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Yogurt, Yoghurt, What's the Difference?

21/6/2015

2 Comments

 
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In dairy isles at the supermarket  I pick up the containers of milk base products and find very few without added sugars and chemicals, and even less without any antibiotics (which you won't find on the ingredients list) Realize that dairies will administer antibiotics at "allowable" levels to keep their herds "healthy" but the antibiotic transfers through to the milk in small amounts. If it's not organic, you ingesting antibiotic low levels or not.  False advertising makes junk food look more like a health food these days. 

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 I love yogurt, the creamy texture, a subtly tart taste, an excellent pair to fruit, oats, plain on the side of of a spicy yellow curry, blended into shakes, muffins, and creamy salad dressings just to name a few. 

I'm neardy like that and looked into the history of yogurt and have pondered the evolution of how yogurt came into existence. Seems historians suspect the same thing I did. Shepherds herding their flocks, carrying milk in vessels like gourds, or skins, or something like the stomach skin bag introduced the bacterial culture by accident to the milk, and realized that the cultured milk was still edible and seemed to last longer along the journey. Vola, yogurt is born.

Yogurt has a long history, Ayurvedic scripts dating from around 6000B.C., reference the health benefits. It may be older than that, it's known that the first finding pertaining to domestication of cows go back to Libya around 9000 B.C. Understanding the living condition of the day doesn't leave a far stretch to estimate the introduction of bacteria and what happens in a temperate climate. (1)


As for the spelling, use what you like, it seems to be spelt both ways in Canada. It seems that joyurt is also spelled with a j in some countries. what's in a name, well, it might be more than we suspect. The idea that it is a health food is so discontented from the truth and only a small fraction of that very, very big dairy isle is actually healthy. 

I personally eat a plant base yogurt and find most store bought brands lacking, there is no tang, the flavor limited, and the texture more like a thick pudding than a creamy yogurt, moreover, it's terribly expensive! 


RECIPE;

To make easy homemade plant milk yogurt you will need a few ingredients;

Plant milk 1 litre; anything from almond, hemp, cashew, soy, or coconut.


Thickeners 2 tbsp; tapioca starch, non gmo cornstarch, flax or chia seed (soaked in warm water), agar agar powder, guar gum, liquid soy or sunflower lecithin.

Starter culture; 1/4 cup of high quality yogurt (dairy or plant) or a high quality live probiotic 1-2 capsules, or a plant based culture starter 1 packet. Start with less and work up to if you need to add more. unless you like a super tart sour cream!

Protein powder; 2 scoops of any protein powder you like organic pea, hemp, brown rice, lentil, or non-GMO soy. (hemp and brown rice are the least allergenic if those are your considerations.)

To the 1 litre of plant milk that only supplies 1-2 grams of protein per serving, the addition of a plant protein powder adds apx 9 grams of protein per serving, with the 1 gram gained from plant milk per cup (1 serving size) this jacks up the protein to 10 gram per serving, which matches or even surpasses a per serving of dairy yogurt.

Sweeteners; Agave, honey, dates, or stevia are natural sweeteners that I would suggest to add in small amounts to the final product but if you want to add to the recipe remember that less is more.
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 Organic, of either kind (plant or dairy based) is essential. There are a few good products out there that hold true to quality and the health benefits of food but be aware that most of the packaged products out there are sold as a trading product for one bottom line, money, not health! 

Antibiotics in milk, sugar, GMO high fructose corn syrup (deceptively labelled fructose or fructose syrup), artificial sweetener, artificial flavouring, unlabelled de-foaming agents, in plastic containers, and in one tub was listed tartrazine  ( or yellow #5) an unsafe food dye, that has known to effect hyperactive children, people with asthma, and people with allergies to silicates (2,3). After looking through a whole isle of yogurt, more than 14 brands, and of the brands, different types and flavours, being advertised as children's food, perceived as a health food, almost all with sugar as the second ingredient! Only 2 tubs had anything close to a healthy ingredient list. ( this survey was done at a conventional store in Calgary, not a health food store.)


I was reminded of why it is so important to take back control of what we are eating , out of the ideals of multi national corporations, and back to our own homes, community farms, kitchens, and cooks.  The Cornucopia Institute thinks so too, They have compiled a buyers guild to yogurt, comparing major brands and weeding through what companies are stating false claims in their advertising.  Read the list and see how some of the most popular products score.




















If you like the convenience of buying your yogurt and don't have time to read the Cornucopia's buyers guide , remember to look for the superior quality and source. One of the best ways to have a superior product is getting closer to who makes it, source out a local dairy at the farmers market, try the product, ask questions about the operation, get to know where your food comes from and trust that it is the healthiest that you can buy for yourself and your family. This includes dairy and plant yogurts alike!

The plant yogurts out there usually have slightly better ingredient lists, but still contain sweetener, albeit natural, the amount of sugar or sweetener is still more than I like in a health food.  


 If you need yogurt for a recipe or just want to pick it up at your local store, insist on organic, (pasture raised if dairy) and make sure to read the label! Sugar digested in the GI track can feed opportunistic strains of bacterium (these guys aren't the same as our beneficial strains of probiotics) and leave you without the benefits of why we are eating it in the first place!

Fermented foods are so important to help supply and harbour a healthy micrbiome inside our guts, a high quality product is vital. I feel that making it yourself gives you the control and creativity to make a superior health food.

HEALTH BENEFITS .........

Probiotics have been known to help or treat diarrhoea(4), IBS(5) very interesting read, see references), aiding healthy digestion, weight loss and management (6), allergies (7,8,9), boosts immune function (10,11), helps restore intestinal membrane in leaky gut (5,11 ), skin issues (10,11), better mood, helps depression (5,12,13 ), helps improve chronic fatigue syndrome (13), among a list of many more! I've reviewed many scholarly articles concluding the positive affects of probiotics and because I believe in the healing effects of food, I feel we need to bring  'everyday culturing' back into our food culture.


The major health benefit of yogurt are the probiotics through the fermentation process but there are other nutritional benefits like the essential minerals and a good source of protein, and although store bought almond, cashew and coconut yogurt can have just as much mineral content as dairy milk and might be argued that it has a better calcium to phosphorous ratio that makes the calcium more bio-available in the body, the plant based yogurts don't have as much protein per serving. This is one of the reasons I like to make my own.

With an easy to execute recipe, you can have the best of both worlds with an easily digestible plant yogurt, high in protein, good mineral composition, low or no sugar added, that is fresh and tastes DELICIOUS!


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DIRECTIONS;

1. Heat the plant milk in a sauce pan on the stove at medium heat, whisk in your thickener ,  sweetener (if any), and flavours at this time, heat and whisk for 5-10mins. You want the milk       to steam but not to boil. You will see the milk thicken throughout this time. (remember that it should thicken even more after being chilled in the fridge).

2.Turn the element off and add the protein powder, whisk well so that it is consistently blended. Leave it to cool for 20 mins.

3. Test the temperature, I don't have a thermometer so I do the finger test. I stick the finger in and if I feel I need to pull it out immediately, it's still too hot. If I stick it in and it's hot but the finger can handle it, the temp is somewhere between 100-110 degrees Celsius, perfect for the culture to be whisked in.

4. Whisk 2 probiotic tablets into the milk that you can officially call yogurt now.                         

5. Cover your glass container with a clean tea towel and place it in the oven with the light on. This should keep it just warm enough to keep the culture happy and growing.                         

6. Leave it to culture anywhere from 6-9 hrs depending on the way you like your yogurt. The longer you leave it the tarter and more cultured it will become. But I warn you not too leave it too long or it will start to smell like yeasty cheese and your boyfriend will complain of bad smells in the kitchen!

7. When it is finished to your satisfaction, place a air tight lid on the container(s) and keep it            in the fridge. This will last up to 5 days. Remember that you have just made a fresh product            with no preservatives so it will not last as long as store bought, and better for you that it                   doesn't!


Note on flavouring; Get creative, get inspired, My favourite is plain coconut milk with vanilla and cinnamon. I'll throw a banana in the mix sometimes, or dice up a pear that is the perfect flavour pair with the cinnamon.

Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out perfectly the first time! I've read so many different recipes with times and quantities, every kitchen, oven, ingredient will blend together slightly differently. Realize that nothing is a waste! If it seems to be a sloppy mess but tastes okay, put it back in the sauce pan, add a 2 more tablespoons of thicker on med heat for 5-10mins to make it a good consistency and throw 2 more tbsps of probiotics in after it has cooled, but at this point put it directly in the fridge and skip the hrs of culturing. You will still come out with a product that has probiotic and it's a no fail no waste! 

Enjoy the adventure! 

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 References;

1.http://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/yogurt/

2.https://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=285
3.http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/99/2/268.full

4.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072674/

5.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886445/

6.http://www.livescience.com/24917-probiotics-burn-fat.html

7.http://bodyecology.com/articles/how_probiotics_help_prevent_allergies.php

8.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883099/

9.http://psychcentral.com/lib/can-probiotics-prevent-childhood-allergies/

10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19442167

11. http://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2010-03/nutritional-protocol-treatment-intestinal-permeability-defects-and-related

 12. http://www.puristat.com/braingut/serotonin.aspx

13.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1757-4749-1-6






2 Comments

Simple Summer 

2/6/2015

0 Comments

 
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It's time to swing into summer, feel lighter, be more energetic, go to more gatherings, and truly love every single second of the weekend outside!

The sun has such a great effect on our lives and psyche. The days get longer and we somehow have that extra energy to enjoy longer evenings, to get outdoors and be more active.

Here are 5 great ways to utilize that lighter mood of summer bliss.



#1
Ushapan; a traditional yogic practice and that is more than valid today! It's simply drinking water upon rising. It optimally should be room temperature but if you like the crisp cool water to drink, make sure to have your glass ready for you in the am. I love lemon in mine.

I keep mine on my bedside table and I drink it before I even get out of bed in the morning, but if you have to walk to the kitchen to get your glass out of the fridge, make sure that's one of the first things you get to.

This is one of the simplest but most effective ways for better hydration through the year and not just the summer months. This is because we sleep on average, 8hrs a night and through those hours we are not drinking water to rehydrate the cells that want to be bathed in moisture to work optimally.

Just imagine not drinking anything for 8 hrs during your day! Even though our metabolic rate slows down, our bodies, especially our digestive tracks and other metabolic processes are still working hard to keep us alive.

Our GI tracks have the least amount of food in it and it is the best way to gently wash our track out and have your large intestine be able to reabsorb water and minerals that is its main job in life. This sets us up for better bowel movements (detoxing) through the day, better energy from the cells up, and happy, healthy, glowing skin.

Every cell in you body will thank you for introducing this into your morning routine!!



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#2
Grow something; something, anything, from a small herb planter to a kitchen garden on the porch in tubs to a veggie garden out back. It doesn't matter the size but the intent on the connection to what you are taking care of. Reconnect with your food and have a more well rounded relationship with it. The closer the food is from being picked the more nutritious it is to eat. Vegetables can lose up 50% of their vitamin C only 24hrs after picking!

We might be aware of the effects of 'being in nature', we all want to hit the trails or the park on the weekend, or get out in the backyard in the evenings after being couped up in the office all day. We also might be aware of the 'volunteering syndrome', very close in ways to being in nature, it releases natural endorphins ( the feel good chemicals) in our brain. (1)

Funny enough, growing food has the potential of same reaction in our brains, we feel proud and productive helping a plant to grow and mature and we are close to nature whilst doing it. This is coupled with the added nutrients.

Grow some greens and get giddy! And yes, I mean kale!!




#5
Start a new active habit; easy as getting up 15 mins earlier than your normal alarm clock dictates and stretching into a new day.

Go for a walk on your lunch break, walk home or get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way. Start with a simple walk around 1 block and expand from there.

Start a class, drop in yoga is often found in parks around the city, try it out see if you like it.

Check out what permaculture is all about. Volunteer, get involved.

New habits are always hard to start and maintain on the regular, start in summer when you have the energy and motivation to try new things, by fall it will already be a habit you can continue through the year!!

It really doesn't matter what the activity is, just start something new, discover something different, achieve more..

If you are looking for a more personalized healthy eating and lifestyle plan to to the season feel free to contact me at Wild Seed for a 15 min free phone consult to see how I can enrich your summer.



References;

http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/health-and-well-being-benefits-of-plants/#.VWzLIvldVPc

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/

#4
Smart Sunning; exposing our skin in sunnier weather increases the production of vitamin D naturally. So important for healthy bone matrix formation, helps to regulate calcium to phosphorus concentrations in the body, supports muscle health, and possibly most important, it supports a healthy immune system. But is the sun safe? It can be if we take some precautionary measures before heading outside.

Knowing the best times to expose yourself. First thing in the morning and late in the evening the suns radiation is less that at mid day. Try to avoid mid day hours and either cover up or head for cover. Avoid direct exposure between 11 and 4 pm and limit your time out in direct sunlight.

Also be aware of all those potential chemicals your rubbing on your body in the name of protection. A lot of regular sunscreens have harsh chemicals (oxybenzone, oxtioxate, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene) in them, some even making it onto the EWGs possibly endocrine disruptors . When it comes to harmful chemicals and sunscreen, there is a myriad of alternatives with good UV protection and we can avoid this if we desire to.(2)

Look for products that give you protection but don't have the possibility of causing harm. I'm not going to list any companies here because there is more than a few to choose from. The easiest way to get a healthy product is to visit your local health food store or look on line. Ask at your local health food store what your options are.


Soak in the summer in a healthy and sunny way!!


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#3
Eat more raw foods; Summertime is a natural time to lighten up what we eat. This is a natural transition in eating for the seasons, From autumn's soups and casseroles of winter, to more veggies and fruits of spring, we crave fresh foods. To summer, a hot season we crave for higher water content foods,cooling foods, fresh energetic foods to keep up with our summer schedules!

Raw foods is the answer! Raw food having higher enzyme content we will get the most of of our fruits and veggies if raw and fresh. Juices and salads are light and help cleanse the GI track of the build up of more processed cooked foods.

We naturally lean towards these cleansing, lighter foods and this is the time to embrace it! Maybe you can even eat something you grew yourself. You may not be a raw foodist year round but make sure your summer at least, is raw and wild!



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    Rebecca L. Thornton

    I wanted a venue to share my thoughts on what I have learned and lived  in life. 

Wild Seed Holistic Health respectfully acknowledges that we work, live & play in the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1726. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.