Happy Thanksgiving

This year, try a Thanksgiving without packaged food; I’m going to.  I don’t need the MSG, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, stabilizers, or thickeners.  Skip the canned cream of mushroom soup, canned chicken broth, box stuffing mix, pre-made pie crusts, imitation whipped cream, canned French-fried onions, canned green beans, canned cranberry sauce and canned gravy.  I’m also going to deny myself eggnog this holiday season.  Eggnog is a much-loved treat, but I’m ready to cut it out.  Read the label and you’ll see why.  (I probably will try making it at home, though, because it is SO yummy!) 

Most years I’m not in charge of the whole meal, but this year I am, so I’m going to do it my way.  I’m going to roast a turkey with the following sides –

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (without sugar or marshmallows)

Green Beans (probably add a little bacon grease, yum)

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Stuffing (I’m going to use my Crusty French Bread)

Rolls using half white and half wheat (I like my rolls really soft)

Apple Pie (all butter crust; no shortening which is trans fat!) with raw cream drizzled over it instead of store-bought ice cream; mmm, I’m getting hungry. 

And don’t forget, when the turkey is picked clean you can boil up the bones for the best broth ever!  Place them in a pan and cover with water.  Let it come to a boil and simmer it all day.  Drain the broth over a colander to catch the bones and either chill the broth or freeze it.  When you’re ready to use it you can skim the fat off the top and discard.  Don’t know what to do with the broth?  Keep it in your freezer and I’ll let you know soon.  This broth will keep in your fridge for 3 days.  Bonus – if you add a bit of vinegar (like ¼ cup) to the water before boiling you will get a very mineral-rich broth, a great source of calcium.  

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Boil or steam your potatoes.  Place a generous amount of butter in a bowl and press 1 or 2 garlic cloves in.  Place the potatoes in the bowl and mash.  Add cream and milk and mash some more until creamy.  I usually use half cream and half milk.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce
This is from Cook’s Illustrated (Nov/Dec 1999)

¾ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon grated orange zest

¼ tsp salt

1 12-ounce bag cranberries

2 Tablespoons orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier) 

Bring water, sugar, salt and orange zest to a boil in medium pan (non-reactive, like stainless steel) over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.  Stir in cranberries; return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium; simmer until saucy, slightly thickened, and about two-thirds of berries have popped open, about 5 minutes.  Off heat; stir in the orange liqueur.  Transfer to non-reactive bowl, cool to room temperature, and serve.  (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 7 days; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Prove It!

Like I said in my last post, I enjoy studying fats!  I have been passionate about nutrition for a while, but I’m always drawn to reading and studying more on the subject of fat than any other subject.  I have come across some articles in this month’s issue of Men’s Health that are must-reads, so I thought I would pass them along.  No need to buy the magazine, the articles are online.

These articles are a must read if you…

watch you fat intake,

drink 1%, 2%, or skim milk,

prefer chicken breast to any other meat because it’s so low in fat,

buy lowfat, nonfat, or reduced fat products,

feel guilty using butter,

or any of the above.

Read this one first – Stop Blaming Saturated Fat – The recent news that the Atkins low-carb diet works well and improves health has some people scratching their heads.  If Atkins means eating lots of meat, eggs and cheese, won’t all that saturated fat wreck your cholesterol levels and put you on the road to heart disease?  Well, no. There’s no good evidence of that. And there’s plenty of evidence that the opposite is true–that eating more saturated fat lowers the risk for heart disease. That’s what a recent Harvard University study found: People who had the highest saturated fat intake also had the least plaque buildup on their artery walls. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition described the findings as an “American Paradox.”

Fat Foods You Can Eat – 8 “unhealthy” foods that are actually good for you.

What If Bad Fat Is Actually Good For You? – .  “…the majority of healthy people seem to derive very little benefit from these low-fat diets…if a low-fat diet is also loaded with carbs, it can actually result in adverse changes in blood lipids.”

According to lead study author Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., two factors influence the amount of fat coursing through your veins. The first, of course, is the amount of fat you eat. But the more important factor is less obvious. Turns out, your body makes fat from carbohydrates. It works like this: The carbs you eat (particularly starches and sugar) are absorbed into your bloodstream as sugar. As your carb intake rises, so does your blood sugar. This causes your body to release the hormone insulin. Insulin’s job is to return your blood sugar to normal, but it also signals your body to store fat. As a result, your liver starts converting excess blood sugar to triglycerides, or fat.

This information may shock you.  It certainly isn’t popular opinion.  Why am I passing this along to you?  Why do I trust this information? 

o         First, I go to the Bible.  This article is talking about saturated fat, which is present in foods that God created – butter, coconut oil, meat, milk, cream, and eggs.  Remember I Timothy 4:1-5, “In the last days people will be telling us that food God created is unhealthy to eat, but EVERY creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”  (My paraphrase)  My motto, “If God created it, it is good for me; if man adulterated it, it is bad for me” definitely applies here.  Saturated fats have not been altered by men, like trans fats and vegetable oils have.  Saturated fat is in its natural state and heat doesn’t damage it. 

o         Second, I have read this same information in a number of books, some by a biochemist that specializes in the field of lipids (fats), named Dr. Mary Enig.  Dr. Enig has been trying to get this information out to the masses for over 30 years!  A dentist named Weston A. Price back in the 1930s also discovered this information.  He traveled the world and studied various people groups and discovered that when they ate a whole foods diet, rich in saturated fat they remained healthy.  But when the same people group was exposed to the Western diet, full of refined foods, sugar and vegetable oils, their health suffered. 

o         The third reason is my own personal experience.  I eat more saturated fat than any person I know and I feel great!  I cook with butter and coconut oil; I eat dark meat with the skin, drink whole milk and use lots of cream in my cooking, too.  I maintain a healthy weight.  It’s only when I eat too many refined carbs that my weight goes up.  So I want to pass on this information because I care about the truth.

The only downside I see to this information is misuse.  I can see people reading this article and thinking, “Great!  I can have all the junk food and fast food I want!”  Please, please, please don’t use this information to justify junk food.  Fast food and packaged food is the worst food for you.  The big reasons are that they contain trans fats, added sugars and chemicals.  These articles are talking about how saturated fats are healthy; this does not include trans fats in any way.  This is talking about fat that naturally occurs in food that God created. 

So this Thanksgiving, don’t feel guilt over fat!

Croutons

With all the high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat), MSG, artificial sweeteners (like Nutrasweet and Splenda), and more in packaged food I see that we really just have two options.  We can cut the items out of our diets altogether OR make the item from scratch.  I am going to focus on this for a while.  I thought about moving on to healthier things, but I think a big hurdle for a lot of people is cutting out packaged food.  So I will offer many homemade alternatives.  I’m not saying these foods are healthy, but they are SO much better than their packaged/store-bought counterparts.  The key here is moderation.  If I post a brownie recipe (which I will soon), this does not mean I make brownies every week nor do we eat desserts after every meal.  But we do enjoy sweets from time to time and I feel so much better when I have put quality ingredients into my sweets rather than opened a box mix that is loaded with harmful chemicals. 

In the world of food there are greater and lesser evils.  I hear a lot of people say that they know (insert food item here) are bad so why does it matter if it’s a box mix or from scratch?  If you make things at home from scratch with the RIGHT ingredients then they will be much better for you.  The big deception is that sugar is sugar and fat is fat, so it doesn’t matter which kind you choose.  I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to stay away from all sugar and all fat.  There are good kinds and bad kinds.  What’s my motto?  If God created it, it is good for me; if man has changed it, it is bad for me! 

Croutons are so easy to make at home and really taste much better than store brands and IF you use the RIGHT FAT they are much healthier.  Most store brands of croutons contain partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat).  

This is an excellent way to use the leftovers from the Crusty French Loaf.  Cut bread into slices, and then cut the slices into cubes.  In a bowl toss the bread cubes with Peanut oil, garlic powder, and dried herbs (like Thyme, Basil or an Italian blend).  You could try some Parmesan, too, if you like.  Spread the cubes on a cookie sheet and bake in a 375°F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until brown and crisp to your liking.  I set my timer and stir them every 10 minutes or so. 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FAT – Peanut oil is a stable, neutral oil and works well cooking at a high temperature or getting foods like croutons and French fries nice and crisp.  If you are using shortening, Canola Oil, vegetable oil or buying packaged food, please give Peanut oil a try.  It is much healthier than those. 

Basically the long and short of oils is that there are saturated fats and unsaturated fats.  Among the unsaturated are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.  Poly means many; so polyunsaturated means many unsaturated fats.  Some of these unsaturated fats are essential to our diets, omega-3 and omega-6.  Peanut oil has no omega-3, only omega-6, which makes it more stable.  But wait, you say, don’t we want all the omega-3 we can get?  We hear so many good things about omega-3 these days; it’s the new trend.  But the food giants are not telling us the whole truth.  Omega-3 oil is very healthy, but it is also very unstable and easily damaged.  We DO NOT want to be consuming damaged omega-3!  It is chock full of free radicals and wreaks havoc on our bodies.  Take Flax Seed Oil, for example.  It is known for being a healthy source of omega-3 and we are told not to heat it or cook with it and we store it in the refrigerator.  This should give us a clue.  If oil contains omega-3 it should never be used for cooking.  This includes Canola Oil.  It contains 10-15% omega-3.  We should be getting our omega-3 from whole food instead of vegetable oils. 

So when cooking, I choose Peanut oil for stir fry, French fries, and these croutons.  Peanut oil is not the healthiest oil to choose, but it is a lesser evil.  Again, moderation is key.  We don’t eat stir fry and French fries all the time, but when we do I cook with Peanut oil, a much healthier alternative to vegetable oil and shortening.  You definitely want a balance of different oils.  If Peanut oil was the only oil you chose that would be bad, because you don’t want too much omega-6.