Nutrition Discussion Question

Below is my answer to the following question for my nutrition class; What are some of your ideas about what we can do to decrease the use of hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply and still meet worldwide food demands?
This question perplexed me greatly! First thing I thought of is I am so concerned with feeding my own kids I couldn’t even imagine taking on ways to feed the entire world! Second thing was with all the people starving in this world, how is it even possible to decrease the steroids and still produce enough food? Then I came to this website: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/home . The Rodale Institute has been an organic farm and research facility for almost 30 years! In their pdf for the Organic Green Revolution they state, “studies show that sustainable agricultural practices can actually increase food production by up to 79% while at the same time actively reducing the effects of farming on climate change through carbon sequestration”. What?? I thought the reason we started using hormones was because we couldn’t feed the world this way?? In fact they go on to say, “The researchers
concluded that organic farming can produce enough food to feed the world without increasing the agricultural land base.” They then go on to detail specific ways that the farms themselves can change from conventional farming to organic farming and what these changes mean to us (the world). It is one of the most fascinating papers I have read so far. Here is the direct link: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/files/GreenRevUP.pdf
So what are my ideas to decrease the hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply? Education and action. Plain and simple people need to be educated! Unfortunately eating organically and sustainably has received a bad rap all these years. We need to reach the children first and show them the movies: Food, Inc., The Future of Food, and Fresh (http://www.freshthemovie.com/). Once the children are aware of what is going on behind the scenes and pretty pictures of conventional farming they will definitely spread the word to all adults they know! Once people are educated about what is really in the food they are feeding their children and themselves they will slowly back away from conventionally grown foods. Even if each person in the United States only changes one meal a week, that is 307 million meals a week that are supporting organic or sustainable agriculture! That number is staggering! Americans need goals they feel are attainable and once they are committed they will follow thru! Another feasible goal is to buy one item a week that is locally grown. Did you know that, according to Sustainabletable.org, “even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there”? That’s an amazing journey! If we support local farmers we will not only put money back into our own community, but we will allow the farmer to stay where he is because there will be demand for his food!! A great website to find organic farms, restaurants, and grocery stores in your area to support is: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home Another thing we can do is buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. If you are anything like me, you don’t know what seasons are peak for what! So if you (like I) need help with that, go to, http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal/. Even if we only touch one person with what we have learned so far the ripple effect will be amazing! And if you are interested in reaching more people or becoming more active in the fight for healthier food and environment go to: http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/, also the Rodale Institute has a page of action items also!

The reason I posted this answer on my blog is I think it has some great websites to look up that won't make you sad or disgusted like the movie Food, Inc. But maybe you will be willing to try one of my suggestions! Thanks for reading!!

Food, Inc.

For my nutrition homework this week I had to watch the movie Food, Inc. As a warning for family and friends... if you don't want to know how our food is brought to us or processed... please stop reading ;c)
The whole entire movie shocked me!! I knew that farming had become a huge money making corporation, however I didn't realize just how large. To go from thousands of slaughter houses 40 years ago to just 13 now is absolutely horrifying!! The amount of animals that are processed through these plants (32,000 hogs a day in one of the plants) is enough to make anyone sick. Ten minutes into the movie, my son Trey (11yrs) had this to say, "No wonder they use so many hormones, they have to keep breeding more and more animals." His comment was before they even talked about hormones!! Another shocking thing to me was that the farmers and companies KNOW that cows shouldn't eat corn and that it actually produces the e-Coli bacteria in their gut as a response to the feed that they are incapable of digesting and yet they keep doing it!! Why?? Because we have become a nation of bigger and faster. The faster they can fatten up the cows, the more money they make. Did you know that if you took cows off their corn diet and fed them grass for 5 days that they would purge all the e-coli bacteria out of their gut?? Poor Kayden (7yrs) came in the room and after watching the movie for 5 min said, "Now my tummy doesn't feel like eating... man, I was hungry too!" It took an hour away from the movie before she could finally eat! I'm so glad after last week's reading that I switched to organic! I was able to feed them healthy food they liked and didn't have to throw any food away after watching the movie!
Trey just came out of his room and said "they need to show that movie in schools to teach the kids what is really going on!" And then asked if they said anything about Taco Bell and if I would still let him eat there! Gotta love them! LOL!

First Nutrition Assignment

One of my first assignments is to take a picture either surrounded by the foods you eat or of contents of refrigerator and post them on your blog. I chose to take pictures of the food I buy and keep in my house. I don't eat most of it, however I do buy it for the kids and let them consume it! So... yes... I'm leaving my parenting styles out there for everyone! Yikes! I figure it creates more accountability for me ;c)

New Adventure

Wow!! I haven't been on here in a very very long time!!! So many things have been going on in my life!! The new adventure I'm embarking on is going back to school!! Yahoo!!! 2 of my online courses started yesterday and I will have some on campus courses also!For one of my classes (Holistic Nutrition 100) I was assigned to create a blog to discuss what I'm learning and I'm sure to see how much I've learned from the beginning of session till the end!! With that said... you'll see alot of nutrition posts and I'm sure some posts of frustration as I manage full-time school and 3 kids!! LOL!

I am attending Southwest Institute for the Healing Arts which is near ASU on Apache just east of Rural! This school is phenomenal!! I am in the Mind/Body Wellness Practitioner program and by this time next year I will have a diploma in that and also certificates in Holistic Nutrition, Hypnotherapy, Life Coaching, and Polarity!! I can't wait!!!