AlexSandra Lett "Lett's Set a Spell"

Lett’s Set a Spell:
Surviving and Thriving

In the Age of Grandpa and Grandma, no one had time to analyze the nutrients in foods or even question the benefits of exercise. With survival as the main goal, fathers, mothers, and young’uns worked side by side each day just to feed themselves and the animals. During those so called “good ol’ days” the family farm and the great outdoors offered simple choices in terms of growing, gathering, and eating food that encouraged healthy living.

Nutritious vegetables and fruits from the garden and woods, homegrown meat without synthetic hormones, eggs from free-roaming chickens, and whole-grain breads not stripped of vitamins and minerals created strong bodies and stable minds. The small amounts of sugar and chemicals consumed and even large quantities of calories ingested were quickly worked off through physical labor.

That way of life in the country promoted a sense of balance and a level of wellness that had faded due to modernization. Both my parents lived until they were 85 years old because they were blessed with sturdy foundations that fostered health. When Daddy and Mama were growing up they lived in harmony with their environment because they depended on the natural resources that surrounded them—water from the spring or well; seasonal vegetables and fruits grown on the farm or nearby; wild rabbits, squirrels and ’possums that roamed the woods; and fresh fish from a clean river. Back then, folks put a cup of bleach in the well every few weeks and it killed the bacteria, so water stayed pure and fresh and it tasted so good that they actually drank it regularly instead of quenching their thirst with manufactured beverages filled with sugar, dyes, and artificial flavorings.

While hanging out at Grandpa’s country store I learned how the Letts once harvested their own sugar. Located close to the Cape Fear River and in low country, the family’s farm featured a cane mill. As the mule walked in circles, the cane was crushed in a presser and the syrup was released into a pan. Grandpa and the young’uns took turns leading the mule around to press the cane, then to cook the syrup in a large wood-fired pan, and to pour the syrup into barrels. Folks enjoyed peeling the cane and chewing it like candy, Grandpa told me.

Since flour, milk, and eggs were plentiful, sweets could be made easily and cheaply. Grandma would make sugar pies with flour, water, sugar, butter and vanilla extract, cooked like turnovers in a cast-iron skillet. When apples, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries were available Grandma made a fruit cobbler and baked it in the oven.

As Grandpa and Grandma raised their house full of young’uns they ate lots of fat and sugar but burned the calories through physical labor. We young’uns who grew up in the 1960’s devoured soft drinks, sweet tea, or lemonaide and ate homemade jelly or desserts at every meal. However, we worked hard on the farm, participated in recess at school, and played extracurricular sports, so we stayed slim.

Living next to the country store was a blessing and a curse—I enjoyed the socializing but the snack foods corrupted my childhood eating habits. I downed “dranks” instead of milk and ate too many cookies and Nabs, and too much candy and ice cream. Due to hormonal imbalances and serious health problems, I even ended up in the hospital during my junior year of college, and dropped out of school. In 1975, I got well through curtailing white sugar and flour, adopting a rigid dietary routine, taking vitamins, minerals, herbs, and homeopathic remedies, and focusing on prayer, meditation, and positive thinking.

Back then I began to understand the power of holistic healing, and that knowledge changed the course of my entire life. But mortal flesh is dumb and modern society is hard, so I have failed to live what I know over and over again. While writing this recent series of health articles I am teaching what I need to learn most and through sharing my research and experiences I want to promote wellness. We can make wiser choices in dealing with the challenges and complexities related to food and fitness. Every moment offers the opportunity to embrace new ways of surviving that lead to thriving.