01 HW Chapter 1 6/29/05 2:49 PM Page 21
proportional reckoning. What if we did added another gem, Eating Well for Optimum
this with the foods offered in the grocery
store? Certainly it would simplify that
long list of unrecognizable ingredients.
The actives would be the nourishing foods
in a given can of soup, say, while the inerts
could be bunched together as so many
nutritionally useless, if not downright
harmful, unknowns. The denatured grains,
food additives, artificial colorings, refined
sweeteners, heat-processed oils, and hydro-
genated fats could all be summed directly
on the front: “This dinner contains 87
percent inerts.” Perhaps best of all, we’d
lose this senseless preoccupation with low-
fat, low-salt, low-worth advertising. People
might start getting it through their heads
that whole foods are the only real foods.
Why were heart attacks rare in the
United States in 1900 but the leading cause
of death by the late 1940s? Fully half of
individuals suffering heart attacks today
have none of the statistical risk factors gen-
erally implicated (high-fat diet, high blood
cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and hyper-
tension).²¹ The industrialization of food at
the turn of the century must be the expla-
nation. In particular three kinds of food
were made universally available that had
previously been only occasional treats:
sugar, processed white flour, and refined
vegetable oils and margarine. All are linked
with heart attacks.
Our diets are very near and dear to our
hearts. The gumption to make positive
change is best brought about by awareness
of how intimately health and nutrition are
linked. Food and Healing by Annemarie Col-
bin is Nancy’s current favorite for viewing
the big picture. The information about the
remarkable healing qualities of specific
foods presented in this book complements
herbal wisdom nicely. Andrew Weil recently
Health. We’re absolutely intrigued by the
integral perspectives Sally Fallon has
brought to center stage in Nourishing Tradi-
tions. Read this book and you’ll soon be set-
ting yourself up to milk goats and learn
entirely old ways to preserve foods through
lacto-fermentation. The Whole Foods Compan-
ion by Dianne Onstad stands as our pantry
encyclopedia to look up the nutritional
value of each fruit, vegetable, grain, and
legume, as well as culinary tips, health bene-
fits, lore, and legends.
Food plays a major role in our health,
but of course it is not the only underlying
cause of disease. Elderly people who are in
fine health, despite eating junk food and
whatever else pleases, are testaments to
other avenues to well-being and longevity.
Breast-fed as babies, these people were then
EATING SENSIBILITIES
• Enjoy your food. Prepare and eat it with thoughts of nour-
ishment, beauty, and a spirit of gratefulness. The love and
care we infuse into the food we prepare is life-giving as well.
• Eat whole foods in or as close to their natural state as pos-
sible. A good overall test of fresh food is the following: If it
won’t sprout or rot, don’t eat it!
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Here’s where you
generally find the fresh produce, dairy products, and less-
processed foods. The foods you want have ingredients that
all sound desirable to eat.
• Sit down. Chew your food well. Savor it. Eat to satisfaction,
without overindulging.
• Remember, everything in moderation, including modera-
tion. Strive to eat healthfully most of the time, but don’t
punish yourself with guilt if occasionally you don’t follow
your own guidelines. Being active helps balance out those
occasional slip-ups.
The Medicine of the People / 