Is regenerative healthcare the solution? After all, food is medicine.

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March 14, 2021

Although the United States is considered one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries, it’s certainly not the most healthy.

According to Bloomberg’s Global Health Index’s review of healthiest countries, we ranked 35th!! That is unacceptable. Sure we may be living longer, but are we healthier and happier than previous generations? According to the stats, we aren’t.

Only 12.2% of adults in the United States are metabolically healthy, meaning they have a normal waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglyceride levels, and HDL cholesterol levels and do not take any medication.
6 in 10 adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease.
4 in 10 adults in the United States have 2 or more chronic diseases.
1 in 2 people in the United States are taking at least one prescription drug.

We need to heal! We need to thrive, not just survive!

THERE MAY BE A SOLUTION. And it’s called REGENERATIVE HEALTHCARE.

Sure, I’ve heard of regenerative farming. And, I know the power of healing foods. I also know that toxins can decrease your health. But the term “regenerative healthcare” is new to me. It pulls it all together.

As Wendell Berry famously said: “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.” This is what needs to change.

This is such an in depth topic, but let’s take a quick look at the board stroke differences.

>>> Conventional Healthcare + Conventional Food

Diet consists of mostly processed foods that are high in sugar, hydrogenated fat, and synthetic additives; Prioritizes high crop yields and a long shelf life.
Contains 6-38% less nutrients compared to food 70 years ago due to depleted soils. This results in “hidden hunger”, lacking nutrients despite normal calorie intake.
Puts pollutants and toxins in the soil, the air, the water, and our bodies. This can lead to inflammation and a variety of chronic health issues.
General lack of exercise in the modern American lifestyle and considering the percentage of digital tasks and jobs are on the rise.
Treat symptoms with pharmaceutical drugs.

>>> Regenerative Healthcare

Diet consists of naturally made, properly prepared, minimally processed, and fermented foods that are low sugar, contain healthy fats, and are easily digestible.
Produces nutrient-dense foods from nutrient-dense and biodiverse soils. A body will get what it needs to be healthy and feel full appropriately.
A holistic approach to farming that does not require toxins or anything synthetic.
Exercise is essential and prescribed for healing.
Treat illnesses holistically while addressing the root issue, only using pharmaceutical drugs when absolutely necessary.

Maybe it’s time for a new perspective...

How do you feel about your health? What are you doing to become healthier? Is regenerative healthcare part of your plan?

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Info sourced from:

https://worldhealth.net/news/bloombergs-global-health-index-2020/
https://beingbrigid.com/regenerative-healthcare/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30484738/
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/15/technology-is-dramatically-invading-nearly-all-us-jobs-even-lower-skilled-occupations.html

Opinion

Health and Nutrition

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

Is regenerative healthcare the solution? After all, food is medicine.

Although the United States is considered one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries, it’s certainly not the most healthy.

THERE MAY BE A SOLUTION. And it’s called REGENERATIVE HEALTHCARE.

>>> Conventional Healthcare + Conventional Food

>>> Regenerative Healthcare

How do you feel about your health? What are you doing to become healthier? Is regenerative healthcare part of your plan?

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Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566