If the old adage “You are what you eat,” is true for us, isn’t it also true for our food?

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I have a confession to make. I know I am not the only one.  I enjoy food! I want it to taste great and be good for me. I enjoy eating quality, real foods.  I want my children to learn from an early age to take care of the body they have been given because we all know that you only get one chance at this life and it isn’t enjoyable if you are sick.  This means that we mostly eat things that grow.  I like to know where and how that food was grown in order to make the best decisions about food for my family.  We buy local when we can and grow some of our food in our backyard in the middle of town.  Quality fruits and vegetables are easier to come by than meats and poultry so after some research we decided to feed our family pasture raised instead of conventional.

Conventional factory raised animals come from overcrowded cages with little or no space to move around, have limited access to natural light and are force fed antibiotic-laced GMO feed.  Pasture raised animals are typically raised on smaller, owner-operated farms by people who take pride in raising animals naturally, humanely and with plenty of space to roam.  They have access to the outdoors, sunshine, grass, seeds, roots, and even bugs and worms – all the good things that God intended.  Supplemental feed provided is GMO free and high in the protein they need to grow into a tasty, nutrient dense food for your family.  Doesn’t that sound like a nice life?

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I mentioned before that I like food that tastes great.  If you have never eaten pasture raised you are missing out!  It is juicy and tender and tastes amazing!

We can’t all grow our own food, but we can choose well for ourselves and our families by buying only the highest quality available as close to home as we can to support local farmers and business in the communities where we live.  Sunrise Health Foods offers fresh from the farm eggs and a selection of beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey that is lovingly raised in Grant Park, IL by Eric and Samantha Sexton of Natures Choice Farms.

My recommendation is that you pick up a whole pasture raised chicken the next time you are at our store. My favorite way to cook it is to remove the neck, gizzards, heart, etc. from the center and place the whole chicken in the crock pot in the morning with some salt, pepper, and garlic cloves and let it cook on low all day.  By dinner time it is fall-off-the-bones, melt-in-your-mouth unbelievably good!  Give it a try; you just may have a new favorite meal.