SPIRITUAL FOOD FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
1-888-384-9642  or   301-654-4899
4217 East-West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814

VOL II, No. 2                                                                                                   Winter, 2000

I am very sorry we have not been answering or returning phone calls. The following is an explanation we owe to all of you and my response to what I consider an action of the Demeter Association, Inc. demanding that we stop using the word "biodynamic" unless it has a trademark symbol (®) attached, accusing us of deceiving practices, and forbidding use of the word biodynamic for any products that are not Demeter Certified . Hopefully, you will understand that had we tried to give this elaborate explanation one-on-one too many hours would have been spent on the phone. 
.

The title is written in big capital letters as a reminder and a response to those words of advice that some good intentioned people gave. They said to forget about the words biodynamic and Demeter-use other similar words and continue the mail order service. It is appropriate to recall at this point the origin of our involvement in biodynamics. I was not interested in selling food, the reason for stepping in and taking the responsibility of food distribution was primarily to allow people to have even a token of biodynamic food, so that through their own experience they could understand the differences from commercial food and consequently be committed to the support of biodynamics. It was totally an educational effort aimed at implementing a responsible market for biodynamic food and a grassroots initiative to further the development of biodynamic farms. This is in line with the educational purpose of our "School of Life" society.

It is my belief that the food grown according to guidelines given by Rudolf Steiner is spiritually enhancing, consistent with our mission and the work to which we have dedicated our lives. It was therefore very shocking to receive, out of the blue, a letter accusing me of deceiving practices, and threatening me with consequences if we didn't stop immediately using all of our literature - as if we were repeat offenders or as if we had refused to do so at an earlier request.

We had been working for almost three years without a change in practices and both the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc. (BDA) and the Demeter Association, Inc. had our service on their websites knowing exactly the way we were operating. Our price list explains very clearly the criteria used for classification of the farms into Demeter Certified, non-certified and organic by members of the Advisory Board. Therefore, my immediate reaction to the letter was that it must be a misunderstanding. I called Chuck Beedy, Executive Director of the BDA, to explore the meaning of the letter; he said he knew nothing and was unpleasantly surprised, and, that he would talk to Anne Mendenhall of the Demeter Association who wrote the letter and get back to me. The next call was to suggest I speak with Demeter's lawyer and send a letter of response to Demeter. The lawyer was not aware of this decision either and offered to speak with her client, the result of which was that we received a second letter insisting that we stop using the word biodynamic for any product that is not certified by Demeter.

It was now clear that there was no "misunderstanding." The next thought then was that Ahrimanic forces were determined to inflict a serious blow to our service in the form of a lawsuit with unpredictable financial consequences. Still I decided to proceed cautiously, and requested advice from the members of our Advisory Boards. While waiting for their reply and considering that I would be out of the country for several weeks, not knowing what kind of action could be taken in my absence, the safest thing was to suspend our activities in order to assess the situation, and alert all parties of what seems a serious threat to the biodynamic movement. The accusations of deceiving practices are unsustainable. (See note below)

The real transgression is that the word biodynamic had been bought by the Demeter Corporation and can be used only under their conditions backed by trademark law. SFNM is evidently the first target of a persecution to restrain the use of the word biodynamic unless it is used to benefit the Demeter Corporation. Demeter represents mainly large farms that can afford to pay for certification. For years we have been suggesting to Demeter to find ways to make it financially feasible for small farms and CSA's to obtain some form of recognition. That has not happened, but on the contrary we are faced with the present situation, where small farms or others will not even be allowed to use the word biodynamic anymore, unless to render benefits to the Corporation.

In ordinary terms this means that the word biodynamic with all its history and significance has been kidnapped and made available only to those who can afford to pay the ransom. 

This is a far cry from what we had envisioned when we stepped in to provide the mail order service. This action is modeled after the same corporations that Demeter itself criticizes like Monsanto, etc. It is playing the game of an economic order that spiritually minded individuals should not buy into. I must say that it is not fair to lump all corporations under one label and that present-day corporations are responding to a need and still have a role to play. However, spiritually minded people should have different parameters and should certainly not follow their behavior.

I have no intention of telling people what to do, but certainly it is our prerogative to decide if our organization should be part of this. The answer is no. The booklet Peaceful Revolution very clearly defines the intent of developing a new social and economic order. I believe that this concept is in agreement with Dr. Rudolf Steiner's ideas, which is the motivation to participate in such an effort. To follow the route of competitive marketing with its throat cutting practices is certainly not part of our work. This has been expressed previously to the Demeter Corporation and the BDA. It is not my intention to change because of threats, especially now after my return from India where it was very refreshing and affirming to revisit the ashram of the great guru Swami Sivananda. He never allowed any of his hundreds of books or writings to be copyrighted - what a contrast! Also, walking along the banks of the river Ganges beyond the holy city of Rishikesh, I watched sages perform ascetic practices to further their spiritual development on a portion of land allotted to each by the local government at no cost to them. Each one has in their space everything they own which is only the basic survival objects. Even food is provided to them by the community. What a beautiful example of reverence to support those who are offering their lives for the common good. It reminded me of some of the dedicated farmers I have come to know.

Seeing millions of people in the Kumbha Mela using their time and resources to enhance their spiritual development instead of their bank accounts became a source of hope and convinced us, upon reading the many letters and voices of support and encouragement, to continue with the mail order service removing the words biodynamic and Demeter. Instead the words sattwic and pure food will be the identifying terms for the offerings of Spiritual Food for the New Millennium.

Presently, we are working with like-minded souls to restructure operations. Besides the change of language, Shanti Yoga Parsed and SFNM will merge, and, a system of awards to replace the certification of farms working with our project will be incorporated. This system is based on trust and abundance rather than distrust and scarcity. (A proposal on this award system was sent to the BDA, before my departure to India, which would allow small farms, CSA's etc. to participate.) It also means changing the logo, price lists, web page, etc., all of which demand time. We ask you to favor us with your patience a bit longer until we can resume the service.

To summarize, until or unless the word biodynamic is restored to the public domain where it belongs, we will not subject our educational efforts to benefit corporate goals. I do not claim to hold the truth and may be totally wrong but as long as my conscience dictates my actions they will be directed into what may be considered an outlandish proposition: to establish a new way of doing business dictated by the spirit and not the dollar. SFNM will not follow conventional marketing procedures. Its purpose is to transfer the profits to those who generate the food. We look forward to a multiplication of small farms to serve their immediate communities where possible, and to avoid costly processing, transporting and denaturing operations. We support a joint effort of farmers and consumers in bringing about this new form of doing business.

The small farms are fighting for survival. A grassroots movement grown out of idealism can create a market of enlightened people that can support the small farms and bring about the social and economic transformation that is to be expected from the new era humanity is entering. As I see it now, the biodynamic movement is no more. There cannot be a movement owned by a single proprietor even if it is a corporation that uses the word "Association" as part of its name.

We will inform you when we resume the service. Until then, may peace be with you,

Om Shanti,

Victor Landa

1. Heinz Grotzke: pioneer of biodynamic farming in the USA and treasurer of the BDA; member of the Board of Directors of the BDA.

2. Hugh Courtney: Director of the Josephine Porter Institute and board member of the BDA.

3. Harold Hoven: member of the Board of Directors of the BDA, running a very well established and recognized CSA in California.

4. Walter Goldstein, Ph.D., biodynamic researcher/educator, staff member at the Michael Fields Institute of Agriculture and farmer.

5. Gunther Hauk: master beekeeper and Director of the Pfeiffer Institute, offering workshops in biodynamics around the USA.

6. Charlotte Dukich: also a pioneer in biodynamics in the USA, along with her husband Peter Dukich. They are great promoters and instructors of biodynamic farming.

7. Harvey Lisle: pioneer in biodynamic farming and author of The Enlivened Rock Powders.

If it were not absurd it would be flattering to think that I could outsmart this select group of experts in order to deceive the consumers.

Furthermore the deception would be to benefit whom? Spiritual Food for the New Millennium has no profit or benefit from the service, it is Karma Yoga or selfless service. As for the small farmer, so far sales are not significant to support any one farmer much less a group of them. On the contrary theirs is a labor of love, it is going the extra mile, to buy a cardboard box, prepare it and drive it to UPS or the post office for shipping. Only a farmer really committed to the biodynamic movement is capable of taking up this extra work. Those who do, it is because they know they are planting the seeds of expansion for biodynamic food. Therefore to accuse them of taking over the earnings of the big farms, the ones that can afford to be Demeter certified, is really outlandish. To decry our activities as affecting the income of large concerns follows no reason. When we initially contacted the larger Demeter certified farmers, they said to talk with their distributors who in turn said they could only talk to us if we were to deal with "containers" i.e. thousands of pounds per shipment. To say that the few boxes shipped by mail is affecting the earnings of those Demeter represents is out of proportion as it is out of proportion to feel chastised for taking away business. 

According to reliable reports, organic food takes no more than 4% of the food industry in the USA and biodynamic is but a small fraction of that. Are we arguing over crumbs? At this time in Europe there are more and more organic farms and less and less biodynamic. Is this the way to make the movement grow?

The small farms are the life of the biodynamic movement. Needless to say that a small farm is more reasonable on a human scale even though it doesn't go with the principle of "economies of scale." This is what Dr. Steiner recommended for a farm to become a living organism.

September 29th thru Oct. 1st - Mid Atlantic Biodynamic Conference in Charleston, WV. For the third year Spiritual Food had a table at this educational event for biodynamic farmers and growers. It's wonderful to be around farmers and gardeners who really appreciate biodynamic food.

October 13th -14th Annual Meeting of Anthroposophical Society Held in Baltimore, MD The title of the meeting was What is Our Role In Contemporary Culture? Spiritual Food for the New Millennium was pleased to provide a biodynamic meal for the General Council. The meal was prepared by The Basic Feast, a dahrma enterprise owned and operated by Monica Corrado and Jennifer Gillispie. All of the meals at the conference were catered by The Basic Feast and prepared with biodynamic and organic food. SFNM had a display table, giving participants who didn't previously know about Spiritual Food for the New Millennium the opportunity to learn about the availability of this food. There were many people who were excited and grateful for this information, some even expressing an interest in our local CSA.

October 14th Weston A Price Foundation held a workshop in Annapolis, MD. Sally Fallon gave a dynamic presentation on nutrition and inspired many people to order the biodynamic dairy products.

October 29th Spiritual Food for the New Millennium held a workshop on Steiner's Vision and Children's Nutrition at the Baltimore Waldorf School. Guest speakers were Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions; Barbara Sullivan, who with her husband Kerry, operates a biodynamic CSA in Kimberton, Pennsylvania and Rose Lord, owner of Cornucopia Café and publisher of Cornucopia News. The goal of the workshop was to enlighten as to the deficiencies in the standard western diet and offer information on how parents can provide their children with a healthier and more vital diet through biodynamically grown food. A continental breakfast and delicious buffet lunch were prepared with biodynamic ingredients by The Basic Feast. Biodynamic food products were also available for purchase. Attendees were most enthusiastic with a number of people signing up to join the CSA. It is the Advisory Board's intention to offer more workshops in the future.

November 4th - Spiritual Food participated in the Spirit of the Earth Symposium in Baltimore

November 18th - the Washington Waldorf School held their Fall Festival. Spiritual Food for the New Millennium and The Basic Feast had side by side tables giving people the opportunity to learn about biodynamic food and how they can get it and sample some of the wonderful dishes that can be made from it.

The Bethesda CSA, part of the Camp Hill Village, Kimberton Hills CSA in Pennsylvania is hoping to expand to 75 shares in the coming season. We are also anticipating placing an apprentice in Kimberton to help with the CSA and related activities. From that region we presently buy cheese, fruit spread, fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer, milk for Maryland customers, bread from the Camphill bakery (newest product), and surplus produce from the Sullivan CSA for both our CSA and the mail order service. For the year 2000 the Bethesda branch of the CSA bought over $9000 worth of bidoynamic food from other farmers to supplement the vegetables from Camphill's garden.

Operation Rescue, the program that helps biodynamic farmers with a surplus of product on their hands to sell that product to registered participants at a reasonable price, was put into effect for two of our participating farms this past season. A dual effort was made in November to help Long Hungry Creek Farm in Tennessee and Fertile Hills Farm in Missouri. Long Hungry Creek had a surplus of sweet potatoes and butternut squash and Operation Rescue received orders for over 1000 pounds of the squash and sweets. It was popcorn that was in abundance at Fertile Hills Farm and Operation Rescue was able to help out with sales of 350 lbs. The results of this effort were very positive in terms of reconnecting with customers and giving them the opportunity to support a farm and in terms of actual sales for the farmers. Special thanks to our CSA members Colleen Langdon and Anka Banks for the many hours of phone calls they made. Colleen had this to say about her work on this behalf:

"I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to work on the Operation Rescue project. I was deeply touched by the response of the members as I called them to ask for their help in supporting these farmers with their surplus of food. When I first started calling, I had no idea how far reaching this project was. I called members all over the United States and everyone was so thrilled to have the opportunity to help these biodynamic farmers. It was an incredible feeling to hear their passion and support for biodynamic farming and for truly healing the earth. It filled me with a renewed commitment also. Many people spoke of their gratitude and respect for the farmers and Shanti Yoga for assisting in such an important project in bringing nutrient-rich, living food to so many people."

We at Spiritual Food were grateful for the pleasure of calling in these orders to the farmers.

As a Chiropractor and Applied Kinesiology Diplomate, I use muscle testing to determine if a person is sensitive to food. I start by finding an intact muscle and then place the food I am testing on the person's tongue. If the food is okay for that person then the muscle stays strong. If the food is inappropriate the strong muscle will then weaken.

I have tested a number of patients who were sensitive to white sugar. Invariably these patients are sensitive to most fruits including organic fruits.

I have then tested the biodynamic fruits (raisins, apples, peaches, blueberries and pears) with these organic fruit sensitive individuals. They all were not sensitive to the biodynamic fruit.

Why is this? I am not sure except that the biodynamic fruit probably has something that is not in the organic fruit. The organic fruit may be lacking in some enzymes/nutrition that should be there.

Another reason to use biodynamic products. I tell all my patients that to achieve better health they need to improve their diets, and biodynamic food is one way to do that!

Robert A. Ozello, D.C., DIBAK

For the past several nights I've been shelling black beans. Hours of my time have been spent snapping these brittle husks to try and fill what seems to be a bottomless bowl. It's not like I'm creating any economic stability for my family here. Let's say that I could shell three pounds of beans in an hour (which I can't). I can buy organic beans for $.80 a pound. That would give me a net worth of $2.40 an hour and that doesn't include spreading compost, planting, cultivating and harvesting. So why waste my time? Several reasons really. First, it feels right. Work the ground, add some seed, water, light, work and love and I've got nourishment for my family through the winter. Second, bens are an important rotation crop for the fields. Third, I do not believe that I can even buy beans of this quality. Besides the biodynamic preps, I've known and tended them their entire life. Fourth, it's real, or I should say it grounds me. It brings me closer to reality. If we run out of oil, if our economy should fail, if the lights of the city flicker and are extinguished, I'll still plant beans for the winter. And fifth, I have rarely seen the true correlation between the actual value of real food and the work that it takes to create it reflected in its actual price.

Some things cannot be expressed in terms of monetary value. Their worth actually transcends it. It is both priceless and free depending upon the circumstances.

There are three life industries in our society, farming, healers and environment. (A healthy environment is constantly refreshing our air and filtering our water, among other benefits. It is definitely working for us and this is why I name it here as an industry.) The products of these three industries are a right for every living being and therefore they are not subject to the stiff confines imposed by an economic price tag. Each one of these systems should support the other. These systems and all systems thrive and prosper on balance. With the degradation of our food, air and water, we have created an incredibly prosperous medical industry. In the present system food production and the environment do not support each other at all, as the poor quality of our food and environment actually elevates the medical industry. This is what we are now experiencing.

I list healers as one of these industries, yet in fact, all of these systems are responsible for health. The environment is responsible for all of the material needs of all living creatures. Food is a medicine also; we can see this directly from the early sailors who got scurvy from a lack of vitamin C, though a balanced diet is only part of it. The rest lies in the vitality of the food. In this way farmers are healers also, and take care of the day-to-day health of the people. While the eystem that we call healers takes care of the imbalances of individuals due to spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical influences.

The problems of the imbalance of these systems arose first when we viewed farmers as mere laborers. Labor was viewed increasingly as an undesirable position to be in, so we increasingly sought out money and power to escape this fate. Farmers quickly found themselves at the bottom of this "peasant" class and there they remain.

The environment should never be greatly degraded for the sole purpose of monetary gain. It should be obvious to us that it is of a far greater benefit to us as a refresher of life and should be treated as such.

Healers should heal out of love and the love for health and not for material gain. In return the society should always see to it that the healer is always cared for. It is easy to see that a drug company, who has an annual profit in the millions, profits off of disease and not health.

So now we come to the farmer. I have yet to meet a biodynamic or organic farmer who has not sent dozens of hundreds of visitors off with a free bag of produce. I have also yet to see a stockbroker who has sent visitors off with a few IBM stocks, or a carpenter who has a box of wooden knick knacks he gives away, or a hardware store owner who gives away screwdrivers. It's not that farmers are more generous than other people. My point is that it is the very nature of farming to produce an abundance of food and to feed people. Yet it is the least cared for profession in our society. As our economic growth has risen in the last 50 years, farm incomes have steadily decreased. Corn prices this week were $1.92 a bushel; in 1917 it was as high as $2.17 a bushel.

If an economy is thriving then small numerous farms should be thriving. In this way when an economy fails, and it eventually always does, farmers will then have thriving vibrant farms that can supply society with little benefit to themselves. If farms have to struggle through times of prosperity, will they support the society in its time of need? Or as is the case, small working farms simply are not there anymore. We have entrusted our food security to corporations and a food source that is thousands of miles away.

This is why my wife Christy and I have created a non-profit organization called Rural Center for Responsible Living. The main objective of the Rural Center is to craate working models of food production using biodynamic and organic principals that will nourish the whole of the human experience. Our work is focused primarily to meet the needs locally and regionally of the central Kentucky and Tennessee areas. The organization is founded to work towards the following objectives.

· Demonstrate sustainable agricultural practices using organic and biodynamic farming methods

· Promote health as nutrition based on fresh produce, whole grains, meats, eggs and dairy products raised according to organic and biodynamic principals, paired with holistic healing practices

· Generate consumer awareness and inspiration through farm visits, workshops, conferences and the dissemination of information

· Support and participate in environmental/grassroots organizing efforts

· Create opportunities for the existence of a new associative economics

The idea to start the Rural Center came about from public interest in what we are doing here on our farm. We quickly found ourselves dealing with a couple hundred phone calls/visitors each year, answering questions about topics as diverse as herbal m4edicine, spirituality and aphid control on tobacco (this is Kentucky). We've held numerous field days, assisted in many conferences, assisted extension farms and have traveled throughout the Ky/Tenn area to speak at various events. Yet in the last ten years of disseminating information there has always been one element missing, actual working models. Systems in which farmers can get a fair price and consumers have access to high quality local food.

We have been working on several projects to shorten or eliminate the gap between the field and the frying pan and we also have some ideas in the works for farmer owned/managed processing. Though ultimately it all depends upon what we want as a people.

In Love and Light, Chris
October 2000

For more information about projects of Rural Center for Responsible Living
the Korrows can be reached at
2000 Bullridge Road
Burkesville, KY 42717
By e-mail dogwoodspring@hotmail.com
Visit their website at www.dogwoodspringfarm.com

Editor's Note: In the last issue we featured an excerpt from Pamela Perkins' intriguing article about kindergarten age children and their nutrition consciousness. Miss Perkins discussed the importance of rhythmical activities in the school and home life of a young child, specifically in relation to their dietary habits (such as the setting of the table, preparation of regular weekly foods and the telling of fairy tales in relation to the specific food being prepared). She noted how dietary rhythms can also be related to cosmic activity. In this excerpt she discusses the cosmic influences on specific grains.

Rice as well as being subject to the effects of the sun, has a very strong relationship to the moon, growing in water over which element the moon rules: ebb and flow alternates with the rhythm of the moon. Hence young rice shoots stand awash in the rising and falling of the water. The protein in rice permeates the entire seed body; it is high in calcium, easily digestible, and strengthens the life forces of the human organism rather than stimulating a wakeful consciousness. "Rice interwoven with light and water, with its loosely bound panicle is not as strongly connected with the forces of the earth as wheat, rye and barley." Otillie Zeller in his work, Reis, dea Getreide Asiens, comments, "these people (the Asians) have a deep and rich soul life; they work hard at planting and watering rice by hand with a great skill both industrious and playful."

Organically or if possible, biodynamically grown medium grain rice, delicately flavored with paprika and lightly salted towards the end of cooking, can be served in countless ways and lends itself well to all seasonal vegetables. Try serving it up in small ice cream scoop balls, or substituting it for pasta, a refined product, in vegetable soup. In classic Chinese and other languages of southeast Asia the word for "rice" and "nourishment" is the same.

As rice has a strong connection with the moon, so does wheat with its dependency on light and warmth show its special relationship to the sun. Indeed today wheat is cultivated worldwide, and its sowing and harvesting follows the path of the sun through the seasons. Hence in the course of the year it is always wheat harvest time somewhere on the earth. Here we have the archetypal light-filled fruit of the sun, whose effects in man are harmonious and balanced over all the organs. Nowadays many people experience allergies to wheat and, as food for thought, one might wonder if the genetic manipulation and intensive hybridization of the original forms of wheat are causative factors, - or the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides as residues, refining and processing, or simply deficient nutrients due to impoverished soil. A host of other influences may come into play for the allergy sufferer (an ever increasing number of whom are children), but these are beyond the scope of this article.

Among the three basic forms of wheat stands spelt, which has general availability in health food stores and through food cooperatives in the form of grain, flour, couscous, pasta, baked goods, and cereal flakes (ask for special orders if not on the shelf in your local store). Many persons sensitive to wheat can readily tolerate spelt; indeed many people without allergies prefer its delicious flavor, its digestibility and the fact that spelt plants vigorously resist all hybridization attempts and fertilization by artificial means: it remains an un-tampered with, naturally grown whole grain. On the practical side, one will find that products made with spelt flour - bread or pastries - will have a softer crumb than those made with durum wheat. The benefits or using it justify a little patient experimentation.

[In the fall] The kindergartener stands as it were on a threshold between dreaming and consciousness; in the outer world the nature beings now draw back from summer's enchantment into the crystalline depths of mother earth. Our grain and harvest are stored, waiting to be alchemically blended with human warmth of heart and hearth. Love and wonder bubble up from the child's fountain of life in response to the myriad of small miracles which fill each day. Outside, the trees lay down autumn's final golden carpet. Then all Earth sleeps until the light of Advent shines into winter's depths.

If we have done our tasks aright, then the seeds of the child's early years, ripened through imitation, may now safely slumber in the dark quiet of each child's soul to later awaken into heartfelt consciousness and awe for the world around him.

"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg. And in the highest vision of a soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities." James Allen

I would like to let you all know that I brought in an excellent popcorn crop, and all of you who have been waiting for it can purchase it until the 900 pounds is exhausted. Thanks to efforts expended last summer on reclaiming an old combine, efficiency and ease of harvesting have ensued.

As you know it has been my intention in these short visits with you to express to you my understanding of bio-dynamic agriculture. I cannot stress often enough to you the need of reading and studying the Agriculture Course personally. Steiner lays it all out for your perusal. I, myself, am incapable of improving upon his work, but there still may be some questions. I would like to volunteer to attempt to answer in these pages any questions you might have. I am in no way connected with any official arm of bio-dynamics, but I have had some years of experience. I will be straight forward and honest in attempting to give satisfying answers.

Please send any questions to me at the following address:

Richard Okorn
2146 Old Santa Fe Trail
Napoleon, MO 64074
Or
Telephone 816-934-2771

Editor's Note: Due to limited space we have had to shorten several articles and are unable to include Richard Okorn's entire piece. Our sympathies go out to Richard regarding his present difficulties along with our sincere wishes that his family will soon be reunited.

Sekem is a hieroglyphic word that means Life Force that comes from the sun. The Sekem initiative constitutes a number of biodynamic farms in Egypt with the oldest and main farm located in Belbes, 60 Km. northeast of Cairo. Established by Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977, the initiative has been working to develop biodynamic methods of agriculture that will effectively work in the Egyptian climate. The farms are currently producing a wide variety of high quality agricultural products which are certified biodynamic by Demeter. Demeter was the first organization worldwide to certify organic produce and is still the only label that is recognized as genuinely biodynamic.

Sekem is not just an agricultural project. In their communities the participants are striving to apply Rudolph Steiner's principals of the threefold order of society, (the economic, social and cultural) to contemporary Egyptian society. As stated on the website, www.sekem.com, "Sekem strives to create modern social forms, so that man can carry out his responsibility towards nature, mankind and community….Sekem seeks to enhance and bring about a greater integration of the Arts, Religion and Sciences, by establishing and promoting institutions related to education, applied research and health care." Children's education, handicap programs and vocational training are also an integral part of the Sekem program, whose goal is to help all of their employees and their families to realize their full potential in society. Consistent with this goal, Sekem employees earn a higher than average wage for this area of the world.

Many of the products grown on the Sekem farms are distributed by Oskri, a small but growing distribution center located just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A company that revolves around a concern for the environment and the small farmer, Oskri handles biodynamically grown products from Egypt and several other countries. All Oskri products are 100% biodynamically certified by Demeter. Products are sold directly to the consumer and through co-op food stores.

Oskri has recently initiated its own Organic Community Farming project on a one-acre plot of land in Mequon, Wisconsin. The area was divided into 20 lots with each lot being distributed, free of charge, to families or individuals who were interested in doing some organic gardening. Each person or family is entitled to grow whatever they choose, as long as only organic methods are used. Some guidance and community tools are provided. The goal is to add a second acre for the next growing season.

More information is available on Oskri's website www.oskri.com,
or via e-mail info@oskri.com.

For the past twenty-five years we have been warned about the hazards of eating too much refined sugar. Yet, sugar consumption continues to rise like a hot air balloon. And, at this time of the year sugary sweets seem to be in your face every time you turn around.

We all love sugar, some of us more than others. And, we will often go to great lengths to get that little bit of sweetness in our lives, even while trying to avoid it. This is evidenced by our inclination to use artificial sweeteners and to buy sweets labeled, Sugar-Free" or "No Sugar Added."

Sugar is what makes chocolate taste so good (Did you ever taste unsweetened cocoa?) and lemonade and cookies and jam and peanut brittle and soda pop and maple syrup and caramel and on and on and on. To paraphrase a song, "How can something so bad taste so good?" Sugar is, after all, one of the carbohydrates and aren't many of the health and nutrition books now on the market promoting diets high in complex carbohydrates? If complex carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugar, then why not just eat the sugar? After all, sugar has only 4 calories per gram just like protein, and starches, not that whopping 9 calories per gram of fats. So what's the problem?

When most of us think of sugar, we are actually thinking about sucrose. Sucrose is the ingredient that is extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets and processed to produce white granulated sugar. That's the stuff that we put in our coffee and tea, the same stuff that's added to so many processed foods and used to sweeten baked goods. Sucrose is actually found in a wide variety of plant foods and, in its natural, unaltered state, is combined with many other nutrients. But, white table sugar which has been extracted from the plant, heated, bleached and other wise processed, is approximately 99% sucrose.

Simple sugars such as sucrose and fructose - the sugar found in sweet fruits, are quickly converted to glucose and transported into the bloodstream, creating several distinct reactions. One is a sudden demand for insulin. Insulin carries the sugar from the bloodstream to each cell where it is used as fuel. In diabetics, in whom there is either not enough insulin or the insulin is not working properly, the sugar just stays in the bloodstream. Since the cells of a diabetic do not get enough glucose the person often feels tired and hungry. The long term affects of this lack of glucose to the cells can be quite serious including heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage and even blindness.

People who are not diabetic can also suffer ill effects from having too much refined sugar in their diets. For one thing, the body uses up vitamins and minerals in the process of metabolizing sugar. When too much sugar is consumed, especially in relation to other nutrients, those vitamins and minerals can become depleted. Some studies have suggested that sugar also promotes calcium depletion to the extent that it increases the risk of kidney stones. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, depression, mood swings and, of course, tooth decay have also been linked to sugar intake. Research has indicated that excessive use of refined sugar may even contribute to colon cancer.

So how can we reduce the risk of developing some of these very serious conditions associated with the use of sugar and still satisfy the old sweet tooth? First of all we can cut way back on, or even eliminate, refined white sugar from our diets. It is possible to learn to use other kinds of sweeteners. Honey may be the first alternative that comes to mind but, although it does contain some minerals and enzymes and, in that respect, may be a better choice than white sugar, it actually has more calories than sugar and is assimilated into the bloodstream just about as quickly. Brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses added. Speaking of molasses, you may want to try Blackstrap Molasses which provides a substantial amount of calcium, iron and potassium. The taste may take some getting used to and I wouldn't put it in coffee but it's good on hot cereal. Barley malt syrup is a nice alternative. Extracted from sprouted, roasted barley, it has a very pleasant taste, is only 50% sugar (maltose) and comes with a full compliment of nutrients. Rice syrup is very similar to barley malt. Either one is excellent on pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, and fruit. Fructose is a sugar extracted from fruit. It's actually sweeter than sucrose and goes into the bloodstream just as quickly. However, it may be a better choice for diabetics since it doesn't seem to make the same demand for insulin. Turbinado sugar (sometimes marketed as "raw sugar") is somewhat less processed than white sugar but a better alternative is Sucanat. This is the brand name for unrefined cane juice powder. It's only 82% sucrose as opposed to white sugar's 99% and it contains far more minerals and other nutrients, including protein, vitamin A, Vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, calcium, phosphorus, chromium, iron and zinc.

There is yet another alternative to using highly refined white sugar and that is a substance called Stevia. Stevia is available in powder or liquid. It's derived from an herb that grows in South America. Many times sweeter than sugar, only 1-3 drops of the liquid is required to sweeten a cup of coffee or tea. Stevia has no known side effects and actually seems to suppress the development of tooth decay Some studies have shown it to have a beneficial effect on regulating blood sugar.* What's more, this sweetener, which has been used extensively in South America and Japan, has virtually no calories.

Unfortunately, both Sucanat and Stevia are usually only available in health food stores and tend to be pretty costly. Here are two products that require far less processing than white sugar and are apparently much better for us, but cost so much more. Go figure.

I've saved the artificial sweeteners, Nutra Sweet and Equal for last.  Both products consist of aspartame, which is a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. In two independent studies this substance was originally reported to cause brain damage. However, the findings were refuted by the Food and Drug Administration's own board of inquiry. Some studies have also concluded that aspartame lowers the acidity of the urine, making the urinary tract more susceptible to infection. Aspartame is an unnatural substance and, in the opinion of this writer, it's always better to go with what nature has provided for us. In the case of sweeteners, a moderate amount of natural sweetener is probably the best way to satisfy your sugar craving.

*Diabetics and anyone else who has a medical reason for monitoring their intake of sugar should, of course, check with their physician about any substitutions.

Back to Previous Issues         Back to Spiritual Food

4217 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6759; fax: 301-654-2702
toll free: 888-384-9642
email: spiritualfood@schooloflife.org