Emulsifiers are in everything!

Last weekend, there was an opinion piece in the NY Times regarding how additives in processed foods negatively affect your gut microbiome, in particular mentioning emulsifiers and food thickeners. This isn't news exactly, this has been known for the last several years. But more research has shown what they do to the lining of your gut.

These are your guts on emulsifiers!

I've been having increased issues with food sensitivities over the last ten years and find that I have more and more issues with an increasing number of foods that I've had to eliminate. I can still eat them, but I generally have bad gastrointestinal issues, migraines and skin problems.

As a result of these food sensitivities, I've stopped eating foods that contain:

• gluten
• soy
• nightshades (potatoes, peppers, tomatoes)
• nitrates
• msg
• fermented foods

From the research I've done, I've found that these emulsifiers act as surfactants that break down the protective barrier lining your guts, causing food and bacterial encroachment into your bloodstream which results in an immune response. This is commonly referred to as a leaky gut and more and more scientific studies are showing this is actually a thing (versus pretending it was all in our heads).

The most offensive emulsifiers include:

• carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), otherwise known as cellulose gum
• polysorbate-80 (P80)
• carrageenan
• MDX, maltodextrin, modified starches (corn, wheat, tapioca, etc.)
• lecithin, soy lecithin (the jury is still out on these)

Additional gums that cause problems include:

• guar gum
• locust bean gum
• carob gum
• gellen gum
• cellulose gum
• tara gum
• xanthan gum

Needless to say, after looking at the processed foods (all organic) that I routinely eat, these emulsifiers are in EVERYTHING. From ice cream to salad dressing, sauces, chocolate, tortillas, and gluten-free anything, they are almost impossible to avoid.

Right now I'm on an elimination diet to get it out of my guts for at least 6 weeks and then see if I can challenge eating the foods that were causing me problems.

All this time I thought I had a gluten sensitivity, but I'm starting to think I have a surfactant reaction to these modifiers that's making me sensitive to all these other foods that I used to be able to eat without issue.

I'll be posting some recipes for substitutes to products that I've been eating that contain numerous and, in some cases, up to 5 of the emulsifiers and gums listed above. Just because something is organic or "natural" doesn't mean it doesn't have potentially harmful ingredients in them.

What about you? Are you finding that you are having more food sensitivity issues as you've gotten older?

Articles for your own research:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4615306/

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/25/food-additives-inflame-mouse-guts-by-disturbing-microbes/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997215000245

https://dailyhealthpost.com/beware-of-emulsifiers-like-soy-lecithin-used-in-processed-foods-its-hurting-your-gut-health/

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14232

https://www.forbes.com/sites/fayeflam/2015/02/26/study-suggests-chemical-emulsifiers-in-food-are-disrupting-gut-microbes-and-making-us-fat/#7f6df5825f08

Gluten-free Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

Gluten-free pumpkin gingersnap cookies

I had some leftover pumpkin sitting in the fridge when I stumbled upon a recipe for Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies over at Two Peas & Their Pod. I really wanted to try it out, but I also really want to make them in a gluten-free version.

So, after doing some research and cross-referencing the King Arthur website (for just their gingersnap recipe) as well as gluten-free gingersnap recipes versus pumpkin gingersnap recipes, I settled on just a few changes to the original recipe.

Basically, I switched out the granulated sugar for brown sugar, replaced the all-purpose flour with America's Test Kitchen gluten-free flour mix and added 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum. The only other thing I changed was I added cinnamon to the sugar for rolling. And, voila! They turned out perfect. Soft and chewy.

Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins

My zucchini plants produced an obscene amount of zucchini this year. Fortunately, my youngest child has been on a zucchini muffin bender the whole time, so figuring out what to do with it (besides grilling it with olive oil and salt) hasn't been an issue.

And, when the muffins weren't being consumed or made fast enough, I was shredding the zucchini into 12 ounce servings and freezing it for use after the garden stopped producing. I didn't do any other preparation besides shredding and freezing so I wasn't sure if it would work as well as using it fresh.

Well, lucky for us, we have about seven 12-oz bags of frozen zucchini to alternate with gluten-free pumpkin muffins (another favorite). And, so far, using the frozen, shredded zucchini has turned out the same as using it fresh.

This recipe, adapted from King Arthur Flour, results in a muffin that you can't tell is even gluten-free. Why gluten-free you ask? Well, my kiddo has IBS and has less of a problem with non-wheat foods. And the fiber from the zucchini helps as well. This recipe calls for the King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour, but we prefer to use the America's Test Kitchen blend.

Also, if you are looking for uncoated, Teflon-free muffin pans, I highly recommend the Chicago Metallic Commercial II Uncoated 12-cup Muffin Pan. If you have questions about this type of steel, Kitchen Boy does a great job of explaining it. We have two of these muffin pans and use them frequently.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (about 1 small/medium zucchini)
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F; lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan (or use compostable, unbleached muffin liners).
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the flour, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon, mixing until well combined.
4. Stir in the zucchini and let the batter rest for 15 minutes, then stir to redistribute.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
6. Bake the muffins for 30 minutes, rotating halfway, until the muffins test done (a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean).
7. Remove the muffins from the oven, and let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning them out of the pan onto a rack.

*Warning - this post contains a link to an affiliate program that might make me money, wherein I use said $ for giveaways and suchlike.

Gluten-free brownies that taste awesome

I was going to title this post, "gluten-free brownies that taste good" for the alliterative effect, but I had to change it because this product I'm about to review doesn't just taste good, it tastes awesome. Which is difficult for me to say because I'm pretty damn picky.

A few weeks after I wrote the review of Coconut Bliss, talked about a paleo and a gluten free diet and mentioned some other gluten-free foods I was eating, I got an email from someone representing French Meadow Bakery which is the oldest, continuously operating certified-organic bakery in the United States. Aside from that, they also make some gluten-free products.

Now, I've tried plenty of gluten-free baked goods and the vast majority of pre-packaged (hell, I'll even include fresh baked gluten-free goods here) taste like wood, are as heavy as lead and have the texture of sand. So, needless to say, I figured the French Meadow Bakery Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies were going to not be a taste sensation. But, I'm game for pretty much anything, so I agreed to do a review.

Packaged in a box of nine that you can buy from your grocer's freezer (I've always wanted to say that), the brownies can be hucked into a school lunch box or taken to work and will be thawed by lunch. Or, if you are lazy or just forget, like me, you can throw it in the microwave for a few seconds until it is thawed.

People. These are the real deal. They taste as good as fresh homemade brownies and I would go so far as to say they are better than most commercial brownies with gluten. Glutinatious? Anyway, they are made with no artificial ingredients, preservatives or colors and they take care not to cross-contaminate for those of you with severe gluten allergies.

You can buy these nationally at Whole Foods, Safeway and other natural food markets, like PCC if you're in the Seattle area. And, even though their website sucks, you can get a coupon for $1 off, if you are so inclined. Even though I'm not on a strict gluten-free diet, I'm trying to be. So, needless to say, I'll be buying some more of these.

Note: I was in no way compensated for this review besides the brownies. Of course, I'm not against them sending me a box of them there cupcakes they are advertising.

Paleo Blueberry Almond Smoothie

I was getting a little tired of the Paleo Spinach Coconut Smoothie I was making and decided to branch out a bit. I ended up altering a recipe from the book, Clean, and adapted it a little based on some things I was reading from Mark Sisson's site, Mark's Daily Apple. Since I started eating more of this "paleo diet" thing, I've already noticed a change in my body. It's almost kind of freaky how quickly your body changes.

I also started following Mark's strength exercises (he has a free e-book explaining them as well as a bunch of YouTube videos) in addition to my 30 minute daily walk. The strength exercises are great in that you don't need any equipment, just your own body weight and he breaks them down in the videos showing you how to progress from easy versions to hard for those of us wimps out there.

In any case, here's the smoothie o' the day. The cardamom is what makes this takes good, but if you don't like the taste of cardamom, you can substitute cinnamon. Make sure all your ingredients are organic!

Paleo Blueberry Almond Smoothie

Ingredients
1/4 cup almond butter (preferably fresh)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup coconut milk (I use So Delicious Original)
1/2 cup ice
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 - 2 teaspoons agave syrup

Place all of the above in a blender or Vitamix and blend until smooth!

Note: Argh! There be affiliate links in this post. Consider yerself warned.

Paleo Spinach Coconut Smoothie

I've been reading a bit lately on early human (well, pre-agricultural) diets and how the modern diet does not mesh well with our physiology. In other words, eating a buttload of grains and dairy does not a healthy human make.

Most of the "popular" books call it something like the paleolithic diet or some such derivation. The idea is to focus your diet on eating mostly vegetables, proteins (meat, fish, eggs, seeds, nuts) and some fruits with little in the way of grains, sugars, dairy, legumes, salt, processed oils and the like.

I'm probably more interested in this than the average person given my background and degree in evolutionary anthropology, but suffice it to say that years of studying evolutionary medicine, hominids and hunter-gatherer groups gives me a bit of a bias towards belief in these theories.

I'll talk about this more in the future but I wanted to share with you a recipe of a smoothie I had this morning that I really liked:

Paleo Spinach Strawberry Bliss Smoothie

1 cup coconut milk (I use So Delicious original)
1 cup packed baby spinach
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup Coconut Bliss Naked Coconut frozen dessert

Place all of the above in a blender or Vitamix and blend until smooth! If you want to liven it up, you can add in some flax meal as well.

Note: Argh! There be affiliate links in this post. Consider yerself warned.

Coconut Bliss review

Coconut Bliss. Oh, how I love thee - let me count the ways...

When I was doing my month long detox in January for my book on toxins I eliminated all sources of dairy. I also avoided sweets, but one thing I did indulge in was organic dark chocolate and a container or two of Coconut Bliss ice cream. Well, it's not ice "cream" so much as a frozen dessert because it's non-dairy and vegan.

It's base is made from coconut milk rather than milk, cream and eggs, like ice cream. While most flavors have a mild coconut flavor it's not overwhelming and some flavors don't have much of a coconut taste to it at all. If you have sensitivities to dairy, soy or gluten products or are lactose intolerant, this coconut ice cream is a great alternative. My favorite definitely has to be the Mint Galactica. My picky kids loved it and even preferred it over Häagen-Daz.

What's the story with Coconut Bliss? Well, the ingredients are certified organic, the company works directly with farmers in Thailand for their source of coconut milk and their chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and coffee ingredients are certified fair trade. The company itself is a hippie's dream come true, with a biker's incentive for staff members and they provide someone to come into the office three days a week to prepare vegan, organic lunches. Plus, they are located in awesome Eugene, OR.

Having tried various non-dairy frozen desserts in the past, I fully expected it to taste like crap or, at the very least, cardboard but I was overwhelmed at how comparable it is to "real" ice cream. So, in the future, in spite of the extra cost I will definitely be picking up Coconut Bliss instead of ice cream not just for the taste, but for the health benefits of coconut milk as well.

Please note: I am in no way being compensated for this review and have no connection whatsoever with Coconut Bliss. Although I'd be happy to advertise this awesome product in exchange for food.