December 07/January 2008

Power Shift
Ted Glick

Franklin Roosevelt and My Father
Bill Moyers

Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Lester Brown

Feed Your Brain
Jurriaan Kamp

Are You Getting Enough Sun?
Kim Ridley

Old McDonald Had a Farm … and He Got Arrested?
David E Gumpert

Four-Seasons Harvest
Eliott Coleman

The Health Benefits of Tea
Jody Woodrull

Safe, Green, Non-Toxic Toys

You Can Change The World
Guy Finley

The Power of the Horse/Human Connection
Patricia Broersma

Toxic Toys Banned in Europe Are Still Legal In The U.S.
Mark Schapiro

Films of the Future
Siskiyou Film Fest

Cosmic Calendar
Salina Rain

BACK TO TOP

By Deborah Mokma

When I was 19, in the summer of 1971, I came upon an article entitled “Food Pollution” in Ramparts Magazine, an alternative publication from that era some of you may remember. Although my mother had been an avid reader of Adelle Davis, and listened to Carlton Fredericks on the radio (more history here, as these were two notable nutritionists of the 50s and 60s), and most of the foods we ate were the healthiest available at the time, this article on the chemical additives in foods was a serious eye-opener. From that moment on I became an avid label reader, and when I became a parent my pursuit of information on nutrition and healthy food choices grew exponentially.

Fast forward to today. I still seek to be as well informed as possible on issues of health and nutrition and learn new and valuable information on a daily basis. The importance of adequate levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids has been on my radar for the past few years (the use of the word essential to describe this nutritional powerhouse is no accident). The most recent research on Vitamin D, sunlight and a healthy immune system—which validates what many of us (and our pets) instinctively know to be true—is more of the same. The articles by Jurriaan Kamp and Kim Ridley in this issue offer some excellent insight into the importance of these nutrients.

Organically grown foods are another important component in my family’s health. Although some people still question whether growing crops without chemicals and with concern for the health of the soil makes a difference, a recently released report from a $25 million European Union-funded study, which took four years to complete, has shown that organic fruits and vegetables really are more nutritious. The researchers found that the organically grown food contained up to 40 percent more antioxidants (which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease) and higher levels of beneficial minerals. The study also showed that milk from organic herds contains up to 90 percent more antioxidants. The researchers, who grew food and raised cattle on adjacent organic and non-organic sites, report that eating organic foods can even help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and may help to lengthen people’s lives.

Other studies have found that dairy products from pasture fed animals, and eggs from free-range chickens, contain far greater amounts of those essential Omega-3 fatty acids so critical for good health due to the chlorophyll found in the grasses and green plants the animals have access to. Wild salmon have also been shown to have higher Omega-3s than farmed fish thanks to the chlorophyll in the seaweeds that they eat.

And raw milk, which more and more people are finding to be a healthy addition to their diets, has been shown to contain all of the valuable enzymes that are destroyed during pasteurization. Lactose intolerance is not an issue with raw dairy products because these enzymes help the body digest milk sugars and proteins. Raw milk is also an excellent source of healthy “good” bacteria, including lactobacillus and acidophilus, along with many micronutrients, which are destroyed by the high heat used in the pasteurization process. Sources for raw dairy are becoming more available, although there are still many challenges to finding access to this healthy alternative. For more information visit the Weston A. Price Foundation at www.westonaprice.org.

Finding organically grown foods is certainly easier today than it was back in the 70s. Having our own organic vegetable garden became an essential part of our experience during these past few decades, and we are now blessed with enough organic food options at many grocery stores to be able to choose them exclusively for those items we can’t grow. We have also learned that we can eat many different kinds of vegetables from our garden year-round here in the Pacific Northwest. Even though we are inland at an elevation of 2100 feet, by covering a few of our raised beds with a spun cloth designed specifically for this purpose we can harvest all winter. The excerpt from Eliot Coleman’s Four-Season Harvest (located in the centerfold for easy removal and filing for future reference) expands upon how to grow foods year-round, even in New England, where Eliot resides.

Whether we grow it ourselves, barter or buy from neighbors, or choose locally grown and produced foods, we are making the best choices for ourselves, our community and the planet. For more discussion on this please see the article by David Gumpert, and Kelpie Wilson’s interview with author Sandor Ellix Katz, also in this issue.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our advertisers—local businesses and practitioners who provide healthy alternatives for our community—for their continued support. Without them, Sentient Times would not exist. Please let them know how much you appreciate them as well, whether by just saying “thank you” when you see them, or, whenever possible, by choosing their products and services.