Table Leg #4- Organic Food

The other day I ran 2.5 miles around a small lake. Even though I had to walk on the last stretch because it was straight uphill on the backside of the dam, I felt invigorated and proud of myself. Next I would like to tie 70 people in row boats together and tow them across a bay. Ok not really. That is what workout and nutrition pioneer Jack LaLanne did on his 70th birthday…while handcuffed and with shackled feet.! Apparently he was bedridden, miserable and sick as a teenager .“I also had blinding headaches every day,” Jack recalled. “I wanted to escape my body because I could hardly stand the pain. My life appeared hopeless.” (1) It was his good fortune to consult with pioneer nutritionist Paul Bragg, who taught Jack to “junk” the junk food which was what he ate exclusively. Jack in turn passed this life giving advice on to millions through his television programs.

EXERCISE IS KING. NUTRITION IS QUEEN.
“Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom! Those who begin to exercise regularly, and replace white ﬂour, sugar, and devitalized foods with live, organic, natural foods, begin to feel better immediately,” was part of his message to as many people as he could reach in his active, 94 year life. “I don’t care how old I live! I just want to be living while I am living! I have friends who are in their 80s, and now they’re in wheelchairs or they’re getting Alzheimer’s. Who wants that? I want to be able to do things. I want to look good. I don’t want to be a drudge on my wife and kids.” (2)

That is exactly how I feel! I make my husband eat well and exercise too because I don’t want to be the only one still running around the lake on my 70th birthday. (I’m a bit less ambitious than Jack.)

THE POWER OF ORGANIC FOOD
Did you notice that Jack specified the power of ORGANIC food? Basically, organic is what human beings have been farming and eating up until the 20th century development of synthetic chemicals for pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, growth hormones and antibiotics for animals, and genetically modified seeds. (3)

Who cares? You and I do, (and my husband), because chemicals are bad for you on three different levels. The toxicity of these powerful chemicals vary, and their effects can be anywhere from inflammation of the skin to coma or even death. Secondly, these chemicals contaminate our soil and water. And lastly, many studies point to a nutritional difference between organic and non-organic produce. For example, a simple comparison between old and new governemnet tables shows that a carrot grown in 1940 contained four times as much magnesium as a carrot today. (4)

TABLE COMPLETED
When we eat food grown with chemicals, antibiotics and growth hormones, our bodies, the earth and our food supply all suffer for it. Therefore, the final leg for the “virtual” Orange Tree Lane table is Organic Food.

We have #1-Water, #2- Fiber, #3- Fruits and Vegetables, and now #4- Organic Food completes our solid foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating.

You’d be proud Jack, and thanks for the inspirational life you led!