ENDLESS BENEFITS

• Uncompromising Collaboration With God & Nature (For Optimum Success), Rather Than Working Against God & Nature (Inevitable Failure). Intimate, Intelligent And Honorable Participation.

• Develops A Deeper Relationship With God & People, And A Connection With Nature. Allows God To Reveal Himself To People Through Nature.

• Embraces The Vital Interconnected/Interdependent (Mutually Beneficial) Relationships Among God, People And Nature. These Are Synergistic/Symbiotic Relationships - Creating Abundant Goodness For The Benefit Of All.

• Observes Nature, Learns From Nature, Embraces Nature, Imitates/Mimics Nature, And Properly Accelerates The Patterns/Functions Found In Nature.

• Utilizes Proven (Tried & True) Principles, Practices, Solutions, And Benefits That Have Been Successfully Implemented By Our Ancestors For Thousands Of Years All Over The World.

• Beyond-Organic, Beyond-Sustainable, Ecologically-Friendly, Regenerative, Permaculture Methods.

• Provides Peace, Serenity, Comfort, Joy, Hope, Love, Humility, Vigor, Good Health, Independence, Self-Reliance & Sufficiency, Resiliency, Engagement, Unity, Creativity, Productivity, Prosperity.

• Stimulating, Creative, Humbling, Healing, Transforming, Meaningful, Impactful, Appealing, Satisfying, Rewarding.

• Focuses On Correcting The Source (Root Cause) Of Problems, Rather Than Merely Treating The Symptoms. Prevention Is Better Than A Cure.

• Encourages whole person (holistic) wellbeing. Simultaneously address various components of wellness: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relationships, lifestyle, hobbies/interests, livelihood/vocation, surroundings, food/drink/diet, natural remedies, and physical activity/fitness. This of course includes changing our perspectives, priorities, values, beliefs, motives, desires, words, actions.

• Chooses Food, Natural Remedies, And Medicinal Plants To Be Medicine.

• Consumes Live (Living), Fresh, Ripe, Raw, In-Season Whole Food That Is Properly Grown.

• Food Is Healthy, Healing, Nutritious, Delicious, And Plentiful. Rich In Enzymes, Fiber, Vitamins, Minerals, Nutrients, Phytonutrients, Antioxidants, Amino Acids, Microbes (Beneficial Bacteria, Fungi), Complex Carbohydrates, Lean Protein, Healthy Fats, And Water.

• Safe & Healthy For People, Animals, Plants, Environment. All Natural, Non-Toxic, Free Of Pollution And Contaminants. No Chemical Or Synthetic Fertilizers, Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, GMO’s, Glyphosate. These Are Very Harmful To People, Animals, Plants, Soil, Food, Water, Biology, And Nature. A Lot Of Our Food, Drink, Clothing, Everyday Products Contain Harmful Chemicals, Synthetics, And GMO's. Their Use Causes Poor Health, Allergies, Adverse Conditions, Sickness, Disease, Death.

• Local Communities & Economies Are Strong, Resilient, Sustainable, Diverse, Synergistic. Numerous Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses, Cooperatives, Vocational Training & Education. Sharing & Collaborating Over Competition.

• Saves Water, Inputs, Resources, Energy, Time, Money. Generates Beneficial Compound Growth & Results Over Time.

• Restores/Regenerates The Land, Ecosystem, And Environment (At The Highest Level) By Greatly Improving The Nutrient, Mineral, Carbon, Oxygen, Sunlight, Water, Biology, And Food Cycles On The Planet. Accelerates/Energizes These Cycles.

• Perfect Self-Contained Recycling System. Produces No Unwanted Waste.

• Ecosystem Is Healthy, Thriving, Resilient, Well Balanced, Self-Sustaining. Numerous Biodiversity Above And Below Ground. Soils Are Enriched. Watersheds Are Improved.

• Trees, Plants & Roots Are Healthy, Extensive. Efficient In Utilizing & Converting Sunlight, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, Sugars/Carbs, Nutrients, Minerals, Water. Protected From Pathogens, Disease, Harmful Insects, Adverse Climate & Environmental Conditions: Cold, Heat, Drought, Flood, Soil Erosion, Rain, Sun, Wind, Fire, Pollution/Contaminants.

• Proper Plants Are Growing On The Land As Much As Possible. The Greater Diversity Of Living Plants The Better (Trees, Shrubs, Ground Covers, Grasses, Forbs, Legumes, Perennials, Biennials, Self-Seeding Annuals). This Provides A Cover For The Soil, Builds Soil Biology/Fertility, Helps Surface And Cycle Nutrients/Energy, Sequesters Carbon & Water, Lowers Surface & Air Temperatures, Creates Habitat For Predator Species, Suppresses Weeds, And Provides Healthy Food For People & Nature.

• Managed Intensive/Stimulating Pruning And Artistic/Precision Pruning Promotes Health, Growth, Productivity, And Aesthetics Of Plants.

• Weeds Are Suppressed. Weeding Is Easier.

• Encourages A Full Spectrum, Well-Balanced Soil Food Web Of Organisms, Microorganisms, Organic Matter, Soil Parent Material, And Living Vegetation.

• Soil Is Healthy, Fertile, Nutrient-Dense, Vast In Beneficial Biodiverse/Microbial Diverse Life, Oxygenated/Aerobic, Well Structured, Moist, Rich In Highly Decomposed Organic Matter. Resilient To Adverse Climate & Environmental Conditions: Cold, Heat, Drought, Flood, Soil Erosion, Rain, Sun, Wind, Fire, Pollution/Contaminants. Topsoil Is Created/Regenerated.

• Soil Is Covered At All Times (Compost, Mulch, Rocks, Living Plants). Soil Is Never Kept Bare. Soil Is Never Tilled. Tilling Destroys All The Life (Living Organisms/Biology) In The Soil, Which Creates Dead Infertile Soil. Very Limited Soil Disturbance.

• Creates Hi-Quality, Non-Toxic, Biologically Active Mulch, Compost, Compost Teas/Extracts, Foliar Sprays, Soil Amendments.

• Animals/Livestock Are Healthier, Happier, Less-Stressed, Treated Humanely, Pasture Based/Raised (Intensive/Rotational Grazing), Pasture Fed (Healthy Natural Grasses, Plants, Feed). No Steroids, No Hormones, No Synthetic Drugs, No Unnecessary Antibiotics, No Chemicals, No Synthetics (Fertilizers, Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides), No GMO's. The Greater Diversity Of Animals/Livestock On The Land The Better.

• Provides A Home & Habitat To Attract Pollinators (Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds), Predator Insects (Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, Spiders), Earthworms, Beneficial Wildlife (Birds). Increases Plant Offspring & Production.

• Improves Water Purification. When Water Passes Through Healthy Nutrient Rich Living Soil, It Is Filtered Into Aquifers, Springs, Streams, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Oceans.

• Enhances Rain Water Harvesting Via Healthy Living Soil, And Roots From Appropriate Grasses, Plants, Trees On The Landscape. Allows Rainwater To Infiltrate The Ground, Which Recharges The Soil, Groundwater, Aquifers - Rather Than Lost To Water Runoff Or Evaporation. When The Groundwater And Aquifers Are Saturated, Water Comes Up Out Of The Ground, Creating And/Or Rejuvenating Springs, Streams, Ponds On The Land. This Fresh Clean Water Is Available/Flows All Year Round, Even During Some Of The Driest Periods.

• Significantly Reduces Greenhouse Gases In Atmosphere Via Carbon Sequestration / Soil Carbon Sequestration. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) In The Atmosphere Is Absorbed By Trees/Plants And Stored In The Soil To Slow Or Reverse Atmospheric Accumulation Of Greenhouse Gases. Also, Less Water Is Evaporated Into The Atmosphere Because More Water Is Held In The Soil, Groundwater, Aquifers Instead.

• Nature’s Process Is Imitated And Properly Accelerated By Various Methods Such As: Good Stewardship Of The Land, Soil, Vegetation, Animals, Ecology; Hydrology/Irrigation (Rainwater Harvesting, Groundwater Recharging, Sprinklers); Animal Husbandry (Intensive/Rotational Grazing Strategies); Soil Science; Mulching, Composting, Vermicomposting, Amendments, Inoculants, Teas/Extracts, Foliar Sprays, Cover Crops, Pruning, Grafting, Cuttings; Micro-Climate Creation & Modification; Windbreaks; Greenhouses; Machines, Tools, Equipment, Mobile Structures/Products, Etc.

• Increases Yields And Improves Profits. Healthy/Flourishing Ecosystems = Healthy/Flourishing Plants And Animals = Healthy/Abundant Food, Products, Services = Exceptional Value, Wealth, Prosperity, Opportunities. Eliminates Unnecessary Inputs (Chemicals, Synthetics, GMO's, Fertilizers, Weed & Pest Pressure, Irrigation, Costly Equipment). Incorporates Various Complimentary Stackable Enterprises (Crop & Livestock Integration - Grow Veggies Under Fruit & Nut Trees, Pasture Diverse Animals Together On The Same Field Or Orchard, Graze Livestock In Orchards). Directly Market To Customers (Farm Stand, CSA, Farmers Market, U-Pick). Multiple Synergistic Endeavors On-Site (Nursery, Mulch/Compost, Agritourism/Ecotourism, Health/Wellness/Fitness Tourism, Education/Apprenticeship, Store/Market, Eatery/Prepared Food, Community/Environment Center).

• If You Have Strong Devotion & Support For Your Loved Ones, Community, Or Nation; Than This May Be One Of The Most Important & Impactful Things You Can Do.

The Learning Resources section below provides evidence-based information that clearly illustrates the principles, practices, solutions, and benefits mentioned above in greater detail.

• As much as possible, we should be eating food that is grown/raised using beyond-organic, beyond-sustainable, ecological-friendly, regenerative, permaculture methods. This food contains no chemical or synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, GMO's, glyphosate. This type of food is safe, healthy & healing for us, as well as animals, plants, and the environment. This food is nutritious & delicious.

• It's always best to grow/raise our own food. If that's not an option, then purchase food from reputable local producers that implement the aforementioned practices/values, such as: small local gardener/farmer, small local food stand/store, local CSA (community supported agriculture), local farmers market.

• Discover the healing power of growing/raising your own food. Here's 8 reasons to start: 1) connect with God & nature, it's free therapy 2) eat food you know is healthy, beyond-organic 3) calming for your brain 4) triggers the happy hormone serotonin 5) good for your gut biome 6) relaxing for the nervous system 7) grounding, helps reduce anxiety 8) excellent exercise.

• Superior food is rich in enzymes, fiber, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, phytonutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, microbes (beneficial bacteria, fungi), complex carbohydrates, lean protein, healthy fats, and water.

• Our food should be ripe, fresh, local, in-season, and eaten raw if possible. Of course some food must be cooked in order to be safe or edible (meat should always be fully cooked).

• Eating quality fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, grains, edible plants, fish, meat, and other animal products achieves high bio-available food value (we can maximally absorb and make full use of nutrition in food).

• Use only fresh hi-quality water and/or properly filtered water. Not only must we use healthy water to drink, but also for cooking/baking, showering/bathing, pets/animals, plants/trees, soil, etc. Most public/municipal water (potable/tap water) contains chemicals & contaminants such as chlorine, chloramine, nitrate, arsenic, fluoride, mercury, DDT, heavy metals, etc. While sterile public water systems may be necessary to ensure "safe" water for people, such sanitization (sanitizing agents) is antagonistic to good health. You wouldn’t use antibiotics after cultivating acidophilus in the intestine from high quality yogurt cultures, would you? Use similar principles with water consumption and uses. Boiling water does not eliminate many chemicals/contaminants. A lot of so-called "healthy" water (including alkaline water) contain artificial/synthetic vitamins & minerals. Natural sources of water (rainwater, rainwater harvesting, pond, lake, stream, river, aquifer, spring, well) may need to be filtered (due to many environmental contaminants). Proper water purification methods include: reverse osmosis, activated/catalytic-carbon, KDF, distillation, ion-exchange.

• Utilize whole person (holistic) wellbeing. Simultaneously address various components of wellness: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relationships, lifestyle, hobbies/interests, livelihood/vocation, surroundings, food/drink/diet, natural remedies, and physical activity/fitness. This of course includes changing our perspectives, priorities, values, beliefs, motives, desires, words, actions.

• Develop a deeper relationship with God. Develop a deeper connection with nature. Allow God to reveal Himself through nature.

• Embrace the vital interconnected/interdependent (mutually beneficial) relationships among God, people and nature. These are synergistic/symbiotic relationships - creating abundant goodness for the benefit of all.

• Utilize proven (tried & true) principles, practices, solutions, and benefits that have been successfully implemented by our ancestors for thousands of years all over the world.

• Choose food, medicinal plants, and natural remedies to be your medicine, instead of conventional medicine and/or pharmaceutical drugs.

• Natural nutrients like vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein, amino acids, etc are far superior than synthetic/artificial supplements (pills/tablets, powders, drinks, etc). Natural nutrients come from healthy natural sources like fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meats, fish, plants, rocks, nature. Unnatural supplements are made synthetically or artificially in a lab.

• Chemicals, synthetics & GMO's are very harmful to people, animals, plants, soil, food, water, biology, and nature. A lot of our food, drink, clothing, everyday products contain harmful chemicals, synthetics, and GMO's. Their use causes poor health, allergies, adverse conditions, sickness, disease, death.

• Many chronic diseases are a result of poor nutrition, poor physical activity, poor habits, and toxic substances found in food, soil, water, air, environment.

• Studies have shown that plants exposed to glyphosate take up much smaller amounts of critical minerals into their tissues. When we eat foods derived from these nutrient-deficient plants (that have been exposed to glyphosate), we become nutrient deficient as well. - Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Senior Research Scientist, MIT.

• When we get corrosive acid wastes out of the body and restore alkalinity, the body rebuilds itself, including our thryroid, brain, nervous system, bones, and connective tissues. Our bodies are brilliant. Nature is regenerative, and we are part of nature. - Rita Jean Flemming, Regenerative Detoxification Specialist.

• Your mental health is directly impacted by what you eat. Did you know that the good bacteria in your gut produce 95% of the dopamine and seratonin taken up by your brain? - Nicolette Richer, Certified Regenerative Health Educator.

• Growing food is one of the most powerful things I did to heal from a brain injury. It taught me about being in grace, harvesting gratitude, cultivating compassion, and how to sit in the messiness and the beauty of life. - Natalie Forstbauer, Heart & Soil Magazine.

• We should be eating during daylight hours (not nighttime) because our bodies digest food differently at night. If we don't eat at night, our bodies get a chance to rest and heal as cleansing takes place when the moon is out.

• Avoid overeating, even if it's healthy food.

• Good food should be aromatic.

• Eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, grains, edible plants that are from a high-quality variety/cultivar (heirloom).

• Eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, grains, edible plants that are picked/harvested when they are ripe (digestive enzymes are present); when they are fresh (within a few minutes after it was harvested). Try not to refrigerate or freeze this type of food (this kills the food). Eat them when they are alive/living; and when they are raw (not cooked) as much as possible.

• Within 10 minutes (not hours but minutes) from being picked; most fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and edible plants lose up to 80% of their metabolic properties/components.

• The enzymes present in food help us digest food, and make the food optimally bio-available for us (so we can fully absorb and make full use of the nutrition in food). When vegetables and fruits are picked/harvested before they ripen (which happens to be the case most of the time), many of these enzymes are not present. Cooking vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, and edible plants kill their enzymes.

• Avoid cooking, refrigerating, and freezing fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and edible plants as much as possible. Doing so loses up to 90% of the food value (nutrition/health in food).

• Direct sun exposure for many plants, animals and humans is essential. However, managing the amount & intensity of direct sun exposure for care/protection may be necessary. Healthy levels of direct sun exposure produces the following important benefits for plants, animals & humans: plant growth, plant and crop essential oils (enhancing the flavor & smell of food, and helping plants protect themselves from excessive ultraviolet exposure through increased production of antioxidants, flavonoids, phytochemicals and other natural chemical compounds - acting as their own natural sunblock), animal & human essential oils (similar to aforementioned plant & crop essential oils benefits), vitamin D production, maintaining strong bones, strengthening immune systems, protecting cells and DNA from damage, slowing the growth rate of some cancer cells, reducing inflammation, regulating hormones, reducing stress, fighting off depression, boosting serotonin, etc. Using a window/glass/plastic blocks various amounts of UV rays from the sun, which inhibits many of the previously mentioned important benefits for plants, animals & humans. The same goes for artificial lighting, it can not compare to the many essential benefits that only natural direct sunlight provides.

• When using a greenhouse to grow food & plants, it's important to understand how plants are affected when sunlight goes through glass/plastic. The glass/plastic blocks various amounts of UV rays from the sun, which inhibits many essential benefits for plants. The glass/plastic also disrupts the photosynthesis process in plants, which negatively impacts the well-being of plants and their food, thus also inhibiting the plants production of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are important chemical compounds produced by plants. These chemical compounds are essential to obtain healthy plants, healthy food, flavorful food, aromatic food, and increased yields. Consuming foods that are rich in phytochemicals significantly benefit human & animal health. The same goes for artificial lighting, it can not compare to the many essential benefits that only natural direct sunlight provides. For example, a tested sun grown/ripened tomato had 300 phytochemicals. The same tomato grown in a greenhouse (at the same location) had only 50 phytochemicals. Consuming a sun grown/ripened tomato enables natural protection (against skin cancer, etc). If a greenhouse is needed to grow food & plants, a solution to these issues could be using a greenhouse with a removable/retractable roof that also incorporates a separate removable/retractable overhead shade material. This type of greenhouse still allows for adequate direct sun exposure, as well as protection from volatile weather/elements when necessary.

• For uncompromising nutritional value, all crops should be grown in biologically active fertile soil that has full/direct contact with the earth. Growing plants hydroponically (without soil, using artificial light & chemical nutrients), or in pots/planters/containers is not ideal because these plants will not be nourished by the natural biological activities of earth bound soil. Research into the marvelously complex soil microbiome reveals the vital ecological processes that support natural food production.

• Hydroponic vegetables (grown without soil, using artificial lighting, and nutrient solutions from the chemistry lab) are sold everywhere as “USDA Certified Organic” with no mention of hydroponic anywhere on the label. Hydroponic grown food can not compare to naturally grown food (on all levels - nutrition, taste, aroma, etc).

• The water in properly grown fruits & vegetables is some of the cleanest, healthiest, and most nutritious water on earth. It is filled with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, phytonutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, microbes (bacteria, fungi), complex carbohydrates. Try to hydrate primarily with fruits & vegetables.

• Drying fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and edible plants is the best way to preserve them, as most of their food value (health/nutrition in food) is retained. Do not can them, this method loses most of their food value. However, harvesting and eating them when they are live, fresh, ripe, raw, and in season ensures that you are getting the ultimate food value.

• Consume dark green leaves such as those found on plants of dandelion, green chicory, parsley, kale, various campanulas, thyme, reichardia, and violas.

• Properly grown kale is very beneficial to fight cancer and avoid getting cancer. Kale is one of the only foods that penetrate the cell membranes in our bodies. They attack & kill the cancer cells from within.

• Cilantro takes heavy metals out of our body. Cilantro has the highest vitamin C concentration then most anything (much more then fruits).

• Dandelions and chicory are good for the liver and kidneys and are good blood purifiers. Dandelions are also good diuretics, but, unlike diuretic drugs which deplete the body of minerals especially potassium, dandelions are so high in potassium and other minerals that the body has a considerable positive gain in potassium despite the diuretic effect.

• Nettles (do not eat them raw) are good blood purifiers and help in the treatment of arthritis.

• Mint and fennel leaves contain aromatic oils which help with the digestion of food and also dispel intestinal gases.

• The juice from comfrey leaves and/or aloe vera that are applied directly to a wound, burn or ulcer, will greatly speed up the healing process.

• Most body pain and disease (including cancer) come from an acid condition in the body. Most of the foods we eat, and most of the things we drink are highly acidic. We need to consume more high alkaline foods/drinks. Most chronic pain and diseases cannot survive in a high alkaline body. A high alkaline condition in the body eliminates pains and kills diseases. It is impossible for cancer (and other diseases) to survive in a high alkaline body condition.

• Strong Alkaline Foods (healthiest): lemons, watermelons, limes, grapefruit, mangoes, pineapple, papayas, asparagus, onions, vegetable juices, parsley, raw spinach, broccoli, garlic, olive oil, stevia, agar, ki sweet, sodium, potassium (minerals/electrolytes), apple cider vinegar.

• Medium Alkaline Foods: dates, figs, melons, grapes, kiwi, berries (not blueberries or cranberries), apples, pears, raisins, alfalfa, okra, squash, green beans, beets, celery, lettuce, zucchini, sweet potato, carob, flax seed oil, herb teas, lemon water, spring/mineral water, 100% maple syrup, rice syrup, almonds.

• Healthy Sweeteners: raw organic honey, raw sugar, 100% maple syrup, rice syrup, blackstrap molasses, herb stevia, agar, Ki sweet.

Videos

Real Food, Remarkable Change

Disease & Nutrition Problems

Affects Of Herbicides On Food

Your Food Is Killing You

YouTube Playlist

Books

Alkalize or Die by Theodore A. Baroody

The New Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman

The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism by Simon Mills

The RHS Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses by Deni Bown

Initial Videos, Films, Documentaries

Regenerating Our Lands, Properly Feeding The World, Healthy Ecosystem Principles

Real Food, Remarkable Change

Disease & Nutrition Problems

Affects Of Herbicides On Food

Your Food Is Killing You

America's Food System

Healing The Land, Reviving The Local Economy, Inspiring People, Ethically Produced Nutrient Dense Foods

Real Wealth, Healthy Ecosystems

Ethical Land Stewardship

Fixing Up Degraded Places, Forest Garden

Hope Of Change For The Better

Regreening The Desert

Reviving Drought-Struck Land

Back To Eden

Soil Food Web

Food, Nutrition, Health

More Info

Food Forest

What Is A Food Forest?

Soil Health

Proper Soil Stewardship

Plant Care

Proper Plant Stewardship

Additional Videos, Films

YouTube Playlist

Writings, Reports, Studies

Guiding Principles-Values-Ethics

Organic Agriculture Resources & Guides

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

National Center For Appropriate Technology

Academia

Can The World Survive And Thrive On Sustainable Ecologic Growing?

The Difference Between Heirloom, Hybrid & GMO Seeds

Miscellaneous

Polyface Bookshelf Recommended Reading List

Polyface Books & DVDs

Polyface Resources

Growing Food God's Way by David Devine

Eco-Agriculture Reference Desk

Animal & Human Friendships, Unusual Interactions

Get Free Wood Chips  ChipDrop , AboutTrees , Video

Find What's In Season Near You  Seasonal Food Guide , California Guide

Plant & Flower Identification Tools  PlantSnap , FlowerChecker , More

People To Thank

Some Folks/Mentors Who Continue To Inspire, Encourage, And Help Tremendously