Flour, Oil and Fat

Good morning all! I'd like to first make a correction. I said in my previous post Spelt is Gluten Free -it is not. Spelt has gluten, just like wheat, but spelt contains more protein than wheat and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. For some people allergic to wheat, they may be able to tolerate spelt. Spelt flour has a high nutrient content and has a nuttier and sweeter taste than whole wheat flour and can be used to replace whole wheat flour in your cookie or bread recipes...I use it a lot and of course buy spelt bread not only because it's healthy but because I think it taste great! There is also spelt pasta. It is not an alternative for a gluten-free diet - it does have gluten.

While we are on the subject of flour - another great flour is Kamut originating from Western Asia. It is rich in protein (30% more protein that wheat), magnesium, zinc, vitamin Bs and vitamin E and unsaturated fatty acids. It is grown organically and has not been refined or has been through genetic improvements. It tastes sweet and buttery. The kernels can be cooked like rice, or couscous. Try using Kamut instead of whole wheat flour in your recipes as well!

Last flour I want to talk about is Quinoa - i have been using this for a lot of my cookie recipes for the past year. Mostly the recipes from Janie Quinn's book "Essential Eating". I actually braved the storm to go to Wegmans yesterday to buy Quinoa flour for my favorite recipe from her book "Quinoa Flake Cookies". Organic Quinoa is native to South America, it is also very high in protein and high in dietary fiber as well. It has a mild nutty flavor. Quinoa is gluten free so it can be used safely in gluten-free diets - but always double check because it can be processed in a facility that contains gluten! Not only can you get Quinoa in a flour, you can buy it in flakes (like oatmeal) as well as millet which cooks like rice - all so so good for you and great tasting!

I have had both Spelt and Kamut store bought pastas by Edan Foods

http://www.edenfoods.com. They make a Kamut & Buckwheat Rigatoni, Organic 100% whole grain as well Kamut and Quinoa pasta..check out their website. This is such a better way to eat pasta - most of the pastas out there are made with refined flour. Go for the multi-grain pastas such as quinoa or flour from Jerusalem artichokes, spelt or even soy because they are higher in protein, fiber, zinc and iron.

OK finally onto "Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil" or "Trans Fatty Acids". Fats are necessary for optimal health and well being. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are really "essential" for normal brain function and nervous system activity, hormones, glandular function, digestive-tract operation, cell wall function, joint mobility, immune function, bone repair, and the list goes on. These essential fatty acids (usually contained in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils) are necessary for a perfect functioning body.

Up until the 1970s food producers used coconut oil to get a butter consistency and flavor to food. Then Coconut oil was replaced by a process called "Hydrogenation". This is a process of heating an oil and sifting hydrogen bubbles through it to make it thicker and more dense. If you fully hydrogenate it you will make a solid fat out of the oil. When it is partially hydrogenated, is it has a consistency of butter (only cheaper) or shortening. The Hydrogenation of oils removes the essential fatty acids such as polyunsaturated fatty acids like linolenic acid (omega 3s and omega 6s). The reason food companies don't use these healthy fats is because they have a shorter shelf life and become rancid when stored too long. So the food industry removed these healthy essential fatty acids and use Trans Fatty Acids for the sole purpose of prolonging shelf life of processed foods and to trick our taste buds to make these foods taste better through texture - with no concern for the health of the people eating it. A Harvard study concluded that Trans Fats could be responsible for 30,000 premature coronary deaths per year! Trans Fatty Acids are in so many store bought items we buy - you can't pick up very much from the isles that doesn't have it. It has significantly contributed to obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Trans Fats have been compared to poison, it not only produces disease overtime because your body cannot absorb much less recognize it and it often inhibits proper body functions like blood sugar levels, immune response, reproduction and of course #1 Heart Disease..... It also interferes with the body's ability to ingest and use the good fats - which are essential to life! Like refined flours, the food industry has taken all the nutrients out of a perfectly good oil and modified it for their monetary needs.

There is so much information, so many studies - it is overwhelming. But bottom line - stay far far away from "Partially Hydrogenated Oils"/"Trans Fatty Acids".

TAKE AWAY:

According to Cindi Moore, MS,RD Director of nutrition therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Food and Drug Admin. The top 10 "Trans Fat" Foods to stay away from are:

1. SPREADS - Margarine, non-butter spreads, shortening

2. PACKAGE FOODS - Cake mixes, bisquick - make it yourself!!!!!

3. CANNED SOUPS - again make it yourself with fresh ingredients

4. FAST FOOD - lots deep fried in partially hydrogenated oil

5. FROZEN FOOD - frozen pies, waffels, pizzas, fish sticks....

6. COMMERCIAL BAKED GOODS - look for those that use butter instead of margarine

7. DONUTS

8. CREAM-FILLED COOKIES - I buy Late July Organic Vanilla Bean with Green Tea Cookies - not trans fat, or high fructose corn syrup -healthy alternative to the "oreo"

9. COOKIES AND CAKES - From SuperMarket bakeries

10. POUND CAKE

Get back to old-fashioned home cooking! Try to stand up for your health and don't buy anything with Trans Fats - they are making more and more really good products (if you don't have time to cook) with out Trans Fats...I will let you know what I find!

Once last Take Away...I was on the search for a great cracker that didn't have Enriched flour and found an amazing, really healthy cracker at Wegmans called "Doctor Kracker Klassic 3 Seed Snackers - they are Organic and have 14 grams per serving of Whole Grains. The simple ingredients are: "Organic whole wheat flour, organic what flour, filtered water, organic oates, organic sunflower seeds, organic flax seeds, seas salt, organic sesame seeds, yeast, organic barley malt syrup (not sure how good that is for you).

My very very healthy neighbor turned me onto a raw flaxseed bread that I made with her at her home and used her dehydrator to make - but you can bake in oven at a very low temperature. It is super healthy and really tasty and you can add what you like to the recipe...here is the recipe she gave me...

http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=847

you can make it sweet by adding dried cranberries or cherries, dates instead of the savory with garlic.

Another two amazing healthy cookie recipes I found and made for my friends are "ultimate whole wheat chocolate chip cookies" (you can always swap out for another type of flour)

http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/43-cookies/69-ultimate-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

and "Healthy Oatmeal Cookies"

http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/43-cookies/58-healthy-oatmeal-cookies.html

Let me know if you try any of these recipes....

Haven't forgotten about milk and eggs - next i promise!