Better Food

Are you starving? Before you say "No", think and read on. Do you ever wonder WHY you have food cravings and overeat? We all love to eat. But how much of what we eat is really worth eating? How much is being over weight compromising your health? Fat kills. So does poor nutrition. Country kids used to eat constantly, but few were fat. The wild plums might be ready to eat, requiring a trip down the gravel road to where they grew. Everyone would gather and eat straight from the tree. Finally they would fill a bucket to take back to the kitchen. When blackberries came in they would pick them and get covered with chigger bites in the process. Eggs had to be gathered. Chickens were plucked before church on Sunday and fried after, often in lard. The garden had to be picked, and, yes everyone had a garden. You see the difference? Everyone worked really hard for the bounty of food. But the difference was that it was so fresh that few modern people have ever experienced the goodness. You won't find a truly good SC peach or GA pecan in most grocery stores. A good peach is too soft and sweet to be shipped. The ones you get from the grocery are a hard, truck-ripened variety that ships better, NOT the real thing. A lot of GA pecans are eaten right in GA, leaving the rest of us without their exquisite flavor. Any chicken that has yellow tinted skin IS NOT FRESH. The flavor will be off. Corn gathered from the garden twenty minutes before it's served is very different from what the grocer has. Do you like fish? Maybe you would if it was fresh. Farmed fish is a poor compromise. It's very likely that Mad Cow Disease is caused by animal based feed. Cows are supposed to eat grass. Some accountant thought it was a good idea to feed cows, COWS (!?). Dumb idea for the sake of profit. Additionally they're fed hormones for bigger, fatter cows. The hormones make us, you and I, fatter, too. Ever wonder why some young boys have breasts? Look to those hormones. Then there are the antibiotics. They cause more problems than they prevent. No organic farmer would do any of it. The kicker is that much of the food we consume is not only old and flavorless, it also lacks nutrients. Organic farmers in my area tell me that just six hours after a fruit or vegetable is picked 50% of the vitamins and dietary enzymes ARE GONE! If a food has been irradiated to kill germs, ALL vitamins and enzymes are gone. It will fill your belly, but that's the only benefit you'll get from it. Why bother? Each incident of travel, canning, freezing and cooking reduces nutrients in food. Even minerals leach out in cooking and canning. No wonder we have uncontrollable cravings! We really ARE STARVING! So how do you insure that you and your family gets good nutrition from food they eat? There are three effective strategies for good nutrition. 1. Grow some of your own food. A few herbs make an easy starting point and require little room and no fertilizer. They can grow on a sunny windowsill. Some, like chives can grow for years with an occasional period of dormancy. Other annuals like basil, need to be planted every few months to insure a dependable supply. These plants add both nutrients and incredible flavor to our diets. 2. Contact your local agricultural county extension office to find local organic farmers. Some will let you do your own picking. It's good exercise and a fun family activity. Each season of the year, even winter has special treats and flavors. Lettuce is a cool weather crop. Asparagus spears peek out in the spring. Tomatoes like summer heat. Root vegetables sweeten after frost. 3. Garden a little. It's good exercise, but the big payoff is the food. Start small and expand your interest and knowledge. The health benefits of better nutrition are incalculable. If you are not starving for nutrients, you will feel more satisfied with less food if it has good nutrition. Losing weight, alone, could give you a better quality of life and reduce your need for expensive medications. But the best part is great food!