Outside my Colorado office the thermometer is inching above 70°, with a warm sun coaxing a few crocus plants to peek above ground. Meanwhile, CNN is carrying continuous coverage to the Stormaggedon unfolding in the northeast.

As much as I enjoy basking in warm sunshine in January, the more frequent occurences of vast weather changes are stressing our food system. The same 70° that make pounding fence posts easier in the pasture, also signal the fruit trees to send out their first buds. That could spell disaster for those fruit growers when the normal cold weather returns.

The United National Food and Agriculture Organization just addressed this issue in a report is entitled: “Climate Change: The Roles of Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.”

The full report is 130 pages long, but I can sum it up in one sentence: We’ve got to restore genetic diversity to help us cope with climate change.

Conventional farming has been on a steady march toward uniformity over the last century. When Texas A&M University developed a wheat variety that produced higher yields several years ago, nearly every loaf of commercially baked bread was soon produced from this TAM 107 wheat. Today, Holsteins account for more than 90 percent of the dairy cows in the united States, and a high percentage of those cows are the descendents of one bull (I’ll spare the details of how one bull can be responsible for thousands of offspring from coast to coast).

The dangers created by the collapse in genetic diversity are rapidly becoming evident.

The Russian Wheat Aphid—virtually unknown in the U.S. before 1986—found the TAM 107 wheat particularly tasty. It’s now considered a major threat to U.S. wheat production.

Similarly, the increase in lactose intolerance among many people is actually the result of an intolerance to the type of milk produced by Holsteins.

Across the country, organic growers have been at the forefront of the fight to keep genetic diversity alive in agriculture. After all, one of the best ways to fight Russian Wheat Aphids is to plant a heritage variety that the pests don’t like to eat.

Now, the organic farmers have the weight of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on their side. But in order to make it work, they need the American consumer on their side as well.

Don’t you just love it when you suddenly stumble into some new way to think about something you see every day? Me too! Its way too easy to lose inspiration in the short days (and long nights) of winter, so when I ran across Julie Lees Food collages I took a few minutes to feast my eyes on her beautiful work.

If you’ve ever put a meal together you’ve probably had that moment where there are things spread out across your counter or cutting board, – textures, colors, patterns… that seem to transcend the “food” category. I know I have, but I never really thought to take it to the next level. If you are a foodie, and even if you’re not, take a minute and check out these collages by this talented LA food crafter. It’s an uplifting change in perspective, that doesn’t cost a thing. There is even a how to video in case you would like to set your culinary tendencies on their artistic edge. It’s a great way to enjoy food on a whole new level. Its calorie free and satisfying, so go ahead, indulge!

http://instagram.com/julieskitchen/

http://skl.sh/1trn500

There are so many recommendations that eating fish twice weekly is good for you!  It is a good source of dietary Vitamin D and all the health benefits that come with healthy Vit D levels.  It is recommended by the American Heart Association for decreasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.  It improves brain power.

Now, a Study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating fish twice weekly decreased the occurrence of hearing loss by 20% in an 18 year study of 65,000 women.  Looking further, the researchers determined that the benefit was related more to the Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the fish.

Does eating fish sound good to you? Once upon a time, when I was young, the only problem with eating fish was the fact that I didn’t like it!  Now, I love fish, and I limit my intake to no more than twice a week.  Why?  Because I want to reduce exposure to mercury, PCBs and other toxic chemicals that are now found in our fish supply.  I use the Washington State Healthy Fish Guide.  95% of the fish I eat comes from the “safe to eat” group.  If you’ll do the same thing, you’ll get to enjoy the health benefits of eating fish and largely avoid serious exposure to ocean toxins.  And, if you love tuna salad sandwiches or tuna noodle casseroles, limit it to once a week unless the canned tuna you buy is canned light skipjack.  The canned yellowfin and albacore tunas contain 3 times as much mercury as the light skipjack.

Here are just some of the fish on the safe to eat 2-3 times per week list:
●  Canned Light Snapjack Tuna
●  Catfish
●  Cod
●  Crab
●  Salmon
●  Shrimp
●  Trout

Whatever your reason for getting omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, make an effort to get one of the safe seafood options into your family’s meal plan on a weekly basis.  Although most of us don’t worry about hearing loss until it shows up when we are “older”, it is one more good reason to make sure we get our healthy Omega-3s!  Now, could you pass the tartar sauce please?

It’s Mission Monday, Celebrate with a Snack!

Sure there’s Valentine’s Day and President’s Day, but did you know February is also “National Snack Food Month”?  It all started in 1989 to increase awareness of the all-important snack time. At Wild Oats when 3pm hits, we’re all about those salty and sweet snacks to get us through to dinner. Right now we’re especially in love with sweet Cinnamon Graham Teddy Bears and a tall glass of cold Wild Oats Milk. When we need something savory we go for a bag of Wild Oats Tortilla Chips and Salsa Verde.

To kick off a month of great organic snacking, we want hear from you on which Wild Oats snacks satisfy your cravings. Let us know and you could win a Wild Oats prize pack. Comment or reply with your favorites on our Twitter or Facebook page and you’re automatically entered!

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

If you’d like to play along on Twitter, simply tweet us your answer with #wildoatsmission #sweeps by 11:59 p.m. ET today to be entered to win!

Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here http://bit.ly/1DoNN9U.

One month into 2015, it’s time to take a look at how our New Year’s Resolutions are holding up. First up? Fitness, which as we discussed earlier, is among the top priorities each year. I myself decided to test whether working out at home or in a gym was more conducive to keeping on track, both for myself and among my friends and family. Here is what I found:

Not surprisingly, one of the main factors to influence a steady fitness routine is the buddy system– having a workout partner significantly increases accountability, with a side bonus of enjoyment. This is possible both at home or at the gym, though requires a certain amount of space to implement. For apartment dwellers, it may make more sense to meet at a class than to negotiate yoga mats in a living room. If your buddy is very busy or prone to flake, however, making it convenient by taking turns on who hosts can keep you on the straight and narrow.

Determining a few personal preferences can also go a long way towards maintaining your goals, such as: do you enjoy the social element of exercise, or would you prefer to sweat in private? Does your home environment allow you to carve out the time and space to work out, or does getting out of the house hold an extra appeal? Are you new to working out and want guidance from a trainer, or are you familiar with a routine that works for you?

Here is a quick roundup of the biggest perks discovered along the way:

At-home:

Convenient, time-saving, no commute (or traffic!) to contend with. Music and volume control, no wait time for machines. The ability to eat well post workout, provided you have stocked your kitchen with healthy deliciousness. Seemingly endless options between DVDs and online fitness classes, many of which are free. Privacy (no small thing if you are challenging yourself with a new routine and want to vent at the screen without giving offense!)

At the gym:

Access to equipment and amenities (steam room, spa!), along with trainers and spotters. If located at or near your workplace, it can slot easily into your routine. For my friends with hectic schedules, and some with kids, the gym becomes their dedicated “me-time,” a precious commodity in any day. The competitive boost of working out in a crowd, and for some, the benefits of meeting people with similar interests.

For myself, I’ve found that working out at home works best for me, with a visit to a fitness studio thrown in from time to time. That way I skip the guilt of an underused membership, but can still expand my repertoire and make it fun with a variety of friends. The most precious of exercise is any that gets me outdoors-whether a long walk or run, rock climbing, or (soon I hope!), paddleboarding. While I may miss out on a steam room, an Epsom salts bath and a homemade smoothie off-set the loss.

Above all, setting achievable goals is key- no one needs an added stress in their day. Experiment to find what you like and what is achievable (I’m looking at you, friend who wants to work out 5 days a week after a stretch of no exercise at all). What works best for you is always the way to go. I would love to know-how do you manage your fitness routine?