I was
gonna do a completely different newsletter this month,
but after this past weekend's class, I was reminded about
WHY I have chosen to do this work and WHY I now eat the
way I do. Our speakers were the fabulous Eric Schlosser
(of Fast Food Nation fame) and the wonderful Howard Lyman
(of Mad Cowboy fame). Whereas they didn't turn me OFF
of eating meat because I know my source and that the animals
are treated extremely well, I can't for one second NOT
share what's been the driving force behind this seachange
from music to food: Knowledge is Power!
Learn
how to read labels. Why? They can help you make a better
shopping choice. A great example is margarine. Labelled
"Trans Fat Free", so then why is there Partially Hydrogenated
Oil (aka trans fat) in the ingredients list??? Why are
there 5 kinds of sugar and very little actual fruit in
fruit juices (including High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS,
one of the most addictive substances on the planet)? Why
would they choose to "help people's digestive issues"
by adding probiotics to yogurt (Activia, I'm looking at
YOU), which is made of dairy, which is the #1 food people
are allergic or sensitive to??? It's enough to make you
not want to go shopping ever again. Or is it?
Simply
put, it's not about convenience anymore, it's about your
health. My Grandmother lived to be 94 living on a farm,
eating whatever she chose, and never saw a doctor, outside
of giving birth, a day in her life. One would say the
lack of modern stressors may have helped her stick around
so long. OR it COULD be she was eating the way humans
have since the dawn of time: what's available, in season
and local. Eating the way we do today, I'm sure it's no
secret to you that pretty much every disease is on the
rise, especially obesity and diabetes. And in the name
of profit, it's all quietly happened over the past 20
years.
Here are a couple
of links to watch:
Meatrix
(Fo)odometer
The GOOD
news is, it's never been easier to make this decision
a reality for yourself. My husband and I made the choice
last Summer, and it really isn't all that hard! As I spoke
of in my last newsletter, you can join a CSA, shop at
your Farmers Market, or just become educated about what
to watch for in your supermarket. If you would like my
help in finding ways you can step off the Food Matrix
and REALLY care about where your food is coming from,
I'm happy to say I still have a few slots left in my one-on-one
program. I am also starting a group program this June,
so if you are interested in that please let me know. In
my opinion, this is TOO important an issue to be tossed
to the wayside.
In addition
to the work I do to help people feel better, I also specialize
in helping to, like "Neo", get people off of the Food
Matrix. To be conscious of their Food Miles. To connect
them with the source of their food. To be able to read
an ingredient label and REALLY know what it means (hint:
if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it). I help them
to understand these things and how they impact our health,
our economy and our planet. Knowledge is Power. Schoolhouse
Rocks was RIGHT. The problem is, our Western minds have
an issue with what's called an opt-out. Deciding to go
against the majority. No one likes to be a loner. But
this movement is growing. Just look at how many more organic
products are now offered! People are becoming more educated,
and the more we learn, the more things will change. Sooner
or later our health will come before lobbies, before profits;
sooner or later OUR bottom line will come before THEIR
bottom line. Until then, I remain absolutely fired up
about this, and I hope you will too.
Until
next time-
-Liz
