Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Nutritional Yeast – Follow Up

Posted by terrepruitt on May 22, 2012

Even though I don’t have a Nia class on two of the days I post sometimes it is still a challenge to get my post up.  Other things need to be done.  Anyway . . . .way back in February I posted about Nutritional Yeast.  I can’t remember if I had ordered some at the time of writing that or if I was about too.  I do know that it was in the month of February that I ordered it because I never received it.  One day I heard the delivery person ring the door bell and by the time I got downstairs he was gone.  Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,I also hadn’t heard the “thump” of a package being dropped over the fence, but I looked for a package or a note.  I looked in the bushes in front of the fence.  I looked in the area behind the fence.  I found nothing.  The reason I know that I ordered it in February is because just this past weekend (May) my husband found a package in the bushes.  The delivery person HAD to have HURLED the box over the fence for it to have ended up where it did.  I have never had a package end up that far behind the fence so I never even thought to look behind those bushes.  AND the only reason my husband found it is because he cut the bushes down severely.  So I went looking for the e-mails in regards to the non-delivered package and it was from February.  It is funny too because – just within the past two weeks - I decided to buy some Nutritional Yeast from another source.  I have been using it.  I wanted to give you guys and update on MY experience with Nutritional Yeast.

I have been putting it on a lot of things.  The package says, “Sprinkle some on hot popcorn, garlic bread, add a spoonful to cereals, juices, smoothies, or use as a seasoning for salad, soup, gravy, casseroles, and so much more.”  Well, I kinda see how people think of it as cheesy.  It does taste cheese to me, so my first thought was, “I don’t want cheese in my juice.”  I still think that is weird, BUT . . . I also have a feeling the flavor might be influenced a little bit by what it is added to, so it might add a rich woody flavor to juice.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,One thing I find interesting is the information on the nutrition labels.  Both have almost the same calories 80 vs. 70.  Both have the same amount of fat.  Both have the same amount of cholesterol.  One has almost half the sodium as the other.  Both have the same amount of potassium.  The difference in carbohydrates is minimal.  Protein is the same.  What is interesting is the serving size.  In one you get 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of protein in 3 tablespoons, in the other it is 1 and a half tablespoons.  HALF the size as the other serving size.  Hmmm.  I guess in this case it is better to judge based off GRAMS and not teaspoons.  Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,

I don’t want to open the one I just received yet.  I think it will last longer if I don’t open it. I would like to know if they taste the same so I am going to wait until I am almost done with the first one before I open the second one.

I have been using it a lot.  At first I barely used any because I didn’t know what it would taste like.  But I rather like the taste to what I have used it in so far.  It adds a cheesy flavor to me.  So I have been using it in things that I have already used cheese in or in things I would like to use cheese in.  I think it makes cheesy things cheesier and helps have the flavor of cheese without the cheese.  For instance I put some one our pita bread pizza the other night with some low fat ricotta.  Ricotta does not really have a flavor, but the Nutritional Yeast added the cheddar type flavor.  I have been putting it on my salads.

I like it.  I would recommend it to people who what to try something new.  I like it because it adds more protein to my diet and I think I need more protein because I am not the biggest meat-eater.

I have a friend who commented on the last post that she does use it.  I have another friend that said she wanted to try it.  What about you?  Have you tried it?  What do you use it in?

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The Nia Technique Book and Tonight’s Dinner Recipe

Posted by terrepruitt on May 17, 2012

I often have mentioned the 52 Nia Moves.  I am taking my time posting about them, but they are in the Nia Technique Book.  You could always order a copy from Amazon if you are interested.  That is how I started my Nia practice.  In the book after the section on the 52 Nia Moves there are pages and pages of other moves too.  There is the 13 Joint Exercise, explanations of combinations of some of the 52 Nia Moves, Spinal Melts, and T’ai Chi Sways, and many more.  They are organized in the Nia Cycles.  The moves that are part of the warm up are in the Warm up section the more active moves are in the Get Moving section.  Each move has a “Classic” explanation and an “Athletic” explanation.  Nia is done in bare feet so there is no to very little impact, but that does not mean there is no intensity.  Intensity comes from BIGGER moves.  Bigger moves can be more arm movement either faster or further away from the body or both.  Bigger moves can be moving deeper into a move.  So the explanation of “Athletic” contains bigger or faster (or both) movements.  There are over 75 pages of moves.  Each with a set of pictures.  Both the classic and the athletic has pictures.  If you have the slightest interest in Nia or movement in general I would strongly recommend this book.

I felt I had to share that because there really is so much in the book.

That popped into my head as I was sitting here thinking about going to go make dinner.  Here is what we are having:

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, NiaTerre’s version of the Rantings of an Amateur Chef’s recipe:

Cauliflower Stuffed Portobello Caps

4 large Portobello mushroom caps
most of an entire head of cauliflower
3 green onions
1/2 C cooked and chopped bacon
1/3 C milk
3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C shredded Gouda cheese
salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Cook the bacon.

Scrape out the inside of the cap to remove the stem and gills.

Chop the green onions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into large pieces. Steam for 6-8 minutes. Place hot cauliflower into the blender and some of the milk.  Blend. Add milk as needed to achieve a mashed potato-like consistency. Mix with bacon and onions.

Fill caps with cauliflower mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Sprinkle with shredded chesses.  Put a few onions on top. Place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven.

The first time I made this I didn’t use the bacon and I will be doing that version a lot more often.  It is really good!  But I also wanted to try it with the bacon.

So I am going to go cook, then take pictures and post it all at one time!**

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, NiaDo look at the Ranting Chef’s blog as he cooks some amazing things.  The difference between his recipe and mine is he did not determine from the get go how many mushrooms.  His recipe calls for only one half of the cauliflower head, he used bacon bits out of a package (which is uber smart because it helps keep the recipe easy!), his seasoning is pepper and pepper only, and his instructions are to cook it only for 5 minutes.

I don’t like pepper so what I do is just sprinkle each mushroom individually so that my husband, who likes pepper, can have more of that flavor, while I just barely do a turn of the pepper grinder.  I also like my mushrooms more cooked when they are stuffed.  I have made stuffed small mushrooms and find that I like to cook them a bit before hand.

It’s your turn.  Make this recipe and let me know how you like it.  Let me know how you adjusted it.

**Ok, so I didn’t like it with the bacon, but my husband did.  I like crisp bacon and putting it in with the cauliflower made it just like bits of meat in the mix.  I also forgot to mix the onions IN so ended up with them just on top.  The bacon bits from a package might make it worth it, but dealing with bacon was not worth it to me.

Don’t The Cauliflower Stuffed Portobello Caps sound yummy? 

Posted in "Recipes", 52 Moves (of Nia), Food, Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Homemade Hummus – Needs Some Work

Posted by terrepruitt on May 15, 2012

You know I started this blog to share things with you.  I wanted to share about Nia, exercises, things I think are healthy, and stuff I learn.  I don’t think I had thought about posting recipes, but I probably didn’t think I would limit myself from doing so.  It is funny that food posts get the most views and even more fun spark the most conversations.  (I love the bloggey conversations.)  We love our food, huh?  It is universal.  Everyone eats.  Not everyone works out, not everyone dances, not everyone goes to exercise classes, and not everyone does Nia, but everyone eats.  Even though we all eat different things it is still something that we all have in common.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,As you might have noticed, when I try a new recipe, or just try making something I sometimes like to share.   Even if the recipe still needs some adjustments I have to start somewhere.  I like to post my recipes because I find myself using my blog when I am going to make something.  I can even be at the store and get the idea that I want to make a certain recipe then I think, “Shoot I don’t know what it is in . . . . ahhhh, but I posted it on my blog!”  So I use my blog at the store to grocery shop sometimes.   Here is a recipe of something that I made that I need to work on.

I haven’t always liked hummus, but once I started eating it.  I really liked it.  There is a brand that my husband found that is really good.  It is smooth and creamy.  We used to eat it often.  But it has Canola Oil in it.  I prefer not to eat Canola oil.  I have always wanted to make my own hummus so I thought not eating our favorite brand would inspire me.  It did not.  My issue was tahini.  I don’t think of tahini.  So when I go to the store I am not thinking, “Oh yeah, I need tahini.”  I know you can make hummus without it.  I believe my friend makes hummus all the time and she never used tahini.  I haven’t tasted her hummus that I can remember so I don’t know if it is good without tahini or not.

The other day I was online and I actually bought tahini.  I decided on wanted to finally make some hummus.  There are a lot of recipes out there for hummus so I took some ideas from several of them.  I need to work on it.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,I used:

2 cups canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
3 teaspoons liquid from the beans
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon garlic flavored olive oil

I put everything in the blender and blended until smooth.

I prefer my hummus a little more smooth and actually creamy, but the blender was making odd noises so I didn’t want to push it too far.

First of all I think it is too salty.  Next time I am going to use less salt and less tahini.  I am also going to use less lemon juice.  I am also going to use fresh garlic.  I used some we have from a jar.

Not too bad for my first try, but not so great.  But sometimes I just need to get in there and do it — make the recipe — so I can see it is easy to do so then I can play with it and make adjustments.

Do you like hummus?  Do you make your own?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Baked, Split, and Broiled Eggplant

Posted by terrepruitt on May 5, 2012

The past two Thursdays have been pretty cold here and since I don’t teach Nia on Thursdays evenings I have been cooking soup.  One Thursday I had it planned so I actually did go to the store after my Nia class on Wednesday to buy the ingredients I needed, but yesterday it was cold so I just decided to use what I had, which was not much.  While I think that a bowl or two of soup can easily be a meal, I like to serve something else with it.  When I looked in my fridge I saw the eggplant I had bought.  Yay!  Perfect.  I saw a recipe on icancookstuff that sounded interesting.  While I do not eat spicy hot food I thought I could use the garlic and the cummin.  But it turns out I don’t have any cummin.  So I decided to use ginger and turmeric.  I have them in powdered form so I got the bottles out of the cupboard and set them on the counter.  Then I put the eggplant in the oven to bake it.Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,

The recipe said to bake it at 200 degrees for 45 minutes.**  I didn’t think I had 45 minute so I put the temperature up to 300 and left it on for 30 minutes.  I didn’t feel that the eggplant was cooked enough so I turned the convection oven on and set the timer for 30 more minutes. I turned it four times because it was getting flat on the pan side.

In the meantime I was cooking my soup.  I only had one bunch of baby bok choy, a bunch of kale, and some broccoli.  I swore I wasn’t going to put broccoli in a soup again, but . . . I didn’t think the rest would make it.  So while I was trying to fake making soup I wasn’t really paying attention to the eggplant.  My soup finished before the eggplant.

By the time I finally thought the eggplant was cooked enough to split I split it.  I was thinking that I would make one half for me and one half for my husband.  I salted it, I put a bit of garlic on it, I put a little bit of parmesan cheese on it.  Then I looked over and I saw the onions I had chopped to put on it.  And the kale.  So I decided to put the onions and kale on one half and hubby and I would just get a half of each half making a whole half.

I put it back in the oven and let it bake for a bit more.  Half way through the end of baking portion I saw the ginger and turmeric on the counter.  Snap!  I forgot to put it on.  So I sprinkled a little turmeric on both halves.  I put the broiler on for about 10 minutes.

Here is the result.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,

From the time I thought to cook the eggplant to the time I put it in the oven to finish baking I had thought of three different ways to flavor it.  I had originally thought to use garlic, turmeric, and ginger, then I thought of garlic, onions, and kale, then I thought of garlic, and cheese.  That really is not a big deal the big deal is that I forgot one each time I thought of the new one.  Geez!  What I ended up with was ok.  I think it needed a little bit more flavor.  I will work on that.  I don’t even think I tasted the turmeric.

I like cooking eggplant this way because it is much less time-consuming than turn the slices all the time.  But I think I like the roasted slices better.  But I will continue to experiment with this.  I might try slicing it into three pieces next time.  Although a baked eggplant is not easy to slice.

**It just dawned on me that the 200 degrees was probably Celsius and not Fahrenheit.  So it would actually be about 400 degrees F.  Ha!

I can’t wait to try this again!

What do you think of this way of cooking eggplant?  What would you put on the eggplant?

Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Turmeric – Flavor With Benefits

Posted by terrepruitt on April 12, 2012

When I wrote the post regarding anti-inflammatory foods, I decided to buy some Turmeric.  At the time I was not able to claim knowing what it tasted like.  I figured since it was used a lot in curries I would be ok with it.  I thought that it would be a good thing to add to our diet.  Since there are so many things that work as an inflammatory, I am always trying to add anti-inflammatory foods and ingredients into our diet.  I wasn’t sure exactly how to use it, but I was wanting to give it a go.  Turmeric has been used in food and as medicine for centuries.  Seems like the West is doing a lot of research to see what health benefits it has.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center:  “Turmeric has been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive and liver problems, skin diseases, and wounds.  Curcumin is also a powerful antioxidant.”

Remember Curcumin is the phytochemcial that give turmeric its color.

And Eat This! has a list of 20 Health Benefits contributed to Turmeric including;

-When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

-Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

-May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

Well, I’ve had it for a while now and I really like the flavor.  I’ve added it to soups, to veggies, and to meat.  You know my standard ground turkey and whatever veggies I have?  Well, it really makes that taste wonderful.  I had cooked broccoli, mushrooms, and ground turkey for dinner a few nights ago, today I decided to have the leftovers in a tortilla.  Since we have a few cucumbers I decided to use some up by slicing it really thin and putting it in the tortilla with the meat and a bit of parmesan cheese.  WOW!  The turmeric and the cucumbers were a party-in-my-mouth flavor.  It was really good.  So now I am going to serve cucumbers with my turmeric ground turkey.  Many people can describe flavors, I can sometimes, but I cannot describe the flavor or turmeric.  I would say that it is somewhat mellow so it won’t necessary overpower what you are using it with.  It is not hot or bitter.  I think it can be used with anything savory.     
 
Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,Wiki says “it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell” but I don’t agree.  Maybe I will give it the mustardy smell, but not off the top of my head.

But there is a problem with turmeric.  It dyes everything yellow!  I now have several bowls and utensils dyed yellow because I used them to stir, serve, or store something with turmeric in it.  It is just as bad as tomato sauce when it comes to dying things!

I am familiar with turmeric in its powdered form, but it is a root like ginger, so if you get it in root form you can use it just as you would ginger.  You could chop it, grate it, cut it up . . . the same as ginger. 

If you like the flavor it seems like a great thing to add to just about everything.   Since it is touted as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, help in the treatment of  inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), helps treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, improves liver function, prevents some cancers, lowers cholesterol, helps treat and prevent Alzheimer’s, reduces risk of childhood Leukemia among other things — why not add it to things?

Do you cook with Turmeric?  If so what do you add it to?

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Flax Seeds – Big Things In A Tiny Seed

Posted by terrepruitt on April 10, 2012

For a long time now, I have been hearing about the nutritional benefits of flax seeds. I know one of my Nia friends said she uses them. They have probably been in the spot light a bit more lately as more and more information becomes known and available about inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the body’s response to things in it that shouldn’t be in it—as in, a very large part of the average Western Diet. With the over processing of food comes a huge amount of chemicals and chemically altered compounds. These types of things are not meant to be in our bodies and used as “nutrition”. In addition, the average Western Diet contains too much omega-6 fats. Omega 6 fats are linked to health issues and inflammation. Flax seeds contain omega-3 which is an anti-inflammatory agent, among other things. There is a ratio of the fats that is thought to be the optimal. I’ve heard that it is 3 to 1. Wiki states: “Modern Western diets typically have ratios of n−6 to n−3 in excess of 10 to 1, some as high as 30 to 1.” 

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,Flax seeds can be eaten whole, but they are difficult to digest so the common thought is to grind them so that their nutrition is readily available. I didn’t know that when I bought them otherwise I probably would not have bought such a HUGE quantity. I just remember see information that said to put them in things. I thought I could just toss them into — whatever. Well, it seems like I can, but I might not be getting all the nutrition out of them eaten that way then if I grind them.

Omega 3 is thought to do many wonderful things. It is thought to help protect against heart disease, cancer (both prostrate and breast cancer), and diabetes. And help with high blood pressure through both control and prevention. Also studies are showing that flax seeds can help lower cholesterol. Some studies show that flax seeds may help in reducing hot flashes. As little as “40 grams (1.4 ounces) of crushed flaxseed each day” (per WH Foods) cut the flashes in half.

Web MD says: “Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
Lignans which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.”

Remember lignans are phytochemicals!

Flax seeds are best stored whole in the fridge. Once ground they tend to go rancid quickly, they should be used within a week. I guess I could grind some once a week and just make sure that I use it all. As with many foods that deliver great health benefits, they are still meant to be a part of a healthy diet. None of the amazing foods are meant to make up for an unhealthy diet, they are to ADD to a healthy diet.

As I first mentioned I know one of you uses them. But I don’t think she said how.  I could use some ideas as I now have four HUGE bags!

What about you, do you use flax seeds as a supplement? How do you use them? Do you grind them?

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Colors And Odors Are Brought To You By Phytochemicals

Posted by terrepruitt on April 5, 2012

Phytochemical are the reasons that fruits and veggies have color and smell.  There are 1000 known phytochemicals, with an estimate of over 10,000 different ones potentially able to affect diseases.  These chemical compounds are thought to have a big affect on health but are not considered as essential nutrients.

Some phytochemicals are antioxidants or have antioxidant activity and they have shown that they may reduce the risk of cancer.  They have been proven to have anti-inflammatory effects.  And now many doctors and scientists are starting to acknowledge the link between chronic inflammation in the body and disease.  So — to me — anything that can safely help with inflammation in the body is a good food to eat. 

The Linus Pauling Institute at the Oregon State University has a list of phytochemicals.  Under each type listed there is a further breakdown of names of the specific phytochemical, here are just a few highlights

Carotenoids are found in red, yellow, or orange vegetables and fruits.  As with a lot of nutrients, fat helps with absorption.  So using a little bit of healthy oil can help with availability of the nutrient to the body.
 
Chlorophyll & Chlorophyllin are responsible for the green in veggies.

Curcumin is what gives turmeric its deep yellow color.  Turmeric is considered an anti-inflammatory.

Fiber is a group of different compounds.   Different kinds of dietary fiber include: Lignin, Cellulose, Beta-Glucans, Hemicelluloses, Pectins, Gums, Inulin, and Resistant starch. Research is showing that people with diets high in fiber have less risk of disease.  Fiber helps keeps the body’s digestive system moving things out.

Flavonoids in the case of the phytochemicals are thought to be better helpers in cell-signalling then in antioxidants.  While flavonoids have shown to help with curbing the free radicals, they really seem to shine when it comes to the cell signaling pathways.  They’ve shown themselves to be great at regulating the flow of information in the communication pathways of the cells.  There are different classes of flavanoids, they can be found in red wine, green, white, and black tea, berries, apples, chocolate, citrus fruits, yellow onions, soybeans, legumes, scallions, kale, and broccoli.

Garlic is thought to have antioxidant properties.  Garlic and its Organosulfur Compounds are thought to help fight cardiovascular disease and inflammation in the body.  (And some are now saying that it is inflammation that causes cardiovascular disease.)

Indole-3-Carbinol is found in coniferous vegetables.  These types of veggies are thought to help prevent certain types of cancer.  Some of the veggies that this phytochemical can be found in is cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.

Isothiocyanates is also found in coniferous veggies.  This one can be found in cabbage, broccoli, and kale.

Lignans (phytoestrogens) are found in plants while Lignan precursors are found in plant-based foods.  Eating a variety of seeds, whole grains, and legume along with broccoli, curly kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, green and red sweet peppers, apricots, strawberries, peaches, pears, and nectaries will net you both.  (according to Livestrong)

Phytosterols can be found in unrefined vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts, and legumes and inhibit the intestinal absorption of cholesterol.

Resveratrol was found to increase the lifespan of some living organisms.  It can be found in grapes, red wine, purple grape juice, peanuts, and some berries.

Soy Isoflavones (phytoestrogens) is one of those things that is good for you, but some evidence says that too much is not.  But they are not clear on that or how much “too much” is. 

As with much of our food supply harvesting and processing diminishes the nutrients available to us.  The amount of phytochemicals actually in our fruits and vegetables after commercial harvesting, processing, and cooking is significantly reduced.  Since the nutrients that we actually get from the food we eat seems less than was intended by nature it is a good thing that most fruits and veggies can be eaten in high quantities without adding much fat or many calories to the diet. 

Additional information from wiki states that phytochemicals have been used as drugs for millennia.  The willow tree leaves were used to reduce fevers and later used as aspirin.

There is much research to be done on phytochemicals.  But it is interesting to know that the color and odor causing compound in our fruit and veggies might also protect us or help us combat disease.  Seems like if we eat a large variety in addition to large quantities of fruits and vegetables daily will be get a good amount of phytochemicals.  One thing I like to think about and try to do is “eat the rainbow”.  Sounds silly, but it really is eating all the COLORS in the rainbow.

Do you eat a variety of fruits and veggies?  Do you eat the colors of the rainbow?

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No Need To Soak Your Oats

Posted by terrepruitt on April 3, 2012

All in the quest for something quick and easy to eat before I teach my Nia classes . . . . I am on my sixth oat post.  The last post was about why some people believe we need to soak our oats before eating them. This post is about why some people believe we should not bother soaking our oats before eating them and even a little bit about we should not soak the oats before eating them. 

One of my favorites sites wrote up information from the point of view of “I”, so I am thinking that it is George Mateljan’s point of view since he is the founder of The George Mateljan Foundation for the World’s Healthiest Foods.  He says he doesn’t even consider oats to be particularly high in phytic acid.  Given that the phytic acid is in the outer layers his belief is that cooking reduces the levels of it.  He states that studies have shown that absorption rates of zinc and copper do not get much higher when ALL the phytic acid is removed and in an average kitchen not all of the acid will be removed so soaking is not really contributing that much to the grains nutrition.

I’ve seen articles call phytic acid the “antinutrient”, but in fact it contains antioxidant properties along with a phosphorus (mineral) and inositol (Inositol is a key B vitamin necessary for the metabolism of fat and cholesterol.).  Dr. McDougall stated in one of his newsletters: 

“It acts as a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to reduce blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol and triglycerides. Phytic acid is linked to a reduction in heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases in people.” 

The Oxford Food & Fitness Dictionary states:  “There is some evidence that those who regularly eat high fibre diets adapt to the high phytic acid content by secreting an enzyme which can break phytic acid down into inositol and phosphorus.”

And the Wiley Dictionary of Flavors in regards to Phytic Acid states:  “An acid found in grains that would normally block the absorption of calcium in the body. However, phytase is present in most of these grains and allows for the hydrolysis of phytic acid by the body as well, nullifying the effect.”

Everything I’ve read seems to agree that phytic acid can bind with minerals and keep the body from absorbing them.  But nothing states that it happens to ALL of the minerals, nothing states that it happens all the time, and nothing states that it happens in every BODY.  Also some people and research believe that it is a GOOD thing that phytic acid binds to minerals because it helps remove toxins that are in the body.  So it could be that a portion of it DOES keep the body from absorbing minerals but the other portion takes out some bad metals and toxins in the body. 

Another site states a study, from the Journal of Nutrition, showed that phytic acid stimulates the production of phytase in the gut.  Phytase activity increased the absorption of some minerals.

One study states that while this type of activity might interfere with the absorption of minerals it “may protect against the development of colonic carcinoma” when left undigested in the colon.  Research is showing that phytic acid “is the major ingredient responsible for preventing colon cancer and other cancers”.

Many people stated that with a healthy diet there isn’t really a threat of malnutrition from lack of minerals and bone loss because we do eat other foods that supply us with minerals. 

The more I look the more I see the subject being very controversial.  Yet, I see many sources stating why it is not necessarily necessary, it seems the only reference I see stating that it is necessary is Nourishing Traditions. 

My posts are obviously not here to tell you what to do.  They are here to share with you what I have learned, what I have found.  I have found two different sides to the story (well, that is excluding the sides that say we shouldn’t eat grain at all, and the side that says we should eat more grain).

Since it seems as if there are benefits to soaking and benefits to not soaking, I would say soak your oats and see how that works for you.  If you sense that they are more easy to digest and you have the time and forethought to do it, then do it.  Why not?  But if you don’t sense a difference and/or you don’t have the time and forethought, I would think that you would be receiving the mineral binding toxic eliminating benefit.  Basically like EVERYTHING else, it is up to you.  There is always going to be information saying the opposite things, so we need to research it and then do what we think, what we feel, what we sense is best for us.

So, what do you think?  Do you think it is necessary to soak oats?

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You Should Soak Your Oats

Posted by terrepruitt on March 31, 2012

Before I started teaching Nia I had a corporate job.  I worked with a woman who loved oatmeal.  If you have read any of my Oat series (Oat series?  Really?  How did that happen?) you will know that I do not like oatmeal.  She, like many others, tried to educate me on the fact that “instant” oatmeal is not really oatmeal and she said the best is steel cut oats.  She told me what brand she buys and she said that she soaks them overnight because that is what makes them so yummy.  Since then I have heard many people say the yummiest way to eat oats is to soak them.  So I have heard of soaking oats before, but I thought that was for the flavor.  A friend of mine posted a comment on one of my oat posts and she mentioned pre-soaked oat cereal.  So I went to the website she mentioned to check it out.  That led me to discover some people believe another reason to soak oats is for better nutrition.

After reading her comment I was excited thinking I would have something else to post about. I quickly looked into soaking oats, guess what I found?  If you think about it you will know . . . . . I found conflicting information!  “No”, you say, right?  I mean there is never another opinion.  Geez.  So I though maybe I could look into the health benefits and do a post and mention the two different trains of thoughts.  Then I thought, no, my poor readers, what is it with me and oats?  But then, I was talking to one of my Nia students and explaining to her about my oat series and I mentioned soaking oats.  She said she in fact, had oats soaking right that minute.  When I asked her why she said because that is what makes them yummy and you can eat them raw when you soak them.  So, while yes, it seems to make the oats yummy, and yes, soaking them allows them to be eaten raw, some believe there is a nutritional benefit to soaking them.

While I somewhat felt there might be a need to do a post on soaked oats, I thought it odd that my little quest for breakfast had grown into a series of post.  I wasn’t going to post about soaked oats, but then I realized people might want to know.  So bear with me for two more oat posts (at least I think it will be just two more).  There has to be at least two more because there is conflicting opinions.

One post I’ll call “pro-soaked oats” and one I’ll call “con-soaked oats”.  This is the “pro-soaked oats” post.

The idea is that oats should be soaked to remove or neutralize the phytic acid.  Phytic acid binds to some minerals and blocks their absorption.  There is a popular book out there, Nourishing Traditions, that states it is necessary to soak grains.  It states that eating bran that has not been properly soaked will help with regularity at first, but could possibly lead to irritable bowel syndrome along with possible mineral deficiencies and bone loss.  The soaking allows for the break down of the phytic acid so that the minerals will not be bound and they will be allowed to be absorbed.  The book says an improvement in grain nutrition is achieved in “as little as seven hours”.

Body Ecology states that grains need to be soaked for at least 8 hours, with 24 being even better.  Other information I have found on the internet states at least 12 hours.  So it seems there is a difference in opinion with how long oats should be soaked.

Most agree that oats need to be soaked in water and something with acidic properties, but here again opinions differ.  Some say to use water and a dairy product such as milk or yogurt and some say that dairy is not good because while it might help with breaking down the phytic acid in the grain it will cause acid levels to rise in the body.  Some also say that the calcium in the dairy DOES NOT help break down the phytic acid.  That is in OATS only.  Since I started this whole series because of oats and because getting into all the other grains would make this a huge series this post is focused on OATS.  So some information suggests to use lemon or vinegar as the “acid”.  A lot of comments from people who soak their oats state that they just use warm water.

The science behind the idea of soaking sounds simple enough; a seed or grain is designed not to be penetrated until it is ready to sprout.  It is ready to sprout and release its nutrients when it has had enough time to be moist and warm in a slightly acidic environment.  Eating grains that have not been soaked just drops them into your system when they are not ready making them more difficult to digest in addition to the risk of the pyhtic acid binding with nutrients and not allowing the body to absorb them.  Makes sense.  A grain’s own defense system keeps it safe and locked up until it is in the right conditions.

A common “recipe” I am seeing for soaking is:

Oats, water (enough to cover the oats), warmth, “acid”, time.

Now the only thing I have actually seen people agree on is the oats.  Ha, funny, but true.  Now that I think about it they might not all agree on what KIND of oats.  The TEMPERATURE of the water is from just above body temperature to warm tap.  The “warmth” as in a place to keep it — goes from the refrigerator (which they are not saying is warm but is just showing how different the “recipes” are) to a warm oven, the “acid” is from lemon to a dairy product, and the time, well, from 30 minutes to two days.  It is crazy.

So it seems pretty straight forward.  Grains designed to protect themselves until ready to germinate need the ideal conditions in which to do so and then they will happily release all kinds of healthy benefits.  And the science is there to prove that phytic acid binds with minerals which would keep them from being absorbed in the body.  Now all you have to do is be organized enough to remember to soak your oats anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours before eating them.  :-)   Or you can tune in to my next post and see what some people have to say about why there is no need to soak the oats all the way to you shouldn’t soak your oats.

Do you soak your oats?  Do you do it because you think it increases their nutrition?

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Gout and Oats – There Could Be A Connection

Posted by terrepruitt on March 29, 2012

Seems as if my quest for something to eat for breakfast before teaching my Nia classes has turned into somewhat of a series on oats.  I know a body needs to eat to break the fast, but I don’t always have time to eat something before Nia in the morning.  I wanted something quick but healthy.  Oatmeal is always said to be one of the best breakfast to have, but I don’t like oatmeal.  I don’t think eating a processed breakfast or snack bar is the answer I was looking for.  I was thinking granola even though I used to not like granola, I have found a few that I like, but most often than not they have canola oil in them so I have been looking for recipes where I can make my own.  I found one that I like after I did a little bit of adjusting.  The whole process had me wondering about oats and oatmeal.  When I did a search of nutrition one of my favorite sites came up with some information on oats I found totally interesting.  As usual I learned something totally new to me.  I hear a lot more about Gout lately than I used to.  And the information about oats and gout had me looking gout up what gout is again.  I always forget it is a form of arthritis.

Here is what wiki says about Gout:

“Gout has increased in frequency in recent decades affecting approximately one to two percent of the Western population at some point in their lives. The increase is believed to be due to increasing risk factors in the population, such as metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy and changes in diet. Gout was historically known as “the disease of kings” or “rich man’s disease”.”

According to PubMed Health there is:

“Gouty arthritis – acute; Gout – acute; Hyperuricemia; Tophaceous gout; Tophi; Podagra; Gout – chronic; Chronic gout; Acute gout; Acute gouty arthritis”

This type of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation.  So just like other types of arthritis there can be flare ups.  With the different type of gout the flare ups are different.  One joint is affected by pain and inflammation in the case of acute gout, but in chronic gout it can be in more than one joint.

While they know what causes gout, they don’t know what causes the cause.  Too much uric acid in the synovial fluid causes crystals to form.  The crystals are what cause the pain, swelling and inflammation.  But they don’t know why a body might make too much uric acid or have difficulty getting rid of it.  They have a list of what they consider to be risk factors.  Risk factors include: being over weight, consuming too much alcohol, eating too much red meat or fish or foods high in purines.  Gout is more common in males than females, although woman after menopause seem to be at greater risk.  Certain medications might contribute to gout.

These risk factors could be what contributed to the historical nicknames as probably kings and rich men were more often the ones overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much red meat and fish. 

It is the food high in purines that got my attention.  Oats are high in purines.  So oats might not be good for people with gout or with high levels of uric acid because they could cause gout. Even though oats are a good source of antioxidants and are believed to help lower cholesterol if you have too much uric acid you might not want to consume them every morning.  Another uric acid related health issue is kidney stones.  So monitoring your intake of oats, might be prudent if you are prone to high levels of uric acid.  Although the site does go onto say that recent research is showing the purines in the meat and the fish are the real culprits in producing too much uric acid contributing to the health issues and that the vegetable/plant purines are not, it still might be a good idea to keep it in mind if your body is prone to gout or kidney stones.

Just another thing that is so great for you, but depending upon your individual body might not be so great.  I really believe that our diets are a main factor in our health.  It is important to know that even foods that have so many health benefits and are so full of nutrition still could affect your health in a negative way.  It really depends on your body.  I think it is always a good idea to look at the diet when there are health issues.

Did you know that oats could aggregate gout?

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