My younger brother tweeted at me that I wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal and tagged it "GotMilk". At first I was afraid to know what in the world he was referring to until I saw the article.
Admittedly, the article is mostly about almond milk, which this household has consumed in moderation here & there, but there is a shout-out to coconut milk and how the two (primarily almond milk) are making a racket in grocery stores.
Almond milk is a decent alternative but it is something I would also stress in moderation. Without knowing all the chemistry and science behind it, I understand that there is not a perfect balance of Omega-3's and Omega-6's in almond milk, which make it not as ideal. Yet I would venture to say it is still a better alternative to soy milk, which the article points out "contains estrogen-like chemicals, called phytoestrogens, and heightened exposure to estrogen has been linked with increased risk of breast cancer."
In this case, homemade almond milk is also superior because by soaking the almonds, you'll improve the almond milk's digestibility and be able to avoid preservatives or other funky ingredients manufacturers might add to the mix.
But I'm not going to lie, this Nourishing Newbie knows not every one can strive for homemade all the time, and has been known to purchase almond milk for the little one when coconut milk was not easily accessible. I will also note that she woke up screaming 2 out of the 5 nights when I was rotating her milk choices like that, for what that's worth!! ;)
On behalf of the WSJ just kidding, this is the Nourishing Newbie, signing off.
PS: If you enjoy cow's milk, but find yourself with some sort of lactose intolerance or dairy allergy, look in your area for a distributor of raw milk or check out realmilk.com.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Why coconut milk?
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Photo Credit: Amazon.com |
Occasionally I am asked why my little one drinks coconut milk. In truth, I know I know the reasons, but I can't always spout them off lickety-split. So, imagine my delight when The Nourished Kitchen (a neat new foodie blog I've been following) does an expose on how to make your own coconut milk, from a real coconut. Not that I've ever done that, but maybe that will be just one of the things I try this year!
In other news, here's something new I started doing the last few months of 2010, and maybe it will be helpful for you too.
Do you always pick up the same items at the store, nearly in the same quantity? Now that we're a family of 3 with a pretty regular schedule, it seems that we consistently go through the same food items from month to month. Of course, I try to stock up and save when these items may be on sale at the local grocery or health food store, but I have found that sometimes an even better option is shopping online.
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Guzzling down her "coco" & discovering her Dyson vacuum cleaner on Christmas morning! |
I follow Saving Naturally and from time to time, she'll post updates of deals on Amazon.com. You can "subscribe & save" and save 15% more on those items if you subscribe to buying that particular item every month, two months, or so on.
So for us, because our little one is a little coconut milk drinker, we regularly "save" and receive a shipment of 12 cans of coconut milk per month, and Coombs Grade B Maple Syrup every 2 months. These prices are just as good or better than what I can get at my local health food store with coupons. And shipping is free. So why not do that? I promise I'm not being paid by Amazon or these companies. Just wanting to help a brotha or a sista out!!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Ch-ch-changes!
This nourishing newbie has taken several baby steps in 2010 to get to where she is now. If I look back at where my food thoughts & philosophies were at the beginning of 2011, I realize as a whole we've come a looong way, even if it feels like I still have forever to go. However, let's take a walk down memory lane to see what prompted several changes within our family unit to eating more nourishingly.
Early last year, I wanted to make a commitment to eat more sustainably and economically. I initially thought this meant eating animal meats sparingly (for cost-effectiveness, as I didn't want CAFO meats but mostly organic or grass-fed meats) and eating more vegetarian-like. While eating vegetarian now and then may be okay, after I read how true vegetarianism isn't the healthiest option, I decided to disembark on this quest and instead seek out organic and grass-fed meats on sale and eat these regularly.
As my only child approached the age of 1, I knew she'd be weaning off breastmilk soon and would need a suitable milk replacement. Many told me, "It's okay if she doesn't drink milk, it's not that essential," which was fine or may be true for them, but I knew if she didn't really care for much juice (which was a good thing, in my opinion), and water alone wouldn't sustain her, we'd need to find something. The thing was, she had already shown reaction to milk-based formulas. So I tried giving her goat's milk, store-bought cow's milk, and farm-fresh milk, only to find she had resistances to all 3 (by vomiting). Those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies often do fine with raw milk, which was why I tried that route.
So instead, I chatted around, and decided I'd try making a homemade coconut milk mix for my little one. It involves mixing 1 can BPA-free coconut milk (we use Native Forest); 3 tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup; 1 teaspoon vanilla; and 1 quart of filtered water altogether. I gradually mixed this in with bottles of breastmilk and she transitioned wonderfully. My little one is still growing and in the 50th percentiles for height & weight and most of her teeth have come in. The coconut milk speaks for itself!
After she turned 1 and was weaned at 13.5 months, I began to think about what I needed to do for myself in terms of health. There were some initial challenges I had had with myself & my daughter after she was born that were a bit disconcerting for me. She was low birth-weight. I had a postpartum blood clot in my leg. I got mastitis 3 times. It was like one blow after another and I felt like I couldn't recover. I started to take an honest look at my health and wonder, "How could I improve things for the next time?" Admittedly, I had been on antibiotics for acne for years, and even though they were mostly topical in nature, the years where I had taken them orally had surely done some damage. I wasn't crazy about being on prescription medication any more if not absolutely necessary, and felt like it was time to press the reset button, so to speak. Additionally, I experienced many painful stomachaches and cramping that would leave me debilitated, laying on the couch while my little one played around me. Not very much fun for a new mom or a little toddler seeking parental interaction. So over the summer, I began looking into my options, spoke to my birth doula and a few others, and met with an integrative medicine doctor who started me on a month-long liver cleanse and modified diet.
This diet meant the following things went out the window:
Early last year, I wanted to make a commitment to eat more sustainably and economically. I initially thought this meant eating animal meats sparingly (for cost-effectiveness, as I didn't want CAFO meats but mostly organic or grass-fed meats) and eating more vegetarian-like. While eating vegetarian now and then may be okay, after I read how true vegetarianism isn't the healthiest option, I decided to disembark on this quest and instead seek out organic and grass-fed meats on sale and eat these regularly.
As my only child approached the age of 1, I knew she'd be weaning off breastmilk soon and would need a suitable milk replacement. Many told me, "It's okay if she doesn't drink milk, it's not that essential," which was fine or may be true for them, but I knew if she didn't really care for much juice (which was a good thing, in my opinion), and water alone wouldn't sustain her, we'd need to find something. The thing was, she had already shown reaction to milk-based formulas. So I tried giving her goat's milk, store-bought cow's milk, and farm-fresh milk, only to find she had resistances to all 3 (by vomiting). Those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies often do fine with raw milk, which was why I tried that route.
So instead, I chatted around, and decided I'd try making a homemade coconut milk mix for my little one. It involves mixing 1 can BPA-free coconut milk (we use Native Forest); 3 tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup; 1 teaspoon vanilla; and 1 quart of filtered water altogether. I gradually mixed this in with bottles of breastmilk and she transitioned wonderfully. My little one is still growing and in the 50th percentiles for height & weight and most of her teeth have come in. The coconut milk speaks for itself!
After she turned 1 and was weaned at 13.5 months, I began to think about what I needed to do for myself in terms of health. There were some initial challenges I had had with myself & my daughter after she was born that were a bit disconcerting for me. She was low birth-weight. I had a postpartum blood clot in my leg. I got mastitis 3 times. It was like one blow after another and I felt like I couldn't recover. I started to take an honest look at my health and wonder, "How could I improve things for the next time?" Admittedly, I had been on antibiotics for acne for years, and even though they were mostly topical in nature, the years where I had taken them orally had surely done some damage. I wasn't crazy about being on prescription medication any more if not absolutely necessary, and felt like it was time to press the reset button, so to speak. Additionally, I experienced many painful stomachaches and cramping that would leave me debilitated, laying on the couch while my little one played around me. Not very much fun for a new mom or a little toddler seeking parental interaction. So over the summer, I began looking into my options, spoke to my birth doula and a few others, and met with an integrative medicine doctor who started me on a month-long liver cleanse and modified diet.
This diet meant the following things went out the window:
- Red meat; bacon; all dairy milks & milk products (except for live unsweetened cultured yogurt); gluten-containing bread & gluten products; artificial sweeteners; white, refined sugars; chocolate; caffeine (meaning all my teas & coffees!); peanuts; citrus; etc.
- Chicken, turkey, lamb, cold-water fish, eggs, legumes, some beans; white or sweet potato, rice, gluten-free products; fresh/frozen fruit & vegetables; unrefined oils; ghee, etc.
- Basically, if I made it, if it was pure, unrefined, and didn't have dairy or gluten or red meat, I could eat it. It actually meant I could be creative and find new yummy, nourishing things to eat.
Throughout the diet, several other changes occurred in our kitchen and pantry. I started cooking with coconut oil. When dairy was okay to be added back into the diet, I began cooking with low-temp pasteurized butter, obtained from a local dairy. I found a few decent gluten-free flours, with which I can use in moderation. I experimented with almond, hazelnut and pecan flour. I made grain-free brownies and grain-free nut butter cookies, all yummy and worth eating again.
I began ordering free-range chickens and eggs from a local farmer as well, and in December, participated in my first big red-meat order from a grass-fed farm!
And perhaps the biggest shock for me is that I finally started taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil! Yes, almost every day, if I can tolerate it, I'll gulp down a helping of that.
And perhaps the biggest shock for me is that I finally started taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil! Yes, almost every day, if I can tolerate it, I'll gulp down a helping of that.
There are so many other changes I could document, but perhaps the biggest are these:
At the start of 2010, I was eating your Standard American Diet (SAD).
By the end of 2010, I was eating more paleo-like, with the exception of adding raw dairy into the mix.
By the end of 2010, I was eating more paleo-like, with the exception of adding raw dairy into the mix.
- Instead of cereal for breakfast, I'd have eggs, a smoothie, or a homemade gluten-free muffin or bread.
- For lunch, I'd eat leftovers, like chicken, fish or turkey burgers, a sweet potato with coconut oil & cinnamon, etc. instead of sandwiches or granola bars.
- And for dinner, I'd try out things like stir fry, salmon, gluten-free dairy-free pizza.
That is not to say whatever I was eating before was all bad. Those "other foods" all have their place and in my opinion, are okay in moderation, depending on what your dietary needs are. As Dr. Saxena said at The Center for Living Wellness, "There are good foods which just may not be the right fuel for your body." Can I get an "Amen"??
Here's what I'm looking forward to trying in 2011:
- Kombucha
- More grass-fed meats (and learning how to prepare them)
- Making my own yogurt, mayonnaise, or coconut milk!
- Picking our own fruits & veggies from local farms and learning how to preserve them so they'll be good, fresh & ready to eat year-round!
The point is, not all of these changes were made overnight, and what I thought I needed was much, much different than what I believe it is now. I tweaked how I shopped and cooked throughout the year and I believe if you want to make similar changes or see a positive impact in your overall health, you can too!
So, what are your goals for 2011?
So, what are your goals for 2011?
The Spice is Right Contest Winner Runner-UP = ME!
Merry Christmas to me!
Last I posted, I had entered myself into the Mambo Sprouts The Spice is Right Giveaway. I regularly checked back at the website to see if they had drawn the winners, and then in early December I received an email from the Mambo Sprouts marketing team indicating that I was a runner-up and would be receiving a 10-item sampler set. SWEET! Who doesn't love free stuff, and who doesn't love GOOD free stuff? I sure do. I happily received my package prior to leaving for the holidays and was so jazzed. Here's what was in my stash:
I even received a set of coupons, which I'll be sure to take advantage of. The paper in the picture might look a bit disheveled--I believe an item or two tarnished the final package I received, but the coupons are still definitely useable!
Last I posted, I had entered myself into the Mambo Sprouts The Spice is Right Giveaway. I regularly checked back at the website to see if they had drawn the winners, and then in early December I received an email from the Mambo Sprouts marketing team indicating that I was a runner-up and would be receiving a 10-item sampler set. SWEET! Who doesn't love free stuff, and who doesn't love GOOD free stuff? I sure do. I happily received my package prior to leaving for the holidays and was so jazzed. Here's what was in my stash:
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| from L to R: peppermint flavor, vanilla bean, almond extract, cardamom seed, lemon peel, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger (not pictured: vanilla extract) |
This nourishing newbie also received an ice cream maker from Santa, so the vanilla bean came in just the (St.) 'nick of time. Can't wait to share more nourishing tips with you all in 2011.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
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