All posts tagged processed

Against The Grain: Effects From Starch In The Diet

The human digestive tract is a subject of great controversy.  Those professing that humans are innately carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous argue at length about the differences in cheeks, teeth, stomach acids, length of intestines, etc.  My readers already know that I lean toward the herbivorous side of things, but do agree that small amounts of animal-based foods are beneficial.  Everything in moderation, after all.

The subject of carbohydrates is also highly controversial.  Everyone agrees that sugar (a carbohydrate) is harmful in our modern amounts–especially fructose when it doesn’t come directly from a fruit.  For non-fruit-and-vegetable carbohydrates, such as beans and grains, the jury is still out.

Gluten, a protein found in high quantities in wheat, is getting the spotlight as everyone’s new favorite fad diet.  ”Gluten free” is a popular labeling tool to make consumers feel all warm as fuzzy about their purchase.  My co-worker reported not too long ago that his shampoo bottle said “gluten free.” “It’s not like I’m going to drink the stuff!” he exclaimed.  So what’s all the hype about gluten, starch, and carbs in general?  Are they good for us?  Bad for us? Do they make us fat?

Before we go into it, let’s take a look at digestion…

The digestive process can be divided into two main categories: mechanical and chemical.  Mechanical is simple: processing a food, and chewing it.  Chemical digestion, however, is a little more complicated.  It occurs in the mouth, the stomach, and the small intestine.  Digestive action is dependent on receptors that send messages to the brain, which responds sequentially by sending water, digestive enzymes (from the pancreas), enzyme precursors, coenzymes, electrolytes, acids, bases, buffer salts, hormones, and more.

Chemical digestion begins in the mouth with the secretion of amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch.  Stomach acid, however, neautralizes amylase and effectively stops starch digestion, until it is resumed again in the small intestine (considering that carbohydrates are quick to leave the stomach, this makes sense).    Protein digestion is mechanical in the mouth (not chemical); protein is broken from long to short chains of amino acids in the stomach’s hydrochloric acid.

When starches are consumed without proteins, the acidity of the stomach approaches neutral and it will not hinder starch digestion.  When proteins are consumed without starches, stomach acid becomes strong.  But when starches and proteins are consumed at the same time (a hamburger, chicken and rice?), the body must provide two opposing digestive mediums, and it cannot.  The result is impaired or partial starch digestion and impaired or partial protein digestion.

Partial grain digestion can have adverse health effects.  ”Undigested particles of grain get stuck in the microvilli of our intestinal walls, building up with time, ultimately undermining our ability to properly digest other foods because of this interference. If the interference becomes extreme, a host of intestinal and auto-immune disorders can result including leaky gut syndrome, gluten intolerance, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome,” (Kristen M., from foodrenegade.com).

Partial animal protein digestion also causes problems.  Animal proteins contain no fiber and so they pass through the digestive tract more slowly.  In the words of Dr. Douglas N. Graham, a leading spokesman for raw foods, “At one hundred degrees, in a dark, wet environment, undigested meat will go bad (rot) rather rapidly.  The partial digestion of meat that occurs when it is eaten with grains very often accounts for the putrefication so obvious when feces are expelled.”

Grains don’t putrefy.  But they do ferment, producing some ethanol (alcohol) and gas.  While there is nothing inherently harmful about gas, alcohol does not belong in the body, as it is a poison that kills cells with which it comes into contact.  Alcohol is also an addictive substance.

Chemists have also discovered over a dozen separate opiates in wheat (opium is a narcotic known for its addictive and sedating qualities), which explains the “brain fog” people often report from too much gluten.  Turning to a high energy food that leaves you feeling drugged and addicted is not advisable.

Gluten in most starchy foods is mucous-forming, leading to congestion and impaired breathing.  Due to this, as well as their digestive speed, starches (particularly wheat) are ill-advised for athletes.  Starches are recommended due to their slow release of energy, but from an athlete’s point of view (athletes demand rapid energy release), this makes little sense.  Eating a complex carbohydrate after a training sessions has the athlete waiting for hours before he obtains any benefit, and by then, the receptors for glycogen storage are less sensitive, leading to delayed glycogen repletion.

Slow digestion requires much more digestive energy, when compared to the rapid digestion of fruits, resulting in lower “net” energy.  Simple sugar is the body’s preferred source of energy: glucose and fructose.  The two behave very differently in the body.  Glucose goes right to the blood stream to fuel muscles and cells.  Fructose gets metabolized into the liver and is converted into fat (roughly 30%–an evolutionary survival strategy, I’m sure) and glycogen (the fuel reserve for the muscles and brain).

Sugar and starch (which breaks down into sugar) are highly addictive–sugar, primarily, because we are hard-wired to seek sweet foods as naturally bioavailable sources of energy; and both sugar and starch (high-glycemic starch, really… like flour products and processed grains), due to their direct influence on serotonin (the happy neurotransmitter) levels.  Once released, serotonin elevates the mood, having a powerful effect on our demeanor.  Cravings for sugary and starchy foods are typically your brain’s attempt to make you feel better.

If that weren’t enough, there are the acid-forming properties of grain that should be considered.  Grains (and beans, nuts, and seeds) contain phytic acid (phytic acid is tightly bound in the phosphorus content of grains and legumes, especially the bran portion of grain or the outer layer of legumes. It is considered the “principle storage form of phoshorus.”).  The human body is more alkaline, and a diet high in acid-forming foods leads to blood acidification, de-mineralization (and alkaline minerals are pulled from the body’s reserves in order to neutralize acid), and inflammation.

Grains only entered the human diet about 10,000 years ago–a mere blink in evolutionary time.  Traditional human societies all found ways of coping with phytic acid.  According to Kimi Harris, author of thenourishinggourmet.com, “Phytase is the enzyme generally present in phytic containing grains and legumes that neutralizes phytic acid. Sprouting, soaking and fermenting raw grains allows phytase to become activated, which then reduces the phytic acid. We as humans do produce some phytase in our bodies, which explains why some can eat a high, unsoaked whole grain diet without negative impact. Since lactobacilli and other digestive microflora can also produce phytase, those of us with a robust intestinal health will have a much easier time digesting grains, soaked or unsoaked.  But regardless, all of us can benefit from less phytic acid in our grains.”

  • Sprouting — This is when the whole grain kernel is sprouted.
  • Soaking — This is when the already milled whole grain flour is soaked in an acidic medium like buttermilk, whey, yogurt, lemon juice, or vinegar before being cooked.
  • Fermenting — This is when the grain is naturally fermented with wild yeast, as is the case with all sourdough breads.

More recently, due to the Industrial Revolution and the hyper-mechanization of grain milling, the advent of processing techniques to increase shelf life, the saturation of refined carbohydrate products into supermarkets, and the subsidization of grain production, never have grains been so negatively influential in the human diet.  We have abandoned most of our traditional processing methods.

So what to do?  Should we stop eating grain?

No.  But consider the following tips:

1) Grain should not dominate the diet.  The majority of carbohydrates should be sourced some whole fruits and vegetables.  Too often we see individuals who consume scarce amounts of fresh produce and subsist off cheap, easy-to-eat grain products.  Grain should be an accompaniment, not a centerpiece of the dinner plate.

2) Avoid as much as possible (consider the true social impact of eschewing all of it) hyper-processed grain products like most store-bought bread, cakes, cookies, pastas, pita chips, crackers, pancakes, etc.

3) Eat a variety of whole grains, and consider soaking, sprouting, or fermenting them before consumption if you suspect you have impaired digestion.

4) Abandon the old starch-and-protein paradigm, to improve digestion.  Whole grains are a great morning recommendation, as they do give slow-releasing energy for daily activity and concentration.  They are fiber-rich and increase satiety.  Save your protein for later in the day, especially after your training sessions, in order to give your body the building blocks it needs when it shifts into repair mode (rest and sleep); or, eat protein separately as a small snack.

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by demogirl06 on January 13, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 13, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/13/against-the-grain-effects-from-starch-in-the-diet/

The REAL Reason To Eat Whole, Local, & Sustainable

I was in Belgium in 2008 when I first heard about the macrobiotic diet.  Macrobiotic means “big life.”  The diet itself has a few basic rules, but the important ones are that foods should be minimally processed, grown locally, and seasonal.  That sounds like a good idea.  We hear that all the time.  Do we ever think about why?

We want to have more nutritious food (not processed), support local business (local), and reduce food miles (better for the environment).  Not bad reasons at all.  But we’re missing the most important reason: balance.

When I first encountered all those vegan macrobiotic hippies, I was totally put off.  “You’re so yang, Maria.  I wish I were as yang as you are.”  Or, “I can’t eat yin foods, because I am too yin in nature.”

“Okaaay, crazy,” I thought.

By the end of my stay at the farm, I was a believer.  But I can’t talk about yin and yang to my fellows.  They won’t take it seriously. For those of you who are interested, read on.

Yin-yang is a Chinese philosophical concept that explains how seemingly contrary forces (polar opposites) are in fact completely interconnected.  “Too much yin, and you get yang,” and visa versa.  Yin and yang are commonly attached to dichotomies: female-male, dark-light, expansion-contraction, evil-good (a Western idea).  Yin and yang are also complimentary opposites within a greater whole.  A thing is neither yin, nor yang.  Rather, it has yin and yang properties which can only be determined by a comparison.

In macrobiotics, yang qualities are considered compact, dense, heavy, and hot; yin qualities are considered expansive, light, cold, and dark.

Take a carrot as an example.  A carrot is neither yin nor yang by itself.  The orange, dense, hard part that grows under the ground is considered yang compared to the leafy, expansive, light-seeking green tops.  While the carrot is neither yin nor yang as a whole, it can be considered more or less yin or yang when compared to something else, such as a nut, which is very hard, compact, and energy dense (hence, more yang).

So when that hippie decked out in purple robes kept calling me yang, she was saying I was more yang than she was–I was well-muscled and energetic.  However, when I compared myself to my co-worker, Chris, a small, lean, wiry, and ridiculously strong (pound for pound) guy, I was relatively yin (with my ultimately female composition, not to mention expansive beer belly at the time).

When thinking about food as our nourishment, we must think about the balance we are trying to achieve.  A yin person who is weak, pale, expansive (in other words, fat), and lacking energy would not want yin foods to dominate his diet (foods with the highest quality of yin are sugary foods).  A very yang person who is angry, red, and hypertensive would want to avoid eating too many yang foods (like too much meat).  Time and time again, we have heard that vegetarians are calmer than meat eaters, and some people get nightmares after eating red meat; these are yin and yang properties of food translating into you.  You are what you eat.

In the summer, the weather is hot.  People tend to enjoy abundant watery fruits and vegetables and are not as hungry, as ample sunlight lends them so much energy.  Amazing that nature provides the yin things we want to help balance us out in our yang environment.  In the winter, when the weather is cold, dark, and more yin, foods available are more yang: nuts, squashes, tough leafy greens.  Cultures have learned to prepare winter dishes (energy-dense, warm, yang meals) to combat the effects of the yin winter months.  It’s all about balance.

Nature provides what we need, when we need it (eat seasonally, and stop importing foods from different climates).  You just have to know where to find it.  Modern life has so distorted the natural order of things that it is no wonder we’re suffering from such poor health, not to mention vitamin deficiencies because we eat so much de-natured processed food that has been stripped of its micro-nutrients (stop eating processed food)

Why local? We are products of our environment.  Food is the product of the environment in which it grows.  For example, herbs that grow high on mountain tops tend to be tougher and more bitter; it’s because they have to deal with harsh cold and winds at higher altitudes.  They have to be tough, or they will die.  These properties are conferred to the person who eats them.  Just as you should eat local honey to alleviate allergies you might have to local pollen, you should eat the foods of your region to be best suited to that region.

Call it what you want.  Yin-yang, macro, wishy-washy hippie stuff.  I call it balance: local, seasonal, and minimally processed.

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by demogirl06 on June 16, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on June 16, 2010

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Allowances In The Whole Foods Diet: the case for and against certain foods

by Maria Stevens, April 2010

The principle of the whole foods diet is simple: don’t eat processed foods.  In practice, it’s a little more difficult.  Most foods end up processed minimally.  The line between “acceptably” and “overly”-processed is blurred.

The following list will address certain foods and why I think they can or cannot be successfully incorporated into the whole foods diet, and why.

Bread -

Bread is highly processed grain.  There’s no way around it.  The grain has been harvested, polished, and ground into flour.  The resulting product is a powder, more often than not, a white powder.  This white powder in no way shape of form resembles a wheat berry.  White flour is grain that has been stripped of its bran (its vitamins and fiber), refined, and bleached.  What you get is a very light and very sticky compound that bakes beautifully into bread, cakes, scones, cookies, and the like.

White bread is exceedingly popular, and has a mouth feel very unlike wholegrain bread.  It’s light, fluffy–almost like biting into air.  It sucks up jellies, butters, liquids, and it doesn’t compete with other flavors.  No wonder it’s so popular.

But white bread is almost devoid of anything but calories, and were it not a requirement that flour be “enriched,” it would be worthless.  Besides it’s “yummy factor,” white bread contributes nothing.  In fact, white bread has a very high glycemic index, which means is rapidly raises blood sugar, resulting in an over-excretion of insulin by the pancreas into the bloodstream.  Insulin pushes the sugar into the body’s cells very rapidly, and then you experience a crash.  Suddenly you want more bread.  It doesn’t fill, and it doesn’t fuel steadily.

But what about wheat bread? Not all breads are created equal.  Much of the wheat bread you see lining store shelves is cut with white flour.  The 100% whole wheat isn’t much better, as its is shown to have a virtually identical GI value to white flour.

So if whole grain bread is so processed and has a high GI value, should you eat it on the whole foods diet?  That all depends.

Many individuals have a difficult time controlling their intake of complex carbohydrates.  Generally speaking, grain-derived products are bland and simply act as vessels for other high-fat or high-sugar substances: jelly, peanut butter, mayonnaise, etc.  Few people ever eat a plain slice of bread, unless they’re really hungry.

Also, because bread is pre-digested grain (milled flour), it takes less chewing.  The less you chew, the faster you tend to eat, and the faster you tend to eat, the more you tend to eat because you don’t give your body a chance to tell you it is satisfied.

In light of all this information, one should not forget that bread has been a staple of human beings for thousands of years.  It really wasn’t until to advent and popularization of white flour that bread turned into a “bad guy.”

Whole grain and multi-grain breads can be successfully incorporated into the whole foods diet.  Before you decide whether to do so, ask yourself whether bread is a problem food for you.  If it is, you might do well to avoid it until you are better acquainted with the whole foods diet and its effects on your system.  Once you’re ready to eat bread again, explore and enjoy all the amazing things you can do with it.

Pasta -

The case for pasta is almost identical to the case for bread: it is a product of highly refined grain.  The biggest difference, however, is it GI value.  Because the flour in pasta has been so densely packed, it actually takes your body more effort to digest it than bread.  This results in a nice, long release of energy throughout the day.  Again, pasta is a staple of many long-enduring cultures, and should not be dismissed because it technically isn’t a whole food.  Be sure that what you put on your pasta is high-quality, filling, and home-made; you won’t go wrong.

Frozen fruits and vegetables -

If it comes wrapped in plastic, don’t buy it, right?  If canned fruits and vegetables are a no-no, why aren’t frozen fruits and veggies?  The difference lies in the nutrition.  When produce is canned, it ends up very low on the nutritional totem pole.  When you taste, for example, canned carrots, they are soft and soggy.  The nutrients have been cooked out of them.  Frozen produce, on the other hand, has undergone some chopping, yes, but is otherwise close to its original in nutritional density.  Obviously, fresh produce is preferable to frozen, but if you must substitute, don’t worry about it sabotaging your goals.

100% Fruit Juice -

The pulp is still there, isn’t it?  It’s a whole food, technically, right?  Keep in mind that most juice is filtered, leaving only a little pulp.  Also keep in mind that juicing is a form of processing that dramatically raises the GI value of fruit.  If you can’t live without fruit juice, use it as an ingredient, or drink it sparingly, or dilute it with water.

Dried Fruit -

Unless you’re eating raisins, a lot of dried fruit has sugar added to it. Cranberries, for instance, are too bitter without it.  Dehydration is a form of processing, and there are acceptable and less-acceptable ways of dehydrating fruit.  High temperatures blast nutrients from food; lower temperatures retain the nutrients and also food enzymes.  But it is virtually impossible to know how your dried fruit was processed.  Frankly, dried fruit, being the closest thing to “whole food candy,” should be reserved for special occasions and not heavily incorporated into your diet.

Honey and Maple Syrup -

Aren’t these sugars?  Yes.  The difference: they still resemble their natural form, mostly.  Use these additives sparingly, and try to buy them as raw and unfiltered as possible.

Rice Milk -

If you’re lactose intolerant and you want milk, this would seem to be a nice alternative.  It’s still a processed food, no matter how you look at it.  But, rice milk is relatively easy to make.  You’re better off making it yourself.  Chances are, your whole foods diet doesn’t call for very much milk, since you’re not eating breakfast cereal.

Skim and Non-Fat Milk

With all the hype around having a low-fat diet, you might think that it’s okay to cut a corner here, and avoid the more fattening whole milk.  Milk, first of all, has come a long way.  It’s almost always pasteurized and homogenized–it is processed, but not to such an extent that is has to be avoided.  Whole milk provides very filling saturated fat, and is a more balanced drink (fat, carbohydrates, and protein all in one drink!) than non-fat and skim.

But why can’t you drink skim?  Cream is derived from milk, cheese as well.  How far down the chain of dairy processing do we go without being complete hypocrites for not allowing non-fat and skim milk?  Not far at all.  This is a personal choice.  I will, however, repeat that whole milk is a more balanced drink.

Soy milk –

It’s supposed to be good for you, right?  It’s a very popular alternative to milk.  Just like rice milk, right?  Not really.  First, soy milk requires a more labor-intensive processes than rice milk.  Second, almost all soy beans grown in the United States are genetically modified (which raises brand new issues that cannot be addressed here).  Third, it is far less gentle on the digestive track than rice milk.  Finally, soy has a high concentration of phyto-estrogen (plant estrogen).  Phyto-estrogen looks like regular estrogen (to your body) and can tends to cause hormonal abnormalities.  Soy milk is a new creation, and best avoided.

by demogirl06 on April 29, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on April 29, 2010

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Making A Transition To The Whole Foods Diet

by Maria Stevens, April 2010

“SAD” is the perfect acronym for that which it represents: the Standard American Diet.  It is indeed sad.  Sadder still is that this generation of young people is the first generation predicted not to outlive their parents.  The primary cause: malnutrition.

Malnutrition?  No, that doesn’t mean starvation.  Not at all.  It simply means poor or inadequate nutrition, and nutrition goes beyond mere calories.  The SAD diet provides an excess of calories and often a deficit of micronutrients.

Okay, so you want to transition to the whole foods diet?  You think, “Okay, if the SAD diet is so bad, the whole foods diet should be a colorful, delicious, welcome change that will fill me to the brim with densely nutritious food and energy.”

Wrong. At least, at first.

Here’s the deal.  If you have been eating in such a fashion as to call a move to the whole foods diet a “transition,” chances are, it will be an uphill battle.  You’re used to eating a certain way, to eating certain foods, to pre-digested food, to convenience, to taste, to salt, to portion sizes big and small, to everything conferred by the SAD diet that just doesn’t come with the whole foods diet.

The whole foods diet, to you, is probably boring if you don’t know how to prepare your own food.  Certainly, a good old-fashioned home-cooked meal is just about the best thing ever–but so few people these days know how to prepare such a meal.  So they skip steps.  They don’t make their own tomato sauce; they simple buy it ready-made from a jar.  They haven’t a clue on how to make their own soup; so they heat it up from a can.  If you are inexperienced in the kitchen, the transition to the whole foods diet will be arduous and you will likely end up eating the same few foods again and again.

It isn’t easy to learn to cook.  It’s a process of trial and error.  It is also time-consuming, and who has the time?  These protestations, in part, are why the SAD diet has proliferated; breakfast in a can, because “Who has the time–and it tastes better than anything I could make in a rush.”

Worse yet, you’re probably “hooked” on the SAD diet.  More and more research is going into the subject of food addiction, and how certain foods, namely sugar, have a drug-like effect on the brain.  Why is it that women frequently use pints of ice cream to cope with their feelings?  Why do we get intense food cravings in general?  And why, oh why, when you transition to a whole foods diet, does it feel like your withdrawing from a drug addiction?

Exaggerating?  Not at all.  Sugar is everywhere, it’s in almost everything, and sugar has a strong impact on both brain chemistry and hormones (which are powerful things themselves).  If you don’t believe me, give it up for one week.  Really.  Don’t eat anything that has sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and the like added to it.  Be sure to check the ingredient list of everything, from mayonnaise to ketchup to your “healthy” breakfast cereal.  It’s in there.  Trust me.  If you can give up for a week, then you’re ready to transition to the whole foods diet.

So if your ready, here it is–how to make the transition:

Step one: slow down your life. Nothing is so important that it should detract from nutrition and sleep, the two fundamentals of healthy living.  If don’t have the time to commit to preparing your own food, then you will lose your enthusiasm for the diet after eating the same fall-back foods day in and day out.

Step two: make it public. You’ll be surprised how much social pressure will befall you within days of your transition.  This is a food-based culture.  Every social event seems to revolve around food: lunch dates, parties, events, church… they all offer food, and you’ll find that most of that food is processed.  So when someone asks at your book club meeting why you’re only eating the carrot sticks, it would make sense to explain that you’re trying the whole food diet.  But be prudent.  Food talk gets more personal than politics; food is a personal choice, several times a day, and it literally shapes who you are.

Step three: stock your kitchen. Once you are no longer reliant on all the added flavors, salt, and sugar in your foods, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise: bland food.  At least at first.  The truth is, your tongue has been bombarded with imput and has what you can consider to be a “tolerance” for additives.  Cutting this out abruptly makes your food taste boring.  (Don’t worry.  The tongue takes as little as a few days to adapt to new foods and will find the natural sweetness of your whole foods–later, if you dapple in the SAD diet, you’ll be surprised by how salty and uber-sweet all those foods you were eating actually were!)  In the meantime, make an investment in your kitchen.  Buy high quality–preferably in-season and organic–fruits, vegetables, oils, spices, seasonings, nuts, grains, and other ingredients.  It’s a big investment, but not bigger than say, wasting money on powders and supplements.

Step four: plan ahead. Know in advance what you’re going to make, or at least have an idea.  Jump online and search dinner recipes that include ingredients you already have in your refrigerator.  The more thought and attention you put into your meal, the more satisfying it will be.  Foods that are thrown together in a hurry tend to be eaten absently, standing, or on-the-go.  Also, remember that we’re creatures of habit; when you find a meal or type of cuisine you really like to eat, and it works for you, stick with it; get more adept at making it, learn to put variations into it, and learn how to make substitutions when necessary.  The more practised you become, the more flexible, and hence, more creative.

Step five: allow yourself to cheat. Wait.  Really?  Absolutely, but keep it within limits, for example, you might allow yourself up to 300 calories of “processed food” up to three times per week.  First, it is very difficult to quit the SAD diet cold turkey, and these “cheating sessions” should be considered a tool for weaning.  Second, the SAD diet is such a pervasive part of our culture, you will risk social exclusion if you do not allow yourself to eat SAD foods on occasion.  Finally, everything is okay in moderation.  Make sure you make a mental note of how SAD food affects you each time you eat it.  You will learn over time which foods you can pass up, and which foods are really worth it.

by demogirl06 on April 28, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on April 28, 2010

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Shopping Guide To The Whole Foods Diet

Shopping Guide To The Whole Foods Diet

“If I didn’t make it myself, I can’t eat it.” — Jane Perneel

RED LIGHT!

Most things found in the center aisles of the supermarket…

Anything that contains ingredients a third-grader couldn’t pronounce.

Anything bearing an ingredient list that takes longer than five seconds to read out loud.

Anything with added sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, and all the other fancy-“ose” words for “sweetener”.

Anything that might be considered “junk food.”

Anything that you could have made yourself, (i.e. canned soup)

Things that have been de-natured (i.e. skim milk, canned vegetables)

Things don’t resemble their original ingredients in any way (corn flakes, white bread, pancake “syrup”)

Canned vegetables, canned soup, breakfast cereal, breakfast bars, potato chips, candy, soda, microwave dinners, jelly, cakes, quick stove-top dinners, frozen casseroles, sweetened beverages, sweetened yogurt, juice from concentrate, condiments, etc.

ORANGE LIGHT…

Foods that are important in one’s traditional diet that cannot be easily produced in the home…

Miso, rice milk, white rice, pita bread, tortillas, matza crackers, pasta (whole grain), alcoholic beverages, pickles (unsweetened), canned fish, canned beans (unsweetended), etc.

GREEN LIGHT!!!

Foods that are in their whole form and resemble what can be found in nature…

Foods that have withstood the test of time (have persisted in traditional diets for millennia), but are probably not easy to produce in the home (butter, whole grain bread, olive oil, etc.)

Foods that have been milled, but otherwise untouched (i.e., whole grains, legumes, etc.).

Foods that have been dried, but not sweetened (dried fruit, cured meat)

Spices and seasonings.

All fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese (not cheese “product”), whole milk (not low fat), olive oil, butter, coconut butter, cream, yogurt, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, legumes, whole grain pasta, nut butters, honey, maple syrup, rolled grains (like oats), spices and seasonings, etc.

by demogirl06 on April 28, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on April 28, 2010

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