Okay, so I have become a little distracted from my "concoctions" posts. But they aren't cancelled, just delayed... and for good reason.
Reason the first? I moved to an organic veggie farm in Nova Scotia! Reason the second? Because I realized that it will probably make more sense to make yogurt from a goat I milked myself, fermented veggies from veggies I grew myself, and do a blog about a sourdough experiment that actually worked.
In case you haven't guessed, the farm I am on has goats for milking. The kids are really cute, and there are more soon to come-- one momma is about to pop! So I plan to make yogurt from some of the milk, because according to some of the reading I have been doing recently, raw milk products are incredibly good for you: way better than pasteurized. Additionally, some of the most important nutrients that we can get from food are found in animal fats and products like eggs and butter that come from animals who live more like they would in nature. So, chickens and ducks should be allowed to forage and eat bugs and worms, and goats and cows should graze and eat grass like they were meant to do. This allows them to create the most nutritious milk, eggs, and meat. There are nutrients in these foods in the correct ratios that can't be found anywhere else (e.g. Omega 3 fatty acids), and when left raw, these foods also include all of the necessary digestive enzymes that allow you to digest the food properly and completely.
But don't get me wrong: I still looooove my veggies! That's why eating locally matters so much. Vegetables that are in season, fresh, and grown organically using sustainable methods are so much better for you. Mass-produced food is grown using methods that only serve to make the vegetables look pretty and keep fresh for long periods of time (so they can be trucked to a far-away supermarket). Organic veggies grown in small-scale operations are grown using methods that feed not just the plants themselves, but the soil's ecosystem, which produces healthier, more nutritionally complete food.
The point here is that the healthiest way to eat is to eat whole foods. Real foods. Not foods that require an ingredients list a mile long, or that include words we can't pronounce.
According to the same author, the true evil of the modern diet, and the thing that causes most modern ailments such as heart disease, auto-immune issues, cancers, and degenerative illness like Alzheimers is actually sugar. Go figure.
This is a mind blowing revelation for me, but it is one that really makes sense. After all, humanity survived for thousands of years living on these animal products, without sugar. And it is only since we have started to eat it at every meal, and with almost every food or drink, that we have noticed the prevalence of all of these diseases.
Of course, as with anything, I think it is important to take this information with a grain of salt (not sugar!). Obviously, a little bit of sugar once in a while isn't going to kill us. But the less sugar we eat, the better. So, in addition to trying as hard as I can to eat only real foods that are, wherever possible, produced on the farm, close to home, or a the very least, organically, I am also going to try to greatly reduce my intake of sugars and refined carbohydrates (refined carbs turn to sugar once they are digested). In other words, I'm focusing on real food.
So far, I feel great, but that might also be attributable to the fact that I have been spending every day doing physical work, outdoors, in the fresh air. I'll keep you posted on the results, though. And more to come soon on my other farming adventures :)
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If you're interested in more information on the specific reading I have been doing, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation, as well as the campaign for real milk. The Real Food Diet is a real thing, too, apparently... according to Oprah, anyway.
Reason the first? I moved to an organic veggie farm in Nova Scotia! Reason the second? Because I realized that it will probably make more sense to make yogurt from a goat I milked myself, fermented veggies from veggies I grew myself, and do a blog about a sourdough experiment that actually worked.
In case you haven't guessed, the farm I am on has goats for milking. The kids are really cute, and there are more soon to come-- one momma is about to pop! So I plan to make yogurt from some of the milk, because according to some of the reading I have been doing recently, raw milk products are incredibly good for you: way better than pasteurized. Additionally, some of the most important nutrients that we can get from food are found in animal fats and products like eggs and butter that come from animals who live more like they would in nature. So, chickens and ducks should be allowed to forage and eat bugs and worms, and goats and cows should graze and eat grass like they were meant to do. This allows them to create the most nutritious milk, eggs, and meat. There are nutrients in these foods in the correct ratios that can't be found anywhere else (e.g. Omega 3 fatty acids), and when left raw, these foods also include all of the necessary digestive enzymes that allow you to digest the food properly and completely.
But don't get me wrong: I still looooove my veggies! That's why eating locally matters so much. Vegetables that are in season, fresh, and grown organically using sustainable methods are so much better for you. Mass-produced food is grown using methods that only serve to make the vegetables look pretty and keep fresh for long periods of time (so they can be trucked to a far-away supermarket). Organic veggies grown in small-scale operations are grown using methods that feed not just the plants themselves, but the soil's ecosystem, which produces healthier, more nutritionally complete food.
The point here is that the healthiest way to eat is to eat whole foods. Real foods. Not foods that require an ingredients list a mile long, or that include words we can't pronounce.
According to the same author, the true evil of the modern diet, and the thing that causes most modern ailments such as heart disease, auto-immune issues, cancers, and degenerative illness like Alzheimers is actually sugar. Go figure.
This is a mind blowing revelation for me, but it is one that really makes sense. After all, humanity survived for thousands of years living on these animal products, without sugar. And it is only since we have started to eat it at every meal, and with almost every food or drink, that we have noticed the prevalence of all of these diseases.
Of course, as with anything, I think it is important to take this information with a grain of salt (not sugar!). Obviously, a little bit of sugar once in a while isn't going to kill us. But the less sugar we eat, the better. So, in addition to trying as hard as I can to eat only real foods that are, wherever possible, produced on the farm, close to home, or a the very least, organically, I am also going to try to greatly reduce my intake of sugars and refined carbohydrates (refined carbs turn to sugar once they are digested). In other words, I'm focusing on real food.
So far, I feel great, but that might also be attributable to the fact that I have been spending every day doing physical work, outdoors, in the fresh air. I'll keep you posted on the results, though. And more to come soon on my other farming adventures :)
---
If you're interested in more information on the specific reading I have been doing, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation, as well as the campaign for real milk. The Real Food Diet is a real thing, too, apparently... according to Oprah, anyway.
