Rozworld’s WebLog

The Lapham-Marquette Parent Teacher Group website is up and running. I volunteered to help set it up and another guy designed the home page. Right now it’s functional. It’s kind of nice because now we have a list serve for emailing and a discussion board to help rally the troops in case the school board tries to close down our schools again.
LINK :
http://lapham-marquette-ptg.org/

When asked why [He] the old Greek philosopher, Diogenes, would not sit down and take a rest, Diogenes answered, ‘If I were running in the stadium, why should I slow my pace when approaching the goal? Ought I not rather put on speed?”

This is how I want to be when I get to that stage of life.

Imagine locally produced sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, maple syrup, venison sausage, bread, and everything else. Then imagine for a moment, a reason to go into town, a rallying point to support local agriculture, and a place for visitors and locals to congregate and enjoy local favors. Many European towns have daily farmer’s markets. Madison also has a thriving local farmer’s market. Actually there are five separate ones in different locations throughout the city. I think this is because so many of us do not grow our own food but want that connection to the land again. With some of the issues surrounding modern food distribution systems, like farms in California shipping tainted greens with e-coli and selling it to fast food places across the country, farmer’s markets have been becoming more and popular alternative to the mass produced mass processed commercial food industry. It might be a more abstract concept like identity or a connection to local people or goods that farmer’s markets give us, but also, then there’s the argument that food on the other hand is so much tied to our health and well being that I can’t imagine not wanting choices in this matter of where my food is grown.

Rosalind and a neighbor put together a lemonade stand this weekend. Rosalind’s second grade class is trying to raise enough money for new sand at the school’s playground. The duet made out very well for the mere hour and a half that they were at it. Between donations and lemonade sales they totaled $32.80. People were very eager to stop by and purchase lemonade from them also. One group of giggling young ladies stopped in a Hummer and handed the girls a wad of cash for some lemonade.

Jean and I might have to start selling lemonade during lean times to make ends meat.

I’ve been wanting to write a couple of food related blogs for a long time now because I believe this topic is so critical to our well being. Food is everywhere and in this fast paced modern mono-culture a good portion the products that the food industry touts as food really is not healthy for us to eat on a regular basis. What we choose to eat is influenced by so many factors including: our upbringing, the price and availability of food, whether we grow our own food or buy it from the store, and our tastes. The most fascinating influence, I think, is the social aspect of food or how we are affected by other people and what they are eating. 

In the last 10 or so years I’ve slowly refined my choices in food based in part from news sources, information from family, my wife Jean, and just plain trial and error. I’ve tried to think deeply about my choices in food. This remains a continuing process. Here is a list of some of the things that have worked for me in regards to food :

Things I will avoid outright if at all possible :

• Anything with artificial colors or flavors.
• Any chemicals of unknown origin.
• Anything with hydrogenated oils.
• Anything that says "Diet".
• Things that have high fructose corn syrup. (This
  is a hard one because the industry uses this in just about everything on the
  market as a cheap filler.)
• Things with a high percentage of saturated fat per serving.
• Garbage snacks and treats: soda, candy, chips, donuts, etc.
• Fast food joints.

Things I eat in limited amounts (All of these things I like but limit
because of questions) :

• Almost all potato products. (About the only potato product I feel good
  after eating is maybe a baked potato)
• Red meat, brats, hotdogs. Once a month, tops.
• Salty things like popcorn. I love popcorn.
• Chicken and other birds. (Not fried) Maybe once a week. This still remains
  my favorite food.
• I go back and forth with Eggs. Sometimes I can go weeks without having any
  but other weeks I’ll have a bunch. Eggs are in a lot of manufactured
  foods, like pastas and breads.
• Butter.
• Ice Cream. I restrict eating ice cream to only a summer and holiday
  activity. I don’t miss it in the winter either.
• Coffee. (I could write a whole blog on this one) 
• Chocolate gives me white heads on my forehead. I hear it’s good for you
  -  especially the dark but I can’t tell.
• Pancakes, Waffles, and other non-cereal breakfasts. 

Things I fill my menu with :

• Whole grain everything, especially foods high in fiber : Cereals, bread.
• Dairy: Milk, Cheese and Yogurt several times a day.  (I probably eat
  too much cheese)
• Wheat, rice and corn - On a weekly basis I think I try to balance the variety
  of meals based on the World’s three great grains.
• Fresh fruits, especially oranges and banana. I quit apples about a year
  ago because they seemed too sugary.
• Fresh vegetables, especially, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers.
• Pasta and Pizza.
• For lunches at work, I usually eat "Ethnic Gourmets", which are
  Indian and Asian dinners with all natural ingredients, such as chick peas,
  rice, and curry.
• The "Super Foods" I’ve discovered. 

Drinks :

• Mostly water. I’d say I may have 32 oz of water a day on average. I can’t
  drink any more than this. I’ve tried it.
• A glass of orange or other fruit juice a day
• I’ve been drinking a lot of vegetable juice lately
• Some milk, in cereal mostly.
• For alcohol, which I can go weeks without having any, I would much more prefer red
  wine over beer, like a good Chianti or Cabernet.

Super Foods (In no particular order) :

• Salmon - Notwithstanding the mercury levels, this remains the quintessential
  brain food. Roger is my sole supplier of wild (the best) salmon. Eating some
  of this before the final exam or before your presentation to the board of
  directors will ensure you success.
• Flax seed (Ground) - High in omega-3 and fiber, tastes great in yogurt and
  on cereal.
• Blue Berries - This super food, is a proven anti-oxidant and tastes great
  on cereal. Blue berries are a little pricey but when they’re in-season they’re well
  worth the extra cost.
• Raisins - High in fiber.
• Beans in all their forms, black, brown, white, red, etc.
• Tomato and tomato products, like vegetable juice and tomato sauce.
• Others I should eat more but I know are super foods, include brussel
  sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, and alfalfa sprouts.
• I’ve been starting to acquire a taste for raw avocado. - Thanks Dear.

What’s the result of all of this? I was recently to the doctor and had all of my vitals checked, including my fasting glucose, lead levels, and cholesterol (good and bad) levels. On one of the numbers the nurse wrote, "this is great!". All of the numbers were much better than the average. I think I feel better during the day, have more energy, and less illness than just a few years ago.