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cliftonsteen · 4 years

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A Guide To Working With Plant Milks

Alternative milks are only getting more popular with each passing year. Oat milk sales in the US increased by 171% between 2018 and 2019, and the UK plant milk market was valued at US $320 billion last year.

In light of this rise in consumption, it’s important that baristas are aware of the best way to work with any given non-dairy milk. By developing an understanding of the product, they will be then be able to create high-quality, consistent beverages for customers.

This article is a guide on how to work with some of the most popular non-dairy alternative milks.

You may also like Which Is The Best Non-Dairy Milk For Specialty Coffee?

What Are The Most Popular Alternative Milks?

Sales of non-dairy milks reached US $2.11 billion in the US in 2017. Almond had the biggest share of the market with 64%, while soy came in at 13% and coconut made up 12%.

More coffee drinkers are taking an interest in plant milks. David Jiscoot, Marketing Director for Alpro UK and Ireland, elaborates. “Demand for plant-based coffees out of home has exploded over the past 12 months, with more than half (50.3%) of coffee drinkers now claiming to drink plant-based coffees out of home. Of these people, 54% are drinking plant-based coffees at least once a week.”

In 2019, US sales of oat milk surpassed soy for the first time. Oat milk was first manufactured in Sweden in the early 1990s, but it has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years. Today, some coffee shops are even using oat milk by default and charging more for dairy, such as Onyx Coffee Lab in Arkansas.

David says that cafés need to be aware of the appeal of non-dairy alternatives. “In order to cater to this demand, coffee shops should ensure that they have a range of plant-based drinks specifically formulated for use in coffee on offer,” he says.

Peter Jones is the General Manager of Trident Booksellers and Café in Boulder, Colorado.

“We serve soy, coconut, almond, unsweetened almond, and oat milk. Oat and almond are the most popular,” he says.

How To Steam Plant Milks

Because plant and animal milks have a number of chemical differences, they have to be prepared differently in coffee shops. Firstly, Peter says it’s important that baristas use plant milks that are designed specifically for barista use. “You need to use the ‘barista’ series of whatever brand you are using, as they [contain] stabilisers (dipotassium phosphate)”.

These stabilisers ensure that the milks don’t split and curdle when they come into contact with the acids in coffee. This means that both the texture and the visual appeal of your beverage are preserved when the milk is steamed.

It’s also important to note that milks with a higher fat content will have a more stable texture after steaming. “Rice milk was very popular back in the early 2000s before almond milk’s rise in popularity, but it does not have any added fat,” Peter says. “Oat milk has canola oil added, which helps with the foaming and texture.”

Soy

Thanks to its high protein content, soy milk can be aerated (stretched) very well. This is because the protein molecules in soy milk surround air bubbles, making it easier to create foam.

Soy milk steams almost twice as quickly as cow’s milk. This is because it contains more acidity regulators and stabilisers. Try to not incorporate too much air when you start steaming, otherwise the milk may become too foamy.

It is temperature resistant, so even steaming as high as 65°C will produce a microfoam that works well for latte art.

Almond

Almond milk is lower in protein than soy milk, so it doesn’t steam and foam as well. It also has a watery consistency that creates a thinner layer of microfoam.

It struggles at higher temperatures and is smoothest at around 55°C, so using a thermometer might help.

Incorporating more air at the beginning of steaming – just a few seconds more than cow’s milk – will improve the texture.

Coconut

Although it is high in fat, coconut milk is low in protein. Creating microfoam can therefore be tricky. However, its higher sugar levels can mean it often has a thicker texture when steamed.

Coconut milk can become very thick and stiff at temperatures around and above 65°C, so be careful when you heat it. This is because the proteins inside the milk denature, and as there are so few of them, the foam breaks down more quickly.

Oat

Oat milk is also low in protein, meaning that it usually needs a longer steaming period than cow’s milk to create stable microfoam.

It performs well at most temperatures, even up to 65°C.

Similarly to almond milk, adding more air when you start steaming will produce a consistent, smooth texture.

Pouring Techniques For Latte Art

Pouring latte art with non-dairy milks can be difficult. This is because their unique chemical compositions affect the stability of the microfoam once they are steamed.

Peter explains: “Almond and oat perform equally as well for latte art. [They] are basically the same ingredients – water, cane sugar, almonds/oats, dipotassium phosphate, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, and salt.

“Coconut milk does not have a stabiliser in it and it’s thicker, so it sits on top of the espresso. The same is true for soy.”

Soy

The microfoam is very stable in soy milk, meaning you have more time to pour latte art.

As soy milk foams very easily, it can quickly become too foamy. Bang and swirl the pitcher more than you would with other milks to create a consistent texture. Pouring with too much foam can create messy, uncontrollable latte art.

Oat

Pouring harder and faster with oat milk will result in cleaner-looking latte art.

Allow oat milk to rest for around 30 to 45 seconds, before you add it. This will result in more evenly textured milk.

Almond

Almond milk loses its microfoam quite quickly, so pour as soon as you can.

Once steamed, almond milk has an inconsistent texture with lots of surface bubbles. Make sure to bang and swirl the pitcher – although not as much as you would with soy – and the texture will become more smooth.

Almond milk’s watery texture means it flows quite quickly. Make sure you pour gently for greater control over your latte art.

Coconut

Coconut milk can contain quite large bubbles once steamed, but plenty of banging and swirling will turn these bubbles into a finer microfoam.

If steamed properly, your coconut milk will have a glossy appearance. This is a sign of well-textured milk.

How Do Alternative Milks Affect Taste & Texture?

The range of ingredients in plant milks mean that they will significantly affect the overall flavour and mouthfeel of coffee, and even chai, hot chocolate, and matcha.

“There are many factors that will influence the taste and texture of the final product you serve to customers when working with plant-based alternatives,” David explains. “This includes – but isn’t limited to – the temperature you steam at, the intensity of the coffee being used, and anything you may add to the drink.”

Soy milk provides a creamy consistency and can provide a longer-lasting aftertaste. Its flavour can be quite bean-like and nutty. Pairing soy with medium roasts won’t overpower the coffee.

Thanks to its thin layer of microfoam, almond milk has a thin texture that can result in a less substantial mouthfeel. It also often has a lingering, bitter aftertaste that can mask the flavour of your coffee.

Coconut milk can have a similar effect, masking the more delicate flavour notes in your coffee. However, it has a much heavier mouthfeel than almond milk. David recommends pairing coconut milk with stronger flavours, as they complement each other well. “Alpro Coconut For Professionals, for example, works well with dark, chocolatey roasts, cold drinks such as cold brew, or hot chocolate.”

Oat milk’s “light, delicate flavour”, however, “really puts the coffee first and brings the best out of lighter roasts”. It also has a creamy texture and a neutral aftertaste that allows the coffee’s characteristics to shine through.

Oat milk is often likened to dairy in terms of taste and texture, so if a customer is looking for an alternative that is most similar to cow’s milk, it is a good option. However, it’s important to understand that most plant milks shouldn’t be treated as a perfect substitute. None of them have the same flavour and texture as dairy milks – and as a result, they create a different experience for the customer.

“All of the plant-based milks have added sugar, so they are sweeter than cow’s milk. That is something to keep in mind, especially if customers are buying the plant milk based on its perceived health benefits. That is why we carry a special unsweetened almond milk with no sugar,” Peter says.

If a customer seems confused, it might help to explain various characteristics of the alternative milks you have in stock. This will allow them to make an informed decision.

“[It’s] about personal preference and what the customer is looking for. Each of our For Professionals drinks have been carefully crafted to ensure a flavour which complements a broad range of coffee types,” David says.

Using a wide range of non-dairy milks in your café will mean you can cater to a variety of tastes and lifestyles. And it won’t just increase customer interest and satisfaction – it’s a great way to hone your skills as a barista. So, next time you reach for the almond or soy milk, consider trying another alternative. You might be surprised by the results.

Enjoyed this? Then read Indonesia’s Iced Coffee Revolution

Photo credits: Neil Soque, Marco Verc, Peter Jones

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tipsycad147 · 5 years

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BONE MAGIC SERIES: CLEANING AND PRESERVING ANIMAL REMAINS 7

Now that you have started to acquire some animal remains, you may find yourself wondering how to clean them. Of course, if you buy from an online retailer they will come nice and cleaned to you, but finding them in nature is another story. I have some bones I have found that I haven't cleaned because I loved how they looked and the animal spirit residing in the bone or skull wished for it to remain just the way I found it. The coyote skull I have is one such example. If you have seen it in my rituals, spells, and altars, the skull is covered in lichen. Eventually, the skull will break down, but I respectfully left the skull as it was at the request of the coyote spirit. Other bones and skulls I have, however, either don't have a spirit or the spirit was totally fine with me cleaning their vessel. Always ask before you clean any bones you found. The last thing you want to do is upset the animal spirits or drive them away from their resting place.

So how should you clean the animal remains you find? This is by no means going to be a complete guide, but I have included links to articles and videos to fill in the gaps.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Bones

There are several methods to clean bones if you so wish. Most people agree that bleach, even in low concentrations, is harmful to the bones and will cause degradation over time so you will find no bleach here!

1. Flesh Removal If you come across bones that still have flesh on them, such as roadkill or bones purchased from a butcher, you need to begin by removing the flesh. You have several options here depending on time, equipment, and smell tolerance!

Slow Cooker Method 1 First and foremost, you don't want to boil the bones. Boiling causes the bones to become weak and brittle, just as cooking them does. I know lots of people used chicken bones from rotisserie chickens, and that is perfectly fine, but the bones are much more brittle and prone to breakage than bones that have not been cooked or boiled.

For the first slow cooker method, all you will need is a slow cooker, slow cooker liner (to prevent the flesh from permeating into your slow cooker and to help with clean up), water, and the remains. Remove as much flesh as possible prior to cooking. This can take some time and if the remains have begun to rot, this is going to smell horrid. Place the liner in the slow cooker. Sit the remains in the liner and fill with water until the remains are covered. Set the slow cooker to 165° F or the low/medium setting. Make sure to check your manual to figure out which setting will be closest to 165° F. Again, you do not want to boil the remains. Depending on the size of the remains, it should cook anywhere between 4 and 24 hours. A pig head takes about 24 hours. If it is larger than a pig head, you're going to need to cook it longer, but I can't fit anything larger than that in my slow cooker so you'll likely go with a different method.

After cooking the remains, you will need to remove any remaining flesh and scrub the bones well with dish soap. Nonscoring pads, dish brushes, and bottle brushes are best for this as they won't scratch or damage the bones. Again, this is going to smell horrid, especially if there is any brain left behind. You might want a mask and some candles burning.

Slow Cooker Method 2 This method uses all of the above items as well as a biological washing powder to speed up the process and make the bones easier to clean. A biological washing powder is any powdered detergent that contains enzymes. These enzymes break down the fats and proteins in the remaining flesh, making it easier to remove whatever remains after cooking. To find a biological powder, look for any powdered detergent that contains enzymes (protease) or order some

Bio-Tex

off Amazon.

As before, place everything in the slow cooker and set your slow cooker to a low setting. Add 1-2 tablespoons of biological washing powder. Depending on the remains, allow to slow cook for 4-24 hours. You want the water to remain warm throughout the process but not hot, otherwise, the enzymes will not activate or will denature. At low temperatures, the enzyme protease will not function. At high temperatures, protease will break down (denature) and no longer work. Once the remains are removed from the slow cooker, be sure you wash them really well to remove all the enzymes and remaining flesh. You don't want the enzymes to continue breaking down the bone!

Maceration This method is often referred to as the "cold" water method and smells awful, but it is super effective for small remains like fish, amphibians, bats, and mice. You will need a large plastic bucket with a lid or a mason jar for really small remains. Place the animal remains, with as much flesh removed as possible, in the bucket or jar and fill with warm water until the remains are covered. Do not use hot or boiling water as it will kill the bacteria. Cover the container, but do not completely seal it. Lack of oxygen will slow down the process. Sit in a warm location, under a heat lamp (mason jar), or place an aquarium incubator into the bucket set to 95° F. You want the temperature to remain around 95° F for the duration of the process to help the process. After two days, change the water, leaving some of the original water in the container to maintain the bacteria colony. You can remove flesh from the remains at this time as well, especially if there is a lot of fat left behind. You don't want the fat to accumulate in the bones. One day 5, check the remains again. If there is still a lot of tissue left, allow the remains to macerate longer. This process can take up to 14 days. After 14 days, remove the remains and clean them as best you can.

Dermestid Beetles If you have space and you know what you are doing, dermestid beetles, aka flesh-eating beetles, are a less smelly way to clean your bones. However, you are going to need to consistently provide your beetles with food, so if you are only looking to clean a few remains, dermestid beetles are not for you. They should also be kept in a large tank with proper bedding in a warm place. If they get too cold they won't eat. Furthermore, dermestid beetles are best for small remains with little flesh. It takes time for the beetles to eat and if there is too much flesh on the bones, the inner flesh will begin to rot. Dermestid beetles prefer fresh flesh to rotting flesh. If you want to use larger remains, remove some of the flesh prior to feeding the beetles. It can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks for the beetles to do their work. Once they are done, simply follow one of the cleaning methods below. You can order a dermestid beetle kit

here

or call local wildlife centres and taxidermists to see if they have beetles open to public use.

Burial This method is easy, less smelly, but time-consuming and slightly risky. If done incorrectly, you can end up preserving the entire animal, losing bones, or damaging them. If you plan to bury, leave the animal remains above ground for 2-3 days. This will allow flies to lay eggs. Once the larvae hatch (maggots) they will begin eating the flesh, even if buried underground. If you are burying smaller remains, place them in a thin muslin bag to keep the remains together. For larger animals, you might consider a wire mesh. Bury the remains in drier soil. Avoid very wet soil and sand as this can preserve the remains. Mark where you buried the remains and allow them to sit for several months. The larger the remains, the longer they should remain buried.

Laying Out This is super risky and smelly but effective. Leaving animal remains to rot on the surface do so quickly and effectively, but you run the risk of humans and animals alike making off with your remains. However, Mother Nature is much better at cleaning bones than we are. Simply leave the remains above the surface for 3-12 months depending on the location and size of the remains. You will want to cover them in a wire mesh or cage to prevent animals and humans from taking the remains. Foxes and coyotes will run off with bits and pieces and take them miles away if you're not careful. Another method is to place smaller remains underneath a weighted flower pot. This allows flies to move in and out and keeps predators out.

2. Degreasing Degreasing the bones is an important step if you used many of the methods above. While you don't have to degrease the bones if you laid them out of buried them, it is still a useful cleaning step so why not do it anyway? Simply mix together warm water and Dawn dish soap and allow the bones to sit in the water-soap solution for 24 hours. This will remove both dirt and fat residue left over from the defleshing process.

3. Bleaching (without bleach!)There are two methods to "bleaching" or whitening bones. The first is the hydrogen peroxide method, which also helps sterilize the bones. The second is sunning them I do during the drying process. Once you have cleaned and degreased the bones, place them in a container and cover with 3% hydrogen peroxide. This will disinfect and bleach the bones without causing them to degrade. It can take 3 hours to a week for the bones to whiten to the colour you wish them to be. Make sure there are no air bubbles trapped and the bone is completely covered.

4. Drying After everything is said and done, allow the bones to air dry in the sun if possible for a couple of days. If they are not completely dry after a couple of days, place them on some newspaper and allow them to dry near a heat source. Do not place them directly on the heat source as this could cause the bone to crack.

Feathers

Feathers have a very different process of cleaning than bones. They are much more fragile and don't need to have any fleshed removed. You can clean them in a soapy water bath or wipe them down with baby wipes. When you dry them, be sure to rub them back into the correct position and dry them on a flat surface. Do not place in direct sunlight. After washing and drying them, place them in the freezer for about a week to kill any bugs or mites that may still be left on the feathers.

If you are looking at preserving an entire bird wing, try the borax method. In a cardboard box, sprinkle an inch of borax on the bottom. Place the bird wing on top of the borax then cover it with a thin layer of borax. The borax will dry out the tissue and mummify the wing while simultaneously disinfecting the feathers.

Other Animal Remains

Most other animals remain such as teeth, claws, and shells can be cleaning with soap and water. Furs and pelts can be washed in a mild soap and water bath and should be immediately hung up to dry in a warm place. Do not place pelts or furs in the sun as this will cause fading. Organs and organ tissue should be preserved in a preservative fluid as recommended by a taxidermist. If you are looking to use something quickly in a spell, like a fresh sheep heart or cow tongue, usually the spell requires burying or tossing the parts away after use. Store these items in a fridge or freezer prior to use.

Below are some amazing resources regarding cleaning and preserving animal remains.

Cleaning and Preserving Animal Skulls

by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

Jake's Bones

(blog)- Covers everything you could possibly think of regarding cleaning animal remains.

Bones at Home

- how to properly care for your bones once they are clean

Sanitizing Feathers for Crafts

by Dara Trahan

The Best Way to Clean Seashells Without Ruining Them

by Dawn Henthron

Wet Specimens- A General Guide

by Mickey Alice Kwapis

Wet Specimens- An Updated Post (with a little history lesson)

by Mickey Alice Kwapis

Link Round Up- Bone Cleaning

by Mickey Alice Kwapis

Whatever method you chose, always make sure you are following safe procedures and following all local laws. If you are concerned about smell, legality, time, or space, buying bones from an ethical online source is fine. It doesn't make you less witchy to buy them. Do you have a preferred cleaning method?

Willow

https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2019/07/bone-magic-series-cleaning-and.html

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arcticgroup-blog · 7 years

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Arctic Sunday Social

INSPIRE & ENJOY

Raw or Not Raw?

To cook or not to cook? This week at Arctic Social we investigate the super hot topic of going RAW or not. I.e. there’s a big crowd out there these days that swear on going raw being best…but is this right? And if so, why?

Eating your fruit and vegetables raw is indeed sometimes the healthier option. After all, some vitamins are sensitive to heat; for example, cooking tomatoes for just two minutes decreases their vitamin C content by 10%. However, whilst there might be a decrease in vitamin C, cooking tomatoes helps break down the plant cell walls, allowing us to better absorb the antioxidant lycopene. Equally, cooking some other vegetables makes it easier for our bodies to benefit from their protective antioxidants, specifically ferulic acid from asparagus, and beta-carotene, which we convert to vitamin A, from carrots.

Eating raw or lightly cooked foods requires more energy to chew and digest, while ingesting cold foods uses calories to warm the food and us up. But there’s more to it than that. Cooking food helps us ingest more calories, too.

The calorific value of cooked vs. raw foods is the subject of ongoing work by the evolutionary biology department at Harvard University. A paper published recently in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, for instance, details new evidence that fats in foods yield more calories when cooked. They have also found that cooking makes more energy available to us in starch and protein.

Some vegetables that many experts believe are better raw include broccoli and watercress (both members of the cruciferous family). When these vegetables are heated an important enzyme is damaged, which means the potency of helpful anti-cancer compounds called glucosinolates, are reduced. Similarly, cooking makes the herb garlic less potent because heat reduces the amount of health-promoting allicin, so it's best to add your garlic just before you finish cooking rather than at the start.

On the flipside, some items are indigestible when raw…in particular some starches. Nowadays starch is most commonly associated with items that we generally don’t consider eating raw, such as rice or wheat flour. But it is also present in plenty of salad ingredients. Peas, for instance, are delicious raw – so on the starch front we have to pick and choose.

Starch is made up of long chains of glucose that we can’t metabolise, but cooking reorganises the structure, as it swells with water in a process known as gelatinisation. Once gelatinised, says Carmody (part of the Harvard research team), “our enzymes – primarily salivary amylase in our saliva and pancreatic amylase in our small intestine – can then attack the glucose”. Different types of starch will provide varying amounts of calories when cooked. “In the research that we’ve done,” says Carmody, “it looks like you’ll get anywhere between 20 to 40% more calories based on cooking.”

In terms of protein power, (something we love so much at Arctic that we named one of our juices such), cooking untangles the protein, allowing digestive enzymes to cut into them and break them down. This process is called denaturation, and breaks down the protein into a form that allows it to be absorbed in the small intestine. According to findings, cooked protein provides around 10 to 20% more energy than raw.

One might expect that, relative to other activities, digesting cooked foods as opposed to raw can’t amount to saving that much energy. However, as a guideline, Carmody points out that, “typically in western society, we spend about 15% of our total energy budget digesting food, which is about the same as what we spend in locomotion – walking around, running, all the activities that we do.” So eating raw rather than cooked food, she says, is comparable to having gone for that jog!

When we analyze the pro/con raw debate it seems that the jury is still out on a definitive answer. There’s no doubt that there are some benefits of going raw, but equally with the very same food, there might be some advantages with gentle cooking. It seems we need to pick and choose what we eat ‘raw’ carefully in order to maximize the benefits. Comparing the healthfulness of raw and cooked food is complicated, and there are still many mysteries surrounding how the different molecules in plants interact with the human body. Whatever side of the argument you come down on, one thing most agree on is balance is key, and generally the more green the better!

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narcisbolgor-blog · 6 years

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What’s Inside Squishy, Tasty-Looking Tide Pods?

Armed only with social media and a good data plan, teenagers today can make just about anything go viral. Or, in the case of Tide Pods, go viral again. Jokes about eating the squishy, day-glo detergent packs have been racing around the internet since Procter & Gamble introduced the pods in 2012. I mean, come on. They do look delicious. But in the last week the meme has upped its stakes; now teens are daring each other to record themselves eating these things. Which is why social feeds all over the country are now filled with videos of kids gagging, coughing, and spitting out mouthfuls of pressure-packed soap. (Spoiler, cooking them first doesn’t make them any more palatable). Why this, why now? We don’t have any answers for that. But we can tell you exactly what all these Tide Pod Challengers are putting in their mouths.

Polyvinyl alcohol

This stuff forms the film that holds the other ingredients in a jolly, candylike form. It's a water-soluble polymer related to Elmer's Glue: Pop it in the wash and it dissolves, releasing detergenty goodness without any messy spills. Tide has said its three-chambered design "maximizes the consumer experience," which probably means keeping the ingredients separated so that they don't neutralize each other while sitting on the shelf.

Denatonium benzoate

In 2015, Tide added a bittering agent to its outer film to discourage kids from eating and swallowing it. Their additive of choice: an inert, white powder called denatorium benzoate. It’s believed to be the bitterest known substance, detectable at just a few parts per million. It’s used all over the house and garage to make sure you spit out all kinds of things, from rubbing alcohol to antifreeze. (Tide has also strengthened the outer layer so a child can’t easily squeeze it open, but they won’t give us more details.)

Fatty acid salts

You may know it as soap. It works by attaching its hydrocarbon chain to the grease or oil in a clothing stain, allowing both to be washed away by water.

Alcoholethoxy sulfate

This could be any of several linear anionic surface acting agents. As with soap, one end of the molecule binds to grease and dirt that's stuck to your clothes; the other binds to water molecules in the washing machine. Agitation helps lift the stain off the fabric to be banished down the drain.

Disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate

DDD absorbs ultraviolet light and emits it in the visible range, providing a faint blue glow that counteracts the natural yellowing of old clothes to make them look whiter and brighter.

Mannanase

An enzyme that can break apart guar gum, a thickener used in ice cream and salad dressing—and in fluids for hydraulic fracking—that can leave behind hard-to-remove stains.

More What's Inside

Neel Patel

What's Inside Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? Less Magic, More Chemistry

Wired Staff

What's Inside: Squirt-On Cheese

Patrick Di Justo

What's Inside: Quikrete

Amylase

Amylase enzymes that attack starch-based stains like those from gravy and baby food. You can design your detergent to use different kinds, to maximize effectiveness in hot, warm, and cold water.

Subtilisin

Face it—some clothing stains come directly from your filthy human body. This protein enzyme breaks down stains caused by left-behind keratin (found mostly in the dead outer layer of skin cells), which contributes to the grime a previous generation knew as ring around the collar.

Diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, sodium salt

This is a chelant—a molecule that latches onto metals. If your wash water is hard, it softens it, enabling the enzymes and surfactants to work more effectively. It also lifts stains that contain metal ions—like blueberries—and keeps them from readhering to your duds.

Calcium formate

Enzymes will devour each other over time or become denatured when exposed to heat. To help insure they're still around when you need them, this substance is added to keep the enzymes "folded" until the pack is used. When it hits the wash, the calcium formate separates from the enzymes, leaving them free to assault your bespattered clothing.

This article appeared in the September 2012 issue. Subscribe now.

You might also like to read:

Cream Milk Sugar Skimmed milk powder Inulin Egg yolks 1 large grade A (or ‘black’) Bourbon vanilla bean.

Produces 800 ml (0.85 quarts) of gelato mix

PART 1: QUICK-READ RECIPE

PART 2: LONG-READ RECIPE

1. Mix composition spreadsheet

Don’t worry if the spreadsheet below looks confusing, I’m going to walk you through it step by step. You just need to pay attention to the cells in yellow, green, and blue.

Let’s start with the fat content of your milk and cream. For gelato production, you can use any kind of cream (US: light, whipping, heavy; Australia: light, thickened, single, double; Canada: half and half, table, whipping; UK: singe, double) and milk as long as you know the fat content of both. Here in the UK, the fresh double cream I use contains 47.5g of fat per 100ml, which equates to 47.5% fat, and the whole milk 3.7g of fat per 100ml, or 3.7% fat.

To start, enter the fat content of your cream in cell B2, and the fat content of your milk in cell B3. Press enter to update the spreadsheet. Cells B6 to B11 (in green) display the amount of each ingredient, in grams, that you’ll be using for this recipe.

That’s all that we need to do to the spreadsheet for now; we’ll come back to it later after the heating stage.

2. Inulin

is a dietary fiber found in a variety of plant foods such as bananas, barley, chicory, and onions. It’s an ingredient that I’ve only just recently become extremely interested in not only because of its association with a wide range of health benefits, which include improved bowel habits (1), increased calcium absorption with positive effects for bone health (2), and a reduced risk of heart disease (3), but also because it significantly improves texture; I’ve discussed the texture enhancement abilities of dietary fiber in my post on fiber in ice cream.

3. Prepare an ice bath

The next step is to prepare an ice bath. An ice bath is a mixture of ice and water that you’ll use to cool your mix as quickly as possible to no more than 7.2°C (45°F) within a maximum of 1.5 hours. This minimises the time the mix spends in the ‘danger zone’, between 5°C (41°F) and 65°C (149°F), where bacteria likes to multiply.

Fill a fairly large bowl about 2/3 of the way with ice cubes and place a large zip-lock freezer bag next to the bowl ready for later.

4. Vanilla beans

I’ve tested Tahitian, Indian, Bourbon, and Ugandan vanilla beans, and have found that grade A (or ‘black’) Bourbon beans have the best flavour and aroma. Bourbon vanilla is the term used collectively for beans from Madagascar, Reunion, Comoro Islands, and the Seychelles. The aroma is sweet, creamy, rich, full bodied, tobacco-like, somewhat woody, deep balsamic, and has sweet spicy back notes (4).

The only downside to grade A Bourbon beans is that they are ridiculously expensive. You can use lower grade B Bourbon, or Tahitian, Mexican, Indonesian, Indian, or Ugandan beans that are, generally, cheaper and will still give fairly decent results.

4.1. How to choose vanilla beans

When choosing vanilla beans, a high vanillin (>0.20%), high moisture (>20%) bean is the most likely to deliver the best quality flavour.

4.1.1. A high vanillin content

Vanillin is the most abundant of the vanilla flavour constituents, varying considerably from trace quantities to almost 3% by weight of cured vanilla beans, and is generally used as a prime indicator of flavour quality. The lower the vanillin content, the lower the quality of the bean, not just because of the vanillin itself, but also due to the other flavour notes that develop along with vanillin during curing.

4.1.2. A high moisture content

The moisture content of commercial vanilla beans varies from 10% for poor quality lower grade beans to 35% for gourmet beans (5). Drier beans are less aromatic than high moisture beans and flavour notes, such as pruney, woody, floral, fruity, and rummy, which develop along with vanillin during curing, do not develop and/or are lost, in over-dried (low moisture) beans (6).

4.1.3. Bean length

The length of the bean is also a good indicator of quality with Grade A beans usually measuring over 15 cm (5.9″) in length.

4.2. Preparing your bean

Vanilla’s flavour is contained in two different parts of the pod (commonly referred to as the bean): the sticky material that contains the small black beans, and the pod wall.

On a chopping board, run the tip of a sharp knife down the pod to separate it into two. Using the back of the knife, scrape out the sticky material into a small bowl.

If you have a coffee or spice grinder, grind the two halves of the pod into a fine powder. Studies has shown that vanillin yield increases with decreasing pod particle sizes: powdered pods have a higher vanillin yield than 2mm and 5mm chopped beans (7). If you don’t have a coffee grinder, dice the two pod halves into small pieces; the smaller you can get them, the better.

Add your ground/diced pod halves to the same bowl containing the small sticky material and set aside for later.

4.3. Why use vanilla extract?

Rob Linforth, Principal Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Science, notes that as we eat, what we register most intensely is the rate of change of flavour: that is, we perceive a quick, powerful burst of flavour more intensely than a slow, gradual build up of flavour (8).

Flavour can be best defined as a combination of taste, aroma, texture, temperature, sight (and even sound) experienced by an individual when eating or drinking. Flavour results from two types of molecules: those that are volatile (i.e. small and light enough to evaporate from their source), which are responsible for aromas; and those that are non-volatile (i.e. don’t easily evaporate at room temperature), which are responsible for taste. It is generally believed that aroma is more important than taste in determining overall flavour, a generalisation that can be easily demonstrated by observing the difficulty in distinguishing between an apple and a pear if our nose is blocked by a cold or pinching fingers. Alcohol (vanilla extract is made up of alcohol, water, vanilla pods, and sometimes sugar), being volatile, releases aroma compounds relatively quickly, giving a quick burst of vanilla aroma as soon as it is eaten.

5. Heating the mix

Before you combine your ingredients, weigh your pan and write down its weight. You’ll use this measurement later at the end of the heating stage.

Add the sugar to your pan, followed by the egg yolks. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix these two ingredients well. The dissolved sugar will help prevent the yolks from curdling. Add the cream, milk, skim milk powder, and inulin and stir well.

For the next step, you’ll need a food thermometer and a timer.

Over a medium heat, bring your mix up to 75°C (167°F) whilst constantly stirring (this step usually takes me between 13 and 15 minutes). Once the temperature reaches 75°C (167°F), turn the heat down to low, move your pan about 1/4 of the way off the heat, and continue heating and stirring until the temperature slowly reaches 77°C (170°F), which should take another 2-3 minutes.

Whilst stirring, keep the mix at 77°C (170°F) for 30 minutes, adjusting the position of your pan to help regulate the temperature. Don’t worry if you go slightly over 77°C (170°F); just try and keep the temperature as close to 77°C (170°F) as you can.

5.1. Why heat the mix to 77°C (170°F) for 30 minutes?

I know that keeping the mix at 77°C (170°F) for 30 minutes is quite cumbersome, but it’s essential for two reasons: 1. to pasteurise the mix, and 2. to significantly enhance smoothness of texture by promoting reversible protein denaturation.

5.1.1. To pasteurise the mix

Ice cream needs to be pasteurised to destroy all pathogens and the enzyme phosphatase that may be harmful to health. Pasteurised ice cream can be obtained by the mixture being heated:

5.1.2. To promote reversible protein denaturation

Milk proteins are classified in two major categories. The first and most abundant is the casein family, and the second the whey proteins. When milk proteins are subjected to heat treatment, the whey proteins may undergo structural changes, commonly known as denaturation. Protein denaturation involves 2 steps: an unfolding step at 70 to 78°C (158 to 172°F), and an aggregation step at 78 to 82.5°C (172 to 180°F), that mostly follows unfolding (10).

Heating milk so that the whey proteins undergo partial protein unfolding yields a more voluminous and more stable foam, improves the emulsifying characteristics of the proteins, imparts beneficial body and smoothness of texture, increases the meltdown time of the ice cream, and contributes to reduced iciness (11 12 13 14). Foaming and emulsifying characteristics, however, may be impaired if protein undergoes aggregation (15). Studies have shown a greater degree of protein denaturation with longer heating times (10 16).

6. Mix weight after heating

After 30 minutes at 77°C (170°F), the next step is to weigh your mix. This step is a bit cumbersome but I’ll go through it step-by-step with an example.

Here we go.

After 30 minutes at 77°C (170°F), take your pan off the heat and place it on a set of digital scales. Subtract the weight of your pan, which you wrote down earlier, from the weight displayed on the scales and write this post-heating mix weight down on sheet of paper; you’ll need this figure to update the mix composition spreadsheet later.

If your post-heating mix weight is greater than 871g, place the pan back on the heat and continue stirring until you get a post-heating mix weight of 871g; don’t worry if the temperature doesn’t rise back up to 77°C (170°F) during this extra heating time. If your post-heating mix weight is considerably lower than 871g (below around 771g) after 30 minutes, you can still go ahead and freeze your in your ice cream or gelato machine, but it will likely be too sweet.

After 30 minutes at 77°C (170°F), I take my pan off the heat and weigh it on my digital scales. The scales display a total weight of 1950g. I know that my pan weighs 1060g (I weighed the empty pan before I added all the ingredients) so I subtract 1060g (the weight of my pan) from 1950g (the weight of the pan and post-heating mix), which gives me 890g. I know that my target post-heating mix weight (cell E5) should be 871g so I will put the pan back on the heat and continue heating and stirring for another 2 – 3 minutes. After 3 more minutes, I take my pan back off the heat and weigh it again. This time the scales display 1931g. I subtract 1060g (the weight of my pan) from 1931g (the weight of the pan and post-heating mix), which gives me 871g.

7. Cooling the mix

Once you get your post-heating mix weight down to 871g, add the blended vanilla powder/diced pieces and sticky material and put the pan back onto the heat. Whilst stirring, keep the temperature above 72°C (162°F) for 15 seconds to pasteurise the vanilla pod.

Switch the heat off and carefully pour your mix into the zip lock bag that you placed next to your ice bath, making sure that you scrape out as much of the vanilla powder/pieces as possible. Seal the bag and place it in your ice bath, which should, by now, contain a little melted water. If it doesn’t, add just a little bit of tap water.

Once your mix has cooled to 7.2°C (45°F), which should take no more than 1.5 hours, place the zip-lock bag in the fridge and leave it overnight. To improve the extraction efficiency of the beans, I’d recommend sloshing the mix around the bag every few hours. This will give your gelato a stronger vanilla flavour.

8. Freezing your mix in your ice cream or gelato machine

The next day, carefully sieve the mix into a large bowl or jug, using a clean wooden spoon to press down on the vanilla powder/pieces to extract as much of the flavour as possible. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and pour your mix into your ice cream or gelato machine. I’d recommend reading my review of either the Lello 5030 Musso Pola, or the Cuisinart ICE-100, where I discuss the key principles of the freezing stage.

8.1. How do I know when the gelato is ready?

Draw temperature (the temperature at which gelato is extracted from the machine) significantly influences texture, with lower draw temperatures producing smoother texture. In my tests, I’ve found that gelato extracted at between -10°C and -12°C (14°F and 10.4°F) is perceived smoother and creamier than that extracted at conventional draw temperatures of around -6°C (21.2°F). I’d recommend getting a cheap r to read the draw temperature.

Quickly scoop your gelato into a pre-chilled container and place it in the freezer to harden. It will take between 1 and 2 hours to get your gelato to a serving temperature of around -14°C (7°F).

9. Mix composition spreadsheet adjustment

When I make this recipe, my mix weight usually decreases from a pre-heating mix weight of 1050g (cell E4) to a post-heating mix weight of 871g (cell E5), a result of the reduction of water through evaporation. It’s unlikely, however, that you’ll get exactly the same post-heating mix weight as I do because of a host of factors, including the size of your pan, rate of stirring, and room temperature, that affect the rate of evaporation.

If you don’t achieve a post-heating mix weight of 871g after 30 minutes of heating, I’d strongly recommend adjusting my Excel mix composition spreadsheet so that the next time you make this recipe, you’ll end up with the correct mix composition after exactly 30 minutes of heating.

To start, download the spreadsheet by clicking on the ‘download’ icon that’s four icons in from the right of the black bar under the spreadsheet; you won’t be able to save any changes you make to without downloading the spreadsheet. Enter your post-heating mix weight, which you wrote down earlier, in cell E5. Changing the post-heating mix weight will alter the mix composition so you will also need to adjust the data in cells B4, B5, E1, E2, and E3, so that the data in row 13 (in blue) is as follows:

• Total solids (cell A13): 46% • NFMS (cell B13): 12% • Fat (cell D13): 8% • Sugar (cell E13): 17% • Egg (cell F13): 4% • Inulin (cell G13): 5%

The spreadsheet will then update the weight of each ingredient in cells B8 to B11. The cream (cell B2) and milk (cell B3) fat content will be set to my default when you download the spreadsheet so make sure that you also update these to your cream and milk fat contents. Save the changes you make to the spreadsheet.

The downloaded mix composition spreadsheet will then be good to go the next time you make this recipe.

10. References

1. Marteau, P., Jacobs, H., Cazaubiel, M., Signoret, C., Prevel, J. M., and Housez, B., 2011. Effects of chicory inulin in constipated elderly people: a double-blind controlled trial. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 62.164-170.

2. Meyer, D., and Stasse-Wolthuis, M., 2006. Inulin and bone health. Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research. 4. 211-226.

3. Brighenti, F., 2007. Dietary fructans and serum triacylglycerols: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Nutrition. 11.2552-2556.

4. Ranadive, A. S. Quality Control of Vanilla Beans and Extracts. In: Havkin-Frenkel, D., and Belanger, F. C. ed. 2011. Handbook of Vanilla Science and Technology. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

9. Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1995, Schedule 6, part v 1 (a).

10. Sava, N., Van der Plancken, V, Claeys, W., Hendrickx, M., 2005. The Kinetics of Heat-Induced Structural Changes of B-Lactoglobulin. J. Dairy. Sci. 88:1646-1653.

11. Schmidt, K., Lundy, A., Reynolds, J., and Yee, L. N., 1993. Carbohydrate or protein based fat mimicker effects on ice milk properties. Journal of Food Science. 58(761–763):779.

12. Alvarez, V. B., Wolters, C. L., Vodovotz, Y., and Ji, T., 2005. Physical properties of ice cream containing milk protein concentrates. Journal of Dairy Science. 88:862–871.

13. Patel, M. R., Baer, R. J., Acharya, M. R., 2006. Increasing the protein content of ice cream. Journal of Dairy Science. 89:1400–1406.

14. Goff, H. D., 2008. 65 Years of ice cream science. International Dairy Journal. 18(7).

15. Phillips, L. G., Schulman, W. and Kinsella, J. E., 1990. pH and heat treatment effects on foaming of whey protein isolate. Journal of Food Science. 55:1116–1119.

16. McKenna, B. M., and O’Sullivan, A. C., 1971. Whey protein denaturation in concentrated skimmilks. Journal of Dairy Science. 54.1075-1077.

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artsoccupychi · 6 years

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14 Health Benefits of Flax

If I told you there is a food you could buy for less than $2 per serving, that had a shelf life of three or more years, and also had properties proven to stabilize your mood, lower your blood pressure, balance cholesterol, give you healthy skin and nails, and protect your bone, heart, and brain health—would you believe me?

Flax is that food!

Though our ancestors have been eating flax (also known as linseed) for thousands of years, this low-carb superfood has gotten a lot more attention in recent decades because of its fantastic benefits. In fact, some experts even go so far as to call it a miracle food, and I agree. Here’s why:

1. Flax has good fats

Flax is full of essential fatty acids, or EFAs. They’re called “essential” because the body cannot produce them—we have to get them from the food we eat every day. Unfortunately, 80% of Americans are chronically, even desperately deficient in EFAs,1 which can lead to serious health problems down the road.

EFAs are crucial to health because they support all of the body’s systems, especially the nervous, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. They’re used to make and repair cell membranes and eliminate waste from cells. As our brains are about 60% fat,2 not having enough EFAs in our diet can really impair our brain performance and development, so they are especially important in children’s diets as they grow. Our brain’s nerves are covered in fat as well, so you can imagine what a diet chronically low in fat might do to one’s nerve function.

As well as the many neural benefits, cardiovascular health is greatly improved with EFAs by helping to reduce blood clot formation, blood pressure, inflammation, arterial plaque, and risk of heart disease.

We also need EFAs to stabilize mood, ward off anxiety and depression, regulate fertility hormones, and keep the thyroid functioning optimally.

2. Flax can balance your omega ratios

Flax is the best plant-based source of the EFAs known as omega-3 fatty acids. Most people following a Standard American Diet are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, but are getting plenty of omega-6 fatty acids from dead foods like vegetable oil and margarine. (Watch my video, 3 Fats That Hurt, 3 Fats That Heal, where I dive more into flax oil and two other beneficial fats you should use as staples in your kitchen.)

Why are vegetable oils and margarine dead foods? Think about it–what vegetables make oil?

Trick question–they don’t! Vegetable oils are often sourced from highly sprayed crops like cottonseed and soybean, and those sensitive oils go rancid when exposed to light, heat, and oxygen, but nonetheless are heat-processed, packaged in clear bottles, and can stay on shelves for quite a long time. The high consumption of these so-called “healthier” alternatives tips the scales into an excess of omega-6 fatty acids.

What’s important here is balance; otherwise, inflammation is the result. An ideal ratio of omega 3:6 fatty acids is between 1:1 and 1:4, but due to processed-food consumption, many Americans are getting exactly the opposite—at least four times the omega-6 they need, and not enough omega-3.3

Deficiencies in omega-3, as well as inappropriate omega-6 to omega-3 ratios, have been linked to many of the diseases the U.S. leads the world in: depression, cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, lupus, diabetes, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s.

But too many Americans are looking for omega-3 in fish oil supplements. I’ve blogged about the problem with fish oil before, and why you want to opt out of this highly-refined, deodorized, and rancid product that comes from mercury-polluted waterways. Two major waterways of the world have been decimated by mining billions of fish, for their oil, and two huge meta-studies have concluded that 35+ years of the fish-oil fad have not improved cardiovascular health in users of the supplement, which is what it has been primarily promoted for.

Eat REAL FOOD instead. Flax is an easy, whole-foods source of omega-3s to increase your intake and balance out your omega ratios. My favorite way to get it isn’t in oil: it’s in the seed itself. Even better if it’s sprouted, where enzyme inhibitors are released and the seed is virtually exploding with nutrition and enzymes.

3. Flax contains anti-inflammatory lignans

In recent years, a hot topic of research is the lignan in flax, which is a special plant compound known to prevent cancer, heart disease, and other inflammatory conditions. These antioxidants help reduce damage from free radicals, and many promising studies show that the lignans in flax reduce the growth of tumors as well.

Flaxseed has the highest known concentration of lignans of any food, by far. One serving of flax has eight times more lignans than sesame seeds and 100 times more lignans than kale, which are the next two highest-lignan foods on the list.4

But take note: flax oil doesn’t have lignans! So to get this benefit, you’ll want to eat the seed, either freshly ground or, better yet, sprouted.

Note: If you do seek out flax oil, you may come across linseed oil (its other name). Avoid this version, as it is boiled (and thus rancid) and is used in home-improvement products like wood preservatives and oil paint. That’s not exactly food, in my opinion. Look for cold-pressed flax oil sold in dark bottles, and only use it raw to avoid denaturing its sensitive nutrients. Note: use flax oil quickly, within a few weeks of opening, to avoid rancidity.

4. Flax can stabilize blood sugar.

Research shows that the lignans in flax have a blood-sugar stabilization effect,5 positively impacting those with Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. Related studies showed that flax lignans can significantly delay or even prevent the onset of diabetes.6

5. Flax improves your digestion

Flax is comprised of a special type of fiber that swells up in water, called mucilaginous fiber. It gets thick and gooey when you soak it, which is why you may see it in a lot of vegan baking recipes as an egg replacer.

This specific type of fiber has been shown in studies to boost growth of good bacteria by 25%7 because it acts as a prebiotic, which is the “food” consumed by probiotics that allow your gut health to thrive. It also reduces the bad bacteria, like staph, at the same time.

Mucilaginous fiber keeps supporting digestion all the way through to the end of the digestive tract, adding bulk to your stool to help flush out your colon and promoting regularity. It is not digested, but its gel-like quality helps slow the transit of food throughout your digestive system for better nutrient absorption (and it helps you feel fuller). The immune system is housed in the gut, so you may find once your digestion has improved, other problems may resolve themselves as well.

6. Flax improves heart health.

Flaxseed has been shown to reduce the amount of lipids in the bloodstream, which in turn also lowers the risk of heart disease.8 It also has a hand in reducing cholesterol levels; flax’s fiber helps trap excess fat and cholesterol in the bowels to be eliminated safely. The amount of cholesterol reduction is dependent upon the form that the flax seed is in when consumed—in a 2012 study, both drinks and bread made with flax fiber showed positive results.9

7. Flax lowers blood pressure better than medication

High blood pressure is a modern epidemic, with the medical establishment pushing meds to control it, but a 2013 study published in the medical journal Hypertension found that four tablespoons of flax daily, for six months, lowered diastolic blood pressure an average of seven points,10 which is more than any hypertensive drug on the market! This would correlate to massively less risk of stroke and heart disease. This may be not only the most exciting evidence presented in this post, but one of the most exciting single-food health benefits I’ve ever encountered, in my many years of research!

8. Flax helps balance hormones

If you’re experiencing hot flashes or menopause, flax can naturally help regulate your hormones. The phytoestrogens it contains are known to balance the ratio of progesterone to estrogen hormones for women, which can promote fertility, ease PMS and menopause symptoms, and even reduce the risk of breast cancer.11

9. Flax slows aging

The protein and fatty acids in flax have been shown to improve bone quality and support the health of the optic nerve and retina,12 which is promising for preventing osteoporosis and eyesight issues as we age.

In fact, all the benefits of flax I’ve listed so far have profound anti-aging implications. A body that digests food well, distributes nutrients systematically, and has all the materials for repair and regulation available, is a body that will serve you well now and in years to come.

10. Flax is a beauty food

On top of its anti-aging perks from within, it has some pretty great benefits for your outer beauty as well. The omega fatty acids help nourish your skin and hair, strengthening and bringing more shine to your locks, promoting natural collagen production in the body, and relieving dry skin from flakes, eczema, and in some cases, rosacea. Some people choose to use it in their actual skincare routines, blending flax oil with other natural oils like jojoba to nourish skin topically.

11. Flax is gluten-free.

While not everyone is noticeably sensitive to gluten, we do all react to its consumption, leaving our intestinal tract chronically inflamed. Flax is not wheat-based, so it makes an excellent alternative for using in baked goods as a partial swap for flour, as a binder, or as a simple nutrition-booster. Because it absorbs liquid very well, it can also be used to thicken things like oats and soups. (See our article on how to use it in your daily diet for more ideas.)

12. Flax is a great source of protein.

For those looking for a plant-based way to get their protein in for the day, flax is a highly nutritious source containing the amino acids arginine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid.13 Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and when flaxseed is sprouted, the amino acid content multiplies. This form of protein is the most easily digestible as well, as they are essentially “pre-digested’ by the body during the sprouting process.

Protein in flax seeds is quite high among plant foods, with nearly 4g per 20g serving (about 2 big tablespoons). There is even more protein in sprouted flax seeds, according to a 2012 study in the Journal of Agricultural Science that compared nutritional and mineral composition of flax sprouts and unsprouted flax seeds, as well as boron, manganese, zinc, and iron.14

13. Sprouted flax is a natural probiotic.

Sprouting increases the amount of naturally occurring probiotics in seeds, especially in flax.14 This abundance nourishes and heals inflammation in your gut by adding healthy, positive bacteria to your microbiome, and over time will improve digestion.

Make sure to incorporate plenty of prebiotic foods in your diet as well (like onions, asparagus, apples, bananas, and leafy greens), as prebiotics are essentially food for probiotics. The result is a healthy digestive system.

14. Sprouted flax contains more bioavailable iron.

Iron, which is critical for protein absorption, can be a difficult to absorb for some. The Journal of Agricultural Science study found that sprouted flax had nearly 45% more iron content than flax seeds, which helps you to absorb the present protein in flax. In fact, the same serving of sprouted flax mentioned above (20g or 2 heaping tablespoons) provides 8% of your daily iron needs.

How to eat flaxseed: Sprouted is best

GreenSmoothieGirl’s Sprouted Ground Flax Seed and Tri-Omega Superfood

Flaxseed is available as the whole seed, ground, sprouted, and as an oil, and while all are nutritious options, consume high-quality sprouted, ground flax when you can for a few reasons.

First, whole flaxseed is simply not digestible. It may give your food some crunch, but the unsprouted, unground version just passes through your body without giving you any of the nutrient perks.

Like all seeds, flaxseed preserves itself with natural enzyme inhibitors called phytates to prevent digestion and thus absorption within the body. Also known as phytic acid, it binds with minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and copper and prevents absorption. You can eat them all you want, but there won’t be much benefit. People try to get around this problem by grinding the seeds or extracting the oil to make minerals like manganese, magnesium, and thiamine more bioavailable (but, unfortunately, also more prone to rancidity).

Sprouting, however, sends signals to the seed that it’s time to turn the digestion inhibitors off so it can germinate, awakening dormant nutrients and transforming the seed into a living superfood.

Sprouting biologically activates the seed, doubling the fiber and increasing the vitamins and minerals by 200–800 percent! The EFAs stabilize, and all that stored energy in the seed is unlocked and ready for use.

There’s just one issue: flax is one of the most notoriously difficult seeds to get good results with, for the home sprouter. Remember I talked about how mucilaginous fiber gets gooey in water? It’s a mess to work with.

That’s why we offer our raw, organic GreenSmoothieGirl Sprouted Ground Flax. It’s been sprouted, gently dried at very cool temperatures (below 100 degrees to avoid killing enzymes), and ground to make it easy to use. Sprouting seeds stabilizes the EFAs, which means it’s not going to go rancid quickly. We’ve tested it for shelf stability for three years, with no degradation!

Also, check out our TriOmega Superfood–it’s a super-nutritious blend of sprouted flax, chia, and broccoli seeds, and remains my favorite addition to my daily green smoothie. Sprouted flax costs less.

We focus more on flax and the benefits of sprouted food in chapter 7 of the 12 Steps to Whole Foods program, or you can join us for my FREE 12 Steps to Whole Food Video Masterclass. There, you’ll also learn which other foods fight inflammation and which foods cause it, along with my best tips for eating healthy, tasty food without spending a ton of money.

–Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe.

Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.

Resources

Papanikolaou, Yanni et al. “U.S. adults are not meeting recommended levels for fish and omega-3 fatty acid intake: results of an analysis using observational data from NHANES 2003–2008.” Nutrition Journal. 2014 Apr 2. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-31

Chang, CY et al. “Essential fatty acids and human brain.” Acta Neurologica Taiwanica. 2009 Dec;18(4):231-41. PMID: 20329590

Simopoulos, AP. “The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids.” Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2002 Oct;56(8):365-79. PMID: 12442909

Mercola, Joseph. “Lignans Save Lives.” Mercola. November 02, 2015.

Pan, An et al. “Effects of a Flaxseed-Derived Lignan Supplement in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Cross-Over Trial.” PLOS ONE. November 7, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001148

Prasad, Kailash. “Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside from flaxseed delays the development of type 2 diabetes in Zucker rat.” Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. Volume 138, Issue 1, July 2001, Pages 32-39. https://doi.org/10.1067/mlc.2001.115717

Guevara-Arauza, Juan Carlos et al. “Prebiotic effect of mucilage and pectic-derived oligosaccharides from nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica).” Food Science and Biotechnology. August 2012, Volume 21, Issue 4, pp 997–1003. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-012-0130-1

Torkan, M et al. “Effect of flaxseed on blood lipid level in hyperlipidemic patients.” Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials. 2015;10(1):61-7. PMID: 25612882

Kristensen, Mette et al. “Flaxseed dietary fibers lower cholesterol and increase fecal fat excretion, but magnitude of effect depend on food type.” Nutrition & Metabolism. 3 February 2012. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-8

Rodriguez-Leyva, Delfin et al. “Potent Antihypertensive Action of Dietary Flaxseed in Hypertensive Patients.” Hypertension. 2013;62:1081-1089. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.113.02094

Phipps, W.R. et al. “Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Volume 77, Issue 5, 1 November 1993, Pages 1215–1219. https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.77.5.8077314

Lenzi, Q et al. “Flaxseed used since pregnancy by the mother and after weaning by the offspring benefits the retina and optic nerve development in rats.” The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. 2018 Mar;31(5):625-632. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1293028. Epub 2017 Feb 28.

Goyal, Ankit et al. “Flax and flaxseed oil: an ancient medicine & modern functional food.” Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2014 Sep; 51(9): 1633–1653. Published online 2014 Jan 10. doi: 10.1007/s13197-013-1247-9

Duda-Chodak, A. “The inhibitory effect of polyphenols on human gut microbiota.” Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. 2012 Oct;63(5):497-503. PMID: 23211303

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#infrared saunas #healthy

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jahntang · 7 years

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💣 Kaboom! 💣

Since I started learning more about nutrition and experimenting with various diets, I’m constantly refining and improving on my meals based on what I’ve learnt over these years.

Lately, my diet has been heavily influenced by the traditional dietary wisdom of our ancestors taught by the Weston A. Price Foundation. However, I still continue the best practices from my past diets such as the 9 cups of vegetables daily from the Wahl’s Protocol. These are divided into 3 categories of vegetables, all crucial for the different nutrients they provide – the dark green leafy veggies, the cruciferous sulphur-rich veggies and the colourful veggies.

Here’s where my Daily Salad Bomb comes in.

As asians, we cook most of our foods, including the vegetables. I’m not saying cooking is bad, in fact, cooking helps break down starch and cellulose thereby making food easier to digest and softens food, improving texture.

However, “any sustained heat of approximately 118-129 degrees F (48-54 C) destroys virtually all enzymes”. [2] They get denatured as they are very sensitive to heat. The enzymes are important for predigestion and take the load off of our bodies’ pancreas from having to overproduce our own enzymes.

Personally, I feel great improvements in my health from including a bowl of salad a day – often as the first meal to start the day and before any carbs. I feel this especially so in my sensitive skin which tends to be easily prone to acne. Overall, I also feel much less inflamed.

In this post, I’ll show you how I make my daily salad bowl a nutrient BOMB! 💣😉

Contents

Shopping Rules

Prepping in Advance

The B-b-b-base

Dressing

Protein

Accessories

Conclusion

Shopping Rules

Here are some simple rules I follow when shopping for ingredients and prepping a few days in advance:

Always opt for organic and grown as close to home as possible. You want to avoid ingesting pesticides and herbicides and you’ll want your food as fresh as can be!

Shop for convenience. For example, I almost always buy the “ready-to-eat” pre-washed and chopped packages of salad mix. That way I save a some time here and there and the savings accumulate.

Go for variety. Different colours, species, plants, sprouts … the supermarket is your oyster! Don’t just stick to iceberg lettuce! You get a more varied nutrient profile by eating a variety of veggies. Thats why I like those mixed leaf packages.

Don’t scrimp on quality food. Not just organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free, it also means pasture-raised, cage-free and wild caught. Think of it an investment in your health. Your health is your first wealth. You don’t want to spend the wealth you’ve earned on chasing health in your golden years.

For more simple rules and in-depth explanation, check out this post!

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Prepping in Advance

Drying the veggies after washing and cutting. Some overnight soaking of grains in the background!

Neatly stored in recycled salad boxes in the fridge!

When I make these salads, I like to make them under 10 minutes so I can get on with my priorities for the day. This means the ingredients I use have to be all ready to be ‘assembled’. Kinda like what you see in those fast food grab-and-go chains like Subway.

This is where prepping comes in.

Almost immediately after coming back from a grocery run, I’m prepping some foods in advance for the next few days. This usually involves washing and shredding and not so much cooking.

Washing wise, if its not organic I use vinegar and baking soda to wash. I will wash everything that isn’t in the “ready-to-eat” pre-washed packages.

This blogpost will teach you how to wash foods to turn them almost “organic”!

After washing, I usually shred carrots with a fruit skin shredder, dry out the sprouts and whatever else I washed and boil/blanch veggies like beetroots and broccoli.

Then it all goes into the fridge in recycled plastic boxes or containers, ready to be grabbed and assembled!

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The B-b-b-base

The first part of the Salad Bomb is its base. I first grab about 2 handfuls of the “ready-to-eat” pre-washed salad mix – I usually get the Mesclun one as it has a good variety of leaves.

An example of the “ready-to-eat” prewashed salad mix! (Image source)

Next, I add a handful of sprouts, such as alfalfa and pea (“dou miao”) sprouts. Because they are the first products of germinating seeds, sprouts have a very high concentration of nutrients. [3]

2 Handfuls of a “ready-to-eat” prewashed salad mix

A handful of nutrient-dense sprouts over the mix.

Another handful of shredded carrots!

Lastly, I add some colour with the shredded carrots from the earlier food prep! Below from left to right, is how the bowl builds up from the b-b-b-base. 🙃

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Dressing

There is a unique group of people who like or don’t mind their salads dry (my dad is one such individual) and you are certainly free to do so and skip this step. However, the dressing is an irreplaceable part of my salad bombs for the following reasons.

Firstly, taste. You get all sorts of flavours that enhance your bowl from mixing a bit of oil and vinegars together.

Secondly, texture. There is something about salad dressings that softens the leaves and almost predigests them in a sense. I’ve found raw vegetables much easier to eat and swallow with dressing.

Lastly, nutrients. There are some nutrients you just can’t get enough from just eating salads alone. One important one is an important macronutrient called fats. You can get lots of healthy fats through your salad dressing.

That said, here’s how I make my simple salad dressing in 3 steps!

STEP 1: Add some oils! I usually add 1-2 tablespoons of organic cold pressed coconut oil. I use this brand but another one I like is the Coconut Secret, Organic Alive Coconut Oil, Raw Extra Virgin (Amazon.com, iHerb.com). Learn more about why this brand is so special here. Sometimes I add 1 tablespoon of MCT oil too, if I have any on hand.

Then I will add another tablespoon of organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. You get different nutrients from different oils. Even the ratios of fatty acids differ. Look for brands with opaque bottles as olive oil is easily oxidized when exposed to light. I like this brand.

STEP 2: Add some acids! About 1/2 or 1 tablespoon of your favourite acid. This can be organic apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar and even 1/2 a lemon or lime!

STEP 3: MIX! I usually use chopsticks and a tablespoon (for measuring too) to mix everything together. Eating salads with chopsticks also makes it so much easier!

Some of the oils and acids I have on hand.

Its fun to experiment and play with different combinations of oils and acids. You get a new flavour not just from different ingredients, but also from different ratios of the same ingredient!

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Protein

Contrary to popular believe, you don’t need that much protein as you think. If you’re not exercising intensively, about 0.8g/kg of body weight is more than sufficient. [5]

As with the b-b-b-base, I like to make things easy for myself so I choose protein sources that are easy to prepare but still very nutrient dense!

Here are a few of my go-tos:

2 Soft boiled ‘Kampong’ (cage-free) eggs! After boiling the water in an electric kettle, I just pour enough to cover 2 eggs in a pot and leave it to cook while I assemble the salad. I guarantee you the eggs will not turn hard-boiled, even if you forget about them and leave them for more than 10 mins, as long as you don’t cover the pot.

Dessicated beef liver powder. It’s hard to get quality pasture-raised organ meat in Singapore and try as I might, I am still unable to like the taste of liver despite the various recipes I’ve tried. Dessicated liver powder is one workaround to this problem. When added over salad, it kinda reminds me of pork floss! I use these brands (Amazon.com, iHerb.com)

Might have over sprinkled the liver powder here…

Homemade Kefir! Probably the most nutrient dense form of fermented dairy, it’s probiotic and nutritional content is far superior than yogurt in my opinion. See here for more info. Because kefir is quite fluid, it can double up as a dressing too!

Jar of kefir fermenting.

About 5 tablespoons of kefir over the beef liver powder

Raw prawn or fish roe! Another nutrient bomb, just like cage-free eggs, these are genuine superfoods. I get these from the sushi section of most supermarkets these days. Try to get those packed as fresh as possible (i.e. the same day you buy).

Raw fish roe

Leftovers from previous meals. Another way to make your meals easier is to always cook more than you think you need (or not force yourself to finish everything if you are full!🤢). This way you can store the leftovers in the fridge for the next meals. Since salads are cold anyway, these are perfect!

Alternatively, you can always warm leftovers quickly in a pan over some melted grassfed butter/ghee or coconut oil. I definitely don’t recommend microwaving!

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Accessories

Last but not least, accessories mean anything else to add flavor or nutrients to spice up your bowl! Some of my favorites include:

Organic blueberries (or any other berries for that matter)

Fruit slices like pineapple, jackfruit, persimmons, kiwis, bananas, etc.

Half or a whole Avocado!

Chopped, pre-steamed veggies like beetroot/cauliflower/broccoli! Or various other tubers and starches like yam, sweet potatoes or tapioca.

A pinch of raw, finely minced garlic and ginger! This adds some heat and spice to the salad without the spicy punch from chilli which is a nightshade.

Homemade sauerkraut! Or any other unpasteurized lacto-fermented condiments like beet kvass and pickles. These are all superfoods as the fermentation process increases the nutrient density of the foods!

Overnight soaked oats! Or any other organic, gluten-free pre-soaked/sprouted grains, nuts and seeds or legumes. The soaking and/or sprouting is an essential step to reduce anti-nutrients and improve nutrient bioavailability (absorption). More info here.

Unpasteurized Miso paste! This is something I’m experimenting with

Fish Sauce! I sometimes add this to the dressing for flavor. About 1 teaspoon is more than enough! It’s packed with B-vitamins and amino acids from the fish. Plus, its fermented so you get a different range of beneficial bacteria.

Above are some of my past Salad Bomb combinations. That last picture was when I decided to weigh how much a typical bowl weighed and I was shocked that it was over a kilogram!

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Conclusion

So there you have it. I hope I’ve given you plenty of ideas and motivation to make your own daily Salad Bomb! 💣 It’s nutritional content will truly explode inside you! 😉

Thanks for taking time to read this! Please share if you found this useful!

Questions? Tips? Suggestions? Opinions? I’d love to hear them. Comment below!

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