Nourished Kitchen» vitamin d http://nourishedkitchen.com Reviving Traditional Foods Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:43:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Conscious Conception: Foods for Fertilityhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/foods-for-fertility/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/foods-for-fertility/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:39:20 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=5161 foods for fertility: caviar

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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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/foods-for-fertility/feed/ 32 Making Fat: How to Render Lardhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-render-lard/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-render-lard/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:30:53 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=2888 how to render lard: freshly rendered lard

Rendering lard is a lost art – a worthwhile technique forgotten in a fat-phobic, Lean Cuisine-centered culture.  Many cooks, seeking out local foods and forgotten traditions, have rediscovered how to render lard in their homes. Learning how to render lard needn’t be a difficult task; it requires clean fat, clean water, a good stock pot and a quiet afternoon in the kitchen.  The reward of a beautiful, creamy white jar full of freshly rendered, pastured lard is worth the minimal effort.

Pastured lard is a remarkably good source of vitamin D and of monounsaturated fat – the same fatty acid found in olive oil and avocado that is heralded for its benefits to cardiovascular health.  Odd that lard, given its fatty acid profile and vitamin content, earned such a bad rap over the last few decades.  Like many wholesome, nourishing fats, lard seems to have been swept aside for a time, but it’s quickly earning a much-deserved renaissance – ensuring that taking the time to learn how to render lard is worth your effort both in terms of its redeeming nutritional value as well as in celebration of the wealth and variety of your local foodshed.  Hogs, and their nutrient-dense fat, are widely available.

how to render lard: cube lard first

How to Render Lard on the Stove top

I prefer to render lard on the stove top, so if you’re learning how to render lard from this method, take care to ensure you have a high-quality, heavy bottomed stock pot.  Two and one-half pounds of fresh leaf lard or hog fat will produce approximately one-half gallon of creamy, nutrient-dense fat.  For more step-by-step images, check out the photostream on flickr.

Ingredients for Rendering Lard

  • 2 ½ pounds of pastured leaf lard or hog fat
  • ½ cup filtered water

Stovetop Method for Rendering Lard

  1. With a sharp knife, trim any blood spots or remaining meat from the lard.
  2. Chop the fat into ½-inch cubes.
  3. Add the chopped fat and the filtered water to a heavy bottomed stock pot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
  4. After about 45 minutes to one hour, the water will evaporate, the fat will begin to melt and the cracklings – little bits of browned fat – will begin to float to the surface of the pot.  Continue to gently stir the melted fat periodically, taking care not to let it splatter.
  5. Eventually those cracklings will sink to the bottom of the stock pot, at that point you may remove your pot from the heat.
  6. Line a fine mesh sieve with a 100% cotton cheesecloth and strain the melted fat, reserving the cracklings for another use (they’re quite nice salted and eaten as a snack or served in place of breadcrumbs in a gratin).
  7. Pour the melted fat into mason jars and allow to cool.  The melted fat will be golden-brown in color, but, when cooled, will appear a creamy white.
  8. Use your freshly rendered lard in pastries or as a fat for braising vegetables or seasoning meats.

pastured lard on a spoon

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-render-lard/feed/ 124 3 Unconventional Ways to Fight the Fluhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/colds-flus/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/colds-flus/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:45:27 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=2131 Woman with handkerchief

Cold and flu season has already hit – and it seems early.   My coworkers have been sniffling, sneezing and hacking their way through the workday since late last week.   And while my first line of defense is to limit exposure, try as I might, I can’t control the behavior of other people.   While I might call and urge them to stay at home and heal, they invariably head into the office with snot rags in tow.

“I’m on the mend,” they’ll say, stifling a sneeze.

“Just don’t come too near,” they’ll warn as though the virus has the courtesy not to venture beyond an invisible perimeter.

So, when the bugs of autumn and winter start making the rounds, I start working on boosting immunity naturally based on three primary methods: 1) whole food supplements, 2) nourishing foods and 3) preventative measures.

Whole Food Supplements

Acerola tablets, elderberry tincture, probiotics and fermented cod liver oil all deserve extra attention during the cold and flu season.   Acerola is a berry that is extraordinarily rich in ascorbic acid – a nutrient known to enhance immunity and which, according to some research, is essential in the prevention and treatment of the flu1.   Elderberry may also prove effective in the treatment of the flu – particularly the H1N1 strain that has everyone and her mother concerned.   Indeed, recent research indicates that flavonoids found in elderberry compare favorably to tamiflu and other pharmaceuticals in the treatment of the H1N1 strain of flu2.       I also make sure to continue taking probiotic supplements and fermented cod liver oil.   Probiotics work synergistically with the immune system – increasing your body’s ability to fight pathogens and reducing incidence of fever, stuffy noses and coughs3.   Fermented cod liver oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A and D.   Vitamin D, in particular, plays a strong role in immunity and may also reduce incidence of cold or flu-like symptoms4.     You can find most of these immune-boosting supplements at any well-stocked health food store, but they are also available online (see sources).

My Fight the Flu Medicine Chest

Nourishing foods

We also make heavy use of particularly nourishing foods during the cold and flu season.   Fresh garlic, lacto-fermented foods, foods rich in ascorbic acid and homemade chicken stock are the focus during the cold and flu season.   Traditionally used among many peoples, garlic is known for many and varied benefits including its ability to fight colds, the flu and upper respiratory infections.   I also make it a point to serve plenty of lacto-fermented foods – particularly Moroccan preserved lemons which are rich in both beneficial bacteria and ascorbic acid – due to the beneficial effect of probiotics on the immune system.   Chicken stock, perhaps more than any other food, deserves a mention.   Chicken soup, like garlic, appears cross-culturally in reference to its healing properties.   Many components of traditional chicken stock contribute to its anti-inflammatory properties, and chicken stock is known to mitigate the effects of upper respiratory tract infections5.   We also make sure to eat plenty of foods rich in ascorbic acid – currants, peppers, berries and citrus all present good dietary sources of ascorbic acid.

Preventative Action

We also are mindful of preventative measures we can take to improve our immunity and limit exposure to those wintertime bugs.   Beyond basic measures of handwashing, avoiding sick people, not smoking and not drinking to excess, we observe a few other preventative measures.   Namely, we boost our vitamin D levels by getting plenty of sunshine and we avoid refined sugars.   A diet high in refined sugar reduces immunity by disrupting the manner in which absorbic acid can be used by the body.   Good food can do wonders for optimal health.

  1. Ascorbic acid role in containment of the world avian flu pandemic.   Experimental Biology and Medicine.   2007. July.
  2. Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro.   Phytochemistry. 2009. July.
  3. Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-like symptom incidence and duration in childhood.   Pediatrics. 2009. August.
  4. On the epidemiology of influenza.   Virology Journal. 2008. February 25.
  5. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000.

Shared at Real Food Wednesday.

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/colds-flus/feed/ 21 Disease and Vitamin D Deficiencyhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/disease-vitamin-d-deficiency/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/disease-vitamin-d-deficiency/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:48:23 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=1864 D

I recently had my vitamin D levels checked with a simple blood test.   While my results came back within the optimal range (35 – 50 ng/ul which should be a minimum of 40 and preferably over 50 ng/ul), the test itself gave me pause for reflection.   Vitamin D is critically important to overall health and, sadly, most of the population suffer from deficient or suboptimal vitamin D levels.   Indeed, a recent study indicated that a whopping 70% percent of US  children  (no, folks, that’s not a type-o) suffer from deficient or insufficient vitamin D levels1.     Similarly, adult men and women average suboptimal vitamin D levels and these average  levels seem to be decreasing year by year2.   Remember: the terms “average” and “normal” do not necessarily equal “optimal.”

Chalk the deficiency up to poor eating habits and lack of sunshine, yet, regardless of the reason behind this epidemic-level vitamin  deficiency, the general health of the public is suffering.   Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is associated with many and varied diseases as well as increased overall mortality3.   Conversely, researchers in human  aging have found an association between optimal vitamin D levels and increased longevity4.

If that’s not enough to send you to your doctor for a needle stick, consider these five diseases that are associated with inadequate vitamin D levels.   It’s in your interest to have your vitamin D levels checked and to work on increasing those levels until you meet, but don’t exceed, the optimal range.

1. Lack of vitamin D increases your risk of heart disease.

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is linked to the development of heart disease 5.   Vitamin D helps your body to effectively control cholesterol, but with insufficient amounts of vitamin D circulating in your body that cholesterol can become damaged and oxidized.  White blood cells  then absorb the oxidized cholesterol and become what some researchers call “foam cells.” As these foam cells begin to grow in number and accumulate, heart disease begins6.   Eating foods that increase inflammation within the body such as refined carbohydrates and super-heated fats – especially those fragile polyunsaturated fatty acids – coupled with vitamin D insufficiency sets up a feedback loop within the body that increases your risk of high cholesterol, heart disease and death from heart-related problems.

2. Low levels of vitamin D may impair cognitive function.

Low levels of vitamin D may also impair cognitive function – particularly in the elderly7.   Elderly persons suffering from low levels of vitamin D exhibit greater signs of dementia, Parkinson’s disease and even Alzheimers disease than those with optimal vitamin D levels8. The elderly are at a particularly unique risk of suffering from low vitamin D levels as the body’s ability to manufacture vitamin D from exposure to sunlight declines as we age. Vitamin D plays a role in the reduction of inflammatory responses within the body, and it’s through this mechanism that it may prove protective from cognitive impairment associated with aging.

3. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with cancer.

Cancer is a complicated disease, and it seems that vitamin D also plays a role in this illness. Lack of vitamin D inhibits cells from functioning properly, thus increasing the risks of developing cancer9.   Low levels of vitamin D have been implicated in breast, colon and prostate cancers10.

More Bloggers Talking About Vitamin D

4. Low levels of vitamin D impair bone health.

Vitamin D, calcium and vitamin K all work interconnectedly to grow and maintain our bones.   In the media, we tend to hear a lot about calcium intake for health bones but calcium is only part of the story.   Indeed, with inadequate vitamin D levels, calcium will do little on its own for your bones.   Vitamin D deficiency, or rickets, is linked to poor bone health particularly in children and while rickets may not be wide-spread that doesn’t mean our children’s bone health is optimal.   Incidentally, some researchers believe that widespread vitamin D deficiency may cause a global rise in rickets in the coming years11. A study conducted on adolescent African American girls, indicates that their consistently low levels of vitamin D inhibited the development of peak bone mass12.   In essence, the girls – who are likely to face challenges to optimal bone health as they age – were already behind the curve ball during their teen years.

5. Lack of vitamin D decreases immunity to the flu and common cold.

Low vitamin d levels also decrease overall immunity and increase your risk for contracting common colds and the flu.   In a three-year study conducted on the relationship of vitamin D and the common cold, researchers found that those taking supplementary vitamin D were three times less likley to report symptoms of colds and flus than control groups13.   Suboptimal vitamin D levels is associated with an increased risk in developing respiratory tract infections – particularly for children under 514.

  1. Prevalence and Associations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency in US Children: NHANES 2001-2004. Pediatrics. 2009. August 3.Demographic differences and trends of vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, 1988-2004. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):626-32
  2. Vitamin D Deficiency and Mortality. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. 2009. August 25.
  3. The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. 2008. National Geographic.
  4. Vitamin D and the Cardiovascular System. CJASN. 2009. August 20.
  5. 1,25(OH)2 vitamin d inhibits foam cell formation and suppresses macrophage cholesterol uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Circulation. 2009. August 25.
  6. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d concentration and cognitive impairment. Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology. 2008. December 10.
  7. Prevalence of vitamin d insufficiency in patients with Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease.   Archives of Neurology. 2008. October.
  8. Vitamin D and calcium insufficiency-related chronic diseases: molecular and cellular pathophysiology.   European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009. September 2.
  9. The vitamin D endocrine system as common cause for multiple malignant and other chronic diseases.   Anticancer Research. 2006.   July.
  10. Resurrection of Vitamin D Deficiency and Rickets.   Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2006. August 1.
  11. Dysfunction of Vitamin-D nutrition and bone mass in adolescent black girls.   Journal of the National Medical Association. 2007. June.
  12. On the epidemiology of influenza.   Virology Journal. 2008. February 25.
  13. Association of subclinical vitamin D deficiency with severe acute lower respiratory infection in Indian children under 5.   European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004. April.

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/disease-vitamin-d-deficiency/feed/ 11 For the Love of Fresh Creamhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/fresh-cream/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/fresh-cream/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 15:53:47 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=1578 Panna Cotta with Fresh Raw Cream

Panna Cotta with Fresh Raw Cream

Fresh cream.   Fresh raw cream.   I love it in all its thick, silky glory.   I love the taste, and the texture it lends to dishes – both savory and sweet.   There’s nothing quite like it, and when cream’s truly fresh – it borders on the divine.

We’re fortunate, after a year or two of developing our local foodshed, to have access to fresh cream from guernsey cows at an expansive Colorado ranch just a short drive away.   The cream is delivered in charming little pint-sized jam jars every Tuesday for $5.   What a delicious way to spend $5.

Many folks don’t consider fresh cream a seasonal food, but it is. Spring is calving season.   Grass is vibrantly green and rapidly growing.   And cream, real cream is flowing.   At this time, cream is plentiful and deeply nourishing.   Cows allowed to graze on fresh pasture – and rapidly growing green grass in particular – produce a cream that is as rich in flavor as it is in nutrients.   Indeed, fresh cream is one of springtime’s best foods.   Historically, spring’s fresh cream was prized for its unique properties and it was reserved for butter making and stored – often in peat – for use throughout the year.   Indeed, we’re still stumbling across forgotten parcels of bog butter including some that are 2,000 years old.

This cream is particularly dense in   fat soluble vitamins as well as conjugated linoleic acid and even coenzyme Q10.   Fat soluble vitamins, like all vitamins, are fragile and delicate nutrients.   Heat, like that required for pasteurization, destroys these delicate, natural and valuable nutrients.   Indeed, after pasteurization cream is no longer whole – it’s missing these natural vitamins.   Even worse, cream is often pasteurized at ultra-high temperatures which denatures the fats even further; the end result is a food that is differs dramatically from the nourishing food that nature intended.

Fresh, raw cream is a living food.   It contains beneficial bacteria and enzymes which are otherwise destroyed during pasteurization and it is precisely these components of living foods that make them so valuable to our overall health.   These enzymes enable better digestion of macronutrients and better absorption of micronutrients while the beneficial bacteria promotes intenstinal health and a well-functioning immune system.

To keep the beneficial bacteria, enzymes and delicate vitamins intact, keep the cream raw or just barely warm it.   In traditional societies studied by Weston A. Price and discussed in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, if dairy products like fresh cream and butter were consumed they were invariably consumed raw.   In essence, by consuming fresh cream in its freshest form you’re adhering to the same dietary principles that nourished your forebears.     Besides, it just tastes better.

Convinced?   Try these recipes which show off fresh, raw cream in its best form:

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/fresh-cream/feed/ 27 Fat Soluble Vitamins: Vitamins A, D, E & Khttp://nourishedkitchen.com/fat-soluble-vitamins/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/fat-soluble-vitamins/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:23:29 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=568 Fat Soluble Vitamins

Fat soluble vitamins are critical to health and wellness–particularly reproductive health and wellness.   Unfortunately, adequate intake of fat soluble vitamins is sorely lacking among modern peoples–especially by comparison to traditional societies. Average intake of fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K is inadequate at best and dangerously low at worst–even among health circles. Low-fat, no-fat and vegan diets are woefully lacking in fat soluble vitamins; however a diet based on traditional foods–those foods that nourished our ancestors through their evolution– can naturally provide these vitamins.

Fat Soluble Vitamins: Where to get them?

Fat soluble vitamins are just that: they’re capable of being dissolved in fat unlike other vitamins which are water soluble.   In short, to reap the benefits of these vitamins you need to eat fat.   And plenty of it.   The higher quality the fat, the more likely it is to contain fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A: What is it?

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that can be classified into retinols or carotenoids.   These substances are metabolized by the body to form usable vitamin A.

Retinols–the vitamin A found in animal-source foods–require very little work by the body in order to convert it to true vitamin A.   Retinols are sometimes referred to as pre-formed vitamin A   or true vitamin A due to the fact that they require such little effort on the part of the body in order for it to be usable.

Carotenoids which include the very prevalent beta carotene are poorly converted by the body.   For example, some studies indicate that the body requires as much as twenty-one times the amount of carotenoids to create the same amount of vitamin A is one part retinol.   To add insult to injury many people, especially those suffering from thyroid disorders and small children, are even poorer converters.   A 2001 study found that the conversion rate of carotenoids to true vitamin A is so poor as to render it nutritionally insignificant.

Check out these bloggers who are also addressing Fat Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin A: Its Role in Health

Vitamin A, like other fat soluble vitamins, is critical to health.   It is essential to growing children and to mothers and fathers who are trying to conceive.   It promotes a healthy immune system, fertility, good vision and healthy skin.   Vitamin A also plays a role in the health of the heart.     Low maternal intake of vitamin A has been linked birth defects including cleft palate (see more about maternal intake of vitamin A and cleft palate).

Vitamin A: Whole & Traditional Food Sources

While beta-carotene is a great antioxidant and plays a very important role in overall health, if you’re shooting for vitamin A make sure to get it from reliable sources like animal foods which are rich in retinol–that form of vitamin A that is most easily absorbed by the body.

Retinol in Micrograms per 100-gram serving.

  • Calf Liver (21140 mcg per 100-gram serving)
  • Goose Liver Pâté (1001 mcg per 100-gram serving)
  • Fresh Butter (671 mcg per 100-gram serving)
  • Fresh Tuna (655 mcg per 100-gram serving)
  • Fresh Cream (405 mcg per 100-gram serving)

Vitamin D

Vitamin D: What is it?

Vitamin D is a   group of fat-soluble vitamins.   They are considered prohormones, or the precursors to hormones, and are essential to endocrine health.   There are several forms of vitamin D, but the most common are ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) which are known together as   calciferol.

Vitamin D2 is not a truly natural form of the vitamin D.   Vitamin D2 does not occur in any detectable quantities in humans; instead, it’s produced in minute quantities in plants.   Supplementary vitamin D2 is manufactured by subjecting fungus to ultraviolet radiation.   As this process is considered “natural,” supplementary vitamin D2 may be misleadingly labeled as “natural” even though that is not truly the case.   Recent research indicates that vitamin D2 is linked to calcium malabsorption.

In a study on vitamin D2 published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers stated:

“These are officially regarded as equivalent and interchangeable (1-3). Although sunshine exposure and fish consumption provide vitamin D in the form of D3, a different bioactive, plant-derived form of vitamin D, named vitamin D2, was produced in the early 1920s through ultraviolet exposure of foods. This process was patented and licensed to pharmaceutical companies, which led to the development of a medicinal preparation of vitamin D2 … Vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, should not be regarded as a nutrient suitable for supplementation or fortification.”

Vitamin D: Its Role in Health

Vitamin D is critical to bone health and immune system function.     Vitamin D deficiency is actually fairly common, and is linked to high blood pressure, cancer, periodontal disease, osteoporosis and autoimmune disease.

Vitamin D: Whole & Traditional Food Sources

Raw, oily, ocean-going fish represent one of the best food sources of vitamin D.   Many nutritionists also recommend pasteurized milk as a source for vitamin D; however, the vitamin D added to pasteurized milk is vitamin D2 and is best avoided.

IUs of Vitamin D   per 100-gram serving.

  • Sunlight.
  • Mackerel Sashimi (360 IU)
  • Raw Oysters (320 IU)
  • Sardines (272 IU)
  • Raw Pastured Egg Yolk (107 IU)

Vitamin E

Vitamin E: What is it?

Vitamin E refers to several nutrients called tocopherols.   These are fat soluble vitamins.   Of these tocopherols, alpha-tocopherol offers the highest bioavailability.   While alpha-tocopherol seems to be the most active, beta-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol each play their complementary role.   As with other fat soluble vitamins, avoid synthetic supplements.

Vitamin E: Its Role in Health

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant.   This fat soluble vitamin is essential for cell health.   It’s remarkably effective in mitigating cardiovascular disease with protective effects for the entire circulatory system.   Vitamin E also promotes healthy, clear skin.   Due to its status as an antioxidant, it could prove helpful in the fight against cancer.   Beyond that, it’s critical for eye health and may mitigate the effects of cataracts.

Notable naturopathic physician, Ron Schmid has this to say about vitamin E in his book Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine:

“The absence of whole grains and liver, traditional foods rich in vitamin E, from the modern diet has resulted in widespread deficiencies.   Much evidence demonstrates this has significantly contributed to the modern epidemic of heart disease and other problems.”

Vitamin E: Whole & Traditional Food Sources

Nuts and seeds represent some of the most concentrated sources of vitamin E traditionally available, although vitamin E can be found in whole grains and some animal foods.

Mgs of Alpha-tocopherol per 100-gram serving.

  • RawAlmonds (26 mg)
  • Palm Kernel Oil (19 mg)
  • Flaxseed Oil (17 mg)
  • Raw Hazelnuts (17 mg)
  • Wild Salmon Roe (7 mg)

Vitamin K

Vitamin K: What is it?

Vitamin K is a group of vitamins, notably vitamin K1 and vitamin K2.   Vitamin K, like vitamins A, D and E, are fat soluble vitamins.   Vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 are naturally occuring vitamins; however, there’s a subset of vitamin K which include vitamin K3, K4, K5 all of which are synthetic vitamins.

Vitamin K2 is produced be beneficial bacteria that are naturally occurring in the intestinal tract of healthy people.   Those with severely damaged guts, or who have been subjected to the consistent use of broad-spectrum antibiotics may lack these vital bacteria and therefore may suffer from poor vitamin K2 production.

Vitamin K: Its Role in Health

Vitamin K is essential for proper blood clotting.   Vitamin K also supports bone health, even reducing post-menopausal bone loss among women.   Interestingly, vitamin K may even prove effective in the fight against degenerative cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease.   Japanese studies indicate that vitamin K could play a very vital role in the treatment of cancers–particularly liver cancer.

Vitamin K: Whole & Traditional Food Sources

Leafy greens represent a great source of vitamin K, but take care to eat these greens with an accompanying wholesome fat.

Mcg of Vitamin K per 100-gram serving.

  • Cooked Kale (882 mcg)
  • Raw Swiss Chard (830 mcg)
  • Dandelion Greens (778 mcg)
  • Raw Radicchio (255 mcg)
  • Miso (23 mcg)

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/fat-soluble-vitamins/feed/ 15 10 Nutritional Powerhouses that Won’t Break the Bankhttp://nourishedkitchen.com/top-ten-nutritional-powerhouses/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/top-ten-nutritional-powerhouses/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:26:20 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=544 Counting your pennies?   Trying to feed your family in an economic slump and every single dime counts?   In no particular order, here’s my top ten nutritional powerhouses that won’t break the bank.   Believe me: they’ve made a steady and regular appearance at our table the last few weeks.

1. Eggs from Pasture-fed Hens

Selling anywhere from $1 to $6 a dozen, truly farm fresh eggs from hens fed on pasture makes for a remarkably inexpensive, but nourishing food.   Produced by hens who are allowed to freely wander the farm, foraging for their natural diet of grubs, bugs, worms and sprouts, pastured eggs offer a much different, healthier nutrient-profile than eggs from conventional, battery-cage hens.   Sadly, 98% of the world’s eggs are produced from battery cage operations.

Eggs from pasture-fed hens offer a higher omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin A and vitamin E content than eggs produced from caged or so-called “free range” hens.   Further, farm fresh eggs are a remarkable source of high quality fat, cholesterol which is essential for cognitive function, protein and flavor.   Plus the humble egg’s high choline content offers anti-inflammatory properties.

2. Cod Liver Oil

I know, I know.   Even the sounds, when rolled off the tongue, make many of us squirm.     Cod Liver Oil.   It sounds like a punishment, doesn’t it?

Cod Liver Oil, while not a feature on anyone’s dinner table, is a profound source of fat soluble vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids – nutrients that are severely lacking in the standard American diet.   Cod liver oil packs in vitamin A in a form that is more readily absorbed than beta-carotene, vitamin D, DHA and EPA.   (Here’s just one reason why Vitamin A is so important: Vitamin A & Cleft Palate).

A bottle of cod liver oil will run you anywhere from $8 to over $40 depending on the size and quality.   Remember, look for a cod liver oil without added synthetic vitamins and buy it in the liquid form instead of capsules.       It is an excellent, natural supplement that can provide a nutritional boost to a healthy diet.   You can purchase some cod liver oil here.

3. Liver from Grass-finished Animals

First cod liver oil and now liver? Yeah, I see your grimaces even as I type this list.     And, yes, you better believe I still struggle with this one: organ meat.   It is not for the faint of palate – and virtually everyone who’s been raised on the standard American diet is faint of palate.   Still, our modern reliance on muscle meat is not in keeping with our ancestors’ views on using and eating the whole animal.

Liver is exceptionally nutrient-dense and therefore remarkably valuable for everyone – and particularly so for those who are on their road to recovery from poor eating habits or who suffer from poor health.   It is remarkably rich in vitamin B12, vitamin A, copper, folate, riboflavin, selenium and zinc – all of which play a critical role in health and wellness.   Further, vitamin A and folate are critical to a preconception diet for couples who are looking to conceive.

Liver from grass-finished animals sells for as little as $3 – $8 per pound depending on your market; however, if you get to know your rancher you might be able to pick up liver as well as other oft-discarded organ meats for free.

4. Sardines & Anchovies

Both sardines and anchovies are inexpensive whole foods.   While their strong flavor may take some getting used to, it’s important to note that many wholesome, healthy foods are strongly flavored.   Those are the nutrients you’re tasting!

Sardines and anchovies are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and good sources of nutrients like selenium which is good for hair, skin and nails as well as calcium, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin K and vitamin E.   Sardines and anchovies, like most ocean-going fish, are strongly anti-inflammatory.

Purchase wild-caught fish packed in extra virgin olive oil rather than soybean oil.   Sardines and anchovies sell around $1.99 per tin.     If you’re a die-hard anchovy lover like me or you just want to try them out, check out this recipe for Anchovy Toasts.

5. Winter Squash

Rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and folate, winter squash provides a variety of critical nutrients for very little money.   Indeed, organic winter squash will sell for as little as $1 per pound.   Winter squash, with its dark orange hue is an excellent source of beta-cryptoxanthi, a carotenoid that is proven effective in the prevention of cancer.

Winter squash is exceptionally versatile and suited to a myriad of culinary purposes: soups, casseroles, gratins, roast vegetable dishes and, of course, pumpkin pie.

6. Oranges

Organic oranges sell for as little as $1 per pound when purchased in season.   Packed with vitamin C and dietary fiber, they’re both nutritious and appetizing.   Oranges are also good sources of folate and thiamine – both of which are critical in the maternal diet. Vitamin C is critical to proper immune function.   Further, vitamin C is also a very powerful antioxidant and some research indicates it may prove effective in the prevention of cancer – particularly colon cancer.

Much of an orange’s nutrients reside in the skin that is too-often discarded rather than put to good use.   Dried orange peels can add excellent flavor to both savory and sweet dishes.

7. Kale

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that can be eaten raw when young, but is also good steamed, sauteed or added to soups.   An exceptionally good source of beta-carotene, vitamin K and manganese, it makes for a nourishing, inexpensive addition to meals.   By some estimates, leafy greens like kale and animal foods comprised the bulk of the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.   Leafy greens are, essentially, the foods that nourished us throughout our evolution.

Most kale can be purchased in season for as little as $1-2 a bunch.   Take care in serving kale to your family as it has a high oxalic acid content which is mitigated to some degree by cooking.   Most people with healthy intestinal flora will be able to eat kale – raw or cooked – without concern; however, people suffering from mineral deficiency might do well to limit kale or at least cook it.   Check out this recipe for kale and white bean soup – it’s tasty and super cheap.

8. Real Sauerkraut

Real sauerkraut is inexpensive to make, lasts a very long time and is rich in vitamins and probiotics.   You can purchase heads of organic cabbage for as little as $0.75 per pound, and process the sauerkraut yourself using Celtic sea salt or real salt which increases the mineral content of the sauerkraut.   Further, because it is a raw, living food its vitamin C content remains better intact than in cooked cabbage.   Cabbage that undergoes fermentation as   in the case of sauerkraut and kimchi produces isothiocynates which are powerful cancer fighters, and the beneficial bacteria present in naturally fermented sauerkraut increases intestinal health and assists with proper immune function.

Want to make your own sauerkraut?   Check out this recipe for naturally fermented sauerkraut.

9. Beets

Betacyanin is the component that makes beets both vibrantly colorful and remarkably healthful.   This naturally occurring pigment is a potent cancer fighter and coupled with other nutrients like folate, potassium and manganese, makes the homely beet a nutritional powerhouse.   Beets are showing promise in the fight against cardiovascular disease, cancer and hyperlipidemia.   Plus, they’re cheap!   A bunch of organic beets will usually run between $2 and $4.99.   Check out these beet recipes (Roasted Baby Beets and Chioggia Beets with Citrus Glaze).

10. Bone Broth

Now, I’ve detailed the benefits of bone broth before, but let me outline them again.   Bone broth is one of the most valuable sources of hard-to-get nutrients and it should be consumed frequently, if not every day.   Exceptionally rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, bone broth is a valuable, nutrient-dense addition to the diet.   Bone broth is also an excellent source of gelatin and glucosamin-chondroitin – nutrients essential for joint health.

Just as with liver, bones are often discarded at slaughter and can be purchased inexpensively for under $2 per pound.   However, by getting to know your rancher and regularly purchasing farm-direct, it’s likely you can pick up bones as free gift for your patronage.   Beyond that, carcasses from roast chickens and turkey make excellent broth (see the roast chicken stock recipe here).

So that’s my top ten list!   What are your favorite, frugal, nutrient-rich foods?

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