Ancient Wheat: Einkorn (7500 BC) – oh but you can get it today

What is Einkorn wheat?  You can think of Einkorn wheat as going back to the beginning before the hybridization of modern wheat.  Einkorn wheat is a purer form of modern wheat.  The first domestication of this wheat is was discovered to be at 7500 BC. (more on history here)

My first thought was –is it gluten free?  While Einkorn wheat contains does contain gluten, however, the form of the gluten has a different structure and its lower in gluten.  Here is a piece quoted from the company’s webpage:

“Einkorn is differs from modern wheat in 3 important ways, all of which may contribute to gluten intolerance (more on it differs from modern wheat here):

  • Most modern wheat is a hybrid of many different grains and grasses.
  • Einkorn has a 14 chromosomes , whereas modern wheat has a 42 chromosomes which changes the gluten structure
  • Einkorn is considered more nutritious than modern wheat, based on the higher level of protein, essential fatty acids, phosphorous, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.”1

Where do I get Einkorn wheat?  You can buy it here in the berry form and its recommended to grind your own flour.  They also give a description of two types of flour grinders.

1.  Is Einkorn flour gluten free? http://www.einkorn.com/is-einkorn-flour-gluten-free/

Where to buy raw milk, meat, and other pastured foods?

A little about food co-ops:  I am all about food co-ops!!  My parents had one out of our house growing up and all I thought of then was every two weeks all these kids came over and played in our backyard with us–so fun!  Unfortunately, the two companies are no longer doing food co-ops so where do I go?

For example, check out the Real Food Club.  The offer pastured foods from a Amish farm in Pennsylvania.  They follow the grass-based farming principles as outlined in the Weston A. Price Foundation.  If you get a group of friends together one person can place an order to save on shipping.  Ta Da!  You started your own food co-op.  Check this post out to find out all about pastured foods and eggs.  Also, go in together and split an order of half a cow (see below for links).

Places that sell grassfed pastured meat, eggs, and dairy products:

Stores:

  • Jimbos
  • Whole Foods
  • Trader Joe’s
  • Sprouts

Local:

Online:

Informational: GAPS Diet

GAPS: Gut and Psychology Syndrome list of disorders and disabilities the GAPS diet will help.  Just to name a few: does autism, dyslexia, migranes, bloating, and  acne spark your interest?

Watch a video with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

What is the GAPS Diet?
How to begin the introduction GAPS Diet    (Here is another site that explains a little more clearly)
Full GASP Diet

“Following the Introduction Diet fully is essential for people with serious digestive symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, some cases of constipation, etc.  The Introduction Diet will reduce the symptoms quickly and initiate the healing process in the digestive system.  Even for healthy people, following the Introduction Diet when experiencing a “tummy bug” or diarrhea will clear the symptoms quickly and permanently usually without needing medication.“1

Maternal Nutrition and the GAPS Diet  (check it out here)

“New Baby: How to have a healthy baby in a GAPS family. What to do in pre-conception, during pregnancy and when the baby is born in order to prevent problems such as autism, hyperactivity and attention deficit, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, epilepsy and more.”2

1. Quote taken from website:  The GAPS Diet
2.  Dr. Natasha: www.gaps.me

Eggs 101: What are the best types of Eggs to buy?

Eggs from pasture raised chickens wins for the best choice.  Yes, chickens were created to eat bugs and greens off the land which is partly why roaming free on a pasture makes their eggs higher in key nutrients.  Here are two nutrients highlighted: Omega-3 fatty acids are formed in the chloroplast of green leafs so chickens feeding off of the plants in the fields increase the content of that under consumed fatty acid and pass it onto their eggs.  Pastured chicken eggs also have ” 3-6  times more Vitamin D then hens raised in confinement.”1  Well that’s because they walk around in the sunshine all day.

One study1 found that when compared to commercial eggs, pastured eggs had:

  • 1/3 less cholesterol
  • 1/4 less saturated fats
  • 2/3 more vitamin A
  • 2 times more Omga-3 fatty acids
  • 7 times more beta carotene

Here is more on Omega-3 fatty acids:  “Omega-3s are called “good fats” because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack. Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer’s disease.”1

I also found this another article that breaks down all the definitions in relation to types of eggs you can buy: pastured raised, cage free, free range, organic, and conventional (click here for article).

One must be aware of “all vegetarian diet”.  That does not mean hens were allowed free range on a pasture.

1.  Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products:  http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm

Liver is Packed Full of Nutrients

My mom was looking up a recipe for liver pate which inspired this post.  Please note that if you are taking cod liver oil its best to skip it on the same day as consuming liver.  Here are my favorite articles:

Learning to Love Liver: A Simple Liver Pate

Benefits of Eating Liver: Our most nutrient dense food

Different Ways You Can Cook Liver for It to Taste Good  You can use virgin coconut oil  for cooking in any of the recipes as its a better oil to use for cooking at high heat.  If you ever get coconut oil and it doesn’t smell like coconuts then take it back to the store to exchange.  (Trader Joes has it for a good price.  I can’t go to fifty different stores to grocery shop so ya know I am sure you can find it cheaper somewhere else.)

Why I Don’t Eat Paleo or Primal

Fats: Anti-Inflamatory and Inflamatory

I have been interested in inflammatory foods vs. anti-inflammatory foods for some time now.  I came across this write up and figure its a great read with a bonus great chart. Click here for article.

Olive oil tip reminder: only buy cold-pressed, dark glassed bottles to reduce chance of rancidity

Fermented Cod Liver Oil or Fermented Cod Live Oil Blend (produced by Green Pastures): Oh gross!!  Well research is showing the health benefits outweigh “oh gross.” Many sources say the cinnamon flavor is best including me! My two year old eats it off the spoon (crazy) as well as the others–try it mixed in with juice or cereal or applesauce.  Its a excellent source of Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K2 as well as small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that are highly bio-available to your body (meaning they are absorbed well).

Article in a Nutshell

Inflammatory Fats:

  • Oxidized:  unsaturated oils exposed to high heat or light, olive oil or seed oil used for cooking in high heat
  • Hydrogenated Oils: taking a naturally unsaturated oil and making it solid at room temperature
  • Omega-6 Fatty Acids (when consumed in large amounts without the added protection of omega-3 fatty acids):  found in seeds and grains

Anti-Inflammatory Fats:

  • Natural Saturated Fats:  butter, coconut oil, ghee
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids:  wild caught fish, egg yolks of pastured chickens, meats from pastured animals

Soaking Nuts and Seeds: Tapping Into the Traditional Ways

Check out this guide about the proper way to prepare nuts and seeds in order to increase the nutrient bioavailability to your body when you eat them.

Find it here: That’s Nuts! A Complete Guide to Soaking Nuts and Seeds

Trunk and Core Exercises to Prevent Low Back Pain

Because so many adults suffer from lower back pain, core exercise training is a must to include in an exercise routine which could then alleviate or lower back pain occurrences.  I believe it should be done after childbirth as well (however never do any abdominal or core work without knowing what your transverse abs are and how to hold them in!!)

“Since risk factors of LBP (Low Back Pain) are thought to commence during childhood, results of this study suggest that it may be desirable for children and adolescents to perform moderate-to-high intensity dynamic core exercises during physical education warm-up to improve trunk and core muscular endurance.” read more here

Here is some tools to get you started to help your kids improve their core strength:

Fun Core Exercises For Kids!
Core Strength Activities for Preschoolers and Beginners
Core strength and postural control needed for fine motor skills in children
Kid Ab Workout (video)
Winning Core Body Exercises for Kids (video)

Vitamin D and its orgins in adiposity

There has been so much interest in Vitamin D and the research is ongoing.

Here is a what they have found: “Lower vitamin D status was associated with lower fat mass in the offspring at birth but with greater fat mass at ages 4 and 6 y.”  Interesting!

Maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy is associated with adiposity in the offspring: findings from the Southampton Women’s Survey.

Could Low Vitamin D Be a Piece of the Childhood Obesity Puzzle?

Minimalist Running Shoes: What you should know…

A good reminder to those with minimalist running shoes.  Kinda the same reminder you should use with anything involved with exercise.  Here is a excerpt from the article:

‘”This study supports what I and others have been arguing for years,” Daniel Lieberman, author of widely cited studies comparing barefoot running to running with shoes, told Reuters Health in an email.

“If you switch to minimal shoes or go barefoot you need to (a) do so gradually so your body can adapt, and (b) you need to learn proper running form,” said Lieberman, who is chair of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and not involved in the new study.

But, Lieberman told Reuters Health, he would not go as far as calling minimalist shoes “worse” than conventional shoes, at least not based on this study.

The runners did not transition gradually, the study did not examine their running form, and it only included the initial transition period to the new shoes, which many runners would adapt to over time, he said.

“What matters most for injury is how you run, not what is on your feet, and this study only looked at the latter,” Lieberman said.’ read full article here