FED UP!

We watched this documentary. It was pretty good, not quite as modern-techy sophisticated as other movies, and was about Genetically Modified Organisms. They even interviewed one lady that seemed to point out many positive points about GMO, although it seems the evidence weighs against it. Available through WSU libraries.

King Corn

We had a hard time understanding where this movie was going for the first half hour besides growing an acre of corn in Iowa. It got better, though, much better, and I think these guys stumbled on just about the hugest story of our food, and Food, Inc. was just a spin-off (unless its just common knowledge). This is the food movie. (Aside from this gem).

These two document filmers very politely interview a farmer and his wife in Iowa, and the farmer's wife just out says, "Yeah, we're growing a bunch of crap." They were blown away. "Crap?" The farmer's wife says she can't use it, maybe she'd grind it up to make a little cornmeal, but she hardly does that.

This corn is genetically modified and breeded and its easy to get a high yield. Millions of dollars have been spent researching uses for it. Now its subsidized. Yet, its inedible to beast and man. Its feeds our beef, and anyone my age has probably only had corn-fed beef, and no grass-fed beef in their life.

A little over half of the corn in Iowa goes to confinement feed lots where they bring in young calves and feed them for 140-150 days and then butcher them. "They may as well slaughter them after six months, as the cows are going to die anyway." The corn diet will actually kill a cow in six months.

A corn-fed diet which is high in starch, with a confinement lot where they can't move, makes the cows gain weight quickly and can they can be slaughtered much faster than grass-fed cows. The resulting ground beef from corn-fed cows is full of antibiotics put in the cows so they can survive the diet, and their muscle tissue looks more like fat tissue. There are 9 grams of saturated fat vs. 1.3 grams saturated fat per serving in corn-fed vs. grass-fed beef. "Its really not meat, its fat. Sixty-five percent of the calories come from fat." One farmer of a confinement feed-lot states "If America wanted grass-fed beef, we would give them grass-fed beef."

I have two pages of notes of knowledge this film has, so there's lots more. Available at WSU library. I recommend viewing this.

Behavior and Nutrition

Watch Behavior and Nutrition by Dr. Russell Blaylock, M.D. neurosurgeon

Highlights of this video:

Pregnant women can influence the life of their child to the point of determining their hypertension or breast cancer risk, by their diet in utero.

Relation of sugar and hyperactivity. The two biggest food sources that contribute to our sugar consumption are sodas and fruit juices.

The brain is constantly rebuilding itself. Some parts of the brain rebuild in decades, some as fast as two weeks. DHA fatty acid is essential for brain function, and if the brain has a deficiency of DHA for two weeks, it has an affect on how the brain rebuilds itself.

Hypoglycemia can imitate neurosis, hysteria, neurasthenia, and even psychosis. Associated with anxiety schizophrenia.

Crime and nutrition: change diet, probation violations decreased 86%. The more violent offenders, the more deficient the diet. Even marginal deficiencies in nutrition can lead to behavioral problems. Change the diet, and behaviors and drug use are dramatically reduced.

Consuming high calorie, high sugar diets, results in lots of free radicals= every cell in your body will age faster. Leads to Alzheimer's.

Treat an alcoholic for hypoglycemia, and get a 71% rate of recovery from alcoholism. Treat an alcoholic with Alcoholics Anonymous and get a 25% rate of recovery. Ninety-seven percent of alcoholics are hypoglycemic, vs. 18% for controls. Most of the crimes, most of the auto accidents in U.S. are connected to alcohol.

SSR drugs for depression are supposed to make serotonin levels go up, but in some people it makes serotonin levels go down, and these are kids that end up getting suicidal.

A study removed food dyes and had dramatic results. The biggest behavioral reactions to food dyes are to Yellow 5 and sodium benzoate. Another common behavioral reaction is to soy.

People are consuming lots of soy, thinking it prevents breast cancer, and it doesn't.

Serotonin helps repress aggressive acts, controls suicide and depression. Corn is very low in tryptophan (serotonin).

National Nutritional Survey of Adolescents
60% deficient in iron
57% in vitamin A
43% in vitamin C
39% in vitamin B1
30% in protein
16% in riboflavin

Niacin has a lot to do with mental illness. Other nutrients associated with behavior are vitamins C, D, E, K, A, B, and carotenoids.

Food allergies affecting the brain. Many symptoms are subtle or purely neurological and people don't even know they have them. Lists many symptoms. (Lethargy, stupor, disorientation, paranoia, delusions, hallucination, agitation, rage, panic attacks, criminal behavior, and even seizures) Also lists common food allergens.

Schizophrenic study:
88% schizophrenics allergic to wheat
60% to milk
50% to corn
100% to either gliaden or gluten
As long as they avoided gliaden or gluten they were normal. When they got back on it, even a small amount, all their schizophrenic symptoms came back and they had to be hospitalized.

Vaccinations. Create an immune reaction that will not subside for years. Create an inflamed brain. Causes autism, etc.

Animal saturated fat impairs brain function; omega 3-fatty acids, DHA, and arachidonic acid improve brain function.

Rage and violence occurs with deficient levels of DHA, with MSG, or even very small amounts of lead.

We're getting way too many omega 6 fats and not enough omega 3 fats, but the ratio between the two is very important. At the turn of the century our diet ratio was about 1:2, and now its about 1:46. Omega 6 comes from corn oil, canola, peanut, safflower, etc. Omega 3 from walnuts, flax, fish.

Artificial estrogen is a brain toxin.

Toxins: Aluminum, Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Fluoride, MSG, Aspartame, Pesticides, Herbicides, Industrial Solvents, Food Dyes, Excessive Vaccinations

You'll just feel so smart after finishing this video, and feel there's so much more to learn! He's a great speaker, knows what he's talking about, and a well-researched brain neurosurgeon. He has a short sum-up at the end.

He has also written a book Health and Nutrition Secrets, and I don't know what parts of that book play here in this video.

Food Storage Promo.

Of all videos, why this one? 'Cause he's right on, (man); Joseph in the Bible, wheat becoming more valuable than a Lamborghini in the day, and I love his enthusiasm. But, I do ask, when there is an emergency, what is he going to do with that wheat?

Masa Flour: The Magic Miracle of Mayans

After I found that wheat flour was healthiest ground fresh, I figured maybe I'd make my own fresh corn tortillas, too. So I researched it, and, I don't think so. Would you do this? This is a really cool story that shows how modern Mayan women make their food out of corn (maiz, not to be confused with sweet corn) by soaking it with slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) overnight, sifting the soaked corn with their fingers so the hulls come off, taking it to the local mill to be ground into flour (and those that are very poor still grind nixtamalized corn by hand on a grinding stone; grinding stones are sold in the U.S., too, (surpirisingly) in Mexican grocery stores), and then buying more slaked lime in the city for the next day, cooking using fires, etc. Sounds like a hard life.

The resulting flour is called masa flour, from which corn tortillas, corn chips, sopapillas, etc., are made. Masa flour is available at any supermarket, made with lime-treated corn. The story behind this is amazing, and these are great two great articles to tell all about it:

Read Wisdom from the Past: Nixtamalization of Corn (the Nourishing Gourmet) andTortilla Reform

Basically, early Native Americans thousands of years ago somehow made the connection that if ashes from the fire were put in with the rock-hard kernels of corn in water, the hard outer hull would easily dissolve in the water, and the corn could then be ground and eaten. While they thought they were just making it grindable, they were also actually creating a chemical process that allows the nutrient vitamin B3, or niacin, to be released. This helped them stay healthy and thriving, and create some of the greatest civilizations of the Ancient World.
This process of soaking the corn in slaked lime is called "nixtamalization" and is still widely used today in South America as illustrated by this article, and in the U.S. for Maseca. Our bag of corn chips says "corn treated with lime" as the first ingredient.

When people came to the New World, with the terrible scheme of looting gold, etc., they returned home with the corn from this distant land. What they didn't take with them, though, were the primitive cooking practices of the Native Americans. They just ground the corn (as we do today in America, probably, to make corn meal and grits). The people in Europe and Africa ended up getting Pellegra! What's that? Diarrhea, dimentia, and death. Serves you right for spoiling all the Natives' goods. I believe people in the southern states still get pellegra today from eating lots of corn but not nixtamalizing it.Isn't it just amazing how these primitive people accidentally nourished themselves and were able to thrive? Its just a miracle. I marvel, and think of how God was so instrumental in the survival of these people.

Read more about Maseca or "Masa Flour".

Note: the corn used anciently in America was nothing like the corn we grow in Iowa (see King Corn). The corn in Iowa is genetically modified to be herbicide resistant, etc., and with a much lower protein content and larger endosperm, or starch value. It is processed using sulfuric acid, not calcium hydroxide ("lime"), to make high fructose corn syrup. Unwittingly killing ourselves again?...

Whole Grains

Whole grain products include the bran, germ, and endosperm. Examples include amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, whole wheat pasta or whole wheat couscous, flaxseed, maize, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rye, sorghum, spelt, triticale, wheat berries or cracked wheat (bulgur), and wild rice. The kernel is like a little packet image source: http://wholegrainnation.eatbetteramerica.com/facts/
filled with a special mix of nutrients when all are used together.

Most of the grains available locally today are refined. When these grains are milled, or refined, the bran and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm. The resulting product must then legally be "enriched" with synthetic vitamins and minerals.

Whole unrefined grains are of benefit with lots of nutrients and fiber, and when compared to their refined counterparts, they reduce weight gain, the risk of type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cholesterol levels, and some cancers.

It is sometimes tricky to figure out when a product is whole grain and how to avoid refined carbohydrates. Often breads may say whole wheat on the label, but unless it states it is 100% stoneground, it is mostly made of refined flours. The word "wheat flour" on the ingredients list does not mean the product is made of whole grain. Further, fiber content is not an indicator of the purity of whole grains. Did you know that cornmeal is not made from the whole kernel of corn? It is available specially under the name "whole grain corn meal," such as this one by Bob's Red Mill. Read more about identifying whole grains and how to read ingredient labels at the Whole Grains Council website.

These stamps also aid in finding whole grains. You can find them on your food packaging. I found this a little tutorial link from the Whole Grains Council on how to interpret them.

"Consumers are increasingly aware that fruits and vegetables contain disease-fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants, but they do not realize whole grains are often an even better source of these key nutrients.

Moreover, whole grains have some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables, as well as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber." -Paulasbread.com

See more awesome reads about whole grain at paulasbread.com

I have heard that whole wheat flour left on the shelf loses 45% of its nutrients to oxidation within the first 24 hours after milling, and 90% after 3 days, and also high heats may damage the vitamins in wheat flour. I am still trying to verify this. Whole wheat flour cannot be dry packed and has a shelf life of "six months" (some say). However, this is only once a wheat berry has been cracked or milled; whole wheat berries can be dry packed and stored forever. Ten-thousand year old wheat berries have been found, planted, and sprouted. The packaging of a wheat berry to preserve itself is amazing!

Tips for first time users: Take it slow. Yes, whole grains are infamous for loosening stools, but it is not a permanent condition; the body needs to get used to eating whole grains, so start small and work up. The body will adjust, but it takes time. (This is especially important for home food storage, because adjusting to eating oatmeal or legumes for that matter can be an added stress if the body doesn't know how to handle it, and more stress is not going to be helpful in an already stressful emergency situation.)

Second, when baking with whole wheat, there are two types of flour. Hard winter wheat varieties make a flour useful for recipes using yeast, such as bread, rolls, and pizza dough. Soft spring wheat is ground to make pastry flour used in goods with baking powder such as pancakes, waffles, muffins, and pie crusts. These things will taste gross if not made with pastry flour, which makes them much lighter.

Third, whole wheat products are subject to mold (for bread) and rancidity (in flour) faster than are refined products. That is the main reason white flour came to be in the first place: it keeps on the shelf longer. The bran and germ that whole grains have contains nutrients and oils which oxidize or feed mold a lot better than the nutrient-poor white flour products. So, its good for us, but spoils fast.

Here's a highly rated bread recipe that first time users might like which comes from Crystal at everydayfoodstorage.net: Easy Whole Wheat Bread and another one without vital wheat gluten added.

How to reduce cholesterol

Eat oat bran! It cleans those clogged arteries right up. Oat bran is actually kind of sweet, and I think its yummy. It can be boiled plain and eaten like oatmeal, in bran muffins, or breads. Anything's better than medications, if you can avoid it.

My husband says some entity didn't like Cheerios advertising on the front of the box "Lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks." I don't know if it was a drug company or exactly who, but its not a false claim!





What I get out of this is that high cholesterol is not a bad thing; cholesterol is one of the building blocks of cell formation. High cholesterol is just a sign of another problem; its like having a high number of antigens in our bodies. Antigens are not something we want to get rid of, but an indicator that the body is being attacked by something dangerous. So it is with cholesterol. If its at a high level, perhaps something is wrong. We don't fix it by keeping the liver from producing cholesterol (using drugs); that will just make it worse!

Pitfalls of cold cereal

We love cold cereal at our house. (Well, my husband reveals he never liked it, but...) Besides the taste, we like that

1. There's fewer dishes to do (Yeah!)
2. You don't have to go hungry while breakfast is cooking
3. No cooking effort
4. Its so fortified that (with a cup of O.J.) you don't even need a prenatal vitamin
5. Its a great way to get whole grains in the diet
   

But, now, eating cold cereal to me means choosing the lesser evils of the following:

	BHT	Malted barley	Modified corn starch	Dried yeast	Soy lecithin	fortified	phosphates
Cheerios			x			x	x
Chex	x					x	x
Grape-Nuts		x		x	x	x
Grape-Nuts Flakes		x				x
Kix						x	x
Shredded Wheat	x
Wheaties	x					x	x

BHT- a controversial cancer causing preservative
Malted barley, Modified corn starch, Soy lecithin, anything fortified, (dried yeast?) - ingredients which either contain MSG or may produce MSG in processing (See hidden MSG ingredients list)
Phosphates may produce MSG-type reactions

The great news is that Rolled Oats and Cream of the West (a whole-grain version of Cream of Wheat, made using the germ and bran), don't contain any of the above. I've actually avoided these in the past, especially when pregnant, in order to get the fortified vitamins and minerals from cold cereal, but maybe I'll have to re-evaluate how I get vitamins and minerals.

(Don't buy into the instant flavored oatmeal packets which may contain sulfites, guar gum, natural flavor, citric acid, acesulfame-K, and fortified vitamins and minerals.)

Another great thing about oatmeal, besides no additives or preservatives, is that it can be dry packed and stored for 30+ years. I'm trying to find ways to make it tasty, but I think the best tricks are to top it with flax seed, any fruit (bananas, berries, peaches, cooked-in apples) or applesauce and cinnamon (cinnamon is a natural sweetener).

How to dry pack grains

Learn how to dry pack at home using the PAW video series:

Long term food storage part 1
Long term food storage part 2
Long term food storage part 3
Long term food storage results

I have embedded "Part 2" of this series, but you'll have to click on the links to see the other tid-bits of this demonstration. I just love it when he pulls out this finished product with the mylar stuck tight to the grains after all the air had been sucked out by the oxygen absorber.

Also, the instructor endorses feed grains, but I believe animal feed and human feed may have different regulations imposed on them, and thus feed grain may have more chemicals; I don't know. I guess it depends on the usefulness of pesticides and herbicides for wheat that are restricted for human consumption.

Read more about dry pack canneries

Examples of products acceptable to dry pack are:

Rolled Oats
Dry beans
Whole grain wheat
Other unmilled grains
White sugar
Enriched macaroni
White rice
Dry milk

When properly packaged using oxygen absorbers, and if these products are 1. stored at a temperature below 75 degrees, 2. in a dry place (off the floor and not touching outside walls), 3. away from light, and 4. away from rodents and insects, these dry-packed products will last over 30 years.

Only certain foods are appropriate for dry packing. They must contain less than 10% moisture to prevent microbial growth, and be low in oil. Otherwise, botulism poisoning may result.

Products unnacceptable for dry pack storage include:

pearled barley
dried eggs
whole wheat flour
whole wheat pasta
any milled grains besides rolled oats
granola
nuts
brown rice
brown sugar
dried fruits and vegetables- must be dried enough inside and out to snap when bent.

Whole wheat flour and pasta, and brown rice, have nutritive oils in them that are good for nutrition but result in rancidity when dry packed. Also, due to the nutritive oils, they only have a normal shelf life of six months or so. (Supposedly)

I Just Love Wheat

I was wondering what nutrients we will be getting once we're grinding wheat regularly (like a home foodstorage program recommends) and eating it. Here is a link, and wheat is rich in magnesium, thiamine, niacin, and iron, which are so important. I feel bad for those with wheat allergies that have to miss out on these nutrients. Wheat has weak spots in providing folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, riboflavin, etc, so we'll need to keep researching those holes in our nutrition and fill them in. Take a look at wheat's nutrient content at nutrition data.com:

soft white wheat

hard white wheat

As a sidenote, Here's a "wow" video on nutrition and behavior: Professor Blaylock on Nutrition

Easy, Fluffy, Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/4 C water
1 T vinegar
1 T oil
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 C bread flour
1/4 C potato flakes
1/4 C gluten
1/4 C sugar
1 T yeast

Mix and knead the dough, allow to rise or 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Place in greased bread pan and put in a warm place to rise. If you can get it to overflow the bread pan, by putting it in a warm but not hot oven, it will taste so good. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If using a bread machine, place ingredients in order as stated in bread machine manual.

Here's the recipe's source with video at everydayfoodstorage.net

Whole wheat bread without vital wheat gluten

1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/3 C warm water
3 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg