Road to Disaster

Road To Disaster
When I moved to Alaska in 1968 the Kenai Peninsula had only one road to Anchorage from here, and it was two-lane, no shoulders, rough, dark half the year, and wound around through 2 mountain ranges, which had a marked post measuring snowfall of 20-30 feet each winter.

So, in the Fall, everyone just made the trip to Anchorage to stock up on food and supplies for the winter, because if you didn’t, and if a moose didn’t fall on your porch, you might be stuck eating sticks and twigs. The road has improved, and more stores have come to our area, so stocking up has gotten lax.

Last winter I was reviewing my disaster storage food supply. It dawned on me that the very first thing I had purchased to see me through the hard times was 4 cases of coffee. Whoa. That can’t be good. But the realization started me thinking of where I was, health-wise, and where I needed to be, never mind what might happen if the road closed by avalanche or whatever.

I wonder how many times I can look at some piece of advice and not have it enlighten me, but then one day, a light bulb comes on. My meat and milk diet was a road to disaster. The vegetable factor, same information that I had been seeing for years, suddenly becomes relevant and takes over. Eat more vegetables; you hear it your whole life. Weight loss articles, arthritis advice, sleeplessness, energy, Candida, diabetes, cancer, stroke, allergies, and cholesterol: all authors agree that some amount of extra vegetables could help you out. Oh, and please eliminate dairy products and meat.

This is harsh advice to a gal who was raised on a farm, ate home-raised beef and bacon, salt cured ham, and milked cows for ten years with her bare hands. No butter! No milk! What about calcium? That can’t be right. Years of denial can do that to you.

Then one day all the facts line up, and a plant based diet suddenly makes sense. Vegetables are in, meat and dairy are out. Suddenly sticks and twigs seem like the best plan. High nutrient vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds make better health sense. And dry beans store well, much better than steaks and chops and burger meat when the power goes out, which it always does for a few days in September storms blow trees on the power wires, and November when heavy snow breaks down the system, and January for one resaon or another.

Our road to disaster is wider now, the the pantry has different food in it, but essentially nothing has really changed.

Till next time,
Haylady
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