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Key nutrients for brain development

Vitamin A- Cod liver oil; liver, butter and egg yolks
Vitamin D- Cod liver oil, shellfish; lard, butter and egg yolks 

Choline- Cod liver oil; egg yolks from grass-fed animals

DHA- Cod liver oil; liver, butter, and egg yolks

Zinc- Red meat of grass-fed animals, shellfish

Tryptophan- Meat of grass-fed animals

Cholesterol- Seafood; dairy foods, eggs and meat of grass-fed animals

This article is about how we can eat well but still be malnourished.  Here is the article.  Everyone should go check it out.  A lot of these important nutrients are only found in meat, seafood, and dairy products.  The key is that these animals are grass-fed.  It is important that the nutrients from the grass are part of the diet of the animals: cows and chickens (seafood should be wild).  Then the eggs, meat, and dairy are fully packed with with vitamins and nutrients.  Vitamin A only occurs in animal foods.  Babies and growing children right up to age 18 need more vitamin A in their diet as a function of body weight than adults do.  You can give a baby as much or more cod liver oil on a body-weight basis as an adult.  It is fine because they really need that vitamin A.  The books on infant feeding back in the 1930s and 1940s recommended 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil per day for infants over 3 months old.  Vitamin A is an important part of our families diet.  Make sure it is part of yours!

Why Raw milk?

People are often shocked when I tell them our family drinks raw milk.  There is a negative stigma associated with raw milk consumption.  I remember feeling apprehensive when I first discovered grass-fed raw milk and dairy products 4 years ago.  I was very nervous and unsure about the whole thing.  I had a lot of fears.  When I became educated on raw milk consumption, my fears went away.  Most people that learn the truth about raw milk "convert" and never look back.  Raw milk is worth the extra drive and the higher price.  You get what you pay for... a high quality nutrient dense food.  To this day I still have some immediate family members that make fun of me for my seemingly "strange" choices.  I just smile and keep on making the best educated choices for my family's health.  One of my favorite phrases when I was a teenager was "ignorance is bliss".  As adults, ignorance is not bliss.  We have no time to be ignorant and uneducated.  We must know the facts and make the right choices about food consumption for our families.  Here are some straightforward facts about raw milk.

Real Raw Milk: (it is important to get your raw milk from a licensed raw milk supplier/ or a dairy that employs safety and quality practices)
1. Is usually tolerated by those who are sickened by processed, store bought milk
2. Contains valuable natural enzymes, beneficial bacteria, amino acids, and antibodies
3. Contains natural butterfat so the body can utilize vitamins and minerals.  Full- fat milk reduces hunger.
4. Contains conjugated linoleic acid CLA which reduces body fat and fights disease.  High Omega 3's and low Omega 6's are the correct balance for these essential fats.
5. Sours instead of putrifying and can be lacto-fermented to make nutrient dense probiotics like yogurt, kefir, sour cream, and buttermilk
6. Extremely Safe if properly prepared.  Zero deaths reported in 14 years.

Check out www.realmilk.com for more information!

Importance of Protein

I love Jordan Rubin's new book "Live Beyond Organic".  It is both inspiring and informative.  When I became a mission marketer I received amazing books and magazines written by him.  I keep them right by my nightstand and read a little before I go to bed each night.  He gets the big picture about diet and health.  I feel like I am his biggest fan, but I am sure that every other member of this team feels exactly the same way.

He talks about the importance of protein in Chapter 4 titled Primary Protein.  He states,"Protein ranks as the most important nutrient that your body needs- even more important than carbohydrates and fats.  If you don't consume enough protein your body will wither and become very weak- so feeble that you wouldn't have the energy to even hold this book to read.  Protein means "of primary importance" or "that which comes first".  They are the essential building blocks of the body, the foundation that the body relies upon to transport oxygen, contract muscles, transport electrons, and replace tissues.  Most muscles, organs, and hormones are comprised of protein.  Since the human body does not store proteins for later use, as it does with carbs and fats, you have to continually replenish the body's stores by consuming various protein- containing foods."
What are the best, most effective sources of protein???
-Organically raised, pasture-fed cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and venison
-Pastured poultry and eggs
-Cultured dairy products derived from cow's milk, goat's milk, and sheep's milk 
- Wild caught fish

High carb or high fat diet for athletes?

Many athletes believe that a diet high in carbohydrates is the key to success when exercising and competing in sports.  I remember as a cross country runner our coach would tell us to load up on pancakes and syrup before a race.  We were taught that high carbs before a race would help our bodies be stronger and increase our endurance.  This may not be the case after all.  A study out of State University of New York raises serious questions about the appropriateness of of high-carb, low fat diets for those who engage in strenuous physical exercise.  "Subjects ate diets of 15%, 30%, and 45% fat respectively.  Those on the high fat diets had greater endurance- up to an 11% increase.  NO adverse changes in blood chemistry were observed in the subjects on the high fat diet, and they did not gain weight.  The authors conclude: The results suggest that a low fat diet may be detrimental to performance and that a higher fat diet may result in more energy substrate availability with a lower lactate to pyruvate ratio" (Nourishing Traditions p178-179).

Obviously, if you increase your fat intake without decreasing your carb intake, the results may not be the same.  This may not result in better endurance and this may result in extra weight gain.  If you are already eating a high carb diet, you must cut back on the carbs as you replace the carbs with high quality fats.  That is how you achieve the positive results talked about in the study.
"The primary nutrient in animal fat is Vitamin A, needed for a host of biological processes including the assimilation of protein and minerals.  Strenuous physical exercise depletes vitamin A.  Does the current practice of high-carb, low-fat diets explain the prevalence of injury and burnout in modern athletes?" (Nourishing Traditions p 179).  I wish I knew then what I know now!

Examples of good fats:
1. Grass-fed, raw/organic butter
2. Grass-fed Meat
3. Pastured Eggs
4. Grass-fed, Organic dairy products: cheese, yogurt, kefir
5. Raw/organic whole milk
6. Coconut Oil
You can buy high quality, grass-fed, organic cheese, dairy products, and meat here

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 is a very important nutrient.  As we all eat food that is more processed, we lose valuable vitamins and nutrients in the "process".  I had no idea until after I delivered my first son that I was severely deficient in Vit B12.  That was also after I had nursed him for 10 months.  I wish I had known this information before conception, during pregnancy, and of course while breastfeeding; so that I could properly nourish my own body and help nourish his.  I was also diagnosed with anemia and postpartum depression....two things that diet could have helped me resolve and prevent.  It is sad that we are not even aware of things are own bodies greatly need.  Deficiencies can manifest themselves in many forms, "the living hell of depression, multiple sclerosis, dementia and psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive compulsive behaviors and manic- depression, not to mention life threatening anemia, cancer and heart disease.  Many cases diagnosed as Alzheimer's are actually the result of inadequate B12."  (Nourishing Traditions 227)

I know that we inherent our parents deficiencies, especially our mothers.  My mother probably had no idea that she was deficient too.  A simple blood test can tell you if you are deficient.  Well worth the $100 dollars especially if you have reason to believe you are.  "Early signs of deficiency include fatigue, tingling in the hands and feet, sleep disorders and a tendency to irrational anger."  (Nourishing Traditions 227).  I actually think that my father's side of the family is all deficient.  My paternal grandfather and grandmother both died very young with many of these symptoms present- cancer, fatigue, anemia, Alzheimer's, and tingling in hands and feet.

What can you eat to help with this issue? "Usable Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products.  It is absorbed though a complex process involving an "intrinsic factor", secreted by parietal cells in the stomach.  B12 is rendered unusable by pasteurization." (Nourishing Traditions 227).  The last part about pasteurization is not very comforting because most dairy products are pasteurized in the United States.

Red Meat, Eggs, Raw Yogurt, Raw Kefir, Raw Milk, Oysters, Raw Cheese, etc  

And of course here.

EatWild.com

Everyone needs to check out a site called Eat Wild here.  Just click on your state and then your area.  Scroll through the farms and you can find many sources of grass-fed humanely raised beef, turkey, chicken, and pork.  I even found a few farms that sell pastured eggs.  It's a great way to support your local farmer and eat better. Let's all set some new food goals for the upcoming year.  Find a new way to invest that hard earned money into food that comes from a local farm.  You can do it! I promise you will meet incredible loving people along the way, but the person you will be helping the most is yourself.  Feed your body food that will strengthen and nourish it the right way!

Health Benefits of Grass-fed Red Meat

Red meat is an excellent source of both macro and trace minerals, particularly zinc and magnesium.  In meat, these minerals exist in a form that is much easier for the body to break down and utilize than the minerals in grains and pulses.  Red meats are rich in Vitamin B12, so important for a healthy nervous system and blood; and in carnitine, which is essential for healthy functioning of the heart.  Beef and Lamb fat contain fat-soluble vitamins and small amounts of essential fatty acids, especially if these animals have been allowed to graze on green grass.  These fat-soluble vitamins are what your body needs to utilize the minerals in all foods.  In animal studies, beef fat has a cholesterol-lowering effect.  Lamb and beef fat contain palmitoleic acid, which protects us from viruses and other pathogens.  (Nourishing Traditions 330)

Compared to grain-fed cattle, grass-fed beef is:

• Two to four times richer in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
• Higher in "good" unsaturated fats and lower in "bad" saturated fats.
• Three to five times higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) content.
• Loaded with over 400% more of vitamin A (as beta carotene) and E.
• Virtually devoid of risk of Mad Cow Disease.

Feeding dead cats and dogs to cattle was legal in the US until 1997 when the government banned the practice because of fears over mad cow disease. Dead horses and pigs, however, are still occasionally ground into cattle feed.

One quarter of America's minced beef, writes Schlosser, is made from worn-out dairy cattle, likely to be riddled with disease and the meat containing antibiotic residues.

Grain feeding promotes the growth of dangerous E. coli that is more likely to pass through your stomach and infect your colon. When cattle are fed grass, the amount of dangerous E. coli decreases dramatically. (Microbes Infect 2000 Jan;2(1):45-53).

Where is your beef coming from?  Is it grass-fed, soy fed, or even worse GMO fed?  Know your farmer and know where your food comes.  

If you want grass-fed beef delivered to your home click here.

Beyond Organic Standards.

1)  Green-Fed

2)   Pesticide/Herbicide/Fungicide/Chemical Fertilizer
Free Grazing

3)  Chemical Medicine Free
  - No Antibiotics, No Hormones, No de-wormers, No Vaccines

4)  Kind Treatment of Animals/Animal Friendly

      5) Sustainable Land and Soil Management


Unless you are ordering your food directly from your farmer (and you know his/her farming standards), you are not getting this quality.  Did you know that to be called "green wise" or organic for meat- the animal only needs to be fed a diet that is 30% or more organic.  So you are paying a top dollar for something that is 1/3 organic! That is crazy! And a rip-off! If you are paying top dollar you should get top dollar! This meat is 100% grass-fed and green fed.  No "organic soy" feed here.  Check out these healthy and happy ladies :)

Grass-fed/ Green facility....

These are actual pictures of the facility. I think these cows look very healthy and love roaming around eating grass all day.

What do u think?

Eat local/Eat Raw/ Eat Organic

I love supporting our local famers and co-ops.  I think it is important that our money stays local whenever possible.  I am fortunate that the Tampa Bay Area has so many high quality products from organic and grass-fed farms.  I am a member of many groups around the Tampa Bay Area.  I support Tampa Bay Organics- they deliver organic produce and vegetables each week.  I am also a member of our local Weston A Price Chapter.  I meet at a local pickup once a week for my raw cow's milk, farm fresh eggs, raw butter, raw yogurt, etc.  There are many other products available.  Anything else I need for my kitchen I can pick up at our local Nutrition Smart or Abby's Nutrition.  Going Green Tampa is a website where you can access all businesses in the Tampa Bay area that are organic, green, and eco-friendly.

There are some products that are more difficult to find in this area- like local raw cheese.  This is one product that is sold by Beyond Organics that I can't wait to try.  The real raw cheddar cheese that I am looking for.  My boys go through cheese like some families go through cereal.  I am also looking forward to their grass-fed ground beef and hotdogs! Check out the labels- they speak for themselves.  I am a "label freak"- so that was the first thing that I checked :)  If you can't find something that is high quality and local, check out this site! Also, sometimes it is just nice to have things delivered.  Their drink line: probiotic (whey) drink, infusion water (fruit, veggie, and energy- using only extracts), and also their kefir drink (which we are big fans of in this house) look amazing and I have heard that they are very good.  I spend about a lot of money each month on probiotic drinks and I can't wait to have them delivered :)

www.BetterWithOrganics.com
"Life is better with Beyond Organics"