Vitamin D is Another Reason To Change Our Lives

For the past year, more news coverage has been given to Vitamin D than in years past. And with good reason.

For years, I've been saying the advent of sunscreen was going to be our largest downfall, creating a D deficiency and osteoporosis at a scale never before known. Unfortunately, I'm right. Between the sunscreen actually working, causing us to not be exposed to the UV rays we need to live, and the chemicals being smeared on our largest organ causing an unknown affect on our health, we've created a large host of problems. Compounding the issue is our culture of sedentary indoor living.

Humans, and animals in general, are not designed to be in such an isolated environment. Add that we've expanded our territory far beyond the med latitudes that we were designed to live in, we are at a great disadvantage to survive and thrive. So what do we do? We go further north (or south, depending on which side of the Equator you're on), create shelters to protect us from the cold, only to live in them during the milder months. We cover ourselves year-round with clothes and then smear our bodies with chemicals to hide from the sun even more.

Does anyone else see something wrong with that cultural adaptation?

But we fortify foods like milk and dairy products with Vitamin D to make up for this, and are further lulled into a false sense of security.

Enter my sister. She has a severe dairy allergy that has made it impossible for her to consume any amount of dairy for her entire life. She also had an adverse reaction to an antibiotic that has made her skin react to sun light - true sun poisoning. She's always been active, but further health issues have made it difficult to remain as active as her early youth (we prefer to think of ourselves as being in mid youth). Recently, she had blood work done, along with an x-ray of her back and found she is depleted of Vitamin D. Not deficient. Depleted.

The doctors have prescribed a supplement of 50,000 iu per week for 12 weeks, with the possibility of 3 more rounds of this 12 week regimine. Ew! They are that concerned.

Now, the USRDA is 400 iu per day. In fairness, this is being re-examined in light of the recent studies showing Americans are deficient in D. Many scientists are now advocating a minimum of 1000 iu per day. Some are saying forego sunscreen. Others are saying you only need 15 minutes a few times a week of unprotected sun exposure to gain the benefits of natural D production. That's it?! I'm doubting it highly.

First off, how much skin exposure? 10%, 20%, 30%? What time of day - 10am, noon, 4pm? And 15 minutes? We were designed to be outside 24 hours per day. Admittedly, seeking out shade is a good thing, but you're still out, and get reflected sunlight along with direct. And all of the hype about skin cancer and sunscreens - the retail industry just loves selling through fear. Common sense, not fear, should drive decisions and purchasing. However, our culture has taught us to not think, someone else will for us. How sad!

An example - Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a Harvard University professor of medicine and nutrition who laid out his case in a keynote lecture at a recent American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Anaheim, Calif. His research suggests that vitamin D might help prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer.

What D is known to help prevent or lower your risk factors:

Cancers - Breast, Colon, Lung, Lymph, Melanoma, Ovarian, Prostate, Rectal.
Breathing - Asthma, COPD
Brain Chemistry - Depression, SAD, Cognitive Function, Alzheimer's, Autism
Hormonal - Pregnancy, Menopause, Parathyroid Function, Liver, Thyroid, Diabetes, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Gastro-Intestinal - Inflammatory Bowel Disease, general function
Diseases - Cerebral Palsy, Parkinsons, Epilepsy, Cystic Fibrosis, HIV AIDS, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Multiple Sclerosis, Rickets, Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis

Vitamin D Council

Pretty extensive there, huh?

From the National Institute of Health:

Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin melanin content, and sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D synthesis [28]. The UV energy above 42 degrees north latitude (a line approximately between the northern border of California and Boston) is insufficient for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis from November through February [6]; in far northern latitudes, this reduced intensity lasts for up to 6 months. Latitudes below 34 degrees north (a line between Los Angeles and Columbia, South Carolina) allow for cutaneous production of vitamin D throughout the year [14]

Complete cloud cover reduces UV energy by 50%; shade (including that produced by severe pollution) reduces it by 60% [29]. UVB radiation does not penetrate glass, so exposure to sunshine indoors through a window does not produce vitamin D [30]. Sunscreens with a sun protection factor of 8 or more appear to block vitamin D-producing UV rays, although in practice people generally do not apply sufficient amounts, cover all sun-exposed skin, or reapply sunscreen regularly [31]. Skin likely synthesizes some vitamin D even when it is protected by sunscreen as typically applied.

The factors that affect UV radiation exposure and research to date on the amount of sun exposure needed to maintain adequate vitamin D levels make it difficult to provide general guidelines. It has been suggested by some vitamin D researchers, for example, that approximately 5-30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen usually lead to sufficient vitamin D synthesis and that the moderate use of commercial tanning beds that emit 2-6% UVB radiation is also effective [11,28]. Individuals with limited sun exposure need to include good sources of vitamin D in their diet or take a supplement.

So where am I going with this lengthy diatribe? Go outside! Let the sun shine on your skin! Play! Quit eating Burger King and Pizza Hut and go buy some REAL food and eat that! Change the way you live. You'll feel better than the completely artificial life you live now.

Egg Information

I did the research for this to become a tri-fold for the eggs my brother is selling from his nearly 60 hens. I can't promise it'll all make sense, but please read it. It's pretty important information for anyone trying to eat right.

The following are statistics for the chickens and the eggs, comparing naturally foraging “pastured” chickens to their industrial caged “battered” (so appropriately named!) counterparts.
Life Span
Pastured 7-20 years
Battered 12-23 months
Fryers 41 days

Chickens are like any other bird. They forage for their food. Pastured chickens spend their days clucking about, scratching the earth for bugs, grass, and even the occasional mouse. Caged battered chickens are forced to eat cottonseed meal and soy proteins, with an elongated daylight period to enhance their egg laying. This means they can lay up to 380 eggs in a few months, but their life’s energy is literally gone in that short period. A pastured chicken will lay 400-600 eggs in her life, all in a more natural setting.

The eggs from the pastured hen are also far more nutritious than those of the battered chicken. Mother Earth News has corroborated 15 years of research in extensive testing to prove exactly how healthful these eggs are.

Comparing pastured eggs to egg substitutes is apples to golf balls. However, if you like a little egg with your chemicals, we can crunch the numbers!

Vitamins

Vitamin A
You need anywhere from 4,000 (infant) to 12,000 (lactating woman) international units (iu) of Vitamin A per day.
The Egg Substitute - 180
The Industrial Egg - 244
The Pastured Egg - 405

Vitamin D
The old RDA was 400 iu. It has since been increased to 1000 iu since everyone has become severely deficient.
The Egg Substitute - 0
The Industrial Egg - 18
The Pastured Egg - 73

Vitamin E
You should get at least 30 iu of E per day, about half for children. Many people are deficient in E as well, so please pay attention.
The Egg Substitute - .13
The Industrial Egg - .49
The Pasture Egg - 1.46

Beta Carotene
This is a provitamin, meaning it is only 1 step away from being a vitamin - namely vitamin A. A is so vital to all aspects of the cells that make up your body, affecting every organ and its function. Most people recognize vitamin A for it's work with eye function, but that is only one of hundreds of functions it aids.
So, by having both Vitamin A and Beta Carotene available in 1 place, it will help serve the body for both immediate needs and easier storage for use later.
The Egg Substitute - a synthetic form - 108
The Industrial Egg - 5
The Pastured Egg - 35

More Reasons To Buy Pastured Eggs
Now that you know why it is so much better for you to eat pastured eggs, here are other reasons you should buy them:

Extinction – There are over 40 breeds of heritage chickens, 12 of which are original to the US. These breeds are all threatened with extinction by the breeds used in industrial farming. The majority of pastured eggs are from these 12 heritage breeds.

Diversification – all 7 or 8 of NYS industrial egg farmers are supplied by only 3 breeders. As we have seen with lettuce, spinach, beef and peanuts, the ability to damage an entire sector of farming that is so centralized is frightening. By supporting small farms, this ability is reduced significantly.

Economic – Studies throughout the world have proven money spent at locally owned businesses is far more valuable than money spent at regional, national or international stores. $1 spent locally (at small farms or businesses) equals $1.86 in locally re-spent capitol. $1 spent at a chain store equals $.83 in locally re-spent capitol.

Environmental – Industrial Animal Farming is estimated to account for 55% of soil and sediment erosion, 37% of nationwide pesticide use, 80% of antibiotic usage, and more than 30% of the total nitrogen and phosphorus dumped into drinking water resources. By supporting your local farmers, you significantly decrease these numbers, and assist in the rebalancing of the environment. By having small flocks of chickens, all of these issues are balanced out. Bugs and weeds are controlled, the soil is fertilized naturally, and the birds are healthier for being outside, so there is no need for antibiotics for health or growth.

EarthDay Eco FootPrint

Wow. All of my answers were in the minimal or little range and it would still take 3.5 earths to support my lifestyle, if everyone chose to adopt it.
That's scary!
We're in a little bitty house that uses not a lot of electricity or natural gas (compared to national standards), don't drive around much, recycle everything possible, grow our own food and buy what we can't from within a 200 mile radius (their definition of local).
And it's STILL 3.5 earths!
So much for being low key. And we'd need 15.6 global acres to support little old me.
I make most of my clothes, rarely buy new stuff yearly, much less monthly, and reuse what I can in other forms around the house.
This is just nasty! Insulting! Humbling! Humiliating even. LOL
I guess I'll be trying harder.
Let me know what your scores are.
http://earthday.net/footprint/
You can do this without signing up - just look below their box to enter your email address. It's there.

What a Spring

Getting ready for warmer weather is always hectic. But when warmer weather gets here before you're ready, woof!

I've overdone twice so far this spring, and it always comes back to haunt me. But, I'm never lacking in projects, so I just have to change direction, rather than fret over the inability to do what I had planned for a specific day.

I've made a quilt - Baby quilt for a friend's baby girl, Erika.It's a simple 9-patch block but with a little tweek to make it look like it has circles, which is always a fun thing to add. It has 39 different pinks in it - this is why I love quilting. It allows you to use scraps to create a completely new piece of fabric. Re-use at one of its more attractive moments.

I've also made a flag for the front yard to help my brother sell some of his eggs. This was a really fun project! It's part of an old sheet and crayons. I traced the picture on, and colored away! Well, warmed the fabric up with the iron, and then colored - it absorbs better that way. I hung it out today, but it was a tad windy this afternoon, making it a challenge. But, it's a prototype, so I'll keep working on it. Then I'll make one for my brother's property as well. Since he has constant wind where he is, it needs to be far tougher than here in the valley.

Pretty snazzy, huh?

So then I cleaned the fish pond. It's a puddle. But Dad likes it, so it was my turn to do the Spring cleaning of it. Never again. My brain is still spinning out from doing that. I did find out we have 8 fish instead of 6 instead of 4. We started with 4 3 years ago. Then we had 6. Now we have 8.

And I did find out that frogs indeed don't rot, but mummify. Pretty amazing! He was dead and just a bag of water when I scooped out some leaves, so just figured he'd burst and that would be the end of it. Nope - in only 3 days, he's completely dried and mummied. Mom turned green when I showed her, but her sister thought it was pretty cool.

I've gotten the first part of the garden planted - peas, spinach, salsify, sweet peas and onions. I can throw beets in any time, and will be putting shallots in just because I have some and can find the room. The rest, thankfully, has to wait another 4 weeks - or more. That allows me to work on other parts of the yard - like weeding the flower beds.

Daffodils are in full bloom, the weeping cherry is going to be in full bloom tomorrow - the first bud popped today. You can just watch that open up. Just gorgeous!

And the rhubarb is up! I've always been fascinated with how the leaves come up, but finally took a picture. It's like eggs hatching brains that unfold into the leaves. Very cool!

Spring Green From This Old House

Seriously, the magazine. Not my house. LOL

Choose Green Interior Materials - Editor picks, including zero-VOC paint, flooring, more

Build a Table Using Salvaged Woods - Create this piece with stair spindles and a tread

Use Energy-Smart Devices - Dimmable LED downlights, rain harvesters, more

Make a Raised Vegetable Garden - A 2-hour project you can do with the kids

Best Stormwater Solutions - Attractive landscape ideas that filter pollution from water

Install Healthy Kitchen Cabinets - How to find nontoxic wood, bamboo, or MDF options

5 Lawn-less Yard Solutions - Plant conservative growers in place of a demanding lawn

Install a Solar Attic Fan - Save on cooling costs and save energy with this quick upgrade

Add Drip Irrigation - Conserve water; send it to the base of plants, where it's needed

Grow Succulents - 12 low-maintenance water-savers in striking shapes and colors

A Day In The Life Of

Chickens.

LOL

You'd be surprised at the number of people who have never seen chickens doing what they do best - forage.

The only pictures or videos seen anymore are of chickens in huge barns, all white, except where other chickens have crapped on them, just milling about.

Chickens do a lot more. They're great for insect control, removing thatch from a yard, fertilizing, egg laying, and of course, eating. They're also a great source of entertainment.

Since I grew up around chickens, it was pretty easy to see my brother's flock doing their thing. But trying to convey this to our friends who've never been around chickens was another thing entirely. So, I asked my brother to take a video. And now he's looking at getting a chicken cam.

LOL - I'll put a link to it when he gets one set up.

Until then, enjoy this video. You can hear them clucking and talking to each other. Just don't jack the volume up too much since the rooster does crow. Twice.



Video Link

And for more - the history of these chickens:
The First Chickens
The Coolest Chicken Coop
Their First Day In The Wild Green Yonder

Name Change

I've changed the name, even though the address is the same. To protect the innocent? Ha! No innocence here.

Since becoming disabled 8 years ago this July, I've searched for a way to be independent. It's not easy since I have to be able to fit a day's worth of work into 3 hours or less, but this little obstacle doesn't stop me. It just makes me work to be more efficient.

About 2 years ago, I finally realized that I *like* living so simply. I've never been one to enjoy luxury of any sort - some even call me spartan. Years ago, my sister got me cable so she could watch when she visits. I would probably be without a TV if it were up to me. It used to be a great plant stand and that was it.

But truly, having a veggie garden, having a small orchard of fruit trees and bushes really makes me happy. Making the house as energy efficient as I can to cut down on monthly bills, really working with the wood stove for maximum whole-house heating are fun. They are challenges that take time to overcome, just like my disability.

And what is my disability? Vertigo. Vestibular Neuritis to be specific. I'm one of 2% of people who get it to become permanently disabled by it. I'd rather win the lottery, but this will have to do for now.

So, I'm working on making this 1-acre plot of my parents' into a homestead. And since I'm always spinning, it is the Spiraling Homestead. I like it!

My brother and his wife have green houses and chickens to sell their wares at a local farmer's market. I did some research and found out I can bake and cook certain things to also sell at the market to enhance their stall. And since I raise much of what I'd be using, it makes the effort about as local as possible. It also makes it cheaper for me and will create a better cash flow to give to the parents.

Most of all, it gives me hope. Hope that I can live on my own again someday. Hope that my example will inspire others to simplify their lives, even just a little. Hope that we may yet not destroy the earth. I do believe the earth will survive - it's humans that won't. And a host of other animals. So I'd like to think we can get ourselves out of this pickle and if me gettig disabled makes it so I convert to the simpler life, well I guess that's not so bad.

So hopefully this blog will be a bit more active. I will be posting ideas and articles like I have in the past, but will also post more about daily life and opinions - of which I have many - in hopes of helping others make the conversion a little easier.

A Green Easter

Easter should be about more than gluttony. Children shouldn't be allowed to see how much candy they can eat prior to the church service - or Easter brunch in a restaurant - which ever way you Christians choose to 'celebrate' it. Adult shouldn't be eating everything in sight at that all you can eat brunch buffet. And families in general shouldn't be looking toward another huge meal in the afternoon - one that rivals Thanksgiving.

Easter History
First off, Easter is a rather arbitrarily assigned date. It is on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring equinox - March 20/21. As you can tell, Rome chose to place it close to the spring celebrations of many different cultures, in order to better convert those cultures to Christianity.

As an American culture, Easter didn't become a large event until after the Civil War, when comfort from that devestation meant turning to religious holidays. Since the first settlers were here to escape both the Anglican and the Catholic church rules, the celebration of Easter was a minimalist event at best.

So between the Pagan influence and the settler's Protestant ways, America's cultural heritage with Easter is scant at best. So, rather than expanding on the capitolistic ways the retailers would have you believe has been with us since Christ himself, try a different tactic. Try toning it down a bit.

Suggestions

Buy Local

Particularly during this economic climate, buying local will be of paramount importance. Buying locally has a few different implications.

The first is to buy as many locally produced goods as possible. Use the local bakery and the local butcher to buy the items you need and can't make yourself. It may mean you buy less, but less isn't such a bad thing. Since most of our food is transported an average of 1500 miles, buying locally produced goods cuts down significantly on greenhouse gasses produced just by transporting them.

The second way is to buy from locally owned stores. Don't go to Sam's to buy your Easter food or candy. Go to Maine's, The Giant and other locally owned stores. Even Wegmans isn't local. It's in the state, but it's well outside of the 100 mile radius that is considered "local". By purchasing from locally owned businesses, your dollar is kept IN your community.

Studies in England, Maine, Colorado, and Tennessee have proven that a single dollar goes as far in the community as $1.76, while that same dollar used at a chain store only goes as far as .76 to .82. England's local economy fared far better than the US, however, the numbers are still staggering.

And considering the amount of money that is spent just on candy - American consumers spend over 1 million dollars on Easter candy every year and that nearly 20 billion jellybeans are produced just for Easter - that adds up to a significant portion remaining in the local economy.

Buy American.

I know there is much ado about protectionism. However, buying American is similar to buying locally - it keeps wages up and more money circulating in American, than leaving its shores. American chocolate, jelly beans, peeps, etc. And if you have a local chocolatier, great! Buy from them!

Buy Organic

While buying local is the 'New" buying organic, it makes a difference. The less you buy that ruins the environment, the better. And if it's local AND organic, you've hit the jackpot! Organic is slowly coming down in price, so the sacrifices made aren't nearly what they used to be. Grass-fed beef (preferably from intensive grazing - will post the article soon), versus lot-fed (CAFO) beef, pastured chickens and turkeys versus CAFO fowl, pastured pork versus CAFO pork, milk produced without hormones, pastured chickens for eggs, rather than industrial eggs, etc. The products are out there to find and are becoming more common every passing season, so that's wonderful!

Buy Fair Trade

There is movement afoot for Domestic Fair Trade as well as International Fair Trade, which is well established. There are several local organizations, VUMC included, that sells fair trade products at least monthly. Please check into it.

Get Rid Of

Get rid of the plastic. Who thought of plastic Easter eggs? Wrap the goodies in small bits of bright paper. And plastic grass?! Odd! Get your shredder out and shred some left over wrapping paper, the funnies or brightly colored pages from a magazine. Considering the kids look at the plastic for a total of 4 minutes or less, it doesn't make sense to spend the money OR the oil in making it just to throw it away.

If you don't already, buy special baskets and keep them for the child's entire Easter life. We had our own baskets every year, and always looked forward to finding OUR basket. It builds a tradition and a strong family connection, as well as cutting down on waste.

Get rid of excess. If the kids don't eat the hard boiled eggs, don't decorate them. They can color and make beautiful designs on paper just as easily as on hard boiled eggs. Give them about half the candy. This isn't Halloween revisited. It's Easter. No one should do what my sister did, which was to eat an entire pound of a solid chocolate bunny before the early service at church. While she didn't throw up, she didn't feel good for 2 days.

Make Easter special. Or, do as the settlers did and be very quite about it. Christ was.