Garbage Disposal Syndrome

My last post, The Diets I Have Tried, was written in good humor as well as to provide healing information around the "games" we play with our eating habits and styles to promote cellular health.

Recently I heard a blurb on the radio about crazy things people stuff into their sink's garbage disposal unit clearly not thinking logically about the consequences of what they are doing. It made me laugh as I was thinking that is how many people stuff food into their mouths: without thinking with logic and common sense about what they are eating and the consequences to their long-term health. I say this with MUCH love, heartfelt humor (the garbage disposal stories were very funny!), and as a wakeup call to people to start thinking, start using logic and common sense around their food choices.

Over the years of working in Nursing, Health Education, Holistic Healing, and "coaching" people back to vibrant health I have heard this statement many times, in different incarnations:

"I want to lose weight, lower my high blood pressure or cholesterol,

heal my diabetes, etc., but I do not want to change anything I eat.

Can you recommend an herb or supplement that will fix my problem?"

I have so often, very lovingly, told dear people that I wish I had a magic wand I could bop them over their head with and make everything better OR a true magic bullet treatment that would take away all their troubles and struggles. 

The healing principle is always in the living system itself (your own body - my words). All living organisms are self-constructing, self-defending, and self-repairing. Teach men and women to prevent disease by avoiding its causes rather than attempt to cure it by administering the causes of other diseases [drugs] - then health and happiness will abound everywhere. We are convinced that mankind can be educated in correct principles and trained in right practices so that sickness will cease to trouble us. These statements on Natural Hygiene by Dr. Herbert M. Shelton, Naturopath, 1895-1985

Questions to ask oneself before you pop that food substance in your mouth:

1. Is this a whole food?
2. Will this food contribute to my vibrant cellular health OR will it degenerate my cellular health and lead to degenerative diseases?
3. Are there artificial ingredients of any kind in this food substance?
4. Did nature make this food or was it made in a factory?
5. Would people 250 years ago have been able to eat this? And then the all time Paula favorite to share with clients:
6. Is this best for my wellness?

The way you live your life and the way you feed your body are not separate from the way you feel and the health or ill-health (dis- ease) you experience.

Remember your digestive tract is not a garbage disposal system. Your digestive tract is your seat to cellular health; your whole body's health.

Feed yourself and feed your kitchen's garbage disposal well!

Stayed tuned for a blog post on "Eating Hygiene" coming soon!

The "Diets" I Have Tried

First, let me define diet as simply the food one eats. Your diet is what you eat at a meal, over the course of a day, and more so over the course of your lifetime. Diets change with the seasons (especially if you eat local food) and with our moods. 

Now I realize that most people quickly think "weight loss" when they hear the word diet. If I mean weight loss, I will specifically term this a weight loss diet. Many of us have tried different eating styles in the quest for better health, vibrant energy, balanced body weight, etc.: raw food, vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, carnivore (I am thinking a serious Dr. Atkin's diet here!), local, seasonal, gluten free, wheat free, juice fast, herbal tea fast, and on and on the quest goes to get it right. I am feeling a frisky need to share the things I have tried, how they worked, why I changed the "diet" yet again, and all the funny tales that accompany my food adventures. I have to laugh as it is all a learning journey, a trek through the food of my neighborhood and the world!

I offer up this information with humor and love. I think I am suffering from Cabin Fever and a serious desire to move into the Spring Fever mode!

Spring Fever Crocus flowers, 2014 at the Potsdam Food Coop... they want out of their winter "cabin" too!

Framed photos compliments of Jayne at the Potsdam Food Coop.

Vegetarian-Vegan:

I first veered from the diet I ate growing up after reading Diet for a New America by John Robbins when I was 26, maybe 27 years old. I then decided eating vegetarian was the life for me. This vegetarian eating quickly evolved into vegan eating; if I wasn't going to eat the actual animal because of the horrid way they are factory farm raised, I could not see me continuing to eat their products (milk, dairy products, and eggs) as being any different. This plant based diet of mine went on for 7 or so years. I had fun learning about all kinds of "new" veggies and beans that I had not been exposed to as a kid. You know, in walks the kale and collards and the broccoli not slathered in cheese sauce. Who Knew! Broccoli comes without cheese sauce? This diet is the how, when, what, where, and why of my learning to cook and eat seasonal veggies in amazing ways. Along this part of my diet trek I tried macrobiotic, Ayurvedic, and various other ethnic, plant based diets. What a fantastic way to learn spices, herbs, and food combinations that I was not exposed to in the meat, potato, and side salad and/or cooked veggie diet of my youth (Now trust me, I am not knocking my diet of childhood and young adulthood. Read on and you will see why.).

I was 33 when I experienced my first pregnancy. Along with pregnancy came dreams... dreams of Mom's roast beef dinners (yup, the meat and potato thing was back with me!), chicken and dumplings, venison stew, and various other omnivorous - carnivorous things my Mom whipped up in splendor. I wanted meat. My Dad, being the wise man he is said this: "Obviously your body is telling you something, get down here for dinner, your Mom is making you venison stew." So I did! The road from Hannawa Falls to Brasher Falls is not a long one when Mom's venison stew is at the journey's end! I continued to eat meat here and there throughout this pregnancy and mostly squelched my body's cry for protein with lots of free-range eggs and organic cheeses. Keep in mind; I ate a very healthy, whole food and plenty of protein foods vegetarian diet. No junk, no refined, no packaged vegetarian fake food products... just lots of veggies and beans and whole grains (pre-soaked and cooked in a thermos, I did it up right!). My only question from these vegan years: How did I survive without butter?

Lessons Learned:

• If I was going to eat a vegetarian only diet again; and believe me, I eat plenty of vegetarian and vegan meals, I would do some things differently to prevent weight gain (more about this later). I would eat my beans coupled with lots of yummy, raw nuts and seeds, skip the grains most of the time, pile on the veggies, and enjoy fruits in moderation.

• Veggies, veggies, and more veggies.

• Many ways to whip up veggies and enjoy without cook books or recipes: how to spice them, how to blend them with other foods, how to enjoy then in ways never before!

• Balanced diet for me: I tend to be better satiated with a leaning towards protein and fat and I maintain my healthy weight this way.

Omnivore (again):

Pregnancy, post pregnancy, and breast-feeding found me searching out local sources of grass fed meat / dairy and pasture raised eggs. I was an omnivore again! To my delight, the 15 to 20 pounds I had gained eating a mostly vegan diet literally melted off my body without any effort. I say mostly vegan diet as on occasion I would eat pizza with cheese: whole grain crust pizza loaded with yummy veggies and organic cheese!

Lessons Learned:

• Mom's cooking rocks!

• See vegetarian lessons above.

Weight Loss: herbal tea and juice fasts

Over the years of vegetarian and vegan eating... let me tell you the fun and funny diets I tried to lose this gained weight. Yup, now I am venturing into the "weight loss" diet realm. Now keep in mind, this was all pre-motherhood and I had plenty of time to mess around in the kitchen and the health food store learning and trying new things, prepping food, and making fresh juices and herbal teas. Post-kids... I just have to have food ready to eat!

I was always mystified as to why I was gaining weight on a vegetarian diet. It made no sense to me; I was eating a healthy, whole food, and animal fat free diet. Why was I getting fat when I was leaving the animals to keep their own fat alive and intact on their body frames? In retrospect, it was all in the grains, too many grains for my body. This is where the knowledge that not one diet is healthy for every human on the planet comes into play. We must consider our physiological make up, where we live, the climate, etc.

In come the herbal tea and juice fasts. I figured I could wash that fat right out of my flesh, re-set the metabolism, clean things up a bit, and get a fresh start on life and eating. I would eat raw foods for a day, drink nothing but fresh juices and herbal teas for 3 to 7 days or so, another day of raw foods, and then back to my vegan diet. My weight loss on these fun food frolics away from solid food? Big fat zero. Never worked! But I did these juicy, herbal fasts over and over. Now I confess it was fun and easy. The food prep was minimal and the clean up a snap. No prepping, chopping, and cooking food. Just a simple zip the veggies down the juicer tube and voila'... my meal was ready!        I loved carrot, celery, and beet juice. Yummy!

Lessons Learned:

• The best combinations of fruits and veggies in juice blends.

• Juices are easy "to go" meals.

• The body feels so good when it is emptied of food for a few days.

Beer Fast (or Beer & J.D. Fast):

Warning: While this form of liquid detox diet was fun in the moment (much fun), I have to warn you that its cellular enhancing properties are not recommended over the long haul of one's life.     : )     And, for your information, the J. D. is not a juice related thing!

If you are wondering: "What? Paula on a beer diet?" Yes, in my 30 plus years of studying and living holistic health and healing... I have not been perfect. There, I confessed my food and beer style sins. 

So, the beer fast, It goes like this: 

1. Grab a mug,

2. Grab your sister (or any tight friend will do),

3. Bring a tent and sleeping bag,

4. Head for a weekend party that consists of kegs of beer,

5. No, no! Food is not required in the packing plan. I told you this was a beer fast! (The JD part, Jack Daniels, is optional based upon your strength of constitution.)

Lessons Learned:

• One can survive several days on beer.

• The colon is completely cleansed out after a weekend of beer fasting.

• This type of fasting works more efficiently and pleasantly at younger ages.

• My "taste" in beer has grown up a bit.

• I miss my sisterly fun!

Macrobiotic:  

Eating macrobiotic is recommended to heal the body of cancer and many other health concerns. Obviously I needed to look into this healing diet! (I was probably 28, maybe 29.) I read up on it, attended a couple of classes, and joined a weekly dinner group. Both the classes and dinner were through a group in Syracuse, NY called Wellspring. 

The foods I was introduced to were amazing: pickled stuff, fermented this and that, sea weeds (on a more palatable note, sea vegetables), spices I had never heard of, many rice varieties, and on and on.

Lessons Learned

1. This was the start of my "local" food mentality. Pure macrobiotic, when you get to the heart of the teachings, is truly about eating the local foods, what is available locally and seasonally close to your home.

2. This made so much more sense than me, a basically French decent person, eating foods local to the country of Japan. Seemed silly transporting Japanese foods to my plate in Northern NY State.

Ayruvedic

Ayurvedic healing is a system where your specific healing and eating plan is based upon your constitution, your body type. What you eat is based upon the needs of your body: hot, dry, cold, wet, etc. and the 6 tastes in food to balance your specific body's needs, appetite, satiation, and taste buds. I am giving a very over simplified definition of this healing lifestyle.

As per one practitioner: The most important principle in the Ayurvedic Diet is that your food is fresh (without pesticides, additives, and other chemicals), seasonal, and as often as possible local. Fresh doesn't, however, mean raw. The best Ayruvedic meals are freshly cooked, whole meals. 

Are you seeing a pattern in my learning through diet, dieting (not weight loss but simply eating plan) through learning?

Lessons Learned:

1. Again, it is the local and seasonal thing coming at me. All these ethnic cuisines I played around with just drove home the point that our food needs to be as fresh as possible which means local and seasonal food... not food shipped in from hundreds and thousands of miles away!

Gluten Free:

Well, except for beer, of course (It is that beer thing again. But no more all weekend beer fasts for me. I am not certain a 50 year old body can handle that lifestyle!).

I do buy wheat free beer (so I avoid the biggest issue around gluten, modern wheat), organic, and brewed in Europe. I figure European beer has a better chance of being free of GMOs and other unhealthy stuff.

Why I chose to go gluten free:

• psoriasis on elbows, knees, shins, and eyelids,

• joint pain,

• digestive woes,

• wheat that has been horribly altered from the original heritage grains people ate from time beginning that contains *Super-Gluten now, and Ta-Da...

• GMO pesticides.

Lessons Learned:

1. My psoriasis, digestive woes, and joint pains disappear when I leave wheat alone.

2. I have learned so many other wonderful grains exist and can be used to make anything wheat was used to make. The consistency and end product is quite different from the regular wheat stuff we are used to. (2019 update: 99.75% of the time I am totally grain free and feel better. Seriously, Thai food without steamed rice noodles would be criminal!)

3. Gluten Free beer is nasty. I assume that European brewed, Belgian style ales are made with non-GMO barley and hops. The gluten in barley is a totally different thing than the gluten in modern wheat.

4. Belgian style ale is yummy. Have I mentioned this before?

I am certain I could tell many more tales, if I thought on it long and hard enough, about all the fun food diets I have tried, the foods and spices, and the cooking methods. Life is a journey; food is a journey... just make sure to have some good quality beer and butter (from grass-fed cows) along for the trek!

SHARE: Tell us your healing diet stories in the comments below.

 

*Super-Gluten: I use this term as a blanket word for wheat that has had the percentage of gluten in it changed horribly and in the cross breeding of wheat to arrive at modern wheat, we have created gluten proteins that have never existed before in heritage wheat.  

The UN-Local Food Radical

I need a raise of hands here:  If there was a patch of green grass in your front yard... how many people would be out there grazing?

I have cabin fever, local food fever, warm sun fever...

Here in Northern NY the winter has been brutal; longs weeks of very cold weather. It has been years since I have lived through week after week of below zero temperatures. Snow, we have had plenty of snow this year to boot.

By the end of March I am always eager for the green foods of Spring: (Spring IS capitalized here because right now, Spring is very important to me!)

• wild leeks
• dandelion greens
• spring nettles
• violet leaves
• wild sorrel
• spring sorrel

To have some green nettles to chomp on, what a pleasure that would be.

It is but February 28th and I am crawling out of my skin for fresh food, food I can pluck off the vine or cut from the ground, food that is alive and vibrant with life force energy. I know it is a good two months before I am digging wild leeks. What is a girl to do when the root veggies, squash, and cabbage are no longer appealing to her? (Believe me; I am very grateful to my local farmers who work hard all season to keep me well stocked with these wonderful, winter storage veggies. I just need a break from winter; a bowl of freshness served up with sunshine.)

My radical plan to circumvent local food

I am off to the Potsdam Food Coop this AM to buy organic produce

1. big, juicy navel oranges from Florida,
2. sweet, furry little kiwis from California,
3. luscious red peppers from wherever they were grown and harvested, and 
4. any other delicious, juicy looking fruit or veggie that comes from someplace that is sunny and warm.

I will bring them home, park my butt in a sunny spot (it is gorgeous and sunny today, by 2 PM my front porch will have warmed to at least 50 degrees... this is like a tropical paradise to me!), and indulge in food grown far from my home. My thoughts will go to the people responsible for caring for the orange grove and the kiwi orchards (Do you call a Kiwi farm an orchard?) with love and gratitude for the work they do to grow, harvest, and pack these sun filled wonders to be delivered to my hands. Gratitude to the many hands the crates pass through and the people driving up the East Coast and across this big continent, through the nights, to bring these delectable non-local foods to my hands and belly. This infusion of packaged sunshine, vitamin C, and so many other amazing nutrients may just keep me humming along until my feet are bare with the green grass under them again.

Enjoy the sun today, wherever you are and remember the words of my youngest son when he was an 8 year old boy:

"If you lift the corner of the clouds the sun is always shining." Eli

This is a warning to you dandelions... I will be eating you! 

Please share your secrets for surviving cabin fever, the need for non-local food, and the need for grass under your bare feet.

Chewing for Weight Loss

I have written about the virtues of chewing on a few occasions.  Every day I see health issues that could benefit from better chewing, so...

I feel compelled to write about chewing again because your whole body's health depends on the quality of food you eat AND that very food getting to your each and every body cell. Chewing is a foundational habit of good health.

Chewing properly:

• unlocks the nutrients in the whole food you feed yourself with so those nutrients can feed your body cells which
• makes for vibrant healthy body cells (this is a front line defense against disease of all manners)
• creates a healthy digestive tract
• feeds healthy gut microbes which in turn keep your immune and nervous systems healthy (really, your whole body healthy)
• prevents constipation
• prevents gastro-intestinal ill health symptoms
• and so many more whole health effects!

Chewing for Whole Cellular Health 

Eating begins with the simple act of chewing which leads to smooth digestion and greater absorption and assimilation of nutrients by initiating the release of digestive enzymes that break down food.  The better chewed your food, the better your body can absorb and use the food’s nutrition. This means healthier better nourished body cells.

The chewing action sends messages between the mouth, brain, and stomach alerting your digestive tract that food is coming. This helps to jump start the whole digestive tract for smoother functioning by starting your digestive juices rolling! 

Have you ever chewed a piece of gum only to find your stomach churning and growling within 20 minutes?  Your chewing of gum is telling your tummy that something is coming. In the case of chewing gum, nothing is actually headed down to the stomach.  You have started the digestive process but not given your digestive tract food to work on.

Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with chewing. Chewing converts whole grains, fruits and veggies, and other complex carbohydrates into satisfying whole food sugars.  Whole foods must be mixed with saliva and chewed until they become liquid to release their full nutritional value.

In addition, the more whole carbohydrate foods are chewed, the sweeter they become.  This, in of itself, helps to naturally satisfy the “sweet tooth” and end sugar cravings. 

Better carbohydrate digestion, from efficient chewing, helps to end that bloated feeling after a meal.  Bloat can be carbohydrates that are not digesting well from inadequate chewing and the resultant lack of mixing with salivary enzymes.  You literally stop digestion in its tracts from poor chewing habits, making the stomach and small intestine work harder than nature intended.

Chewing breaks apart proteins and fats making the oils, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and all nutrients available for maximum absorption.  Because digestion becomes so efficient when you chew your food thoroughly, your body will begin to feel wonderfully light.

Chewing food well takes your mouth and senses through the whole range of flavors in foods.  This mindfulness practice, while eating, ensures that your senses experience sweet, salty, bitter, pungent, sour, astringent, and spicy.  By chewing and experiencing these tastes, your body is satisfied with less food.  No cravings later! (When your blender chews the food for you, you miss this taste sensation experience.)

Try this experiment:  Eat a carrot.  Chew it poorly (or what is normal chewing for you), leaving good size chunks in your mouth and swallow them.  Aim for the size of sunflower or pumpkin seed chunks and swallow.  What do you think you will find in your solid waste?  You've got it, those very same chunks of carrots, virtually unchanged.  

Chew another piece, slowly and taking your time, until the piece of carrot resembles smooth pudding in your mouth.  No chunks will be found in your solid waste and your body will be able to absorb all the nutrients from the carrot.  Chunks in your solid waste are food wasted; no nutrients can be pulled from the interior of solid chunks of food.  Your digestive tract only pulls what it can from the surface area of these food chunks.  When food is like “pudding” when swallowed, the food’s surface area is immense and available for digestion and absorption of nutrients.

“Drink your solids, chew your liquids.”   An intelligent saying Dr. John Christopher, Naturopath, repeated over and over in the classes I took in Natural Healing and Herbal Medicine.  When the solid food you swallow is in liquid form from chewing, your body can absorb all the nutrients in that food. (Whole food eating is expensive. Chew well to get your $$$ worth!) This ensures healthy cell regeneration and deposits into your nutritional banks (not withdrawals and degenerative cells!).  This is a foundational practice for good nutrition and whole health.

When consuming liquids, chew them thoroughly also, so you are doing a fine job mixing those salivary enzymes with all the food that passes slowly through your mouth.

Chewing helps you lose weight!

When you slow down and thoroughly chew your food, you create a consciousness around what you are eating and your body’s satiation response (feeling physically satisfied). Chewing food well means your body can digest it better (break it down into usable nutrients) and absorb it better into your blood stream. This means that your each and every body cell will be delivered plenty of whole food nutrition. Your body will not be begging you for more food all the time if your cells are well nourished. Much of the time our hunger is not for more quantities of food and calories but it is a cry from our body for better nutrition, more nutrients at the cellular level. Slowing down to chew food into pudding like consistency (or chewing already liquid foods very well before swallowing) delivers more nutrients to the cells, squelches your body’s begging for food, prevents over eating calories every day, and ultimately supports your body in losing excess weight.

Chew well… life depends on this!

How to Chew Properly

•To get into the habit of chewing correctly, try counting the chews in each bite. It helps if you put your fork down between bites.

•Chew every mouthful of food at least 30 times each, until the food becomes liquid. Chew a minimum of 50 times if what you are eating is a really solid food (raw carrot).

•Chewing preps the digestive organs telling them food is coming. Better digestion is the result as the organs get prepped to release the necessary digestive enzymes. 

•Chewing breaks down food and makes it easier on the stomach and small intestine to digest and prepare the nutrients for your beautiful body cells. 

•Saliva assists in the digestion of carbohydrates, makes the food more alkaline, and creates less gas.

If under pressure at meals: take deep breaths before you begin your meal, chew, and let the simple act of chewing relax you. Taking the time to chew will help you to enjoy the whole spectrum of tastes and aromas that make up the meal.  Taking the time to chew will increase cellular health as the nutrients are more available to your body cells!

Slowing down and taking the time to chew is actually a stress reduction exercise.  It is a mindfulness exercise, the yoga of eating, around your food.

Good Meal Prep and Eating Suggestions

•Wash up.

•Create quiet spaces and peace for eating, turn off the “screens”.

•Use candle light to create peace and relaxation.

•Sit up with good posture.

•Say a prayer thanking the local farmers for their hard work, the earth that grew your food, your higher power, whoever cooked your meal, and your family and friends who dine with you.  The simple act of gratitude slows and calms the body, mind, and soul.

•Put your utensil down when chewing.

•Relax, breathe, and experience the textures and flavors.

•Eat in a relaxed setting: not the car, your desk at work, standing at the kitchen counter, or while on the run.

•Say thanks after you eat as well.

•Create post meal conversation instead of bolting to the “next” activity

•Go for a walk, sit on the porch just listening, create a post meal relaxation experience

Enjoy every meal for the gift of life that it truly is, Paula

5 Shocking Ways Yoga Causes You To Lose Weight

updated 8/3/22

10-18-2024 Update: this link is no longer active to the Sivana Spirit blog. I am working on getting the article contents back from the company and I will post it here.

Yoga is an awesome healing tool!

I confess, I did not write the title to my article published on the international Yoga blog: Sivana Spirit.

Had I written the title, I would not have used the work "shocking" as Yoga's affects no longer shock me. I am not certain they ever did. I do know, had I been asked 20 years ago when I started doing Yoga postures, I would not have expected all the benefits Yoga has brought into my life. (Notice I put postures in italics up there. I have been doing Yoga meditation, guided visualizations, and mindfulness work since I was 26. I sincerely had no idea this was Yoga. When I started doing postures, I thought like so many others do, that the postures were Yoga. I have learned a lot!)

But these Yoga revelations have not been "shocking." They have been smooth and silky, warm and fuzzy, and oh so stealth in sneaking into my life.

To read more about these "shocking" Yoga weight loss impacts and benefits, click here. 

Yoga truly is an easy and amazing tool for health and healing. Maybe this fact is the shocker in a culture that prefers more difficult answers. 

Yoga tones the vagus nerve… this is a huge factor in creating awareness of what triggers you to do the things you do & react the way you react. You become a calmer, more peaceful person, able to stop - reflect - and chose healthy choices as opposed to knee jerk reacting into emotional outbursts and choices that do not serve your highest good or healing energy.

Namaste good people.

Yoga Supports these things in Your Life (photos added 7/17/19)

PS  More Yoga LOVE from me to you: 

http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2014/05/27/it-all-starts-with-you

http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2013/11/18/why-i-love-yoga-and-other-thoughts-on-whole-food-whole-health-healing

http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2014/06/06/building-muscle-building-vitality

Examining Fertility

No, no, this article has nothing to do with sex, reproductive issues, and human fertility (well, not human egg and sperm fertility, per se).

Fertile fields at Birdsfoot Farm, Canton, NY

What are these two farmers sitting and squatting on?

Come on, guess....

It is soil.  Fertile soil makes the world go round. Dirt is one of the earth's most precious resources, period.

How so you ask?

Read on my friend!

Fertile soil grows food that is intact, whole. I am always talking about how important it is to eat a 100% whole food diet. That whole food diet starts in whole soil; soil that is rich in nutrients and life, loamy, and fertile.

The fertility of the soil is the fertility of your body... and not just your reproductive fertility. Your body cells reproduce every day. Cellular health in reproducing vibrant, new cells is dependent on what feeds the parent cell. Read on for some soil and cell enhancing wisdom.

Soil is one of the foundations of all food, life, on this earth.

Healthy Soil = Healthy Food!

Soil + Sun + Water (and a seed or two!) = Food / Life!

Gratitude to: http://www.lappolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Sun-Soil-Water.jpg

When we pay attention to soil, maybe that plot of garden where we grow herbs or veggies, we see a microcosm that is teeming with life.  Healthy soil is a living, breathing, dynamic organism: sand, silt, clay, air, water, minerals and organic matter crawling with earthworms, moles, grubs, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, beetles, ants, fungi, insect larvae, bacteria, mushrooms, and many other organisms and micro-organisms. The sum of the whole, all parts working in synergy, is a well-orchestrated symphony. Nature is truly poetry in motion and that very poetry is what contributes to the heath and wholesomeness of the food you eat.

Your food is only as healthy as the soil it grows in. Your animal based foods? Only as healthy as the soil supporting the plants that the animals are free-range grazing on.

Farmers who understand and live / work in harmony with this soil symphony are amazing people contributing to your whole health.

I have always loved dirt: playing in it, smelling it (dirt in your yard smells different than dirt in the woods...), smelling dirt after a warm summer rain. You know... when you go outside and all you smell is that damp, musky, wet dirt smell? That is a smell that always makes me smile.

Learn more about the dirt that grows your food.

Know your soil.

Know your farmer.

How does your farmer(s) interact with the soil they grow food in and on? Do they compost, rotate crops and animal in the fields, use cover crops to feed the soil... what are the soil nourishing habits your farmer uses to grow your food?

Rich soil, teeming with life and inorganic matter, grows food rich in vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, and anti-oxidants. Get into your dirt. Study the dirt that supports your health and life! Find a farmer who makes soil care a top priority. (Consumer demand for good farmers, real farmers, will create better food, better soil, and a better world!) Thank your farmer for caring for the soil.

Please, share your dirt loving stories below!

Looking for some interesting reading on Dirt?  This is one of my favorite books. I read it when it first was published and it is a book I keep in my "loved" book collection.

The below kid's book on dirt was one of my favorites to read to my kids. Not sure they were so enamored with the life in our soil but I was!