Make it Yourself

3.27

I'm not into posting recipes. There are sooo many websites with the latest recipe for something healthy or super-delicious or trendy, I figure I don't need to join the fray. BUT today I made something awesome, so I've decided to share the recipe if you want to try it.

Why the change of heart? Last week I took a fresh look at our pantry choices regarding acid/alkaline balance and noticed that some of our food-stock was coming from the bad side. As I re-evaluated things, I realized that oats and rice were a big part of our starches, and those are solidly on the bad (acid-forming) side side of acid/alkaline balance... hmmm.

So I came around to a renewed interest in ancient grains and finding and stocking some from the good side, and have spent a good bit of time this week doing just that. What resulted is that I simply reminded myself of things I already knew: mass-produced, refined grains (wheat, rice, oats, barley) are not as healthful as popular perspective and government support have us believe. But ancient grains? Those have staying power exactly because they are healthful and nutritious.

What are the ancient grains? Many of them are actually seeds... and I'm focusing on the gluten-free offerings: chia, amanranth, millet, teff, sorghum, quinoa. Technically, all whole grains have ancient roots; our modern versions likely have decades (or centuries) of modifications which have changed the size (bigger) and growth characteristics (drought-resistance) and even GMO changes to resist bugs. Ancient grains like the ones I mentioned often don't have these modifications.

Millet Flax Crackers
Baked fresh today

So what I made was a batch of crackers. Yes, simple crackers. Why? Have you tried to find tasty gluten-free crackers that don't have rice or potato starch as a base? There are expensive specialty crackers that would fit that profile, but nothing simple or readily available and affordable. So I made my own. And the early results are in: they're great!

I chose millet flour (which I ground myself in our Nutri-bullet) and ground flax, with some chia seeds for texture and hemp hearts sprinkled on top for a bit of extra flavor and nutrition. Want to give them a try? See the recipe below - maybe you'll make it yourself.

By the Way

The flour in the recipe below can likely be substituted with teff, sorghum or quinoa flour for a different texture and flavor profile. The millet was simply my first try... 

Millet and flax crackers (I modified this from a recipe online and a little bit of creativity)
(Oven temperature - 375 degrees; total cooking time about 50 minutes)

1 1/2 C ground flax
1 T chia seeds
1 1/2 C water
1 1/2 C millet flour
1 1/2 t salt
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 t baking powder
Additional pinches of salt for topping as well as seeds or other toppings (sesame seeds, hemp hearts, finely chopped nuts, etc.)

In a medium-sized bowl combine ground flax and chia seeds with the water. Stir and let stand about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
After flax and chia have thickened add remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly to combine.
Divide dough evenly between two cookie sheets and spread to about 1/8" thick with back of a large metal spoon to cover entire sheet. Score dough with a pizza cutter, making initial cracker shapes; pierce the middle of each cracker with a fork (to prevent the centers from bubbling up). Top with pinches of salt (like kosher for visual appeal), various seeds or chopped nuts, etc.
Cook 20 minutes; remove and rescore crackers with pizza cutter; cook additional 15 minutes, remove and rescore a final time. Crackers may be cooked further until browned and crunchy, or can be removed at this time for a bit softer cracker (a lot like a mini flat-bread)
Enjoy!!

Returning to the Good Side

3.26

I was reminded this week of the value of discerning choices in my pantry and fridge. Last year I had posted about acid-alkaline balance in our bodies and how it is related to our food choices (From the Good Side, Jan 2015). This week I realized how far my own recollections had slid from the reality of healthful choices where acid/alkaline balance is concerned.

What is acid/alkaline balance all about? Our bodies do a miraculous job of maintaining consistent blood and tissue pH, even with the untold stresses which can put our bodily pH out of wack. Stress results from metabolizing things like refined foods and meats, dairy and most grains. When absorbing these less-healthy nutrients into our bodies, a state of low pH (an acid condition) is generated, inching our blood pH below the ideal 7.37 (which is just slightly alkaline).Veggies and fruits help stabilize bodily pH by the alkaline-forming nature of digested plant foods, keeping the pH in our tissues slightly alkaline, and keeping our bodies healthy.

If we're not eating fruits and veggies to counteract acid-forming foods, our bodies will compensate for the acid and use other means to neutralize it. As Dr. Joel Fuhrman stated in his book, Eat to Live: "Animal-protein ingestion results in a heavy acid load in the blood. This sets off a series of reactions whereby calcium is released from the bones to help neutralize the acid." Literally, our bones give up some density in the form of calcium compounds, in order for the slightly acidic state to be rebalanced back to slightly alkaline. The result is that we lose bone density, and end up with a calcium deficit in our bodies.

The slightly acidic state can also promote general inflammatory issues in our bodies, lending to health problems like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and it can allow numerous cancers to take hold.

So, how do we keep our diet on the good side? Check out the the learning page at pHreshproducts.com. They offer extensive explanations of acid-alkaline issues in our diet and suggest the alkaline-forming foods which will counteract the acid-formation. Once you've wrapped your mind around which foods are acid-forming (unhealthy) and which are alkaline-forming (health-promoting) take a long look at your pantry and fridge, and see how your current food inventory measures up. Maybe you'll find some adjustments you need to make, just like we did this past week...

By the Way

Here is a tremendous chart to get you started on understanding acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods. Make choices from the good side, and your body will thank you.