Other Voices: Becoming Michigan locavores is vital for our state's success
By Sheila Rae | Hillsdale; her husband own Bizzy Lizzy Bakery, an online bakery.
Sunday January 11, 2009, 12:34 PM
By Sheila Rae
Other Voices
Sheila Rae
The writer, a Hillsdale resident, and her husband own Bizzy Lizzy Bakery, an online bakery.
Hurrah! We finally got "our ducks in a row" as the old saying goes and are ready to show off our new product, but now we face the hardest economic times this country has seen since the Great Depression. The weak of heart would just walk away and go begging for their old jobs back. Wait a minute - I have not worked for anyone else for almost eight years. I love the independence and I believe in what my husband and I have done.
Creating products that actually benefit people has always been my dream. I have always been considered the fearless type who is willing to jump in with both feet and then look back and ask, "Is this quicksand?" Life is an adventure and in economic hard times we must all look within ourselves and figure out how we are going to survive.
In a recent "Other Voices" essay by Chuck Warpehoski, he says, "The first thing we must do is buy local."
If you take a look at your grocery bill for the week, how much came from your farmer, bakers and candlestick makers here in Michigan? If the answer is only 10 percent, you need to work on it. If you can honestly say at least 50 percent, give yourself a big pat on your back.
Of course we all have to be realistic; not everything is produced in this state.
Our products use many Michigan goods, including our famous Michigan cherries and cranberries. But to my knowledge no one in the state grows peanuts, so I have to rely on our southern states to provide this vital component - but I am always searching, and if I can buy it local I will.
I am continuously amazed with what this state offers its residents for choice. We have a regional dairy, Calder that still offers milk in glass bottles and make fresh butter and will deliver it to your door. We have a buffalo ranch called TMZ in Pinckney that provides us with fresh buffalo meat that is given no antibiotics or hormones. We have fresh vegetables grown on local farms and brought to farmers markets even in the dead of winter. Those people do not do it for their health.
To contribute essays to Other Voices, contact Bob Needham, opinion editor, at 734-994-6825 or bneedham@annarbornews.com.
They do it because they are passionate to provide a product that far succeeds the competitors from Florida and California. So how do we repay them? We buy from them.
When I started Bizzy Lizzy Bakery and created the flourless cookie I was not sure where it would take me. I did not know if the community would embrace different, unusual non-flour cookies or would just laugh at the idea. I am happy to report they embraced us.
In fact, organizations in the state came to our side to help us figure out how to package and market this unique product. MSU Extension Service offered its services to promote our product and help us write a professional business plan, and the MSU Product Center offered its services from packaging to creating FDA labels.
We are so fortunate to live in a state with such diversity and so many talented individuals. I think as a state we need to come to realize we are more than the auto industry, even though this is a very important part of our history that we do not want to forget.
We have one of the most amazing medical communities in the world right here in Ann Arbor. We have companies like Google that know the value of coming here and tapping into our talented employee pool. People of Michigan, let's jump up and cheer for what we have, become locavores, get creative and develop new products that the world needs and wants and stop feeling sorry for ourselves because our car industry is struggling. We have brilliant people in this industry that will work hard to fix the problems and bring it back to the cutting edge.
January 7, 2009
Bizzy Lizzy Bakery’s New Years Resolution is to transform non-breakfast eaters into breakfast eaters with their Gourmet Premium Flourless Cookie. This cookie is great breakfast with 7 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. What makes it stand apart from anything else on the market is that you can pop it in the toaster and it contains no flour just whole grain oatmeal and flax seed.
Why no flour? First of all as a whole American’s eat way too much processed food from breakfast to supper. We depend so much on fast food and processed quick meals like toaster strudels and pop tarts. Flour is a cheap ingredient used in most bakery items to keep cost low. Some research proves that this flour has a great effect on blood sugars and others believe it may have as much to do with Diabetes as sugar itself.
However, Bizzy Lizzy Bakery has proven that it is not necessary to make a high quality premium product. This small bakery located in Southern Michigan developed their high end cookie using whole grain oatmeal and flax seed. Both are heart friendly ingredients that are great for breakfast and blend it with one of American’s favorite foods, peanut butter and you have a fabulous breakfast in a cookie. However, what puts it over the top is the fact that it can be popped in the toaster to warm it up.
Statistically people who eat breakfast are healthier than the rest of the population because the body rests over the night and needs to be recharged with food within an hour of getting out of bed. Some of us believe that if we eat breakfast we will be hungry the rest of the day so we just don’t eat. However, the fact is that if we eat enough protein with carbohydrates the body burns the carbohydrates first and then relies on the protein to maintain the full feeling until lunch.
Sheila Rae, the Bizzy Lizzy Cookie developer, worked with dieticians to help her find the right combination of ingredients to make the delicacies. Sheila Rae says, “I know a lot about nutrition and health from my many years as a life skills and culinary art instructor. However it was very important to me to have a team of individuals that have studied nutrition extensively on my team. We started by brainstorming items we would like to see in the cookie and then started combining them to see what we came up with. I have to admit I even tried tofu and Michigan Dried Beans in a couple of variations. I loved the beans and hated the tofu.” You will see Bizzy Lizzy lines of cookies grow with many varieties that contain vegetables and fruits grown right here in the state. I love to try new variations and see what people think. In the vegetable line pumpkin and beet get the highest marks. Michigan Apple tops the fruit variety.
Take the Bizzy Lizzy Challenge for 2009 and start eating breakfast that is filled with whole grain goodness like the Bizzy Lizzy Gourmet Flourless Cookie. The cookies can be found on store shelves in two varieties, Dark Chocolate Chip and Dark Chocolate with MI Cherry. You can also order the cookies on online at www.bizzylizzybakery.com or call the owners themselves at 517-610-1467.
January 1, 2009
Hurrah! We finally got “our ducks in a row” as the old saying goes and are ready to show off our new product but now we face the hardest economic times this country has seen since the Great Depression.
The weak hearted would just walk away and go begging for their old jobs back. Wait a minute I have not worked for anyone else for almost eight years. I love the independence and I believe in what my husband and I have done.
Creating products that actually benefits people has always been my life long dream. I have always been considered the fearless type who is willing to jump in with both feet and then look back and ask, “Is this quick sand.” Life is an adventure and in economic hard times we must all look within ourselves and figure out how we are going to survive.
A recent article published in the Ann Arbor News stated, “The first thing we must do is buy local.” If you take a look at your grocery bill for the week, how much came from your farmer, bakers and candlestick makers in your own state. If the answer is only 10% you need to work on it. If you can honestly say at least 50% give yourself a big pat on your back. Good Job. Of course we all have to be realistic not everything is produced in this state.
I am continuously amazed with what each state offers it citizens for choice. We have a local dairy, which still offers milk in glass bottles and makes fresh butter and will deliver it to your door. We have two buffalo ranch that provides us with fresh buffalo meat that is given no antibiotics or hormones. We have fresh vegetables grown on local farms and brought to farmers markets even in the dead of winter. These people do not do it for their health. They do it because they are passionate to provide a product that far succeeds its competitors that have to be shipped in from other parts of the country and world.
It is amazing when communities embrace their own producers. These people understand the importance of supporting their local communities and creating success close to home. When we do this simple process, these producers support other local business, donate to the schools and food banks and make a strong community.
We are so fortune to live in a country with such diversity and so many talented individuals. I think as individual states we need to come to realize we are more than the one or two industries. Even though these industries are a very important part of our history we do not want to forget or let the world take it away from us. However, we must realize we are other things to. Become locovores, get creative and develop new products that the world needs and wants and stop feeling sorry for ourselves.
November 1, 2008
Sheila Rae, owner and developer of this unique flourless cookies said, “I personally fell in love with cookies as a child in household where my mother could bake anything to perfection. Cookies are just one of her specialties from the rich delicate Christmas Cookie to Aunt Sally’s Molasses Dreams.”
About a year ago, Sheila Rae came up with an idea of making a high fiber and protein cookie that actually tastes good. After researching different components that could achieve her goals she came up with the idea of using no flour at all. Instead she packs these cookies with whole grain oats (Note: American Oatmeal can contain gluten) and flax seed, which most cookies in this category are dry tasteless and not worth the calories. “Well skill from baking came shining through from my mother,” Rae says.
The husband and wife team of Sheila Rae Olauson and Erik Olauson have been told that they have created something that far surpasses any ordinary cookie. These rich, soft, flavorful cookies hit the mark of perfection not to mention the nutritional benefits they are packed with. The owners both say, “They hate to eat things that can not fulfill two things, delicious and nutritious and these cookies hit the mark.” We have all read about the health benefits of oatmeal, flax seed, raisins and peanut butter and these are the four main ingredients in Bizzy Lizzy Premium Flourless Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. No artificial preservatives or additives and no list of twenty ingredients you can not even say, just a delicious cookie.
People all over the county have been enjoying this product by calling the couple directly at 517-610-1467. Sheila Rae says they choose to have people call so they can give personal service we all deserve however if you prefer the internet you can order at www.bizzylizzybakery.com or at local markets in Michigan and online at Bravisa.com.
Research of this product has been very extensive. Here is some of the reports and information I have collected over the past year.
How the Food Industry is Deceiving You
This terrific five-part video series by Peter Jennings explores how the food industry spends billions of dollars to sabotage your health.
See video here:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/22/how-the-food-industry-is-deceiving-you.aspx
Jennings also takes a critical look at our government’s agricultural subsidy programs, and their unintended consequences on your nutritional choices and health. For example, sugar and fat receive 20 times more government farming subsidies than fruits and vegetables. Does this oversupply of fats and sugars, compared to fruits and vegetables, affect your food choices?
Some statistics, implicating both the food industry and the government as co-creating factors in the obesity epidemic, include:
•
In 2002, consumers spent $174 billion on processed foods.
•90 percent of foods marketed each year are processed foods.
•Last year, 2,800 new candies, desserts, ice-cream, and snacks were introduced to the marketplace, compared to 230 new fruits or vegetable products.
•The food industry spends $34 billion per year marketing their products.
•$12 billion is spent marketing to children.
The food industry is quick to point out that the choice is always yours -- they’re not making you buy something you don’t want. They also want to blame the obesity problem on people’s unwillingness to exercise.
Everything you’ve ever wanted from a Cooking Oil
Before you cook with oil again, consider making Fresh Shores Extra Virgin Coconut Oil part of your regular diet. With its numerous health-supportive benefits and delicious taste, you’ll wonder why you ever used any other oil.
White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan
Thursday, June 02, 2005 by: Dani Veracity
You may want to think twice before eating your next sandwich on white bread. Studies show that alloxan, the chemical that makes white flour look "clean" and "beautiful," destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. That's right; you may be devastating your pancreas and putting yourself at risk for diabetes, all for the sake of eating "beautiful" flour. Is it worth it?
Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in lab animals. In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.
How does alloxan cause diabetes? According to Dr. Hari Sharma's Freedom from Disease, the uric acid derivative initiates free radical damage to DNA in the beta cells of the pancreas, causing the cells to malfunction and die. When these beta cells fail to operate normally, they no longer produce enough insulin, or in other words, they cause one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Alloxan's harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical "a potent beta-cell toxin." However, even though the toxic effect of alloxan is common scientific knowledge in the research community, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest.
The FDA and the white flour industry could counter-argue that, if alloxan were to cause diabetes, a higher proportion of Americans would be diabetic. After all, more consumers consume white flour on a regular basis than are actually diabetic. This point is valid, but it does not disprove the alloxan-diabetes connection. While alloxan is one cause of adult-onset type 2 diabetes, it is of course not the only cause. As the Textbook of Natural Medicine states, "current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity" may be a key cause. For alloxan to cause injury to an individual's beta cells, the individual must have the genetic susceptibility to injury. This is similar to the connection between high-cholesterol foods and heart disease. Eating high-cholesterol foods causes heart disease, especially in people who have family histories of heart disease. The link between alloxan and diabetes is as clear and solid as the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
If you've been eating white bread for years and you have a family history of diabetes, all hope is not lost for you. Studies show that you can reverse the effects of alloxan by supplementing your diet with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null's Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan. Now, you're not a lab rat, but you're a mammal and vitamin E is definitely worth adding to your daily regimen of nutritional supplements, especially if you have a history of eating foods made with white flour and are at high risk for diabetes.
Even if you are already diabetic, some simple changes to your diet can help treat your diabetes. First of all, stop eating foods made with white flour. Even though you already have diabetes, vitamin E supplements can still help you, as can many common foods. Garlic, for example, does wonders for diabetes. As Dr. Benjamin Lau states in his book Garlic for Health, "When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect."
If you can't handle the taste of natural garlic, you can take it in widely available supplements. Aloe Vera is a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian Peninsula, and its therapeutic characteristics are now gaining worldwide acceptance in the treatment of diabetes. According to both human and animal research studies, Aloe Vera lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. According to the Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, this natural hypoglycemic effect extended over a period of 24 hours. Adding onions to your diet (along with the garlic) can also significantly reduce your blood sugar level. Additionally, as Dr. Michael T. Murray writes in The Healing Power of Herbs, studies show that ginseng controls glucose in both diabetic humans and diabetic laboratory animals.
It all comes down to asking if putting yourself at risk for diabetic coma, blindness, limb amputation and death is worth eating white bread. If you're willing to risk your quality of life and your life itself, then go ahead and eat all the foods made with white flour you want. However, if you want to stop poisoning yourself with alloxan, a known toxic chemical, then make a few simple dietary changes. Eat groceries made with whole-grain wheat flour, not processed white flour.
The experts speak on alloxan:
Animal experiments have shown that animals which have their Beta cells destroyed by alloxan are able to regenerate Beta cells after a few months when taking GS, a herb grown in India. The Beta cell is the cell that produces insulin. Diabetics needing insulin treatment (Type 1) have been able to decrease their insulin after GS therapy.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 112
In the mid-1980s, however (when herbal remedies again were popular), pata de vaca's continued use as a natural insulin substitute was reiterated in two Brazilian studies. Both studies reported in vivo hypoglycemic actions in various animal and human models. Chilean research in 1999 reported the actions of pata de vaca in diabetic rats. Their study determined that pata de vaca was found to "elicit remarkable hypoglycemic effects," and brought about a "decrease of glycemia in alloxan diabetic rats by 39%." In 2002, two in vivo studies on the blood sugar-lowering effects of pata de vaca were conducted by two separate research groups in Brazil.
When beta cells in the pancreas fail to secrete enough insulin, the body loses its ability to metabolize carbohydrates and to reduce glucose levels in the bloodstream. Researchers believe that some people have weak free radical defenses in these beta cells, and that free radical damage to DNA in beta cells, resulting in dysfunction or cell death, helps cause maturity-onset diabetes. It is known, for example, that many chemicals—including alloxan, paraquat, and certain chemotherapeutic agents—can stimulate excessive production of oxy radicals in the nuclei of beta cells.
Freedom from Disease by Hari Sharma MD, page 94
...nearly two decades later, researchers at RNT Medical College in India induced diabetes in rabbits with intravenous injections of alloxan. When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect by either increasing the pancreatic secretion of insulin or by releasing bound insulin.
Garlic for Health by Benjamin Lau MD PhD, page 22
Commercial yeasted breads, even the whole-grain varieties, often have other problems. They typically contain flour bleach, which forms alloxan, a compound known to cause diabetes in animals by destroying the beta cells of the pancreas (Clinical Nutrition Newsletter, Dec. 1982). …
Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, page 452
Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is generally recognized to be due to an insulin deficiency.1 Although the exact cause is unknown, current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity. Causes of injury are most likely hydroxyl and other free radicals, viral infection, and autoimmune reactions. alloxan, the uric acid derivative used to induce experimental diabetes in animals, is a potent beta-cell toxin, causing destruction via hydroxyl radical formation.
Textbook of Natural Medicine Volumes 1-2 by Joseph E Pizzorno and Michael T Murray, page 1197
In this study, mice received intraperitoneally melatonin in doses ranging from 100 to 450 mg/kg. Results showed that such treatment proved plasma glucose increase due to alloxan-induced pancreatic toxicity.
The Clinicians Handbook Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 88
Bleached white flour has had the bran and germ stripped away, but bleached flour also contains a substance from the flour bleach (alloxan) which causes diabetes in animals. Unbleached white flour should also be avoided since it is stripped of essential nutrients.
The Enzyme Cure by Lita Lee with Lisa Turner & Burton Goldberg, page 123
When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect by either increasing the pancreatic secretion of insulin or by releasing bound insulin.
Garlic for Health by Benjamin Lau MD PhD, page 22
Aloe Vera also exhibits a hypoglycemic effect in both normal and alloxan-induced diabetic mice. A small human study shows benefit in diabetics. Five patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes ingested half a teaspoonful of aloe 4 times daily for 14 weeks. Fasting blood sugar in every patient fell from a mean of 273 to 151 mg/dl with no change in body weight. The authors concluded that aloe lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism….
Textbook of Natural Medicine Volumes 1-2 by Joseph E Pizzorno and Michael T Murray, page 587
Results of this study showed that rats given vitamin E before being administered either streptozotocin or alloxan provided protection against the diabetogenic effects of each. It was also observed that rats with a depleted antioxidant state due to a vitamin E and selenium-deficient diet showed increased diabetogenic susceptibility to normally non-diabetogenic doses of streptozotocin.
The Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 312
Noting that the dried sap of the aloe plant to be a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian peninsula, this study examined its ability to reduce blood glucose levels in 5 non-insulin-dependent diabetics and in Swiss albino mice made diabetic with alloxan. Results showed that the intake of 1/2 teaspoon of aloes daily for 4-14 weeks significantly reduced the fasting serum glucose level fell in all patients. Fasting plasma glucose was significantly reduced in diabetic mice by glibenclamide and aloes after 3 days.
The Clinicians Handbook Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 369
This study examined the effects of exudate of Aloe barbadensis leaves (oral administration of 500 mg/kg) and its bitter principle (ip administration of 5 mg/kg) on plasma glucose levels of alloxan-diabetic mice. Results showed that the hypoglycemic effect of a single oral dose of aloes on serum glucose level was insignificant in while that of the bitter principle was highly significant and extended over a period of 24 hours.
The Clinicians Handbook Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 369
Ginseng exerts numerous pharmacological effects in humans and laboratory animals, including … improved glucose control in humans and diabetic (alloxan-induced) rats; ….
The Healing Power of Herbs by Michael T Murray ND, page 269
http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com/diabetes_avoidfoods.htm
http://100777.com/node/1348
Where do toxins come from?
They come from our external environment and internal environment.
1.Food pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, E numbers, additives, flavorings, cocktails of unknown chemicals discharged by factories and in wars around the world, hydrogenated fats, burnt fats, chemical changes through cooking.
2.Radiation. The biggest known assault has been from the depleted uranium used in Gulf War I, then in the Balkans (Yugoslavia), in Afghanistan and Gulf War II. The radiation from these wars has and will carry on damaging humanity and all living things at the DNA level causing the weakening of the immune system resulting in a mass increase in degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome.
3.Soil pollution.
4.Air pollution.
5.Water pollution.
6.Lack of exercise.
7.Stress caused by negative Emotions.
8.Stress caused by mental anguish (Scientists have found that antidepressants extend time to relapse in diabetics). Does that possibly indicate that stress along with other factors also results in diabetes…?
9.Stress caused by lack of spiritual awareness.
10.Stress caused by physical pain.
11.An unhealthy lifestyle creates extra toxins too... One could have toxins in their body and have no symptoms. Such people are often obese. I feel obesity is a symptom of illness although most people do not appear to see it that way.
12.Medications (antibiotics, vaccinations, contraceptive pill).
13.Dental treatment.
14.Lack of rest or adequate sleep.
15.Electromagnetic pollution from pylons, mobile masts and household electrical equipment.
16.Work hazards. For example auto-mechanics are exposed to deadly chemicals in the form of solvents, cleaners, degreasers and asbestos used in old automobile brake pads. It would be a positive step for such people to use appropriate gloves and work outdoors when handling such substances.
This list is not complete as there are so many ways in which we get toxins.
Is the human body not capable of dealing with these toxins by itself?
From the sharp increase of degenerative diseases such as diabetes, it would appear to me that the body cannot and does not handle these toxins on its own adequately.
What are mycotoxins and where do they come from?
Mycotoxins are acid waste products from bacteria/yeast/fungus. For example alloxan. Alloxan destroys the beta cells of the pancreas in humans. The ability to produce insulin is compromised, thus helping to lead or leading to the symptoms called diabetes.
Definitions of Alloxan on the Web: Alloxan is a drug used to induce diabetes in animals used in laboratory experiments. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloxan)
1.Alloxan is also a metabolite product of uric acid. Uric acid is produced when the body is exposed to high doses of protein through the diet. It is also produced in individuals whose digestive system is challenged. For example the very young the very old and the physically ill individuals. Please bear in mind that human mother's milk is around 2.2 % protein only. This is all the protein nature in all its wisdom knows we need when the human doubles in body weight in the first 6 months of life. Does it seem like common sense to consume large quantities of protein in view of this?
2.Alloxan is produced in the body by caffeine consumption also. The more caffeine you drink, the more alloxan is in your system.
3.Alloxan is produced in the colon in individuals who have had antibiotics in their life and know suffer from Candida (yeast infection). They may be aware of this or not.
4.Alloxan is also found in white flour.
According to a W.H.O report "Diabetes cases in adults will more then double globally from 143 million in 1997 to 300 million by 2025, largely because of dietary and other lifestyle factors."
Eating Biblically Could Beneficial to us ALL. God should have put a copyright on the Bible
Have you ever thought about what the people of Bible times ate? Their main staple was bread, bread and more bread. So why have Americans become Carb-Phobic? Good marketing techniques by diet book authors and their supporting publishers. These groups have created this phenomenon. If we followed the eating model of the Bible, would we all improve our health? The answer is probably yes. I think it is funny how many companies have tapped into the thinking of the Bible and make a fortune on the “American Public”. Yet their diets are designed around the writings in the Bible, a published book that has stood the test of time.
So why have we been taken in by these gimmicks? Why don’t we just read the Bible and discover the healthy eating styles within? In my adventures through the Bible, I uncovered all these similarities among the major diets and the Bible. The newest gimmick that came directly from the Bible is all the new juices that have hit the market with a high cost to consumers. Pomegranate juice is just one example of a Bible fruit juice that now makes someone a large sum of money. The Bible talks often about sweet wine, which were actually pressed grapes that had not yet fermented. The Bible states that they were actually enjoyed more than wine but because of the period of storage, it eventually turned into wine. Therefore, what are the benefits of these drinks? Mainly they aid in digestion and can improve overall health. If we stayed with fresh frozen non-processed fruits and vegetables and ate only whole grains, our health would automatically improve. We would not experience fatigue, constipation and headaches that plague a large part of our population. The most amazing fact is that there are more nerves connected to the digestion system than any other area of the body; however, we continue to put junk into it, which in return create health issues for many of us. Maybe we should start carrying around the Bible and reading it instead of the diet books that come out weekly and promise us the perfect body if we just follow their plan, which actually was God’s plan. If the Bible was covered by a copy write, none of these authors could have been able to steal his idea.
Another interesting topic is natural versus processed food; God did not put processed food in the Garden of Eden. He provided vine ripened fruits, vegetables, and wild animals for meat. When processed food came onto the market heart disease, diabetes and cancer all took major jumps in numbers. However, Americans consume more junk food than any other country in the world and the biggest target for these foods are our children. We give our children processed bread that has no nutritional value left. We serve then sugar filled cereal to save us time in the morning. Maybe we should all say enough and stop supporting the production of unhealthy foods.
Take the time to experience the Bible, it is full of wonderful information that so many of us are missing. Even non-Christians should take the time to read it and experience this amazing time in history. If we carried it around like our cell phone with such care and concern maybe everything in our life would be come as simple as the food we eat. Put down the diet books and read the real diet book written to take care of the body’s that God created. You do not pull out the mower manual to fix your car. Open the right manual for your body.
I will agree with most people that cookies in general are unhealthy and packed with sugar, white flour and fat-fat-fat. But kids deserve to be kids. I was watching a show the other night and this mother had made cookies for her daughter and she said, “Eat a cookie they are good for you they are packed with wheat germ, soy flour, and tofu, they are good for you.” The girl graciously said thank you but she would pass. Food that is good for you does not have to taste awful.
Well I came up with a wonderful cookie that we are now promoting through our website called bizzylizzybakery.com that is not packed with all those horrible things and tastes like a cookie should taste – delicious.
I have come to the conclusion that we have three general types of eaters in this culture. The overly “nutritious” that do not care for taste at all. The “no nutrition at all” type that eat anything, it does not need to be delicious it is just food and finally those of us that see you can mix nutritious and delicious into a meal.
I once worked with a dietician in a nursing home. I was the food director and I wanted the residents to eat well and enjoy their food. Life there seemed to revolve around the three meals of the day. They talked about the food they ate and the food they were about to eat. My goal was to make that enjoyable experience. The dietician’s goal was to make there lives miserable.
I had one lady who was 92 years old and I could not get her to eat anything. Her tastes buds were shot and the dietician did not want her to have any salt at all. I tried seasoning things so she could taste them with everything but salt. She still would not eat. I had decided to through an Irish Party for St. Patrick’s Day with the green beer, kraut and brauts. I walked into the dining room and she was eating. I had never seen anyone enjoy food so much in my life. I did not stop her because I forgot one point she weighed less than 90 pounds. I later noted that she had eaten and what she ate that was my job. The dietician read it and lost it. How dare I feed her those things? I directly did not feed her. She asked for and one of my workers gave it to her. The dietician had agreed to make the day an unrestricted diet day so the residents could have what they wanted.
This dietician ate food only for her existence. She did not care if it tasted like crap and after she did eat something she would go run 10 miles. She could not gain a pound that would have been a sin. The saddest part about this is that this woman appeared to hate her life so she had to make sure everyone around her felt the same.
God provided food for nourishment and enjoyment. Think about when you pop a fresh berry in your mouth and your mouth gets excited with the wonderful flavors. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so eat wonderful flavored foods in rational amounts.
