In this episode of SAFE HAVEN Fireside Chats, we spoke with Niti Bali, founder of Farm to Fork Meat Riot, about her experience with her daughter’s childhood cancer, her family’s food revamp, and her resulting food co-op.
Niti had a way of helping us see that when we honor our food choices for what they are – the building blocks of our cellular health – we are called to a higher standard of self-care through choosing local, fresh and living foods. She shared her common-sense mindset around making impeccable food choices for your family’s health.
Her clarity about what food she chooses to nourish her body was refreshing and we thoroughly enjoyed speaking with her!
About Niti Bali
Niti Bali is the Founder and CEO of Farm to Fork Meat Riot, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving as a catalyst for reestablishing the regenerative small family farm food system. Her strategically designed CSA program educates eaters to harness the power of life giving force through regenerative foods. Niti’s Farm to Fork Meat Riot CSA simultaneously supports regenerative livestock production based on consumption that results in a zero-waste system.
Niti’s passion for sharing regenerative food began after her 2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Esthesioneuroblastoma in 2007. Meenakshi underwent 5 rounds of toxic chemotherapy that did not stop the cancer. As a mother fighting for her child’s life, Niti embarked on a holistic mission to source the cleanest, most regenerative foods from local farms. Although Niti cured Meenakshi’s cancer with real nutrient dense food, the damage to her vital structures from the chemo was too great and Meenakshi died September 13, 2009.
Since then, Niti has made it her mission to protect her family and others from the corporate food system. Niti is developing regenerative farmers and regenerative consumers while producing educational media in the way of her podcast and interview show. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and 2 surviving children and continues to challenge us one bite at a time.
A Food Overhaul
Niti shares, “Until our daughter Meenakshi was diagnosed with cancer at the tender age of two years old, we were conventional food eaters. Frankly, if I had not had to seek life force in the most nutrient dense foods available to save my daughter’s life, I would be at the grocery store buying the same blank, dead, carcinogenic food like substances I was buying before.
Our story is about truth. We are capable of regenerating cells to heal our bodies when given the correct unadulterated nutrients to support the cells. If you look at creating health from a cellular level, you must consider what is feeding your cells. Food quality matters because you gain the health or the sickness of whatever you eat.”
Niti stands as a beacon of hope for parents everywhere battling childhood cancer with their children. Niti has zero tolerance for the lies we are told by the conventional medical and agricultural food systems. She says the food in the grocery store has been bleached, pasteurized and processed to a point that it has no life or health-giving force.
Local and sustainable food choices are our best option for vibrant health and wellbeing.
Locally grown food, bought straight from the farmer, still contains living microbes that enhance our microbiome and vitality, and they are more nutrient dense and rich with enzymes, all of which has a significant benefit to our health and healing. These nutrients are almost void in grocery store food. She reminded us that all produce in your grocery store has been washed in bleach.
Niti’s Eating Guidelines
Eating is not complicated. Eat animals and plants that are healthier than you are, mostly meat. Quality matters because you gain the health or sickness of whatever you eat. – Niti Bali
- Always eat animals and plants that are healthier than you.
- Eat more animal protein and fat than you think you need.
- Avoid grocery store food.
- Shop for as much of your food locally as possible.
- Eat food that you could catch, forage, or grow yourself; food that makes sense.
That last bullet point deserves some explanation. Niti shared an example that stuck with us – she said that canned tuna is often made from fish that are so big they have to be hauled into the boat with a mini crane. She urged us to eat fish, and other animals and vegetables, that our human body could feasibly grow, pick or catch on our own.
Niti shared that she leans strongly into the Carnivore Diet for her own health. She says that it helped her heal from autoimmunity and keeps her body’s immune system running optimally. She also shared that her husband and children lean towards a ketogenic diet for their health. They choose locally sourced animal products from regenerative farmers.
What’s on Niti’s Thanksgiving Table?
We asked Niti what was going to be on her Thanksgiving table and learned about a delicious way to make cranberry jelly!
- Ham from a local regenerative farmer
- Triple Garlic Mashed Potatoes (They steam the potatoes in water and garlic, then whip them with garlic-infused raw butter, and more roasted garlic!)
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Pork Belly
- Cranberry Jelly with Whipped Raw Cream
To make the cranberry jelly, Niti simmers organic cranberries with her chicken bone broth as it cooks to create a cranberry-infused bone broth! She then strains it and stirs in a bit of raw local honey to sweeten the broth, and lets it set in the fridge. Then they whip up some raw cream to top it off! Sounds delicious!
Stay Connected with Niti and Take Back Your Health™
It’s so important for our community to stick together! You can connect with Niti on her website: www.farmtoforkmeatriot.org. You can Purchase Niti’s book here: www.farmtoforkmeatriot.org
If you feel called to support Niti’s amazing mission, please donate to Niti’s demonstration farm project here: www.farmtoforkmeatriot.org
You can also follow Take Back Your Health™ on Instagram and check back on this website for information about our upcoming Safe Haven Fireside Chats.
Disclaimer
We want to remind you that Take Back Your Health™ is not a medical authority! We create spaces for our communities to share health concerns and find resources to aid their health journeys. In the SAFE HAVEN Fireside Chat series, we invite natural health experts to share about their areas of research or experience.
We encourage you to consult with these experts or other professionals before applying the advice to your situation.
