High Octane Fuel

Our health journey has taken us to many websites, but the one site that has had the most profound impact on our family is Weston A. Price's, Wise Traditions.

As we started reading and trying to implement his common sense recommendations into our daily diet, we were directed to a family-run country store just east of Rubicon in Dodge County.

It didn't take long from the moment we walked into the store to see that this was a place where we would return often!

Dan and Paula Siegmann, along with their children, are passionate about making the best and the healthiest foods available to families at prices that the average family can afford.

As our conventional American diet becomes more and more unhealthy, their mission becomes even more critical!

Our whole family has greatly benefited from their wonderful products as well as our friendship with this amazing family over the last couple of years.

I'm so pleased to announce that Back to the Best Country Store is this week's "Favorite Local Find of the Week"!

Q1. Paula, when did you purchase your farm?

We bought the farm in 1994. Dan grew up on a farm just three miles down the road, and I've always considered myself a "country" girl. We own 200 acres, but actually farm 700 acres all together.

Q2. When did you first become interested in health?

It seems like we've always been. It wasn't based on a health issue. It just felt right.

After our oldest son was born, I found out about a food coop through my contact with the La Leche League. Not a whole lot of variety there and everything came from Madison, but it was a good, healthy food source.

Q3. How did you get started with the store?

It was basicly by word of mouth. People heard that we were part of a coop, and they would come and ask us if we had health foods/products that they could buy from us.

Our first store technically started in our basement where all of the case lots were stored. People would come over and dig through the boxes. We wanted to help them have easier access to healthy foods so we started ordering extra quantities every month.

As more and more people came we realized that we needed to make a change. The "official" store was actually a converted one-car garage with just a few shelves. Initially we asked for 10 ladies to commit to spending a minimum of $35.00 per month.

The next month it doubled, and it has just kept growing!

We believe in the family and want to do all we can to support and encourage good, healthy practices for this generation and the generations to come. So within the next two months we will begin having small group meetings where people can come and can get hands-on experience in cooking, fermentation principles, and a whole range of health topics.

Q4. How did you come up with the name, "Back to the Best"?

Dan was out on the tractor one day when he thought of it.

That name describes exactly what our philosophy is regarding nutrition.

We are always searching for "old" foods and traditions. We need to get back to eating as our ancestors did if we want to avoid the chronic diseases that are devastating our families these days.

Q5. What is your criteria for determining what foods you stock in your store?

We look for high-quality foods that support the philosophy of the traditional diet. We look very carefully at the ingredients.

No MSG, no nitrates, no partially hydrogenated oils, no refined sugars, etc.

Our store has products to help people transition from eating typical, conventional foods to eating the healthiest foods available, which is usually organic.

Q6. Paula, if someone came to you who was just starting their first steps on their health journey, what do you feel would be the most important piece of advice you could give them?

Get rid of the junk, particularly soda. Regular soda can contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar! It wreaks havoc on your pancreas. Diet soda is even worse. The aspartame is actually a deadly drug.

Replace the junk food, particularly with "whole" foods.

Q7. One last question, what do you and your family do to maintain good health?

These are some of the daily practices we've incorporated into our family's lifestyle:

Our on-site store--we have access to the store which is packed with healthy foods and nutritious products.

Sauerkraut--it is passed around the table at all three meals. It aids in good digestion.

Coconut Oil--it is a largely ignored and often maligned healthy source of fat.

Cod Liver Oil--it keeps the skin healthy. Just one of its many other health benefits.

The Family Table--we talk a lot about health in our home. It does have an impact on our children as they are invoved with it all day long.

We don't just say that something is bad; we discuss why it is bad!

Good Snacks--they are learning to make wise choices as they become better educated themselves.

This is key: We need to teach ourselves to listen to our bodies. Food is our energy. If we're sleepy after eating, then we need to evaluate what we just ate.

If we put bad fuel in our cars, they don't run properly. Our bodies run on the same principle.

Food is our fuel!

If our bodies aren't able to function properly, then we need to change the fuel we put into them.

Paula, that's a great analogy! We so appreciate you taking the time to share with us these very practical healthy tips. It's also been great getting to know more about your family, your vision, and your store.

For more information about the Back to the Best Country Store, please check out their website where you'll find their store hours, contact information, and other helpful resources.

In the past, we've hinted to them that they should relocate their farm closer to us, but since that probably isn't going to happen, we have bounced around the idea of moving closer to them. Very tempting, but not too practical for us at this time either!

For now, we'll just continue making our weekly trek to pick up all that high-grade "fuel" that our bodies crave and thrive on!