Tying in to the previous post about the craziness in Wisconsin…this is an excellent blog relating to the raw milk debate.
Why Does Our Government Hate Raw Milk?
On the note of paleo food choices being better for you…a paleo approved video. Funny.
Jun 282010
Apr 252010
The January 25 issue of Time magazine had two articles that jumped out at me in a ‘well duh’ way. They compliment each other and I don’t think it was intentional.
The first article, Save the Planet: Eat More Beef, discusses the planet saving impact of eating grass-fed beef. Anyone who has been following any kind of paleo eating program already knows this. If you’ve watched Food, Inc. you’ve seen this (one-sided) debate unfold on screen. Raising livestock on what they are designed to eat is good for them, the earth and for us. For all of the efficiency of the factory farms, they are horrible for everyone but the company owners. Pick up a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and read about, among other very interesting and stomach churning things, the concept of rotational grazing and its benefits to the land, the animals and those of us up the food chain who eat the animals who ate that grass. Grass fed animals produce LESS gas because they are eating what they are designed to eat and the entire process of rotational grazing captures carbon from the air and puts it into a useful format in the ground. HUH! Not only is rotational grazing better for the environment in that there is the reduction of gasses and the capture of gasses but the fat profile of grass fed beef in particular is better for you. Grains are inflammatory as they are high in Omega-6 fatty acids. And if the cow is eating foods that irritate its system and is inflammatory by its very nature then those negative and inflammatory properties carry over into its tissues. Grain-fed beef anyone? Cows that eat grass, live out in the sun (increased vitamin D) and do their beneficial part in improving our planet also have a positive Omega-3 fat profile that is anti-inflammatory and good for us. Those are wins all around!
Photo courtesy of Yonder Way Farm and their actual cows eating actual grass out in the sun. Lucky cows!
The second article, The Trouble With Fish Oil, talked about our increase in consumption of fish oil, needed as a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, effecting the balance of the ocean’s fish population. To compensate for our inflammatory grain based diets we need to consume ever increasing amounts of fish oils. Previously we were tapping larger fish higher up the food chain for this benefit (salmon especially) but we’ve begun to look closer t0 the beginning, at the smaller feeder fish to get the healthy oils and, hopefully, avoid the mercury found in the bigger fish. While we are avoiding the mercury we are now in competition with every fish population up the line that also feeds on these small fish. To the victor goes the spoils, right? We are causing imbalances in the eco-system with our meddling. Anyone notice how the wild fish that we can’t mess with have healthy, positive Omega-6 fat profiles where the farm-raised fish that we pull out of their natural environment (and feed grains!) have unhealthy, negative Omega-3 fat profiles? It should make you think.
See where I’m going with this? If we are treating our food animals better via letting them actually graze as they were designed to on healthy grasses out in the sun then they are becoming healthy sources of good fats, vitamins and protein. If we are getting good fats from the beef that we consume then we do not need as much or any additional fish oil for healthy fat which puts systems back in place. If our government really had our health on the top of their list of concerns they would do something about factory farms. That’s a big giant if. And crazy talk. Our government is not in the business of actually helping the populace. It is up to each of us to be our own caregiver and do our part. Educate yourself, eat healthy and support your local grass-fed farmer.
If you train with us at CFChampions you soon could. This past Friday I (along with Alyx and Mia) drove up to Brenham to visit Yonder Way Farm. It was easy to find, a beautiful farm and a beautiful day. It’s what you would expect in the land of Blue Bell ice cream and happy cows. Yonder Way Farm doesn’t make that claim but their animals looked pretty happy doing what pigs and cows and chickens are supposed to do. They were all out grazing or foraging or just plain enjoying the sunshine. I could have pulled up a seat and just watched contentedly but I think the guilt of being the only person sitting around doing nothing would have gotten to me. Every person on the farm was working!
Lynsey Kramer was who I contacted on Thursday about a visit on Friday and she was kind enough to work me into her busy day. From the get go I felt like I’d known her a long while but maybe hadn’t seen her recently. Heck, by the time the girls and I were leaving we were already to the hug good-bye stage. She just makes you feel like you belong there. I loved it!
Back to the farm and food side of it all…After reading Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and Cordain’s Paleo Diet and watching Food, Inc. I have been left with disgust at the food source options for not only our family but for our CFC family. Over the past year I’ve searched for Texas raised grass-fed beef and have found sources that I’ve been happy with but none really close. Yonder Way Farm’s website did pop up in the list and as they are only in Brenham I thought I’d make the time to drive out to actually see where the animals are eating and how they are treated during their time on this earth. I’m a sceptic at heart and take claims on food labels with a healthy dose of salt so the seeing has become important. Advertising and spin, in my opinion, make everything offered suspect and though their website makes no grandiose claims I still wanted to visit. Life, of course, gets in the way and I’ve not made it out in a year. After Food, Inc. came out on DVD and the last nutrition seminar there was renewed interest in the gym in food sources. Nancy W. brought up Yonder Way Farm as an option, mentioning that Robb Exline of CF West Houston is working with them for his gym. Okay. That’s way too many times of hearing about/coming across the same place to ignore it anymore. Time to get my rear in gear. Last Friday was supposed to be beautiful with no rain in sight so…
Here we are full circle at the start with me contacting Lynsey. While wandering the farm we tossed back and forth the idea of having her husband, Jason, come out to our nutrition seminar this weekend to answer questions, talk about what they do and see if we can get established as a regular delivery group for our surrounding area. Just wait ’til you meet the Kramer’s! This is extremely exciting and, hopefully, the beginning of a wonderful relationship! Check out their website – Yonder Way Farm – for more info on who they are and their philosophy about farming and life. The pictures are true to the subject. No need to dress them up. That’s really how the farm looks and the animals really are wandering about and its all really the opposite of what a factory farm looks like. We look forward to seeing Jason on Saturday!
Jul 042009
Mia has a sweet tooth. A really big sweet tooth! Thank goodness! Because of this sweet tooth she is willing to attempt recipes out of the ‘healthy’ cookbooks and websites after I’ve looked around and liked the pictures enough to ask if she’ll make them. Alyx likes being in the kitchen as well between the two of them the recipes actually get tried. Mia has made Almond Flour Pancakes out of desperation because we tossed the Bisquick mix a while back. (I personally think the hunt for sugary foods is a big motivator for her to spend the night with friends.)
Yesterday I mentioned that some kind of cookie would be cool & I thought there might be some coconut flour left over still in the fridge and Alyx hunted down a recipe online. We modified it (just a teeny bit) and next thing you know…viola!…we had Coconut Butter Cookies! They were good!
The recipe:
Coconut Butter Cookies
These cookies taste great (a lot like a macaroon), are low in sugars and starches, gluten-free, and a great source of energy. They are also fast and easy to mix up; clean-up is easy, too.
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), very soft or slightly melted and creamy
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t stevia powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
2 cups unsweetened grated coconut: fine, coarse or combination
Makes 24 cookies
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheet
Mix together soft butter, sugar, and stevia. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
Add coconut flour and grated coconut; mix well.
Drop cookie dough by spoonfuls or dough scoop onto pan one inch apart (cookies don’t spread).
Jul 012009
I picked up a cookbook a couple weeks back, trying to find something in hand for recipes. I don’t care what ‘they’ say…I’ll always prefer an actual book to the electronic version. This is part of the appeal of us making one of our own up at the gym. I like books of all kinds but especially love cookbooks. I can’t remember how I ended up being by myself but there I was so off I went to Barnes & Noble to try and find something to specifically work with almond flour. Would you believe that out of all the cookbooks there only found ONE that would work! Crazy! That book ended up being the Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. In the intro there is a really interesting read about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), its history and its benefits. It made total sense in light of what I believe about what we should and shouldn’t eat.
That lead me to the official website for the SCD where I found some great info about this diet and its benefits.
From the FAQs on the website…
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free dietary regimen intended for those suffering from Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, IBD, and IBS.
Of all dietary components, carbohydrates have the greatest influence on intestinal microbes (yeast and bacteria) which are believed to be involved in intestinal disorders. Most intestinal microbes require carbohydrates for energy. The SCD works by severely limiting the availability of carbohydrates to intestinal microbes. When carbohydrates are not digested, they are not absorbed. They remain in the intestinal tract, thus encouraging microbes to multiply by providing food for them. This can lead to the formation of acids and toxins which can injure the small intestine. Once bacteria multiply within the small intestine, they can destroy the enzymes on the intestinal cell surface, preventing carbohydrate digestion and absorption. At this point, production of excessive mucus may be triggered as the intestinal tract attempts to “lubricate” itself against the irritation caused by the toxins, acids, and the presence of incompletely digested and unabsorbed carbohydrates.
The SCD is based on the principle that specifically selected carbohydrates requiring minimal digestion are well absorbed, leaving virtually nothing for intestinal microbes to feed on. As the microbes decrease due to lack of food, their harmful by-products also diminish. No longer needing protection, the mucus producing cells stop producing excessive mucus and carbohydrate digestion is improved. The SCD corrects malabsorption, allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream and be made available to the cells of the body, thereby strengthening the immune system’s ability to fight. Further debilitation is prevented, weight can return to normal, and ultimately there is a return to health.
The SCD was developed by Dr. Sydney Valentine Haas, and is described in his book, “The Management of Celiac Disease”. Elaine Gottschall’s daughter was saved by the SCD, causing Elaine to further research the diet and to describe it in further detail in her own book, “Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet”.
For those of us eating Paleo, this information isn’t new. At least not the basic benefits of ditching grains. What I liked about this diet is the way the benefits are explained for this group of illnesses and diseases. It is all one more argument in the case against the typical diet. Our bodies are not designed to process what 99% of us insist on eating and the signs that we’re eating the wrong things are everywhere. The difference between the SCD and Gluten-free dieting is that allowance of grains (sans gluten) in the diet. I, personally, don’t believe the removal of glutens from grains makes them acceptable to the body in such a way that allows them to consumed and not do harm. Read the info in the opening of the cookbook. Read the info on the website. It’s good stuff. I’ll post recipes and meal ideas more regularly.