These are just some of the research materials I possess.
Like all true collections it will probably never stop growing.
When I started this
blog it wasn’t with the intention of getting on a soap box or stirring up
controversies. But something has been bothering me for a while, and I recently
read something that I thought should be addressed. I am referring to a main-stream
magazine article reviewing the Paleo Diet. (Jan./Feb 2014 issue)
First, let me state that I and my immediate family
are not strict adherents of the Paleo lifestyle. At least not yet. It’s one of
many “diets” that I’m researching because my husband has MS. (For those who
don’t know, it’s a very debilitating auto-immune condition.)
I was saddened by the review being very one-sided.
I’m not too surprised, as with most publications, this magazine is heavily
sponsored by “Big Factory Food”. However, I feel they missed a very important
opportunity to educate readers, if that was their intention. The magazine focused
on calling the Paleo Diet trendy. I feel they totally overlooked the fact that
it is a lifestyle and the reason many people live it, is to restore their
overall health. Losing weight is a nice side benefit, but it appears the Paleo
Diet is often followed by people like my husband. For conditions like MS,
traditional western medicine has not given any true cure, and some of the
medications may help some or even most, but they also come with a list of
warnings that will make your head spin. Alternative methods of controlling
diseases, although not new, do offer many benefits. To achieve true healing, a
much needed and often “radical” lifestyle change is in order.
Too be fair and responsible, I feel the magazine
could have sought out the expert opinions of some who have embraced this
lifestyle with positive outcomes. (Those individuals include a physician who
has MS and a family who has struggled with Celiac Disease and other issues.)
Instead the magazine only offered a one page synopsis, promoting the “politically
correct” diet supported by food factories and corporate farming. On the Paleo
side, the magazine only mentioned a few celebrities who follow this “fad” diet.
It’s very rare for me to do something just because celebrities endorse it, so I
could care less about that kind of information.
I’m a bit of a control freak, and as I get older I’m
less inclined to let others have control over every aspect of my life, most
especially what we put in our mouths in this house. To that end, I’m determined
to make an informed decision
concerning our food lifestyle. (The afore-mentioned article wasn’t going to help
me there.) One of my concerns with Paleo has always been that it seems far too
limited. Also, I was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, and some foods such as
organ meats are considered unclean. (Livers and kidneys are the waste removal
systems of animal bodies. Pork is on that list, too.) While I do have some of
the books and have visited the websites of those that I feel offer the best
advice for following the Paleo lifestyle,
I also have books covering other alternatives and
main-stream cooking. My husband makes frequent references to my cookbook
collection as a form of my Imelda Marcos gene gone wild. (I mean really--can
you have too much of a good thing, such as shoes or recipes?)
When it comes to food lifestyles, there is no such
thing as one-size-fits all. I will tell you this. All aspects of physical and mental well-being begin and end with
what you eat. Modern society has become far too comfortable with abdicating
this responsibility to a few individuals whose main concern seems to be strong
profit.
Are there any health problems in your household? Big
or small, they are all influenced by what you eat. That means everything, from the common cold to
cancer. (Diabetes, Auto-immune conditions, Learning Disabilities, getting
Influenza every year…need I go on?) If you have even a moment’s concern about
the health of yourself and your loved ones, be honest about it and take a good
hard look at everything you are and aren’t consuming. The Paleo Diet does seem
to eliminate a lot of foods, but what it really advocates is consumption of
whole foods obtained as closely to the source as possible. When you really
examine the SAD (Standard American Diet), you will find your food lifestyle is actually
far more limited. Do your research on corporate farming to see what the largest
edible crops are here in the US. To make it easy, all you have to do is look at
the Commodities markets. That’s pretty much all you’re eating (all of it highly
processed), with maybe a few veggies, fruits or greens thrown in, if you’re
fortunate enough to have easy access to those crops. Seems mankind never learns
from past mistakes. A prime example of monoculture’s horrendous effects would
be the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s.
I am fully aware that food is a hotly discussed and
very emotional subject. (Almost as much as Politics or Religion.) But oh woe, most of us
have a whole host of excuses these days for why we don’t make our meals one of
our highest priorities and devote more time to them. Now, before anyone feels
the need to jump all over me for not understanding what it’s like to have a
full schedule, I worked full-time outside the home for most of the 25 years
I’ve been married. At the end of this past school year, I had to pull the plug
at the school where I worked. Three years before that, I left my year-round
graphic design position to be closer to home and build more time into my
schedule, so I could take care of the things that mattered most to my family.
Alas, it wasn’t enough time. And I got tired of hearing that my husband fell
down the stairs again while I was at work. If there is a cautionary tale here,
it’s this. Don’t wait until a problem rears its ugly head before you address it
seriously. I was raised with a health message as well as a spiritual one. I’ve
known most of my life that food has a direct connection to good or bad health,
but I did make some compromises with my own family for the sake of “time
management” and to minimize conflict. Compromise in a relationship is a
wonderful thing, except when it
threatens your family’s true security – good health.
Usually, the one thing that keeps us from making
significant changes is the notion that we have to deny ourselves everything we
enjoy. I know life seems to become less pleasant each day. Food is often
mankind’s favorite comforter. But are those few moments of fleeting enjoyment
eating something tasty and nutritionally bankrupt really worth a lifetime of
feeling physically ill? My husband and I have had many discussions about
necessary changes we need to make in our home. We came from somewhat different
backgrounds when it comes to food philosophy. Needless to say, not all of these
conversations have been amicable. However, I have to give him credit for being
willing to try new things or eat something he doesn’t really like. The
compromise? I never give him something I won’t eat, and I don’t “torture” him, as
he likes to think, with those not-so-favorite items every day. When it comes to
the stuff we have to change or eliminate, we have to keep reminding ourselves
it’s not about denial, but trading those items for something we want more, like
good health. (This is one area where your faith system can really give you the strength
to make necessary changes.)
The Project Queen
P.S. – If you go to my “Recipes” category, you will
notice I haven’t posted anything there for a little while. Because I do feel
responsible for my posts, I don’t want to mislead people when it comes to subjects
that really matter. Knowledge is an ever-evolving beast. I’ll be taking a
second look at all the recipes already posted. If I conclude something needs a
change, the post will have a new version added. The original version will
remain so readers can see what I changed and why.
