1. Over the past 25 years significant advances in medicine have led to many innovative new treatments for cancer yet the number of people developing cancer is rising which offsets many of these gains in the overall death toll each year.
2. Asthma, allergies and attention deficit syndrome are also on the rise.
3. One hypothesis to consider is that the complexity of ingredients in our diets is creating many different chemical combinations within our digestive tracts and throughout our bodies which is triggering asthma, allergies and possibly even cancer.
4. I have been reading many different studies on cancer, allergies, asthma, and attention deficit syndrome recently and I have found one common thread – many things can trigger. That got me thinking.
5. I went through my pantry and freezer and I wrote down the ingredients lists of a few dozen of the food items that we commonly eat and I was shocked to find that these few items contained over 230 ingredients on the labels. I am a scientist and I had to look up what 50 of these items were Many of the ingredient include preservatives, colors, stabilizers, emulsifiers and I began to understand the “chemical soup” that I am feeding myself and my family.
6. I have decided to eliminate most of the prepared foods from our shopping lists.
7. We plan to make and freeze some meals in advance to replace the convenience of these “meals in a box” that are so common at our grocery stores.
8. We plan to can and preserve some fruit and vegetables grown locally without pesticides and herbicides in an effort to enjoy healthy variety through the next winter.
9. We plan to expand our garden next year and grow more vegetables ourselves.
10. We have planted 75 fruit trees.
11. It seems that simplifying our diets and enjoying the natural flavor of fresh foods just makes sense.
12. Check upcoming blogs for specific ideas and recipes on eating healthier meals without giving up flavor or convenience.
Wayne Conrad
