Fake Food is Cheap

People often ask me how I can afford to “eat organic.” It’s so expensive, they say. And they’re right.

Sort of.

Thanks to heavy government subsidies, foods produced by cheap corn and then trucked all over the nation are often less expensive than locally produced goods. Corn is everywhere, even though you can’t see it. As Michael Pollan wrote:

If you are what you eat, and especially if you eat industrial food, as 99 percent of Americans do, what you are is “corn.”

. . . Take a typical fast food meal. Corn is the sweetener in the soda. It’s in the corn-fed beef Big Mac patty, and in the high-fructose syrup in the bun, and in the secret sauce. Slim Jims are full of corn syrup, dextrose, cornstarch, and a great many additives. The “four different fuels” in a Lunchables meal, are all essentially corn-based. The chicken nugget—including feed for the chicken, fillers, binders, coating, and dipping sauce—is all corn. The french fries are made from potatoes, but odds are they’re fried in corn oil, the source of 50 percent of their calories. Even the salads at McDonald’s are full of high-fructose corn syrup and thickeners made from corn.

Thanks to documentaries like Food, Inc., people are becoming leery of high fructose corn syrup, pesticide, MSG, and GMO  laden foods . . . and they’re changing their buying habits. Unfortunately, companies have capitalized on this and begun offering organic versions of fake food (highly processed foods with minimal nutritional value).

Organic Fake Food is REALLY Expensive

Organic corn dogs, pop tarts, and imitation Oreos are both expensive and unhealthy. Yes, they are healthier than the original, but not worth the price. People that simply want to take everything in their junk food pantry and replace it with an organic version are headed for two major letdowns: They won’t feel much better and it’s going to cost a fortune.

Real Food is More Expensive Than Fake Food

. . . but less expensive than the diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medication you’re going to need if you stay on the junk. Whatever your budget, you can afford to buy real food. Here are some of my favorite blog posts on how to do just that. Check them out!

First up is Kristen, the genius behind Food Renegade. I can say genius because I knew her when she was an undergrad in the Philosophy program at DBU and she is extremely intelligent.

I feed my family of four nourishing, real foods on far less than the federal food stamp allotment for a family my size ($668/month). It takes a lot of thought, planning, and detective work to eat this way, but I do it.

Food Renegade, Eating Real Food on A Budget

This one is a MUST READ for anyone interested in getting the most bang for your buck. Ann Marie (aka Cheeseslave) does a fantastic breakdown of the per ounce cost of nutrient dense foods that is very eye opening. And her case for pastured eggs as a budget food is really good. My favorite part though, are the Trader Joe’s egg cartons. Don’t miss that.

It’s true that pastured eggs cost more. But isn’t it obvious that it is worth it? You’d have to eat 5 supermarket eggs to get the same amount of vitamin D from one pastured egg. You may be able to buy a dozen eggs for a buck or two at the grocery store, but you get what you pay for. The national average for pastured eggs is about $4-5 per dozen. However, they are worth that in terms of nutrient density.

Cheeseslave, Pastured Vs. Free Range Eggs

Kelly the Kitchen Kop has put together an index of all her money-saving ideas. This woman is my hero, ya’ll. She rescued Chinese food from never-never land and put it back on our family’s real food table. If you’ve never tried her egg roll recipe you’re missing out. Check out her post: Nourishing, Frugal Healthy Meals for cost cutting and recipe ideas.

Also, don’t miss The Nourishing Cook’s “Bang For Your Buck” recipes. In the coming weeks and months I will be posting more tips for how to save time and money without compromising on nutrition, but I need your help.

How do you stretch a dollar in your kitchen? Tell us your frugal secrets!

Sometimes Life kicks me in the gut and tells me I’m being a wuss. That I need to adapt and change. This is one of those times. But it’s not about choosing fast food or organic veggies. That’s not the REAL debate.

The REAL debate is about pleasure and satisfaction: how do I get it, and is it possible to get it in a healthy form? That, in a single statement, is the summary of this entire post.

If you’re still here, I’m guessing you’d like some elaboration (or maybe you’re just bored). So what do I mean, and how do we find the answer?

Heather seemed mostly concerned that I would pig out on fast food after the cleanse. But fast food isn’t my primary concern. Here’s the summary of what I’m thinking:

If I had to give up beef, cheese, milk, eggs, pasta, nuts, bread, and sugar just to lose 15 1bs WITH the aid of supplements, what will happen when I reintroduce even organic versions of those things to my diet? What chance to I REALLY have of staying at this weight? And further, what chance do I have of ever losing weight again?

See what I mean? I’m not even talking about Taco Bueno, Chick Fil-A, Wendy’s, or Jack in the Box. I’m talking about organic pasture-raised beef, raw cheese, raw milk, etc. How do I eat what I enjoy and not gain weight?

That, my friends, is the crux of the matter. To me, eating is a chief pleasure. If the pleasure or satisfaction of eating disappears from my life, I seriously question life’s purpose and meaning. Am I alone in this?

If eating food becomes a chore… a task, like brushing teeth and exercising, why am I alive? Each meal has been an oasis of pleasure for me in the desert of a questionable existence. I know that’s not the “Christian” thing to say, but hey, it’s the truth. Food is supposed to be enjoyed.

You Gotta Eat What Your Body Needs

There is a satisfaction I get from eating certain foods. And as Heather just pointed out to me today:

For me, my deepest nutritional needs revolve around fat and protein. I choose healthy fats and proteins 99% of the time and I think that’s why I am so healthy. We need to know what your body needs. I don’t necessarily like all the veggies I serve either. But I’m willing to eat them because I’m getting what I NEED elsewhere. We need to find out what that equivalent would be for you. What your best fuel is. And get you the best version of that possible.

Amazing. My wife and I agree. Apparently, there’s this book called The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott and Trish Fahey. The premise of the book is that people’s diets should be customized to fit their own unique body chemistry. Heather hates diet books but she gave this one to me because it’s based off of the research of Weston A. Price and Francis Pottenger, M.D. I’ve only had a chance to flip through some pages so far, but Amazon’s Editorial Review has me very interested:

Although The Metabolic Typing Diet is based on information from researchers the majority of the public will never have heard of, Wolcott makes a strong case that it’s all based on common sense: most of the dietary problems we have come from ignoring the foods that make us feel satisfied and energetic in favor of ones that we feel we’re supposed to eat, or foods that we eat in desperation because our last meal left us hungry or lethargic. If we just eat the foods that make us feel right, Wolcott argues, we’ll never feel like things have gone horribly wrong.

Give Me Fuel, or Give Me Death

As I just mentioned recently in my post-cleanse Q&A,

I love that which gives me energy. Lentils, meats, cheeses, eggs, starches, etc. I’m not saying this from an intellectual preference – just sharing an observation. I seem to enjoy most that which can keep me going. I think I’ve had such severe issues with energy levels that I tend to overeat that which can be burned immediately.

I’m looking for food that gives me energy. That satisfies me and keeps me going. Veggies feel superfluous, like a task / chore that delivers no immediate results. I know that’s not entirely true, but they don’t convert into the energy I need to perform daily tasks. I need fuel. And I need to enjoy eating it.

I’ll check back in next week and let you know what we’ve learned. Sounds like we have to do some experimentation to discover my metabolic type. If we can find the miraculous food that A) tastes good, B) feels good, and C) burns instead of stores, I’ll be a seriously happy camper.

Book knowledge is not enough. Jump in and tell us what’s worked for you!

A few of you expressed disappointment that the deadline had already passed for The Nourished Kitchen’s “How to Cook Real Food eCourse.”

So I messaged Jenny over at The Nourished Kitchen and guess what??? She is quietly keeping enrollment open for just a little longer. So, if you’re interested in learning to prepare wholesome food quickly and on a budget, sign up!

I can’t tell you how often I get an email that goes like this:

I’m newish to the Nourishing Traditions lifestyle and feel totally overwhelmed by all the changes I want to make. I don’t know where to get started!

Or, like this:

I’ve been eating healthy for a long time but I’m ready to take the plunge and start making my own kefir, kombucha, homemade pickles, whathaveyou, but it seems so intimidating. Is everything as hard as it sounds??

The truth is, the nourishing lifestyle is NOT complicated. It’s about establishing new rhythms in your kitchen and sometimes learning to use new tools and techniques. As much as I would like to invite each of you into my kitchen and show you firsthand what a rich experience traditional cooking can be, I simply can’t. Maybe if we get our dream I can invite some of you, but not the ones that live in Belgium ; – )

That is why it is so awesome that Jenny over at The Nourished Kitchen has created a “How to Cook Real Food eCourse” complete with video tutorials and lifetime access to all teaching materials, this is the most comprehensive Nourishing Traditions-style cooking course I have EVER seen.

At $120 bucks* for the 12 week course you may be skeptical. Before you write it off, though, consider this: The course focuses on nourishing, budget friendly recipes that can be made quickly.

When I look back on all the time and money I have wasted trying to figure out recipes and methods on my own, $120 feels like a drop in the bucket.

Now here’s the thing: I only found out about this course yesterday and enrollment ends TOMMOROW, May 31st. So don’t delay, spend your summer with Jenny!

*$120 if you do a one-time payment or you can do 4 monthly payments of $35 for a total of $140

SIGN UP NOW!

I signed up for Jamie’s newsletter after watching this video and he sent me an omelette recipe using ingredients like real butter and whole eggs. (Making egg-white omelettes means throwing out the most nutritious part!) Although I don’t know exactly what his food principles are, I’d say that is a good start.

I’m just getting familiar with Jamie Oliver’s message, so I’ll circle back around with more comments as I find the time to watch more of his show. But my initial impression is that what he’s endeavoring to do is honorable, albeit more than daunting. But you can see he has the support of major celebs like Oprah Winfrey and Ryan Seacrest, so he just may have the clout to influence our fast food culture. I doubt recommends changes as drastic as I would, but someone’s gotta start somewhere, you know?

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see his show yet, scroll just a bit further and you can watch episode 4 without even leaving this site.

Watch an entire episode RIGHT HERE

The Background

The other day I saw this note from my friend Joanna posted on my Facebook wall:

Ah! Flour is soaking for pizza tomorrow (your recipe). I keep wanting to check on it. Am I weird? The anticipation for yummy goodness tomorrow night is torture!

Joanna is a self-described newbie when it comes to healthy cooking. She’s made ambitious strides toward changing her family’s eating despite the challenges of caring for two young children. The joy of cooking from scratch has obviously captivated her and I was eager to hear how things turned out.

Unfortunately, her Facebook page went radio silent. Curiosity got the best of me and I messaged her, only to find out it was a complete disaster! The dough was runny and never rose. Really, it’s better in her own words:

Let’s see, what else did I try out? (clicking over to blog because my memory doesn’t work the same these days) Ah yes, The Mommypotamus’ Homemade Pizza.

Ok, so this was something I was looking forward to ALL WEEK. I even bought fresh, organic basil to make my own homemade pesto. I followed all the instructions exactly, even the night-before soaking. Well, let’s just say I started to wonder what I did wrong. It didn’t exactly look or feel like dough. I would say, hmmm, oatmeal/porridge/soup? Very watery, but I didn’t have any flour and since the recipe didn’t call for more than I put in it, I trusted that it would thicken up while it sat in the warm place to rise.

Um, no. Instead, my precious, long awaited, hard earned dough that I kneaded, er, smeared for 10 whole minutes slowly dripped off the edge of my pizza stone onto the inside of my oven. Boo! I was getting pretty upset because my expectations weren’t being met and therefore disappointment began to set in. I could very well make something else for dinner, but I wanted pizza. That pizza. That I had all the toppings for. And had started working on the night before. I contemplated getting a store-bought crust but decided not to. Dangit, I was gonna cook that dough no matter how it ended up tasting!

So, we did and finally, after hours of preparation and stress, we had our first homemade pizza. It was obviously not how it was supposed to be, but it tasted good.

It’s not you, it’s me

I had to find out what went wrong, so we decided to meet up and play detective. The night before she came over I carefully mixed up the ingredients for my soaked grain pizza dough using the instructions on my website. I have to admit I was pretty sure the mistake was Joanna’s and not mine. I mean, I make pizza all the time.

Granted, not with this recipe (I use our Thin N’ Crispy Pizza Crust made with soaked grains), but c’mon . . . I’ve been doing this for awhile and this was Joanna’s first time. Surely it couldn’t be me.

When she arrived I pulled out the dough and began mixing with my hands. “It’s like soup!” I said.

“More like porridge,” Joanna laughed.  This is why I like Joanna. Without coming across as critical, she tells it like it is.

Dun Dun Dun!

My biggest fear (not in life, just about blogging) had come true . . . a recipe I’d created and posted was a complete dud. Looking back, I probably just typed in the wrong number of cups and didn’t catch it. This is the ONLY recipe I don’t pull up and use myself on a frequent basis so of course it would be the one with a mistake.  Embarrassed, I fumbled my way through rescuing the dough as we reminisced about some of our most memorable kitchen disasters. There have been many in my house. Most are run-of-the-mill burned soups and overcooked casseroles, but some are real humdingers.

A trip down bad recipe memory lane

Several times we’ve tried a new recipe and had to throw it out because it was so bad. One night Gigi made beef liver pate. Daniel and I gagged down a few bites, but when we turned green Gigi laughed and let us off the hook. She hated to waste all that healthy liver so she dehydrated it and put it in capsules to take as a supplement. I know we’re weird. That’s why I HAVE TO blog!!!

There’s also the time I made goat cheese pizza and served it with red wine. Daniel practically got drunk as he sucked down wine trying to mask the flavor of that pizza! I have since learned that not all goat cheese is created equal. I LOVE Homestead Farms’ garlic chive goat cheese but wouldn’t dare putting it on pizza! It’s raw and cooking it would just ruin it for me ; – )

Mistakes are merit badges I carry proudly. IMO, if everything is going right in the kitchen then I’m not taking enough risks. I hated that my recipe ruined a Moore family dinner, though, so I sent her home with a make-up crust ; – )

Hours later I got news via Facebook that the pizza crust was a success and my street cred had been redeemed.

[grateful sigh]

Disclaimer: I do not believe Monsanto or any other company has ultimate control over human life. Our lives are in God’s hands alone. Still, controlling the food system comes pretty darn close. We cannot afford to remain unaware of what’s at stake. We cannot keep telling ourselves that someone else will “do something” about it.

I know this video is  a little on the apocalyptic side. The facts are solid, though.

I’m not trying to scare anyone. Okay, maybe just a little. But the only thing I want you to fear is what you will tell your grandchildren if GMO crops infest every piece of arable land in the U.S.  Ever year they spread by cross-pollinating into fields where they’re not wanted.

I don’t have time to write my senator everyday or sign petitions and I bet you don’t, either. Oops! I was wrong. Apparently it takes less than 1 minute if you go here.

In addition, vote with your fork. Buy organic, buy from local farmers that don’t grow GMO produce and don’t feed it to their animals, or maybe grow your own.

For more info, check out Just Say No to GMO’s official website.

You can view it here or at Hulu.com

I received this note a week ago from a wife looking for tips to help hook her husband on a healthier lifestyle. Since I am historically the epitome of Unhealthy Man (picture flapping cape and speedos), I’m more than qualified to share some ideas.

I truly believe God is moving me to become more healthy….beyond the obvious lose weight, more veggies, etc…  The problem is my husband (who is also very unhealthy) is extremely resistant to change when it comes to what we eat. I mentioned organic food, and he said, “as long as it still has flavor.”  Unfortunately he’s the better cook,  and likes it a whole lot more.

So my question is this..well several questions actually: 1) As a man who has resisted the food change, how did you finally come around? Actually, the better question is, what can I do as a wife to a resistant man to ease the transformation? 2) Are there simple recipes, food choices, etc that I can start with?

I bet many of you identify with her questions. We all start somewhere. So let’s get into some answers.

1. Start Small

If he’s anything like me, you won’t get anywhere with him by trying to transform your lifestyle up front. It took me two years (maybe more) to come around to the lifestyle my wife promoted. And we did it the hard way. She’d make entire meals. I’d eat part or all of her meal and then go out and eat a second meal at some fast food joint.

The truth is, Heather and I exist on totally different levels of the spectrum. She’s a nursing mommy. I’m a… guy. Pregnancy cravings / discomfort withstanding, she’ll eat the same thing over and over again if it has the nutrients she needs. She and her mom are what I call “practical eaters.” Sure, they enjoy fine dining. But given the freedom, they’d go ultra cost effective organic. Not me. I want variety. If I’m gonna give up Taco Bueno, Taco Bell, Wendys, and Steak N’ Shake, I’m not eating the same thing over and over again just because it’s non-toxic. Life is too short to eat uninteresting food.

I actually started making my own positive lifestyle choices by going small and switching one thing. For example, I  switched from Dr. Pepper to Starbucks lattes,  which eventually led to plain coffee, which led to black tea, which has now become organic Japanese green tea. However, I probably would never have made that first move, though, if I weren’t VERY clear on my wife’s desires. I made changes at MY pace after I knew how much it meant to her.

2. Go Gourmet

Whole Foods opened up a “whole” new world to me. Regular grocery stores looked pale, stagnant, boring, and downright unhealthy after we’d shopped at Whole Foods Market for a month. There’s something about sampling cave aged parmesan and experimenting with gourmet jalapeno & fruit jellies. Or even the salmon spread made in-store. Over and over again we found delectable treats to bring home which brightened the week and slowly affected my internal feelings toward natural and  “organic” foods.

I’d never eaten many gourmet foods, and I was suddenly able to hunt through the store for treats. And it was even more pleasurable because I knew the treats were actually healthier than most of what I ate throughout the week.

3. Focus on Pleasure

And it all begins here. Never begin making changes by taking away enjoyable foods or by introducing bad tasting but super healthy foods. These are surefire ways to reinforce negative associations he already has in his mind. I found double pleasure in our gourmet experiments because my wife had already done some research and knew why what we were eating was good for our bodies. I slowly began to see healthy eating not as forcing myself to eat veggies but these amazing opportunities to treat my body with rare and powerful nutrients that help me focus, balance my emotions, retain energy, and increase my body’s ability to ward off the laundry list of expected American aging diseases.

For example, I experimented for several months until I mastered spaghetti. We ate spelt noodles and bought organic tomato sauce, but I added various combinations of herbs from our potted garden and melted various cheeses until I found the right combination for me. And then I could eat an extra portion knowing that I wasn’t downing so much processed white flour that my system would go into shock.

I’d be more than happy to answer any specific quandaries you might have. That’s what the comment box below is for.

If you read my post last week about USDA meat labeling, you may or may not have noticed a surprising comment left by the CEO of Nolan Ryan Beef. There were too many points to cover in a single blog comment reply, so I offered some thoughts yesterday in Part One.  Here’s part two:

We don’t own a single feedyard and none of our cattle are in “mega” feedyards but instead we are feeding cattle in relatively small feed yards in South Texas.

~ Charlie Bradbury, CEO of Nolan Ryan Beef

Response: I’m a little confused with the terminology here. My original post states that “Nolan Ryan owns no fewer than four mega-large ‘feedlots’ in Texas.” Your comment used the term “feedyards” instead of “feedlots.” Nolan Ryan’s beef website states that you “only work with licensed feedlots.” So, are you saying that you feed your cattle in small feedlots in Texas but you don’t own the feedlots? How do you define “relatively small?”

The claim that you own feedlots was taken from information that is a few years old. Based on your statement I’m guessing that things have changed since then. Once I understand better what you are saying I will change the original post so that it is accurate.

For Example, USDA defines “All Natural” as any beef that is “minimally processed with no artificial ingredients added” There is nothing in that definition about how the cattle are raised. Beef that has been “enhanced” meaning it is pumped with a sodium phosphate solution such as that sold at Wal-Mart, does not meet this definition, Nolan Ryan Beef does meet this definition and hence we can put it on our label, we are not trying to decieve anyone, just following the regulations.

~ Charlie Bradbury, CEO of Nolan Ryan Beef

Response: It is to the advantage of feedlot operations that the government regulates beef labeling*. Representatives from CAFO’s, Big Beef, or whatever-you-want-to-call-them spend millions of dollars annually lobbing Congress to write regulations that favor their interests.

Concern #1: Antibiotics and Growth Hormones

While still meeting the requirements of “All-Natural” labeling, it is my understanding that a calf can be implanted with a growth hormone several times from birth to weaning, several times after weaning and until they are shipped to the feedlot.  They can also be given antibiotics via medicated feeds, protein licks, tubs, etc. Also, feedlots routinely implant animals with additional growth hormones upon arrival at their operation.

I have also been told that implanting an animal with growth hormones less than 100 days before slaughter is wasted money. Apparently there is not enough time for the drugs to bulk up the animal enough to justify the expense so it simply isn’t done. What frustrates me is how “All-Natural” labels often say “No antibiotics or hormones” when it really should say “No antibiotics or hormones in the last 100 days.” I am not claiming that Nolan Ryan Beef is intentionally trying to deceive anyone, but I do think somewhere along the lines someone was trying to pull the wool over consumers eyes. The “All-Natural” label is confusing for the consumer. That was the point of my original post.

Concern #2: Genetically Modified Corn

An extremely high percentage (maybe 90+%) of all the corn grown in American is Genetically Modified (GMO) grain. Feedlot cows eat a lot of grain. According to Expert Jeffrey M. Smith, author of “Seeds of Deception”, studies link GMO’s with adverse reactions such as: allergies, infertility, infant mortality, immune system dysfunction, stunted growth, accelerated aging, and death.

We are different species, but we are not that different. If GMO products can cause harm to humans, then it logically follows that they will compromise the health of cattle as well. Especially since corn is not even a part of a cows natural diet.

It disturbs me that beef can be labeled natural that has been fed GMO’s. It just doesn’t make sense. GMO is the antithesis of natural. And if “you are what you eat” holds true, then what the heck?

Concern #3: Cloning

I don’t know the answer to this, so I’m hoping someone can tell me: Can a cloned animal qualify as “All-Natural?” I know that cloned beef is not required to be labeled as such, so I am curious.

Conclusion

The free market system in the U.S. will reward those who provide a superior product at a competitive price.  I believe grass-fed beef is a superior product relative to its health benefits, its environmental benefits and its flavor profile.  Competitive pricing is a different story.  Grass-fed beef is not cheaper than feedlot beef.  But, that is not a bad thing.  The U.S. average household spends LESS of its budget on food than any other industrialized country in the world.  The U.S. average household spends MORE of its budget on healthcare than any other industrialized country in the world.  Does anyone see the correlation here?  I would venture that families who eat healthy, locally and as organically as possible spend less on healthcare than those who do not.  Where do you want to spend your money, on good food, or on visits to your doctor, hospital, and pharmacist?

* This is my opinion, not a statement of absolute truth!