BECOMING OURSELVES

Nourished Health Lunch Series

For those of you that love workshops, but also love keeping your weekends free, come to the Lunch & Learn Series at the Nourished Health Wellness Center, in Central Denver. 

Learn ways to create a vibrant lifestyle during your lunch break! Thursdays from 12-1PM.

10/7       Optimize Your Brain
10/14     Change Your Brain, Change Your Life-with Hypnotherapy
10/21     The Whole Person Approach to the Body you Desire
10/28     The Blue Zones’ Secrets to Longevity-Part I  Research by National Geographic
11/4       The Blue Zones’ Secrets to Longevity-Part II
11/11     The Science of Gratitude
11/18     Introduction to Sound Healing

For more information on each topic and to reserve your place at the table, go to Nourished Health Wellness Center. Lunches prepared by Healthy Chef Katie Bauer are available.

San Luis Valley Grass-Fed Beef

With the recent chill in the air, I have been in the mood for heavier fare, like Rabo Encendido, Cuban Oxtail Stew. This morning, while looking at the recipe, although I was craving its rich deep flavor, the idea of eating the tail of an ox was not very appealing.

Of course, when is the last time any of us has seen any oxen? Growing up in Puerto Rico in the '50s and early '60s they were all over the hillsides and in the canefields. My visual memory of the dusty weary beasts pulling wagons, their tails swishing flies, did not make my mouth water.

So, I was relieved to read that here in the States, Oxtail Stew is made with cow tail. I was even more relieved to find out that I could buy tails from cows who had been raised on grass, free to roam in a pasture in the San Luis Valley. Trudi Kretsinger was at her booth at the Alamosa Farmer's Market today with a variety of cuts from KW Farms. On the occasions when I do eat beef, I want it to be guilt-free and Kretsinger's Pasture Perfect Organic Pasture-Finished Dry Aged Beef is the best.

According to their brochure and sites like www.eatwild.com, forage beef vs. starch heavy grain-fed beef contains 3-5 times as much CLA (a cancer fighting and weight loss assisting fatty acid), 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids, and more vitamins A and E, branch chain amino acids and enzymes.  More. . .

Contact info for Kretsinger Pasture Perfect Beef is (719) 589-0429 or tzwk9@amigo.net

A great source of many types of healthy meats, from grassland goat, lamb, and bison to sustainable seafood is http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok .

But for me, I love the local, personal connections possible here in the San Luis Valley.

Local Even Better Than Organic?

It looks like we need to look at the BIG picture, when we go to our favorite organic grocers.  What does it cost in petroleum and other dangers to the environment?  "In the UK, researchers calculate that purchasing food grown within a 12-mile radius has a greater positive impact than buying organic food that is not local, substantially lowering the environmental cleanup costs from $2.3 billion per year to under $230 million.  That's a 90% savings!"

To start off, we do not need spring and summer fruits during the winter, in fact, there is substantial evidence that it is healthier to eat according to our own environment's seasons and personal bio- rhythms. 

Of course, we may be more concerned with the immediate effects of pesticides and decreased nutrition for our own selves and families.  The best case scenario would be local AND organic.  Let's definitely push for that in our own communities.  But, as an example of the broader issue---

"In one year, the port of New York City exported $431,000 of California almonds to Italy and imported $397,000 of Italian almonds to the U.S.  That's nuts!" (Adbusters, March-April 2006, via Open Exhange Magazine, July-Sept. 2006).