MCT Superfood Bar

MCT = medium chain triglycerides or MCFA = medium chain fatty acids.

These saturated fats found in large amount in coconut oil do not have negative effect on cholesterol – they were shown to lower the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. They are metabolised immediately for energy and do not need emulsification (which is done by releasing bile from the gall bladder). Coconut oil is therefore suitable for people without gall bladder and with weaker liver and compromised digestive function. Lauric acid changes to monolaurin, which is known to destroy viruses, bacteria and fungus. 

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/036156_Coconut_oil_superfood_healing.html 


One-day portion for one adult - makes 3 bars or 6 small sweets.

  

INGREDIENTS	HEALTH EFFECT
Virgin coconut oil 3-4 TBSP	MCT fats – lauric, caprylic and capric acid – easily digestible, antimicrobial, immune supporting – similar amount of these fats is known only in breast milk.
Walnuts or other nuts and seeds - handful	Walnuts have balanced amount of omega 3 and 6 with anti-inflammatory action. All nuts and seeds are high in minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper and are good source of fibre and also contain some protein.
Carob powder 1 tsp	Helps to lower absorption of heavy metals from food.
Cacao (optional) ½ tsp	Stimulant action. Contains minerals such as magnesium and polyphenols
Bee pollen 1 TBSP	Supports endocrine (hormonal) balance and re-charges adrenals. High nutritional density.
Himalayan salt - pinch	Helps to form and release digestive juices. Balances fatty taste. Do not add if using Seagreens powder.
Dried fruit i.e. dates 1 TBSP	As a sweetener, source of fibre and minerals.
Honey (optional) 1 tsp	As a sweetener. Raw honey supports immunity and its antimicrobial.
Oats 1 TBSP	Added mainly to bulk up the bar – source of fibre, protein, B-vits and minerals.
Green powders 1 tsp altogether	Spirulina, chlorella, Barley grass, kelp, Seagreens ..Alkalising, detoxifying, high nutrition density.
Other powders 1 tsp	Depending on your needs – Slippery Elm good to calm inflamed gut, maca is hormone-booster, Reishi is immune supportive …

METHOD 

1. Put coconut oil in Pyrex or metal dish and place on top of the pot with hot boiled water and leave to melt down. 

2. Crush down nuts or seeds in mortar. Can be briefly ground or chopped. 

3. Chop the dried fruit to small pieces. 

4. Mix all the ingredients together. 

5. Spread the mass on grease-proof paper and form about 1.5 cm thick, even layer. 

6. Cover up and place in the fridge, leave to cool down and harden for at least 20 min.

7. Cut to required pieces, keep cool, especially in hot weather or warm room. Coconut oil melts at 24-25C.

 

Wheat shown to cause weight gain

Are you addicted?

...Sadly, (this) tsunami of chronic illness is increasingly caused by eating our beloved diet staple, bread, the staff of life, and all the wheat products hidden in everything from soups to vodka to lipstick to envelope adhesive...

...The Super Starch
The Bible says, “Give us this day our daily bread”. Eating bread is nearly a religious commandment. But the Einkorn, heirloom, Biblical wheat of our ancestors is something modern humans never eat.

Instead, we eat dwarf wheat, the product of genetic manipulation and hybridization that created short, stubby, hardy, high yielding wheat plants with much higher amounts of starch and gluten and many more chromosomes coding for all sorts of new odd proteins. The man who engineered this modern wheat won the Nobel Prize – it promised to feed millions of starving around the world. Well, it has, and it has made them fat and sick...

... The Super Gluten
Not only does this dwarf, FrankenWheat, contain the super starch, but it also contains super gluten which is much more likely to create inflammation in the body. And in addition to a host of inflammatory and chronic diseases caused by gluten, it causes obesity and diabetes...

Read in full http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/02/13/three-hidden-ways-wheat-makes-you-fat/


The latest research about gluten shows a clear connection to weight gain (published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in January 2013). The following words are from an article based on this research.

...Cheap, unhealthy foods for many with massive profits for a few...

"... the weight gain associated with wheat consumption has little to do with caloric content per se; rather, the gluten proteins ... disrupt endocrine and exocrine processes within the body, as well as directly modulating nuclear gene expression ... to alter mamallian metabolism in the direction of weight gain."

Read in full http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/gluten-confirmed-to-cause-weight-gain

The "Leaky Gut"

Finally, if you have heard about gut permeability or „leaky gut“ and suffer from chronic recurrent problems listed below, the following information is vital to consider.

Gliadin is a part of gluten, present in large amounts in modern wheat. Less gluten is found in rye, barley, spelt and other older wheat varieties. Different types of gluten are found in oats and corn. Most of the coeliacs claim they can eat these without problems. Remember that modern bakery products, cakes and snacks have often added extra gluten. Many of us consume it every day, all day long, for most of our lives.

" When exposed to luminal gliadin, intestinal biopsies from celiac patients in remission expressed a sustained luminal zonulin release and increase in intestinal permeability that was blocked by FZI/0 pretreatment. 

Conversely, biopsies from non-celiac patients demonstrated a limited, transient zonulin release which was paralleled by an increase in intestinal permeability that never reached the level of permeability seen in celiac disease (CD) tissues. Chronic gliadin exposure caused down-regulation of both ZO-1 and occludin gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, we concluded that gliadin activates zonulin signaling irrespective of the genetic expression of autoimmunity, leading to increased intestinal permeability to macromolecules. "

Link to research http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/gliadin-causes-intestinal-permeability-both-celiac-and-non-celiac-intestinal

Zonulin = a protein discovered in 2000, which regulates permeability of tight cell junction in intestines.
If you avoid gluten or wheat for at least 3-4 weeks and will start to feel better, this could be the reason why. It may not be the only reason for a „leaky gut“, as zonulin can be activated or stay active by other means, such as ongoing inflammation. However, it is the first step and worth trying. The only side effect is losing weight (if you need to) and having less inflammation and pain.

The connection between chronic or recurrent illness and gut permeability has been known for many years. The common link of many diseases is an inadequate mucosal layer formed by healthy gut flora. People are not encouraged by modern medicine to connect their various ill-health symptoms to their gut. Bacteria in our intestines are responsible for over 70% of immune functioning, and if our belly is not kept healthy, our body will struggle to stay in optimal health.

Winter Fast

Since days started to shorten after Autumn Equinox on 23.9, I experienced a greater need for more food and often found myself eating things I would not touch otherwise. Darker and colder evenings found me craving everything else but vegetables or fruit.  Quite a few weeks went by without any raw salads, which I used to eat happily and daily during the Summer. I exchanged them for cooked root vegetables, meat stock soups and fermented sheep dairy with sourdough bread (not to mention my list of „bad“ things :-).

Coming mid-November, just before the New Moon, all this has suddenly changed. I started to feel like more raw salads again, and fewer eggs, chocolates, cheeses, yogurts and such. I have had quite a few days of eating very little food or having just fruit and rye bread, making kale chips as my „main“ meal. I was unsure why this occurred, just like that, without trying to fight the cravings. Giving up things felt effortless. It all became more clear when I found today, by chance, the article about the Winter Lent. I admit I have never heard about it before. I have heard about the Great Lent, practiced several weeks before Easter. Spring fast is well known, with its modern equivalent in form of spring detox, but no "winter fast" cover in our daily media and life. Quite the opposite; pre-Christmas parties, shopping, and more shopping. Far from a "time of preparation" for receiving of spiritual teachings, meditation or "giving up" material things.

Winter Lent, or, according to Wikipedia, the Nativity Fast, „ is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation for the Nativity of Christ, (December 25). The fast is similar to the Western Advent, except that it runs for 40 days instead of four weeks. The fast is observed from November 15 to December 24, inclusively.“

Traditionally, the majority of households in Slovakia practice fasting all day till dusk on 24.12, preparing for Christmas Eve, which includes making food but not eating it. I like the description in Wikipedia, which states, „no solid food should be eaten until the first star is seen in the evening sky“, and it goes on... „or at the very least, until after the Vesperal Divine Liturgy that day. If Paramony (lit. preparation) falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the day is not observed as a strict fast, but a meal with wine and oil is allowed after the Divine Liturgy, which would be celebrated in the morning...“

Divine Liturgy is explained here ... „In Eastern traditions, especially that of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Divine Liturgy is seen as transcending time. All believers are believed to be united in worship in the Kingdom of God along with departed Saints and the celestial Angels...“

From another side of spirituality, the significance of this period in our calendar is described by Risa D'Angeles in her newsletter article Winter Solstice - Return of the Light During Capricorn.

„The Winter Solstice has historically been the time of birth for all of Earth's great teachers. For humanity, the birth of the light signifies the First Initiation or first stirrings of the Soul from matter (see article on First Initiation). Because it is the time of new light for the planet, World Teachers choose this particular season to incarnate (come into matter) because they always bring new teaching. This teaching provides us with a new state of illumination (light). Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, when the planetary keynote changes from Sagittarius to Capricorn. At the time of the Winter Solstice, the light currents submerged within the core of the Earth reverse and change course, just like the Sun, which is reversing its southward course and turning northward. A reverse movement of any planetary body creates a powerful force until the new motion or path stabilizes. Therefore, from December 21 to midnight on the morning of December 25th, there is a powerful force field of light and radiation enveloping the Earth. This is the purpose of the Catholic Midnight Mass. It "heralds" the new light, which the angels on high sang. May we too "see" the light.“

Details of fasts usually depend on the exact traditions of religious or spiritual groups. Still, often this means avoiding „red meat, poultry, meat products, eggs, dairy products, fish, oil, and wine. Fish, wine and oil are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, and oil and wine are allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays...“

The emphasis is also placed on spiritual fasting, avoiding „anger, greed and covetousness“.

What to add from a holistic nutritional point of view?

Tuning to natural cycles often helps to recognise what we need for our bodies to make us healthier. Most people in Western countries overindulge in meat and dairy products, so there is no doubt that avoiding it for a few weeks can be a very positive experience. Exceptions are advised even in religious groups, where weak and ill people, children and pregnant women are excluded from strict fasts.
We should also remember since the traditions were formed before invention of „modern“ foods, there are other choices we may reconsider this time of year; processed and convenient foods, fake "non-foods", sweets, sugary and artificial drinks, stimulants, cakes, salted snacks and so on.

We all have our way and time to find out what we need. Effortlessly, without feelings of „being punished or deprived“. Let's try to see the positive side – we are privileged to have a choice. In the Western world, we can choose almost any food. Let's use it and choose the foods which are clean, ethical, healthy, and wholesome. If it is not possible all year round, the Winter Lent, with its spiritual power, maybe the right time. It becomes a little bit easier, followed by the richness of celebrations during Christmas, New Year and throughout January.

KALE CHIPS

October and November are great months for harvesting and eating kale, one of the most nutritious and health-supporting vegetables. I realised that not many people know how to eat these tough leaves - you can always put some into salads, steam or stir fry some, but this way you can replace potato crisp and enjoy kale as snack.
The picture above is crispy Scottish supermarket kale, and here are more pictures of Nero de Toscana variety and chard from my garden.
More kale pictures...

Ingredients

2 bunches of kale
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste - best Himalayan rock salt
Garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear to required size. Wash well (unless organic and from own garden) and thoroughly dry in a salad spinner or large clean dish cloth.

2. In a big bowl, drizzle leaves with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Mix well and work the mixture in to all leaves.

3. Preheat an oven to about 100-150C or gas mark 3-5.

4. Place kale pieces on a large metal or silicon rack with a tray underneath. Make sure they do not overlap too much.

5. If you have fan-powered oven,bake in for 5 minutes, then check for crispiness and bake until crispy but NOT BROWN. In normal oven, after 5 minutes, try to leave the oven door slightly opened, to dehydrate leaves quicker without overbaking.

Variations
Instead of kale, use fresh spinach leaves or rainbow chard (mangold).

Life is sweet :)

Did you know?

Christmas special - average adult needs only about 4 mince pies to cover daily recommended amount of both sugar and fat. 

Fruit mandala for birthday

Happy Birthday to the English version of my blog :)