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Author and food activist Nina Planck was raised on a family farm in Virginia, where she learned to appreciate "real," traditional foods. She worked as a reporter for TIME Magazine[…]
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Raising the standards of your dairy consumption can be a “gateway” step toward a healthier, more natural diet.

Question: What are a few rnthings people canrndo to eat healthier?

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Nina Planck: rnIfrnyou want to change your diet the quickest way is to think about a couplern ofrnthings you can eliminate and a couple of things you can add.  I gather from the latest studies onrnweight loss diets that most people try to do too much and I expect that rnis therncase with real food too.  So do yournknow how they refer to marijuana as a gateway drug to harder drugs like rnheroin?  Well I find that real milk is a gatewayrnfood to other real foods, so one thing you might do is just raise the rnstandardsrnof your dairy consumption a little bit. So if milk is a staple in yourrnhousehold buy whole milk, not skim milk. rnBuy organic milk and not industrial milk.  Buyrn local, regional, grass-fed, un-homogenized milk.  And ifrnyou can, buy raw milk.  Buy betterrnquality dairy products.  Eliminaternany fake foods.  That is an easyrnone to remove.  If there is fakernbutter in your fridge, throw it away. rnClear out your pantry of anything that is ersatz, imitation or rnfake,rnanything that has been injected, engineered, reengineered. rn You might consider eliminatingrnindustrial corn from your diet altogether – so that would be corn syrup,rn cornrnoil and all its friends actually, the yellow grain and seed oil, rnsafflower oil,rnsunflower oil, soybean oil.  Theyrnare not good for you for a host of reasons we haven’t had time to rndiscussrntoday.  You could eliminate corn-fed beef, which rnwould be industrial beef and eat only better beef and you couldrneliminate corn syrup from your diet. rnThese would be quick ways to start.  And I rnwould also just add if you have children in your housernit’s a great time to get motivated to do these things. 

rnrnrnrnAbovern all, bernan omnivore.  Eat things inrnmoderation and eat the best quality food you can find and afford. And rneat thernfoods that suit your body, your cuisine, your culture and your history. rnAndrndon’t worry if the guy next to you loves lamb and you don’t.  If beef is your thing, make it yourrnthing and don’t look over your shoulder. rnDon’t ask your mother what to eat. rnDon’t ask the USDA.  Don’trnask the guy next to you.  Learn howrnto eat for yourself and you’ll be liberated.

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