7
SHAPE UP SWEETS AND SHIP OUT SUGAR
Getting Back to Nature’s Basics
(12 TO 18 MONTHS)
Happy birthday to your baby! So much has happened during this first year. Your feeding practices have set a solid foundation for your baby’s lifelong health—congratulations! But don’t hang up the apron just yet; your work is far from over.
Your baby should still be eating a special diet rather than just smaller portions of what you might be having for dinner, unless your diet follows traditional-foods principles. At 12 months, 50% of her calories should still come from mom’s milk or formula, with an average intake of 20 to 24 ounces (570 to 710 ml) of formula per day or with nursing at least 4 times per 24 hours. As you increase her solid food intake, limit—or preferably, omit—refined and processed sugars. If you don’t, you’re setting her up for developing 3C conditions, most notably diabetes and obesity.
At 12 months, many babies are indoctrinated into the world of adulterated foods, with sugar, white flour, trans fats, refined salt, colors, dyes, and flavorings. In this chapter, we’ll keep you on the traditional-foods path.
Beware of Sugar
Rather than being a treat, research supports that sugar is devastating to health. Yet sugar intake has been drastically increasing over the last centuries and—notably—decades. Kids eat more sugar today than any generation of children before them.
The FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Dietary Guidelines, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the American Heart Association (AHA) all formally recommend that, for optimal health, people limit the amount of added sugars they consume in a day. The WHO specifically acknowledges a strong association between added sugar and increased cardiovascular disease in children and recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of energy intake, or less than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day, and avoiding sugar altogether for toddlers under 2 years old. If sugar were harmless, this wouldn’t be necessary.
SUGAR HURTS DIGESTION
Sugar is scientifically proven to alter mineral balances. Imbalanced minerals are unable to function properly, as they rely on each other in specific proportions. Because minerals are helpers to enzymes, when minerals are imbalanced, enzymes don’t function appropriately, and when enzymes can’t do their job, digestion is significantly affected. When foods aren’t digested, food allergies are likely to develop, which is why foods that are eaten with sugar are more likely to have allergies developed against them.
SUGAR IS A DRUG AND A TOXIN
It’s hard to imagine cupcakes and apple juice being as toxic to the liver as alcohol, as well as a significant contributor to our most dreaded diseases. Yet, while sugar offers energy in the form of calories, it provides nothing to help us grow, heal, or support our body; it changes bodily functions; and its prolonged absence causes withdrawal symptoms. By definition, sugar is much closer to a drug than it is to food, particularly for those who have lower than normal levels of happy brain chemicals (neurotransmitters, including serotonin, endorphin, and dopamine).
Here’s how and why:
1. Sugar gives pleasure differently than food; we celebrate and commemorate with it (as with alcohol for adults).
2. Sugar is addicting, according to research.
3. Going without sugar causes withdrawal, both emotional and physical, such as irritability, headache, tremors, and moodiness.
4. Sugar affects mood and behavior (disappointment without dessert; children ask and even cry for it distinctly more than for other foods, kids on “sugar high”).
5. Ingesting sugar creates an emotional response (relief, pleasure, feeling better or less “down”).
6. Sugar alters normal endocrine, metabolic, neurologic, and biochemical functioning.
7. Sugar consumption is often hidden from others (e.g., kids hiding candy wrappers under the bed, adults burying empty ice cream containers at the bottom of the garbage, candy bars stashed in sock drawers).
8. Sugar overconsumption can cause feelings of guilt and embarrassment.
9. Cravings arise when going without sugar or otherwise giving it up.
10. Sugar and drugs both stimulate the body via the very same neurotransmitters and biochemical mechanisms.
Prozac, Cymbalta, and SUGAR affect serotonin.
Morphine, opium, heroin, and SUGAR cause an opioid response.
Crack, cocaine, and SUGAR cause their high by affecting dopamine.
Caffeine, methamphetamines, and SUGAR trigger adrenaline and norepinephrine release.
When you give your child sweets, you are analogous to a dealer giving a fix. This is strong language purposefully; it is important that you understand the gravity of the situation.
Part of the continuous increase in sugar intake is related to the creation of high fructose corn syrup in the 1970s. Over the last 10 decades, as Robert Lustig, M.D., a pediatric neuroendocrinologist and professor, reports, daily fructose consumption has gone from 15 grams to 75 grams (that’s like going from having 1 can of soda pop per day to having 5!). Your baby might not be drinking soda pop, but there are 26 grams (over 2 tablespoons!) of sugar in her 7-ounce (200 ml) juice box.
When you realize that no sugar is essential, any sugar your child consumes is too much. If you think moderation is still okay, you might want to reconsider your definition of moderation. Counting all sugars, including white flour, juice, and others (see sidebar), it’s clear that “sugars” are not only present at every meal and snack but actually compose the majority of children’s diets today. The reality is that just one 2-ounce (55 g) kid-friendly yogurt tube has more than 2 teaspoons of sugar (10 grams), a serving of typical breakfast cereal has 3 teaspoons of sugar (15 grams), and a pouch of fruit-flavored snacks has over 3 teaspoons of sugar (15 grams). Unless you make a serious effort to control and reduce sugars, your child will consume far in excess of moderation by just eating normal “kid” foods at every meal.
Both sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contain glucose and fructose. The damage of too much glucose has been studied and reported, including metabolic syndrome and risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity—all of which are related to the insulin response triggered by excess glucose. However, it is now known that fructose (previously thought of as a harmless “fruit sugar”) also negatively affects insulin and goes straight to the liver, where it is turned into fat.
In addition to its effect on insulin, fructose damages the liver. The liver processes fructose similarly to how it processes alcohol; too much fructose results in fatty liver disease—a disorder commonly seen in alcoholics. According to Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Heart Letter (September 2011), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is found in 30% of the U.S. population and in 70% to 90% of those who are obese or have type 2 diabetes.
Note: Fatty acid liver disease can and does occur in thin people; thinking all is well because the scale says so is a false sense of health security.
Alongside this rise in fructose, and overall sugar consumption, is a steep rise in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other 3Cs in children. With the known dietary dangers of glucose and a new, better understanding of how fructose harms health, it is logical that sugar plays a major role in chronic disease in both children and adults today. Dr. Lustig warns, “High fructose corn syrup and sucrose are … both poison in high doses” [emphasis added].
SUGAR HINDERS IMMUNITY
Sugar is also guilty of weakening the immune system. Studies show that the immune system’s key white blood cells are crippled by sugar for 4 to 6 hours after sugar has been eaten. This means that if your child has had candy before a play date and then is exposed to an infection, she’s much less able to defend herself against contracting it. Sugar depletes B vitamins and other nutrients that are critical to immune system functioning and protection against infection. Worse, it displaces nutrient-dense foods, further reducing intake of nutrients needed to protect and strengthen immunity.
SUGAR IS NOT NUTRITIOUS OR NOURISHING
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., neurosurgeon, author, and nutrition researcher, states, “Sugar is the biggest enemy we face in the world of nutrition and health.” Yet sugar is becoming an increasingly large part of our diet, although it offers no nutritional value. The vitamins and minerals required to assimilate and digest it are absent (sugar is a nutritional vacuum), and so the body must take from its stored nutrients whenever sugar is eaten. Thus, sugar serves to deplete nutritional status and therefore diminishes health each time it is consumed.
Even in “moderation,” sugar:
Falsely stimulates appetite
Causes inflammation
Causes tooth decay
Cripples your child’s immune system for hours
Disturbs calcium and magnesium metabolism
Causes out-of-control behavior, difficulty focusing, and anxiety
Elicits cravings with drug-like effects—possibly laying the path for future alcohol and drug addiction
Feeds yeast, disrupting healthy bacteria in the gut, causing the gut to be leaky
Feeds cancer cells
Creates critical mineral imbalances
Depletes nutrients such as B vitamins, zinc, chromium, and magnesium
Reduces the body’s ability to detoxify
Inhibits proper enzyme function
Predisposes to food allergies
Fattens the body and the blood cells
Worsens heart health
Causes emotional instability
Disrupts hormones and neurotransmitters
Disrupts the endocrine system, increasing the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Accelerates aging
According to expert sugar researcher Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., author of the best-selling book Lick the Sugar Habit, sugar has nearly 150 ways of causing disease and dysfunction. Known as an antinutrient, sugar is best classified as a chemical, drug, or poison.
Obesity and Diabetes
According to the CDC, childhood obesity has tripled in the last three decades and type 2 diabetes (formerly “adult-onset” diabetes) is a “sizable and growing problem among U.S. children.” The best indicator for type 2 diabetes in children is excess weight. In 2016, the CDC reported that more than 1 in 5 children aged 2 to 5 are overweight or obese. Obese children are twice as likely to get insulin-resistant diabetes. These two highly correlated conditions are likely both caused by diets based on refined grains and sugar.
Since the advent of the low-fat diet and thousands of “low-fat” foods, we are fatter and more diabetic than ever—and so are our children. In 2015, 20% of school-aged children were overweight, with 14% of 2- to 5-year-olds, 18% of 6- to 11-year-olds, and 21% of 12- to 19-year-olds. This is more than triple the rate in the 1970s according to the CDC. Our kids are overweight and obese, which accelerates and exacerbates myriad troubling health issues. This is not just a U.S. issue; data from the National Child Measurement Programme in English schools shows that for the 2016–2017 school year, approximately 10% of 4- and 5-year-olds and 20% of 10- and 11-year-olds in England are obese also.
Mother Nature doesn’t ever provide calories without nutrients, but modern, man-made food is filled with such dietary abominations. It is a new and bizarre phenomenon to be simultaneously overfed and undernourished. Such calorie-rich, nutrient-poor diets are at the crux of the 3C conditions.
The trends for increasing obesity and diabetes in children are going nowhere but up, even with the low-fat diet fad. Currently, it is estimated that over 30% of babies will develop diabetes and close to 50% will be overweight or obese. Experts, like Joseph Levy, M.D., professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, now clearly acknowledge carbohydrates—particularly refined flour and sugar—are responsible. Dr. Levy states, “Many studies have confirmed that the liberal intake of carbohydrate is a major contributor to obesity.”
Prevent Diabetes and Obesity with Super Nutrition
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Sugar makes people sick and fat. Here are some things you can do to protect your child against sugar’s harmful effects.
MAKE SURE GUT FLORA IS ON TRACK. Studies demonstrate that the kind of intestinal flora in the body can influence metabolism and appetite and therefore contribute to metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity, as well as eating habits, according to studies such as those conducted at Emory School of Medicine. Optimize your toddler’s gut ecosystem by keeping sugar out of her diet because sugar feeds troublesome yeast and causes gut dysbiosis (microbial imbalance). Include lacto-fermented foods, fresh and cultured dairy, and probiotic supplements to help her intestinal health.
EXERCISE FOR ENDOCRINE STABILIZATION, NOT CALORIE BURNING. Sunlight, fresh air, and exercise are all elements of a normal childhood. Get your child active and outdoors. Such activities are critical because they have a positive hormonal impact: they increase insulin sensitivity (the opposite of disease-related insulin resistance), and for that, they are protective against obesity and 3C conditions. Furthermore, physical movement and activity also naturally stimulate happiness neurotransmitters, making sugars less appealing, and raise HDL (“healthy cholesterol” carrier).
AVOID THE ALL-CARBOHYDRATE TRAP. Children’s diets often tend to be all carbohydrates: grains, sugars, and fruit, with minimal vegetables and protein. Ensure either animal protein or animal fats, and fiber or both, are part of every meal. Truly balanced meals are not based on grains; they are based on the presence of animal foods and vegetables, with properly prepared carbohydrate foods and other whole foods as garnishes, digestive aids, and nutrient boosters.
Time to Stop Nursing or Bottle Feeding?
If you are still nursing at 12 months, we salute you. We know that breastfeeding can present evolving challenges such as teething (and biting!), countless distractions, and increasingly busy schedules. Further, social pressures are prevalent, and sadly many people feel it is excessive to nurse a baby beyond one year of age.
But what our modern society has forgotten is that your baby’s sucking instinct goes well beyond 12 months, lasting at least until she’s 21/2. Weaning leaves your baby without a way to satisfy this instinct and doesn’t confer immune benefits from mom’s milk. Continuing to nurse beyond one year provides specific benefits to both mom and baby:
Immune support—shortening the duration and lessening the frequency and severity of illness
Optimal nutrition for your baby
Fewer orthodontic problems
Allergy prevention
Continued bond and comforting mechanism
Preferred hydration and nutrition during illness
Earlier reading in boys and fewer speech problems
A natural way to space pregnancies
Calorie burning for mom
Calming and loving hormones for mom and baby, resulting in reduced stress and anxiety for both
Reduced breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis risk for mom—the longer you nurse, the better the protection
When it is time to wean (which you’ll realize as your child is less interested in nursing and as feedings are gradually and naturally missed), there are ways to best protect and ensure your baby’s health during and after the transition to end nursing.
Because your baby’s gut flora changes as she weans, it is of utmost importance to continue providing good probiotics to her. Sources of probiotics include lacto-fermented foods and raw and cultured dairy. If you are not providing such foods, then giving a daily probiotic supplement is helpful (typically a small dose once or twice a day is adequate). Additionally, once nursing has stopped, there are benefits to having a stored supply of breast milk in your freezer, especially for times when your child gets sick. Stored milk is also helpful for softening the impact of the cow’s milk on the gut since you can intersperse your milk with the newly introduced cow’s milk. Furthermore, whey can be made from pumped milk (see Homemade Mom’s Milk Whey) and stored for 2 to 3 months. This whey can then be used for lacto-fermenting foods for your baby, enabling her to continue to benefit from your milk, both from its nutrients and from lacto-fermentation.
When you do decide to wean, one way to ease the transition is to simply avoid offering the breast or bottle, but not to refuse when asked. Gradually, delay or distract your child when she indicates she wants to nurse or have a bottle, which will lead to skipped feedings. Over 3 to 4 weeks, your milk supply will begin to diminish. According to William Sears, M.D., removing a feeding every 3 to 7 days is about as fast as is wise to wean—much faster, and you increase your chance of developing mastitis.
Protect Your Child with Natural Nourishment
Low in fat and high in sugar, typical toddler foods like juice boxes and crackers supply chemicals, antinutrients, allergens, and toxins, but what they do not supply is sufficient nutrition. There is a better diet for your 12- to 18-month-old. It includes natural fat, wise carbs, even smarter sweets, and appropriate big-kid beverages.
USE FAT FOR FUEL
Fat is the best basis of energy for children. Benefits of a fat-based diet include:
Stimulating leptin, sending “I’m full” messages and reducing overeating
Ensuring fat-soluble antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral activators will be absorbed
Having antimicrobial, antiviral, and immune-supportive factors
Keeping blood sugar balanced
Helping intestinal function and slowing down digestion so more nutrients can be absorbed
Providing nutrition for your toddler’s growing, developing brain
Promoting healthy skin and cells
Making foods delicious!
Let your child enjoy butter on veggies and grains (that are properly prepared), whole milk, full-fat yogurt, red meat, and dark-meat poultry with the skin.
BE WISE WITHIN THE WORLD OF CARBOHYDRATES
As your baby’s carbohydrate world expands with the introduction of greens, new fruits, smart starches, tubers, nightshades, nuts, and raw veggies, we have some cautions. We recommend most carbohydrate foods be green veggies, fewer simple starch veggies and nuts, and even fewer from seeds, tubers, and fruits. Fewer still should come from grains and legumes, with fewest from whole-foods sweeteners. Within these categories of plant foods, be varied. Of the 50,000 edible plant foods on the planet, only 15 crops provide 90% of the world’s food, and just 3 make up 60% of the caloric intake of the world: rice, corn, and wheat.
A BETTER WAY TO SOOTHE THE SWEET-TOOTH MONSTER
Here are tips on avoiding refined sugars in your child’s diet and how to incorporate naturally sweet whole foods that are better than processed, refined sugars.
DON’T INTRODUCE REFINED SUGARS. Without the experience of refined sugars, children will never feel deprived. For the first several years, you are in control of your child’s diet, and there is no need to have refined sugar. Further, Dr. Lipski points out that children’s “digestive systems cannot handle … sugars other than lactose until the age of three.”
USE WHOLE-FOODS SWEETENERS. Often natural sweeteners contain nutrients that help glucose tolerance and sugar metabolism, such as chromium, magnesium, and B vitamins. (See here.)
USE EVEN THE NATURAL SWEETS SPARINGLY. Be discerning when you decide what calls for an out-of-the-ordinary sweet treat, offering whole fruit on a daily basis for meeting the sweet needs of the taste buds. Reserve any concentrated sweets (even from whole foods) for very special occasions.
CONSUME WITH CONTROLLERS. Fats, fibers, and protein reduce the impact of skyrocketing blood sugar and insulin that result when sweets are eaten alone. Keeping blood sugar steady is ideal for overall health, metabolic stability, and emotional and behavioral consistency. Providing plenty of fat and protein, along with carbs that naturally contain fiber, helps combat spikes in sugar levels. And omega-3 fats in cod liver oil and fats from grass-fed animal foods (like butter and raw cheese) are good examples of fats that help improve insulin sensitivity.
DON’T PROMOTE SELF-MEDICATING WITH SUGARS. Parents and caregivers often soothe, comfort, distract, and quiet children with sweets and treats. Understanding that using sugar as solace or reward builds unintended associations and results in health risks, we recommend eliciting oxytocin, endorphin, serotonin, and dopamine effects rather through comfort, back rubs, cuddling, holding, playing, laughing, and other activities that do not involve sugar.
NATURAL AND NUTRITIOUS BIG-KID BEVERAGES
Typical dietary changes at age 1 include switching your baby from formula to pasteurized cow’s milk. But cow’s milk isn’t all it’s campaigned to be. (See here.)
Comparing the Many Forms of Milk from Fresh to Highly Processed |
||||
NUTRIENTS & IMMUNE FACTORS |
RAW MOM’S MILK |
RAW COW’S MILK |
PASTEURIZED COW’S MILK |
COMMERCIAL INFANT FORMULA |
Antimicrobial enzymes |
Active |
Active |
Inhibited |
Unavailable |
Biodiverse probiotics |
Active |
Active |
Destroyed |
Added |
Essential fatty acids |
Active |
Active |
Damaged |
Added |
Lactase-producing bacteria |
Active |
Active |
Destroyed |
Unavailable |
Delicate proteins |
Active |
Active |
Destroyed |
Altered |
B12-binding proteins |
Active |
Active |
Inactive |
Inactive |
Bioavailable vitamins |
Active |
Active |
Inhibited |
Inhibited |
Bioavailable calcium |
Active |
Active |
Inhibited |
Inhibited |
Bioavailable phosphorus |
Active |
Active |
Inhibited |
Inhibited |
Phosphatase enzyme |
Active |
Active |
Destroyed |
Inhibited |
Oligosaccharides |
Active |
Active |
Diminished |
Unavailable |
Lymphocytes |
Active |
Active |
Inactive |
Unavailable |
B-lymphocytes |
Active |
Active |
Inactive |
Inactive |
SAY NO TO BEAN, GRAIN, SEED, AND NUT “MILKS.” Soy, rice, hemp, and almond milk are poor substitutes for human milk or homemade formula due to their low nutrient value, low fat content, synthetic nutrients, degree of processing, and various sweeteners and additives. Even coconut milk, though great for recipes, isn’t sufficient as a replacement for mom’s milk. Best alternatives to mom’s or cow’s milk are goat, sheep, or camel milk (preferably grass-fed, organic, and raw from trusted sources). Homemade almond milk is an option too, but it’s best to limit non-animal-based “milk” so as to not supplant more nutrient-rich foods and liquids in your child’s diet.
REAL MILK. Real, unpasteurized, raw milk from cows or goats eating grass out on pasture is the ideal weaning beverage for your child. (See here.)
LACTO-FERMENTED BEVERAGES AND OTHER HEALTHFUL DRINKS. Lacto-fermented beverages include kombucha, unpasteurized sauerkraut juice, Farmhouse-brand gut shots, coconut kefir (from coconut water or coconut milk, shown here), and homemade ginger ale, apple cider, and homemade orangina. Souper Stock can always be used as a nutritious beverage, as can unsweetened coconut water or coconut milk; for additional, occasional beverages, we recommend the excellent book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for more recipes—including homemade rice milk and almond drink.
PATTERN |
12 TO 18 MONTHS |
Early AM |
Early morning nursing and breakfast |
Midmorning |
Snack and possibly nursing |
Midday |
Meal |
Afternoon |
Nursing or bottle (before nap) |
Evening |
Meal |
Nighttime |
Nursing or bottle (before bed) |
Recipes without Refined Sugar Risks
Your baby’s carbohydrate-digestion capabilities are improving. She can now handle some raw veggies and uncooked non-tropical fruits, as well as a few starches. Enzymes from mom’s milk or homemade formula; raw and cultured dairy; lacto-fermented fruits, veggies, and beverages; and Souper Stock all aid digestion, so don’t stop feeding these to her.
FEEDING AT 12 TO 15 MONTHS
Between 12 and 15 months, you can introduce whole eggs, honey, tomato, citrus fruits, cooked leafy greens, and liverwurst. Natto is a great finger food for continued fine-motor skill development (see here).
FEEDING AT 15 TO 18 MONTHS
Between 15 and 18 months, you can introduce soaked and sprouted nuts and seeds, lacto-fermented beverages, a few more raw veggies, and limited carob.
Super Nutrition Food Categorizations for 12 to 18 Months |
|
SUPER POWER |
PURE |
• Anchovies, sardines • Lacto-fermented beverages and sides • Liverwurst • Raw dairy |
• Organic fruits and veggies • Organic, pasture-raised eggs • Organic, pasture-raised meats |
OKAY |
CRAP |
• Fruits/veggies, nonorganic • Nonorganic trim meats • Nonorganic eggs • Nonorganic butter |
• Rice cakes • Fishie crackers, cereal, cookies, candy • Juice (even 100% organic) |
LIVERWURST
Liverwurst is a most nutritious convenience food. Because unhealthy liver can contain toxins, it is of paramount importance to get clean liver. We’ve found the very best quality and taste comes from www.uswellnessmeats.com, from which liverwurst comes frozen. Place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw. (Eat within 1 week of defrosting.) Slice and serve! It tastes great with sliced avocado and perhaps even some mustard. Liverwurst is a great on-the-go snack with a small cooler pack.
COD LIVER OIL
Cod liver oil was discussed in chapter 4. Now that your baby is 1 year old, you can increase the dosage to 1 teaspoon of high-quality cod liver oil. See Resources, for preferred brands.
CREAMED SPINACH AND GREENS
Raw leafy greens are inappropriate for a baby this age, as they are hard to digest and contain oxalic acid (oxalates) that block calcium and iron absorption, can irritate the mouth and intestinal tract, and lead to formation of calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Cooking helps neutralize much of the oxalic acid, so all leafy greens, like spinach, served to your baby must be well cooked and softened. Greens are rich in phytonutrients, vitamin C, vitamin K1, and beta-carotene (the rich red color is outshone by green chlorophyll).
1 bag frozen or 1 bunch fresh, organic leafy greens (kale, spinach, collard, or mustard greens, etc.)
4 cups (950 ml) Souper Stock
2 tablespoons (28 g) coconut oil or ghee
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional
1/2 cup (80 ml) raw cream or coconut cream
1/3 cup (33 g) freshly grated raw Parmesan or other raw, grass-fed cheese
Celtic sea salt
Remove the center stems from the greens and chop the leaves.
Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan and drop in the leaves.
Cook until the leaves are soft and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Remove the leaves from the water, drain, and squeeze out the excess water.
Melt the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle in the nutmeg, if using, and stir.
Add the cream to the skillet and bring to a boil, whisking often. Stir in the greens; reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring often, until the greens are very tender, about 15 minutes, depending on the greens.
Slowly sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Continue to stir until the cheese is melted.
Season to taste with sea salt.
YIELD: 2 baby and 2 adult servings
NOTE
Beet leaves and radish leaves are also great choices. They are healthy and too beautiful to waste.
◁ LAMB’S LIVER SHEPHERD’S PIE
We don’t include many potato dishes, as they are abundant in the Standard American Diet. However, using potatoes with their peel can be acceptable. Potatoes do contain potassium, which supports healthy blood pressure, and manganese, which is good for bone and nerve health.
2 cups (220 g) coarsely chopped potatoes, unpeeled
3 tablespoons (42 g) coconut oil, ghee, or (45 ml) olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt, divided
1 pound (455 g) lamb’s liver, sliced (chicken liver can be substituted)
2 cups (240 g) finely chopped celery
1/2 pound (225 g) organic, pasture-raised bacon, chopped
1 cup (71 g) sliced mushrooms
1 cup (150 g) sugar snap peas (without pods)
1 cup (130 g) chopped carrot
1 red onion and 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (12 g) chopped parsley
1 tablespoon (4 g) chopped oregano (fresh preferred)
1 tablespoon (8 g) arrowroot starch, optional
2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds, optional
2 cups (475 ml) Souper Stock
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
Place the potatoes into a saucepan of boiling water. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain well. Purée with 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil (28 g) or ghee (30 g) and sea salt to taste.
As the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil or ghee in a skillet. Add the liver slices and cook until brown, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove the liver, divide the amount in half, and transfer each half to a separate glass or ceramic pie dish.
To the heated skillet, add the celery, bacon, mushroom, peas, carrots, onion, parsley, and oregano. Stir. Cook until the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining salt, optional arrowroot, and coriander. Add the Souper Stock and stir together.
Pour half of the mixture over the liver slices in each pie dish and then cover each evenly with half of the puréed potatoes.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
Optional: Brush 1 tablespoon (14 g) melted ghee over the top to inspire a golden “crust” after baking.
YIELD: 2 shepherd’s pies, or 6 to 8 servings
NOTE
Cauliflower can be used in place of potatoes.
◁ DELICIOUS DESSERT ARRAY
Nature makes many sweets to satisfy a sweet tooth, but these treats come with nutrients that support assimilation of sugars and the glucose tolerance factor, including chromium, magnesium, and B vitamins. It is very challenging to keep refined sugar completely out of your child’s diet. We urge you to make every effort to do so. Using whole fruit in various ways is healthy and sure to satisfy!
FRUIT DIPPED IN A COCONUT “SHELL”
1/2 cup (112 g) coconut butter
10 large ripe strawberries or other dippable fruit
Remove the lid and place the jar of coconut butter in a pot of warmed water on the stove. Stir the coconut butter as it begins to liquefy. If it doesn’t melt after 10 minutes, add a teaspoon or so of coconut oil and continue to heat.
Once the coconut butter is melted and stirred, pour approximately 1/2 cup (120 ml) into a warmed glass dish. Dip each strawberry into it, up to its green stem. The coconut butter will cling to the berry. Remove and set on parchment paper–lined cookie sheet.
Continue dipping all the berries and place in refrigerator or freezer until hardened.
YIELD: 10 dipped strawberries
ENZYME BLAST PUDDING
1 cup (235 ml) coconut cream
1 cup (175 g) fresh ripe mango chunks (about 2 mangoes) (can also use guava, papayas, or apricots)
1 cup (146 g) diced avocado (about 2 avocados)
In a blender, add the coconut cream, mango, and avocado. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Pour the mixture into individual serving bowls. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator to firm up and set. Top with a few fresh mango slices or other fruit.
YIELD: 3 cups (675 g)
FRUIT ICE CREAM
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup (weight will vary) frozen fruit, such as cherries, strawberries, or peaches
2 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup (235 ml) raw cream or coconut cream
Sprinkle the gelatin into the lemon juice and allow 5 minutes to bloom.
Heat the gelatin with the lemon juice until dissolved.
Place the fruit and egg yolks in a food processor with the gelatin mixture and purée. Add the cream and stir together.
Consume immediately or store in a shallow container, covered, in the freezer up to 1 month.
YIELD: 2 cups (280 g)
CANTALOUPE SORBET
3 cups (480 g) chopped ripe cantaloupe, frozen
1 pinch of Celtic sea salt
Remove the rind, chop, and freeze the cantaloupe overnight.
Purée with the sea salt in a food processor until smooth.
This is best consumed immediately.
For storage, transfer the sorbet to a shallow container, cover, and store in the freezer. Best if used within 2 days.
YIELD: 3 cups (450 g)
NOTE
Swap 1 cup (160 g) of cantaloupe for 1 cup (150 g) of chopped, seeded, frozen watermelon. You can also try honeydew, mango, or papaya.
HOMEMADE NATTO
We appreciate Dr. Mercola’s contributions to the wellness community and we attribute the following recipe to his website’s vast array of helpful information: www.mercola.com.
Generally, soy is a no-no in the diet. See chapter 3 for more information on the very real dangers of soy. Natto, however, is an exception. This is in the form of fermented soybeans, which are predigested, and it contains additional enzymes, making it easier to digest and helps improve the process of absorbing nutrients. It also aids in the production of more good bacteria in your gut, which helps with the health of your gut and immune system.
The number one reason, however, that we include natto in this book is due to its very high content of powerful vitamin K2. This is the MK-7 form of vitamin K2, and we also promote foods rich in the MK-4 form of vitamin K2, which are animal-based foods. We feel natto should be consumed in very small quantities, no more than once or twice per week.
Natto can be made in small batches or purchased (as from Rhapsody) and separated into small servings and stored frozen for a few months. Your baby can practice his pincer grasp on this sticky and interesting-smelling food that is staple for Japanese babies.
Please note that those with an underactive thyroid cannot tolerate high amounts of soy, especially fermented, with regard to its goitrogenic (thyroid-blocking) effects of both isoflavones and genistein. Eat very sparingly if you have hypothyroidism.
Sally Fallon Morell states in Nourishing Fats: Why We Need Animal Fats for Health and Happiness: “The main role of K2 is to place calcium where it belongs in [hard tissues such as] the bones and teeth, and prevent it from going where it does not belong, in the soft tissues, such as arteries and kidneys.”
1 pound (455 g) organic soybeans, small bean variety
0.1 gram Bacillus natto bacteria powder (such as Dr. Mercola’s Kinetic Vegetable Culture Starter)
Wash the soybeans and soak them in water to cover for 1 day.
Then, steam the soybeans for 3 to 6 hours. You should be able to easily crush them when they are done. Drain.
In a small bowl, mix the Bacillus natto bacterial powder with 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of the water used for steaming, once it has cooled. Stir until dissolved. Pour this mixture over the drained soybeans. Toss the beans to coat with the mixture.
Transfer into flat casserole dishes so the layer of soybeans is not too thick. Cover the pans with cheesecloth, which must be secured to the edges with clips or a rubber band around the edges.
Place in a turned-off oven, but turn the oven light on. The ideal fermentation temperature is 99 to 108°F (37 to 42°C). You can measure this with an ovenproof food thermometer
After 24 hours, place in your refrigerator for another day prior to eating.
The natto should be smelly, stringy, and sticky.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
YIELD: 1 pound (454 g)
NOTES
Use organic soybeans; if they are not organic, they are likely to be GMO.
You can order organic soybeans from brands like Rhapsody Natural Foods and store in the refrigerator, or separate into serving sizes and store in the freezer for a few months.
Other sources of the amazing vitamin K2 are grass-fed dairy, emu oil, and cheeses (such as Gouda and Brie). These animal sources provide the MK-4 form of vitamin K2. Supplements, if taken, however, should be of the MK-7 (plant) form, as the MK-4 supplements are synthetic.
This recipe is adapted from http://recipes.mercola.com/homemade-natto-recipe.aspx.
◁ SAUSAGE CHEESEBALLS AND STEVEN’S FAVORITE SAVORY SAUCE
These are kid-tested and dad-approved favorites. (Your toddler may like the sauce as a stand-alone soup as well. Steven did!) You might want to double the recipe, as these are often high in demand in many households.
Pork from pastured sources can be a good source of important vitamin D. Pork can be substituted for chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, buffalo, or beef. If any ingredients below are new, test them individually with your child before providing the meal in totality.
SAUSAGE CHEESEBALLS
1/2 pound (225 g) ground sausage (or plain ground pork with additional seasonings and sea salt to taste)
1/2 pound (225 g) ground beef (with heart, kidney, or liver if available)
1 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg
1/4 cup (32 g) arrowroot starch
Dash of red pepper or paprika, optional
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup (120 g) grated raw, grass-fed, organic cheese
Organic lard or coconut oil for sautéing
STEVEN’S FAVORITE SAVORY SAUCE
2 tablespoons (28 g) grass-fed, organic butter, ghee, coconut oil, or lard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, sliced or chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) Souper Stock
To make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together all the ground meat. Add the egg, arrowroot starch, seasonings, and cheese. Knead all the ingredients together and form into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté in warmed lard or coconut oil, turning frequently on all sides, until cooked through.
Alternatively, bake the meatballs on a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4) for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
To make the sauce: In a separate saucepan, warm the fat over medium heat and add the garlic and onion. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomato, oregano, basil, and sea salt. Add the Souper Stock and stir occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the Sausage Cheeseballs cool. Cut them into bite-size chunks and drizzle them with Steve’s Favorite Savory Sauce.
YIELD: 2 adult servings and 1 for baby
NOTES
If acceptable in your religion, pork from pastured animals can add a delicious flavor to meals, but should not be consumed more than beef, chicken, or fish in a weekly diet.
Beef or chicken or minced fish can be used as a substitute for pork.
MEATS AND MARINADES
Marinating adds rich flavor to any dish, helps to predigest meat, and offers antioxidants and other protection against harmful heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that form during cooking or grilling meat, all of which are related to cancer and/or aging of cells. Ironically, sugar increases HCAs, PAHs, and AGEs, and often in our SAD diet, it’s used in the marinades!
DAVE’S MARINADE
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (28 ml) tamari sauce
1 tablespoon (8 g) grated ginger
1 tablespoon (2 g) chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Mix all the ingredients together. Place meat in a zip-top plastic bag or glass container with a lid, pour the marinade over the top, and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours.
YIELD: 1 cup (235 ml)
NOTE
This marinade can also be used as a sauce. Heat it in a saucepan until boiling, reduce the heat, and let it simmer until it reduces by half. Only use marinade that has not been used to marinate raw meat.
TACO SEASONING FOR BEEF OR CHICKEN
Use this blend as a rub, as a seasoning when cooking meat, or as a marinade (add sauerkraut or lemon juice and an oil of choice).
1/2 tablespoon (3 g) turmeric
1 tablespoon (8 g) chili powder
1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground cumin
1 tablespoon (7 g) onion powder
21/2 teaspoons (8 g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix all the ingredients together.
Use 3 tablespoons (28 g) for every 1 pound (455 g) of ground meat.
YIELD: Enough for 2 pounds (907 g) ground meat
LETTUCE WRAPS
1 pound (455 g) ground beef
21/2 tablespoons (13 g) Taco Seasoning (at left)
6 to 8 lettuce leaves from butterleaf or romaine, for example, taking the largest outer leaves from 2 to 4 heads of lettuce
Brown the ground beef in a cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the seasoning over the cooked ground beef.
Serve the seasoned meat wrapped in lettuce leaves.
YIELD: 6 to 8 servings
◁ SOAKED AND SPROUTED NUTS AND SEEDS
Sprouting nuts and seeds makes them much more digestible and nutritious. After nuts and seeds are sprouted and dried, they can be ground into flour for recipes or made into nut butters or crusts for quiche, fruit tarts, or other dishes.
For nuts, try pecans, almonds, or walnuts (these are different from peanuts, which are not actually nuts, but legumes). For seeds, try pumpkin, squash, and sesame.
SOAKED NUTS
Nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, or others)
Water (twice as much as quantity of nuts)
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 g) Celtic sea salt
Soak the nuts in water with sea salt for 12 to 24 hours, covered. Rinse well. Dry the nuts on cookie sheets lined with paper towels, switching the paper towels throughout the day; alternatively, dry in a warm oven (150°F [66°C] or the lowest setting on your oven) or use a dehydrator (the best and easiest option).
NOTE
This same process can be applied to seeds.
SPROUTED NUTS AND SEEDS
Soak nuts or seeds in twice as much water as nuts and 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 g) sea salt. Cover for 12 hours. Rinse and drain every 3 to 4 hours or just leave the mixture overnight. Rinse very well.
Place the seeds or nuts in a jar (find a sprouting jar at your health food store or online).
If you do not have a sprouting jar, secure cheesecloth over the top of a Mason jar with a rubber band. Angle the jar, top down, in a dish-draining rack. Every 6 to 8 hours rinse 2 or 3 times by filling the jar with water and shaking, then draining.
When you notice sprouts (more obvious with seeds), move the jar into a well-lit area (but not direct sunlight) and continue to rinse well every 6 to 8 hours. Let sprouts grow for 3 to 5 days until you actually see a small sprout appear (be cautious during rinsing not to break it off, as this will cause spoiling during the sprouting process).
When complete, rinse very well. Dry on cookie sheets lined with paper towels, switching the paper towels throughout the day; alternatively, dry in a warm oven (150°F [66°C] or the lowest setting on your oven) or use a dehydrator (the best option).
YIELD: Will be equal to the amount of nuts or seeds used; typically 2 to 3 cups (about 200 to 300 g)
NOTES
Mix 3 cups (300 g) of assorted, soaked and dried nuts (crushed or mashed to the right size for your baby), with 2 beaten eggs, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each of vanilla extract and almond extract, and 1 teaspoon green stevia powder (just the leaves mashed and dried), optional. Mix well, and bake at 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3) for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes a great snack or gift in a Mason jar around the holidays.
Well-dried sprouted nuts and seeds can be stored in the refrigerator or cool pantry for 4 to 8 weeks.
Sprouted nuts and seeds can be ground up and used as flour in many recipes or processed with additional oil into homemade nut or seed butters or spreads. The significance of sprouting is that the nutritional value has been increased, the digestibility improved, and the antinutrients minimized; the actual sprout itself isn’t important.
Brazil nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts can also be used.
Peanuts are actually legumes and shouldn’t be soaked longer than 6 hours.
NUT FLOUR OR SEED FLOUR
Grind presoaked, dried nuts or seeds in a food processor or a coffee grinder to a flour-like consistency.
NOTE
Nut flours should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed with a few weeks.
NUT BUTTERS
Nut butters like almond, sunflower seed, and cashew can be purchased, but those were not previously soaked and many have added sugars and damaged fats, and nut butters can also contain aflatoxins (due to mold that develops during storage), which are known to cause liver cancer. The National Cancer Institute states: “Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The main fungi that produce aflatoxins are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing fungi can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.”
2 cups (about 200 g) soaked and dried nuts
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
2 tablespoons (28 ml or 28 g) oil (almond, coconut, or other)
In a food processor or Vitamix, mix together the nuts, sea salt, optional almond extract, and oil. Grind well. Store in the refrigerator in a Mason jar. Serve rolled into balls.
YIELD: 11/4 cups (about 325 g) nut butter
NOTE
Nut or seed butters should be consumed soon after grinding. Only grind what you’re going to consume.
◁ ASHLEY’S RASPBERRY CAROB DESSERT
While recommended to be used sparingly for a sweet treat, carob is preferred to chocolate. It is a source of vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, calcium, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. It can satisfy a chocolate craving, but does not contain caffeine, which should be avoided by babies, children, and nursing and pregnant moms.
12 raspberries
2 tablespoons (15 g) carob
1/4 cup (120 ml) coconut cream
Add all the ingredients to a blender or Vitamix.
Whip together and serve immediately.
YIELD: 1 to 2 desserts
NOTE
This pudding-like texture can give baby practice with her spoon.
ZUCCHINI BANANA BREAD
This healthy snack is particularly good warmed and buttered. It also makes a delicious “French toast.” Note: This is a two-day recipe.
2 cups (256 g) cassava or (240 g) tigernut flour
2 tablespoons (30 g) yogurt
1 cup (128 g) arrowroot starch
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 farm-fresh, organic, pastured eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 brown-spotted bananas, mashed
1 cup (90 g) grated zucchini
1/3 cup (75 g) coconut oil, butter, or ghee, melted
1/4 cup (55 g) coconut butter, warmed
The night before baking, mix the flour, yogurt, arrowroot starch, and water until a thick liquid dough forms. Pour into a medium-size glass, stainless steel, or ceramic bowl and cover with a plate. Allow to sit at room temperature overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3).
In another medium-size bowl, combine the baking soda and powder, sea salt, and spices.
In a large bowl, whip the eggs until frothy. Add the vanilla, mashed bananas, zucchini, coconut oil, and coconut butter. Mix until well blended. Fold in the flour mixture.
Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil and scoop in the dough. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the center.
VARIATIONS
This can also be made into muffins.
Instead of zucchini and banana, use:
» 2 cups (400 g) baked sweet potato, 2 cups (490 g) stewed apples, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
» 2 cups (490 g) pumpkin, 2 cups (490 g) stewed pears, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
YIELD: 1 loaf
◁ CAULIFLOWER ITALIAN DIPPER STICKS
We don’t advocate refined flour and commercial yeast, so that leaves out most breadsticks and the like. However, using cauliflower allows you to re-create the idea of breadsticks. This recipe uses cheese to bind the cauliflower and add flavor. Consuming with raw mom’s milk or other organic dairy will provide helpful enzymes, including lactase, for digestion.
1 medium head cauliflower
1 cup (115 g) raw mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Coconut oil or ghee for greasing baking pan
1/2 cup (40 g) shredded raw Parmesan cheese
Cut the cauliflower into chunks, removing the core. Process in a food processor until it’s a pearl-size consistency.
In a large saucepan, bring 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to a boil. Add the riced cauliflower, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7).
Drain the cauliflower well. Place the slightly cooled cauliflower in a cheesecloth or a clean dish towel and squeeze to remove all the remaining water.
Place the drained cauliflower in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup (58 g) of the mozzarella cheese, egg, oregano, basil, and garlic salt. Stir well.
Grease a stainless steel baking pan with coconut oil or ghee. Scoop the cauliflower into the pan and form it into an 81/2 × 11-inch (21 × 28 cm) rectangle. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and firm.
Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 1/2 cup (58 g) mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Cut into strips lengthwise as “breadsticks” and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
YIELD: Makes about 10 “breadsticks”
NOTE
Make your own marinara sauce by blending fresh tomatoes, Souper Stock, extra-virgin olive oil, and seasonings.
◁ FISH “STICKS” AND MOM’S TARTAR SAUCE
Free of preservatives, white flour, and flavor enhancers, homemade fish sticks are marvelous and fun. The tartar sauce is a healthful addition, as well. Most of these recipes are adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
FISH STICKS
1 pound (455 g) wild-caught cod or other mild, meaty fish, cut into strips or chunks
1 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg, beaten
1/2 cup (about 50 g) grated raw cheese like Parmesan, Romano, or asiago
3/4 cup (96 g) arrowroot starch, tigernut flour, or cassava flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon dill, dried or chopped fresh
3 to 4 tablespoons (42 to 55 g) ghee or (39 to 52 g) lard
Dip the fish into the egg so it is coated on all sides. Place the cheese, arrowroot, and seasonings into a Mason jar or large zip-top plastic bag and mix well. Add the fish to the jar or bag and shake to coat the fish, a few pieces at a time. In a large skillet, sauté the coated fish in the fat over medium heat, allowing each side to brown to golden for 3 to 5 minutes. Flip a few times during the cooking process.
TARTAR SAUCE
1 tablespoon (15 ml) unpasteurized pickle juice (from homemade, Bubbies, or Gut Shot)
3/4 cup (175 g) mayonnaise, based on avocado oil, if available (not soy or vegetable oil), or homemade
1/2 cup (115 g) organic, pastured sour cream (raw preferred)
1/2 teaspoon dill, dried or chopped fresh
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons (20 g) minced onion
1/4 cup (34 g) finely chopped dill pickles
Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-size bowl. Use to top warm fish.
YIELD: 4 to 6 servings for baby
NOTES
Good choices include salmon, trout, anchovies, herring, sardines, and shad.
Purdue University also offers a free app that can help you track your seafood consumption and estimate your intake of omega-3s, mercury, and PCBs, a group of industrial pollutants that can harm your baby’s nervous system.
◁ CELINA’S BENEFICIAL BEVERAGES
It is great to have healthy beverage alternatives to juice and soda pop, and these beverages serve as sources of nutrients, enzymes, and probiotics and as a digestive aid. Here are a few to try. These can also be frozen into ice pops in warm summer months or climates.
BERRY SHRUB
Shrubs are fun vinegar drinks that have been fermented so they provide great digestive benefits as well as nutritive benefits. Apple cider vinegar has so many benefits, entire books have been written on it alone. Shrubs go back to colonial days, when they were a popular way to preserve and enjoy the fleeting bounty of summer. Lisa Howard at TheCulturedCook.com has several additional recipes.
1/2 cup (85 g) sliced strawberries
1/2 cup (78 g) blueberries (thawed if frozen)
3 to 4 fresh mint leaves
2 cups (475 ml) apple cider vinegar
Crush the berries with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Combine the berries, mint leaves, and vinegar in a wide-mouth quart (950 ml) jar. Allow to sit for 1 to 30 days, while the flavors infuse.
To serve, add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 28 ml) to a glass of water or sparking water.
YIELD: 20 beverages
NOTES
Vinegar drinks can be made with almost any fruit, many vegetables, and unlimited combinations and can include various herbs and spices.
Only serve in small shot-glass size (1 to 2 ounces [28 to 60 ml]) servings at a time with a meal.
HOMEMADE GINGER ALE
Ginger is an excellent digestive aid that works great for nausea during pregnancy. This drink is the inspiration for the modern-day high fructose corn syrup–infused version. It is highly preferred and can be consumed for good health.
3/4 cup (96 g) peeled and grated or chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (48 g) Rapunzel brand rapadura or other whole-foods sweetener
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) whey (see Homemade Raw Dairy Whey)
2 quarts (1.9 L) filtered water
Mix together all the ingredients in a 2-quart (1.9 L) jug. Leave at room temperature for 48 to 72 hours and then move to the refrigerator.
Strain into the glass when serving.
YIELD: 2 quarts (1.9 L)
NOTE
This will keep for several months in the refrigerator.
COCONUT LIME “SPRITZER”
Unsweetened coconut water contains blood pressure–lowering and alkalizing minerals. Adding digestive support with apple cider vinegar along with the antioxidants fround in citrus results in a refreshing and revitalizing beverage!
1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut water, either out of a can where cream has been used, made from fresh coconut, or purchased as unsweetened coconut water
Juice of 1 lime
Juice from 1/2 orange or grapefruit
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
Pinch of Celtic sea salt or pinch of whole-plant ground stevia (this is a green powder that has a sweet, grass-like scent), optional
Combine all the ingredients in a jar. Refrigerate until served.
YIELD: Three or four 1- to 2-ounce (28 to 60 ml) beverages for baby
HOMEMADE ORANGINA
This is a favorite beverage for children in France, though the commercial form has excessive sugar. Making your own at home makes for a more nutritious and still delicious alternative.
Juice of 6 oranges
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons (60 ml) whey (see Homemade Raw Dairy Whey)
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
3 cups (700 ml) filtered water
Place the all ingredients in a 2-quart (1.9 L) jar. Stir well and cover tightly. Leave at room temperature for 48 hours and then move to the refrigerator.
Stir before serving.
YIELD: 2 quarts (1.9 L)
GINGERBREAD MAN MILKSHAKE
This is a kid-tested favorite and a great “dessert” for a special occasion or holiday. The benefit of raw or rare animal foods is their unadulterated state of nutrition (undamaged vitamins and minerals), but they’re most beneficial because of their enzyme content. Any animal foods consumed raw or rare must come from the purest sources, and meats, in particular, should be frozen a minimum of 14 days prior to raw or rare consumption.
Experts in traditional-foods nutrition say diets must always contain some raw animal foods (such as raw milk or raw eggs). Yolks add important amino acids and protein, making this smoothie a complete meal, as well as omega-3 fats and other vitamins and minerals. But most of all, a raw yolk adds a significant amount of enzymes.
1/2 cup (115 g) raw yogurt
1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut cream
1 to 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 small brown-spotted banana
1 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg yolk
In a blender, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Consume immediately.
YIELD: 1 cup (235 ml)
NOTES
If you use a raw egg yolk, choose a farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg; otherwise, you need to soft-boil the egg (see here), leaving the yolk runny but warm.
Enzymes are destroyed by cooking, and enzyme content follows caloric content; therefore, animal foods in a raw or undercooked state are excellent sources of enzymes!
RAINBOW ROOT FRIES
Root vegetables typically grow underground and serve as the root of their plant; they include carrots, horseradish, radishes, rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips. Often called roots, corms include celeriac, taro, and water chestnuts. Also generally seen as roots, onion and garlic are sulfur compound–containing bulbs. Rhizomes are also close to roots and include ginger and turmeric. White potatoes and yucca are tubers. Historically, root vegetables were never consumed raw. Often, they were harvested, stored in holes in the ground or root cellars, and cooked well, including in soups and stews, prior to consuming. Today, strong evidence exists that some of the vital nutrients found in many root vegetables—including carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber—can help fight cancer, diabetes, obesity, and inflammation-riddled conditions.
1 yucca
1 sweet potato
2 medium beets
2 large or 4 small rutabaga
1/3 cup (75 g) coconut oil, ghee, or lard
2 to 3 teaspoons (10 to 15 g) Celtic sea salt
Peel and julienne the root vegetables into slim sticks, or bigger if you desire.
Heat the fat in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot and a drop of water sizzles. Add the root fries in small batches. Use a splatter guard. Cook until slightly browned and then flip. Remove and let drain in a mesh strainer or on a paper towel.
Toss with sea salt and serve hot.
YIELD: 5 to 7 servings
NOTES
It is important to consume these fries, particularly yucca, with fat, fiber, and protein to slow down the blood-glucose spike that can be induced. We repeat purposefully: Carbohydrates should rarely, if ever, be consumed alone.
Taro, turnip, and parsnip are other root vegetables that work well as fries.
Alternative: Toss the root fries with bacon drippings, ghee, or warmed coconut oil and then sprinkle with sea salt. Place on well-oiled baking sheets. Roast for about 60 minutes at 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6) until browned and softened, flipping the fries 3 or 4 times. Serve immediately.
◁ FRIED “RICE”
Cauliflower contains vitamin C, vitamin K1, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, calcium, niacin, folate, and fiber. Cauliflower, if consumed raw in high quantities, can block thyroid function, but if cooked, it is not a concern. In fact, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts have anticarcinogenic properties (as described in various studies, as well as in Food Pharmacy by Jean Carper). Further, this dish includes turmeric, both a cancer and an inflammation fighter!
1 head cauliflower
3 tablespoons (42 g) animal fat of choice
1 pound (455 g) meat—peeled shrimp, diced chicken, diced pork, sausage, fish, or ground beef
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
1/2 pound (225 g) pea pods
1 to 2 farm-fresh, organic, pastured eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons tamari sauce
1/4 cup (25 g) chopped green onion
3 tablespoons (42 g) bone marrow, warmed and removed from bone, optional
Wash and thoroughly dry the cauliflower. Remove all the greens and cut the head into floret chunks. Discard the middle hard core.
Put the florets into a food processor. Depending on the size of your processor, you may need to do this in a couple of batches. Pulse the food processor several times until the cauliflower is the size of rice.
Once you have your cauliflower rice, set aside.
In a wok or large cast-iron skillet or tangine, heat the fat. Add the meat of choice, sprinkle with turmeric, and sauté until cooked to the desired doneness. Remove from the pan. Keep warm.
Add the garlic, onion, peppers, carrots, and pea pods to the hot skillet. Sauté until the vegetables soften, about 15 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and continue to cook 3 to 4 more minutes.
In a separate small skillet, cook the eggs until they are no longer runny.
Mix the cooked egg in with the vegetables. Return the meat to the pan and sprinkle the tamari sauce over all. Add the green onion and bone marrow, if using. Mix all the ingredients well and continue to cook until heated through.
YIELD: 4 to 6 servings
VARIATION
A cup (235 ml) of Souper Stock or coconut cream can be added to the fried rice at the end and then simmered for 5 minutes for a casserole-style dish.
NOTE
Cauliflower can also be riced using a box grater using the medium-size holes. For the grater method, you will want to leave the florets attached to the center core so you can hold it while grating.
OLD-FASHIONED MAYO SALADS
In the last century, “salad” has taken on a new meaning relative to what traditional salads once were. Salads of our great-grandparents’ era included leftover chicken, shrimp, or eggs mixed with mayonnaise—an emulsion of oil and eggs. Although mayonnaise can be used to make a salad dressing for today’s lettuce-based salads, mayonnaise is now based on soy (“vegetable”) oil, which is inflammatory and unhealthy on many fronts. Making your own mayonnaise or finding a product that is based on avocado oil or olive oil is recommended. Canola oil–based mayo is GMO and not the best choice. So many variations can be made with these simple salads, just by changing the ingredients, spices, and serving options.
HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE
(adapted from Nourishing Traditions)
1 teaspoon gelatin
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
2 farm-fresh, organic, pastured egg yolks, at room temperature
Celtic sea salt to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon whey, optional
1 cup (235 ml) avocado or blended oil (such as Chosen Foods Chosen Blend—a mixture of organic high-oleic safflower oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil)
Add the gelatin to the vinegar in a small bowl and let sit.
In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and whey, if using. Blend well. Add the gelatin and vinegar mixture.
Drop by single drop and with the motor running, add in the oil. You will see the oil emulsify—be patient.
When all the oil is fully emulsified, transfer the finished mayonnaise to a 16-ounce (475 ml) jar. Let the mayonnaise sit at room temperature, well covered, for 4 to 6 hours before refrigerating. The mayonnaise will last several months in the refrigerator and will become firmer in consistency with time.
YIELD: 11/2 cups (337 g)
CHICKEN SALAD
2 cups (280 g) cooked and chopped chicken
1/3 cup (75 g) mayonnaise
1/2 cup (60 g) finely diced celery
1/2 cup (63 g) chopped green apple
1/4 cup (25 g) sliced green onion
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Mix all the ingredients and chill in the refrigerator.
Serve the chicken salad on a bed of lettuce. Or, serve with chunks of red, yellow, or orange bell peppers and let your child use them to dip and scoop the salad. This is also a good way to pack the chicken salad for a school lunch.
YIELD: 2 cups (450 g)
EGG SALAD
4 farm-fresh, organic, pastured eggs
1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup (25 g) sliced green onion
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. Cover and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the hot water, cool, peel, and chop or mash the eggs.
Place the chopped eggs in a bowl and stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, and green onion. Season with sea salt and mix well.
The egg salad can be served in an avocado half or half a tomato after scooping out the seeds. It can also be served with Cauliflower Italian Dipper Sticks.
YIELD: 11/2 cups (337 g)
COCONUT BIRTHDAY CAKE AND FROSTING
This cake is delicious and is adapted from a recipe by Julie Matthews, autism nutrition expert and author of Nourishing Hope, a book we highly recommend. Coconut flour is dry, so there are many eggs in this recipe, which add positively to its nutrient profile. We recommend this cake, which uses honey, be a very special and rare treat. We’ve listed our versions of the Coconut Birthday Cake and Cashew Frosting, Julie Matthews’s versions of the Coconut Birthday Cake and Cashew Frosting, and a recipe for Coconut Butter Frosting.
OUR COCONUT BIRTHDAY CAKE
2 to 3 tablespoons (14 to 42 g) coconut oil for greasing cake pans
3/4 cup (84 g) coconut flour
1/3 cup (42 g) arrowroot starch
1/4 cup (22 g) shredded, unsweetened, unsulfured coconut
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 small ripe banana
7 farm-fresh, organic, pastured eggs
2/3 cup (150 g) grass-fed ghee, melted
1/3 cup (113 g) melted honey
2 tablespoons (28 ml) vanilla extract
1/4 cup (59 ml) coconut cream
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans.
Stir together the coconut flour, arrowroot starch, shredded coconut, sea salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Purée the banana. Beat the eggs and mix in the melted ghee, honey, vanilla extract, and coconut cream.
Blend all the wet ingredients together and then mix into the flour mixture. Thoroughly combine with a hand mixer, food processor, or Vitamix. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Frost the cake after it has thoroughly cooled.
This is best if served the next day.
YIELD: Two 8-inch (20 cm) cake layers
OUR CASHEW FROSTING
1 cup (140 g) cashews, pre-soaked and drained
5 dates, pitted and chopped
3/4 cup (175 ml) water
1/2 cup (112 g) warmed and stirred coconut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Dash of Celtic sea salt
Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor or Vitamix. Spread over the cooled cake to frost.
YIELD: 1 cup (240 g)
OUR COCONUT BUTTER FROSTING
3/4 cup (165 g) coconut butter
2 tablespoons (28 g) ghee
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons (20 to 40 g) raw honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup (56 g) crème fraîche
Warm a jar of coconut butter and a container of ghee in warm water.
Put the coconut butter, ghee, alond or vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup into a Vitamix or use a mixing bowl and hand mixer. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.
Add the crème fraîche and stir in by hand.
Spread on the cooled cake. The frosting will thicken if put into the refrigerator.
YIELD: 1 cup (240 g)