I should have made it clear that wheatgrass contains
no gluten at all. It has all been transformed into grass.
This isn't true of Rejuvelac which is the fermented
drink made from sprouted wheatberries. There is some gluten
in that, and so I recommend that people with gluten
intolerance use quinoa for rejuvelac.
No danger at all with wheatgrass, however.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
THE MOST POWERFUL FOOD
WHEATGRASS JUICE
Imagine that this is a conversation between a mother and
her child - except they're both me.
"It's time to drink some wheatgrass juice"
"Yuk! I hate wheatgrass juice!"
"I know you hate wheatgrass juice but you're having it anyway"
"YUK!"
The truth is, I really love wheatgrass juice,
but I and lots of other people
have a difficult time with the taste of it.
It is cloyingly sweet and naturally tastes and smells
like grass. Really sweet grass. Which is exactly what it is.
It is also 70% chlorophyll and therefore is strong medicine.
The odor of it fills the entire head cavity and usually makes
me involuntarily shudder for a few seconds when I down it.
However, it is worth it.
It is a very powerful cleanser and has to be drunk with,
or followed immediately by, other liquids to dilute it -
otherwise it can make you feel a little nauseous because its
cleansing reaction can be so strong. I have never had that
reaction when it is diluted. It just makes me feel alive
and clean and energized immediately. According to Bernard
Jenson it digests almost immediately.
Every time I try to write about wheatgrass
I get overwhelmed because there is so much information
to impart. I hardly know where to begin.
It contains vitamins A, C, the whole B complex including B12,
- good news for vegetarians - E, and K.
Vitamin K helps maintain healthy bones but also
clotting the blood so when using blood thinners or blood clotters
one has to consider the effects of dietary vitamin K. Coumadin
and Warfarin are drugs to prevent blood clots, and they
work by decreasing the activity of vitamin K.
Wheatgrass is capable of absorbing 92 of the 102 minerals
existing in soil, so it is important to get grass grown in good,
rich organic soil. Because of its high mineral content it is a very
alkalizing food. It's also kind of a miracle because most of those
minerals aren't in the seed. Life is so grand!
Because the chlorophyll molecule (70% of the juice, remember)
is very similar to the haemoglobin molecule in the blood, the body
is very easily able to transform the chlorophyll into haemoglobin
thereby increasing the red blood count with regular intake
of chlorophyll - and quite quickly. I am not now remembering the
source, of course, but I read that there have been experiments
with feeding wheatgrass to people with low red cell counts
and the return to normal count happening in days.
Because it increases red blood count it also therefore helps
the oxygenation of every cell in the body.
Chlorophyll is anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds,
internally and externally. It also protects the body against
carcinogenic substances more than any other food. It cleanses
the liver, helps prevent tooth decay, prevents graying of hair,
and stimulates the functions of the lymphatic system,
helping it to wash out toxins, mucus, and crystallized acids
from the tissues.
Experiments with farm animals have proven that
wheatgrass can provide the full spectrum of nutrients
necessary to keep them alive and well for two years.
Of course the animals can eat the entire grass, and we,
lacking a few stomachs, cannot. We must juice it.
But the very fact that it is so nutrient rich makes it
a good indirect aid in weight loss. Cravings come from
various imbalances and deficiencies. Because of its
dense nutrient content, cravings from deficiencies are
relieved. Also, several of the 19 amino acids in
wheatgrass are specifically needed by the body for
digestion. Many cravings arise from improper digestion,
and regular wheatgrass consumption goes a long way
toward healing many digestive ills.
Did I mention that Midwest many farmers feed wheatgrass
to their cows and bulls to increase their fertility?
It also helps with constipation due to its high
magnesium content and helps with the removal of heavy metals.
The list goes on and on.
Because it requires an auger type juicer to extract
the juice from the grass, most people will not find
it easy to get fresh juice unless you live down the street
from Whole Foods or are willing to invest in an
auger juicer. I used to grow all my own wheatgrass,
and it's a lovely sight, but now living in this small place,
I have recently been buying it online.
Although it is not optimum,
you can buy it freeze-dried in capsules.
A few caveats about that.
1. Make sure it is the powdered JUICE, not the whole leaf.
2. It should be freeze-dried, not heat dried
3. Make sure it's organic
4. Make sure it is JUST wheatgrass with no other ingredients, not even good ones.
I hope I have encouraged one or two people
to begin incorporating another good habit.
I am sure there are places in this vast universe
where one does not have to worry about good habits.
I am planning to live there someday.
Imagine that this is a conversation between a mother and
her child - except they're both me.
"It's time to drink some wheatgrass juice"
"Yuk! I hate wheatgrass juice!"
"I know you hate wheatgrass juice but you're having it anyway"
"YUK!"
The truth is, I really love wheatgrass juice,
but I and lots of other people
have a difficult time with the taste of it.
It is cloyingly sweet and naturally tastes and smells
like grass. Really sweet grass. Which is exactly what it is.
It is also 70% chlorophyll and therefore is strong medicine.
The odor of it fills the entire head cavity and usually makes
me involuntarily shudder for a few seconds when I down it.
However, it is worth it.
It is a very powerful cleanser and has to be drunk with,
or followed immediately by, other liquids to dilute it -
otherwise it can make you feel a little nauseous because its
cleansing reaction can be so strong. I have never had that
reaction when it is diluted. It just makes me feel alive
and clean and energized immediately. According to Bernard
Jenson it digests almost immediately.
Every time I try to write about wheatgrass
I get overwhelmed because there is so much information
to impart. I hardly know where to begin.
It contains vitamins A, C, the whole B complex including B12,
- good news for vegetarians - E, and K.
Vitamin K helps maintain healthy bones but also
clotting the blood so when using blood thinners or blood clotters
one has to consider the effects of dietary vitamin K. Coumadin
and Warfarin are drugs to prevent blood clots, and they
work by decreasing the activity of vitamin K.
Wheatgrass is capable of absorbing 92 of the 102 minerals
existing in soil, so it is important to get grass grown in good,
rich organic soil. Because of its high mineral content it is a very
alkalizing food. It's also kind of a miracle because most of those
minerals aren't in the seed. Life is so grand!
Because the chlorophyll molecule (70% of the juice, remember)
is very similar to the haemoglobin molecule in the blood, the body
is very easily able to transform the chlorophyll into haemoglobin
thereby increasing the red blood count with regular intake
of chlorophyll - and quite quickly. I am not now remembering the
source, of course, but I read that there have been experiments
with feeding wheatgrass to people with low red cell counts
and the return to normal count happening in days.
Because it increases red blood count it also therefore helps
the oxygenation of every cell in the body.
Chlorophyll is anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds,
internally and externally. It also protects the body against
carcinogenic substances more than any other food. It cleanses
the liver, helps prevent tooth decay, prevents graying of hair,
and stimulates the functions of the lymphatic system,
helping it to wash out toxins, mucus, and crystallized acids
from the tissues.
Experiments with farm animals have proven that
wheatgrass can provide the full spectrum of nutrients
necessary to keep them alive and well for two years.
Of course the animals can eat the entire grass, and we,
lacking a few stomachs, cannot. We must juice it.
But the very fact that it is so nutrient rich makes it
a good indirect aid in weight loss. Cravings come from
various imbalances and deficiencies. Because of its
dense nutrient content, cravings from deficiencies are
relieved. Also, several of the 19 amino acids in
wheatgrass are specifically needed by the body for
digestion. Many cravings arise from improper digestion,
and regular wheatgrass consumption goes a long way
toward healing many digestive ills.
Did I mention that Midwest many farmers feed wheatgrass
to their cows and bulls to increase their fertility?
It also helps with constipation due to its high
magnesium content and helps with the removal of heavy metals.
The list goes on and on.
Because it requires an auger type juicer to extract
the juice from the grass, most people will not find
it easy to get fresh juice unless you live down the street
from Whole Foods or are willing to invest in an
auger juicer. I used to grow all my own wheatgrass,
and it's a lovely sight, but now living in this small place,
I have recently been buying it online.
Although it is not optimum,
you can buy it freeze-dried in capsules.
A few caveats about that.
1. Make sure it is the powdered JUICE, not the whole leaf.
2. It should be freeze-dried, not heat dried
3. Make sure it's organic
4. Make sure it is JUST wheatgrass with no other ingredients, not even good ones.
I hope I have encouraged one or two people
to begin incorporating another good habit.
I am sure there are places in this vast universe
where one does not have to worry about good habits.
I am planning to live there someday.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Beginning my 33 days
Hi all,
I still am unclear about the exact foods I AM eating,
but I know which ones I am NOT eating.
No grains, flours, sugars,
Almost no dried fruit nor raw fruits with a couple of exceptions
Almost no RAW!
So the day before yesterday I began to eat mostly
animal protein, nuts, seeds, and vegetables and for
the first couple of days my wild horse was feeling severely
deprived of her morning carbohydrates.
I have been finding it very difficult to break my nighttime
fast without some carbohydrate - anything from soft cereal
with kimchi and seeds, down to toast or my very
favorite breakfast - Pie. A rare but beloved treat.
The past two mornings I have eaten fish with vegetables.
Yikes!
But I am determined because two nights ago I actually
took my measurements for the first time in thirty years
and it was shocking! Shocking.
I am not telling what they are until they have changed.
Vanity. It's a good whip.
It was about six years ago that I first acquired a roll
of fat above my waist, which disappeared the next winter
when Rickey and I did our cleanse in Tucson.
But this past three years of huge stress, however, has
created another large creature around my waist which
perhaps I should name. It surely isn't me, is it?
But while it is not me, it certainly is my creation. I am its creator.
I have been trying to ignore it or at least be friendly rather than
be aggressively annoyed with its presence. However
three nights ago I had my first guests in this small apartment of
ours for dinner and at the end Jan took some pictures. I only caught
a very quick glimpse because I could see in that photograph
in that flash moment that I am now shaped like my five by five
foot grandmother. I couldn't look at it. One's personality
can blind other people. but photographs? - They don't allow any cover.
I have become pretty good at disguising with clothes,
although there is only so much one can do.
I have come to the end of my procrastination and am now
dedicating my culinary skills to my new anti- spleen deficient,
Insulin -deficient diet.
And I finally got a memory card for my camera, so once I relearn
how to post photos, I'll record visually as well as writing my diet
for each day. Not that anyone cares, but maybe there will be
some meal that will expand someone's horizons a little.
Today, thus far I have eaten 2 1/2 oz. of wheatgrass juice,
(which I am writing about for tomorrow's blog)
a large piece of reheated fish from supper,
a small zucchini sauteed in coconut oil with two
teaspoons of diluted peanut butter.
Pretty good.
That was breakfast.
I still am unclear about the exact foods I AM eating,
but I know which ones I am NOT eating.
No grains, flours, sugars,
Almost no dried fruit nor raw fruits with a couple of exceptions
Almost no RAW!
So the day before yesterday I began to eat mostly
animal protein, nuts, seeds, and vegetables and for
the first couple of days my wild horse was feeling severely
deprived of her morning carbohydrates.
I have been finding it very difficult to break my nighttime
fast without some carbohydrate - anything from soft cereal
with kimchi and seeds, down to toast or my very
favorite breakfast - Pie. A rare but beloved treat.
The past two mornings I have eaten fish with vegetables.
Yikes!
But I am determined because two nights ago I actually
took my measurements for the first time in thirty years
and it was shocking! Shocking.
I am not telling what they are until they have changed.
Vanity. It's a good whip.
It was about six years ago that I first acquired a roll
of fat above my waist, which disappeared the next winter
when Rickey and I did our cleanse in Tucson.
But this past three years of huge stress, however, has
created another large creature around my waist which
perhaps I should name. It surely isn't me, is it?
But while it is not me, it certainly is my creation. I am its creator.
I have been trying to ignore it or at least be friendly rather than
be aggressively annoyed with its presence. However
three nights ago I had my first guests in this small apartment of
ours for dinner and at the end Jan took some pictures. I only caught
a very quick glimpse because I could see in that photograph
in that flash moment that I am now shaped like my five by five
foot grandmother. I couldn't look at it. One's personality
can blind other people. but photographs? - They don't allow any cover.
I have become pretty good at disguising with clothes,
although there is only so much one can do.
I have come to the end of my procrastination and am now
dedicating my culinary skills to my new anti- spleen deficient,
Insulin -deficient diet.
And I finally got a memory card for my camera, so once I relearn
how to post photos, I'll record visually as well as writing my diet
for each day. Not that anyone cares, but maybe there will be
some meal that will expand someone's horizons a little.
Today, thus far I have eaten 2 1/2 oz. of wheatgrass juice,
(which I am writing about for tomorrow's blog)
a large piece of reheated fish from supper,
a small zucchini sauteed in coconut oil with two
teaspoons of diluted peanut butter.
Pretty good.
That was breakfast.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Curve Ball From Amy Jenner
Well, sorry to have been gone so long.
I was thrown a curve ball by Amy Jenner.
For those of you who do not know her, she is a
really talented Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine
practitioner in whose hands I placed myself just a couple of days
after my return from California.
Being that almost every pulse in my body was ticking so low,
and especially my spleen (poor, cold damp thing),
she gave me the injunction to stay away from raw foods.
And all grains.
Well now what? Many of the foods on my 33 Foods
list were raw! Well not too many of them, but enough
to feel confused about how to proceed. No grains?
For the last two weeks, instead of just digging in
and beginning practicing what she suggested, I have been
in a state of confusion exacerbated by major rebellion.
I realize my eating habits have become like a wild horse
which I have been watching for the last two weeks running and
bucking around the paddock, and until today I have not
been ready to try putting on the halter, let alone mounting.
I have had to reconstruct my 33 foods list and it keeps changing,
but as of today I am actually trying a (dare I say it?) Paleo diet, pretty
much. Not quite paleo, but close. For those of you who are not
familiar with a paleolithic diet, it involves a very low glycemic
approach to food, and quite a bit of animal protein. This is a stretch
for me. Every time I eat, especially with no carbs, I want to eat
sugar afterward. But Amy has given me some herb powder which
makes a dark earthy mud when you mix it with water
and which pretty much settles that craving after eating.
And for the first time in my life I am keeping a food journal.
This may be a wildly over-optimistic statement, since I just
started it today. I am recording what I'm eating, how it effects
my energy throughout the day, bowel condition, cravings, etc.
Right now I just feel like taking a nap. Was it those daikon rounds
with peanut butter on them? More likely it was playing with my
Chinese herbs by trying stevia and cream in them.
Didn't make them taste better, either.
So I just wanted to let my ten or so readers know that I am back.
Thank you, for although you are few, you are very valuable to me
and keep me writing. More tomorrow.
I have been practicing my most
undisciplined habits of eating. The worst, like going all day
without eating because I am too busy and then eating
anything in sight when I get home and then not sleeping.
Surprisingly, this has not helped my clarity.
The most difficult piece of my food misadventures
has definitely been the removal of raw from my diet.
Harrumph!
So I have been feeling lost momentarily about how to
proceed with this changing experiment.
Today Amy told me I actually have to make a FOOD PLAN!
ME! Food Queen! A food queen rather like Mad King George.
He wasn't fit to reign, either.
She did give me a little leeway in the raw department today.
Thank heavens. I can eat some sprouts!
And so now I am about to reconstruct my list.
But first: REJUVELAC!
Rejuvelac has always been on my list and
always will be. I hear most of you -
"what is Rejuvelac, anyway?"
It is for me a true medicine food.
Rejuvelac is a fermented drink that Is made from
sprouted soft wheat berries. These are the berries (seeds)
that pastry flour is ground from. Pastry flour is not
just a different grind of flour, but a different variety
altogether. It has a much lower gluten content than
bread flour and therefore is less elastic and makes
a flakier baked good.
So, the wheat is sprouted in the exact same fashion as I have
described in my sprouting blogs, in this case until the sprout
is about the same length as the seed.
Then, if the jar can hold about four times the volume of
the sprouted seeds, add water to the jar to almost full.
This is your ferment.
For the next three or four days, (amount of time
is dependent up on the length of the sprouts,
amount of water and, most importantly, temperature)
stir the water and sprouts three or four times a day.
The water will begin to become cloudy and after
about three days it will begin to make a little foam and
become slightly bubbly. Keep tasting it every day.
When it tastes tangy and just a hint bubbly, decant it.
Reserve the sprouts and refill the jar, using the same
seeds to make a second batch. The second batch
will only take a day. Sometimes I pull out a third
batch from the same sprouts. Also a one day ferment.
After that, throw the seeds onto the compost pile.
The second (and third) batch will need to be skimmed
of it's foam a couple of times.
The Rejuvelac will last in the fridge for a week although
it should be stirred up before using it after a few days.
Now, I always describe Rejuvelac as tasting
somewhat like watered down beer and lemonade
mixed together, sometimes with a sock thrown in.
I just sold you, I'm sure.
In that case, why would you ever drink it?
Because, most bodies really love it, and after
you have given yourself a chance to learn its
taste, you will probably like it too. Your body
will be the one that asks for it, not your gourmand.
''''''
Here are some reasons why your body - if you
give it a chance - will override any of your family's
limitations that might be controlling your thoughts
about what you will or will not put into your mouth.
1. ENZYMES
2.Natural probiotics
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins -
I was thrown a curve ball by Amy Jenner.
For those of you who do not know her, she is a
really talented Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine
practitioner in whose hands I placed myself just a couple of days
after my return from California.
Being that almost every pulse in my body was ticking so low,
and especially my spleen (poor, cold damp thing),
she gave me the injunction to stay away from raw foods.
And all grains.
Well now what? Many of the foods on my 33 Foods
list were raw! Well not too many of them, but enough
to feel confused about how to proceed. No grains?
For the last two weeks, instead of just digging in
and beginning practicing what she suggested, I have been
in a state of confusion exacerbated by major rebellion.
I realize my eating habits have become like a wild horse
which I have been watching for the last two weeks running and
bucking around the paddock, and until today I have not
been ready to try putting on the halter, let alone mounting.
I have had to reconstruct my 33 foods list and it keeps changing,
but as of today I am actually trying a (dare I say it?) Paleo diet, pretty
much. Not quite paleo, but close. For those of you who are not
familiar with a paleolithic diet, it involves a very low glycemic
approach to food, and quite a bit of animal protein. This is a stretch
for me. Every time I eat, especially with no carbs, I want to eat
sugar afterward. But Amy has given me some herb powder which
makes a dark earthy mud when you mix it with water
and which pretty much settles that craving after eating.
And for the first time in my life I am keeping a food journal.
This may be a wildly over-optimistic statement, since I just
started it today. I am recording what I'm eating, how it effects
my energy throughout the day, bowel condition, cravings, etc.
Right now I just feel like taking a nap. Was it those daikon rounds
with peanut butter on them? More likely it was playing with my
Chinese herbs by trying stevia and cream in them.
Didn't make them taste better, either.
So I just wanted to let my ten or so readers know that I am back.
Thank you, for although you are few, you are very valuable to me
and keep me writing. More tomorrow.
I have been practicing my most
undisciplined habits of eating. The worst, like going all day
without eating because I am too busy and then eating
anything in sight when I get home and then not sleeping.
Surprisingly, this has not helped my clarity.
The most difficult piece of my food misadventures
has definitely been the removal of raw from my diet.
Harrumph!
So I have been feeling lost momentarily about how to
proceed with this changing experiment.
Today Amy told me I actually have to make a FOOD PLAN!
ME! Food Queen! A food queen rather like Mad King George.
He wasn't fit to reign, either.
She did give me a little leeway in the raw department today.
Thank heavens. I can eat some sprouts!
And so now I am about to reconstruct my list.
But first: REJUVELAC!
Rejuvelac has always been on my list and
always will be. I hear most of you -
"what is Rejuvelac, anyway?"
It is for me a true medicine food.
Rejuvelac is a fermented drink that Is made from
sprouted soft wheat berries. These are the berries (seeds)
that pastry flour is ground from. Pastry flour is not
just a different grind of flour, but a different variety
altogether. It has a much lower gluten content than
bread flour and therefore is less elastic and makes
a flakier baked good.
So, the wheat is sprouted in the exact same fashion as I have
described in my sprouting blogs, in this case until the sprout
is about the same length as the seed.
Then, if the jar can hold about four times the volume of
the sprouted seeds, add water to the jar to almost full.
This is your ferment.
For the next three or four days, (amount of time
is dependent up on the length of the sprouts,
amount of water and, most importantly, temperature)
stir the water and sprouts three or four times a day.
The water will begin to become cloudy and after
about three days it will begin to make a little foam and
become slightly bubbly. Keep tasting it every day.
When it tastes tangy and just a hint bubbly, decant it.
Reserve the sprouts and refill the jar, using the same
seeds to make a second batch. The second batch
will only take a day. Sometimes I pull out a third
batch from the same sprouts. Also a one day ferment.
After that, throw the seeds onto the compost pile.
The second (and third) batch will need to be skimmed
of it's foam a couple of times.
The Rejuvelac will last in the fridge for a week although
it should be stirred up before using it after a few days.
Now, I always describe Rejuvelac as tasting
somewhat like watered down beer and lemonade
mixed together, sometimes with a sock thrown in.
I just sold you, I'm sure.
In that case, why would you ever drink it?
Because, most bodies really love it, and after
you have given yourself a chance to learn its
taste, you will probably like it too. Your body
will be the one that asks for it, not your gourmand.
''''''
Here are some reasons why your body - if you
give it a chance - will override any of your family's
limitations that might be controlling your thoughts
about what you will or will not put into your mouth.
1. ENZYMES
2.Natural probiotics
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins -
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