Tuesday 9 February 2016

Vegan Lifestyle part two: How to absorb the nutrients in plant-based foods.






Vegan Lifestyle part two:  How to absorb the nutrients in plant-based foods.

So we have covered the basic nutrients a vegan needs to thrive on this choice of lifestyle but more and more, people are dealing with food intolerances and their digestions are struggling to cope with this new amount of roughage.

Why is this occurring?

Grains, Beans, Nuts and seeds; these are wonderful nutritious foods! Which can supply the body with everyday minerals and vitamins plus amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.

We need 8 essential amino acids to create a complete protein; Most of these foods are incomplete with the exception being Quinoa, Buckwheat, Hemp seeds and Chia seeds: These contain the 8 essential amino acids all by themselves!

Quinoa and Buckwheat are actually seeds! But cook just like the fellow grain.  You can combine beans and grains together or grains and nuts/seeds and beans and nuts/seeds, which will create a complete protein that, the body can utilize just like meat, fish or vegetarian foods such as cheese, eggs and yoghurt. Whilst these foods are very healthy, in their raw form they also contain anti-nutrients known as Phytates.

Phytates can hinder the absorption of vital minerals such as Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium and Iron!  Phytates can also remove these vital minerals from the body leaving an acidic ash behind which can alter our bodies Ph. Grains, beans nuts and seeds also contain lectins, which have recently been touted as digestive irritants and can actually damage the digestive lining and may increase gut permeability.

Phytates and Lectins may be one of the major causes of food intolerances, common digestive complaints such as Gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, Gluten sensitivity the list is infinite! Fortunately we can still consume these foods with the Phyates and lectins reduced and digest them far more easily with a little extra preparation.

All that is required is to soak the phytate and Lectin rich foods in some filtered water overnight and by the morning you will discard the soaking water and what you will have is a Germinated, activated food that is now far more digestible and the body will deliver many more nutrients than before now that the nutrient blockers can no longer steal vital vitamins and minerals from the body!

If we place the drained foods on a plate by the windowsill we can also begin to sprout the food by rinsing them every day, morning and night and after 3-5 days (some shorter) the Grain, nut, seed, or bean will begin to grow little tails. When this happens the food is now at it’s height in nutrition and bodily absorption and best of all? It’s practically free! And it is incredibly easy to add in to the diet. The aim as written above is to begin to heal common ailments, which phytates and lectins may trigger.

Isn’t it worth trying such a simple method for perhaps a one-month duration to see if it can be of help in yours or your family and friends lives? 

Soya is also a complete protein all by itself but it also contains lectins and phytates, now this bean is already very difficult to digest for a lot of people but in it’s unfermented form (fermented form known commonly as unpasteurized Miso) it has also been linked with thyroid dysfunction, digestive complaint, infertility and immunity issues. The crop is being overused (most are genetically modified crops) and even in its organic form, without fermenting the soy, it doesn’t make for a healthy choice for a vegan or vegetarian or healthy conscious person.

There are many complete protein foods, which are not carrying such potential risks such as Spirulina, Chlorella, Buckwheat, quinoa, hempseeds, chia seeds, Brewers yeast and grains/beans together.

One last benefit of sprouted foods is that the carbohydrate level drops quite rapidly making it the perfect choice for those on weight loss programs or Candida protocols. For those trying to gain weight it can be a tough task and we do need the extra calories but we also need an easy digestion of these calorie rich foods and soaking/sprouting/germinating is the best way to get the most out of carbohydrates, that and proper chewing of your carbohydrates! (Please refer to the article on chewing post)
This is so important. When we chew for a longer period of time our saliva releases the digestive enzyme amylase, which allows the starch to break down into Maltose and finally glucose. If we do not chew properly we may suffer from the typical symptoms of indigestion, diarrhea, tummy ache, heartburn, belching, burping, flatulence acid reflux etc., so you can see why it is so important. Our saliva also helps us in the breakdown of fats right there in your mouth. Our saliva releases the enzyme Lipase from glands, which are secreted from under the tongue. Normally if we eat fast, we can stuff ourselves with a lot of food! But try next time to take your time with your food and only swallow it when you can feel your saliva releasing and wrapping around it. Take note on the difference between non-soaked nuts, seeds, grains and beans VS soaked versions of each, along with adequate chewing I firmly believe a lot of our common health complaints would diminish to some degree.

Tuesday 12 January 2016

Vegan Lifestyle part one: What about Protein, Iron and B12?





Vegan Lifestyle part one: What about Protein, Iron and B12?

When somebody embarks on the vegan journey, you may meet people who ask, “ Where do you get your protein from? “  To which you may reply “ Uhm grains/beans/nuts “ followed by a look of confusion from the person who asked. You may be left concerned, even slightly vulnerable that this isn’t your way and start having doubts about your new lifestyle.

It is true that going Vegan can be very challenging and to be honest, can! And has failed to give new vigor and vitality when nutritional aspects are ignored. The good news is, provided your digestion is in good condition, the Vegan lifestyle can be very healthy and beneficial.

This brings us to our next Challenge:

Vitamin B12

B12 is crucial to prevent the Myelin sheaths from breaking down causing destruction to our nervous systems, which causes our brains to begin to decay. We need sufficient bowel flora (good bacteria) to absorb this nutrient. When a person becomes Vegan, they may no longer have a healthy probiotic source, as Yoghurt is the number one recommended way of receiving these friendly bacteria. Soya yoghurt and Coconut yoghurt are available but the bacteria in these are very few.

To create a homemade probiotic for the price of vegetables provided you have a glass container.

The next very important fact is B12 cannot be found in Vegan food sources! Unless the Vegan product is fortified and this will usually be a form of B12 which cannot very well (Covering this in a moment)

“ But what about seaweeds? They have plenty of B12. “
Many studies are now saying this form of B12 Is analogue and doesn’t raise B12 levels, in fact. When you have a blood test, the test shows elevated levels of B12 giving a false reading that there is no deficiency, which can potentially be very dangerous.

Supplementation is the only way to give the body enough B12 provided we receive sufficient good friendly bacteria first. The form of B12 a Vegan would benefit from is named Methylcobalamin. This is the best and most easily absorbed form of B12 bar none!

Cheaper varieties of B12 are named Cyancobalamin. This form of B12 may not help Vegans as it is challenging to absorb and may even just pass through, no matter how high the dosage of the product is.

In the UK healthy forms of Methylcobalamin are found in
Natures Own B12  and Solgar B12.
                                                                               
www.Iherb.com for sources outside of the UK. Natures own is sold In Beans and Barley.
















Finally B12 helps the body to absorb Iron and pass haemoglobin throughout the body, which gradually fortifies the nervous system preventing it from future damage.

Part two will focus on complete Vegan proteins and how to extract the Iron out of your Vegan foods. Any questions please feel free to leave a comment. :) 

Sunday 10 January 2016

Here comes the chew chew train!




The importance of chewing our food!

I bet that at least once in your life you have been told to chew your food more thoroughly. Most of us would scoff at that statement!
When something is known to benefit somebody, it becomes a lot easier to follow certain advices, until then, forget it!

So why should I bother chewing my food more?

Simply put, in our saliva we have these enzymes named Amalayse and Lipase. Amalayse helps to pre digest our carbohydrates/starches and Lipase helps to predigest our Fats!

When we take a bit more time to chew our food so that our saliva gets mixed with the broken down food, it takes a huge burden off of the rest of the passage of digestion.

Sorry for repetitive statements but,

“ The stomach really does have no teeth! “

So it is beneficial for our bodies so as not to give it so much extra work to do.

“ Yeh so what’s in it for me? “

When there is less stress for your body to digest all your food,
You may experience the following,

·      More energy and vitality
·      Less bloating after meals or in between
·      Minimized chances of heartburn/indigestion/reflux
·      A healthier evacuation
·      More serotonin to the brain. Chewing more activates the (hormonal system/endocrine) and stimulates (neurotransmitters/feel good hormones!)
·      A stronger jaw and jawline. Seriously, after your first day of chewing your food more, you may notice muscle soreness in your jaw. Temporary of course.


When a person transitions to a healthier food list, they may experience poorer digestion than before they transitioned! This is because healthy food is much tougher to break down!
In vegetables we have cellulose, which is a very tough fibre, Grains contain phytates and lectins as do beans and nuts, which can stop the small intestine from absorbing vital minerals such as Zinc, Calcium and Iron. (This will be covered very soon)


If you have suffered for a long time with digestive complaints, It will take time to see the benefits of chewing your food more, But you may notice a slight improvement, which should keep you trying longer.

If I have managed to convince you! Then please try for 30 days!
Taking more time than usual with your food. This is a challenge! I want feedback people! 

Chewing more can also be used as a mindfulness technique as well! Thich nhat hanh did an experiment with a Raisin. Here is a link to this for anyone interested, from (West Virginia University)


Please leave a comment to share with others on your progress for motivation!
Thanks! : ) 

Wednesday 6 January 2016

Lacto fermented vegetables! (The almost completely free Probiotic!)

Lacto-fermented foods workshop                               Ran on      21/09/15



Lacto fermented foods have been around for centuries in nearly every part of the world, In Europe we have the famous Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage and also Cucumber dill pickles, Countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Poland use these as a staple in their diets. In Asia we have Kim chi and Miso!
In India there are raw chutneys made from coconut and coriander, or green mango.

Today we are going to focus on three ferments, these being Sauerkraut, cucumber pickles and a fantastic beginners ferment of Carrot and ginger with a little garlic for some kick, Completely optional.

What are the benefits of lacto fermented foods? They contain a specific bacterium named Lactobacillus. It lives in our guts and helps us with intestinal absorption; it boosts our immunity and helps the body to fight of foreign threats, especially Viruses that the Uk is notorious for having. With this protection our digestion may improve which is excellent news for us because a healthy digestion is key to feeling great, Elaborating on this, the Gut holds 80 – 90 percent of serotonin there. So when we have poor digestion there are chances that we may also become melancholic or anxious due to the serotonin not circulating to the brain where the rest fires.

A successful fermentation will result in a tangy vinegary taste, the final product will look a little cloudy and the vegetables will become a paler colour.  This is a successful batch.

Sometimes white specks may form in your ferment, although this is harmless for our health, it still can multiply and change the flavour of the final product. This usually occurs when we have not added enough salt or we introduced too much air.

Green and brown mould is definitely an unsuccessful fermentation.
It usually means that we exposed the product to too much air or not enough and also when we didn’t weight the vegetables under the brine.

Staying on the topic of weighing the product under the brine, it is imperative that we do this otherwise aerobic bacteria can form on the surface, which grows yeasts and mould.
We weigh down the vegetables with stones or ceramic balls. Making sure we have sterilized them.

We need an airtight jar of about a litre, 4 cups of water to two tablespoons of unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt. We add this together and this creates the brine,

We must measure correctly for the fermentation process to work. We shred the cabbage or cucumber or carrots with a mandolin/knife or slice very thinly and put the vegetables in the jar, pushing down a little bit to make sure there are no air pockets.
We add the brine until the jar is filled almost to the top; we then use our stones to secure the vegetables from touching the surface. Finally we close the lid.  Please make sure your jars and stones a completely sterilized.

Each evening it is a good idea to open the jar very slowly to let out the gasses otherwise (very rarely) the jar may combust! It is going to be gassy and fizzy, that’s okay! Relax; it is very normal and as long as the mix doesn’t smell putrid! You have done brilliantly for your first try.

The vegetables should be fermented for around 7 days out of the fridge. You may store the kraut in a cupboard. Once 7 days has passed, the kraut is ready to eat or you may further ferment the vegetables for 3 months to create a very medicinal kraut. One week will still deliver fresh probiotic for all the family and is recommended when you are new to lacto fermentation.

Marlene Watson-Tara Has created a wonderful recipe, If anyone needs visuals, please watch! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyFgJSJdtyRvAVvG-mMuq8w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W34kwvw8hDQ

Beans and Barley also now sell a Raw unfermented Sauerkraut to help get your home made one on the way or to have as an emergency batch.