Tag Archives: non-gmo

Disneyland, Trick or Treating and GMO’s

Well hello again! The Crunchy Dad here with a family blog update. On Friday we went to Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party! We are big time Disney geeks/fans. I had planned on wearing a Jack Skellington costume, (from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas) however, the weather had other plans as it was 107 upon arrival, and this was at 5:00 pm! Our daughter wore a pink Cinderella inspired dress which was made by my wife, which she also sells at her shop on Etsy, Chloe Michelle’s Closet. My son dressed up as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland! Even my son’s stuffed Pooh Bear got into the spirit of things and was dressed up as Lock from Nightmare Before Christmas. Here’s a picture:

Our policy of not eating GMO’s also extends to our trips out of town, including Disneyland. This is something my children have been accustomed to for over a couple of years now. After the sun went down, the Halloween Party kicked in. There was a carnival, trick or treating and a special firework show. I was pleasantly surprised to see that at one of the trick or treat stations they were handing out Non-Gmo Project verified Kettle chips. This also made my kids happy. Even though they know they can’t eat the candy they still love the thrill of the hunt. My sweet son was holding out hope that there would be some organic candy that he received. Although there was none, we all still had a magical time. When we got home, the first thing my 5 year old son asked to do was to write Disneyland a letter requesting Organic candy. Mind you he’s only 5, so the spelling isn’t necessarily on point, but you can get the gist. Here is a picture of his letter:

“Dear Disneyland. Can you please hand out organic candy? If you do, tell me so I will know. Love, Trick or Treater.”

My son also included a drawing of the Haunted Mansion, one of his favorite rides. He’s such a sweet boy and I’m sure that if anyone has the capacity to listen, Disney does. In the mean time, we will continue to trade them organic candy for their “GMO candy.” Currently, we donate the candy to the troops over seas. To find a buyback center near you, click here.

October – A Month of Awareness

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer within their lifetime. Chances are that everyone of us knows someone who has dealt with breast cancer. There is hope on the horizon. There are numerous studies showing positive results when cannabis oil is used to treat breast cancer. Some of the studies conducted include:

US National Library of Medicine – Researchers concluded that cannabidiol (CBD) inhibits human breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. They also demonstrated that CBD significantly reduces tumor mass.
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics – Researchers determined that determined that THC as well as cannabidiol dramatically reduced breast cancer cell growth. They confirmed the potency and effectiveness of these compounds.
The Journal Molecular Cancer – Researchers determined that THC reduced tumor growth and tumour numbers. They determined that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell proliferation, induce cancer cell apoptosis and impair tumour angiogenesis (all good things). This study provides strong evidence for the use of cannabinoid based therapies for the management of breast cancer.
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America – Researches determined that cannabinoids inhibit human breast cancer cell proliferation.

These breakthroughs give me hope for a natural, alternative treatment and remedy for breast cancer. For those that have known anyone that has had to battle breast cancer or other cancers, then you know that sometimes the cure can make you feel just as bad as the disease, if not worse. It’s heart wrenching to see those afflicted have to suffer through harsh treatments. I hope the government will put more of an effort into funding further research into such areas. For more information on using cannabis oil as an alternate or supplemental treatment to, click here.

Non-Gmo Month

October also marks the second annual Non-Gmo Month, started by the Non-Gmo Project. Although I do my best to inform folks of the known and unknown dangers of GMO’s as often as possible, it’s helpful to have a month to help further illuminate the topic. It is my opinion that we as consumers have at the least, a right to know what is being put into our food. No longer are the major supermarkets shelves lined with real, clean food. Instead, real food has been replaced with massive quantities of food like products with ingredients that have been created in a lab in such a way that would have never existed outside of nature. This is all done in the name of feeding the world and producing higher yields, however the evidence indicates the contrary. Super bugs and pesticide resistant strains are beginning to mutate. One study was conducted regarding the health effects of GMO’s on pigs and the results were startling. The study found that GM-fed females had on average a 25% heavier uterus than non-GM-fed females. For more information on GMO’s and the Non-GMO project, click here. Fore resources on shopping locally and organically in the San Diego county region, click here.

Courage and Community

A Celebration of Courage

At our son’s school on Friday we had the pleasure of observing and participating the Michalemas festival, which is a celebration of courage, reflection and conquering fears. Also known as the festival of strong will. We watched a magical play that depicted the slaying of the dragon by St. George. There was a slight deviation from the story as this version had the 1st graders taming the dragon as opposed to actually slaying the creature. It was quite an adorable adaptation. After the theatrics, we were treated to “dragon bread,” organic handmade bread baked at the school. Then came time for the games! Children challenged themselves on the wooden obstacle course with such challenges as a teeter totter balance beam and varying balancing and crawling obstacles. On the hillside children could be observed chasing hula hoops while running between through the center. Fresh organic fruit kabobs provided refreshing nourishment between the challenges. It truly was a joyous festival. If you would like to read more about Michaelmas, click here. If you would like to learn more about Waldorf education, click here.

George taming the dragon

Farm Fresh Eating

Last week, my wife and I decided to sign up for a couple of local CSA’s (community sponsored agriculture.) We signed up with J.R. Organics for our produce and SonRise Ranch for our meat. We were already purchasing a good portion of our produce from J.R. Organics from the farmers market, so they seemed the most fitting and logical when decided on which farm to go with. We like SonRise Ranch because their animals are all pastured, including the pigs and we agree with their farming practices and methods which includes not engaging in the use of GMO feed, pesticides, antibotics. They also use sustainable methods which is refreshing in this age of resource depletion. We signed up for the weekly CSA box and the veggies provided will be enough for our family for the week, along with what we can supplement from our garden. The meat totaled 14lbs, 7lbs beef and 7lbs pork. If you eat organic or clean, then you know how hard it is to fine pastured, grass-fed pork. We received various cuts from pork chops, roast and pork ribs to New York steak and ground beef. I haven’t had ribs or pork chops in at least 2 years since I committed myself to eating a GMO free diet. Needless to say, I am stoked and we are cutting our grocery bill almost in half. If you would like to locate a CSA in your region, click here. Below are some pictures of our CSA treasures:

The Turning of the Wheel – A New Cycle

The Turning of the Wheel

As the wheel of the year turns, the Fall equinox finds us again as we gather our Autumn harvest. The Earth bulges with gifts of life as we prepare ourselves for a period of reflection. In this spirit I have started this blog in hopes to share my human experience with those who are so interested in learning more of the way of life for yours truly, The Crunchy Dad.

Being that this is a brand spanking new blog, I will use this first entry as an opportunity to introduce myself. I am a 32 year old father two a 5 yr. old boy and 3 yr. old girl. I have a beautiful wife and have been married for 12 years to my high school sweet heart. All in all, we lead a pretty unconventional lifestyle. We by no means judge negatively those folks who lead a more conventional lifestyle, much as we do not want to be judged. It is my hope to bridge some of the gaps between the two worlds.

What does “crunchy” mean?

You may be wondering, what does “crunchy” mean and why would I call myself The Crunchy Dad? Crunchy has been defined by urban dictionary by the following:

Crunchy – Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

I never really considered myself crunchy, liberal or a hippie. I never cared for labels and stereotypes. It wasn’t until others would start to address me as such that I decided to embrace that which I am, The Crunchy Dad.

Lifestyle

As this first post is intended to introduce myself to you and bring you into my world, I should give a synopsis of our lifestyle and see if you think it fits with the spirit of “crunchy.”

Completely organic diet. This includes taking into account factors such as brand selection.
No restaurants. We will occasionally eat at Haggo’s Organic Taco or the organic salad bar at Jimbo’s
No GMO’s. This should go without saying.
Meat must be from grass fed pastured animals or supplement with certified organic feed.
Buy local. We purchase our meat from the CSA provided by SonRise Ranch and our produce from J.R. Organics.
We have a whole house water filtration system that removes all the fluoride and chloromines among other chemicals.
We have a growing garden that we use to supplement our weekly CSA shares.
We haven’t touched seafood since the Fukushima disaster unfolded.
We don’t watch television. Our kids can watch one movie on Saturday’s. Computers and video games are out of the question.
I don’t use deodorant! Don’t worry, lime works just as well so I don’t walk around smelly!
I brush my teeth with fluoride free clay.
I use herbal remedies and concentrated herb oils to treat various ailments.
Our son attends a Waldorf school which develops the whole child as opposed yo focusing on academia.
We celebrate the festivals of the seasons.
We are against plastic toys for our household.
It doesn’t bother me when my son puts on his sisters fancy shoes to play dress up or when my daughter decides to play with toys for boys.
We sing, dance and play games daily for entertainment.
Last but no least, we sacrifice. There’s a lot we do without to afford our simplistic lifestyle. What we lack in personal possessions, we hope to make up for with riches from the heart.

So ends another day

There you have it, a brief intro to the Crunchy Dad. I’m sure there’s a ton I left out that you’ll get to see as we grow to know one another. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I tried to link to information that I felt would be useful, please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of the mentioned businesses. It’s merely me doing my part to spread the word of the places I trust my family too and to increase consumer awareness. Until we meet again, stay blessed and speak from your heart and in the language of love.

– The Crunchy Dad