Food Facts

{Robyn O’Brien shares her personal story and how it inspired her to become a Real Food evangelist.}

TED rarely disappoints. I want to know all of these people. Part of me think I will be smarter for just being in the vicinity of such immense intelligence. This particular TALK is from TEDxAustin.

I genuinely believe there is something to be said for exposing yourself to information. All types. Different points of view, a wide variety of topics, new & different tidbits all the time. It has been a goal of mine for as lone as I can remember to at least keep an open mind about information that I come across. I don't always follow the principles being expounded on or the guidelines being laid out, but at least I can honestly say that I have listened. I certainly am not the type of person that is easily swayed to just believe anything I hear.

I am currently in a quandary over something I LOVE. For me, the negative evidence is mounting against this love of mine. I am growing more and more disappointed by facts that are being uncovered. Food that is. The more I learn about the food we consume as Americans the more frightened I become. It is truly unbelievable what lengths the government, food industry and society as a whole will go to to keep the average person in the dark about the health (or lack there of) of the things we consume. Frightening I tell you. This particular TALK is from TEDxAustin and it is another piece of the puzzle that is coming into focus for me about food. Amazing. Stunning. Disappointing. Scary.

I have been cutting things out of my diet that clearly have no purpose being there other than to satisfy my cravings and things I eat out of shear habit. It is a challenge for me. One I am not proud of, but one that I have little to no will power for. I'm trying though.

I'm just continuing to expose myself to information like this.
I'm using the "Scared Straight" tactic on myself.
It's beginning to work, even if it a slow and arduous process.

Just some other bits of food information that have blown my mind:
Food Matters
Food Inc. 
Nourish
The Gerson Miracle
The Beautiful Truth
Homemade Grits
{Check out my girl Lesley ... putting things into perspective & giving simple tips for application}

Food = Body

One of my sweet aunts is the queen of the email forward. Helpful hints, photos, info ... anything she thinks could be useful to you in any way at all. She sent me this one about the foods we consume and the uncanny resemblance they hold to the parts of the body that they provide nourishment and development for. It is truly amazing how nature mirrors itself. Check it out.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Organic.

Let me start this by saying we are TRYING! Scott and I have been diligently trying to make better choices regarding our eating habits. As a rule our habits as a whole aren't outrageously reprehensible, but they certainly stand some adjustments for the better. It will be a gradual process for sure. Years of bad habits to break and all. As we become more educated about what the side effects are from years of eating garbage ... we are trying to curb our diets in another direction. There is so much great information out there, but it can really be overwhelming. This too is a one step, one book, one journal, one article, one health blog at a time process.

Oh the shopping! What an adventure. Going to the same stores I've always shopped at with a new agenda in mind is quite the challenge. A scavenger hunt if you will. I have been working really hard to find the organic options for the things we would normally purchase. Some are more tough than others. Some taste AWFUL and some are quite delicious. We're still experimenting with flavors and brands, but these are some of my latest finds (Mostly from Target-Archer Farms and Kroger). Here's to our continued success in hunting down flavorful, healthy food options.