Farm Fresh Foods throughout Florida

Archive for May, 2009

The Healthful Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Green Pasture's Cod Liver Oil

Cod liver oil has been used as a health supplement for hundreds of years. It has proven to be one of the most reliable and concentrated food sources. It contains four nutrients that are essential to good health:

Omega 3’s
DHA Fatty Acid. Essential to the health of the nervous system and eyes.

EPA Fatty Acid. Promotes a healthy cardiovascular system and decreases inflammation.

Vitamins
Vitamin A. Necessary for proper vision, healthy skin, a strong immune function and healthy mucosal linings.

Vitamin D. Enhances the strength and efficiency of the immune system. It also helps the body absorb calcium and magnesium, which helps regulate blood pressure and build strong teeth and bones.

Studies have shown that regularly consuming cod liver oil:

Promotes a strong, healthy cardiovascular system
Supports healthy energy levels and mental concentration
Helps regulate normal blood sugar levels
Reduces wrinkles, fights free radical damage and promotes clear skin
Eases arthritis pain and inflammation
Lowers blood pressure induced by stress and high levels of cortisol

When choosing a cod liver oil, it is important to find a brand that is free of PCBs, mercury and other chemical contaminants.

Along with cod liver oil consumption, choose foods that are also high in vital nutrients and enzymes, including grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, farm fresh organic eggs and produce, raw milk and cheese —all produced without man-made chemicals, hormones, pesticides, dyes, or additives

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Autism: A Nutritional Approach

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Good nutrition is essential to the prevention, treatment and cure of many illnesses, diseases and conditions. And that includes autism.

Defeat Autism Now, an organization founded by a group of doctors whose children suffer from the condition, found that diet plays a crucial role in treating children with many disorders including autism, Asperger’s sydrome, ADD, ADHD and ODD.

Various studies have reveled that children with autism do not have the right amount of beneficial bacterial in their digestive system. Since 85% of the body’s immune system is in the gut, without these bacteria it is hard for their bodies to absorb nutrients to build a strong, healthy immune and digestive system. Their diets also lack the necessary nutritional fats that are fundamental to developing brain cells.

According to the Body Ecology diet (bodyecology.com) and the book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome,” by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, children with any type of brain disorder can benefit from eating grass-fed raw dairy, including milk, cream, butter, cultured yogurt and fermented kefir.

Grass-fed raw dairy contains the crucial omega-3 fatty acids needed for brain function, good bacteria for a healthy digestive system, and plentiful vitamins A and D for proper growth and development. It is also rich in the raw, saturated fatty acids (similar to those found in mother’s milk) that nourish the brain and intestinal lining.

Other foods to consider as nutritional powerhouses are grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, organic eggs, fruits and vegetables – all produced without man-made chemicals, hormones, pesticides, dyes, or additives.

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The true cost of Farm Fresh Foods

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Why Does Organic, Farm Fresh Food Cost More?

Many people seeking to include more natural foods in their diets are shocked at the prices for raw milk, organic produce, pastured eggs and poultry, and grass-fed beef compared to similar items at the grocery store. But just like everything else, when it comes to food, you get what you pay for.

For example, a gallon of organic milk purchased at Whole Foods is about $6/gallon. All that for pasteurized, grain-fed milk that contains little of the nutritional power of farm fresh raw milk. This is because pasteurized milk has been excessively heated to kill bacteria—including the beneficial ones—while destroying vital enzymes, vitamins and nutrients. On top of that, many people may have hidden allergies to this pasteurized milk.

Have you ever been to a feedlot or conventional chicken operation? The current food system in the United Sates is appalling. It is based on food predicated on cheaply grown grain, deplorable animal living conditions and environmental degradation. This is where your “cheap” food is grown.

Food from small farms represents the true cost of food as opposed to the industrial system which we as taxpayers pay for (with farm subsidies) that artificially keeps the prices low. Small farmers work long days and must support their families on the products they produce.

Small farms must also take into account the unsubsidized cost of land (it takes more space to raise animals humanely), higher cost of organic feed (which doesn’t contain GMO grains or chemicals), cost of implementing a soil fertility program, smaller production from 100% grass-fed and pasture-raised animals that have access to fresh air, sunshine and a more natural life.

Now we come to the good part.  Naturally raised foods provide more nutrition. Animal and plant foods produced on factory farms lack the basic nutrients needed to sustain a healthy life, such as adequate vitamin D, omega-3s, calcium and so much more.  Animals raised on pasture are treated humanely and are well cared for.

Though farm fresh food may cost more in the long run it could save you from paying expensive medical bills to treat illness and disease. Eating naturally raised foods may also help you live a longer, more enjoyable life. And who can put a price on that?

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Got the Flu then…farm fresh foods to the rescue!

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

The Best Way to Prevent the Flu – or Any Illness – is Through a Healthy Diet

With all the news circulating in the media about the “swine flu,” flu prevention is a hot topic in Central Florida and across the nation.

While washing your hands, getting plenty of rest, exercising and avoiding stress are great ways to prevent any type of influenza, virus or cold, these steps are not the total answer. The best and easiest way to strengthen your immune system, so that the body will resist any type of illness or disease, is to adopt a natural, organic diet.

Eating foods rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fats and probiotics – like raw milk, grass-fed beef and free-range chickens and eggs – is necessary for building a strong immune system.

Raw organic grass-fed milk, which is produced without pesticides or antibiotics from cows that graze on grass and hay, is loaded with immune-building enzymes, vitamins C, B12 and B6, and beneficial bacteria (probiotics).

Grass-fed organic beef from cows that are raised in the sunshine and fed a natural diet of grass and hay contains essential saturated fat, which aids in brain function and supports the immune system.

Free-range eggs from chickens allowed to roam free and eat a natural diet have more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 in their meat and egg yolks than chickens fed grain.

Organic raw milk, fresh farm eggs and poultry, and grass-fed beef can help build a healthy immune system and keep the flu bug at bay.

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Grass-fed Foods and Vitamin B-12

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

The Best Sources of Vitamin B12

Do you get enough vitamin B12? Studies show that as many as one in four adults, or almost 80 percent of people in the United States, may be deficient in this important nutrient.

Known as the “energy vitamin,” B12 is essential for many critical functions in the body. Not only does it help produce energy, but it also supports the immune system and the nervous system, and regulates the formation of red blood cells.

Lack of B12 can result in anemia, nervousness, depression, lack of energy and all around poor health.

There are several reasons for B12 deficiency, but the main one is the modern diet. Since the vitamin is only present in animal sources of food, those who don’t eat animal products are more likely to suffer from low B12. But consuming poor quality animal products from animals that are fed unhealthy grains, or eating pasteurized dairy products, in which the B12 is destroyed, is also a large part of the problem.

So what’s a body to do?

Since our bodies do not easily or efficiently absorb B12 supplements (including those added to foods), and painful, expensive injections are not usually helpful, the best and easiest way to get enough B12 is to eat nutrient-dense animal products naturally rich in the nutrient. Grass-fed beef, fresh pastured eggs, and grass-fed dairy are some of the best natural sources of this important vitamin. And the best way for our bodies to absorb vital nutrients is through natural sources.

Local Central Florida farms offer farm fresh foods loaded with vitamin B12 and other nutrients.

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