Free Screening of the movie “American Meat” this week

I love a good book or documentary, especially on food, farming, the environment and the like.  This week, the exceptional documentary called American Meat is being offered in it’s full length entirely for free, as a way to say thanks to our great farmers.  The hope is to raise conversation and meaningful dialogue towards the betterment of the commercial, industrialized food production methods in America and beyond. This movie also just happens to fit right in with my own next blog post that will be live in the next few days!

For a quick overview, the movie trailer can be seen here.

The complete, uncut movie can be seen here.

Many thanks to the great American farmers who have seen the virtues, both financial and ecological, of sustainable & organic farming methods.  May you continue in your efforts, but also set the example for and help train & retrain others in your methods to ensure a farming revolution for the next generation.

How to Take Charge of the Common Cold (and much more) with Garlic

Whole Garlic Head

Garlic is one of the greatest gifts to our health maintenance, and perhaps even more importantly to acute care when we do fall sick.  One of the greatest successes we have seen over and over again in our house is the effect garlic has on the common cold, among other things.  While it can be taken every day for ongoing health maintenance, peeling, chopping and dicing can be tedious, and time consuming.  Although I love the smell, not everyone does…in fact we have a separate cutting board for garlic and onions so the next apple we slice doesn’t pick up the garlic flavor.  However garlic, like onions are rarely added to the shopping list as an item we need for a specific recipe….they are both a staple in our pantry that we rarely run out of.  We love cooking with Garlic, fermenting it and even eating it raw when something acute attacks.  My kids happily take it by the spoonful when it is covered with a dollop of organic apple sauce, and countless times, I’ve headed off a cold before it got a foothold by multiple doses in a day.  What on earth is up with Garlic?

Split head of Garlic

Both Eastern and Western medicine alike extol garlic for its powerful health benefits, with the Cleveland Clinic listing it on their top 35 “Power Food” list.  It is packed with Phytochemicals which keep the plant itself

healthy, and does the same for us by protecting from disease while boosting our immune system.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among other things, garlic is known to be used to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and even different types of cancer.

Also known for its sometimes pungent smell and bad breath, the NIH also recognizes it as being safe for most people.  There can be some health concerns associated with Garlic, but mostly when you’re taking another pharmaceutical or have a specific condition.  Some general health guidelines are indicated in this article but if you have a concern, you should check with your medical professional before consuming larger amounts of garlic than you may be accustomed to.  Even the FDA includes garlic on their GRAS list (Generally Recognized as Safe).

The relatively recent historical use of garlic shows endless cases from Eastern and alternative medicine throughout time.  Garlic falls into an antimicrobial category, and shows antifungal, antivirus, and antibiotic properties with reported benefits against many flu viruses and the herpes simplex.  It has been known to reduce or stop a cold in its tracks, ease symptoms and shorten the duration of the flu, as well as reduce bronchial congestion.  Internally, it can help treat yeast infections, and topically fungal infections like athlete’s foot, or the pressed oil for middle ear infections.

Fresh Garlic, Minced

Garlic is wonderful raw or cooked, but when raw, despite the considerable “bite” it seems to really shine as your most potent ally.  It has no odor when sitting on the counter, wrapped up in its skin, but once cut or crushed, the garlic cellular compound’s rupture, and mix, creating allicin…the good stuff, and of course the distinct smell once you start dicing.

Cook with it.  Ferment it.  Supplement with it if you have to…keep it fresh in your pantry (not in your fridge, the jarred stuff is not fresh!).  Do your own research though, and learn how to keep garlic a staple in your diet.  Just think, if “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” just think what Garlic will do for you!

If diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.  If diet is correct, medicine is of no need.- Ancient Ayurvedic proverb

BONUS: One of the greatest new things I learned last year in the kitchen was how to peel garlic.  This was especially helpful when I culture a large batch, but you know how your fingers smell like garlic for 24 hours because peeling it is so tedious?

Check out this 1 minute video on how to peel garlic like a pro in10 seconds.

 See disclaimer information here

Random Post – Lunch

Mom-on-law is visiting, and she knows how we like to eat.  She scoured the fridge and made us a leftover salad plate.  Delish!

Organic baked potato, Kalamata Olives, Spinach, Baby Kale with lemon dressing, Marinated Chicken Thigh, Avacado, the bottom of the jar from an old batch of Cultured Zucchini….containing bits of onion and garlic cloves, and whole grain/wild rice mix.  I topped it off with a spoonful of the fermented “brine” from the vegetable batch as I cant waste anything in my house.  Usually the brine makes an incredible marinade for chicken and Salmon.

Delish – Leftover salad plate

PS – Unfortunately for me, I was still a tiny bit hungry, so not shown is the Sunbutter and Jam sandwich on GF toast of course:)

Need more culture in your life?

The connection between the mind and gut is finally getting more and more recognition as being a critical one, making what you put into your body so very important.  There is on average 100 trillion bacteria that reside in your gut (both good and bad) and that number generally outnumbers the cells in your entire body by about 10 to 1.  Maintaining the balance of good and bad bacteria provides the foundation for physical, mental and emotional health.  85% of your immunity processes originates in the gut, and it’s also the largest and most important immune organ in the entire body.

 Once again, there is a resurgence to the “old” ways in food preparation occurring and for the sake of this article in the form of immune boosting fermented, or cultured foods.  Before there was economical and efficient refrigeration, food products were canned for long term storage.  Canning is also growing in popularity every year and is a great way to have summer peaches and your garden tomatoes in the wintertime; however most of the nutrients are killed by the heat process involved.  Historically before refrigeration of any kind, meats were often kept in brine, or salted for long term storage, and the use of salt is one of the key methods of fermentation that I’ve incorporated into our every day diet.

 We practice Lacto Fermentation of fresh vegetables in our home on a regular basis.  The staples in our home include: Cucumbers to Pickles, cabbage to sauerkraut and carrots, well…to fermented carrots.  I’ve also done zucchini, jalapenos, garlic, and green tomatoes as well and enjoyed them all.  The very simple process is usually done only with sea salt, water and time.  It creates a very unique flavor that even the kids love (especially the carrots).  Using fresh, clean water and not your average/processed/iodized table salt is very important.  We’re still using quality sea salt because it is pretty economical, but since even our oceans are not as clean today as we would hope, I’d like to evolve to a Himalayan Salt in the future.

Our Current Cultured Veggies + Grape Kefir

 Here are the basics of how this works.  In Lacto Fermentation, it is the bacteria that are responsible for the fermentation process (as opposed to yeast when making beer for example).  “Lacto” refers to Lactobacillus, the specific type of bacteria, of which is growing on the surface of most plants as well as in most GI tracts (The word Lacto does not necessarily mean this is a dairy based process, although whey can be used with or instead of salt).  The Lactobacillus have the ability to convert sugars into lactic acid through the fermentation process, and this acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and gives the unique flavor.  This lactic acid also helps facilitate the growth of the good bacteria in the GI tract.  It gets better though…aside from the simple preservation attributes of this process, vitamins, enzymes and even overall digestive levels are increased as a result of the natural fermentation.  Fermented foods are also a natural detoxifier, and provide a much higher level of probiotics than most probiotic supplements.

 There are several outstanding books on the subject….the two most well known are Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  I also liked the quick and easy to follow Fermenting for Dummies.  The best online resource with recipes and special tools and information is www.culturesforhealth.com.  Although there are some tools that make the job easier, to get started all you need are some mason jars and salt.  The fancy crocks, lids and other knick-knacks can wait till later if you really want to delve in deeper.

Probiotic supplementation is still a part of our daily regimen, but I would encourage anyone to do your own research on the natural fermentation of fresh foods, and incorporate them into your diet.  Later we’ll talk about the “soda” we drink in our house for dinner on most nights of the week….SODA?!!  Yes, well sort of.  Another product always in constant demand in our house is Water Kefir…another fermented product we make regularly in our house, and my kids call it “Dad’s soda” because it is naturally fermented, and quite bubbly.  Two bottles were so bubbly they exploded across the kitchen.  It is SOOOO good, cant wait to tell you more.

 Bonus info on bacteria: I LOVE TED talks and will always be sharing my favorites in my blog.  Want to more about bacteria (well beyond the kitchen)?  Here is an exceptional TED talk.

 Quote of the day: “It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.”  ~Meryl Streep

Just One Thing

To be sure, it’s never going to be just one thing that will make all the difference needed to make great changes in your vibrant health.  However, one has to start somewhere, and assuming you have all kicked that smoking habit, then this one thing should be next.  That one thing in my opinion is soda…..when I lived in Western New York State, it was known as Pop.  Fizzy.  Soft Drinks…whatever you call it, it’s simply got to go.  I’d say the sugar content is just about the number one reason, and we’ll delve into sugar in much greater detail at another time, but it’s crazy what else is in there.  It’s hard to imagine, but the endless marketing dollars at some of the worlds largest soda/beverage companies can sway the masses significantly to make it look like soda is actually almost good for you.  I heard one time a good way to think of what a soda does to your body is to think about taking a shower in it…imagine how you feel toweling off after a fine soda shower.

I grew up rarely having soda in our house…..my Mom always had a few no-name brands of 2-liter bottles stored in the basement pantry for when we had company, so it was only consumed in our house as a treat, even though it was often flat when we finally opened it.  Unfortunately, I had my share of it working in the restaurant business through my 20’s and into my early 30’s, and yet when I finally gave it up it was no big deal for me.  Now I take a sip and it is pretty repulsive.

Since we’ll cover the artificial sweeteners at some point in the future, let’s just touch on it here (in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup).  This image alone is pretty telling (courtesy of www.sugarstacks.com):

This image is used for a visual aid only (and it works for me!), and although the image doesn’t take into account the different kinds of sugar out there, there is obviously a difference in how each type is metabolized.  A recent CDC report stated that one third of the American people are pre-diabetic and 90% of them do not know it.  High blood sugar is a sure fire way to a train wreck, and soda in the Standard American Diet (SAD) is clearly one of the leading causes.  The 28^th annual Report on Eating Patterns in America compiled by NPD, a consumer marketing Research Group lists carbonated soft drinks” as #4 of the top ten foods we consume that account for 50% of our food intake.  Considering about 1.6 Billion cans of Coca Cola are consumed each DAY worldwide, that’s a staggering amount of sugar by that one brand alone.

Here are the sugar facts in one 20oz bottle:

Sugars, total:               65g

Calories, total:            240

Calories from sugar:    240

YIKES!

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – At it’s core, keep in mind that ANY food, or ‘food like product’ (as Michael Pollen likes to call it) that is processed in any way, is degraded nutritionally from the start.  So, while some sugars are ‘better’ than others, HFCS is highly processed for sure, and Fructose itself is known to be 7 times more harmful than sugar alone.  Fructose goes immediately to the liver to get processed, and when there is too much of it, like in the typical western diet, it gets metabolized into fat and NOT energy like its other sugar-cousin, glucose.  Keep in mind though, sugar and HFCS contain relatively the same amount of fructose, so replacing straight sugar for HFCS is not an option, either.  Also keep in mind that just about every processed food contains HFCS, so it’s not easy to stay away from in most grocery stores.

Carmel color: We’re attracted to things of all colors, right?  Take one look at the guide put together by the Center for Science in the public interest and you may take a much closer look at some of the labels of the food you eat.  Caramel Coloring is made from the heating of a sugar compound (usually high-dextrose corn syrup), often together with ammonium compounds, acids, or alkalis, used most often to give food and drink products their rich, generally dark brown coloring.  When produced with Ammonia like it is, several studies show that they produce several substances that according to the State of California EPA are carcinogenic.  In response to these findings, both Coke and Pepsi have said they would reduce the amounts in their products (NOT to remove it or find an alternative of course), but gave no time table to do so.  Interestingly, the FDA has limits for these same chemicals that are 10 times higher than California, and yet even that low level from samples found in testing done in California may be enough to exceed the FDA’s threshold.  Let’s put all these figures aside, and decide if it’s somehow OK if something you put into your body doesn’t kill you today, but over time instead?  I think not!

Phosphoric Acid (PA).  If you are taking calcium supplements while maintaining the SAD, you’re wasting your $ in my opinion.  PA is linked to Osteoporosis, because higher levels of phosphates lead to lower levels of calcium.  When this happens, your body instinctively pulls calcium out of the bones to compensate…..sounds like a vicious cycle, and today many docs have come full circle, saying calcium supplements are no longer recommended for prevention of osteoporosis.  See details in this article by well known acupuncturist Chris Kresser.   Also, check out the book “The Calcium Lie” by Robert Thompson, MD. He explains that the exclusive focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and actually increase your risk for osteoporosis. He believes over consumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.  Finally, PA’s acidity is more than that of vinegar or lemon juice…something you cannot taste because of the vast quantities of sugar.  Have you ever heard that the SAD is a highly acidic one?  Soda clearly is helping fuel this statistic.

Natural Flavors…for most sodas, this is completely unknown what this really is, as it is formulated in a lab somewhere.  The FDA allows extremely broad oversight into what can be considered a natural flavor.  However to give an example of a source for vanilla flavoring, commonly labeled as “castoreum” you may want to know that it is derived from the anal secretions of a beaver.  Certainly fits the bill as a natural flavoring, but not one I am interested in ingesting.

And finally, caffeine…there are so many studies purporting the potential benefits of moderate amounts of caffeine, so its ok, right?  Not in the Big Gulp, six-pack a day volume so many Americans consume it in today.  Caffeine is a psychoactive, addictive stimulant touted as the world’s most widely used drug.  While I don’t drink coffee (I Love the smell of the beans, just never liked the taste), I do like the occasional green tea, and know caffeine is naturally found in many other areas.  The average American drinks about 7-10 pounds of coffee per year, most of it caffeinated.  However, ask anyone who tried to stop drinking soda after a long standing love affair with it, and they will tell you withdrawal is not easy.  Caffeine is a drug, plain and simple, and yet a cup or two of organic coffee, or green tea a day is nothing to worry about.  When combined with the rest of the chemicals found in most soda products on the market, too much caffeine is where the problem lies.

Here is a 2 minute, stellar, yet sarcastic soda commercial you must see.  Click here.

Quote of the day:

“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” ~Buddha

[Author edit – 11-08-13] Click here for an interesting follow up article.