Raw Tips
Raw Tips
Soy is NOT a Health Food
Soy has been touted as a health food for years now. Said to be a vegetarian source of protein and vitamin B12, people are now ingesting large amounts of soy daily in the form of soy milk, soy cheese and various meat substitutes. For those who love their soy, I have very bad news for you.
Let's take a very brief look at the origins of soy. Soy has been a part of Chinese culture for a few thousand years. It was originally used as a cover crop which was plowed under to enrich the soil between plantings of food crops; ie: it was a fertilizer and not grown as a consumable crop. Ingesting soy caused bloating, gas and other digestive stress so it was not considered a food until the Chinese began fermenting 2500 years ago. This began with something called, 'chiang' a soupier version of miso, which was used to preserve protein-rich animal foods. The Japanese were introduced to this around 552 AD and developed their own versions. Tofu is said to have been created by a Japanese alchemist and meditator who pureed cooked soybeans and mixed them with a form of sodium chloride found in seawater. Drained curds were formed into cakes, now known as tofu. The idea was to add a low cost protein to the diet of the monastics. Interestingly, with regular consumption of tofu over time, the monks noticed that unwelcome sexual behavior declined markedly. Tofu became a staple in monasteries as an aid to sexual abstinence. This is now explained by recent studies that show that the plant-form estrogens (phytoestrogens) mimic estrogen in the body and lower testosterone levels. This means lowered libido!
You will be most interested (and possibly enraged) to know that babies fed soy-based formulas have 13,000 to 22,000 more estrogen compounds in their bloodstream than babies fed milk. Soy formula delivers the estrogen equivilant of 5 birth control pills a day!! For our dear baby boys this is a disaster. Their bloodstream is filled with female hormones from soy that inhibit testosterone. This is linked to learning disabilites, attention deficit disorder and disrupted patterns in male growth. Note that the intake of phytoestrogens from soy, even in small amounts, will affect the developing fetus during pregnancy and have an effect on the timing of puberty.
Soy foods contain protease inhibitors that actually inhibit protein digestion. The idea that soy contains vitamin B12 and provides a complete source of protein for the body is patently false. The body cannot use the compound in soy that resembles B12. In fact, the opposite occurs and the body reacts by requiring more B12 which results in a B12 deficiency. In terms of soy being a complete protein, soy is actually deficient in some of the amino acids and modern processing methods denature soy foods even further. In fact, the processing of soy results in the formation of highly carcinogenic nitrosamines. MSG is also formed during the processing of soy. MSG is a potent neurotoxin and has deleterious effects on human beings. To compound this, MSG is then added to many processed soy foods to give additional flavor.
Protease inhibitors in soy are responsible for blocking our protein digesting enzymes from doing their job. This means the body has a heck of a time digesting the stuff. It also means that as soy foods are digested, they are also robbing us of vital minerals stored in the body as soy makes its way through the digestive tract. Assimilation of magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and copper is compromised. Anemia is a result of this along with immune system incompetence. Cooking, sprouting or steaming does not eliminate these trypsin or protease inhibitors altogether. The only effective way to make soy digestible and safe is through fermenting. Fermented soy foods include miso, tempeh, natto, soy sauce. Tofu is not a fermented food.
Even in small amounts, people are adversely affected by soy, particularly those who are already struggling with digestive disorders like low hydrochloric acid levels, bowel diseases, pancreatic insufficiency, etc. What is also troublesome here is that many of us are consuming soy protein along with soy or corn oils. This is a synergistic combination that leads to pancreatic disfunction and cancer in lab rats. This combination will initiate or fuel an already growing cancer.
Soy is a goitrogen. Goitrogens block the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Thyrod health affects the function of every cell in the body. Babies, children, and adolescents require healthy secretions of thyroid hormone for normal growth and development. How many people, young and old, do you know with thyroid issues? Thyroid disorders are epidemic and regular consumption of soy is a major contributor. Only 4 tablespoons of soy on a daily basis can lead to hypothyroidism. Goitrogens in soybeans are found in the plant hormones called 'isoflavones'. All the cooking, heating and processing in the world will not remove these isoflavones. Babies are particularly vulnerable to the estrogenic and goitrogenic effects.
According to Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, who wrote 'The Whole Soy Story':
"The United Kingdom's Committee on Toxicity, (COT), has identified specific populations who are at risk for soy-induced thyroid disease - infants on soy formula, vegans who use soy as their primary meat and dairy replacements, and men and women who are self-medicating with soy foods and/or isoflavone supplements in an attempt to prevent or reverse menopausal symptoms, cancer or high cholesterol. As early as 1980, British government researchers pointed out that soy-consuming vegans were at risk."
Isoflavones are notorious endocrine disruptors. They have been found to prevent ovulation and disrupt menstrual cycles. Soy foods also cause infertility in animals which translates to the potential to cause infertility in humans as well as promote breast cancer.
It's important to understand that in Asian countries, soy is used as a condiment and is mostly fermented. Where tofu is consumed, it is consumed in small amounts and is not processed into the myriad of soy foods we see on the supermarket shelves here in our country. Also, bear in mind that the soy they are consuming in Asia is not genetically modified. Very important point here to consider. Almost 90% of the soy grown in the United States is genetically modified. To explain the ravages and dangers of gm foods requires another article. Suffice to say, there are dangers yet to be discovered (or revealed) and those that are already known regarding genetically modified foods. We do not want to be consuming gm foods under any circumstances. This means reading all ingredients and eliminating all soy foods and foods with soy as a component of the ingredients.
The soy industry is very large and very powerful to the tune of several billion dollars annually. You can be assured that the many studies declaring soy as a health food are actually funded by the industry itself. It is up to us to research and educate ourselves and use our common sense. Always look back to what has sustained people for centuries. What were people eating 100 years ago when the majority of doctors retired without ever seeing a case of heart disease? How were they preparing their food? What foods were nonexistant at that time? Processed soy has only been around for 50 years or so and in that time our health and the health of our children has decreased markedly. I encourage you to toss this toxic substance from your kitchens. Dump out your soy lattes and start researching on your own. Knowledge is power and health and well-being, our birthright.
Sources:
www.westonaprice.org
'The Whole Soy Story' by Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
'The Hidden Dangers of Soy' by Dianne Gregg
Let's take a very brief look at the origins of soy. Soy has been a part of Chinese culture for a few thousand years. It was originally used as a cover crop which was plowed under to enrich the soil between plantings of food crops; ie: it was a fertilizer and not grown as a consumable crop. Ingesting soy caused bloating, gas and other digestive stress so it was not considered a food until the Chinese began fermenting 2500 years ago. This began with something called, 'chiang' a soupier version of miso, which was used to preserve protein-rich animal foods. The Japanese were introduced to this around 552 AD and developed their own versions. Tofu is said to have been created by a Japanese alchemist and meditator who pureed cooked soybeans and mixed them with a form of sodium chloride found in seawater. Drained curds were formed into cakes, now known as tofu. The idea was to add a low cost protein to the diet of the monastics. Interestingly, with regular consumption of tofu over time, the monks noticed that unwelcome sexual behavior declined markedly. Tofu became a staple in monasteries as an aid to sexual abstinence. This is now explained by recent studies that show that the plant-form estrogens (phytoestrogens) mimic estrogen in the body and lower testosterone levels. This means lowered libido!
You will be most interested (and possibly enraged) to know that babies fed soy-based formulas have 13,000 to 22,000 more estrogen compounds in their bloodstream than babies fed milk. Soy formula delivers the estrogen equivilant of 5 birth control pills a day!! For our dear baby boys this is a disaster. Their bloodstream is filled with female hormones from soy that inhibit testosterone. This is linked to learning disabilites, attention deficit disorder and disrupted patterns in male growth. Note that the intake of phytoestrogens from soy, even in small amounts, will affect the developing fetus during pregnancy and have an effect on the timing of puberty.
Soy foods contain protease inhibitors that actually inhibit protein digestion. The idea that soy contains vitamin B12 and provides a complete source of protein for the body is patently false. The body cannot use the compound in soy that resembles B12. In fact, the opposite occurs and the body reacts by requiring more B12 which results in a B12 deficiency. In terms of soy being a complete protein, soy is actually deficient in some of the amino acids and modern processing methods denature soy foods even further. In fact, the processing of soy results in the formation of highly carcinogenic nitrosamines. MSG is also formed during the processing of soy. MSG is a potent neurotoxin and has deleterious effects on human beings. To compound this, MSG is then added to many processed soy foods to give additional flavor.
Protease inhibitors in soy are responsible for blocking our protein digesting enzymes from doing their job. This means the body has a heck of a time digesting the stuff. It also means that as soy foods are digested, they are also robbing us of vital minerals stored in the body as soy makes its way through the digestive tract. Assimilation of magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and copper is compromised. Anemia is a result of this along with immune system incompetence. Cooking, sprouting or steaming does not eliminate these trypsin or protease inhibitors altogether. The only effective way to make soy digestible and safe is through fermenting. Fermented soy foods include miso, tempeh, natto, soy sauce. Tofu is not a fermented food.
Even in small amounts, people are adversely affected by soy, particularly those who are already struggling with digestive disorders like low hydrochloric acid levels, bowel diseases, pancreatic insufficiency, etc. What is also troublesome here is that many of us are consuming soy protein along with soy or corn oils. This is a synergistic combination that leads to pancreatic disfunction and cancer in lab rats. This combination will initiate or fuel an already growing cancer.
Soy is a goitrogen. Goitrogens block the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Thyrod health affects the function of every cell in the body. Babies, children, and adolescents require healthy secretions of thyroid hormone for normal growth and development. How many people, young and old, do you know with thyroid issues? Thyroid disorders are epidemic and regular consumption of soy is a major contributor. Only 4 tablespoons of soy on a daily basis can lead to hypothyroidism. Goitrogens in soybeans are found in the plant hormones called 'isoflavones'. All the cooking, heating and processing in the world will not remove these isoflavones. Babies are particularly vulnerable to the estrogenic and goitrogenic effects.
According to Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, who wrote 'The Whole Soy Story':
"The United Kingdom's Committee on Toxicity, (COT), has identified specific populations who are at risk for soy-induced thyroid disease - infants on soy formula, vegans who use soy as their primary meat and dairy replacements, and men and women who are self-medicating with soy foods and/or isoflavone supplements in an attempt to prevent or reverse menopausal symptoms, cancer or high cholesterol. As early as 1980, British government researchers pointed out that soy-consuming vegans were at risk."
Isoflavones are notorious endocrine disruptors. They have been found to prevent ovulation and disrupt menstrual cycles. Soy foods also cause infertility in animals which translates to the potential to cause infertility in humans as well as promote breast cancer.
It's important to understand that in Asian countries, soy is used as a condiment and is mostly fermented. Where tofu is consumed, it is consumed in small amounts and is not processed into the myriad of soy foods we see on the supermarket shelves here in our country. Also, bear in mind that the soy they are consuming in Asia is not genetically modified. Very important point here to consider. Almost 90% of the soy grown in the United States is genetically modified. To explain the ravages and dangers of gm foods requires another article. Suffice to say, there are dangers yet to be discovered (or revealed) and those that are already known regarding genetically modified foods. We do not want to be consuming gm foods under any circumstances. This means reading all ingredients and eliminating all soy foods and foods with soy as a component of the ingredients.
The soy industry is very large and very powerful to the tune of several billion dollars annually. You can be assured that the many studies declaring soy as a health food are actually funded by the industry itself. It is up to us to research and educate ourselves and use our common sense. Always look back to what has sustained people for centuries. What were people eating 100 years ago when the majority of doctors retired without ever seeing a case of heart disease? How were they preparing their food? What foods were nonexistant at that time? Processed soy has only been around for 50 years or so and in that time our health and the health of our children has decreased markedly. I encourage you to toss this toxic substance from your kitchens. Dump out your soy lattes and start researching on your own. Knowledge is power and health and well-being, our birthright.
Sources:
www.westonaprice.org
'The Whole Soy Story' by Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
'The Hidden Dangers of Soy' by Dianne Gregg
From Omnivore to Raw Vegan to Conscious Omnivore
This has been a most illuminating year for me. I recently completed a nutrition course through NTA, the Nutritional Therapy Association. The program is based on the teachings of a nutritional researcher from the early 20th century who was way ahead of his time. His name was Dr. Weston Price and he was a dentist who grew up on a farm in Canada before coming to the U.S. to practice dentistry in the 20's.
Dr. Price was amazed at the number of dental carries he found in both adults and children and determined to find the cause. In the 30's he set out to travel the world in search of healthy native cultures that were untouched by the west, to study their diets in relation to the health of their teeth. The teeth are the windows to the bones and much is revealed when looking into the mouth. Dr. Price travelled to Switzerland where he studied people in sequestered villages. He also visited the Maori in New Zealand, various African tribes, the Gaelic communities in the Outer Hebrides and various indigenous cultures in both North and South America. His findings were stunning.
None of these people had ever seen a western doctor, much less a dentist, and yet they were incredibly healthy, fit, vital and disease resistant. Their jaws were perfectly formed to accomodate all of their teeth and needless to say, not a single cavity was found. When Dr. Price studied their diets, he discovered that in comparison to the Americans of his time, these cultures ingested at least four times the water-soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, from animal sources like butter, fish, eggs, organ meats and animal fats. The very foods we are told today that create deleterious health. What was particularly eye-opening was that as soon as these healthy cultures were exposed to the western diet, their health deteriorated markedly and was immediately noticeable in the next generation of children who exhibited crowded teeth, dental carries and many of the health ailments that are so prevelant in our society today. It is interesting to note that in our country, doctors at the turn of the century regularly retired without ever seeing a case of heart disease or cancer, much less diabetes. People at this time were consuming animal protein and cooking with quantities of lard and butter. Vegetable oils and low-fat milk were unheard of. The 20th century changed all of that. Hmmm. Makes you want to rethink much of what we've been taught.
One of the things Dr. Price set out to find was a truly healthy vegetarian culture. He was disappointed that he never found one. All of the cultures he studied consumed native foods that included some form of animal protein. All cultures practiced fermentation of some kind which included dairy as well as fish and vegetables. He discovered that people were bio-individual - what worked for the Eskimo - whale blubber, seal meat, fish and plants (for a very short time of the year), would not work for someone from Polynesia, who's diet would consist of lots of fresh fruits and fish. This is helpful information when we consider our own backgrounds to determine what foods would be most agreeable to our bodies. Price realized that there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to diet. What was apparent across the board however, was the fact that every person requires a diet of nutrient-dense, whole foods that are properly prepared. No one is immune to the terrible consequences of our SAD diet of processed foods, refined sugar and flour and demineralized plants. Just look at how many diseases that were once the domain of the middle aged and elderly are now aflicting teenagers and young children.
Having been a raw vegan for almost a year, I was fascinated by what Iwas now learning. When I first became raw I began to research the truth behind pasteurized milk. I was so disgusted I took both my daughters (6 and 9yrs)off pasteurized milk. I replaced it with fresh almond milk that I made each morning. One thing I had never heard of until taking this class, was raw milk from grass-fed cows. There is a big difference.
Pasteurized milk is devoid of enzymes, low in vitamins and completely devoid of the vitamins C, B12 and B6. Beneficial bacteria is missing and pathogens are now active in the milk that are associated with allergies, exzema, ear infection, colic in infants, osteoporosis, arthritis and heart disease. So much for milk that 'does a body good'. Because beneficial enzymes are missing, the enzyme lactase which digests up to 40% of the lactose in milk, is gone altogether and this is why so many people have difficulty digesting milk.
Raw milk on the other hand has all the enzymes and beneficial bacteria intact. People who struggle with pasteurized milk and have to give it up are surprised to find they can digest the raw milk with ease. Raw milk contains folic acid, so vital for pregnant women. Raw milk also contains a cortisonelike agent which combats arthritis, arteriosclerosis and cataracts. Raw butter, by the way, contains myristoleic acid, which helps prevent pancreatic cancer and arthritis. Pasteurization destroys all of these beneficial components.
To quote Nina Planck, who wrote, 'Real Food, What to Eat and Why', "Is raw milk safe? Like vegetables or meat, milk can be contaminated with pathogens, but raw milk is not inherently more susceptable than pasteurized milk or any other food. Clean raw milk from a healthy cow, carefully handled by a conscientious farmer, is safe. Hygeine starts in the dairy. Crowded, poorly fed, and weak herds are more susceptable to disease. As we've seen, the cow's ideal habitat is outdoors and her best diet is grass."
Not only did I bring raw milk into my life and the bodies of my daughters, I also started making my own kefir with grains that originated from the birthplace of kefir, the Cacaucus region of Russia. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is brimming with enzymes and healthy bacteria that our starved guts need desperately in order to colonize healthy flora. I must admit, the taste of plain kefir is much too sour for me, but every morning I make a kefir smoothie for myself and my girls and it is just delicious. We also consume beautiful raw butter and cream that I order from www.organicpastures.com . I will never go back to pasteurized dairy. I feel so blessed to have this information and especially grateful that I can shower my daughters with this incredible nourishment.
My class also taught me about the incredible healing powers of bone broth, chicken broth and fish broth. Many of our grandmothers and great grandmothers had this down. We've all heard how healing chicken broth is. It is referred to as Jewish penicillin. People of yesterday used every bit of the animal they had and creating a broth was the way to concentrate minerals that would be easily absorbed by the body. The healing benefits of broth are legendary. I use bones from grass-fed, pastured cows that I purchase from a local farm. My girls and I consume broth every single day.
Fortunately, my identity as a raw vegan was not so tightly packaged into a box that I closed myself to this information. I love to research and I trust my intuition implicitly. Weston Price's discoveries made perfect sense to me and I resolved to open my mind and my heart and experiment with this new approach to eating. My primary purpose as a parent is to raise healthy, loved children who will grow up to experience vibrance and happiness. The garbage I see parents feeding their kids is profoundly upsetting and it made me think of one of Dr. Price's important observations. He noted that native cultures paid particular attention to the foods they fed their children as well as young couples about to conceive and their pregnant women. Children, those about to conceive and pregnant women require the absolute best possible food for the most nutritional bang. You are what you eat and if your body is growing and developing or if you are growing a baby, it really counts as to what you feed yourself.
The other addition to my diet now is pastured eggs and grass-fed beef. There is a big difference between beef from grass-fed cows compared to that from grain-fed animals. First of all, cows are ruminants and they are designed to eat grass. They were never designed to consume grains and God knows mother nature certainly never intended for them to eat chicken manure, pesticide laden, genetically modified soy meal, bovine growth hormone and antibiotics. Grass-fed beef contains omega 3 which disappears entirely when you feed grains to a cow. Feeding grains to the cows also changes the pH of their stomach which makes them more conducive to harboring e-coli. Not to mention the fact that grains make the animal sick.
I buy my meat from Skagit River Ranch in Sedro Woolley, WA. I know the farmers and I have visited their farm. They treat their animals humanely and with reverence. I thought this attitude had long disappeared from farming but there are now a number of small farms cropping up across the country that are run by people with integrity and respect for animals and the laws of nature. Here is the website for Skagit Ranch:
http://www.skagitriverranch.com/ See for yourself what these farmers are up to. It is very exciting to see this wave of awareness beginning to grow. One thing you will find is that these farmers are more than delighted to show you around. You will not be chased away like one of my teachers who tried to photograph conventionally farmed cows that were knee deep in muck. She was actually on her way to visit Organic Pastures in Fresno, CA which is owned by Mark McAfee, who is setting the standards for raw dairy from pastured, grass-fed cows. In sharp contrast to the depressing landscapes of muddy, penned in cows, Mark's dairy is all rolling hills and green grass dotted with cows that are actually milked in the pasture rather than manure-filled pens. His dairy is sparkling clean and according to my teacher, the energy there is just fantastic. For more information about where to purchase grass-fed beef and true, free-range chicken, check out www.eatwild.com
I would say that I am now feeding my girls and myself food that is as close the farm as possible. We have our own vegetable garden and my daughters and I gather fresh vegetables and berries in season. We also are blessed to have an orchard and there is nothing so delightful as picking a ripe piece of fruit right off the tree. We now have chickens for fresh eggs and as mentioned, I purchase my meat directly from the farmer. I feel like I have been gifted with long lost 'grandmother wisdom' as I experiment with different fermented vegetable concoctions and brew rich smelling bone broths for 2 days on my stove. My little family is benefitting from the combination of luscious, raw fruits and vegetables, and the most potent, nutrient-dense traditional foods. Life is sweet indeed and I feel so blessed that I can shower my body and my beautiful daughter's bodies with this incredible bounty. It is my intention to teach and inspire others to open to this bounty of health-giving wisdom.
In gratitude, Shonagh Home June, 2008
Dr. Price was amazed at the number of dental carries he found in both adults and children and determined to find the cause. In the 30's he set out to travel the world in search of healthy native cultures that were untouched by the west, to study their diets in relation to the health of their teeth. The teeth are the windows to the bones and much is revealed when looking into the mouth. Dr. Price travelled to Switzerland where he studied people in sequestered villages. He also visited the Maori in New Zealand, various African tribes, the Gaelic communities in the Outer Hebrides and various indigenous cultures in both North and South America. His findings were stunning.
None of these people had ever seen a western doctor, much less a dentist, and yet they were incredibly healthy, fit, vital and disease resistant. Their jaws were perfectly formed to accomodate all of their teeth and needless to say, not a single cavity was found. When Dr. Price studied their diets, he discovered that in comparison to the Americans of his time, these cultures ingested at least four times the water-soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, from animal sources like butter, fish, eggs, organ meats and animal fats. The very foods we are told today that create deleterious health. What was particularly eye-opening was that as soon as these healthy cultures were exposed to the western diet, their health deteriorated markedly and was immediately noticeable in the next generation of children who exhibited crowded teeth, dental carries and many of the health ailments that are so prevelant in our society today. It is interesting to note that in our country, doctors at the turn of the century regularly retired without ever seeing a case of heart disease or cancer, much less diabetes. People at this time were consuming animal protein and cooking with quantities of lard and butter. Vegetable oils and low-fat milk were unheard of. The 20th century changed all of that. Hmmm. Makes you want to rethink much of what we've been taught.
One of the things Dr. Price set out to find was a truly healthy vegetarian culture. He was disappointed that he never found one. All of the cultures he studied consumed native foods that included some form of animal protein. All cultures practiced fermentation of some kind which included dairy as well as fish and vegetables. He discovered that people were bio-individual - what worked for the Eskimo - whale blubber, seal meat, fish and plants (for a very short time of the year), would not work for someone from Polynesia, who's diet would consist of lots of fresh fruits and fish. This is helpful information when we consider our own backgrounds to determine what foods would be most agreeable to our bodies. Price realized that there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to diet. What was apparent across the board however, was the fact that every person requires a diet of nutrient-dense, whole foods that are properly prepared. No one is immune to the terrible consequences of our SAD diet of processed foods, refined sugar and flour and demineralized plants. Just look at how many diseases that were once the domain of the middle aged and elderly are now aflicting teenagers and young children.
Having been a raw vegan for almost a year, I was fascinated by what Iwas now learning. When I first became raw I began to research the truth behind pasteurized milk. I was so disgusted I took both my daughters (6 and 9yrs)off pasteurized milk. I replaced it with fresh almond milk that I made each morning. One thing I had never heard of until taking this class, was raw milk from grass-fed cows. There is a big difference.
Pasteurized milk is devoid of enzymes, low in vitamins and completely devoid of the vitamins C, B12 and B6. Beneficial bacteria is missing and pathogens are now active in the milk that are associated with allergies, exzema, ear infection, colic in infants, osteoporosis, arthritis and heart disease. So much for milk that 'does a body good'. Because beneficial enzymes are missing, the enzyme lactase which digests up to 40% of the lactose in milk, is gone altogether and this is why so many people have difficulty digesting milk.
Raw milk on the other hand has all the enzymes and beneficial bacteria intact. People who struggle with pasteurized milk and have to give it up are surprised to find they can digest the raw milk with ease. Raw milk contains folic acid, so vital for pregnant women. Raw milk also contains a cortisonelike agent which combats arthritis, arteriosclerosis and cataracts. Raw butter, by the way, contains myristoleic acid, which helps prevent pancreatic cancer and arthritis. Pasteurization destroys all of these beneficial components.
To quote Nina Planck, who wrote, 'Real Food, What to Eat and Why', "Is raw milk safe? Like vegetables or meat, milk can be contaminated with pathogens, but raw milk is not inherently more susceptable than pasteurized milk or any other food. Clean raw milk from a healthy cow, carefully handled by a conscientious farmer, is safe. Hygeine starts in the dairy. Crowded, poorly fed, and weak herds are more susceptable to disease. As we've seen, the cow's ideal habitat is outdoors and her best diet is grass."
Not only did I bring raw milk into my life and the bodies of my daughters, I also started making my own kefir with grains that originated from the birthplace of kefir, the Cacaucus region of Russia. Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is brimming with enzymes and healthy bacteria that our starved guts need desperately in order to colonize healthy flora. I must admit, the taste of plain kefir is much too sour for me, but every morning I make a kefir smoothie for myself and my girls and it is just delicious. We also consume beautiful raw butter and cream that I order from www.organicpastures.com . I will never go back to pasteurized dairy. I feel so blessed to have this information and especially grateful that I can shower my daughters with this incredible nourishment.
My class also taught me about the incredible healing powers of bone broth, chicken broth and fish broth. Many of our grandmothers and great grandmothers had this down. We've all heard how healing chicken broth is. It is referred to as Jewish penicillin. People of yesterday used every bit of the animal they had and creating a broth was the way to concentrate minerals that would be easily absorbed by the body. The healing benefits of broth are legendary. I use bones from grass-fed, pastured cows that I purchase from a local farm. My girls and I consume broth every single day.
Fortunately, my identity as a raw vegan was not so tightly packaged into a box that I closed myself to this information. I love to research and I trust my intuition implicitly. Weston Price's discoveries made perfect sense to me and I resolved to open my mind and my heart and experiment with this new approach to eating. My primary purpose as a parent is to raise healthy, loved children who will grow up to experience vibrance and happiness. The garbage I see parents feeding their kids is profoundly upsetting and it made me think of one of Dr. Price's important observations. He noted that native cultures paid particular attention to the foods they fed their children as well as young couples about to conceive and their pregnant women. Children, those about to conceive and pregnant women require the absolute best possible food for the most nutritional bang. You are what you eat and if your body is growing and developing or if you are growing a baby, it really counts as to what you feed yourself.
The other addition to my diet now is pastured eggs and grass-fed beef. There is a big difference between beef from grass-fed cows compared to that from grain-fed animals. First of all, cows are ruminants and they are designed to eat grass. They were never designed to consume grains and God knows mother nature certainly never intended for them to eat chicken manure, pesticide laden, genetically modified soy meal, bovine growth hormone and antibiotics. Grass-fed beef contains omega 3 which disappears entirely when you feed grains to a cow. Feeding grains to the cows also changes the pH of their stomach which makes them more conducive to harboring e-coli. Not to mention the fact that grains make the animal sick.
I buy my meat from Skagit River Ranch in Sedro Woolley, WA. I know the farmers and I have visited their farm. They treat their animals humanely and with reverence. I thought this attitude had long disappeared from farming but there are now a number of small farms cropping up across the country that are run by people with integrity and respect for animals and the laws of nature. Here is the website for Skagit Ranch:
http://www.skagitriverranch.com/ See for yourself what these farmers are up to. It is very exciting to see this wave of awareness beginning to grow. One thing you will find is that these farmers are more than delighted to show you around. You will not be chased away like one of my teachers who tried to photograph conventionally farmed cows that were knee deep in muck. She was actually on her way to visit Organic Pastures in Fresno, CA which is owned by Mark McAfee, who is setting the standards for raw dairy from pastured, grass-fed cows. In sharp contrast to the depressing landscapes of muddy, penned in cows, Mark's dairy is all rolling hills and green grass dotted with cows that are actually milked in the pasture rather than manure-filled pens. His dairy is sparkling clean and according to my teacher, the energy there is just fantastic. For more information about where to purchase grass-fed beef and true, free-range chicken, check out www.eatwild.com
I would say that I am now feeding my girls and myself food that is as close the farm as possible. We have our own vegetable garden and my daughters and I gather fresh vegetables and berries in season. We also are blessed to have an orchard and there is nothing so delightful as picking a ripe piece of fruit right off the tree. We now have chickens for fresh eggs and as mentioned, I purchase my meat directly from the farmer. I feel like I have been gifted with long lost 'grandmother wisdom' as I experiment with different fermented vegetable concoctions and brew rich smelling bone broths for 2 days on my stove. My little family is benefitting from the combination of luscious, raw fruits and vegetables, and the most potent, nutrient-dense traditional foods. Life is sweet indeed and I feel so blessed that I can shower my body and my beautiful daughter's bodies with this incredible bounty. It is my intention to teach and inspire others to open to this bounty of health-giving wisdom.
In gratitude, Shonagh Home June, 2008
I Can't Live Without THAT!
I hear this often from people both ill and healthy. It amazes me that there are people out there who really do not want to hear about cell-damaging ingredients or conditions in slaughterhouses or how a certain food is made but THEY’LL EAT IT.
So, I’ve asked myself, who does this voice belong to? This voice that says, ‘I can’t give THAT up!’ Even when the individual knows the substance is harming them.
We are made up of many selves. I can assure you that when two people go to bed, there are actually several people in that bed with them. Bringing these other parts of ourselves into consciousness is the first step to self-awareness and transformation.
The voice that will not give up its favorite food - no matter what - is that of the child. This is a nation of children, actually. People who don’t want to take responsibility for how they treat their bodies and then go running to their doctor, who takes the place of ‘father’ or ‘mother’ and beg for help. They then give their power over completely to this doctor and the cycle of physical deterioration accelerates. These are the people who feel like ‘victims’.
I think it’s important to acknowledge the child inside and at the same time, announce that it is time for the wise woman/man to take over now. After all, you are what? In your thirties? Forties? Fifties? Older?
I have had a sugar addiction my whole life. I understood that by choosing to eat a raw, vegetarian diet, I was going to have to give that up completely. My inner child was not happy about that but rather than deprive it altogether, I sought out raw dessert recipes that would satisfy that childhood love of sweets without the detrimental effects of refined sugar intake. Now, one year later, I do not crave sweets at all and find the taste of pure, raw cacao, with no sweetener at all, just delicious. This is a miracle, believe me.
The point here is that you can appease that child in you by moving into your older, wiser self and making this fun and satisfying at the same time. I have one client who just loves diet soda. She drinks it daily despite her knowledge that diet soda contains aspartame which is a dangerous neurotoxin that never should have been approved by the FDA. Any kind of soda is deleterious to our body over time and should not be consumed under any circumstances. Nevertheless, people love it despite this fact and they are very much addicted to the stuff.
Well, there is a great drink on the market now called, Kombucha. It’s carbonated like soda, but unlike soda, Kombucha is very healthy for you. Its carbonation comes from fermentation which actually results in a beneficial probiotic drink that nourishes the digestive tract. It comes in lots of yummy flavors and one can definitely wean oneself from soda and quickly grow to love the Kombucha. My client at first complained of the higher cost of Kombucha but she has grown to love it and at the same time, regard it as something to drink and truly enjoy, rather than something to toss back throughout the day, one six-pack at a time.
It’s important to train ourselves to bring these truly nourishing foods into our lives on a daily basis and really appreciate them. Believe me, if I am paying more for something because I know it is really good for my body I am going to have a totally different attitude about that food. First of all, I am worth it. I deserve it. The fact is, if we don’t pay now, we pay later. Ask anyone who is on a ton of medications what they’re spending per month and you will be just blown away. There is no need for that if you truly honor and take care of your body.
It begins with that child within. The child who wants what it wants when it wants it and hang the consequences. We don’t have to feel like we have to punish/hate/deprive that inner child. It just wants to be acknowledged. And at that same time, it needs to know its place. As adults, it is in our best interest to come into the ‘wise elder’. We will benefit on every level. The wise elder makes decisions that come from mature, inner counsel. The wise elder also possesses a sense of humor and fun which is why it understands that it is not prudent to ‘kill’ this child through deprivation and self-hatred. This only exacerbates the problem. Rather, as I discussed earlier, we acknowledge the underlying needs of our inner child and make a decision that is a healthy, healing compromise.
There is a healthy alternative to everything. Of course, it isn’t necessarily going to taste like a McDonalds burger or an Oreo cookie. Our wise adult selves know this and we just make simple changes, one day at a time, and know that there will be a period of adjusting to the new way. I can assure you that once you begin experimenting with the miriad of raw food recipes, you will be amazed at how delicious whole, pure food really is. The wise elder keeps our focus on the honoring of our beautiful bodies and souls. Bodies and souls that were not designed to be insulted and abused by the horrific food that is so prevalent in this society today.
To your radiant health!
'Nourishing as opposed to 'Eating'
Monday, September 17th, 2009
I have been thinking about the concept of shifting one’s mindset to that of wanting to ‘nourish’ instead of ‘eat’. This takes on a whole different thought process. Instead of asking ourselves, ‘What can I eat right now?’ we can ask, ‘How can I nourish my body now?’ This creates an awareness that we are seeking ‘sustenance’ rather than simply whatever is in the fridge.
‘Eating’ connotes an immediate gratification of taste and sensation. Little thought goes into eating for most of us. We ‘grab’ a bite to eat. We ‘scarf’ down a meal. That’s fine but if we endeavor to shift our paradigm to a more honoring way of feeding our bodies, it helps to change our thinking in these terms. So ‘nourishing’ calls us to become conscious of what will best serve our sacred vessel, our temple. It is a way of saying to our bodies, ‘I love you. I am taking care of you.’
As I explore the raw food possibilities more deeply everyday, I become more and more connected to the food I consume. I take more time to consider what I’m going to put in my body and how it’s going to benefit me. I get excited when I read about the healing properties of aloe vera or dandelion greens. Reading everything I can about herbs and then incorporating them into recipes becomes a culinary adventure. I enjoy planning what foods I’m going to prepare. I pour over recipe books and when I prepare food now I prepare it with intention.
For myself, preparing food with intention means connecting to the spirit of the plants. I send love, Reiki, blessings and gratitude into the food. I ask that every cell in my body be filled with joy, light and nourishment. I take time to just ‘be’ with the food rather than inhaling it because I happen to feel hunger. This is a very different approach compared to where I was at a year ago. Knowing that I want to ‘nourish’ rather than simply ‘eat’ opens doors of vast healing and health potentials for my body.
Right now I am on day 5 of a fresh grape juice fast. The first couple of days were difficult as I was feeling very edgy. I truly enjoy food and giving it up to fast is not easy for me. However, it is this thought of ‘nourishing’ that gets me through those difficult periods because I know my body is cleansing and receiving nourishment from the grapes. Grapes are very effective at cleaning the lymph system and they’re excellent tumor busters according to Robert Morse, ND, author of ‘The Detox Miracle Sourcebook’. A fast is an excellent way for the body to take a break from the digestion process and clean out toxins.
When I go back to solid foods I go back with the approach of putting the best food possible into my body. My thought is, ‘How best can I serve this sacred temple? And let’s make it delicious and beautiful and incredibly healthy.’ As a result of this way of thinking, I feel a tremendous gratitude and appreciation for my body. Our bodies put up with so much and yet the ability for the body to heal itself when given the right food and unconditional love is just amazing.
To quote from a wonderful book:
'Preparing the food of nourishment is a gift to God, a gift to our authentic being. We send a message of honor and love to our vessel for supporting us. We bless our food before ingesting it and bring the energy of gratitude to every meal.
The body is your servant, not your master. By properly nourishing the vessel, the synergistic relationship between body and soul can flourish. An essential harmony returns and disease, discomfort and dysfunction leave the vessel. As our vitality and joy increase, we find deep appreciation for learning the difference between nourishing and eating.’
Sending you all radiance!
Namaste,
~Shonagh