Healthy Community Initiative
Good Health Starts with Good Nutrition
Rural Vermont Church Finds Hope in Tomorrow by Providing Healthy Food to Residents Today.
Guide to Food Chemicals:
The top 12 to avoid
More than 10,000 chemicals are allowed in food sold in the U.S. Many of these used chemicals are associated with major health harms, including increased risk of cancer, developmental harm and hormone disruption.
EWG’s Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Chemicals shows you which chemicals in food to avoid:
A possible human carcinogen added to flour in packaged baked goods.
A preservative used in pastries and some tortillas. It causes developmental
and reproductive harm.
Better known as BHA, is a preservative used in cured meats and
other foods. Multiple sources have identified it as a possible human carcinogen.
Butylated hydroxytoluene, also called BHT, is a preservative found in cereals and other
foods. It’s a chemical cousin of BHA and is a possible human carcinogen.
A color additive used mostly in candy. It may damage DNA.
Synthetic food dye can be found in many types of food and beverages. It can affect
development and cause behavioral difficulties in children. There are seven dyes that are
especially concerning: Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that can affect the hormones that regulate metabolism
and have a negative effect on weight control. It has also been linked to heart disease and
increased risk of cancer.
ADA (Azodicarbonamide)
ADA, is used as a dough conditioner and strengthener, as well as a bleaching agent in
breads and pastries. ADA has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. It may also cause
liver and kidney injury and affect the blood and the nervous and respiratory systems.
A preservative used in vegetable oil, meat products and chewing gum,
among other products. It may cause hormone disruption and has been linked to an increased
risk of asthma, hyperactivity and even cancer.
A preservative used mostly in carbonated drinks, fruit juice, salad
dressing and fermented foods. When combined with ascorbic acid, citric acid and vitamin
C, it has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. The reaction between sodium benzoate
and any of these three compounds forms benzene, a chemical associated with blood cancer.
BVO (Brominated vegetable oil)
Is used to stabilize citrus flavors in sodas and fruity drinks. It can cause neurological and
reproductive harm and thyroid toxicity.
An additive used to preserve meat. When added to processed foods, nitrites are associated
with an increased risk of cancer.
Detoxifying Diet
Incorporate foods that have "detox superpowers":
Beets: Full of nutrients and liver-supporting vitamins
Lemons: Packed with vitamin C, needed for the liver detox process
Apples: Stimulate bile production needed to release toxins from the liver
Leafy green veggies: Foundation for any daily detoxification program
Garlic and Onions: Help stimulate the liver production of detox enzymes
Broccoli sprouts: Stimulate detoxification enzymes in the digestive tract
Green tea: Contains catechins, an antioxidant that increases liver function
Cilantro: Binds to heavy metals, loosening them from the blood, tissues, and organs
Fermenting
Good resource: “Fermented Vegetables” by Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey
Reasons to Ferment:
Fermented foods are one of humankind’s first processed convenience foods. It’s a convenient way to preserve vegetables and fruit while retaining nutrients and deepening the flavors. It is also strategy for saving money and for seasonal eating. Fermented foods are filled with “good” bacteria—microbes that predigest the food we eat so it delivers more nutrients to our bodies. Fermented foods also outcompete “bad” bacteria (the kind that make us unwell) in our digestive systems.
Fermented foods help us maintain balanced, healthy microbial diversity in our gut which means that our digestion works better and we are less susceptible to chronic diseases. Fermentation of vegetables also boosts the amount of antioxidants they contain. Also, the vegetables are broken down at the cell and nutrient level increasing the content of minerals, B vitamins, and vitamin C.
We get more from our vegetables if they are fermented!
It does not take long to prepare your own fermented foods – you chop (or shred), add salt, massage and mash, then stuff into a jar. Add the weight and special fermenting lid and then let the microbes do the work—from a week to three weeks. Once the fermenting is done, the fermented vegetables are refrigerated and last a long time while kept cold.
How does fermentation work:
The shredded vegetables are submerged in brine in jars with special airlock lids. No oxygen may get to the vegetables since the microbes do their work anaerobically. The natural sugars in the vegetables are converted by the microbes into a tangy lactic acid, releasing CO2 through the airlock lids.
Special Tools you need to get started:
Small mouthed 1-quart sized mason jar, special fermenting lid (air locks) to fit the jars, small weight to keep the vegetables submerged in brine, a tamper to help mash the vegetables so that they release their juice. This juice combined with salt becomes the brine in which the vegetables are submerged. Of course, you will also be using a grater or a knife, a cutting board, bowl, measuring cups and spoons.
Ingredients you need to get started:
Vegetables: cabbage for sauerkraut. Other vegetables that work well are carrots, beets, onions.
Salt: The best salts are sea salt, Himalayan salt, pickling salt, and kosher salt. (Avoid iodized salt.)
Basic Sauerkraut Recipe:
Ingredients to make 1 quart of Sauerkraut:
A firm head of Cabbage (red or white) – 6 ¾ to 7 cups shredded
One good sized leaf of the cabbage to cover the shredded cabbage – this is called the “primary follower”
Salt – 3 teaspoons
Directions:
Finely slice (shred or grate) the cabbage.
Put into a bowl and sprinkle the salt over the cabbage.
Mix together.
Then massage the cabbage until it begins to look glossy and releases its juice. Use a tamper to mash the cabbage more.
Cover the bowl and let stand for an hour to let the salt do its work of releasing more liquids from the cabbage.
Pack the cabbage firmly into the 1-quart sized mason jar, using the tamper to press down, making sure no air remains in the cabbage. The brine will begin to surface. Pack the cabbage just below the shoulder of the jar. Now you add the cabbage leaf and tuck it around the shredded cabbage to keep the small bits of cabbage from floating to the top of the brine. Then place the small weight (the “weighted follower”) on top of the cabbage leaf. Then add the fermenting lid and screw on tight. The valve on top of the lid will release the build up of CO2 and at the same time not let in any oxygen.
Store jar in a dark place where recommended temperatures are between 55 and 75o F for up to three weeks. When the fermentation process is considered ready, the cabbage will look somewhat translucent, smell sour, be soft but still firm, and taste pleasantly sour.
Sometimes a little bit of mold can form on top. Just open the lid, scoop the mold off with a spoon, and make sure the two “followers” are firmly in place with the brine covering the cabbage. Replace the lid firmly.