Nourished Kitchen» health

The Garden Remedy that Survived the Bubonic Plague: Four Thieves Vinegar

Jenny — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:01:41 +0000

Four Thieves Vinegar can cure the plague, at least, that’s what French folklore teaches us. And while I can’t comment on the veracity of this statement (and, no, it hasn’t been approved by the Food & Drug Administration), I will say that in every little garden whether it’s an expansive lot on a farmstead, a 10-foot by 10-foot plot in your community garden or a nook of potted herbs on your balcony, harbors powerful medicine in its own right. And when I venture out to my plot in the community garden or trim the kitchen herbs in terra cotta pots and plastic tubs on my porch, I know that this medicine is good enough for me.

Four Thieves Vinegar, a folkloric elixir thought to protect against black death, finds its way to my kitchen in the summer time when fresh herbs from the garden are plentiful. Four Thieves Vinegar is the stuff of legends and of kitchen magic – a beautiful combination of rosemary, sage, mint and raw vinegar that combines for a vibrantly herbaceous and slightly floral concoction that may or may not protect your family from the rigors of medieval plagues, but will definitely enliven plates of sweet lettuces and other summer greens.

Four Thieves Vinegar: Myths & History

When the plague ravaged the city of Marseilles in the seventeenth century, it is said that a fortunate lot of grave robbers and thieves escaped what would have been inevitable illness and subsequent death by covering their bodies and dousing their face masks in an herbal vinegar with strong antibacterial and antiviral properties. Initially, as French folklore tells it, no one quite worried about the grave robbers and thieves who stole into the houses of Marseilles under the cloak of moonless nights to rob victims of the Black Death as, the townspeople assumed, the plague would inevitably infect and kill the thieves, too. But it didn’t.

The thieves continued to assail the homes and graves of the dead with impunity until they were finally caught in the middle of their act, tried and set to be burned at the stake. Astonished by the thieves’ immunity and seemingly indifferent attitude toward the plague that devastated the community so severely, the judges offered the thieves a bargain: in exchange for releasing the cause of their immunity, the thieves would be hanged instead of burned at the stake – a less brutal and more quick end. The thieves acquiesced and surrendered the recipe for their elixir, and the legend has continued to grow since then.

While many recipes for Four Thieves Vinegar abound, there’s no telling now which recipe is most accurate though a recipe written by Jean Valnet, a renowned aromatherapist and herbalist of the early 20th century, may resemble the original more closely than any other. He calls for vinegar, wormwood, meadowsweet, juniper, marjoram, sage, cloves, horse heal, angelica, rosemary, horehound and camphor. Valnet calls for steeping these herbs in vinegar for six weeks before decanting, for a lighter flavor I usually allow my herbs to steep in vinegar for about a week.

Modern herbalist usually use only a handful of herbs: rosemary, sage, lavender, thyme and mint usually make an appearance. Every herbalist and avid keeper of herbs should have his or her own version, and below is mine. Be inventive with your garden herbs.

Four Thieves Vinegar: Ancient Remedy, Modern Uses

While this garden remedy may or may not have helped grave robbers and thieves to stave off the plague that ravaged Europe centuries ago, it seems modern herbalists and gardeners have revived the interest in this garden remedy. Many herbalists use it as a cleansing agent – transferring it to a spray bottle and using it to clean and sterilize kitchen counters or bathrooms; indeed, many of the herbs posess strong antimicrobial effects and vinegar, in any case, makes an excellent natural cleanser. Others recommend using Four Thieves Vinegar in personal care, diluted with water of course, as a cleansing agent for the skin or as an astringent. Among neo-Pagan circles, Four Thieves Vinegar is thought to have protective qualities and some swear that if you dress your doorstep with the vinegar, it’ll keep your enemies away.

As for me, I can’t promise that this vinegar will save you from the black death, make your kitchen counters sparkle, beautify your skin or keep your enemies away, but I do know that it makes an excellent seasoning for braised meats and vegetables and is perfect mixed with a good quality floral olive oil (see sources) in a simple vinaigrette for freshly pickled salad greens and edible flowers.

Four Thieves Vinegar Recipe

garden herbs, garlic & vinegar

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lavender flowers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons chopped fresh anise hyssop
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 quart white wine or apple cider vinegar, preferably raw

Equipment:

two 1-quart glass jars with lid
fine-mesh sieve or strainer

Method:

Toss herbs and garlic together in a one-quart mason jar, cover with vinegar and allow them to marinate for seven to ten days in a sunny location. After seven to ten days, strain the vinegar through a fine-mesh sieve into a second, clean 1-quart glass jar.
Store at room temperature until ready to use and serve as you would any seasoned vinegar: as a basis for vinaigrettes or as a seasoning for braised meats and vegetables.

NOTE: When you transfer the seasoned vinegar to a clean jar, consider adding a sprig or two of rosemary or other herbs used in four thieves vinegar as it makes for an attractive display and can then be saved and given as a kitchen gift to a neighbor or friend.

TIME: 5 minutes (active), 7 to 10 days (resting) | YIELD: 1 quart

>Love this post? Check out other Nourished Kitchen recipes:

Melted Apricots with Fresh Raspberries

So simple and so fresh, melted apricots with fresh raspberries is both tart and sweet and served just hot enough to barely warm the belly. I love to serve this dish with plenty of fresh cream.

Tomato & Cucumber Salad

This classic tomato and cucumber salad sparkles with olive oil and lemon juice. Pair it with Moroccan roast chicken or labneh.

And just a head’s up: I wrote this post while participating in the Sowing Millions Project by Real Food Media on behalf of Seeds of Change. I received product and exclusive content to facilitate my post (free seeds rock!). My thoughts and opinions are my own and not of those of Real Food Media or Seeds of Change. I’ll be participating all summer long – sharing garden tips, news and recipes! You can follow seeds of change on facebook, twitter and upload photos to their virtual garden where you’ll undoubtedly see more pictures of my lovely herbs soon.

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Conscious Conception: Foods for Fertility

Jenny — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:39:20 +0000

Foods for fertility – roe and wild-caught fish, fermented cod liver oil, liver, oysters and butter – represent nutrient-dense solutions for couples who are struggling to conceive, planning to conceive and for mothers who wish to nourish her child in the womb. Prior to the advent of industrial agriculture and the processing of food, these foods for fertility held a sacred place in the human diet. Populations went to great lengths to secure nutrient-dense foods like liver and roe and butter prepared from cows grazing and rapidly growing green pastures. In the absence of these foods which offered an abundance of antioxidants, fat-soluble vitamins, trace minerals and wholesome fats, our nation has suffered an epidemic rise in infertility and in birth defects. Folate, zinc, DHA, EPA, preformed vitamin A and vitamin D all play crucial roles in the reproductive health of men and women as well as the health of babies developing in the womb.

A fertility diet lacking these essential foods is not a fertility diet at all, so be wary of websites advocating casseroles filled with noodles and prepackaged seasoning mixes or zucchini and banana breads while omitting the foods for fertility listed below which are rich in vitamins A, D, E, K₂, folate, zinc as well as DHA and EPA. The Weston A Price Foundation offers guidelines for preconception, pregnancy and lactation which can be seen here. You’ll also find encouragement to consume other wholesome and healthy foods including grass-fed beef and lamb, pasture-raised lard, mineral-rich bone broths, fermented foods, soaked whole grains and coconut oil. These guidelines are based on the traditional practices of healthy native peoples across the globe and are particularly dense in vitamins, minerals and healthy fats known to play an essential role in fertility, reproductive health and fetal development.

Foods for Fertility: Fish Roe & Wild-caught Oily Fish

Fish roe, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, vitamins D and B12 as well as trace minerals. Traditionally heralded as a sacred food for pregnancy and lactation, fish roe is a powerfully rich superfood, teeming with nutrients. It’s high ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids favors fertility in both men and women. Salmon roe was particularly prized among the arctic peoples¹ studied by Weston A Price, a nutritional researcher who traveled the world examining the effects of modern versus traditional diets on native populations. Price also found that landlocked peoples still adhering to their traditional diets went to great lengths to obtain fish roe for women of childbearing age as an insurance that they might bear healthy babies.

Indeed low omega-3 levels are implicated in male infertility as men suffering from infertility suffer significantly lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their sperm than men of normal fertility². In laboratory studies, supplementation with DHA (a fatty acid prevalent in fish roe and cod liver oil) restored fertility to infertile mice³. Fish roe and caviar typically offer an omega-3:6 ratio of approximately 10 to 1, and regular consumption of this sacred food could certainly improve omega-3 levels among both men and women.

Recommendation: The Weston A Price Foundation recommends wild seafoods, including roe, be consumed two to four times a week.
Serve this Fertility Food: Salmon roe, or ikura, can be ordered in any good quality sushi bar and is widely available from online sources. Serve rose on its own, paired with cucumbers, served with homemade crackers and freshly cultured sour cream. Alternatively, consider serving taramasalata – a traditional Greek dip featuring unrefined extra virgin olive oil (see sources) and tarama – carp roe. Consider serving salmon baked in cream and herbs or misoyaki salmon.

(...)
Click here to read the rest of Conscious Conception: Foods for Fertility (2,287 words)

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A Recipe: Chicken and Gluten-free Dumplings with Fresh Herbs

Jenny — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:41:50 +0000

Gluten-free chicken and dumplings swimming in a salty, creamy broth of herbs and aromatic vegetables found its way to our kitchen a few weeks ago. A cold-weather food, good for the changing of the seasons, gluten-free chicken and dumplings can satisfy hungry bellies on chilly autumn evenings – fulfilling the roles of both company food and comfort food in one ladle full of thick stew dripping with wholesome fats and dotted by peas, carrots and celery.

A combination of rice, sorghum and tapioca, these gluten-free dumplings are dense, but savory – made even more special by the inclusion of minced fresh herbs: parsley, chives, thyme and celery leaves which are all too often wasted for want of knowledge as to their use. Even for those who don’t need or care to adhere to a gluten-free diet, the inclusion of gluten-free grains and pseudocereals can bring beautiful variation to the supper table, and with that variation in flavor, texture and appearance also comes variation in nutritive value – ensuring that variety in your diet can help to fuel your body better. Quinoa is a good source of folate, magnesium and phosphorus, while rice offers some thiamin and a good deal of manganese. Millet provides some vitamin B6 and manganese, too. Buckwheat, a pseudocereal, is rich in magnesium and the flavonoid rutin; moreover, it’s a very good source of the enzyme phytase making it an excellent addition to gluten-free flour and grain mixes which can otherwise by high in the antinutrients, but relatively low in phytase – the enzyme that, once activated, helps to degrade food phytate rendering grain’s full complement of minerals a little more available to the body. For this reason, I call for soaking the dumpling dough in buttermilk for several hours prior to cooking the stew – preserving old world techniques and maximizing nutritive value where we can.

Of course, about twenty to thirty percent of Nourished Kitchen readers avoid gluten-containing grains or grains altogether. Indeed, my family is largely gluten-free and I credit a gluten-free diet with helping my body to not only recover from hyperthyroidism, but also to conceive my son. It was at the direction of my endocrinologist who suggested a gluten-free diet might aid in the recovery from the distress that years of thyroid disease had wrought on my body. Of course, after years of healing my gut through fermented foods, bone broth and other nutrient-dense whole foods, I’m able to tolerate a a small amount of properly prepared cereal grains – a true sourdough, soaked or sprouted breads and flours, just as my naturopath suggested I might. We talked a bit about my history with gluten-free foods on a recent interview for Transform Your Health with Dr. Josh Axe, where I was reminded that while about 1 in 133 people suffer from true celiac disease, about 1 in 7 suffers from gluten intolerance on some level and that gluten intolerance can manifest itself in many ways. So, gluten-free readers, you’re not alone – not by a long shot. And after much begging and pleading in our recent reader survey (you can still weigh in, by the way), I’ve listened and will share more of my tried-and-true nourishing, gluten- and grain-free recipes.

Enjoy. This pot of steaming, creamy stew flecked with fresh herbs, pastured chicken and gluten-free dumplings is for you.

Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings

Gluten-free chicken and dumplings is rich with broth, fresh herbs and aromatic vegetables, for a bit of variation, consider omitting bacon and adding two cups chopped wild mushrooms – any will do, but I’m particularly fond of chanterelles in this dish.

Ingredients for Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings

For the gluten-free dumplings:

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup buttermilk* (see sources for a starter)
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter** (see sources)
1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1/4 cup finely minced fresh herbs (chives, thyme, parsley, celery leaves etc.)

For the soup:

2 tablespoons butter** (see sources)
4 ounces pastured bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 to 2 quarts fresh chicken broth
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas
1/2 cup finely minced herbs (chives, thyme, parsley, sage, celery leaves etc.)

Method for Gluten-free Chicken and Dumplings

Preparing the dumplings:

Stir brown rice flour, sorghum flour, almond meal, buckwheat and tapioca flour together, then pour buttermilk into the flour and stir the mixture together until it resembles cornmeal. Set it aside, covered, for about eight hours or overnight.
After the dumpling dough has soaked overnight or about eight hours in buttermilk, mix remaining ingredients into the dough and form the dough by hand into balls about one-half to thee-quarters inch in diameter. Set them aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Finishing the soup:

Melt two tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot, then add four ounces chopped bacon to the pot and cook it through. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside.
Toss chopped onion, celery and carrots into the pot and cook them until they become tender and fragrant, then add chopped chicken to the pot and cook for three to five minutes.
Pour in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts fresh chicken broth into the pot and simmer the soup for ten minutes, covered.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, uncover the soup pot, add 1 cup fresh or frozen English peas into the soup and drop formed dumplings, no more than three-quarters inch in diameter, into the pot. Cover the pot again and allow the dumplings to cook undisturbed for eight to ten minutes.
After eight to ten minutes, uncover the pot and stir in fresh minced herbs and reserved bacon.
Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

YIELD: about six servings.

TIME: 8 hours (soaking the dumpling dough), 30 to 40 minutes (active time)

*Substitute an equal amount of water plus two tablespoons raw cider vinegar or lemon juice. **Substitute tallow, bacon fat, pastured lard or palm kernel oil.

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A Scholarship Opportunity: Real Food for Rookies

Jenny — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:33:46 +0000

The Scholarship winner has been chosen among over 75 applicants, and we wish to congratulate Kim W. and her ex-husband who will be participating in Real Food for Rookies. If you’re interested in participating: register for the class and enter the code NourishedDeal at checkout for 15% OFF.

There’s a lot of talk about real food – about growing your own, about ditching the boxes and packages and about shopping farmers markets. Real food has swept the nation; better yet, more and more people are beginning to better understand the values behind traditional foods and native nutrition – those foods that nourished your ancestors and helped them to

For many people, giving up decades of eating processed foods and microwavable meals in effort to provide healthier and better alternatives for their family is a challenging prospect. Worse yet, after jumping through that first hurdle and finally making the transition to organic meats and milks and other foods, families learn that industrial organic alternatives may not be all that much better for them than conventional foods – what they really need is grass-fed, local foods. For those that truly want to make that transition from the Standard American Diet to real and traditional foods, that epiphany seems to open up an entirely new conundrum: Just how do you make that transition happen? Just how do you find fresh raw milk from good quality farms when you live in the city? How do learn to read labels and what do you look for? And if liver is oh-so-good-for-you, how on earth do you get your kids and husband to eat it?

A good friend of mine, and a fellow real food blogger, Kelly of Kelly the Kitchen Kop, is launching a 12-week online class designed to help guide families into making that transition from the standard American diet into a more traditional, nourishing diet featuring real foods. I love Kelly for her down-to-earth attitude and that lovely midwestern charm only a mother of four rambunctious kids can cultivate. Where I wax poetic about the flavor of melted butter on fresh sole, or the humble luxury of rendering lard on the stove top, Kelly tells real families like yours just how to actually get it done with her down-to-earth and matter-of-fact grace.

Her class, Real Food for Rookies, features twelve weeks of stunning content all designed to teach you how to get your kids and family off the packaged foods and back onto food the way nature intended. From videos outlining how to read labels to avoid excitotoxins and all those ingredients that contribute to hyperactivity, learning disabilities and depression to practical tips on avoiding refined sugars and cooking healthy foods in big batches. She even features audio interviews with some of the most influential experts in the traditional foods movement such as Sally Fallon Morrell and Dr. Kaayla Daniel.

I’ve been talking with Kelly a lot about her class, and the critical value it can offer many families who are just learning to ditch those prepackaged pseudofoods and center their lives around healthier, natural real foods. Graciously, Kelly has offered a scholarship to Real Food for Rookies for a Nourished Kitchen reader and his or her friend. You just have to contact me explaining who you think deserves to win the scholarship, and why.

So if you know of someone who really wants to steer away from the junk and learn to cook more healthy foods, nominate them. If you know a mom who’s desperate to get her kids and husband to eat real food, nominate her. If you know of a young couple who is just now starting out their lives together, nominate them. Everyone can learn from this class.

Win Real Food for Rookies for You and a Friend

Contact me no later than Thursday at NOON Mountain Time and, in 300 to 500 words, explain who in your life would most benefit from Kelly’s Real Food for Rookies.
Kelly and I and a few other folks will examine the entries and select one as the winner.
I will announce the winner here, including his or her essay (by permission) on this post Friday.
So take a look at Kelly’s course and let me know who you feel would most benefit from her class.

Notice of disclosure.

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Surf & Turf: A New Class I’m Taking

Jenny — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:57:18 +0000

In the coming months, as my husband and I begin really focusing on trying to conceive our second child, we’re focused on maximizing the nutrient density of everything we put in our bodies. And for us, and for many of you, that means that our primary focus will be on minimizing grains and concentrating on high quality animal foods: meat and fat, but also, on seafood and organ meats – both foods prized by traditional societies for newly married couples and women of child-bearing years.

With my first child, I was a vegetarian during much of my pregnancy though my body intelligently craved salmon and I eventually complied. Now, five years later, one of my greatest regrets (and I’m not one for regret) is that while I followed a whole foods diet during my first pregnancy, I did not necessarily follow a nutrient-dense, traditional diet. Moving forward, I’m committed to not making that mistake again.

Humans evolved on a diet high in nutrient-dense animal foods with special emphasis on seafoods and plenty of organ meats. Now, two hundred thousand years later, our diets are focused on grains and refined sugars and we’ve come so far from our roots. It’s no wonder that so much of the population suffers from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and depression. It’s no wonder that so many people, like me, suffer from infertility and polycystic ovarian disease.

I’ve been fortunate to find traditional foods, and others yet have enjoyed great success with a grain-free diet, with paleo and primal lifestyles and still others have found success going gluten-free or following the GAPS diet. It is essential to heal the gut and to focus on high quality animal foods.

The only problem is that, coming from a vegetarian background, my repertoire of meat recipes is, albeit, limited. Don’t get me wrong: I can roast and braise my way to success with the best of them, but preparing those nutrient-dense organ meats is something I could use a real lesson in. This August, I’m taking the Surf & Turf cooking class by Ann Marie of Cheeseslave. While good cooking is at the heart of Nourished Kitchen, it never hurts to take a lesson here or there or to brush up on my techniques. Besides, I like to support my fellow working mothers – the very I people I know are putting their hearts and souls into helping people find health through real food.

While the cooking aspects of the Surf & Turf class are incredible (she’s going to provide over 100 recipes with video instruction for 37!), what is even more valuable to me as a woman looking to overcome a struggle with infertility and achieve optimal health (a constant journey for many of us) is that Surf & Turf moves beyond a cooking class; rather, it’s a course in the value of high quality animal products. She’ll include information from leading experts like Julia Ross and Dr. Nicholas Gonzales, illustrating why lack of high quality animal protein is implicated in depression, cancer and a myriad of other diseases. That is extraordinarily valuable information.

And for those struggling with budgetary constraints wondering how, on earth, they can possibly buy wild-caught seafood and grass-finished meats, she provides information on mitigating the costs of a nutrient-dense diet.

I’m really looking forward to the class, and if you’re struggling with cooking a nutrient-dense diet of traditional foods, or if you’re a paleo/primal eater and want more creative recipes, or if you’re on GAPS and you’re looking for grain-free substitutes for bread, this class really offers an important and valuable opportunity for you.

It’s $120 – that’s less than $10 a class with lifetime access to the materials so that anytime you’re stuck for a nutrient-dense protein to serve for supper, you can look up the recipe again. Anytime you need to review her lesson on shucking oysters (oh! how I need that! My husband nearly lost a finger shucking our last batch after I miserably gave up.), you can. It’s brilliant. You can click here to register or get more information.

The Surf & Turf Class Schedule
Lesson #1: Protein & Fat: Why You Need It
Lesson #2: Shopping & Stocking Up
Lesson #3: Grilling: Setting Up an Outdoor Grill
Lesson #4: Seafood: Raw & Lightly Cooked
Lesson #5: Seafood: Broiled, Fried & Braised
Lesson #6: Bone Broth: Making Stock from Scratch
Lesson #7: Soups & Stews
Lesson #8: Roasting, Braising, Reductions Sauces & Gravies
Lesson #9: Pan Frying & Deep Frying
Lesson #10: Sandwiches & Salads: Meat-Based Salads & Grain-free Breads
Lesson #11: Organ Meats 1: Heart, Tongue & Bone Marrow
Lesson #12: Organ Meats 2: Liver Four Ways
Bonus Lesson: Appetizers, Side Dishes & Snacks

Or watch as Ann Marie explains the class, its value and what you’ll learn.

Remember, by signing up you’re supporting two real foods, working mothers at once: Notice of Disclosure. Photo credit.

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What Veg*ns Can Learn from Traditional Foods

Jenny — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:50:24 +0000

While the traditional foods movement seems to focus heavily on the inclusion of high-quality, pasture-raised meat and dairy products and is, indeed, a largely animal food-based diet, that doesn’t meant that it offers no guidance or dietary wisdom for vegetarians. Indeed, there’s a lot that vegetarians can glean from the traditional foods movement and, in many ways, the practices advocated by traditional foods enthusiasts and organizations like the Weston A Price Foundation and the Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation might prove even more important for vegetarians and vegans who rely on grains and legumes for much of their foods. From soaking and souring grains and legumes to fermenting veggies and eating healthy fats, here’s five things that vegetarians can learn from the traditional foods movement.

1. To soak, sour or sprout grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and beans.

Grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes often make up the foundation of a vegetarian or vegan diet. For this reason, it’s critical that vegans and vegetarians learn to prepare these foods to reap the greatest nutritional reward from them. To prevent premature sprouting until conditions for plant growth are optimal, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans are potent sources of antinutrients which include phytate and enzyme inhibitors. These antinutrients cause reduced mineral absorption and reduced ability to properly digest foods. Since vegans and vegetarians forgo mineral-rich meats and bone broths, deriving much of their mineral intake from plant-based sources, one of the most significant and beneficial actions an adherent to a plant-based diet can take to maximize nutrient intake would be to soak, sour or sprout all their grains, nuts, beans, legumes and seeds – a traditional practice that renders the nutrients in these foods more bioavailable¹.(...)
Click here to read the rest of What Veg*ns Can Learn from Traditional Foods (1,256 words)

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Guest Post: The Messed Up Food Pyramid

Jenny — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:03:32 +0000

This is a guest post from Kelly of Kelly the Kitchen Kop, one of my favorite real food bloggers whose down-to-earth attitude and charming witticisms make healthy eating fun, informative and easy. Hope you enjoy it! And if you’d like to contribute to Nourished Kitchen, please contact me. — Jenny

Thank you Jenny for allowing me to write a guest post for you on a topic that has me fuming. The problem is, here probably isn’t the best place to post the rotten quality pictures I have to go with this post, on Jenny’s blog where her pictures are always crazy awesome! (I have a good excuse, though. I snapped these from the bulletin board at my kids’ school the other day and thought at the time that I’d be using them on my own blog, where my readers are used to that sort of thing.) The poor lady there with the after-school kids was stuck listening to my rant. When I told her butter is good for her, she whispered apologetically, “Yeah, I eat a little now and then.” I wanted to scream. Due to THIS misinformation below, she and probably 95% of American adults all think the same old thing. Maybe more? What do you think? In your daily life aren’t you constantly coming across very few people who know the truth about real food and healthy fats? Maybe you’re still unsure yourself, and if so, that’s OK. There’s so much conflicting information coming at us, it’s not easy knowing what to believe.

What’s wrong with these pictures?

Why are so many of us suffering from more diseases of all kinds, but especially Metabolic Syndrome? Read Wikipedia’s definition:

“Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects one in five people, and prevalence increases with age. Some studies estimate the prevalence in the USA to be up to 25% of the population.”(...)
Click here to read the rest of Guest Post: The Messed Up Food Pyramid (668 words)
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Weston A Price: Findings on Traditional Foods

Jenny — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:44:11 +0000

Weston A Price, a Cleveland dentist who, when challenged by rampant tooth decay and the considerable physical degeneration of his patients, left his practice and traveled the world researching the dietary practices of peoples consuming processed foods and those consuming an unprocessed, native diet, and the non-profit nutritional advocacy group named in his honor – the Weston A Price Foundation – have heavily influenced the content and message at Nourished Kitchen. As a Weston A Price enthusiast, it’s time I share more information about the man including how and why his work has so heavily influenced me.

Weston A Price

Weston A Price, a native of Canada, practiced dentistry in Cleveland, Ohio at the turn of the 20th century. A researcher at heart, Price served as the chairman for the research section of the American Dental Association for nearly a decade. About the time that he began his work in dentistry, the American food system changed, and dramatically so; Weston A Price – confounded by patients riddled by rampant tooth decay, malformations of the palate and other health issues – witnessed the detriments of this shift in the standard American diet firsthand and, with his passion for research firmly in place, committed himself to determining just why and how the health of populations in industrialized societies degenerated so significantly in just a few decades.(...)
Click here to read the rest of Weston A Price: Findings on Traditional Foods (924 words)

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Sprouted Grain: Benefits, Preparation and Recipes

Jenny — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:09:54 +0000

Sprouted grain – rich in food enzymes and natural vitamins – grows closer and closer to the mainstream as people across all walks of life search for a better way to incorporate wholesome foods into their diet on a regular basis. While sprouting grain requires extra attention and, like many aspects of traditional foods, additional forethought and planning, the practice is worth the time and is easy to accomplish in your own kitchen, once you get the hang of it.

Sprouted Grain: Benefits

Sprouted grain differs from whole grain in three fundamental aspects: 1) sprouting activates food enzymes; 2) sprouting increases vitamin content, and 3) sprouting neutralizes antinutrients like phytic acid which bind up minerals preventing your ability to fully absorb them. When examining the nutrient density of sprouted wheat to unsprouted wheat on a calorie-per-calorie basis, you’ll find that sprouted wheat contains four times the amount of niacin and nearly twice the amount of vitamin B6 and folate as unsprouted wheat; moreover, it contains more protein and fewer starches than non-sprouted grain and as a further boon, it is lower on the glycemic index making it more suitable for those suffering from blood sugar issues.

Furthermore, sprouted grain and sprouted flours – having been effectively “pre-soaked” do not need to undergo further soaking or souring and are therefore suitable for quick breads, cookies and cakes in a way that sourdoughs and soaked flours are not. (Learn more about soaking grains, beans and legumes.) For those who do not wish to take the time or effort to sprout grain or mill flour at home, you can always purchase sprouted grain flour online (see sources).

Sprouted Grain: Preparation

While it may take a few days to sprout grain, it’s not as labor-intensive of a process as it might seem. All grains and seeds can be sprouted following these basic instructions though the germination time may vary from grain to grain. Take care to choose only organic, untreated grains as they tend to sprout more evenly and reliably. In our kitchen, we sprout several cups of seeds at a time; however, you can sprout smaller amounts depending on your needs and how you will be using the grain.

How to Sprout Grain

Start with clean grain, so take care in sorting through it to make sure all pebbles and grains with poor appearance are adequately removed.
Rinse grains thoroughly.
Add grain to a ceramic or stainless steel crock, pouring filtered water over the grain until the grain is completely submersed under several inches of water.
Soak the grains overnight in warm water.
In the morning, pour the grains into a fine mesh sieve and rinse them well.
Throughout the day, rinse the grains multiple times taking care to stir them so all grains are rinsed evenly.
Continue rinsing the grains for two to three days until the grains have sprouted to your liking.
Rinse the grains one last time, drain them and either refrigerate them or dehydrate them to grind into flour.

How to Make Sprouted Flour

Start with grain that has been sprouted for only a day or two – until the sprout barely emerges from the end of the kernel. The longer it sprouts, the more difficult it is to grind and use in baking.
Pour the grain into a thin layer on a mesh screen for your dehydrator and dehydrate at about 105 ° – 110 ° F until thoroughly dry. Alternatively, spread it on a baking sheet and set it in an oven set to the lowest setting you can manage. Note that sprouted grain dried in an oven has inferior baking qualities as compared to that which is dried through the more reliably low temperatures of a dehydrator.
Once the grain is thoroughly dry, simply add it to the hopper of your grain mill and grind as you normally would.

Sprouted Grain: Uses

We don’t eat much grain in our home, but the grain we do eat is mostly sprouted and we only use sprouted flour either prepared according to the directions above or purchased from a reliable source. Sprouted grain can be eaten in its raw form, cooked or ground into flour and baked as previously mentioned. Take care to note, however, that cooking damages the grain’s micronutrient profile as many of its vitamins are fragile and not heat stable; however, sprouted flour still packs a more comprehensive nutritional punch than regular wholemeal flour and is significantly easier to digest.

Sprouted grains and sprouted seeds can be delicious when eaten raw and otherwise unprocessed. Try serving it raw as a salad and gently seasoned with salt, pepper, unrefined olive oil (see sources) and a squeeze of lemon. It’s also tasty mixed in with other vegetables in salads or served on sandwiches.

You can also eat sprouted grain cooked or baked in addition to raw. While cooking i lacks live food enzymes, it is still easier to digest than unsprouted grain and many of grains inherent antinutrients like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that our largely neutralized by the soaking and sprouting process. Sprouted flour can be used in a 1:1 ratio for white flour or whole grain flour. Sprouted grain is also well-suited to porridges and warm breakfast cereals.

Recipes

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Paleo Life in a Nutshell

Jenny — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:52:36 +0000

As my long-time readers know, we do not follow a paleolithic or primal diet at Nourished Kitchen (I just can’t give up fresh cream!), but I value the insights gleaned from this lifestyle choice and believe it has enormous and calculable value to a modern population. What is comes down to is this: for optimal wellness, we need to eat and live in the manner that nourished our ancestors through their evolution.

This morning I stumbled across two informative, witty and interesting videos posted by Pay Now Live Later discussing the merits and reasoning behind eating and exercising as our ancestors did.

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10 Reasons NOT to Give Up Red Meat

Jenny — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:01:26 +0000

1. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

Found in the meat and milk of grass-fed ruminants, like cows, Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA is a potent nutrient. Researchers are just beginning to understand the mechanisms behind the potent and positive health effects traditional peoples have enjoyed since the days of hunting and gathering. CLA is known as a potent antioxidant and anti-carcinogen. CLA has shown promise in the treatment of various cancers. Research conducted at the University of Alberta in Canada, Dartmouth Medical Center and elsewhere indicates that CLA shows promise in the fight against breast cancer. [1. Lipids. 2009 Mar 6.], [2. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(1):114-22] Further, CLA even could be valuable in the treatment of brain cancer due to its ability to prevent the development of new malignant tumors as well as inhibit the growth of existing tumors. [3. Brain Res. 2008 Jun 5;1213:35-40. Epub 2008 Feb 16.]

2. Iron

Red meat is a rich source of iron; better yet, it’s a rich source of the most easily absorbed iron: heme iron. Heme iron is very readily and easily absorbed. Contrasted with red meat plant sources of iron, like lentils, offer non-heme iron which is poorly absorbed. Iron is critical to health because, when properly absorbed, it assists the blood’s hemoglobin in carrying oxygen to the body’s cells. Low iron may lead to fatigue, headaches and dizziness. Women of child-bearing age, infants and children are most likely to be deficient due to their increased level of need for iron. Red meat should be considered especially important for women–particularly during and after menstruation when the loss of blood brings down iron levels.

3. Stearic Acid

Stearic acid is a saturated fat found in beef and other meats. Despite the current and prevalent thought that saturated fats cause an elevation in cholesterol, research indicates that stearic acid actually lowers LDL cholesterol [4. Lipids. 2005 Dec;40(12):1201-5.]

4. Protein

Red meat is an easy source of complete protein. Protein is essential to the human diet not only because it provides energy, but also because it is critical to the growth and repair of cells. Every cell in the human body contains protein including the antibody cells of the immune system which protect the body against pathogens. Red meat is an easy to prepare complete protein containing the full spectrum of amino acids.

5. Zinc

The mineral zinc plays an important role in human health. It is essential for immune system function and can combat the effects of premature aging due to its anti-inflammatory properties. [5. Genes Nutr. 2008 Jul;3(2):61-75.] Zinc also plays an important role in skin health, particularly in healing from afflictions like acne and eczema. Zinc deficiency is linked to skin disorders like dermatitis. [6. Orv Hetil. 2004 May 9;145(19):1007-10.] Maternal intake of zinc is also critical to infant and child health. Mothers with the highest intake of antioxidants like zinc during pregnancy decreased the risk that their children would suffer from wheezing disorders. [7. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4):903-11.] Red meats, particularly beef and lamb, are rich in zinc and provide an easy way to access this vital nutrient in a whole-food form.

6. B Vitamins

Red meat is a potent source of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12. These nutrients are concentrated in the organ meats--particularly, the liver. B vitamins are essential to cognitive and emotional function. B vitamin deficiency is linked to depression. Inadequate maternal intake of B vitamins during the months prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy itself are thought to contribute to poor infant growth, cognitive and social development in children. Further, inadequate B12 status in mothers increases the risk of neural tube defects in offspring and increases the risk for pre-term labor. [7. Food Nutr Bull. 2008 Jun;29(2 Suppl):S126-31.]

7. Vitamin A

The suet and tallow of grass-fed animals is rich in vitamin A - including both retinol and beta-carotene. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin noted for its positive effects on health. Vitamin A promotes fertility, good vision and immunity. Inadequate maternal intake of vitamin A prior to and during pregnancy has been linked to birth defects. Retinol or pre-formed vitamin A is essential to properly functioning immune and endocrine systems while beta-carotene is a potent anti-carcinogen due it is powerful antioxidant activity. The fat from grass-fed cows, lambs and bison is rich in these nutrients--greatly more so than the fat of conventionally fed animals from concentration animal feed operations (CAFOs and feedlots). The naturally occurring beta-carotene found in abundance among the wild grasses of pastures and plains feed the animals naturally. Some of this beta-carotene is transformed into retinol in the fat, while some of it remains as beta-carotene. Red meat and the fat of grass-grazing animals provides a good source of this powerful and essential nutrient.

8. EPA

Similarly, the fat from naturally fed cows and other ruminants contains significant amounts of EPA. EPA is also found in oily, ocean-going fish. This omega-3 fatty acid is essential for cognitive function and emotional health and is only naturally available from animal food sources. EPA is known for its many health benefits including protection from cardiovascular disease, cognitive function and emotional well-being. Intake of EPA has been proven effective time and time again in the treatment and prevention of heart disease, and regular, daily intake of EPA from diet alone "would be expected to significantly reduce deaths from coronary heart disease." [8. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2008 Dec;10(6):503-9.] While DHA, another notable nutrient found naturally in combination with EPA, is known primarily for its positive effects on brain and cognitive development, EPA is known for its positive effects on mood and emotional well-being. Combinations of these two omega-3 fatty acids have shown remarkable benefits in treating ADHD/ADD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and even dyslexia. [9. Altern Med Rev. 2007 Sep;12(3):207-27.] Low levels of EPA have been linked with the development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. [10. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Sep;88(3):714-21.] Grass-finished meat represents an excellent source for EPA due to its favorable omega 3 to omega 5 fatty acid ratio. Grass-finished meat offers an omega 3 to omega 6 ratio of approximately 1 part omega-3 fatty acids to 2 parts omega-6 fatty acids; by contrast, conventionally fed cows produce meat with a much less favorable ratio and are lacking in the vital nutrient EPA.

9. Mono-unsaturated Fat

Beef fat is comprised of approximately 35% monounsaturated fat. The consumption of monounsaturated fats are linked to a reduction in LDL cholesterol and an increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)--particularly among insulin-resistant individuals. [11. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Oct;26(5):434-44.]

10. Tradition

Traditionally, red meat has comprised an important element of the human diet. Consider the venison that nourished Europeans, the bison that nourished the Native Americans or the lamb and mutton that provided sustenance for the nomads of the Middle East: all of these foods provide value to the diet including wholesome fats, vital protein, minerals and vitamins. Red meat has been part of the human diet for millennia - yet the people who consumed it didn't suffer from cancers or heart disease or other diseases of industrialization; rather, they benefited from its many positive and essential nutrients. If it nourished your ancestors, it can nourish you too. Take care to purchase only grass-finished meats which offer the very best nutritional profile.

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Fermented Food: Benefits of Lactic Acid Fermentation

Jenny — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:37:16 +0000

Fermented food, enjoyed across the globe, conveys health benefits through lactic acid fermentation. The fermentation process can transform the flavor of food from the plain and mundane to a mouth-puckering sourness enlivened by colonies of beneficial bacteria and enhanced micronutrients. While fermented food like yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir are well-known many other lesser-known foods also benefit from the lactic acid fermentation process. Indeed, virtually every food with a complex or simple sugar content can be successfully fermented.

Born of both necessity and practicality, lactic acid fermentation proved to be not only an efficient method of preserving food for our ancestors, but also a critical one. Indeed, fermented food like sauerkraut, cheese, wine, kvass, soured grain porridge and breads often sustained tribes and villages during harsh winters when fresh food simply wasn’t available let alone plentiful.

In many societies including our own where yogurt has been heralded as a health food since the 19^th century, fermented food has gained a reputation for its beneficial effects on immunity, intestinal health and general well-being. Modern researchers are just beginning to understand what the sages of old were tuned in to: fermented food conveys clear and calculable health benefits to the human diet. Lactic acid fermentation in and of itself enhances the micronutrient profile of several foods.

For example, milk that undergoes lactic acid fermentation either in the wild as in the case of clabbered milk or inoculated by a starter culture as in the case of yogurt, piima, matsoni and other fermented dairy products conveys more vitamins to the eater in comparison to raw milk and, particularly, pasteurized and ultra-high-temperature pasteurized milk. Fermented dairy products consistently reveal an increased level of folic acid which is critical to producing healthy babies as well as pyroxidine, B vitamins, riboflavin and biotin depending on the strains of bacteria present. [1. Vitamin Profiles of Kefirs Made from Milk of Different Species. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. 1991. Kneifel et al]

The increases in the micronutrient profiles of fermented food aren’t just limited to yogurt, bonny clabber and kefir. Vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains subjected to lactic acid fermentation also see increases in both their macro- and micronutrient profiles. The bioavailability of amino acids â€“ particularly lysine with its antiviral effects and methionine – increases with lactic acid fermentation. [2. Evaluation of lysine and methionine production in some Lactobacilli and yeasts. International Journal of Food Microbiology. Odunfa et al.]For grains, sprouting prior to souring can increase the availability of protein even further. Vegetables that have undergone lactic acid fermentation as in the case of sauerkraut and kimchi, often see an increase in the activity of vitamin C and vitamin A.

While lactic acid fermentation does not usually increase the level of minerals present in fermented foods unless unusual circumstances are present (as in fermenting food in a metal or earthen container), it does decrease the activity of phytic acid content naturally present in grains. Phytic acid is an antinutrient that binds up minerals â€“ preventing full absorption of minerals in the gut. Since souring grains reduces the phytic acid content, the lactic acid fermentation process actually enables your body to absorb more minerals from the grain than you would be able to otherwise absorb. The end result is that you get more bang for your nutritional buck by souring the grains you eat.

So now that you’ve eliminated modern sweeteners and learned to use mineral-rich bone broth, your next step on the traditional foods journey is to better incorporate fermented food into your diet. Take advantage of all the health benefits that lactic acid fermentation offers. Next week the Traditional Foods primer will build upon our knowledge of fermented food by examining just how they can improve our health.

In the meantime, check out these recipes which takes advantage of lactic acid fermentation:

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