CORNUCOPIA

The market for organic food products is growing faster than any other part of the grocery world, by approximately 14% per year as against 2 – 3 % per year for conventional foods. People are becoming increasingly interested in buying organic potato chips, ice cream, milk, canned soups, eggs, flour, sugar, packaged, and processed foods. However, one of the areas that I see lagging behind, locally at least, is produce. But then, I suppose this is not so strange.

Most Americans eat fruit and vegetables rarely, especially in the age of convenience and fast foods. When vegetables are eaten, there are usually only a few favorites: carrots, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, maybe the odd bell pepper. Fruit consumption is confined mainly to whatever commercially produced smoothies contain, or the mildly crusty slice of orange or melon presented on a platter of bacon and eggs.

Usually, vegetables for cooking tend to have come from the freezer section, rather than the produce department of the supermarket; they are stuck in a plastic or glass bowl and micro blasted, or boiled to mush. They are then plopped on the side of the dinner plate, slightly dry and leathery or mushy and tasteless. Their presence at dinner is treated almost like that of an annoying second cousin who one must have to the family reunion for the sake of etiquette.

What is the real deal about vegetables and fruit? Why did our mothers, back when more mothers cooked real meals, insist we eat all our vegetables? Well, read on.

Vegetables’ and fruits’ enormous variety contains a complete spectrum of vitamins and minerals, enzymes, and many of the amino acids that we need to thrive. Vegetables from different categories have different general benefits. For example, dark green leafy veg like spinach, chard and beet greens contain an abundance of minerals and vitamins, particularly the B complex as well as calcium and trace minerals. Another category, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, contain natural chemicals that research has shown block the formation of cancerous tumors all over the body, but particularly in the digestive tract.

Beyond this, individual vegetables and fruits each have their own beneficial traits. For example, even though broccoli and cauliflower come from the same cancer fighting family of veg, they have additional more specific benefits. Like broccoli, cauliflower moves blockages in the body such as chi, lumps, fibroids, and constipation, and is generally an impressive antagonist to colon and stomach cancer, breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease. They have both been seen to prevent and treat high blood pressure, constipation, and obesity. Broccoli produces immune-stimulating, antiviral, diuretic, and anti-ulcer activity. It aids in the digestion of fats, clears the liver, and helps regulate insulin and blood sugar levels. Broccoli also helps prevent nearsightedness, neuritis, and toxemia. Cauliflower has been used to treat acne, asthma and other lung disorders, bladder and kidney problems, and gout. Consumed raw, it helps remedy bleeding gums.

So, now we have two star vegetables, that I hope I have got you excited about, at least intellectually if not sensually. If you want to experience the full health and taste benefits of broccoli and cauliflower, you should buy organic. Both these vegetables should be eaten raw, lightly steamed, or quickly stir fried or barely sautéed in butter and / or coconut oil, then drizzled with an extra virgin olive oil, for us to partake of the benefits mentioned.

We have gone into pretty close detail regarding the benefits to be gained from only two out of the vast array of vegetables and fruits available to us. Remember, they are always better for you and better tasting when they are organic, and next month, I promise to tell you why.

Namaste.

THE INCREDIBLE EDIBLE GARDEN

Ah, June . . . and the sun is warming us well up here in the higher altitudes. The late night-time frosts are a thing of the past. All the spring bulbs have sprung and the shy summer plants have emerged from their winter’s sleep. Gardeners have by now established their routine, and with monsoons a month away, watering will be high on the agenda.

In Snowflake, vegetable gardening is always big. New generations of gardeners arise every year, springing from the shears of their forbears. There are plots belonging to grandparents who no longer garden, but whose offspring participate in a community style garden reminiscent of the communal plots in London and Venice (California.) They range in size from mini gardens grown on window sills right through to traditional Peter Rabbit and Mr. Macgregor gardens. Out east, you will find Permaculture gardens, four season gardens, bio-dynamically grown gardens, jungle gardens, container gardens, raised bed gardens, square foot gardens, all tucked away in corners hidden from the wind.

For those who have an entirely ornamental garden, no fear. Have you ever considered evolving it into a Cottage Style garden? In England, the great tradition of this style of gardening is to take up every square inch of bed space with plants, be they ornamental or edible, growing in a jubilant melee of life. The crowding, with adequate application of compost and mulch, serves to act as a weed barrier and moisture retainer all at once. This is perhaps the most basic form of Permaculture.

Most vegetable plants are highly attractive and certain combinations of vegetable with vegetable, and vegetable with ornamental are positively beneficial to each other. (See the writings of Louise Riotte.) Eggplants or squash have a charming appearance amongst the decorative ladies of your garden. And, what could be better than stepping out your back door and snipping a bit of oregano and chive for your salad, or picking a luscious ripe red tomato to add to your pasta sauce? Even if you only grow a couple of herbs and one vegetable in your space, you will benefit physically, emotionally, and even spiritually from participating in the growth and preparation of something you have planted as it comes to the point of nourishing you and your loved ones.

Now, coming from this pen, you must know that the next thing I am going to say is that all growing should be done organically. Organic growing has the benefits of sustainability for the world, and health for you. (More on this soon.) Organic gardening is not some secret method that makes your life harder or more expensive. It is a pretty intuitive way of treating the world around you. You can buy organic seed and seedlings right here in the White Mountains. They are somewhat more expensive than what you can get at Wal-Mart, but if you choose open pollinated varieties you can save the seeds, and you will know that they are not genetically modified to contain, say, the genes of a salmon. Look for heritage and traditional varieties, as these will almost always produce plants with the flavour you don’t even know you long for, until you have tasted your first organically home grown vegetable.

There is one warning that comes with this advice: once you have grown your own, it will be hard to settle for conventional stuff from the supermarket. Organic produce is the only way to go, thereafter. But here is the good thing. In the overall grocery bill, the cost of organic produce will affect you the least for the great benefit you will receive from it. Next month we will discuss more about organic produce and why it is of such value to you and to our future. Please feel free to email me about anything in any article. My email is adohr47@gmail.com.

Namaste.

HFCS: LET’S MAKE SURE OUR KIDS AREN’T MADE OF THIS

RECAP

Last month we talked about High Fructose Corn Syrup. The Corn Refiners Association claims that HFCS is an all natural product which causes no more harm to the human body and the environment than sugar. Corn used in HFCS, however, is almost always genetically modified, grown in monocultures, and adds to environmental pollution. The manufacture of HFCS includes the use of genetically modified enzymes, fungi, and bacteria in a laboratory environment.

BUT IT’S CHEAP!

A popular argument in favor of HFCS is that it is inexpensive to make, keeping our grocery bills very low. True! It is so cheap to produce compared to other more natural sugar products, that it is used in a wide range of processed foods, some of which aren’t even obviously sweet. Why? Because sweetness makes more people buy more. The U S population is addicted to sweetness, with a high and rising rate of adult onset diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

FRUCTOSE > GLUCOSE

One of the CRA’s arguments is that HFCS has the same number of calories as real sugar, and that therefore it is no more fattening. They also state that it is metabolized in the same fashion as sugar. However, it is a fact that real sugar is composed of a 50:50 ratio glucose to fructose, while HFCS is usually composed of 55% fructose and 45% glucose, but can be turned out with a ratio of up to 80% fructose and 20% glucose. It is estimated that 25% of an average American’s caloric intake comes from sugars, with a higher ratio of fructose.

It used to be thought that fructose was beneficial for diabetics because it is absorbed only 40% as quickly as glucose, causing only modest rises in blood sugar. Glucose, however, is metabolized by every cell in the body, while fructose must be metabolized in the liver, putting a huge strain on just one organ. It is unclear whether the “unbound” chemical nature of fructose in HFCS makes it more dangerous to the body than sugar, although a recent study (funded in part by beverage companies) suggests that this is not true.

Here is a list of health problems in which fructose has been implicated. Fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and robs the body of micronutrients in order to assimilate itself. It reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor, which means that the body needs to pump out more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose—which makes us more susceptible to type-2 diabetes. It promotes tooth decay. Fructose is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a greater rate than glucose, and when fructose is consumed in excess of glucose, this can lead to diarrhea. Fructose elevates insulin levels in women using oral contraceptives. Fructose has more damaging effects on the body in the presence of copper deficiency (and a large proportion of Americans are copper deficient), and with a Catch 22 sort of perfection, it also inhibits copper metabolism. Fructose has been seen to enlarge the heart and testes in male animals, causing death and infertility. Females resorb their offspring.

The CRA argues that the above allegations refer to fructose alone, and that an equal mix of glucose and fructose is benign. But, isn’t it true that the very name of the product we are discussing says it all? High Fructose Corn Syrup is called that because it is just that: higher in fructose than in glucose, even if only by five percent. Does this tip the ratio enough to cause any or all the above conditions, as well as inflating the American obesity epidemic?

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET

If you have reached the conclusion that HFCS is better avoided, you are probably asking, what are the alternatives? Start by reading labels for ingredients and limiting sweets.

When you do eat sweets, choose foods prepared using any of the following: cane sugar, best in the form of sucanat or rapadura, high in minerals and vitamins; molasses, even higher in minerals and vitamins; honey from bees that forage for a natural diet; maple syrup, high in vitamins and minerals; or the South American herb, Stevia, low calorie, natural, and safe for diabetics.

STOP PRESS

There are two 2009 developments in the furor over HFCS. Research has been released finding that due to the method by which caustic soda is created (to break corn kernels down into corn starch,) HFCS contains mercury. If this is the case, a normal American’s daily diet contains potentially five times the mercury limit as set by the EPA. The CRA has, of course, released a statement casting confusion over these findings. It continues to insist that its product is completely natural.

Which is odd, because the FDA released a statement in January that determined that HFCS and foods containing it may not be labeled as natural, for precisely the reasons that we have discussed.

Remember, we can do better than just survive, we can thrive.

Namaste.

HFCS: WHAT WOULD THE TOOTH FAIRY MAKE OF THIS?

THE FAIRY TALE

Perhaps I should watch more television. I only heard about this advert recently: Two archetypal Moms are at a children’s party and one offers the other a drink. Mom One, who has a deer in the headlights innocence to her demeanor, declines saying that the drink contains HFCS (high fructose corn syrup.) Mom Two, who looks by far the savvier of the two, pounces on this declaration, asking Mom One what is wrong with HFCS, adding that it is all natural and contains no preservatives. When Mom One cannot find anything to say to that, she accepts a big delicious glass of pink stuff. The commercial’s message conveys: “Exactly, if you can’t explain what is wrong with it, then there is nothing wrong with it. Eat High Fructose Corn Syrup and support American Farmers. It is the only patriotic thing to do.”

This advert was produced by the Corn Refiners Association in response to attacks questioning the health effects HFCS has on people. They are just trying to protect their industry from sniping, interfering, researching special interest groups who are utterly obsessed with the healthy physical and mental growth of our children and their ability to procreate in the future. Silly.

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup really a great innovation that keeps American agriculture alive, is totally natural, and sweetens everything from cookies and bread to beverages and pasta sauces to bacon and catsup, cheaply? Even some “health” products like “natural sodas” and protein bars contain HFCS. Should the consumer blindly trust the claims of an association who invented the manufacturing process for HFCS during the dwindling days of corn as the major ingredient in margarine? Or, should consumers know facts surrounding HFCS, in order to make informed choices about whether or not to consume products containing this ingredient?

Over the next couple of months we will look at how it HFCS manufactured, how it impacts the environment, and what research has dredged up about it regarding human health.

HOW GREEN IS MY CORN?

HFCS is produced with corn that is grown in the Corn Belt. It is estimated that 80% of non-organically grown corn is genetically modified; it is grown as a monoculture requiring large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Runoff of chemical fertilizers and pesticides into the Gulf of Mexico is thought to be the major cause of the “Dead Zone” of water in the Gulf that is equal in area to the state of New Jersey. In the Dead Zone, there is no life, not even the existence of the microorganisms that convert CO2 to Oxygen.

HFCS is obviously not the only reason that corn is grown in a fashion so deleterious to our land, our wildlife, and our oceans. Ethanol, corn for livestock, and that yummy ear of corn at the BBQ are all members of the same death squad. We will talk more in the future about monocultures and industrial farming.

BUBBLE BUBBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE

Once corn is harvested, it is turned into cornstarch, and then processed into glucose, which is further processed to yield a high percentage of fructose. Three different enzymes are employed in these processes. They turn the almost infinitely long chains of glucose molecules present in cornstarch into the simple foreshortened chains of glucose and fructose. (When chains of molecules in food are short they are more easily disrupted or contaminated, which makes them more likely to harm the body.)

The first of the enzymes used in the manufacture of HFCS is alpha-amylase, which turns cornstarch to shorter chains of sugar called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is an industrially produced bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It in itself is a genetically modified substance.

The next step is to break the polysaccharides down to even shorter chains to yield the simple sugar glucose, with an enzyme called glucoamylase. This enzyme is produced by a fungus, Aspergillus, in a bubbling fermentation vat.

The final enzyme, glucose-isomerase, is used over and over again because of its extreme expense. It converts glucose into a mixture of about 42% fructose and 50-52% glucose with the balance of the result being made up of other sugars. Glucose-isomerase is also a genetically modified ingredient.

The next manufacturing step takes the sugar slurry to 90% fructose through chromatography. Finally the stuff is back-blended with some of the original mixture to yield a crystal clear liquid with a fructose content of approximately 55%-- the product known as HFCS.

So far, we have a substance that causes extreme damage to the environment and is anything but naturally produced. Next month we will find out more about HFCS and alternatives to it.

Namaste.

BREATHE

Lately, I’ve been thinking a great deal about breathing. It’s something we do every second of every minute we are alive. Breathing is something that happens without our concentration. And it is the most vital action we take. Like water, without the air we breathe, well, we just wouldn’t be. So, given that all of us breathe for all of our lives, we ought to be experts at it, right?

Actually, most of us are not. Singers, wind instrument musicians, ballet dancers, and athletes get training in breath control, but most of the rest of us are only amateurs when it comes to breathing. Many of us breathe shallowly, or forget to breathe for extended periods of time and then suddenly draw in a great gasp; some of us are troubled with sleep apnea (which is apparently often related to being overweight.) When we are under stress, we tend to hunch our shoulders up protectively around our ears. This interferes with the depth of breath we are able to take.

Funnily enough, even though I am being critical of our breathing expertise, it would be fair if you were to exclaim “But I’m still alive,” right? I mean to hear me tell it, we should all be gasping for air like fish on a dock and sick as dogs if we can’t even do the job of breathing right, right? Well, of course that’s not true. The good old human body is ever resilient to the way we treat it. It finds ways to survive even when we fill it with white flour and sugar, drugs of all descriptions, don’t give it enough O2 and H2O, or leave it awash in CO2, at least for a while, until it has just dealt with too much junk. That’s when true chronic sicknesses creep up on you insidiously. What we are talking about here, as always, is the joy of doing better than surviving, by thriving.

As a brief refresher on the mechanics of breathing, when you breathe air in you are using a large group muscles, the most important one of which is the diaphragm (if you are doing it right.) You draw air in through your nose, down your trachea, and into your lungs, where the acres of alveoli (about 800 million tiny air sacs) in your lungs transfer the gases that your body needs to function into blood in your circulatory system. Your heart pumps the blood through your arteries making oxygen available to all the cells of your body so that they may function at optimal level.

The same cells that take, also giveth away. They deposit the unwanted gases in the form of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) back into the blood stream, and veins bring them back around to the lungs where they are breathed out. Phew. It’s a long process that takes moments to happen.

So with all this partial breathing, this hunching of shoulders, this shallow stuff going on, smoking and air pollution, you can see that your body is in danger of not only not getting fresh resources with which to build and maintain cells, but that it is in danger of getting plugged up with toxic gasses. When you consider the act of breathing in this fashion, you can get the idea of why breathing thoroughly and deeply is pretty important. What’s more, breathing thoroughly can stave off loss of sight and hearing, lessen pain and lessen the hot flash effects of menopause (no, really!), and keep your brain working well.

Just as most actions requiring skill or coordination improve with measured deep breathing, so it seems to me that intellectual and spiritual activities require deep and expansive inhalation and exhalation. Whether you meditate, pray, practice yoga, or engage in proactive relaxation, the advice is always the same: breathe deep and breathe well.

One of the standard exercises for those wishing to practice deep and complete breathing is to count your breaths. Sit in a chair with your back straight, breathe in for a slow count of five (one thousand one, one thousand two, etc.) Then, hold your breath for a slow count of five, finally exhaling for a slow count of five. Repeat several times. If you couple this with using your diaphragm to control your breaths, and visualizing the complete use of your lung space, you will be making great strides towards breathing well.

As usual on our journey, this has been but a brief visit to this month’s subject. For more information on breathing properly and its benefits read Bragg’s Super Power Breathing for Super Energy High Health & Longevity, available at good book and health food stores.

Remember to do better than survive—thrive.

CHANGE

Change. We hear the call to Change all around us, from the campaign of our newly inaugurated President, to the cars we drive, to the shoes we wear. Everyone seems to be crying for change. And change would be a great thing in a world full of war, lies, racism, pollution, and paranoia. Have we promoted change by the way the majority voted three months ago? Is our new President going to make change, and will that change be for the better? What about the economy? Change, however, comes with a price for most people: stress.

At Amelia’s Garden, I have noticed an increasing number of customers coming in looking for supplements that will help them to calm down and to sleep. There has been a marked increase in the number of people who admit to depression and scattered concentration. People with digestive problems are surfacing more and more. When we used to assist people once or twice a week with such concerns, now we are speaking to several people in a day about them. Stress can be the cause of all three of these groups of symptoms.

If you are feeling the stress that comes with Change, there are several things you can do to battle it. A healthful diet is always a most important choice. Eating foods that actually contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes will goes a long way toward getting you back on an even keel. Organically grown foods are far more likely to contain adequate amounts of all of the above. Drinking lots of water is absolutely vital to beating stress.

Be sure to take a good food based vitamin-mineral complex; take an additional Complete B supplement, as the B vitamins are the first thing your body turns to under any kind of stressful conditions. The proper balance of calcium and magnesium might be all you need to get a good night’s sleep, feel happier, or digest your food well. Supermarket vitamins are not a good choice. Please go to a good health food shop or an alternative health therapist for advice on food and supplements.

Endorphins, neurotransmitters released by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, reduce pain and the negative effects of stress. Strange as it might seem, putting our bodies’ under the physical stress of athletics or climax, can reduce the effects of mental stress. A brisk walk in a pretty area, or a jaunt with a loved one can relieve some of the crushing effects of the worries we all face right now. Keeping our senses of humour, and remembering to laugh, or watching an old horror movie also releases endorphins. Eating chocolate and chili peppers (together or apart) has the same effect. Giving or receiving a massage also releases endorphins.

Beyond that, there are herbs, essential oils, amino acids, and other preparations that can assist to calm you down, cheer you up, or help you digest your food. Every body is different and reacts differently to remedies, so be prepared to experiment a little. Usually, you can find something that will keep you off the dangerous path to an addiction to a chemical compound. As one of our customers said the other day, “I am tired of taking prescription drugs, just to need another prescription drug to counteract the problems that the first one created.”

Finally, remember to breathe. Remember to see the beauty all around us. And what of this world full of wars, lies, racism, pollution, and paranoia? Don’t forget it is also a world that contains great beauty, joy, vision, and, all important, small kindnesses. And that is a world worth changing to save. Namaste.

A TRICKLE MORE WATER

Remember my eighty four year old friend who is still climbing mountains? She has taken Dr Batman’s book seriously, and also worked quite hard to keep herself in good shape, as well as drinking copious amounts of water. Dr Batman said that once your mouth is dry, you are already in a state of dehydration. Don’t wait to feel thirsty. Often, hunger pangs, according to Dr Batman, are a sign of thirst. Meeting hunger pangs with a glass of refreshing water will dispense with out of bounds hunger, very good for the figure! Another point that it is important to take in is that as we get older, we actually lose our pre-emptive warning system for water need. The older a person is the less likely he or she is to feel thirsty. This is another reason to do the math and practice drinking enough water.

Excuse me? How do I practice drinking water? Well once you have taken the weight of your body in pounds and figured half that amount as the ounces of water you should drink per day (and then I would say add another 50% to that) I would urge you to take a day when you can give a little time to this process. Fill up large containers with as much water as your calculations tell you that you need on a daily basis, and set yourself the task of drinking that amount of water over your day. If you figure out that you need one gallon of water, you might want to divide that amount by the hours that you expect to be awake over the day, and drink the divvied up portions at set times, tapering off a little before bed, so as to have as restful a sleep as possible.

Of course, to begin with you will probably be rushing to the loo a lot more than you are used to, but there are a couple of effects of practicing water drinking that might surprise you. As your body remembers how to store and use water, the restroom visits will slow down to a more normal rate. You may also find that even though you thought you were drinking plenty of water before starting this, once you start, you will suddenly notice how much you want that water! All this will probably not happen in just one day of practice. The more you can do this, the healthier your body will become, and I believe the more it will remember to remind you to drink.

Once we are drinking water, it is important not to negate all its benefits by using the wrong container. Numerous scientific research studies have suggested that hard plastic (No 7) bottles, such as those used for baby milk and as water bottles, leach out bisphenol A, or BPA, an estrogen mimicking chemical which has raised concerns amongst scientists that it can alter development of the brain, the prostate, and behavior in children and fetuses. Further evidence suggests that the harm just keeps on coming even as you mature: heart disease and breast cancer has been linked to BPA, as well. So, besides the indisputably atrocious effect plastic bottles have on the environment, they can also have an atrocious effect on you!

When at home, fill a glass or ceramic jug with water and drink from that in a glass glass. If you use a Brita water filter jug, try not to let the filtered water sit in it for any great length of time, or purchase the type of filter which fills from the tap. When on the move, a stainless steel water bottle is one of the best ways to carry drinking water. I keep a one gallon apple juice bottle in my car for refills when on the road. If you set it in a small box, the bottle won’t roll around, but remember to take it inside at night during the winter in case it freezes and cracks. If you must use a plastic water bottle for a short term, drink out of Number 1 plastic, and don’t freeze, heat, scratch, crack, or reuse it… just to be on the safe side.

Well, this trickle of water has reduced to a drip, drip, drip. Do read Dr Batman’s book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, stay aware of our environment, and stay well.

A Happy and Joyous New Year. Namaste.