EAT FOR CHANGE

Eat For Change has returned to Hobby Status

2011-05-11T11:42:00.001-05:00

Before I went to school for nutrition and cooking, I took great enjoyment in personal experiments with food and health. I tried it all—from Atkins to Raw Milk Fasting—and loved directly experiencing the effects of the varying adventures.

One of the 'dangers' of experimentation, is that you just may find something you love more (it's also kind of the point). Well that's what's happened for me, and because of it I'm putting Eat For Change and nutrition counseling on the shelf.

I am now a student of a modality called the Grinberg Method, which teaches people to make life changes. It offers an approach and skills learned through the body that, when applied, lead to achieving an individual's desired impact for their life—from realizing goals and wishes to improving overall health and well-being and living a more rewarding life.

If you have chronic pain, would like to change reactions to specific situations, or are simply curious to grow and learn - you may find this method very powerful. I know I have. And the best part is, if you are in Chicago, right now you can get one-on-one sessions with me for the student price of $10. You can visit the official site of the Grinberg Method to learn more about the process.

The Grinberg Method is for sure a big adventure for me, but I still love the small, personal health and nutrition adventure as well. If I encounter anything of particular interest, I'll be sure to post the fruits of my explorations here on my hobbyist's blog.

In Health,
Shannon

Shannon Sullivan
Student Stage I of the Grinberg Method_®

Now offering sessions in Chicago
$10 (student price)
*** SCHEDULE NOW ***
Contact: Email or 773.818.3884

Do you want to eat genetically modified animal foods?

2008-11-13T15:01:00.003-06:00

Now's your time to comment. The FDA has proposed a draft guidance on the issue of commercializing GE animal foods, and the best part is....they are NOT requiring these foods to be labeled.

Public comments will be accepted until November 18. One way to comment is to visit the True Food Network website and post your comment there.

Here's a little more info from their site:

The FDA draft guidance would treat genetically engineered animals under its new animal drug provisions. While the new guidance would require a long-overdue review process, the proposed FDA rules are seriously flawed. While regulating genetically engineered animals through the more rigorous “new animal drug” provisions is good news—meaning each new GE animal would have to get FDA approval before going to market, like new drugs do—the secrecy inherent in our current drug approval process is bad news for consumers. In addition, FDA’s limited review will only be for efficiency of the GE process, the safety of the GE process on the animal, and will not require extensive testing of the foods derived from such animals. Moreover, the review will not cover environmental issues like impacts to wildlife or biodiversity.

Scared yet? I definitely am.

Film Review - "Good Food" by: Jayin Portland

2008-08-18T11:07:00.002-05:00

As someone who loves good food, especially good food grown and produced in a sustainable manner by local growers and producers here in Oregon and SW Washington, I must say that I was quite intrigued when I first heard of this film. A recently released 73-minute documentary from Moving Images directed by Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin, "Good Food" is a fascinating and extremely enjoyable film that touches on all aspects of a local sustainable food system. From farm and ranch, to market or distributor, to grocery store and restaurant and on to our forks and dinner tables - "Good Food" focuses on our successful and ever-growing sustainable local food system here in the Pacific Northwest, and in doing so also demonstrates that we can (and must, if we are to carry on as a working society much longer...) do the same everywhere across the nation.

A few variables will change region by region, but in the end there's a basic "Unified Theory of Sustainable Food Systems" that is clearly sketched out here - human scale family farms and ranches working with, rather than against, nature, producing healthy food without destructive poisonous chemicals; either selling directly to the public through farmers markets or through local distributors willing to work with small family farms; on to restaurants who source their food locally and change their menus accordingly with the seasons, and neighborhood grocery stores who take their role in the community seriously by making an effort to support local growers and producers while providing convenient access on a retail level to neighborhood residents.

Loaded with informative in-depth interviews with some of the leaders in this movement in Oregon and Washington, and not to mention beautiful farm and ranch scenes and many, many(!) hunger-inducing moments - "Good Food" is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen on this issue, and is definitely worth a view (or ten).

The Growers and Producers

The strong focus in this film, as it should be, is first and foremost on the people who grow and produce great food in our region...some of whom I was already aware of, like Eastern Oregon's Country Natural Beef cooperative of family-owned ranches; and also just so many others like Winthrop, Washington's Bluebird Grain Farms, who grow and mill organic heirloom grains for direct sale to the public and local restaurants throughout their area (if I ever myself in that area, I am definitely stopping by to eat at East 20 Pizza!); Skagit River Ranch north of Seattle, where George and Eiko Vojkovich raise pigs, cattle and chicken (and of course, some really beautiful pastured eggs!) in a manner that does not poison and destroy everything and everybody involved; and numerous fruit and vegetable growers, including Hilario Alvarez' family farm in Washington's Yakima Valley, and his 100-plus (!) varieties of peppers.

Not once, but twice during my viewings of this film over the past few days, I had to hit pause and head to the kitchen to make a salad. Of local greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet onions, garlic and carrots of course...

Great scenes follow from farmers markets and also on the donations that are made from farmers at the markets to local food banks, thereby bringing fresh produce to those amongst us who otherwise have the least access to good food. A scene is even included on how gleaning on these local farms is also helping bring real food to food banks in our area (there you go, cherryriver!).

The Restaurants and Grocers

Moving on towards the retail end of sustainable food systems, the film contains many great interviews and segments on distributors, restaurants (even an ice cream parlor!) and grocery stores that help bring these good foods from farm and ranch to restaurant and kitchen table. The segment on Seattle's Stumbling Goat Bistro features one of the many great restaurants in that city that are looking towards a more sustainable future, while at the same time serving incredible food at the peak of freshness that puts other restaurants to shame.

The interview with Chris Harris of Portland's New Seasons Market begins with a scene of the same TriMet busline I take to and from work (and to and from New Seasons, as well...) pulling up in front of my neighborhood New Seasons, the Seven Corners store at SE Division and 20th, and from there heads into a discussion of their model in which they basically join together a 'traditional' supermarket with a classic neighborhood corner grocer, but one in which local, seasonal and organic products are strongly promoted and prominently featured. And to my fellow "beer snobs" out there, I should also state that though it isn't mentioned in the film - you will also find the most amazing selection of 22-oz. size single bottles of the best and most obscure microbrews the Pacific Northwest and Northern California has to offer in their beer aisle...

Also featured is Seattle's PCC Natural Markets; and the Vancouver, WA based Portland-area fast food chain Burgerville, which sources all their beef through the aforementioned Oregon Country Natural Beef, and since dropping 'Gardenburger' as their veggieburger supplier back in May, they now even offer 2 veggieburgers from a local producer. Their french fries are made from local potatoes, their onion rings from local sweet onions, their sandwich toppings and condiments are sourced locally wherever and whenever possible, and their milkshakes also change according to whatever's in season - from featuring Oregon raspberries and strawberries to Oregon hazelnuts...

Watch It!

There are so many quotes and interesting parts of this documentary that I didn't even get into here, and I could probably write 3 or 4 reviews of the film focusing on a different aspect each time. To wrap it up though, all I can really say is that this is a fantastic film that I really enjoyed watching; and I'm definitely going to do so again, many times...

I highly recommend this film, the link and contact information again is right here.

Hopefully we'll soon see films like this coming out in every region and every corner of America, adjusting for local conditions and circumstances and featuring prominent local growers and producers, citizens, food activists, restaurateurs, chefs, businesspeople...

And on towards a truly sustainable America, one meal at a time.

Read comments at: La Vida Locavore

The Demand for Local Food is Here to Stay!

2008-08-12T10:41:00.005-05:00

It seems the rising price of gas has given an exciting boost the the local foods movement as large retailers are now going the extra organizational mile to reduce their shipping costs.

And Walmart is leading the pack with plans to spend $400 million on local produce this year. There are a variety of strategies at play here ranging from handing over parking lot or store space for farmer's market stands to extensive decentralization of the buying system that involved building one-on-one relationship with local farms or farm coops.

And chains such as Hannaford Brothers and Wegmans Food Markets who have already been selling local foods for years are being rewarded with an increase in sales.

There are still some details to be worked out chains and consumers adjust from an I want what I want right now attitude to Ooo, Look! Blueberries are ripe! mindset. Marketers have been training us for years to be dependent on consistency, even if that meant consistently bad, but I think a nimble love of diversity and seasonality will spread.

As systems for local distribution evolve, it will be easier and easier for consumers to purchase foods that have been harvested at their peak of ripeness, which means an increase in flavor and optimal nutritional status.

In the meantime, buying local serves the planet as a whole by reducing consumption of fossil fuels, therefore adding less carbon to the atmosphere.

Read more in the NY times article: Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sites

Beatrice's Goat Got Her to College

2008-07-10T17:43:00.009-05:00

There was an op-ed piece in the NY Times last week by columnist Nicolas Kristof in honor of Beatrice Biira, the first person from her village in Uganda to earn a college degree in America. And now she's headed off for a graduate degree in Public Service.

Beatrice's life is probably the most famous success story for Heifer International, a non-profit that seeks to eradicate hunger and poverty by providing struggling families throughout the world with livestock. But they don't stop there.

Over the years Heifer has developed a comprehensive and holistic approach by which the entire community is educated on how to care for the animals, raise them in a manner that enhances rather than taxes the local environment and successfully market any products, such as milk or wool, that the animal produces. Animals chosen are always regionally appropriate, and the family that receives the animal commits to a contractual agreement in which the first offspring are passed onto another family in need in their community who has also completed all the necessary training.

Thus the recipients of Heifer's gifts are truly empowered in that they not only begin to create financial independence for themselves, they also help others in their community do the same. Heifer also creates empowerment by insisting that all members of a family are included in all aspects of a project, including decisions, so that traditionally disadvantages groups, such as women, are no longer passive recipients of their livelihoods.

So began the story of Beatrice. Her family received a goat and thus was able to begin saving money. It's quite likely that the money was then used to send Beatrice to school because the women in her family had gained equal say in how the family's money would be spent. Beatrice's hard work then won her a scholarship, and with the help of a few more Heifer friends, she was able to attend college in the U.S.

Beatrice has won herself quite some acclaim as well, not just the op-ed piece, she's been on Oprah. Her story is spectacular enough on its own, even without the bit of what I consider to be misplaced drama in Kristof's article He writes:

A crooked local official might have distributed the goats by demanding that girls sleep with him in exchange. Or Beatrice’s goat might have died or been stolen. Or unpasteurized milk might have sickened or killed Beatrice.

I'm sorry, I just can't let that little paragraph go without comment.

Let's start from the bottom. If pasteurized milk were required for humans to avoid illness or death, our species would been extinct long before we had the opportunity to begin studying science.

History suggests that the consumption of animal milk by humans began somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago. And Pasteurization was invented around 1865. Using the conservative numbers, that's more than 9,800 years of humans thriving on unpasteurized milk, compared to less than 150 years of pasteurization.

Personally, I was thrilled to learn that Beatrice's milk was unpasteurized. I've begun doing some volunteer work with Heifer myself, and I was afraid that I would one day learn that they too were pasteurization propagandists, even though I have no idea how that could be made practical in a small, impoverished village in Uganda.

As for the first statement about corrupt local government workers demanding sex in exchange for goats, I do not doubt that sort of thing happens in our world, probably much more frequently than I would even expect. But I can say with certainty that it doesn't happen on Heifer's watch. (I even called my local Heifer office just to make sure.)

And for the rest, goats do die sometimes, such is life. But Heifer projects aren't centered around a single family, they are centered on a community. So in addition to providing extensive training in animal care as a preventative measure, Heifer project support is there to assist the community in coming up with a replacement strategy for a family that has lost their animal for any reason.

So, it was never a "Hey Beatrice, here's your goat. Good luck!" sort of situation. The take home message is that when livestock are integrated into communities in a holistic and environmentally sustainable way, the humans in those communities have the opportunity to thrive.

Beatrice embraced her opportunity fully and in her success prepares to return to her childhood community and pass on her gifts.

NY Raw Dairyman Setting the Standards

2008-07-02T11:04:00.009-05:00

An excellent article on the Rodale Institute website highlights a NY raw dairy farmer who is working to demonstrate what kind of quality is possible when one puts their mind to it.

The farmer, Jerry Snyder, has 50 grass-fed cows and he's proposing a defined system of milk quality that will determine what avenues of distribution are allowed.

Snyder is targeting four levels of milk to give farmers incentive for achieving the highest possible quality, rather than to settle for the lowest threshold. Each higher level would have additional levels of testing (through frequency, specific pathogen testing or lower permissible limits). Ranked by increasing quality, these levels would be: conventional Grade-A pasteurized, organic pasteurized, raw permitted for on-farm sale, and raw through retail.

Consumers of 'raw through retail' milk would first visit the farm that produces the milk they want to buy and sign an affidavit ensuring that the enter into the agreement with full, conscious consent. Then they would pre-order and pre-pay to pick up their milk at a local store.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant system, designed to symbiotically support those of us who are delighted by the opportunity to visit the farm where our food comes from and farmers who are thrilled to go the extra mile to make the highest quality food possible.

Monsanto - Harvest of Fear

2008-05-20T16:21:00.003-05:00

This article makes me want to cry.

Monsanto: Harvest of Fear

Not sure what else to say.

Think You Have A Choice About Consuming Genetically Modified Foods?

2008-04-17T13:13:00.005-05:00

Think again. Contamination of the world's food supply is spreading at alarming rates.

On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television (ARTE – French-German cultural tv channel) by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won't ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

This film actually sat open on my desktop for a couple of weeks as I waited for an 'appropriate' time to watch it. I knew it was going to piss me off, so I finally just picked a day where I was already feeling irritated.

Even though I was already aware of many of the claims addressed in this film, the synthesis of the story was provocative nonetheless. I found the beginning, which explores Monsanto's relationship to the United States government and the greater scientific community to be, as expected - infuriating. And the ending, which examines a very small sampling of the effects Monsanto's biotechnology is actually having on people of developing countries - absolutely heartbreaking.

Here's some data from the film to whet your appetite:

90% of GMOs in the world belong to Monsanto, most of those are Roundup Ready

Monsanto weaseled out of compensating Vietnam Vets struggling with dioxin poisoning.

Monsanto was found guilty, twice, of falsely advertising Roundup as 'biodegradable' - once in NY in 1996 and then in France in 2007.

Roundup Ready soybeans make up 90% of the US soy market, and approximately 70% of the foods on US shelves contain GMOs, but you wouldn't know because it's not required that they're listed on the label.

And if that doesn't raise question enough to make you watch, there's also a scene with George Bush Sr. touring a Monsanto lab when he was Regan's VP.

The Relationship Between Blood Sugar and Will Power

2008-04-03T13:40:00.004-05:00

There was a fun article in the NY Times Op-Ed section yesterday exploring the apparently limited capacity of will power. Instead of some infinite power that we can apply at...well...will, consider your will power to be like a muscle - a muscle that can become fatigued and can be strenghtened over time.

So this affects food in so many ways, as anyone who has to put blinders on to walk through the candy display check out line at Blockbuster knows. But according to this article, it seems that if you spend all your will power avoiding purchases that your budget can't back, you may not have any left to keep your hands (or face) out of the cookie jar. And, as if that isn't bad enough, putting your hand in the cookie jar may offer positive reinforcement for completing other tasks:

In one pioneering study, some people were asked to eat radishes while others received freshly baked chocolate chip cookies before trying to solve an impossible puzzle. The radish-eaters abandoned the puzzle in eight minutes on average, working less than half as long as people who got cookies or those who were excused from eating radishes.

So does this mean we should run from the salad bar and straight to the vending machine any time we need to get something done? Well, no, but it may at least partially explain why the afternoon trip to Starbucks helps you make it through the rest of the day:

What limits willpower? Some have suggested that it is blood sugar, which brain cells use as their main energy source and cannot do without for even a few minutes. Most cognitive functions are unaffected by minor blood sugar fluctuations over the course of a day, but planning and self-control are sensitive to such small changes. Exerting self-control lowers blood sugar, which reduces the capacity for further self-control. People who drink a glass of lemonade between completing one task requiring self-control and beginning a second one perform equally well on both tasks, while people who drink sugarless diet lemonade make more errors on the second task than on the first. Foods that persistently elevate blood sugar, like those containing protein or complex carbohydrates, might enhance willpower for longer periods.

Regular meals centered around protein, now where have I heard that before?

Oh, and start brushing your teeth with your non-dominate hand. It's one of the ways to strengthen that will power muscle and who knows, maybe it'll help with the noshing and the spending.

Yay California!

2008-02-06T10:35:00.001-06:00

Once again, California is a national leader in creating consumer choice when it comes to food. When the FDA made their announcement this month that meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring are 'safe', CA State Senator Carol Migden brought forth a bill that would require said comments to be clearly labeled.

Also in California, Plaintiffs Organic Seed Alliance, Sierra Club, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) have filed a lawsuit against the USDA over the approval of genetically engineered Roundup Ready sugar beets.

"Getting good food to people regardless of income"

2008-01-31T10:46:00.001-06:00

Here's an inspiring article of a CSA that restructured themeselves to be able to accept food stamps: Uprising Farms on Local Harvest.

An excerpt:

"Goldberg and her partner Brian Campbell founded Uprising with two intentions: saving heirloom and open pollinated seeds, and getting good food to people regardless of income. After three seasons as market farmers, Goldberg and Campbell started a small CSA last year. It exclusively serves low income people, and the members pay with electronic food stamp benefits, known as EBT."

Cooking Traditional Foods Forum

2008-01-24T08:25:00.001-06:00

If you want to take your questions on cooking traditional foods to an online forum:

Cooking Traditional Foods Forum

It's free, though they also have a Weekly Menu Mailer and a Recipe Archive, which cost money.

Nutrition in The Onion

2008-01-18T11:20:00.001-06:00

Very Specific Food Pyramid Recommends Two To Three Shrimp Scampis Per Year

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled an updated, extremely detailed food pyramid Monday, which may redefine the way...

I ate enough Cookie Crisp as a kid to last a life time of yearly quotas, thank goodness I needn't worry about that one.

Martha Stewart Drinks Raw Milk!

2008-01-17T11:07:00.001-06:00

Hey, if it's good enough for Martha...?

Sadly I haven't found a way to watch the whole segment, but here's the episode where Martha visits the Smith Family Farm in Maine - the farm where she gets her milk.

She also has pictures of the farm on her blog, and here's a blog post about the farm from Jan 23 on www.eatmainefoods.org.

Do you want to eat cloned and genetically modified animal foods?

2008-01-16T19:31:00.001-06:00

If not, take action by following these links:

Support the Senate Bill to Label Food from Cloned Animals
From the Center for Food Safety:
"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last month that the Agency will likely approve the sale of cloned foods this year. FDA’s action flies in the face of widespread scientific concern about the risks of food from clones, and ignores the animal cruelty and troubling ethical concerns that the cloning process brings. What's worse, FDA indicates that it will not require labeling on cloned food, so consumers will have no way to avoid these experimental foods."

Stop the Approval of Genetically Engineered Fish!
From the Center for Food Safety:
"The Food and Drug Administration has made the informal decision to regulate transgenic fish under its authority to review new animal drugs. Given the potential toxicity, allergenicity, and aquaculture diseases posed by the commercialization of transgenic fish, CFS is demanding that the FDA adopt a pre-market regulatory review that does not ignore these potential human health safety concerns."

Raw Milk in Illinois

2007-09-18T14:06:00.001-05:00

Here's a great article and audio piece from Chicago Public Radio on the raw milk scene here in Illinois.

"Illinois stores can’t sell raw milk. That the stuff that’s unpasteurized—it hasn’t been heated up to kill bacteria. But it’s not illegal to drink raw milk, and plenty do..."

FYI - Your Raw Almonds Aren't

2007-08-31T17:18:00.001-05:00

Raw that is, they are still almonds.

But starting September 1, all almonds grown in the United States are required by law to be pasteurized. The kicker is, pasteurized almonds will still be labeled as raw in stores.

Why is this a problem? Well, if you let go of the concept of how unbelievably helpful it would be to have integrity in labeling, the problems with pasteurizing almonds is that it destroys the live enzymes that make them digestible.

Traditional cultures have lent us simple methods of preparing nuts, seeds, grains and legumes that activate the digestion promoting enzymes so that we get the most nutrition possible from these foods. The most bang for our buck. (For more info and recipes, check out the Grains, Beans and Legumes...Oh My! article on my website).

Problem is, that isn't the same as the most bang for the producers buck. Modern agricultural techniques are not focused on delivering nutrition, they are focused on making as much foods as possible as cheaply as possible. It is just these types of practices (acres of mono-cropped field, enormous processing facilities) that brought us to this whole almond pasteurization policy in the first place.

And to top of the devastation of loosing access to healthy foods, this new legislation is forcing many small almond farmers, the ones who are actually following agricultural practices that support health, out of business.

So what's a consumer to do? Well, there are ways to get truly raw almonds, you just need to find a place that imports, and then have a conversation with them before you order. One such company is Living Nutz, a raw food snack seller that imports all their almonds from Europe. They are truly raw, 100% organic and sell for $9 per pound.

Never forget, you always have options.

Comic Relief

2007-08-30T08:58:00.001-05:00

I believe that humor is the healthiest way to approach our collective food system in this country. Otherwise, the truth would just be depressing.

Here's a little snippet of humor to help you learn the importance of the U.S. Farm Bill, which is currently up for review. If it makes you smile, or even smirk, then take action here!

The Price-Pottenger Story

2007-08-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick (under 7 minutes) video that outlines the research of Weston A. Price and Francis M. Pottenger which provides documentation of physical degeneration in accordance with food processing.

Genetic Modification and Suicide

2007-05-15T15:06:00.001-05:00

In India, thousands of farmers have turned to Genetically Modified seeds in hopes of increasing crop yields and decreasing pesticide costs as a means to resolving situations of financial debt.

In India, thousands of farmers commit suicide every year when the use of Genetically Modified seeds increases overhead, increases debt and eradicates hope.

A soon-to-be published study will reveal with more accuracy and detail the extent of this phenomenon. Prepare yourself for this gruesome news by planting the possibilty of change in your own psyche.

"How to Save the World" is a documentary about one New Zealander's efforts to reinstate biodynamic farming throughout India to help these farmers become self-sufficient and hopeful, and to help halt the environmental devistation of modern agriculture. Here's the trailer:

Should pasteurized mean irradiated?

2007-04-27T14:19:00.001-05:00

FDA Docket #2007-0189-0001 is proposing to allow some foods that are irradiated to be labeled instead as pasteurized as long as they are not "those irradiated foods in which the irradiation causes a material change in the food, or a material change in the consequences that may result from the use of the food."

I say, if irradiation causes no material change to the food, then what's the harm in labeling it as irradiated? I say tell me exactly what you've done to this food, and then let me decide whether or not I want to buy it.

What do you say? You have until July 3rd to let the FDA know!

Stories from Organic Pastures

2007-04-26T14:32:00.001-05:00

Mark McAffee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy which supplies the state of California with a retail source of raw milk, shares his story of how he knows he's doing the right thing.

Are you eating meat and drinking milk from cloned animals?

2007-04-25T09:35:00.001-05:00

If so, how would you feel about that? Is it your right to easily know whether or not the foods you purchase come from cloned animals? Should these foods be labeled? Or should they be prevented from entering the food supply entirely?

Whatever your thoughts, now is the time to share them with the FDA. The comment period for the Center for Food Safety Docket #2003N-0573 has been extended to May 3, 2007.

Comment now through the Citizens for Health website, or send your comments directly to the FDA.

Michael Pollan Does It Again

2007-04-24T10:49:00.001-05:00

On April 22 the NY Times delivered yet another stellar article by food journalist Michael Pollan entitled “You Are What You Grow.”

This brief essay (3 pages compared to the 12 of his previous article “Unhappy Meals”) highlights major areas by which the low fuss, low press farm bill, reviewed every 5 years, ripples it’s effects into our daily lives, impacting our environment, community, and health as American and global citizens.

Here are a few quotes to whet your whistle:

”The health of the American soil, the purity of its water, the biodiversity and the very look of its landscape owe in no small part to impenetrable titles, programs and formulae buried deep in the farm bill.

”The flow of immigrants north from Mexico since Nafta is inextricably linked to the flow of American corn in the opposite direction, a flood of subsidized grain that the Mexican government estimates has thrown two million Mexican farmers and other agricultural workers off the land since the mid-90s.

“The farm bill essentially treats our children as a human disposal for all the unhealthful calories that the farm bill has encouraged American farmers to overproduce.”

But the article isn’t entirely negative, Pollan also speaks of hope in action as American consumers continually “vote with their forks” for farming systems that are sustainable and healthful.

Here are two easy opportunities for you to vote with your voice as well as your fork, and ask your representatives to give this years revision of the US Farm bill some serious consideration.

Why Farm and Food Policy Matters (Environmental Defense)

Give Poor Farmers a Fighting Chance (Oxfam Advocacy Fund)

And if you want to read more by Michael Pollan, I highly recommend his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Shannon Hayes - The Grass Fed Gourmet

2007-04-06T16:28:00.002-05:00

This week I was delighted to enjoy a phone conversation with farmer, chef and author Shannon Hayes. She had generously allowed me to publish a recipe from her first cookbook, The Grass-fed Gourmet, in my newsletter last fall, and she has a new cookbook due from the printer in a couple weeks, so I capitalized on the opportunity for an interview.

Shannon lives with her husband, two children and 20 head of beef cattle on her family farm in upstate New York. Her interest in food was formed before she even realized, as her childhood was filled with meal planning, farm work and extensive coaching in down-home cooking.

When Shannon was in her early twenties, the farm started experimenting with direct marketing and participated in a “chi chi” dinner event with gourmet chefs preparing foods from local farms. There was nearly a fight that night as the farm fresh food was rendered unrecognizable by the upscale kitchen styling.

Shannon knew that rift needed to be bridged for her family farm to prosper, so she took her home-schooled cooking education to the next level by systematically experimenting with every cut of meat the farm had to offer. She learned first on her own, by trial and error, and later poured over cookbooks and recipes to refine her techniques.

Her food explorations served her well while she was working on her Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture and community development at Cornell. At that time she made her money providing educational events at the university with foods from local farms.

Now, in addition to the customers served by Sap Bush Hollow Farm, Shannon shares her knowledge by authoring cookbooks and hosting educational programs for farmers to help them discover the culinary and flavor potentials of the wholesome foods they raise.

It was good for to share phone time with Shannon, to hear the voice of a kindred soul on the journey of living traditional nourishment in a modern world. Our conversation affirmed many aspects of my own struggles with a food-oriented career, and helped me to continue relaxing some of the expectations I have for myself.

Shannon describes her personal system for food choices as “gut feeling plus intense environmental ethic.” This is a statement I highly respect and with which I humbly identify as I keep dreaming of the farm life I someday hope to have.

Please visit www.GrassFedCooking.com to learn more about Shannon Hayes, Sap Bush Hollow Farm or to purchase one of Shannon’s books – The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook or The Farmer and the Grill.

Thanks Shannon!

Don't Be Duped By Fortified Soda!

2007-03-23T16:09:00.001-05:00

Soda is not healthy. Does adding fractionated and, very likely synthetic, vitamins to soda make it healthy? No. In my opinion, these types of vitamins aren't particularly healthy without the soda, so when you put the two together you just end up with more crap that isn't food, but is still intended for consumption.

Nonetheless, soda manufacturers are trying fortified sodas as yet another tactic to ride the financial wave of the modern health craze. (This is second only to their disdainfully successful attempts to market sugar-laden teas and sports drinks as nourishing beverages.)

To learn more about the drinks you can expect to see on your supermarket shelves and breaking the flow of your favorite TV shows, check out this New York Times article from early March.

You can use it as I did, as an exercise in eye rolling and head shaking. Hey, it's good to stretch these areas regularly when you sit in front of a computer all day.

Prescription for Disaster

2007-03-20T10:37:00.001-05:00

A 90-minute documentary by Gary Null investigating "the symbiotic relationships between the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, lobbyists, lawmakers, medical schools, and researchers" the the effects of those relationships on the health recommendations of medical professionals. Informative for anyone who has been recommended to take prescription medications or who is experiencing the frustrations of continually rising health care costs.

Simmered Eggs Mollet

2007-01-18T14:04:00.002-06:00

I'm on a soft-boiled egg kick lately, so I grabbed "La Varenne Pratique" and flipped to the index.

Had my computer been on, I probably would have just googled "soft-boiled egg time" and ended up with "3-4 minutes," but since I instead chose to consult the bible of french cooking, I was graced with an opportunity to learn, and since I have a blog, I am graced with the opportunity to share.

Enough grace, back to eggs. Boiling eggs may seem like the worlds simplest task, but the difference between "cooked to perfection" and "an overcooked ball of rubber" can be a matter of seconds when it comes to eggs. This is what La Varenne tells me, to which I respond: "Thank you, at least I don't have to worry about getting it right!"

One interesting tidbit - eggs cook best when they are room temperature. I remember one day at the Union Square Green Market in New York. One of the egg guys there was telling me that eggs should not be refrigerated, that it ruins their taste. He followed that up with, "Of course I can't say that officially. It counters the FDA guidelines on proper food handling, so don't tell anyone you heard it from me."

I haven't tried keeping my eggs out yet, partly because of habit, partly because of the depth of my culturally ingrained fear of food. But he did recommend at the very least letting them sit out over night, so maybe I'll start there.

The other cool thing I learned was that salt relaxes the protein in the egg. This is why you salt eggs before you beat them, it helps them fluff up. However, if you add salt to your scramble more than just a few minutes before cooking, your eggs end up over runny.

Back on the stove, boiling eggs actually leads to cracked shells and rubbery whites, hence the title: "Simmered Eggs." I also learned that the egg I desired is technically called "mollet" indicating a firm white and a soft yolk. (Feel free to use the "comments" option for your redneck egg jokes.)

So here's the final scoop on making eggs mollet - Gently lower 1-2 room temperature eggs into already simmering water with a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Remove after 6-7 minutes. Enjoy! For me, this means smashing them over some leftover grain (which I have no problem storing at room temperature thanks to my macrobiotic days and some fun stories about the Scottish and their "oat drawers") and topping them with fermented vegetables.

If your eggs cooked properly (meaning the white is indeed firm and the yolk soft), they will keep in the refrigerator with their shells on for 4 days, and without shells in water for 2 days. To reheat, immerse your eggs in hot water for 3-5 minutes.

Creating a Pro-Probiotic Body

2006-12-01T18:26:00.004-06:00

In order to keep your bacterial balance shifted towards probiotic (in support of life) and away from pathogenic (disease fostering), you need to cultivate you inner flora. This means two things: creating an environment (within your body) in which probiotic organisms thrive, and making sure that they find their way in.

Many ordinary life factors can prove hostile for health-giving bacteria. Excess exposure to stress, illness, sugar and other refined carbohydrates, alcohol, toxins and drugs (particularly antibiotics) can all throw off your microbial balance.

On the flip side, high quality foods, prebiotics (foods that help probiotics grow), relaxation and plenty of sound sleep can help you maintain a pro-probiotic body. In other words, what’s good for you is good for them. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

In terms of bringing in probiotics to settle down in your gut and start raising families (the technical term here is colonize), the simplest answer is (as always) food. Traditional diets have included probiotic foods for centuries. Until the advent of pasteurization, irradiation, and anti-microbial soap, humans consumed live, health-giving bacteria on a daily basis.

Thankfully, we still have access to these wonderful foods. Probiotic culinary traditions are founded on the use of wild bacteria, the ones already living on your food in the air. These local microbes can be invited to colonize your food, and in turn your gut, through simple fermentation processes in your own kitchen.

For more information and instructions on fermentation, check out the featured article and recipe by Sandor Elix Katz in this news letter, or his book, Wild Fermentations. Another good book to explore is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

If you’re not interested in personal fermentation adventures, most health food stores carry some raw (non-pasteurized) fermented vegetables (such as sauerkraut or kimchi) and yogurt made with live cultures is readily available (just be aware of added sugar).

And if even that seems like too much, you can get your probiotics in supplement form. Supplements are also highly recommended when you have a history of antibiotic use, and quality is imperative to assure the bacteria are both living and friendly.

So when you eat from now on, don’t just think of yourself. Think of the trillions of tiny critters that depend on you for their survival, just as you depend on them for your health.

And be glad that the microbes are small. If each of the bacteria in your stomach were the size of a penny, your belly would be as big as the moon. Try finding pants to fit that!

Sauerkraut by Sandor Katz

2006-12-01T18:21:00.001-06:00

"For me, it all started with sauerkraut. I'd always loved it as a kid in New York City, frequently chowing down on street vendor hot dogs, always with mustard and kraut." - from Wild Fermentation

Ingredients:
5 pounds cabbage (2 kilograms)
3 tablespoons sea salt (45 milliliters)
other vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices (optional)

Procedure:
1 Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. I love to mix green and red cabbage to end up with bright pink kraut. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.

2 Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates a brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also has the effect of keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. About 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of salt is a rough guideline for 5 pounds (2 kilograms) of cabbage. I never measure the salt; I just shake some on after I chop up each cabbage. I use more salt in the summer, less in the winter. It is possible to make kraut with less salt or with no salt at all; for salt-free kraut variations see my book Wild Fermentation, page 43.

3 Add other vegetables, if you like. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Other vegetables that I've added include onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, Brussels sprouts, small whole heads of cabbage, turnips, beets, and burdock roots. You can also add fruits (apples, whole or sliced, are classic), and herbs and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries are classic, but anything you like will work). Experiment.

4 Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and helps force water out of the cabbage.

5 Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (such as a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.

6 Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water our of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think of it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. This can take up to about 24 hours, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage slowly. Some cabbage, particularly if it is old, simply contains less water. If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enought salt water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of salt to 1 cup (250 mililliters) of water and stir until it's completely dissolved.

7 Leave the crock to ferment. I generally store the crock in an unobtrusive corner of the kitchen where I won't forget about it, but where it won't be in anybody's way. You could also store it in a cool basement if you want a slower fermentation that will preserve for longer.

8 Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to this mold as "scum," but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you can off the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove it all. Don't worry about this. It's just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight, taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant.

9 Enjoy. I generally scoop out a bowl- or jarful at a time and keep it in the fridge. I start when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving flavor over the course of a few weeks. Try the sauerkraut juice that will be left in the bowl after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice is a rare delicacy and unparalleled digestive tonic. Each time you scoop some kraut out of the crock, you have to repack it carefully. Make sure that the kraut is packed tight in the crock, the surface is level, and the cover and weight are clean. Sometimes the brine evaporates, so if the kraut is not submerged below brine, just add salted water as necessary. Some people preserve kraut by canning and heat-processing it. This can be done; but so much of the power of sauerkraut is its aliveness that I wonder: Why kill it?

10 Develop a rhythm. I try to start a new batch before the previous batch runs out. I remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with fresh salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and its juices over the new kraut. This gives the new batch a boost with and active culture starter.

Tips:
Special Equipment: Ceramic crock or a food-grade plastic bucket, 1-gallon/4-liter capacity or greater; Plate that fits inside crock or bucket; 1-gallon/4-liter jug filled with water (or a scrubbed and boiled rock); Cloth cover (such as a pillowcase or a towel).

Notes:
Excerpted, with permission, from Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. Copyright 2003 Sandor Ellix Katz. All rights reserved.

Sandorkraut

2006-12-01T18:16:00.001-06:00

I belong to a local CSA (community supported agriculture) here in Chicago. Each season, we purchase a share of the harvest, and our box is delivered to a drop point in the city once a week. Given the time of year, cabbage is starting to pile up in the fridge.

The presence of this bounty turned my domestic thoughts to fermentation, while my professional thoughts were beginning to focus on writing this newsletter, and the clarity of synthesis joyfully emerged. I wanted to talk to Sandor Katz, the author of a book that is a staple on my kitchen shelves – Wild Fermentation – The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods.

A self-proclaimed fermentation fetishist, Sandor didn’t need to train his taste buds to the wonders of fermented foods; he loved them as a kid. In the late 1980s he followed a macrobiotic diet, and this is when he began to realize the health benefits of live-culture ferments.

Sandor says he was always an adventurous cook, but when he moved in 1993 to rural Tennessee and began gardening, he too was inspired by a surplus of cabbage. A surplus that was transformed by his fascination and an old crock found in the barn, into live-culture sauerkraut.

Sandor’s experiments flourished with the encouragement of his “live-in panel of taste testers, critics, philosophers, and fellow fermentation enthusiasts” from his community, Moonshadow, and near-by neighbors. He started teaching sauerkraut workshops at their annual food skill sharing event that still goes on today. (Visit svionline.org for more information on the community and the annual Food For Life event.)

Teaching is what helped Sandor start to realize how much fear there is about fermentation. He also recalls searching cookbooks on traditional cuisine with the purpose of expanding his knowledge of this ancient art, only to discover that many authors assumed that no one would actually be willing to include the live-cultures as part of their culinary repertoire.

One of my favorite things about Sandor’s approach to fermentation, which was apparent both in his writing and our conversation, is his non-technical attitude. He says that live-culture fermentation is “not rocket science, people have been fermenting basically since the dawn of human culture.” To quote from Wild Fermentation: “Fermentation is easy. Anyone can do it, anywhere, with the most basic tools.”

He advises that as long as your ferment is submerged under water, the lactic acid-producing bacteria (the one’s you want) will grow. When exposed to air, it’s likely that you will get some mold, and if you don’t protect from flies, then you can expect to share your fermentation vessel with their offspring.

I asked Sandor’s opinion on fermentation starters such as freeze-dried bacterial powders or whey (the liquid that naturally separates out from yogurt). He said that he has experimented with these things, especially when he had a steady supply of raw milk coming from his community’s goats, but he just keeps coming back to salting the vegetables and letting them sit.

In the end, he sees fermentation starters not as bad, but simply not necessary for the home kitchen, preferring to keep things simple, easy, and wildly delicious. He feels that the consumption of spontaneously occurring microbial communities, the ones that naturally arise from the wild bacteria found in your immediate environment and on local produce, is better than deciding intellectually which strain is best and then cultivating that one specifically.

Hearing him speak to the power of wild diversity reminded me of one particular characteristic that seems almost entirely absent from modern eating – the element of trust. Actually, I suppose trust isn’t absent, but it is misplaced.

We trust a food product because it is regulated by the government or has data printed on its label, without ever investigating to see if the truth aligns with the story of safety and health that we’ve been fed. But trust in nature, in wild diversity, in a spontaneous live culture? Well that’s something we seem to have lost.

Our trust in nature wandered off while we were busy with the advent of pasteurization and chemical fertilizers. The climate of fear that replaced it has proliferated ever since. This, in turn has lead to greater and greater separation as we attempt to insulate ourselves with a very false sense of protection.

Sandor’s perspective on the separation of humans from their food supply, as he states in the introduction of his new book, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved:

The mass disconnection of human beings from the harvesting and cultivation of our own food reflects a broader disconnection from the natural world, our physical environment, the land, wild plants and animals, the cycles of life and death, even our very bodies. This disconnect is a source of spiritual longing, leaving us searching for reconnection and yearning for meaning.

In this book he calls to inspire readers to participate in the food revolution with stories of local activists – their work and their struggles. I say start by creating a space and an invitation for a wild, spontaneous microbial community to flourish in your own kitchen.

As you do so, approach the whole experience in the spirit of Sandorkraut, with open curiosity and an adventuresome nature. Observe the wonder or your community’s bubbling aliveness, smell the transformation, and taste throughout the process, not only as a means of tracking the changing flavor of your ferment, but as conscious ritual in connecting directly with the wild diversity of nature.

Probiotics in the News, Laboratory and Kitchen

2006-12-01T18:07:00.005-06:00

Microorganisms in the News - Microbial Obesity

Last August there was an article in the NY Times called Fat Factors that illuminated past and current research investigating the possible correlation between microorganisms and obesity. I was so thrilled, that I immediately e-mailed it to my doctor friends who love to reduce weight loss to simplistic math: calories in - calories out.

Fat Factors tells the story of a research patient, Janet, who agreed to 3 months of hospitalization (in exchange for free gastric bypass surgery at the end) to allow her weight to be closely monitored and regulated. The researchers calculated the precise amount of calories Janet needed to maintain her weight, and prepared each of her meals. In two weeks, Janet gained 12 pounds.

A next logical train of thought might be that Janet is genetically pre-disposed for obesity, that her fat is in her genes. The first obesity gene was discovered in 1994, and about 50 more, with regulatory effects ranging from fat metabolism to knowing how much to eat, have been identified since. And the genetics theory encounters practical challenges of its own, such as identical twins with similar eating habits and extremely dissimilar weights.

Enter “infectobesity,” a term coined by a physician at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana who studies the relationship between excess weight and a common virus. Other microbiologists at Washington University in St. Louis are studying the trillions of gut microbes to see if any of them may play a role in making bodies fat, and more researchers at Virgina Commonwealth University, having “successfully” created obesity in chickens, rats and marmosets by infecting them with microbes. Now they are retrospectively surveying humans to evaluate correlation between body weight and antibodies that indicate past microbial infection.

Our inner community of gut microflora plays a wide variety of metabolic roles in the human body. And to quote the article’s author, Robin Marantz Henig, about one in particular, “It helps extract calories from the food we eat and helps store those calories in fat cells for later use – which gives [it], in effect, a role in determining whether our diets will make us fat or thin.”

Fat Factors is a long article with wonderful stories about researchers and research subjects alike. The short of it is that evidence is accumulating to support some sort of relationship between microbes and obesity, at least in some cases, and that, sadly, the clinical application of this knowledge is still many years away.

Most of all, it’s a wonderful reflection on the traps of over-simplified thinking (such as our cultural view of fat = lazy or the standard math of calories in – calories out) and a reminder that we are never alone, that wellness is a team effort – you and your microbes, working symbiotically to create a body of health.

Probiotics in the Laboratory – Your Inner Ecosystem

Planet earth is a realm of diversity. Look out your window and you can see her surface teeming with the living activity of plants, animals (us included), and insects, yet your eyes won’t register the largest population of living creatures.

Too small to be seen by the human eye, microbes were here first, they massively outnumber us, and they are likely to be here long after we are gone. We evolved around them, literally. As a result, 1 in 10 cells of your body belong to you, the rest belong to them.

The term microbe refers to all varieties of microscopic organisms – bacteria, fungi, protozoa, archaea – and they can be found everywhere. Survey your body closely enough, and you’ll find them in your ears, nose, mouth, vagina (if you have one), and anus, as well as on every inch of skin, especially your armpits, groin and between your toes. But mostly you’ll find them in your gut, home of 10 to 100 trillion microbes. And you better hope they’re friendly.

Microbes play essential roles in a plethora of systems supporting health. From helping to build the capillaries that line your intestines to producing enzymes necessary for the metabolism of cholesterol and bile acids, your inner colony of gut microbes, also known as your intestinal microflora, can play a big role in keeping you well.

They help digest complex plant compounds that you can’t handle on your own and they make vitamins that are essential for your metabolic functions. Plus they keep out the bad guys, taking up space that could otherwise be occupied by less friendly organisms, the pathogenic ones, the ones that make you sick.

Sadly, in our fear of pathogenic microbes, we have made a habit of destroying them all. We lost our discernment for health-giving verses otherwise, and we have definitely lost sight of the bigger picture that directs both. Healthy systems contain bacteria that promote health, so we can, to some degree, encourage health by introducing and encouraging probiotic bacteria.

Diseased systems contain microbes that feed on and grow in the presence of disease, so we can, to some degree, discourage or at least postpone disease by eliminating pathogenic bacteria. But we must understand that this does not create health, or even eradicate disease. It only helps restore balance.

So pasteurizing a milk product to get rid of harmful bacteria does not make healthy milk, and taking antibiotics to kill of a microbial infection with unsavory symptoms does not make a healthy body. They merely remove pathogenic bacteria from something that was already diseased.

In a living system, such as your body, the action of removing pathogens may afford the opportunity for healing. But a harvested food is not typically a living system, unless it is a probiotic food.

In some ways, probiotic foods can be considered to have their own immune system. A live colony of bacteria, as long as it is properly fed, creates conditions that are favorable for their kind and unfavorable for outsiders. So if you’ve got an active crock of sauerkraut, or a sourdough starter, or even a pint of fresh, raw milk, when pathogenic bacteria fall into the mix they are “taken out” in one way or another by the probiotic microbes that have already claimed this food as their home.

This is actually the same way that your own probiotic colonies act as a first line of defense against pathogenic invaders in your gut. So one of the best ways to fully experience the beneficial action of probiotics is to start up some colonies in your kitchen and see, smell and taste their transformative action.

Fermented Vegetables in the Kitchen – Vegetable Fermentation Further Simplified

(Excerpted, with permission, from Sandor Katz’s book The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved – Inside America’s Underground Food Movements and his website www.WildFermentation.com)

A head of cabbage forgotten on an obscure shelf of your pantry will not spontaneously transform itself into sauerkraut. Vegetables left exposed to air start to grow molds, and if left long enough, those molds can reduce a head of cabbage to a puddle of slime, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to crunchy, delicious, and aromatic sauerkraut.

The simple key to successful vegetable fermentation is to make sure your vegetables are submerged in liquid. That’s it, the big secret. Usually the liquid is salty water, also known as brine, but fermentation can be done without salt, or with other liquids, such as wine or whey. Typically, when fresh vegetables are chopped or grated in preparation for fermentation—which creates greater surface area—salting pulls out the vegetable juices via osmosis, and pounding or tamping the vegetables breaks down cell walls to further release juices, so no additional water is required. However, if the vegetables have lost moisture during long storage, occasionally some water is needed; if brine hasn’t risen to submerge the weighted vegetables by the following day, add a little water. In the case of vegetables left whole (cabbage heads, cucumbers, green tomatoes, string beans, okra, zucchini, eggplant, peppers—try anything), the vegetables should be submerged in brine.

The huge variety of vegetable ferments you can create all exist along the spectrum from shredded and salted to whole and submerged in a brine. Sometimes you use elements of each style, as in kimchi recipes that call for soaking vegetables in a brine to soften them and leach out bitter flavors, then pouring off excess brine and mixing in spices. In some cases the liquid is what we’re after, flavored by the vegetables and fermentation.

Pretty much any vegetable can be fermented. Use what is abundantly available and be bold in your experimentation. Seaweeds are a wonderful addition to ferments, as are fruits, though mostly fruit ferments go through their process very quickly. I’ve even made delicious sauerkraut with mashed potatoes layered in with the salted cabbage, as well as kimchi with sticky rice layers. The sharp fermented starches are delicious. The spicing of vegetable ferments is quite varied, too. Kimchi typically includes red chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Sauerkraut might include caraway seeds (my favorite), juniper berries, apples, or cranberries. New York–style sour pickles are spiced with dill, garlic, and sometimes hot peppers. To keep cucumbers crunchy, add to the brine some grape leaves or leaves of horseradish, oak, currant, or cherry.

How much salt do you use? Traditionally vegetables have been fermented with lots of salt. In addition to pulling water from the vegetables, salt hardens pectins in the vegetables, rendering them crunchier, and discourages the growth of bacteria other than lactobacilli. By inhibiting competing bacteria, salt enables the vegetables to ferment and to be stored for longer periods of time. Since preservation has historically been one of the important motivations for fermentation, ferments have tended to be quite salty. But for health-conscious people interested primarily in flavor and nutrition, less salt can be better. Salt lightly, to taste. It is easier to add salt than to take it away, but if you oversalt, you can dilute by adding water and/or more vegetables. There is no magic proportion of salt the process requires—it’s just personal preference. As a starting point, try 3 tablespoons of salt per 5 pound of vegetables. More salt will slow the fermentation process; less (or none) will speed it up. Ferments with less salt may be more prone to surface molds. You can leave out the salt or use various mineral-rich substitutes such as celery juice (my favorite salt-free variation) or seaweed. Just be sure the vegetables are submerged in the liquid.

Some people promote the idea that salt-free sauerkrauts contain more beneficial organisms than salted krauts. I don’t believe that. The most specific beneficial bacteria we’re after, Lactobacillus, is salt-tolerant and abundantly present even in salty krauts; arguably, salt-free ferments are more biodiverse, but this diversity often results in mushy textures. Though it is possible to ferment vegetables without salt, a little salt results in far superior flavor and texture—and just as much beneficial bacteria. So again, salt to taste.

What kind of vessel should you use to hold your ferment? Avoid metal, as salt and the acids created by fermentation will corrode it. Heavy ceramic cylindrical crocks are the ideal fermentation vessels, though they can be hard to find and expensive. Glass containers work well, especially those with a cylindrical shape or with a wide mouth, and so do nesting bowls. Crock pots with ceramic interiors make effective fermentation vessels and can often be found in thrift stores. In a pinch, you can use plastic, but even food-grade plastics leach toxic chemicals.

The reason a cylindrical shape is desirable is for ease of weighting down the fermenting vegetables to keep them submerged rather than floating to the top. I generally use a plate that just fits inside the vessel, weighted down by a full jug of water, and I drape a cloth over the top of the vessel to protect against flies. I call this the “open-crock” method. Containers in other shapes can work with improvisation, or you can manually press the vegetables to submerge them in the liquid.

If the vegetables float to the top and remain exposed to air, they are likely to develop mold. Sometimes, especially in hot weather, your ferment may develop a film of white mold on its surface. This is very common and will not hurt you or the kraut. Scrape off the mold as best you can, don’t worry about particles that mix into the vegetables, and enjoy the delicious ferment beneath. Specially designed Harsch crocks eliminate this problem by creating an oxygen-free airspace around the ferment. These German crocks are elegant but expensive. Another way to avoid mold is by weighting the ferment in the vessel with water contained in a double layer of plastic bags. The water will spread to cover the entire surface, protecting it from aerobic surface molds. The downside of this method, of course, is that your food comes into prolonged contact with plastic, which leaches chemicals into the food. I prefer to use the open-crock method and remove mold as necessary.

Whatever type of vessel you use, pack the vegetables into it with some force (unless they are whole), in order to break down cell walls and release juices. I use a blunt wooden tamping tool. You can improvise with a piece of wood or your fist, or you can manually massage and squeeze the vegetables, as described in the recipe for massaged kale (see page 185). Once the vegetables are weighted down, the salt will continue to pull moisture from the vegetables for many hours yet. If, by the following day, the vegetables are not submerged, add a little water.

How long do you ferment the vegetables? I wish I had an easy answer to this question. “Ferment until ripe,” many recipes advise, but ultimately you will have to decide when it is ripe. Sour flavor—from lactic acid—develops over time. Longer fermentation translates to tangier flavor. This happens more quickly in warm temperatures than in cool ones. If you start your ferment at harvest time, in the autumn, as temperatures are dropping, it can ferment for six months or longer. This is how people survived before refrigeration and globalized food. Many people, however, prefer the flavor of a mild ferment to that of a strongly acidic one. When you are first experimenting, taste your ferments early and often. Serve some after three days, then three days later, and again three days after that. Familiarize yourself with the spectrum of flavors that fermentation can create and see what you like.

Monsanto and FOX's Milk Coverup

2006-10-13T14:07:00.001-05:00

Even if the tobacco companies did cover up their efforts to make smoking more addicting, it's not like they took something good for you, made it bad for you, and then didn't bother to tell you. But Monsanto has a product that makes milk unhealthy, and does not want the consumer to know. Of course I could make similar arguments about feeding cows soybeans, but you can read my second newsletter issue if you're interested in that one.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

2006-09-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals is one of the best pieces of food journalism I've ever read. This book had me so wound up about starting a farm that if I was still trying to find my way out of New York city, I probably would have done it.

Michael Pollan does a beautiful job of illustrating not only the assortment of food pathways that can be found in modern America, but also the vast chasms in humanity that divide them. This is a must read for anyone who cares about having a holistic perspective of food.

Quick Tip - Get Your Own Grass-fed Feed

2006-09-01T19:12:00.002-05:00

So you've decided that grass-fed is the way to go, what next? How do you find your source? Here are two websites that will help you find local sources of high-quality, pastured animal products.

The Directory of Pasture-Based Farmers on EatWild.com lists more than 800 farms that provide pastured products such as beef, lamb, bison, rabbit, goat, deer, chicken, turkey, eggs, milk, butter and cheese.

Visit the listing of Local Chapters of the Weston A. Price Foundation to find one in your area. Your local chapter can help you find sources of local foods including meat, poultry, milk products, butter and eggs from pasture-fed animals.

Buyers Beware! Bring a healthy dose of skepticism to grocery store shelves when you encounter the narratives of food packaging. "Supermarket Pastoral" is the term author Michael Pollan has graciously given the use of label design to lead consumers to believe they are buying food fresh from a mom and pop farm. The government does not hold transparency in labeling as one if its values. Recent legislation even attempted to allow feedlot beef to be labeled as Grass-Fed, even though most people reading that on a label would picture cows in a pasture, not standing in close quarters on concrete.

The only way to really know where your animal products are coming from is to talk to the people that raise them. If you can make the time, go out and visit the farm. In the meanwhile, the sources listed above are likely to refer you to the quality products you seek, or at the very least point you in the right direction.

And if you want to read more on the topic, try this article by Jo Robinson - Confused About Fat? Choose Grassfed

Happy Eating!
Shannon

Garlic-Tomato Short Ribs by Shannon Hayes

2006-09-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

I made this recipe for a small dinner party one cold January afternoon, using whatever ingredients I had on hand. What a delight these ribs are, especially with the rich sauce spooned over a pile of potatoes mashed with sour cream. This is hearty fare, and a real crowd-pleaser.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3:00 hours
Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 to 7 pounds short ribs
2 medium carrots, scraped, finely chopped plus 3 carrots, scraped and sliced into narrow, 2-inch strips for later use
2 medium onions, finely chopped
16 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons savory
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon dried lavender heads (optional)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups cabernet sauvignon
3 cups beef broth
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted

Procedure:
1 Preheat oven to 300°F.

2 Combine the salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Spread mixture lightly on each of the short ribs; set aside on a large platter (depending on your taste, you might want more salt and pepper).

3 Heat the olive oil in an 8-quart ovenproof pot that can be covered later, add the seasoned ribs in batches, and brown. Set aside.

4 Add the finely chopped carrots and onions to the drippings, and cook until tender. Toss in the cloves of garlic, the herbs, flour, and stir well to incorporate the flour.

5 Add the wine and beef broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and the bay leaves, and return to a boil for 1 minute.

6 Add the ribs and any lingering juices, cover the pot, and bake in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Remove from the oven.

7 Add the carrot sticks and black olives; simmer on top of the stove, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Tips:
For the Slow-Cooker Version: As described above, coat the short ribs with salt and pepper, and brown in olive oil. Place the ribs and all the ingredients (except the carrot sticks and olives) in a large slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove the ribs, and keep warm. Add the carrot sticks and olives to the pan juices, and cook on high, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Notes:
This recipe is one delicious sample from Shannon's book, The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook.

Copyright 2006, Shannon Hayes. Reprinted with permission.

The Goddess of Grass

2006-09-01T18:59:00.004-05:00

When I started working on our Diet Analysis services I wanted information on grass-fed beef to add to my software's database. I contacted several suppliers of which I knew, but to no avail. That is until I found EatWild.com.

I sent off one simple email and EatWild's founder, Jo Robinson promptly sent me an 87-page scientific paper that reviewed all the available information to date. I was thrilled with her responsiveness, so I ordered a copy of her book, Pasture Perfect, and a handy little butter crock I use to store my grass-fed butter on the table to keep it soft and spread-able.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of spending some phone time with Jo. As the sirens raced by my urban window, I could just imagine her there in the lush greenery of Washington's Vashon Island. Before I could get too jealous, I learned that her utopic home hadn't sheltered her from at lease some of the same problems that the rest of us deal with. Her computer had completely crashed, and she was leaving in two days to give a lecture in New York.

Nonetheless, Jo was gracious with her time, and I was thrilled to listen to her story of how the esteemed title of Grass Goddess had chosen her, and how she embraced and was running with it (or at least touring the lecture circuit).

As it turns out, Jo and I arrived to our pro-grass-fed positions from opposite directions. While I was raised on the standard American fare of Dr. Pepper and Kraft Mac and Cheese, she grew up eating from the land at a time when Wonder bread was king. Jo's grandmother, a "rebel rouser" who could not stand refined food, left a memorable impression. Jo recalled a story of her grandmother at 85 years old being in the hospital for a broken rib. After being served a white-bread and mayonnaise sandwich, her grandmother had the dietitian called in and enlightened her with a lecture on the health benefits of whole foods.

And though Jo also remembers being embarrassed in school at being the only kid with sandwiches made on home-baked whole grain bread, the embarrassment didn't stick. And her intrigue with the ways we have systematically changed food, to our own detriment, grew. The grass-fed element entered when she noticed a distinct lack of information in that area. The equation tipped when the information she uncovered was met with resounding public support and enthusiasm.

Now she spends her time giving lectures and talking to reporters. To make sure she stays 100% grass-fed fed, she often makes a big meat purchase once a year and then fills up her freezer. She has her pick of thousands of farms (just visit the directory at eatwild.com), but still tends to gather food from her home region of the great Northwest.

One concern that I frequently hear regarding the future of grass-fed meat is with whether or not it is scalable. Could we actually meet this country's meat demands with management intensive grazing (MIG)?

Jo thinks we need to abandon our faith in the factory farm model, and envision instead a network of homesteads housing herds of around 200 head. These are the kind of farm where the people live in relationship with the animals, interacting with them and the land in a caring and conscientious way. She believes that there is plenty of vacated land and failed farms to at the very least make a great start.

She believes that there will be enough farmers as well, as it gets easier to make a decent living from a homestead farm. She sees plenty of second career types, such as lawyers, bankers and Microsoft execs who leave behind security and salary to start up farms. And despite a complete lack of experience, many of these farms are doing really well after only 5 years.

Jo also believes that we have an environmental responsibility to replant the prairies. MIG is now considered to be the best ecological use of this land, better even than prairies that are left untouched. This is great news for a culture conditioned to believe that animal farming is an inherent ecological devastation. Now you can be an environmentalist and eat your meat without guilt.

Admittedly, I was once one of those vegetarians who revel in reporting the environmental cost of meat. I used to love saying that I saved more water by not eating meat than if I abstained from showering for an entire year. As it turns out, the high environmental cost of eating meat is only a partial truth. A more complete truth is that eating factory meats is environmentally devastating, and MIG-raised meats benefit the environment more than industrially-farmed vegetables.

Jo attests that the quality of grass-fed animal products is noticeably increasing on a monthly basis, as more and more farmers hone their mastery of animal management and artisanal food production. She says that the biggest barrier to spreading the message that grass is good was an embedded belief that grain-fed meant better quality.

Now there is no question. The science is in, and grass-fed is, without a doubt, on the healthier side of the fence. And Jo Robinson, the Goddess of Grass, is out spreading the word.

Grass-Fed Beef - On this side of the fence cows are happier and healthier.

2006-09-01T18:46:00.011-05:00

Grass-Fed Beef in the News - Pastured Cows Gain Popularity

Back when I was in graduate school, the grey area in the morality of meat eating was just beginning to unfold as a public issue. In my circles, it was widely believed that in order to eat for a healthy body and a healthy conscience, you ate vegetarian. If you were really cool, you were vegan. So when one of my favorite teachers brought a particular March 2002 New York Times article to class, a story in which journalist Michael Pollan traced the life of one animal - Steer 534 - from youth through the feedlot system and on to slaughter, I automatically interpreted it as anti-meat propaganda.

In January of 2002, Fast Food Nation came out in paperback, and I went to see author Eric Schlosser speak at the University of Washington. I left the lecture with a shift in perspective, and a bit of a crush. More than his message, I was unduly impressed with his poise. Schlosser affected me with his knowledge of the food industry, his respect for the choices of others, and the grace with which he portrayed them both.

The first three rows of the auditorium were packed with animal rights activists, desperately clamoring to create more delineated support for their cause. They posed the question: "Eric, what's it going to take for you to become a vegetarian?" To their dismay, his response differentiated him from their fundamentalism even further. He calmly explained that the purpose of his research was not to tell people what to do, but to allow them to make conscious, fully-informed choices. And that his personal choice was to eat meat, just as long as it didn't come from feedlots.

Since that time, the issue of meat and animal product quality as it relates to the animal's food has started to see more and more press. The Omnivore's Dilemma - A Natural History of Four Meals was published this past April. As it turns out, the information covered in the Michal Pollan's earlier article about steer 534 was just one part of a whole book that quite effectively sings the praises of management intensive grazing (MIG).

MIG is an environmentally sustainable system of livestock management which allows for optimal health of both animals and pastures. It involves grazing and resting areas of pasture in a conscientious sequence to assure maximum growth and health of the grasses. Livestock will graze an area of pasture completely, and then be moved to a new area while the recently grazed plants recover. This allows the pasture to retain species diversity, maintain a strong root system, and improve soil quality by constantly building humus.

So raising can be good for the environment, but can you make a living at it? Last June, Time Magazine published an article entitled The Grass-Fed Revolution which looks at the cattle feeding issue through the story of one industrial rancher who converted his business to grass and doubled his profits. The conclusion: Pasture-based farming can be good for the farmer's pocket book.

And can grass-fed beef satisfy the taste buds? Just last month New York Times food writer and author of 13 cookbooks, Marion Burros, published the article: There's More to Like About Grass-Fed Beef. She reports that, while pastured beef in the past has been reputed as "tough and tasteless," the general consensus these days is that there is plenty of tasty grass-fed beef to go around. And that many connoiseurs actually prefer it to the grain-finished standard that most of us grew up on.

Grass-Fed Beef in the Laboratory - Beyond Organic by Jo Robinson

Organic meat, poultry, and dairy products are now available at your supermarket, which is a change for the better. When you see the organic label, you know the food is going to be free of pesticide residues, synthetic hormones, genetically modified organisms, and a long list of questionable additives. You also have the satisfaction of knowing that raising animals organically causes less harm to the environment. But when it comes to animal production, organic is not enough. We need to be raising animals on their species-appropriate diets.

Few consumers realize that many producers of "organic" or "naturally raised" animal products raise their animals in confinement and feed them grain-just like the operators of conventional feedlots. Feeding large amounts of grain to a grazing animal decreases the nutritional value of its products whether the grain is organic or conventionally raised. The reason is simple. Compared with grass, grain has far fewer omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.1 Therefore, grainfed animals have fewer of these important nutrients in their meat and dairy products. Grainfeeding also interferes with the creation of a cancer-fighting [compound] called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA.2 A test by an independent lab determined that milk from one of the largest organic grain-fed dairies had no more omega-3 fatty acids or CLA than milk from ordinary dairies. Similarly, meat from organic grain-fed beef has the same nutritional profile as meat from the largest Kansas feedlot.

The same story holds true for organic but confinement-raised poultry. Their meat and eggs have no more omega-3s or vitamin E than the products you find in the supermarket.3 (Unless the birds are given special supplements along with the grain.)

For many consumers, food safety is an even bigger concern than nutrition. Once again, grass feeding offers an important advantage. It has been known for decades that grain feeding makes a cow's digestive tract more acid. Now we know that this acidic environment speeds the growth of potentially dangerous E. coli bacteria and, even worse, makes the bugs more acid-resistant. Alarmingly, these acid-resistant bacteria are much more likely to survive the cleansing acidity of our own digestive juices and make us ill.4

Depriving our livestock of fresh greens and vastly increasing their consumption of grain has jeopardized our health in ways people never imagined. Although feeding organically raised grain reduces our reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, it does not provide the food that nature intended us to eat.

1. Garton, G. A.. "Fatty Acid Composition of the Lipids of Pasture Grasses." Nature 187(4736): 511-12.
2. Dhiman, T. R., G. R. Anand, et al. (1999). "Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets." J Dairy Sci 82(10): 2146-56.
3. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). "Effect of free-range feeding on n-3 fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.
4. Diez-Gonzalez, F., T. R. Callaway, et al. (1998). "Grain feeding and the dissemination of acid-resistant Escherichia coli from cattle." Science 281(5383): 1666-8.

© 2005 Jo Robinson, Eatwild.com. This article may be reprinted in full provided it is accompanied by this credit line.

Grass-Fed Beef in the Kitchen - Slow Down and Take Your Time

When you're shopping for grass-fed beef, don't fall prey to narrative power of empty marketing claims. While some labels (such as "Organic") are regulated and meaningful, many are simple ploys with implications that are completely unfounded.

Here are some more complete stories for popular label claims:

"Free-Range" or "Free-Roaming" – This label is only regulated for poultry (not eggs), and even then it only requires that birds be given access to the outdoors for some period of time each day. The reality is that this access is not required for all parts of the bird's lifecycle, so access is not provided when the birds are young, and they are quite effectively trained to never use it at all. This works great for factory farmers, even organic ones, because the immune systems of their birds are so compromised that any trips outdoors would likely lead to debilitating illness for the entire flock. For meat and eggs there is no standard definition of the term, so it can be used at the farmer's (or marketer's) discretion.

"Fresh" – When used for fruits and vegetables, the FDA defines and regulates this term as "a food that is raw, has never been frozen or heated, and contains no preservatives." For other food products the claim is effectively meaningless. Though it implies that a food product has never been frozen, processed or preserved, USDA regulations allow poultry stored at temperatures down to 24 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees below freezing) to still be labeled as fresh.

"Hormone-Free" or "No Hormones Administered" – The only standard definition for this claim applies to meat products, and even that has no system for independent verification. The USDA already prohibits the use of hormones for pigs and poultry, so the use of this claim on a product label is irrelevant. Beef products that carry this label does imply that animals were not given any added hormones, but the USDA considers this fact "unapprovable" and therefore requires no testing for verification.

"Natural" – The USDA defines this term for meat and poultry that are free from artificial flavoring, coloring, chemical preservatives, and artificial/synthetic ingredients and are "minimally processed" in ways that do not fundamentally alter the raw product.

"No Animal Byproducts" – This claim lacks a standard definition and does not require independent verification, though if a complaint was filled with the Federal Trade Commission this statement could be subject to truth in labeling enforcement.

Of the additional non-regulated terms that may be applied to your animal products, "Pasture-Finished," "Grass-Finished" and "100% Grass-Fed" may be the most reliable. In the end, there is no substitute for talking to the farmer about their production methods. If you can't get straight answers to your questions, then it's likely their labeling is no more than marketing. Another good approach is to ask to visit the farm. If they say no, then you know they aren't to be trusted.

Once you've found a source you trust, there are some considerations in transforming it into dinner. It's likely that the products you desire will not be available year-round because grass-fed cattle, bison and lamb are subject to the affects of the season just as much as any fruit or vegetable. The cycles are location dependent, so you'll want to check with the farm to see when the meats you want are available.

Some farms have the capacity to freeze their meats and sell them for as long as they last, while others will sell right after slaughter, and leave the freezing up to you. If you are buying frozen meat, it will likely be vacuum sealed in freezer-grade plastic. This is the best way to protect meat from the air.

If you are freezing meat on your own, you can coat it with herbs such as thyme and rosemary to extend its storage life. Do not salt meat prior to freezing as this will reduce its storage life. Separate pieces of meat with double sheets of wax paper or butcher paper, and then seal in a freezer bag squeezing out as much air as possible. Label your packages with the date, type and cut of meat and the amount in the package. When it's time to thaw, allow plenty of time to let the meat unfreeze in the refrigerator, or wrap it in plastic and submerge it in cold water. Both of these methods keep the bacteria at bay.

Because of the lower fat content in grass-fed meat, some adjustments may need to be made for cooking. It is best to use a lower temperature and longer time to keep it tender. For cuts that are inherently less tender, such as roasts and ribs, use moist heat and plenty of time. When making burgers, don't expect them to shrink like ones made from factory meats. You can see for yourself the leanness of the meat, as these burgers will release very little fat.

The Middle of the Road to Soy

2006-06-27T12:12:00.003-05:00

Modern alimentary culture has a knack for venerating food. When wonders of technological analysis reveal an element that demonstrates nourishing potential (as defined by the current nutritional paradigm), the pedestal is hoisted and the beholden food placed upon. And within a flash of a digital shutter, the food, along with it’s prospective element and any other potentially nutritious cohorts is being plucked, packaged, touted, tested, and, most of all, marketed as the next super food of the century. Inevitably comes the backlash to this fundamental idolism as the fringe groups mobilize against the system, breaking lies and bringing “truth.” They do all in their power to drag the innocent food from its altar, image bruised and packaging torn. So has been the saga for many a wonder food: wheat, dairy, vegetable oil, the list goes on. And do has been the journey of soy. As with all situations, there is some validity to each side of the soy argument, some partial correctness in each voice of the debate. True power comes from the ability to synthesize those perspectives in a unified function. This is done by surrounding each element with it’s appropriate context, thus opening the panoramic view of the road ahead including all the pitfalls to its right and left. With such a view comes the ability to walk straight down the middle.

The one thing that pro- and anti-soy proponents agree upon is that soy foods have had a place on the traditional dinner table for centuries. The divergence begins with the questions of “How?” How much of this food should be eaten to provide a healthy portion of an balanced diet? And how should soy be prepared, from seed to serving, in order to yield the nourishing properties that have served the species for centuries?

The first question has no simple answer, since the known history of soy is not exact. Soy was originally domesticated because its nitrogen-fixing properties helped keep soil fertile for other crops. Then the later development of fermentation technology made available this largely indigestible legume for consumption. Some proponents claim that soy intake of traditional Asian peoples was upwards of 50-60 grams of soy protein per day. Others suggest that this perspective is skewed, that actual daily consumption of soy protein was around 6-7 grams a day, from 50-60 grams of food products containing soy. So the debate is not over whether or not traditional cultures consumed soy on a daily basis, but over whether or not that consumption was on the level of condiment or staple.

Sadly, current scientific research serves to compound the dilemma rather than resolve. This is due to conflicting interpretations of findings and intentions motivating the research itself. The bulk of current research surrounding the potential health benefits of soy is being performed and paid for by organizations who stand to raise significant capital in the soy products market. And while the profit margin on something such as traditionally fermented miso is quite low, the profit margin on isolated component products such as soy isoflavone supplements quite high. In fact some products, such as isolated soy protein, are actually waste from other industries, thus with the added benefit of reversing the cost of waste disposal. Industry always seems to profit most from utilizing individual food components in separate products instead of keeping the food in its original, whole form. Anti-soy activists claim that this perspective, fueled by the promise of profit, lends to both misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the findings from objective research. And that both occur to the extent that public health is significantly compromised.

So modern science isn’t doing much to resolve this dilemma. Today’s research on soy treats it as more of a drug than a food, searching for the maximum tolerable limits of isoflavones, proteins, and other marketable components. It seems, instead, that the dilemma is best resolved by reintegrating traditional food practices, and also, that the first question is answered by the second. Question: how much soy is a healthy daily consumption? Answer: It depends on how that soy is prepared. Looking again to traditional wisdom, it is safe to say that extensive use of naturally fermented soy products as condiments is an age-old practice that has withstood the test of time. Also, it is safe to say that no traditional culture consumed soy to the exclusion of animal products. And finally, it is safe to say that no traditional culture consumed in the highly fracture, isolated component forms that saturate our market today.

Time and time again we’ve seen the disregard of food practices developed through the intuition of traditional cultures disregarded in the modern pursuit of efficiency and convenience lead rapidly to degenerative health. Primitive people, living without the benefit of technological analysis, are much more intimately connected to the effects of food on health, by defalt. Because of this they have developed specific practices to assure the digestibility and nourishing properties of their foods. As such, these cultures were able to utilize soy as a food only after discovering fermentation. The modern foods industry, with profitability as its primary intention, repeatedly overlooks the absolute effects of it’s practices on health. So soy consumption that mimics traditional practices of fermentation and limited consumption can be embraced by all for whom they are well tolerated. And isolated, processed, or bioengineered soy should be considered as either medicine or toxin, but to be treated with extreme care. And with this marriage of inclusion and exclusion we find the middle of the road.

Quick Tip - Pill Popping

2006-06-01T11:59:00.001-05:00

Clients come to me with a variety of barriers to taking their supplements. One particular vein of complaints includes those such as: "I don't like the way they taste," or "I have to swallow them one at a time and it takes too long."

For once, I am relieved to have a simple solution.

If these or similar issues are of concern to you, then here's what you try: Armed with a glass of water in one hand, and a few (start slow) pills in the other hand, fill your mouth with a good slug of water and in one smooth motion, toss in the pills and swallow.

You won't taste a thing.

Depending on the type and size of your supplements, you can experiment with taking more pills at once. Just make sure not to pause with both water and pills together in your mouth. If you do, any capsules you took will bond together hazard that is sure to have you mentally cursing your nutritionist as it slowly and painfully slides down your esophagus.

Swallow fast and avoid the solo Heimlich, you can save your nutritionist cursing for later, like when she tells you to cut back on dessert.

Can I take flax oil for omega-3s?

2006-06-01T11:58:00.002-05:00

I want to take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, but don't like the idea of taking fish oil. I know that flax oil contains omega-3s, can I take that instead?

I fully understand aversion to fish oil be it aesthetic or political. The short answer to your question is yes, you can take flax oil for supplemental omega-3s, however it is likely to be less effective than fish oil.

Flax oil contains an omega-3 called alpho-linolenic acid (ALA). Once in our system, the body converts ALA to the longer chain omega-3s EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid), which then go on to affect benefits such as reduced inflammation. The argument of many doctors and scientists is that the conversion process of ALA to EPA and DHA is highly inefficient. As a result it may be impossible for your body to produce enough EPA and DHA from flax oil or other plant-based omega-3s to really receive much positive effect.

One factor that seems to increase the inefficiency of ALA conversion is the presence of large amounts of linoleic acid, a common omega-6 found in many plants, in body fat. Since modern diets, both vegetarian and omnivorous, tend to be disproportionately high in omega-6s, this is a concern for nearly everyone. Another factor is elevated insulin which can reduce the amount of ALA converted to be almost negligible.

There are two additional concerns with flax oil that are worth mentioning. First, flax oil goes rancid quickly and should not be consumed once this happens. If you've purchased a high-quality, cold pressed flax oil, you can tell its freshness by smell. When it goes bad it has the distinct smell of oil-based paint. Quality flax oil will be found in dark containers and only in refrigeration. At home you should store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Second, a 2004 study of 47,000 men suggest that ALA can stimulate growth of prostate tumors, while EPA and DHA can reduce prostate cancer risk. Ground flax seeds, however may have an inhibitor effect on prostate cancer, possibly due to the fiber and fiber-like components contained in the whole seeds.

If you decide to include flax seed in your diet, use the following guidelines: Purchase whole seeds only, preferably from the refrigerator section of the store. If you can't find refrigerated flax seeds in your store, the ones on the shelf may still be fine if the store's turnover is high. The seeds should smell fresh, just like the oil, with no hints of paint odor. Store the seeds whole in your refrigerator or freezer, and grind them (a coffee grinder works great) just before use. Freshly ground flax seeds make a great addition to salads, yogurt, smoothies, juices, peanut butter sandwiches, and many other healthy foods.

Poached Wild Salmon

2006-06-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

Poaching is a quick and simple method for getting really fantastic fish. The cooking liquid keeps the salmon tender and moist, and can be reduced to a tangy sauce. For variation, white wine can be substituted for the vinegar.

1 1/2 pounds wild salmon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried dill
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, washed and thinly sliced
2 clovesgarlic, chopped
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
3/4 cupfish or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 smalllemon
sea salt
fresh parsley, finely chopped
and dried

1 Preheat oven to 300°.
2 Rub salmon with pepper and dill, cut into 4
pieces, and set aside.
3 Choose a saute pan with low, sloping sides and a tight fitting lid that is just big enough for the fish. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute leeks until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4 Add the fish pieces and top with vinegar, stock, and bay leaf. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a simmer.
5 Remove pan from stove top and place in oven for 10 minutes.
6 Drain the liquid into a wide pan and keep the fish warm. Discard the bay leaf. As the fish stands and releases more liquid, add this to the rest.
7 Reduce the poaching liquid until it reaches the desired consistency (usually when it coats the back of a spoon) and/or flavor. Season with salt and lemon juice.
8 Transfer fish to a plate and dress with liquid. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices.

Servings: 4

Dietitian Gone Fishing

2006-06-01T11:46:00.006-05:00

In graduate school, I was a professional complainer. I was so completely full of my ideas about how things should be done, I'm surprised I learned anything at all. For the most part I shared my complaining with fellow students, lest whining to professors interfere with my grades, but there was one instructor in particular that, unfortunately for him, was all too approachable. Jim Gallagher was my supervisor for my first student clinic shift at the Bastyr University Natural Health Center. He watched through one-way glass as I interacted with clients, he quizzed me behind the scenes to make sure I was on my toes, and he offered suggestions whenever I was uncertain about how to proceed. And at the end of the day, after all that support, he sat patiently and listened to me complain.

I'd like to claim that my overly expressed irritability was due to insufficient fat in my diet. Although my daily butter intake was definitely insufficient, I also think I was just in a particularly obnoxious phase of my life, and fortunately seem to have changed quite a bit since. And as it turns out, while I was busy making myself miserable, Jim was about to do some changing of his own. A few semesters after that clinic shift, he left behind 15+ years in dietetics and opened his own guide service Tight Lines Angling's Yakima River Fly Shop in Cle Elum, WA. Maybe it was all my complaining, but Jim's website claims it's in his genes. The nature verses nurture debate never ends with a clear answer.

Jim was, in many ways, following his father's example. In his mid-30s, Jim's dad sold everything, including a successful photography business, and moved his whole family out west where he just wanted to fish. Though Jim had spent some summers in college working as a fishing guide, he had never really considered it as a livelihood. But years of working with a chronically sick population helped Jim realize what was most meaningful for him – being outside, recreating, and being happy. Now he has a physically demanding job with long hours and little time off, but packed with pure enjoyment. When I first called Jim for an interview, he was actually out on the river, but still answered his phone. The sounds of great spaciousness surrounding him left me feeling a little jealous and homesick for the Washington wilderness. Eventually, I caught him in the office and that's when my salmon lesson began.

The Yakima River, one of the places where Jim guides, is home to endangered Chinook salmon. Though they don't catch the salmon, they do see quite a bit of them, and have first hand experience of the beneficial role the salmon play in the local ecosystem. When the salmon return from sea to spawn and then die, they provide a valuable source of food for river residents such as trout, sculpin and crayfish who feast on salmon eggs and flesh. Also, the decomposition of the salmon provides minerals such as phosphorus which incites the proliferation of plants and insects. Because of his new vocation Jim can watch eagerly as the carcass of a rotting salmon is magically transformed into a bed of healthy river plants. Okay, maybe eager isn't quite accurate, but he was more than happy to share with me the cycle of salmon life, just as he does with his clients on the river.

He also gave me some information more useful to us home cooks who are interested in the beneficial effects that salmon can have on the ecosystems of our dinner tables, like the rundown of species by season. (Plan your menus accordingly.) Salmon start running rivers beginning in late May to early June. Chinook, the biggest (ranging from 15 to a record 126 pounds) of salmon, who spend about 5 years in ocean, come first. Chum salmon, the most abundant and least appreciated in Washington State, and Sockeye come next in mid-June. Sockeye are unique in that they are the only salmon that are true vegetarians, vegans actually, eating only plants. (The others eat a variety of things ranging from plankton to jellyfish.) Jim also says that sockeye is higher in omega-3s than its fishy cousins. Mid-July brings the smaller, more prolific Pink Salmon; and the season finishes with Coho in August or September. Unless you're a bear in Alaska, then your spring starts with Coho who spawned, died, and remained frozen throughout the winter. Mmm, there's nothing like a good salmon-sicle to wake you up after a long winter's nap.

Since I know that wild salmon are superior to farmed salmon both environmentally (see Monterey Bay's Seafood Watch ) and nutritionally, and since we're living in the middle of the country now, far, far from salmon habitat, I thought to ask Jim if wild salmon could be found only in the northwest USA. I learned that there are, indeed, a species of landlocked salmon called Kokanee who reside in northern lakes (including the one just a mile from our front door) and especially Canada. I also learned that while nearly all Atlantic salmon is farmed, there is some wild Atlantic salmon fishing – Jim knows a guy in Sweden if you're interested.

I asked Jim if he ever talked about nutrition with his clients, figuring that it could be a popular angle even for a fishing guide. He said they often push him for information, but he tries to avoid the topic altogether. His ultimate job on the water is to promote relaxation for clients who don't often get the chance. He gets his teaching in once a quarter by offering a sports nutrition class for a local college, where his boss is a former student of his and former classmate of mine. I also asked Jim if he felt like he was doing more or less for people now as a guide than as a dietician. He answered that he is providing a completely different service for a completely different population. He sees that the river has a way of keeping people “present in the here and now" which is therapeutic in and of itself. He also provides education about the local ecosystem, which helps healthy people feel inclined to promote a healthy planet.

Being the great lover of change that I am, Jim's story truly makes me smile. I find great inspiration in those who are willing to both recognize and act when their lives offer less than complete satisfaction. Throwing out old habits that often keep us emotionally and financially safe is no easy feat, no matter how many office workers think the life of a fishing guide (or ski bum, artist, etc.) is just a slacker's fantasy. And from his new life and new perspective, Jim had a few final words of wisdom for me: “Life's short, so enjoy yourself to the fullest." Maybe it's time to go sit by lake and wait for someone to bring in a fresh Kokanee.

Omega-3s - One Good Reason Our Days of Low-Fat Fanaticism Have Come to a Close

2006-06-01T11:22:00.002-05:00

Omega-3s in the News – "Calm Down, Breathe, Have Some Fish"

Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been getting a variety of press these days with reported potential benefits ranging from healthier skin to increased intelligence. Last April, the New York Times published an article concerning the potential of reducing violence by increasing omega-3 fatty acid consumption. As it turns out, this concept has provoked several studies in the western world.

Reviewing professional publications, here’s a sampling from the research world:

A study report given at the 2006 annual meeting for the American Psychosomatic Society indicated that omega-3 fatty acid intake may play an influential role in the regulation of impulse control, and personality.

A 2002 clinical trial published in the British Journal of Psychiatry demonstrated significant reduction in antisocial behavior (based on disciplinary offenses) in young adult prisoners given supplements of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

A 2004 observational study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that urban white and black young adults with a high dietary intake of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA or fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids may be less likely to demonstrate hostility.

There’s also substantial research exploring omega-3s as treatment augmentations for substance abuse, post-partum depression, and more pronounced psychological disorders such as schizophrenia. Looking at the evolution of western nutrition, our modern diets are significantly lower in omega-3s and higher in other polyunsaturates when compared to our ancestors. Even more studies are looking at the link between this dietary trend and hostility across entire cultures.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could solve all our social ills with a few fish oil pills and a multivitamin? Fish oil – the peace pipe of the 21st century. I think we all know that’s not going to happen. There probably isn’t enough fish left in the sea to quell the anger of New York cab drivers alone, much less all the world’s felons. But it’s a great sign that comprehensive nutritional research, far beyond recommended daily allowances and disease management, is being applied as part of our social rehabilitation system. I know how irritable I get when I don’t eat right. It makes perfect sense to turn to our most irritable citizens and feed them. So next time you get honked at in traffic or almost run over when trying to cross a NYC street, send a message to your assailant, “Hey buddy, calm down, breathe, have some fish.”

Omega-3s in the Laboratory – What in the heck is an Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid anyway?

Dietary fatty acids (FAs) are chains of carbon molecules classified in one of three ways based on the chemistry of their carbon to carbon (C-C) bonds. Chemical bonds can be made in different ways, but the ones we’re talking about here come from the sharing of electrons. If all the C-C bonds in a FA are made up of two shared electrons (a single bond with one electron for each well-mannered carbon), then the FA is labeled saturated. If one of the bonds is made up of four shared electrons (a double bond with each greedy carbon hogging two electrons), then the FA is called monounsaturated. If more than one of the bonds are double (due to several greedy carbons), the FA is called polyunsaturated. And finally, the omega-3 part lets us know that the first double bond occurs between carbons 3 and 4 in the chain.

Now for the relevant information of how the bond structure of a FA affects your food and your body. This can be viewed from two angles: Structure and Stability. From the diagram above, you can see that saturated FAs are straight, while the unsaturated are kinky (greed and lust so often go together). The straightness of the saturated carbon chains allows them to get close quite close to each other making nice orderly fats that are solid at room temperature (like butter). The inverse applies to polyunsaturates. They maintain their distance and form foods that stay liquid even in the cold (like flax oil). Interestingly enough, this is why you find the highest concentrations of poly-unsaturated FAs in cold-water fish. They need the fluidity in their cell membranes in order to keep functioning in the deep, dark sea.

The stability part relates more closely to the ways we use fats in cooking and processing. The nice, well-mannered carbons found in single bonds also seem to be quite good at holding on to their electrons. The greedy, double bond carbons however seem to have a little more than they can handle. Plus all those electrons gathered between two carbons make such an attractive target. Any free radical that comes along can swipe an electron from a double bond leaving the greedy carbons very angry and unstable. When this happens in food, we call it oxidation or rancidity. And just like the increase of violent crimes in the summer, this process is greatly accelerated by heat. For this reason it is imperative that fats containing significant amounts of polyunsaturated FAs are extracted without heat (cold-pressed) and not used for cooking.

The Omega-3s you hear about on the news are considered essential dietary components because they cannot be synthesized by your body, and yet you need them to fully thrive. One omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (found in flax and other plant foods), cannot be made by humans at all. Two others, EPA and DHA (found in cold-water fish), can be made from alpha-linolenic, but the process is only partially effective. Many practitioners feel that these FAs are effectively essential due to our limited production. It is important that we accept those greedy, lusty double bonded carbons into our body. And we also need to help them protect their electron hordes from roving free radicals. Who knew that having lunch would require such moral devotion?

Omega-3s in the Kitchen – They Need To Keep Their Cool

If there’s an omega-3 FA in your kitchen, you better hope it’s in the refrigerator. Otherwise, it’s well on its way to going bad. In the Laboratory we learned about the greedy little double-bonded carbons and why it’s important to keep them happy. Now let’s talk about what that means in terms of food. For this article, we’ll be looking at sources of added fat verses the fat you find incorporated into other foods. Note that while all these fat sources contain a mixture of different fatty acids, they are classified by their predominant ingredients. Food sources of our FA classifications are as follows:

Saturated Fats – Butter, tallow (beef or mutton fat), coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil.

Monounsaturated Fats – Poultry fats, lard (pig fat), olive oil and high-oleic safflower and sunflower oils.

Monounsaturated/some Polyunsaturated Fats – Canola oil contains some omega-3s.

Monounsaturated/Polyunsaturated Fats – Peanut oil and sesame oil.

Polyunsaturated Fats – Corn oil; Soybean oil, wheat-germ oil and walnut oil contain some omega-3s; Flaxseed oil contains mostly omega-3s.

When purchasing fats and oils in today’s modern market, quality is of the utmost importance. All animal products should come from animals that are living outside, eating their native diet (i.e. cows eat grass), and given drugs only when they are sick. Oils extracted from vegetable sources must be cold-pressed with no further processing such as bleaching, deodorizing, or hydrogenization. You may need to contact companies to determine exactly their processing procedures. If they are available in your area, a couple of reliable brands are Flora and Omega.

It is good practice to store your fats in the refrigerator, though this is unnecessary for more stable fats (such as coconut oil, olive oil, peanut oil and sesame oil) when you use them quickly. Any fat containing omega-3s needs cold, dark storage (including whole flax seeds). When preparing foods with fats and oils, use the following guidelines:

Cold preparation only – Flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and walnut oil all contain fragile omega-3s and should never be heated.

General cooking and salad dressings – Olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, and corn oil.

One-time pan frying – Coconut/Sesame/Olive oil blend, palm oil, olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, and corn oil. For a great all-purpose oil mix equal parts coconut oil, olive oil, and sesame.

Baking – Butter, coconut oil, lard, palm oil, tallow.

Making popcorn – Coconut/Sesame/Olive oil blend (with melted butter at the end if you prefer).

Deep fat frying – Palm oil, lard, tallow, high oleic safflower and sunflower oils, regular sunflower oil with added sesame oil (sesame oil is protected from heat by the naturally-occurring chemical component sesamin.

Omega-3s are the most fragile of all the polyunsaturates. When they go rancid you really know it because they have a strong odor of oil paint (assuming they haven’t already been processed and deodorized). But before that happens, Fat = Flavor and Fat = Satisfaction. Restricting fat in your diet can lead to chronic hunger and the overall consumption of more calories. When you include healthy, natural fats used properly as listed above, you experience the natural satiety that comes from deeply nourishing yourself with truly fantastic food.

Recommended Reading
Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

Fill up my jug with that good ol' Mountain Dew!

2006-05-04T15:55:00.002-05:00

Actually, my jug overfloweth many years ago when I drank so much Mountain Dew in college that I gave myself an allergy to Yellow #5. (That's my very loose theory, very not-proven theory.) I like to joke that I was raised on Dr. Pepper and antibiotics, and that without soda I would have just slept through all of high school.

In undergrad I was drinking a two-liter of Mountain Dew a day, at least. That was until I started having systemic allergic reactions and had to start taking steroids and high-dose anti-histamines. My soda consumption went down, mostly because I was sleeping all day and I couldn't convince the docs to put in an IV.

Starting then I was at war with soda, knowing I should get rid of it, but having no sense of power to stop pouring it down my throat. Eventually my will prevailed, and five years later I had dropped soda consumption to only non-caffeinated "natural" sodas; and now five years after that, any soda-like craving I might have is joyfully satisfied by a glass of Pelligrino. It may seem like a small change, but I feel that I have come a long way.

These nostalgic and self-affirming thoughts are brought up now by a New York Times article reporting that the 3 major soda companies have signed agreements to remove high-calorie sodas from schools by the year 2009.

Sadly diet sodas and sports drinks are exempt from this particular contract, but I still think it's a major step in the right direction. We, as a culture, are setting boundaries that reflect our growing concern for health over wealth. We can say we believe in health all we want, but words are negated by actions.

Allowing soda corporations unfettered profitability off the disease of our children is an action that says money is more important than health. Curtailing this to give kids a space in which we demonstrate healthfulness is an action that says we're waking up to reality and choosing to become different.

So while kids will always drink soda, maybe some will start thinking earlier than I about the negative health effects. Maybe their battle with soda will be 5 years instead of 10, and maybe their kids will fight no soda wars at all.

More on Tea

2006-04-25T14:32:00.001-05:00

When researching preparation recommendations for white tea, I found wide variations in steep time (30 seconds to 15 minutes), relatively consistent temperature (within 20 degrees and all below boiling), and some interesting notes on caffeine.

When brewing a cup of tea you want to use about 1 teaspoon for 6-8 oz of water. It seems the most important thing with water temperature for white and green teas is that it's below boiling (160-180 degrees F) to prevent bitterness.

And steep time should be adjusted to your taste, but in general recommendations for white tea are 4-7 minutes, and if you want stronger tea you should use more tea, not longer times.

And apparently the caffeine content in both green and white teas is greatly reduced, if not negligible after the first steeping. One reference even said that you can greatly reduce caffeine amounts by steeping leaves for 20 seconds, pouring the water off, and then steeping again for your cup.

In the process of my white tea research, I also learned some things about one of my other tea favorites - Bancha. I got excited for a bit because I read that Bancha has little to no caffeine, which apparently is true. Bancha is sort of the opposite of white tea, the leaves harvested for this variety are the larger and older of the Camellia leaves. For this reason, caffeine content is low, but sadly so is the content of the beneficial catechins that give tea it's wonderful disease prevention benefits. This makes me wonder if the catechin content of 2nd and 3rd steepings of white tea is also low. Hmm, more research to do I guess.

Tea for Two...Me and You!

2006-04-20T17:04:00.002-05:00

I’ve been on a white tea kick lately. I’ve tried all the herbals and I just can’t find one that gives me the flavor I’m looking for first thing in the morning. Rooibos and Ginger are too warming. Black and Green are too speedy. Chamomile is too bedtime. Peppermint is too sweet. Kuchicha is too... macrobiotic. Take Goldilocks, wake her up early, and put her in front a Tazo assortment box - what you’ve got is me at breakfast time.

White tea seemed like a good option because it’s low in caffeine and high in antioxidant benefit (not to mention highly tasty). And even though I’m definitely a candidate for avoiding caffeine all together, given my history of adrenal exhaustion, I'm still perpetually interested in tea.

Some interesting observations of white tea:

It comes from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis, as black, green, and oolong teas, but is harvested earlier when the leaves are still opening and the bubs adorned with fine, silvery hairs.

Like green tea, it undergoes very little processing and no fermentation. The leaves and buds are quickly steamed and then dried.

It has less caffeine that its kin with about 15 mg per serving, while green lends about 20 mg and black about 40 mg.

Due to the limited processing, it maintains more beneficial polyphenols than black tea. It contains the same amount of these active compounds as green tea, but in different proportions, and may offer greater cancer-fighting potential.

Nuts, Grains and Legumes...Oh My!

2006-01-01T16:37:00.001-06:00

Technically speaking, these foods could all be labeled as seeds, the “structures by which plants create a new generation of their kind.” (quote from On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee) In the culinary sense, there are the foods we call seeds, such as pumpkin, sesame,and poppy, as well the other seed groups, nuts, grains, and legumes.

Seeds are a delivery system for genetic information. Within the confines of their protective shell or dried outer casing, there is life, safely waiting with hopes of fertile soil. Plants preserve their seeds by creating a high concentration of enzyme inhibitors within the sensitive flesh. Enzyme inhibitors block the action of natural chemicals that would break down the seed’s insulation before it reached an environment suitable for growth. More...
Quite frankly, seeds are designed to pass through the gut unscathed. If you swallow a seed without adequate chewing, you might notice that they come out on the other side fully intact and safely nuzzled in the pile of fertile soil that you just made. If you chew well, then the inhibitors are released to block the action of your own digestive enzymes.

This can put a strain on your system, since your body has to make and release more
enzymes to compensate. You can notice this digestive resistance in two ways. First, after eating raw nuts look for a slight film coating the inside of your mouth – that’s the enzyme inhibitors. And second, if you’re one of those folk that tends towards cramping, bloating, or gas after raw nuts or beans – that’s the enzyme inhibitors.

In nature, these pesky little blockers are deactivated automatically when the storage
capsule spends time in an environment that will support growth and development. In the kitchen, these conditions can be mimicked by using appropriate combinations of moisture, warmth, pH, salinity, and time.

These practices initiate the natural process of germination, or sprouting, so that the food remains, but the inhibition doesn’t. And beyond better digestion, the most important benefit of following these traditional methods is the wonderfully enhanced taste!

Below you will find basic instructions for working with grains, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Happy Cooking!
ShannonNuts, Grains and Legumes...Oh My!

Cooking Whole Grains, Nuts and Seeds

Grains
When we think of whole grains, brown rice is what comes to mind most often, but the list of options is much longer. Wheat berries, spelt berries, oats, buckwheat groats, rye berries, quinoa, amaranth and teff are all excellent, and delicious variations.

1 cup of dried whole grain (purchase in air tight con-tainers, not bins, to prevent rancidity)
Purified water for rinsing
2-4 cups warm purified water (refer to packaging instructions)
1-2 tablespoons acid: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar OR 2
tablespoons whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1-2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil(optional)

Rinse grains (except buckwheat groats and steel-cut or rolled grains) three times by
covering with water, swishing with your hand, and gently pouring the water off the top.

Transfer to a small pot, mix in warm water, acid and salt, and let stand in a warm place for 7-12 hours.

Bring to a boil, skim, reduce heat, butter or coconut oil, and cover tightly. Cook covered(no peeking!) over lowest possible heat for 35-45 minutes until all water has been absorbed.

Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Note: When cooking grains it is important for them to remain undisturbed. You will notice, after cooking a pattern of holes has formed. This pattern is what allows the grain to cook evenly and will not reform if it is disrupted. When the cooking time is up, lift the cover and gently tilt the pot to see that all water has been absorbed. Makes 3-4 servings.

Flour Products: Initiating the sprouting or germinating process is equally as important for grain products as it is for whole grains. When purchasing grain products, look for sourdough or sprouted breads and crackers, or search for recipes to make your own. When using flour in the kitchen, take a little extra time for overnight soaking. You can either replace some of your cooking liquid with yogurt or buttermilk, or add whey or lemon juice to the liquid in the recipe. Just make sure to leave out any baking powder or soda until you are ready to start cooking. Otherwise it will have lost all its rising power by morning.

Nuts and Seeds
4 cups of raw nuts or seeds (shelled, skinless or not)
1-2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt (experiment to find your best combination)
Purified water (enough to cover everything)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight (can go longer as well). Drain in a colander or strainer, and spread on a glass or parchment covered metal baking dish or sheet. (The paper prevents reactions between the food and the metal.) Place pans in a warm oven (ideally no more than 150 degrees) or a dehydrator for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally, until they have reached your desired level of crispiness. You can also use a dehydrator. Cool and store in an airtight container in a dark, cool place – if making walnuts refrigerate. Makes 4 cups.

Cooking Beans and Lentils

Beans
2 cups dried beans
Warm purified water for soaking (legumes have many other indigestible components that
remain in the soaking water, so it’s best to throw it out)
2 tablespoons acid: whey or lemon juice
Purified water for cooking
Digestive aid - 1 bay leaf OR 1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed OR 1-inch piece of kombu
Unrefined sea salt and pepper to taste

Cover beans with warm water, stir in acid and let stand in a warm place for 12-24 hours.

Drain, rinse, place in a medium-large pot, and cover with water again. Bring to a boil and skim off foam. Reduce heat and add your chosen digestive aid. Cover and simmer for 4-8 hours. Check periodically and add more water as needed. Beans are done when you can easily mash one against the roof of your mouth with you tongue (make sure you cool it first!). When they are nearly ready, add salt and pepper for the final few minutes of cooking. Remove digestive aid before serving. Makes 4-5 cups.

Lentils
1 cup lentils
Warm purified water for soaking
1 tablespoon acid: whey or lemon juice
1.5 cups purified water or stock for cooking
Digestive aid - 1 bay leaf OR 1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed OR 1-inch piece of kombu
Dried or fresh herbs as desired
Juice of ½-1 lemon
Unrefined sea salt, pepper to taste

Cover lentils with warm water, stir in acid and let stand in a warm place for at least 7 hours.

Drain, rinse, place in a small-medium pot, and add water or stock. Bring to a boil and skim off foam. Reduce heat and add your chosen digestive aid and herbs. Simmer uncovered for about 1 hour or until liquid has been completely reduced, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 3-4.

Note: These templates were created by compiling recipes featured in the cookbook
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon