When you know better, you do better. These are some of the sources that are the base of my nutrition ideologies. I strongly recommend doing some reading-- it changed my life, and can change yours.
Michael Pollan: In defense of food
This book really opened my eyes. It opens your eyes to how lost American food has become. He states that most of what we eat is "food like substances"-- and not actually food. His advice is simple and can easily be applied to anyone's life. Pollan is one of my heroes and teaches at my Alma Mater: Berkeley. He guest lectured one of my classes before I knew who he was and now I wish i had a time machine so I could adequately swoon :-) Check him out on Amazon.
Mark Sisson: Primal Blue Print
His primal diet eliminates grains, sugars, and is very low carb--high protein and fat. His diet is really outlines my daily eating. His philosophy aims to get back to what we ate as cavemen, siting that this is our body's natural way of surviving and can return us to optimal health. His book Primal Blue Print is available at Amazon. He has a great website too: http://www.marksdailyapple.com
Elaine Gottschall: Breaking the Vicious Cycle
A true trail blazer. After her daughter became seriously ill with U.C. she came to be in touch with Dr. Haas. Dr. Haas to this day is the only Dr to dedicate his work to studying diet's effect on those with G.I. diseases. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), is renowned for healing the worst cases of Chrons, U.C., Celiac and many other G.I. disturbances (myself included). If you are an incurable I strongly recommend it. Google "SCDiet" and you'll find great online sources-- but reading the actual book is a must!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
How come all the wierd ingredients?
So how come you use these ingredients?
Sugar may possibly be American's greatest health danger-- and I'm not exaggerating.
Refined white sugar makes it more difficult for our bodies to absorb the minerals and vitamins it needs. The body requires excess B vitamins to metabolize and detoxify sugar. Sugar is a major cause inflammation, it spikes blood sugar, is addictive causes obesity, diabetes and other disorders. Sugar depresses the immune system. Refined white sugar may be converted to saturated fat. Sugar may contribute to candidiasis and aggravate some types of asthma, allergies, and arthritis.Other than the sweet taste, sugar does nothing but ruin your body...so what do we use!? Wellll keep reading!
Why Stevia rules:
Stevia is calorie and carbohydrate free, 100% natural, has no effect on blood sugar, which making it perfect for both weightloss and diabetics. Stevia is also the approved sweetener for those with Candida problems because it does not ferment in the intestines and does not feed yeast. Stevia can have a mild after taste which is why I often combine it with a small amount of honey.
Why I prefer Honey:
Being a natural sweetner, it is an ideal replacement for table sugar and even syrup.Honey has 64 calories per tablespoon and table sugar has 46. True, it has more calories than the sugar. However, honey is naturally more sweet than sugar- so you end up needing less. When sugar cane is processed to become the white table sugar we all know and love, all of the inherent nutrition is stripped away. The sugar loses all of those vitamins, proteins and good-for-you enzymes. Since there is no processing for honey, it retains all of that. Honey is a great source of antioxidants, potassium, calcium, minerals and 22 amino acids. Honey also has a much lower Glycemic Index than sugar and is more easily digested, letting your body absorb the nutrients.
Beans instead of flour?
Yes! Navy beans, once pureed, have a similar consistency to that of flour with added moisture. Beans also have less calories, more fiber, more vitamins, and more minerals. Overall I really cannot imagine anyone choosing flour over beans-- nutritionally there are no benefits of flour. I recommend soaking beans for 24 hours before using them. This breaks down some of the starch that may cause GI troubles for some.
Almond butter too?
Almond butter is such a great cooking ingredient. It cooks up nice and fluffy, has great healthy fats, minerals, vitamins and fiber. Some are worried about the calorie content, but per slice or muffin...etc there isn't a huge difference between calories in flour and nut butter. Besides, how I cook you'd probably still net out with lower calories since I don't use sugar. I have been moving towards nuts over beans because of lower carbohydrate values and also their toxic lectins which can cause health problems, interfere with a healing gut and some even siting that they cause auto-immune diseases. This of course is inconclusive, but I will proceed with moderation-- thus more Almonds!
Coconut Flour pretty cool!
Coconut flour is great also! It contains more fiber than any other flour and is hypoallergenic. The saturated fat in coconut is not unhealthy because it is a medium chain fat-- which means it is immediately converted to energy, unlike long chain saturated fat which can be unhealthy. Actually in coconut flour's processing the fat is removed from the coconut-- yes REMOVED FAT. It would be pretty hard to cook with it if all the fat was there, so really its just a bunch of fiber!
Sweeteners
Why Sugar is the devil:Sugar may possibly be American's greatest health danger-- and I'm not exaggerating.
Refined white sugar makes it more difficult for our bodies to absorb the minerals and vitamins it needs. The body requires excess B vitamins to metabolize and detoxify sugar. Sugar is a major cause inflammation, it spikes blood sugar, is addictive causes obesity, diabetes and other disorders. Sugar depresses the immune system. Refined white sugar may be converted to saturated fat. Sugar may contribute to candidiasis and aggravate some types of asthma, allergies, and arthritis.Other than the sweet taste, sugar does nothing but ruin your body...so what do we use!? Wellll keep reading!
Why Stevia rules:
Stevia is calorie and carbohydrate free, 100% natural, has no effect on blood sugar, which making it perfect for both weightloss and diabetics. Stevia is also the approved sweetener for those with Candida problems because it does not ferment in the intestines and does not feed yeast. Stevia can have a mild after taste which is why I often combine it with a small amount of honey.
Why I prefer Honey:
Being a natural sweetner, it is an ideal replacement for table sugar and even syrup.Honey has 64 calories per tablespoon and table sugar has 46. True, it has more calories than the sugar. However, honey is naturally more sweet than sugar- so you end up needing less. When sugar cane is processed to become the white table sugar we all know and love, all of the inherent nutrition is stripped away. The sugar loses all of those vitamins, proteins and good-for-you enzymes. Since there is no processing for honey, it retains all of that. Honey is a great source of antioxidants, potassium, calcium, minerals and 22 amino acids. Honey also has a much lower Glycemic Index than sugar and is more easily digested, letting your body absorb the nutrients.
Flour Bases
I do not eat grains...Sometimes I will go off on a tangent-- so on this site you may see a few recipes containing corn meal or corn starch. But I always end up swaying back to my grain free ways-- I really just feel better that way. Grains are an unnecessary carbohydrate that can be very destructive for those with any bowel disease and simply empty calories for those with a healthy GI. Simply put-- there's really nothing good about them. Grains are the only food group that can be 100% removed from your diet without any nutrition gaps being formed, that alone should tell us we aren't suppose to be eating them.Beans instead of flour?
Yes! Navy beans, once pureed, have a similar consistency to that of flour with added moisture. Beans also have less calories, more fiber, more vitamins, and more minerals. Overall I really cannot imagine anyone choosing flour over beans-- nutritionally there are no benefits of flour. I recommend soaking beans for 24 hours before using them. This breaks down some of the starch that may cause GI troubles for some.
Almond butter too?
Almond butter is such a great cooking ingredient. It cooks up nice and fluffy, has great healthy fats, minerals, vitamins and fiber. Some are worried about the calorie content, but per slice or muffin...etc there isn't a huge difference between calories in flour and nut butter. Besides, how I cook you'd probably still net out with lower calories since I don't use sugar. I have been moving towards nuts over beans because of lower carbohydrate values and also their toxic lectins which can cause health problems, interfere with a healing gut and some even siting that they cause auto-immune diseases. This of course is inconclusive, but I will proceed with moderation-- thus more Almonds!
Coconut Flour pretty cool!
Coconut flour is great also! It contains more fiber than any other flour and is hypoallergenic. The saturated fat in coconut is not unhealthy because it is a medium chain fat-- which means it is immediately converted to energy, unlike long chain saturated fat which can be unhealthy. Actually in coconut flour's processing the fat is removed from the coconut-- yes REMOVED FAT. It would be pretty hard to cook with it if all the fat was there, so really its just a bunch of fiber!
My Motivation
I am convinced that the American Diet is what it is because it's in the best interest of the American farmers. White flour, and packaged foods do not belong in ANYONE'S mouth ever. We seem to have forgotten the purpose of food...its to keep us alive and healthy (in case you forgot). Although I believe food should be very enjoyable its' actual purpose of healing, nourishing and enriching our bodies should not take a back seat. You really are what you eat. Here are some stats on where we are as a country and why I am proactive about change:
- Americans eat 200 pounds per person per year of flour and grains, which is almost 50 percent higher than in 1970. That means more bread, pasta, cereal, rice, oats, pizza crusts--you name it. The difference is that they probably ate more whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and Wheatena, while we're eating more doughnuts, brownies, and Cinnabons.
-Americans eat 66 pounds per person per year of added fat and oils. This is 25 percent more added fats and oils than we did in 1970. We're eating two and a half times more cheese than we did in 1970--28 pounds per person per year. That's a lot of pizza, nachos, and cheeseburgers ... and a lot of coronary bypasses, angioplasties, and heart attacks. Cheese is now neck-and-neck with ground beef as the largest source of saturated fat in the average person's diet.
-Our ancestors consumed 30 to 65 percent of their daily calories (and up to 100 grams of fiber a day) from a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. That is why, long before the discovery of vitamins, people who had access to healthy foods lived extremely long lives without vitamin deficiencies or major illnesses.
-A study of 1,500 Chinese women showed those who ate a "meat-sweet" diet were twice as likely to develop the disease as those on a vegetable-based diet.
-"Our analysis found that higher levels of behavior and emotional problems were associated with a more Western-style way of eating, namely a diet high in takeaway foods, red meat, confectionery, soft drinks, white bread and unrefined cereals,” Dr. Wendy Oddy
-Twenty-five years ago, the average American consumed about 1,850 calories each day. Since then, our daily diet has grown by 304 calories (roughly the equivalent of two cans of soda)
-Although the federal government recommends that we have at least two to five cups of fruits and vegetables a day, for example, surveys show that the average American eats only three servings a day, and 42 percent eat fewer than two servings a day.
Really I could sit here allllll dayyyyyyy
- Americans eat 200 pounds per person per year of flour and grains, which is almost 50 percent higher than in 1970. That means more bread, pasta, cereal, rice, oats, pizza crusts--you name it. The difference is that they probably ate more whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and Wheatena, while we're eating more doughnuts, brownies, and Cinnabons.
-Americans eat 66 pounds per person per year of added fat and oils. This is 25 percent more added fats and oils than we did in 1970. We're eating two and a half times more cheese than we did in 1970--28 pounds per person per year. That's a lot of pizza, nachos, and cheeseburgers ... and a lot of coronary bypasses, angioplasties, and heart attacks. Cheese is now neck-and-neck with ground beef as the largest source of saturated fat in the average person's diet.
-Our ancestors consumed 30 to 65 percent of their daily calories (and up to 100 grams of fiber a day) from a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. That is why, long before the discovery of vitamins, people who had access to healthy foods lived extremely long lives without vitamin deficiencies or major illnesses.
-A study of 1,500 Chinese women showed those who ate a "meat-sweet" diet were twice as likely to develop the disease as those on a vegetable-based diet.
-"Our analysis found that higher levels of behavior and emotional problems were associated with a more Western-style way of eating, namely a diet high in takeaway foods, red meat, confectionery, soft drinks, white bread and unrefined cereals,” Dr. Wendy Oddy
-Twenty-five years ago, the average American consumed about 1,850 calories each day. Since then, our daily diet has grown by 304 calories (roughly the equivalent of two cans of soda)
-Although the federal government recommends that we have at least two to five cups of fruits and vegetables a day, for example, surveys show that the average American eats only three servings a day, and 42 percent eat fewer than two servings a day.
Really I could sit here allllll dayyyyyyy
Contact
Hi there!
If you would like to get in contact with me you could leave a comment on a post and I will make sure to reply, or you could email me at: whitskitch@gmail.com
Thanks for your interest!
If you would like to get in contact with me you could leave a comment on a post and I will make sure to reply, or you could email me at: whitskitch@gmail.com
Thanks for your interest!
About Whit's Kitch
In 2008 after years of constantly feeling sick I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I hoped that staying gluten free would solve my health issues, but like so many with digestive diseases I had to go a step further. I followed several different diets (Vegan, SCD, Organic, etc.) and now consume a synthesis of these ideologies.
I started this blog after I noticed that due to health reasons I had changed the way that I cooked. Now--I didn't change the types of dishes I ate, I simply changed the ingredients in them. I realized how broken American cooking has become: using unhealthy flours, sugar, and excessive amounts of ingredients when dishes could be made with healthier base ingredients and fewer ingredients. The results of this change are lower calorie and densely nutritious meals that are simple and affordable to make.
I really enjoy good food. I would not be able to sacrifice taste for health on an every day basis, which is why I adventure into experimentation and find the meals I love that will also love me back. I hope you love them too and thank you for reading my blog.
Thanks,
Whitney
I started this blog after I noticed that due to health reasons I had changed the way that I cooked. Now--I didn't change the types of dishes I ate, I simply changed the ingredients in them. I realized how broken American cooking has become: using unhealthy flours, sugar, and excessive amounts of ingredients when dishes could be made with healthier base ingredients and fewer ingredients. The results of this change are lower calorie and densely nutritious meals that are simple and affordable to make.
I really enjoy good food. I would not be able to sacrifice taste for health on an every day basis, which is why I adventure into experimentation and find the meals I love that will also love me back. I hope you love them too and thank you for reading my blog.
Thanks,
Whitney
