Because most of what we’re consuming today is not food, and how we’re consuming it — in the car, in front of the TV, and increasingly alone — is not really eating. Instead of food, we’re consuming “edible foodlike substances” — no longer the products of nature but of food science. Many of them come packaged with health claims that should be our first clue they are anything but healthy. In the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become.

But if real food — the sort of food our great grandmothers would recognize as food — stands in need of defense, from whom does it need defending? From the food industry on one side and nutritional science on the other. Both stand to gain much from widespread confusion about what to eat, a question that for most of human history people have been able to answer without expert help. Yet the professionalization of eating has failed to make Americans healthier. Thirty years of official nutritional advice has only made us sicker and fatter while ruining countless numbers of meals.

Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. By urging us to once again eat food, he challenges the prevailing nutrient-by-nutrient approach — what he calls nutritionism — and proposes an alternative way of eating that is informed by the traditions and ecology of real, well-grown, unprocessed food. Our personal health, he argues, cannot be divorced from the health of the food chains of which we are part.

In Defense of Food shows us how, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, we can escape the Western diet and, by doing so, most of the chronic diseases that diet causes. We can relearn which foods are healthy, develop simple ways to moderate our appetites, and return eating to its proper context — out of the car and back to the table. Michael Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.

Pollan’s last book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time.

Read the Introduction… (PDF)

If this title appeals to you, the please consider purchasing it through the Amazon Store by following this link. Doing this means you are supporting the ongoing maintainence of the This Sustainable House Website.

However those against pasteurisation claim that the pasteurisation process kills the natural flavours of cheese and the health benefits of eating/drinking a ‘living food’.

What is Pasteurisation?

According to Wikipedia, pasteurisation is;

“Pasteurization is a process which slows microbial growth in food. The process was named after its creator, French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur. The first pasteurization test was completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard on April 20, 1864. The process was originally conceived as a way of preventing wine and beer from souring. Pasteurization is not intended to destroy all pathogenic micro-organisms in the food or liquid. Instead, pasteurization aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease (assuming pasteurization product is stored as indicated and consumed before its expiration date).”

There are a large number of foods that can be subjected to pasteurisation such as milk (obviously), wine, water, eggs and almonds.

What’s the BIG Deal?

Well this is also a valid question… after all, germ theory (on which pastuerisation is based) has done us a lot of good. Let us not forget that throughout humanity’s history countless people have died due to bacterial/fungal infections.

Well for me the issue is one of choice. I think that individuals should have the choice on whether they eat unpasteurised cheeses and not be dictated to. I know that some would argue that the laws are there to protect people from themselves, but honestly who wants to live with the nanny state… if you’ll excuse the pun.

I would therefore invite each of you to learn what you can about raw milk, and make up your own mind. The raw milk petition on Slow Food Australia has some great information and links to other informative sites including Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. If you, after making your choice, feel the same way as me then please sign the online petition.

The choice is yours…

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The Benefits of Sprouting

Sprouting seed is one of the easiest, and most productive form of gardening available. It is something that anyone can do and, in fact, it is a wonderful activity for children.

Sprouts are an alkalizing, living food which continue to grow until such time as they are eaten. They contain a greater concentration of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes than almost any other food, and have been used for centuries to invigorate the body’s immune system, work against toxins and even counter cell mutation. Think of them as a super food you can grow right on your bench top and you wouldn’t go far wrong…

How to Grow your Own?

Growing sprouts is an extraordinarily simple process, with the only tools you really need being a glass jar, something to act as a sieve (clean pantyhose work well) and water. However there are also a number of products on the market to give you more professional results such as sprouting jars, and fully automated sprouting units.

The video below show’s how we produce our sprouts at TSH, and shows the basic steps no matter what hardware you might be using.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Where do I get my seeds/hardware?

There are a number of retailers who can help you out with sourcing sprouting equipment/seeds. One of my favourites is Green Harvest Organic Gardening Supplies. They are a specialised mail-order company here in Australia, and I have always found their service to be exceptional.

Alternatively do a Google Search for suppliers in your area. This search link has some key terms already typed in for you.

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