Good Bugs
April 28th, 2009 | by Michelle | Published in Digestion
Korean kimchi pots
“The science and art of fermentation is…the basis of human culture: without culturing, there is no culture.”1
This point is illustrated when one recognizes that consumption of beneficial bacteria through food and drink has been part of humans’ diet for as long as humans have existed. A traditional diet used fermentation to preserve vegetables and milk and to make wine, naturally infusing these foods with beneficial bacteria. However, as manufactured and preservative laden foods take over many Westerner’s diets, the ingestion of friendly bacteria falls by the wayside. Not only are we ingesting less beneficial bacteria, but also the growth of harmful bacteria and yeasts are increasing due to diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugars.
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Fifty years ago, the average American household spent twenty percent of their income on food. Today, this figure has fallen to just ten percent.1 At first glance this appears to be good news. It implies that we are spending fewer dollars on food yet still feeding our families. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The mere fact that we are spending less of our income on food belies bigger issues, and those issues have implications for our personal health, our health care system, our environment and even our foreign relations.
Many people struggle with sugar cravings that are out of control. Sugar is addicting. Giving into these cravings and overeating high sugar foods causes great distress to our bodies and pollutes our minds. The result is weight gain, loss of energy, depression, low self-esteem, susceptibility to numerous chronic diseases, and ultimately cravings for even more and more sugar. It is a vicious cycle. The more you eat, the more you want. How do you get off the sugar rollercoaster and end cravings for good? By eating the proper foods in the proper balance. It is really that simple. Let’s take a look at how the body responds to sugar and other foods. It will change your life and how you feel forever!
Fat is an important part of every cell membrane in our bodies. We have billions of cells, and they all require healthy fats to work properly. Damaged fats are abundant in our food supply and most people unknowingly consume these poor quality fats on a daily basis. When we eat damaged fats, they become incorporated into our cells and wreak havoc on our entire cellular system, basically causing our bodies to malfunction. Let’s look at what damaged fats are, learn how to determine if a food contains damaged fats and discuss what healthy fats we should be eating and cooking with.
As a people, we are aware that the amount of food that we eat has an impact on our waistlines, our long-term health and our budgets. What we don’t always consider alongside this concept of quantity is the question of quality. Does eating organic food really matter? Why should I care what a cow eats before I eat it? What difference does it make whether this salmon was caught in a stream or raised on a fish farm? Let us explore these questions primarily as they relate to our health, our budgets and the well-being of the planet we call home.