The Journey of a Thousand Steps
Like tons and tons of muddy water working its way down the Mississippi River, millions of Americans don’t realize their health is moving slowly toward a day of reckoning.
An entire planet of people needs to “heal thyself.”
Take cancer for starters: Males have one-in-two chance of developing cancer in their lifetime and a one-in-four chance of dying from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Women are a bit better off: they have a one-in-three chance of developing cancer including a one-in-five chance of dying from breast, ovarian, or other types of cancers.
As grim as these odds are, heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Diabetes, gallbladder disease, liver disease, and osteoarthritis are other afflictions leading to pain and suffering and shortened life expectancy. Autoimmune diseases are being diagnosed in record numbers. Childhood diseases are on the rise as well. It’s an ugly picture of degeneration.
When I was born, there was the expectation that I would grow up healthy and live a long, vibrant life, just like anyone else. At the age of nineteen, however, I became a casualty of the modern system of degeneration.
I survived through God’s grace, and ever since, I feel compelled to help others overcome their health challenges. As I look around, though, I see how the civilized areas of our planet are falling prey to the modern scourge of degeneration that we’re all born into. We must take deliberate steps to improve our health and save our planet.
Our bodies mirror the degeneration happening all over our planet and we must “reverse the curse.” The advent of modern agriculture and modern medicine has done wonders to feed billions and extend our life expectancy, but many of the practices employ a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul mentality that does not bode well for our future or the future of our children.So what can we, as individuals, do to fix this system of degeneration that impacts each and every one of us?
A lot more than you think, and you can start by following the Get Real 10—ten important steps or standards that will guide you as a productive citizen of planet Earth and a consumer of goods to feed yourself.These are ten steps that you can employ with the selfish goal (okay, not so selfish when you consider how important you are to so many people) to improve the health of your body and, by virtue of that, begin to transform the health of our planet simultaneously.
The Get Real Ten
Eat real food.
Eat sprouted food.
Eat fermented food.
Eat organically grown and raised food.
Say no to foods that are genetically altered/containing GMOs.
Eat gluten-free.
Eat an abundance of plant-based foods.
Avoid and/or minimize common allergens in your diet.
Eat foods that are handcrafted or artisanal.
Purchase foods and other consumable items that are housed in eco-regenerative packaging, lightening the environmental impact on our planet and contributing to future soil building.
Please know that I practice what I preach, meaning if you came to my farm or visited my home, you’d see me following the Get Real 10 promises. But I’m also putting my mouth where my heart is. A small group of merry men, women, and myself have created the Heal the Planet Farm and the Heal the Planet Foundation within our Beyond Organic ranch. Our goal is to take several hundred certified organic acres and begin to heal the land by building topsoil, using permaculture, and employing holistic management and polycultural techniques of regenerative agriculture. By doing so, we can devote much of what we produce to feed and build our soil as well as feed and build up the local impoverished community. Now this is what I call a win-win.
We want to do our part to heal the planet and its people. We’re going to stop feeding chemicals to our children and the land and give back what they need, and we’re going to do that for the world to see. It’s time to regenerate and stop sustaining what’s not working.Join me in starting a revolution of regeneration! Sure, it is a daunting task, but as they say, the journey of a thousand steps begins with a single one.
