News regarding traditional wisdom and native diets regarding nutrition.
Will New 2015 Dietary Guidelines Reverse Four Decades of Foolish Fat Phobia?
Every five years, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) convene a 15-member panel to update the nation’s dietary guidelines. The panel’s mission is to identify foods and beverages that help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent disease. In addition to guiding the public at large, the guidelines significantly influence nutrition policies such as school lunch programs and feeding programs for the elderly. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) scientific report is an integral part of this process, as it serves as the foundation for the development of the dietary guidelines. The DGAC submitted its 2015 Scientific Report to the HHS and USDA in February 2015, which, to many people’s surprise, included the elimination of warnings about dietary cholesterol. Another remarkable turnaround is the Advisory Committee’s revised stance on fats. As noted in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)paper, the latest advisory report reverses nearly four decades of nutrition policy.
Sauerkraut Could Be The Secret To Curing Social Anxiety
It might sound outlandish, but the idea that your diet can have a huge effect on your emotions has become the focus of an exciting new area of psychological research. The latest addition to this growing body of research comes from psychologists at the College of William & Mary, and finds a link between a diet high in fermented foods and reductions in neuroticism and social anxiety.
8 Ways to Incorporate Salad Sprouts into Healthy Meals
We all know that salad sprouts are good for us, especially when we take the time to grow them at home. What's more is that in the process we're literally growing food in our own kitchen. It's a simple, doable process that anyone can follow with a little time and some good seeds. Using all of those sprouts is another story. Staring down a big bowl of fresh sprouts can make you wonder how you will find nutritious and tasty ways to use them all. In the traditional foods kitchen, there are myriad ways in which to incorporate them - mostly raw, some cooked, but all unique and delicious.
Feds to Reinvent School Lunches with Flavored Skim Milk Full of Toxic Additives
Reps. G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) recently introduced the School Milk Nutrition Act of 2015, which seeks to increase dairy consumption in children by mandating low-fat and non-fat flavored milk for each school meal. As usual, there are powerful interests involved: the dairy industry, looking to regain market share, is very much in support of the new bill. The bill completely ignores the evidence indicating that whole dairy, as opposed to low-fat or non-fat, is the healthier option. Research has shown that consuming whole-fat dairy lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and bowel cancer, and causes less weight gain compared to low-fat and non-fat dairy. The federal government, and the sponsors of this bill, rely on outdated ideas pointing to saturated fat as the enemy despite current research that says otherwise.
2015 Government Dietary Guidelines Continue Failed Low-Fat Advice
Despite a growing body of evidence that low-fat diets are harmful to health, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for American Committee (DGAC) continues to recommend failed low-fat advice in its latest Advisory Report and request for public comment. The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education foundation, recently filed comments that detail serious inconsistencies and bias in the Report. For example, the Committee recommends avoidance of red meat, but notes serious nation-wide deficiencies in protein, iron and zinc, nutrients best supplied by red meat. In addition, the Report continues warnings against animal fats like butter and lard, while urging increased consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils. Animal fats provide vitamins A and D, nutrients also lacking in the American diet, while the omega-6 vegetable oils are linked to cancer and heart disease. “The tragedy is that these unscientific and agenda-driven guidelines are applied to breakfast and lunch in schools and day-care centers,” says Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation. “For example, growing children need the nutrients in the butterfat of whole milk, but whole milk is not allowed in federally funded meal programs.”
Sprouting, Dehydrating, and Grinding Grains for Flour
The process of sprouting grains is a simple one that can reap many benefits. Sprouting accomplishes a few things. Firstly, it aids in neutralizing some of the anti-nutrients inherent in seeds which can make them difficult to digest. Secondly, it boosts the vitamin content through the sprouting process. Finally, sprouting grains is the beginning of the conversion of an energy-heavy seed into a nutritionally diverse vegetable. To get from grain to sprouted bread, however, involves a few steps. Not only does the grain need to go through the process of sprouting but if it is to be ground into flour via a grain mill, the grain must then be dried. This also allows sprouted grains to keep longer while avoiding the possibility of mold.
How to Grow and Juice Wheat Grass
Wheat grass is the young green shoots of the wheat plant. Like sprouts, this young growth creates a most nutrient-dense source of vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll. What’s more is that wheat grass can be grown and juiced in the home kitchen. Growing wheat grass at home can be done in large or small quantities, depending on the number of servings desired and whether or not you wish to make larger batches and store shots of wheat grass in the refrigerator or freezer.
Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread with GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested Corn
Cornbread can be found in many forms throughout American history. It was the bread of the people of this country when the more expensive wheat was not available. It was a staple for many a family who grew corn in their own backyards. Today there are many forms of cornbread, the most ubiquitous being a sweet, light cornbread made with sugar or honey and a good portion of wheat flour. Similarly, gluten-free cornbread can be made in which the cornmeal is stretched with a portion of gluten-free flours and starches. Old-fashioned cornbread, on the other hand, is akin to a traditional cornbread made solely with cornmeal. There are no additional flours or starches and it is only very lightly sweetened. The high liquid content comes together with a hot oven to create a moist, flavorful cornbread that pairs perfectly with golden butter.
More Products Added to Glyphosate-tested Program: Digestive Enzymes and Palm Shortening
Healthy Traditions has recently added the Tropical Traditions palm shortening and the Enriching Gifts digestive enzymes to its Glyphosate-tested program.
Study: Trans Fat Hides in at Least a Quarter of Supermarket Foods
A new analysis by Environmental Working Group has found that harmful artificial trans fatty acids lurk in more than 27 percent of more than 84,000 processed foods common in American supermarkets. Another 10 percent contain ingredients likely to contain trans fat. In most cases, the products’ trans fat content on the nutrition label doesn't add up. The reason: an obscure loophole in federal food labeling regulations that allows food processors to round off less than half a gram of trans fat per serving to zero. “Most people wouldn’t know they were consuming these unhealthy trans fat because when they see zero or ‘trans fat free’ on a label, they assume it means what it says,” Dawn Undurraga, EWG nutritionist, said. “With this important analysis, we hope to lift the veil on one of the food industry’s dirty little secrets and help shoppers reduce trans fat in their diet.”
How to Grow You Own Salad Sprouts
After decades of poor results through the industrialized food system, it seems we are hearing about a homegrown revolution more and more. Indeed, growing one’s own food is a certain means of knowing exactly what is going into the many plants and animal products that go on the table. But there are many challenges that don’t make this simple task as easy as it may seem. Land, soil health, and seasonality all present challenges to the ideal of sowing the seeds of our supper with our own two hands. Thankfully there is a way to grow enzyme-rich raw vegetables right in the home kitchen without the need for soil or land. Some seeds, water, and simple equipment are all that is necessary.
Weekly Menu Plan: Coconut Recipes for 7 Days of Meals
Are you craving fresh inspiration for your dinner plate? We're here to help you discover wholesome and dependable recipes that will nourish you and your family every night of the week. This go-to guide includes 7 entrée recipes + side dish and dessert recommendations that your dinner guests won't find dull. You'll discover that our coconut recipes not only produce great meals, they also encourage a higher quality of life by helping you get away from processed foods found in grocery stores, and back in the kitchen participating in the age-old community of scientists and artist who love to create excellent meals from whole food ingredients. We hope you'll enjoy the flavors, the process, and the conversations you'll be having around your table. Let's get cooking!
Tropical Traditions Coconut Oils and Coconut Products Now All Glyphosate-tested
Tropical Traditions has finished testing all of their coconut oils and coconut products for the presence of the herbicide glyphosate. They now have a system in place to test each batch of coconut oil or coconut products exported from the Philippines for the presence of glyphosate. The Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil also carries the "Traditionally Produced" label, since this coconut oil is not mass produced by machine. It is a traditionally produced coconut oil made by hand in small batches, much the same way people in the Philippines have produced it for thousands of years. Tropical Traditions was the first company to import virgin coconut oil from the Philippines in 2002, and it remains one of the only premium coconut oils in the United States that is still produced using traditional methods, rather than being mass-produced by machine.
Texas “Free Enterprise” Raw Milk Bill Scheduled for Vote
Texas lawmakers will have the opportunity to make it easier for consumers to buy raw milk on Thursday (May 7, 2015), when House Bill 91 is scheduled to come up for a vote on the floor of the House. The bill, which was approved by the Public Health Committee, will loosen the current regulations that only allow raw milk to be sold on the farm by allowing dairy farmers to sell raw milk at farmers’ markets and to make delivery arrangements with their customers. “Currently, Texans have to travel to a licensed dairy to buy raw milk,” explained Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance Executive Director Judith McGeary. “This bill reduces costs and hassle for consumers, while allowing farmers a fair opportunity to market their products,” she continued. Texas State Rep. Dan Flynn(R-Canton), the bill’s sponsor, has called it a “free-enterprise” bill. “If you have a legal product, it seems like you should be able to sell it at a farmers’ market,” Flynn told committee members at a hearing on April 21.
German Alps Grass-fed Butter Added to Healthy Traditions Glyphosate-tested Products
Grass-fed Traditions and the Healthy Buyer's Club online store has now added the German grass-fed butter from the Allgäu region of Southern Germany to their product line of glyphosate-tested products.
Federal Government to Monitor Weight and Collect Data on Children in Daycare
The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that bureaucrats from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will weigh and measure children in daycare as part of a study mandated by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Will this data be used by medical professionals as another way to medically kidnap children if they do not measure up to government standards for growth and weight, or are not eating government-approved foods?
Lacto-Fermented Vegetables for Spring: Asparagus and Radish
In the fall we preserve cabbage by making sauerkraut. Salsa and berries are preserved and made better by fermenting them at the height of summer. Spring, with its abundance of colorful, crisp vegetables, spring holds a veritable buffet of vegetables waiting to be fermented into probiotic treats. Asparagus comes up early as a perennial vegetable. A member of the lily family, its shoot is cut and brought to the table crisp and green. Radishes are one of the quickest spring vegetables to grow – some take only 30 days to fully mature. Both are wonderful candidates for a probiotic and enzyme-rich spring fermented vegetable.
Golden Milk Recipe with Turmeric and Virgin Coconut Oil
Golden Milk is an ancient Ayurvedic drink made using turmeric and milk – and it’s one of the best ways I know to incorporate turmeric into one’s daily diet. Turmeric is known to have so many health benefits due to curcumin, a powerful polyphenol antioxidant that also gives turmeric its beautiful golden color. Making Golden Milk is so easy, and by making a Golden Paste ahead of time, you can enjoy a nice hot cup of Golden Milk in minutes! Because turmeric is fat-soluble, using virgin coconut oil not only increases turmeric’s health benefits, but it adds one more way to use this healthy fat every day!
Long-Term Care of a Sourdough Starter and When to Use It in a Recipe
A sourdough starter is quite similar to other cultures such as yogurt and kefir. It needs regular feedings to stay healthy. It can be adversely affected by changes in food, climate, and care. Take heart, though, in knowing that a healthy, vigorous starter can be kept without having to feed it every single day. On the contrary, your starter can be kept in a refrigerator for short-term storage. If you’d like to take a longer break from sourdough baking – for months, even – there are options for this as well.
Making Corn Tortillas and Coconut Oil-Fried Chips
Corn chips are simply tortillas fried in fat and salted. Commercial corn chips are most commonly fried in rancid vegetable fats such as soy, cotton, or corn and are made with genetically modified corn. For the most fresh, delicious, and healthy corn chips, try homemade masa pressed into tortillas and fried in pure coconut oil.