Comments on: Milk :: Cholesterol :: Mercury in Seafood :: Constipation

By: Filippa

Filippa — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:44:05 +0000

Slow cookers don’t put electricity into the actual food. The electricity is used to heat the element which heats the food. The food is cooked at a low temperature. The only downside of slow cookers for some people is that they can cause the natural MSG in certain foods to be released (hence why slow cooked food is so tasty!) so some people with MSG sensitivity have had mild reactions to slow-cooked food.

By: Linda M

Linda M — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:15:06 +0000

Hello I have 2 questions: First, since chia seeds have a high phytate content, do they need to be soaked or sprouted before they are eaten? Also when soaked chia are mucilogenous and it is recommended that one drinks this as it is high in fibre. However due to the high phytate content wouldn’t the ’soaking water’ be toxic?
Second, can one substitute kombucha for water as a hydrator? Linda

By: Mum

Mum — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:21:48 +0000

I am awre that microwavs release negatives waves, which then compromise the nutritional value of food and even leaves food devoid of any nurients. I am also wondering if slow cookers can slo affect foos in this way too or are slow cokers safe to se. I am just concerned that it does rely on electricity do not on the usual methods of cooking.

By: Filippa

Filippa — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:36:11 +0000

Mum, I think I can answer your questions for you but if you still have questions after this, we’ll forward them on to Sally for you. Of course you can put the stock ingredients in your casseroles/stews, however, you will not get the same benefit as adding a slow-cooked stock. The longer bones are boiled, the more nutrients (minerals, etc) we get out of the bones. So the idea is to slow cook your stock for at least 12 to 24 hours or longer. The best way to get lots of minerals out of the bones is to soak them in the cold stock water with a TBSPN of vinegar first. What we do is, after a dinner of roast chicken, we throw the chicken carcass into a slow cooker with a whole carrot snapped in half, an onion, a celery stick and whatever else is quick and easy. Then leave it to slow cook a for a couple of days. Every time we eat beef or lamb, we throw the bones into a container in the fridge until we get enough bones to make a stock.
Not sure about the ham bones but I would imagine that what you have been told is correct. We recommend eating nitrate free ham. My friend talked her butcher into making nitrate free bacon for her. She agreed to buy it in bulk and even took a bag of sea salt along to ensure he didn’t use crappy salt. Let’s gently educate our butchers and train them into providing the foods we really want to buy and eat!
I don’t see a problem about your child eating yoghurt with honey as long as it is raw honey which is actually really good for you. However, if you want to reduce the amount of sweet honey she is eating, then how about adding other types of sweetening foods. Eg. I sometimes stir the Apricot Butter (recipe in NT) through my yoghurt. Or how about fruit puree? Perhaps you could do this and gradually reduce the amount of honey. Remember kids naturally have more of a sweet tooth than we do.
Regarding peanut butter: it’s probably best to make it with crispy peanuts (ie. that have been soaked/dehydrated). From Growing Wise Kids: “Peanuts. This “nut” is actually not a nut at all, but rather a legume from the pea and bean family that happens to be uniquely endowed with fat.24 Peanuts are also rich in B vitamins such as pantothenic acid and biotin, calcium, vitamin E, and potassium. Due to the highly allergic nature of this food, it is often suggested that those with a high potential for an allergic response wait until age three to try them.25 Even then, be sure to purchase only organic varieties, since peanuts tend to be a heavily sprayed crop. Finally, aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold occasionally found in peanuts is virtually eliminated by cooking or soaking, thus they should not be eaten raw.26 Children who are allergic to peanuts are not necessarily allergic to tree nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, since they come from separate plant families.”

By: Mum

Mum — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:29:07 +0000

Also when you mentioned lacto feremented foods to protect my children fropm mercury, are you also referring to yoghourt? I am very ashamned to say that my oldest child now will not take plain organic yoghourt without the addtion of honey. My youngest one loves plain whole yoghourt and my oldest used to love plain whole yoghourt, until now. How do I get her ot eat palin whole yoghourt without honey? I use only raw honey, by the way. Also is peanut butter alright to eat often, do oyu have a recipe for just palin peanut butter, or can I make it the same way you suggested making nut butters in your book?

By: Mum

Mum — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:21:22 +0000

Hi and thanks for answering my questions. I am wondering about your stocks. I know store bought stcok cubes are bad, but I wwas wondering, if it was possible instead of making the stock of beef, chicken, fish, as stocks, could I just make a meal that requires stock, put in all the stock ingredients as part of the meal, cook it all together, then just removes and discard the ingredients that make stock, and just serve the meal.

For instancer, say beef casserole requires stock.

So instead of making the stock separately, I just put in all the stock ingredients in the casserole dish or pot together with all the casserole ingrredients, the chuck steak, etc, etc,m, cook it all up together, then remove and discard the stock ingredients, like the bones, etc, etc and just serve the casserole or do I have to make and add the stock separately.

And is Pea and ham soup, not healthy? I use the ham bones, but i was told than the ham bones are full of nitrates due tp the way it would have been prepared.

By: Cate Williams

Cate Williams — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:56:19 +0000

Hi,
I just wanted to comment about the raw milk going sour question. I have read 2 books by Aajonus Von Der Planitz (!!!) who heads an organisation that he founded in the states called ‘The Right to Eat Healthy Food’, and is constantly fighting the US govt to prove that raw milk is healthful, and he says that raw milk gone sour is just another stage of raw milk and it is totally not harmful. You can get his books, The Primal Diet and Recipes for Living Without Disease, at the library or from his website http://www.primaldiet.com
Cheers Cate