Notes from Elson

Notes from Staying Healthy with Nutrition (by Elson Haas):

"The poor nations...are literally starving from deficiency diseases while we are overconsuming junk and dying from diseases of affluence."

Eating is not only an issue of survival or enjoyment, for us it may be a more than that. We live in an affluent country and how we buy, sell, and exploit becomes a very moral issue. Our overconsumption is killing men, women, and children.

"Most of us need to develop and maintain a lifelong exercise plan that blends with our more sedentary work lifestyles. This should include a natural seasonal variance that ideally coincides with the cycles of light and darkness in our area. The activity should be outdoors and energy expending during the warmer, lighter months; energy-gathering exercise, such as yoga, done indoors is best in the colder, darker times."

What does it look like to define our exercise and diet around seasons?

"At about 6 months of age, cattle are commonly injected with slow-release pellets of estrogen, which can speed up growth and add 40 to 50 pounds by the time of slaughter."

Our consumption of meat has gone up drastically. Our weight as a population has gone up drastically. Anyone else see a parallel here?

Ask the following questions when deciding eating habits:

1. Who is eating? We ALL need to experience the art of food preparation so that we can ultimately nourish ourselves and others.

2. With whom are we eating? Creating a peaceful setting around food preparation and food consumption is a vital part of the nutrition process.

3. What is being eaten? A balanced diet is all we need. What this is may actually vary person to person (based on our individual needs, cultural background, current knowledge and tastes, food availability, and expense).

4. When do we eat? The first rule of eating is to only eat when TRULY hungry. The message of hunger tells us the body has digested and used the last food we consumed and is now ready for more. Many people experience more emotional and psychological hunger than the physical feeling.

5. Where we eat? Pick one or two places to consume food, usually one indoors and the other out. Eating outdoors, especially in a natural setting, can contribute to the relaxation and enjoyment of the meal.

6. Why eat? We should basically eat to nourish our being.

7. How we eat? Eat slowly and chew food completely. The digestive process begins in the mouth.