Good Fats - Bad Fats

FAT IS FUEL
GET THE HIGHEST QUALITY YOU CAN
KEEP YOUR BODY FUNCTIONING SMOOTHLY!

I am trying to force myself to focus only on good fats/bad fats this morning.  I have been reading the wonderful book by Ramiel Nagel, with a foreword by Sally Fallon, Healing Our Children.  You can read portions of it on line here:  Healing Our Children.  I highly recommend it.  The bad thing today for me is that I personally want to implement it ALL..... but that is not what we are doing.  Step by step, one thing at a time, understand one thing thoroughly, make a good decision for YOUR family based on your own research.....  OK, note to self done...  focus on FATS:

If you want a web site that has already broken this down (and they actually know what they are doing) head over to the Weston Price Foundation.  You can access their "fats" page here:  Weston A Price Foundation - Fats  They also have a comprehensive list of articles there.  Spend some time at this wonderful place if you can.  They have done such a great job.  Weston A. Price is the dentist who gave us so much of this research.  His book "Nutrition and Degenerative Disease" is the backbone of much of our knowledge in this area.

There is a wide array of fats available.  Your choice of which fats you should use and which fats you should treat like toxic waste is vital.  How you treat and use these fats is also really, really important.  Lets break those two components down to their simplest forms.

Which fats are good?

My first rule of thumb is.... Is this a food that Jesus COULD have eaten?  Or, COULD you have eaten it at the turn of the century if it was available?  This works out about 99% of the fats issue for me.  We are blessed to live in a time where we have access to fats from all over the world.  We can make really, really great choices no matter where we live.  We are not limited by region.

My second consideration is cost..... The biggest problem in this economic environment is cost (sometimes).  I would just paraphrase Ben Franklin.... Don't be penny wise and pound foolish.  Especially on fats.

A great quote someone gave me (I forgot where I got it - maybe from Nicole's summary of Michael Pollen on Oprah show) is "you can either spend it on food now or spend it on the doctor later".  His book seems really good - she ordered it and will get back to me.  You can see some of his work here:  In Defense of Food.  Although it looks like he is a vegetarian and I have some real issues with that in general, that does not mean that you can't glean some really good information from him.

So, you need good fats... Pick one and work it into your life, then pick another one.  You don't need tons of it and good, high quality fat will give you a full, satisfied feeling.  You need less of it, get the highest quality you can.  Make it a priority.  Healthy fats are like making a big deposit in the bank - it gives your body vital nutrients, enzymes, hormones and energy.  We have been sold a load of garbage for the whole "low fat" thing.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD FATS:  Organic nuts that have been soaked to remove phytates and enzyme inhibitors, organic coconut and coconut oil, Cod Liver Oil, expeller pressed sesame oil and flax oil, avacados, cold pressed olive oil, organic butter, cream, yogurt and cheese (preferably raw and cultured - update coming on this), organic bone broth with the fat-made from grass fed animals, lard, suet, tallow and other animal fat from grass-fed animals.

There are others.... just spend some time researching and making good decisions for your family.

Which fats are bad?

Again, I have a rule of thumb... If I cannot pronounce it, if it is a chemical concoction made in a laboratory, if it never degrades, if it is industrially processed..... These are treated like toxic waste in our house.  Here are some, but not all of the words to watch out for:  margarine, hydrogenated fats, intersterified fats, partially hydrogenated fats, trans fats and magnesium sterates.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with these fats is the enormous resource your body needs to deal with them.  Your body either has to eliminate or store them.  Both are like overdrawing your bank account.  You have now eaten something that takes more energy than it gives you to deal with it.  You have less energy for healing, repair and energy, along with all of the other functions that your body needs to do.

What about Cholesterol?  If you are dealing with cholesterol issues, I would suggest you do some research.  Here is a page that could be a good starting point for you:

  The cholesterol Myth - Ravnskov.  

It is an interesting site.  I make no suggestions to you, but please know that we have dealt with this issue personally and very successfully using a diet rich in fats, enzymes, fresh vegetables, eggs, whole grain sourdough breads and lacto fermented drinks.... pretty much what we are trying here.

Just for fun:  One of our favorite new snacks is sourdough bread with raw butter and sauerkraut - It is intense, but good.  

My final thoughts:  Don't be afraid of healthy fats - go after them with enthusiasm, avoid unhealthy ones like toxic poison, avoid fats that have been heated too much - this can ruin much of the good available in the fat.  Good fats can bring comfort, pleasure and a satisfaction and enjoyment of food that nothing else can. 

Be Blessed and Healthy
Cindy

Sauerkraut for four gallons

Directions for 4 gallons of sauerkraut:  This is the size of crock I have - adjust for your size of container.  Also, this batch is for our family.... I added beet greens, apple, black peppercorns, carrots and some parsnips.  This is what I had in my fridge, so this is what I cultured.  That is why it looks so colorful.  Yours might not be so many colors and flavors.... we like intense.

#1 - Gather ingredients:  6 heads cabbage, 9 tbsp or more sea salt, whey, (directions here: Whey recipe)   juniper berries or caraway seeds, and any spices you like.  Spices are INTENSE when cultured, so use with caution.  Our family likes cumin, cayenne, and onions.

#2 - Shred the cabbage. Use a food processer if possible. Reserve the outer leaves to top it off. You need at least 8-10 leaves.

#3 - Mix as you go - I usually put the first bunch of shredded cabbage, some of the salt, and all of the spices in the bottom and mix with my hands. I then continue to mix as I add more and more of the cabbage. This allows the salt to pull the juice from the cabbage.

#4 - If you want to add spices - 1/3 cup of Juniper Berries, 1/4 cup whey, 1/3 cup cumin, 1/4 cup cayenne. If you have someone in the house that likes bland and someone else likes spicy, you can leave the cayenne out and put about 1/4 tsp in each jar as you bottle it.

#5 - Layer some outer leaves of the cabbage on top of your mixture. Don't wash them, just rinse. The white stuff is what you want to culture your sauerkraut.

#6 - If necessary, add salt water to top off. Liquid must cover the cabbage and leaves - If there is not enough cabbage juice, just add salt water (1 tbsp per quart of warm water)

#7 - Put a dinner plate upside down on top of the whole leaves. Put another plate upside right on top of that. Push everything down using the plates. The sauerkraut cultures in the absence of oxygen, so this is how you keep it away from the air.

#8 - Put some more salt water into a 1 gallon zip lock bag or glass container that is sealed tightly.  If you are using a zip lock bag, put the first bag into another zip lock bag.  Put on top of the plates as a weight. You use salt water in case it breaks (which happens more often than not to me-that is one reason I switched to glass) Then you don't ruin your brine.

#9 - Cap your sauerkraut and put it into a cool, dark place for a few weeks. (ideally between about 55-68 degrees)

#10 - When you are ready to bottle it up, undo everything carefully and try to get all the scum or bloom off of the top. Work at the sink. Have a clean rag to wipe the sides of the bucket. It stinks - but not for long!

Bottle up and top off with the brine.  Cap tightly and put into refrigeration to "put your sauerkraut to sleep".  The smell does go away!


Have lots of fun and take some pictures. It is a totally messy, family friendly project.

Enjoy!

Cindy

Culturing my Raw Milk - For the First Time

I went yesterday and bought raw cream and raw milk - $15.00 and some creme fraiche ($5.79 - a one time purchase, I hope).  This afternoon I got some Kefir beads from Arleen.  I now have my very expensive, nutrient dense, healthy, full of good fats milk SITTING ON THE COUNTER!

For some reason, this is making me a little nervous.  I don't know why.  I know the science behind culturing - I have a counter full of food being happily preserved this way..... I know the reasoning - I am trying to preserve food without killing off the enzymes and nutrients AND I am adding another cultured food for gut health...... I want to make cultured butter tomorrow and I want to use the cultured milk all week.

I am still a little nervous.  I am envious of all of you younger Moms trying these old/new ways to feed your family.  When you find out some new information you can change without changing 50 years of habits.  I have never in my life left milk on the counter overnight deliberately.

I am putting the steel cut oats out to soak as soon as I finish my late night musing.  Every bit of milk we have in the house is sitting on the counter.  Hopefully by tomorrow, I will have a new reality... like I learned with the sauerkraut, the ginger ale, the beet kvass, the sourdough bread, the pickles, the peppers, the really good tortilla recipe I accidentally stumbled upon (recipe to follow... hopefully tomorrow) .... all preserved with culturing - allowing the good bacteria to overwhelm the bad bacteria.  I know it in my mind, but tonight, it is a challenge.

Lets hope for the best.

Note:  I am having some of the cream cultured with creme fraiche this morning in my coffee.   It is a little different taste and texture, but good.  I think I will like this one.  The raw cream goes sour too quickly otherwise.  I will save some of this cream for a "starter culture" for next week's cream.  Later today I will make cultured raw butter out of most of this, and save some for my coffee.

If you try this, be sure you save a "starter" for the next time.  That way you don't have to buy another container of creme fraiche and can save some money.

Phase Two - Figure Out the Fats

Step One - Think about putting good fats back into your diet. These are some of the best, most nutrition packed energy calories you can find.  Some examples would be Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Butter, Nuts, Cod Liver Oil, Fish and Avocado are a good place to start.

Step Two - Take a deep breath and consider raw, unpasteurized, un-homogenized dairy products (from grass fed beef, if possible).  Don’t get overwhelmed, but spend a little time studying the benefits of this type of dairy product.  You need to make decisions for your family, but good milk, butter, cheese and sour cream are critical.  Try to find local sources of raw dairy, especially grass fed dairy.  Can your family go on a field trip and taste some of this fresh stuff?  That might be a good way to start.

This is the power base from which healing comes.  Throw out what you know about “fats” and study some of the benefits of these good fats.  Now, that your gut can utilize these foods properly, use them.  Your grocery dollars are well spent here.  Get the highest quality, least processed most organic, freshest fats you can get, then get them into your body. You are far better off using half the amount, at twice the price, of these products.

If you are going to try raw milk products, you might consider learning something about the process of culturing them.  Otherwise, they do not stay fresh very long and culturing raw milk products adds a wonderful, healthy layer of enzymes and good bacteria to continue your quest for a healthy gut.

Step Three - Think about making a switch to grass fed meat.  The benefits cannot be overstated.  Most animals were not designed by God to eat massive quantities of grains.  This is an invention of an industry that wants to maximize profits, which is fine, but not at the expense of our family’s health.  You might consider watching Food, Inc. to get you going on this one...  :)

Step Four - Begin to think about and eliminate bad fats that your body cannot use.  It takes so much energy to get rid of these fats that you are better off not using them.  This would include margarine, hydrogenated fats, intersterified fats, partially hydrogenated fats, trans fats, magnesium sterates in supplements and potentially some other fats.  Do I dare mention French Fries here… dipped in Ranch Dressing? Nope, OK.  One good suggestion is to make cultured mayonnaise.  It is quick and easy and combines healthy fats with cultured foods.  It has already been discussed here:  Recipes

Step Five - Begin the process of working the good fats into your day-to-day life.  This might include writing out a menu (with fats included), working out a reasonable plan for when you eat out, taking some time to read and study about the different fats, making decisions about your grocery dollars or just beginning to learn new flavors.  Continue to maintain your gut health.  Purchase some really good, high quality dark chocolate and allow yourself a little of that every day. As you add really good fats, your desire for sugars and processed foods will begin to subside.  With a healthy gut and good fats, allowing yourself some dark chocolate might help you wean yourself off some of the more unhealthy foods you love.

Many of these fats and flavors are very, very satisfying.  When you have a good variety of fats in your body, you begin to naturally lose some of the old cravings. The flavors can be intense and different, but if you just accept that different is not necessarily bad, you will be fine.  Don’t make too many changes at once.  Just one change at a time.  Talk with your family about these changes.  The more understanding you have, the harder it is to go back to the old ways.

GROCERY STORE TIP:  Read Labels!  If it says Hydrogenated, Intersterified, partially hydrogenated, trans fat, don’t buy it.

LIFETIME FITNESS TIP:   Find a controlled exercise for at least two days per week.  It should include some type of breathing control.  I recommend DVD’s.  Think Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi.  Something like that which builds core strength, flexibility and forces controlled breathing.  Again, 20 minutes.  Can you block out the same time each day?  It is a wonderful use of your time for your family.  You are not being selfish, but giving your family the gift of a healthy parent, grandparent or great-grandparent (I would like to play as hard with Ryden’s kids as I do with him).

These two liftetime fitness steps  (from Phase 1 and 2) help with so much…. Brain health, gut health, muscle tone, detox, systemic anti-fungal..... the benefits are endless.

Best of Health
Cindy

The House around the Corner - The Bee Hive - Food, Inc.

I am starting another "label" called "The House around the Corner".  This is for links to blogs of people I know who are on similar journeys.  We do not all have to do the same thing over and over.  Yesterday I posted a link to  Evelyn Fields blog.  She has so many good ideas and is so creative and practical.  I had a real need for a way to store and transport my sourdough bread in a non plastic way.  I am NOT creative, but she was able to do a great job and posted a picture and some thoughts.

My friend Jody watched Food, Inc. a while ago and wrote about it on her blog.  With her permission, I am going to lift a couple of paragraphs from her blog.... if you want to know more, just go here:  The Bee Hive - Whats for Dinner.

From her Blog...

This is just a small break down of what goes into the beef. Once you start researching, you will be overwhelmed with the conditions of the animals and the process in these factories…The motivation that prompted me to write this post was after Daddy Mock and I watched Food Inc., … a very important movie to watch, I highly recommend it. It is extremely eye opening and even if you have done your research and already do believe in consuming food in it’s most natural state, you can learn a lot about the CAFO’s and how our government is involved.

This post was strictly about beef, but the same story goes for poultry and pork (which we don’t consume). The best you can do now is to buy free-range, organic chicken… grass-fed beef is hard to find, but if you ask around at your local farmer’s market, there should be some contacts that can send you in the right direction. Don't get me started on corn and soybeans... 90% of soybeans in America are GMO... and there is a ton of politics behind the soy industry, which has stripped away virtually all rights of soy bean farmers (as stated in my candle post)...

Our family, personally, is continuing on our quest for a simpler, more natural lifestyle where we produce more than we consume.  To that end, we are going to invest some time and energy in developing our orchard to a better pasture with clover and various seeds... then we are going to raise heirloom meat chickens to go with our egg chickens.  The meat is darker, takes longer to raise and is going to be a process to learn how to deal with getting the chickens into the pot.... but that is what we are going to do.  I would strongly recommend you look around in your life and see if you can be more natural and simple.

Somewhere we, as neighbors, have to quit relying on the Federal, State and Local government to tell us what we can and cannot eat.  What kind of politically correct system  is it that has stayed silent as our food has become more and more over processed and devitalized?  What kind of system is it that uses the American population as guniea pigs for their agribusiness experiments?  What kind of idiots are we that allow our "government watchdogs" have an incestuous relationship with the business and industry that they are supposed to be regulating?  It just hasn't worked out that well, has it.

I want to be the kind of neighbor that can produce healthy food and share it with friends and neighbors because I have more than I need... and the kind of neighbor that cares that the food I produce is healthy and nutritious and life-giving.  The dead and health robbing food that is FDA approved is garbage.  Why are they able to tell me that I cannot eat food with good, healthy life in it?  Something is wrong with this system here.  However, I am grateful that there are a lot more choices available then there used to be, and I will just continue our own personal journey of simple and wholesome foods.


Both blogs that I have listed here journal some of the roadtrip for these families as they have moved into simple and natural choices for their family.  Please enjoy them, learn from their journey and let me know how your own journey is going.

Best of Health
Cindy

My apologies for moving into political rant :)  

I shouldn't be watching Fox News as I am writing this.......

Raw Milk Yogurt

Full disclosure - I have never made raw milk yogurt myself.  I plan to try it soon.  I understand it is more runny than the yogurt we are used to.  If anyone tries it, let me know.  It would be good if someone worked all the details out for all of us  :)

• Obtain some raw milk, produced in a clean, healthy environment by healthy cows or goats... grass fed is by far the best.  Ideally, the raw milk for raw milk yogurt should be as fresh as possible.
  
  
• Heat one quart of raw milk to 110 degrees F as the first step to making raw milk yogurt. Remove from heat source after reaching 100 degrees.
  
  
• Add 2 tbsp. of live culture organic yogurt for your starter. Any organic, preferably (but not necessary) yogurt is a very good choice as a culture to make organic raw milk yogurt. Use a whisk to incorporate the yogurt into the heated milk.
  
  
• Pour milk into a quart-size mason jar or other glass container.  I understand that a thermos works really, really well for this. Cover the raw milk yogurt with lid.
  
  
• Leave the raw milk yogurt in a warm (110 degrees F) place for eight hours. (thermos or yogurt maker or maybe a dehydrator or crock pot)
• Place your raw milk yogurt in the refrigerator to cool.
  
  
• Enjoy your yogurt. Add chopped fruit, homemade fruit preserves or vanilla extract and maple syrup to the raw milk yogurt if desired.

Some links for your reading pleasure.  I know this is a lot of links, but this is a terrific subject to really mull over.  Spend some time, think it over... try one or two recipes, share the experience.... make good decisions for your family.... own it, share it, live it and move on.

The Weston A. Price Foundation

Organic Pastures

Recipes from Weston A Price Foundation

Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Home Cooking

Best of Health
Cindy

Links for purchasing assorted cultures

It is very possible that you can share good milk (and other) cultures with someone in your community, but if that is just not possible, then the best thing is probably to order some.  I have never used these sites, but am listing them for your convenience.

For the most part, I just try to buy a sample of whatever I am making.  Julie just let me know that they have creme fraiche at Save Mart, so I will go buy some and use it for my starter.  I am looking forward to making some with the raw Organic Dairy cream and using it in various ways.  I love to try new things.  :)  :) :)

Anyway:

Gem Cultures
Kefir Lady  (also lists benefits for kefir)

Also, here are a few sites for cultured milk products and their benefits.  Hope there are not a bunch of pop up ads.  Those are really annoying :(

Backwoods Home
Functional Foods

And a thesauraus of cultured milk products..... gotta love google :)

Cook's Thesaurus: Cultured Milk

Best of Health

Cultured Milk Products

As a part of gut health, cultured dairy products have a huge role to play.  They will also play a prominent role in Phase 2 Good Fats/Bad Fats, so this is a transitional "Extra Step".  I have already covered some of the benefits of cultured milk products.  I would like to you to try one or more of these yourself.  It is a good way to incorporate raw milk into your life.

I confess, I might be at my time limit for cultured products, but really, I think I need to just add a block of time mid-week to rotate half of my cultures, then use my regular Saturday morning to rotate the other half.  This way, I can have cultured, raw milk products on hand for snacks and meals.  Thankfully, my counter is big.  Also, I am trying to go with very simple and wholesome meals to help with time management.

I am finding our nutrient dense meals to be very satisfying, if quite simple.  A soup, made with bone broth, a little meat and some soaked grains... some sourdough whole grain bread with raw butter.... a green salad with oil and vinegar dressing (I have been adding sauerkraut juice to this - it isn't bad).  Simple, filling, easy to prepare and clean up.  What more could you want for a dinner?

Anyway... on to the cultured milks.  Before refrigeration joined us in our industrialized lives it was a lot more common to culture milk before consuming.  Consuming large amounts of uncultured milk was rare.  Yogurt, cheese, clabber, curds and whey were used to effectively prevent milk from spoiling.  Through the process of lacto fermentation, friendly bacteria breaks down both milk sugars (lactose) and milk protein (casein).  This process effectively inactivates the spoiling bacteria and allows your milk product to be preserved for days, weeks... or in the case of cheese, years.

The process of lacto-fermentation also predigests these milk products and allows the nutrients to be easily absorbed by your body with less energy.  Also, these live, culture dense foods help colonize good bacteria in your gut.   Although I have listed yogurt in Phase One as a simple and easy way to begin, there is an amazing variety of cultured milk.

If you are able to study the homogenization and pasteurization process, it might help you understand the benefits and drawback yourself.  I have listed a couple of pages from raw-milk-facts.com for you to look over.

Raw Milk Basic Facts
raw-milk-facts.com - homogenization
raw-milk-facts.com = pasteurization

*note: When dealing with live bacteria, keep in mind that some good bacteria may have names that sound like bad bacteria. Streptococcus, for instance, can be a beneficial bacterium, although most people think of strep throat when they hear the word. Streptococcus refers only to the shape of the bacterium, and has nothing to do with its ability to promote health or cause disease. (Strept means 'twisted" and coccus means "round.") Streptococcus thermophilus has been safely used for centuries to make cultured dairy products such as yogurt, and cheeses such as Mozzarella.

 Some of the various types of cultured milk are:

Yogurt - which is made by first heating milk and then adding a culture... then allowing the culture to develop.

Kefir = a slightly effervescent beverage made from milk.  My friend Jamie is going to buy some Kefir grains from the GEMS website and give it a try.  She agreed to take pictures and let us know how it is going and what she learns.  I am looking forward to that.

Creme Fraiche - a cultured cream product - you can also use it to make a cultured raw butter.  It is apparently wonderful in soups and sauces.  I have not tried this product myself, but plan to soon.

Cultured raw butter needs no salt and has a high enzyme content which makes it really easy to digest and a flavor that is amazing.

Cream cheese and cottage cheese are traditionally made by allowing the fermentation process to continue for several days until the curds (the casein containing part of the milk) separates from the whey. 

Further inoculation and fermentation turns the cream cheese into cheese.

Whey is a valuable activator used in other fermented foods and beverages.

I will list recipes for each of these milk products separately.  This way, they are easier to find.  I hope some of you will find the time and energy to acquire some raw milk and try some of these.  If you can't do raw, try the unhomogenized.  If you can't do that, try organic.  Take baby steps and do what you can.  Try one new thing.  Find a recipe and make it a family project.  Most of these are quite easy..... just requires some time and attention.

I am enjoying the "slow foods" movement, where foods are thought out 2-3 or more days in advance.   Although there is nothing "instant" about these foods, if you have a wide variety of them on hand, they are wonderful, live and right there in your fridge for your use.  To be frank, I find that the actual preparation on a day to day basis requires a lot less time.  It is a process.

Best of Health
Cindy

Cool Bread Bags

I have been working really hard on a couple of things in our own household.  One is trying to get away from plastic (easier said than done) and the other is making my own sourdough bread.  After you make a beautiful loaf of bread, what do you do with it???  Another problem I have is trying to take bread anywhere. 

I asked my friend to consider making some kind of cloth bag for me.  Here is what she came up with.  I love them.  You can find them here:  Evelyn Fields: Homemade Bread Bag

Thanks sweetie.  You are the best.  Problem solved!

Some further thoughts on gut health

Hopefully, some of you have made good progress in learning how your gut works, why it is important, how to begin the healing process and how to continue this process as a lifetime project.  I came across a really nice article that does not have a million ads (that I could see) that again spells this process out.

I would urge you to continue to study and learn as much as you can.  I do not believe you can be healthy if your gut is not working properly.  I do not believe you have to spend a fortune to have a healthy gut.  I do believe you should learn how to do a wide variety of lacto fermented foods to populate your gut with good bacteria.  If you have an overgrowth of candida, yeasts, fungi, or other nasty stuff, you will probably need to weaken them.   Find out what makes bad organisms strong (sugars, simple carbs, processed foods, a pH system out of whack) and what makes good bacteria strong (a neutral pH gut, some good minerals and vitamins, good fats and whole foods, lacto fermented foods).  Focus on the healing aspects.

This is just a starting point.  There are endless variations on these themes.  Learn different foods from different cultures.  Incorporate foods your great-grandmother would have made.  Learn some forgotten skills.  Spend your money on good food, not doctor visits.

The following link is a beautiful page that is well laid out and well thought out on gut health and disease.  I think you will find it valuable and non-annoying.  It is one of my new favorites.

Clinica Panacea

Finally, I found a great quote from a website on raw milk.  It is just so good I wanted to put it into this article on gut health.   From the article:

A Word About Diet In General

Use common sense and stick with whole, unprocessed foods, free from genetic tweaking (there's still just too much conflicting information out there on that topic), and you'll likely be ahead of the game.

Cook your foods minimally, and you'll be even better off. Learn about sprouting and fermentation. Question everything before letting it past your lips. 

Explore what worked for countless generations before ours, and put it to work for yourself today. You can achieve great health by diet alone. I've done it, and so can you!

 Raw Milk Facts . Com

Best of Health
Cindy

Sourdough Pizza Party and Recipe

Sourdough Pizza Dough

1 cup starter

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup barley flour

1 cup white flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp olive oil

I used all organic ingredients, and ground the wheat and barley fresh.

We had homemade pizza at our young couples meeting at Chapel on Wednesday night.  It was a lot of fun to try out different pizza dough recipes, different toppings and learn some new things.

On Wednesday morning I made some sourdough pizza dough and let it culture.  This breaks the phytic acids in the grain.  Your body has a much easier time digesting a grain product that has been cultured because of this breakdown.  Anyone that is gluten intolerant should give cultured grains a try.

April showed us all how to knead bread.  Mine was a little sticky for pizza dough, so she kneaded in a little more flour.

After kneading and separating the dough (I made the above recipe x4) Royce showed us how to toss the dough.  We had so much fun trying it out!  Apryle and Carmen made more dough, but not cultured.  This allowed us to compare the two types of dough.

 

One thing I did forget was some parchment paper.  That would have been helpful with multiple pizzas.  After tossing them, we rolled and pushed them to the right size.  We had a round and an oblong pizza stone, so they made pizzas to fit the stones.

We cut up fresh fruits and vegetables for the toppings.  Then, began to assemble the pizzas.  We brushed olive oil on the dough before putting on the sauce.  Apryle pan fried the organic Turkey bacon and then everything went on top, and into the oven for 10-12 minutes.  We had already preheated the stones at 500 degrees while we were getting everything ready to cook.

The pizza's turned out really great.  We fed a lot of people for not much money, and had a lot of fun in the process.  Personally, I liked the taste of the sourdough pizza, which is good since I am learning how to soak all of my nuts and grains.  We were able to do everything organic and it didn't cost any one person very much money.  They turned out great!

The best part of the night is..... when we watched Food, Inc.  we didn't feel at all bad about our dinner!  :)

Best of Health

Cindy

Sauerkraut

Basic Health Points for Sauerkraut:

*  Increases the healthy flora in the intestinal tract
*  Creates the type of environment for flora to flourish
*  An immune booster
*  Inhibits or actively fights cancer
*  Provides ingredients for gut health
*  Flu fighter
*  Inhibits pathogenic organisms including E. coli, salmonella and candida
*  Creates antioxidants that scavenge free radicals
*  Transforms lactose to lactic acid
*  Neutralizes phytic acid found in all grains and the trypsin-inhibitors in soy
*  Generates new nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, digestive aids and GTF chromium
*  Sauerkraut and its juices are a traditional folk remedy for constipation
*  Facilitates the breakdown and assimilation of proteins -
                 has a soothing effect on the nervous system
*   Strengthens the acidity of the stomach - helps normalize pH
*  Stimulates peristaltic movement of the intestines.
*  Detoxifies the intestines
*  Encourages pancreas function
*  Stimulates the secretion of all digestive juices
*  Helps re-establish healthy intestinal flora after taking antibiotics
*  Improves blood circulation
*  Helps cleanse the blood
*  Supports natural reistance against infections.
*  Strengthens the body's immune system
*  Helps rid the body of worms
*  Lowers the sugar in the blood and urine
*  Controls a craving for sweets
*  Alleviates morning sickness in pregnant women

News release from October 18, 2005 WGN9 Chicago (WGN-TV):

Bird Flu:  A cure for the bird flu may come from a strange source... sauerkraut!  Scientists at Seoul National University say they've successfully treated infected chickens with kimchi sauerkraut.  Kimchi is a seasoned version of traditional sauerkraut, but both contain an important bacteria, lactic acid, which appears to kill avian flu.  13 infected chickens with bird flu ate sauerkraut and 11 of them got better.

Further reading - "A Passion for Sauerkraut" a recipe book by Samuel Hofer

How to Culture Butter

So... I have been doing a little research and if you want raw, cultured butter, you are going to have to start with raw cream.  You can get it at the Whole Foods Depot....

Natures Whole Food Depot

...then, you culture the CREAM (someone will probably have to buy a starter and share) , and leave it to thicken for a day or so before churning. Also, hold back a bit of the cream each time to use as the starter in the next batch. The flavor will continue to develop.

NEW IDEA:  I think you can use Cream Fraiche to culture the cream.   I am listing another direction page for your reference.  It covers the steps very clearly.  Just use the cream Fraiche as your starter.  I don't know if I can find any here, but will look.  I plan to try this as soon as possible.

Immunutrition - How to make raw, cultured butter

You can use your Kitchen Aid or food processor to make the butter from the cultured cream.  I found a site that has picture.

Here are a couple of sites with some good pictures.  I plan to just buy some cream fraiche and use that as a culture (or starter), then just follow the directions listed on one of these pages.

Positron

Cooking for Engineers - Making Butter

Love you all.

Have fun.  Someone is going to have to be brave and try this.

Cindy

Ramble in the Woods - Thoughts on Sauerkraut

One of the biggest milestones on my personal journey to health occurred when I stumbled across sauerkraut and its benefits.  Sauerkraut is a food I had never eaten willingly, had no intention of EVER having as a part of my diet, and certainly had no plan to ever make the stuff.  Happily, as I continued my research into this amazing food, my head changed.

Certainly, my taste buds did not change overnight.  However, the miraculous properties of this food convinced me to try to incorporate it into our lives.  We quit buying probiotics and Obadiah and I figured out to mix the sauerkraut into salsa and sour cream, then eat it with chips.  Over time we developed an appreciation for the taste and texture of this soured, lacto fermented food.  We also found that we did not seem to need the probiotics.... as long as we continued to eat lots of these foods and to take it easy on the  sugars and simple carbs.

We had long since changed out all of our oils, so we were getting coconut oil every day somewhere.  This helps so much.  Coconut oil is just a miracle food for your gut.

Today I am going back and revisiting much of that previous research I did.  The class I am doing today is really on the practical - how to make sauerkraut.  However, I want to remember what changed my opinion in the first place.

Take control of the health of your family.  Don't subcontract it out to anyone else.  Be proactive.  Study and learn, then apply what you know to be true.

One of my big rule of thumb food ideas is..... If it is a food that COULD have been eaten in Biblical times, it is probably fine.  Could you have made sauerkraut 5000 years ago?  Yes.  It is good.  (btw... I also think butter and honey are good - raw)

I did warn you that this was a RAMBLE, didn't I  :)

Best of Health
Cindy

What is Gut Health

One of the most important steps that you can take to improve your overall health is to make sure that your intestines have plenty of good bacteria. There are approximately 100 trillion bacteria and microorganisms living in your digestive tract.   It is important that they are good, useful bacteria.  If your gut is full of virus, bad bacteria, and unfriendly pathogens, you are vulnerable to food allergies, candida, autoimmune problems, weight gain, intestinal problem, skin problems, bowel problems and catching everything unfriendly thing that comes by.   70% of your immune system is located in your gut.  If your gut is not healthy, can your organs be?

Please take a few minutes and look at this web site.  It is one of the clearest picturs I have found of what your gut should look like.... and what it probably look like.  I am listing this link again at the bottom of the page.  You don't need expensive probiotics, you need to correct the inbalance in your gut.  If you don't understand what the problem is, you probably will not understand the solution.  Please think this over.

Biolife

Some of the benefits of an abundance of "good" or "friendly" bacteria and microorganisms:

• Improved digestion and normalized bowel movements
• Correct skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis
• Provide protection against asthma
• Improve your immune system
• Protect against food allergies
• Reduce or possible eliminate seasonal allergies

Some of the possible ways to destroy friendly intestinal bacteria:

• Use of antibiotics (including antibiotics found in dairy and meat products)
• Eating foods that are genetically modified
• Not managing tension and stress
• An excess of sugar or other concentrated sweeteners
• Overuse of antacids or laxatives
• Use of some prescription drugs (including birth control pills and steroids like prednisone)
• Drinking chlorinated water
  

Today, the balance between "good bacteria" and "bad bacteria" that live in your intestines is the result of the choices you make in what you eat and your lifestyle. The healthier your choices, the more friendly bacteria you have living inside of you. Lets look at some of the ways you can bring correction to your gut using food.

Food based ways to begin correction of the bacteria load in your gut:

• Neutralize the pH in your gut.  This will weaken the "bad" bacteria and virus polyps  - it does not appreciate a neutral pH
• Begin a good multi-vitamin to give yourself a good coverage of nutrients for healing and repair
  
• Feed the good bacteria - Coconut oil is great fertilizer for the good bacteria and the bad stuff doesn't like it  (lets call it weed and feed)
• Begin adding "live" lacto fermented foods from a broad range of different cultures - milks, vegetables and roots.  This replaces expensive pill form probiotics and is a more natural, food based way to acquire the "good" bacteria and allow it to colonize.  Eat live yogurt, sauerkraut, drink ginger ale and kefir.  Give your gut what it needs.
  
• Eat a green salad daily to help "scrub" out some of the weakened bacteria.  Make sure there is some olive oil/vinegar on the salad
• Exercise for 20 minutes.  Get your heart rate up and sweat.  This causes your body to produce a broad-based anti-fungal
• Don't eat overly processed foods

The attached web site has a picture of a healthy gut vs. an unhealthy gut.  Take some time to compare the pictures.  Which one do you think yours looks like?  Don't buy expensive probiotics - make your own or buy them locally.

Biolife

Best of Health
Cindy

Path to Progress:  Start your love of cultured foods here with the benefits of sauerkraut.