For those of you who do not know me, I am anything but original, some would say I dance to my own beat, which let's face it I make everyone's life more interesting. I'm not your run of the mill Midwestern gal you see in my Great State, I am one in a million and for many folks here I can be quite the annoyance when it comes to my "Hippie" "Organic" way of life.
Let me give you a little background of why I am the way I am. I was entering my senior year of high school when my world was turned upside down. I was your typical carefree, obnoxious, fearless senior who thought I was invisible until the day I sat under the bright sterile lights of my Dr. Ofiice and was informed I had Cancer. The Capital C the big daddy of all words no one wants to hear especially at 18. I sat numb unable to process the words uttered from his mouth. Time stood still, the chatter from my parents and best friend became mere background noise as their voices became deafening. My thoughts began to swarm my mind: this can't be, I'm too young, it must be some sort of misunderstanding, Cancer! Really, I have Cancer now! After the initial shock and awe of it all, I made a promise to myself I was going to kick Cancer's ass and I did just that. I am so proud to say I've been Cancer Free for 15 years!
Now that I have you all caught up on my background let's get to the FUN aspect of this blog, me, the Hippie of the Midwest! When you have anything traumatic happen in your life it makes you step back and re-evaluate your purpose and your goals. 15 years ago I made a promise that I would change from the inside out. I became more spiritual and I began to study holistic approach to medicine and the foods we eat. Did you know that between "2012-2030 worldwide cancer cases are going to increase by 50%!" 50% folks that is scary and shocking to me.
Research shows that processed foods and by adding additives to foods for shelf life greatly decreases our foods nutrient value. Nutrients that will help fight cancer cells. Other chemical compounds can find their way into our food supply whether it be agricultural use, food additives or animal growth hormones. "Examples include growth hormones or antibiotics used in animal farming, small amounts of pesticides and herbicides in plant-based foods, and compounds such as bisphenol A (BPA) or phthalates that enter food from packaging." Now I know some will say not all of these compounds are not known to directly cause cancer, but there is research that these components may increase our risk of cancer by increasing our hormone levels.
I do not want to get into the great debate of Organic vs GMOs, I do not agree with modified foods but that doesn't make me an Ag "hater" like I said I am a Hippie stuck in the Midwest and that's OK. I respect all of my family and friends who are in the Ag business they work extremely hard for a living with outrageous hours to boot. My wish is we could go back to the basics, to a simpler time, a simpler lifestyle and way of life like our grandparents and their parents use to live. Where organically grown foods without the additives were in our backyards and where we could pronounce every ingredient in our food.
