Animal Proteins and Saturated Fats

In deciding to do a liver cleanse recently, I browsed the liver/gallbladder chapter of my favorite book, Healing With Whole Foods, and discovered that I’ve been way too liberal with both red meats and saturated fats.

For years, I’ve been gleefully mounding heaping tablespoons of ghee and virgin coconut oil into my skillet for high-heat cooking because I’d studied that eating a low glycemic, whole foods diet makes one’s metabolism switch from burning sugars for energy to burning fats. Also, it’s now well known that the trans fats from refined vegetable oils in processed and restaurants foods are what clog arteries (especially in conjunction with saturated fats in the diet). And, healthy indigenous people often eat as much as a 60% fat diet of natural, whole, unrefined fats. But, I’ve been stopped in my tracks with this fat-fest after reading that too much saturated fat is really hard for the liver & kidneys to process.

Saturated fats cause internal heat to build up because the energy released from digesting fats is more than twice the amount of energy released from proteins and carbohydrates. No wonder I’ve been opening the windows and waking up sweating at night. According to Chinese medicine, eating too much saturated fat slows the liver’s ability to cleanse the blood, which leads to liver heat and stagnation, which then can lead to excesses and inflammations such as acne, tumors, cancer, obesity, boils, carbuncles, liver/gallbladder disorders, heart disease, and kidney disorders. Whoah Nellie! No wonder my acne has come back again lately...I’m glad I came across this information when I did!

So, how much saturated fat is too much? In a nutshell, even though my metabolism had switched to burning fats, and even though I lost another 5 pounds without even trying on my low-glycemic, whole foods diet, my saturated fat consumption (pasture butter, ghee, virgin coconut oil, etc.) should be no more than 1 teaspoon per meal (as opposed to the tablespoon or two I’d been wallowing in for years). Okay. This guideline is best for me because my diet includes meats  and other animal products, which have copious amounts of their own saturated fats. If I were a low-glycemic, whole food-eating vegan, it would be okay to increase my saturated fat intake to 2 teaspoons or so per meal. But, since I want to continue to enjoy my eggs & greens a few days a week, and my grass fed beef once in a while, I need to eat less saturated fats, and enjoy more monounsaturated fats like high quality, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined sesame oil, raw nuts & seeds like flax, chia, and pumpkin seeds...and of course, avocado! Hallelujah! 

I’ll be using more water in my stir frys now, and way less ghee or butter in my beans. But, I won’t omit these wonderfully flavorful, saturated fats completely, because they’re very important in small to moderate amounts for everyone. Our bodies absolutely need good quality, saturated fats from both plant and animal sources, for brain & nerve repair and function, for glandular secretions & hormone balance, for healthy skin, and for internal warmth in the winter or when feeling cold. If we don’t get any saturated fat & cholesterol in our diets, our liver will begin to over-produce it because it plays such an important role in so many bodily processes. Chinese medicine says that fats should be used more liberally in the winter, or when feeling dry, cold, nervous, underweight, unproductive or ungrounded.

I believe that most health problems in modern people happen from three habits of the standard american diet; 1) eating packaged, restaurant & other refined foods such as iodized salt, refined sugars, refined vegetable oils, and refined grains like wheat flour, 2) in spiking the blood sugar throughout the day and throughout the lifetime, and now 3) in eating too much saturated fat, red meats, or pasteurized dairy products.

Okay. This is the perfect segway into what I just read about animal proteins. Animal foods, especially red meats, contain arachidonic acid. When this substance builds up, the body will experience pain & inflammation, blood clotting, and the inhibition of omega-3 fatty acid uptake. Excess animal protein & especially red meat consumption for long periods of time can eventually lead to: rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, dermatitis, rhinitis, psoriasis, lupus, and tumors. If you’re a regular red meat-eater (protein nutritional type or type O blood), and you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you’ll probably want to eat at least 50% less animal protein, and replace your red meat with consciously raised, organic poultry (LINK to Dana’s heritage chicken) and clean fish. (Fish LINK: http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/home.asp).

I do really well as a type A blood type, on a complex carbohydrate-based diet, so, I’m going to reduce my egg consumption from 10 eggs/week down to 4 eggs/week, my poultry and fish consumption down to 4oz twice a week, and my red meat consumption down from 8oz once a week to just 4oz once a month. This is how most healthy, rural, Asain people eat, and seasonal veggies are the base of their diets.

If you find yourself craving meat, spirulina and chlorella are GREAT ways to supplement your protein needs while supplying your body with everything it needs nutrient-wise, including chlorophyl and gamma-linoleic acid (highly absorbable form of omega-3). Micro algae is not really a plant, and not really an animal. It’s sort of between the two. It’s considered a super food, and you can live very healthy, solely on it! Spirulina and chlorella are recommended specifically for people transitioning from over-eating meats to a more vegetarian platter. The recommended dosage is 1-2 teaspoons per day.

Right now is a perfect time to address these issues of overeating meats and fats & oils in our diets because June marks the warm return of summer, and it’s this time of year when our bodies need less meat and fat, and more of the the cooling, cleansing summer fruits and vegetables to maintain balance in mind, body, and spirit. It’s amazing to me how nature gives us what’s most balancing, season to changing season, right where we happen to live.

One Of My Favorite Breakfasts...

Arame Eggs & Greens w/Avo...YUM!

MAY RECIPE: The Seasonal Casserole To Go
This is a great casserole to make ahead of your busy schedule. What I like most about it is that you can totally individualize the recipe; it can be made with any of your favorite veggies, with or without cheese or meat, and even without eggs! It takes about 2 hours to make, but it’s well worth the effort. The entire dish can be cooled and refrigerated for easy spatula servings into wax paper baggies for lunch on the go all week long. Yay!

PART 1
Soak 1 cup whole grain millet and 1cup whole grain amaranth overnight under 2 inches filtered water in the medium saucepan you plan to cook it in. Soaking whole grains does 3 things: 1) it makes the grain's vitamins & minerals more assimilatable, 2) it initiates the sprouting process and then many more amino acids develop for your body to make proteins from, and 3) it makes the complex carbs much easier to digest.
Okay, the next day, strain off the soak water and refill the pot with 3 cups filtered water. Bring to a boil, stir in 1/2 tsp whole sea salt, reduce to a low simmer, put the lid on the pot at an angle so the steam can escape, and simmer for 25 minutes.
This thick gruel is a nutrient-packed base for any meal. Use it for breakfast or dessert alongside raw nuts & seasonal fruit, OR with beans or stir-fry!

PART 2
Stir-steam a bunch of diced seasonal veggies (below), and then mix in a dozen beaten eggs along with the simmered millet & amaranth (high quality meat & cheese optional) and pour everything into a casserole dish to bake. 

INGREDIENTS
8 cups diced seasonal vegetables:
   in spring/summer use: yellow squash or zucchini, asparagus, broccoli & bok choy
   in fall use: carrot or parsnip, green beans & collard greens
   in winter use: yam, burdock root, yellow onion & kale
3Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1Tbsp yellow curry powder
3-4Tbsp Ohsawa or Eden brand shoyu or tamari soy sauce (or 1Tbsp sea salt if you can’t do soy)
1Tbsp minced fresh rosemary and/or marjoram & dill
12 high quality eggs (the eggs can technically be left out because the amaranth holds the ingredients together pretty well after the dish cools)
Optional: 1/2 c. drained sun-dried tomatoes (kids usually don’t like these)
Optional: 1 cup grated organic cheese (I like goat cheddar!)
Optional: 1lb cooked & diced high quality, consciously raised meat like organic chicken or grass fed beef

HOW TO
Sauté most dense veggies (root vegetables & onion) in ghee or coconut oil in a large wok or deep pot with a fitting lid with curry powder and 1 cup water for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Next add less-dense veggies (green beans, summer squash, broccoli, asparagus, etc.) and stir, then saute for another minute. Next add dark leafy greens like kale or collards, cover the skillet and let saute another minute. Uncover skillet and stir greens into bottom of pan until they’re all slightly wilted and wet looking. Turn off the heat & add shoyu or tamari soy sauce and herbs. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes (optional), a dozen beaten eggs, 4 cups simmered millet & amaranth, and optional cheese/meat. Pour into buttered 9 x 13” casserole dish (use two baking dishes if needed) and bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350°. When a wooden skewer stick comes out dry, it’s done! Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
Lemon juice squeezed over each serving tastes fantastic! Refrigerate the rest for easy meals to go. I just put a 4” square of it into a wax paper bag and take an avocado along for a hearty lunch away from home. Having this dish ready in the fridge is a God-send on those rushy mornings!

I Had No Idea Our Adrenals Were Fatigued!

Don & I laughed harder than we had in weeks while we were driving recently. Don was commenting on how tired he’s been feeling lately. He said that when he wakes up in the morning, he feels about 80% as tired as when he laid down to go to sleep. I shook my head. We were stopped at a light behind a heavily bumper stickered car. Don said, “They should make a bumper sticker that says, ‘I wonder if Jesus was this tired too’.” And we laughed, hard, even though we realized something was seriously wrong.

The Symptoms
A few months later, I was on the phone with a girlfriend, and she was telling me about her symptoms of adrenal fatigue. It was a bit scary when I realized that Don had been waking up feeling tired, I’d been getting tired around 1PM and needed either a nap or caffeine or sugar to make it through the rest of the day, and we both had been experiencing pounding hearts when lying down to nap or sleep. The other symptoms are; loss of head hair, feeling rundown or overwhelmed, craving salty and sweet snacks, feeling more awake and energetic after 6PM than you do all day, slow to start in the morning, gastric ulcers, afternoon headaches, feeling full or bloated, blurred vision, unstable behavior, becoming shaky or light-headed if meals are missed or delayed, cannot stay asleep or cannot fall asleep, and dizziness when moving from sitting to standing or lying to standing.

What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?
I started researching, and discovered that 66% of people in our modern world experience this disorder to one degree or another. This is no surprise to me, as I hardly know anyone who doesn’t over-use coffee (For 14 years, I always had a strong cup of green or black tea to get going in the morning, and usually another cup in the afternoon). Stress is the main issue, and it permeates our lives in many forms. Here’s what Diane Sanfilippo has to say about the many causes of adrenal fatigue and recommended supplements to overcome it. Her entire article is an excellent read, by the way.

“Contributors to the stress that leads to adrenal fatigue can be lifestyle stressors including but not limited to: lack of sleep, poor food choices, use of stimulants, pulling “all-nighters” or “pushing through” a day despite being tired, perfectionism, staying in no-win situations for too long, over training, lack of fun or stress-relieving practices. Those who are: students, medical professionals, single parents, unhappily married, unhappy or unsatisfied at work, are self-employed or starting a new business, abuse drugs or alcohol, have alternating shift schedules or who are the “all work and no play” types have lifestyles that lead to adrenal fatigue. Furthermore, life events that can lead to adrenal fatigue include: unrelieved pressure or stress at work, any crisis or severe emotional trauma, death of a loved one, major surgery, extended or chronic illness, sudden change in life situations such as loss of a job or moving without much friend or family support in a new location and repeated or extended chemical exposure. (Wilson, 17-18) The problem of stress might not be such an issue if we weren’t compounding many stressors over the course of days, weeks, months and years without much downtime for our systems. So, while the condition of adrenal fatigue can come on suddenly as triggered by a traumatic or severe life event, most commonly it is experienced after a gradual, cumulative effect of multiple stressors.”


How Do We Heal?
Nearly each of us are bombarded by multiple stressors in our modern world. So, how do we work to heal our adrenal glands?

• Wean yourself off more than one cup per day of coffee and other stimulants. Ideally, we shouldn’t need any stimulants to get going in the morning, or to keep going in the afternoon. A fresh green juice each morning is a wonderful way to get lots of oxygen-rich chlorophyll to the brain, which, I find energizes me nicely. Don & I make a green juice about 4 mornings a week with: 3 carrots, 6 stalks celery, 1 large cucumber, 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger and/or fresh turmeric root, 1 clove of garlic, and 1/2 bunch either cilantro, parsley or dandelion greens (or all three). This combination is very cleansing and nourishing, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and soothing to the digestive system. Recommended teas to substitute for coffee are: Tulsi (aka: Holy Basil), Ashwaganda, Ginseng, Ginger, Licorice Root, and Ginko Biloba. CAUTION: use only small amounts and light steeping of ginseng, ashwaganda, or any other stimulating herbs, as they work the adrenals  - just use enough to take the edge off your caffeine-withdrawl tiredness and headache, and within a couple of weeks you won’t need these herbs anymore either. You want to work toward waking up naturally with all the energy you’ll need for the day, as our bodies are designed to do. What’s normal and encouraged is to begin feeling tired and then lying down for a nap around 4 or 5PM.  
• Get more sleep. Getting to bed by 10PM at the latest is encouraged, before your second wind kicks in around 11PM. And, sleeping in until 9AM whenever possible is necessary for full recovery in severe cases of adrenal fatigue.
• Eat a well balanced, low glycemic, whole foods diet with lots of organic vegetables and fruit, plenty of good fats (especially Omega 3s), and the kind of protein that works best for your nutritional type. Here’s Joseph Mercola’s free nutritional typing test.
• Never skip breakfast, and make it a protein meal
•  Get enough re-mineralized water each day
• Don’t spike the blood sugar, even with with high glycemic complex carbs such as bread products, corn, white rice, potato, and super sugary fruits such as melon. The lower glycemic fruits are berries, green apple, lime, lemon, currants, cherries, apricot, guava, grapefruit, kiwi, papaya, orange, peach, and plum.
• Avoid trans-fats such as french fries, all other fried food from restaurants, and cooking at home with refined vegetable oils like canola, soy, and “vegetable” oil.
• Learn to establish healthy boundaries in unhealthy or draining relationships - practice saying ‘NO’ to demands of your time and attention so you can have time to take care of yourself.
• Whatever you aren’t enjoying in your life, take steps to change or leave the situation.
• Exercise in ways that are fun for you, and don’t over exercise or under exercise.
• Schedule time each day to play with people you love or your pets. Laugh several times a day.
• Journal about everything you’re grateful for.
• Take vitamin C, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamin .
• Take pregnenolone and DHEA, as needed.
• Avoid becoming over-tired.

Great Breakfast Ideas!    

SO MANY PEOPLE ask me what I eat for breakfast. Yes, I too have experienced that breakfast is a huge key to whether or not I feel great and have vital energy throughout the day.
For me, it basically breaks down to what I feel like eating that particular morning. Having the same thing every day would get old fast, and wouldn’t serve my body’s need for diversity of nutrients and flavors. Usually, I want a couple of over-easy eggs with some steamed fennel bulb, carrot, and dark leafy greens drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. But often, I feel like having a complex carbohydrate-based breakfast on the sweet side...sweet, but still low-glycemic.

EGGS & GREENS   
Whenever I want a protein and greens breakfast, I wash, cut and steam my veggies and greens (recipe below), turn them out onto a plate, drizzle high-quality olive oil and lemon juice, and set them aside. Then, I fry a couple of high-quality eggs over easy in my favorite cast iron pan, in either a teaspoon of butter or ghee. I usually set my eggs right on top of all the luscious veggies & greens, so that when I break into them with my fork, the rich yolk drips down onto the veggies. YUM! Eggs from pastured chickens are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are only bio-available when the yolk is left runny....how ‘bout that!

RECIPE: Steamed Veggies & Dark Leafy Greens to alkalize the body
In a deep, medium sized stainless steel saucepan, place a fitting steamer basket and about 2 cups of water in the bottom. Wash and slice 1/3 of a fennel bulb, and a small carrot into 1/4 inch pieces. Burdock root (blood cleanser and overall body strengthener - pictured in photo above) is great here too, when it’s in season. Place all the root veggies in the bottom of the steamer basket, and steam for about 3 minutes until almost tender. Next, stuff two big handfuls of washed & chopped kale, collards, and/or broccoli on top of the root veggies, cover again and steam for another minute. Uncover to make sure all greens are slightly wilted and wet-looking. Steam another 30 seconds if not. Remove lid immediately, and carefully (so you don’t burn your hands with the steam) turn all the veggies and greens out onto a plate. Drizzle lemon juice and a high-quality virgin olive oil on top. After you eat this, you’ll feel invincible all day long!


BROWN RICE-BASED BREAKFASTS (these also double as desserts!)
Whenever I feel like having that sweet, carby yet low-glycemic meal (not just at breakfast, but often for dessert!), I’ll break into the leftover brown rice I always have in my fridge. I’ll put a cup or so of rice into a bowl, chop whatever seasonal fruit I have on hand, and mix the fruit into the rice. Lastly, I’ll sprinkle some fresh, raw nuts on top. With a bit of fruit and nuts in each bite of brown rice, I’m in heaven! Who knew such deliciousness could happen from three simple ingredients!

Whenever you’re feeling a bit more extravagant and you want more flavor, you can warm your leftover rice in a saucepan with several other ingredients of choice. Below is one of my favorite recipes I call Apple Pie Rice. Use this recipe structure to flavor your brown rice-based breakfasts or desserts in whatever way you please! Just choose a fat (coconut oil, butter, or ghee), a spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, carob, etc.), a salt (Himilayan pink, etc), a liquid sweetener (Nu Naturals vanilla stevia, Sweet Leaf english toffee stevia, or one teaspoon of raw honey or grade B maple syrup for a medium glycemic treat), and whatever seasonal fruit and raw nuts you like (or dried coconut!). Voila! You’ve got a delightfully flavorful, whole food breakfast or dessert!

RECIPE: Apple Pie Rice
This is a low-glycemic treat - better for you than apple pie, and tastes twice as good! In a small saucepan over low heat add 1/2 cup water and 2 cups freshly simmered (or leftover) brown rice, 2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, ½ tsp whole sea salt, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and ½ tsp allspice. Simmer & stir for 3 minutes or so, adding more water if it’s too thick for you). Turn off heat & add 12 drops Sweet Leaf brand English Toffee stevia (1 tsp grade B maple syrup or raw honey if not using stevia). Stir until mixed well & add 1 medium diced fresh apple. Enjoy warm, and top individual servings with pecans, walnuts or almonds and possibly....raspberry drizzle! Here’s how to whip it up: in a small bowl mix the juice of 1 ripe lemon (Meyer lemon is best), 8 drops Nu Naturals vanilla stevia & 1 cup mashed raspberries from fresh or frozen. Wow! That tastes like apple pie with a raspberry drizzle!