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Welcome To Vilcabamba
"The Sacred Valley of Longevity"


This Is A Privately Circulated Blog, scribbled exclusively for Friends & Familiars, that peers into and pontificates about Expat life in the hinterlands of South America. If your eyesight is less than optimal (like mine), then just click the type size up a notch on your browser..


Here you will find a series of curmudgeonly commentaries that I've posted from atop my rickety old soapbox for the past few years. And yes, there are indeed political rantings, so place your seats in the upright position and fasten your seat belts .... it may be a bumpy ride.






4/22/13

Be The Drum Major In Your Food Parade

So, on a slightly more positive note than is my usual wonky-want, let me tell you why I garden for the bulk of my daily diet. I've found no better way to move my diet from merely OK to "Foodie Gourmet" than by embracing a plant-based, organic diet. But there are other important reasons, too.

My number one reason is that I don't subscribe to "health insurance". I invest in prevention rather than the cost of after-illness medical care. What it costs me in labor, seeds, water, a greenhouse and all other material that maximises the health of my fruits and vegetables is a tiny fraction of the budget-breaking required allopathic care after a breakdown of bodily well-being.

Not being addicted to any one dietary "ism". I supplement what I grow on a seasonal basis with an incorporation of oils, seeds, nuts and protein-abundant nutrients. These come not from Supermarket shelves, but from trusted local sources who use organic practices. In other words, I know where my food intake comes from, its freshness and its quality.

For me, there is an innate satisfaction of being able to walk out of my kitchen door and harvest from the garden a freshly picked meal. There is a familiarity with the food that simply cannot be found with similar produce and accompaniments displayed on the sterile shelving of a commercial market that was trucked in from hundreds if not thousand miles away.

So I get the ultimate win, win, win situation with better health through a better diet at a far less cost per meal. Not too surprisingly, almost everyone in my neighbours are doing the same thing on their property. Look around and perhaps you will find the same thing happening where you live. If not, I'd suggest that you get in front of the emerging parade and lead the way to better health.