6 tips to make any baking recipe healthier, part 1 of 2
At the Zermatt in December, I taught these six tips for making a baking treat healthier. You don't have to know anything about recipe development. These are no-brainers. Three tips today, three tomorrow. (All of this information is in Ch. 11 of 12 Steps to Whole Foods.)
1. Substitute finely ground whole wheat instead of white flour.
What you see on recipe labels as "wheat flour" is actually a toxic, nutrition-less white gluey mess. It's the grain with the germ (vitamins) and bran (fiber) removed).
Ask for a good grain grinder for Christmas. I love K-Tecs, which you can find here. They aren't terribly expensive, and you'll need one in an emergency where you have to make your own bread, so it's a good preparedness item.
For cookies, cakes, pastry recipes, I like SOFT WHITE WHEAT, ground on the finest grind setting your mill has. Your kids won't even know the difference. A coarser grind will cause a heavier product, and red wheat will make it look darker. (I use red wheat for breads, etc.)
Some people think they don't like whole wheat flour products, when in fact they're just used to eating RANCID whole wheat. When the grain is ground, the protective shell of the grain is destroyed and oils inside begin to deteriorate. Consequently, those milled grains go rancid quickly and taste bad in baked goods. (Plus, rancid oils are carcinogenic.) Bags of whole wheat flour sometimes have spent months in warehouses and in transit before arriving in your home, and then you store them even longer.
Thus a grinder becomes essential, so you can have FRESHLY milled grains anytime you want.
2. Substitute coconut palm sugar, or Sucanat, for sugar.
I'm thrilled about this product because of its low glycemic index for far less impact on your blood sugar and pancreas. It has high vitamin and mineral content, it is highly sustainable, more so than cane sugar, and it tastes lovely. Sucanat is in my baking recipes in 12 Steps (it's dried, unrefined cane juice) but coconut sugar is my new favorite and is an easy substitute.
Substitute it 1:1 for any white or brown sugar called for in a baking recipe.
3. Baking powder
Please buy the kind in the health food store that is ALUMINUM FREE. Don't buy giant quantities because it's good for only 1-2 years. Aluminum is a toxic metal your body has a very difficult time eliminating, and it's linked to Alzheimer's and many other health problems. And it's in commercial baking powders. Substitute the aluminum-free version 1:1 in your recipes.
Posted in: Recipes, Whole Food
On the xtend-life site the nutritionist states–Do ot use raw cruciferous vegetables like collards-kale-cauliflower-arugala-brussel sprouts-broccoli. These raw vegetables have thyroid suppressing properties and are best eaten cooked or fermented. To read some good smoothie info on the reputable site the blog is called “smoothie anyone” . Good info about combining fruit and veggies also, along with fats.
For hypothyroidism, cook all members of the brassica family, and up your intake of iodine.
Hi Robyn,
In reference to the use of wheat flour, what do you think about the fermenting of wheat flour to release the phytase so that we can get all the nutrition from the wheat?
Is Evaporated Cane Juice the same as Sucanat? They sell a large bag at Costco for a very affordable price. How big is the bag of Coconut Sugar that you sell?
thanks.
Robyn: So i recently purchased your entire 12 step program to include books, audio, and dvd. I decided to do this plan to lose weight and gain energy. I only have about 10 to 15 pounds to lose. I also chose this plan to help my kids as well. I have been doing the smoothies 1 time a day, and moving to more raw foods. In the 2 week period, i have actually gained 2 lbs…i have more energy, but i am discouraged by the weight gain. please advise!!!
Ellen, let your body adjust, and know that you can “gain” 2 lbs. that is simply water retention or a cleansing reaction causing your body’s digestive system to temporarily slow down, as it adjusts to a new pattern of eating. There’s no reason to gain weight eating a diet of, in order, greens, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and a little (if necessary) cold-pressed oils and unprocessed sweeteners. This, what I teach and base my recipes on, is far lower in calories and far higher in fat-burning nutrition than the Standard American Diet or anything like unto it.
Thanks to all of you who have discussed hypothyroidism and what not to eat. I appreciate all of your help and have taken notes.
Robin, One comment out of the food context. What deodorant do you recommend? I have tried several from the Health Store, Tom’s, etc. but they don’t work as well. I am a runner and I need something a little more powerful. What do you recommend?
Diana, I haven’t used deodorant for many years and I love the crystal stick. I am a runner, too, and play sports a few hours each day. Reapplication is good, and maybe I just don’t sweat much, naturally–but it works great for me.
If I hve a history of low thyroid, should kale be cooked? I have been using it raw in my smoothiesm. Thanks, blessings!
I have low thyroid (without bioidentical hormone) and eat tons of raw, leafy greens. I believe the anti-greens thing has been WAY over-promoted and over-hyped, spreading the theory/opinion of a few.
Robyn,
Thank you so much for the information. My son loves to bake and this will give us some better options. I just wondered, do you know if the coconut sugar offered through azure standard is of the same type/quality as what you are offering on your site? The product says Coconut Sugar Crystals produced by Earth Circle Organics.
In response to the question about finding an effective deodorant. I have been using the dentarome toothpaste from Young Living Essential Oils as deodorant. I have never used anything that has worked this well. Sounds crazy but it works! It was referred to me by my cousin who is a consultant.
Hi Robin and All,
I would like to share thoughts about dark green leafy vegetables since it was brought up on the blog.
My aunt and my step mother, both wonderful ladies and very health conscious got themselves into trouble with the very dark greens.
It is true our bodies need the great nutrition found in these healthy vegetables. The problem comes with amounts, and balance
For my aunt it was back in the 60’s, and for my step mom it happened just this last year. They both had been eating a mostly vegetarian type diets and moved into eating more and more of the very dark greens. My step mom said she was eating them almost exclusively, both were thinking they were being very healthy.
After some time, both started to get very very sick and could not understand what was happening. My step mom ended up at her Dr.s in Orem, where she learned she had toxic vitamin overload poisoning. My aunt basically had a revelation showing her what she was doing and that she had to stop immediately.
The problem is two fold. The very dark green leafy vegetables are rich with vitamins A, C, E, and K, folate, fiber, iron, and calcium and smaller trace nutrients. A, E and K are three of the four fat soluble vitamins,
the last being D not found in the greens.
Where other vitamins will wash through your system with water these four are saved in the liver and can build up there to service your body when need arises. However, if consumed in very heavy amounts, they can reach toxic levels and are dangerous. This usually happens with supplements but in these cases, it was the raw greens themselves.
Strange we never talk about this part of possible effects. Yes, it certainly is not common, but there are numerous web sights that will concur with this. Here is one from the Colorado State University Extension
https://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09315.html.
This shows many of the severe health problems that can build up. It does not mention on this sight, but others do, this is so serious that extreme amounts can kill you!
I myself, along with a young lady staying with me, innocently gave ourselves vit D poisoning. We were very sick. She was worse than I was and we were very scared when we learned what we had done.
When we started counting up what we were getting in various small pills and multiple types of supplements, we realized we had been taking about 15000-25000 mg a day. Luckily we were able to reverse things and everything turned out OK, but the night she got so sick she was doubled up with pain and could hardly walk, I was really scared and had no idea what was wrong. We came to know she could have died.
I love healthy things but have come to know, too much of a good thing, can turn very bad.
Sincerely and with love
Kristina
Diana,
I have tried many of the natural deodorants and there is one that is my favorite. It is called La Vanilla. You can get it at sephora. Also I read somewhere that the deodorant stick or rock? has alum salts in it and said you should stay away because it has alluminum. Havent researched that so dont know for sure… It never worked for me anyway, I still smelled with it.
Robyn,
The bag of coconut sugar says raw but the description says it is kettle cooked. Is it really raw?
Can you find soft white wheat anywhere? I have not looked for it ,but haven’t noticed it either.
Kathryn, you can get it through Azure Standard.
Hi Robyn and followers. I have not ventured to comment until now, however a few comments have recently caught my eye. I am currently an Aromatherapist and work with technology that utilizes both Eastern and Western medicine to balance the meridians of the body. I was an Exercise Coach/Instructor for years. I enjoy the extensive research you do for your readers, Robyn.
Diana: I also use a crystal mineral stick for deodorant. I run and bike and use an infra red sauna (good for healing at lower temps, although I crank it up to about 120 degrees-some like it hot and can tolorate it, but work up to it slowly). The mineral crystal/stick works best if applied to clean skin. It will prevent bacteria from growing, however, if applied to already sweaty skin it will not eliminate odor already present. An alternative to that is pure theraputic (unadulterated) Essential Oils (Copals) such as Clary Sage, Cypress, Patchouli, Lime, or Lemongrass (which helps with excessive perspiration). Just be sure you always dilute them in a good carrier oil such as Olive, filtered Almond or Fractionated Coconut Oils. Theraputic Oils will also help with issues mentioned such as; lymphatic drainage, water retention, memory, infection, kills bacteria and odors, also regenerates connective tissue, assist with acne or skin disease and more. *Note/caution: some oils are naturally phototoxic (meaning: cannot wear them on skin exposed to direct sunlight) and if you are pregnant, do not use any oils without professional advice.
Maryelsa: Rebounding is one of the best things one can do for a sluggish lymphatic system. You don’t even have to “jump” and make your feet leave the surface of your rebounder, which is why I recommend it to the elderly (they can sit on it) or sedentary when starting out, as rigorous can initially cause headaches and dizziness. For anyone feeling unsteady, install a bar for support. It is a great alternative to those who cannot tolerate high impact. For folks just starting out, only do a couple minutes and work up from there.
Lala and Wende: My sincere thoughts of love and support to both of you and your families. Your loved ones now enjoy their full memory and more. They will even remember the loving comments and tender mercies while they had the disease.
Brandon: (Maybe you have previously mentioned this in earlier posts, Robyn… ) A good quality liquid Ionic Mineral supplement will detox anyone from heavy metals. Especially those tranisitioning to a whole raw foods diet and still have a lot of toxic waste to clear out. Unless you grow your own or buy reputalble organic, regular grocery produce will not supply the minerals needed and that I am sure Robyn has mentioned! =]