Fertility Diet: part 2.1 (Super Foods for Fertility)
In part one of this fertility diet series we talked a bit about the essential nutrients needed for our reproductive parts to work at peak performance. This week we’ll discuss a bit about where we find these nutrients. And like I’ve said before, this is not an exclusive list, I’ll keep adding new data as I come across it!
The Problem in Our Modern Diets
Unfortunately most of us no longer consume the foods that nourish our bodies! At. All. Even the “healthy” and “organic” foods we buy in the stores have been pasteurized and processed so that it damages all the precious vitamins and minerals. The standard American diet is now full of white sugars and flours, chemicals and preservatives, all robbing our bodies of the vital nutrients we actually do consume.
Vitamin D
Again, this important vitamin supports the production of estrogen in both men and women¹ , is needed for insulin production, and is key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow. Vitamin D is also activated into an endocrine hormone within the body.
And it seems that “primitive” societies knew better than us on how to fullfill their daily requirements for Vitamin D as intestines, organ meats, skin and fat from certain land animals, as well as oily fish are all rich in this important nutrient. When is the last time you had some intestine with your meal?
Yea, that’s what I thought.
Other ways to increase your Vitamin D intake would be to include the following in your diet. (IU per 3.75oz or 100 grams)
- Cod Liver Oil – is actually the richest source of vitamin D!(²) (and the good news is, it also contains vitamin A for better assimilation in the body)
- Lard/Tallow - (from grassfed and pastured animals) the second richest source of vitamin D.
- Pastured Eggs -especially the yolks and from chickens who have had regular access to run around in the great outdoors eating grass, worms, and other insects.
- Wild Caught Fish - especially fatty fish like herring
- Butter – (from grass fed cows)
- Organ Meats – I know -eww right? But they are chock full of nutrients!
- Sunlight
The way the animals are raised and fed also has a lot to do with the amount of nutrients you gain from eating products made from them. Animals that are allowed to be out in the pasture are recommended, as the exposure to UV-B rays from the sun allow the animals body to produce more vitamin D. Thus giving more vitamin D to us!
You’ll also notice that while the above mentioned foods are high in Vitamin D themselves, many of them are also high in cholesterol. Now, you’ll have to believe me here a minute as I tell you that cholesterol is not bad for you – in fact it’s very necessary! (I’ll get into the cholesterol debate later) But, vitamin D is actually synthesized from the cholesterol in our body when we are exposed to the sun.
Modern RDA requirements are a measly 400 IU per day. From what I’ve seen from the Weston A Price Foundation as well as other natural/holistic doctors, they recommend at least double that amount.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A can be classified into one of 2 groups. Retinols, which are found in animal products, and carotenoids (beta carotene), found in plant foods. The great thing about retinols is that the body can easily convert this to a usable form of vitamin A. It takes a lot more beta carotene on the other hand to come up with the same amount of usable vitamin A. And infants and children as well as those in poor health (decreased thyroid function, celiac, diabetes) or on low fat diets, already have an even harder time converting beta carotene.
The list of foods below are per 3.75oz (or 100 grams)
- Beef Liver (30,000 IU)
- Butter and Cream – again, levels will be higher on cows fed growing grass.
- High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil (230,000 IU)
- Regular Cod Liver Oil (100,000 IU)
- Eggs from pastured chickens contain 2/3 more Vitamin A than conventional eggs and 7 times more beta carotene. ¹
The current RDA for vitamin A stands at 5000 IU though the WAPF (Weston A Price Foundation) seems to think that the work of Price showed primitive diets contained almost 50,000IUs per day.³ And as you can see, it wouldn’t be hard to get well over 5000 IUs just by making sure you get a small amount of just one of these foods into your diet each day.
Vitamin E
Again, this is also a fat soluble vitamin, but it’s also an important antioxidant. And being an antioxidant basically means that it deactivates free radicals within our bodies. Vitamin E also has a property in it known as tocopherol. It was given the name after a fertility study was done with rats in 1936 and in Greek this means “to bring forth a child”.
- Butter – from grassfed cows
- Organ Meats
- Grains – vitamin E is found in the wheat kernel which is removed to make white flour. It is also easily damaged during processing and can become oxidized. Freshly ground wheat is always best!
- Seeds – sunflowers contain 35mg per 3.75oz
- Nuts - almonds contain 26 mg per 3.75oz (90% of which is tocopherol!)
- Legumes – varies from 7mg to 28 mg depending on variety
- Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
- Unrefined (and unheated) oils like olive and sunflower oil
- Pastured eggs also contain 3 times more vitamin E than conventional eggs.¹
Current RDA is 15mg for both adult men and women. I can’t find anything else regarding how much we should consume, but it seems to me that a diet of fresh ‘real’ foods and freshly ground grains would be much higher than this.
Vitamin K2
Is a fat soluble compound that assists vitamins A & D, also known as Activator X by Weston A Price. It is found in certain fatty parts of animals that feed on young green growing plants. And the growing grass is the most important part of that statement! What happens is the animals eat rapidly growing plants, which are high in vitamin K1. Part of this K1 is then converted by the animals tissues to K2. And the amounts of Kz within the animal products will then vary widely depending on what the animal eats and when they eat it. Sources include:
- Liver
- Egg Yolks
- Butter
- High vitamin butter oil {natural supplement}
- Fish Eggs
If you’d like to read even more about vitamin K2, I’d recommend an article written by Chris Masterjohn, “On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: A Sixty-Two-Year-Old Mystery Finally Solved”. It’s more complex than what I can ever get into.
So are you noticing any trends yet?
To Be Continued………. (part 2.2 iodine and omega-3’s)
1.Mother Earth News - free range egg
2.Vitamin D is Synthesized From Cholesterol and Found in Cholesterol-Rich Foods by Chris Masterjohn May 5, 2006
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Recipe: Classic Sauerkraut
This recipe was sent to me by Scott from Zukay. I can’t wait to try this out myself! Also – don’t forget to enter to the giveaway for the Zukay salad dressings!
CLASSIC SAUERKRAUT
FOOD:
1 large head of cabbage
2 tsp caraway seed
2 tsp sea salt (I prefer Celtic Sea Salt)
Non-chlorinated water
EQUIPMENT:
1 Quart mason/ball jar
Large metal bowl
Potato masher
Peel off any older, discolored cabbage leaves. Cut cabbage into quarters, and thinly slice into ¼ in thin, long strips. Place all cabbage into large metal bowl, add salt and caraway seeds, and wait 5 minutes. Mash with potato masher until cabbage starts to expel water and becomes flat and soft (about 5 minutes of mashing). Once this is done, put cabbage into quart jar. Push down hard onto cabbage, until cabbage juice covers sauerkraut. If there is not enough liquid from the cabbage itself, add non-chlorinated water until cabbage is fully covered. Close lid tightly and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 week, and up to 6 weeks for full flavor.
Note: Give at least one inch of space at top of jar to allow for expansion from gassing from fermentation.
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Fermenting Foods
The following is a guest post from Scott Grzybek, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the Wise Traditions conference back in November. His post covers not only his own personal story and experience with fermentation, but also why you would want to ferment your own food, and the cheerleading to do it!
Hi! I’m Scott Grzybek, the founder of Zukay Live Foods, and I’m a fermentation freak. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly why fermentation got its hold into me so hard, but it’s been a wonderful trip so far, so I’d love to share a little bit of my story and why I find fermentation so fascinating, healthy, and, well, magical –
A little background – over the years, I became a hardcore natural food person, trying to make sure what my wife and I ate was as healthy as possible. Being raised in relatively poor and rural Pennsylvania, it didn’t exactly come naturally, but we did our best. However, through the utter confusion of what is pushed in the media, I stopped eating most meats, milk, and all kinds of other good stuff, and replaced it with soy, whole grains, etc – and paid for it with a expanding gut and a lack of energy I had never had before in my life. Thankfully, I was given a copy of Nourishing Traditions by a friend – still, probably the best gift I received in my life. And I was hooked.
As a former engineer, I wanted to figure out how to make everything – the harder it looked, the better. But fermentation looked like the most mysterious of all the different types of foods in the book. Why? One word – whey. It was like this one magical, mystical ingredient that performed miracles on already healthy foods, but you can’t buy it, and it looked kind of daunting (dangerous, even!) to make it yourself. But, as a man on a mission, I finally got the courage to make my own, and I started to ferment everything I could get my hands on – every vegetable in my garden, grains, potatoes, fish, even corned beef (that one didn’t work out well, at least as far as my wife was concerned). Each new fermentation made me feel like a ancient alchemist, turning lead into gold. Some were better than others (I’ve got a few of my winners below), but each one made me more and more addicted to the process. After awhile, I came up with the idea for Zukay and bringing the health benefits of fermented foods to everyone’s table – but that’s another story.
So, why do you want to do your own fermentation? Perhaps you’ve read about the health benefits, perhaps not, so if you have, bear with me – because I personally think that eating raw and fermented foods are one of the best things you can do for your health (outside of getting rid of all refined sugars/HFCS and refined flours, MSG, and Aspartame). You see, all health starts in the gut – and if your gut is bad, so goes the rest of your body. Consider the probiotics in all raw and fermented veggies as Green Berets in the fight against disease – the more you intake, the better your chance of living a strong and healthy life. These wonderful little guys do all kinds of cool stuff – they kill off and take the place of bad bacteria and yeast, they actually aid in the physical and chemical digestion of food, and they even help train your immune system to work better by training it to better know friend from foe. They’re who you want on your side. And they like being in you, too – if you treat yourself well, you’re a mighty fine home for them as well. It’s a win-win situation.
But that’s not all. This is where I think it gets really cool. You see, these lactobacilli, in fermenting the foods, actually create vitamins and antioxidants that weren’t there before. It’s magic. AND! They even make the vitamins and minerals easier for your body to absorb. It’s almost unfair, in a good way. And personally, they’re super tasty. It may take a little while for you to get there – you certainly need to get used to the tart taste of any fermented food – but once you do, the flavor becomes so welcome, and I think it even weans your taste away from sweet foods (but that’s just my experience).
And it’s the ultimate fast food! Once you learn how to do it, you can set up a quart jar of fermented goodies in considerably less than an hour. Once it’s in the jar, the probiotics do the rest – you just have to make sure they’re in a 65-75 F place away from direct sun, and come back to it at your leisure. Once it’s done to your liking, pop the jar in the frig and eat from it whenever you like. Don’t know what to cook for vegetables tonight? Don’t worry! It’s in a jar in the frig! And it’s crazy healthy!
I’ll be honest with you – my family has never had health problems, so I can’t tell you that fermented foods have “made” us healthy. It may have been part of my weight loss (about 25 lbs) after I got serious about the Nourishing Traditions way, but I chalk that more up to getting rid of grains and sugar than anything else. But I will say this – we eat fermented foods pretty much every night (and some mornings – raw sauerkraut goes SO well with egg yolk from a fried egg), and my wife and my 2 sons almost never get sick and we have no digestive issues. My oldest did get severe pneumonia and ear infections when he was very, very young, and was unfortunately doused with antibiotics for some time, but constant fermented foods and kefir kept him healthy throughout, and there were no long term (or really even short-term) effects from the medicines. He’s not missed a day of school in several years, even during this killer winter. And he loves sauerkraut (he calls it Wowerkraut!), daikon, green beans, carrots, and, of course, Zukay products.
If you’ve never done it before, here’s my suggestion: make some sauerkraut. It’s easy, and you don’t need any starter, as sauerkraut starts itself (assuming you’re using organic cabbage). I have a simple recipe below. When it’s done, use the juice as a starter for other ferments – and on, and on. If you need a starter, I use yo’Kefir culture (available in most natural food stores) – 1 packet in a quart of water gives you enough starter for 4 quart jars of whatever.
And have fun! Outside of rotting (which you’ll be able to tell real quickly), there’s no right or wrong. Experiment! Throw in all kinds of cool stuff! And enjoy the magic of fermentation!
Scott founded Zukay Live Foods in 2008 to bring the health benefits of raw and fermented foods back into the American diet through foods we already use. Zukay makes delicious and healthy salsas, relishes, and salad dressings, and will shortly be launching a line of tasty veggie drinks (kvass) very, very soon. If you have any questions about fermentation or Zukay products, he’d love to talk to you at scottg@zukaylive.com, and you can check out Zukay at www.zukay.com.
****Throughout the week, I’ll also be posting some easy fermentation recipes Scott sent me as well!
You’ll also be pleased to know that Scott has offered to giveaway one case of his fermented dressings to one of my lucky readers! Head on over to the giveaway post !
Zukay Giveaway!
*If you haven’t checked out the guest post from Scott of Zukay Foods, it’s a must read!
I had not only the pleasure of meeting Scott at Wise Tradition last November, but I was also able to taste test some of their fabulous, fermented foods.
(disclaimer – I was not provided with product or compensation for any part of my review. I just thought you’d all like to know it tastes good!)
Zukay offers lacto fermented salsas and salad dressings, and while you may think of “fermented” as something you’d rather stay away from, these taste great and are also healthy for you!
I got to taste test all of the flavors of dressing and have to say the carrot ginger dressing is my favorite!
My only regret is that I didn’t buy a couple more bottles to bring home as I don’t have any stores around here that offer it yet.
So……..
Zukay is offering to giveaway one case of their salad dressing (includes one of each bottle) to one of my lucky readers!! To enter you need to have a U.S. shipping address and leave a comment here on this post by Friday the 26th by Midnight.
For extra entries you may do the following:
- Sign up for the Zukay newsletter
- Become a fan on my facebook page
- Sign up for free e-mail updates OR for my RSS feed in your blog reader
- Share this post with social media via Facebook, Twitter, or StumbleUpon
(make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!)
Fertility Diet: part one (traditional diets and essential nutrients)
This series has been on my mind now for a very long time, but there is so much information out there that I’ve hesitated to post it since I don’t want to miss anything. But I’ll do my best to include as much as I can, just know that this is not an exhaustive list and I’ll add more as I come across it.
Traditional Diets
I love the work of Weston A Price for the fact that he researched (and photographed) traditional cultures.
tra·di·tion:
- the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice
- something that is handed down
- a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting
- a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices
As a dentist here in the United States, he became concerned with how much tooth decay was becoming present in our society. So he traveled the world looking for and researching why other cultures did not have the same problems. What he found was that not only did these people (who’s diets included no processed or refined foods) have no tooth decay or need for corrective braces, they were full of vitality and health. They did not have problems with fertility and pregnancy, cancer and heart disease were unknown, and as a whole they were happy and mentally healthy.
He found that the reasons behind this were because of what they ate and how they ate it.
He also found that eating for fertility was extremely important to them, no matter the country or tribe they came from. In some cultures it was customary for couples to refrain from getting married until after the women had been able to consume these nutrients for a certain number of months when these foods were in season. Many other cultures found it very important for women to eat certain foods before marriage and traveled far distances to provide it for them. And other cultures even held special ceremonies that included many of these foods.
*It intrigues me to no end that although these people had no real knowledge of why they needed certain nutrients (or even what those nutrients were!) they knew from generation to generation how to build healthy bodies and healthy babies.*
Nutrients For Fertility
Dairy and seafoods seemed to be prominent fertility foods for these indigenous people. And together they offer nutrients that without, a women can not conceive; vitamins A, D, E, and K2, iodine, and omega-3 fats. Unfortunately most of us eating a modern American diet are basically eating ourselves into infertility by not consuming the foods that nourish our bodies with these essential nutrients.
Vitamin A: fat soluble vitamin that promotes better cervical fluid and helps ensure follicles develop correctly
Vitamin D: fat soluble vitamin that supports the production of estrogen in both men and women¹ , is needed for insulin production, and is key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow.
Vitamin E: plays an important role in sperm production, may help normalize hormone production, and is needed for proper absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
Vitamin K2: (referred to as activator X by Weston Price) is important in helping the body utilized proteins by working in combination with Vitamins A&D.
Iodine: a mineral needed for thyroid function and the production of sex hormones² and the utilization of iodine requires vitamin A.
Omega-3 fats: helps regulate hormones, increases cervical fluid, promotes ovulation, and increases blood flow to the reproductive organs.³
To be continued……..
Join me for the rest of the series!
Part 2 – Super Foods for Fertility – where to find these essential nutrients
Part 3 – Other important nutrients
Part 4 – Foods to Avoid
Part 5 – How to Eat and What a Fertility Diet Looks Like
Some of my sources:
This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.Benefits of Coconut Oil
Last fall I started a new love affair.
With coconut oil.
Unfortunately, throughout the years it’s received a bad rap due to it’s high saturated fat content and has been labeled “unhealthy”.
But is it unhealthy?
Let me just say – heaven’s no! While it may be full of saturated fat, coconut oil is fantastic and has so many great uses. And while I am not making any health claims about it I do want to to tell you some of the benefits of using coconut oil.
First off – The Fat
Yes, coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat. But about 2/3 of them are Medium Chain Triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well into the body. These “medium” sized fats are important because our bodies actually metabolize fatty acids depending on their size. Medium chain fatty acids do not have a negative effect on cholesterol and can actually help protect against heart disease. This medium chain triglyceride, or lauric acid, is also used in the body to produce something called monolaurin which is an antiviral and antibacterial monoglyceride that helps protect us from things like colds and flu virus’s.
I also found an interesting quote from a Dr. Ray Peat Ph.D., (physiologist who has worked with progesterone and related hormones issues for over 30 some years) And while this quote doesn’t quite boast the benefits of coconut oil, it’s being said that changes have been made in our hormones due to the increase of polyunsaturated fats (corn oil, canola oil, soy and flax oil) we now consume.
Their [polyunsaturated oils] best understood effect is their interference with the function of the thyroid gland. Polyunsaturated oils block thyroid hormone secretion, its movement in the circulatory system, and the response of tissues to the hormone. When the thyroid hormone is deficient, the body is generally exposed to increased levels of oestrogen. The thyroid hormone is essential for making the ‘protective hormones’ progesterone and pregnenolone, so these hormones are lowered when anything interferes with the function of the thyroid. The thyroid hormone is required for using and eliminating cholesterol, so cholesterol is likely to be raised by anything that blocks the thyroid function (http://www.efn.org/~raypeat/efatox.rtf)
A Quick Side Note on Why We Need Saturated Fat in Our Diet
For many reasons actually.
First off, saturated fat constitutes about 50% of our cells. It helps to maintain good cellular structure by making sure the walls of our cells are not to thin.
It also helps our bodies absorb calcium which can play a vital role in the health and strength of our bones.
And “Saturated fatty acids are needed for the proper utilization of omega-3 essential fatty acids because omega-3’s are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats (particularly organic virgin coconut oil)” (source)
Secondly – Some Benefits
While I make no claims myself, here are a few ways coconut oil can be used as modern medicine via The Coconut Research Center
- Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, AIDS, and other illnesses.
- Kills fungi and yeasts that cause different things like candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
- Provides quick energy.
- Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
- Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose. (important when trying to balance insulin levels and hormones!)
- Promotes weight loss
- Contains important nutrients our bodies need
Thirdly – It Rocks
Above all else I have found coconut oil to be extremely tasty (depending on the brand some are more flavorful than others) and versatile. I use coconut oil in so many different ways; everything from baking to frying to face lotion.
It has a melting point of 76 degrees which means when it’s warm out, it’s a liquid. Here in chilly Michigan winter, it’s definitely solid! So to use for baking you may substitute both oils and butter/shortening with it! I also have found that because it is slightly sweet and has a great flavor, I can usually reduce the amount of sugar I add to anything I bake.
How I’ve used coconut oil
While this oil has so many more uses, here’s what we use it for:
- Chapstick – great for dry and chapped lips
- Face lotion – I always put on a light layer after showering
- On eczema – because of it’s anti-fungal properties
- On my pregnant belly – seemed to help the itching!
- As a diaper rash ointment – works better than anything I’ve tried
- Hair gel/conditioner – while not perfect for me, it’s worked wonderfully in a pinch
- I use it when making nourishing fudge and most of my baked goods
- I also put a tablespoon or two into smoothies
- I also make a great cold/flu fighting garlic herb butter with it
I would be very lost without this oil in my house now. It’s one of my most favorite things in my pantry!!
So do you use coconut oil? What’s your favorite use?
Other sources of information
- Health Benefits
- Alzheimers and coconut oil
- Effects of Dietary Coconut Oil on women with belly fat
- A huge list of coconut oil research
Sourdough: FAIL!
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Making your own sourdough starter can seem like a daunting task, but let me be the first one to tell you how very simple it really is!
So simple in fact that it took me 3 times to get it right! Because my first one went moldy when I forgot to feed it one day during the starting period. The second one died a slow and horrible death when I forgot to feed it for a few weeks. ahem.
Let me rephrase, it’s simple when you do it correctly.
What you’ll need
- 2 sterilized jars or bowls (not metal)
- A non metallic spoon
- A coffee filter or thin fabric
- whole wheat flour, spelt, rye
- water (if you have city water you must boil and let cool or aerate with a blender to rid it of chlorine)
Now the ratios of water to flour are 1:1 when starting a new sourdough starter. For this instructional I used 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup flour for each feeding, though personally I’d go 1/2 cup if I did it over again. Because 1 + 1 does not equal 2 in this senario, so when I did 1/4 cup each day I ended up with less than 2 cups of starter.
Day One
Place a 1:1 ratio of flour and water into a clean and sterilized jar and stir well.
(Let me take a brief moment and point out my old starter in the jar, top right. Umm, that’s what happens when you forget to feed your starter. It dries out and turns to concrete)
Cover with the filter or thin towel and set in an open area so it can start collecting the natural yeast.
Day Two
Transfer the starter to a clean jar/bowl and feed your new pet another 1:1 ratio of flour and water in the same amount you used for day one. So if you used 1/2 cup for each, you’ll use 1/2 cup again. Stir well, cover, and set back out.
Day Three Through Six
Again, each day you’ll feed your starter a 1:1 ratio of flour and water. It will start to get bubbly and you’ll also notice it separate a bit and get a watery layer. Don’t worry, this is totally normal.
And most directions I read say to put it in a clean jar each day.
I did not.
And yes, I can be that lazy.
So I just changed jars a couple times during the “starting” process.
Day Seven
Your starter should now have gone through the bubbly stage and smell somewhat ’sour’. Transfer to a clean jar and feed it one more time.
At this point it is ready to use! You can now do one of 2 things.
- Test out some new recipes! Just make sure you feed it again before you put it in the fridge to store.
- Pop it right in the fridge for use later
Care and Feeding of your Starter
Upkeep on a starter is very simple. If you do not use your starter for one week, transfer to a new jar, feed it a 1:1 ratio of flour and water, and set it back in the fridge.
or
After you use it for a recipe, feed it the same 1:1 ratio and let it sit out again for just a couple hours before storing in the fridge. (transfer to a clean jar about once a week)
If your starter starts getting a bit to thin, go ahead and pour out the watery layer that settles at the top!
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Remember to enter to win the soaked Cashew Berry Crunch “Soaked” Cereal from JoshEWEa’s!!
And don’t forget, tonight is the next Real Food twitter party! Come hang out with me and use the hashtag #realfood Psst – there are giveaways too!
If you’d like to link to the Real Food Round Up, please make sure you use a recent post (within the last couple weeks). And remember, this round up is all about community and promoting our message of Real Food. When you enter your link below you’re promising 2 things.
- Visit 2 of the links below and comment.
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The Living Kitchen
(L – R: kidney beans, grape kefir soda, water kefir, overflowing sourdough!, more sourdough)
(Not pictured: black beans, lentils, rice, lacto fermented soda)
*and don’t forget about the giveaway for the Cashew Berry Crunch “soaked” cereal this week!
This post is linked to :
- Real Food Wednesday
- Wordless Wednesday as well as
- Works for Me Wednesday – because keeping my ‘babies fermenting/culturing/growing/soaking in the oven with the light on for warmth, really works! All my cultures seem to go dormant the moment winter hits around here and leaving them out on the counter they just get to chilly. So right before I have a product that needs a bit more warmth, I turn on the oven for just a few seconds after it turns on and starts to get warm. Turn it off, place your ‘babies’ inside, close the door and turn on the light. Keeps all the cultures nice and warm so they feel free to multiply! (just make sure it isn’t to warm in there or you will kill the cultures instead!)
Soaked Spelt Flakes
After last weeks Real Food Twitter Party (and yes, I realize I never re-cap’d it – tweetchat and twitter now won’t let me go back that far and swipe the tweets I’d like to) I thought I’d try some spelt flakes out for breakfast instead of our traditional oatmeal. The reason being, that it’s currently being debated whether or not soaking just overnight releases the anti-nutrients in the oats. Some very knowledgeable folks are saying it takes much longer and since I’m not as knowledgeable, I think I’ll take their word for it until I’m able to really research it myself.
Anyways…..so I thought I’d try out spelt flakes.
Now to soak rolled grains like this, you just add 2 Tbsp of whey, yogurt, kefir, vinegar, etc. to one cup of warm water and add in one cup of rolled grains. One cup is quite plenty for myself and my 3 year old, and we usually have some leftover. Once mixed together, keep in a warm spot overnight or up to 24 hours.
(I’ve been keeping my soaked, fermented, and cultured products in my oven with the light on to keep them warm since it’s so cold right now here in Michigan. L to R soaked spelt flakes, sourdough starter, water kefir w/ grains, water kefir w/blueberries)
Once they’ve soaked at least overnight, they’re ready to use!
This next step is one of personal preference. I rinse it out in a colander before cooking. You don’t have to, and many people do not, but I find that I like the flavor much better if I can rinse out the acidic taste! 
Once I rinse them out, I place them in a saucepan with about 3/4 – 1 cup water.
I cooked these for about 3 minutes or so, until the water was gone. Though I am wondering if I should have cooked them at a lower temp longer to help with the chewiness. Hmmmm….thoughts anyone? Or maybe I’ll try again next week!
Our favorite toppings include raisins, chopped ‘crispy’ almonds, some butter, raw cream, and a bit of maple syrup.
Level of difficulty – Easy
Cost – $.52 plain (for 1 cup or 2 servings) $1.00 with toppings
Time – about 1 minute prep time the night before, 8-24 hours soaking time
Taste – Wheaty and a bit chewy, but tolerable. Much better w/ the toppings and a bit more syrup.
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