Real Food - What's Real is Actually What's Good for You

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Only the open-minded need apply; skeptics welcome.

Whole Milk is Best

Whole milk is what is called a complete food, because each ingredient plays its part. Without the fat, you can't digest the protein or absorb the calcium. The body needs saturated fat in particular (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat can't do the job) to take in the calcium that makes bones strong. Milk fat also contains glycosphingolipids, which are fats that encourage cell metabolism and growth and fight gastrointestinal infections.

How Raw Milk Got a Bad Rap

Pasteurization has little to do with health and everything to do with practical matters. Without pasteurization, the transport, distribution, and sale of industrial milk and cheese as we know it would be impossible. This is a brief history of pasteurization in the U.S.

Vegan Babies at Risk

An adult who was well-nourished in utero and in infancy may choose to get by on a vegan diet, but babies are built from protein, calcium, cholesterol and fish oil. Children fed only plants will not get the precious things they need to live and grow.

The Low Fat Study

Here are some thoughts on some of the media and nutritional commentary following publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) low-fat study, which found that a low-fat diet does not prevent heart disease, cancer, or stroke, and that a low-fat diet does not aid weight loss. It was very useful to read both JAMA articles in full, including the fine print.

Where I Buy Real Food

I'm lucky to live within walking distance of the excellent farmers' markets run by Greenmarket as well as my own little Real Food Market. If you're not so lucky, here's where to find farm shares for fresh produce; mail-order sources of grass-fed beef, raw milk cheese; regional American specialties, such as stone-ground corn meal and pink grapefruit; and the imported foods I can't live without, such as virgin coconut oil and good dark chocolate.