Tags
brine, cholesterol, cultured butter, cultured dairy, depression, fatty acid, heart disease, homemade bread, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, lactose intolerance, low cholesterol diet, milk allergy, obesity, raw milk, real food, sauerkraut, skim milk, soaked grains, soaking grains, sourdough bread, sprouted grains, tooth decay, traditional food, traditional food recipes, traditional foods, vegan, WAPF, Weston A Price, Whole foods
Cheeky Bums Blog (and our Market, opening on 2.2.12) is dedicated to bringing back the vintage traditions that we have lost as a culture – and that means in all aspects of life – from what we eat and how we treat illnesses to how we clean our homes and even how we parent our children! We will be posting a myriad of articles covering all of these things over the next weeks and months, but if these concepts are totally foreign to you – you’re not alone! and we want to start by building a strong foundation of knowledge and resources so that you are better equipped to raise vintage kids in a modern world….
So join us for this series on “living naturally” and read on to see what the hype is all about, and to find some great resources to start exploring on your own!
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lacto-fermented salsa. kombucha. kimchi. kefir. coconut oil. raw milk. sourdough bread.
oh and cultured butter. lots and lots of it.
my hubbies translation: “hippy food that makes our kitchen look like a science experiment”
my translation: “REAL food, that is packed full of vitamins, enzymes and cultures that aid in digestion and can heal your gut, fill you up, and give you more energy as it cleans out your system. and yes… it’s very ‘hippy’ and it does kinda look like a highschool science lab on my kitchen counters”
In the coming weeks here at Cheeky Bums Blog, we will be exploring more “hippy recipes”, but before we get that far…why on earth would you want to bother?
especially if your grocery cart is packed full of “the normal stuff”…
…lunch meat and sliced cheese, some apples and maybe some carrot sticks even, hot dogs, frozen pizza, some boxed (or maybe frozen) dinners (for that night when the kids have sports and you’ll be rushed to get something on the table), maybe some chips and soda, some skim milk, maybe a few yogurt cups for the kids’ lunch. oh and that pint of Starbucks ice cream that will be quietly stuck in the very back of the freezer, lest little ones find it, and -horror- they delve into that caffeine laden dessert…it all seems normal, so then why bother? after all, those “normal” foods don’t contain anything scary like “lactobacilli” or things that you once grew in a petri dish, right?
I had never heard of these things growing up. it kind of even freaked me out that yogurt had “live cultures” in it. I never would have guessed that I would be fermenting my own kombucha in large jars above my stove! (And if you don’t know what kombucha is, please don’t feel bad – you’re not alone!)
but let me back up…this all started 6 years ago when we realized that our oldest daughter had, what we thought, was baby acne. Through a long string of events, and misdiagnosis, we realized that because I had received massive amounts of penicillin during my labor with her, that she was born with compromised gut flora. The antibiotics that I had received had attacked all of the good bacteria in her gut, so her intestines weren’t able to process many enzymes, and she had an especially hard time with the lactose in milk, producing a funny rash every time she came in contact with dairy. After some reasearch and recommendations, we started her on a high-grade probiotic and we switched to local, grass-fed raw milk. I know it sounds scary and hippy-ish, but hang with me.
her dairy allergy is gone. We were able to help cure her gut, thus strengthening her immune system. And most importantly to me, as a mother, I watched my daughter’s body heal itself through simple, traditional nutritional practices.
So what is traditional food?
In the most basic sense, traditional foods are those things that are un-processed, un-refined and were not created in a factory or laboratory. Things that our ancestors ate back in the day that completely nourished and sustained them; things that were eaten raw, fermented, cultured and sometimes soaked and sprouted. (and don’t worry; we’ll cover these things in following articles!)
Traditional cultures, pre 19th and 20th century industrialization, consumed non-processed foods…quite obviously. And funny thing is, before our “convenience foods” diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cholestrol problems, many forms of cancers, auto-immmune diseases, dental problems, and even depression (just to name a few!) were a rarity and most definitely not the norm. We underestimate how much our nutrition plays a part in our total health, not to mention our energy levels! For some great resources on traditional foods, check out these articles:
Traditional Foods in a Nutshell
Two Paradigms of Healthy Eating
After we realized the impact that diet had on my daughter’s health, I realized that I wanted to make some big changes. The problem was, I was still working part time and raising a little one and so I didn’t have hours to spend in the kitchen preparing “homemade foods” – which in my mind meant that I would be kneading bread and plucking my own chickens. Plus, (and this was a BIG one in our house) there was no way we could afford to buy all of our groceries at the health food store, so if I couldn’t do it all, why bother?
After a lot of trial and error and many late nights researching, here’s what I discovered:
1. We saw huge improvements in our health with just a few small – very inexpensive – changes; both in adding certain things and omitting others.
2. With a little preplanning, I am able to prepare traditional foods with very little extra effort and can even do “meals on the go” or last minute options!
3. Eating traditionally can actually be cheaper. Seriously. Yeah, there are some ingredients that cost a little more because you’re paying for the quality of the ingredients. Funny thing is though, the higher the quality of the food, the more vitamins and nutrients it has and so you feel fuller. You’ll start to find yourself eating less because your body is TRULY satiated and satisfied – not just full.
4. Even on those days when I find myself in the kitchen longer than I planned…I realize that, beyond a shadow of a doubt…it’s worth it.
Please take a look at some of these links from fellow Traditional Food Bloggers to see why they “bothered going the natural route”. They have done an amazing amount of research and put together some great information, so see for yourself…
Soaking Whole Grains: why do it?
Can we be well fed but malnourished? the teeth will tell
Why Skim Milk Will Make You Fat and Give You Heart Disease
Cholesterol and Heart Disease, a phony issue
Fats and Oils and Their Impact on Health
All of these blogs have a WEALTH of information that will really make you think about the value of nutrition – so look around at their recipes, tips and research!
…and stay tuned! We’re going to continue on with our”Living Naturally Series” with part 2: “If I can’t afford to buy everything organic, where should I start?” coming next week!
what kind of questions do you have about traditional foods? Do you already incorporate these in your diet?
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This post is featured on Fight Back Fridays, and Fresh Bites Friday, Sunday School Blog Carnival at Butter Believer, Seasonal Celebration at Natural Mother’s Network and the Homestead Barn Hop
Andrea said:
I really love your website. I hope you suceed with your market.
Laura said:
Kelsi, I love this post and series! We have dabbled in making our own yogurt, sprouting and soaking grains but would love to learn more! Especially, how to incorporate these foods into a daily diet with specific recipes etc.
CheekyBumsBlog.com said:
Laura! that’s awesome! there are several Traditional Foods recipes that we’ll be posting soon and I’ll have some more suggestions in my meal plan tomorrow! so glad you like it! – Kelsi
arealfoodlover said:
I have a recipe blog, full of traditional, and properly prepared foods. My refridgerator does look like a science experiment, and I love it! I love having all sorts of alive and fermenting things in there 🙂 They have also had a huge positive impact on my health.
http://www.arealfoodlover.com
chickiepea said:
Excellent!! I have at least 2 blog posts on how the traditional/whole foods diet we embarked on has helped heal our teeth alone (not to mention all the other great benefits we feel!) Well done!
Natural Mothers (@naturalmothers) said:
I do enjoy reading your posts, such a wealth of information. This has prompted me to start a yogurt culture going! Thank you so much for sharing this with us on Natural Mothers Network!
I am really looking forward to hosting the Seasonal Celebration Linky Party #7 going live tomorrow and hope you’ll pop over sometime-you’re always welcome!
http://naturalmothersnetwork.com/category/seasonal-celebration-sunday/ Have a great weekend!
Rebecca x
CheekyBumsBlog.com said:
that’s great! Yogurt is such an easy (and yummy) Traditional Food to get started with! Love what you’re doing and will see you tomorrow! – kelsi
locololo said:
I just found your blog! I am amazed. I love it. It’s everything I hope my own blog to be. (I’ve only just started blogging..and for the main reason of some of these same changes I’ve been making to my own life over the years) I will definitely be clicking the FOLLOW button! I look forward to reading more…including all of the reading I will be doing tonight to catch up 🙂
CheekyBumsBlog.com said:
that’s awesome! so glad you found us! All the best! -kelsi