I started out writing about properly fed (grass fed) protein, but am in the wrong frame of mind to do it justice. It is too important of an issue to not give it my best. Later this week I will finish and post it.
The picture is of my hubby and youngest son a couple of years ago. We had a great vacation down by Death Valley. It was really a wonderful place.
One of the big "hot button" issues of our day is a reclamation of our health. Who has blessed us as a country with lousy health, obesity, disease beyond imagination, an enormous increase in "special needs" children and pregnancy and delivery problems, autoimmune diseases, allergies, digestion problems and other wretched industrial based health issues?
- The Government - whatever country you live in?
- Industrial pharmaceutical companies?
- Unhelpful medical practices?
- A legal system that destroys common sense?
- Regulations that support evil and destroy good?
- Massive and unhealthy agribusiness?
- Corrupt educational system?
- Lobbyists and subsidized business?
Why? Well, there appears to be two different answers depending on your world view. If you are a Christian, there is a deeply entrenched river which says I want the grace of the New Testament and not the law of the Old Testament..... especially with food and lifestyle. Under grace, if I am sick, I can ask for healing and if I have enough faith..... and remember that Peter had that vision! I am with Peter. I have no desire to live by the law and besides, God has not called me to that! (reference Leviticus 11 and Acts 10).
(note from me... If you are a Christian you might contemplate reading through Leviticus a couple of times a year - it is a part of the Bible and it is the direction manual from God to us. Ignoring the directions... not a great idea)If you are not a Christian, there are no moral imperatives in your life. Food rules don't apply to you unless you choose to live your life in a way that brings you health. Any boundaries are self imposed, government imposed, society imposed or family imposed. You can use your reason and sense to figure out what type of lifestyle gives you the best health.
If this is you, you might contemplate who makes a profit out of bringing you and your family to a place of addiction to evil food, who makes a profit off of telling you what you can and cannot eat and drink. You might consider thinking about the monopoly of government, regulatory agencies, educational agencies, insurance agencies and last, but certainly not least, the business of law. Don't kid yourself that law is anything but another massive business.
Note, this is currently clearly seen in the raw milk issue. At every step, "the conglomerate" tries to outlaw raw milk. Since they have been unsuccessful in a couple of states and are getting a big push back from a knowledgeable population, they now are using the liability insurance portion of their business to bring them into line. Check out the Whole Foods/raw milk controversy.So, what are health consequences? This is a mindset that says... go ahead and feed your family that overly processed, nutritionally dead food regularly. It won't hurt them.... You have a low level inflammation? Take antibiotics. Now you have another (fill in the blank) problem. Oh, there is a drug to fix any problem that crops up. Oh... that drug caused a whole set of other problems? Well... we have another drug for that.... That might kill you? Oh, we have a procedure for that. That procedure won't work? Well, dope yourself to the gills and live a 10% life and be thankful. You don't want to live that way? Well, have some more drugs.
This is, of course, just a brief synopses. So, on to the good news. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE THIS WAY! You can change your family's future. You can bring robust health, peace and joy to your life. Once you figure out that you are in charge, you don't need to change the whole system, you don't need to be dependent on the whole system.... YOUR FAMILY CAN BE FREE!
If you are sick or have a family member with a health issue, consider viewing all of those big controlling interests with a healthy dose of cynicism. Believe me, it is good. Does that mean never going to the doctor? Absolutely not. Does that mean never taking prescriptive medication? Nope. How about faith healing? Can God heal your disease? Absolutely - I was personally healed by God from a long-term problem as an act of grace. Does that mean never eating out, never getting together with friends over a meal, never enjoying some yummy thing? Again, NOPE!
What it means is that you need to figure out better choices for your family. You be the advocate for health. In the primitive societies that Dr. Price visited, tested and recorded, food wisdom was considered a personal and societal imperative. It was important that you ate what you needed for your stage of life and that you followed well laid out guidelines for where you lived.
These were the ultimate "local" eaters.... but spent considerable resource and energy making sure that anyone bearing a child ate right - male and female. They also used wisdom from their elders and the generations before them to grow their crops in such a way that they didn't ruin the soil. They didn't have access to the "addictions" that cause a cascade of profit right down the corporate trail. They had beautiful, healthy teeth. They bore healthy children easily.
Make it a priority in your life to figure out what your body needs for the optimal health that you can come to... no matter the situation. Be reasonable in your choices. If you have a healthy gut and immune system, occasional lapses shouldn't bring much harm (although the GMO thing might very well change that dynamic).
Here are some suggestions on ways you can change the health dynamic in your family.
Read a book: Nourishing Traditions, The Maker's Diet and Food Rules are three good ones, but there are a lot out there.
Watch a movie: Food, Inc. is great. There is another one called "Fresh" that I have not seen yet, but it might be good.
Find a good, holistic doctor
Eat at home
Plant a garden
Make it a priority to figure out what "healthy" is and how to get there
Give your body what it needs
Simplify
Buy locally grown food when possible
If you can make the necessary changes one at a time, with understanding at each phase, you will probably be more successful. To change without understanding usually means that change cannot be permanent.
This blog is my personal journey through this process. The "steps" are listed out on this page . Our own family is learning and changing. The process is hard sometimes, but worth it. We want abundant health and good choices for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and anyone else who wants to join us.
Thanks for letting me unload. Hope I haven't offended anyone or broken any laws.
Be healthy, blessed and well.
Cindy
