Have you ever wondered why you always feel hungry sometimes (if not all the time!)? Like you just had a huge supper a couple of hours ago and you still have the munchies. That's because you haven't fed your body what it needs! Your body needs essential vitamins and nutrients that are lacking in today's modern food diet.

Not too long ago I discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation. Weston A. Price was a Cleveland dentist who traveled to isolated parts of the world in the early 1930s to discover the factors responsible for good dental health. His studies revealed that dental cavites and deformed dental arches resulting in crowded, crooked teeth are the result of nutritional deficiencies, not inherited genetic defects.

When Dr. Price analyzed the foods used by isolated peoples he found that, in comparison to the American diet of his day, they provided at least four times the water-soluble vitamins, calcium and other minerals, and at least TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish, organ meats, eggs and animal fats- the very cholesterol-rich foods now shunned by the American public as unhealthy.

When you introduce these animal fats coming from pastured animals as well as plant based like coconut oil and avocado back into your diet, you feel fuller much faster which makes you eat less! And if you try cutting refined sugars all together, you'll be amazed by the results! For me, it turned out that my sweet tooth disappeared entirely. I always had cravings for pastries, and now I don't even feel like putting it in my mouth!

So it turns out that it's not the fat that makes you fat, but the sugar and carbs that you end up consuming too much of because you didn't get enough fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. Of course there is BAD fats - the ones you find in processed and fried foods, the industrially processed liquid oils such as soy, corn and canola. 

Eating more whole, unprocessed foods is one of the keys to becoming healthier. Using animal fats liberally and eating meats, organ meats and eggs from pasture-fed animals along with plenty of fruits and vegetables will stop your cravings and might take a few inches of your waste band.

It's never too late to start doing the right thing for your body. And the best part is that it feels amazing!

Animals raised on pasture not only have a happier life, they also turn vitamin-rich pasture into vitamin-rich food for us. Let's be very thankful for that.  

Isn't it nice to see the grass greening again! Spring is always so exciting here on the farm, seedling starting to grow, baby animals being born... and getting all of my office supplies for the year (or at least for a couple of month, wish I was THAT organized lol!). Getting them from the locally owned office store was a no brainer for me.

Being a local business, I know what it takes to be an entrepreneur. You've probably been faced with trying to find employment, and you know it's not that easy to get around here. Now that we are able to offer employment opportunities, it feels like we have a bigger mission that ''just'' producing nutritious food. We are also helping our employee make a living and staying in Cape Breton. It makes me happy to know that our money stays in Cape Breton. So whenever I can, I try to buy from local businesses because it means that the money you just spent is actually staying in your community, helping it grow and flourish and creating jobs.

Besides simply buying local there's a also different ways you can help local businesses:

- Give Them Stars. Good online reviews can impact other customers decisions to shop or visit. It can also help the business show up better in search engines. Didn't your husband checked that consumer report before buying that new lawnmower?

- Pay Cash. Credit cards are nice but there is that 3% of each transaction that just goes directly to the credit card processing companies, right out of the small business profit.

- Connect Socially. Liking them on Facebook is a great start. If you also take time to like or share their posts, you can help them reach more potential customers. Maybe even Check in when you’re there or tag them in a post.

- Try Something New. Take time to explore unique local shops, restaurants or markets to see how these businesses impact our community. Make it a monthly event to try something new, something local, and make it a fun day or evening out with friends and family.

- Give Thanks. Small business owners face a lot of challenges, from staffing, regulations, long hours, the stress keep piling sometimes. Show them your appreciation for what they bring to the area by shopping there, and thank them for being there. It will remind them it is certainly worth it and they will thank you for it, too!

So whether it's ink for your printer, a gift for your sister's birthday or food to feed your family, choose local first! You won't believe how good it feels to know you are making a difference in your community.

And this week is fresh pork week! We are getting our piggies back from the butcher so if you want your share of delicious local meat, come to the Farmers Market on Saturday to get your fresh pork. Please send us an email to order some! We will have 9lb boxes of a mix of chops, steaks, ribs and your choice of sausage for a discount price of $50.

Hope to see you there!

Warmly

Estelle

Did you know that the second leading cause of greenhouse gas emission on the planet after oil is animal raising? If you're like me, you don’t want to leave your children and grandchildren in a world that is worse than the one we live in.

Environmental cost of factory animal farming is way beyond the cost of our free range/pastured meat, and is paid by the general public in the form of taxpayer money, environmental disasters like the ‘’dead zone’’ in the Gulf of Mexico, and natural disasters caused by global warming, which clearly nobody is protected against even in our beautiful Cape Breton Island.

Let’s take a burger at MacDonalds. You’re only paying $5 for it, but when you actually count all of the costs associated with the production of that burger, including resources like water and feed, energy and pollution, that burger is closer to $13 worth. So who’s paying for it? We all are, through taxpayers money, environmental clean ups and degradation of our planet.

But don't beat yourself up, it isn't too late to make a change!

One of the best ways you can help the planet right here and right now, doesn’t involve buying an expensive hybrid car or installing photovoltaic panels on your roof, but simply by eating less meat and make a conscious effort to seek out sustainably produced meat. By making this simple conscious choice, you can greatly improve our future and the one of your children and their children. So feel good about what you're eating! And to top it off, our pastured meat is rich in so many nutrients that your body is probably lacking.

By finding us and purchasing from us, you already made a big step forward, and we thank you for that.

But what am I going to eat, you might say? If meat is taking the spotlight on your dinner plate, it won’t be easy to make the change, but you can do it progressively. You can start by adding more vegetables, the stronger the color the better (it will look really nice on your plate too!). Studies show that the more colorful the vegetable, the richer in vitamins and nutrients it is. Think about beets, broccoli and leafy greens. Some vegetables are also rich in protein if you feel like you need the extra protein. Things like avocado, beans and lentils are good alternatives to replace meat proteins. I wouldn’t advise tofu or soy since it is not at all produced in a sustainable way, and is more likely to contain GMOs.

Can't make it to the Farmers Market on Saturday? We are organizing deliveries with drop sites for our meat. We would love to know if you are interested and where you are located. Your driveway could be selected as a drop site (nothing else required, just that we can park there). 

Warmly,

Estelle

Our farmer in training Victor checks his cows to make sure they have lots of grass to eat