wholefood step-by-step: # 20 buckwheat pancakes

Who doesn't love a pancake for breakfast?

For me, this buckwheat pancake mix is about as close as I get to 'convenience' food.

I love the nuttiness of the buckwheat flour. And I love that they contain no wheat despite buckwheat having the word wheat in it, in fact buckwheat is a seed related to the rhubarb family. So, if you'd like to reduce the amount of wheat in your family's diet for whatever reason these are a good alternative to wheat flour pancakes.

If you are in the habit of buying pancake mixes in plastic shaker bottles do read the ingredients. Most of these style of pancake mixes contain additives like these whitewings original pancake mix:

Wheat flour, sugar, wheat starch, skim milk powder, raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, 341,541), vegetable shortening (Vegetable oil, glucose syrup solids,milk protein, emulsifiers (soybean lecithin, 471,481), mineral salt (339), vegetable gum (466), antioxidant (306)), emulsifier (471 derived from soy), egg white, flavour, salt, vegetable gum (xanthan). Contains wheat, soy, milk and egg as indicated in bold type. Made on production line that also produces products containing tree nuts.

And while the additives aren't great for your health, the plastic shaker bottle won't do the health of the environment any favours either!

The Orgran mix pictured is very easy to turn into batter, I'm not too fussy with the measurements and just put in a couple of eggs and enough rice milk until I have a consistency I like.  The packet directions suggest 2-3 eggs and you use either milk or water, sometimes I also add ground cinnamon and a few tablespoons of natural yoghurt to the batter.

I like to slice apple or banana thinly, cook one side of the pancake and then while the pancake is in the pan, press the fruit slices into the uncooked side, the flip and cook. Banana with toasted walnuts and a splash of maple syrup or apple and cinnamon are my favorite toppings.

If you'd like to try wholefood mama Michelle's sprouted buckwheat pancakes go here.

Have you tried buckwheat pancakes? What are you favorite toppings?

wholefood step-by-step: #18 make your own marinades and salad dressings

When I was growing up, my mum made salad dressing by squeezing the juice of one lemon into a teacup, adding a glug of olive oil, a teaspoon of dried Italian herbs and one chopped garlic clove. She would make that first and then leave it to sit while she prepared the rest of the meal. The last step before announcing that dinner was ready would be to dress the salad. I still love that basic dressing and equally the memory of my mum that it conjures for me. I also remember the many regular barbecues we had and that my mum made her own marinades for the meat. Again there was always garlic involved, olive oil and herbs and sometimes soy sauce, honey or mustard. Always simple. And delicious.

Commercially prepared salad dressings and marinades are perfect products for food manufacturers to fill with sugar, salt, GM oils, and additives that may pack a punch on flavour but can also be not so pleasant to digest and for those sensitive to additives can leave them with nausea, asthma, eczema, migraine, mood and behavioural problems to name a few.

Let's take Kraft Zesty Italian dressing as an example. Ingredients: vinegar, water, soybean oil, canola oil, sugar, salt, garlic* red bell peppers*, onions*, xanthan gum, spice, oleoresin paprika, potassium sorbate and calcium disodium edta (to perserve freshness). *dried

If you're wondering what potassium sorbate (202) and calcium disodium edta are, like I was, in a nutshell they are synthetic preservatives/additives.

As with many food additives approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and other food governing bodies these are deemed safe 'in moderation'. I have written before that one person's moderation is another person's overload and of course 'safe in moderation' does not take into account individual sensitivities to additives, or the cumulative effect when consuming a high processed diet. Potassium sorbate for instance can also be found in cheese, ice-cream, bread, pasta, processed meat, dips sauces and wine and skincare products.

Alternatives to commercial marinades and salad dressings

Once you have a few home made marinade and salad dressing ideas you'll never buy commercially prepared additive filled ones again.

Basically you need in your pantry:
acidity (lemon, orange, lime juice or vinegar - apple cider, balsamic, red wine vinegar)
fat (olive oil, sesame oil, yoghurt, macadamia oil, coconut milk)
and then whatever herbs, spices or flavours (mustard, honey, tamari) you like.

And then the ratio is roughly 3 parts oil to 1 part acid and then flavour as desired.

To get you started check out:
Jamie Oliver's quick jam jar dressings
Honey, mustard and sesame marinade (I'd substitute the low salt soy for tamari)
Teriakyi

If you want to keep a ready made dressing or marinade on hand read the fine print and avoid ones with additives and GM ingredients. I have used and like Bragg Healthy Vinaigrette and Ozganics Teriyaki.

Do you have a favorite homemade marinade or salad dressing recipe? Or additive free brand that you like? Please share it in the comments and it might become someone else's favorite too!

wholefood step-by-step: # 10 transition to organic

Transition is the key word in this step. The word organic has become such a loaded word in our modern world. In my grandmother's childhood food was organic, there was no need to label it as such and make it exclusive. How times have changed. Organics have become big business and that means that as consumers we need to keep our wits about us and not be lured in by marketing and packaging! And to do our research and work out what is most important and achievable for our family.

Rather than feel overwhelmed at the expense of organic food, or that you are 'poisoning' your family if you can't afford to buy wholly and solely organic, there is a common sense way to approach this step.
Read on and I'll break it down for you...

Why eat organic food?

Sadly, the use of chemical laden pesticides and fertilizers, and antibiotics is standard practice in conventional farming and despite research and government authorities that declare the levels of chemicals used produce food safe for consumption, I'm not buying their declaration or the food!

The cumulative effect of eating foods with chemical residue concerns me, especially feeding this food to babies and young children. Having said that, I don't want anyone reading this to feel like they are failing their children if 100% of the fruit and vegetables that you feed them aren't organic, the most important thing is that they eat fruit and vegetables!! Further down I will explain which fruit & veg to focus on if budget is an issue.

Then there are the environmental consequences of conventional farming including water pollution from chemical run off and soil and land degradation. You can read in more detail about this on the Sustainable Table page.

Last but definitely not least - the flavour! The flavour of good quality, fresh, organic produce is unbeatable.

But it's so expensive!

Let's consider first why there is a price difference between conventional and organic food.

Firstly, there's the cost of organic certification. In Australia certified organic food producers and manufacturers must comply with stringent requirements to be given certification, this may mean the producer has to spend money to adjust how they operate their farm/business to meet the requirements. The benefit of certification to you the consumer is that you are guaranteed that the organic food you are buying is in fact truly organic.

Next thing to consider is that organic farming is more labour intensive and often the yield is lower, therefore consumers pay a premium price. I am happy to pay more for people power over pesticide power!

Supply and demand plays a role, as the demand for organics grows we will hopefully see a reduction in price as the scale of organic farming grows to meet increased demand.

For a more detailed explanation read 10 Reasons Why Organic Food Costs More

So, what to do?

Anyone devoted to eating organic food will tell you that making the choice to spend your money on organic food comes down, in part, to your values and priorities.

I value organic food over new clothes and shoes every season (in fact I am consciously trying to only buy second hand clothes, in an effort to do my bit to conserve the Earth's precious resources), we eat in restaurants as a family maybe six times a year, I don't spend money on expensive cosmetics and skin care or hair cuts/colours. That doesn't mean I don't want to look my best - I do! It just means that I spend my money very consciously and make different choices.

Once you make the decision to buy organic food you will naturally become more aware of the best places to source it (tip:not fancy organic foodstores!), you will hear people talking about particular shops, markets and farms, you will find blogs and websites that will point you in the right direction to buy things at a good price.

I'll now break it down by food group how I approach eating organic on a budget...

Meat
I stock up on organic meat when I see it on special at my local supermarket and my local greengrocer. Often I can pick up a whole chicken for around $12 and I get about three meals out of that including soup. My local health food store also stocks organic meat, I don't buy meat from there because it is more expensive than at the other two places but I do order organic chicken carcasses and lamb shanks for soup at the health food store.
Money saving tip: consider the quantity of meat your family eats and see if there is room to reduce it. Also, buy cheaper cuts of meat and get into slow cooking.

Fruit & Veg
We have a very productive little veggie plot in our backyard that Pete lovingly tends. This summer we have not paid for corn, tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, silverbeet, parsley or coriander.

We are very fortunate living outside of the city to have local farms to purchase the rest of our fruit and veggie supplies, they are not certified organic but I buy the food direct from the farmers I can see where they grow the food, they are small scale and I trust them.

When I lived in the city I loved shopping at the CERES market.

There are now a growing number of organic produce home-delivery services available. For those in Melbourne interested in this check out my friend Josh Aitken's business Organic Origins and on the Mornington Peninsula my friends Robin and Peter have Transition Farm a community supported agriculture model. (these mentions are not sponsored, my friends do a great job and I thought it may be helpful for people to know about what they offer).

And finally, when I do go to the supermarket (yes I go to the supermarket) if I see reduced organic fruit and veg I will buy it, this is not ideal because a) it is always heavily packaged in plastic and b) it is not local but it does save me money from time to time.

Here's a great list of the top fruit and veg to buy organic and those that you can get away with buying conventional.

Money saving tip: grow some of your own, join a community garden, buy in season.

Bread
Organic bread is expensive there is just no way around it. The good thing though is that it may lead to you eating less bread! We order organic bread in at our local health food store, we buy either rice or millet sourdough at $6.45 a loaf or I buy Healthy Bake bread, made in a variety of grains except wheat and that ranges in price from $6.50 - $7.50 per loaf.
Money saving tip: consider reducing the amount of bread your family eats, bake your own, look out for half price loaves to put in the freezer for toast.

Dairy
The only dairy we eat is natural or Greek yoghurt and parmesan. We buy the five:am brand from the supermarket which is around $6 for 700grams. Sometimes I buy Organic Dairy Farmers pecorino at the supermarket which is about $6 for 150grams - use it sparingly!

Snacks
This category is the one to be most careful about. Many people fall into the trap of spending big dollars on processed food with the word 'organic' on the box - yes it is certified organic but it is still processed food and can still be high in sugar, salt and fats that are of no value to your body. Always read the ingredients list to see what's in it and where possible stick with fresh real food and homemade snacks.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this step. How strict are you with buying organic? What are your tips for favorite places to shop or ways to save? Leave your tips in the comments.

wholefood step-by-step: # 6 milk it

Milk is a great example of how processed food has become. Once upon a time people drank milk fresh from a cow (or goat or sheep). 'Milk the cow' would have been an item on your to do list. Not so these days.

Let's take a look at the different milks available and see if I can make it a little easier for you to sort your almond milk, from your soy, cow, goat, rice, oat, A2, skinny milk, raw, pastuerised and homogenised. Oh add coconut milk to that list.

Cow's milk
First, a couple of terms explained. You've probably noticed the words 'pasteurised' and 'homogenised' on the side of cow's milk cartons, essentially this means that the milk has been processed - read changed - from its natural state.

What is pasteurisation?

Pasteurisation is when milk is heated to approximately 72 degrees celcius for 15-20 seconds. The reason milk is treated in this way is to kill all disease-causing microbes.

What is homogenisation?

Basically homogenisation keeps the components of milk together. That is the cream, the fat, does not rise to the top as it did in an old-fashioned bottle of milk. 

Cow's milk (or goat or sheep milk) that hasn't been processed is known as raw milk and is illegal to sell in Australia. The reason it is illegal is because the pasteurisation process destroys any potentially harmful bacteria, the problem is the pasteurisation also destroys the enzymes in the milk and alters the composition making it difficult for many people to digest and leaving it devoid of its natural nourishing properties. I have many friends who seek raw milk out usually through their local health food stores where it is sold as 'bath milk' this gets around the legalities. For more about raw milk read this post I wrote last year, or this post from Sally Fallon author of Nourishing Traditions.

A2
The name of this milk, A2, refers to the type of protein in the milk of Jersey and Guernsey cows. Whereas the milk from Holstein cows, the main breed of dairy cow in Australia, is A1. The key difference between A1 and A2 beta casein proteins is their digestibility, A2 is reported to be much easier to digest this is why it has become increasingly popular. Blogger and nutritionist Katie 180 has written this convincing post in support of switching to A2 milk. And this post from The Food Intolerance Network is worth a look.

Goat's Milk 
Goat's milk has a very distinctive flavour and smell that for most people is quite overpowering in comparison to cow's milk. Some people who find the proteins in cow's milk difficult to digest, find the protein in goat's milk easier on their digestion. Again, the raw form of this milk is the most nutritionally dense. For more detailed information on goat's milk go here.

Rice Milk and Oat Milk
Milk from rice or oats? Yes when I stop and think about that it definitely does not seem right! If eating a low or no processed diet is your aim, then it is best to steer clear of milk substitutes such as these.
I started having rice milk on my porridge or muesli, or in a smoothie, a few years ago when I began weaning myself off soy milk (still a work in progress, I drink soy in my daily coffee). It is very important to read the ingredients on these milks, you might be surprised to learn that most contain oil of some kind such as sunflower and some also contain sweeteners and salt.

Soy Milk
The subject of soy milk probably warrants a whole post of its own but keeping in context of this post if you are going to include soy milk in your diet look for organic, GMO, additive free and be mindful of the quantity you are consuming. There have been many links made between drinking soy milk and hormonal imbalance, namely relating to thyroid regulation. For more info read
The Myths and Facts about soy milk  and my previous post on soy milk.

Coconut Milk
To say coconut anything is flavour of the month would be an understatement! I'm not sure about coconut milk in a morning cup of tea but definitely coconut milk is a great addition to your cooking be it in curries or in baking, or in your favorite smoothie. Here is an excellent article on coconut milk that includes directions to make your own.

Almond Milk
As with rice and oat milk, milk from nuts? I'm not convinced. Once in a while I think almond milk is fine in your smoothie or if you like a warm milk drink. If you want to have a go at making almond milk at home here is a terrific post from The Kitchn on how to do it.

In my house we have rice milk for muesli or porridge and soy milk for chai. The bottle of A2 in the picture above I bought to use in a cake recipe, I am tempted to give A2 a go in place of the rice milk and soy milk but I don't like that it is not organic.

A friend who is a naturopath and agrees that deciding what to eat is difficult especially when there is so much conflicting information available, when it comes to milk she switches the variety around regularly, one week buying rice milk, raw milk the next, oat milk another time and so on.

Things to consider when it comes to choosing the right milk for you and your family
- Is it organic?
- Free of genetically modified ingredients?
- Monitor the quantity consumed
- Look for symptoms - such as congestion, tummy upsets, skin rashes - that could be related to the type and quantity of milk you are drinking.
- Switch milks around to see which one is the most compatible with your digestion and nutritional needs.

** remember, I am not a doctor or health practitioner if you require health or dietary advice please see a qualified professional who comes well recommended.

Further reading

Choice magazine review of alternative milks
Coconut and almond milk in cartons not a healthy buy

Tell me, I am fascinated to know how many different kinds of milk you have in your fridge right now! Share your milk stories in the comments, it may well help someone else.