Page 9 - Spring2012

Letters

According to the article, Marion I work fifty to sixty hours a week (more or seventh largest city in Finland.
Nestlé, the public health nutrition pro- like eighty during greenhouse and gar- I have been studying the language,
fessor and book author who writes the den season) and feel wonderful. I credit and one day I was finally brave enough
daily blog "Food Politics," said, "My getting on raw milk about ten years ago to ask in the grocery if they sell lard. The
translation: Despite years of warnings with much of my good health. My fam- woman gave me a confused look, and
and promises that it has no intention of ily is full of cancer, and that is of great said in Finnish “just the white stuff?”
meeting, the Gulf oyster industry has concern to me. Everything I read says a She then proceeded to walk away from
been able to stave off FDA regulations high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can help the meat department, and we ended up
for ten years at the expense of about to prevent cancer. That is how I eat! in pet food supplies. I couldn't believe
fifteen preventable deaths a year." Look Both of my parents (now deceased) it. Since then I've gotten in touch with
how casually they discuss fifteen deaths and my three siblings all have or have a couple of local beef farmers, and I
per year. had terrible arthritis, and I have none. I have started to buy meat directly from
And then look at the recommenda- have a problem with a knee, may need them; they give me bones and beef fat
tions! “Recommendation 1: To better a partial knee replacement (meniscus is for free. Their meat is much tastier than
ensure the safety of oysters from the pretty much gone in one part), and the the organic or non-organic meat from
Gulf of Mexico that are sold for raw con- doctor remarked about the lack of arthri- the grocery store, and my broth has
sumption, the Secretary of Health and tis in my joints. I seem to be beating the gelatin in it. I haven't yet found local
Human Services (HHS) should direct odds in that category! sources of other desired meat products,
the Commissioner of FDA to work with Susan Siemers like chicken (or eggs for that matter).
the ISSC to agree on a nationwide goal Walkerton, Indiana The fish however is wonderful. I love the
for reducing the number of V. vulnificus salmon here. My Finnish friend told me
illnesses caused by the consumption REPORT FROM FINLAND that ahven or European perch is a non-
of Gulf Coast raw oysters and develop I am living in Finland, where the oily fish, and he gives me the carcasses
strategies to achieve that goal, recog- food situation is mixed. I think there is from what he catches.
nizing that consumer education and a lot of potential here, because the Finns Definitely a big issue in the culture
time and temperature controls have not maintain a close connection with nature is the vast consumption of margarine
resulted in achievement of the 60 percent in their culture, and it wasn't that long and non-fat dairy products. It's amazing
V. vulnificus illness rate reduction goal.” ago that a large portion of the population how small the butter section at the store
No talk of Russian roulette or dra- was living out in the country without any is in comparison with the margarine se-
matic statements that no one at any time electricity. Food is becoming a common lection. This is due to the North-Karelia
under any circumstances should ever eat topic on the news, especially lähiruoka, project. Do you have access to any de-
raw oysters. Rather it is again a gentle which means local food, either from a tailed information I could use to debunk
suggestion about education, developing local farm or just from the wild. this myth? There is, thankfully, one
strategies, and food safety experts work- I was motivated to start a WAPF source of raw milk (both goat and cow),
ing together to lower the illness rate by chapter here out of my frustration at which I can buy directly from a health
60 percent. That would still be about five being unable to get basic things like food store in the city center. Hopefully
dead per year! lard from the grocery store. There are in the future there will be more sources.
John Howard no butcher shops here, just one small fish Right now it's just me and my friend
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania shop, but the main source of food is the from Spain, another student here, who
big grocery store chains, of which there make up this chapter. I'm happy to do
FEELING GREAT AT SEVENTY are basically two companies that own what I can to bring WAPF's resources
I just celebrated my seventieth everything. I live in a city of about one here to help get folks back on the right
birthday. I am on no prescription meds, hundred thousand people. It's the sixth track. I think people will really respond
Wise Traditions SPRING 2012 SPRING 2012 Wise Traditions 9

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