Homemade Liver Powder

I struggle with anemia.  Between my Crohn's Disease and having been pregnant and/or nursing for over seven consecutive years, my iron levels can get pretty low.  While pregnant I always experience a dip in my hemoglobin levels in the beginning of the third trimester, where I test around 8.0 (normal range for women is between 12.0-15.5 and slightly lower at 11.0 during pregnancy).  I've also had flare-ups of Crohn's Disease in which my anemia is so bad that they were considering blood transfusions.

Because of this problem, I've had to find ways to deal with my anemia through diet.  Traditional iron supplementation is not a good solution, as most iron supplements can make constipation even worse during pregnancy and are typically made up on non-heme iron that does not absorb well at all.  And if you have a child who is suffering from anemia, supplements can be dangerous because children often overdose on iron.  It really is best to focus on getting your iron through your diet and also making sure you aren't eating foods that leach the iron from your system or inhibit its absorption.

There are two forms of dietary iron - heme and non-heme.  Heme iron comes from animal-based sources that are full of hemoglobin, such as meat and fish.  Non-heme iron comes from plant-based sources like beans and fortified grains and is not absorbed as well into the body.  In fact, the reason that grains are fortified with things like iron is because the food itself, when improperly prepared, can actually leach iron from your body.

Besides avoiding grains and improperly prepared beans and legumes, when I'm dealing with anemia I also avoid black tea, which is full of tannins that decrease iron absorption (lighter teas, like white and green do not seem to have the same effect).  I also make sure not to eat any dairy or other calcium-rich food with my iron-rich foods.  Just making those small changes to my diet has increased my hemoglobin score four points in one month during pregnancy, without having to take an iron supplement.

I obviously also try to increase my heme iron intake.  During pregnancy, I follow a form of the Brewer Diet and try to eat iron-rich organ meat at least once a week, usually in the form of pastured beef liver.  The problem with this is that there are times during pregnancy where nausea makes stomaching the very potent smell and taste of the liver nearly impossible.  Because of this, it helps to get creative with your liver consumption.  One way to do that is to freeze your liver in small chunks and swallow them whole like a pill throughout the day.  If you're like me and have a strong gag reflex during pregnancy, that may not be the best solution.

Making your own iron pills is easy and a great solution to this problem.  People often use this process after pregnancy to encapsulate their placenta - dehydrate the meat, grind it down into a powder, and fill your empty gelatin capsules.

Here is how I did it with pastured beef liver (remember to only use pastured beef liver that is from a reputable source).  First, I cut the liver into thin strips, placed it on a cookie sheet, and baked it in the oven on the lowest setting possible (170) for approximately ten hours.  You do NOT want to put the iron in your dehydrator inside of the house, because the smell will be horrible and will take a really long time to air out.  Having it in the oven is also pretty noxious, but not nearly as bad as it would be in the dehydrator.  Within 24 hours the smell was gone in my kitchen when I dried it out in the oven.

Once your liver is dry, put it in the food processor until it is ground into a fine powder:

Next, take empty gelatin capsules and fill them with the powder.  For mine, I used these:

I was making these for my six-year-old son, who has a hard time with swallowing bigger pills.  If you're making these for an adult, you may want to use a larger size capsule.  These #3 capsules only hold up to 360 mg of the powder, while the 00 size can hold up to 1092 mg.

To fill them you just dump all of your powder into a bowl, take apart the capsule, scoop the powder into both ends and then put the capsule back together.  So simple!

If you're like me and you battle anemia, you can feel it coming on.  Whenever you're feeling a little run-down and irritable, just pop a handful of the capsules and let the liver do its magic.  Remember to store your pills in the fridge.

You can also skip the encapsulation step and use your powder in other ways - put some in your meatloaf or burger patties for an extra iron punch, or in any other casserole that will hide the liver flavor well.

I add a tablespoon to my smoothies.  1 Tablespoon liver powder, 2 cups of homemade raw yogurt, 1 tablespoon of raw local honey, 1 tablespoon homemade nut butter, some raw spinach, and a cup of frozen fruit - talk about a superfood with all of the nutrients, probiotics, digestive healing, and allergy help!

My kids usually do well with eating cooked liver, but a smoothie is one way to get a picky child to consume it without a fight and to make it feel like a treat!

 
-Jessica

LOTW - Arsenic in Chicken

Here is the link of the week: FDA Finally Admits Chicken Meat Contains Cancer-Causing Arsenic

 

Highlights of the article:

 

Arsenic has been added to chicken feed for the last sixty years and the poultry industry and FDA have said it does not end up in the meat.

 

The FDA is claiming that the levels of arsenic are too low to cause any harm, even though the chicken feed (manufactured by a subsidiary of Pfizer, of course) has now been pulled off the market in the United States. 

 

The poultry industry and FDA have known for years that chicken feces contains this arsenic.  That feces (chicken litter) is fed to cows that are factory raised, which of course contaminates the beef as well.

 

If you thought you needed yet another reason to avoid the meat sold in your supermarket, you now have it.  Buy locally-raised, pastured meat!

Nitrates/Nitrites

I first heard about nitrates when I was pregnant with David. Prior to that point I never worried about what was in processed meats, because I had been a vegetarian for nearly a decade. When I started eating meat again I knew I would need to read up on the food restrictions for pregnant women that my doctor was recommending.

I remembered hearing that doctors want you to limit the consumption of lunch meat while pregnant because it could possibly contain listeriosis (an infection caused by bacteria) and that you should always heat your lunch meat in the microwave. As I researched further I realized that listeriosis wasn't the only concern with processed meats, but that nitrates and nitrites were equally dangerous.

I adopted a policy when I became pregnant with my first son - if it is unsafe for my unborn child, it is probably unsafe for me even when I'm not pregnant. Thinking this way has changed everything from the way I clean my house to the drugs I am willing to take to the foods I choose to put into my body.

What are nitrates/nitrites? What is the difference?

Nitrates are the salts of nitric acid. Nitrites are the salts of nitrous acid.

Sodium nitrate is found naturally in green, leafy vegetables. The reason it is used as a food preservative is because it is antimicrobial. Other uses for sodium nitrate - used in the production of fireworks, instant cold packs, fertilizer, pottery, and rocket fuel; used to treat waste water.

Sodium nitrite is a preservative, but is also used because it helps keep the color of the food from changing over time. Other uses for sodium nitrite - used in the production of fabric dyes, rubber, and metal coatings; used as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.

What foods contain nitrates/nitrites?

Bacon, ham, frankfurters, lunch meats, smoked fish, corned beef, etc. Basically any of the meat you find in the deli area at the grocery store.

Leafy greens can have high levels of nitrites when they are commercially grown, especially when fertilizers with high levels of nitrogen are used.

Nitrates form in cooked vegetables during storage. It is suggested that you avoid consuming reheated vegetables (especially green veggies).

Why should I care about nitrates? The FDA says they're safe in moderation.

The FDA believes that small amounts do not pose a risk, but advises that pregnant women and infants do not consume foods containing this additive. In fact, the USDA does not allow foods marketed to babies, infants and toddlers to contain nitrates or nitrites. This is because the consumption of nitrates can lead to methemoglobinemia in babies, children, and even some adults that are susceptible (those with inherited mutations, certain vegans/vegetarians with insufficient stomach acid, people with food allergies, asthmatics, etc.).

Study after study has shown that when animals are exposed to high levels of the food additive, they are more likely to develop cancers (especially of the esophagus, stomach, large intestine, bladder and lungs).

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is an FDA watchdog agency that rates food additives for safety, giving each additive one of the following rankings: safe, cut back, caution, certain people should avoid, and avoid (unsafe in amounts consumed or is very poorly tested and not worth any risk). Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are given an "AVOID" ranking - here is why:

"Adding nitrite to food can lead to the formation of small amounts of potent cancer-causing chemicals (nitrosamines), particularly in fried bacon. Nitrite, which also occurs in saliva and forms from nitrate in several vegetables, can undergo the same chemical reaction in the stomach. Companies now add ascorbic acid or erythorbic acid to bacon to inhibit nitrosamine formation, a measure that has greatly reduced the problem. While nitrite and nitrate cause only a small risk, they are still worth avoiding.

Several studies have linked consumption of cured meat and nitrite by children, pregnant women, and adults with various types of cancer. Although those studies have not yet proven that eating nitrite in bacon, sausage, and ham causes cancer in humans, pregnant women would be prudent to avoid those products.

The meat industry justifies its use of nitrite and nitrate by claiming that it prevents the growth of bacteria that cause botulism poisoning. That’s true, but freezing and refrigeration could also do that, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a safe method using lactic-acid-producing bacteria. The use of nitrite and nitrate has decreased greatly over the decades, because of refrigeration and restrictions on the amounts used. The meat industry could do the public’s health a favor by cutting back even further. Because nitrite is used primarily in fatty, salty foods, consumers have important nutritional reasons for avoiding nitrite-preserved foods."

"But I love bacon. I couldn't live without it!"

I hear you loud and clear. I didn't eat meat for nearly ten years and the first "meat" I decided to consume once I made the decision to become a carnivore again was bacon. A life without bacon just sounds sad.

Prior to the use of these food additives, people preserved their meats through salt curing, smoking, and lacto-fermenting. In fact, you can still find brands that practice these methods (if you're willing to pay a little extra for them).

We try to purchase most of our meats through local farmers, but one of our favorite grocery store brands is Applegate Farms. We enjoy their Natural Sunday Bacon. I even feel safe saving the grease from this bacon for other uses in the kitchen. Gabe loves their Natural Hot Dogs and I feel safe giving them to him as an occasional treat. Both of these products are organic, antibiotic/hormone-free and vegetarian-fed. I prefer buying meat that is pastured, but when you're in a traditional grocery store you sometimes have to settle.

If you're looking for lunch meats, Hormel Natural Choice brands do not contain nitrates/nitrates or MSG. Even large chain stores sell this product.

You don't have to give up your favorite foods to avoid these potentially dangerous food additives. There are so many choices out there for you!

-Jessica

**I have not been paid by any of the companies mentioned above to promote their products. These are just products that I feed to my family.**

Sources:

Fallon, Sally. Nourishing traditions the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats.
Washington, DC: NewTrends Pub., 1999. Print.

"Food Additives ~ CSPIs Food Safety." Center for Science in the Public Interest. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. .

"Nitrate -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. .

Food Combinations For Optimal Health

Several years ago Adam and I noticed that the order in which we were eating our foods was having an effect on our digestion. At the time I was reading The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin, which talked a little about food combining diets. We looked into it briefly and made a few changes to our diets - mainly eating our salads and fruits first so that they didn't sit and rot in our stomachs after we were done eating. Adam noticed a change in his digestion immediately.

On the way home from work a few weeks ago, he heard a radio program by Dr. Ann Wigmore about food combinations and it reignited our interest in the topic. Many of the things we have learned during our research over the past few weeks has been very interesting.

Fun food-combining facts:

Eat Vitamin C with Green Tea because it increases the absorption of the antioxidants in the tea. For example - squeeze lemon into your tea.

Eat Vitamin-rich foods with Fats because many essential vitamins (especially A,D and E) are absorbed best by the body when eaten with fats. For example - cook your vitamin-rich veggies in an oil.

Eat Garlic with Fish because studies show the garlic helps lower the LDL-cholesterol in fish oil.

Eat Turmeric with Black Pepper because the piperine in the pepper increases the anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and tumor-fighting effects of the turmeric.

Eat Rosemary with Grilled Meat because the herbs antioxidants soak up the carcinogens in the meat. Eating cruciferous vegetables with grilled meat is also recommended. Read more about that here.

Eat Leafy Greens with Citrus because Vitamin C helps your body absorb plant-based iron. For example - squeeze lemon on your spinach.

Eat Oatmeal with Vitamin C because the combination of the phenols in both foods stabilizes LDL cholesterol. For example - squeeze an orange into your oatmeal.

Other Food Combination Rules:

These are based on Dr. Ann Wigmore's program.

1 - Eating one food per sitting is always best.
2 - Melons should always be eaten alone.
3 - There are three kinds of fruits - acid, subacid and sweet. Never eat acidic (orange, grapefruit, pomegranate, strawberry, pineapple, tangerine, lemon, lime, and kiwi) and sweet (banana, dates, raisins, papaya, fresh fig, grapes, persimmon and other dried fruits) together.
4 - Don't mix fruits and veggies, except for tomatoes.
5 - Don't mix starches and proteins, because starches create alkali in the stomach, while proteins create acid - they neutralize one another and make digestion difficult.
6 - Don't drink while eating because it dilutes your stomach acid and enzymes, making it harder to digest food.
7 - Eat raw foods before cooked.
8 - Only eat one type of protein per meal.
9 - Don't eat milk with meat.
10 - Don't drink wine with ale or beer.

Some of these things seem like common sense, but others go against everything our society teaches about healthy eating. We have always been told that you should eat a well-balanced meal, complete with protein, carbs, fruits, veggies and a large glass of water to keep you from overeating. This research by Dr. Wigmore shows that doing so causes serious digestive problems, which may be the reason that the average American walks around with nearly 5 pounds of undigested, rotting meat in their system.

We hear a lot about how eating small meals, or grazing, throughout the day is a great way to keep your metabolism burning, but it may also be a good way to follow these food combination rules. Eating one item at each sitting, several times throughout the day, may be the best way to keep your digestive system healthy.

I realize that there are a lot of different rules out there and it is really hard to keep them all in mind when you are planning a meal. I think that every little bit helps and if you can remember to do a few of them at a time it is better than not doing any of them at all. Eventually the rules will become easier to follow as you slowly incorporate them into your diet.

-Jessica

Sources:

"Ann Wigmore and the Hippocrates Health Program." Reasonably, Rationally, and Realistically Raw. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

"Healthy Food Combinations." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

"Healthy Food Combinations: Men's Health.com." Men's Health - Men's Guide to Fitness, Health, Weight Loss, Nutrition, Sex, Style and Guy Wisdom. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

"Vitamin C May Boost Absorption of Green Tea's Antioxidants." Alternative Medicine - Everything You Need to Know About Alternative Medicine. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

My Superfoods

Organ Meat (especially liver)

Wheat Germ

Leafy Greens

Sunflower Seeds

Mollusks

Squash and Pumpkin (the fruit and seeds)

Rice Bran

Wild Game Meat

Eggs

Lentils

Nuts

I have been on a prenatal vitamin for nearly three years now, but am unable to take most prescription strength types because they contain either soy or a stool softener that can upset my Crohn's Disease. I have found a few OTC vitamins that seemed to work well in the past, but lately they have been upsetting my stomach.

Because of this, I decided to start researching what exactly these vitamins contain. I discovered that most of the brands you find on the store shelves are synthetic - vitamins created in a laboratory from coal tar derivatives, which are not absorbed by your body in the same way as vitamins from natural plants and other materials. Even when the vitamins say they are coming from natural sources, we don't know exactly what that means. For example - Vitamin E often comes from soybean oil (most likely genetically modified at that).

So, I've made a decision to stop taking vitamins and to focus more on getting my vitamins from the food I eat. This decision lead me to NutritionData, a website that allows you to search for foods that contain high levels of certain vitamins and minerals. From the lists they provided, I weeded out the processed and enriched foods to find the raw foods containing the highest levels.

While looking at the lists I created, I noticed that many of the same foods were appearing over and over again. Organ meat (especially liver) was found on 46% of the lists. Leafy greens (especially spinach) and wheat germ were on 36%, while sunflower seeds and mollusks were on 32%. Squash and pumpkin seeds were on 27% and the following foods were on 18% of the lists - rice bran, wild game meat, eggs, lentils, and nuts.

So I am now considering these foods my "superfoods" and am going to make an effort to include them in my diet as much as possible. I've always known that I need to eat these foods, but never really knew why until now.

Here are the specific lists:

Foods high in Vitamin A -Leafy greens, Carrots, animal liver, Broccoli, Asparagus, Cabbage, prunes, Okra, Leeks, Kiwi. Full list found here.

Foods high in Vitamin B6 - hot peppers, Paprika, Summer squash/zucchini, Watercress, Bell peppers, Turnip greens, Bamboo shoots, Spinach, Okra, Garlic. Full list found here.

Foods high in vitamin B12- Mollusks, Animal liver, Crustaceans, Animal heart, Fish, Wild game meat, Eggs, Milk, Beef, Poultry. Full list found here.

Foods high in Vitamin C - Bell peppers, guavas, Currants, Hot peppers, Orange peel/oranges, leafy greens, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Papaya, lemons. Full list found here.

Foods high in Vitamin D - Cod liver oil, Fish, Oysters, Eggs, Cheese, Milk, Mushrooms, Clams. Full list found here.

Foods high in Vitamin E - Wheat germ oil, Hazelnut oil, Almond oil, Sunflower seeds, Paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, grapeseed oil, Almonds, Flaxseed oil. Full list found here.

Foods high in Vitamin K - Kale, Swiss chard, Dandelion greens, Collard greens. Full list found here.

Foods high in folate - Yeast, Animal liver, Beans (mothbeans, chickpeas, cowpeas, mung beans, etc.), lentils, Giblets, Wheat germ, Peanuts, Sunflower seeds, Spinach. Full list found here.

Foods high in calcium - Whey, Milk, Cheese, Seaweed, agave, Grape leaves, Flaxseed, Leafy greens. Full list found here.

Foods high in iron - Whale/seal/walrus meat, Animal spleen, Animal liver, Seaweed, Clams, Yeast, Pumpkin/squash seeds, Sesame seeds, Bell peppers. Full list found here.

Foods high in magnesium - rice bran, Seaweed, Wheat bran, Pumpkin/squash seeds, Flaxseed, Brazilnuts, Sesame seeds, Beans (yardlong, cowpeas, hyacinth, etc.), Sunflower seeds. Full list found here.

Foods high in zinc - Oysters, Wheat germ, Agave, Animal liver, Pumpkin and squash seeds, Beef, Wild game meat (bear, caribou, bison, elk), Lamb, whale. Full list found here.

Foods high in potassium - Palm hearts, Beans (white, lima, black, etc.), Molasses, Wheat bran, Nuts (pistachio, ginkgo, chestnuts, etc.), Lentils, Arrowhead, Wheat germ, Sunflower seeds. Full list found here.

Foods high in phosphorus - Rice bran, Smelt, Seeds (pumpkin, squash, sunflower, etc.), Wheat bran, wheat germ, Cheese (Parmesan, goat, gruyere, swiss, etc.), Cashews, Oats, Walnuts, durum wheat. Full list found here.

Foods high in copper - Animal liver, Oysters, Seaweed, Dried shiitake mushrooms, Sesame seeds, Nuts (cashews, brazilnuts, walnuts, etc.), Lobster, Sunflower seeds, Lentils. Full list found here.

Foods high in manganese - Rice bran, Wheat germ, Nuts (hazelnuts, pine nuts, etc.), Oats, Mussels, Maple syrup, Bulgur, Spelt, Grape leaves. Full list found here.

Foods high in selenium - Nuts, Mollusks, Animal kidneys, Animal giblets, Durum wheat, Sunflower seeds, Wheat germ, Kamut, Animal liver, Fish . Full list found here.

Foods high in choline - Egg, Organ meat, Whey, Beef, Game meat, Pork, Veal, Animal fat, Milk, Beef stock/broth. Full list found here.

Foods high in beta carotene - Grape leaves, Carrots, sweet potatoes, Leafy greens, pumpkin, Squash, Cabbage, Plums, Peas, apricots. Full list found here.

Foods high in lycopene - Tomatoes, Watermelon, Grapefruit, Asparagus, Red cabbage, Carrots, Chicken liver. Full list found here.

Foods high in Betaine - Quinoa, Spinach, Beets, Kamut, Bulgur, Amaranth, Tilapia, Oat bran, Beef, Game meat. Full list found here.

Foods high in Pantothenic Acid - Rice bran, Organ meat, Whey, Egg, Shiitake mushrooms, Wheat germ, Lentils, Peanuts, Cheese. Full list found here.

-Jessica

Note - on NutritionData, I used the Nutrient Search Tool and sorted for foods highest in a particular vitamin or mineral based on levels per 100-gram serving.

Pastured Beef

With the creation of factory farms, the diet of the cow has drastically changed. Cows are fed a soybean/grain feed, that is too high in protein for their livers to handle and is full of pesticides. Subsequently, only 5% of the cows that are slaughtered have livers that can be eaten. These cows eat this meal not in an open pasture, but rather in cement feedlots, where they have to be given steroids and antibiotics, as well as synthetic vitamins, in order to stay healthy. All of these toxins are then found in the milk and meat of these cows.

Cows that live in confinement survive an average of 1.8 lactations (births) before they are sent to be slaughtered, whereas cows that are grass-fed/pastured live 10-12 years and usually birth 8-10 calves. This is because a diet of natural grass is much healthier for the cow (and in turn for us) than a diet of grain.

Pastured cow milk contains high levels of vitamins A, D, and E, as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This acid is known to protect lab animals against breast cancer. It also increases metabolism, promotes muscle deposition vs. fat, lowers cholesterol and insulin resistance, and boosts the immune system.

Pastured beef contains a better mineral status than grain-fed beef, with especially high levels of zinc and magnesium. Beef is good for your nervous system and heart because of it's vitamin B12 and carnitine content. The palmitoleic acid in beef prevents virus growth and helps with weight loss.

For years we have been told that red meat is bad for you and that it should be avoided for a healthy diet. But, I feel that this only applies to the meat from unhealthy, grain-fed cattle. When cows are given a chance to feed on highly nutritious grass, especially in the spring and early summer, they are much healthier and produce a leaner meat that does not contain the fat that confined beef contains.

A couple of facts about cooking beef:

Don't let the internal temperature of your meat cook above 212 degrees. This makes the meat harder to digest and can allow pathogens to grow in your colon.

Limit your intake of grilled meat, because the flames synthesize the hydrocarbons in the meat (carcinogens). Eating broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, lacto-fermented veggies, or relishes with your grilled meat will help to neutralize these carcinogens, because they contain lactic acid.

The taste of grass-fed beef and butter:

It took some getting used to when we first starting eating grass-fed beef. It gives off an "earthy" smell while cooking and tastes oily, almost like fish. But after eating it for a while, we now prefer the taste to the meat you can buy in the grocery store. It has a better flavor and is much leaner.

The butter from pastured cows is amazing. It is flavorful and sweet, especially in the beginning of the summer.

Where you can find pastured beef and butter:

Try your local farmer's market or health-food store. Even if they don't have it there, if you ask around you can usually find someone who knows a farmer selling it.

Remember that the organic meat in the grocery store, although usually free of antibiotics, hormones and steroids, is not necessarily pastured. Many times that just means the cows were fed organic grain that was free of pesticides.

-Jessica

Sources:

Fallon, Sally. Nourishing traditions the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats. Washington, DC: NewTrends Pub., 1999.

Rubin, Jordan. Maker's diet. New York: Berkley Books, 2005.

"Health Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid." Natural Health Information Articles and Health Newsletter by Dr. Joseph Mercola. 19 July 2009 .

Rubel, William. "Homemade Butter: The Best You'll Ever Have." Mother Earth News June 2009.