I drink fresh, raw milk.  Really fresh, really raw and always in season. In essence, I drink real milk.  I’ve waxed poetic about my love of fresh cream before, but now it’s milk’s turn.

My milk is fresh, in season, grass-fed, full-fat and locally produced.  It is rich, and luscious and creamy and it is a living food, teeming with beneficial bacteria, food enzymes and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.  It is not fortified; it doesn’t need to be – for every mineral, every vitamin contained in that cool glass of frothy white milk was placed there by nature as it is in all truly whole and unrefined foods.  Real milk – raw milk – doesn’t need fortification as vitamins, minerals and enzymes remain intact instead of broken, denatured and destroyed through heat processing by standard pasteurization or, worse yet, the extreme temperatures reached through ultra-high-temperature (UHT) pasteurization.

Raw milk is a living food. It is dense in food enzymes and beneficial bacteria – two components of traditional diets that are severely lacking in the standard American diet in which foods have been subject to irradiation, pasteurization and other treatment.  Raw milk, like any raw food, contains food enzymes – notably amylase, catalase, lactoperoxidase, lipase and phosphatase¹. These food enzymes play important physiological functions in the human body; notably, they help our bodies to better digest our foods.  Amylase helps our bodies to digest carbohydrates, while lipase helps us to digest fats. Lactase, though not an actual component of milk itself, but a result of the presence of beneficial bacteria in raw milk, helps to digest lactose, or milk sugar.  Raw milk is also a good source of beneficial bacteria – which are critical to human health (learn more about beneficial bacteria and lactic acid fermentation).  (...)
Click here to read the rest of I drink real milk: fresh, raw, local and full of fat. (722 words)

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2011. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/drink-raw-milk/feed/ 108 http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-make-coconut-milk/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-make-coconut-milk/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:08:15 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=5366

Ever wondered how to make coconut milk? No, not the tinned stuff; rather, have you ever wondered how to make truly fresh coconut milk?  While tins of coconut milk do just fine – a compromise food that balances the traditional with the modern, the flavor of a true homemade coconut milk is unsurpassed. Take the time and the effort to learn how to make coconut milk at home, and your work will be well-rewarded.

Coconut, traditionally eaten across the South Pacific and in parts of Asia, is a powerhouse of nutrients.  Coconut is rich in trace minerals including manganese which is essential in metabolism, healing and collagen formation, copper which plays a role in immunity and bone health as well as selenium, a nutrient which is critical to thyroid function as well as developing healthy skin, nails and hair.  Beyond these trace minerals, coconut is a potent source of lauric acid – a wholesome and nourishing saturated fat with strong antimicrobial properties which may help to bolster immunity and even show promise in the treatment of acne¹.

So, there you have it: coconut is a beauty food which makes learning to how to make coconut milk a worthwhile pursuit, no?  Consider it a beautifying tonic, essential in your routine like an afternoon beauty rest or a tonifying French clay masque.

Better than Store-bought: Learn How to Make Coconut Milk

If you’ve read Nourished Kitchen for any length of time, you’ll know we don’t take much of a liking to any canned or processed food which makes coconut milk a bit of a quandary; after all, it’s a rich source of lauric acid – a deeply nourishing fat which is otherwise only available in human breast milk.  It’s also a good source of minerals and for those who avoid fresh raw milk by necessity or preference, coconut milk makes an excellent alternative – substantially better than high-glycemic oat and rice milks, undoubtedly better than hormone-disrupting soy milk and better still than nut and seed milks which tend to be high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids.  In many ways, those cans of coconut milk are a compromise food – and one of the only canned foods recommended by the Weston A Price Foundation, a nutritional advocacy group, though it is not recommended for GAPS patients.  Add the challenge of cans lined with bisphenol-A, a known human endocrine disruptor² and probable carcinogen^3,4, and you couple the degradation of nutrients by high-heat canning methods with the adverse effects of endocrine-disrupting. Canned coconut milk is, at best, a compromise.

Fresh, homemade coconut milk is also richer in vitamins, food enzymes and nutrients than coconut milk from a tin.  Indeed, fresh coconut milk contains three times as much vitamin C as canned coconut milk and is richer in thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate and panthothenic acid.  Moreover, fresh raw coconut milk contains vitamin E, a heat-sensitive, fat-soluble vitamin that is otherwise absent in canned coconut milk.  Learning how to make coconut milk is, indeed, worthwhile for its nutrition benefits alone, let alone the culinary pleasure you’ll experience in tasting something truly fresh, creamy and markedly lacking in that unpleasant dull metallic aftertaste that comes from any tinned food.

Fortunately, learning how to make coconut milk is easy.  So you can drop the cans and pick up a fresh coconut, widely available at most grocers as well as online, and make your own.

How to Make Coconut Milk

Learning how to make coconut milk is easy.  Select a ripe coconut by holding it up to your ear and gently shaking it; if you hear the sweet slosh-slosh of liquid, you’ve got a good one.  In this recipe for homemade coconut milk, we call for hot water which produces a richer coconut milk that’s higher in coconut oil; however, if you’re intent on making an unheated coconut milk, you can use cold filtered water.

Ingredients

• 2 brown coconuts
• 3 to 4 cups filtered water, preferably hot

Equipment

• sharp knife
• mixing bowl
• hammer or rolling pin
• kitchen towel
• vegetable peeler
• high-powered blender (like this one)
• butter muslin (which you can get online)
• mason jar or pitcher

Method

1. Pierce the eyes of the coconut with a sharp knife and drain coconut water into a mixing bowl. Split the coconuts by covering in a kitchen towel and smashing with a rolling pin or hammer.
2. With a sharp knife, pry the coconut meat from its husk, then peel off any remaining brown bits of skin that adhere to the coconut meat.  Place the coconut flesh and coconut water in a blender, adding three to four cups hot water Blend until the coconut and water forms a smooth slurry.
3. Pour coconut mixture through a butter muslin or nut milk bag into a mason jar or pitcher.  Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and transfer the coconut milk to the refrigerator.

YIELD: about 1 quart.
TIME: 20 – 30 minutes (preparation), under 5 minutes (blending)
NOTE: Save the coconut pulp and dry it in your dehydrator.  It can be used like any dessicated coconut – in pastries, baked goods, sweets and as a coating for fish and chicken.

1. Yang, et al. The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes. Biomaterials. October 2009. 2. Soto, et al. Environmental causes of cancer: endocrine disruptors as carcinogens. National Reviews. Endocrinology. July 2010. 3. Bolli, et al. Bisphenol A impairs estradiol-induced protective effects against DLD-1 colon cancer cell growth. IUBMB Life. September 2010. 4. Weng, et al. Epigenetic influences of low-dose bisphenol A in primary human breast epithelial cells. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. October 2010.

Love this tutorial?  Check out the others:

	How to Render Lard Learn why lard is actually more nourishing than you think, and learn how to render lard easily at home on the stove top just like your great-grandmother did.
	How to Make Raw Milk Yogurt Rich, creamy and full of beneficial bacteria, food enzymes and nourishing fats, learn how to make raw milk yogurt easily at home.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2011. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-make-coconut-milk/feed/ 57 http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/#comments Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:33:26 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=3755

Raw milk yogurt is a sort of holy grail for traditional foods enthusiasts, coupling the enzymatic and probiotic components of both fresh milk and fermentation in one glorious, creamy, lovely food.  Served over baked oatmeal or soaked oatmeal porridge, on its own or as a basis for savory dipping sauces, a good yogurt can find its way to nearly every meal if you let it.

Raw milk yogurt, thanks to the effects of food enzymes, has a tendency to be a touch runnier than the stuff you find in grocery stores or what you might make in your own kitchen from boiled or pasteurized milk.  For this reason some of the very best raw yogurt is prepared using a combination of fresh cream and fresh milk rather than milk exclusively.  If you follow the fermentation process with straining, as you would for labneh, the resulting product would be even thicker and creamier and you could, in turn, use the accompanying whey in properly preparing grains and flours through soaking or even as an addition to your morning smoothie.

In preparing a classic, or thermophilic, yogurt at home with raw milk, you do need to heat the milk slightly and culture it in a warmed environment.  We heat the milk only to 110° Fahrenheit (about 43° Celsius) which keeps food enzymes and naturally occurring beneficial bacteria intact and thriving. Other cultured dairy foods ferment at room temperature and can also be made with raw milk.  I also recommend culturing with Bulgarian or Greek starters which are available online (see sources) and which produce a rich, tangy and super creamy product.

Raw Milk Yogurt Tutorial(...)
Click here to read the rest of How to Make Raw Milk Yogurt (639 words)

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2010. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/feed/ 123 http://nourishedkitchen.com/healthy-treats-for-kids/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/healthy-treats-for-kids/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:39:20 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=1872

Preparing healthy treats for kids can be a challenge.   Picky palates seem to prefer junk over wholesome, natural and healthy treats, but even the pickiest kids may find a treat among this list of healthy treats for kids that suits their liking.   Many of these are stand-by healthy treats for my family: figs stuffed with almonds, raw cheese and apples while others like strawberry milkshakes (they’re good for you, promise!) and frozen bananas we eating only occasionally.   So give up the gogurts, the little debbies, the fruit leathers and handisnacks for these tasty and healthy treats for kids.

Healthy Treat #1:

Frozen Bananas Rolled in Walnuts and Coconut

Replacing frozen ice cream pops, we love frozen bananas rolled in walnuts and coconut as a delicious and healthy treat.   They’re super simple to prepare and pleasantly sweet with mouth-pleasing crunchy coating.

It’s simple, grab a few chopsticks, skewers or popsicle sticks and thread a banana on to it.   Next, melt a bit of coconut oil and prepare bowls of crushed walnuts and unsweetened shredded coconut. Slightly coat the banana in coconut oil and sprinkle it with walnuts and shredded coconut, then set it on a baking sheet greased with coconut and allow it to freeze overnight.

Bananas are rich in potassium, and prebiotic compounds that nourish the intestinal flora that helps to keep you and your little ones healthy.   Walnuts are a source of the amino acid L-arginine which is critical in maintaining a healthy circulatory system.   Nuts contain enzyme inhibitors and may upset the digestion, so take care to eat walnuts that have been soaked overnight in clean water slightly salted with sea salt and subsequently dehydrated.

Healthy Treat #2:

Strained Yogurt with Dried Fruit & Nuts

Consider this healthy treat before feeding your kids sugar- or high fructose corn syrup-sweetened yogurts and puddings.   Rich in probiotics, protein and wholesome fats, strained yogurt or greek-style yogurt is a fantastic treat for kids. We frequently serve it with raisins or currents and pecans, walnuts or even crushed almonds.   Some kids may find that real yogurt – plain yogurt – is too sour for their liking so consider mixing a few tablespoons of maple syrup or raw honey into the mix – decreasing it ever so slightly until they’re taste preferences become accustomed to yogurts natural sour flavor.

Healthy Treat #3:

Popcorn with Butter & Nutritional Yeast

A favorite healthy treat of ours is popcorn with butter, nutritional yeast and sea salt.   If your kids are craving something salty, this is a great treat and it’s super easy to make. We don’t do microwave popcorn around here (or microwave anything for that matter) partly due to the carcinogens present in the packaging.     Simply heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat, and add a kernel or two of popcorn.   When the corn pops, add about 1/3 a cup of kernals and place the lid over your pot.   Agitate the pot over the flame until the sound of popping slows, then remove it from the heat.   Pour the corn into a bowl and top with plenty of melted butter (a great source of vitamin A and CLA).   Toss in some unrefined sea salt and as much nutritional yeast as your kids care for.   Nutritional yeast is a great source of those B-vitamins that we all need.

Healthy Treat #4:

Creme Fraiche with Fresh Vegetables

Kids love the animation and interactivity of dipping foods – perhaps because it’s the closest you can get to playing with your food without getting in trouble.   By preparing wholesome dips, like this creme fraiche dip you can serve them food they enjoy that is also wholesome and nourishing.   creme fraiche, like yogurt, is rich in beneficial lactic-acid producing bacteria and the vegetables provide an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.   Try this creme fraiche dip recipe and serve it with celery sticks, carrots, sliced salad turnips and radishes.

Healthy Treat #5:

Honey Custard

Ditch the handisnacks and powdered puddings in favor of a wholesome, natural custard sweetened only with a touch of honey.   The mildly sweet custard is easy to prepare, and rich in fat soluble vitamins.   It’s definitely a favorite in our home during springtime when both cream and eggs are plentiful and easy to find. Check out this recipe for honey custard.

Healthy Treat #6:

Caprese Salads

Another favorite in our household are caprese salads.   The wonderful flavors of summer: beautifully ripe heirloom tomatoes and brightly flavored basil leaves combine with fresh mozzarella, unrefined sea salt and unrefined extra virgin olive oil for a delicious treat that both children and grown-ups love.     The basil and tomatoes provide plenty of antioxidants while the unrefined olive oil supplies natural vitamin E.   Stack them into towers for extra fun.

Healthy Treat #7:

Strawberry Milkshakes

No child should be deprived of the delicious, creamy richness of a strawberry milkshake.   Fortunately, you can ditch the factory farmed milk and refined sugar for a wholesome, but equally delicious treat.   The milkshake is rich in nutrients and wholesome fats, which kids need, as well as the vitamin C and antioxidants that strawberries are known for.   Combine 1 ½ cups whole, raw milk with 1 cup frozen, hulled strawberries and a tablespoon of raw honey in a blender and blend until smooth and well-combined.

Healthy Treat #8:

Figs Stuffed with Almonds

Dried fruit and nuts always make for a good treat.   In this version, we combine dried figs with raw almonds for a sweet treat with a nice, satisfying crunch.   Figs are rich in soluble fiber, vitamin K, manganese and potassium while almonds represent a good source of vitamin E and riboflavin.   All you have to do is slightly pierce the skin of dried fig and insert a raw almond into its center.   A bag full of these is a great snack to bring to the park or on long road trips.

Healthy Treat #9:

Sweet Potato Chips

Instead of packing snack bags filled with crackers or potato chips, try preparing sweet potato chips at home in your dehydrator.   With a nice, midly sweet and salty flavor these sweet potato chips pack a great nutritional punch: they’re loaded with beta-carotene a known cancer fighter.   Take two or three sweet potatoes or garnet yams and slice them as thinly as you can manage.   Toss them with a teaspoon or so of olive oil and a bit of unrefined sea salt to taste before setting them on a mesh screen in your dehydrator.   Allow them to dry at about 105 º until they’re thoroughly crisp.

Healthy Treat #10:

Raw Milk Cheese with Sliced Apples & Pears

Lastly, we love raw milk cheeses with their fantastic flavors that vary from sour to salty paired with ripe apples and pears.   The fruit provides carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals while the cheese provides protein, fat, vitamins and food enzymes for good digestion.   This is a much more nutrient-dense and much more delicious version of that classic kid’s treat: processed cheese and crackers.

So there’s our top 10 healthy treats for kids.   What are your household standbys?

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/healthy-treats-for-kids/feed/ 52 http://nourishedkitchen.com/from-the-mouths-of-babes/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/from-the-mouths-of-babes/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:27:35 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=1298 AKA Let My 3-year old teach you about Real Food

I’ve written about the joys of nourishing my son: nourishing him with my body during his time in my womb, nourishing him with my milk first exclusively during his first six months and complemented for three more years, weaning him on to Real Food through the baby-led approach to solids.   You see, it warms me to know that his body is so well-nourished, but, beyond that, it tickles me to see that he’s made the connection between good health and good food.   So I thought I’d share a few real food gems from the littlest foodie in our home.   It certainly warms this nourished mama’s heart.   Or … maybe … we talk about real food just a touch too much in our house.

• More fermented turnips please!
• Fresh milk from Sweet Clover makes me grow big and strong.
• NO THANK YOU!   That has high fructose corn syrup and that is GMO. (When offered ketchup by a waitress.)
• I love kombucha.     It’s like tasty vinegar.
• We should not eat white sugar, it takes away B vitamins.
• I will drink the water, it is good for my kidneys.
• Chicken bone broth has lots of minerals.

How have your children shown their appreciation for good quality, real food?

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/from-the-mouths-of-babes/feed/ 5 http://nourishedkitchen.com/devil-in-the-milk/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/devil-in-the-milk/#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:40:34 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=1282

Keith Woodward’s ground-breaking work Devil in the Milk published by Chelsea Green outlines a scientific tale of modern diseases and their relationship to the food we consume.   Further, Devil in the Milk outlines how corporate interests can shape the way in which information about food and health is relayed to the public.   Woodward draws upon his experience as a professor of agribusiness to outline a story that may help in the fight against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, autism and even schizophrenia.

While not an easy read, Woodward’s Devil in the Milk is a worthy read.   Deeply science-based, Devil in the Milk assimilates several studies on just how cow’s milk is broken down by our bodies and how, when broken down, it can act to the betterment or the detriment of our health.

You see, milk is comprised of several different components that come together to produce one singularly unique food.   These components (cream, milk solids and whey) each interact with our bodies in different ways; however, the area of concern is not the cream or whey but the milk’s casein.   It seems there are two primary forms of casein contained in cow’s milk: A1 beta casein and A2 beta casein.   A2 beta casein is the elder of the two, while A1 beta casein is a genetic variant that scientists believe began appearing in cow’s milk a few thousand years ago.   Remember, a few thousand years is nothing on an evolutionary scale.

According to the theory outlined in Woodward’s Devil in the Milk which is backed up by mountains of scientific research, this variation in casein type results in cognitive, mental and physical illness among our society at large.   Because of a slight differentiation in the amino acid construction of the two types of casein, each type is broken down differently in our bodies.   Due to a weak bond between two amino acids, A1 beta casein breaks down to an opioid call betacasomorphin 7 or BCM7.

Woodward discusses the considerable evidence that BCM7 can negatively impact the health of both humans and animals.   BCM7 can trigger autoimmune reactions and is linked to neurological impairment similar to that seen in both autism and schizophrenia.   Further, due to BCM7′s ability to create a significant immune response, there’s a very direct connection between A1 milk and diabetes that is not paralleled by A2 milk.

Once the genetic mutation of A1 beta casein appeared, it spread rapidly.   Now, most dairy cows in North America produce A1 beta casein.   Asian, African and some European breeds still produce the older A2 beta casein that does not cause such negative health effects due to the fact that its amino acid bonds are strong and it doesn’t break down into BCM7 in the manner that A1 beta casein does.   Further, yaks, sheep and goats produce A2 milk exclusively.

When I initially heard about the A1/A2 beta casein controversy, I felt wary.   After all, the only information I could find on the subject came from the A2 milk corporation which Woodward discusses at length. Indeed, he addresses the A2 milk corporation and its science-based initiatives as well as the butting of heads that occurred between the A2 milk corporation and New Zealand’s Fonterra–a mega-corporation that represents New Zealand’s significant dairy industry.   After reading Devil in the Milk, I reminded myself that just because a corporation has a vested interest in a certain product does not necessarily mean that the scientific conclusions are wrong.   While it does raise a flag, such corporate interests do not provide cause to reject the scientific conclusions altogether.   In this case, as addressed by Devil in the Milk, the conclusion that A1 milk is detrimental human health is spot-on correct.

Ultimately, after reading Devil in the Milk, I’m thankful that the milk my family drinks is raw and comes from Guernsey cows (the dairy cows with the highest levels of A2 beta casein instead of milk from those darlings of the industrial dairy: holsteins whose milk is high in A1 casein.   Further, in purchasing dairy products outside of our cow share, I’ll choose sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses.

Devil in the Milk is an eye-opening book that underlines the importance of truly traditional foods: don’t simply choose whole foods, but eat foods as that we evolved on.   Devil in the Milk is published by Chelsea Green and is also available on Amazon; it’s worth checking out.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/devil-in-the-milk/feed/ 13 http://nourishedkitchen.com/save-milk-in-kansas/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/save-milk-in-kansas/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:31:40 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=618 It seems that, thanks to industrial agriculture giants, RBGH-free milk is at risk in Kansas. There’s only one woman, the governor of Kansas, who can stop it and she needs to hear from you.

How the Kansas Law Affects Kansas

The Kansas bill would restrict any national dairy from labeling its milk as RBGH-free for Kansas markets.   That means that consumer choice will be extremely restricted with no way to identify RBGH-free milk or differentiate between RBGH-laden milk and RBGH-free milk on the milk carton.   The bill effectively takes Kansas consumer choice out of the consumers’ hands.

Kansas residents simply won’t know whether or not their milk contains the engineered hormone. Why?   Because manufacturers won’t be allowed to label the milk appropriately!

How the Kansas Law Affects You

So, if you’re concerned about RBGH and its effects on your health and the health of your family, this bill should concern you regardless of whether or not you live in Kansas.   The reason it affects people all across the nation is that a bill like this sets a disturbing precedent for it to happen in your state.   Moreover, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is slated to become your Secretary of Health and Human Services, if she fails to veto this bill how can we trust her to look out for the health interests of an entire nation?

Other Bloggers on Kansas Milk

• Cheeseslave: Email Kansas Gov. Sebelius — No Growth Hormones in Milk!
• Ren: Your Milk on Drugs
• Media & The Environment: Kansas Cries over “Hormone Free” Milk

Why Oppose the Law

• It removes consumer choice from the hands of the consumers.
• It further homogenizes our agricultural system by disallowing manufacturers from appropriately labeling and differentiating their product from others.
• It promotes the use of RBGH/RBST, engineered hormones are linked to higher concentrations of IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor, which contributes to the growth of various cancers including breast, colon and prostrate cancers.
• Because RBGH is linked to disease in cows, and do you really want your milk coming from sick animals?
• Because consumers time and time again have expressed their concern over these artificial and synthetic hormones, but instead of addressing and resolving the issues; industrial giants are using their political sway to sweep it all under the rug.

Has it Happened Before?

Sadly, the answer is yes.   This came up in 2007 in Pennsylvania.   Lawmakers, with the urging of Monsanto, passed a law that made it illegal to label milk as RBGH-free; however, due to massive outcry from consumers and consumer groups Pennsylvania held off on enacting the law until after an evaluation period ending in February of 2008.   This time frame allowed consumers to consistently voice their concerns regarding the new labeling law.     Again, after massive public outcry Pennsylvania lawmakers did what lawmakers should: they represented their constituents’ interests and rescinded the law in January of 2008. With that success in mind, please act now.

What To Do Now

• Spread the Word! Blog about this issue.   Discuss it on message boards.   Add it to facebook.   Tweet about the issue.   Stumble this post and others addressing the same topic.   Email your friends, family and other real food lovers.
• Contact Governor Sebelius! You can email her online regarding this issue at the Institute for Responsible Technology.
  
• Don’t shut up and don’t take it! This is your food.   What you eat is a political act.

Check out more great posts at Fight Back Fridays.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/save-milk-in-kansas/feed/ 4 http://nourishedkitchen.com/honey-blackberry-ice-cream-recipe/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/honey-blackberry-ice-cream-recipe/#comments Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:26:24 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/recipes/?p=435 In the spring and summer months, when cows are grazing on fresh, green grass raw ice cream is a staple in our home.   Unlike conventional, cloyingly sweet ice creams, this ice cream is milder in is sweetness which allows you to more fully appreciate the flavor of fresh, raw cream and milk.

To make a quart or so of this honey and blackberry, raw milk ice cream:

• 3 Cups Fresh, Raw Cream from Grass-fed Cows
• 1 Cup Fresh, Raw Whole Milk from Grass-fed Cows
• ½ Cup Raw Wildflower Honey
• 4 Egg Yolks from Pastured Hens
• 1 Cup Fresh Blackberries

Instructions:

1. Mix cream and milk together.
2. Rapidly whisk in the honey and continue to whisk until the honey is fully incorporated.
3. Whisk in egg yolks and continue mixing until the entire mixture is uniform.
4. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker.
5. Add berries.
6. Mix according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
7. Place in freezer to harden.

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/honey-blackberry-ice-cream-recipe/feed/ 10 http://nourishedkitchen.com/cla-the-good-trans-fat/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/cla-the-good-trans-fat/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:06:43 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=337

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

You’ve doubtlessly heard nutritionists, doctors, medical professionals, alternative health practicioners and virtually everyone else (including me on this post: Butter vs. Margarine and here: Trans Fats & Colon Cancer) rail against trans-fatty acids and their inclusion in the modern diet, but did you know that there’s actually naturally occurring trans-fatty acids?   These trans-fats, unlike their manufactured counterparts, can actually benefit your health.

In a society where a dietary credo that eschews fat in almost all its forms prevails, it may be difficult to accept that fat is good for you – and even naturally occuring trans-fatty acids like Conjugated Linoleic Acid can be good for you.   A far cry from modern trans-fatty acids manufactured by hydrogenating vegetable oils, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is something of a nutritional powerhouse.

CLA occurs naturally in a variety of animal foods particularly milk fat from cows grazing exclusively on pasture.   Butter, cream, cheese, tallow, suet, grass-finished lamb and beef are all excellent sources of CLA.   Excluding these foods from your diet might very well limit your intake of the powerful and beneficial fat.

Current research on conjugated linoleic acid and its benefits to health indicate that it can be effective in the fight against various cancers including breast cancer [1. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(1):114-22.] [2. BMC Cancer. 2008 Jul 24;8:208], intestinal cancer [3. Cell Prolif. 2008 Apr;41(2):279-91] and bone cancer [4. J Food Sci. 2008 Jan;73(1):T7-15].   Further, CLA has been shown in laboratory studies to increase HDL or “good” cholesterol [5. Atherosclerosis. 2006 Dec;189(2):282-7. Epub 2006 Feb 13].   In combination with omega-3 fatty acids, CLA was determined to increase insulin sensitivity while also preventing an increase in adipose tissue (belly fat) [6. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 May;16(5):1019-24. Epub 2008 Mar 6.].

By contrast, modern manufactured trans-fatty acids resulting from the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils is linked with disease: increase in weight especially around the belly[7. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jul;15(7):1675-84], cardiovascular disease and inflammation[8. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jul;15(7):1675-84] .   One study estimates that a comprehensive strategy aimed at eliminating such modern fats from the diet would prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year.[10. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2008 Sep-Nov;79(3-5):147-52. Epub 2008 Nov 8].

While it is not a panacea for every health complaint to effect humans, conjugated linoleic acid does offer promise.     Further, it’s a reminder – at least to me – that natural foods that our ancestors evolved on like raw, full-fat cream from grass-fed animals and beef tallow still offer benefits to us in the way of better health.   It is not trans-fatty acids in general that are linked with the diseases of civilization, but it is the use of modern, manufactured TFAs that contribute to disease.

So, eat and enjoy wholesome cream and butter.

Need some recipes using foods rich in CLA?   Try these from the recipe archives:

• Honeyed Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries
• Beef Stroganov
• Blueberry Clafoutis

Did you like this post? Please let me know by leaving a comment. Don't forget to find Nourished Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. © Jenny for Nourished Kitchen, 2009. | Permalink |
]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/cla-the-good-trans-fat/feed/ 4