Who is Tamzin Revell?
Growing up on Jersey, on pure Jersey milk gave me a head start in life, well that is what I believe.
Click on the video to watch ‘Welcome to Farming Revolution’ video.
Welcome to Farming Revolution and where it all began.
I was 41 yo when I had a breakdown and it has taken me years to understand why it happened. It is definitely not what I would recommend for anyone because it takes years to get back onto your feet again and to be honest you are never really the same again.
Under normal circumstances I embrace change, but this time is was difficult to adapt to a new version of myself. It definitely took a lot of self determination to keep going. I understand now that it was a combination of many factors that created this perfect storm that knocked me flat on my back but the key issues were:
Extreme stress loads on a daily basis - massive loads of cortisol and adrenalin,
Food - especially too much sugar,
An auto immune disease - Graves disease (hyperthyroidism),
Debt - being the sole bread winner.
I have always been fit and healthy, such a strong independent woman, literally nothing would hold me back. But now, to stay focused on my existence, I stay away from competition and instead I adore collaboration because we are meant to work together like a colony of bees or ants, for the greater good. Therefore, I am working on breaking the old way of doing things. I’m stepping into a regenerative world where people work in a meritocratic way. Celebrating each others’ achievements because once we acknowledge each others strengths we can all thrive in an abundance of good will and success.
Having my own riding school equipped me to coach.
‘Never work with children and animals’ is what intelligent people say. However, I found myself in the most rewarding job I have ever committed to. Yes it was stressful and physically challenging especially after 7 lessons in one day, but, the reward was astounding.
This is where I learnt to teach “regenerative style”. I didn’t know such a thing existed until 12 years later when I participated in a regenerative coaching course.
Don’t spoon feed - make them think,
Teach people to be responsible for their actions,
Make sure your communication is crystal clear,
Adapt to your surroundings,
If you think you are doing well go further because there is always room for improvement.
Non Homogenised Full Fat Jersey milk
This leads back to Jersey milk. I was born on Jersey and drank full fat pasteurised milk my entire life until I left the island in 1998. I have never broken a bone (believe me I have had some nasty falls horse riding), my first course of antibiotics was when I was 16yo and living in Puerto Rico for a year (a cold turned into bronchitis), I was always full of energy and represented my school and island in basket ball and pony club tetrathlons, respectively.
So why as a 38yo did my body start fighting itself with an auto immune disease, why as a 41yo did I end up in hospital with excruciating head and neck pain? Why is it that I feel better if I stay away from certain foods? Why is life so exhausting these days?
As Jersey is only 9 by 5 miles, access to the beach is really easy. The photos show the old fashioned way local farmers would collect vraic, the Jersey word for kelp (the v is also silent), Atlantic storms rip up the kelp on a regular basis over winter time so in spring it is collected and spread on our paddocks. Seaweed is the best natural fertiliser and with the combination of the fresh sea air my conclusion is that our land is healthy with an abundant supply of minerals. Therefore our food is mineral dense. Now this may be a coincidence BUT my friends who live on Jersey don’t have thyroid issues, not one of them. Yes I understand for those of you who want scientific proof before making such a claim need numbers to back this up. My question is: would I have had a thyroid issue if I had continued living on ‘the rock’?
I love living in Australia, the magical land of Oz. I have no desire to go back to Jersey but that is the question I often wonder. Did my health suffer because of the lack of nutrients in our food here in Australia? Is it just the chemicals or is it the case that we could buffer the chemicals if our food was mineral dense? Is it that double whammy that is creating my generation to have an endemic of auto immune diseases?
Jersey has a unique way of farming. These paddocks are called côtils they are the south facing slopes next to the shores and are extremely steep. The planting equipment is hooked onto a winch at the top of the paddock and the planters “abseil” down the steep slopes planting potato eyes as they go. In spring Jersey Royals (new potatoes) are grown under miles and miles of plastic, from the air Jersey looks like it is covered in snow this is to ensure the new potatoes do not get frost struck and are the first new potatoes to hit the export market in the UK and Europe.
No farming system is perfect, I will be the first to admit that, and there are definitely flaws to the way food is farmed in Jersey, however, the soil is incredible. It is rich, deep and alive and I believe that has a lot to do with the minerals being deposited by the sea and the vraic (potentially high levels of iodine plus the full spectrum of natural minerals rather than just synthetic inputs).
Jersey cows are rotationally grazed in meadow grass, this means there are flowers and weeds (nature’s Multi Species). They also graze the root vegetables once the winter vegetable season has finished and our farmers need the paddocks cleared for the next crop and they fertilise the paddocks as they move from one paddock to the next in between milking time.
Lastly milk should not be homogenised our digestive system simply does not recognise it as food. Drink pasteurised full fat milk only because our bodies need fat to survive and Jersey milk is the best milk on the planet (but I am biased).
Our trip to Jersey.
What do you think? Did Jersey milk give me a head start in life?
I no longer have the auto immune disease as I changed my life drastically.
I changed the food I ate,
Took the stress out of my life,
Got out of debt,
Cut back on the amount of sugar I was eating,
Stopped drinking alcohol,
Encouraged myself to live everyday rather than worry about the future.
Be present TODAY because you have no idea what tomorrow is going to deliver.