Eating Healthy Meals: Book: Thought for Food - Food for Thought

Eating Healthy Meals: Book: Thought for Food - Food for Thought

Between Two Slices of Bread - Gluten Free or Not?

I have spent the latest 20 years of my life avoiding wheat as much as I can.  It was quite an obsession at first.  Now a days I don’t freak out quite so much though it is still constantly on my mind. I don’t like how I feel after eating wheat.  Most every time I do, it is diarrhea and stomach pain the next day. Going out to eat was always a tremendous challenge because no one could understand why I was so adamant about knowing the ingredients that was used in their food preparation.  It is a bit easier now because of the prevalence of gluten free products.  But even these have to be watched. I do have to say that when I eat a food that uses the whole wheat berry I don’t seem to have the same gastro distress.  Also, if I eat sprouted wheat I am fine. 

I have always felt that a fractionated food is inferior to a whole food.  A fractionated food is one which has had certain components of it removed, such as the bran and germ from wheat.  This leaves a less nutritious food. Most of the time this extracted food is compromised in other ways due to the processing techniques used. The latest research all points to the fact that refined grains are linked not only to weight gain but to increased risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome (a precursor to diabetes). 

It is estimated that 1 out of every 100 Americans has celiac disease today.  Australia’s rate is 1 in 250 at last count but many experts feel that it is actually higher due to the difficulty of diagnosing and the fact that many people suffer for years without knowing what it is.

My theory is that we have created another man made epidemic with the use of overly processed foods and that we are now paying the price.  Not so long ago it was rare to come across children with type 2 diabetes (and adults too!), now it is common and the same thing is happening with celiac disease. 

There are currently twelve plant species that make up 80% of the world’s crops by weight.  These are wheat, corn, rice, barley, sorghum, soybeans, potato, manioc, sweet potato, sugarcane, sugar beet and banana.  Wheat, corn, rice and soy are the dominant of the twelve.  In America, corn is the heavy favourite with it being found in nearly every processed food in one form or another. Most of the corn and soy grown in North America is genetically modified.

Xanthan gum is a fermented corn sugar product and is used as a substitute for wheat gluten in gluten free baking  as well as a natural thickener added to drilling fluid or drilling mud in the oil industry. Versatile stuff. It was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to act as a thickening agent similar to corn starch or guar gum and is used in dairy products and salad dressings as a thickening agent and stabilizer. I would not use xanthan gum personally not just because it is man made goo that sticks to my intestines but because of the uncertainty of the cleanliness of it.  Genetically Modified food scares me and I haven’t seen much availability for organic xanthan gum.  I am aware that a product can be labeled Organic as long as there is 95% of the ingredients that are.  The other 5% have to be selected from a special list of ingredients and xanthan gum is on that list.

Guar gum comes from the guar bean which is mostly grown in India and Pakistan though the U.S., Australia, China and a few other countries are growing it as well. Guar bean is a soil-improving crop that is also used to feed cattle. A multipurpose bean it is used for everything from cosmetics, to salad dressings and oil and gas drilling (just like xanthan).  I don’t know, if we over use something it seems to me we may develop first a sensitivity to it and then stronger reactions will follow, which is what I feel happened with wheat. I don’t believe eating the guar bean (or whatever food) in its whole state with a large array of other foods would have that same effect.  Eric and I knew a guy years ago that bought 50 lb. bags of oats because he heard it was healthy.  Weird, the guy ate it 3 times a day...never got healthier.  Last I heard I think he switched to bananas.

Also, if you check out this site http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/guar.html you’ll see that it is susceptible to weed and pest problems which starts the cycle of unnatural additives to our food.  Not that this is unusual, pretty much any non-organic crop will have more than just that crop in it.

Wheat is the cereal with the greatest production in terms of area and value to the Australian economy.  Australians love their wheat cereal!  Wheat health benefits will depend on the form you eat. They won’t be much if you select wheat that has been processed into 60% extraction, which is the standard for most wheat products.  There was a law put in place back in 1941 in the United States that required processed wheat flour to be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B2, B3 and iron because of the issues created by 60% extraction( this means 40% is tossed out, the most nutritious part). The problem with that is nature made a perfect food, man messed with it and then tries to put back the nutrients because our health was compromised.  There is something missing in the translation though and reintroducing certain vitamins back into the food will not have the same nutrient value nor work in the way it was originally intended.

I also noticed that white rice is immensely popular here in Australia.  I can rarely find  brown rice in a restaurant. In fact, quite a few ‘health conscious’ people say they can’t seem to develop a taste for it.  That is a shame, I find brown rice more flavourful and satisfying than its processed counterpart. Of course I’m not crazy about sprayed brown rice so I try to provide organic as much as possible to my family. I guess this is where my biggest argument for a whole food diet comes in.  If we could just go back to eating food which hasn’t been created in labs or fed from things created in labs or sprayed with things that come from labs, we may just slow down this crazy downward health spiral we seem to have got stuck in.  

Some of the other “flours” used in gluten free cooking leave a lot to be desired too.  Most of the time people purchase ready mixed flours for convenience sake. But for a few extra minutes you can have fresh flavourful flours that taste far superior to any of the questionably aged ones you purchase from the market. Not to mention higher nutritional values.

Potato flour, corn starch, tapioca starch...all of these are gummy gooey messes that leave your intestines all clogged up.  We naturally need fiber to get in and scrub ourselves clean.  

Food needs to enter the system and leave the system efficiently for good health.  Those of us who have compromised gut health will definitely have to go a bit slower in introducing proper foods, but it can be done.  We also need to be aware of how we got ourselves into trouble in the first place and make sure our children don’t make the same mistakes!  My kids know my story very well (the teenagers will roll their eyes in agreement) and they all have a pretty good understanding as to why we live and eat the way we do.  Through fermented foods, green smoothies, probiotic therapy and lots of fiber I am now at a much better place than I was when I first started this healing journey.

Teff flour, amaranth, quinoa and almond flours, chickpea and soy flour are all good alternatives, when done fresh.  Nature kept the seeds, nuts and beans contained in perfect little packages to protect them until it was time to either germinate or feed another creature.  We on the other hand think it is o.k. to grind them up in mass production, package them and send them off half way across the world and sell them as healthy alternatives.  Chickpea (Besan flour) is a good flour to compare store bought to freshly ground.  It smells and tastes so different that once you do compare there is no going back to packaged.

Buying a machine that grinds your flours for you may seem price prohibitive to some but if you think of the long term financial and time saving benefits you will see it makes sense. Not to mention the environmental impact.

Excerpted from Paul Pitchford’s book “Healing with Whole Foods”

“A small serving of pickles after meals aids in digestion. All pickles can be made from carrots, daikon radish, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, cauliflower, greens, turnips, ect.

Pickles can be beneficial for restoring the intestinal flora by promoting the growth of healthful Lactobacillus acidophilus. For those with candida overgrowth, cancer, and other degenerative conditions of impaired immunity, salt is restricted, and so the raw saltless sauerkraut is recommended in these cases, In addition, cabbage itself has important immune-enhancing properties. Raw saltless sauerkraut is also recommended in the treatment of ulcers.”

For a pickled salad or sauerkraut chop up a variety of cruciferous vegies like cabbage, beet, carrot, broccoli along with a good quality salt and fresh peppers if desired.  There should be some juice happening from the chopping and salt to pull the liquid out.  Pack in either sterilized jars or one large bowl or jar and cover with a layer of cabbage leaves.  I usually weigh it all down with a plate and some cheesecloth.  I know that some people will actually stir in a spoonful of probiotic to quicken the fermentation time prior to the top cabbage layer.

Let the vegetables sit in a well-ventilated room at room temperature (between 6-7 days at 16 degrees C and 5-6 days at 21 degrees C), throw away the old cabbage leaves and the mouldy and discoloured vegetables on the top.

Put the remaining sauerkraut in glass jars and refrigerate. Will keep for 4 to 8 months or longer if using salt

I personally lived on sauerkraut and baked corn chips for several years while combatting severe candida.  It is a tangy addition to your meal and in a short period of time you will begin to crave it!  1-2 heaping Tbs per meal is all that is needed.

Wrinkles, Recycling and Cranky People

The Sugar Connection

Our recycle bin is usually half full when we put it out every fortnight for pick up. .  That is not too shabby for a family of seven.  We generally prepare 3 meals a day and believe fresh is best.

What does this have to do with the topic of sugar?  Since most of the foods found in boxes bottles and cans are loaded with sugar it stands to reason that if you reduce your recyclable load you reduce your sugar intake.  Simple strategy that’s great for the environment and great for your health.

Sugar, Fructose, Fruit sugar, glucose, High-fructose corn syrup, Cane sugar, honey,  there are numerous names for the same thing.  Did you know we are probably only responsible for adding 25% of all the sugar we consume in our diets?  That’s right.  The majority of it is packed into the foods we purchase.

According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Investigation we eat approximately 141 pounds ( (64kg)  of sugar each year. Sugar is used extensively in packaged foods to prevent spoilage, to retain moisture, to maintain texture and appearance and, of course, as a sweetener.

So what other sweeteners are out there that are wholesome and environmentally correct?

There are a few.  I don’t normally use cane sugar. Even the organic unrefined ones, though it is a better option than the highly processed white sugar.  Made up mainly of sucrose I find (as in fructose) that it goes through the system too quickly.  This is where the sugar highs and lows come from. 

Honey is 20-60% sweeter than sugar.   I don’t care for honey because I feel it also reacts the same way as sugar.  Though not all are highly processed and will have some nutrients intact, for me it still comes down to the type of sugar and how it works in the body. Some people have said that honey is a dehydrated “food” that will immediately begin to reabsorb moisture from the stomach and stomach flora.  This will destroy the bacterial population indiscriminately, so both good and bad guys are wiped out.  I firmly believe that a person’s health would improve a hundred fold if they have a healthy flourishing level of gut bacteria.  So saying that, I won’t use honey for that reason alone.

Maple syrup is about 60% sucrose and it takes about 40 gallons tapped from a tree and boiled to make 1 gallon of syrup ready for market.  There are minor nutritional benefits but more importantly be careful of what you may find in stores. Sugar, corn syrup and other sweeteners can be used to stretch out the more expensive maple syrup so confirm that you are purchasing 100% pure.  Depending on the source maple syrup can be contaminated by paraformaldehyde which is used during the tapping process.  Always buy organic.  I use it in a few of my recipes but not often.  I love the memory of myself as a kid living in Minnesota in the U.S. and walking through the forested areas behind our home and seeing the trees being “tapped”.  We would boil small amounts of it in pans and throw it out onto the snow then chew on it as it hardened.  A good memory.

Blackstrap molasses is a sugar that is also highly heated and processed.  It is touted for its high mineral content.  Being the final dregs of sugar production allows certain impurities to remain.  These could be carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, phosphoric acid, bone char and chlorine.  If you choose to use this product, only purchase organic and unsulphured brands.

Agave Syrup, true agave syrup is not filtered and is produced with minimal heat which keeps all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes intact. There is light and dark available with the difference being that the light syrup has been filtered to create a lighter flavour. Inulin is the complex form of fructose found in agave and is absorbed slowly into the bloodstream.  Agave Syrup stores its energy as Inulin.   Inulin is typically found in roots or rhizomes. There is no starch in agave syrup. Inulin bypasses digestion in the stomach and small intestine and is actually digested in the large intestine. Inulin does not harm gut flora, it actually feeds the probiotic bacteria in our digestive system. Agave is absorbed slowly and as a low GI sweetener it is generally considered safe for diabetics.  Sweeter than sugar you can cut amount of sweetener asked for in a recipe by 25%.

Rice and Barley malt, either in syrup or powder form, are not as highly processed.  They are processed by fermenting and/or sprouting techniques and are only about a third as sweet as sugar.  They still have many of their nutrients intact as well as complex sugars that take much longer to digest than simple sugars.  These sweeteners are primarily composed of maltose and are less destructive to the body’s mineral balance. I love the taste of rice syrup especially and our family spreads it on toast with “butter” and cinnamon or on pancakes or mixed in some of our favourite unbaked cookie recipes. If a sweeter taste is desired I may stir in a few drops of stevia liquid.

Stevia, a small shrub native to South America, is extremely sweet, from 10 to 300 times sweeter than sugar depending on processing.  It regulates blood sugar so it is safe to use by those with blood sugar imbalances.  It has been shown to arrest the growth of plaque in your mouth and regulates blood pressure.  A non-caloric herb, it is the only sweetener safely used for candida and yeast-type conditions.  Many countries use it extensively with no known adverse reactions.  A great sweetener, we use it in my husband’s chiropractic offices for the patients to sweeten their tea or lemon water while they wait and they all seem to like it.  In summer it is sweetly refreshing in lemonade without the heavy hit of sugar to bring energy levels down.

Date sugar is simply dehydrated and ground dates.  Not processed, just a good whole food with all of its nutrients intact.  You can either use it as a powder or buy fresh dates and process in a blender with water to make a thick slurry which can be kept in the fridge and used as you would other sweeteners.  It is especially nice in baked goods.  Because it does contain all of its nutrients and fibre it metabolises slower than sugar and makes a good alternative.

Coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm and should not be confused with the date palm.  It is produced from the coconut palm blossom where it is sliced, boiled, crystallised and ground.  It is said to be the most sustainable sweetener.  This sugar is mineral rich with a low GI and is becoming very popular.  It has a rich full bodied flavour and is another favourite sweetener of mine in many different baked goods and a nice one to mix into your warm beverages. 

There are several more not so well known sweeteners out there.  Just do the research to find out how it breaks down in your body!

Knowing how sugar acts in the body is important in understanding why we should be conscious of  how much and what kind we eat.  

Sugar and Vitamin C are absorbed into our white blood cells in the same way. This is a problem when the sugar intake far exceeds your Vitamin C intake.  Disease happens when the Vitamin C can not enter the cell walls because there are sugar (glucose) molecules there first.  Vitamin C wanders around with no where to go and ultimately gets flushed out of your system.  It’s funny, at the health food store I’ve seen lollipops being sold that are enhanced with Vitamin C to make them a “healthy” treat for the kids.  But if you read the rest of the ingredients you will find organic cane sugar and/or honey. Great marketing but rather silly. In addition I’ve seen lots of powdered Vitamin C packages which are also loaded with sugar.  In fact, When I first arrived in Australia I thought it was rather odd that the majority of labels I checked seemed to always have glucose, glucose syrup or glucose solids in it.  I never thought that was a healthy addition in anything.  But where Australia uses glucose, America uses high fructose corn syrup.  Same thing, different name. Refined sugar works the same in your system.

White blood cells are fed by Vitamin C and they need continual concentrated amounts to maintain the body’s disease fighting abilities. Vitamin C is a critical food supplement that our bodies require for the proper health and production of white blood cells. Back in the 1970‘s Linus Pauling made this connection. That is why we have always been told to take vitamin C at the first sign of colds.  

Now the term food supplement doesn’t mean I’m telling you to go to the store and buy bottles of tablets.  Good food can do this far more effectively for you.  Usually the only food supplements  my family use are whole food supplements such as chlorella or spirulina. Supplements can be used if you have a critical condition that needs to be addressed, quickly.  But it is not beneficial to take them for long periods of time.  Laboratories will never be able to copy nature in all of its synergistic and energetic beauty.  

Alright, so saying all this, one of sugar’s major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin

level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which lowers your immune response.

Another drawback?  Premature aging of the skin.  Yes, it’s true.  There is a process your body goes through called glycation.  It is a result of sugar molecules attaching to protein molecules and damaging them.  One of the proteins most prone to this is collagen.  This protein is essential for your skins support structure.  The more sugar you consume the duller and more stressed your skin looks.  This process speeds up as we age too.  So the best remedy to dull complexion and wrinkles?  Put the cookie down.  And while your at it, avoid stopping off at the local coffee shop for one of their sugar laden hot drinks.  Pure water or herbal teas are the drink of choice...  I promise you won’t become a tree hugger over night if you do this.  Not that that’s a bad thing.  I like hugging trees.

Want another drawback to refined sugar intake?  How about three.  Violence, behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. There are many studies that have been shown the  link poor nutrition and high refined carbohydrate consumption has to people with these issues.  

Certain Prisons have removed sugar and other carbohydrates from their kitchens and have reported dramatic improvement in behavior.

There are great stories out there about individual schools and school systems that implement healthier food choices.  One story stands out over and over how “problem children” who are given a more rounded nutrient rich breakfast and lunch not only behave better but look and feel better too.  Go figure, good food choices equates to less cranky people.

Radiation, Beauty and Less Gassy Beans

I love the ocean.  The salty air that I can taste, the rhythmic rolling and the sound of the waves breaking are all very meditative. Here in northern New South Wales where my family and I reside, I treasure the walks on the beach alone or with my husband and exploring rock pools with the girls.   I love the expansiveness of the ocean and how there are life mysteries deep in its waters far beyond our understanding today.

I love that our bodies are 50-80% water (depending on age and weight)and that they mimic the ocean which has over 100 minerals composed of 80 chemical elements. Well, those are the ones we know of.  As scientists continue their research we are bound to find many yet unnamed beneficial elements.

Vegetables from the ocean also have an incredible amount of minerals.  High amounts of vitamins C and E are present as well as B vitamins, iron, calcium and a high percentage of fibre.  In fact, the carbohydrates in sea vegetables will easily pass through your digestive system effectively cleaning your intestines. There have been studies that  have shown seaweeds ability to remove up to 90 percent of radioactive strontium 90 from the intestinal tract.(S.C. Skoryna et al, “Intestinal Absorption of Radioactive Strontium,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 191, 1964) The sodium alginate found in sea plants will actually chelate the remaining amount out of the bone structure. This is good news for dealing with present and past toxic contamination.

 In our modern world we are constantly bombarded by radiation.  It is a concern brought up by many when medical diagnostics such as x-rays and CAT scans are used but of even greater concern is the radiation from our computer monitors and mobile phones since we use them continuously through out the day every day. 

The  study of the unique qualities of seaweed continues.  There is important work done by Dr. Jane Teas of Harvard, Dr. Ryan Drum, Ph.D. and many others in the anti-cancer research.  I think it’s great to study and find out what the plant world can do for our health. It validates everything I and many others believe.  I just have a problem with trying to isolate and encapsulate these properties into a pill when what we really need to do is eat our food the way nature intended.  It is the synergistic properties of the whole plant that gives its healing properties.  It is also the strength of our immune system that keeps us from being susceptible to illness and disease.

 Iodine is a critical element found in seaweed and needed in our bodies as we do not make it ourselves.  Our thyroid gland is dependent on iodine in order to do its work.  Our blood passes through the thyroid and as it secretes iodine, germs will be weakened or destroyed.  Thus, the thyroid is key to a strong immune system.  It also builds your body’s energy, relieves nervous tension and helps with fat storage. 

Having adequate amounts of iodine aids in the avoidance of radioactive absorption. Important in the world today what with the nuclear accidents that have occurred. Iodine is added to most salt because it is difficult to get enough in todays conventional diet.  The problem with this though is that the iodine added to salt is inorganic and not absorbable.  Many of us have written about the processing of salt, which like sugar, has been contaminated through the chemical processing needed to create the free pouring white granules most of us were raised on. We don’t need these chemicals in our food.  In fact, chlorine (used in food processing and in the cleaning of our tap water) has a lower atomic weight than iodine and so when the chlorine passes through the thyroid it displaces our stores of iodine.

Plenty of research has been done on sea vegetables.  

That is why looking to the sea for some of our food sources seems prudent and practical.

I enjoy a toasted Dulse, tomato, avocado and lettuce sandwich which is smothered with homemade cashew and sunflower seed mayonnaise.  Try dry toasting sesame seeds and dulse then grinding them to make a wonderfully tasty topping over a dish in lieu of sea salt.   In the past I have made the above mentioned mayonnaise or a vegan sour cream and after dipping a vegie stick in that I would dip into the sesame and dulse mixture, yum!   

Another fav is Arame.  More sweet than salty I will mix it into a fresh carrot salad with sauteed garlic and lemon juice.  Simple, delicious and extremely nutritious.

Hiijiki is one that the girls fondly call worms as it starts out in skinny twig-like form but once soaked will swell to about 5 times its original weight.  A little bit will do you then when preparing a meal!  It has a fairly neutral flavour so can go into stews or salads.  I think sea vegetables are pretty and a great contrast in colour to other fresh food and can help to make a dramatic presentation. 

Wakame has a slimier texture and is used in salads or miso soup.  Fresh sliced cucumbers, thin pieces of wakame, vinegar and dillweed are a lovely and refreshing salad.  Allow it to sit several hours before serving as the cucumbers water will be drawn out and the flavours have a chance to blend.

Nori is pretty familiar as most of us have had it wrapped around sushi or other combinations of ingredients.  We have rolled lots of veggies and nut and seed pastes into it.  My kids will just take the sheets plain and sit with one of our cats and tear off pieces to share together.  The cats love it so much we have to make sure the package gets stored tightly in the pantry!

Agar-agar or kanten, like gelatin,  is used to “set” some of the other recipes we use.  It is neutral in flavour and can be used for both savoury and sweet.

Kombu is most commonly used to make japanese dashi stock,  I add kombu to my beans to increase nutrition but also to make them less “gassy”.  My third daughter Nimue likes taking the dry leathery strips and chewing on them!  I’m not that game, but you can chop them up fine and cook them into your sauces, stews and soups.

These sea vegetables and more are used around the world and in many cultures.

And they have been used for centuries.  Weston Price, a dentist who studied diet and health in the early 20th century noted that even the people of the Andes ate daily small amounts of seaweed.  With trade and travel it was not necessary to live near the shore to have access to this important food.

To recap the benefits of sea vegetables;

1. They have been used for centuries for the treatment of cancer
2. Have a diuretic action in our body
3. Minerals in the sea vegetables are easier to break down and utilize than minerals in a capsule or tablet
4. They enhance calcium absorption
5. They are high in protein

1. They contain chlorophyll
2. Are high in fibre
3. Are gently detoxifying
4. The sodium alginate in sea vegetables will pull heavy metals, radiation and other chemical toxins out of your body
5. Are extremely nutritious, plentiful and inexpensive!

Sea vegetables are also considered to be easy beauty treatments.  Topically there are many ways to use them and internally your hair, skin, nails and eyes will thank you by becoming strong and vibrant.  Remember this, whatever goes on your face or body goes in your face or body.

Sea weed wraps are a luxuriant and popular treatment in spas.  You can give yourself a mini spa treatment at home just by adding seaweed to your bath! Create a seaweed facial mask and blissfully relax knowing that you are not only detoxifying your body but feeding it at the same time.  Seaweeds are potent antioxidants and have rejuvenating properties as well as having Vitamin A (beta carotene/retinol) and Vitamin C which work together in maintaining collagen, a protein necessary for the formation of connective tissue in the skin.

So there you have it...seaweed, who would have thought?

                     My nine year old, Nimue is enjoying an arame and carrot salad...for breakfast!