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Public Enemy #1….
….Sugar! (you thought I was going to say Monsanto, didn’t you?) In a column today, Dr. Joseph Mercola gives the most complete rundown I’ve seen on the Unholy Alliance of Big Ag and Big Government that has resulted in this country having the highest health care costs and the poorest health in the industrialized world. This focus on sugar, and particularly high fructose corn syrup, is at the heart of the obesity epidemic and the associated problems of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Worth reading every word! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/03/29/sugar-consumption-healthcare-costs.aspx
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An increase in beef prices….
….everywhere else. The size of cattle herds continue to slide and that means beef prices at the supermarket will continue to climb. Of course, they’ll go up even faster because of other costs. Thistle Hill has been able to hold the line on prices for several years now because we’re less vulnerable to the economics of commercial operations….and we don’t spray, pour and spread all those expensive chemicals on our land and animals. While the most expensive input in most cattle operations is nutrition, for us it is butchering. We’ve made the point before that it costs us about $500 to process a steer; the big commercial operations get it…
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A “take-down” of Whole Foods….
….outrage over the discovery that Whole Foods is a business…and not above taking advantage of the gullibility of some of its customers. There’s also some anti-creationism thrown in. Still, this is kind of amusing, particularly if you stick around for the comments. And worth plowing through just for this college-boy insight: “Very few of us are anywhere near rational. And pretty much all of are hypocrites.” It’s a good line, though. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/23/whole-foods-america-s-temple-of-pseudoscience.html Thanks to Linda Rozett for the link.
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The war on farmers….
….continuing the theme of an earlier post. The government continues to get really tough…on farmers who aren’t causing the problems. Again and again, it’s clear that the real threat to our health comes from factory farms and factory food processing. But it’s a lot easier to go after the little guy. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-food-safety-20140223,0,6831660.story#axzz2u528ngu5
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The numbers don’t add up….
….or do they? We have a new Farm Bill and the “official story” is that there’s been a cut in spending. As the song goes: that’ll be the day. Despite reports, the fact is government spending is going up tens of billions of dollars, including for such as things as promoting Christmas trees. There’s also an “official story” from the government about increasing food prices. And then there’s the real story being experienced by consumers. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-prices-soar-as-incomes-stand-still/ Predictably, the sky-rocketing prices at the grocery store—ignored by most media—have moms blaming farmers. Seems we’re price-gouging, in their opinion. One thing the press sure has covered, is the complaints about greedy farmers. For…
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Eat it….it’s good for you….
….no, not your spinach (although that’s good for you, too). I was thinking of all the things experts have told us through the years were bad for us (or good for us). And now, here I am finally authorized to eat eggs, bacon, beef, as long as it’s grass fed, coffee and, of course: Red Wine! http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/02/more-evidence-that-red-wine-and-aspirin-protect-against-cancer/
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A list of what’s ailing us….
….a list of the major factors impacting our health. When you read the list, you can’t help wonder if “Experts” should be at the top. http://www.businessinsider.com/whats-wrong-with-the-modern-diet-charts-2014-2 And then of course there’s eggs. They must be killers! http://authoritynutrition.com/how-many-eggs-should-you-eat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AuthorityNutrition+%28Authority+Nutrition%29
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Scare tactics….
….some time ago the internet was having fun with “exploding” animals…generally drone strikes…and most often pigs. But now the food chain Chipotle has taken the art form to a new level….”exploding cows”. It Chipotle’s way of warning of the dangers of eating beef at competing fast food chains (and supermarkets, we might add). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5_D0rdqeAs
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Put a little “life” in your diet…
….try organ meats. Traditionally, of course, things like liver and kidney have always been considered “low class” cuts. But they are the most healthful part of the animal. It’s not a good idea to risk buying organ meats at the supermarket, but if you know your farmer, there’s nothing better. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/30/eating-organ-meats.aspx You can, of course, special order organ meats from Thistle Hill and we’ll share from our private stock. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/30/eating-organ-meats.aspx
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The best things in life are….
….made with grass fed beef! Like this beef stew. (Pardon me, my daughter the English major may see this: Such as this beef stew!) And it was only the proverbial “gilding the lily” to toss in some Hennessey’s. We first tasted it at Linda Maurer’s house, she of Springhaven Farm near Madison (sorry, address not available), and it was absolutely the best stew we ever had. Linda being a dear friend, and quavering only slightly due to the gun pointed at her, volunteered to share her recipe. She called it “Parker’s Beef Stew”. Well, being a fanatic about such little things I had to track down “Parker”. Turns out he was a…