You Are What They Eat

Years ago I was introduced to the idea that the human body can function on anything.  One could eat only fake cheese nachos from 711 and survive without any noticeable ill effects, like a furnace that will always provide heat as long as anything combustible like trash was put in it.

Learning more about food further convinces me that perspective is completely false.  The first big realization came from bread (this is difficult to confess since I used to be a wannabe bread man who hustled delivered [spouse edit] edible “factory second” loaves).  I heard an interview by Tom Woods about how modern wheat impaired one's health (it's linked to inflammation, arthritis among other symptoms) and I didn't believe it until I eliminated it from my own diet and noticed an improvement.  (There are a couple of explanations for this that blame unnaturally hybridized grain.  If I remember correctly, one is that grains not soaked, sprouted or soured extract minerals as you body tries to digest them and another is that an unnatural protein produced from hybridization interferes with your body’s ability to extract nutrients when present in one's gut.)

My latest revelation has to do with chicken.  I never thought much of them, they were the cheap option at expensive restaurants and they certainly weren't anything to look forward to in the morning like bacon.  But no more, it's our second most favorite meat.  Chicken actually has great flavor if raised naturally where they can consume their normal diet (plants, grass, seeds, insects and occasionally small frogs and mice).  Big Agra's chicken is fed an inexpensive processed ration that creates bulk in the shortest time possible but produces a bland bird in comparison (in addition to the nutrient deficient feed they are severely confined which causes them to inhale a considerable amount of dust from their dried excrement, both of these conditions also impair their health).

Cook a pasture raised and a store bought chicken together and see what I mean. What makes the biggest difference is their time on pasture (we limit their time in the brooder where they eat non-GMO feed to no more than three weeks, they then spend four to six weeks on pasture).  Pasture contains an immense number of nutrients that they easily assimilate (beta-carotene, selenium, vitamin E, etc., and a multitude of minerals). Their meat then offers more omega-3, vitamins, antioxidants and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) among other nutrients (see eatwild.com, sfgate.com and others) compared to a conventional bird.

So… an animal's diet really does affect their flavor and nutritional value (they need to consume vitamins and minerals so you can get them).  “You are what you eat” is not quite accurate, it should be stated “you are what they eat.”

Another way to illustrate the difference.  On the left are eggs from free ranging pastured chicken, on the right are chickens fed only non-GMO feed (excellent feed but little to no pasture access). Wish I had commercial eggs in the pic, they would likely be the palest.

Blaise with chicken fan club.  Founder of MoFC (“gimmie Mo Fwied Chick'n”).  It's surprisingly good even though his recipe is totally made up (if he doesn't write it down there will be nothing to keep secret and no reason to call him Colonel one day).

In other news TJ doubled syrup production.

Right click and save this pic for when Apple offers a scratch 'n sniff iPhone feature (non-hybrid grain pancakes from scratch and fresh maple syrup, probably what was eaten in 1880 before spending all day doing laundry).