Another Answer to Childhood -- and Adult -- Obesity

When kids start turning up with sky-high cholesterol readings at the age of 5, you know there is something wrong with the way we eat.

Obesity among adults -- and children -- is now epidemic.

No one disputes that.

The question is what to do about it.

There are all kinds of theories, but the real place to look is at not only the quantity but the quality of the food we eat.

The fact is, unless a human being is able to derive adequate nutritional value from what is consumed, one or more problems is sure to follow -- obesity chief among them, because if our bodies know that there are not enough of the essential nutrients in the food we have already eaten, we will start to crave more. And that sets off a vicious cycle.

We start compensating for the poor quality of what we eat, by trying to eat more, and add supplements and vitamins to "fill in the gaps." But that's not working.

We need to return to a better quality of food to start with. And that means organic.

People who eat organic foods, tend to eat less because they are satisfied with the great taste, and because they actually ARE getting most of the nutrients they need from their food sources.

If a person could only switch to organic sources for one or two major foods each week that would be a great start. Once you feel and see the difference, you won't be so tempted to return to processed and "junk" foods.

It's time to upgrade not just how much we eat, but WHAT! And these days? It's really easy to do.

This holiday, turn to organic foods to help fight off the mountains of sweets, fats, fast foods, and other temptations. Take a bag of cut up veggies or a fresh apple with you for healthy snacks; it will make a world of difference in your energy levels, and in helping you avoid making terrible food choices during the frantic holiday season.

Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,
Nancy
Eat healthy -- and well!

Organic Wal-Mart Food? Is That Real?

According to a recent OCA (Organic Consumers Association) report, "Wal-Mart is being investigated for falsely advertising conventional products as "organic." The Cornucopia Institute has discovered that a number of Wal-Mart stores are defrauding consumers by labeling products as organic that were grown with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. A formal legal complaint has been filed with the USDA asking the agency to investigate allegations of illegal "organic" food distribution by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc."

Now, I was pretty sure that WalMart didn't have consumers in mind when they made the decision to offer organic food in their grocery aisle. After all, their pattern is to obtain products from third-world countries where the labor and manufacturing costs are cheap.

So the question always was about how they are going to be able to purchase food products that meet tough USA standards, when the corresponding countries where they will be getting the products do not have, in many cases, any standards at all.

Now we know the answer. They never intended to -- they just hoped they wouldn't get caught.

So how stupid is that? You'd think they could at least wait until people got used to being able to buy organic food at WalMart before trying the old bait-and-switch number on us.

Personally, I doubted that WalMart was EVER going to be able to purchase true organic food -- from anyone anywhere, because in order to do so, they would have to change their buying practices.

Funny thing about being "green" -- it's pretty easy to tell when it's turned "brown". And I think you know what I'm talking about here!

People don't like being thought stupid -- and that is exactly what the consumer will feel when they learn that WalMart has been trying to cheat them by selling food labeled organic that isn't organic at all.

We vote with our dollars.

Now we know where NOT to shop for great organic foods.

What's that old commercial saying? "It's not NICE to fool Mother Nature!" Well, it sure isn't nice to try to fool consumers, either. I think WalMart may pay a hefty price for that -- in loss of consumer confidence. (They probably don't care about the fines. . . )

Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,

Nancy
Find great organic gourmet foods -- but NOT at WalMart!

Making Sense of Organic Foods

Just for fun, I signed up for Google Alerts on the topic of Organic Food, to see what's out there and what people are talking about online when it comes to my favorite topic: great organic gourmet food.

Seems like it's a hot topic -- with many opinions, and not a whole lot of fact.

Which may be one reason the whole thing is so confusing to so many people -- and why organic food enthusiasts, along with folks who just want to know what is healthy and what is not -- are sometimes tearing their hair out in frustration.

You've got mislabeling, misleading, and just plain lack of solid facts that are making it tough to find out the truth.

And I'll tell you what happens when people are confused -- they do NOTHING!

They default to their habits, and they do whatever is easiest in the moment.

Which is not a good thing for eating better foods, and a terrible thing for the organic food industry -- but it may just be exactly what the multinational corporations have in mind for Big Agribiz.

In the view of Big Business, why would it be a good thing if consumers stopped buying their products on the grocery shelves, in favor of home-cooked, locally grown food?

Of course now there are commercially prepared foods that are labeled organic -- a lot of vegetarian stuff that tastes decent (finally) -- and even more organically grown meats and produce.

But is that the best we can do?

I think not.

The real answer for many of our current health problems in the so-called developed countries, is to return to a more natural way of growing, preparing and eating our food. And in most cases that means a return to locally and organically grown foods.

Yes, we will still need to turn to a range of products at the grocers, but there are many steps we can each take to eat better and to live more sustainably in the process.

It starts with the choices you make every day, and in the way you think about what you are doing.

Start with something small, and build on that. For instance, several years ago I made the choice not to eat beef unless it was raised naturally and organically. That made a huge impact on my health (including a surprise benefit in my cholesterol levels), and now I have also started to turn more and more to other organic proteins rather than commercially prepared foods of any kind.

See, the thing that we all miss when we look at how "expensive" it is to buy organic foods, is the hidden price tag: our health.

Let me ask you a question: "Would you like to pay 50 cents more today, or $50K in ten years to heal what happened to your body as a result of what you put into it?"

That is a choice. I hope more and more people opt for a healthy, organic choice. It's the conscious thing to do -- and your body will be grateful, too.

You have to eat anyway -- why not switch to organic? It tastes so-o-o-o-o-o good, and it's so good for you!

Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,

Nancy
Find great organic gourmet foods -- and gifts --here