Catalyz Nutrition

When clients ask “Is meat good for me?” “What about milk?” or “Should I eat potatoes?”  I wish I could provide simple yes-or-no answers – but I cannot.

Instead I must question them back:  “Which meat? “Which milk?” “Which potatoes?”

The saying “We are what we eat” applies not just to humans, but to cows, chickens, and even members of the plant world , who absorb nutrients, toxins, and other substances from the soil and air around them.   Industrial agriculture and new food processing methods have profoundly changed the what’s on our dinner plates and in our refrigerators over the past 50 years.   Judging by Americans’ soaring rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic disease – they may not have changed our food supply (or us!)  for the better.

Just as this is all starting to sound so complicated – along come a trio of highly-engaging movies about our food supply which enlighten AND entertain.   I recommend them heartily to all who...eat.

FOOD, Inc. has just gone into widespread distribution in theatres.  Learn more and view the trailer at this film’s official website.   As the film’s makers write: “We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.” Which should cause us ALL to pay more attention to food – especially when information is served up as engagingly as it is in this movie.

THE MEATRIX is a set of animated “mini-movies” that have won numerous film awards, and which can be easily viewed online at www.themeatrix.com.  My children were riveted – and had lots of good questions about where our family’s food comes from after watching these 3-4 minute segments.

Finally -- FRESH is a new movie by filmmaker Ana Sophia Joanes about our food, where it comes from, and why – as an eater – you should care. Think of it as the “companion movie” to Michael Pollan’s best-selling book Omnivore’s Dilemma, where some of Pollan’s most important characters (including now-famous farmer Joel Salatin and his chickens) come to life.    Click here for the trailer and a terrific movie review by AnnMarie Michaels.   To find where the movie is being shown or obtain a DVD (it is in limited distribution), click on this film's official website.