nor·mal  [/ˈnɔr məl/ [  {  nawr-muh l]

Conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

normal refers to a lack of significant deviation from the average.

The definition of this word reveals that it is rooted in something that is seen as the standard. Let’s say it another way; The majority of the people accept it as the norm.

In contrary to mathematics this word is not an absolute. In the world of mathematics, no matter where you are, if you ask the question “how much is 5 and 5?” you will get the same answer. If it occurs that you get another answer than 10, then just be polite and ask the question one more time. (maybe they didn’t hear the question very well.)

Our standards

If we put the term normal to the test in the area of food, we will be amazed how far we have driven from the standards of only hundred years ago. We all know that a lot of historical happenings took place the past 100 years. Think about the first and second war, the years of Great Depression in the thirties. Lots of families had in their backyards some crops of vegetables to provide for themselves. They did their best to come up with ideas to be (at least) good in growing food for themselves. It was the way of living and if you didn’t do it, this meant that you could starve. At the end of the 19^th century, people were leaving the country to go to the big cities for a better life. With this withdrawal from the country we begin to leave also the “normal way” of growing our own food.

In the past, it was normal to get up early to milk the cows and take care of the flock. To plant some crops, grow some vegetables and fruits for food. We didn’t have a market around the block. It was the most average thing to sow your seeds in the spring and harvest in autumn.

What was normal in the past, now has become abnormal and outdated.

The 20^th century has brought us a lot of new “Normalities”. Things which help us make our life much easier. For example, let’s think about canned foods, processed foods, industrial foods and packaged foods.

May be these aren’t  the terms you were thinking about when you were eating your ice cream, pizza, chicken, energy drinks, burgers, chocolate, chips, steak and you coffee with 3 spoonfulls of sugar.

The new way of making food has made it cheaper, easier and is saving us a lot of time, money and craftiness in the kitchen. On the other hand, it also brought some new problems. Think about the rising rates of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, food allergies, ADD and lowered immune system. Some people say that there is no link between the these modern diseases and food intake…. I doubt this.

With society providing food for us, lots of us now don’t have any idea anymore what fruits and vegetables are. Most people will have great difficulties in naming more than 20 species of vegetables, let alone the idea that our children would describe rhubarb or cauliflower.

However, not because the majority is living this way, we also should follow them and be expected to do so.

Enhance your quality of life

Get out of your comfort zone, and make one step towards a healthier life. Spring is in the air, may be you have seen the little lambs and the beautiful flowers growing outside. What is then greater than taking a closer look at this process of growing life and grow some vegetables and fruits yourself. It is an astonishing thing to see for yourself what the benefits are in eating your own, homegrown, local food. It is even greater to discover that you don’t even need coffee and lots of sugar to get you going through the day. (As in my case)

Let’s not be silly. Life without coffee is not a disaster, it’s possible and you will quite possibly  feel good!

I dare you to start revolutionizing your way of eating. Get some extra fresh fruits and vegetables; try some new species, those which you usually leave at the grocery store. Buy and try some new nuts. Make some space in your garden for a square foot gardening plot. If you are now reading this and think: “How on earth am I going to do this living in a little apartment with no garden?”  I will reply that even your little balcony can provide you with some delicious food. I’ve been there and done that ;-)

Even planting and growing some seeds in your windowsill will be a solution for those of us who live in the city and don’t have a balcony. If you have enough sun, then a miracle will happen and plants will grow (when you add some water to it)

Start breaking the vicious circle of eating your modern food mindlessly and go back to eating the way our ancestors did. We need to become aware of what we are doing to our bodies. Don’t hold yourself back from nutritious meals. By eating more vegetables and fruits you will notice that your body doesn’t need additional vitamin, since it obtains most of these out of your food. This means saving money at the pharmacy too.

We, as a family, have once again start growing, planting and seeding in the garden. Come and join us!

Grow (some of) your own food and be healthier and proud of it. Leave the abnormal food for what it is and go back to living, nutritious food with a “soul” -not freak food which has been dried, processed or  canned.

Enjoy your meal!