There is no such thing as White Rice
By Dennis L. Weaver
A century ago, when you ate a tomato, you had a pretty good idea of where it came from and how it got to your table. If you had a glass of milk, you might have even known the bovine benefactor by her first name. Food was grown from heritage seed, proven for centuries, in rich American soil. Most food reached the table untouched and unprocessed. It was fresh, it was wholesome, it was truly food. Today, in the era of factory farming and mega-science, most products that hit the American table barely resemble food any more.
Far too much of today's so-called "food" has been genetically
modified, bathed in chemicals, steeped in sewer sludge and then
coated with substances designed in laboratories to prevent things
from growing. Now that's just what happens to some agricultural
products before they even leave the ground. Right there, I just
described the growing of a simple tomato or potato. This can be
the same for any of the fresh fruit and vegetables that look so
colorful and tempting in the produce section of your local conventional
market. So, beware, it's not just a tomato or a potato. Could
it be more like a chemical stew?
Now, open your cupboard door. Pick up a can or box. Choose any
can or box and then read the label. On that label you may find
an additional litany of chemical additives designed to make the
product last longer, ship better or cost less to produce or to
replace the natural goodness stripped from it during processing.
A perfect example of how the life and goodness is being removed
from the American diet can be seen on your own kitchen shelves.
Take a look at your rice or your flour. Did you know there is
no such thing as "white rice"? All rice, and all flour
for that matter, starts out a rich, warm beige and brown. Those
white kernels you see in the bag or box are what's left of one
of nature's most beneficial food sources AFTER all the nutritional
benefits are stripped from it. Nutritionally speaking, "white
rice" and "white flour" have the same food value
and metabolic result as "white sugar." All are empty
calories, feeding the body's fat storing mechanisms, while starving
the body's life systems of essential nutrients.
I bring this all up because as real food has been removed from
the American table, our collective health and well being have
been heading the wrong direction. As pesticides, antibiotics and
chemicals have been added to our foods, unexplainable chronic
conditions are on the increase, robbing people of their joy of
life and their vitality. As we preserve our groceries with the
same chemicals found in paint removers and Plaster of Paris, our
bodies are "mysteriously" beginning to break down. And
as we eat more and more empty calories, while still craving nutrition,
the American waistline expands to epic proportion. So, if you've
been feeling too tired, too fat, too lethargic, too anxious, you
may have to look no further than the source of your fuel.
The solution is to learn the very simple art of making organic
good food choices. It's really very simple. Start thinking about
what you eat and make the choice to eat real food instead of just
chemicallyenhanced groceries! Here are some very simple rules
of thumb to get you started. First of all, only eat food labeled
"organic." The organic certification means what you're
getting is food, and only food. The organic good food you choose
is grown in clean, pure earth without chemicals, artificial fertilizers,
pesticides or genetic engineering. It's shipped to you without
chemical baths or fumigation. Organic produce, oils, sauces and
prepared foods are now readily available in the 'natural' section
of many supermarkets, or a vast variety is available at your
local natural foods store.
Find one close to you and shop there. There is an "organic
everything" from beer to ketchup. A second rule is to eat
"whole, live fresh" foods whenever and wherever possible.
Remember, there is no such thing as "white rice." Look
for whole grains in your cereals, pasta and bread. Look for "brown"
in color not in the name! Look on the side of the box or bag
for ingredients. If you can't pronounce it, why on earth would
you eat it?
Dennis L. Weaver is the founder of Change Your Food - Change
Your Life!™, an Edmonds, Washington based specialist in helping
people make Organic Good Food Choices. As a Good Food Guide, Dennis
uses good-natured humor, solid information, real-life stories
and testimonials to inform, encourage, coach and inspire. In doing
so he opens a whole new world of Organic Good Food Choices that
will change your life. 425-774-8971 or changeyourfood@hotmail.com