Does the thought of waking up and drinking an ice-cold green smoothie made from frozen bananas make you want to eat a warm, gluten-filled pastry for breakfast?
I have been there!
Here are my tips for keeping green smoothies enjoyable during the colder months:
Eat Seasonal: Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangos, and papayas are very cooling. Using seasonal fruits such as apples and pears instead of tropical fruits will help ease the cooling effect of green smoothies.
Use Fresh, Room Temperature Fruit: If you have to use frozen fruit, rinse it under warm water in a colander before adding to your smoothie. This will help warm up the fruit a bit.
Add Lukewarm Water: You don’t have to add any water to your smoothies if you use a vitamix blender. But if you usually add water, use lukewarm to warm water during the smoothie making process to raise the temperature of the smoothie a bit.
Ginger: Add a half inch piece of fresh peeled ginger or a half teaspoon of dried ginger to your smoothie. Ginger is very warming to the body and very tasty!
You can also try making a green soup instead of a green smoothie. Here is a video on how to make green soups or stews. You simply use a watery fruit that is not sweet, like a tomato or cucumber, to balance out the greens. If you do not have a vitamix blender that heats the soup for you, simply warm the soup for a few minutes on the stove before eating.
I have been very remiss in blogging lately. I have been swept away in enjoying the amazingly beautiful fall weather in the San Fran Bay Area and been spending as much time outdoors as I can and not as much time indoors and in front of the computer as usual. In addition, we continue to have an abundance of fresh, seasonal, locally grown produce available at the local farmer’s market which has kept our meals simple and not anything to blog about. However, today I was inspired to make something a bit more complex and even went as far as to bake something new. With the addition of sunflower seeds and ground flaxmeal, these muffins make a hardy breakfast on a cool fall or winter morning. To make ground flaxmeal, I simply buy whole flaxseeds and grind them up in a cheap coffee grinder I have reserved for grinding spices, nuts, and seeds. Enjoy!
Makes 12 large muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup ground flaxmeal
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup raw honey or agave nectar (use 1 cup if you like your muffins on the sweeter side)
- 3/4 cup cold pressed canola or grapeseed oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup raisins
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease muffin tins, I used a silicone muffin pan and greased it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sift together coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add spices and ground flaxmeal, stir to mix.
- In a medium mixing bowl the eggs, oil, vanilla, and honey or agave to the large bowl and mix at medium speed using an electric or hand blender until frothy.
- Mix the wet with the dry with a electric or hand blender until smooth, add the sunflower seeds and raisins and mix gently using a large spoon.
- Fill the muffin tins to about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle of a muffin. Let cool before consuming.
Lentils have a lot of wonderful qualities. One of their main virtues is their heartiness; their texture and nutrient density makes them an excellent meat replacement. Many folks these days are trying to cut back on their meat consumption for a health and/or budget reasons and are finding lentils and other legumes to be great meat alternatives. Most “meat alternatives” are made not only frequently gluten-based but are made out of soy, a very common allergen–making it imperative for health and budgetconscious people with food intolerances to learn how to cook these delicious whole foods.
This recipe is one of my all-times favorites, enjoy!
Ingredients for Zuppa di Lenticche
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough to cover bottom of pan
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, minced fine
- 2-3 large carrots, minced fine
- 2-3 stalks of celery, minced fine
- 1 lb dried lentils, soaked overnight in warm water + 1 tablespoon vinegar and rinsed
- 1 quart chicken broth + 1-2 c. water
- 1t each dried parsley, oregano, and basil ( can use 1T italian seasoning mixture)
- 1-2 t sea salt
- 1 large can diced tomatoes in their own juice
- 1 splash either red wine vinegar or white wine
Method
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot, add onions and stir frequently until onion becomes translucent
- Add carrots and celery to the pot, stir occasionally until the vegetables become slightly soft.
- Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Add broth, lentils, and seasoning to the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and cover until the broth boils. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately, will taste even better the next day! Will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days flavor will get better every day.
What are Raw and Living Foods?
Raw Foods are any unprocessed foods that have not been heated above 115ºF. Research demonstrates that heating a food above 115ºF alters the food’s molecular structure, making it toxic and depleting the food of essential nutrients and enzymes necessary for digestion and creating excess burden on your organs and immune system, which are often already stressed in those with gluten and casein intolerances1.
The Raw Food Diet includes unprocessed, unheated nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, sea vegetables, and sprouts of all types (including some sprouted grains). Some raw foodists also eat raw dairy, raw eggs, and raw animal flesh. Unless one chooses to eat raw dairy or sprouted grains, the raw food diet is a naturally gluten and casein free diet. A raw vegan diet, which includes no raw animal byproducts, lacks nutrients that are especially important for growing children. Specific supplements need to be taken to make a raw vegan diet nutritionally complete2.
Living Foods are raw foods that have had their enzymes activated through soaking, sprouting, or fermenting. Living foods include sprouted nuts, seeds, and grains; unpasteurized and fermented vegetables; and unpasteurized and fermented kefir and yogurt made from coconuts and seeds, just to name a few.
What are the Benefits of Raw and Living Food Cuisine?
Raw and Living Foods Are Delicious: Raw and living foods, such as ripe seasonal fruits and vegetables, offer amazing flavor and texture while aiding in blood sugar regulation and satiety due to their high nutrient density and fiber content.
Cooked Foods are Depleted of Essential Enzymes: The natural digestion-assisting and life-giving enzymes in food, such as lipase which digests fat, are destroyed when cooked. Without these digestive enzymes, undigested food molecules leak from the gut into the bloodstream and digestive tract, leading to a myriad of health problems. Raw and Living Foods help restore the health of the digestive system and immune system through providing high doses of enzymes and essential nutrients in an easily digestible form1.
Can a Raw and Living Foods Diet Help Me?
Below are a few benefits from incorporating a high percentage of raw and living foods into the diet that I have personally experienced or someone I know have experienced.
- Weight Loss (most raw foods are naturally low in calories and high in nutrients)
- Improved Concentration and Mental Clarity
- Improved Mood
- Improved Digestion
- Increased Energy
- Relief from Candida, Autism, IBS, CFIDS, Fibromyalgia, and other conditions
One Family’s Story of Success with Raw and Living Foods
I recently interviewed Gina Laverde who has recovered her son Dougie from autism, and does raw food coaching and energy healing with parents of children with autism. When Gina learned that she had Candida and her son began to display autistic traits after getting vaccinated, she experimented with a Candida diet prescribed by a holistic doctor to help herself and Dougie. Her lack of success with this Candida diet led her to find the Body Ecology Diet (BED), which greatly helped both her and Dougie restore themselves to good health. For further information on the BED, please go to the Body Ecology Diet web site. Gina has experienced significant success with combining a high percentage of raw vegan foods along with Body Ecology Diet principles, such as food combining and the use of cultured and fermented foods made with a controlled starter culture3.
Digestive Challenges in Autistic Children & Raw Foods
Gina has transitioned her family from eating some organic meat when they began the BED to a now 90% raw vegan diet, with the occasional egg, butter, and cod liver oil supplements. She noticed dramatic improvements in Dougie’s behavior as soon as she began to incorporate raw foods such as green smoothies and select super foods into the family’s diet.
Gina emphasized that “The choice to not give Dougie meat was because he has such a hard time digesting protein in general and eliminating the toxins in meat. We have to give him sources of protein that are as easily absorbable as possible–foods he does not have to chew. For example, we put algae, hemp, chia seeds, or vitamineral green powder in his green smoothies. I notice a discomfort in his system after he eats flesh; if I give him a small piece of fish he gets hand flappy. His system has become more still and calm since eliminating flesh.”
Apparently, difficulty in digesting protein is common in autistic children. Gluten and casein have long been identified as problematic for autistic children, and both casein and gluten are proteins. Gina pointed out that “We give children meat on the GFCF diet because they are so malnourished, we have to give them something because some of these kids have so many allergies.” While some children on the GFCF diet may need meat, raw sources of protein such as hemp protein and chia seeds are a viable option well worth a trial.
Gina explained that many kids with autism have type A blood, and that many people with type A blood produce low levels of Hydrochloric Acid (HCL). HCL is responsible for breaking down food in the stomach. Thus, low HCL levels can make it hard for autistic children to break down any food, not just protein or flesh. Gina noted that it is unknown why many autistic children are have Type A blood or why people with Type A have low levels of HCL.
Tips to Incorporating Raw & Living Foods from Gina Laverde
1. Give Your Body Detox Assistance: Raw and Living foods are powerfully detoxifying. When you put highly nutritious foods in your body, such as green juice or kefir, it will cause die off of bad bacteria (i.e. Candida). You want to open up every avenue for detox through either colonics or enemas. This is why Gina advises her raw food coaching clients to get colon hydrotherapy with implants or do home enemas and implants. There are various types of implants, so Gina recommends seeing a colon hydrotherapy professional to get started. Other detox tips from Gina:
- Develop a Daily Detox Routine: Integrate daily one or more of the following: Rebounding (jumping on a mini-trampoline), Yoga, Skin Brushing, Epsom Salt baths, Castor Oil Packs, or Infrared Red Sauna Sessions.
- Take it Slow: To control the pace of your detox, start with small amounts of raw and living foods each day and build from there, taking careful note of your body’s reactions.
- Water and Sleep: Drink lots of pure, filtered water and get as much rest as possible.
2. Eat Probiotic Foods: To heal the digestive system and re-colonize it with healthy bacteria, Gina promotes the use of probiotic foods like coconut kefir and fermented veggies made using starter cultures from Body Ecology. Second best to probiotic foods are probiotic supplements. There are many probiotic supplements being sold today, and in the past most of these products were of low quality and ineffective. Companies are now developing better probiotic supplements. Gina uses and recommends the following two probiotic manufacturers: Dr. Ohhira and Vsl#3. Again, it is important to start slow with probiotic foods and supplements, taking care to note your body’s reactions.
3. Develop A Positive Attitude towards Healing: Gina has an attitude of total confidence that she is on the right path of recovery for her son. Gina said her confident attitude: “…has to be that way. If you are doubting starting the raw and living foods diet, don’t do it. Step into it slowly. If you are hearing this and feel ‘the raw foods or Body Ecology Diet won’t fit me,’ maybe it won’t. You have to see yourself well. There are many ways you can get well.”
Gina emphasized that “You can’t have fear. You can’t fear eliminating a certain food is going to hurt your child. Think of it like spring cleaning – sometimes when we clean up we make a mess. My son is still a little bit underweight but is developing really quickly now and will be fine, he will be absolutely fine.”
4. Learn How to Do EFT: A great way to learn how to take control of your attitude is through using a form of energy work called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Energy work such as EFT and Reiki has been a key part of Gina and Dougie’s healing. Gina recommends EFT as a great way to get into energy work and show you how your thoughts impact your overall well-being. She says “I do it on myself with the intention for helping Dougie, or I can do it on Dougie, and Dougie can also do it on himself. If he is having a meltdown and I can not touch him, I will do it on myself with the intention of helping him. For moms with children with autism I can work on the mom and she will tell me ‘You know you can’t touch my kid’; and I totally understand they can’t be touched. I say ‘Don’t worry, I will work on you,’ and it does work.”
For further information on raw and living foods and the Body Ecology Diet you can contact Gina via e-mail: gina [at] healartfullydotcom, and through her web site: http://CertifiedOrganicWoman.com. Or go to the Body Ecology Diet Web site: http://www.bodyecology.com
References:
- Kouchakoff, Paul, M.D. of The Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Lausanne, Switzerland. The Influence of Food Cooking on the Blood Formula of Man. Proceedings, First International Congress of Microbiology, Paris, 1930. Retrieved August 24, 2009 from http://www.seleneriverpress.com/media/pdf_docs/37_INFLUENCEOFCOOKING.pdf.
- Shazzie. Evie’s Kitchen. Rawcreation Limited, 2008.
- Gates, Donna and Schatz, Linda. The Body Ecology Diet. BED publishing, 2006, 9th edition.
I subscribe to the Nourishing Gourmet blog and I receive several times a week recipe inspiration via e-mail. A few days ago this Chocolate Raspberry Coconut Flour Cupcake recipe appeared in my inbox and I was immediately inspired to do some baking. This is saying a lot for this recipe, because I rarely bake in the warm summer months when the fruit is so sweet that nothing much else is needed for dessert and I want to spend minimal time in the kitchen and as much time outdoors as possible.
I doubled most of the base ingredients of the recipe (so that I could freeze some for later consumption) and made some simple alterations to make it higher in iron and calcium with the inclusion of some blackstrap molasses and gave it a protein boost by substituting the raspberries with walnuts. Blackstrap molasses is incredibly mineral rich and is often prescribed for anemic folks to include in their diet, but as a sweetener I don’t recommend using it as a straight substitute for other sweeteners in recipes due to its incredibly strong flavor. Did you know that only 5 walnuts a day supplies us with our daily requirements for the essential fatty acids linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid? These fatty acids have special anti-inflammatory and cholesterol-reducing properties. So enjoy this sweet treat in good health!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 cup raw honey or agave nectar
- 1/4 cup organic unrefined coconut oil
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 6 eggs
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease bread pans, I used a silicone mini-loaf pan to make 4 mini-loafs, you can also use two regular sized bread pans. I grease them with coconut oil.
- Sift together coconut flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add cinnamon and stir to mix.
- Add the eggs, coconut oil, honey, and molasses to the large bowl and mix at medium speed using an electric or hand blender until smooth.
- Add the walnuts and mix gently using a large spoon.
- Fill the bread pans 1/2 to 2/3 full, depending on how “tall” you want to loaves to be.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle of the loaf.
In Tuscany they have a secret ingredient that makes their bean and vegetable-based dishes delicious. My dad was born and raised in Tuscany, and did a lot of the cooking when I was growing up. I would find little bits of this food in my pasta sauce and wonder what the heck it was. This ingredient is not a politically or nutritionally correct food according to most people. But if you are a gluten-free person who wants to eat whole foods and stretch your food budget in these economically challenged times, this secret ingredient is your friend. This secret ingredient is salt pork. Salt pork makes home-cooked beans and even frozen peas come alive. You want to try and buy organic salt pork (often found at Whole Foods Market) as non-organic salt pork contains carcinogenic nitrates. You can always substitute organic ham or bacon if you can’t find organic salt pork. Here are two recent ways I have used this ingredient to make very inexpensive recipes.
Tuscan Beans with Kale
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce of organic salt pork, cubed into #1/8″ (teeny little) pieces
- 1 lb of dried pinto beans, soaked over night in water and then cooked 90 minutes until tender
- 1 head of kale, de-stemmed and coarse-chopped
- 1 small bunch fresh sage, minced or 1t dried sage
- 1-2 cups of water
- sprinkle of garlic and onion powder
Method:
- Sautee salt pork for 1-2 minutes in a soup-pot on medium-high heat until
- Add the beans, garlic powder, onion powder, sage and 1 cup of water to the pot. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Check and see if the water has been absorbed, add more water if needed, add kale, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over cooked brown rice or quinoa for a complete meal.
Tuscan Peas
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce organic pork salt, cubed into 1/8″ (teeny) pieces
- 1 lb frozen green peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2T water
- pinch of garlic and onion powder
Method:
- Sautee pork on medium high until cooked through in a medium saucepot.
- While pork is cooking whisk together 1T of water with the tomato paste, garlic, and onion powder using a fork of small egg whisk. When pork is done cooking add the tomato paste mixture to the saucepot, stir slowly for 5 minutes on medium-heat. Add the extra Tablespoon of water if mixture gets too thick.
- Add the peas, stir gently to mix, cover and let simmer on low for 8 minutes until peas are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve over brown rice or quinoa.
I have written quite a bit about the benefits of leafy green vegetables on a gluten-free diet, and am always recommending to clients, family, and friends to drink green smoothies. It is very important to note that there are substances in these nutrient filled powerhouses that aren’t so good for some of us, especially for the very high percentage of gluten intolerant people who have either some type of thyroid disorder or nutrient absorption challenge (1,2). Don’t worry, you aren’t going to read this post and feel like you have doubled the length of your “do not eat list.” Instead, you will learn how to prepare your leafy green veggies for optimal health instead of feeling you need to cut more foods out of your diet. Here is the low down on the good, the bad, and the confusing on veggies and your thyroid:
Thyroid Disorders and Goitrogens
A goitrogen is a food (or chemical) that can inhibit thyroid function. The Brassicas family (aka Cruciferous veggies) are known for their cancer-inhibiting qualities (1), but they are also goitrogenic. Cruciferous vegetables contain a thyroid hormone inhibiting enzyme in their raw state. The most consistent recommendation found in research regarding goitrogenic green veggies is simply to cook them thoroughly before consuming. Thus, the following Brassicas vegetables are not the best choices for green smoothies or raw salads but are fine eaten well-cooked in moderate portions:
Arugula, bok choy, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, daikon, kale, kohlrabi, radish, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress.
There are other ways you can enjoy the health benefits of Cruciferous vegetables without worrying about their goitrogenic qualities. According to Dr. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, the key to thyroid health is to get enough iodine in your diet, as well as other micronutrients essential to thyroid function. She suggests pairing goitrogenic foods with the iodine-rich and micronutrient-rich foods to counter the negative effects. For a list of all the micronutrients essential to thyroid function and a list of iodine-rich foods, please see Dr. Pick’s excellent article Eating to Support Your Thyroid.
(1) Digestive Diseases and Sciences, February 2000;45:403-406. Dr. Tarcisio Not of Clinica Pediatrica, I.R.C.C.S., Trieste, Italy
(2) The Celiac/Autoimmune Thyroid Connection. Research links Celiac Sprue Gluten-Intolerance to autoimmune thyroid disease. Mary Shomon, About.com. Updated: October 17, 2008. http://thyroid.about.com/cs/latestresearch/a/celiac.htm#ref
(3) J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 278, Issue 23, 21136-21145, June 6, 2003, Plant-derived 3,3′-Diindolylmethane Is a Strong Androgen Antagonist in Human Prostate Cancer Cells, Hien T. Le, Charlene M. Schaldach, Gary L. Firestone, and Leonard F. Bjeldanes, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, The University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3104 and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550
Gluten free folks get easily tired of ordering salad when they go out to lunch when everyone else orders a sandwich. Bringing your own gluten free bread or tortilla/warp is always an option. Then there are those of us who don’t tolerate even the gluten free grains. Well I have a very simple solution for those of you who are sick of veggies and want or need something unique to put your sandwich fillings in: leafy green veggies. When I learned that the Raw Vegan world has been using collard greens and various lettuces to wrap their creative veggie dishes in for years I was eager to try my hand at re-creating some of the masterpieces I saw Raw Vegan Chefs make. Below is a lovely picture of my most recent gluten free wrap/sandwich which was inspired by a raw collard green and hummus wrap I recently purchased at my local farmer’s market. You can use any mix of veggies, beans, fresh herbs, dips, and even meats in your wraps.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
- 1 head butter leaf lettuce
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered and chopped into small bit-sized pieces
- 1 large tomato, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 3 scallions (green onions), white part only, sliced thin
- 1 small bunch fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 1T lemon juice
- The juice of one navel orange
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Place the tomatoes, scallions, red bell pepper, cucumber, and garbanzos in a large mixing bowl. Pour the lemon juice and orange juice over the veggies and stir gently to coat the veggies with juice.
- Chop the parsley and basil fine, add to veggie/bean mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, gently stir to mix.
- Wash butter lettuce and separate the leaves. Take one leaf at a time and spoon the veggie/bean mixture only the leaves. Place each leaf on a nice serving platter and enjoy immediately. Store remaining veggie/bean mixture in the refrigerator up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container.
Gluten Detox Plan: 5 Tips to Improving Digestion during the early stages of a Gluten Free Diet
This article is a follow up to my Top 7 Tips to Enhancing the Gluten Free Diet post. One of the major complaints of people when they go gluten free is that their stomachs still hurt despite strict adherence to the gluten free diet for a number of weeks. And to top it off, they are really hungry and crave their old favorite foods! They often have blood sugar imbalances and have been nutrient deprived for a long time. Unfortunately, the common tactic of replacing non-nutrient dense gluten processed food with the non-nutrient dense gluten-free processed food that is now highly available is not going to heal up a inflamed and leaky gut or resolve cravings for gluten foods. The answer to easing detox, digestion, and cravings is eating nutrient-rich foods that are as easily digestible as possible and learning how to manage lifestyle stress in ways that help your body release the toxic build up from the impact of untreated gluten intolerance.
If you don’t have the time or the desire to read the rest of this article, at least go educate yourself about which foods are truly the most nutrient dense and add one of these nutrient dense foods to your diet each week. To begin your education in nutrient density, check out the fascinating nutrient density table below by Dr. Joel Furhman.
| Broccoli | Sirloin Steak | Romaine Lettuce | Kale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11.2 gm | 5.4 gm | 7.5 gm | 11 gm |
| Calcium | 322 mg | 2.4 mg | 374 mg | 470 mg |
| Iron | 3.5 mg | .7 mg | 7.7 mg | 5.8 mg |
| Magnesium | 74.5 mg | 5 mg | 60.5 mg | 97 mg |
| Fiber | 4.7 g | 0 | 4 g | 3.4 g |
| Phytochemicals | Very High | 0 | Very High | Very High |
| Antioxidants | Very High | 0 | Very High | Very High |
| Folate | 257 mcg | 3 mcg | 969 mcg | 60 mcg |
| B2 | .71 mg | .04 mg | .45 mg | .32 mg |
| Niacin | 2.8 mg | 1.1 mg | 2.2 mg | 2.1 mg |
| Zinc | 1.04 mg | 1.2 mg | 1.2 mg gm | .55 mg |
| Vitamin C | 350 mg | 0 | 100 mg | 329 mg |
| Vitamin A | 7750 IU | 24 IU | 10,450 IU | 23,407 IU |
| Vitamin E | 26 IU | 0 | 32 IU | 34 IU |
| Cholesterol | 0 | 5.5 mg | 0 | 0 |
| Weight | 307 gm | 24 gm | 550 gm | 266 gm |
| (10.6 oz) | (.84 oz) | (19 oz) | (9.2 oz) |
1. Eat Green Vegetables, cooked or raw, whichever is easier for you to digest. The table above demonstrates that green vegetables are calorie for calorie the most nutrient dense food and they contain many micronutrients (the phytochemical and antioxidants listed in the table above) that are essential to helping your body detox and re-build a healthy gut lining. However, if your digestive tract is in a state on inflammation, you probably are going to need to lightly steam your greens or blend them up in a soup or smoothie (see more info on blending in tip #3). If you have a thyroid condition (a very common condition in gluten intolerant people) stick with the non-goitrogenic greens if you are going to eat them raw: swiss chard, celery, romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, parsely, and arugala. Cooking greatly reduces the goitrogenic qualities of kale and the other leafy green and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and mustard greens that make the goitrogen list. Here’s a great how-to-video on how make leafy-green based Italian soup, yummy: Italian Green Soup. Check out the great green smoothie how-to videos on this you tube channel too!
2. Dust off your blender and your food processor. If you have a juicer, dust that off too. Making your food look like baby food probably does not sound particularly appetizing. I know how you feel. But have you ever tried a green smoothie? They are delicious! Green smoothies might not work for you if your intestines are very inflamed, but simply make a soup of steamed veggies and maybe some beans, and blend the soup in a blender or food processor before consuming. You can add some roast chicken in after blending for added protein. Blending your food pre-digests it so your digestive system does not have to work as hard while still providing you with all the nutrients you need to heal up your gut.
Juicing can help ease digestion and fill the body up with nourishment as well. If you are struggling with blood sugar control juice green vegetables only; such as a mix of cucumber, kale, and celery. Removing the fiber will be a good thing if your gut is inflamed.
3. Soak your nuts, seeds, and grains. This is a simple trick that will ensure you are able to digest and absorb all the nutrients in the new types of gluten free grains and other whole foods you will be eating. Grains, nuts, and seeds in their raw form all contain enzyme (digestion) inhibitors that keeps them from getting eaten by animals in the wild. These enzymes are easily removed by an overnight soaking in slightly acid water (water with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar added). According to Sally Fallon, nutrition researcher and author of Nourishing Traditions:
” Unless deactivated, these enyzme inhibitiors can put great strain on the digestive system. Sprouting, soaking in warm acidic water, sour leavening, culturing and fermenting–all processes used in traditional societies-deactivate enzyme inhibitors, thus making nutrients in grains, nuts and seeds more readily available…While we should include a variety or raw foods, even in the tropics, where fires are not needed for warmth the inhabitants build a fire every day to cook their foods. Some nutrients are made more available through cooking and cooking also neutralizes naturally occurring toxins in plant foods. In general grains, legumes, and certain types of vegetables should be cooked. Animal foods should be consumed both raw and cooked. Some people do very poorly on raw foods find raw food unappetizing in which case they should emulate the Asians by including small amounts of enzyme rich condiments with a diet of cooked foods” (p.47)
To soak dry nuts, seeds, or legumes I simply rinse them in fresh water and put them in a large mixing bowl. I cover them with room-temperature fresh water and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. The next day I rinse them again in fresh water before cooking. It adds a total of about 10 extra minutes but it is well worth it. The enzyme-rich condiments that Fallon is referring to are things like cultured vegetables and coconut kefir, which are known to help restore the gut flora to a health balance and help digest other foods eaten within the same meal. Some great recipes for these enzyme-rich foods can be found here: Coconut Kefir and Fermented Veggie Recipes
4. Keep it Simple. Keep the spices and combination of different types of food simple to give your digestive system a break. A basic and helpful food combining tip is to eat fruits separately from high-protein and high-fat foods simply because fruits digest much faster than these other types of foods. Having fruit ferment in a leaky gut along with a piece of steak or nuts is not a healing climate for your gut to be in. Further, going easy on fat consumption while you are detoxing from gluten can be of benefit. The liver is the major organ of detox in your body and it also metabolizes fats. If the liver is overburdened by excess fat or fructoseintake this is going to slow down your detox process, thus giving your more intense detox symptoms for a longer period of time. So simply avoiding eating significant amounts of ats, such as added oils, while cooking will give your liver a break. Instead opt for food preparation techniques that don’t require added fats, such as steaming and poaching.
6. Remove the Other Irritants besides Gluten
It is commonly advised to avoid dairy for the first 6 months of a gluten free diet as often the gluten intolerance reaction has destroyed the enzymes in the stomach that digest dairy. Many people with gluten intolerance have a leaky gut which causes multiple food intolerances. These people are often able to find relief by doing food elimination diets. My biggest tip if you decide to eliminate foods from your diet: focus on what you are going to add in instead of what you are eliminating, or else you will go buggy! Make a list of all the foods that make you feel good, or new foods that you aren’t intolerant to and have fun learning delicious ways to enjoy these safe and healing foods.
Unfortunately, most food allergy test people take come up with many false positives and identify allergies only and not food intolerances. There is a significant difference between food allergies and intolerances that are important to note:
Food allergy is a rather fast response (minutes) by the body’s immune system to a perceived invader. Signs or symptoms are typically immediate, dramatic and visible: coughing, sneezing, vomiting, migraines, watering eyes, rashes, swelling tissue, hives – or in severe cases an anaphylactic shock which requires emergency intervention. However other symptoms like the gastro-intestinal responses nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can be delayed for hours or even days.
Food intolerance on the other hand is rather slow onset reaction, hours, days or even weeks. It is an inability to process a particular food. It is also thought to be an immune system response. The gastro-intestinal tract in some people is simply unable to produce appropriate enzymes for normal chemical breakdown. The food passes through unprocessed, or lingers in the gut fermenting producing excess ‘gas’. In some cases protein fragments rupture the lining of the intestine allowing foreign particles into the bloodstream.
Symptoms of Food intolerance are much more delayed, less dramatic and lifestyle threatening rather than life threatening. They generally manifest as nutritional deficiencies that develop over time. If left untreated however they can lead to serious illness and tissue damage.
Major symptoms of food intolerance (food sensitivity):
- gastro-intestinal (diarrhea, bloating etc.) and subsequent malabsorption problems like anaemia and osteoporosis
- respiratory system distress including bronchitis, breathlessness, sinusitis, congestion
- miscarriage; infertility in males and females
- a large number of skin irritations from eczema to dandruff
- a long list of general body ailments including headache, lethargy, migraine, inability to concentrate, sleep disorders, mouth ulcers, urinary problems, weight fluctuation and obsessive (addictive) eating
- see also serious disease from chronic untreated food intolerance
This above definitions and symptom list are from foodintol.com®, the food intolerant consumer website. To determine what foods you are intolerant to I highly recommend visiting foodintol.com® and a trusted health practitioner.
7. Stress Management. Stress management plays a vital role in keeping just about every system in your body functioning optimally. One of the most enjoyable and powerful things to help detox and de-stress is moving the body and sweating. Exercise is a powerful detox tool on many levels. Sweating greatly aids the body in detoxification, so if you are feeling too fatigued to exercise you can sweat by spending time in a sauna or simply take a hot steam bath at home. Simply fill up your tub with water as warm as you can tolerate and you will generate plenty of steam. Adding in Epsom salts to the bath can greatly aid detox as well. For more information on all the different bodily systems involved in detox and a long list of lifestyle recommendations to help reduce stress and help detox, I recommend reading this article by Dr. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN.
If you are interested in doing a guided gluten detox and leaky gut repair plan, and getting educated about what foods and lifestyle practices are best for you, I highly recommend the 6 Week Deep Tissue Detox led by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo.
There are many, many other tips and tricks to help your body detox and healing when you eliminate gluten from the diet. I will be writing more and more about this very important topic in the future.
I don’t know why I have been so soup obsessed lately. Actually, I do know why. We have a cupboard full of dry beans and grains, and I have been on a mission to spend less money on groceries. I had been super busy in May and June with planning my wedding and did all the weekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods more than I care to admit. It is so easy to let your food budget get out of control when either buy a ton of processed foods or are totally committed to buying organic (the latter is my issue).
I am now back to my normal routine of buying most of my food at the Farmer’s Market and recently discovered a European-style outdoor produce market we have called The Milk Pail (aka the Heartwarming Little Store that Has Everything) that has awesome prices on organic produce. Blessed with time and a pantry already stocked with dry beans and gluten free grains, I was ready to reign in the grocery budget this July without sacrificing nutrition.
I really, really made our dollars stretch with all the healthy soups and stews I have been making for my husband. One of his favorite soups is Gypsy Stew. I usually make my special version of Mollie Katzen’s Vegeterian Moosewood Cookbookrecipe classic with added cut up organic chicken thighs for my husband who needs a lot of protein. He has been open to eating more vegeterian meals, so instead of adding chicken I added several cups of already cooked leftover organic quinoa which they now sell at costco. Organic chicken thighs cost about $5.99/lb, organic quinoa and organic chickpeas cost around $1.99/lb. So you do the math, it saves money to go veggie.
Quinoa Stew with a Gypsy Flair
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small can organic tomato sauce
- 1 large bunch washed and chopped spinach
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans–see my post about how to cook dry beans)
- 3 cups cooked
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or basil (whichever you have on hand or prefer)
- 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1/4t cinnamon
- 1/4t cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
Method:
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium low heat, saute onion until translucent.
- Add all other vegetables besides garlic and spinach and sautee for five minutes. Add garlic and saute minute.
- Pour broth or water, tomato sauce, seasoning, chickpeas and quinoa to the soup pot. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all the vegetables are as tender as you like them.
- Add spinach and cover for about 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Enjoy!
