HOLY MOLY. Talk about some serious blogging neglect. I suppose I go in phases with this thing. Well, good news- I am emerging from the winter darkness and have TONS of topics to blog about, so I will begin chipping away at them as best I can. The first thing I want to share with you is this PROFOUND video from this year's TED Conference. It is Jamie Oliver (who is apparently a famous chef) talking about the importance of teaching our children about food. Check it out:
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Vote to Change the System, Part 2: CHICKEN
This post is Part Two of a series of posts that summarize what is going on in our industrial food system as inspired by the movie Food, Inc.
Do you like chicken? Do you know where the chicken you eat comes from? How it is raised? What it is fed? If not, you might want to start paying more attention.
Now, this is a good looking chicken!
Similar to the beef industry, only a handful of companies control the chicken industry. Two big names may sound familiar: Tyson and Purdue. After the near death of the tobacco industry in the south, the chicken growers moved in. Farmers who previously grew tobacco started to sign contracts with mega chicken production companies thinking they would be able to make a good living, and the chicken equivalent of beef production began. These farmers are not farmers anymore, they are "growers", and no longer are they in charge of their own businesses. They sign on with the big guns and have to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into chicken houses without any windows or light, into which they cram thousands of chickens. These chickens are fed low quality grain feed that is laced with antibiotics to "protect" them from the immenent infections they will contract in such filthy and cramped living conditions. They are raised and slaughtered in half the time (48 days) they were in the 1950's and they are twice as big. Their breasts are genetically modified to be bigger because that's what people *think* they want to eat. The chickens are so oversized and their muscle and fat mass grow so fast that their bones and internal organs cannot keep up; they fall down after trying to take a few steps, they can't breath, and many cannot fight off infection, even with the antibiotic flavoring in their food. Every day the growers have to go into the chicken houses and pick up the dead ones. The sick ones who aren't quite dead come slaughter time end up in the poultry section of your supermarket, and eventually on your dinner plate. The goal of companies like Tyson is to produce a large amount of food, on a small amount of land, for affordable prices. I suppose "affordable" depends on the context. If one can "afford" to make oneself sick by eating cheap food, then yes, it is quite affordable. One grower, Carole Morison, shared her story in Food, Inc. She was contracted under Purdue and decided that she had to speak out because what these companies are doing is not right. The companies force the growers to make expensive upgrades for which they have to take out more and more loans, putting them farther and farther into debt and keeping the growers right where the companies want them, under their thumbs. Carole had the "old-fashioned" chicken houses that had windows; her contract was terminated when she refused to convert to the dark tunnel-ventilated houses. On top of the mountain of debt she accrued, she also developed a resistance to all antibiotics from inhaling them for so many years. A typical grower is $500,000 in debt and makes only $18,000 a year. How is this a good living?
Many of these companies, including the leading pork producer with the largest slaughterhouse IN THE WORLD: Smithfield, treat their workers as badly as they do the animals. Smithfield has to recruit people from the outlying areas because they've already burned through the people who live in town. They target very low-income areas and also hire immigrant workers whom they can take advantage of. They hire people who can't afford to leave and they recruit workers from Mexico who lost their jobs and businesses because of the corn industry in the U.S. The government turned a blind eye to this practice because it was cheap labor, but suddenly with the current anti-immigrant movement, they are cracking down- but not on the companies of course- on the workers. Eduardo Pena, a Union Organizer for the Smithfield employees says, "These people have been here for ten, fifteen years processing your bacon, your holiday ham, and now they are being picked up like they're criminals- and these companies are making billions of dollars". Our food system is not about food anymore, it's about money.
Okay, so with all of this negative information about the industrial food chain, I'll end this post with a video of Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms. He embodies what REAL farming is. He raises his plants and animals with respect and integrity. His entire farm is essentially self-sustaining, nature does what it is meant to do; cows eat and fertilize the grass, chickens run around and eat the bugs and worms, pigs get to plow through the mud under the oak trees. He realizes the connection between the health of the food we eat, our own health, and the health of the world. It's about respecting the natural cycle of where your food comes from instead of controlling it. "If we put glass walls on all the mega-processing facilities, we would have a different food system in this country," he says from his open air chicken processing station in his yard. I would love to have the opportunity to check out his farm in Virginia.
If you are in Oregon, I know of one farm who learned how to farm directly from Salatin, it's called Abundant Life Farm and they are located in Peacful Valley. I'm going to look into buying from them. Search farms in your area to find a good place to get your food!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vote to Change the System, Part 1: BEEF
Last weekend we watched one of the best movies ever. It was horrifying, empowering, and inspiring all at the same time. Food, Inc. Now, I know that it came out a while ago, and it might even be shocking that I have just now gotten around to seeing it, but I read The Omnivore's Dilemma last year and knew that this movie would cover a lot of the same information. This was true, but I am so glad that I saw it and I think it is a movie that EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE. For too long we have been in the dark as to how our food is grown, processed, and produced. We blindly eat what the government so kindly subsidizes for us in order to make it cheap, without knowing what, exactly, is in it. I'm not just talking about fast food either. We all know that fast food is one of the big contributors to our obesity, diabetes, and heart disease epidemics, but unfortunately the fast food industry is even dictating the quality of the food in the grocery store.
The food that most Americans eat today does not come from farms anymore. The pictures on the packaging have us believe that the milk comes from a quaint little farm in rural Pennsylvania where the cows roam free across the abundance of grass and clover and are happily milked by their loving farmer.. when in all actuality it is quite the opposite. Our food is coming from factories. No longer do the companies who produce our food treat our food with respect, therefore disrespecting the workers and and ultimately us as the consumers. It's not just about food either, it's about what we are allowed to know and talk about. You see, there are these laws called Food Libel Laws (also known as Veggie Libel Laws) that, in 13 U.S. states, make it very easy for food producers to sue their critics for libel (defamation). Remember back in the 1990's when Oprah was sued by a beef producer in Texas, after she heard about the conditions, for saying that she was scared to eat another burger? Well, luckily she is Oprah and she had enough money to hire the right lawyers and win, but the average person isn't able to do that. They will sue the average person. In fact, in Colorado, it is a considered FELONY to speak out against the industrial food industry. And what's worse, now there is the "Cheeseburger" bill (instated in 2005) that make it very hard for US to sue THEM. While I agree that people should be held accountable for what they do to their own bodies by their own freedom of choice (in other words, you shouldn't be able to sue McDonald's for making you fat), I do not believe that a law should protect the corporations who produce the poisonous food from any responsibility whatsoever. The bottom line is that people need to have available the correct information about their food and be provided with better health education. These massive industrial food mongers are in no way helping this to happen.
I am hopeful that the more people see movies like Food, Inc. and read books like Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma the more proactive we all will become with regards to what we are eating. Anyone in their right mind would make a change in their diet after hearing about and seeing where their food comes from. Take beef, for example: as the industry narrows down the amount of companies in charge of raising and processing the beef that is the most abundant in our food chain, the quality of the food along with the integrity of the companies quickly declines. In the 1970's the top five beef packing companies controlled about 25% of the market and there were thousands of slaughter houses all over the country, today the top four (Tyson, Cargill, Swift, and National Beef) control MORE THAN 80% of the market and there are only 13 slaughterhouses. In 1972 the Food and Drug Administration conducted 50,000 food safety inspections and in 2006 they conducted only 9,164. With this dramatic decrease in quality control and a subsequent decrease in quality, it's no wonder that we have had numerous outbreaks of E-coli 0157H7.
It all begins with how the cows are treated. The industry figured out the fastest and most profitable way to produce affordable meat for every American: cram as many cows into a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) as you can (this equates to miles upon miles of the most unsanitary conditions you can imagine) and feed them food that they are not meant to eat (corn) so that they can fatten up at an unnatural rate. Cows are herbivores, they are meant to eat grass and clover, not corn with ground up chicken or cow parts mixed in. Someone once said to me, "Cows will eat anything you put in front of them, how is corn unnatural?" my response is this- apparently humans will eat just about anything you put in front of them too, that doesn't mean it's good for them, in fact it will kill them just as feeding corn to cows will kill the cows! The only reason corn doesn't kill the cows (most of the time) is because they are pumped full of antibiotics to stave off infection until they are slaughtered just before the antibiotics stop working. If we let the cows live a bit longer, they would die from being sick. While in the CAFOs, your delicious hamburger meat is standing knee-deep in manure, it's own and that of the thousands of other cows that share the confined space. Their hides get coated in feces and then sent to processing where thousands of different cows and their poo find their way into your cheeseburger. Yum, E-coli. One partial solution to the whole E-coli thing would be to take the cows off of their unhealthy diet and feed them grass for five days; they are amazing creatures with powerful digestive systems, they would shed 80% of the E-coli bacteria in their stomachs. Instead of doing this (and keeping the cows clean) the beef industry decided to create another entirely unnatural solution: they add a "hamburger meat filler" that has been cleansed with AMMONIA to the meat in order to kill the harmful bacteria. This filler is in 70% of the hamburger meat in the U.S.
Once again, this isn't just fast food beef, it's the majority of the beef in the supermarket as well. Even if it has a different name on the package, remember- there are only four companies who control over 80% of the market. You see, the fast food industry controls how MOST of our food is produced, since they are the top buyers of it. McDonald's is the #1 beef purchaser in the U.S. and they want all of their hamburgers to taste the same therefore, all beef is produced with the same [super low] standards. McDonald's is also the #1 purchaser of potatoes and one of the largest purchasers of tomatoes, lettuce, and apples. Yikes. With such high demand for cheap food FAST, quality is a thing of the past.
We must speak out against this.
Step one is to KNOW WHERE YOUR BEEF COMES FROM.
Coming up next in Part 2: CHICKEN
The food that most Americans eat today does not come from farms anymore. The pictures on the packaging have us believe that the milk comes from a quaint little farm in rural Pennsylvania where the cows roam free across the abundance of grass and clover and are happily milked by their loving farmer.. when in all actuality it is quite the opposite. Our food is coming from factories. No longer do the companies who produce our food treat our food with respect, therefore disrespecting the workers and and ultimately us as the consumers. It's not just about food either, it's about what we are allowed to know and talk about. You see, there are these laws called Food Libel Laws (also known as Veggie Libel Laws) that, in 13 U.S. states, make it very easy for food producers to sue their critics for libel (defamation). Remember back in the 1990's when Oprah was sued by a beef producer in Texas, after she heard about the conditions, for saying that she was scared to eat another burger? Well, luckily she is Oprah and she had enough money to hire the right lawyers and win, but the average person isn't able to do that. They will sue the average person. In fact, in Colorado, it is a considered FELONY to speak out against the industrial food industry. And what's worse, now there is the "Cheeseburger" bill (instated in 2005) that make it very hard for US to sue THEM. While I agree that people should be held accountable for what they do to their own bodies by their own freedom of choice (in other words, you shouldn't be able to sue McDonald's for making you fat), I do not believe that a law should protect the corporations who produce the poisonous food from any responsibility whatsoever. The bottom line is that people need to have available the correct information about their food and be provided with better health education. These massive industrial food mongers are in no way helping this to happen.
I am hopeful that the more people see movies like Food, Inc. and read books like Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma the more proactive we all will become with regards to what we are eating. Anyone in their right mind would make a change in their diet after hearing about and seeing where their food comes from. Take beef, for example: as the industry narrows down the amount of companies in charge of raising and processing the beef that is the most abundant in our food chain, the quality of the food along with the integrity of the companies quickly declines. In the 1970's the top five beef packing companies controlled about 25% of the market and there were thousands of slaughter houses all over the country, today the top four (Tyson, Cargill, Swift, and National Beef) control MORE THAN 80% of the market and there are only 13 slaughterhouses. In 1972 the Food and Drug Administration conducted 50,000 food safety inspections and in 2006 they conducted only 9,164. With this dramatic decrease in quality control and a subsequent decrease in quality, it's no wonder that we have had numerous outbreaks of E-coli 0157H7.
It all begins with how the cows are treated. The industry figured out the fastest and most profitable way to produce affordable meat for every American: cram as many cows into a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) as you can (this equates to miles upon miles of the most unsanitary conditions you can imagine) and feed them food that they are not meant to eat (corn) so that they can fatten up at an unnatural rate. Cows are herbivores, they are meant to eat grass and clover, not corn with ground up chicken or cow parts mixed in. Someone once said to me, "Cows will eat anything you put in front of them, how is corn unnatural?" my response is this- apparently humans will eat just about anything you put in front of them too, that doesn't mean it's good for them, in fact it will kill them just as feeding corn to cows will kill the cows! The only reason corn doesn't kill the cows (most of the time) is because they are pumped full of antibiotics to stave off infection until they are slaughtered just before the antibiotics stop working. If we let the cows live a bit longer, they would die from being sick. While in the CAFOs, your delicious hamburger meat is standing knee-deep in manure, it's own and that of the thousands of other cows that share the confined space. Their hides get coated in feces and then sent to processing where thousands of different cows and their poo find their way into your cheeseburger. Yum, E-coli. One partial solution to the whole E-coli thing would be to take the cows off of their unhealthy diet and feed them grass for five days; they are amazing creatures with powerful digestive systems, they would shed 80% of the E-coli bacteria in their stomachs. Instead of doing this (and keeping the cows clean) the beef industry decided to create another entirely unnatural solution: they add a "hamburger meat filler" that has been cleansed with AMMONIA to the meat in order to kill the harmful bacteria. This filler is in 70% of the hamburger meat in the U.S.
Once again, this isn't just fast food beef, it's the majority of the beef in the supermarket as well. Even if it has a different name on the package, remember- there are only four companies who control over 80% of the market. You see, the fast food industry controls how MOST of our food is produced, since they are the top buyers of it. McDonald's is the #1 beef purchaser in the U.S. and they want all of their hamburgers to taste the same therefore, all beef is produced with the same [super low] standards. McDonald's is also the #1 purchaser of potatoes and one of the largest purchasers of tomatoes, lettuce, and apples. Yikes. With such high demand for cheap food FAST, quality is a thing of the past.
We must speak out against this.
Step one is to KNOW WHERE YOUR BEEF COMES FROM.
Coming up next in Part 2: CHICKEN
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Food and Humans
As humans, more specifically as Western humans, our relationship with food is interesting. We no longer treat food as a drug, as our means of surviving and thriving. For example: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is in no way about the celebration of the friendship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans, because we all know what really happened.. Thanksgiving is about FOOD (and apparently football for most Americans). Yeah we throw the family aspect and the opportunity to spend time with loved ones in there (which I will go into more later), but really, the entire day or weekend revolves around the food. Is there something wrong with this? In Paleolithic times we did not eat for pleasure, we ate to stay alive and we ate what was available to us in it's natural form. Therefore we ate things that were good for us, things that nourished us as we needed. Now, we as humans, eat for pleasure, and it's actually killing us.
About a month ago, Ramman and I took a trip to our respective hometowns to visit our parents and to just spend some time in two great cities: Seattle and Vancouver B.C. During this trip I realized that my love for certain restaurants or bites to eat had dwindled. Before we went I literally wrote out a list of places that I wanted to take Ramman to so that he could share the wonderful experiences of this food with me and thus share my memory of how delicious it was. Now, I didn't want to go too far off of our regular way of eating because I had been doing very well with healing my digestive system, so I was picking and choosing what might be tolerable but still enjoyable. Once we got to Seattle, none of the places I had initially thought of going to sounded good anymore and I realized that the only reason that I had wanted to go back to them was because of fond memories of eating the food and associations with people and certain times when I ate it. I said to Ramman, "It's funny, because all of my favorite places to eat don't sound good to me anymore because I ate differently back then." as in, I ate poorly, compared to now. The thought of an old fashioned, glazed Top Pot doughnut used to make me drool with anticipation until I could get my hands on one (they always left me feeling quite crappy, but the way it melted in my mouth was worth it).. but now the thought of them and how I will feel for possibly days after is enough to make me say no thanks. The one place we did go (besides Whole Foods so that we could make our own Paleo creations of chicken and broccoli) to have a HIGHLY anticipated "cheat" meal was Taste of India, my favorite Indian restaurant of all time, one that caused me to scoff at all other Indian restaurants. I had been talking this place up for 2 years to Ramman, but when we went, I felt like I would be better off without it. For nostalgia's sake we went anyway. We shared a couple of chicken dishes and some chicken naan and I was pretty disappointed that my memory of my favorite restaurant would continue to be just that, a memory. Needless to say I was a little miffed at myself for choosing naan and so-so chicken dishes with too much rich sauce and not enough chicken as my "cheat" meal. I didn't feel that great afterwards either.
My point is this: it seems that our relationhip with food is a very fragile one. It's okay to have fond memories of this treat or that meal, but when we eat it and feel a certain emotion, we then become addicted to that emotion and think that there is no other way to achieve that elated feeling. When it is in fact the emotion and not the food that we are enjoying. Being aware of this connection is very important, because you can then make the decision to have this experience, knowing exactly what is happening. My tastes for food have changed. I no longer crave foods that I know will make me feel like I've been run over by a truck 70 times. My health is way more important to me than the taste of Hot Lips Pizza. That's not to say that I will never have gluten or dairy again, but I know what I react to and how I react so I can make an educated, rational decision when it comes to what I eat, as opposed to an emotional one.
Two weekends ago we celebrated our 2 year anniversary and I had an entire day (well, 2 meals and a dessert) planned, all of it gluten free and refined sugar free. We splurged with the dairy and the higher ratio of carbs, but hey, it was a planned and well thought out experience:) Here are some photos of what we ate for dinner:
Chicken Parmesan made with almond flour, parmesan, mozzerella, and organic tomato basil sauce, greens and broccoli cooked in olive oil and garlic on the side. Oh, and of course some red wine.
The most delicious Chocolate Cream Pie EVER: made with almond flour and unsweetened coconut in the crust, 72% dark chocolate, agave nectar, and coconut milk in the filling, and well.. regular real whipped cream on top- couldn't resist.
These almond flour recipes are from the wonderful Elana Amsterdam. She makes eating this way EASY.
About a month ago, Ramman and I took a trip to our respective hometowns to visit our parents and to just spend some time in two great cities: Seattle and Vancouver B.C. During this trip I realized that my love for certain restaurants or bites to eat had dwindled. Before we went I literally wrote out a list of places that I wanted to take Ramman to so that he could share the wonderful experiences of this food with me and thus share my memory of how delicious it was. Now, I didn't want to go too far off of our regular way of eating because I had been doing very well with healing my digestive system, so I was picking and choosing what might be tolerable but still enjoyable. Once we got to Seattle, none of the places I had initially thought of going to sounded good anymore and I realized that the only reason that I had wanted to go back to them was because of fond memories of eating the food and associations with people and certain times when I ate it. I said to Ramman, "It's funny, because all of my favorite places to eat don't sound good to me anymore because I ate differently back then." as in, I ate poorly, compared to now. The thought of an old fashioned, glazed Top Pot doughnut used to make me drool with anticipation until I could get my hands on one (they always left me feeling quite crappy, but the way it melted in my mouth was worth it).. but now the thought of them and how I will feel for possibly days after is enough to make me say no thanks. The one place we did go (besides Whole Foods so that we could make our own Paleo creations of chicken and broccoli) to have a HIGHLY anticipated "cheat" meal was Taste of India, my favorite Indian restaurant of all time, one that caused me to scoff at all other Indian restaurants. I had been talking this place up for 2 years to Ramman, but when we went, I felt like I would be better off without it. For nostalgia's sake we went anyway. We shared a couple of chicken dishes and some chicken naan and I was pretty disappointed that my memory of my favorite restaurant would continue to be just that, a memory. Needless to say I was a little miffed at myself for choosing naan and so-so chicken dishes with too much rich sauce and not enough chicken as my "cheat" meal. I didn't feel that great afterwards either.
My point is this: it seems that our relationhip with food is a very fragile one. It's okay to have fond memories of this treat or that meal, but when we eat it and feel a certain emotion, we then become addicted to that emotion and think that there is no other way to achieve that elated feeling. When it is in fact the emotion and not the food that we are enjoying. Being aware of this connection is very important, because you can then make the decision to have this experience, knowing exactly what is happening. My tastes for food have changed. I no longer crave foods that I know will make me feel like I've been run over by a truck 70 times. My health is way more important to me than the taste of Hot Lips Pizza. That's not to say that I will never have gluten or dairy again, but I know what I react to and how I react so I can make an educated, rational decision when it comes to what I eat, as opposed to an emotional one.
Two weekends ago we celebrated our 2 year anniversary and I had an entire day (well, 2 meals and a dessert) planned, all of it gluten free and refined sugar free. We splurged with the dairy and the higher ratio of carbs, but hey, it was a planned and well thought out experience:) Here are some photos of what we ate for dinner:
Chicken Parmesan made with almond flour, parmesan, mozzerella, and organic tomato basil sauce, greens and broccoli cooked in olive oil and garlic on the side. Oh, and of course some red wine.
The most delicious Chocolate Cream Pie EVER: made with almond flour and unsweetened coconut in the crust, 72% dark chocolate, agave nectar, and coconut milk in the filling, and well.. regular real whipped cream on top- couldn't resist.
These almond flour recipes are from the wonderful Elana Amsterdam. She makes eating this way EASY.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Constant Evolution
Oh my goodness, I have been neglecting my blog big time! I have been putting more energy into the blog for our business: Rip City Fitness - and I just haven't had the time to do both. But now, after just over 2 weeks of not posting, I'm inspired once again to pick up the momentum. I have a feeling this might be a mother of a post...
These past two weeks I have been reading, eating, sleeping, researching, working, took a short trip, more reading, and of course TRAINING. (Now it's already 2 days after I started writing this post.. where does the time go!) Here's what I've been reading, thinking, and doing >>>
ALMOND FLOUR COOKBOOK: I finally got my hands on Elana Amsterdam's almond flour cookbook! It is incredible! I thought her website was IT, boy was I wrong. Her website is just the beginning. There are some duplicates of recipes from her website in her book, but the book has SO MANY others. I encourage EVERYONE to explore this method of gluten-free cooking. It has completely changed my perspective on eating gluten-free. When I went gluten-free I thought that I would either have to give up certain things for good (like pizza, cakes, etc) and settle for gluten-free versions that were just 'okay', or that I would 'cheat' with these gluten-filled foods and pay a huge price. NEITHER! Now, when I want something that is not exactly good for me (in it's regular form), I can have my cake (or pizza) and eat it too! These recipes are not bad for you! And they TASTE BETTER than the originals (at least to me and Ramman). I'm not saying that I will never have gluten again, but when I'm craving chicken strips, I now have a delicious, good for me, gluten-free option. This woman is a GENIUS.
CLEAN: I'm reading this book "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, M.D. and it is giving me a little hope for the American health care system. Just the fact that a Western M.D. like Dr. Junger even exists is inspiring, not to mention he has been extremely successful in helping sick people become well with his methodology. He has a very interesting story, in short: he was born and rasied in Uraguay, lived a very simple and healthy lifestyle there. He was very active and ambitious and ate very healthy food. They did not have all of this overly processed and poisonous food where he is from. At a very young age he decided he wanted to become a doctor and so he went to medical school (in South America). For his residency he moved to New York City and over the span of three years of rigorous training in cardiology, he completely lost touch with his physical and emotional self. He gained weight, was fatigued, ate crappy food, and became depressed without even realizing it. After he finished his residency he took a big risk and was thought foolish by his colleagues for taking a job in India where he would be working in an integrative medical clinic. he worked with Aryuvedic doctors, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, Chinese doctors, etc. and during that time started to develop his own philosophy on being a doctor that largely went against traditional Western medicine. This philosphy is becoming more widely known as "Functional Medicine". Throughout this journey as a young doctor, he developed a method of cleansing in order to completely detoxify and reset the human body's ability to heal itself. Not only is it about physically detoxifying, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is profound, especially coming from an M.D. I am about half way through the part of the book that is necessary to read before you actually do the Clean program, which is 21 days long. It isn't a fasting cleanse, although it is a calorie restricted and elimation diet. I'm excited to see how my body responds to it and if I can once and for all heal myself of these chronic digestive probelms. It's all about reprogramming your body, mind, and spirit.
PAYNOWLIVELATER: This is a fantastic blog about Primal eating. The author (who calls himself Methusula) spends a lot of time and energy sharing with people not only how he prepares food and how physically we are a direct result of what we eat, but also the psychology and emotions surrounding food. He also uses himself as a test subject for experiments on physiological reactions to food, which can be quite entertaining. He cites A LOT of valuable references that have to do with the Paleo diet and primal living.
MOVNAT: When it comes to how to physically train your body to be it's best, Erwan Le Corre has nailed it thanks to his extensive research on George Hebert and Methode Naturelle. Check out MovNat for some serious inspiration for changing the way you train. The philosophies that he represents exemplify precisely why I train and what I want to train for. LIFE. It's not about looks- that is secondary; it is about mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth through movement, and also a connectedness with ourselves, our environment, and our surroundings.Check out this video of Erwan practicing what he preaches:
BAD ASS.
WILDFITNESS: (wildfitness.com)This is a company based out of London who has teamed up with Erwan Le Corre (I think he is a consultant or something for them). Their philosophy is directly in line with MovNat. They host fitness vacations in Greece and Kenya (right now at least, I can only imagine how they will grow), and the coaches also run classes and training in the parks back in London. I have convinced Ramman that he and I need to apply to be Wildfitness coaches. If they like your application and your phone interview, then they ask you to come to London to train with them so that you can coach either in Greece or Kenya. We could work part-time or full-time. This is a company I would love to work for.. I don't think I have ever thought that of any other company or business.
ADVENTURE: Still trying to save some cash for our Spring 2010 adventure to Central America. It's a little stressful at times when I think that we'll never be able to do it, I just have to keep the faith, otherwise it will never happen. I am thinking of this adventure as a catalyst for change: the time to quit march (and for Ramman to quit the Mac), the time to not have a home (temporarily), to feel uprooted and open to opportunities that we otherwise would not have seen, and really just a time to gain a new perspective on our own lives as they are now. I need this. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the place you are in to really see what it means and where to go next. Plus, saving for this and actually making it happen is such a HUGE goal of mine, that when I actually accomplish it, I will realize even more that I can do anything I want to do.
VISITING FAMILY: Last weekend we took a four day trip up to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. We had a great time hanging out with friends in Seattle, my sister Lindsey, and even my mom. I won't go into it here, but the last year has been a little rough with my mom, let's just say she doesn't believe it's right for a couple to live together before they are married or at least engaged. And she doesn't understand that to Ramman and I, we already are at that level of committment and we don't need some sort of social standard to validate our loyalty or love for each other. I was a little nervous about how seeing her would go, but it actually went pretty well. She and Ramman got a chance to discuss their views (still different) and learn a little more about each other. I think it was a good beginning for the lines of communication to be more open. After Seattle we went to Vabcouver B.C. which was such a pleasant and relaxing trip. We stayed with Ramman's dad, Dave and stepmom, Melody. They fed us well and we slept a lot:) We had a lot of stimulating and inspiring conversations about energy, self-realization, and the power of the human subconcious. After this trip I am fully convinced that I can heal myself of my digestive disorders and manifest my own reality to what I want it to be. We also got to see Ramman's cousins Sene and Chi and Chi's wife Tara and three month old Nyha. It felt really good to be able to connect with that side of Ramman's family. Here's Ramman, Chi, and Nyah:
As you can see, a lot of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections have been happening inside me recently. So much that I hardly feel like I have had the time to process most of it. Writing about it all definitely helps, so I will commit to getting back to writing more often. It's interesting how when we feel overwhelmed with things positive and/or negative, we tend to just freeze, unable to to get anything out or let anything else in. It's all about continuing to move and change and grow.. Constant evolution.
These past two weeks I have been reading, eating, sleeping, researching, working, took a short trip, more reading, and of course TRAINING. (Now it's already 2 days after I started writing this post.. where does the time go!) Here's what I've been reading, thinking, and doing >>>
ALMOND FLOUR COOKBOOK: I finally got my hands on Elana Amsterdam's almond flour cookbook! It is incredible! I thought her website was IT, boy was I wrong. Her website is just the beginning. There are some duplicates of recipes from her website in her book, but the book has SO MANY others. I encourage EVERYONE to explore this method of gluten-free cooking. It has completely changed my perspective on eating gluten-free. When I went gluten-free I thought that I would either have to give up certain things for good (like pizza, cakes, etc) and settle for gluten-free versions that were just 'okay', or that I would 'cheat' with these gluten-filled foods and pay a huge price. NEITHER! Now, when I want something that is not exactly good for me (in it's regular form), I can have my cake (or pizza) and eat it too! These recipes are not bad for you! And they TASTE BETTER than the originals (at least to me and Ramman). I'm not saying that I will never have gluten again, but when I'm craving chicken strips, I now have a delicious, good for me, gluten-free option. This woman is a GENIUS.
CLEAN: I'm reading this book "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, M.D. and it is giving me a little hope for the American health care system. Just the fact that a Western M.D. like Dr. Junger even exists is inspiring, not to mention he has been extremely successful in helping sick people become well with his methodology. He has a very interesting story, in short: he was born and rasied in Uraguay, lived a very simple and healthy lifestyle there. He was very active and ambitious and ate very healthy food. They did not have all of this overly processed and poisonous food where he is from. At a very young age he decided he wanted to become a doctor and so he went to medical school (in South America). For his residency he moved to New York City and over the span of three years of rigorous training in cardiology, he completely lost touch with his physical and emotional self. He gained weight, was fatigued, ate crappy food, and became depressed without even realizing it. After he finished his residency he took a big risk and was thought foolish by his colleagues for taking a job in India where he would be working in an integrative medical clinic. he worked with Aryuvedic doctors, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, Chinese doctors, etc. and during that time started to develop his own philosophy on being a doctor that largely went against traditional Western medicine. This philosphy is becoming more widely known as "Functional Medicine". Throughout this journey as a young doctor, he developed a method of cleansing in order to completely detoxify and reset the human body's ability to heal itself. Not only is it about physically detoxifying, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is profound, especially coming from an M.D. I am about half way through the part of the book that is necessary to read before you actually do the Clean program, which is 21 days long. It isn't a fasting cleanse, although it is a calorie restricted and elimation diet. I'm excited to see how my body responds to it and if I can once and for all heal myself of these chronic digestive probelms. It's all about reprogramming your body, mind, and spirit.
PAYNOWLIVELATER: This is a fantastic blog about Primal eating. The author (who calls himself Methusula) spends a lot of time and energy sharing with people not only how he prepares food and how physically we are a direct result of what we eat, but also the psychology and emotions surrounding food. He also uses himself as a test subject for experiments on physiological reactions to food, which can be quite entertaining. He cites A LOT of valuable references that have to do with the Paleo diet and primal living.
MOVNAT: When it comes to how to physically train your body to be it's best, Erwan Le Corre has nailed it thanks to his extensive research on George Hebert and Methode Naturelle. Check out MovNat for some serious inspiration for changing the way you train. The philosophies that he represents exemplify precisely why I train and what I want to train for. LIFE. It's not about looks- that is secondary; it is about mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth through movement, and also a connectedness with ourselves, our environment, and our surroundings.Check out this video of Erwan practicing what he preaches:
BAD ASS.
WILDFITNESS: (wildfitness.com)This is a company based out of London who has teamed up with Erwan Le Corre (I think he is a consultant or something for them). Their philosophy is directly in line with MovNat. They host fitness vacations in Greece and Kenya (right now at least, I can only imagine how they will grow), and the coaches also run classes and training in the parks back in London. I have convinced Ramman that he and I need to apply to be Wildfitness coaches. If they like your application and your phone interview, then they ask you to come to London to train with them so that you can coach either in Greece or Kenya. We could work part-time or full-time. This is a company I would love to work for.. I don't think I have ever thought that of any other company or business.
ADVENTURE: Still trying to save some cash for our Spring 2010 adventure to Central America. It's a little stressful at times when I think that we'll never be able to do it, I just have to keep the faith, otherwise it will never happen. I am thinking of this adventure as a catalyst for change: the time to quit march (and for Ramman to quit the Mac), the time to not have a home (temporarily), to feel uprooted and open to opportunities that we otherwise would not have seen, and really just a time to gain a new perspective on our own lives as they are now. I need this. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the place you are in to really see what it means and where to go next. Plus, saving for this and actually making it happen is such a HUGE goal of mine, that when I actually accomplish it, I will realize even more that I can do anything I want to do.
VISITING FAMILY: Last weekend we took a four day trip up to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. We had a great time hanging out with friends in Seattle, my sister Lindsey, and even my mom. I won't go into it here, but the last year has been a little rough with my mom, let's just say she doesn't believe it's right for a couple to live together before they are married or at least engaged. And she doesn't understand that to Ramman and I, we already are at that level of committment and we don't need some sort of social standard to validate our loyalty or love for each other. I was a little nervous about how seeing her would go, but it actually went pretty well. She and Ramman got a chance to discuss their views (still different) and learn a little more about each other. I think it was a good beginning for the lines of communication to be more open. After Seattle we went to Vabcouver B.C. which was such a pleasant and relaxing trip. We stayed with Ramman's dad, Dave and stepmom, Melody. They fed us well and we slept a lot:) We had a lot of stimulating and inspiring conversations about energy, self-realization, and the power of the human subconcious. After this trip I am fully convinced that I can heal myself of my digestive disorders and manifest my own reality to what I want it to be. We also got to see Ramman's cousins Sene and Chi and Chi's wife Tara and three month old Nyha. It felt really good to be able to connect with that side of Ramman's family. Here's Ramman, Chi, and Nyah:
As you can see, a lot of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections have been happening inside me recently. So much that I hardly feel like I have had the time to process most of it. Writing about it all definitely helps, so I will commit to getting back to writing more often. It's interesting how when we feel overwhelmed with things positive and/or negative, we tend to just freeze, unable to to get anything out or let anything else in. It's all about continuing to move and change and grow.. Constant evolution.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Treat yourself RIGHT.
Me, Robb Wolf, & RammanOn Saturday, I went to the CrossFit Nutrition Certification which is put on by Robb Wolf. It was even more entertaining and informational than I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I knew going in that I would learn a TON from this guy, but I figured I knew the basics enough to understand all of what he would go into. Let me tell ya- this guy is SMART. And extremely funny. I suppose he has to be, how else would 70 people sit through 8 hours of him talking about the biochemistry of food interaction with your cells. His main point, the point that he is trying to convince people all over the world of is: Gluten is THE reason people get sick. He proposes that gluten is at the root of all incommunicable, auto-immune diseases- and when you get down to the scientific facts of the properties of gluten and how the lectin essentially puts little holes in out intestinal lining (no matter who you are), it makes sense that disease would occur. (If anyone sciency is reading this, please don't rip me apart for summarizing VERY poorly, I have the notes from the lecture if you want to discuss.) Robb also believes that ALL people are intolerant to gluten on some level, whether they have apparent symptoms or not! I have thought this for some time, before I even read his work. What it boils down to for me is that I am now completely convinced and empowered to rid MY diet of this toxin for good. I'm not saying that I will never ingest it again, likely I will, but VERY few and far between. As many people who know me know, I struggle with a myriad of digestive symptoms (as does/did Robb Wolf), and I am ready and willing to pull the stuff out of my diet completely for one month to see how things change. I already avoid it at a level that others might think is extreme, but now I am kicking it all the way out. Stay tuned for updates on how my gluten-free, Paleolithic eating habits are treating me:)
I would like to convince everyone that I care about to go completely gluten-free for one month. I know that some people are hard to convince (like I was) that it's worth it to take it out of your diet. All you skeptics need to do is read some of Robb Wolf's work and then go visit a retirement facility, like the one where Ramman's Grandpa lives. Seriously. Go visit your Grandma or great Uncle, and if you don't know anyone who lives in one of those places (lucky you), go volunteer at one for a few hours. See what poor lifestyles lead you to. If you are not convinced to take care of yourself after seeing someone who needs to take 24 DIFFERENT pills a day who couldn't walk a mile in faster than 40 minutes (if they could even walk that far at all) and can't stop their hands from shaking, who eventually will need someone to wipe their ass for them, well then you're an imbecile. I am DETERMINED to NEVER, EVER, EVER end up in a place like that. When I die, I am just going to die (this is what Robb Wolf says of CrossFitters:)).. there will be no long, painful, drugful, drawn out process. Nope, not me.. I am going to live, live, live, and then just die. And I will be very, very old.
When we got home from the certification, Ramman received news that a friend of his had died. Keith Goodman, only 53 years old, was an influential teacher in the Portland dance community and Ramman had known him from his Capoeira group. The past few summers Keith has invited Ramman to teach at his dance camps and they had actually just wrapped one up the day before he died. Keith often taught and performed contemporary dance in which he would dramatically collapse to the ground. This is the way he ended his final performance. He was dancing with some of his students during a performance and at the end of the piece he "lowered himself gracefully to the ground", as his partner, Bill Flood, recalls. A very sad and premature, yet fitting ending to a beautiful life.
That kind of story reminds me how temporal life is. It also makes me wonder what could have been done to prevent his death at 53. IS it all diet related? Keith was a giving, loving, gentle, happy person. He was passionate about dance and teaching dance. He had a family. He was seemingly fulfilled with is life. Was what he had been eating his entire life the cause? Is diet the only factor? These are questions that need to be addressed and experimented with.
We are complex creatures and so many of the things we expose ourselves to, things we think are good for us, could be the very things that kill us. Avoid misery and sickness. Eat foods that come in their natural form. Use your body. Use your mind and heart. Treat yourself right.
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