Au Naturale- Nutrition Edition! (Grains and FCLO)

If you missed Sunday's introduction, click HERE!Wednesday's post about salt and yogurt, click HERE!

Monday's post about sugar and dairy, click HERE!
Tuesdays' post about eggs and butter, click HERE!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a nutritionist, doctor or even a scientist.  My only expertise is that I love food and am highly motivated to do what is best for my family!  It can be difficult to read various studies all of whom demonize the other side and claim to be right.   I am trying to find the truth about nutrition, and am using this series to document and share what I've learned and concluded

SOAKED GRAINS

I've been making my own bread regularly for at least a year now and have learned how to manage it well.  I always make two loaves at a time.  I slice them both- keep what we need out and freeze the rest.  When I get down to one loaf in the freezer, I make another batch.  I aim to make bread on Tuesdays because this is laundry day- a day I simply must be home all day to keep that laundry moving.  The bread doesn't take much hands on time, but it does require me to be home to  punch it down and let it rise some more.  I wrote about more bread tips HERE.

My new favorite recipe for whole wheat bread came in last month's Cooking Illustrated.  It involves soaking your grains over night and creating a biga.  The article explained that soaking your grains allows you to use MUCH more whole wheat in your recipe.  This bread rises beautifully (see picture) and yet is 60% whole wheat!  The article explains how in the initial recipe, 40% was the maximum whole wheat that could be used.  After soaking the grains, they were able to increase the ratio to 60%!  That's a fifty percent increase!

So imagine my surprise as I begin researching traditional foods and discover that traditional cooks believe ALL grains should be soaked!  I even downloaded an ebook on it!  Here's why:

• Grains are seeds
• Grains are intended to pass through your body undigested so as to be planted elsewhere.  They contain anti-nutrients to prevent digestion.  
• Soaking your grains begins the sprouting process and allows your body to digest these seeds and absorb the nutrients they offer.

This information came from Kitchen Stewardship.  For this and more go HERE!  Katie is a Catholic blogger passionate about nutrition and traditional foods. I find her blog very helpful! 

Got gluten?  Seeing "gluten-free" products isn't surprising anymore.  Everyone knows someone who's gluten-free.  (There are many gluten-free blog readers in this circle!)  Nourishing Traditions explains that expecting your digestive system to process whole grains over a long period of time causes enormous strain on it, and "when this mechanism breaks down with age or overuse, the results take the form of allergies, celiac disease, mental illness, chronic indigestion and candida albicans overgrowth" (Nourishing Traditions, pg. 453)

Soaked grains are nothing new.  In fact, it seems to be an art that is lost.  Grains have been soaked in cultures around the world: Africa, India, Latin America, Europe and America (the pioneer days).  

Remember the WHEY I collected when making yogurt?  This provides a slightly acidic environment which breaks apart the phytic acid in seeds and frees all the nutrients.  

I used to be addicted to Quak.er Oats Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal.  I snubbed any other type of oatmeal and would buy at least ten boxes when it went on sale.  This changed when I cut sugar.  

Now I take a half cup of steel-cut oats, a half cup of warm water, and a tablespoon of WHEY, stir it up, and let it sit overnight!  In the morning I pour a half cup of water and some unrefined sea salt into a pot, add my oat mixture, and let it simmer for five minutes.  Then I add some milk and maple syrup and voilà!  REAL oatmeal!!!

In conclusion, there appears to be some healthy debate on whether soaking is truly necessary for everything, but I love it for my bread and oats at the very least.  It allows me to eat so much more whole grain AND makes my oatmeal cooking time super fast in the morning!  

FCLO/BO

Say what???   Brace yourself: fermented cod liver oil and butter oil.  Yep.  I started taking this during Lent periodically, and have been consistent for the last few weeks.  Originally was taking 1/2 tsp in the mornings, but now I take 1 tsp twice a day.  I have to have a "chaser".  I won't "let" myself drink my coffee in the morning and chai tea in the evening until I've had my vitamins!  Bribery works!  So WHY am I subjecting myself to this?

Fermented cod liver oil is extremely high in vitamins A and D, and rich in Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA).  It helps the immune system, contributes to good bone health and helps protect against cancer.  Fermented high vitamin CLO is twice as effective as regular CLO.  Furthermore- the brand you select is extremely important.  Most manufactures of CLO strip it of all vitamins while cleaning, then add artificial vitamins.  The ratio of Vitamin A to D can vary greatly in these instances. 

I take Green Pastures high vitamin fermented CLO and Butter Oil blend that is naturally produced without any synthetic vitamins. 

High vitamin butter oil comes from pasture raised cows and provides vitamins A, D, E and K as well as co-enzymes.  It is made by centrifuging butter at a low temperature which concentrates the nutrients. 

When CLO and butter oil are taken together, they work synergistically.  Butter oil is high in Omega 6, while CLO is high in Omega 3.  Butter oil provides saturated fats which help fully utelize the unsaturated fats of CLO. 

This is my current grand experiment.  I just ordered three more bottles of this blend, and am going to see how my body responds.  I read this AMAZING post about a cavity healing simply by taking this blend.  I currently have a cavity that needs to be filled.  

Sound  FISHY?  :)  It does to me,too, but if this works for me, I'll be a believer for life!  (I'll keep you updated!)

ONE MORE DAY!  Come back tomorrow for thoughts on random odds and ends and HOMEMADE BABY FORMULA!