Dr Maya Shetreat-Klein is fearless in connecting the dots between our soil, our food, our guts, our bodies and our brains to find lifelong health.
"All health begins in the gut. Most people think of the brain as the top of the totem pole, but in many ways, it's downstream from other organs. The gut - the body's soil - calls many of the shots. An unhealthy gut - or depleted soil - leads to an unhealthy immune system, endocrine system, and nervous system. These lead to disordered focus, cognition, behavior, sleep, and mood, among other symptoms. It's why, if not addressed, a child's disrupted gut can trigger an allergy or reactivity and eventually present as stomachaches, asthma, ear infections or croup, and later morph into troubling neurological dysfunction." Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD - "The Dirt Cure"
I've always loved the saying, "no guts no glory". Over the past few years, I have realized just how fundamentally true it is -
as an individual in search of good health,
as a Mom trying to buy, grow, cook and eat well for my family table,
as a coach inspiring my athletes to improve both mentally and physically on the field, and
as a Food Ambassador working to inspire better food education everywhere.
"Mistakes made in life are our lessons in disguise. And sometimes, the best lessons learned, came from the worst mistakes made." - Curiano.com
The human soul is passionate about solving problems. Previous decades gave birth to new agricultural technologies and a factory farming system that had hoped to fix global problems of disease, weed control, crop failure and food shortages. Unfortunately, these technologies are producing unintended, horrific consequences on our health and well being.
Without the alarming increases in allergies, asthma, ADHD, Autism and learning disabilities would the microbiome research have risen to the forefront like it has? Would Dr Maya have written this book if her child did not get sick? Would I have EVER tried an elimination diet for Abbie if she had been thriving in school?
We will continue to make mistakes, we MUST continue to learn from them.
I just hope and pray we all have the gumption - THE GUTS - to fix them before it's too late.
Thank you Dr Maya
for being brave enough to write this book
for connecting the dots between such complicated issues
for giving us practical solutions on how to heal our food, our families...
and ultimately ourselves.
Join me - It's time to open up your napkin around The Dirt Cure.
just now, robyn o'brien posted this article on facebook and i decided to find and repost this blurb i buried in an early summer post and bring it to life again. as it's the passion behind the cooking love that's driving and compelling me forward everyday and i'm ecstatic to see more articles coming out on this subject.
it's catching on... the waterfall is spreading... can you hear it roar?
***
I started this blog with a question: Will this family food change help improve Abbie's symptoms and avoid an ADHD diagnosis with subsequent medication? I'm signing off this Summer with my theory on why our family food change helped Abbie shed the ADHD and sensory processing symptoms. Was it the reduction in refined sugar? The elimination of artificial color and preservatives? The removal of gluten? Or was it something else that connected these elements? Today I'm going to talk about GUTS and connect some dots.
Here we go...
Antibiotics (ABX)
The effects of ABX on our gut bacteria are known by most of us. Use them too often and they kill off the good AND bad guys in our guts; Think Vietnam agent orange carpet bombing. Throughout our lives (starting in the womb), we get numerous, sometimes unnecessary (sometimes life saving) doses of ABX. In addition, our factory farmed animal meat is loaded with it. ABX make animals big and fat fast and they help animals survive the unnatural conditions of crowded factory farm barns. How much ABX is left in the meat when we eat it? More than we think.
Filtering the GMO debate
GMOs have really come into the limelight over the past two years. I certainly had no idea about them when I started looking into our food. One must separate genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) first so that we can talk about our guts. Think of what humans do in GEO's as forced plant sex... we've been doing it by hand in fields and in laboratories for centuries. On the other hand, GMO's are created when scientists splice a class of herbicides such as glyphosate (the active ingredient in the popular weed killer "Roundup") with the plant seed's own DNA so that every cell of the plant gives off the neurotoxin. These crops are classified as systemic neoniconitoids (SN-GMOs) and were approved in the glorious 1980's. Because they are cheap, these crops overwhelmthe ingredient lists of our processed food and new research is showing these crops have put the world food supply at risk. But how could they have been approved in the first place?! Here's what happened: These herbicides cause a fatal neurological pathway disruption (the shikimate pathway) in plant and bacteria cells which kills them. This pathway does not even exist in our human cells so it was deemed safe back in the 80's because industry scientists and the FDA were not paying attention to the bacteria in our guts. Like the tobacco industry, SN-GMO safety has been determined by its own GMO seed industry research, not by independent research = big red flag. Also, their testing trial length is 90 days = not an appropriate length for human safety standards.
Are you still with me?:)
Enter in the science of Microbiology and the Human Microbiome Project.
Since the 1980s, we have learned much about the microorganisms that inhabit our bodies. To this day, we have only scraped the surface on the association between our gut bacteria in both healthy and diseased individuals. Here's the nitty gritty (and read more in this book): Our gut bacteria outnumber our human cells 10-1 in our digestive track. The loss or weakening of our gut bacteria lining in our intestines = Dysbiosis or "leaky gut syndrome". Food proteins can then sneak into the blood and these foreign proteins stimulate an immune response in our body = food sensitivities & allergies. In addition to digestion, we are learning that gut bacteria handles mood regulation, neurotransmitter production (the ADHD brain?) and immune function. The gut-brain relationship is a glorious new scientific frontier. Bottom line: Bacteria = the building blocks of earthly life. Bees, farm animals and humans all have gut bacteria and these little buggers keep us alive.
Connecting Roundup, SN-GMOs and ABX
Common non-SN-GMO crops such as wheat and sugar are doused with Roundup to kill the crop and hasten the harvest. Remember that Oregon Farmer who discovered illegal SN-GMO wheat in his fields a few years back? (Monsanto had planted and tested SN-GMO wheat in OR, but alas it was never approved by the FDA). Imagine the farmer's shock when he sprayed his crop with Roundup and the wheat didn't die... So, not only do we have Roundup and other harmful herbicides INSIDE the DNA of our food protein, but we also have it sprayed all over the OUTSIDE of super common conventional food crops + we may not be able to STOP this crap from spreading in the wild. Yum. The combination of toxic herbicide load, SN-GMO foreign food proteins and ABX overuse is altering and wiping out our gut bacteria which is leading to a wide range of unintended physical and mental health issues, unique to each person's own DNA. Our food change worked. Eating and cooking with real food (and choosing cleaner, organically processed food) helped repair Abbie's guts... all of our guts. We will continue to avoid fake foods - artificial color and preservatives, SN-GMOs and heavily herbicide ridden foods like the dirty dozen, wheat and refined sugar. Abbie has food sensitivities to these foods which was causing her symptoms. We do cheat and symptoms come back, though never as severe. Turns out we all feel better when we eat clean, and we're certainly slimmer (Me, Chris and my parents have lost a grand total of 75+ pounds with no "dieting"). It's the key to our continued, imperfect success and it's the common thread connecting all of the amazing health success stories I read about every day. Each of our food maps look different and I'm hoping to give my Abbie, Mac and Tommy a foodie pen so they can write without me someday. So where do we go from here?
Spread the word birds: Russia just completely banned GMOs. And Europe has always either labeled them or banned them (Europe also puts labels on food with artificial color explaining it causes hyperactivity in children). Americans are unknowingly stuffing our faces with SN-GMOs & fake food because we have no labeling laws and we innocently trust our pisspoor FDA regulated food industry standards. Read about how the famous Seralini Study has been republished after three rounds of rigorous scientific peer review (after being retracted by an editor who was a former Monsanto employee). I hope we continue to reach out and hold the hands with the rest of the gathering world on GMOs and labeling laws. You know what they say, "open hands are hard to hold on to anyway"... I super hate the ending of Titanic.
I hope you enjoyed and were able to follow my somewhat simple, geeky synopsis. We have a light on the path that is much brighter than when I started two years ago. I'm so glad I didn't wait to try cleaning up our food and I'm here to cheer you on. Go balls out for real food with me. You.have.nothing.to.lose.
Don't let the torch go out. Find your inner nerd. Read and google about how to achieve strong, stellar gut... Find your inner athlete and start practicing in the kitchen. Don't give up on your meal planning and bring your kids along on some fun cooking runs... Become a Food Patriot and start changing the marketplace with every purchase towards food companies you can trust. YOU make a difference no matter how small a change you are making...
"the 52 new foods challenge is about more than the foods - it's about the journey the foods take you on. along the way, you will experience failure and frustrations, successes and celebrations. in the end, though, you will transform the way your family eats because of the experience you have together." - jennifer tyler lee, author of 52 new foods challenge
oh my dear jennifer...
did you write this book just for meeeeeeeeeeeeee?!
because it's exactly what i need to keep me plugging along in the mullies kitchen.
for what you have found in your kitchen is indeed what i have found in mine.
if you're new to the mullies, here's a quick poetic recap on why i became a food ambassador a little over 2 years ago:
my daughter was a new 1st grader and a year behind in school.
struggling with paying attention, socializing, following directions, reading...
intervention meetings were part of our worried life.
i decided to make a food change before the next panicky step (official ADHD diagnosis & ?!?)
getting my kids to cook with me & change picky taste buds.
the evolution of a food revolution.
thank you thank you thank you for writing this book.
i dedicate this post to you, to all of the parents out there trying to find balance with...
our kids
our schedules
our spouses
our friends
our lives
our health
"meet your family where they are, and move forward from there. everyone will start at a different place, and everyone can make lasting changes. this is your family's adventure, and like any good recipe, the secret is to make it your own." - jennifer tyler lee
this classic book takes it one week at a time, step by step to help us cook more real food and move off of the fast & plasticky (yup some foods have plastic in them!) processed food high way. holy moly could i have used this book two years ago AND it's still relevant to me today as a mom and ambassador in the trenches, working to get my kids cooking and hoping to inspire others to ride along with me!
let's tap into our inner indiana jones.
let's go after the adventure and the treasure we might not yet see in our kitchens, hearts and bellies.
so what if a snake (er... i mean... insert your picky eater here) scares you off and makes you want to jump off the train!
they do it to me all of the time.
this 52.ligit.map can help you + me stay.on.the.tracks.
each of the following recipes were cooked by yours truly and developed with gumption (except for jennifer's lovely brussel sprout chips) around a chosen few of her 26 fall & winter foods. any of her 52 new foods can be found in bold throughout this post. each of my recipes is gluten free and the produce gathered for the recipes was either from my organic garden, my local organic CSA share at midnight sun farm or the organic produce box program at all ways healthy.
here we go, here we go, here we go now!!
PUMPKIN
banana pumpkin muffins
2 smashed bananas
1 c home roasted pumpkin pulp
2 local pastured eggs (midnight sun farm egg share)
1/4 c melted coconut oil
1 c coconut palm sugar
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 c gluten free (gf) flour
1 tsp xantham gum
2 tsp gf baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine first 6 ingredients in stand mixer until fully incorporated. in a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and slowly add to mixer. using an icecream scooper, fill up your paper cups 1/2 way and and bake for 25 minutes. place a toothpick down the center of the muffin and if the stick comes out clean, you're good! (i also gently push on the top of a few muffins to see if they spring back at me).
how to roast a pumpkin
preheat oven to 350 degrees. cut off your top. scoop out the pulp and seeds (save the seeds for jennifer's savory or spiced roasted pumpkin seed recipe!). rub extra virgin olive oil over inside of pumpkin. sprinkle with sea salt. wrap in a double layer of tin foil and bake for an hour. once cooked, slice pumpkin in half and scoop out the flesh for your recipe. jennifer's cookbook includes a different method that is just as good!
pumpkin gnocci
1/2 c home roasted pumpkin pulp
1 lb organic russet potatoes
1/4 c grated parmesan reggiano (or use cashew cheese to make it vegan)
1 pastured egg
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp sea salt
7-10 turns of freshly ground black pepper (adjust to your taste)
3-4 c gf flour
8 oz manchego cheese cut into small cubes (inspired by mambo italiano!)
christina erickson (girlfriend, mom, high school foods teacher and food ambassador) and i got our kids together for this fun dinner cooking party!
using a food processor, combine all ingredients except for the flour until smooth. transfer to a large bowl. combine with 2 cups of flour. continue mixing in more flour until dough is just thick enough to handle and shape into logs like play dough (you gotta use some gumption here!). sprinkle flour over a large cutting board or clean smooth surface. dust your hands and go to town making logs and balls. gently press a cube of cheese into the center of the ball and smoosh over with dough to form a ball. your kids will be super into this! tommy (above first picture) was not wanting to take turns with the gnocci roller and had a little cooking tantrum (is it possible to be happy about a tantrum!?) you can also use your fork to make fun lines or just make plain ol ballz!!! ...and hey, the thumbs-up come with thumbs-down... stay the course:)
tip: if you use the purple carrots in the sauce as you'll get a very purply sauce! leave them out for a more traditional tomato sauce color (thanks for the great tip food ambassador terri!)
1 lg red or yellow onion diced
2-3 orange and white rainbow carrots diced
3-4 stalks of celery stalks (you can add in the leaves too!) diced
(i add in red pepper and zucchini diced sometimes too!)
1/3 jar of oven roasted organic roma tomatoes packed in olive oil
homemade ranch dressing (beware: its highly addictive)
i eyeball everything with gumption to taste. here's my best guess and feel free to tweak it yourself.
about a cup of organic or soy free vegenaise
2 T 21 spice blend (trader joes or costco has this blend)
1/2 T each dried basil, parsely and chives
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice from one lemon
2-3 T plain yogurt (optional)
organic rice milk (i add this to thin it out... some like it thick, some like it runny... you pick!)
combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. play with ingredients! i use sriracha sometimes, add ketchup, salsa or even sprinkle in old bay seasoning. the combinations are endless.
APPLES, PEARS & QUINOA
to the mullies with breakfast cookies
ambassador christina (pictured in the gnocci recipe!), gave me the outline for this recipe over a year ago and i have tweaked it into this lovely concoction!
2 c gf oats
1 c cooked quinoa (usually have leftovers from dinner!)
3/4 c almond meal/flour or gf flour
1 apple grated
1 pear grated
3-4 mashed bananas
1 tsp salt
1 T honey
1 tsp vanilla
raisins & mini dark chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. place large spoonfuls of batter on the baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes or until browned.
leftover pancake n crab cakes with apples and kale
make pancakes for breakfast and reserve a cup of batter for these crab cakes!
1 c leftover gf pancake batter (52 new foods has a great whole wheat flour pancake recipe!)
8 oz wild caught lump crab
2 green onions finely chopped
1/2 chili finely minced (no seeds)
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
coconut oil
organic apples
quick jam jar dressing
juice of 1 lemon
3 T plain yogurt
3 T avocado oil
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground back pepper
a squirt of honey
combine all crab cake ingredients in a bowl. over medium heat, melt coconut oil and coat pan. place two spoonfuls of crab cake into a patty shape and cook approx 3-4 min on each side until cooked through with a nice brown crust. serve over a bed of curly kale tossed with dressing and top it all off with a ton of freshly chopped organic apples.
GARLIC
chimichurri
this recipe was inspired from a wonderful trip with friends to the dominican republic last year. i recently brought this to a friends house and we piled it on top of gorgeously grilled new york strip steak. hummina hummina.
1 small onion
5-6 radishes
2-3 green onions
1/2 c sliced raw almonds
3 cloves garlic
1 jalepeno finely minced
1 bunch garden cilantro
1 bunch garden parsley
1 bunch garden oregano
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
place all ingredients into a food processor and whiz.
chimichurri goes with everything as far as i'm concerned. meat, fish, pasta, toast, soup... it's balls out.
jennifer, not only did the kids love to help me with this, but it totally beats the hellerrrrs out of kale chips (and we all like kale chips!)
brussel sprouts
1-2 tsp melted coconut oil
pink sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
(i love em with a little tequila lime seasoning on them too!)
peel em, toss em with oil and sprinkle with s&p. i baked these for only 15 min at 350 degrees and took them out because they were done! finger lickin good.
a cacao and avocado smoothie/fudgsicle
my kids like this so much that i make a batch at least 2x's a week! mac can make it on his own now, which is really cool.
2 frozen or fresh bananas
5 pitten medjool dates
2-3 T hemp seed
3-4 T raw cacao powder
1 avocado (flesh only)
1 scoop unflavored vegan plant protein powder (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 T almond butter
2 c chopped ice (not necessary if you are making fudgsicles)
3 c almond milk
place all ingredients into a high powered blender (i have a vitamix) and whiz. add more almond milk if needed to thin. if the kids don't finish the smoothie, i put it in the fridge and it's a perfect after school snack! to make fudgsicles that bring us back to childhood, simply pour them into a pop mold and freeze. briefly run the plastic under hot water and get those suckers out!
turn up the music
get your apron on
invite a little chaos in the kitchen (my sanity comes and goes)
get chopping with those kiddos, family and friends
make & eat your own rainbow with 52 new REAL foods
play + cook + eat = a healthier & happier you + me!
