You’ve Been Paged

When I was in high school a really high tech gadget called a pager came on the market and onto the waistband of every really “cool” person.  Anyone born after 1975 would probably read this and picture a cave man with a pager clipped onto his or her animal hide diaper, but in all reality, this was cutting edge technology almost just yesterday. My point? Only 30 years later we would be lost without full phone and computer contact with us everywhere we go.  Things change so quickly. 

CHANGES IN FOOD SUPPLY
In that context, think about our food supply. Before the advent of industrialized farming close to 70 years ago, our food supply was naturally more organic because of where and how it was grown. Produce purchased at the little corner market came from Farmer Bill in the next town over, grandma’s garden produced sweet tomatoes and buckets of blackberries, or the fish monger at the market place had something for you fresh off the boat.

MAKING OURSELVES SICK?
The easy availability of massive stores filled with highly processed food and produce shipped in from all over the world is unprecedented in human history, but most of us don’t give it a second thought…but maybe we should. It’s all you’ve ever known, but does that mean it is good, or the only way?  I am not done learning, far from it, but out of my obsessive pursuit of things nutritious I have some to the conclusion that we are, in many instances, making ourselves sick with what we do eat and don’t eat.  Therefore I have become whole-heartedly committed to keeping my family well and bringing along anyone else I can convince to join me.

TAKE TIME TO CARE FOR YOUR HEALTH
It is very possible that someone who lives a long and healthy life in this modern day will have to be someone who takes the time to care about where their food comes from and become knowledgeable about what their body needs for enduring health. I totally understand that at the end of a busy day it’s always a bit more relaxing to take a look at Oscar night fashion on the red carpet or check messages on Facebook, but these days I truly believe our health depends on the extra effort required.

GRASS FED COWS HAVE MORE OMEGA 3
For example, did you know that cows who are fed grass have a much healthier balance of omega 3 to omega 6 oil than cows which are fed the industrialized menu of corn?  (2)  This is just one example of a modern change we all need to be aware of for our health’s sake. An ever growing body of research points to omega 3’s crucial role in “anti-aging effects on brain structure and function, from cognition and memory to mental health and Alzheimer’s prevention”.  Scholarly publications put it this way, “People with lower omega-3 levels may be more likely to suffer from a host of cognitive impairments including dyslexia, ADHD, and cognitive decline. (1)  Statistics show that Americans now need anywhere from 10-30 times more omega 3 fatty acids than they are getting, so obviously our food and diets are coming up very short in this vital nutrient.

So I’ll pick up the conversation next week about these wonderful omega 3 fatty acids found mostly in fatty fish like salmon, herring and white canned tuna.  Hey, I’m paging you now and here’s the message… “Don’t ignore omega 3” by tuning in next week for more.

Molly

(1)  http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/aug2010_Omega-3-Fatty-Acids-Increase-Brain-Volume_02.htm
(2)  http://www.mercola.com/beef/health_benefits.htm