Celiac sprue is a condition of the intestinal tract where the structure of a person’s jejunal portion of the small intestine actually becomes damaged due to an immune response to the protein from wheat - gluten or gliadin. Thus malabsorption of nutrients can occur, particularly iron and folic acid. There are tests for this sensitivity. The symptoms can be intestinal distress, bloating, pain, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea and anemia.

These people need a gluten free diet. The challenge is of course bread. Since gluten is found primarily in wheat, rye, barley and some in oats, it makes the producing of an acceptable bread difficult since it is the gluten (protein) in the wheat that lets is rise and make a nice soft bread that holds together. There are rice breads and other gluten free breads available. Some are more acceptable than others. In addition, celiac suffers want to read labels and look for grain fragments such as gluten, barley malt, etc.

The other option is to go to flat breads. Since these can be made from other grains that don’t contain gluten. Such as corn tortillas - my favorite. I think I could live on corn. A corn bread make with corn meal and spelt flour would be another suggestion.
But also recipes like Soy Millet Waffles from the cookbook Vegan Homestyle, can be made gluten free, replacing the oats with an equal part of millet. Waffles can be made sweet or savory and served with creamed vegetables, etc. Also the Potato Waffle Hashbrowns are gluten free, hearty and tasty. Actually, Vegan Homestyle contains 160 gluten free recipes. So check it out.

Do you have other ideas for flat breads that are gluten free? This would be a great help to others.

I’ve been back to making soy yogurt. The price of food these days has propelled me back into the kitchen. You can save a lot of money by cooking at home. One quart of soy yogurt is about $2.79. You can buy Kirkland brand soymilk for $1.00 and make your own yogurt. Or make your own soy milk, it’s quite simple.

Soy Yogurt

I start with 3 c. of soy milk because then I can fit it all in a quart jar. Or you can start with 1 quart soy milk if you use a larger container.

Take about 1/2 of the soy milk (room temperature or cold) and stir in 1 T. of tapioca powder or arrowroot powder. You may also add a tsp. of vanilla and 1 T. sweetener if desired. Heat and stir with a whisk to thicken, but don’t allow to boil hard. When thick pour this into the remaining soy milk and stir with a whisk. Allow the soy milk to cool to about 100 F, checking with a thermometer.

When it is the proper temperature mix in 1/2 c. of culture. (For the culture use 1/2 c. of commercial soy yogurt with live organisms or use 1/2 c. of your previous batch of yogurt) pour the thickened soy milk into a quart jar and place in a warm place to incubate. You may use a yogurt incubator which uses water to surround your container and keeps it at the proper temperature. Or many ovens will be the proper temperature if you just turn the light on. Check with an oven thermometer. 100F to 106F is what it needs. A crock pot will be too hot.

Allow the yogurt to incubate for about 6 - 7 hours. After six hours stick a spoon in it to see if it has thickened. The longer you leave it the more sour it will become. This yogurt will have a mild pleasant taste. It will not be a thick as commercial yogurt, but wonderful on cereal or fruit. Try it and let me know how it goes.

Kay H.

I received a question today about summer savory.  It is one of the herbs used in the Live-for-Health Chicken-style seasoning from Vegan Homestyle.  Summer Savory is a perennial herb with a mildly spicy flavor. Traditionally it has been used with fish, beans, stuffing, pates and other meat dishes.  I like to use it for its mild tangy taste in place of pepper, which is an irritant.

Savory can be easily grown in a pot or in your herb garden.  Harvest leaves and dry in the summer and you’ll have them all winter.

If you cannot find it in your grocery store, the chicken-style seasoning can be made without it.  There will be little change of flavor.  I encourage people to make the seasoning though, you’ll find tons of uses for it.

blessings,

Kay H.

Selenium is an important trace mineral that helps our bodies produce antioxidant enzymes which protect us from cellular changes and damage, including cancer. Selenium can often be deficient in agricultural soils and so we have to look for good sources to be sure and get the recommended 70 - 85 mcg per day.

A recent study published in the American Clinical Journal of Nutrition showed that two Brazil nuts a day would provide the needed amount of selenium. Not only this, compared to the group that received supplements, the group that received their selenium from a food source (Brazil nuts) had significantly more antioxidant activity. It is always best to get our nutrients from food if possible. The combination of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals found in plant foods react together to give a greater benefit than when taking isolated supplements. In other words, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

A great way to get your dose of Brazil nuts is from the Holiday Nut Loaf found in Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living. This recipe is a very tasty loaf made with Brazil nuts that makes not only a nice holiday entree but great sandwiches as well. I take some of the loaf and mash it up with soy mayonnaise, chopped green onion, pickles and celery; a very tasty spread for lunch.

Metabolic Syndrome - what is it? It is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Sometimes called Syndrome X. It affects a large segment of our population, especially in the middle to later years of life. The symptoms used to diagnosis this condition are:elevated fasting blood sugars or insulin resistance high blood pressure central obesity: fat deposits around the middle decreased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) elevated triglycerides (fat in the blood) A recent study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study) reported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute showed that there were several dietary factors that increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. 1) diet soda (1 serving per day) increased the risk 34% 2) meat consumption increased the risk 35% (particularly processed meat and red meat) 3) fried foods increased the risk 25% These diet choices along with inactivity (a lack of exercise) are responsible for the increasing numbers of people diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Good health takes a balance of a many lifestyle factors; natural diet, ideally from whole plant foods, exercise, fresh air and sunshine, water, rest from stress and peace of mind.. Learning to prepare some simple, tasty home cooked vegetarian dishes and sharing them with others may help someone avoid a life threatening and debilitating disease. Try this simple recipe from Vegan Homestyle: CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD 1 med. Napa cabbage, sliced fine 1 bunch green onions, chopped fine 1 c. sliced almonds, toasted ½ c. sesame seeds, toasted Dressing: 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice 1/4 c. olive oil 2 T. honey ½ t. salt 1 t. Live-for-Health curry powder (curry powder: 1 ½ T. garlic powder, 2T. turmeric, 2 T. coriander, 2 T. cumin) or Vegesal Mix together cabbage and green onions. Toast almonds and sesame seeds in a dry pan, separately, until lightly toasted. Add to cabbage. Mix dressing and dress salad just before serving. For more recipes and ideas try the cookbook, Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living by Kay Hansen. Experience better health – one recipe at a time!

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Kay Hansen, author of Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living, will be signing books at B Dalton Bookstore in Springfield, Oregon on Sunday April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. The store is located in the Gateway Mall.

Tasty samples and a cooking demonstration will start at 1 p.m. The public is invited.

My friend, Agness, shared these tasty walnut meatballs at a recent potluck dinner. Everyone wanted the recipe so I’m sharing it on our website. Just click on the link for the recipe.

Tofu Walnut Meatballs with Sweet & Sour Sauce

The recent information from the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition regarding Vitamin D was very interesting.  Most people know that vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone.  Ultra violet light from the sun reacts with cholesterol in our skin to make vitamin D.  10 - 15 minutes per day with exposure of the hands and face is sufficient to produce the amount of vitamin D required.

But, because we now live such a sedentary and largely indoor life many people are showing signs of vitamin D deficiency.  Extreme deficiency would manifest symptoms in children with weak bones that tend to bow out and don’t grow properly.  But even in adults vitamin D is needed for the maintenance of healthy bone structure as well as the immune system and it plays a role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis and other autoimmune diseases.

The vitamin D that is formed in the skin is the storage form.  In order to be active this vitamin D is converted by the kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin D.  So to maximize our availability of this super powered vitamin D we need to protect kidney function.  This is best done by some simple natural lifestyle choices, i.e., drinking plenty of water, avoiding a high animal protein diet which produces by-products that must be filtered by the kidneys and can cause loss of kidney function, and avoiding the onset of diabetes by choosing a low-fat vegetarian diet with moderate intake of vegetable protein.

In order to supply sufficient vitamin D, get out in the sunshine every day that it is possible.  The more northern latitudes may not receive sufficient ultra violet in the darkest winter months.  But the body will store vitamin D for many months, provided it’s acquired in the summer and fall.

Look for a new product coming to markets soon.  Mushrooms high in Vitamin D, b not fortified, like dairy milk.  Mushrooms produce, naturally, a small amount of vitamin D.  These new mushrooms will be exposed to an extra dose of sunlight in order to maximize the vitamin D content.  Look for them in your stores starting this year - 2008.

So, enjoy the sun, even a little tan, don’t get burned, drink plenty of water and the reward will be strong bones, cancer prevention and a strong immune system.  How blessed we are that a loving creator made all this so easy.  Best of Health - Kay H.

Cathy wrote to me recently and shared her new twist on the Apple Oat Casserole recipe.  This recipe is in the Vegan Homestyle cookbook.  It is an easy breakfast casserole that one of our former health guests called, “the best oatmeal I’ve ever eaten.”  Cathy replaced the raisins with dried cranberries and then added some orange zest.  Sounds yummy!

If anyone has variations they’ve tried with the recipes from Vegan Homestyle, post them here, I’m sure others will want to know.    Happy Cooking!  Kay H.

Reported at the 2008 Int’l vegetarian congress was an interesting report on iron levels in vegetarians and vegans. Everyone knows that you need iron for good blood and many have equated the reason to eat meat was to get a good source of iron. But new evidence showed that heme iron (iron from blood sources like meat) actually over absorb and can damage the cells of the pancreas increasing the risk for Type II Diabetes.1

In addition, there have been concerns with iron levels that are too high and the cancer risk associated with it. The recent Iowa Women’s Health Study suggested “that intake of dietary heme iron is associated with an increased risk of proximal colon cancer, especially among women who drink . . .”2

In contrast new research presented at the vegetarian congress showed that ferritin ( a plant source of iron) is actually very bioavailable (easy to be absorbed) and does not have the same association with cancer or diabetes. Good sources are legumes including soy beans, peas, beans and lentils, also corn, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit and whole grains.

Just more good reasons to avoid eating of blood and enjoy the bountiful goodness of whole foods as grown.

Kay H.

Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living

1JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2004 96(5):403-407; doi:10.1093/jnci/djh047
2Diabetes Care 29:1370-1376, 2006