Healthy Libations

Reading List

2008-11-12T10:11:00.001-08:00

** Know Your Fats by Mary Enig
** Cure Tooth Decay Now by Ramiel Nagel
** Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price
** Tales from the Perilous Realm by JRR Tolkien
** The Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien
** Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rynd

Chicken Stock for the Soul

2008-11-12T04:37:00.000-08:00

Easy to digest and rich in colloidal vitamins, minerals and glutamate, good stock is said to raise the dead. Stock, coined as a health elixir can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt. Chicken stock, sometimes referred to as tea is believed to repair the mucus membranes of the small intestines, nerves, and digestion. The quality of stock is noted by its gelatinous consistency when cooled. The gelatin indicates that there is a significant proportion of protein, vitamins, and minerals to water. Cartilage from bones breaks down to gelatin.

More bones= more gelatin
boney parts = necks, backs, breastbone, wings

Uses

gravy base
flavoring for veggies
base for pilaf
base for soup

Making Stock

Choose the bird
Organic grass feed birds produce a stock with more gelatin. For simplicity, I'm using split broiler birds with back bone in.

2. Process the bird

Thoroughly wash the bird with cold water all over. Some use a brush with stiff brisles to clean the cavity. (Rinse with hot water after use and run through dishwasher)

Separate the bird at the joints. Crack some of the bones for maximun nutrient transfer.

3. Add to pot

Fill the pot 3/4 with (filtered) water. The bird should contribute to half the fullness of the pot. Bring the water to a boil to allow the "scum" to rise. Use a slotted spoon or whisk covered in cheese cloth to remove the scum that rises.

Notes: Some sources refer to scum as albumin. Some leave it in and believe it is of nutritional value others remove it due to cloudiness that it gives to the stock. It causes foam.

4. Add Mirepoix (Veggies)

Reduce heat to a simmer. Add additional veggies to increase nutrient content and flavor

Usual are carrots, celery, onion, leeks

*Will try to add kale, dandelion greens

5. Add Hard Herbs

Garlic, Pepper corns can be added now.

6. Add soft herbs

Soft herbs should be added at the end

7. Cool & Strain (Alton's method I'm Just here for the food p.203)
(I usually just use an ice bath)

Cook until the bones can be easily cracked. Cook the stock right away by placing it on a trivet in the sink and allowing cool water to run around the base and sides.

Strain into a glass (or other non reactive material) container. Alton Brown uses a cool method in his book I'm Just Here for the Food.

Caution: The growth of bacteria is held back at around 4 degrees C (40 degrees F)

8. De fat

Remove fat when the stock cools with a spoon. (I save mine for high temperature cooking.)

9. Store

Store for 7-10 days at 40 degrees in the fridge or Freeze into cubes or plastic containers.

Safe plastic containers(not known to leach harmful materials):

Polypropylene, designated "#5 PP"
High-density polyethylene, designated "#2HDPE"
Low-density polyethylene, designated "#4 LDPE"

Additional Resources:
Sally Fallon's Broth is Beautiful article

Natural Dental Care

2008-11-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

It was not until I had became extremely mercury poisoned from a mouth ful of amalgam fillings that I realized that teeth are organs. I found Tooth Truth and Whole Body Dentistry; they were the beginning for me to an unorthodox view of dentistry. It was another problem whose root cause pointed to nutrition. It made sense now, I cleaned my teeth religiously even using the blue pills to reveal left on plaque only to find at dental visits that I had caries. I also remember an insatiable appetite for pasta at that time in my life. I despise the invasiveness of the procedures that I went through. The latex tastes from the gloves will forever be associated in my mind with dentists. To make a long story short, I want to save my son from this.

I've read that:
** certain bacteria and sugar can eat away enamel on the outside when brushing is not sufficient.
** certain foods can leech minerals that are necessary to nourish teeth
** tooth decay can be prevented and even healed by following the right protocol

It goes back to the teachings of Dr. Weston Price who traveled the world studying the dental profiles of indigenious peoples. He found their overall health and dental profiles to be significantly impressive compared to those of "civilized" people he had seen in his office.

I've read that caries can occur from calcium, phosphate, vitamin, and mineral deficient blood which caries nutrients through out the body including teeth. Cod liver oil, high vitamin butter have been said to aid in remineralization or regrowing teeth. We don't use toothpaste that contains flouride and glycerine as the coat teeth. The Tooth Truth also talks about procedures in normal dental cleaning visit that coats teeth with latex. Will definitely pass on these.

There is a book available: Cure Tooth Decay that was written by Ramiel Nagel after his own young daughter developed caries. His book was inspired by the findings of Dr. Price. http://www.curetoothdecay.com/

He also gives preview information here about early childhood caries
http://www.yourreturn.org/Articles/Early_ChildHood_Caries_Cured.htm

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price DDS is also a good source of information.

Meal Plan Oct 27- Nov 2

2008-10-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

Meal Planning
October 27- Nov 2

beverages: kombucha, coconut kefir, milk, water
snacks: fruit, jerky, sunflower seeds, celery and white bean dip
dessert: apple cobbler

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks	To do:
Monday	sausage smoothie	roasted chicken cabbage peas	hamburger soup potato cake spinach	jerky white bean dip w/celery	marinate beef in butter milk soak quinoa
Tuesday	bacon smoothie	hamburger soup potato cake spinach	pot roast quinoa green beans	jerky celery with white bean dip	marinate chicken soak beans
Wednesday	eggs smoothie	beef stew brussell sprouts	coriander noodles w/zucchini and carrots p. 191 Best of Gourmet spicken chicken peas	turkey jerky pineapple	cook beans
Thursday	sausage smoothie	coriander noodles w/zucchini and carrots spicken chicken peas	spicy beans and sausage sauerkraut rice	turkey jerkey sunflower seeds	marinate chicken soak grains for bread
Friday	bacon smoothie	spicy beans and sausage sauerkraut	Arroz con pollo	pineapples apple	soak beans make bread in dehydrator
Saturday	polenta sausage, bacon eggs	Sandwiches	Crockpot chili	turkey jerky chips & dip	soak rice
Sunday	polenta sausage, bacon eggs	sandwiches chili	neck bones rice greens	celery w/bean dip apples	plan next weeks meals

LIfe without bread

2008-10-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

I'm reading Life Without Bread. It is very good. I can relate to the increase in body fat from eating carbs. It goes into detail about metabolism and the theory behind their diet. It is a complement to Nourishing Traditions which discusses phylates and antinutrients in grains, good quality fats, enzymes, and all else nutrition. The habits that I have formed since finding Nourishing Traditions have been empowering.

Sugar usage is not advocated yet nearly all commercial products are laced with it in some form. Carbohydrates basically metabolize to sugar. In excess, it heavily populates the blood and gets circulated to cause problems all over. Grain usage has become heavily relied on in our society where eating for calories somehow makes sense. The inertia of these deep rooted beliefs in the face of increasing diabetes, heart disease and cancer are quite discouraging. Even problems like lethargy, low sex driveI enjoy books like these that provide a perspective based of research that confirm that we do have some control over what happens to our bodies.

Meal Planning Monday

2008-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

October 20-26

beverages: kombucha, milk, water
snacks: fruit, jerky
dessert: brownies

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks	To do:
Monday	sausage smoothie	BBQ chicken corn spinach	Turkey burgers oven fries	pickles sunflower seeds	marinate turkey
Tuesday	bacon smoothie	Tomato soup egg peas	Beef stew w/gravy rice brocolli	apples sweet potato	make jerky
Wednesday	eggs smoothie	brunswick stew broccoli	Curry patties w/gravy mashed potato squash	turkey jerky pineapple	soak quinoa soak beans
Thursday	sausage smoothie	beef stew mashed potato brussell sprouts	turkey chops asparagus quinoa pilaf	turkey jerkey sunflower seeds	marinate chicken
Friday	bacon smoothie	garlic wings salad	Jerk chicken rice & beans squash	pineapples sweet potato
Saturday	polenta sausage, bacon eggs	Eat out	Eat out	turkey jerky coconut macaroons
Sunday	polenta sausage, bacon eggs	meat and veggie omelet	Tomato bisque roasted chicken cabbage cacao brownies	celery w/bean dip apples	plan next weeks meals :)

Kombucha

2008-10-18T02:51:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying kombucha for over three years now. GT's Kombucha and Synergy is really good stuff but at $3 a pop it is time to find a solution to make this work. I've had a scoby for about six months; it's time to get it working :)

What is kombucha?

Kombucha is a tea fungus or culture that is also called a mother, mushroom, plant, scoby (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts). History of the tea can be traced from many places including China and Russian.

The culture is a symbiotic combination of vinegar-producing bacteria (Acetobacter sp.) with at least two yeasts. It tastes sour like cider. It is rich in B vitamins, lactic acid and glucuronic acid. B vitamins are invaluable to cell metabolism. Lactic acid helps to increase oxygen in blood. Glucuronic acid binds to environmental and metabolic toxins and aids detoxification through the kidneys. Glucuronic acid is also a building block of a group of important polysaccharides that are components of connective tissue, cartilage, and stomach lining.

Safety:

Cleanliness is very important. It is also important to use the right materials to ensure that your culture turns out as expected.

Ingredients:

* Organic black tea should be used as it will have less flouride

* Food grade glass containers for brewing the culture (cleaned with hot soapy water)

* PH Hydracid papers 1-6 (pH should be between 2.5-4.5, less than 2.5 is too acidic for human

consumption)

* Starter tea that is acidic enough to initially protect the culture

* Clean towels, warm environment (70-85 degrees F, 21 -29 degrees C)

Process:

1) bring water to a boil, remove from heat, and add tea bags.

2) Allow tea to cool and strain into the food grade container

3) Pour mushroom and starter culture into tea

4) Cover with a towel and secure with masking tape or a rubber band to keep out contaminants

5) A skin will form on the surface of the culture after about a week

6) Culture until it reaches the desired acidity between pH 2.5-4.5

Another culture will group on the mother culture. The mother should be discarded after it becomes black.

Problems:

If the culture develops mold it should be discarded.

Additional information about kombucha:

http://www.kombu.de/

www.instructables.com/id/Making-Kombucha

http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/kvass.html

http://www.kombucha2000.com/

Ferments

2008-10-17T03:18:00.000-07:00

Kombucha