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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 1:55pm | IP Logged
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Kyra wrote:
| I haven't read Nourishing Traditions yet, but could someone summarize what the health benefits from soaking grains and beans are? I've heard it mentioned a lot, but I have no idea what it's supposed to do. |
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Foods, like beans and grains, are essentially seeds. Their purpose is to survive digestion in order to be planted and reproduce. Therefore, they have phytates to prevent their being digested. These phytates keep us from absorbing all the nutrients available. The soaking process breaks down the phytates and can actually cause "sprouting." The foods are then more easily digested and the nutrients are absorbed.
We can tell a difference between soaked and unsoaked grains. It is especially noticeable regarding breakfast. My husband says that when we soak oatmeal, he is good until lunch, but when we don't, he's hungry again by 10:30. We also find that we suffer less indigestion from soaked or sprouted grains and beans than we do from unsoaked.
Hope that helps.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Kyra
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 2:02pm | IP Logged
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Huh. That's very interesting. Thanks.
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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 2:13pm | IP Logged
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For those that follow Nourishing Traditions, isn't it hard to follow much of the program if food allergies are an issue? There was so much I COULDN'T do, that it just didn't seem worth it.
My second son has only egg allergy and it's just so much easier to hand him foods for snacks without having to worry about the wheat and dairy issue.
I find it's very hard to put in fats and tummy satisfying foods for my son. We tend toward using more meats so I can put some fat on his bones.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 3:08pm | IP Logged
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Jenn, what foods do you feel you rely on to feed your son easily that are not friendly towards Nourishing Traditions?
Are nuts also an issue?
Yes, I am guessing it would be super hard to deal with those allergies, but I think that would be true regardless. We rely so much on meat, stocks, soups, beans, and rice that I thin your son would be fine with most of our meals slightly modified (like no cheese or sour cream on soup, no croutons or cheese on salad, etc...). Many of the foods we have given up (cereals, crackers, pastas) would be out for your son anyway.
Breakfast and snacks would be harder, but I would probably do homemade lara bars (just cashews and dates and raisins) for a regular, fatty snack even more than I do now (I often do a slice of cheese as it is). I might try to make oatmeal taste good without dairy and get Canadian oats (no cross contaminations with wheat). We also do a lot of popcorn for snacks.
We do a great deal of corn tortillas and our compromised convenience processed food is corn chips (when the ingredients include "trace of lime").
Plus, I think it helps that I started right after my second was born, and since my husband was on board (I had ppd, and my motivation was assuming that the ppd was due in part to nutritional deficiencies), my children don't really remember eating any other way. My boys will eat a bowl of homemade, lacto fermented sauerkraut for a snack 
I did hear a talk once on traditional foods where the speaker expressed the opinion that the benefits of the lacto-fermented stuff was the best health change and more of an important change than soaking all your grains, etc... I hope to do more of it!
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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DeAnn M
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 8:12pm | IP Logged
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I also want to second the notion of starting out slowly. Begin by replacing foods in your kitchen or on your menu that you already use. Like others, we began by replacing our meat source and our milk. We drink raw milk now and it's been amazing...no more eczema, and tummy aches after drinking milk. Sally Fallon has a section on drinking raw milk in her book that is definitely worth reading. Many people who think they are allergic to dairy or are lactose intolerant are not. They simply have reactions to the pasteurized milk. Raw milk has the digestive enzymes needed to make digestion smooth. It also has good bacteria (probiotics) and other great benefits that are killed off in the pasteurization process. Blah, Blah. I could go on forever.
We get our grass fed meat from the same place that sells our raw milk. Switching to grass-fed meat will give you more Omega 3's and less junk in your colon. Cows that are fed a grain-based diet have very acidic digestive systems. Couple that with stressful conditions and slaughterhouses and you have yourself some very unhealthy meat. Once again...could go on and on. A great book to read on these topics is called, "Real Food" by Nina Planck. It was extremely informative...no recipes though.
One sweetener that I really like is agave nectar. It is very low on the glycemic index and tastes great. I use it in my tea and coffee and it tastes totally normal. I can never quite use the right amount of stevia without compromising the flavor.
Two website recommendations:
1) westonaprice.org link at the bottom...fussy baby in arms. sorry
If you go to the archives you can find some great articles. I found the one on feeding babies especially interesting.
and
2)kellythekitchenkop.com
This website gives lots of meal suggestions, recipes, and links to other websites/blogs that are dedicated to whole foods.
Trying to calm a fussy baby while I type so this is kind of scattered, but I hope that was helpful. People can be pretty opinionated about the milk issue based on their experiences, so I hope not to offend anyone. o.K. baby wins...must go.
Blessings,
DeAnn
westonaprice.org
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KerryK
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 8:18pm | IP Logged
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I just bought Sally Fallon's books after thinking about if for a long time (our library system doesn't have it, and that book wasn't cheap, either!) I haven't started reading it yet, but after reading here, I'm worried - we are gluten and nut free - does that mean I can't really use this book very much?
I'm reading Real Food by Nina Planck right now and loving it, it does seem do-able to me, but I was really hoping for recipes, and hope that I didn't just waste my $$ on Nourishing Traditions.
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Kerry
Mom to
Matthew (10)
Mary (6)
New baby Samuel 2/26/07!
and 9 angels in heaven
The Eyes of My Heart
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DeAnn M
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 8:51pm | IP Logged
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O.K. Baby's asleep...for now.
Kerry, I don't think you wasted your money at all. NT is a great resource to have on hand. I actually read, "Real Food" before I read Nourishing Traditions. I think Real food will give you a good foundation for transitioning into a whole foods lifestyle. NT was way too overwhelming to tackle first. I read one recipe that used organ meat and put the book away for a couple of months.
I also couldn't just clear out my pantry and start afresh. I'm not a dive-into-the-cold-water type of person. I like to ease my way into the water. Plus, learning to eat in a new way means you have to learn to cook in a new way. This can take up more time so it's good to gradually adjust to this instead of being overwhelmed and giving up too soon.
One more thing to add, Amy. I know you don't just want a book with a bunch of suggestions, but I think a book like Nourishing Traditions is great because you can pick and choose sections to read. She gives a lot of the why's behind what to eat and drink. That alone can be enough inspiration to try to make a small but significant change work for you and your family. My advice, once again, is to take baby steps--small but significant.
Take Care,
DeAnn
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Eating whole foods as a way of life
