Just Say No To Crisco

Hydrogenated Oils (Shortening and Margarine) - It is important to note that hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils have been banned in many European countries because of the harm that they cause to our bodies. However, here in the good ole U.S.A. we are still using this poisonous ingredient in many food products. Hydrogenated oil was invented in order to get around the high cost of butter. They are oils that have been chemically changed by adding in hydrogen molecules to make them firm so they would resemble the texture of butter. It’s cheaper to produce hydrogenated oil than it is to put butter in food products.
Some of the effects of hydrogenated oil are that it causes weight gain, slows down your metabolism, raises the levels of bad cholesterol and lowers the good cholesterol levels, increases blood insulin, increases free radical formation, and affects the immune system. Hydrogenated oil is closely linked with the increase of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and so much more.

My dietary alternatives for these are butter, palm oil, and coconut oil. For all of my baking that calls for shortening I use a palm oil put out by Spectrum. I love this oil; it should be known that this form was the shortening of choice, along with coconut oil for bakeries, until around the late 1950s. That was when the domination of partially hydrogenated soybean oil came about, with the claim that it was healthier - but it has proven to be anything but. Again, palm oil, coconut oil, and even butter are the better alternatives.

In conclusion, don’t let expense keep you from good health. Just bake less if it becomes a money issue. But remember that cheap products are the reason we’re in the predicament we’re in now. They want production to be cheaper, so they feed us poison. If we don’t pay for it now, we’ll pay for it later in medical costs, to say nothing of physical and emotional pain.

Sugar Blues...

White Sugar - White sugar is another big no-no at my house. White sugar is just as bad, if not worse, than white flour. White sugar as we know it today is unnatural; it is usually derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. As with white flour, it starts as a natural plant that has nutrients and minerals present. However, through the refining process, it is stripped of all vitamins, enzymes, proteins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients leaving only simple sucrose, more commonly known as table sugar. It is noted on a site called Organic Nutrition that the average American consumes 115 pounds of sugar a year. Sugar is an addictive substance that does more harm to the body than most narcotic drugs. The one thing that makes sugar unique from these narcotic poisons is that it is difficult and commonly illegal to buy them. Sugar however, is present in almost everything you purchase from the store.
The negative effects of sugar are too many to count; however, I am listing just a few here to give the reader a general idea. Sugar is the leading cause of tooth decay, bleeding gums, and deteriorating bone structure. Sugar consumption can lead to diabetes, hypo- and hyperglycemia, cancer, poor eyesight, lowered immune system, heart disease, the increased presence of bad forms of blood cholesterol, and it really wreaks havoc on the endocrine system, causing problems with all of its organs, including the pancreas, adrenal glands, and the liver. Sugar also can cause yeast infections, chronic fatigue, increased PMS symptoms, and increased weight gain, and it has been shown to cause hyperactivity in at least 50% of children.
My dietary alternative for white sugar is rapadura. This sugar can be found in your local health-food chain-type markets. In my area, I get it in bulk from a place called People’s Co-op. Whole Foods sells it as well.
So what make this sugar so special? It’s not as refined as white sugar. The way this sugar is produced is by extracting the juice from the sugar cane, and simply dehydrating it. There is no refinement, and it is not separated from the natural molasses that is present. Therefore, what you have is an all-natural sweetener with all the nutrients intact the way Allah intended. The taste is better than refined sugar, and it is actually good for you - in moderation of course. It has a caramel-type taste to it, and I replace it as the sweetener of choice in most of my baking. It is more costly than white sugar, but well worth it. And the way I rationalize it is that I try not to bake too often anyway, so it lasts a while. It’s great in cookies, most pies and cakes, muffins, and so on. The only thing that I don’t use it in is cheesecakes, yellow cakes, pound cakes, and lemon meringue pie, since their flavors may clash with a molasses taste. However, I don’t bake those things often, and when I do I use raw sugar or evaporated sugar cane crystals, as it’s also called, which is still less refined than white sugar.
Another fine substitute for white sugar is sucanat. There is no real major difference between sucanat and rapadura. They are both unrefined cane sugar. I just have more of an affection for rapadura. More expensive but acceptable substitutes include maple sugar, date sugar, agave, stevia, and honey. I have not tried these, but I know of others who have and say they work fine as sweeteners. I would recommend that those who are concerned for their health, but still have a sweet tooth, replace refined sugars with these all-natural sweeteners.

Why not White Flour???

Enriched White Flour - I absolutely never cook with white flour, so you won’t find it in my kitchen cupboards. Why does white flour get the dietary thumbs-down? It’s made from wheat grain, just like whole wheat flour, right? That’s correct, however, the difference lies in which parts of the grain are used to make it. When the bran and germ are removed from the wheat grain, over 80% of the fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants are also removed, so much that the government requires five of the thirty nutrients removed to be added back in, producing what Americans know as enriched or fortified flour. Furthermore, it has been noted by Weston Price, the author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, that during the processing stage approximately 80% of the phosphorus and calcium content is usually removed, together with the vitamins and minerals provided in the embryo or germ. The evidence indicates that a very important factor in the lowering of reproductive efficiency of womanhood is directly related to the removal of vitamin E in the processing of wheat (op. cit., p. 480, “Nourishing Traditions”). Aside from all of this, it can be said that white flour is nutritionally useless, because the body breaks it down into a sugar. The body cannot tell the difference between eating a spoonful of sugar or a slice of white bread; the pancreas reacts by secreting insulin - a fat-storing hormone - stimulating the appetite and slowing the metabolism. With the Western diet so full of processed foods, the pancreas works overtime to balance the sugars consumed and eventually shuts down, causing low blood sugar, diabetes, and a handful of other problems.
Bleached white flour is even worse. Flour mills add chemicals in the bleaching process such as nitrogen oxide, chlorine, chloride, benzoyl peroxide, and even potassium bromate, a known carcinogen banned in Europe, Japan, and Canada. Many European countries ban the bleaching process entirely. Except for an off-white tint, unbleached flour is identical to bleached flour in terms of cooking; many professional chefs will not use bleached flour because of the slight chemical taste in the final product many can detect.
On the flip side, whole wheat flour is an excellent source of fiber because it uses the whole grain. Whole wheat flour acts as a cleansing agent for the colon, but it’s also good for the functioning of the heart as well. Taking in more fiber helps to reduce the likelihood of colon cancer, heart disease, hemorrhoids, acne, headaches, fatigue, and excess weight gain. For those who bake and are particular about the outcome of their baking products, there is an alternative to whole wheat flour called whole wheat pastry flour. I use this, and I rarely have to make adjustments in my recipes that call for white flour. For some people who may have a sensitivity to wheat gluten, you may find spelt flour more suitable. I use it sometimes, and find it to be more tolerable for my own gluten sensitivities. However, it doesn’t convert well in recipes where rising is essential, like those for biscuits and pancakes. Since there is very little gluten in it, it doesn’t rice much. It does work well, however, with cookies, pie crusts, and some cakes. Usually you add less liquid than a recipe calls for when using spelt flour. For those who have celiacs disease or other serious gluten allergies, you may try other alternatives such as coconut flour, almond flour, rice flour or other gluten free alternatives.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (A Natural Sweetner?)

This ingredient has become very controversial over the few years. The marketers in the food industry are actually trying to pass this cursed poison off as a “natural” sweetener because it comes from corn; however, the refining process that is necessary to convert corn to high fructose corn syrup creates something quite deadly. One article that I read called it the “new silent killer”. The food industry embraced this substance because it found the product cheaper to manufacture than table sugar.
I believe that high-fructose corn syrup is even worse than sugar. First, all of the corn syrup that is made starts off with genetically modified corn. Second, HFCS goes straight to the liver, causing significant fat buildup in the liver. It is also said that fructose interacts with birth control pills and can elevate insulin levels in women who use them. Fructose also inhibits copper metabolism, which leads to a bodily deficiency in copper. This can cause bone fragility, anemia, ischemic heart disease, and so many other problems. Please, Please, Please, read your labels and avoid this ingredient like the plague. Choose foods without this ingredient and when you're able make your own. It allows you more control over what your family eats.
My alternative for recipes that call for corn syrup would be brown rice syrup. It is a little expensive, but far better for your health.

Are You Drinking Yourself to Death???

Did you know that drinking sodas on a regular basis can lead to obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, tooth decay, kidney damage, impaired digestive system and many other health problems? Despite the deleterious effects of this beverage, the United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. It is estimated that the average American drinks 57 gallons of soft drinks each year. For a healthier alternative, make your soda at home. Combine your favorite all-natural fruit juice. (No Sugar added) and carbinated water and make a fruit spritzer. Alot healthier without all the negative ingredients.