Why We Grow Our Own Food

CANCER…

Enough said. Okay- just kidding. There’s lots to be said.

There’s also heart disease, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, & many more leading causes of death in the U.S. (source). Most that can be changed from a simple task. Changing the way America eats.

Going back to our roots when these diseases existed but were almost non-existent and rare.

We are FAILING as a country when it comes to our food system. Our government is failing us- they aren’t  protecting us. In fact, they are the ones killing us.

There. I said it.

Sounds harsh, I know. But it’s true. And it’s pathetic. I’m not trying to be all preachy here because that isn’t my style, but enough is enough.

Below you will find reasons that we grow our own fruits/vegetables, and why we raise our own meat.

1. America’s Meat and Dairy

E. coli 157. You know- “the hamburger disease.” This strain of E. coli is a feedlot disease- it doesn’t exist in nature. It exists and is a result of feedlots (source). But, wait. That can’t be right. How was it found in peanut butter? Leafy greens? Cantaloupes?

I’ll tell you how. Waste. Runoff. All from factory farms- contaminating our water supply. I won’t even touch on the abuse that the animals that are forced to live in feedlots receive. Or the types of “food” they are forced to eat.

Fun Fact: did you know cows are NOT supposed to eat grain? Especially GMO corn? Well, that’s what they are eating in these wonderful feedlots, where they can barely move, and sometimes covered in feces up to their necks. Cows are grazers- on grass, and in feedlots they never see one piece of grass.

They are also given antibiotics daily and in unusually high doses.

This is the meat and milk you are buying. This is the meat and milk you are feeding your family with. This is the meat and milk you are consuming yourself. And we wonder why there are so many illnesses that are becoming resistant to antibiotics? The answer is actually quite simple.

The food you are eating is loaded with them.

2. Conventionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables

Let’s talk about our vegetables and fruits that are conventionally grown. Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have been linked to asthma, allergies, and nerve damage (source) because of the pesticides used to grow them. I’m no scientist but it is clear to see that pesticides have to be linked to cancer and other now common diseases. My mom’s Oncologist told us that cancer was so prevalent because of our food system.

He isn’t the first Oncologist that I have heard tell someone that.

Don’t get me wrong- eating conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are better than not eating them at all, but this is where America is stuck. People who cannot afford organically grown vegetables are forced to feed their family these toxic pesticides and chemicals and that is not acceptable.

3. GMO’s

GMO’s. Oh- how I can’t believe these are even allowed in our food system. How would anyone think that GMOs are safe? And the pesticide Roundup that is sprayed on them? It baffles me.

One company owns these things that we call GMOs and the pesticide Roundup (Glyphosate)- that kills everything around it BUT the plant that was genetically engineered to withstand it. The name of the company is Monsanto- a company that produces chemicals…and your SEEDS that some conventional produce is grown from. Sounds safe, right? Wrong.

Who is Monsanto: Just the Facts Please is a great site that shows a chronological timeline of how the company evolved and also provides TONS of studies that show how Monsanto’s Roundup and GMOs are toxic, cause illness, tumors, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.

“A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans.” (source)

Most countries have banned GMOs and the use of Monsanto’s widely used pesticide, Roundup, but not the United States. Here are 11 Scientific Studies that prove GMOs/Roundup are harmful:

1. Gastrointestinal Disorders, Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Depression, Autism, Infertility, Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease linked to Glyphosate 
2. DNA From Genetically Modified Crops Can Be Transferred Into Humans Who Eat Them
3. GMOs linked to Gluten Disorders Plaguing 18 Million Americans
4. Study Links GMOs and Roundup (Pesticide) to Rat Tumors and was republished HERE.
5. Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide May Be Most Important Factor in Development of Autism and Other Chronic Disease
6. Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors.
7. Glyphosate Linked to Birth Defects
9. Chronically Ill Humans Showed Significantly Higher Glyphosate Residues in Urine Than Healthy Population
10. Pigs who were fed GMO feed vs Non-GMO Feed Were Found to Have Enlarged Uteri and Severe Stomach Inflammation
11. GMO Risk Assessment: Testing Methods are Not Adequate to Ensure Safety

Here in America, our Government (the one that is supposed to protect us) allows this crap in our food supply. People always ask why? Well, Monsanto has deep roots in Washington. So, they always win- whether it’s safe for you or not (and it’s clearly not). The photo below is why our Government allows this crap in our food supply (click to enlarge image). Eye opening, isn’t it?

Sad fact: most of the food that America sells would be illegal to sell in other countries.

4. Eggs/Chickens

Battery cages are small wire cages where about 95 percent of laying hens spend their entire lives; each hen is given about 67-76 square inches of space (a standard sheet of paper measures 94 square inches). To get a sense of a hen’s life in a battery cage, imagine spending your entire life in a wire cage the size of your bathtub with four other people. You wouldn’t be able to move, so your muscles and bones would deteriorate. Your feet would become lacerated. You would go insane. That’s precisely what happens to laying hens. (source)

Makes you want to eat store-bought eggs, huh? Look at these chickens. They don’t even look healthy (how could they be?). They are pale, dirty, and sick-looking. Their beaks have been trimmed so they do not peck each other. These are where those pale-yellow yolks come from. This is how these chickens live their entire life. Their eggs are the ones that you are eating.

In most battery caged chickens and meat chickens confined to chickens houses (who never see the light of day) are missing tons of feathers because the ammonia level is so high it literally burns them off. Breathing that in and living in that cannot be very healthy, can it? But, that is what you are getting from most store-bought meat chicken and eggs.

Their food also contains very high doses of antibiotics to try to keep the disease level down.

Yummy.

The eggs that are sold in America would be illegal to sell in almost every other country in the world. Here’s why they would be illegal in a British supermarket. We keep our eggs like the British: “dirty” and not refrigerated. We wash them right before using.

Why We Grow Our Own Food

I don’t want to die at 50 years old, like my mom did in 2012 from cancer, leaving behind 6 children.

I’d like to say we do it for fun but we don’t (although it is fun!). We do it out of necessity. We do it for the health of our family. We aren’t ones that can afford to eat grass-fed meat and organically grown produce three times a day if bought at the store, but it is important that that is exactly what we eat, so we grow and raise our own food. That way we know how it is raised and grown.

We do not use ANY chemicals in our garden. The most “daring” we may get is using original dish dawn soap a time or two in a spray bottle to combat pests, but usually it’s just a vinegar mixture.

Growing food is not hard at all. I have a black thumb and can grow food; you can grow food no matter where you live. If you live in an apartment you can grow food in containers- every little bit counts! Just make sure that you buy seeds that are listed as open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented, untreated, heirloom garden seeds like Mary’s Heirloom Seeds.

I could preach why I grow until I am blue in the face, but some people just don’t care, or they simply have no clue (I know I didn’t!). Unfortunately, they will wake up when they experience a devastating loss like the one I had. I just hope to try to reach them before it does.

It’s time to wake up America. It’s time we demand changes in our food system. 

Please note: These are just things that I have learned since my mom’s death and I feel they need to be shared in laymen’s terms. And Amen.

I really wanted to mention food labeling in this country (it isn’t really labeled at all). But, that’s an entirely different post. Just educate yourself with the links below, and do not believe anything you read on a label. I can guarantee you that most labels labeled with “all-natural” is anything but…

New to this kind of information? Here are some sources to get you started

Documentaries (most are free or a small cost to rent on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu Plus)

Food Inc. (If there is only one thing you can do to start growing and raise your own food it is to watch this documentary- very educational and eye opening)
Food Matters
Ingredients
GMO OMG
Fresh

Articles

The Shame of Concentrated Animal Feedlots
Factory Farming: Misery of Animals (note: this article is from PETA. We are meat-eaters. We just believe that animals should be humbly raised and slaughtered)
10 Things the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

Sites

Non-GMO Project
Take Part
Local Harvest (find local farmers, CSA’s, and farmer’s markets in your area)

I hope this helps you make a change and start growing/raising your own food! If it isn’t possible, then support a local farmer. For their family and your health!