Our Natural Life » Environmental Politics http://ournaturallife.com/blog Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:23:59 +0000 en hourly 1 Searching for accurate information and provocative discussions about living a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life? Join hosts Jon and Cathy Payne for informative interviews with local and national experts, authors, farmers, filmmakers, and chefs. A bimonthly podcast of varied length that focuses heavily on the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, and buying local food. Reported through the lens of the hosts lives in rural Georgia. Jon and Cathy Payne no Jon and Cathy Payne jppaynesr@gmail.com jppaynesr@gmail.com (Jon and Cathy Payne) © Alchemy New Media LLC - All Rights Reserved Provocative discussions about leading a holistic, sustainable, and healthy life Weston A. Price, sustainability, sustainable food, holistic health, farming, organic, nutrient dense food, slow food, biodiversity, locavore, pastured meat, raw milk Our Natural Life » Environmental Politics http://ournaturallife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/itunes144x144.jpg http://ournaturallife.com/blog/category/environmental-politics/ TV-G Elberton, GA Monthly The Case Against Flouride with Dr. Paul Connett Podcast ONL076 http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/05/the-case-against-flouride-with-dr-paul-connett-podcast-onl076/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/05/the-case-against-flouride-with-dr-paul-connett-podcast-onl076/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 18:46:55 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=587 Chemist Paul Connett, PhD, spoke with us compellingly last month about the case against mandatory flouridation of tapwater as practiced in most American municipalities. He is author of The Case Against Flouride: How Hazardous Wasted Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep it There with co-authors [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2011/05/the-case-against-flouride-with-dr-paul-connett-podcast-onl076/feed/ 2 Ecology,Expose,Heritage Rabbits,Homesteading Chemist Paul Connett, PhD, spoke with us compellingly last month about the case against mandatory flouridation of tapwater as practiced in most American municipalities. He is author of The Case Against Flouride: How Hazardous Wasted Ended Up in Our Dri... Chemist Paul Connett, PhD, spoke with us compellingly last month about the case against mandatory flouridation of tapwater as practiced in most American municipalities. He is author of The Case Against Flouride: How Hazardous Wasted Ended Up in Our Dri... Jon and Cathy Payne no 80:25 ONL069 Stop the Frankenfish Nightmare! http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/#comments Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:28:20 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2010/11/onl069-stop-the-frankenfish-nightmare/feed/ 5 Lifestyle Jeffrey M. Smith, expert on Genetically Modified Organisms and author of Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception spoke to us recently about his campaign to ban the release of genetically engineered fish into our food system. Jeffrey M. Smith, expert on Genetically Modified Organisms and author of Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception spoke to us recently about his campaign to ban the release of genetically engineered fish into our food system. Jon and Cathy Payne no 58:04 ONL053 Truth and Lies about our Food with Robyn O’Brien http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/10/onl053-truth-and-lies-about-our-food-with-robyn-obrien/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/10/onl053-truth-and-lies-about-our-food-with-robyn-obrien/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:36:43 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=78

This Podcast includes our recent conversation with the activist mother of four, Robyn O’Brien. Robyn is the author of The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick and What we can do About It. In her book and this show, Robyn shares her story of how she came to be an unlikely [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/10/onl053-truth-and-lies-about-our-food-with-robyn-obrien/feed/ 0 This Podcast includes our recent conversation with the activist mother of four, Robyn O'Brien. Robyn is the author of The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick and What we can do About It. In her book and this show, This Podcast includes our recent conversation with the activist mother of four, Robyn O'Brien. Robyn is the author of The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making us Sick and What we can do About It. In her book and this show, Robyn shares her story of how she came to be an unlikely food crusader and began to educate others about food allergies, food additives, GM foods, and the dangers of soy. The interview can be downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Stitcher. You can also listen from your computer using the embedded device below. Robyn has not always been an advocate for clean food. She founded Allergy Kids in 2006 to spread the word after her youngest child suffered a sudden allergy to eggs. In her book she traces her journey from conservative mother to researcher and advocate. She now works tirelessly to create awareness of children's issues regarding food safety. During the interview, we discussed GM foods. Robyn mentioned a recent ruling against genetically modified sugar beets. You can read more about this here. The USDA's approval of GM beets was found to be unlawful. This is not because food safety studies were not completed - food safety studies are not required of GM foods. However, environmental impact studies were not completed. It is encouraging that many companies have opposed the use of GM sugar, and I imagine that this is due to public pressure. It is my hope that parents like Robyn will continue to unite and lobby for clean, safe, and sustainable food. Robyn encourages our listeners to believe in their ability to affect change, to move forward with baby steps, and to try to do one thing to move in the right direction. Updates Thanks for all the support out there! We truly appreciate our 103 fans on Facebook and our 2,050 fans on Twitter. We'd like to encourage you to subscribe to our newsletters and Podcasts and to review us on iTunes. We now have CDs for sale so you can take your favorite show with you in the car or pass it on to a friend or relative. Atlanta fans, if you have not purchased your tickets for FRESH the movie, be sure to do that today! If you do not live in the Atlanta area, you can find a screening near you here. Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:01:40 ONL051 Are you eating Franken-foods? GMOs are Everywhere http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl051-are-you-eating-franken-foods-gmos-are-everywhere/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl051-are-you-eating-franken-foods-gmos-are-everywhere/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:40:50 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=80 Jeffrey M. Smith did not set out to become the foremost expert on the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). However, since 1996 he has made telling others about the risks of GM foods his life’s work. What he has learned is that these unnatural foods put the health of people, animals, and the environment [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/09/onl051-are-you-eating-franken-foods-gmos-are-everywhere/feed/ 0 Jeffrey M. Smith did not set out to become the foremost expert on the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). However, since 1996 he has made telling others about the risks of GM foods his life's work. Jeffrey M. Smith did not set out to become the foremost expert on the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). However, since 1996 he has made telling others about the risks of GM foods his life's work. What he has learned is that these unnatur... Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:13:02 ONL050 In Defense of Omnivores http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:41:55 +0000 Cathy R. Payne, EdD http://ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=81 In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, more humane, or better for the planet. The interview can be downloaded below or from iTunes or [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/08/onl050-in-defense-of-omnivores/feed/ 0 365 In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, In this Podcast, Jon and Cathy interview Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability. Lierre, a vegan for 20 years, makes compelling arguments for eating meat and counters challenges that shunning meat is healthier, more humane, or better for the planet. The interview can be downloaded below or from iTunes or Zune. Keith nearly destroyed her health while clinging fiercely to her vegan lifestyle. Now she assists others who are making the transition from vegan and vegetarian to omnivore. Even though the vegan or vegetarian reader is her targeted audience, the book resonates strongly with promoters of healthy, traditional and sustainable food, such as Sally Fallon Morrell, founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Lierre heavily researched issues of diet and nutrition, agriculture, our food system, and the destruction of the ecosystem. Parts of the book read like a screenplay for Food, Inc, even though Keith has yet to see the film. She covers the fallacy of feeding grain to ruminants, the benefits of polyculture, and how a vegan diet designed to do no harm leaves thousands of life forms destroyed in order to produce a single meal. She also outlines the grave damage that can be caused by eating large quantities of heavily processed soy made into fake foods. This topic has been widely explored by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Physician Michael Eades, whose work is cited in the book, recently featured a review on his blog. It was a pleasure to have Lierre on our show, and we hope that you enjoy the interview as much as we enjoyed speaking with her. Jon and Cathy Payne no 58:20 ONL046 Producing Beef in Harmony with Mother Nature: An Interview with Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch, LLC http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:12:57 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/ This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal “revelation” and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock.

Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046

[...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/06/onl046-producing-beef-in-harmony-with-mother-nature-an-interview-with-bill-hodge-of-hodge-ranch-llc/feed/ 0 This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, This week Bill Hodge of Hodge Ranch spoke to us passionately about his personal "revelation" and transition from conventional agriculture to more natural methods of farming. By working with nature instead of against it, he produces a healthier product, improves the land, saves money, and has hardy, long-lived stock. Our Natural Life Podcast ONL046 We hope you enjoy the Podcast of our interview. It can be found at the bottom of this blog or downloaded from iTunes, Zune, or Tivo. We'd love to hear your comments or have you review our show on iTunes. This blog is not meant to duplicate the information in the interview, but to be used as a vehicle to provide links with more information and to encourage you to give a listen! Grass Finished Beef We've been buying beef from Bill and Di Hodge for the past 7 years and have never been disappointed with their product. Bill is the first farmer we purchased from directly and developed a relationship with. We admire the work he is doing with rotational grazing . According to Hodge, a beef cow is kept for an average of 6 years before making a profit in regard to breeding. However, most cows in the industrial system do not live past the age of 5. Hodge's cows live 15-18 years and when Cathy visited his ranch she saw one who was 19. If you have seen recent films such as Food, Inc , FRESH: The Movie , or classics such as King Corn , you may be aware of problems with grain-finished beef. If not, Food Renegade has published some good articles here and here . Other good resources are Jo Robinson's book Pasture Perfect and the Eat Wild website. Supporting Sustainable Farmers On twitter, Cathy has noticed a movement that associates itself with sustainable food called "Meatless Monday." Michael Pollan recommends eating less meat. However, we concur with Lisa M. Hamilton: In order for pasture-based livestock to become a significant part of the meat industry, we need to eat more of its meat, not less. As it is, grass-fed beef accounts for less than one percent of American beef consumption, and numbers for chicken and pork hardly register. Even where the industry is growing, it is stunted by inadequate infrastructure. The greatest challenge is a lack of small-scale slaughterhouses ...but the industry also suffers from a dearth of research, outreach for new producers, and investment in breeding for pasture-based systems. And those things will change only as the market grows. So if you want to use your food choices to impact climate change, by all means follow Dr. Pachauri's suggestion for a meatless Monday. But on Tuesday, have a grass-fed burger-and feel good about it. You can read the rest of Hamilton's article and view her links here . We choose to eat pastured beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, and milk from pastured cows and goats on a daily basis. We also consume eggs from pastured chickens. Although we do have meatless meals, we rarely have a meatless day, as we are both "protein types ." We prefer to go one additional step and give preference to farmers raising heritage breeds on pasture, something that Nature's Harmony Farm has committed to. By "voting" with our food dollars three times a day in this manner, we are supporting our local sustainable farmers, saving heritage breeds from extinction, improving our local environment, supporting the humane treatment of animals, and eating the most nutritious and delicious meals. It is definitely a win-win situation! Resources You may be wondering where to buy pastured meats in your area. My first recommendation is to contact your local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation . The chapter leaders keep lists of local, sustainable food. We are continuing our membership drive and chance to win registration at the fall conference. If you want to join, use this membership application form and contact us so we can enter you in the drawing. Other resources include Eat Wild, Local Harvest , Jon and Cathy Payne no 1:06:28 ONL042 – Healthy Baby and Healthy Home http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/ http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 01:50:40 +0000 Jon http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/

In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-orders of her new book, Raising Baby O , that will be released [...]]]> http://ournaturallife.com/blog/2009/05/onl042-healthy-baby-and-healthy-home/feed/ 0 In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-orde... In podcast #42 we interview Heather Tubbs, owner of Truly Healthy Baby . In her business, she consults with families regarding healthy eating and how to keep a healthy, non-toxic home. Heather teaches classes in the Atlanta area and is selling pre-orde... Jon and Cathy Payne no 31:58