My Top Real Food Resources

In my last post I mentioned that I've been doing a lot of reading about food and nutrition.  I have some issues with my health that haven't been rectified by following the current nutritional philosophy.  It doesn't help that that philosophy changes about as frequently (or more so) than most people change their decor.  Something had to give.  Given the fact that so many diseases have popped up and increased in direct relation to "new" processed foods, I figured that real foods that have stood the test of time have probably done so for a reason.  I've been on a journey to find out all that I can about it.

Thank God, I've got a great doctor who is on board with taking care of problems as naturally as possible.  She even recommended a book for me on the subject.  So, I thought I'd share some of the resources that have been really helpful to me.  The common bond between all the following is that they focus on eliminating processed foods and getting back to eating "real" food.

"Ultra-Metabolism" by Mark Hyman, M.D. - This is the book that my doctor recommended.  It talks about how our bodies process food, which foods to steer clear of and it has a systematic approach broken down into weeks to help jump start the health process.  It also has a recipe section in the back.  Dr. Hyman also has a weekly newsletter that I receive.  You can sign up for it on his website.

"Real Food - What to eat and Why" by Nina Planck - Hands down, the best of the best in my opinion.  I would file this under "Must Read" for every person even remotely considering eating healthier.  This is the book I wish I would have started with.  It's full of so much information, but presented in way that isn't overwhelming at all.  Nina has an easy style to read, while giving you lots of meat to chew on.

"In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollan - This is an excellent resource.  It gets into the history of our food, which is much more important than I realized.  It's definitely an eye-opener to find out who is really controlling our food supply and heart-wrenching to find out that the people that are supposed to be looking out for our health aren't.  But, this isn't a depressing book.  It gives steps we can take and leaves us full of hope in spite of the system.

"Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon - Ok, to be honest, this book is really heady.  I had to really be able to sit down with highlighter and concentrate in order to absorb this book.  But...it's is absolutely full of studies, pictures and helpful information.  And, that's just a bonus to the fact that this is a cookbook.  I keep coming back to it for ideas on how to eat better - especially with ingredients I'm just getting familiar with.

There are many, many helpful books on the subject.  Some I have read.  Some are still on my list to tackle.  But, these are a handful that have really impacted me.

I also get a daily newsletter from Dr. Mercola.  He deals with everything from food to vitamins to water filtration and what we should be sleeping on.  He often offers products that go with what he talks about, but not in a pushy way.  He can be rather long-winded, but it's always worth at least skimming through the article.  I've gleaned a lot of great information from his newsletters.

Another great resource for me has been blogs.  There are many great real food bloggers out there.  These are the ones I read on a daily basis.  Sometimes I get good info.  Sometimes I get great recipes and how to's.  And sometimes I get much needed encouragement to keep on keeping on.

GNOWFGLINS - Enjoying "God's Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season"

Kitchen Stewardship

Nourishing Days

Real Food Forager

The Healthy Home Economist

One more thing I'll leave with you is a documentary that rocked our family called Food Inc.  Rent it from the library.  Watch it on Netflix.  Just watch it.  That's all I'm going to say about it. :0)  Don't you just hate that?

I realize that each person's body make-up is slightly different and that there isn't a one size fits all diet.  I also understand that we should prayerfully seek the steps that we need to personally take toward health.  But, there are certain truths that hold true for all of us.  These resources aren't the end all and be all to health and nutrition.  Your optimal diet will probably look a little different from mine.  Heck, my diet is constantly changing, as I think it should.  I know that my family has a long way to go.  But, I plan on continuing to learn more, seek God's wisdom and baby step mine and my family's way to better health.  

With these resources, as with everything in life, I think it's good to keep an open mind to the facts presented, weigh them, pray about them, digest the meat and spit out what you need to.  I've personally found that I was overwhelmed by some things earlier on that I can handle at this point in life.  

I hope some of these resources help you like they've helped me.  If you've got any must read resources that have impacted you regarding health and nutrition, please share them in the comments. :0)

Pam

Halloween Candy-watch out for food allergies

(blog.candy.com)

Food allergies never take a holiday. Daughter Kitty was searching through her candy and offered a Heath bar to her brother, Son #2. I happened to overhear her, and went running into the other room, yelling "NOOOOOOOO!" I knew that Health bars have tree nuts in them (almonds) which Son #2 is allergic to. He's pretty good at just selecting what he wants to eat, so I reminded Kitty not to offer Son #2 any candy, but to let him pick out what he knew was safe to eat. Kitty is younger than Son #2 and doesn't realize how bad a food reaction can be.

For those of you with food allergies, PLEASE check your candy carefully. It worries me when candy bars that have tree nuts are in the same bag with candy bars that don't contain them. Everyone is different, but I don't want to chance any cross contamination that would cause anaphylaxis. I have seen that reaction once with Son #1, and I never want to see it again.

To read an article about Halloween candy and anaphylaxis from American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, click here. One of the things they mention is that "fun size" candy bars can have different ingredients than what's normally listed on the label.

If in doubt, I would throw it out. I would rather buy Son #2 a couple of full sized Twix bars, he's never had a problem with them or any cross contamination. If you have ever seen someone go into Anaphylaxis shock, it is very scary, not to mention it can also kill you.

Be safe this Halloween, and check the candy carefully if you have kids with allergies. And repeat aloud, "I will not steal my kid's candy, I will not steal my kid's candy, I will not steal my kid's candy." Well, maybe just one piece.......

Rendering Lard

My family has been on a (very slow) journey of cleaning up the food that we eat.  We have systematically been eliminating processed food and adding more local and organic food - whole foods.  One of the reasons our process has been slow is that it can be difficult to source the kinds of foods we want to eat.  We put out a garden every year, which takes care of most of our vegetable needs.  But, we were really wanting to switch to pastured/grass fed meat.  Unfortunately, our small town doesn't even allow us to have chickens within the city limits.  Then, several months ago I found Local Harvest.org.  Through this website we were able to find Victory Acres, a wonderful farm nearby that offered what we were looking for.  We ordered a whole pig and half of a cow, both of which are raised the way God intended them to be - out in the sunshine, eating what they were designed to.

We received our pastured pig last week.  I was so pleased that I was able to tell the processing plant exactly which cuts we wanted and that it was processed naturally without nitrites or nitrates.  I was even able to get the fat from our pig.  After doing a lot of reading and research, I realized that lard is not the villain it has been made out to be in recent times.  So, I set out to render our pig fat into lard for cooking and teach you as I learned as well.  You're welcome. :0)

First of all, I was surprised that this was all the fat that came off of a 265 pound porker.

After opening the vacuum sealed bag of pork fat, I started slicing it.  Kind of reminds you of a fish filet, no?

Cut the fat into small squares, about half and inch or so, and put it in a stock pot on med low heat.

Actually, this is where it gets very flexible.  You can do this in a stock pot, a crock pot on low, or in the oven at about 325 degrees.  They all work.  It just really depends on what you're most comfortable with. Any way you go about it, the fat will start to turn colors as it begins to heat up and melt.

This needs to be stirred periodically to keep it from burning.  It will get very hot and bubbly as the fat melts down, even on low heat.  This takes a really long time.  I put mine in the stock pot about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, which was too late.  So, before bed I switched to the crock pot method.  It was done about 2 in the morning.  Granted, I had an awful lot of lard to render.  It probably wouldn't take 12 hours if you weren't doing the fat from an entire pig.

I knew it was done when the bits of fat and meat were golden brown and sitting on the bottom of the pot.  Those little golden bits that are left are called cracklins.  And, boy are they yummy!  They can be eaten as a snack or used on salad.  Anyway, I lined a platter with paper towels, pulled out the cracklins with a slotted spoon and laid them on the platter to soak up any excess oil.

The next step was to line a funnel with cheese cloth (or paper towels or coffee filters) and begin ladling the hot lard into mason jars.

Doing this filter system catches more bits-n-pieces.

The resulting liquid is a beautiful golden color...

that cools to nearly white.

Voila!  Rendered lard.  The rule of thumb is that 1 pound of fat renders 1 pint of lard.  I didn't weigh my fat before I started, but would guess that I started with about little over 7 pounds of fat by the 3 3/4 quarts of lard that I ended up with.  

I love the fact that something that would have most likely ended up in the trash gave me a healthy fat full of Vitamin D and monounsaturated oleic acid, which lowers LDL*.  

So, there you have it!  You now know how to render lard.  Don't you feel like your life is a little more complete? :0)

I get to do this again in about a month when our cow goes to the processing plant.  The only difference is that rendered cow fat is called tallow and it has a bit of a different make-up than lard, which includes a higher smoke point making it excellent for cooking French fries.  But, that's for a later post. :0)

I'm linking this post to Homestead Barn Hop, Real Food 101, Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesdays and Simple Lives Thursday.

Y'all have a great day!

Pam

*Taken from "Real Food" by Nina Planck.

I should be posting again very soon ...lots of updates and pictures to come. Our laptop has been broken but Jason finally ordered the power cord so I should be back soon. Anyways happy Halloween ya'll

Evidence ties smoking to throat, stomach cancer

		Wed, Mar 30, 2011 Reuters
Evidence ties smoking to throat, stomach cancer
Smokers face an increased risk of certain types of throat and stomach cancers, even years after they quit, a new study finds. Combining the results of 33 past studies, Italian researchers found that current smokers were more than twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop cancer, either in their esophagus or in a part of the stomach called the gastric cardia. In some of the studies, the risk of esophagus cancer remained high even when people had quit smoking three decades earlier. The two cancers, both known as adenocarcinomas, are relatively uncommon in Western countries. Rates elsewhere are much higher, especially in less developed countries. But in recent decades, rates of the cancers have been rising in the US and Europe -- possibly related to growing rates of obesity. Smoking has long been considered a risk factor for the two cancers. But these latest findings offer a "better quantification" of the risks, said senior researcher Dr. Eva Negri, of the "Mario Negri" Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan. What's more, they suggest that the risks remain higher than average for some time after smokers quit. "Stopping smoking is highly beneficial at any age, but it appears that for these cancers the risk decreases only slowly," Negri told Reuters Health in an email. For their study, published in the journal Epidemiology, Negri and her colleagues pooled the results of 33 previous studies. In most of them, researchers had compared a relatively small group of patients with either esophagus or gastric cardia tumors against a cancer-free group. In three studies, researchers had followed large groups of adults over time, charting any new cases of esophageal or gastric cardia cancers. Overall, Negri's team found, current smokers had more than double the odds of developing either of the cancers, compared to people who had never smoked. And while that risk declined after people stopped smoking, it was still 62 per cent higher in former smokers than in lifelong non-smokers. In some studies, the extra risk of esophagus cancer persisted up to 30 years after people had quit. Since both esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinomas are fairly uncommon in the West, the absolute risks to any one smoker may be low. According to the American Cancer Society, the average American has a one in 200 chance of developing any type of esophageal cancer over a lifetime, and a one in 114 risk of developing some form of stomach cancer. By comparison, the odds of developing lung cancer are about one in 13 for men, and one in 16 for women -- counting both smokers and non-smokers. Smokers would be at much greater risk than lifelong non-smokers. Lung cancer, heart disease and other ills are "numerically more important" than esophageal and gastric cardia cancers when it comes to the health consequences of smoking, Negri noted. The types of studies that were available for her team to analyze can't prove that smoking causes adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastric cardia. To do that, researchers would have to purposely expose some people to years of tobacco smoke and see what happens to them over time - and ethical reasons make a study like that impossible. Still, Negri and her colleagues say, the risks seen in the current study offer smokers one more reason to quit -- and non-smokers one more reason to never start. Share

Cancers caused by people over-drinking

		Fri, Apr 08, 2011 Reuters
Cancers caused by people over-drinking
Almost 10 per cent of all cancers in men and 3.0 per cent in women in western Europe are caused by people drinking too much alcohol, scientists said on Friday. German researchers analysed data from France, Italy, Spain, Britain, The Netherlands, Greece, Germany and Denmark and found 50,400 out of a total of 79,100 cases of certain types of cancers -- in including bowel and throat tumors -- in 2008 were caused by people drinking more than recommended limits. "Many cancer cases could have been avoided if alcohol consumption was limited to two alcoholic drinks per day in men and one alcoholic drink per day in women, ... the recommendations of many health organisations," said Madlen Schutze of the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who led the study. "And even more cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below recommended guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all." A standard drink contains about 12 grams of alcohol and is equivalent to one 125 millilitre (ml) glass of wine or a half pint of beer. "Many people just don't know that drinking alcohol can increase their cancer risk," said Sara Hiom, director of health information at the charity Cancer Research UK. She noted that in Britain, mouth cancer has become much more common in the last 10 years, and "one reason for this could be because of higher levels of drinking, as this study reflects." According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, there is a causal link between alcohol consumption and liver cancer, breast cancer colon or bowel cancer, and cancers of the upper digestive tract such as mouth, throat and oesophageal cancers. Stick to the limits The researchers, whose work was published in the British Medical Journal, used data from research known as the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) study in which 363,988 men and women, mostly aged between 35 and 70 when they joined the study, were followed for cancer from the mid-1990s. They calculated that in 2008, alcohol consumption by men was responsible for about 57,600 cases of cancer of the types known to be linked to drinking. More than half of the cases, or 33,000, were due to having more than two drinks a day. Alcohol intake by women in the eight countries caused about 21,500 cases of upper digestive tract, liver, colorectum, and breast cancer, of which more than 80 per cent, or 17,400, were due to their having more than one standard drink a day. Manuela Bergmann, who worked with Schutze on the study, said the findings provided solid support for recommended drinking limits and said she hoped more people would stick to them. "It underlines that at the very least, it would be good to stay within the limits," she said in a telephone interview. "Many people believe it's only a small group who drink more than the upper limits, but it's becoming more of a problem because alcohol is cheap and available, so people drink more." Estimates from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund published in February said a third of all common cancers in the United States, China and Britain could be prevented each year if people had healthier diets, drank less alcohol and exercised more. Share26

Keeping sinuses clear

		Mon, Feb 23, 2009 The Straits Times  (Singapore)
Keeping sinuses clear
By Dhany Osman If you sniffled endlessly and blew your nose several times while reading this article, you may be one of the many people here with chronic sinusitis. Medically defined, sinusitis is an infection of the sinuses that can be due to bacteria, viruses or fungi. While acute cases are normally accompanied by a fever or flu and last only a few weeks, those with the chronic variety may have less severe but more prolonged symptoms. These include a constantly blocked or runny nose, headaches, sore throats and coughs, all of which can severely inconvenience one's daily life. 'Sinusitis is very common in children, teenagers and young adults, who generally spend more time outdoors and are exposed to the environment,' said DrStephen Lee, a consultant ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon at Raffles Hospital. Pollution and allergies, he added, may be contributory factors in the development of sinusitis. While he does not know of the actual numbers, Dr Lee estimated that about 3 to 5 per cent of Singaporeans suffer from some degree of the condition. Mind Your Body spoke to Dr Lee and other ENT experts on what sinusitis is and how it can be treated. Where are the sinuses? There are four sets of sinuses: the frontal (above the eyes), ethmoidal (between the eyes), maxillary (cheek) and sphenoid (back of the nose). When in a healthy state, these sinus cavities are filled with air, and mucous produced by our sinuses should drain through openings into our nasal passages, said Dr Lau Chee Chong, an ENT doctor in private practice. Why we have sinuses is still under debate but one notion is that they help to ease the relative weight of the front of our skulls. Sinus cavities also affect how our voices resonate, which may explain why people sound nasal when their sinuses are blocked, Dr Lee said. 'Some patients feel that they sound very different after treatment and have to get used to the sound of their new voice,' he added. What causes it? Dr Lee described the insides of our sinuses as having a mucous membrane, or 'internal skin', that can get inflamed when infected and which may end up blocking a person's sinus passages. Typically, a viral infection such as a flu or cold may block the sinus and the accumulated mucous becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, he added. While acute sinusitis usually clears within a few weeks, poor sinus drainage can lead to the condition becoming chronic if the symptoms last for more than three months. Structural problems - like naturally narrow sinus passages, deviated nasal septums - or if there are nasal polypses, can contribute to poor sinus drainage, said Dr Lau. Such people are hence more prone to developing sinusitis, he added. People with allergies, too, may often find their sinuses easily aggravated and blocked when exposed to their specific allergens. Smoke or pollution can also be irrititants and block one's sinuses. Dr Lau added that poor dental hygiene may lead to the infection of the cheek sinus, when bacteria pass through the roots of the upper teeth. Symptoms The most common symptoms are a stuffed nose, swelling of the nasal passages and excessive mucous production. In more serious infections, the mucuous discharged can often be yellowish, greenish or brownish. There may also be pain in the sinus regions, commonly known as a 'sinus headache'. This is often felt around the eyes and cheeks. 'The pain can hit you quite suddenly and can get quite severe, leaving you uncomfortable for the whole day,' said Dr Y. T. Pang, a private practice ENT doctor. Sinusitis can also cause a post-nasal drip, as excess mucous accumulates in the throat. This can lead to bad breath, sore or dry throats and even coughs. 'Many people may not realise that a long-standing cough may stem from sinusitis and they end up seeing the wrong doctors,' DrPang added. 'The prevention of sinusitis is very much like that for the common cold,' said Dr Lau. Simple steps to take include staying in well-ventilated rooms and avoiding smoky and dusty places. He added that staying well-hydrated can help keep one's mucous thin and easier to drain. 'People with allergy-related sinusitis should also avoid allergens which they're susceptible to, such as inhalants or food,' he said. Treatment Acute sinusitis is commonly treated with antibiotics, decongestants and mucolytics (to thin the mucous). Pain-relief medicines may also be prescribed, along with antihistamines for those with allergies. Dr Lee added that simple home remedies like inhaling steam and flushing the nasal passages with salt water can help ease the symptoms. The latter technique can be applied by carefully using a small pump. A more thorough version of this treatment can also be performed in clinics. Called an entral wash, it involves inserting a tube into a patient's sinus cavity to flush it out with saline solution, he said. Dr Lau said for more serious cases of chronic or recurrent sinusitis, there may be a more permanent solution: a functional endoscopic sinus surgery (Fess) procedure. A minimally-invasive operation, it involves the removal of inflamed and infected tissue, or the expansion of the sinus passages, to allow for better drainage. 'The surgery is done completely through the nostrils, without any external incisions,' said DrLau. Another procedure that has emerged more recently is balloon sinusplasty. This makes use of a surgical balloon to expand narrow sinus passages. Using a guide wire, the balloon is inserted through the nose and inflated when in the right position. 'With this procedure, there is no longer a need to remove tissue and the recovery rate is remarkable,' said Dr Pang. 'One other advantage is that I'm inclined to perform it on children, who may be more concerned about surgery.' --------------------------------------------------- BALLOON SINUSPLASTY A guide wire is inserted through the patient's nostrils and into the sinus passage that is to be enlarged. A catheter is then used to 'railroad' the balloon (not yet inflated) along the guide wire, and into the sinus passage Once the balloon is in place, it is then inflated to enlarge the narrow sinus passage. This is enlarged to between 5and 7mm in diameter. Once the sinus passage is enlarged to the appropriate size, the balloon is deflated and removed. The newly reshaped passage will continue to stay enlarged because of the harder tissue material in the sinuses. With this procedure, nothing is left inside the patient's sinus cavity or nostrils.

Alcohol 'a major cause of cancer'

		Mon, Apr 11, 2011 AFP
Alcohol 'a major cause of cancer'
PARIS (AFP) – About one in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women in western European countries are caused by current and past alcohol consumption, according to a study released on Friday. For some types of cancer, the rates are significantly higher, it said. In 2008, for men, 44, 25 and 33 percent of upper digestive track, liver and colon cancers respectively were caused by alcohol in six of the countries examined, the study found. The countries were Britain, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany and Denmark. The study also showed that half of these cancer cases occurred in men who drank more than a recommended daily limit of 24 grammes of alcohol, roughly two small glasses of wine or a pint of beer. The cancer rates for women in the same countries, along with the Netherlands and France, was 18 percent for throat, mouth and stomach, 17 percent for liver, five percent for breast and four percent for colon cancer. Four-fifths of these cases were due to daily consumption above recommended limits, set for women at half the level of men. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has long maintained that there is a causal link between alcohol consumption and cancers, especially of the liver, colon, upper digestive tract and, for women, breast. But few studies have tried to connect the dots across a large population between cancer rates and total alcohol consumption, or the proportion of the disease burden occurring in people who drink more than guidelines would allow. "Our data show that many cancer cases could have been avoided if alcohol consumption is limited to two alcoholic drinks per day in men and one alcoholic drink per day in women," said Madlen Schutze, an epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam and lead author of the study. The findings also suggest that the limits set by many national health authorities may not be stringent enough to avoid the disease, she said. "Even more cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below recommended guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all," she said in a statement. The results, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), are drawn from the so-called EPIC cancer survey of 363,000 men and women who have been tracked since the mid-1990s. Other risk factors that might have also led to cancer -- especially smoking and obesity -- were taken into account, the researchers said. Nearly 44 percent of men in Germany exceeded the 24-gramme daily limit, followed by Denmark (43.6 percent) and Britain (41.1 percent). Among women, Germany still topped the list, with 43.5 percent of women there exceeding limit, with Denmark (41 percent) and Britain (37.7 percent) coming in second and third. Share96