Yesterday's post focused on my attempt to help you define and identify nourishing, nutrient-dense foods. We looked at refined salt vs. unrefined salt and flour vs. sprouted whole wheat flour (with the unrefined and sprouted foods coming out on top nutritionally). Then I realized, as I wrote yesterday's post, that there were more than just a small handful of foods to talk about....and giving you one or two examples ended up leaving some pretty key foods and food groups in the dark.
Onward ho!
Milk
Take a DEEEEEEP breath. Now exhale. Good. Now that you're in a calm state, let's talk about this hotbed issue. It seems like every day brings a new article about the benefits/risks of raw milk. Today's New York Time OpEd piece is just one of hundreds popping up across the nation (and spilling over the border into Canada where raw milk discussions have reached a fever pitch thanks to a recent court case).
I live in a state where the sale and purchase of raw milk is legal. In spite of the fact that Whole Foods recently decided against the sale of raw milk in its stores, nationwide, I can fairly easily get my hands on the stuff at any local farmer's market, milk co-op, or CSA program (btw, the decision by Whole Foods to stop selling raw milk wasn't due to a sudden bacteria outbreak or illness...it was simply because the insurance company Whole Foods uses would not cover liabilities for raw milk). I do have raw milk in my home. I do drink it from time-to-time. My kids do as well although M isn't a milk fan so she mostly gets hers in various foods and Z gets hers, warmed, in a bottle.
Now let's get down to business. Milk has been a contentious topic well before raw milk pushed its way to the headlines. Many folks decry milk as the reason for a laundry list of illnesses including, but not limited to, skin conditions, behavioral issues, auto-immune diseases, heart disease, and much more. But just as many would like to point out that many of these illnesses are the direct result of pasteurization. Here's the deal: when milk is pasteurized, it is cleansed of a huge number of good bacteria. But wait! you say...what about the "bad" bacteria? I mean, doesn't it also remove the bad stuff? Well...yes and no. You see...
....Pasteurization was instituted in the 20s to combat TB, infant diarrhea, undulant fever, and many other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. Nowadays, modern stainless steel tanks, milking machines, refrigerated trucks, and strict inspection methods make pasteurization virtually unnecessary. Raw dairy farms in states where the sale of raw dairy is legal undergo continuous, rigorous inspections by the FDA...much more rigorous that those at a regular dairy. These dairies are kept spotless and the cattle are almost 100% grass-fed. Many of the cows are the smaller Jersey or Guernsey breeds, an older breed of cattle popular on small farms across the nation before milk production moved into the factories. Most large-scale dairies use Holsteins...a breed that produces a lot more milk but of a lower quality. The "heirloom" breeds tend to produce creamier, more flavorful milk. I can attest to this...we get our milk from a dairy that raises Jerseys...I have NEVER liked milk but this shit is good: sweet, creamy, nothing like the stuff I drank out of the carton as a kid.
I digress. Back to pasteurization. As I mentioned before, pasteurization was an important tool to help combat the ills of poor dairy hygiene and poorly fed cattle. It served its purpose and likely saved the lives of many young children and immune-compromised adults. But did you know pasteurization destroys more than just good tummy bugs? It also destroys enzymes, reduces vitamin content (gee, where have we heard this before?), strips fragile milk proteins, is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, infant colic, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and actually PROMOTES pathogens (say what?!).
Let me explain...when you strip the good enzymes and bacteria out of milk, any bad bacteria that wasn't removed during the pasteurization process (and yes, many bad bacteria do make it through) are left to easily conquer the host (you) without having to duke it out with the good stuff that would normally act as a protective shield for your body. This statement warrants repeating: pasteurization kills off the good bacteria so you are more vulnerable to food-borne illnesses caused by any bad bacteria that make it through. This isn't to say people don't get sick from raw milk. They do. The fact is, no food out there is 100% safe. Remember the big spinach recall? Or peanut butter? How about the more recent pepper recall? By all means, take a little walk on the wild side and check out the recalls of the past year. Eating is a risk we take every day. And frankly, I believe we are more likely to become ill from our own flawed home food-prep methods (salmonella from chicken anyone? E. Coli from poorly washed scallions?) or large factories than we are from food we purchased from a small, quality organic farm with rigorous standards.
Here's another little known fact....when pasteurized milk goes "off", it rots and should absolutely not be consumed. When raw milk goes "off" it simply sours....first turning to buttermilk, then to sour cream, then yogurt, and on. Yes, you can use it long after the pull date has passed. And I have. I made some delicious buttermilk pancakes from soured raw milk.
I have spent a huge amount of time talking about pasteurization and why folks should not be so concerned about raw milk. But I have barely touched on the health benefits associated with raw milk. I actually am going to step away from the podium and strongly encourage you to take a peek here and here. Both these sites list, very eloquently and in huge detail (but not so much you will fall asleep reading it), the benefits of raw milk.
So should you personally run out and buy raw milk? It depends. Is it legal in your state/country? If not, are you willing to do your homework and find a local dairy with an excellent track record? Because in states where the sale of raw milk is illegal for human consumption, dairies who find loopholes are not being monitored by the government regulators...so you gotta hope they are being as careful as possible. Then again, keep in mind these folks also make their living off of selling raw milk...and one sick customer could potentially put them out of business permanently. Are you pregnant or do you have a child under the age of one (some feel it's too risky to drink raw milk when pregnant or very young...others don't)? Are you lactose intolerant (and if so, run, don't walk, to the nearest raw milk source and please give it a try...folks who can't manage dairy are shocked to find they can easily drink raw milk)? Whatever you decide, do your homework so you can feel as comfortable with your choices as possible (and no, this blog post doesn't count as having done your homework. I'm just scratching the surface of raw vs. pastuerized milk here...you did note the "for dummies" part of the title, right?)
I was drawn to raw milk because I like the taste. I found out about the health benefits after the fact. At my house, most of our milk is warmed prior to drinking/consuming. We simply like it that way. Therefore it's not in its purest state. Some would say this is further protecting my family from the possibility of food borne illness (since warming the milk is, essentially, a form of mild pasteurization). Who knows. All I can say is it tastes great and we feel fine.
For the record, and in case you hadn't figured it out, raw milk = nourishing, nutrient dense food.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Nourishing Foods For Dummies: Part One
I've mentioned "nourishing" and "nutrient dense" foods a lot here lately. But after talking with someone today, I realized the term doesn't really mean squat to most folks. I mean, the obvious question that comes to mind is "aren't all healthy foods nourishing and nutrient dense?" Well, it depends.
First of all, how do you define healthy foods? As you may have noticed, I'm not a fan of low-fat, diet foods. But turn on the TV, open a magazine, stroll through a bookstore and you'll see I'm in the minority. Others define healthy as eschewing animal products entirely...whereas I must respectfully disagree.
According to an online dictionary, the word nourishing literally means promoting or sustaining life, growth, or strength. And nutrient dense is simply a fancy way of saying the food you are putting into your mouth is in its most nutritious form. So when I say "nourishing" and "nutrient dense" foods, I'm talking about foods that are in the most nutritious state possible and good for your body, mind, soul, and tastebuds. I would also argue that these foods are good for the planet.
Let me give you some basic examples.
Salt
Let's talk about salt. Yes salt. Boring, white, available at the drop of a hat (although it used to be a highly prized spice back in the day). Salt is necessary for human life...without it, we would die. Most of us who currently use salt today, probably use the kind that comes in a cylinder-shaped box with a pouring spout. Maybe some of you home chefs use the fancier "kosher" salt. Fact is, most salts are heavily refined. And as with its look-alike cousin refined sugar, refined salt is completely stripped of its nutrients/minerals. Bleach-white in color and dry as a bone, refined salt contains anti-caking chemicals (not good) and added iodine (to make up for the loss of iodine during the refining process). It is processed at high temperatures, altering its basic molecular structure (uh-oh) and removing trace minerals (double uh-oh).
Up until 50 years or so ago, salts were unrefined. And then someone realized refined salt was a lot more profitable because unlike unrefined salt, it didn't clump in the presence of moisture -- so grocers could stock it longer on the shelves and homeowners/restaurants loved that it seemed to last forever. Plus, it was prettier looking than the dirty gray unrefined stuff.
Unrefined salt (sea salt) is 84% sodium chloride and 16% other minerals. Refined salt is 97.5% sodium chloride and approximately 2.5% chemical additives. Unrefined sea salt is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, major minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and a complete complement of essential trace minerals. This is the form of salt the body recognizes and is designed to use. Refined salts, on the other hand, have been linked to hypothyroidism and an inability to regulate hydration (which, let's face it, is precisely what salts are SUPPOSED TO DO). Oh, and BTW, most unrefined salts are harvested sustainably by folks who have been working with salt for generations. Refined salts are created in factories.
The verdict? Refined salts are most certainly NOT nutrient-dense, nor are they nourishing. Avoid them. Instead, try to get your hands on Celtic sea salt, Himalayan salt, or even the new kid on the block, Hawaiian salt. They taste better and they are better for your body. And for more detailed salt info, take a peek here.
Flour
Reading this will give you a severe case of deja vu...especially after reading the previous paragraph and if you've also read my earlier post on sugar.
Flour, like salt and sugar, is another food that for whatever reason, didn't seem to cut it in its natural state. Wheat flour uses all three parts of the wheat grain (endosperm, bran, and germ) whereas white flour only uses the starchy endosperm. When the bran and germ are removed from the wheat grain, over 80% of the fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants are also removed, so much that the government requires five of the 30 nutrients removed to be added back in, producing what we know as enriched or fortified flour. The synthetic nutrients sprayed on the final product are much weaker than the real nutrients and only add a fraction of what is supposed to be there. Therefore, white flour is nutritionally useless and the body treats it like sugar (it literally cannot tell the difference between a spoon of white flour and a spoon of sugar) and you know that's not a good thing. Then early in the 20th century, someone got the bright idea to bleach white flour because it just wasn't pretty enough. Mmmm...chemicals.
So clearly white flour is neither nourishing nor nutrient dense. But what about whole wheat flour? According to The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003, swapping whole wheat flour for white cuts a person’s heart disease risk by 20%. But wait folks, there's more! Because while whole wheat is definitely better than white, it can still be improved upon. Enter sprouted flour.
Sprouted flour is exactly what it sounds like, flour made from wheatberries that have been allowed to sprout and dry prior to grinding. Why bother? Let me sum it up here: your body treats regular flour like a carbohydrate...your body treats sprouted flour like a vegetable. Sounds good? Sprouting breaks down the starches so your body can digest it better, it increases vitamins B and C, carotene, enzymes, and reduces anti-nutrients (it neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which is a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc). Many people buy dehydrators and grinders and sprout, dry, and grind their own flours in the privacy of their homes. I'm not there yet...so I get mine here. (For the record, hardcore sprouting fans will tell you the nutrients begin to fade rapidly so it's best to make it at home in small batches. That's well and fine but I'm ok to purchase mine elsewhere for now).
Oh, PS, sprouted flour would definitely qualify as nourishing and nutrient dense.
I'm going to continue this over the next several days because I realized there are more than a handful of examples I'd like to share with you...stay tuned.
First of all, how do you define healthy foods? As you may have noticed, I'm not a fan of low-fat, diet foods. But turn on the TV, open a magazine, stroll through a bookstore and you'll see I'm in the minority. Others define healthy as eschewing animal products entirely...whereas I must respectfully disagree.
According to an online dictionary, the word nourishing literally means promoting or sustaining life, growth, or strength. And nutrient dense is simply a fancy way of saying the food you are putting into your mouth is in its most nutritious form. So when I say "nourishing" and "nutrient dense" foods, I'm talking about foods that are in the most nutritious state possible and good for your body, mind, soul, and tastebuds. I would also argue that these foods are good for the planet.
Let me give you some basic examples.
Salt
Let's talk about salt. Yes salt. Boring, white, available at the drop of a hat (although it used to be a highly prized spice back in the day). Salt is necessary for human life...without it, we would die. Most of us who currently use salt today, probably use the kind that comes in a cylinder-shaped box with a pouring spout. Maybe some of you home chefs use the fancier "kosher" salt. Fact is, most salts are heavily refined. And as with its look-alike cousin refined sugar, refined salt is completely stripped of its nutrients/minerals. Bleach-white in color and dry as a bone, refined salt contains anti-caking chemicals (not good) and added iodine (to make up for the loss of iodine during the refining process). It is processed at high temperatures, altering its basic molecular structure (uh-oh) and removing trace minerals (double uh-oh).
Up until 50 years or so ago, salts were unrefined. And then someone realized refined salt was a lot more profitable because unlike unrefined salt, it didn't clump in the presence of moisture -- so grocers could stock it longer on the shelves and homeowners/restaurants loved that it seemed to last forever. Plus, it was prettier looking than the dirty gray unrefined stuff.
Unrefined salt (sea salt) is 84% sodium chloride and 16% other minerals. Refined salt is 97.5% sodium chloride and approximately 2.5% chemical additives. Unrefined sea salt is a naturally occurring complex of sodium chloride, major minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and a complete complement of essential trace minerals. This is the form of salt the body recognizes and is designed to use. Refined salts, on the other hand, have been linked to hypothyroidism and an inability to regulate hydration (which, let's face it, is precisely what salts are SUPPOSED TO DO). Oh, and BTW, most unrefined salts are harvested sustainably by folks who have been working with salt for generations. Refined salts are created in factories.
The verdict? Refined salts are most certainly NOT nutrient-dense, nor are they nourishing. Avoid them. Instead, try to get your hands on Celtic sea salt, Himalayan salt, or even the new kid on the block, Hawaiian salt. They taste better and they are better for your body. And for more detailed salt info, take a peek here.
Flour
Reading this will give you a severe case of deja vu...especially after reading the previous paragraph and if you've also read my earlier post on sugar.
Flour, like salt and sugar, is another food that for whatever reason, didn't seem to cut it in its natural state. Wheat flour uses all three parts of the wheat grain (endosperm, bran, and germ) whereas white flour only uses the starchy endosperm. When the bran and germ are removed from the wheat grain, over 80% of the fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants are also removed, so much that the government requires five of the 30 nutrients removed to be added back in, producing what we know as enriched or fortified flour. The synthetic nutrients sprayed on the final product are much weaker than the real nutrients and only add a fraction of what is supposed to be there. Therefore, white flour is nutritionally useless and the body treats it like sugar (it literally cannot tell the difference between a spoon of white flour and a spoon of sugar) and you know that's not a good thing. Then early in the 20th century, someone got the bright idea to bleach white flour because it just wasn't pretty enough. Mmmm...chemicals.
So clearly white flour is neither nourishing nor nutrient dense. But what about whole wheat flour? According to The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003, swapping whole wheat flour for white cuts a person’s heart disease risk by 20%. But wait folks, there's more! Because while whole wheat is definitely better than white, it can still be improved upon. Enter sprouted flour.
Sprouted flour is exactly what it sounds like, flour made from wheatberries that have been allowed to sprout and dry prior to grinding. Why bother? Let me sum it up here: your body treats regular flour like a carbohydrate...your body treats sprouted flour like a vegetable. Sounds good? Sprouting breaks down the starches so your body can digest it better, it increases vitamins B and C, carotene, enzymes, and reduces anti-nutrients (it neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which is a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc). Many people buy dehydrators and grinders and sprout, dry, and grind their own flours in the privacy of their homes. I'm not there yet...so I get mine here. (For the record, hardcore sprouting fans will tell you the nutrients begin to fade rapidly so it's best to make it at home in small batches. That's well and fine but I'm ok to purchase mine elsewhere for now).
Oh, PS, sprouted flour would definitely qualify as nourishing and nutrient dense.
I'm going to continue this over the next several days because I realized there are more than a handful of examples I'd like to share with you...stay tuned.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Explaining the Cow to Meat Process to Children
"Mommy, how did the cow die?"
It all started with this simple question...one that began to arrive more and more frequently over the past few months in endless variations:
"....how did the chicken die?"
"....why did the fish have to die?"
"....what part of the pig is this?"
"....doesn't the baby cow miss it's mommy and daddy?"
At first I gave very simple, general responses:
"well, the farmer decided it was time and he took the cows to a place where they become meat."
"well, the fish died so we could eat it"
"well, this comes from the pig's back"
"well, I think the mommy and baby stay together until the baby is older"
But then she began to demand more specifics, more details....WHY do we have to eat the fish? Precisely HOW did the cow/chicken/pig/fish die? Does it hurt? Do the animals get sad?
So I began to think very carefully about my responses and also began to wonder if others had been down the same road and perhaps had some advice how to survive without a) giving a child nightmares or b) creating a mini-vegetarian. I began to search the internet for articles and books about this very topic...but all I could find were postings from a number of pro-vegetarian/vegan websites and blogs. Obviously this wouldn't do. Then I started sending queries out to a few parent lists, the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), and Nourishing Our Children, a non-profit org set up by a local gal to educate families about food, the importance of a varied diet, and farm-to-table. Most folks I heard back from were eager to find out if I'd received any useful advice, because they were dealing with similar issues. After a week or two with no additional comments, I figured I'd exhausted that route and wondered what the hell to do. But then, I received an email from Sandrine Hahn, founder of the aforementioned Nourishing Our Children and head of the San Francisco WAPF.
Sandrine liked my questions and decided to send the query out to her list of contacts, and it was at this point that I hit the jackpot. I now have a few resources to fall back on next time the question comes up. You may or may not agree with all, but I am flattered these folks gave my question some serious thought and responded in kind.
The Waldorf Approach
I confess, my understanding of Waldorf is still limited. I've read a few books about Waldorf education and spoke to some parents (including my friend Tammy who is a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher Down Under). So I was very interested and intrigued in what this person had to say in her response to my query. I really liked her advice on what to say when presented with tough questions about food origins. But I'm on the fence about whether or not we should intellectualize with young kids...I think it's good to shield them from as much as we can while gradually providing them with the information they ask for. But I do not necessarily think it's wrong to provide facts when asked for them as long as they are at a level that the child can manage.
This is where I think the Waldorf approach to pedagogy is so helpful. She sounds like an inquisitive girl. For a 3 year old to be so intellectually curious she most likely has had some encouragement from her parents. This may be a good chance for them to see how it doesn't serve very young children to focus on an intellectual approach to learning about the world we are in. Not to say that I'm putting them down for that, our culture really encourages this but it truly does not serve the child. For children of that age the best way to answer questions is with a "story" or an image. And whenever they ask about something we, as adults, deem to be serious or scary or heavy we should always answer in a light, non-serious manner. "Mama, did the cow have to die for this meat?" (in a light, non-committed way) "why yes honey, he did, he lived a long happy life, grazing on grass and running through the fields with his friends". "Why did the cow have to die?" "Well,it was time for him to make a journey to where cows go when they die, it must be a lovely place where he can see his old friends". "how did the cow die?" or "did it hurt?" "I am sure the farmer did his job very well, he/she cares for his animals and makes sure everything is alright." "what happened to head, tail, etc?" (and this is a very useful tool when you don't know or just can't think of anything good) "hmmm, I wonder about that..." than telling them you don't know, because as a mother you are all-knowing in their eyes and it could worry them and also this is where you don't ask them what they think because that puts the pressure on them, something they don't. In general the rule of thumb is: don't intellectualize things with a child under the age of around 7.
The Lierre Keith Approach
Many of you may not have a clue who Ms. Keith is. But she's adding heaps of fuel to the already burning fire between hardcore vegetarians/vegans and meat eaters. In fact, this morning I heard Ms. Keith was attacked by some clearly pissed off vegans (no joke!) at a recent event in San Francisco last week. Lierre is an American lesbian, radical feminist who spent 20 years as a strict vegan. A vegan no more, her book, The Vegetarian Myth, is a concise and point-by-point refutation of every argument you've ever heard in favor of going veg (nutritional, moral, environmental, you name it) and she apparently spends a great deal of time discussing how we humans should handle the animal-to-meat process emotionally and intellectually while at the same time accepting it as necessary. I have not read the book but it's been on my Kindle for the past few weeks and is the next up on my list. I'm not sure how well I will be able to translate her thoughts into a conversation with my daughter but perhaps it will give me a place to start.
The Hard-Core Approach
I suspect the person who recommended this one intended it to be for me to read through and then figure out how best to share with M. I cannot imagine anyone would encourage a parent to share this in its entirety with a three-year old. Frankly, I had a tough time reading through this info...which I found troubling on so many levels because I LIKE EATING MEAT but I also really, really like and respect animals. Anyway, should you be at all ignorant of the process of how a cow makes it to your table via a small family farm with an excellent reputation, be sure to check out this blog post. And please note, while reading it and, if you make it that far, taking a peek at the pics (which do not include the actual killing)...keep in mind that this is how lucky farm animals get to make their exit. The alternative for factory farmed animals is simply brutal and horrific.
J's Favorite Approach
My last recommendation (as of today, more may come through) was from someone who doesn't have children but sure as heck seems like she should! It was by far the most thoughtful response I received. Ultimately, I think I will take this person's guidance and mix it up with the Waldorf gal's advice to keep my responses simple, not too detailed, but as factual as I kind while also ensuring M and Z know the meat they eat (indeed the food they eat) comes from the best places and gets treated with the respect it deserves. I also think it's probably a good idea to introduce some form of "grace" at the table prior to dinner...not for religious purposes but as a reminder to everyone that we have farmers and animals to thank for the food we eat.
These are great questions, ones I have thought of many times. While I don't have children (just animals), I was just such a sensitive soul who wanted to be a vegetarian from a young age, so I can relate. Eventually when I left home, I was vegetarian for awhile, with disastrous results. Now I keep goats, and I don't think I could eat them anymore than I could eat my cats or dogs, but I still eat the meat of animals I don't know personally. Anyway, I do think it's important for parents to face up to these questions. Here are some thoughts on the subject; just my opinion, but I do hope it's helpful.
When I was about 20 I went on a wilderness survival expedition in Southern Utah for a month. Among the participants were several Native Americans. One of the learning experiences on the expedition was the slaughtering of a sheep and making sausage from the meat, using the intestines for casing. We were required to participate in this exercise as a means, I suppose, of impressing upon us all how dependent we are upon other creatures for our sustenance. If I remember correctly (this is over half my lifetime ago so the details are fuzzy), one or more of the Native Americans performed the slaughter, and the whole experience was treated as a sacred ritual and was a very awe-inspiring and thoughtful experience for us all. That impressed upon me the attitude of gratitude for the animals. When our only connection to our food is the supermarket, we miss out on some deep understanding of the nature of life, I believe. To me, the values of respecting animals, respecting the ecosystem, not wasting food, etc., are all in harmony. How dare we treat animals as commodities and make them into silly marketing mascots for fake food or waste their flesh.
The recent Temple Grandin biopic on HBO (perhaps available on DVD by now) looked squarely at this issue as well. My favorite line, repeated twice in the movie, was the Temple character saying "Nature is cruel, but we don't have to be!" She further pointed out that cows are only here (in great numbers) because humans eat them, and that we owe them our respect and a humane life and death. The Joel Salatin/Polyface Farm section of The Omnivore's Dilemma makes similar points, if I remember correctly. I know Michael Pollan published a children's version of the book. I wonder whether that might have something useful?
The Vegetarian Myth of course has lots of relevant passages but they're too esoteric for a young child. I think it comes down to parents thinking through what exactly their values are, maybe writing it down to find phrasing they're comfortable with, and then having the courage of their convictions to express those thoughts to their children. (I'm sure it's easier said than done, but I grew up getting a lot of things transmitted to me through church that I though my parents really should have taught me directly themselves. Citing some outside authority is the easy way out. Parents have a natural place as the authority in the lives of their young children, IMO.)
I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting we are too squeamish as meat eaters to do our own harvesting of livestock. Few people can approach that level of self-sufficiency anymore; it's certainly not practical for most urbanites. (Although Novella Carpenter seriously challenges that idea in Farm City!) Some people say we shouldn't eat meat if we're not willing to kill it ourselves. I think that's a bit harsh, but there is a kernel of truth in there. (Again, this is all just my opinion, but...) It seems to me we are obliged, as Temple Grandin says, to respect the animals and their sacrifice for us. Yes I know that individual sheep and cows don't volunteer to die for us, but as a species, in evolutionary terms, they did "agree" in some sense to be domesticated -- fed and protected from wild predators -- in exchange for us determining when and how they should die. We also know from the work of Weston A. Price as well as subsequent evolutionary biologists and other researchers that eating animal products shaped our evolutionary history and helped make us human. Eating meat (or animal products in general, such as eggs and dairy) is not simply a preference on the order of preferring chocolate to vanilla, it answers deep, cell-level nutritional needs that have been part of our genetic heritage for eons. I think it's legitimate to give children a simplified version of this. At the same time they'll soon become aware, if they aren't already, that some of their friends don't eat meat and are something called "vegetarians." Perhaps that's a good time to introduce the idea that different people have different beliefs about what is right, and different traditions and cultural influences and we respect their right to choose differently from us.
It all started with this simple question...one that began to arrive more and more frequently over the past few months in endless variations:
"....how did the chicken die?"
"....why did the fish have to die?"
"....what part of the pig is this?"
"....doesn't the baby cow miss it's mommy and daddy?"
At first I gave very simple, general responses:
"well, the farmer decided it was time and he took the cows to a place where they become meat."
"well, the fish died so we could eat it"
"well, this comes from the pig's back"
"well, I think the mommy and baby stay together until the baby is older"
But then she began to demand more specifics, more details....WHY do we have to eat the fish? Precisely HOW did the cow/chicken/pig/fish die? Does it hurt? Do the animals get sad?
So I began to think very carefully about my responses and also began to wonder if others had been down the same road and perhaps had some advice how to survive without a) giving a child nightmares or b) creating a mini-vegetarian. I began to search the internet for articles and books about this very topic...but all I could find were postings from a number of pro-vegetarian/vegan websites and blogs. Obviously this wouldn't do. Then I started sending queries out to a few parent lists, the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), and Nourishing Our Children, a non-profit org set up by a local gal to educate families about food, the importance of a varied diet, and farm-to-table. Most folks I heard back from were eager to find out if I'd received any useful advice, because they were dealing with similar issues. After a week or two with no additional comments, I figured I'd exhausted that route and wondered what the hell to do. But then, I received an email from Sandrine Hahn, founder of the aforementioned Nourishing Our Children and head of the San Francisco WAPF.
Sandrine liked my questions and decided to send the query out to her list of contacts, and it was at this point that I hit the jackpot. I now have a few resources to fall back on next time the question comes up. You may or may not agree with all, but I am flattered these folks gave my question some serious thought and responded in kind.
The Waldorf Approach
I confess, my understanding of Waldorf is still limited. I've read a few books about Waldorf education and spoke to some parents (including my friend Tammy who is a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher Down Under). So I was very interested and intrigued in what this person had to say in her response to my query. I really liked her advice on what to say when presented with tough questions about food origins. But I'm on the fence about whether or not we should intellectualize with young kids...I think it's good to shield them from as much as we can while gradually providing them with the information they ask for. But I do not necessarily think it's wrong to provide facts when asked for them as long as they are at a level that the child can manage.
This is where I think the Waldorf approach to pedagogy is so helpful. She sounds like an inquisitive girl. For a 3 year old to be so intellectually curious she most likely has had some encouragement from her parents. This may be a good chance for them to see how it doesn't serve very young children to focus on an intellectual approach to learning about the world we are in. Not to say that I'm putting them down for that, our culture really encourages this but it truly does not serve the child. For children of that age the best way to answer questions is with a "story" or an image. And whenever they ask about something we, as adults, deem to be serious or scary or heavy we should always answer in a light, non-serious manner. "Mama, did the cow have to die for this meat?" (in a light, non-committed way) "why yes honey, he did, he lived a long happy life, grazing on grass and running through the fields with his friends". "Why did the cow have to die?" "Well,it was time for him to make a journey to where cows go when they die, it must be a lovely place where he can see his old friends". "how did the cow die?" or "did it hurt?" "I am sure the farmer did his job very well, he/she cares for his animals and makes sure everything is alright." "what happened to head, tail, etc?" (and this is a very useful tool when you don't know or just can't think of anything good) "hmmm, I wonder about that..." than telling them you don't know, because as a mother you are all-knowing in their eyes and it could worry them and also this is where you don't ask them what they think because that puts the pressure on them, something they don't. In general the rule of thumb is: don't intellectualize things with a child under the age of around 7.
The Lierre Keith Approach
Many of you may not have a clue who Ms. Keith is. But she's adding heaps of fuel to the already burning fire between hardcore vegetarians/vegans and meat eaters. In fact, this morning I heard Ms. Keith was attacked by some clearly pissed off vegans (no joke!) at a recent event in San Francisco last week. Lierre is an American lesbian, radical feminist who spent 20 years as a strict vegan. A vegan no more, her book, The Vegetarian Myth, is a concise and point-by-point refutation of every argument you've ever heard in favor of going veg (nutritional, moral, environmental, you name it) and she apparently spends a great deal of time discussing how we humans should handle the animal-to-meat process emotionally and intellectually while at the same time accepting it as necessary. I have not read the book but it's been on my Kindle for the past few weeks and is the next up on my list. I'm not sure how well I will be able to translate her thoughts into a conversation with my daughter but perhaps it will give me a place to start.
The Hard-Core Approach
I suspect the person who recommended this one intended it to be for me to read through and then figure out how best to share with M. I cannot imagine anyone would encourage a parent to share this in its entirety with a three-year old. Frankly, I had a tough time reading through this info...which I found troubling on so many levels because I LIKE EATING MEAT but I also really, really like and respect animals. Anyway, should you be at all ignorant of the process of how a cow makes it to your table via a small family farm with an excellent reputation, be sure to check out this blog post. And please note, while reading it and, if you make it that far, taking a peek at the pics (which do not include the actual killing)...keep in mind that this is how lucky farm animals get to make their exit. The alternative for factory farmed animals is simply brutal and horrific.
J's Favorite Approach
My last recommendation (as of today, more may come through) was from someone who doesn't have children but sure as heck seems like she should! It was by far the most thoughtful response I received. Ultimately, I think I will take this person's guidance and mix it up with the Waldorf gal's advice to keep my responses simple, not too detailed, but as factual as I kind while also ensuring M and Z know the meat they eat (indeed the food they eat) comes from the best places and gets treated with the respect it deserves. I also think it's probably a good idea to introduce some form of "grace" at the table prior to dinner...not for religious purposes but as a reminder to everyone that we have farmers and animals to thank for the food we eat.
These are great questions, ones I have thought of many times. While I don't have children (just animals), I was just such a sensitive soul who wanted to be a vegetarian from a young age, so I can relate. Eventually when I left home, I was vegetarian for awhile, with disastrous results. Now I keep goats, and I don't think I could eat them anymore than I could eat my cats or dogs, but I still eat the meat of animals I don't know personally. Anyway, I do think it's important for parents to face up to these questions. Here are some thoughts on the subject; just my opinion, but I do hope it's helpful.
When I was about 20 I went on a wilderness survival expedition in Southern Utah for a month. Among the participants were several Native Americans. One of the learning experiences on the expedition was the slaughtering of a sheep and making sausage from the meat, using the intestines for casing. We were required to participate in this exercise as a means, I suppose, of impressing upon us all how dependent we are upon other creatures for our sustenance. If I remember correctly (this is over half my lifetime ago so the details are fuzzy), one or more of the Native Americans performed the slaughter, and the whole experience was treated as a sacred ritual and was a very awe-inspiring and thoughtful experience for us all. That impressed upon me the attitude of gratitude for the animals. When our only connection to our food is the supermarket, we miss out on some deep understanding of the nature of life, I believe. To me, the values of respecting animals, respecting the ecosystem, not wasting food, etc., are all in harmony. How dare we treat animals as commodities and make them into silly marketing mascots for fake food or waste their flesh.
The recent Temple Grandin biopic on HBO (perhaps available on DVD by now) looked squarely at this issue as well. My favorite line, repeated twice in the movie, was the Temple character saying "Nature is cruel, but we don't have to be!" She further pointed out that cows are only here (in great numbers) because humans eat them, and that we owe them our respect and a humane life and death. The Joel Salatin/Polyface Farm section of The Omnivore's Dilemma makes similar points, if I remember correctly. I know Michael Pollan published a children's version of the book. I wonder whether that might have something useful?
The Vegetarian Myth of course has lots of relevant passages but they're too esoteric for a young child. I think it comes down to parents thinking through what exactly their values are, maybe writing it down to find phrasing they're comfortable with, and then having the courage of their convictions to express those thoughts to their children. (I'm sure it's easier said than done, but I grew up getting a lot of things transmitted to me through church that I though my parents really should have taught me directly themselves. Citing some outside authority is the easy way out. Parents have a natural place as the authority in the lives of their young children, IMO.)
I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting we are too squeamish as meat eaters to do our own harvesting of livestock. Few people can approach that level of self-sufficiency anymore; it's certainly not practical for most urbanites. (Although Novella Carpenter seriously challenges that idea in Farm City!) Some people say we shouldn't eat meat if we're not willing to kill it ourselves. I think that's a bit harsh, but there is a kernel of truth in there. (Again, this is all just my opinion, but...) It seems to me we are obliged, as Temple Grandin says, to respect the animals and their sacrifice for us. Yes I know that individual sheep and cows don't volunteer to die for us, but as a species, in evolutionary terms, they did "agree" in some sense to be domesticated -- fed and protected from wild predators -- in exchange for us determining when and how they should die. We also know from the work of Weston A. Price as well as subsequent evolutionary biologists and other researchers that eating animal products shaped our evolutionary history and helped make us human. Eating meat (or animal products in general, such as eggs and dairy) is not simply a preference on the order of preferring chocolate to vanilla, it answers deep, cell-level nutritional needs that have been part of our genetic heritage for eons. I think it's legitimate to give children a simplified version of this. At the same time they'll soon become aware, if they aren't already, that some of their friends don't eat meat and are something called "vegetarians." Perhaps that's a good time to introduce the idea that different people have different beliefs about what is right, and different traditions and cultural influences and we respect their right to choose differently from us.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Adventures in Pasta (and Ice Cream!)
Today was a busy, busy day in terms of food prep. I keep wondering if I'm secretly pregnant (which I'm not, BTW, so please don't get the rumor mill started) because I seem to be going through a heavy-duty nesting period. Or perhaps it's Xtreme Domesticity!
Anyway, I tried my hand at making pasta from scratch (second attempt, first was a complete flop) and attempted another flavor of ice cream in our new Cuisinart ice cream maker (first attempt wasn't bad but not great).
First the pasta. A few weeks back, after my smaller-than-expected (but totally nifty) pasta machine arrived, I bit off more than I could chew by attempting an INCREDIBLY difficult and time-consuming pasta recipe courtesy of Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook (I told you I was being overly ambitious). It sucked, to say the least. But I'm not one to give up easily. So back in the trenches I went today with this recipe which I adjusted by subbing 1 1/2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour (more about that in an upcoming blog) and 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. I decided not to go 100% sprouted whole wheat because I was worried it might mess with the consistency and I'm no pasta expert. I'm pleased to say the recipe worked...and the dough actually traveled smoothly through the machine without the horrific clumping I experienced with the previous recipe. At which point, it dawned on me I had about four hours before said pasta would be needed for dinner and what the fuck was I going to do with it until then? Thank God for the internet! Apparently (who knew? perhaps everyone but me) you are supposed to dry the pasta unless you plan to use it immediately. But of course I don't have a professional pasta dryer so I improvised:
Yes, those are coat hangers from our hall closet. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
After I picked up M from preschool, I decided it was high time to try my hand at another quart of ice cream. The first batch (strawberry) I made a few weeks ago wasn't quite what I'd expected. I suspect it had to do with a) the strawberries not macerating completely before I added them to the bowl and b) the fact that I cut down the sugar significantly. The resulting ice cream was VERY creamy but that was about it. Today I decided to simplify and go for something basic: vanilla. I used this recipe and, of course, modified to some degree. And let me be the first to tell you this was THE BEST DAMN ICE CREAM I'VE EVER TASTED. Holy crap it was good. In fact, K and the kids must have told me at least three times today how much they liked the ice cream. So, assuming you have an ice cream machine of your very own, you might want to give my version of the Ben and Jerry's recipe a try:
Jen and Jerry's French Vanilla Ice Cream
2 large eggs (pastured organic if you can find them. hey, just because it's ice cream doesn't mean you shouldn't try to insert as much nutrition into it as possible!)
3/4 cup sucanat, rapadura, whatever (I used sucanat)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (raw, organic, grass-fed, whatever)
1 cup milk (see above)
1 vanilla bean pod
1/2 teaspoon pure bourbon vanilla extract
Directions
Anyway, I tried my hand at making pasta from scratch (second attempt, first was a complete flop) and attempted another flavor of ice cream in our new Cuisinart ice cream maker (first attempt wasn't bad but not great).
First the pasta. A few weeks back, after my smaller-than-expected (but totally nifty) pasta machine arrived, I bit off more than I could chew by attempting an INCREDIBLY difficult and time-consuming pasta recipe courtesy of Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook (I told you I was being overly ambitious). It sucked, to say the least. But I'm not one to give up easily. So back in the trenches I went today with this recipe which I adjusted by subbing 1 1/2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour (more about that in an upcoming blog) and 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. I decided not to go 100% sprouted whole wheat because I was worried it might mess with the consistency and I'm no pasta expert. I'm pleased to say the recipe worked...and the dough actually traveled smoothly through the machine without the horrific clumping I experienced with the previous recipe. At which point, it dawned on me I had about four hours before said pasta would be needed for dinner and what the fuck was I going to do with it until then? Thank God for the internet! Apparently (who knew? perhaps everyone but me) you are supposed to dry the pasta unless you plan to use it immediately. But of course I don't have a professional pasta dryer so I improvised:
Yes, those are coat hangers from our hall closet. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.
After I picked up M from preschool, I decided it was high time to try my hand at another quart of ice cream. The first batch (strawberry) I made a few weeks ago wasn't quite what I'd expected. I suspect it had to do with a) the strawberries not macerating completely before I added them to the bowl and b) the fact that I cut down the sugar significantly. The resulting ice cream was VERY creamy but that was about it. Today I decided to simplify and go for something basic: vanilla. I used this recipe and, of course, modified to some degree. And let me be the first to tell you this was THE BEST DAMN ICE CREAM I'VE EVER TASTED. Holy crap it was good. In fact, K and the kids must have told me at least three times today how much they liked the ice cream. So, assuming you have an ice cream machine of your very own, you might want to give my version of the Ben and Jerry's recipe a try:
Jen and Jerry's French Vanilla Ice Cream
2 large eggs (pastured organic if you can find them. hey, just because it's ice cream doesn't mean you shouldn't try to insert as much nutrition into it as possible!)
3/4 cup sucanat, rapadura, whatever (I used sucanat)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (raw, organic, grass-fed, whatever)
1 cup milk (see above)
1 vanilla bean pod
1/2 teaspoon pure bourbon vanilla extract
Directions
- Whisk eggs in mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes
- Whisk in sucanat, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 2 minutes more. Pour in the cream, milk, vanilla extract and whisk to blend.
- Place vanilla bean pod on a cutting board, flatten it out, and carefully slice it down the middle to open. Use your finger nail or a dull knife to scrape all beans out and dump into bowl. I also dipped the pod into the bowl afterward and left it there while I prepped the ice cream machine.
- Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Where the Left and the Right Come Together
In my ongoing journey into the world of nutrient-dense foods, I've become aware of an interesting phenomenon: the folks who are attracted to this lifestyle come from some surprising places. You see, we liberals tend to assume we're the only ones who give a shit about the planet, the well-being of the creatures who provide us with our food, and the health of our children. Imagine my surprise...nay, shock....when I began to investigate the nutrient dense movement and uncovered--gasp!--a huge number of card-carrying Libertarians, Conservatives, and hard-core Christians in the mix.
The fact is, there are a HUGE number of right-leaning folks who are passionate about local and organic produce and humanely-raised, pastured farm animals. I see quite a few of them on the various holistic lists I subscribe to and when I pick up groceries at my monthly Azure food drop (imagine if Costco and Whole Foods had a love child with wheels). Many of them are smack in the middle of the ongoing fight against factory farms and the industrialization of our food chain. These people may have come to this movement via a different path than I did...but they are no less dedicated to keeping their children and the planet as healthy as possible. I confess it's taken me some time to get accustomed to purchasing goods from people who have bible quotes as email signatures...or who take our Constitution's Second Amendment to heart. But ultimately, I've come to realize while I may not always agree with the politics of these folks...they are just as concerned about our collective future as I am. And boy is that a relief!
So how is it that the left and right are comfortably rubbing elbows in the world of food? Well, while you probably won't find many conservative raw vegans out there, or left-wing duck hunters, you won't have to look hard to find people of all stripes who simply love to eat quality meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and everything in between. The "green" aspect of the nutrient-dense movement appeals to the liberals, the "(sub)urban homesteader" aspect appeals to the libertarians, the "look to the past for food inspiration" aspect appeals to the religious folks, and the "remove the middle man AKA government regulators" appeals to the conservatives.
Fact is, if you've got two eyes and a brain, it's pretty hard to miss how detached we've all become from the source of our food. And many believe this is to blame for the current state of things: the less interaction we have with the farmers who produce our food and the animals who provide it, the less we really understand how it all works, and the more we rely on big corporations to connect the dots so we don't have to. So whether you arrive at this "diet" via Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, Nina Planck's Real Food, Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, Jordan Rubin's Makers Diet, or the Slow Food Movement, we're all heading in the same direction and hopefully, the end result will be healthier people, animals, farms, food supply chain, and, ultimately, planet.
The fact is, there are a HUGE number of right-leaning folks who are passionate about local and organic produce and humanely-raised, pastured farm animals. I see quite a few of them on the various holistic lists I subscribe to and when I pick up groceries at my monthly Azure food drop (imagine if Costco and Whole Foods had a love child with wheels). Many of them are smack in the middle of the ongoing fight against factory farms and the industrialization of our food chain. These people may have come to this movement via a different path than I did...but they are no less dedicated to keeping their children and the planet as healthy as possible. I confess it's taken me some time to get accustomed to purchasing goods from people who have bible quotes as email signatures...or who take our Constitution's Second Amendment to heart. But ultimately, I've come to realize while I may not always agree with the politics of these folks...they are just as concerned about our collective future as I am. And boy is that a relief!
So how is it that the left and right are comfortably rubbing elbows in the world of food? Well, while you probably won't find many conservative raw vegans out there, or left-wing duck hunters, you won't have to look hard to find people of all stripes who simply love to eat quality meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and everything in between. The "green" aspect of the nutrient-dense movement appeals to the liberals, the "(sub)urban homesteader" aspect appeals to the libertarians, the "look to the past for food inspiration" aspect appeals to the religious folks, and the "remove the middle man AKA government regulators" appeals to the conservatives.
Fact is, if you've got two eyes and a brain, it's pretty hard to miss how detached we've all become from the source of our food. And many believe this is to blame for the current state of things: the less interaction we have with the farmers who produce our food and the animals who provide it, the less we really understand how it all works, and the more we rely on big corporations to connect the dots so we don't have to. So whether you arrive at this "diet" via Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, Nina Planck's Real Food, Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, Jordan Rubin's Makers Diet, or the Slow Food Movement, we're all heading in the same direction and hopefully, the end result will be healthier people, animals, farms, food supply chain, and, ultimately, planet.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
NYC Update
Some of you have been asking about this...so a quick update. K is traveling to NYC next week for yet another interview. He had his first interview with someone other than a recruiter yesterday (via phone) and apparently they were duly impressed. So he's heading off to the big city to meet these folks in person. And my mom is going to camp out with me and the kids to provide company during his absence.
K is quite excited by the job. I, on the other hand, am not excited at the idea of moving to the East Coast. My life here is nicely settled...my parents and grandparents are here, the weather is nice, I know my way around, M has a fantastic preschool, it's all good. The only bummer is a) lack of a steady, reliable income (K is currently consulting) and b) having to pay through the nose for insurance. Oh, and c) the underwhelming schools. Aside from that, I'm perfectly happy to stay in California in perpetuity.
So now we have to start asking ourselves the BIG question: is not having to worry about money/benefits + a large chunk of expendable income + K's career satisfaction worth dragging our whole family to parts unknown? I'm not entirely convinced. I'll say this: if we didn't have kids and were a lot younger, I'd be off like a shot. But when you have kids, you need a support network....and I don't relish the thought of having to build one of those back up from scratch. Nor do I like the idea of being isolated at home (in what would most certainly be a much nicer house) with my kids and all our fancy new things. What's the point of having more money and nice things when you're all alone? Seems silly.
The whole thing depresses me. Or maybe I'm a tad change adverse? Who knows.
Stay tuned for more angst-ridden posts about NYC...assuming K makes it into the final cut.
K is quite excited by the job. I, on the other hand, am not excited at the idea of moving to the East Coast. My life here is nicely settled...my parents and grandparents are here, the weather is nice, I know my way around, M has a fantastic preschool, it's all good. The only bummer is a) lack of a steady, reliable income (K is currently consulting) and b) having to pay through the nose for insurance. Oh, and c) the underwhelming schools. Aside from that, I'm perfectly happy to stay in California in perpetuity.
So now we have to start asking ourselves the BIG question: is not having to worry about money/benefits + a large chunk of expendable income + K's career satisfaction worth dragging our whole family to parts unknown? I'm not entirely convinced. I'll say this: if we didn't have kids and were a lot younger, I'd be off like a shot. But when you have kids, you need a support network....and I don't relish the thought of having to build one of those back up from scratch. Nor do I like the idea of being isolated at home (in what would most certainly be a much nicer house) with my kids and all our fancy new things. What's the point of having more money and nice things when you're all alone? Seems silly.
The whole thing depresses me. Or maybe I'm a tad change adverse? Who knows.
Stay tuned for more angst-ridden posts about NYC...assuming K makes it into the final cut.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Kick-Ass, Super Fast Blueberry Cobbler
I just made this and had to post the recipe because it was SO damn good. I got the original from Natural Home magazine and modified it with a few tweaks (less sugar, sucanat, wheat flour). It was incredibly easy to prepare, baked while we ate dinner, and everyone loved it. Both kids kept asking for more until I had to hide the damn thing so there was some left for K tonight. I think this is the perfect recipe for a last-minute dinner party.
Oh, and for those of you still afraid of full fat foods, please remember to use organic butter and milk from grass-fed (aka pastured) cows. The grass will ensure you don't put your bad cholesterol through the roof. (And be sure to read this book if you are still worried about fats, weight gain, heart disease, and cholesterol).
J's Blueberry Cobbler
Oh, and for those of you still afraid of full fat foods, please remember to use organic butter and milk from grass-fed (aka pastured) cows. The grass will ensure you don't put your bad cholesterol through the roof. (And be sure to read this book if you are still worried about fats, weight gain, heart disease, and cholesterol).
J's Blueberry Cobbler
Serves 8 (if you don't eat it all yourself)
1⁄2 cup organic, pastured butter
3/4 cup sucanat
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1-1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic, pastured milk
2 cups organic blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice butter, sprinkle around baking dish and place in oven until melted.
3. Mix together dry ingredients then stir in milk. Pour batter into melted butter and scatter fruit over top.
4. Bake uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes.
Try to eat as soon as you take it out of the oven...fresh cream, fresh whipped cream, or ice cream would be a great pairing with this. Enjoy!
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