The Gout Farm? (In The Beginning)

Ok. So this what’s up. Gout and a gout diet is not all there is to gout. What you eat and what you don’t eat is important but there is more to the whole big picture. What I am going to focus on a lot more these days is how well your body is breaking down and using the foods you do eat.

BUT, when your body is breaking down the foods you do eat correctly, you also have to be aware of the quality of the food you eat. This has everything to do with the sources of your food and where it comes from.

Hence…

The Gout Farm!

This is my new project that I have no idea where I’m going to find the time to do it but, like you, I’m busy and this is important for you and me to figure it out. Why? Because knowing where our food comes from and the nutrient density of it is critical. And how else do you REALLY know how good your food is unless you grow it yourself? Exactly. So I’m doing something about it. Here’s the beginning of the story.

Where Does Food Come From?

Oddly enough, there are some inner city kids that don’t know that eggs come from chickens or that milk comes from cows – hard to believe isn’t it? But it’s true. But what is even more alarming is that most of the population (that means me and you) just takes it for granted that the food they buy at any grocery store is good enough. What’s worse, is what constitutes “good food” – and that, for way too many people, is what is cheapest.

Have you ever seen the documentary, “King Corn”? You would not believe how much of almost EVERY kind of processed food is made from corn. (GMO corn I might add)  And what is not made of corn, is made of wheat.

Processed Food

The processing of food takes out so much of the nutritional value our bodies need (assuming there is any at all in these processed foods) AND what is left is not recognized by the body at the microscopic, cellular level. Our bodies basically perceive these “food-like” substances simply as toxins and they only degrade the integrity of how our bodies are made and how they are made to operate.

And that’s just the processing – we haven’t even talked about how the original form of the foods, the plants and animals – were grown or raised.

Nutrient Depleted Soils

The other half of the equation (that I alluded to above) is how much nutrient density is in the food in the first place? In this article by the Scientific American about soil depletion and nutrient loss, they review several long term studies that indicate how much the soils from every country around the world have diminished in nutritional content and power.

So what does this mean to you and me? That means that even when we go out and buy the best organically grown fruits and vegetables, we have no idea what the mineral and general nutrient density really is. And likewise, if we go out of our way to buy grass fed beef or free range chicken, how much nutrient density was packed into the grasses and plants they ate? We don’t know.

With that said, it doesn’t mean we should avoid them or not make getting the highest quality food we can a priority – we are far better off than accepting pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones, and antibiotics that commercial agriculture and livestock are grown and raised with. That is a whole other mess for another blog post topic.

So what do we do?

Grow Your Own!

Growing your own food is the way to control and “build in” the nutrient density that you want for yourself and your family.

Someone I admire and respect is Joel Salatin. I got to meet him at the Nutritional Therapy Association Conference a couple of weeks ago and he says it like this: “We’re really in the earthworm enhancement business. Stimulating soil biota is our first priority. Soil health creates healthy food.”

Just to keep things inspiring and entertaining, check out this video about what these cool guys from the Seattle Urban Farm Company put together a few years ago:

Pretty cool huh?!

What I Am Going To Grow (And Why)

I’m probably never going to get as deep into it as Colin and Brad did, but I am going to do my part in promoting urban food growing while I’m here in Denver. My wife Sharon (check out her nutritional therapy practice) is also a licensed architect and has her certification in Permaculture Design. She has become a volunteer with the Denver Urban Gardens and is almost finished with the “master community gardener” training program.

The cool thing about that is that since we’re hanging out here in Denver for now, we have a plot in our sweet little community garden at our apartment complex and one at the Lone Tree Community Garden as well! (Sharon is also on the committee for the new Lone Tree Community Garden)

So what am I going to do? I am going to make a project out of making my own little urban “gout farm”, just so I can walk the talk about prioritizing nutrient dense whole foods – I’m going to grow my own!

Here’s what I’m going to grow, so stay tuned for more blog posts with photo and video documentation:

• Broccoli
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini
• Onions
• Carrots
• Red Leaf Lettuce
• Dinosaur Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Cucumbers

We moved down here from the mountains about a year and a half ago and we had a big garden up there. But now, I want to make a point of demonstrating that we CAN be in control of our food and the quality of it, no matter where we live.

Also, in my earlier days, I worked in lots of restaurants, (lots of drinking and partying in those days, which was part of my internship to become The Gout Killer). While I am not the best cook in the world, I can be pretty fast and creative. I will be showing you how to prep and cook the food you grow yourself so that you can make some fast, easy, and portable meals.

 ☆ Bottom-Line:  Food – where it comes from and what we do with it has everything thing to do with being healthy…and gout free because of it!

(Check the Gout Farm Part 2!)