Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (21 page)

To make us healthy, our food must taste good; it must be digestible, and it must be eaten in peace. Even whole foods, properly prepared according to traditional methods, do us no good if we eat them with a grudge; they will not confer health on the person who does not forgive. It is the loving heart who will find, in the pages that follow, guidelines for providing an abundance of all the nutrients we need to live healthy, happy and productive lives.

GUIDE TO FOOD SELECTION

A sound approach to food selection, one that will serve you better than the USDA Food Pyramid, divides our choices into three distinct categories:
Nourishing Traditional Foods, Compromise Foods
and
Newfangled Foods
. Eat a varied diet of foods chosen from the
Nourishing Traditional Foods
category. The proportion of animal foods, grains, dairy products, fruits and fats you choose will depend on your ethnic heritage, your constitution, your age, your occupation, the climate in which you live and your specific food sensitivities and allergies. Healthy people can eat
Compromise Foods
in moderate amounts.
Newfangled Foods
are best avoided by everybody.

NOURISHING TRADITIONAL FOODS

Proteins:
Fresh, pasture-raised meat including beef, lamb, game, chicken, turkey, duck and other fowl; organ meats from pastured animals; seafood of all types from deep sea waters; fresh shellfish in season; fish eggs; fresh eggs from pastured poultry; organic fermented soy products in small amounts.

Fats:
Fresh butter and cream from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and cultured; lard and beef, lamb, goose and duck fat from pastured animals; extra virgin olive oil; unrefined flax seed oil in small amounts; coconut oil and palm oil.

Dairy:
Raw, whole milk and cultured dairy products, such as yoghurt, piima milk, kefir and raw cheese, from traditional breeds of pasture-fed cows and goats.

Carbohydrates:
Organic whole grain products properly treated for the removal of phytates, such as sourdough and sprouted grain bread and soaked or sprouted cereal grains; soaked and fermented legumes including lentils, beans, and chickpeas; sprouted or soaked seeds and nuts; fresh fruits and vegetables, both raw and cooked; fermented vegetables.

Beverages:
Filtered, high-mineral water; lacto-fermented drinks made from grain or fruit; meat stocks and vegetable broths.

Condiments:
Unrefined sea salt; raw vinegar; spices in moderation; fresh herbs; naturally fermented soy sauce and fish sauce.

COMPROMISE FOODS

Protein:
Pork, fish from shallow waters, commercially raised beef, lamb, turkey and chicken; barbecued or smoked meats; traditionally made, additive-free sausage; additive-free bacon; battery eggs; tofu in very small amounts.

Fats:
Unrefined peanut and sesame oils.

Dairy:
Raw, whole, uncultured milk from conventional dairies; pasteurized, cultured milk products; pasteurized cheeses; melted cheeses.

Carbohydrates:
Whole grains not treated for phytates, such as quick-rise breads and pasta; unbleached white flour; canned legumes; thin-skinned fruits and vegetables imported from long distances; canned tomato products; well-cooked, unsprayed seaweeds; natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, Rapadura, and date sugar.

Beverages:
Wine or unpasteurized beer in moderation with meals; diluted fruit juices; herb teas.

Condiments:
Commercial salt; pasteurized vinegar; canned condiments without MSG.

NEWFANGLED FOODS

Protein:
Processed meats containing additives and preservatives, such as luncheon meat, salami and bacon; hydrolyzed protein and protein isolates; soy milk.

Fats:
All highly processed vegetable oils, margarine, tub spreads and vegetable shortenings; fat substitutes; foods fried in vegetable oils; lowfat products.

Dairy:
Pasteurized, homogenized commercial milk; ultrapasteurized cream and milk; processed cheeses; reduced-fat dairy products.

Carbohydrates:
Bleached and "fortified" white flour products; commercial dry cereals; granolas; refined sugar in all forms, such as dextrose, fructose and high fructose corn syrup; irradiated and genetically modified grains, fruits and vegetables; most canned products; chocolate.

Beverages:
Soda pop; distilled or pasteurized alcohol products; full strength fruit juices; commercial rice and oat milks; coffee, tea and cocoa.

Condiments:
Commercial baking powder; MSG; artificial flavors, additives and colors; chemically produced food preservatives; aspartame.

A WORD on EQUIPMENT

Modern equipment takes old-fashioned drudgery out of traditional cooking—but it is important to make wise choices. The following is a suggested list, in order from most to least essential.

  
Stainless Steel Cookware:
Choose stainless steel rather than aluminum cookware. Acidic or salty foods cooked in aluminum will cause this toxic metal to be dissolved into food. Recent research has linked aluminum with Alzheimer's disease and many investigators feel that aluminum from cookware contributes to other diseases as well.
¹⁸⁶
Unfortunately, as some people have gotten the message about aluminum and have exchanged their inexpensive aluminum pans for the more expensive stainless steel variety, aluminum cookware has crept back in at the top end, so to speak, in the form of spun aluminum pots and pans for the gourmet market. Don't buy them. They look great, but aluminum is highly reactive, even in high-tech form.

  
Stockpot:
A large stockpot made of stainless steel or good quality enamel is a must.

  
Cast-Iron Skillets:
Heavy, old-fashioned cast-iron frying pans are great for all sauteing and stir-frys. These pans should not be washed with soap but merely rinsed in hot water and dried with paper towels. A cast-iron pan, well seasoned in this manner, will never stick; and food cooked in heavy cast iron is much less likely to burn than food cooked in the thickest stainless steel.

  
Flameproof Casseroles:
Casseroles that can be used on the stove burner or in the oven come in a variety of sizes. Choose casseroles made of good quality enamel over cast iron, or simply the less expensive uncoated cast-iron varieties.

  
Good Knives:
Serrated knives of various lengths are best for bread and vegetables—those made by Cutco (See
Sources
) are excellent and keep their cutting edge for years. Tempered steel knives that can be honed are best for meats, including a fish filleting knife with a medium-length, flexible blade and a long, flexible round-ended carving knife. A large chopping knife should be included your collection.

  
Kitchen Scissors:
Sturdy kitchen scissors come in handy for a variety of tasks, from snipping herbs to carving chickens. Cutco makes excellent kitchen scissors. (See
Sources
.)

  
Wooden Cutting Boards:
Wooden cutting boards are much less likely to harbor pathogenic bacteria than plastic ones. You should have two—one for meats and one for vegetables and fruits.

  
Handheld Blender:
This low-cost appliance makes soup-making a breeze. The soup is blended right in the pot, thus saving time and dishes to wash.

  
Glass and Stainless Steel Food Containers:
Glass or stainless steel containers are less likely to promote contamination of refrigerated food than plastic ones. But plastic is fine for storing dry foods like grains and crispy nuts and frozen foods like stocks.

  
Wide-Mouth, Quart-Size Mason Jars:
These are the best containers for lacto-fermented vegetables and chutneys. They are inexpensive and widely available. Special pickling crocks, for making large amounts of sauerkraut and other fermented foods, are available through catalog order. (See
Sources
.)

  
Glass Beverage Containers:
For lacto-fermented beverages you will need two-quart glass containers with airtight seals. For ginger beer and small beer you will need bottles with wire-held corks or stoppers.