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LOL happygirl, “recalling” all the dairy we eat would not be a pretty picture! But, you never know, if someone stands to make massive amounts of money, then they might just try to convince us to buy imported dairy from China! God help us all….
Alfred, I think Nature is always trying to tell us something, but it might not be that we shouldn’t eat dairy. Ever wonder why yogurt doesn’t seem to affect those that supposedly have the lactose intolerance? It’s the active cultures (microorganisms) in the yogurt and what that does to the milk which helps us digest yogurt more easily. I do believe that we will be sanitizing ourselves right to our graves! We need beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract to digest our food and also to obtain vital nutrients from the food we eat, but with all of the antibiotics and sanitizing we do–we loose much of our intestinal flora and that makes us much more prone to getting all sorts of digestive problems and not have better health. I remember when pediatricians in CR used to tell my sister, let the baby play in the garden, it will help her immune system learn to live with bacteria and fight harmful ones that can truly make her sick. They don’t really say much of that anymore, but we need to share our bodies with microorganisms that can benefit us or we’ll end sharing it with the ones that will make us sick.
Don’t know about the homogenizing, I would imagine it was done more for looks and creating longer shelf life rather than health–Maravilla or Happygirl may have more info on that. As far as lactose intolerance, the percentage of the population affected varies according to ethnic group and it’s usually not a full inability to produce lactase, but more of a difficulty doing so (+/-70% for Hispanics/Southern Europeans/Jewish populations, 5% for Northern Europeans, 30% for Central Europeans, 25% for Northern Indians, 65% Southern Indians, 90% for Asians/Africans). In infants, a milk protein allergy is usually the culprit and it tends to be misdiagnosed as lactose intolerance. For adults, our bodies start to loose the capacity to produce/use lactase enzymes since childhood, but it doesn’t seem affect us until we’re adults. We need lactase to process lactose which is in all mammalian milk (in differing degrees–whether raw or pasteurized) and when we don’t have enough enzymes to break down the lactose, it goes directly into our intestines and causes the upset stomachs so typical of this problem. Yogurt is one of the dairy items that usually doesn’t bother people with lactose intolerance. Hope this helps Alfred…Pura Vida, Rebeca.
Maravilla: Give people a chance to digest how you’ve been living and all of the information you have to offer–they will come around….Even if they don’t always show it, you have given them a reason to question–one of the best things we can do for anyone stuck in our modern day illusions…it just takes time…
Happygirl: Aren’t they still your babies at any age? (LOL)….Mine is in college now and I can still see her in Suretka, Limon as a little 5 yr old running around with her newly made Bribri friends… :-] I can’t wait to be back in CR. Pura vida!
I hope you’re not referring to my post since I’ve never touted eating margarine (nor do I ever touch the stuff). When I mentioned Omega-6 oils, I clearly said that all Omega-6 oils are not alike or are you suggesting olive oil is bad for you because it has a ratio of 10:1 of Omega-6 to Omega-3? I cautioned for balance and to avoid lard due to the high proportions of an animal’s toxicity being left in that fat. Salmon, along with other fatty fish, happen to be great food sources, but due to the increasing contamination of our waters, it can also contain levels of mercury (among other things) that can harm us in the long run and really hurt a growing fetus if the mother ingests too much of it during her pregnancy! Although you may wish to think that all animal milk is created equal, it is not. The biochemical makeup of all lactating milk produced by various animals is quite different and meant specifically for that particular species. There are some animal’s milk that tend to be more compatible for infant consumption (when maternal milk is not available) such as goat’s milk and sometimes cow’s milk, as happygirl had wonderful results with cow’s milk, but raw or not, it evolved to benefit calves and human milk evolved to benefit human infants. Maravilla, you have so much wonderful information and experience growing your own food sources, why not use it to teach with humbleness instead of making fun of the ignorance you perceive in others? The organic farmers that I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with teach with example, humbleness and a conciliatory intelligence that makes their audience feel better not mocked by stating things like “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think” I really do respect the efforts and life you’re leading, I hope you will earnestly consider the question I pose to you…Con toda sinceridad y real afecto…
Your family has been very fortunate to still be able to have such immediate access to your food sources. You and all the people that are still able to do this really impress me (many in this forum and also outside of it). I am surprised that cow’s milk didn’t adversely affect the babies since their digestive system is so tender and meant to ingest human milk not cow’s milk, but I’m glad it worked out for them and has made them healthy and strong. As for the cholesterol issue, I think that big pharma has wanted us to buy into this and that’s exactly how they touted margarine, told everyone to avoid eating eggs and have made mega $$ with cholesterol lowering meds that have nasty little side effects. The healthy lifestyle you’re obviously leading and that of other people in this forum is what will continue to keep you and your children healthy. The cholesterol markers don’t tell the cardiovascular story as much as they originally thought they did. This is especially true for women–there are plenty, and the numbers are growing, of women that have had cholesterol levels within “normal” parameters and have suffered heart attacks. As for men, the whole story isn’t in but it seems that it’s worse for them to be under continuously high stress levels than to have high cholesterol or smoke. What is great news is that some studies are starting to correlate having a positive attitude (which means finding meaning & feeling you have learned something valuable from the difficult times in your life–not just going thru life oblivious to hardship) along with a flexible attitude can add 10 more years to your life! That’s more than you can hope to obtain when you stop smoking! So here’s to everyone’s good health and keep a positive mindset. Pura Vida!
Dear Jenny,
Thanksgiving is the best holiday to come from the US because of what it stood for and continues to stand for in most of our hearts. You have a wonderfully generous spirit and I hope that you have an amazingly blessed time preparing and enjoying this holiday with all the people that share a space in your heart and at your table. Thanks for making my day reading your post! I’m grateful for many things this year and knowing about your generosity is one of them. Gracias y Pura Vida…Hi crazyfnmama: This is a site that shows some of the organization of Costa Rican organic farmers (CATIE/EARTH/IICA have lent a hand). Those agricultural research/education orgs that have lent a hand have come a long way and are now supportive of the these local groups with education, resources, organizational support and much more. Anyway, it’s in English and will give you some info on the farmers, but I’m sure you will enjoy most meeting them as they are really great people that have had to work really hard to produce organically in CR. They’re proud of their journey and recognize some of their pitfalls. Like most Costa Ricans they are very generous and friendly people. Besides, they just love to talk about their work…Enjoy y Pura Vida…
http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/0603/cost_rica/slide_show/pg1.shtmlI don’t doubt that the company you work for has done many wonderful things, especially within US boundaries where they would NOT be allowed to get away with much of the issues they embrace abroad. However, it is NOT the case as to what transnationals have done in Latin America or any other “underdeveloped” (as they see it) country. You don’t have to take my word for it, in fact, don’t–do your own research. Who knows, miracles happen every day and maybe they will just decide out of the goodness of their hearts (or their CEOs heart) to be fair (as the locals would consider fair) to the community where they choose to reside. I sincerely mean this. I’m an optimist and I would never say never, I just delineated what HAS been the case. By the way, many times the actual damage has done has not been fully revealed until they have left so there’s are two time lines to research: how these companies have affected the local communities & country they opted to run their businesses out of (good, bad & net results–politically, environmentally, socially & economically) and the damages found after their departure.
As for the yacht, I was referring to going to Isla del Coco–it’s a requirement as only scientist and park personnel are allowed to stay on the island (well, until now–and it’s a really long & treacherous swim). You’re right, one of the many wonderful things Costa Rica has to offer is the availability of recreation at varying costs. By the way, something that has diminished as they have become more “developed.” In the 80s almost all families took at least 2-3 family vacations a year (during the dry season, Semana Santa & in July). That’s not the average case now, but many still can afford a bit of this. At least most still find a way to squeeze in some family vacation time throughout the year and I hope they continue to be able to enjoy their beautiful country.
Wow…70% sounds great, but only 25% of Costa Rica’s land is strongly protected as National Parks and that includes a decent size island (Isla del Coco) which is under great pressure to open up for tourism. The only reason that this island has remained somewhat protected is the distance from the mainland (few day boat ride), the inhospitable climate and that if you come to visit/snorkel/scuba (due to the massive amount of sea life there), then you must stay on your own yacht–not exactly your everyday tourist attraction. The remaining reserves and various other forms of lesser protected areas are under tremendous pressure from development, encroachments, concessions, contamination, hunting, poaching, logging and the list goes on! Diverse uses are allowed and the laws that “protect” these areas are a lot easier to manipulate than the ones that protect the national parklands. Sometimes it makes you cry to see the most massive and majestic trees being hauled off from “protected” areas–sometimes illegally and sometimes with permits.
As far as multinationals providing “employment that actually raises wages (isn’t the whole purpose of relocating to a lesser developed nation to get cheap labor & enhance profit?), reducing crime, increasing gov’t and telecommunication efficiency.” Well, that’s a tall order and I would like to know where they have done that before? Heck, I guess Enrons & the like, the mortgage sector, the banking sector, our own telecommunications industry, etc. are poster children for efficiency and honesty. There are a million books about how transnational companies have pillaged foreign communities and I’m absolutely sure that they will do whatever they can GET AWAY with for a profit. Social responsibility may be part of some of their mission statements, but very few corps actually abide by this–profit is the number one and only concern of most publicly traded companies–it’s their primary responsibility to their stockholders. When we say that a company has every right to do everything they can to make the most amount of money without setting forth limitations–that’s self deception. Frankly corps don’t have every right to do ANYTHING and when it comes down to it, we really don’t think they have this right if it goes against our moral grain. The proof is that if a multinational company today decided to literally blow up all of its competitors because this would undoubtedly give them larger profits, we would all be aghast and denounce such unscrupulous behavior. To me, its just as immoral for them to take advantage of any group of people simply because they CAN in order to make more money. We’re the ones that justify their behavior so it’s no wonder that it continues. As far as crime goes, every time an oil type company (or other transnational) enters a remote community in Latin America, that community becomes festered with prostitution, corruption and there is a rise in crime. Limon saw this happen in very remote mountainous areas and it was one of the reasons they wouldn’t allow Harken in just recently. So again, I would like to know which wonderful multinational company is going to give us the utopia you mention…….
As for how CAFTA will affect CR, time will tell, but be sure that even the Ticos/as that voted for this agreement will be watching to see how things are done and will make a change if they have to….Buenas noches…
May I just add, the available listing websites only provide available sales and typically will not give you the actual “sold” prices because it’s common practice in CR (although not legal) to record much lower sales prices to pay less taxes on the sale. As you know, you need to have “sold” values to accurately complete an appraisal and then you can use listings and pendings as a back up and to show current market trends. Basically, banks rely on projections based on construction costs (cost approach) and estimates of potential income, but they really cannot substantiate a comparable sales approach except with “inside data” that may not be easily obtainable nor verifiable. There are no real estate appraisers in CR, the people that appraiser residential properties for lending institutions have to be engineers—even if that’s an agronomist (Ingeniero Agronomo)–My last house in CR was appraised by an agronomist from a state bank and he couldn’t even get the dimensions of my octagonal bathroom correct. In another life I was a commercial appraiser (and I currently co-own a residential appraisal firm in NJ)–I’ve always thought that a cohesive MLS system for residential & commercial properties would benefit CR, but when I arrived in 1992, no one was interested in the idea because NO ONE wanted to make sold prices public. I’m sure Scott can guide you with respect to a market analysis that can show you if there seems to be an oversupply of units on the current market, construction costs and what the absorption rates may be considering the current international economic situation, but don’t let anyone tell you they are an appraiser because that’s a foreign concept there. Hope this helps and best of luck with your investment…
I concur with your gratitude Alfred! Thanks Scott. I would also like you to consider that we can learn and honor great deeds without having to put those people on a hero’s pedestal–it’s a mighty long way to fall and most do because we all have shadows. The huge difference is that powerful people can do great good when motivated by that which is the best of us and impose great harm on others when they are ruled by those “shadows.” Once they fall, then people also want to forget the good they may have done, consciously or inadvertently. I don’t care for Fidel, his politics or methodologies (even if I can’t help admire the man’s intelligence), but I can truly tell you that I don’t harbor any hate towards him or anyone else (including Che). I recognize how he has benefited so many people in Cuba. We can choose to find meaning and good in whatever Life throws at us and the people that we’re touched by without creating an illusion of perfection because no one can hold to that standard, much less those that have yielded great power in their hands. I choose to admire the light that can be found in most of us and hope that those that have forgotten that we’re all connected somehow will be touched by the humblest of persons one day and remember. Namaste & Pura Vida…
Hey UpeCity, I’ve missed hearing from you… I’m not on a bandwagon about lard, my reasoning goes to the point that our grandparents did not have to live in this age of toxicity & artificial chemicals. All animals store much of these toxicities/impurities (and sometimes parasites) in their fat deposits and heat doesn’t really help in most cases. It’s this that makes lard a real problem for me. I have not said anything about coconut oil and I use it. As far as Omega-6 and inflammation, yes, it has been proven to cause that and Omega-3s have been proven to lower the factors that cause inflammation in the body, but if you over do it with the Omega-3, you will lower those factors beyond the balancing threshold they should be at and then you’re going to be ill. You may just slight weaken your immune system (inflammation is a natural immune system response) or you may have a nosebleed or if you’re really unlucky, you might have a stroke and die (as per many different sources including the Mayo Clinic). There is definitely a balance factor that needs to be addressed and previous generations practiced this. They didn’t have the obesity indices that we currently “enjoy.” Our bodies have evolved to eat real food and will have difficulties with anything that we haven’t spent a few million years adapting to. I prefer natural/herbal medicine to chemically prepared ones, but remember that arsenic is a very natural substance and it can also kill you. For the most part of what we eat, we should do so because we feel it will be positive for our bodies and our souls (that’s really very subjective). As for me, I now love chocolate cake even more than I did just a few weeks ago, but I will not stuff myself with it everyday. In the end, how we feel about the food we eat has much more of an impact on us than as just a placebo effect. So if you feel like larding it up, then go right ahead–as for me, I prefer to avoid it, although I do love those Cuban Midnight Sandwiches and I will actually enjoy one once in a blue moon (midnight is the name not the time I eat them at :-)…Long live chocolate cake! (note: one of the best chocolate cakes in CR can be found in Bread & Chocolate in Puerto Viejo de Limon)
I think it’s a really good thing to question heroes…They may have done wonderful things that can be learned from, but they may have also done some unspeakable crimes that need to be remembered so that they’re not repeated–that’s if we choose to learn about them. Have you ever stopped to consider that Che might have been a threat to other powers than the CIA? Just pondering about Cain & Abel / Fidel & Che? I certainly don’t have the answers, but I do have lots of questions. As far as him being a hero, a man that makes up false accusations while laughing about sending people to be executed is no hero to me. How do I know this? Because my father saw it with his very own eyes and my uncle (who came down from the mountains with Che) managed to get my father out of prison before he became the next victim. It certainly gave my uncle a different perspective on this “icon.” My father had helped run a prison in Cuba prior to Castro. He has always been anti-revolutionary, yet he was a fair man who had the communist prisoners stand up for him after the revolution won–Prisoners had more heart and defended a man from being lynched because he had been fair with them–even though he was now a “gusano” to them (what they call anti-revolutionaries). Prisoners had more integrity than Che! Horrible thing that happens to people when they feel that they not only have the right snuff out a life, but that they come to enjoy doing it…I’ll take Pura Vida style anyday over Che’s legacy!
Maravilla, I would hope you’re not suggesting we all eat lard because there is too much known to go down that road, but yes, too much of ANYTHING can have hazardous effects on your health and a little lard will not kill anyone. Remember that Omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids (EFAs), which basically means that they’re essential to human health and cannot be made in our own bodies, they need to be ingested. Just check out the research on women that avoid fat at all costs and even though they exercise rigorously, their bones show signs of aging much greater than they should. Also, not all Omega-6 oils are made equal, but things weren’t going too badly when we had a varied diet and ate plenty of vegetables & fruits. However, when meats & frying became the emblems of our prosperity & we overly consumed them, we ended up where we are today with cancers, cardiovascular disease and the like. I love the fact that you try to grow your own food. My grandparents were farmers and I carry that in my blood. I hope to follow in your footsteps one day….Pura Vida, Rebeca
