Why food fermentation?

 

Why fermented foods?

Probiotics, that’s why!

For the entire history of man, people have been fermenting foods, whether intentionally or not.  Before refrigeration, it was often a matter of survival.  Most fresh foods won’t keep long.  Imagine your life without fridge or freezer…  Winters like this would be hard.  Sure, things would stay cold out there right now (as I write this, there’s a state of emergency in TN for all the ice!) but what about tomorrow, when it gets above freezing.  Well, there goes dinner…

Now, pretty much everyone in the US has a fridge or freezer, and many people have multiples of each.  But we still see fermented products for sale at every grocery store.  They are delicious and nutritious.

We’ve all heard of the benefits of taking probiotics, especially when we take antibiotics.  We have to replenish the “good bacteria” in the gut.  It’s part of our immune system, and helps us to digest.  But the easiest, cheapest, and yummiest probiotics don’t come from a pill.  They come in the form of fermented foods.  One of the most amazing probiotics is called Lactobacilli, and it happily grows on any kitchen counter, or in the back corner of any basement.  You just have to set up the correct conditions.

I talked about home fermentation in another post, but if you want to make your belly happy without getting into your own chemistry experiments, look for these foods at the grocery store:

Yogurt (look for live-cultures)

Kefir

Sauerkraut (check the label)

Some home-canned pickles, chutneys, and fermented relishes can be found at the farmers’ markets, too.

Get your gut happy again with fermented foods!

Green Soup

In the winter time, I just can't force myself to eat a cold salad.  Nor should I.  Ayurvedically, I'm a Vata.  Brrr...  So, warm food for me.  And now, I love GREEN SOUP.
I came across an article in Reader's Digest about green soup, and gave it a try.  It needed a little salt, but otherwise, delicious and very green and nutritious.  Here's what I did, but you can make your own:
4 cups spinach
2 cups kale
2 cups veggie broth
1 onion, chopped
a little olive oil
salt to taste
In one pot, cook down your kale, with a little oil.  In a saute pan, brown the onions with a drizzle of oil.  (This is a great place to add a little more flavor.  Next time I plan to add tumeric!)  Once the kale wilts, add your broth, spinach & onions.  Let this mixture cook down.  Use a hand blender on the whole pot & enjoy!
Nutrients and vitality!

Avoiding Pesticides-the Dirty Dozen

If you're like me, you try to buy as much organic food as possible.  But that gets so expensive!  How do you "go organic" on a budget?  One way is to shop by the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list.  Each year, the EWG puts out a list of those foods which are most likely to contain pesticides.  They call this list, their "Dirty Dozen".  To go along with it, they also list the "Clean Fifteen", which are least likely to have pesticides.  According to the EWG, the average consumer can reduce their exposure of pesticides up to 90% simply by going organic for the Dozen.
This year's list:
Dirty Dozen
Apples
Celery
Sweet Bell Peppers
Peaches
Strawberries
Nectarines
Grapes
Spinach, Kale & Collard Greens
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Blueberries
Potatoes

Clean Fifteen
Mushrooms
Watermelons
Oranges
Sweet Potatoes
Canteloupe
Kiwi Fruit
Eggplant
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Cabbage
Avocado
Pineapple
Sweet Corn
Onions

For the full article, please visit www.ewg.org/foodnews

Sugar-sweetened drinks bad for your heart.

Men who drink sugary drinks have a 20% higher risk of heart disease and higher levels of blood lipids. This is from IDEA Fitness Journal, May 2012. The writer sites research by Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD of Harvard School of Public Health. If you’re a man who drinks 12-oz sugary drink every day, your heart is at risk!

Even after controlling for other risk factors, these sweet drinks still have an effect. The men in the study had higher triglycerides and CRPs (an inflammation marker) and lower levels of HDL cholesterol. All of which are pointing to heart disease!

I’m heart-broken! I always go for the “real sugar” instead of all the fake stuff. What about my cokes from Mexico? I’m assuming that if it’s this pronounced with men, it applies to women, too.

Oh, well. I’m grateful for honey. Raw, local honey only makes the heart happy.

Is Junk Food Cheaper?

“But it’s cheaper to eat at McDonald’s” Have you ever heard that? Worse yet, have you ever said that? It’s ok. I’m not surprised. It’s a common misconception. In September 2011, Mark Bittman wrote an article for the New York Times called, “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” He went to McDonald’s, and ordered an assortment of foods for a family of four. It totaled $28, or $7 per person. He reasoned that meals at home are so much less expensive. For about $14, a roast chicken and veggies, with a salad and milk would feed four or more people! And there are even cheaper ways to provide a good, wholesome meal.

In August of that same year, Slow Food USA set up a campaign to have members share their $5 meal ideas. Their members submitted over 5,000 meal plans, all for under $5 per person.

Eating slow food, versus fast food, doesn’t just make sense, it also makes “cents”!

For more information, and a link to these cheap & healthy slow food meals, go to www.slowfoodusa.org

Root to Stem

In one of my recent magazines, I read an article about “root to stem” eating. Making sure every usable part of the plant is consumed. At our house, it’s all consumed, but not necessarily by humans. First, Scott & I eat what we want, then the dog gets whatever she would like that is safe for her. She loves meat, of course, but will try just about anything. She even eats carrots. The chickens are next. They love tomatoes, especially, and corn on the cob is a real treat for them. Finally, whatever is not consumed as food eventually makes it to the compost pile.


This reduces the amount of waste in the garbage can, but also clears our conscience, and cares for our animals.

If you don’t have animals, you can try the “root to stem” movement for yourself. Did you know that you can eat the greens from carrots? They are nutritious and tasty. Try them on your salad. End pieces, and parts of veggies that aren’t so pretty can be chopped fine for salads, or juiced. After juicing, the pulp can even be used for muffins and other breads!

What can you do today to waste less food? With so many in our world going hungry, it’s important that we all be good stewards of our blessings.

Forage & Feasting!

As expected, Forage & Feast was awesome!  Seventeen people gathered at Linda Bolt's Hatterdale Farm to hear Marc Williams talk about plants.  We wandered in fields & woods, learning about different types of plants that are safe to eat & use as medicine.  Then, we brought our harvest inside & made it into a delicious meal!  This was my 4th walk in the woods with Marc, and each time, I learn so much.  His knowledge about the plants is amazing.  Learning about edible plants has recently become an "obsession" for me, and these walks just make me want to learn more.

We've had so many positive comments about Forage & Feast.  Most of our group wants to do it again.  Hopefully we can have Marc back soon.

In the meantime, I promised to post the recipes from the feast.

Happy Foraging!

Wild Hummus

3 cans of beans

1/4 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

dandelion

1 1/2 c. chickweed

1 T cumin

1/3 c. olive oil

salt & garlic to taste

Yogurt Fennel Dressing

1 c. yogurt

1/4 c. fennel

1/4 c. honey

1/2 t salt

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 c. mustard

1/2 c. mustard leaves

1/4 c. honey

1/2 c. oil

Quinoa Tabouleh

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. lemon juice

1 c. mint

1/4 c. wild carrot

1 tomato

2 t salt

Bliss Bites

1 c. pumpkin seeds

1 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. raisins

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. tahini

1 T spice bush fruit

roll in coconut or rose petals

10 Ways to Go Green this Spring

1-Plant a Garden-even if you just have a sunny windowsill, you can have a garden. I
recently learned that lettuces do well in pots, so get out there & get your hands dirty! The Washington County Extension office in Jonesborough offers a ton of resources & they have knowledgeable staff to answer your questions.


2-Raise Chickens-Yes! Johnson City recently decided to allow hens within the city limits, so now's the time to try your hand at bird-raising. I recommend talking with an experienced chicken-owner, but there are lots of books out there at our local libraries.


3-Start a compost pile-Even if you don't garden, a compost pile is a great way to "go green". So much of our landfill waste is kitchen waste, yard waste (like grass clippings) and compostable paper. Reduce your footprint on this earth by turning this back into soil, right in your own back yard! Again, the Extension office & the Library have great resources about composting!


4-Buy a travel mug.  According to Renee Loux, in her book "Easy Green Living", Americans threw away 14.4 billion paper coffee cups in 2005.  This is a significant source of waste!

5-Learn to cook at home.  This decreases your carbon footprint, because you aren't using a vehicle to get to the restaraunt, it saves money for other good things, and you can buy organic, and you KNOW what's in your food!

6-Shop at local farmers' markets.  We are fortunate in this area to have several great markets.  Johnson City, and Jonesborough markets have been going strong for years.  One just opened at ETSU, and there's a new one beginning in Blountville.  There are also wonderful treasures to be found at roadside stands.

7-Buy directly from the farmer, when you can.  It's important to know where our food comes from.  The Cows are Out Dairy delivers here at the studio on Mondays.  She brings raw milk and grass-fed beef.  To learn more, visit them on facebook.

8-Re-use-look for little things that mght have another use.  You never know until you change your thinking.  I recently saved a mixed-nut container from the trash, and it's now used for nuts & washers in the basement!  Our grandparents knew the value of "Waste not, Want not!"

9-Buy from the bulk bins.  Even if you just need a small amount, less packaging means less waste.

10-Learn to preserve foods.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  Freezing food is the easiest method, but pickling, canning, freezing & even cellaring are great fun.  My favorite resource is the Ball Blue Book of Canning & Preserving, which you can usually find cheaply this time of year.

Raw food...is it for you?

Raw foodians will tell you that raw is the only way to go for health.  Others say that raw is not healthy.  From an ayurvedic standpoint, raw is only good for some people, as it is so cooling.  The famous raw foodian, Dr. Cousens says we should limit calories and pretty much anything but raw veggies.  But isn't yogurt good for you?  What about whole grains?  What about traditional meals, like dahl, miso soup, etc?  So many questions!  What's a yogi to do?

Many questions, only one answer-food is individual!  Just like our yoga practice, we have to look at what our individual bodies need and find a way to fulfill those needs.

I am entering the third week of my most recent food experiment.  I am eating 2 raw (or living food) meals a day.  And I feel awesome!  I'm not going totally raw.  As a Vata Dosha (ayurvedic constitution), I am often cold, and a totally raw diet may have unintended consequences.  Also, I'm what we call a "householder", which means I also need to take into account the dietary needs and tastes of my husband.  Plus, I know I need probiotics, so I'm including delicious yogurt and other living foods during the day.  In the evening, when I'm eating cooked foods, we are also consuming many more vegetables, as that's what I've stocked up on.

After 2 weeks of this eating practice, I feel great.  I have more energy, my belly is happy, and I feel good about my food choices.  Another reason I'm not too strict about my diet is that I need freedom & self-compassion in all things.  Eating is a yoga practice all to itself.  Non-attachment, non-harming, purity...

Some great books I've found include, but are not limited to:

The Yoga of Eating-Charles Eisenstein

Raw food for 1 or 2 people-Jennifer Cornbleet

Rainbow Green Live-food Cuisine-Dr. Cousens

Nourishing Traditions-Sally Fallon

There are many great books out there about concious and mindful eating.  Start today to consider your food part of your yoga practice!