We are what we eat
So what does this have to do with personal power?
Or health?
And whose health are we talking about?
Our health? Farmer health? Land health? Industry and economic health?
Are these the same things or are they different?
Sometimes it’s hard to know. There is so much conflicting information out there. Even when we get an idea that what we are eating isn’t the healthiest choice for us, it can be overwhelming to sift through all the information out there to figure out where to start making changes (even without any allergies or sensitivities).
Plus, those packaged foods are so convenient when we are tired…
And that is where we start to lose personal power… even when we read the labels on those packages, there is so much crucial information that does not get put on any labels.
Knowledge is power.
We are what we eat.
We can have a lot more power when we know how to eat.
Eating healthy is a lot easier when we know what the issues are, why we need to make changes, and where to start. Not all of us have had good role models in the kitchen, we might be comfortable with the status quo, and changing our habits can seem daunting. So what to do?
Where do we start when we want to make a change?
Hey, what is wrong with those products anyway?
The good people at Healthy Child Healthy World have put together an amazingly comprehensive booklet, one that introduces the issues with our current food supply, and offers easy to understand tips on what we can do to choose smart, even on a budget. Don’t get turned off if you don’t have children, this book is a valuable resource for everyone!
“Easy Steps to Eating Healthy & Safe Foods.” The 50+ page eBook is part of the new Safer Foods Toolkit, sponsored by CloverStornetta and Sage Spoonfuls.
∞
When I commented that digital books (and magazines) are somehow too challenging for me to use, I was cheerfully sent a PDF file which is much easier for me to navigate. I was also given permission to share that with you in case you also have trouble with digital editions. It is a large file (10MB), high quality, 52 pages. (Clicking on HCHW_Easy Steps to Eating Healthy and Safe Foods will take you to a new page where you can download the PDF)
Here’s what the booklet covers (I wasn’t kidding when I said it was comprehensive):
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Toxic Food: Children at Risk from
Chemicals in Their Diet
A Snapshot of Our Modern Diets:
From Farm to Fork
3 Rules to Remember
PHASE 1: GETTING STARTED: THE BASICS
Eat more produce
Prep your produce
Be aware of BPA in cans
Avoid food dyes, preservatives,
additives and sweeteners
Invest in the best dairy
Make safe and healthy meat choices
Select safer seafood
PHASE 2: FEELING CONFIDENT:
READY FOR MORE
Avoid GMOs
Opt for organic
Buy in bulk
Understand food labels
Avoid acrylamide
PHASE 3: NO TURNING BACK:
EMBRACING THE LIFESTYLE
Purge processed foods
Find safe supplements and vitamins
Visit the farmers market
Grow your own
Eat better when you’re eating out
Take action
Also see: http://healthychild.org/easy-steps/foods/
Reading this booklet will get you up to date on many of the important issues we face when trying to eat and stay healthy, information we really need to know and aren’t getting without doing a lot of research. Here, the work has been done for us.
Many thanks to Healthy Child Healthy World for all the work you do!
♥
After air and water, food really is at the heart of life. We’ve lost our connection to how it can nourish and connect us. Real food makes a real difference in so many ways.
♥
“Eating is an agricultural act!”
“Eating with the fullest pleasure — pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance — is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.”
♥
I will finish with a thought and question that keeps arising (and toss in a video too)
What is a “treat”?
People keep saying they are having a “treat” when they refer to some of these highly processed food-like-products. I do not understand what is “special” about eating (or drinking) something that makes us sick? Isn’t a treat supposed to be something good?
Can we please redefine this type of use of the word treat to “losing our personal power” when we succumb to the advertising and consume something that has been scientifically manipulated to create cravings in order to boost industry profits, and instead use the word “treat” for desserts and snacks that are wholesome, healthy and truly nourishing?
♥ ♥ ♥
Take cakes for example, most now look like plastic!
We can enjoy real and healthy foods instead, and have some fun with them!
Fun with Fruit
source unknown
My favorite simple cake!
source unknown
Cheese “Cake” with Fruit
source unknown
!
Here’s to eating real food that is safe, healthy and truly nourishing!
And here’s to treating ourselves and each other like we are truly worth it!
Because we are!
♥ ♥ ♥
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 
New report from the Union of Concerned Scientists…
“The $11 Trillion Reward” shows how eating more fruits and vegetables can reduce heart disease and its costs
Investing in Healthy Food Will Save Lives and Dollars
“Americans simply aren’t eating enough fruits and
vegetables (USDA and HHS 2010). It would follow that
our country’s farm policy should encourage the
production and consumption of these healthful
foods, but unfortunately farm policy does the reverse.
While domestic fruit and vegetable production is
restricted, huge subsidies are lavished on crops that
become the ingredients for highly processed foods—
including “junk” foods.
In this report, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
shows that finding innovative ways to help Americans
increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables
would greatly benefit our health and our national
economy.”
Download: The $11 Trillion Reward
http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/solutions/expand-healthy-food-access/11-trillion-reward.html