Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (154 page)

Supplies of vitamin A are so vital to the human organism that mankind is able to store large quantities of it in the liver and other organs. Thus, it is possible to subsist on a fat-free diet for a considerable period of time before overt symptoms of deficiency appear. But during times of stress, vitamin A stores are rapidly depleted. Strenuous physical exercise, periods of physical growth, pregnancy, lactation and infection are stresses that quickly deplete vitamin A stores. Children with measles rapidly use up vitamin A, often resulting in irreversible blindness. An interval of three years between pregnancies allows mothers to rebuild vitamin A stores so that subsequent children will not suffer diminished vitality.

One aspect of vitamin A that deserves more emphasis is its role in protein utilization. Kwashiorkor is as much a disease of vitamin A deficiency, leading to impaired protein absorption, as it is a result of absence of protein in the diet. High-protein, lowfat diets in children induce rapid growth along with depletion of vitamin A supplies. The results—tall, myopic, lanky individuals with crowded teeth and poor bone structure—are a fixture in America. Growing children in particular actually benefit from a diet that contains at least twice as many calories as fat than as protein. Such a diet, rich in vitamin A, will result in steady, even growth, a sturdy physique, and high immunity from illness.
Vitamin A Vagary

CRANBERRY-PEAR PIE

Serves 8

1 recipe
flaky pie crust

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1 cup maple syrup

6 large pears

4 ½ teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

Line a 9-inch pie plate with flaky pie crust dough and reserve the rest for making lattice. Place cranberries and maple syrup in a saucepan. Peel and core the pears and cut into ½-inch pieces, adding to maple syrup as you cut. Bring syrup to a boil and cook, stirring, for several minutes until cranberries begin to pop. Add the arrowroot mixture and cook another minute more, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Pour into pie shell. Make a lattice to cover the pear mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

COCONUT MOUSSE PIE

Serves 8

1 recipe coconut or
flaky pie crust
, baked

4 egg yolks at room temperature

½ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

1 tablespoon gelatin dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water

4 egg whites at room temperature

pinch of sea salt

1 cup heavy cream, preferably raw, well chilled

1 cup fresh coconut, grated, or 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut, finely shredded

2 cups
whipped cream

Beat egg yolks with Rapadura for several minutes until a pale ribbon forms. Blend in extracts, cream and gelatin. In a seperate clean bowl, beat egg whites with sea salt until stiff. Fold egg yolk mixture and coconut into egg whites. Pour into pie crust and chill well. Just before serving, spread with whipped cream.

A well-nourished child, first of all, measures up to. . .standards of his age in height and weight. He has good color, bright eyes, no blue or dark circles underneath them and smooth glossy hair. His carriage is good, his step elastic, his flesh firm and his muscles well developed. In disposition he is usually happy and good natured; he is brim full of life and animal spirits and is constantly active, both physically and mentally. His sleep is sound, his appetite and digestion good, his bowels regular. He is, in short, what nature meant him to be before anything else: a happy, healthy young animal. L. J. Roberts 'What Is Malnutrition?'
U.S. Department of Labor Publication No. 59
1944

RHUBARB PIE

Serves 8

1 recipe
flaky pie crust

4 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces

¾ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

2 tablespoons arrowroot

grated rind of 1 orange

2 tablespoons butter

Toss rhubarb with Rapadura, arrowroot and orange rind and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a shallow pie plate with flaky pie crust, reserving enough to make a lattice-work top. Fill pie crust with rhubarb mixture, dot with butter and cover with lattice work. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 40-45 minutes. Serve with
whipped cream
or
sweet cheese topping
.

In mice with surgically or chemically induced brain lesions, as in the Marshall, et. al., study, the liver, heart, kidneys and pancreas become enlarged. In a piece of research work done by a team long before the Marshall work, continuous intravenous injection of large amounts of dextrose (glucose) into 20 dogs caused death in all of them in 1 to 7 days. It also caused severe hemorrhage and destruction in the pituitary gland and pancreas and marked liver enlargement. This and other experiments create a compelling reason to believe that the habitual use of refined sugars and other carbohydrates over long periods can create brain lesions similar to the brain lesions produced in the laboratory. Edward Howell, MD
Enzyme Nutrition

PUMPKIN PIE

Serves 8

1 recipe
flaky pie crust

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

3 eggs

¾ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon powdered cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

grated rind of 1 lemon

1 cup
piima cream
or
creme fraiche

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

Line a 9-inch pie pan with flaky pie crust dough and pinch edge to make a border. Cream eggs with Rapadura. Gradually blend in other ingredients. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Serve with
whipped cream
.

The word for cinnamon is derived from the Greek word for Ceylon, which has been a source of this delicious spice since antiquity. It is made from the bark of a species of tree that grows in sandy soil beside rivers in warm wet zones. Today it is used to flavor everything from pickles to pipe tobaccos.

Cinnamon has many medical properties. It stimulates the digestive juices and has antiseptic properties. In China, a Taoist writer and alchemist of the fourth century AD wrote that if one took cinnamon along with the brains of toads for seven years a person could walk on water and avoid ageing and death! This hypothesis has not been tested. But studies do show that cinnamon stimulates insulin activity and thus helps the body process sugars more efficiently. Researchers found that three spices and one herb actually tripled insulin activity—cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and bay leaves, with cinnamon being the most powerful. Thus, cinnamon is an excellent spice to add to sweet desserts. SWF

LEMON-ALMOND TART

Serves 8

1 recipe
flaky pie crust

¾ cup
Crispy Almonds

3 eggs

¾ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

grated rind of 3 lemons

¾ cup lemon juice

4 tablespoons melted butter

Line a 10-inch French-style tart pan with flaky pie crust dough. In a food processor, process almonds into a fine powder. Add eggs and Rapadura and blend well. Blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into tart shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Variation: Orange Tart

Use
rind and juice from 2 oranges
instead of lemons.

WALNUT TART

Serves 8

1 recipe
flaky pie crust

1
¹
/
₃
cup crispy walnuts (
crispy pecans
)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup Rapadura (see
Guide to Natural Sweeteners
)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon coffee extract

2 tablespoons brandy (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon sea salt