Deep in the Heart of Texas ~ Food Conference

Today begins a series of several Deep in the Heart of Texas posts to catch you up on what we experienced at The Reformation of Food and the Family conference sponsored recently by Vision Forum in San Antonio, Texas.

This was our first trip to San Antonio and for some of us our first trip to the state of Texas. Here we are pictured at the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center during one of the lunch breaks before workshops begin:

Below: Doug Phillips of Vision Forum introduced the speakers for the three-day event beginning with Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms located here in the Shenandoah Valley. Joel spoke in workshops and as the keynote speaker including the topics Redeeming the Earth; Local Food to the Rescue; and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven.

All of us Girotti ladies enjoyed the various ladies' forums which included hearing Michelle Dugger speak on Revitalizing and Reforming Hospitality; Practical Tips for Feeding a Large Family; and Frugality and Health: Feeding Your Family A High Quality Diet While Staying on a Tight Budget:

One of my favorite workshop speakers was Nancy Campbell (below) who spoke on A Glorious Vision for Femininity, Food, and Hospitality in the Christian Household; The Family Feast: How to Transform Meal Time into a Feast for Body, Soul, and Spirit; and The Power of the Family Table.

I loved her sessions because they all dealt with hospitality, and she was a unique and enjoyable speaker. I'll have to start putting into practice some of the things we learned!

Other sessions included learning about A Practical Approach to Addressing Environmental Toxins, Treating Chronic Illness, and Restoring Health; Lyme Disease and the Way to be Well; Nutrition in Fitness; Diet and Dementia: Care for Aging Parents Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease; and Food as Medicine: Eat Well and Be Well.

Here's Dr. Michael Bernui who spoke on Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny: Why Lifestyle and Diet May Trump Genetics in the Battle for Your Health and Understanding Seven Types of Toxins and the Proper Response to Them:

Guest speaker French Chef Francis Foucachon (below) spoke on The Joy of Food in the Christian Home; Starting Your Own Restaurant; and What We Can Learn From the French About Food.

There were many more speakers and topics that made up the conference. Suffice it to say that it was a very full three days! Deciding which 10 of the 40 workshops to attend was quite difficult.

Our family enjoyed the food conference and feel that we learned some practical ways to improve our health. In a nutshell: eat less food, eat more often, and drink more water!

Next up: Deep in the Heart of Texas ~ Friends and Fellowship at the Food Conference

~Deb

Comments

[Kris]

What a blessing to go to this conference. I'm enjoying the recaps from different bloggers.

[[email protected]]

That sounds like so much fun! Exactly the kind of conference I would love.

I was having trouble with very high blood sugar again and my nutritionist told me the problem was my snacking (or better... lack of snacking).

It keeps the extreme highs and plunges from happening for everyone, not just diabetics.

My two favorites are to keep string cheese per her suggestion or one tablespoon of peanut butter on half an English muffin.

[Melissa N]

Thanks for sharing snippets of the conference. What a blessing to be able to go! I am way too far for any of Vision Forum's conferences, but we enjoy many of their books and CD's and DVD's in our home. Hopefully they will put this one on CD to share.

[victoria]

Thanks for sharing this. I hope they will put out CD's or DVD's. I think this would really help our family.

Victoria

[Bobbi]

I can't believe you saw Michelle Duggar! I love to watch the Duggar show on TV. I would have loved to hear the sessions on Diet and Dementia/Alzheimers since I work with Dementia/Alz residents at the nursing home. Have you ever read the book "The Blue Zones" by Dan Buttner? It's facinating reading about the various regions around the world that live the longest and what their diet consists of. You already mentioned one of the factors that the book talks about, eating less food.

Blessings,
Bobbi

[Stephanie in MI]

Sounds really interesting. I would be interested to hear what you learned about hospitality. You are already such a good hostess, from what I can see!

[Lisa Spivey]

What great topics to learn more about. I'm with Stephanie in MI, you are already such a good hostess and I've enjoyed learning from your example of hospitality you share through your blog. How exciting to hear Michelle Duggar. Sounds like a terrific trip mingled with a family 'vacation'.

[Rose]

That must have brilliant! Joel Salatin! Wow, I can imagine the impact of his talk. So glad you all got to do this and have a family holiday together.