Bread Habits - staff of life or contributor to chronic disease?

This habit change will be about bread. Bread has been known throughout history as 'the staff of life'. For most people bread is a huge part of the diet, and we're told it's good for us, which is easy to believe since humans have eaten it for several thousand years. However the reality is that bread is now a very different beast than it was even 150 years ago, increasingly so, and it has become a big health problem for everyone in the developed world today.

Just pause a minute to consider your bread habits. How much bread do you eat in a day? Which bread do you buy? Why do you buy it? Are you buying the 'healthiest' bread available? Or do you choose based on taste? Or texture? Or the brand you grew up with?

What if I told you that bread in general is a very nutrient poor food? It's marketed as a fibre rich food, but compared to any fresh vegetable or fruit, stacks up very badly. A wheat grain is indeed high in fibre, however about 94% of it is lost in the milling process. Bread is so nutrient deficient, in fact, that if synthetic vitamins and other guff weren't added it'd be downright poisonous (like confectionery). As it is, I class wheat bread as an 'antinutrient'.

To get right to the point about bread; there's only one in Perth I'd recommend consuming regularly. It's the Organic 100% Rye from Bodhi's Bakery, and you can buy it almost anywhere these days, even supermarkets. There are four things that make this bread a better choice than any others. (Unless, of course, you're gluten intolerant, in which case either avoid bread at all, or find one made from sprouted gluten free grains.) It's probably significantly more expensive than what you're buying now, that's fine. Don't eat it every day, and don't have more than two slices per day. And remember that health is worth paying for, slow acting poison is not!

1) It's Rye, not wheat.

There are several problems inherent in wheat itself, in its current, selectively bred incarnation, which make it worth avoiding. The reasons for its wide use in baked goods are that it gives a good yield to farmers and an attractive and tasty product to food industry. But compared to other grains it's not even close to being the best nutritionally. Wheat is also known to be a great favourite of opportunistic gut flora, like candida albicans, so avoid it for the sake of your gut flora!

2) It's stone ground.

In the late 1800's a brilliant breakthrough was made in flour milling. It put an end to inefficient, laborious stone grinding of grain. It was steel rolling! Problem with it was, unbeknownst to anyone, steel rolling was causing a health crisis. This new processing method was busting up the endosperm in every little grain. Stone grinding didn't do this, thus the most nutritious part of the grain was left intact. When steel rolling became widespread, people started to suffer on mass from symptoms of nutritional deficiency. The remedy was the addition of a few synthetic nutrients to the flour after it was milled, however they have never matched the levels found in an original wheat grain. Yet this seemed to fix the problem and no one has questioned it ever since. However it is widely documented that the omission of bread from the diet can be an effective treatment for many chronic diseases, so the problem has not gone away at all, it's simply less acute.

3) It's sourdough.

Our ancestors have always soured their grains. They knew this was the only way to render them digestible. We now know why. Grains contain phytates, chemicals which block digestion and make it difficult to absorb nutrients. Souring predigests the grains somewhat, neutralising the phytates. This takes the pressure off our digestive system and renders the bread less acceptable food for opportunistic gut flora, like candida. It's important to avoid any bread that isn't a REAL sourdough (and plenty of so-called sourdoughs out there aren't real these days). In fact, most bread is given no time at all to ferment, more yeast is added instead, which gives another set of problems for the gut.

4) It's organic

For obvious reasons, this is ideal! Don't need pesticides in your bread.

So that's why I choose Bodhi's Organic 100%. You try it too, and see if it gives you a happier tummy!

Healthy Habits - Shopping

This weeks healthy habit is all about where you choose to do your food shopping.  Your choice of shop can affect your health enormously. Where you shop determines the quality of the food you buy. Supermarkets take about one third of all the money spent on food in this country. They have a huge influence on the market, and their priorities are profits and shareholders, not health or even quality. Therefore the stuff you buy there is the lowest quality available. They exploit our weaknesses and addictions, providing far more processed 'food' than fresh. Yet they survive by selling convenience. They have a version of everything, so it's a no brainer.  For many years now I have been systematically reducing my dependence on them. I find it difficult, sometimes more expensive, but endlessly more rewarding to shop anywhere but at the supermarket. I have not yet broken my reliance completely, but I'm getting closer!

Here are the food products (stuff other than toilet paper and dish washing liquid!) that I still get at the stuipidmarket:

yoghurt
cheese
coconut cream
tinned beans
rice

I'm working towards not going there at all, ever, and in fact even the above list is just laziness. I should not need tinned beans, I must get more organised at meal planning and legume soaking. Coconut cream is a tricky one because I only know of one brand who don't use thickeners and water down, but if I find it elsewhere... The dairy will soon be produced at home by my man, from raw milk. He has been taking cheese-making classes so we can supply ourselves. And the rice is just a lot more expensive from the organic shop. I should probably just cut down my consumption!

Everything else I need I buy either from my local organic shop, my local (truly) independent grocer, (not IGA) and my local farmers market, where we get our biodynamic eggs and organic meat from Robyn at Redtail Ridge. We buy our milk from a raw milk supplier.

So in essence we have to spend a lot more time shopping, because it's not a one stop affair, but so worth the bother! My first stop in the week is always the organic shop. It's a family owned business and they now know me and my boy, so shopping there is a social event! (It's made even more special as the owners' daughter is an ex Masterchef star! Her sugar free cakes and salads are always a treat.) I get as much as I can there, in terms of fruit and veg, then, if need be, I top up at my local independent grocer. But I try not to. If you can't get to your local organic shop because of work, most will deliver a mixed box in various sizes to your door. On Saturdays we go to see Robyn at the Subi Farmers Market. She knows us too, so it's another social occasion, the way shopping was until the evil, impersonal supermarkets took over. Very olde worlde!

Buying most of my food from the organic shop automatically ensures that my food is healthy. I hardly need to think about it. Most food is not even in a packet, and there are few 'ingredients lists' to read or 'nutrient profiles' to interpret, simply because most things there are whole foods, and a whole food doesn't have an ingredients list. At the organic shop I'm also able to buy good quality natural salt, bulk nuts, seeds, oats and legumes, dairy, frozen berries and peas, various types of flour....And best of all, if I'm feeling lazy, I can get a masterchef quality lunch!

Ideally though, in the long run I'd prefer to grow as much of my own fresh food as I can. Currently we aren't set up to do so, but working towards that too. If you do have the space to grow food, I envy you! Get outside and plant some!!

Meat and eggs raised ethically, organically/biodynamically have higher nutrient profiles and don't contain antibiotics or any other nasties. I feel much safer feeding them to my toddler, than their supermarket counterparts, and I know that they are providing him with awesome nutrition. The same is true of raw milk. This is a whole food, while pasteurised milk is a highly processed, very damaged food. Of course, you don't have to drink cows milk at all, but if you like to, raw is the only healthful way to do so.

These habits aren't just healthy, they're ethical too. Supermarket corporations are pretty evil in general, and I feel good when I support the 'little guys'. It's also more ethical to buy organic vegies, because they're farmed using sustainable practices, and as far as animals are concerned, biodynamic eggs and ethical AND organic meat (one does not equal the other, hence I don't buy organic meat from the supermarket) is obviously the best choice for an omnivore.

Finally, I'd like to quote Tom Hodgkinson, from the great work, "How To Be Free", which I highly recommend you read. "The supermarkets have sold us a myth of cheapness, convenience and variety. But the reality is none of those: they are expensive, a hassle and you are forced to buy from someone else's selection...I would like to bomb them, but it's probably more effective to boycott them."

What Is Natural?

I came across this really interesting question as I leafed through the food legislation news headlines this week. The reason I find it so interesting is because there are currently too many definitions of the word natural within the language of the Western diet, and I believe it's really important that we pause and consider what 'natural' means to each of us.

Food industry use the word 'natural' liberally on food packaging. This is understandable, it appeals to people who value health. But how natural is natural? The dictionary defines it as "existing in or formed by nature". This definition works well for me. As a naturopath I believe all our food should be formed by nature and untouched by man. Thus, if you're reading a package label, you're often way off the mark already! Even if it does claim to be natural, it probably wasn't formed by nature. With the exception of natural pot set yoghurt (the really sour stuff), possibly a couple of items in the health asile (but by no means all of them), most things claiming natural ingredients are far from being formed by nature.

Colourings and flavourings are often advertised as natural. This strikes me as odd considering they're often synthesised in a lab. Currently the laws allow food industry to call a colour or flavour natural even if it's a synthetic copy of a substance found in nature. This said, I can't think of a single food containing added colours and flavours, natural or otherwise, that I would call a real food.

Sugars often confuse people attempting to eat well. When refined sugar is added to food it becomes junk food. This is true of many things we may think are good for us, like breakfast cereals, yoghurts, cheeses, breads and juice. Many commercial juices scream that they have no added sugar. What they fail to mention is that they have added loads of concentrated fructose (this is the meaning of 'reconstituted'), which science is learning can be more damaging than ordinary sugar. Eating a whole fruit is fine because it's dilute. The fibre and water in the fruit act as buffers and slow the absorption of the sugars. Other truly natural sugars include raw, unprocessed honey, raw, unprocessed maple syrup, palm sugar and agave syrup. Even these should be used sparingly.

Grains are another misleading area. Grains are made to sound natural by use of the word 'wholegrain'. A whole grain should be one that is visibly whole, exactly as is was when it was pulled from the stalk, like rice, oats or quinoa. Most breakfast cereals are made from refined, processed grains, while their box advertises the 'wholegrain goodness' of the contents. Remember, if it's not a true whole grain, it's sugar, not complex carbohydrate, and therefore not a good breakfast choice. The same is true of crispbreads, rice crackers, pasta, bread and couscous.


Oils are another problem. Any oil sold in a clear bottle, or that doesn't say 'cold pressed' is not natural. It's been mixed with petrochemicals and boiled to incredible temperatures to give it shelf life. These oils and the margarines made from them are certainly not natural or healthy, despite sporting the heart foundation tick.

In fact, if I'm going to be really picky, how natural is it to use chemical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides on our food crops? Or to freeze them for weeks before selling them? For me, the only truly natural foods are fresh, organic plant foods and biodynamic animal products.

I think it's really important that we all consider what our food is made from, because our body is made from what we choose to eat. It's sad that food has become so complex that we have to wonder 'which food is really food?', but in the west its the only way to stay healthy. So, next time you see the word 'natural' on some 'food' ask yourself "was this formed by nature or by a guy in a factory?".

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/What-natural-means-in-food-regulations/?c=mvNDRfNEiPf7l3PB0f6h2g%3D%3D&utm_source=Newsletter_Subject&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BSubject

The popular myth of the varied diet

The buzzword of the popular, conventional nutritionists of today is 'variety'. Only by consuming a wide variety of foods, they argue, can we acheive a healthy diet. But how does that translate into practical terms? How does that help us compose a healthy shopping list?

To approach this subject logically, lets picture the average supermarket. There's a section of fresh fruit and vegies which appears as we enter the building. Next is meat, breads, the dairy fridge, then countless aisles of packaged foods. So If we were to eat a variety of foods that were based on the ratios presented in the typical supermarket, our diet would look something like this:

25% fresh fruit and veg
20% meats
15% dairy
40% processed packaged foods including bread

There are several problems with these ratios, but even so I think it would be wishful thinking to assume that the majority of people consume 25% of their food as fresh fruit and veg. I base that judgement on the number of people suffering from lifestyle diseases and obesity.

When I look at this breakdown I immediately lump together the dairy with the processed category. Most dairy is highly processed. Next time you buy some commercial yoghurt (as opposed to natural whole yoghurt like jalna or mundella) check out how much sugar and unpronouncable chemicals or E numbers it contains. Milk is a highly processed food, as is most cheese (again, I mean no slight on those wonderful cheeses produced in the traditional way from biodynamic milk). Margarine simply cannot be called food.

These processed foods, that is anything containing unpronouncable chemical ingredients, E numbers, refined sugars and flours, trans fats and processed salts, are a severe drain on our bodies. They provide us with no nutrition at all, but actually leach what it already there. The body uses its existing stores to deal with a processed food as it passes through our system. This could otherwise be defined as antinutrients, aka poison.

The logical truth is that if we eat more foods that burn up our nutrient stores than foods that replenish them, we wind up with multiple nutritional deficiencies. And the body will tell you something is wrong by functioning sub-optimally. You will have fatigue, headaches, muscle soreness, cramps and spasms, get frequent infections, be overweight, have poor concentration, lack motivation, feel grumpy, depressed, anxious, have period pain, difficult pregnancy and labour, and all those other little or not so little issues, until finally it becomes something a doctor can diagnose and give a drug for.

Would you rather prevent that chain of events and be healthy and vital? Spring out of bed every morning feeling strong and on form?

Then here are some shopping quidelines that will help you to acheive this. For more info you can read such useful tomes as In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and this little gem of an article: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Bruce-Ames-Vitamin-insufficiency-boosting-age-related-diseases/?c=mvNDRfNEiPdv%2FXtIFPDezg%3D%3D&utm_source=Newsletter_Subject&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BSubject

Here is my method of approaching the shopping.

Our organic fruit and veg comes to the door every Monday. These foods feature in every meal we have all week.

At the supermarket I buy a little roo meat, Jalna/Mundella natural biodynamic yoghurt, organic butter, quality organic cheese, organic eggs, rice, quinoa, tinned tomatoes, Carmans muesli, gluten free flour and lasagne sheets, dried herbs and spices, and coconut milk.

From the markets I buy sea salt or river salt, raw and unprocessed honey, organic tofu, organic meat and carcases for stock, organic dried lentils and chickpeas, nuts and seeds and organic herbal teas.


I therefore ignore any food containing the "lethal recipe" of chemical pollutants and ingrediants, refined flours and sugars, damaged fats and processed salt. If these ingredients were to be outlawed tomorrow, imagine how much smaller our supermarkets would be! Just like they were 60 or 70 years ago, before the advent of food industry, and before the rise of lifestyle disease, obesity, ADHD and chronic poor health. Our ancestors ate a true varied diet, as do many traditional cultures in other, non western countries. And they were healthy for it. We can learn much from these groups, such as to treat meat as a rare delicacy, to consume meat that isn't factory farmed but was raised naturally. That all meals should be based on clean, fresh fruit and veg. Most of all, that if it doesn't exist in nature, it doen't belong in our bodies.

The kind of varied diet you subscribe to should be based on foods that make you feel good. If you think you are currently consuming a reasonable, varied diet, yet you aren't in perfect health, perhaps it's worth shifting your beliefs around food.

Finally, remember to feed yourself respectfully. Your body is an amazing creation!