them a taste-test after a few days and see what you think. We prefer ours quite sour so I usually give it a week or so. Once they're done, store the jars in the fridge. That's all there is to it! Doing a few different types in one shot means weeks of delicious vegetables just raring to do some good in your tummy.

I prefer to use jars with glass lids so there is no reaction with the metal or BPA covered discs on the newer style of jars. This would be ideal, but not totally necessary.

Stay tuned for the best, authentic, Korean Kim Chee recipe I have ever tried (compliments of my dear friend Ruby).

Bacon O' Bacon, You Wonderful Thing

2009-10-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

If you are lucky enough to find a butcher who is skilled in charcuterie AND uses meat from animals raised organically on pasture, you are one lucky person, my friend. I have had the distinct, mind-blowing, pleasure of eating bacon cured in a small smokehouse by my ultra-skilled farmer-friend, Richard. Sweet Hallelujah!

That stuff in the store, that wet-brined, over-salted stuff doesn't even compare(and I'm not even talking about the grocery store stuff, I'm alluding to the organic, supposedly higher quality stuff). I wish I could reach through the computer and place a nicely warmed piece right in front of you. Then, I would sit back and watch you cry for all of the moments you wasted doing anything, but eating Richard's bacon.

Maybe the picture can help you try to imagine.

Michael Ruhlman, the author of "Charcuterie" did a great interview you may like to read. If you don't have his book, I would highly recommend it. It's fun and totally possible to experiment with your own smaller scale projects. We made duck prosciutto last winter that was really easy to do and it tasted wonderful.