The Egg and I: The Promised Land

Dear Readers,

Since I have high cholesterol, I have been comparing Low-Glycemic vs. Low Carbohydrate vs. Low-Fat diets.  I  have listed the three diet categories in descending order of effectiveness, according to new scientific studies.

And I have this to say about the new findings:  “Well, duuuhhh!”   I have known this for decades!  The evidence is clear and incontrovertible:  Low-fat diets are evil and they are not ordained by our Creator God.

I will begin my case:

The ancient Hebrews spoke about the Promised Land and described it as a land “flowing with milk and honey.”   

The point was, of course, that the Promised Land would offer not only the basic irreducible minimum  sources necessary to support life [bread and water] but also that the land would yield rich produce:

These rich foods would offer not only nutrition but also delight and pleasure.  Milk and honey represented gifts from the rich and generous bounty of the Creator, designed for human flourishing.

You can be sure that the cows and goats offering milk in the Promised Land were contented domestic creatures:  free-range, vegetarian, and grain-fed, with no need of steroids, antibiotics, and hormones.  The grass on which they grazed was untouched by herbicides and fungicides.  The air which they breathed and the water they drank was unpolluted, clear, and pure.  Doubtless, each small farm owner knew his/her cows and goats by name and treated each creature with respect.

The Promised Land dairy farmers skimmed off the cream from the top of the milk bucket, to make rich butter.  They converted full-fat milk into rich cheese, Kefir, and yogurt.

However, I doubt that any self-respecting Promised Land dairy farmer would have dreamed of offering his neighbors the travesty of “skim milk.”  That would have been a sacrilege.  When the dairy farmer brought his stone jars to the market place, I imagine there were only two choices of liquid milk:  “cream” and “milk,” according to the original design of the Creator.

The Promised Land honey bees were  healthy, and prolific, busily visiting organic wild flower meadows and producing organic honey.  The  environment and ecosystem of the bees were untouched by chemicals, toxins, and pollutants.

The Promised Land honey bees yielded pure honey, which would not only sweeten foods and beverages but would also be a healing balm for skin, a soothing balm for sore throats, and a source of rich nutrients, including anti-allergy benefits.

All of the Promised Land produce was Certified Kosher yet there was no need for Organic Certification.  In the Promised Land, “organic” milk and honey was the standard.  “Organic” was all that existed; therefore rendering a label superfluous.

Now, behold the egg:  The perfect shape — containing the perfect nutrition.  The Promised Land hens were range-free vegetarians, happily scratching around for insects.  The hens enjoyed pure air, water, grass, and grain and their eggs yielded higher protein and nutrients and yet offered lower levels of cholesterol, compared to those of today’s “conventional” eggs.

 The Promised Land farmers enjoyed the benefits of a protected ecosystem.  They respected the symbiotic working partnership between the land-owner, the earth, the animals, fowl, insects, bees, grass, flowers,  water, and air.

Now, what has transpired since then, to spoil the design of the original Creation?  

Who thought that it was a good idea to:

Divide the yolk from the egg?  

Extract all the fat from the milk?

Ignore honey, in favor of artificial sweeteners?

Have you ever taken delight or pleasure in these travesties:

An egg white?

A glass of skim milk?

An artificially-sweetened food or beverage?

I rest my case.

You can learn more about these topics with these resources:   

Barbara Kingsolver and her family.

Have you ever wondered why so many of us are Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free?   This book will answer that question.

Books [novels, poems, and essays] by Wendell Berry

 Books by Michael Pollan

Fresh, by Ana Sofia Joanes

http://www.FRESHthemovie.com

http://www.videoproject.com

Order this curriculum and form a discussion group:  

Hungry For Change:  Food, Ethics, and Sustainability 

http://www.nwei.org

Northwest Earth Institute NWEI

107 SE Washington, Suite 235

Portland, OR  97214

503.227.2807

503.227.2917 [fax]

contact@nwei.org

Coram Deo,

Margot

[With many thanks to my sister, Susan Blair Hollister, for recommendations on many of these resources.]