Food for thought…
(Pun intended)
Over the past week or so, I’ve been thinking about food, and what it’s evolving to be. When you begin to picture how food was when God created Eden, how man has been eating over the centuries, and then how dramatically food has changed in just about 100 years (especially in the last 30 years), it can be a pretty startling thought. The food we eat has… dare I say “mutated”… because of industrialization. To what extent, I’m still learning; but with that knowledge comes a keen awareness of the sign of the times we live in, and what the world is coming to.
I think many people (especially people in my generation) don’t know enough about what we’re feeding ourselves. The older generation may simply write off health food because of it’s high price, while we, the younger generation may brush this knowledge aside, assuring ourselves that, “We still have time to enjoy ourselves… We’re young!”. Nevertheless, when you know what’s really going on in the food industry, you’ll definitely start paying more attention to what you eat, despite the prices or your age.
There have been a number of documentaries made on food that I’ve put on my list of “DVDs to buy” after reading good reviews and watching the trailers on Youtube.
Just thought I’d share two that have caught my attention.
1. The Future of Food
“Whoever controls the seeds, controls the food”.
Shocking information that we may not be as free as we think we are to choose or even grow our own food.
(Listen to this interview with the producer of The Future of Food if you have more time)
2. FOOD, Inc.
“The industry doesn’t want you to know the truth of what you’re eating, because if you knew, you might not want to eat it”
(Because of the rapid pace of the trailer, I recommend watching this at least twice to grasp it’s full message)
Incidentally, on our recent marketing trip, we decided to ask the chicken seller where these “ayam kampungs” come from. The uncle informed us that since the demand for “ayam kampungs” has risen over the years, there are now farms dedicated to breeding “ayam kampungs” , and the ones that we buy are from Penang!! O_O
The industrialization of food isn’t limited to the USA. It’s everywhere, including Malaysia.
(I’ve more to say on that, but will save that for another post.)
For now, the question is this: where do you buy your food from? And do you know where it was grown? Or how it was made?
(Don’t worry if you don’t. I’m still trying to find out too. It’s important that we do.)
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Millet “Fried Rice”
I learned a little about millet during my NT class last month when we were talking about magnesium and it’s role in the body.
Technically, millet is classified as a seed, but the articles I’ve read online so far refer to it as a grain. However, unlike most grains which contain gluten (a protein which some people cannot tolerate, or are allergic to) millet is gluten-free, and is alkaline-forming. It is also high in magnesium which has many functions, one of which is strengthening bones and teeth. Without magnesium, calcium cannot be absorbed properly (thus the weaker bones); it’s also used effectively in NT to treat (yes, treat) diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and etc.
Apart from magnesium, millet contains the trace mineral manganese. Now, unlike minerals like calcium, we don’t usually hear much about manganese, do we? But did you know that manganese is essential for strong enamel in teeth?
When I got home from my lecture, I told my mum, “I want to try and cook millet…”
“Millet?” mum said, “Isn’t that what birds eat?”
Apparently so… Isn’t it sad that a seed (not a grain, technically!) which has unique benefits like being:
(in a list form, in case you didn’t read the above)
- gluten free
- alkaline-forming (which is great, because our bodies are naturally alkaline, so that minerals don’t leach out from our bones, and because disease is less able to develop in an alkaline environment)
- high in magnesium- vital for calcium absorption, strong bones and teeth, etc (read above!)
- high in manganese- for strong teeth enamel
- higher than most grains in protein (contains about 12% protein)
has become what we feed primarily to birds, instead of ourselves?
I’m sure there are many more reasons why millet should be added into our diets, but I just thought I’d highlight a few benefits that stood out to me.
So… while waiting for Angelyn’s music class to end a few weeks back, I decided to drop into the organic shop opposite her piano teacher’s house to purchase a small pack of millet. A couple of days later, when it was my turn to cook lunch, I decided to try my hand at “Millet Fried Rice”, inspired by the recipe found in Heidi Swanson’s SuperNatural Cooking. I didn’t have all the ingredients that she listed in her recipe, so I tweaked it to my liking, and made my Malaysian version of ” millet fried rice” 
Millet Fried Rice
(adapted from Heidi Swanson’s cook book)
1 cup millet, boiled for about 20-30 mins with 3 3/4 cups water and a pinch of salt
1 carrot, cut like matchsticks
3 or 4 strands long beans, cut into apprx. 1/2 cm parts
1 egg (or more, if you like eggs)
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1/2 C. spring onions
2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
shoyu (a kind of soy sauce) to taste
white pepper, to taste
a few splashes of fish oil (optional) to taste
1. Wash the millet then boil in a medium saucepan with water and a pinch of salt.
Some recipes I’ve found suggests toasting it lightly on a pan before boiling to brown it, as it accentuates it’s nutty flavour. I didn’t do that, but I’d like to try it out in the future. The recipe says the millet isn’t supposed to be mushy when it’s cooked, but mine turned out rather mushy, so add more water if you feel the need to. (I’ve increased the amount of water in the recipe above). Once it’s done, drain off excess water if there’s any.
2. Cut carrots, long beans, garlic and spring onions while the millet is boiling.
3. Once millet is cooked and cooled down a little, heat the coconut oil in a frying pan or kuali (wok) over medium fire.
3. Put in the garlic and let it brown a little for about half a minute, till you can smell the aroma.
4. Add the spring onions, and fry with the garlic till you can smell the aroma
5. Throw in the carrots and beans, fry with garlic and onions
6. If you’re using a frying pan, push the garlic, spring onions, carrots and beans to one side of the pan to let it cook while you crack your egg on an empty spot.
7. Let the egg cook for awhile, till the white is no longer too runny, but still soft. Use your (whatever you’re using… frying utensil…) to scramble the egg.
8. Add the millet, and mix with the ingredients (garlic, onions, carrots, beans, egg).
9. Season with shoyu, white pepper and fish oil.
10. Serve with some belacan if you like
Because the millet I cooked turned out rather mushy, unlike the instructions in the cook book, I was afraid that the “fried rice” would turn out clumpy. To a certain extent it was clumpy, but I managed to break the millet up into smaller chunks while frying, so it still turned out well. My mum and Angelyn both enjoyed it, and said that it was just like fried rice.
Millet is a great alternative for rice if you’re looking to include more alkaline, instead of acid forming foods in your diet. However, although millet comprises of up to 12% protein, it still contains a significant amount of carbs. Limit your consumption of it if you:
a) want to loose weight,
b) are on an anti-fungal/candida diet.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Purpose and some background…
I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about why I’m blogging here, and why I’m cooking/baking this way, have I?
*opens new tab and quickly scrolls through the blog and About page*
Hmm… nothing much. I suppose I was rather excited when I started and wanted to get to sharing the recipes right away….
But I’ve been thinking… some of you may not actually know the reason why I’m blogging, or why I use the ingredients that I do. So, I think it’s about time that I do some introduction, or at least begin explaining in some of my posts the rationale behind all this baking/cooking with hard-to-find/ less conventional ingredients.
From what my “About” page says, you probably know that I’m currently studying Nutritional Therapy.
“What’s that?” you say? Well, it basically means what it’s called- healing and therapy (of the body), through the use of nutrients.
Is it possible to regain and maintain health through eating the right nutrients? From what I’m learning and experiencing, most definitely!
I’m really enjoying the course that I’m studying. This year, I’m learning about how to treat several health conditions and maintain health through the right foods. Very exciting stuff!
I used to hold the view that eating healthy is pretty much the saddest thing a normal (non-sick) person could do because I thought foods that promote health were either tasteless or yucky, the opposite of nice, good, delicious food. By God’s grace, my thinking has changed gradually over the past few years, and I’ve come to understand health and food from a whole different perspective. Life, including views on food and eating, change when we start seeing things from God’s perspective. I knew that life is a gift from God, but now I understand that it is a gift that needs taking care of.
As I began to explore the world of health, I realized health was so much more than just eating. Health is the way you live your life! Not just any old healthy way of living, but to be precise, living the way God designed life to be.
Often time, in the study of nutrition, I find it easy to get confused with all the (neverending) various diets around, new discoveries and studies which seem to give, sometimes seemingly contradictory results. However, when I try look at life from God’s perspective, it’s assuring to know that He holds the universe in His hands, and He knows the right “answers” because He’s the One who created everything! I don’t have all the answers, but this journey of learning nutrition continually opens my eyes to see how He has created all things by and through His wisdom, and when we live like He designed us to, we experience health and life.
In short… the study of nutrition no longer turns me off. Rather, it fascinates me.
The more I learn, the more I marvel at the Creator’s wisdom.
The more I don’t know, the more I’m convinced that He knows.
So, the purpose of this blog isn’t to simply share recipes (though that’s what I will do very often). Rather, I hope to be able to include more information from the nutrition viewpoint about various foods that I’m incorporating, and to chronicle my journey in re-discovering life in all it’s various aspects (e.g. I want to start growing my own veggies!) as He intended it to be.
***
You may also have read in the “About Me” page that I’m not quite the chef/cook/baker…. BUT I’m apprenticing under my Mum who is an awesome cook in my opinion, so there is hope! 
With much help from her and amazing people on the internet, I’m convinced that healthy food needn’t be dull and tasteless. Good food can become healthily delicious with a little creativity and the right knowledge!
I hope you’re game for the ride!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Search
