The Feeding Grounds

Food for Thought

I’m often asked my opinion on food and diet since it is my passion and something I like to follow closely. Like most things, trends shift quickly with what is truly considered healthy and this can make things rather confusing. As an example, this morning on NPR, it was being reported that organic foods can also be sprayed with pesticides and that the truth is organic labeling is not as straightforward as we all want and hope for. So what is the correct answer?

In my opinion, there honestly is not a perfect answer. What I like to follow and think everyone should know about the paleo diet is the standard message that you should buy and consume the best foods that are available, period. Personally I purchase the best that I can afford. I do not buy foods that are sold in a box and I buy organic and local. I have also been trying to cook as simple as possible, meaning very few ingredients and I find food to taste even better this way as it should. My new favorite summer salad is simple; smash a whole avocado in a bowl, add a handful of berries (blueberries work great), a few tablespoons of olive oil and a large amount of spinach and toss. It couldn’t be simpler and faster, especially when it’s so warm out.

So let’s break this down on how we each make the right decisions for our diets.

Do some research on a local CSA. I was hesitant to join one at first because they could be expensive, you get a lot of produce and if you live alone it’s hard to commit as I didn’t want the food to go to waste. I did a little research this summer and found a local grocery store in my area that is pretty convenient and cheap. For $18 each week, I pick up 4 different servings of local and organic vegetables and 2 different servings of fruit and each week it’s completely different. Not only am I getting the best produce I can for myself but I’m also able to get really creative and try some things I’ve never had before. http://www.greengrocerchicago.com/.
Support your local farmers and go to a farmers market in your neighborhood for your food. There are so many in Chicago and honestly you are getting produce that was picked out of the ground that week and taking out the cost of the middle man. I’m a big fan of the Logan square market for all of you guys on the West side and the Green City Market where Lincoln Park and Old Town meet. You get a great selection of local proteins, dairy and produce. http://explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/events/mose/chicago_farmers_markets4.html

Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s healthy. I love going to whole foods and judging the food people purchase, yep I’m one of those people. I love seeing people’s carts filled with frozen organic pizza, organic burritos, organic cookies; I think you get the point. Crap is crap organic or not.

Grass fed vs. Grass finished vs. Pasture Raised vs. Naturally Raised vs. Say What? What is the difference between all of this and what is the benefit of grass fed animal products? The easiest answer is that meat, eggs, and dairy products from pastured animals compared with commercial products offer you more "good" fats, and fewer "bad" fats. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, they do not contain added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs. Did you all know you can buy pasture raised dairy meaning cows that only feed off of grasses that are pesticide free? Yes, that means butter, cheeses, sour creams, cottage cheeses, milk, cream, etc. Personally I’m a fan of Kalona Super Natural products as they are produced in Kalona, Iowa from a small production family owned farm. http://www.kalonasupernatural.com/, check them out, their chocolate milk is amazing, in limitation of course…..

Everything within limitation. I really live by these words especially being so into food and just wanting to try everything that I see. You know what, if you want a Reese’s PB cup, then eat one, but don’t obsess about it for days and then consume six in one day as in the long run you are wreaking havoc on your body more then allowing yourself that one treat. As well, don’t use this as an excuse to eat Reese’s PB cups every day. Have one and move on.

If you follow these tips, then you cannot really go wrong in your diet. Eat what you want but buy smart.

I hope this helps everyone and if you ever have any questions, just let me know.

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Nourishing our Children

"NOURISHING OUR CHILDREN" is a non-profit campaign of the Weston A. Price Foundation established to address the dramatic deterioration in the health of our children. This decline is evidenced by the rise in child obesity, dental deformities such as crooked teeth, learning disabilities, behavior problems and chronic diseases such as asthma, allergies and diabetes. Years of research initiated by nutrition pioneer Dr. Price have linked these and other conditions to dietary deficiencies, among other causes. The campaign is dedicated to educating parents on the serious nutritional risks of today's standard American diet, and to restoring to that diet the nutrient-dense foods that are crucial to the health of our children.

I’ve found this website/organization to provide the most information, resources and references. I’ve collected information I thought might be useful to parents who have questions about helping developing healthy eating habits for their children. There is a substantial amount of info on the following sites:

http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health.html

www.nourishingourchildren.com

Everything posted here can be found on these sites. I’ve done my best to put together a collection of the information.

Nourishing Traditions, written by Sallon Fallon, is an informative collection of the ideas presented here as well as a full recipe book. I have 2 copies of this book available for checkout at the box!

*** The Weston A Price foundation is a huge supporter of Raw Milk, as you will see below. There is a lot of misinformation out there about the safety/benefits of raw milk. I'm working on a future post that will hopefully answer a lot of these questions. If anyone is interested in learning more about raw milk, visit www.realmilk.com. Here in Chicago, you need to find a local farmer if you wish to purchase raw milk. Feel free to stop by the box and I'd love to give you more information if you are interested. ***

Weston A Price Collected Information:

Babies should be chubby and children should be sturdy and strong, not slim. Babies need body fat to achieve optimum growth. The fat around their ankles, knees, elbows and wrists is growth fat that ensures adequate nourishment to the growth plates at the ends of the bones. Fat babies grow up into sturdy, well-formed adults, neither too tall nor too short and either slender or stocky depending on genetic heritage.

Breast-feeding should ideally be continued for six months to a year. If mother's milk is not adequate or of good quality, or if the mother is unable to breast feed for whatever reason, a homemade baby formula, rather than a commercial formula, can be used. Commercial infant formulas are highly fabricated concoctions composed of milk or soy powders produced by high-temperature processes that over denature proteins and add many carcinogens. Milk-based formulas often cause allergies while soy-based formulas contain mineral-blocking phytic acid, growth inhibitors and plant forms of estrogen compounds that can have adverse effects on the hormonal development in the infant. Soy-based formulas are also devoid of cholesterol, needed for the development of the brain and nervous system.

Baby's earliest solid foods should be animal foods as his digestive system, although immature, is better equipped to supply enzymes for digestion of fats and proteins rather than carbohydrates.

At 4 Months

Around four months is a good time to start offering cod liver oil, which is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (also important for brain development) as well as vitamins A and D. Start with a 1/4 teaspoon of high-vitamin cod liver oil or 1/2 teaspoon regular dose cod liver oil, doubling the amount at 8 months. Use an eye dropper at first; later baby can take cod liver oil mixed with a little water or fresh orange juice.

A wise supplement for all babies—whether breast fed or bottle fed—is an egg yolk per day, beginning at four months. Egg yolk supplies cholesterol needed for mental development as well as important sulphur-containing amino acids. Egg yolks from pasture-fed hens or hens raised on flax meal, fish meal or insects are also rich in the omega-3 long-chain fatty acids found in mother's milk but which may be lacking in cow's milk. These fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain. Parents who institute the practice of feeding egg yolk to baby will be rewarded with children who speak and take directions at an early age.

Recommended Cod Liver Oil

At Six Months

Puréed meats can be given at six months (or even earlier if baby is very mature). Meats will help ensure adequate intake of iron, zinc, and protein with the decrease in breast milk and formula.

A variety of fruits can be introduced at this time. Avocado, melon, mangoes and papaya can be mashed and given raw. High-pectin fruits such as peaches, apricots, apples, pears, cherries and berries should be cooked to break down the pectin, which can be very irritating to the digestive tract.

As time goes by, move up in complexity with food and texture. At about six to eight months, vegetables may be introduced, one at a time so that any adverse reactions may be observed. Carrots, sweet potatoes and beets are excellent first choices. All vegetables should be cooked (steamed preferably), mashed and mixed with a liberal amount of fat, such as butter or coconut oil, to provide nutrients to aid in digestion.

Early introduction to different tastes is always a good plan to prevent finickiness. Feed your little one a touch of buttermilk, yogurt or kefir from time to time to familiarize them with the sour taste. Lacto-fermented roots, like sweet potato or taro, are another excellent food for babies to add at this time.

At Eight Months

Baby can now consume a variety of foods including creamed vegetable soups, homemade stews and dairy foods such as cottage cheese, mild harder raw cheese, cream and custards. Hold off on grains until one year, with the possible exception of soaked and thoroughly cooked brown rice, which can be served earlier to babies who are very mature.

6-8 months

Organic liver--grated frozen and added to egg yolk

Pureed meats--lamb, turkey, beef, chicken, liver and fish

Soup broth--(chicken, beef, lamb, fish) added to pureed meats and vegetables, or offered as a drink

Fermented foods--small amounts of yoghurt, kefir, sweet potato, taro, if desired

Raw mashed fruits--banana, melon, mangoes, papaya, avocado

Cooked, pureed fruits--organic apricot, peaches, pears, apples, cherries, berries

Cooked vegetables--zucchini, squash, sweet potato, carrots, beets, with butter or coconut oil

8-12 months

Continue to add variety and increase thickness and lumpiness of the foods already given from 4-8 months

Creamed vegetable soups

Homemade stews--all ingredinets cut small or mashed

Dairy--cottage cheese, mild harder raw cheese, cream, custards

Finger foods--when baby can grab and adequately chew, such as lightly steamed veggie sticks, mild cheese, avocado chunks, pieces of banana

Cod liver oil--increase to 1/2 teaspoon high vitamin or 1 teaspooon regular dose

Over 1 Year

Grains and legumes--properly soaked and cooked

Crispy nut butters--see recipes in Nourishing Traditions

Leafy green vegetables--cooked, with butter

Raw salad vegetables--cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.

Citrus fruit--fresh, organic

Whole egg--cooked

Prior to one year of age, egg yolks, dairy products (such as butter, yogurt and kefir), and liver should serve as the primary fatty animal foods. While these foods should still be heavily emphasized after one year, other meats, including chicken, turkey, lamb, beef and seafood, can begin to play a bigger role in the diet. Animal foods should be from the cleanest, most reliable sources. Raw milk is now a primary beverage. Also, continue to incorporate chicken and beef bone broths as much as possible in stews, soups and grain dishes.

As with infancy, fats remain the number one nutrient when it comes to a toddler's diet. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that mother's milk contains over 50 percent of calories as fat, much of it saturated fat.Fats and cholesterol provide critical nourishment for growth and brain development

In her book “Know Your Fats”, Enig suggests that natural dietary fats should provide approximately 50-55 percent of calories in a child's diet from birth to two years. High levels of fat are good and healthy for all ages of life, but they are especially important for toddlers whose brains and bodies are being formed.

FIRST STEPS TO HEALTHIER CHILDREN

Replace sugar with natural sweeteners like honey and rapadura.
Replace fruit juices with whole, raw milk.
Replace breakfast cereals with non-nitrate bacon, eggs from hens on pasture, whole milk yogurt, homemade kefir, soaked oatmeal or soaked, wholegrain pancakes.
Replace pasteurized dairy products with raw and cultured dairy.
Eliminate all processed soy foods from your household (this includes soy milk, “protein bars” with soy, baked tofu products and all “soy fast food”).
Replace polyunsaturated vegetable oils and trans fats with traditional fats such as butter, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, lard, and tallow.
Replace processed, convenience foods (boxed, packaged, prepared and canned food items) with fresh, organic, whole foods
Provide a daily dose of high vitamin cod liver oil (with no synthetic vitamins added)

Foods to avoid

Up to 6 months: Certain foods, such as spinach, celery, lettuce, radishes, beets, turnips and collard greens, may contain excessive nitrate, which can be converted into nitrite (an undesirable substance) in the stomach. Leafy green vegetables are best avoided until 1 year. When cooking vegetables that may contain these substances, do not use the water they were cooked in to purée.

Up to 9 months: Citrus and tomato, which are common allergens.

Up to 1 year: Because infants do not produce strong enough stomach acid to deactivate potential spores, infants should refrain from eating honey.¹ Use blackstrap molasses, which is high in iron and calcium. Egg whites should also be avoided up to one year due to their high allergenic potential.

ALWAYS AVOID: Commercial dairy products (especially ultra-pasteurized), modern soy foods, margarines and shortening, fruit juices, reduced-fat or low-fat foods, extruded grains and all processed foods.

An unfortunate practice in industrial societies is the feeding of cereal grains to infants. Babies produce only small amounts of amylase, needed for the digestion of grains, and are not fully equipped to handle cereals, especially wheat, before the age of one year.

It is unwise to give baby fruit juices, especially apple juice, which provide only simple carbohydrates and will often spoil an infant's appetite for more nutritious foods. Sorbitol, a sugar-alcohol in apple juice, is difficult to digest. Studies have linked failure to thrive in children with diets high in apple juice. High -fructose foods are especially dangerous for growing children.

Prime Example of implementing a paleo lifestyle with your family:

http://www.growinguppaleo.com/

Additional Reading/References:

http://whole9life.com/2010/12/kiddo-manifesto/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-feeding-primal-babies/

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/our-children-well-fed-but-malnourished

http://huntgatherlove.com/content/picky-cycle

http://robbwolf.com/2010/04/16/kids-paleo-and-nutrient-density/

https://www.greenpasture.org/retail/?t=products&a=line&i=royal

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Cooking With Oils

We already know that fat is our friend, especially the once demonized saturated fat. Fat is vital to health and should be a staple in the foods we consume every day. One way to ensure we are consuming adequate amounts of fats is the use of oils while preparing or cooking our foods. Here is a short breakdown of fats and oils when it comes to COOKING at high temperatures: the good, the not so good, and the terrible.

The Favorable- Saturated Fats (SFA)

Coconut oil, Palm Oil, Lard, Raw pastured butter, Grass-fed animal fats.

Why?

Saturated Fats are comprised of medium chained triglycerides. They are have a favorable omega 3/6 ratio and won’t contribute to inflammation. SFA’s are solid at room temperature and maintain their chemical structure when heated at high temperatures.

The Not So Good- Monounsaturated (MUFA)

Olive oil, Sesame oil, Nut and Seed oils (Avocado, Grapeseed, Macadamia)

Why?

The most well known monounsaturated fat is olive oil. Olive oil does have health benefits and can be consumed as a salad dressing. However, Due to its chemical structure and abundance of oleic acid, cooking makes olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage. Oxidized or rancid oils in the body enter and cannot be biochemically understood as food. They enter and are more like a PLASTIC in the body, or a toxin. Our body does not metabolize toxins but rather STORES them - in our fat cells. This leads to inflammation. Inflammation is a key player in many chronic diseases, weight gain, weight loss resistance, general feeling of fatigue, pain and lethargy, joint pain, etc.(1)

Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point of about 280 degrees (F) so it may be safe if used at a low temperature for a short duration of time. (2) Anything above 280 degrees will cause the oil to oxidize. As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerates decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly. (3)

* A note on the smoke point of olive oil: There is much discrepancy regarding the information about the smoke point of olive oil. A quick google search will tell you that the smoke point for olive oil (extra virgin and otherwise) is above 400 degrees. However, very recent research is contradicting this information. I’ve provided 2 references from sources whom I believe can be trusted when it comes to health.

The Unfavorable- Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFA)

Corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, *grapeseed oil, margarine (Vegetable Oils)

Why?

These oils are highly processed in the first place and heat further damages them. One problem with canola oil is that it has to be partially hydrogenated or refined before it is used commercially and consequently is a source of trans fatty acids; sometimes are very high levels.(4) The steps in commercial processing from the seed to the oil include crushing, extracting (by mechanical means or by use of solvents), degumming, neutralization, de-waxing, bleaching, filtration, and deodorization. Oils are frequently referred to as RBD, which stands for "refined, bleached and deodorized."

Trans fats, the most harmful type of fat that one can consume, are abundant in hardened vegetable oils such as margarine and shortening. It is absolutely essential to your health for you to remove these fats from your diet.

*A note of grapeseed oil: I’m still unsure of the safety of cooking with grapeseed oil. If you can find a “cold-pressed” grapeseed oil that will be your best bet. “Cold pressed” indicates that the seed will not go through the commercial processing described above. However, it does mean that the price of the oil will go up substantially.

Here’s an interesting abstract from 1998...yes more than 10 years ago. It seems that science gets it right, but somehow this information doesn’t seem to reach the public as quickly as it needs to.

J Indian Med Assoc. 1998 Oct;96(10):304-7.

Choice of cooking oils--myths and realities.

Sircar S, Kansra U.

Department of Medicine, Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi.

Abstract

In contrast to earlier epidemiological studies showing a low prevalence of atherosclerotic heart disease (AHD) and type-2 dependent diabetes mellitus (Type-2 DM) in the Indian subcontinent, over the recent years, there has been an alarming increase in the prevalence of these diseases in Indians--both abroad and at home, attributable to increased dietary fat intake. Replacing the traditional cooking fats condemned to be atherogenic, with refined vegetable oils promoted as "heart-friendly" because of their polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, unfortunately, has not been able to curtail this trend. Current data on dietary fats indicate that it is not just the presence of PUFA but the type of PUFA that is important--a high PUFA n-6 content and high n-6/n-3 ratio in dietary fats being atherogenic and diabetogenic. The newer "heart-friendly" oils like sunflower or safflower oils possess this undesirable PUFA content and there are numerous research data now available to indicate that the sole use or excess intake of these newer vegetable oils are actually detrimental to health and switching to a combination of different types of fats including the traditional cooking fats like ghee, coconut oil and mustard oil would actually reduce the risk of dyslipidaemias, AHD and Type-2 DM.

Here is a handy chart to follow. I found this image at www.balancedbites.com Diana has a TON of great info. Check out her ebook as well http://www.practicalpaleoguide.com/

Type of Fat/ Oil	Recommended Brands	When & Where to use
Coconut Oil	Organic preferred http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/virgin_coconut_oil.htm	Sauteing, frying, baking. Suitable for any cooking at high temperatures
Grass-fed (pastured) butter Ghee (clarified butter)	Kerry Gold- available at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods http://www.kerrygold.com/usa/product_butter.php http://www.pureindianfoods.com/	Frying, baking, melted on veggies, sweet potatoes.
Bacon fat	Nitrate free bacon (Trader Joe’s and Whole foods)	Cook up some bacon, but save the fat just like grandma used to do.Use in place of butter or coconut oil. Use to cook eggs or even brussels sprouts!
Red Palm Oil	http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/red_palm_oil.htm	Use just as you would coconut oil, but for those who don’t want the coconut taste!
Olive Oil	Organic “cold pressed”	use as a salad dressing and flavoring to any food after it has been cooked. Caution using when cooking at moderate to high temperatures.
Grape-seed oil	Organic “cold pressed”	Use in moderation when baking or roasting. Grape-seed oil takes on the flavor of butter when heated.