Cacao Coffee Creation

I enjoyed these cacao treats for Mother's Day. Here is Brandon's recipe.

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cacao butter
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coffee
• 3-4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut manna
• 1 tablespoon coconut chips
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 drops vanilla liquid stevia

Melt on stove. Pour into molds. Freeze. Enjoy! (I sure did.)

Solar Water

There are multiple ways to use sunlight for water filtration. Solar water traditionally combines cobalt blue with sunlight in order to alter the structure of the water molecules. Cobalt blue glass comes in a variety of forms. I found these 16-ounce glass cobalt blue bottles at Freund Container and Supply. After filling each with tap water, I left the bottles uncapped overnight (this allows the chlorine to evaporate). I then capped each bottle and placed them outside in direct sunlight for 6 hours. (Recommendations vary from 1 hour to 6 hours.)

The taste difference was remarkable. The water tasted sweeter, lighter, and cleaner. I inventoried my family using a blind taste test, and each one voted for the solar water. Tap water is pictured on the left below, solar water on the right. The tap water had been sitting for 20 minutes. (I have written previously about contaminants in tap water in a post titled Water Quality Report.)

I've been using solar water for kombucha, water kefir, and other fermented beverages. The kids enjoy drinking it straight from the refrigerator. These bottles would be perfect for traveling—a cheap, simple, reusable water bottle!

Toxic-Free Fashion

Our May edition of Toxic Talk Tuesday looks at the rise in the use of synthetic fabrics. What are the most common chemicals used in clothing? What constitutes wrinkle-free, antistatic, or chlorine-resistant? Don't miss a lively discussion on Chris Fabry Live! on Tuesday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

Cultured Uncrustables

In the height of our processed-food days, I latched onto Uncrustables. Like any busy mother, I gravitated to the convenience of a sealed, crustless sandwich. I paid no heed to the ingredients.

BREAD: ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, UNBLEACHED WHOLEWHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, ENZYMES [WITH AMYLASE, LIPASE, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEAT STARCH]), YEAST. PEANUT BUTTER: PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED), SALT, MOLASSES.GRAPE JELLY: GRAPE JUICE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PECTIN, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE).

Recently I tried an Uncrustables replacement, with great success. I doubt my kids would have liked this in our first year away from processed foods, but after several years on our new venture, they embraced it eagerly.

Always trying to incorporate cultured foods into my kids' meals, I used my fermented fruit leather. Instead of drying the mixture, I kept it as a spreadable "jelly."

My bread consisted of sprouted almonds and jungle peanuts, but could easily utilize other seed/nut combinations.

Bread

• 2 cups sprouted nut/seed meal
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Optional: honey, unrefined sugar, stevia. Ghee/butter can be substituted for coconut oil.

Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes.


Fermented Fruit Chutney

• 2 cups puréed fruit combination. Pictured above: raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries.
• 2 tbsp. whey or other starter such as kombucha or water kefir
• 1 tsp. salt

Stir whey into puréed fruit. Place in capped mason jar and allow to sit at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Allow bread to cool. Slice and add "jelly." Package and freeze. I use parchment paper bags.

Automatic Dishwashing Powder

Looking for a natural alternative to synthetic dishwashing powder? Homemade chemical-free powders often leave an unpleasant film. Here are some tips for making an all-natural powder that works for you.

1. Make your powder.
   
   • 1 cup washing soda
   • 1/2 cup baking soda
   • 1/2 cup borax
   
   Combine and store under the sink. Use 1-2 tbsp. per load. *
   
   I make a borax-free version using 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup washing soda. I avoid borax when it comes to my dishes but use it readily for my laundry soap. For more on the pros and cons of borax in natural products, see the article Borax: Friend or Foe?
   
   I make my own washing soda by heating baking soda for 30-60 minutes at 400 degrees. (See How to Make Your Own Washing Soda for more specifics.)
   
   * If your dishes appear cloudy, try using less of the powder. Sometimes a little less than 1 tablespoon is plenty.
2. Add white vinegar.
   
   White vinegar makes an ideal rinsing agent. However, adding it to the rinse compartment can corrode the dispenser over time. I add vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher, using approximately 1/2 cup.
   
   For added benefit, soak your leftover lemon peels in white vinegar for several days. This will add natural citric acid to your dishwasher rinse. I soak lemon peels and pour the strained vinegar into my old white vinegar bottles (pictured above).
3. Add a dash of liquid castile soap.
   
   Too much soap is a problem. However, a tiny bit of liquid soap on the bottom of the dishwasher may be helpful. I keep a squeeze bottle of homemade liquid castile soap under my sink for this purpose, using 1-2 squirts per load. (The momsAWARE Online Store offers all-natural Coconut Castile Soap easily grated for liquid soap.)

With a little trial and error, you may find your dishes sparkling . . . chemical-free.

Kefir and Yogurt: Good for the Brain

Probiotic milk is not only good for your digestion, research suggests it's also good for your brain! The following article, written for HandPicked Nation, reviews University of Southern California's research showing marked changes in the brain activity of women who consumed a fermented milk product.

Researchers at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine divided 36 healthy women into three groups. One group was given the fermented milk product with probiotic (FMPP) twice daily for four weeks. Another group was given a non-fermented milk product, and the third group was given nothing. The study included MRI testing before and after the four-week period.

The study's conclusion?

"Four weeks' intake of an FMPP by healthy women affected activity of brain regions that control central processing of emotion and sensation."

While further study is needed to show a definitive connection between fermented milk and elevated mood, the study validates the vital connection between the gut and the brain.

Sour milk products have been used for centuries to improve vitality and health. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used liquid whey—or serum, as he called it—to strengthen immune resistance.

Kefir, a fermented milk product derived from globules of bacteria and yeast known as "grains," has a long history in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. The word "kefir" is derived from the Turkish word "keif," which means "good feeling." An apt description for what fermented milk does for your entire body.

In the early 20th century, Nobel Prize recipient Eli Metchnikoff suggested that yogurt contributed to the longevity of Bulgarians, noting their average lifespan of 87 years. His "theory of longevity by yogurt" hypothesized that the consumption of live lactic acid bacteria in yogurt suppressed the multiplication of putrefactive bacteria in the large intestine.

"The dependence of the intestinal microbes on the food makes it possible to adopt measures to modify the flora in our bodies and to replace the harmful microbes by useful microbes." (Metchnikoff, 1907)

Why not consider adding some useful microbes to your diet? Be sure to look for the term "live cultures" when purchasing. The yellowish liquid on the top of the yogurt is the liquid whey. You might even try your hand at making your own fermented milk products. Yogurt strains like Viili and Matsoni are cultured at room temperature, eliminating the need for a yogurt maker. Cultures for Health offers an abundance of yogurt starters.

To read the article in its entirety, see Fermented Milk for the Gut and the Brain.

Probiotic Bacteria to the Rescue

All of us are fighting a microbial battle, whether we realize it or not. The human intestinal lining is made up of trillions of these microorganisms, and either the balance is stable and healthy or the balance is tipped, allowing the proliferation of pathogenic microbes.

Antibiotics, environment, and diet all contribute in one way or another. Consuming probiotics in the form of supplements or food can play a critical role in restoring or maintaining health. These microorganisms are true superheroes—ready to step in when needed.

Drawing by Ryan Fabry

In her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride lists six families of probiotic microbes. The following summary is excerpted from p. 247-249. (I heartily recommend reading her book for a more complete look at health and the gut lining.)

1. Lactobacilli. This is a large family of bacteria which produce lactic acid, hence their name . . . By producing lactic acid they maintain acidic environment (pH 5.5-5.6) on mucous membranes, which suppresses the growth of pathogenic microbes. Apart from lactic acid they produce a plethora of active substances: hydrogen peroxide, a powerful antiseptic; anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal agents, which do not allow pathogens to take hold in the gut.
2. Bifidobacteria. This is a large family of probiotic bacteria . . . In an adult gut they are about seven times more numerous than Lactobacilli and fulfill many useful functions . . . Bifidobacteria actively synthesize amino acids, proteins, organic acids, vitamin K, vitamin B3 (niacin), folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (cobalamin); assist absorption of Ca, iron and vitamin D.
3. Saccharomyces boulardii. This is a yeast first discovered by a French scientist, H. Boulard, in 1920. He observed that people in China treated diarrhea with an extract from the lychee fruit . . . Recently, there has been a lot of interest in using S. boulardii as an antagonist to a pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans.
4. Escherichia coli or E. coli. E.coli is a large family of bacteria. Pathogenic members of this family can cause serious infections. However, physiological strains of E. coli are normal and numerous inhabitants of the healthy human gut . . . Physiological strains of E. coli fulfill a number of beneficial functions in the body: they digest lactose, produce vitamins (vitamin K and group B) and amino acids, produce antibiotic-like substances called colicins, and have a powerful stimulating influence on local and systemic immunity.
5. Enterococcus faecium or Streptococcus faecalis. They normally live in the bowel where they control pathogens by producing hydrogen peroxide and reducing pH to 5.5. They break down proteins and ferment carbohydrates. There are a number of clinical studies showing that they are effective in treating various forms of diarrhea. These bacteria are quite common in probiotic formulas on the market.
6. Bacillus subtilis or soil bacteria. B. subtilis is a spore-forming microbe and is resistant to stomach acid, most antibiotics, temperature changes and other influences. It has strong immune-stimulating properties and is considered particularly effective with allergies and autoimmune disorders. It produces a whole host of digestive enzymes, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and other active substances. Soil bacteria are not indigenous to humans; they are transitional microbes, which do not colonize the gut but go through it doing a lot of work on the way. (According to Campbell-McBride, "probiotics which contain soil bacteria are the most effective probiotics on the market.")

Campbell-McBride recommends Bio-Kult, a probiotic with 14 strains of bacteria, including B. subtilis. The Gut and Psychology Syndrome website also suggests GUTPro. Organic 3 offers the strain S. boulardii in its product Yeastbiotic.

One important note regarding probiotics in supplement or food form: It is best to start small. Introducing probiotic bacteria can result in a die-off response as the pathogens die and release toxins. This can manifest in a skin rash, extreme fatigue, fever, sore throat, or a variety of other symptoms.

Fermented foods offer a wonderful source of natural probiotics. In upcoming posts I will detail the benefits of Efficient Microorganisms, or EMs. EMs offer a combination of beneficial bacteria, yeasts, and soil bacteria. (Pictured here in my kitchen.)

Water and dairy kefir offer a combination of beneficial yeasts and bacteria. Yogurt provides lactic acid bacteria in abundance, as do sauerkraut and kimchi. See the momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge: Food Edition to learn more about making your own fermented foods.