Benefits of Sourdough

Fermented foods, of which our diets are severely lacking, have the ability to make food easier to digest as well as provide our bodies with needed nutrients and beneficial bacteria. Sourdough is one of those fermented foods.

Wild yeast (sourdough) is a hardy, happy little organism that breaks down gluten and neutralizes anti-nutrients. This allows you to easily digest gluten and absorb minerals that would otherwise be unavailable to you: zinc, iron, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus.

Sourdough is:
– easier to digest
– contains the healthy gut bacteria lactobacillus (the same as in yogurt and kefir)
– most of the phytic acid is broken down and won’t cause a spike in blood sugar like traditional bread often does.

Sourdough is a bread made from the natural occurring yeast and bacteria in flour.  In traditional sourdough recipes, you’ll find three ingredients:  sourdough starter (which consists of flour and water), salt and flour.  There is no yeast, no milk, no oils and no sweeteners.  It’s about as natural as you get when it comes to bread.

The fermentation process alone is great for your digestive system.  The Lactobacillus helps feed the good bacteria found in your digestive system so they can continue to fight off the bad guys.  And remember that a healthy gut means healthy body (because 90% of your immune system is found in your digestive system). The long process also breaks down many of the gluten proteins into amino acids, possibly making sourdough bread tolerable for those who are sensitive to gluten! (I wouldn't recommend testing this on a Celiac.) Sourdough bread is less likely to stale, retains much of its moisture as it ages and its acidity helps prevent the growth of mold! Find a good source made with whole grains and your gut will thank you!

Since finding whole grain sourdough is not easy, why not make some yourself? Making sourdough starter is very easy. The only downside of homemade sourdough bread is that it does take time.  The work itself isn’t hard, but you must plan ahead if you’re wanting to make sourdough 100% from scratch.  It takes a full seven days if you’re using only flour and water. One minute a day for seven days is all you need. 

1. Day one - four place ¼ cup of whole grain flour (whole wheat, brown rice, sorghum, chickpea - any whole grain flour) and a scant ¼ cup of water into a jar or glass bowl and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon every morning and every night. 
2. Feed it twice a day for the first few days. Cover your starter with a thin towel or cloth jar cover. Keep it in a warm spot. 
3. By day five your starter should be bubbling along and able to sustain just one feeding per day, so each day you add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water. The consistency we're looking for is going to be like cake batter, so add more or less water based on how yours looks. 
4. At day seven you should have enough starter to make your first sourdough recipe! If you're not looking to use it immediately, place it in a mason jar with a solid cover and refrigerate, feeding once a week or so to keep it active. 

Brown Rice Sourdough Starter

I know this sounds like a lot, but really it can be a fun activity for the whole family. Look on Pinterest for a good sourdough bread recipe. Remember you can make biscuits, cookies, pancakes, etc with sourdough starter. All these things will help with your digestion! 

I found these very helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcfuUtbnteY. Making yeast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCa1zRXjITE. Sourdough starter. When making Gluten free starter, just be sure to use a GF whole grain like brown rice or buckwheat.

1st attempt at Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This loaf didn't last long!

Not to leave out the Gluten Free......you can make GF sourdough starter just as easily. I used brown rice flour and water. I'm still practicing (and enjoying the testing) of my GF sourdough bread making. There are many tried and proven recipes on Pinterest. Give them a look. 

Fermented Foods

The art of fermenting food is deeply rooted in tradition, before refrigeration. Countless cultures around the world ferment in part as a preservation technique but also as a way to enhance the nutritional profile of ingredients. 

Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics. Natural fermentation of foods has also been shown to preserve nutrients in food and break the food down to a more digestible form. This, along with the bevy of probiotics created during the fermentation process, could explain the link between consumption of fermented foods and improved digestion. 

Foods in the "fermented" category are things like sauerkraut, yoghurt (not the sugary, fruit added kind), sourdough bread, olives, water kefir, kombucha.

Here is a list of some of the health benefits you can expect from eating fermented foods:

1.  It restores gut health. The lactic acid produced during fermentation promotes the growth of healthy flora in the intestine.

2.  It increases Vitamin A and Vitamin C levels. Lactic acid enhances a foods digestibility and increases vitamin C and vitamin A levels.

3.  It helps remove toxins from the body. Fermentation breaks down the nutrients in foods by the action of beneficial microorganisms and create natural chelators that are available to bind toxins and remove them from the body (helps keep good stuff in, takes bad stuff out)

4.  Fermentation cuts the sugar content of foods dramatically. In fact, it’s the sugar that starts the fermentation.

5.  It has cancer-fighting properties. Fermented foods are rich in Vitamin K2 and studies have shown that increased intake of Vitamin K2 may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

6.  It helps you absorb nutrients better. When your gut flora is out of whack you don’t absorb the nutrients from the foods you eat. So no matter how much kale you munch on you won’t be reaping any of the benefits. Fermented foods produce the digestive enzymes which ensure you get the most nutrients out of all foods you ingest.

7.  It supports our immune function. Some experts consider the gut to be the largest immune organ in the body. The chronic inflammation linked to diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes can begin with dysfunctional gut microbiota.

I'll admit that "fermented" foods doesn't sound nice, but with all these benefits I have decided to dig deeper and find out more. After all, isn't this the way Grandma used to do it!

Organic Foods

Many people ask "Why is Organic food so expensive!" That's a tough question to answer for a lot of reasons, particularly because expensive is such a relative term. Compared to what? Medical bills? One reason Certified Organic foods seems to be so expensive is because junk foods are so cheap. Food manufacturers figured out that if they switched out 'real food' and replaced it with ingredients like fillers, artificial color and artificial flavors, costs went way down. People kept buying it. As a matter of fact, the companies with the cheapest food-like products started selling more than companies with 'real food'.

Organic farmers grow their produce without use of pesticides. They enrich the soil with nutrients that are lacking in conventional farming. Certified Organic means that there is 5% or less pesticides in the food. (That allows for the overspray from conventional farmers.) It is tough being "organic" in our toxic world. But the Organic farmer is doing a great job to keep our food healthy to consume. 

One of the best ways to ensure you are not getting a Genetically Modified food (GM) is to buy organic. In GM foods the very cell of the plant is altered and sometimes the pesticides become part of the plant. We can grow more, better looking plants, but at what cost to our health? The government is saying it is not harmful to our bodies.......and of course they never lie (yes, that was sarcasm). It may cost a little more for the certified organic produce, but considering those pesticides accumulate in your body and cause you harm, I'd say you are worth any extra expense. 

So where do you find organic foods? Most grocery stores now have an organic section. However, check the labels for where it was grown. Many times it is from another country that does not have the same regulations for "organic" that we do and it may not be what you had hoped for. Your best place to get healthy organic foods is from a local grower. Yes, it takes more effort on your part, but you and your family's health is so worth that effort.

Now Fresno Adventist Academy has made buying locally grown organic produce so much easier! The students and staff are now growing organic produce and selling it. Purchasing from them you would know your 'farmer' AND you could support your school and your students. A win-win!