Taking it Back

As far as we have strayed, and disconnected as we have become from natural foods, things are not utterly hopeless. We all have the capability to take steps towards a more nourishing and sustainable diet. Even just by adding simple things in, rather than attempting to restrict and cut things out of your current diet, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favour. To complement my last post, here are some fairly easy (and affordable) foods to consider for this time of year.

Fruits: Local apples and pears can still be found at certain markets. Organic is always a wise choice, though I’d much rather buy local, non-organic produce than organic produce from Mexico or California. Berries are a great local fruit as well. In the summer months, they can be found growing all over the place, from parks to people’s yards. Wild fruit is much more mineralized and lower in sugar than cultivated fruits, and it’s free, so take advantage of it when you can. Berries tolerate freezing well, which is a good way to preserve fruit over the winter. Drying fruit is another technique that will retain much of its nutrients. In my opinion, berries are some of the most ideal fruits to buy from a supermarket, as they tend to be the least hybridized, low sugar, and nutrient dense. Strawberries are known for being loaded with pesticides, however.

Vegetables: We could all use more fresh vegetables in our diet, especially the green leafys. Most of the vegetables in our markets are grown locally during the summer and fall months. Local, organic farmers markets are abundant during this time as well, and are the next best thing to growing your own veg, or picking it wild. During the winter months, most of the vegetables in supermarkets are shipped from the south or greenhouse grown. Locally grown sweet potatoes, squash, beets, carrots, and other root vegetables are often available into the winter, as well as local cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and collards.

Herbs: Herbs can be grown in planter boxes indoors throughout the winter and are a more potent source of nutrition than common cultivated vegetables. Most are close to their wild state, thus retaining much of their alkaloids, aka the bitter-tasting medicinal compounds. Mint, cilantro, parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, basil, oregano, stevia, hemp,... all are grand. Better yet, go forage for your own. Wild herbs can be found literally everywhere. Dandelions, for example, grow everywhere, all throughout the year. The whole plant can be eaten: root, leaves, and flower. Replace some salad greens with dandelion leaves for immensely more nutrition. The best food on earth is free.

Dairy: Not everyone tolerates dairy products well, and for that reason many have switched to milk substitutes such as soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk. I believe that one of the primary reasons why many have irritable reactions to dairy is because of the pasteurization process. Pasteurizing kills bacteria, but also destroys much of the vitamin and mineral content of the milk, as well as the enzymes which are so vital to aiding in the digestion process of dairy products. Many people tolerate goat’s milk products better than cow’s milk. Unfortunately, it is illegal to sell raw milk in Ontario at this time, so finding unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk is pretty tough. The next best thing would be to find a local, organic, GRASS-FED, unhomogenized goat or cow milk stored in glass. Even though it is pasteurized, it’s far better than the glow-in-the-dark milk from large dairy corporations.

Grains: Here is a food group where the majority of western people are going way overboard with. Refined grains are the big one, literally, turning us into a society of dough-boys. Even “whole wheat” products are far from ideal foods for nourishing us. Common cereal crops such as wheat and corn have been hybridized and genetically modified to the max. Many of us have developed a gluten intolerance, gluten being a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and therefore must find other options in the world of grains. Some of the most ideal and nutrient-dense grains available are quinoa, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat. Though not locally grown, these can be purchased organically, in bulk for a reasonable price. If you’re a bread junkie, sprouted grain bread with minimal ingredients is one of the wisest ways to go.

Flesh: I heard a good line recently, stating that “One should not eat meat that they could not face slaughtering and butchering themselves.” Good point. It’s a pretty cowardly and ignorant act to eat a steak from a cow you could not face killing yourself, or at least witnessing the process. That being said, it is always best to eat the flesh of wild animals. Living on their natural diet, their flesh is far more mineralized than farmed animals living on corn, soy, and antibiotics. Most natural food stores now stock local, grass-fed, free-range flesh, which is the next best choice. In my opinion, it is better to avoid meat altogether than to eat the crap they sell at the supermarket.

So there ya have it, some wiser choices we can all afford to make for common foods. There is so much more to elaborate upon for each of these food groups, and I intend to do so in upcoming posts. Until then, hope this educates and inspires...