Organic Peanut Butter? Gross!!

By Beth Ann Knowles, BSc, P.T.S., N.W.S.

Do you cringe and turn your nose up when you think of organic foods? Does the thought of organic cookies engender notions of dry, tasteless, cardboard-like wafers? You're not alone. Many people believe 'organic' foods and beverages taste bad. It seems as though labeling a food as 'organic' has rendered that food to be in the 'healthy' category with the likes of low-fat, low-calorie, and fat-free products. My aim is to change your mind about organic foods.

Organic is a growing and processing method that helps protect the health of people, plants, animals, and the environment. Organic products are either fresh or processed plant materials (fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, seeds, etc.) or animals that have been grown naturally, without the use of harmful hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), steroids, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides. Organic farmers follow a holistic system that replenishes the nutrients and maintains the health of the soil. They use renewable resources and conserve soil and water in an effort to sustain the environment for future generations.

So I ask, why would someone turn their nose up at an organic tomato? Is there something missing from that tomato that would make it taste bad? I would say no, unless of course chemical pesticides are appealing to your tastebuds? Let's take this a step further. Would you turn your nose up at organic ketchup? At ketchup containing organic tomatoes, sugar from organically and sustainably grown sugarcane, and herbs from an organic farm? Compare the organic ketchup ingredient list to that of conventional ketchup: tomatoes coated with numerous hormone disrupting pesticides; sugar from non-organic sugarcane which, by the way, the World Wildlife Fund has said, "probably contributed more to the loss of biodiversity worldwide than any other single crop because so many rainforests have been felled and important wetland habitats destroyed to plant it" (Ecoholic, Vasil, A., 2007, p. 91); and a collection of herbs that have been sprayed by a cocktail of toxic chemicals.

The organic ketchup contains just as many calories as the conventional ketchup, and it is loaded with the same amount of tasty sweet sugar. In fact, all organic foods are just as 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' as their conventional counterpart; peanut butter, cookies, jams, bread, coffee, pizza, tea, juice, etc. The only thing missing from organic foods are the oh-so-tastey pesticides, delectible GMOs, and scrumptuous synthetic preservatives. Mmmm...synthetic preservatives. My mouth is salivating just thinking about them!

Conventionally grown food labels don't list the pesticides, sprays, and other harmful chemicals that were used in growing the ingredients. Why would they? It would only deter people from purchasing those products. What would happen to supermarkets if consumers knew the American cheese on that frozen pizza contained bovine growth hormone which is "linked to mastitis, infertility and lameness in animals" (Ecoholic, p. 90)? "The David Suzuki Foundation says 58 pesticides in use in Canada today are banned in other developed countries because of their ties to cancer, reproductive disorders and acute toxicity...The World Health Organization estimates that over 200,000 people die every year from pesticide poisoning." (Ecoholic, p. 64)

If I haven't yet convinced you to consider organic foods on your next trip through the grocery store, perhaps Adria Vasil can. Check out her list of "The Top 10 Reasons to Eat Organic," taken from her eye-opening but informative book, "Ecoholic".

"1. You don't have to worry about biting into chemicals with every mouthful.
2. Organic food doesn't involve poisoning wildlife, workers and waterways.
3. There's never been a reported case of mad cow disease in organic cattle.
4. Your meat and eggs are drug-free.
5. It's the only guarantee that you're not eating genetically modified ingredients.
6. Your food hasn't been zapped or irradiated.
7. Organic farms are hotbeds of life, fostering vibrant biodiversity, not sterile fields.
8. Organic produce is higher in vitamin C and contains 30% more antioxidants.
9. Eating an organic diet may reduce levels of pesticides coursing through your body.
10. Organic farmers can actually make a decent living, unlike most conventional Canadian farmers, whose income is in the red and dropping every year." (p. 77)

What do you want nourishing your body? What will you feed your family? What choice do you make for your grandchildren?

About the Author:
Beth Ann has a degree in Sciences from Dalhousie University and is a Personal Trainer and Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. Additionally, Beth Ann has a personal interest in holistic wellness and sustainable environmental practices and enjoys being the Canadian Sales Manager for Naturally Nova Scotia Health Products.

Do you have a Sue that influenced you?

© Peter St John Gibson 2009
ipgibson@comcast.net

Think back. Who influenced you as a child, teen, or even recently as an adult, to think or act the way you do today about your health? Someone you still remember?

I’m a healthy man. Only 54 years young. I may never have got on this path if not for Sue.
Sue lived in the same English village as me. Her husband cut my hair. I babysat her kids. Sue was a vegetarian. She was full of energy; smiled often and looked younger than she was. We both adored the outdoors and often rode horses, across the quiet countryside, to the Pub in the next village. You guessed it - we relied on the horses to get us back!

Sue didn’t want to have to fit in, but she did want to fit fitness in. She treated herself well and had a bottomless well of healthy relationships to draw on. Meals at Sue’s cottage fed you physically and emotionally. The lifestyle Sue led became the influence upon which my life has been fed.

Sue taught me that I needed a health philosophy. I had to make choices; question what was in my meals and seek alternative deals. Wonder how healthy where I worked was.
Be careful about how I was influenced by my community, yet still find a way to be an influence in it. That’s why I write.

My writing, and rhyming, is one of the ways I can influence peoples’ days. Prod them to adopt healthier ways; avoid hospital stays and the medical maze.

Johnny Appleseed influenced many Americans by planting apple seeds. He got down on his knees and gave us trees. The seed produces the tree that bears the fruit. It’s a cycle that we are naturally a part of too. Our mothers produce us and our community expects us to bear fruit and make a contribution to the world.

An apple tree provides healthy fruit if its environment is healthy. Are we any different? How we are influenced determines how healthy of an influence we will have on others.

Sue has made my life a healthier one. Her influence may have led me into the business I have run for over ten years: marketing health products. To write a book that invites others to manage their own health – to move their own magnet – and later create The WELLNESS WOMBATS™ to encourage kids to adopt ways that keep them out of the medical maze.

So, think. Why do you manage your health the way you do? Do you have a Sue, or a Drew, that influenced you? If you do, isn’t it your turn now to influence and inspire others to make healthy choices too? Is that something you are willing to do?

About the Author: Peter St. John Gibson
Peter has managed Hotels, restaurants and large-scale corporate events.
He has traveled to over 50 countries and – while pursuing a career in the travel business - successfully herded groups of sales executives to Europe. They all got home safely.
He is a husband, and a father.
His healthy upbringing, in rural England, influenced his pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and his decision to work for himself, as an international wellness consultant distributing health products in over a dozen countries.
He is a Public Speaker and a published author. His latest book Who Moved My Magnet? produced two fun characters and plush toys called The WELLNESS WOMBATS™
The WELLNESS WOMBATS™ are designed to influence kids – and communities - to practice healthy ways and stay out of the medical maze.
Peter St. John Gibson
ipgibson@comcast.net
www.wellnesswombats.com
770 317 1009

Rhyme:

We’re a fast food nation; our kid’s are getting fat.
Isn’t it time we did something about that?
That’s why I’ve created the WELLNESS WOMBATS™
They’re two fun characters whose healthy ways
Can influence kids to stay out of the medical maze.
By word of mouth they’ll create results,
That helps today’s kid’s become tomorrow’s healthy adults.
It’s ick to be sick and under medicines spell.
So, talk to me if you want your community to be well.

Our Organic Veggie Garden

By Daina Scarola

The spring my husband and I bought our house along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia we were anxious to get to work preparing and planting our first organic veggie garden. We chose an ambitious sized area next to the lawn where the grass mysteriously wasn’t growing. We thought, oh how perfect, we don’t need to dig up thick rooty turf! As we set to work trying to dig and turn the soil with shovels and garden forks, we grudgingly realized the land was more suitable as a gravel parking space.

Optimistic, we decided we just needed to invest some sweat equity, compost, manure, sand, peat moss, lime, and a huge load of organic topsoil. First we removed all the rocks and stones, both big and small. Then we shoveled in scoops of sand, peat moss, and manure as evenly as possible. The Naturally Nova Scotia’s caretaker and farmer, David, offered to drive the tractor a couple kilometers up the road to our place to save our backs and a lot of time. With the tractor bucket he scooped and turned and blended the new soil for us. By the end of that day, our 10’ x 30’garden space had grown from a flat compressed gravelly bed to about 6 inches of soil. Fueled by our excitement we planted so many varieties of plants. Although few of them did well that first year, they all contributed rich nutrients and inches of new soil for the following year.

If you’re not fortunate to already have rich soil, vegetable gardening can be costly in the beginning. But once your plot and soil are established, your annual costs are usually only the seeds. However, some vegetables can have higher annual costs than others. For example, if you wish to grow tomatoes, you’ll have to start them as early as two months under grow lights, and later invest in tomato cages for each plant. I prefer to buy the transplants and set them directly in the garden in late spring when the night temperatures are mild.

After ten years of organic gardening, we still have much to learn. But what I do know, is how incredibly satisfying it is to grow our own produce. Each growing season is different providing alternating good and bad crops. Since I enjoy experimenting with different varieties and placement in the rows, I’ve learned which plants do well for our microclimate, and which are better off buying at the local market.

Last weekend as my husband and I prepared the soil for seeding, I noticed a great sign that our soil has reached optimum health. This is the first spring our soil is void of white grubs, which feed on roots and can damage plants. It also smelled rich with organic matter. I decided to keep our planting design simple- 5 large rows. From the back I planted beans and onions, carrots, beets, radicchio, and lettuce. Between each row we added straw to help keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Instead of planting tomato transplants in the garden, I will plant them in pots on our deck. In another small garden I will plant cucumbers and zucchini. And in the front of the yard near the apple trees I will pile a mound of compost and toss in some pumpkin seeds. Voila!

One of my favourite reference books is Carrots Love Tomatoes – Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, by Louise Riotte. If you plan to grow your veggies in a tight space, this is a great book to read first. It is loaded with great tips and tricks for the novice and experienced green thumbs. If you have a small area to work with, companion planting could help you organize your plants efficiently and promote healthy crops.

My husband’s grandparents in Italy have a small back yard by North American standards. In their 15’ x 30’ plot they use every bit of sunlight and soil to grow a large variety of plants- fruiting trees, vegetables, herbs, grape vines, and ornamental plants- with room to spare for egg-laying hens and two turtles! When they visited our home a few years back, all we had growing on our 0.7 acre lot was our vegetable garden, two apple trees, and a cherry tree. They were quite upset that we were not using our land to its full potential! While we found it funny at the time, I do plan to eventually add a few fruiting trees so our front yards can become a small orchard- plums, peaches, pears, expand our garden, and maybe even try growing sweet Nova Scotian grapes on an arbor to our veggie garden.

Before I get too ambitious, next up on my list is to build a fence around our garden. This morning I took pleasure in watching a pair of bunnies romp around the front yard. When they decided to play tag (aka the mating game) hopping in the veggie garden from mound to mound, I cringed at my newly planted seeds! Last year they enjoyed a buffet of beet and carrot tops. Aside from good soil and water, a fence could be a gardener’s best friend. Next weekend I will work on my fence. I’m optimistic this year will be our best one yet! I promise to post an update at the end of this year’s growing season with lots of photos…