Food, Naturally: Article II and More

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

From Michael Pollan

The American paradox: we obsess about food constantly, but have the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world

UPDATE: Need another reason to support locally-owned, small, sustainable farms? Read the two stories here about MRSA and honey bees.

My thoughts: Why would big companies want to change their behavior? They are making money and do not care about the consequences. Big companies care only about their shareholders (which means they need a big bottom line). The FDA does not even want to be involved because they obviously get a lot of pressure from the pharmaceutical companies who do not want to lose (at least) 70% of their antibiotic business! Did we need another example of why capitalism is bad? It's time for distributism to take hold.

On another note: It is acceptable for arsenic to be found in apple juice as long as it is below the levels that somebody else deemed to be safe. Do you really trust their research based on what you have read so far in this series? (Like this post or this one.)

Food, Naturally: Meat, Eggs, and Good Fats

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Because there is so much controversy and false information out there, I will again start my post with a reiteration (from the introduction):

“There are so many false sources out there that it can be hard to sift through them, but one of the most important things to remember is this. Do they have a political, financial, or other gain that may be obtained by making these remarks regarding what we eat?”

And I will also remind you to read this article talked about in my last post, if you haven’t already.

One of the most important things I learned through my reading is that all traditional fats are healthy in moderation. Not just neutral or “unharmful”, but rather beneficial.

What are traditional fats? (Fats that God gave us)
Lard, beef and pork fat, poultry fat, cream, butter, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined palm oil, and unrefined coconut oil

All these fats have been eaten for thousands of years and yet heart disease was rare before the 1900s and the first heart attack in the United States was not until 1912. Then by mid-century, heart disease became the number one killer! What did people start eating around that time? Trans fats (in the form of hydrogenated oils) and an excess of refined vegetable oils. Yes, these are the killers and I will talk more about them in the next post.

As talked about here, the so-called research evidence stating that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease is false. Please read Real Food by Nina Planck (listed here) to discover more about this.

What are some benefits of saturated fats?
They are required for the absorption of calcium and other minerals. The body is better able to retain omega-3 fats when saturated fats are also eaten. Saturated fats build the immune system by fighting harmful pathogens. They lower blood levels of lipoprotein (a)—which leads to clotting and atherosclerosis. And when you eat too much saturated fat, the body converts it to monounsaturated fat which lowers LDL and does not affect HDL. How’s that for reasons to eat more bacon and butter?!

As always, for more information on good, traditional fats, please read the books listed here.

Food, Naturally: Article I

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

This article, Confessions of a former Big Food executive, based on The Blog of Bruce Bradley, who is a former food marketer for some of America's biggest food companies, is a must read to go along with my series.

Marriage Series: Soul Mates

I do not have any Catholic sources for this post, only my own thoughts and ideas. But I believe my reasoning is based on common sense, reality, and faith—and that is where I will start.

So many people have this idea of “soul mates”. They feel, as I used to, that somewhere in this huge, ever-growing world there is only one person that God designed for them to marry. And somehow we will “just know” when we meet the right one, the only one, for us.

Why would this be a false idea? How could this become a problem? A few things Catholic come to mind. First, in the Bible, it states that if you become a widow, you are free to marry again, because the marriage bond is broken through death (and only through death). How could we marry another if there was only one God-created spouse out there for us?

Second, what if, with all our human faults and failings, we marry the wrong one? Then one day we meet the “perfect one”, our soul mate? Shouldn’t we be able to divorce our current spouse to marry this one person God created for us? Well, as stated above, it is only through death that the marriage bond is broken and since killing is a sin, we will be stuck with our spouse until they die naturally!

This idea has hurt so many people and so many marriages. People think that when someone “better” comes along, they should divorce their current spouse and marry the lover. But the grass is not greener, as “love” comes in stages and the first stage of love is the only one most people actually consider love. (If you don’t have those butterflies in your stomach or the cheesy grin on your face, you must have “fallen out of love”. I will talk more about this erroneous notion later.)

So if we do not have a soul mate, how do we know how to pick a spouse? Courtship.

Up Next: Courtship vs. Dating

For full texts of the documents used, see my Marriage Series: Introduction

Food, Naturally: Raw Milk and Other Dairy

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

I have talked about the benefits of raw milk previously, so I did not want to repeat myself, but much of this is too important not to share again.

I feel like I should start off with a realization. Raw milk is almost a completely different product from pasteurized milk. In pasteurized milk, all the enzymes and beneficial bacteria and almost all the vitamins have been “scorched” out of the milk. The A and D vitamins found in store bought milk have been added back in. The enzymes found in raw milk help the body digest the sugars and proteins found in the milk. This is why many people who are lactose intolerant find they are able to drink raw milk without any issues. The bacteria found in raw milk help the digestive system and immune system similar to how yogurt works.

Many people think drinking raw milk is unsafe, but this is not true. When cows are fed a natural diet, (read: free-grazing, eating pasture) they rarely get sick compared to cows given a space not much bigger than they are, required to stand and lay in their own waste, and fed an unnatural “grain” diet (i.e. usually corn which a cow would rarely, if ever, eat in nature). This combined with other factors including small farms where the farmer takes care to make sure he does not contaminate the milk means that drinking a local source of raw milk is safe.

Drinking raw milk actually means drinking whole milk. We should be drinking the fat with the milk as this is where the fat-soluble vitamins are found and also because some vitamins require fat in order to be used in our bodies. I will talk more about fat in the next post.

Other dairy products that are good for you and should be eaten regularly (daily) include raw (or at least organic) cream, real butter (preferably made from raw cream or at least organic cream), yogurt or kefir, crème fraiche (sour cream), and raw milk cheese.

For more information on dairy please read the books listed here.

Just FYI

I am quite sure that all of you regular readers (and my few one-time readers) have noticed, my blog is often neglected. This is due to the fact that blogging for me is strictly a hobby I enjoy in my free time. If I do not have free time or if I choose to read, research, or craft in my spare time, my blog will most certainly be lacking updates for a while. If this bothers you, I do apologize, but the only benefit I gain from my blog is the enjoyment of writing. I currently make $0 from this blog (and have never made any money from it). In other words, it is just for me ... and if you benefit from reading when I can post, I will get satisfaction knowing I can help others while I am enjoying myself!

So, with that said, here is what has been keeping me busy lately besides household chores and errands:

Handmade felt baby shoes
From this pattern
Note: I think the pattern is on the small side. Measure your baby's feet before using this pattern. You may have to use the larger pattern or even enlarge it with a copier.

Handmade felt Christmas tree
Came up with the idea and "pattern" myself. Undecorated: I will have to improvise, as my plan to glue on shiny Christmas-colored pom-poms doesn't work.

Baby quilt
... just started, but here's a sneak peak