Food for Thought
Thought for Food
by
Jeani-Rose Atchison
Copyright © 2011 by Jeani-Rose Atchison
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To my daughters Rhiannon, Gwendolyn, Nimue, Caoilinn, Arianne and my husband Eric, thanks for being there. I love you.
Acknowledgments
We live in a beautiful part of northern New South Wales which seems to attract many health and environmentally minded people. I am proud to be a part of this community.
Our bi-monthly Health Talks and monthly Cooking Classes bring up lots of terrific conversation as well and I am forever being challenged by fresh ideas and questions on healthful living.
Thank you to Chrissy Butler for the artwork. It is beautiful just like you.
The Gold Coast Youth Orchestra gave me a great venue for writing this book almost every friday night for two years while my eldest played along with other members of the Youth Symphony. It was lovely and inspiring.
And thanks to you Ralph for helping me understand the capabilities of my computer better!
Reviews
They say knowledge is power but I believe acting on knowledge is more powerful. Jeani-Rose in her book Thought for Food, Food for Thought, gives you the knowledge that is required to not only shift your own health but that of the planets. There is a complacency about what is put on supermarket shelves is good for us, but the fool that doesn't seek the truth will realise too late that the food they are buying may be edible but is making them fat and sick. This book will take the blinkers you may have on about the food you consume. Read, be inspired and take the action that is required to improve your health and that of the planets.
– Cyndi
O'Meara
Nutritionist, Author and Founder of Changing
Habits
"This is just the type of book we need more of. Not only an inspiring account of why we need to return to natural, whole foods as the mainstay of our diet, but most importantly, packed full of simple, step-by-step recipes to help you make it happen. A great addition to any kitchen or bookshelf"
Yours in good health
–
Mark Bunn
Creator of Health
Advantage Australia, author of
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Health
"If your story is a nightmare, you might want to wake yourself up!" – Byron Katie
Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing disease and is Australia’s sixth leading cause of death
In 2001 over 1 million people were diagnosed and today someone is diagnosed with it every 10 minutes
For every unknown case, there is one undiagnosed case
With the population around 26 million it is estimated that 12% of all Australians are diabetic
Incidence in children under 5 years of age has doubled over the last 5 years
Most newly diagnosed cases are in people less than 15 years of age
Atherosclerosis is an underlying contributor to cardiovascular disease characterized by abnormal fat build up in inner lining of arteries
Autopsies done on children have shown plaque already being built up
17% of Australian population is diagnosed with atherosclerosis
High blood pressure kills more people than any other disease group
Australian statistics are higher than any other country
The latest study we have on this was done in 1989...so numbers are much greater
According to the Heart Foundation high blood pressure is the 3rd greatest burden of disease in Australia 2nd only to tobacco smoking and physical inactivity
It is predicted that 1 out of 3 people around the world will have high blood pressure by 2025
Heart Disease is responsible for 38% of all deaths in 2002 for Australia...it is responsible for 30% worldwide
More than 2 million Australians have asthma
More than 600,000 children are affected by asthma
Asthma costs Australians anywhere from 585 to 700 million dollars a year
Babies who were breastfed are 74% less likely to develop symptoms of asthma
60% of the population is obese or overweight
1 out of 4 children are fat
In the year 2000 obesity cost health authorities $1.2 Billion
If there is no change 80% of the Australian population will be overweight or obese by 2020
It has been nine years since my last book, EVERY DAY VEGAN, was published. I’ve had lots of adventures since then most of them involving the raising of five girls with my husband and best friend, Eric. I am always pleasantly surprised when someone contacts me or recognizes my writing. I was passionate about my message back then and was very vocal about my beliefs. I’ve mellowed a bit in the way I speak about the issues that concern me but I am still strongly committed to them. Over the years these seeds of understanding rooted and grew strong within me. Like the silent certainty of strength in an ageless tree, so it is with the certainty I live my life.
I reread my introduction to EVERY DAY VEGAN recently and had trouble trying to make any changes or corrections since the reasons why I turned to a whole foods vegetarian diet still holds true today! Whether you become a vegetarian or not is your personal choice as it is mine. I believed back then and do today that the biggest problem in our society is in the purity of the source of our food and in the processing and preparation of it. I also believe that everyone has the right to be raised consciously, knowing where their food comes from and why and how food is used to nurture us.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – THOUGHT FOR FOOD is meant to be thought provoking yet practical in its approach to living a healthier and more balanced life. I strongly believe that one person can make a difference and it can be achieved in the kitchen by the choices an individual makes and the understanding of the consequences of those choices.
Excerpted from Every
Day Vegan;
“The sacredness of life has always been prevalent in
my mind. I strongly believe that all life is precious, whether it is
plant, insect, animal, or human. I feel that our society has been
built without the consciousness of soul and so our intent has been
warped as well. Most people who purchase their food at the
supermarket are in denial that this was once a living being.
There are cycles of life that are as natural as the air we breathe. One of these cycles includes the lying down of the life of one being so that another may live. Many ancient and some present cultures recognize, respect, and honour this exchange of energy. Every day we all take in life in the food we ingest. Plants are as alive as animals. This is changing though and through greed, our society has created an industry based on decaying flesh and denatured food products, effectively removing us from the conscious act of nourishment.
Whatever an individual chooses to eat should be respected, as long as that individual comes from a state of awareness. People do, however, need to take responsibility for their actions, whether it is how they treat their neighbour, how they use the resources of our Earth, or what they choose to eat. Once this consciousness occurs, certain practices such as factory-farmed animals, genetically engineered food, irradiation, pesticides, and manufactured foods will become intolerable. Intention in life is everything, but how can we have this without awareness?
I am not a religious person, though deeply spiritual. I feel that simple whole foods allow my body to expend energy wisely and without difficulty. I believe this allows a heightened state of awareness within, creating a more receptive heart, mind, and soul. I try to walk with grace and reverence in my daily life and to guide my family in the same manner. My goals in life are very simple-to love, to be happy and to be of service to others. I hope that this book will be of benefit to you.”
Table of Contents
Eat the right kinds of fat and lose weight
Chlorella and Spirulina –our favourite supplements
Antibiotics – Not Just a Resistance Issue
Taking it with a grain of salt
In the Beginning - Condiments, Dips and Spreads
Comfort Food - Soups and Stews
No Moo Milks, Juices and Smoothies
Native American Prayer
Oh, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold
the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things
you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my Spirit may come to you without shame.
China has used certain seaweeds to enhance the flavour of food for 2000 years. In 1908 the flavour enhancing agent within seaweed was identified as glutamic acid. Shortly after identifying, methods for extraction were developed. The Ajinomoto Company, established in Japan, originally produced glutamic acid through extraction processes and marketed it commercially as monosodium glutamate (MSG). Today the method of glutamic acid production is quite different. Molasses from sugar cane or sugar beet as well as starch hydrolysates from corn, tapioca and etc. are used rather than seaweed. Now a method called “microbial fermentation” is used. Bacteria is grown and excretes glutamic acid out of their cell membrane. The acid is then separated from the liquid medium the bacteria grew in by filtration, concentration, acidification and crystallisation. Sold in the U.S. in the 1940’s it has grown into a huge industry worldwide and is found in most of our processed foods today. Take a look at the labels on the processed foods in your cupboard and fridge and you will see just how common this ingredient is. It comes up as 620-622 on the ingredient lists. Check out Wikipedia for some interesting reading on the different preservatives in our food. It is listed as “list of food additives, Codex Alimentarius”. Food Additives 620-650 are labelled as “flavour enhancers”.
The FDA describes processed free glutamic acid (MSG) as “naturally occurring” because the basic ingredient is found in nature. That doesn’t mean it is being fed to us in its natural state though. Through the processing of MSG it becomes like sugar, a fine white crystalline powder with absolutely no nutrient value and in fact, a very dangerous substance that the body does not recognise as food. Many governing bodies have approved the use of MSG because it is “natural”...but does this mean it is safe?
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is a term used to describe symptoms people suffer after eating MSG laced food used in many Chinese restaurants back in the late sixties and is still being used today in many other types of restaurants, especially those who use pre-packaged ingredients in their food preparation. I remember a large plastic tub of white powder that we would grab by the handful to sprinkle over all the fresh lettuce that we chopped in the restaurant I worked at as a prep cook when I was 16 years old. That was almost 35 years ago. Back then I was told that it would keep the lettuce fresher longer.
The first published report of MSG reaction was from a Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok, M.D., back in 1968. Dr. Kwok emigrated from China to the states and noticed that when dining in a Chinese Restaurant he would suffer numbness, tingling and a tightness in his chest that would last for a couple of hours after his meal. This had never occurred in restaurants in his native home.
Historically we have been made aware of the many serious side effects with the use of MSG on laboratory rats such as brain lesions, retinal degeneration, neuro endocrine disorders, learning disabilities, asthma trigger and damaged hypothalamus.
So startling were the effects on infant lab animals that in the early 1970’s manufacturers of baby food voluntarily removed all obvious MSG containing ingredients from baby food. The elderly have a weakened blood/brain barrier and are at a greater risk as well as very young children whose barriers have not been fully developed. Food manufacturers encourage marketing to the elderly rationalising that the addictive properties of MSG actually is beneficial to keeping a “healthy” weight.
Glutamic acid is a neurotransmitter that causes nerves to fire...a naturally occurring process within your body. When glutamic acid is present in excess quantities it overstimulates the nerves causing them to continuously fire until they die. Kill off enough of them and you can see why this could lead to difficulties in many areas of the body.
Peas, tomatoes and potatoes, as other vegetables, have high levels of naturally occurring free glutamate than other foods as the Manufactured Food Industry is quick to point out. But the free glutamate that these companies add to processed foods are in highly concentrated levels without any of the other components that a natural food has to help balance out the way it is distributed and used in our system.
A 2002 study showed that no retinal damage was observed within one month of continual MSG ingestion but over 3-6 months there was observable damage. There was a great article written in The New Scientist on the 26 of October 2002 which explains the study.
MSG is cumulative. Small doses here or there may not seem to affect you but over time degeneration occurs until such a time as damage can be pin pointed.
Scientists are linking MSG use to ALS, Alzheimer’s, seizures and strokes.
The average U.K. intake is 590mg-2330mg per day. Some restaurants have upwards of 5000mg per meal. I know vegemite is highly regarded here but a tasty alternative would be organic dark miso paste which my friends and clients are now enjoying.
There are many studies done on the effect of MSG on asthma and CRS (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome). These can easily be found on internet sites like the FSANZ website. There wasn’t until recently much mentioned on MSG triggering obesity, even though there is a great deal of work out there that discusses MSG induced obesity in rats. The human obesity connection seems to not have been as closely followed. Check out the website pubmed.com (The National Library of Medicine) and type in MSG obesity and you will count over 100 studies done on this subject. Most food manufacturers are quite open about the addictive properties of MSG, thus the reason to use it in their products.
Just recently, researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and in China published a study that was done on 750 men and women aged 40-59 years of age and living in 3 rural villages in North and South China. The majority of participants made meals at home without commercially processed foods. 82% used MSG, and these participants were divided into 3 groups. It was found that the group using the most were nearly 3X more likely to be overweight than the others.
Humans lack a blood/brain barrier in the hypothalamus which allows excitotoxins to enter the brain and cause damage. In past animal studies, MSG creates a lesion in the hypothalamus that correlates with abnormal behaviour such as obesity, short stature and sexual reproduction problems.
Additives that always contain MSG:
• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Additives that frequently contain MSG:
• Malt Extract
• Malt Flavouring
• Bouillon Broth
• Stock Flavouring
• Natural Flavouring
• Natural Beef or Chicken Flavouring
• Seasoning Spices
Additives that may contain MSG and/or other excitotoxins:
• Carrageenan Enzymes (Protease enzymes from various sources can release excitotoxin amino acids from food proteins.)
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Whey Protein Concentrate
Do you think food is the only place you will find MSG? Nope. It is used for many things from all purpose crop spray (as a growth enhancer), to vaccinations ( Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 2-phenoxy-ethanol are used as stabilizers in certain vaccines to help the vaccine remain unchanged even in the presence of forces such as heat, light, acidity, humidity etc.).
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return home.
-- Australian Aboriginal Proverb
Thought For Food - Food For Thought was a title I played with for years. It came from a Teachers Conference I was asked to speak at several years ago. My subject was on the relationship of food to learning and learning disabilities. I presented information that linked certain behaviours to the preservatives, colourings and other chemicals used in processed food as well as the deficiency of nutrients from these foods.
After my presentation, one of the Teachers, who was a parent of an autistic child, asked if there was a connection to diet and if these symptoms could be reduced or eradicated? I replied with a most emphatic yes. When a person can look at the other health ailments associated with an autistic child such as, leaky gut, candida, irritable bowel and etc., it is obvious that there is nutritional support that could ease these symptoms.
In fact, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a neurosurgeon from the U.K. whose first born son was diagnosed with autism created a nutritional program (GAPS Nutritional program) that is a natural treatment for autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, schizophrenia, depression and ADHD. She has stated,
"What happens in these children [is that] they do not develop normal gut flora from birth…" she says. "Gut flora is a hugely important part of our human physiology. Recently research in Scandinavia has demonstrated that 90 percent of all cells and all genetic material in a human body is our own gut flora. We are just a shell… a habitat for this mass of microbes inside us. We ignore them at our own peril.
…As a result, their digestive system—instead of being a source of nourishment for these children—becomes a major source of toxicity. These pathogenic microbes inside their digestive tract damage the integrity of the gut wall. So all sort of toxins and microbes flood into the bloodstream of the child, and get into the brain of the child. That usually happens in the second year of life in children who were breast fed because breastfeeding provides a protection against this abnormal gut flora. In children who were not breastfed, I see the symptoms of autism developing in the first year of life.
One of the arguments about vaccines is in the frequency (apx 36) in which they are given to a child in the first few years of their life. If they are compromised in health for any reason, vaccines may have a detrimental affect.
A proper gut flora is critical to our health. I know just from my own health issues. As a child with a genetic kidney condition I was in and out of hospitals my whole young life. Now in my adult years I have been paying a heavy price from all of the antibiotics and other drugs used to keep me “healthy”. If my parents were only told about the importance of good nutrition I might have had an easier time of it.