Basics

I will never know the full potential of my child until I understand the dangers children’s bodies face in today’s food culture and protect them.

Food attitudes that hurt kids:

• If it’s sold by a grocery store, it’s fine to eat it
• Eating oil derivatives is safe
• Too much wheat
• Instant yum

If it’s from the grocery store, it’s fine to eat it
We naturally trust. A grocery store sells food. We want to believe that what is in there in safe to eat and will nourish my family. It’s just not the case. Processed foods are exactly that–processed and therefore have very little nutritional value left. By the time the ingredients are harvested, manipulated by the scientists, mixed in a factory, shipped on a truck, designed to wait on a shelf for months, sit on my shelf for even longer and then finally get served and eaten, the calories are there, but not much else. Yes, many foods are fortified with vitamins–that doesn’t mean your body will be able to process these vitamins created in the laboratory. The human body, especially the brain, needs nutrient dense foods–processed food in boxes and bags don’t have it.

Eating Oil Derivatives is Safe
Realize that all those bright colors in the processed foods are most likely from oil–yes, the same stuff that my gasoline comes from. Same goes with many preservatives and flavors. They say they are safe, heck, the quantities are miniscule. But what about the brain? Yes, scientists are learning more everyday, but its incredibly sensitive and complex–isn’t it more likely that the brain gets messed up by petroleum than helped by it?

Too much wheat
The wheat of today is vastly different from wheat of a hundred or two hundred years ago. Scientists have created strains of wheat with high levels of gluten and processed food companies love wheat with lots of gluten. Gluten is sticky, it binds ingredients together, gives texture–great characteristics for factories making food. Lots of gluten, not so great for my intestines. Remember my teeny tiny villi throughout my small intestines? Villi are there to capture nutrients–hard to do when covered in sticky gluten. And since the food companies love gluten–it’s in everything processed, so the quantities of gluten we are consuming is sky high. The basic concept, I can have too much of a good thing.

• knowing my farmer and my food
• freshness of my food from eating seasonally and locally
• forcing myself to try new foods
• meeting other cool people

This website lists farmers markets and CSA’s all around the country. Local Harvest Website