Disclaimer: I did my best to take notes at the NTA conference but there may be errors in either my comprehension or transcription of the points presented. I am publishing these without any commentary on my part and these do not necessarily represent my beliefs.

• TJ Johnson, MES – Sustainability of Local Food Systems
• Deanna Minich, PhD – Phytonutrients for Chronic Disease
• Mark McAfee – It is Good to be Good to Your Gut
• Tosca Reno, NTP – Vibrant Health: Eating Clean & Exercise

TJ Johnson, MES – Sustainability of Local Food Systems

• gloom and bloom – importance to understand the reality of the food system but moving toward hope and ideas
• healthy body requires healthy food requires healthy food system requires healthy political system
• the current system did not get here by accident, decades of policy at all levels
• good news is solutions are within reach and underway
• good things about current food system – cheap calories and consumer choice – enough production for 3500 calories for every person on the planet
• current system is dependent of cheap fossil fuels – eating fossil fuels
• grain fed beef – 35 calories of fuel to produce 1 calorie of food
• average american consume food requiring 500 gallons of oil per year
• climate is a game changer – food system is contributer and victim
• for every 1 degree rise in average global temperature will reduce food supply by 10%
• drought conditions increasing in US – california produces 1/3 of all fruits and vegetables and almost entire state is in some state for moderate to severe drought
• population – 9.5 – 10 billion people by 2050 – need to increase food production by 70%
• farmland is disappearing – peaked in 1954 – many converted into subdivisions, strip malls, etc
• losing 1.2 million acres of farmland per year in US
• average age of farmer is 57 – retiring over the next 20 years – 400 million acres of farmland will change hands
• wall street buying land to take it out of production and increase commodity prices
• disappearing soil – 3000 years to build healthy soil – and US is destroying soil
• Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations – Montgomery
• every pound of food produced loses 6 pounds of topsoil
• one estimate – 50 years left of farmable soil in US
• disappearing water – agriculture uses 70% of freshwater worldwide and increasing
• 5 gallons of water to produce 1 almond in  industrial agriculture
• 109 gallons of water for 1 stick of butter through industrial agriculture
• 54 days of reserve food on the planet
• food shortages and price spikes led to food riots in the arab spring uprisings
• Bet The Farm – Kaufman
• nutrient value of food is decreasing – industrial agriculture does not choose for nutrient value (or taste) – varieties chosen for transport
• average life expectancy of migrant farm worker is 49 years
• Fresh Fruits, Broken Bodies – farm workers in WA
• corporate food – top 4 companies have monopoly on fertilizer, inputs, seeds, food production, food sale
• consolidation of organics – bought by larger corporations
• consolidation of seeds – 5 companies control seeds
• chemicals and fertilizers – US food requires 1 billion tons of pesticides as well as fertilizer inputs
• industrial agriculture disconnects producers and consumers
• only 1 farmer in congress – voted against farm bill as corporate giveaways
• 7% of 4% of 21% of farm bill – specialty foods – fruit, buts, vegetables, ie food
• sustainable local food systems – must address environmental, economic, and social concerns
• local foods = strong economy – strengthens local community through relationships and economic circulation
• farmers markets create 4x as many jobs as big box stores per dollar spent
• primary importance of saving farmland
• rezone for long term agriculture, urban agriculture ordinances
• food summits
• community garden without plots – grown collecively
• benefits beyond the numbers – changing diets, changing lifestyles, stronger sense of community, economic empowerment, intergenerational transfer of knowledge, lower carbon footprint, research and development of plant varieties, increased food system awareness, healthier more diverse diets, renewing democracy
• everyone in olympia will be within walking/biking distance of a place to grow food
• we must get sustainability in agriculture first
• growing the choir – thinking strategically, talk to people, especially people with children
• sustainablesouthsound.org
• thurstonfoodcouncil.org

Deanna Minich, PhD – Phytonutrients for Chronic Disease

• Color is Medicine: The Power & Potential of Phytonutrients
• what’s good for us can be toxic if we do not approach it correctly
• connection between food and spiritual side
• color taps into creativity – “until your artist comes out you are not complete”
• beyond nutrition is nourishment
• measuring biophotonic emissions to measure mitochondrial function
• importance of cytochrome systems
• information and inspiration
• 7 layers of food – link to color – food is medicine – color is medicine
• blue shuts down appetite, red stimulates it
• eat plant foods, reduce chronic disease
• thousands of phytonutrients
• types of phytonutrients – phenolic compounds, alkaloids, carotenoids, etc
• small amounts of phytonutrients can be better than large
• phytonutrients are more than just antioxidants – phytnutrients are signaling molecules
• phytonutrients localize in certain parts of the body
• corpus luteum – ovulation – orange color – retinol / carotenoids – orange color in sacral region
• phytochemicals activate ARE and MTF-1 – helps cells detoxify
• eat stressed plants – plants produce more chemicals when touched – Getting Touchy Feely With Plants
• the gut phytnobutrient connection – microbiome responds helps assimilate certain phytonutrients
• personalized nutrition instead of diets – phytoprofiling
• PI – phytochemical index
• overweight individuals tend to have less phytonutrients in blood – perhaps in fat stores
• increased PI, decreased cancer, decreased inflammation (inflammatory cytokines), decreased adiposity
• flavanoids and cancer risk – very different based on location of cancer – best for nervous system / neurological cancers
• flavonoids lower risk of dementia and improve mood
• inderect lab markers for phytonutrient intake – high A1C and others
• 23andme.com
• plants as a unifier between different dietary choices
• color deficiency in eating – people are really missing out on blue/purple – connected to the brain
• food benefits are about combination – such as curcumin + DHA for cancer
• green tea + citrus, turmeric + black pepper, termeric + green tea, chopping garlic and leaving it out for a bit
• your tribes/communities determines your fruit and vegetable intake
• red – action, physical, passion, survival, protection, trust, ancestry, home, grounded and present in body – protein, red rooty foods – lycopene, etc
• apples – gala and granny smith higher PI, smaller apples higher PI
• strawberries for heart – 30 days, 500g of strawberries decreased cholesterol
• orange – creativity, playfulness, having fun, pleasure, water – fats and oils – bioflavonoids, beta-carotene and other carotenoids
• vitamin c + bioflavanoids often work better in studies than vitamin c alone
• kale and parsely for carotenoids, also papaya
• carotenoids need light steaming and combination with fat/oil
• yellow – radiance, brilliance, happy, confident – carbohydrates
• happy people prefer yellow
• green – healing, heart – leafy greens – phytomethylators – love, emotional wisdom, giving and receiving
• lutein for skin and eyes – basil, spinach, kale, parsley
• lutein can change color of skin in those with fair skin
• phytosterols – cholesterol and immune systems
• spices – rosemary into beef reduced heterocyclic amines – also turmeric
• avacado reduces inflammation and high in potasium and fiber
• microgreens – let the sprout grow and harvest small leaflets
• unrefined olive oil – higher nutrient
• taste receptors in gut respond to sweet and bitter
• ability to taste bitter is correlated to longevity and lower BMI
• nitrites and nitrates from greens – chew smoothies because salivary bacteria will convert to NO
• spinach + citrus
• blue/purple – wisdom, intellect, mind – anthocyanins – help with brain and heart – blueberry compounds localize in brain to facilitate learning and memory
• greater berry intake slower cognitive decline with aging
• cocoa, cinnamon, purple peruvian potatoes, purple carrots, blueberries
• probiotics + berries combination
• some phytonutrients are not colorful – golden raisins
• free online summit – thedetoxsummit.com
• foodandspirit.com
• plminstitute.org
• harmonyhill.org

Mark McAfee – It is Good to be Good to Your Gut

• raw milk is thriving, conventional and organic are declining
• “it is not organic to produce organic milk and then pasteurize it”
• let food be thy medicine & medicine be thy food – hippocrates
• 9 deaths in last 3 years from pasteurized milk
• shelf-life over gut life
• raw milk is the first food of babies in all mammals – good fats, amino acids, immunoglobulins, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins, beneficial bacteria
• 20,000 deaths a year from MERSA
• raw milk inhibits MAST cell release of histamines
• pasteurization causes bacteria to lyse – pieces remain which can trigger immune response
• 100 times more bacterial DNA than human DNA in the body
• genetic presentation, human biome can be altered by food – food to overcome genomic weaknesses – bacteria complete the biome
• pasteurized milk is not milk, it is a product made from milk
• studies on raw milk – parsifal, gabriela, amish, pasture studies
• 0 illnesses of lysteria from raw milk
• europe considers raw milk a low risk food – validated by QMRA
• important relationship between producer and consumer
• definition of safe – depends on the individual, sterile or immune system promoting
• raw milk that is safe must take cow’s health and living conditions into account
• all bout conditions – in the gut, in the cow, in the milk line
• USA should join the international community in raw milk research
• MORC (in CA) – multi organic raw creamery – PCR screening of milk and filter – distributed without ever mixing – consumers will know the farmer/farm

Tosca Reno, NTP – Vibrant Health: Eating Clean & Exercise

• exercise for optimal health in addition to nutrient dense, well-sourced, properly prepared-foods
• eat clean and exercise for vibrant health
• you want to look like the best version of you
• 80% food, 10% training, 10% genes
• 6 small meals a day
• 69% of US are overweight, 36% obese
• children 8 hours of screen time per day
• only 20.6% of Americans achieve recommended activity levels as indicated by the CDC
• women worry weight training will make them look like men but it will not and feels good
• 2013 AHA – we may see a generation with lower life expectancy than thir parents
• perpetuating eye candy myths as what constitutes fitness is holding people back – people cannot maintain and is not healthy – washboard abs – 4 months of no fat or other poor diet  to prepare
• human body was made to move – push and challenge bodies ever day – a little past the pain point – 1 more rep, a little faster, a little further, hanging out with elevated heart rate
• exercise develops emotional and social strengths
• builds purpose in life – “I’m going to do something good for myself”
• “exercise and nutrition were my drugs of choice”
• improves your sex life and libido
• importance of being grateful, especially of health
• gym teaches resiliency – resilient to stresses of life, loss, death, trauma
• HGH production – sleeping and training (especially when pushing oneself)
• gym is also a good place for the brains – balances neurotransmitters, unleashes brain chemicals, fosters neuroplasticity
• “cells the fire together, wire together”
• fitness over sports – individual achievement to strive for
• make sure you are well enough for exercise – though if not seated exercise, whatever it takes to get mobile
• decide your goals and timeline
• find an activity you enjoy – might be walking, weights, or circus training
• get a buddy and a schedule
• track your training progress and track your nutrition – journaling
• frequency – minimum of 3 times a week, for weight loss 5-6 times
• intensity – maximum heart rate = 220 – age, aim for 75% of max heart rate – weights and aerobic – use heart rate monitor, individual for each person, work really hard for you
• heart rate monitor – do not count or worry about calories
• HIITs – high intensity interval training – shrinks exercise time, HGH, cardiovascular conditioning
• sweat test – 10-12 minutes into sufficiently challenging exercise session
• pre workout meal – not a lot of food – 4 dates + 2tsp of yogurt – some people use banana
• post workout meal – rebuilds – banana, protein powder, coconut water
• glucose sink – muscle cells hungry for glucose – glucose receptors open
• 30 minutes on cellerciser (mini trampoline)
• bunnies and balls circuit (HIIT’s, circuits, core, resistance)
• stretching
• toscareno.com
• heartrate up for 15 min at least – jump on bed