DEAD FOOD, LIVE BODY?

[Guest guest]

Dead Food, Live Body?

 

by Pam Klebs

 

If the food industry really cared about feeding the planet's six

billion people, would it really force us to eat denatured, displaced

food from unnatural sources?

 

Global decisions regarding food supply are determined by quantity and

profit -- not quality and public health.

 

Multi-national, multi-billion dollar Agri-businesses and Bio-tech

corporations have all but taken over the production, processing,

delivery and marketing of our food supply.

 

TV commercials produced by agri/biobusiness giants such as Arthur

Daniels Midland and Monsanto portray themselves as benevolently

leading the world into a brave new world of chemically-induced plenty

for all. But the realities are much different.

 

Chemical-intensive farming methods used by agri/biobusiness have

destroyed our soil and polluted irrigation sources. Food grown in

these conditions may look good -- crops have been genetically

modified to produce beautiful fruit -- but no longer contain the

nutrient values that have kept humans healthy for millennia.

 

Small, family farmers should be listed as an endangered species as

their inability to compete with the scorched-earth farming practices

of agri-business is wiping them out.

 

Shopping is voting

 

Responsible farmers, using God-given techniques, prefer to be

called " stewards. " Stewards balance the soil and deliver us the

nutrient-dense, life-sustaining, organically grown foods that we all

need for optimal health. Conscientious consumers are demanding more

nutrition. There are too many fad-driven diets that do not translate

to better health. I have tried several of those diets (vegan, raw

food, macrobiotic etc.) and have found nothing more sound than the

nutritional advice of Sally Fallon and her cookbook " Nourishing

Traditions " as well as the advice given to us by her website

www.westonaprice.org.

 

The bottom line is we should be buying our food from people we know

and trust and who nurture their land and treat it with respect.

 

Shopping is voting. If we do not change our shopping habits we stand

to lose our farming heritage and the robust health it has

traditionally provided.

 

Agri-business (feedlots, processed food) and Bio-tech (GMO's) could

take over our entire food supply before we know it. Exercise your

vote in food democracy. Food choices are the sincerest form of

democracy. We can vote daily for what we eat. Other politically-

driven voting systems may only exist once a year, or once every four

years. I vote daily for " free-range " , " grass fed " , " hormone and anti-

biotic free " and " GMO-free " by purchasing from stewards whom I know

and trust.

 

What can the consumer do to increase the quality of our food supply?

In order to retain the heritage of our family farms, do what you can

to shift the awareness by implementing some of the following

approaches.

 

Politically, we need to stop bad decision-making at the township

level by promoting the growth of small, organic farms, dairies and

ranches. At the state level, we must prevent pro-agri-business bills

from passing by keeping a close eye on the legislature.

 

Ask the people from the food conglomerates if they would still

support Confinement Animal Feeding Operations if they were to live

downwind from turkey, chicken, pork, dairy and/or beef confinement

operations. I know turkey growers who raise turkeys in their own

inhumane confinement operations and refuse to eat these turkeys.

Instead, they raise free-range turkeys to feed their families.

 

Other than buying from the true stewards of the land, consumers can

do many other things to change supply and demand:

 

* Join Community Supported Agriculture

 

* Frequent farmers' markets

 

* Start your own organic, nutrient-dense gardens

 

* To find other resources, refer to:

 

www.westonaprice.org

 

www.westonaprice.org

 

To contact me, my email is healthmaps.

 

*** Note: There is a movement in this country that is growing very

fast. People are paying more attention to their food and are seeking

alternatives to genetically-modified, chemically treated and

fertilized, mechanically-processed, preserved and packaged corporate

food. The Weston A. Price Foundation, an unaffiliated network of

organic " stewards " , are quietly making wholesome food available to

those who seek them out. Go to www.westonaprice.org.

 

It is springtime again. If you have never planted a vegetable garden,

now is the time to learn how. Even if you live in an inner city, you

can grow quantities of good food in small spaces. Go to

www.johngivens.org and become a master at making the best of your

surroundings. (DWH)