Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -142 Winter 2017-18

Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -142 Winter 2017-18

 

We can dream.  Let it snow!

 

♦  Thanksgiving bonus.  Many thanks to all of you who paid for their Thanksgiving dinners with cash or check.  As promised, Joe’s donated 2% of those sales to the Food Depot – nearly 90 bucks!

 

  Richard Eeds broadcasts the Richard Eeds Show live from Joe’s each 1st Friday of the month from 1-5pm on Hutton 1260AM KTRC.  Richard keeps us abreast of all the New Mexico news.  Richard will be here Jan. 5th.

 So many factors contribute to good health.  Decades of experimenting with different diets, modalities, health practices and technologies; endless reading and research, my own health crises, my former healing practice, knowledge gained empirically — all circle me back to basics.

When I was deeply involved with horses’ health and wellness, I would ask myself, what does a horse really need for robust health and happiness?  Where can I go to get the answer to that?  And I would look at the “ideal” conditions of the wild horse.

Searching for the component factors of human health is not that much more difficult.  In my ponderings, I’m lead back – back 100, 150 or more, years.  And again I look at the “ideal”.  What were the lifestyle factors of a relatively healthy human in the past?  Keeping it simple:  whole, home-grown food, social structure and interaction, laughter, sunshine, hard physical work (now known as exercise), water, rest and a spiritual practice.  What did I miss?

What wasn’t there in times past.
As important as the contributing factors to health, are the detractors — newer practices, foods and trends added to our lives in the last many decades that have proven deleterious.  Here are some:

#1.  Chemically compounded drugs.  The number one current component of misery is the blatant and unconscionable over-prescribing of pharmaceuticals, causing an infinite cycle of side-effects, treated with more drugs.  Don’t get me wrong – appropriately administered, drugs can save lives.  However, some judicious temperance and common sense is well advised.

#2.  Reduced physical activity.  Our bodies are biomechanically designed for movement.  You may already know my definition of health is, “the more you move, the more you move, the less you move the less you move”.  In centuries past, hard physical work was woven into each person’s day.  Gardening, weeding, hoeing, milking goats and cows, feeding and caring for livestock, scrubbing, chopping and on and on – this hard work was an inextricable part of life.  Formal exercise routines were dreamed up for and by the idle rich.

Going back to that lifestyle is not anyone’s wish.  But we’re fooling ourselves if we think “a little light exercise” will do the trick.  It won’t avoid bone loss.  It won’t avoid muscle loss and it won’t stimulate the proteins and growth factors needed to regenerate damaged and aging tissue.

To maintain function in daily life, the body structures need to be stressed.  They need load or impact and they need intensity.  These need to be added to our contemporary lives to stay mobile!  There are sensible ways to do so.

#3.  Sunshine.  Yup, we need it.  The cancer fears must be looked at.  Skin cancer is a risk; but one must weigh the many benefits of sun exposure against the risks of staying out of the sun.  The statistics are noteworthy – northern countries have a far higher rate of deadly cancers than more southern countries.  If you choose to avoid sun, your supplementation MUST be balanced with the proper co-factors.  I’ve written about this many times.  Check past newsletters.

#4  One of the most dangerous components of our current food supply that just was not there in the past, is additives.  The list is way too long to explore here. For those seeking ageless vitality, reading labels is a must.  Avoid hidden sugars, sugar substitutes (like aspartame), trans fats, vegetable oils (except olive and coconut) and ingredients no one can pronounce.  Some flavor “enhancers” are just as addictive as “smack.”

#5.  Food trends and fads – low carb, high carb, high protein, low protein, no fat, no salt, vegan, meatless, no eggs, no dairy, no saturated fat, calorie deprivation…any and all of these can be appropriate for a short time for a few individuals.  But sustained, they can insidiously undermine biological systems to ultimate break-down due to the absence of certain nutrients and micro-nutrients.

Depletion of these nutrients often does not show for 6 or more years.  B-12 for one, absent in vegan diets, is stored in the liver and can exhaust completely after 6 – 7 years.  Irreversible neurological damage, headaches, anxiety and cardiac issues are common effects.  Mara Kahn in her book, Vegan Betrayal, dug deep into the history, philosophy and nutritional facts of veganism.  She says, “Did you know – There are 90,000 people in the U.S. that are 100 years old or older—but none of them are vegetarians!”   However, a modified vegetarian diet – inclusive of eggs, dairy and fish – can produce some true benefits.

Some additional deficiencies from sustained trend diets are:  Carnosine, DHA, carnitine, sodium chloride, taurine, retinol, vitamin D3, conjugated linoleic acid. longchained omega-3 fats, lipids in general, iodine and certain enzymes and amino acids.

#6.  And then there are GMO’s.  This is the darkest area of our food supply.  These food-like substances have been called Frankenfoods with good reason.  We have no idea what the end game is here.  And the genie is out of the bottle.  Bees and pollinators are being decimated, nutrients and micro-nutrients are forever gone from foods that have been genetically modified.  Huge subject.  Long story short, avoid GMO’s at all costs.  Genetic damage incurred is almost irreversible and becomes part of our generational legacy.

 DiJa Know? Apparently there are still a few of our local food stores that carry Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  I won’t name them in case they decide to drop the brand.  I’m sure Ben and Jerry could care less now that they are basking in $326 MIL after selling (out) to Unilver Corp.  Messrs. Cohen and Greenfield could care less that their “natural” ice cream product is laced with glyphosate, AKA Round-Up.  Glyphosate, created by our friends at Monsanto (now Bayer), is proven to cause cancers and birth defects.  Anyways…until and unless a major change takes place, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is probably something a conscious consumer will cross off their list.  Roland tells me to stick to one point.  So, how they treat their cows is a story for another time.

 

♦  More good chocolate news! A review published last year showed that cocoa can improve insulin resistance, balance blood sugar, lower bodily inflammation, lower elevated triglyceride levels and increase good cholesterol (HDL). Since all of these are direct indicators of your risk for heart disease, researchers believe regular cocoa consumption is a very heart-healthy practice.  Now, the latest research from Duke University shows that a little bit of chocolate per week goes a long way toward preventing the potentially deadly heart condition, Afib.
Book now – Joe’s Red Room is perfect for your Holiday Party.  It seats up to 34 people.

 

 Wondering how to reverse bone loss, loss of muscle strength and joint instability?  There is an answer!  Pick up the DancingBones yellow brochure at the door and make your appointment for a free introduction.  Right here in Rodeo Plaza!  www.DancingBones.us   505-557-6209.

  Some of the farmers & ranchers who supply Joe’s: They get their seeds from heirloom seed banks, family and friends, their fertilizer from animals and compost and their agronomic advice from tradition:  Monte Vista Organics, Jacona Farms, Green Tractor, Camino de Paz, Synergia Ranch, Romero Farms, Shepherd’s Lamb, LaMont’s Buffalo, Sweetgrass Co-op and others.

  Why are we at Joe’s so persistent about this “buy local” stuff?  Many factors are out of our hands when it comes to our food supply.  Most of what ends up on the American dinner table derives from a shockingly few giant agribusinesses. Their reach is long- from designing the (GMO) seeds to planting, fertilizing, processing and shipping.  We as consumers cannot with confidence hand over the entire stewardship of our food to these few multinationals.  Our passion here at Joe’s is for a local sustainable food supply – food produced by growers who are accountable for what they grow.  KYG – Know Your Grower.  We are able to look our local farmer in the eye and ask him about his growing practices or even visit his operation. This gives us the confidence that we are eating food that is healthy, wholesome, non-genetically engineered, often better than organic, humanely treated and minimally processed.  It is grown with a smaller energy-use footprint and transported short distances. We cannot divorce human health, the economy, ecology, personal (perhaps spiritual) satisfaction or honorable work from food.  Food is fundamental.  What we eat, where it comes from, the stewardship of food animals, the nurturing and building of soils – all these factors affect us at a cellular and visceral level.  Santa Fe is fortunate to have one of the very best Farmers Markets in the nation.  Here at Joe’s we offer this bounty to you, keeping dollars in the community.  In the interest of transparency, in 2008 Joe’s spent $30,000 on local foods.  In 2009, $60,000.  Each year since 2012 we have far exceeded $100,000 per annum (over 30% of our purchases).
Land, economy, health – inseparable.

  Joe’s will give you $10.  What’s the catch?  Well the way we figure it, if you cut out the middleman by NOT using a credit card, we can give that back to you and then some.  Credit cards costs the retail merchant about 3-5% and extra time & paperwork.  Now let’s be real – in today’s world you can’t function without them.  But there are alternatives that reduce our dependency on the Big Banks and actually save all of us money.  We have a couple of suggestions: (1.) Joe’s Check List – If you are a “regular” and wish to pay by check, please ask your waiter to get you on the list.  (2.) Joe’s gift card – purchase $100 gift card with cash or check and get an extra $10 value!


Christmas Giggles

What kind of bike does Santa ride?  A Holly Davidson

I once bought my kid a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it that said, “Toys not included.”

I tell my kids that Santa is fat because he eats the children who get up early on Christmas morning. That way, I get to sleep in.

 

Joe’s Dining
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM   87507
505-471-3800       www.JoesDining.com
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