by Fran Bussard

“We are in an abusive relationship with food.” 

-Dr. Daniel G. Amen 

Our Western diet has become toxic. But the question remains: can we improve our health with what is at the end of our forks?  Step up to the plate and let’s explore.

Food for Thought

Can a small home garden boost my immune system?

What are some simple steps I can take towards better health?

How do we find solid awareness and education?

Can we access our legislators voting records on food policies?

What is industrialized farming and does it affect the ecosystem? 

Is there a decline of nutrients in our agriculture and how is this linked to disease or disorders?

Are people suffering and dying early from chronic disease due to their diets?

Hungry for more? Let’s dig in!

The demand for cheap food and overconsumption of animal products is wreaking havoc on our bodies and the planet. The widespread use of insecticides has become the protocol for farming, these chemicals are endocrine disruptors. Furthermore, the soil is not regenerating from this practice. The nutritional density of our food is only as good as the soil it is grown in. Let’s take a stroll through the basics of our diet and review where we are and some ideas that can get us to a better state of health.

Our Basic Staples: Bread, Meat, Veg and Water

Bread. Bread has long been considered the staple of life but when wheat was hybridized after WWII, a very hard gluten emerged, wreaking havoc with our digestive tracts. A new disorder emerged, gluten intolerance. What followed was the birth of a gluten-free industry.

Simple suggestion: Buy ancient grain breads and Einkorn flour when available. Einkorn is the original wheat from nature and then Spelt. Spelt is nature's delicious and nutritious hybrid. The gluten is soft; easily digestible.

Meat. Some say we were placed in a garden by our Creator and designed to eat plants. The opposing view states this is no longer viable as soil deteriorates. The ensuing argument is that we cannot derive enough protein on a plant-based diet. Is this true? 

In spite of the nation’s health decline, destructive farming practices prevail. Special interest groups determine how produce and livestock are raised and grown; the elephant in the room is cruelty to animals. 

Simple suggestion: Can animals be raised and killed humanely? If so, can I afford to buy it? Research diet and experiment; see what suits your body best. In the movie, The Game Changers (2018), the consumption of meat is examined and answers these questions and more.

Veg. When discussing gardens, a popular song comes to mind: "Woodstock," written by Joni Mitchell. The lyrics reflect a desire to get back to the garden. This is evident in the last stanza: 

Billion-year-old carbon 

We are golden 

Caught in the devil's bargain 

And we've got to get ourselves 

Back to the garden 

I am in the camp with Creationists; meaning, God placed us in a garden, making us the overseers. Any way you look at it, our souls and all of creation yearns for restoration of the earth. 

How Do We Get Back to the Garden? 

Do you live in a city or a building? Do you have a small garden, balcony, fence or rooftop? Try growing herbs for cooking on a windowsill. Lettuce, parsley, cilantro, kale, green onions, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant all grow well in pots or raised beds. Even the dirt under your nails will deliver soil bacteria, mycobacterium vaccae. This has been found to alleviate symptoms of psoriasis, allergies and asthma. Digging deep spells relief - it’s all about your immune system.

We are designed to be in a garden, eat from a garden and absorb sun rays. The sun helps your circadian rhythm; supports the sleep cycle. Sleep is critical for immune function, metabolism, memory, and other vitals. A few days camping can reset your circadian rhythm as well.

First Steps

I began by composting (composting helps grow the soil) and planting from seed. We planted a few fruit trees and blueberry bushes on our property. Some of my neighbors did the same. As this caught on, we began exchanging our harvest and a community was born! 

Getting back to the garden means cultural reset

Step away from instant gratification, selfish behavior, and general disregard for our neighbor, animals, and the planet. Choose not to buy anything that compromises the act of kindness for the sake of profit. Practice generosity on all levels...love, tolerance, kindness, honesty, time, and resources. 

Victory Gardens

During WWl and WWll, in America and England, a program called “victory gardens” emerged. 

During World War I, a severe food crisis emerged in Europe. As a result, the burden of feeding millions of starving people fell to the United States. In March of 1917—just weeks before the United States entered the war—Charles Lathrop Pack organized the National War Garden Commission to encourage Americans to contribute to the war effort by planting, fertilizing, harvesting, and storing their own fruits and vegetables. 

Citizens were urged to utilize all idle land that was not already engaged in agricultural production—including school and company grounds, parks, backyards, or any available vacant lots. 

Presently, the United Kingdom provides parcels of land in every village or city, renting to those who wish to grow some of their own food. These parcels are called allotments. These allotments have very long waiting lists. Even the UK  needs to find more ways to turn public spaces into gardens. We can do the same thing where we live.

Shopping

I changed the way I shop for food by choosing organic when available and supporting my local Farmer’s Market. Joining a CSA may be an option in your locality. If you cannot afford to purchase organic, be sure to soak produce in baking soda for 15-30 minutes to remove as much pesticide as possible. Nutrition trumps pesticides!

Water. Water is our number one resource. The destruction of our soil and pollution of our water could be our demise. Water from a faucet is laden with chemicals. There are great filters for purchase on the internet such as Berkey Water filtration systems and others to assure you’re getting safe, drinkable water.

Algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico are toxic to humans and animals killing off large numbers of fish yearly. Red tide is caused by a number of factors such as sunlight, slow moving water, sewage and fertilizer runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus). The widespread use of lawn chemicals and insecticidal sprays were not routinely used before 1980. We need to get back to the garden by creating sustainable landscaping. Everything that goes into the dirt flows to the water and down to the water table.

Food’s Impact on Our Body

Before considering food, consider the daily amount of stress we live with. Stress suppresses the immune system. The majority of humanity just works to survive, a ‘cog in a wheel’. Caught in the devil’s bargain’, as the lyric in ‘Woodstock’ suggests. First and foremost, choose thankfulness. Your perspective is your reality. 

Work to restrain from eating when stressed or on the go. Be present as you eat and chew food until it is liquid. This will optimize your digestion and ingestion of nutrients.

Next consider the food we choose to eat. Seek out non-GMO foods. GMO’s are epigenetic. They contain a double strand of RNA. (RNA feeds our DNA).  Now we are changing our DNA? Thus the term Frankenfood! 

GMO foods look great but do not contain the same amount of nutrients as food grown from seeds in nature. We need nutrient-dense food to boost our immune system and protect us from the onslaught of viruses. Our bodies are designed to heal.

GMO foods do not contain a reproducible seed. New seeds must be purchased every year. Put simply, GMO’s serve the company that sells the seed, not the sustainability of the farm or the health of mankind.

The fast-food industry and the demand for cheap food catapulted the industrialization of our food system. Fast food companies were among the first to introduce fake food to the populace (the milkshake made with no milk). Don't eat from or in the drive-thru!

Get back to the garden for your much needed vitamin D. Take breaks by a window...sunshine de-stresses; vitamin D is a hormone that can only be derived from the sun. Get 30 minutes a day for immune regulation. Choose reef-safe sunscreen and chemical-free products for your skin, protect your largest organ.

Resources to Learn More

In pursuit of health, read books and listen to podcasts by experts in plant-based nutrition by well known M.D's and Naturopaths. Dispersed within this article and listed at the end are links that proved useful in my journey.

There is H.O.P.E. What we eat matters. Improve your health and our food system, one purchase decision at a time. Watch some of these suggested movies or podcasts and let food be thy medicine (Hippocrates). 

Podcasts on YouTube: 

Neil Barnard, MD

Michael Klaper, MD

Dr. McDougall, MD

Mark Hyman, MD

The Brain Warrior’s Way, Dr. Amen, MD

Barbara O’Neill, Naturopath (Misty Mountain Retreat)

Movies:

Forks Over Knives

The Game Changers (2018)

The Biggest Little Farm

GMO/OMG

Sustainable

Plant Pure Nation

Food Choices

Fed Up

Books/Videos:

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (surgeon, Cleveland/Clinic)

The China Study, Dr. T Colin Campbell, PhD

The Daniel Plan, Dr. Daniel G Amen, MD,  Mark Hyman, MD 

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Dr. Daniel G Amen, MD

The UltraMind Solution, Mark Hyman, MD 

Food Fix, Mark Hyman, MD

The Starch Solution, John A McDougall, MD 

Eat Dirt, The Keto Diet, The Collagen Diet, Dr. Josh Axe 

Chris Beat Cancer, Chris Wark

Resources

We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.

The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.

And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.

Read. Engage. Enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.” 

So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!