The Easiest Step toward Sustainability: Sprouting

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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The Easiest Step toward Sustainability: Sprouting

(Like me!) Not everyone has a green thumb. Not everyone can grow a garden outdoors and not everyone has a Tower Garden that can grow indoors year round and supply them with organic, non-GMO produce (also like me). However, when considering ways to be more sustainable and begin to grow your own food, the easiest step toward sustainability is something you can do on your kitchen counter: sprouting.

The Benefits of Sprouting

I say this for a couple of reasons. If you have a black thumb, like me, you may be intimidated by dirt. As I continue my journey with food and the ethics of eating and sustainability, I am learning that there is A LOT to soil! Some even deny hydroponics, like my Tower Garden, can truly be “organic gardening” as, traditionally, it is the quality and the cultivating power of the soil that created “organic” as a sacred form of farming.

I say this also because, as I mention above, you can literally grow sprouts on your kitchen counter using the ambient light from the natural light and light bulbs in your home to create nutrients! Amazing, right? My simple sprouting grow kit sits right by my sink. It’s fun to watch the little sprouts grow over time. This can also be done year round.

Another benefits of sprouting is that they grow SUPER fast! We’re talking being ready to eat in 2-7 days! And, the yield of the tiny sprouting seeds is SUPER high. For instance, 1/2 of a tablespoon of seeds that have been sprouted lasts me a good 2 weeks of edible sprouts.

From a nutrition standpoint, sprouts pack a punch! High in Vitamin C, protein, fiber, and other minerals and antioxidants that the International Sprout Growers Association even have linked to improved bone density and defenses against cancer! And, given that the USDA reports that vegetables are most nutritious freshly harvested and around 7-10 days old, a simple serving of something like sprouts (or even microgreens, which I discuss a bit below) can represent the nutritional value of several servings of fresh veggies given that all of the nutrients that will develop into the adult vegetable are stored in potential in a tiny seed/sprout/green!

Lastly, umm… they’re delicious! Period. And, they can be a fun, nutritional, and tasty addition to pretty much any dish: a sandwich, eggs, salad, roast pork, soup, etc. I, in fact, am a bit addicted to them. 🙂

How to Sprout

There are a couple key things to note when starting on your sprouting quest:

  • Sprouts grow best in a temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Sprouts grow best when they are in a bright location with indirect light.
  • Especially when first growing, sprouts needs to be rinsed at least twice a day.
  • Sprouts really expand. So, although you feel that such tiny seeds can’t possibly blossom to 4-20 times their size, be patient! They will.
  • While sprouts don’t spontaneously evolve pathogens, they can be vulnerable to airborne pathogens, just like anything else. So, if they smell or look funny, go with your gut and throw the batch out, cleaning all the parts of your sprouter thoroughly before you try a new batch.
  • Once your sprouts are at their peak of freshness (e.g. the seeds have developed roots and the little leaves will have opened up, revealing a vibrant green), they are most nutritious at this time. However, they typically will store well in the fridge (without needing to be rinsed) for around three days, especially if you are keeping them in a ventilated seed sprouter, like I do.
  • If you yield around 75% of your seeds as sprouts, that’s a pretty great percentage. Be proud of yourself!

Here are the steps to sprouting:

  • Soak your seeds for 8-12 hours (no more or else you can drown the cute little seeds and ruin their growing potential!) in cool water and make sure the water covers the seeds by at least three times their depth.
  • Especially when first growing, sprouts needs to be rinsed in at least two cups of water at least twice a day. This is important both for germination but especially because “older” sprouts (i.e. toward the 5-8 day mark) develop more simple sugars and can mold easier.


THAT’S IT! YOU NOW GROW AND HARVEST YOUR OWN FOOD – INDOORS AND IN ONLY A COUPLE DAYS! YOU HAVE TAKEN A STEP TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY!

Other Thoughts

It is true that you can be even more sustainable by making your own sprouting container with a food-grade bucket that has many three-sixteenths-sized holes drilled in the bottom and then turning the bucket on it’s lid. However, I choose to not do that for a couple reasons. First, it doesn’t allow for a lot of ventilation. Second, it’s not exactly easy to store your sprouts in the fridge in a giant bucket. Third, it takes up space in your sink (space that you will need when you are making all of those low-carbohydrate/ketogenic meals for yourself). Fourth, the benefit of the kind of seed sprouter I use is that it has dividers so you can grow different kinds of sprouts separately and on a rotation so that you can constantly harvest sprouts and can enjoy several different kinds at a time.

If you don’t like sprouts, want something different, or want to try something more advanced, you can also grow microgreens. If you are growing them yourself, they do require properly-nutritious soil and are more finicky related to where they grow and the amount of light they need. But, if you want to still keep it simple, try an easy Hamama microgreens grow kit you can also grow on your kitchen counter that does all the work for you. All you do is add water!

Lastly, please remember to get organic seeds, which also means that they are also non-GMO. Learn more about why buying certain foods/seeds are important to buy organic here. Some good quality sources for seeds are the following:

Happy Sprouting, you sustainable rockstar!

A special thanks to Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Community Education programs and instructor Lee Arbogast for helping me expand my knowledge of sprouting.

The Challenge of Veganism: All Food Ends in Death

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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The Challenge of Veganism: All Food Ends in Death

As I continue to take courses through Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Community Education programs such as The Ethics of Eating and Urban Homesteading, I am confronted with an important question: veganism or meat-eating? I know both philosophies well. And, I have lived both (as I was a vegetarian for several years in college but didn’t eat dairy products so was essentially vegan; more on my story here).

More than anything else, I greatly appreciate the values and recognition of the importance of life that is the crux of veganism. As a Buddhist, I strive to never add additional suffering to anything on this earth. (I have yet to obtain true enlightenment, though, as I still can’t stop myself from killing spiders. They are just too creepy to me.)

Yet, I can’t shake two things as I contemplate veganism:

  1. It doesn’t make sense to me that we are to ignore the fact that animals are on the Earth and can be a source of nutrition for humans. This is the case especially since it is the healthy proteins and fats we consumed as meat-eaters that allowed our brains to grow astronomically in size and allowed us to continue to thrive as a species. (see charts below)
  2. All food ends in death, anyway.

Noakes, Timothy. 2019. Once Humans Were Healthy [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific & Evolutionary Evidence”.

Noakes, Timothy. 2019. Once Humans Were Healthy [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific & Evolutionary Evidence”.

Reflections on Point One

Not to get too “Lion King” on you related to the “Circle of Life,” but I don’t think it’s chance that there are other animals on our planet. Yes, we can eat plants. But, even when we think about the shapes of our digestive systems as humans, we are not designed to digest cellulose (plant fiber/carbohydrates) well. This is the case as carbohydrates from plants (a.k.a. cellulose) are digested in the large intestine of an animal (e.g. apes, humans). But, guess what?

  1. Humans have a much smaller colons compared to other similar animals, like gorillas and chimpanzees, who are mostly herbivores and capitalize on the large intestine’s principal function of generating saturated fat from cellulose. You can find the research article about this here. (Childers, 2019; Noakes, 2019)
  2. Humans have a MUCH larger smaller intestine (designed for accessing fats and proteins). (Noakes, 2019)
  3. The anerobic bacteria needed to digest and ferment cellulose is not found in the human gut in the same way that it is found in herbivores. (Noakes, 2019)
Chart from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10378206

So, we are not “hind-end digesters” or have the ability to focus on digestion in the later part of our digestive system. Instead, we evolved as a species to take a short-cut: we started to consume ruminants (e.g. cows, goats) whose stomachs were designed to digest and ferment plant fibers like grass and then magically turn it into… saturated fat (the natural fat that, ironically, national dietary guidelines warn us against). Cue the surprise music! We could, then, consume that animal, who had done the genetic heavy lifting for us and have additional healthy nutrients to fuel our bodies.

I think of the Native Americans, a culture with which I have always been fascinated and with which I have always felt a deep reverence for given their ability to use the land while simultaneously honoring and worshiping it. Ultimate sustainability in my mind! The plains Native Americans ate essentially nothing but buffalo prior to the good ol’ white man coming in and ruining their health. You can find this documented in detail in Nutritional and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Weston Price. Somehow, they were able to honor the land while using what it offered them – something that just makes sense to me.

Reflections on Point Two

When we are consuming any kind of food, whether it is a plant or has four legs, it has to die first. I understand the concept behind “I don’t eat anything that has a mother.” However, everything is so connected to everything else, I can’t shake the feeling that “killing” cauliflower by taking it out of the ground to eat it may be just as ethically “violent” as slaughtering a cow. Either way, you are taking a life. There is a sacrifice. And, given the fact that plants (who don’t technically have “a mother”) do actually develop defense mechanisms, aren’t they just as living as a chicken? An interesting article on this here.

Who am I to rate the value of life to be more in a creature with legs than with a stalk? When I found out that plants actually release a chemical through their roots and the air that tell other surrounding plants to become stronger when it is cut down, I think there is more than meets the eye with even plants. There is innate intelligence, whether it has eyes or not. (Click here to find forest ecologist Suzanne Simard’s fascinating and inspirational TED Talk on how this works.) Dr. Gundry talks about this innate tendency for plants to defend themselves in depth in his book, The Plant Paradox, which you can find here, reminding us that no living thing wants to die.

I Don’t Have The Answers

I certainly don’t have the answers for what we “should” be eating. But, I think we need to make sure we are asking the right questions. What does my body need? More protein? What allows me to sleep well at night? What is most sustainable? How do I determine what I value? What matters most?

I think that, when we begin to ask the right questions and look beyond the labels of “meat-eater” versus “vegan,” we will begin to see that, since all food ends in death, all life needs to be honored equally.

References:

Childers, Ann. 2019. Stone Age Body, Space Age Diet: Nutrition, Metabolism and Mental Health. [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Professional Training in LCHF/Ketogenic Nutrition & Treatment”.

Noakes, Timothy. 2019. LCHF for Everyone? [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Professional Training in LCHF/Ketogenic Nutrition & Treatment ”.

Noakes, Timothy. 2019. Once Humans Were Healthy [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific & Evolutionary Evidence”.

Stop Telling Me I’m Pretty!

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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Stop Telling Me I’m Pretty!

Everyone likes to be appreciated. Everyone likes to be complimented. It feels good. That’s okay. That’s expected as it has to do with pleasure chemicals in the brain. And, don’t get me wrong – I appreciate it when others verbalize beauty (whether physical, relational, or spiritual) that they see in me. However, please stop telling me I’m pretty!

Why!?

When considering this request, I reflect on social media. Each time there is a picture posted with me and my mother, I can guarantee the responses: “You are so beautiful!” “Your daughter has really grown up!” “How lovely you two look!” And, it’s not limited to me. Even the comments for my mother specifically, who is a very beautiful woman on the inside, as well as related to societal beauty standards on the outside, are image-related.

So, here’s my question to you: When was the last time that, when viewing an image of a male on social media, your first instinct was to praise their physical attractiveness?

Each time I am told how “beautiful” or “pretty” I am, my worth is being reduced to who I am on the outside. I am being defined by what you see, versus what else you may know about me or what other badass-ary is going on underneath the surface. And, believe me, there is a lot more going on for me underneath my surface, as I know there is for you!

This phenomenon is also not limited to social media. My observations have taught me that most of the comments women get, even by other women, are image-related: “How cute of a dress!”, “I love your new haircut!”, “That shade of red looks great on you!”. Again, these things are not, by definition, bad things. In fact, I think it’s great that others, especially other women, are building women up! This is important particularly given that we live in a culture that thrives on unattainable beauty standards.

However, Women are more.

Ask Me About…

Please, for the love of all things holy, ask my about my career! My dog children! My travel experiences! Recent entrepreneurial adventures! Concerts I just attended! Books I’ve read! Anything! Anything other that something that simply defines me as merely an image of consumption.

In case you need a reminder, I am not my body.

Just take note – the next time you are at a gathering or a family function, what questions are asked of the men? What questions are asked of the women? Which ones are career-driven? Who is asked about their family? Their vehicles? Finances? Cooking? Childcare?

Other “Stop Its!”

Stop asking women if they are in a relationship! Women do not need to be in a relationship to be human. And, they do not owe you an explanation for why they are not in one. Maybe they just don’t want to be! And, you don’t need to respond with “Well, that’s okay” when they tell you they aren’t. Of course it’s okay! Again, revert to some of the above: “Wonderful, so how is your career going?” or “What’s the next big trip you are planning?”.

Please also stop asking women when they are going to have children. Although children have served practical (e.g. think farming) and emotional roles throughout history, women are also not defined by whether or not they have children. Millions of women and couples are choosing to not have children for a variety of reasons. You can find an interesting article on this here. The other reality is that not having children may not be voluntary for some women. So, when you ask about children, you are assuming not only that they need to be a mother to have value but they can have children, potentially re-opening a wound.

My Argument

This is the crux of my request to stop telling me that I’m pretty: help to value women using something other than external beauty as a standard or go-to. Sure, I get that we can’t know everything about someone or simultaneously ask multiple things when we first see someone. That’s not practical, anyway.

But, my argument is: “let’s think.” Consider how you could, instead, highlight how proud of a woman you are for getting a promotion at work. Ask a women about their friendships. Don’t automatically jump to “You look so beautiful!” when commenting on a post on Facebook. Offer to help someone shape their identity of themselves related to something other than physical appearance, helping to remind them that they are not just defined by physical beauty.

One of my favorite quotes about body love and the respect of others is:

“If only we remembered that we are merely souls inhabiting bodies and, therefore, saw souls, instead of bodies, how different would our world be?”

It’s not about avoiding compliments. Continue to spread that love! But, be mindful that what we acknowledge in people contributes to how they feel they are valued in the world. And, in case no one has told you lately, my dear, you are fabulous just because you are you!

All-Natural Homemade Makeup Remover

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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All-Natural Homemade Makeup Remover

Since our skin is the largest organ of our body, I always encourage others to consider my personal motto about beauty products:

“Don’t put anything on your body you wouldn’t eat.”

The reality is that this isn’t always possible. And, I wouldn’t exactly put the ingredients for my all-natural homemade makeup remover on a plate and happily eat them. But, the goal here is mindfulness and respect of our bodies both related to what we put in it (via things like whole foods) AND what we put on it.

Even if I had the healthiest lifestyle in the world but I rubbed mercury on my skin (not EVER recommended!), I wouldn’t exactly be healthy. It’s important to remember that our skin is a very absorbent organ! So, as I started to commit to making my own beauty and cleaning products, makeup remover was a natural next step. And, how easy of one it was!

Even if you aren’t sure where to start at being more sustainable and less of a consumer contributing to the $445 billion beauty industry annual profits that, frankly, pray on our insecurities, this simple recipe is a great place to start. After all, sustainability and the ethics of holistic, natural living is about empowerment. It’s amazing what we can do and how accomplished we feel when we empower ourselves with education and then do the very things that we previously depended on others to do (like produce makeup remover for us to buy in a store). Another benefit is that…

Making my own makeup remover not only prevented my skin’s exposure to the nasty chemicals commonly found in beauty products, but it saved me money, too!

Without further ado, here is my easy-peasy recipe for an all-natural homemade makeup remover…

What you will need:

  • Alcohol-free Witch Hazel
  • Distilled water – If you want to be even more sustainable and don’t want to buy distilled water, you can also used boiled water. Just make sure it cools first.
  • Jojoba oil – While you can use other quality oils on the skin, like Argan oil, this oil is reasonably-priced and is very close to the structure of our skin’s natural oils.
  • Vitamin E liquid – Make sure you get a very liquid-y kind as some kinds are sticky like honey and, therefore, will not work as a makeup remover.
  • Small funnel
  • 1oz amber-colored glass bottle with screw-off lid

Instructions:

  1. Combine 1/2 TBSP of witch hazel, 1/2 TBSP of distilled water, and 1/2 TBSP of jojoba oil in a darkened glass container that is about 1 ounce in capacity (I like these ones).
  2. Using the small funnel, add around 1/4 TBSP of liquid Vitamin E to the container to top it off, making sure to not let it overflow and making sure that you have enough room in the bottle to shake it to mix it well later.
  3. Store in a location that is room-temperature and make it your goal to use the contents of the bottle within 30-60 days.

Other notes:

When you use your all-natural homemade makeup remover, all you need to do is shake well and tip the bottle over to let the liquid soak into a cotton ball. Then delicately dab onto your eyes or where you have applied makeup. While being gentle on the skin and including no chemicals is the best part of this makeup remover, another amazing feature is that it will even take off waterproof mascara! And, when I was experimenting with recipes and previous store-bought brands I had used before, this all-natural homemade version worked the best by far!

Trends in the beauty market show that there is a movement to be more natural and organic. But, for me, it’s not just about being paraben-free, rebelling against cultural beauty standards via self-love regardless of if I wear make-up or not, or refusing to buy products that are not vegan. Sooner or later, making things yourself that you are proud to know is healthy for your body becomes fun and, in some ways addictive. Don’t forget: you can only truly know what is going into and onto your body if you make it yourself.

Immune-Boosting Low-Carb Chicken Zoodle Soup

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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Immune-Boosting Low-Carb Chicken Zoodle Soup

One of my favorite things about my story of healing related to my low-carbohydrate lifestyle is that I enjoy being creative in the kitchen again. I am no longer a slave to food so I can really enjoy testing out new recipes for fun, like a low-carb chicken zoodle soup.

During the cold winter months of this past winter (I live in Michigan, ya’ll!), I got to test out a new recipe that I have been craving ever since and just had to make again: a low-carbohydrate immune-boosting chicken zoodle soup. At the time, making the soup as a dish to pass for a family holiday gathering was necessary given that carb- and processed-food heavy social gatherings are typically not easy to navigate for those living a low-carbohydrate lifestyle. So, I have found that it is safer to simply make a couple delicious dishes to take to potlucks in order to ensure that I will have the foods that I need to keep my blood sugar on track.

The Soup that Lives in Infamy

Months later when I saw family members who tasted this soup during the winter, the first thing they asked (with an excited look on their face) is “have you made any of that soup lately!?”. This is even after demanding that the recipe be emailed out to all after our holiday gathering. So, like it does within my family, I hope that this soup lives in infamy for yours, too.

One of the things that is so special about this low-carb chicken zoodle soup is how warming it is – emotionally (who isn’t comforted by a bowl of hot chicken keto “noodle” soup?), physically, and medicinally due to the immune-boosting powers of the bone broth, garlic, saffron, shiitake mushrooms, fresh parsley and basil, and turmeric. All include natural anti-oxidants, anti-virals, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. So, when you are low-carb and craving a bowl of momma’s chicken noodle soup but can’t have the noodles, this is the perfect thing to add into your diet to fight those cold or flu bugs! Healthy and tasty is my favorite combination!

Here are the essentials for this recipe:

  • Crock-pot (this 8 quart one is the one to get if you are transporting the soup as it has a snap-on lid)
  • Dutch oven (I don’t know what I’d do without this thing now that I have one! And, get the bigger one! An 8 quart capacity is optimal for this recipe since the yield is so high.)
  • Spiralizer (this one is awesome as it locks to the table to avoid slipping)
  • One organic rotisserie chicken

Ingredients:

  • 12 TBSP high-oleic Sunflower oil (high-oleic is important because it can withstand higher heats without going rancid or affecting the nutritional value)
  • 1 large zucchinni, spiralized
  • 3 small bok choy (when you cut these up, note two things: 1) make sure to include the stalks as they give a nice celery-like flavor; 2) separate the leaf-like parts from the stems as you will cook them differently)
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 small sweet onion diced
  • 8 oz shiitake mushrooms diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup fresh organic parsley chopped
  • 1 cup fresh organic basil chopped
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper (Did you know this is needed when you consume turmeric? It makes it more bio-available.)
  • 3 tsp Celtic or Himalayan sea salt (plus 1 TBSP for the bone broth)
  • 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar (for the bone broth)
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp of coriander
  • 1 tsp of smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • a pinch of Saffron ropes
  • a pinch of Cayenne pepper

Instructions:

  1. Separate the chicken meat from the rotisserie chicken, (will likely yield around 4-5 cups of meat), tear into strips, and refrigerate for later.
  2. To make the bone broth:
    • Place the chicken bones on parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes to gain more flavor from the bones.
    • Add the roasted bones with 1 TBSP of Celtic sea salt/Himalayan salt and 2 TSBP of Apple Cider Vinegar to around 4 quarts/16 cups of cool water in the crock-pot.
    • Let soak the bones soak for 30 minutes to release additional nutritional properties.
    • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to allow to simmer for 18-24 hours, adding additional water as it cooks away but making sure to leave around 2 inches from the top for when you add the extra ingredients for the soup.
  3. When the bone broth is done, strain out the bones and return the quarts of broth to the crock-pot.
  4. Meanwhile, heat 4 TSBP of high-oleic sunflower oil over medium heat in your dutch oven and sautee minced garlic until fragrant.
  5. Add another 4 TBSP of high-oleic sunflower oil, onions, turmeric, and all other spices and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
  6. Add another 4 TBSP of high-oleic sunflower oil with the stalks of the bok choy and diced mushrooms (don’t forget to include the stems of the mushrooms as they contain much of the immune-boosting power of the shiitakes.) and sautee for around 10 minutes until they become tender.
  7. Add bay leaves, chicken broth, fresh basil, fresh parsley, the leafy parts of the boy choy, and chicken meat you separated in the fridge into the dutch oven to combine all ingredients.
  8. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for around 40 minutes.
  9. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves, add in spiralized zucchini, cover pot, and let sit for 10 minutes for the zoodles to soften.
  11. Serve or place leftovers in glass 1-cup bowls in the freezer when the cravings (or cold and flu symptoms!) This low-carb chicken zoodle soup freezes and reheats very well.

The only caution? BEWARE: Turmeric will stain fabrics!

Variations:

  • This zoodle soup also works with turkey bone broth, although I (and my husband) don’t tend to like it quite as much as a chicken zoodle soup. And, as Dr. Axe explains in his book, Eat Dirt, research has found that there is a reason chicken soup is so good for colds and flus: the amino acids, minerals, and electrolytes, specifically reduce inflammation in the respiratory system and improved digestion, boosting the immune system and helping healing from even things like allergies and asthma (p. 108). You can find the article here. [IMPORTANT NOTE: Recognize that the “bone broth” sold in stores is essentially just regular broth with added collagen and superficial minerals. So, it’s not bone broth at all and will not give you the same benefits. To achieve the benefits of bone broth, the bones have to be simmered for hours to release their nutrients. The only exception to this is the brand Kettle & Fire, who does make good quality actual bone broth that is in a box, which you can find here.]
  • Add more or less of the spices to either make it more spicy or to create a different flavor profile.
  • Skip the last 4 TBSP addition of oil if you want it less oily.
  • Although I didn’t add it to this soup, a handful of shredded brussel sprouts would also be very tasty in this soup.
  • Add more spiralized zucchini if you want your cozy soup zoodle-y-er (yep, that’s a word now!).
  • You can try using other keto-friendly oils like avocado. Just make sure they are able to be used on high temperatures. I happen to like the sunflower oil the best as it doesn’t change the flavor of things much.
  • You could easily complete this recipe in a crock-pot alone. However, I find that using a dutch oven in conjunction is great for being able to start the part of a recipe that involves sauteeing and then adding in other ingredients. You simply can’t do that in a crock-pot.

Yield: 5-6 quarts (a.k.a. enough for a large household of people with leftovers) or around 20 servings of one-cup bowls of soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cooking Time: 18-24 hours for the bone broth; plus 60 minutes for the soup to cook

PER SERVING – Calories: 192.5; Protein: 17.2 grams; Fat: 12.45 grams; Total Carbs: 2.85 grams, Fiber: 1 gram, Net Carbs: 1.8 grams

A Low-Carb Pesto That’s the Best-o!

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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A Low-Carb Pesto That’s the Best-o!

When I was recently fighting off an immune-intruder, I quickly went to the holy grail of holistic healing and using food as medicine – the book that ALL people who want to live a natural life should have on their bookshelf: “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.” This book organizes injuries, diseases, and natural approaches to even emergency care in an easy A-Z reference list. So, considering my symptoms, I knew I would want something heavy on the anti-oxidants and anti-virals. The cure? Pesto!

While I do make a killer vegan cauliflower mash (as a substitute for carb-heavy potatoes or grains when you are looking for a side-dish), which you can find the recipe to here, I needed something not only delicious, but specifically designed to use the natural detoxification properties of garlic and herbs. Thinking about my own health, when I had been encouraged by natural doctors to consume parsley tea in order to help the detoxification process, it always made me feel so sick that I knew there was something to it. So, I started searching for a low-carb pesto that would help me to pack a punch to what I was fighting off. I tried multiple variations* but here is low-carb pesto that I am confident you will agree is the best-o. You won’t even know it’s low carb given that traditional pesto uses pine nuts, which have nearly 20 grams of carbs in one cup! Even more fun is that the recipe is…

Not only Detoxifying and anti-viral, but Raw, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, low-carbohydrate, ketogenic, paleo, whole 30, and made of whole foods

What you will need:

You will need a food processor for this recipe (here is the one I use given its perfect blend of functionality and cost-effectiveness). Other than that, there is the simple list of ingredients*:

  • 1 head of organic parsley (either curly or flat, although I prefer flat)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 2/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice
  • Celtic or Himalayan sea salt and black pepper to taste

What you will do:

Simply add the ingredients raw to the food processor, blending on “puree” until it reaches your desired smoothness. If you’re feeling extra saucy (pun intended!), chop the garlic and let sit for 15 minutes before you add it to the food processor in order to allow the anti-bacterial and anti-viral nutrient, allicin, to come to it’s full effect.

It’s that easy! I also have yet to find something it doesn’t taste wonderful on – chicken, vegetables, eggs, zoodles, pork, turkey, kelp noodles, etc.

*Variations:

I played a lot with this recipe so there are also several variations you can try if you have certain food sensitivities, preferences, or just like to get creative in the kitchen:

  • For a creamier texture, to make a larger portion (which makes around 2 cups) with the same tasty flavors, or to have the pesto almost as a side-dish itself, instead of a topping, add an avocado.
  • If you want to load up on the healthy chlorophyll (which is only one molecule away from human hemoglobin, don’t ya know!), add hemp seed oil. This makes your pesto a beautiful dark green but do note that, to keep the somewhat spicy flavor of the pesto, make sure you keep your ratio of olive oil to hemp seed oil always 1:1.
  • Given that coconut oil is also a natural anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral, add in a couple tablespoons! (You can see from the above photo how this makes the pesto a bit whiter.)
  • Walnuts can also be replaced with Brazil nuts or even Macadamia nuts.
  • To sneak more greens in for those vegetable-repulsed loved ones of yours, add one cup of organic spinach.
  • Given that Basil also has great antioxidant properties, you could mix some in with the parsley or make your pesto solely from Basil instead.
  • Add up to 1 cup of nuts if you want a nuttier flavor.
  • If you want a more-oily pesto, you can use up to 1 cup of oil.

Remember to not ruin the healing properties of of this low-carb raw vegan pesto by putting it in a plastic container. I use the 2-cup pyrex bowls with lids you can find here.

Makes around 1-3 cups of pesto, depending on any variation* used.

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cooking Time: none

If divided into 4 hefty servings, Calories: 369; Protein: 3 grams; Fat: 39.75 grams; Total Carbs: 3.5 grams, Fiber: 1.25 grams, Net Carbs: 2 grams

How to Order Eating Out on Keto

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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How to Order Eating Out on Keto

If you eat low-carb/ketogenic, like I do, people often don’t know what or how to order when eating out in order to stay in line with such an eating philosophy. It’s not that carbs are inherently bad (more on this here) but they and other processed foods (e.g. corn oil, GMO soybeans, gluten) are in practically everything! For instance, foods you think would be more “safe” when eating out, like soup, are often filled with carbs in the form of gluten and or wheat. In light of this, I thought it would be helpful to write a blog on how to order keto when you eat out in order to maintain your nutrition goals but also help other people know what the heck you are talking about without getting strange looks.

Let me first say, I have tried it all!

I’ve tried saying “I’m gluten free” but there can still be rice, “gluten-free flours” and legumes (e.g. beans) in items that are gluten free. (More about how risky even gluten-free flours can be for those with metabolic issues like hypoglycemia, Diabetes, and insulin resistance here). I’ve tried saying “I’m allergic to starches” but most people don’t know what a starch is, let alone that there can be a large amount of them in even vegetables (think carrots). I’ve tried saying “I can’t have carbs” but most people (including myself before I started my whole keto journey) don’t really know what carbs are, other that your stereotypical breads and pastas.

I’ve even tried explaining that “I’m low glycemic index” (which is a scale ranging from 0-100 that is used to determine how much our blood sugar spikes after we consume something). But, as even Dr. David Perlmutter explains in his book, Grain Brain, table sugar actually spikes our blood sugar less than “healthy” whole wheat bread or even a candy bar (e.g. Snickers). So, what is considered “low” glycemic is relative. Furthermore, are you seriously going to tell me that your waiter or the person taking your order at a drive-through is actually going to know what “low glycemic index” means, anyway? I think not!

You could, of course, tell someone that you are keto. There are some other complications with this, too. First, everyone ketos (yep, I just made that a verb!) differently because all of our bodies are different. For example, I need MUCH more protein than the average person on keto. So, while I am strict keto because I live a low-carbohydrate lifestyle for medical reasons, “keto” is going to mean something different to everyone. For instance, my husband is rockin’ the “lazy keto” life (as much as I would love him to be strict keto with me given all of the mental and physical benefits). So, although we both are low-carbohydrate, we would likely order two different things.

Another thing to consider is that, given that keto/low-carbohydrate eating has become more popular, there is a lot of misinformation out there. You may not want to say out loud the way that you are eating for fear of others around you (including your waiter) rolling their eyes and warning you how “dangerous” low-carbohydrate/ketogenic eating is and how “It’s not safe long-term.” (This is crap, by the way! You can read more on that here, in addition to finding hours worth of research to sort through on this topic on my Resources page.)

I recently had an interaction with a cousin on Facebook who is a bartender. She was venting about how sick she is of people ordering “keto drinks” because it’s trendy. But, since keto is NOT a diet and there is actual scientific reasoning why someone would go keto, it would likely be hard to take someone seriously if they tried to order “keto” out. (Although, if you are more focused on making the alcohol in your life “keto,” as opposed to addressing the metabolic dysfunction that keto is designed to address, you are probably not really doing keto for the right reasons, anyway.)

So, to side-step all of that, I have found the best way to order out is to say “I am Diabetic so I can’t have… (e.g. starches/carbs/wheat).” Because my doctor explained that my hypoglycemia is a form of Diabetes (and this is how it is listed on the medical bracelet I purchased in case anyone gave me trouble about taking food in places when I was severely hypoglycemic), this is an accurate description for me. I am not suggesting that you lie if you are not Diabetic. But, I will say that using this approach this tends to get people’s attention enough to where they ask to ensure that nothing will be put on your plate that could create an issue for you (and, therefore, a liability for them).

Another benefit of this approach I have found is that it creates a dialogue with people. Everyone tends to know someone who is Diabetic and know how important it is to avoid things like a giant plate of potatoes, a huge side of garlic bread, or other sugars. I have even had some really powerful experiences sharing my story of healing with others using low-carbohydrate nutrition.

In the end,

as always, find what works for you.

But, it is my hope that these suggestions and my personal experience help you to get creative to be able to live a low-carbohydrate/ketogenic lifestyle both inside and outside of your home. And, if you have any tips or are willing to share what has worked well for you, please comment and share!

A Husband’s Thoughts on Keto

Jake Youngblood
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A Husband’s Thoughts on Keto

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already read all about my wife’s journey of nutritional healing. Her path to finding the “cure” to all of her health issues has proved to me time and time again just how dedicated she is when she has her mind set on figuring something out. So at this point you’re probably wondering what on earth I’m doing trying to write a blog post for her. Bear with me because I am not a writer. I’m not a “blogger”. Heck, it took me 5 minutes just to get the laptop up and running and find Microsoft Word. So what do I even write about? You’ve all heard about how keto has affected her life, well, what about me?

First, it’s safe to say there have been some drastic changes. Going from constantly making multiple meals for the next day to not even knowing where we keep the cutting boards anymore has become an interesting transition. For the last seven or eight years our kitchen has been my domain. Not the case anymore. I’ve been demoted to dishwasher, which is fine by me!

We both used to despise all the cooking. Certain meals would require four to five hours of work, after working all day. Looking back at it, I don’t know how we found the time to do all we did. So, when she tells people how she now “has her life back,” what she really means is she’s making keto pesto and just asking me to clean the food processor when she’s done.

The second thing I’ve found is that I’ve become much more aware of the food we eat. I have always been a super picky eater. Actually, “super picky” really isn’t accurate. “Extremely picky” is probably better. Even after 30 years of practice, my family still gives me crap for having to bribe me with $10 to eat a grape. To this day, things like broccoli and zucchini aren’t even close to my list of favorites. I grew up on a diet of mac ‘n cheese and tater tots. To be honest, I still crave both of those things! But, I’m really trying to expand my pallet beyond chicken tenders and French fries. But, I love food! And, I especially love the food that isn’t good for me!

Thankfully, Ashley has become an even better chef. Her green beans roasted in almond oil with pecans are the only way I’ve ever be able to enjoy green beans. It’s taken me some time to come around and I do have a lot of work to do. But, I think that Ashley and most of the people who know me know that I’ve been doing a lot better eating my veggies and more organic and “clean” foods. I am at the point now that I’ve become curious and like to try new things on menus I would have never even considered 5 years ago. I think, overall, this has been the biggest change for me.

Let me just elaborate on that change a bit. I admit that I am the self-proclaimed king of procrastination. Ashley asked me to write this blog almost three weeks ago. I have a very hard time sticking with things and finishing things in a timely matter. (Probably why I’ve got a handful of unfinished projects spread out between two different shops!) I’d write a paragraph or two and then not like what I wrote, delete half of it, shut the computer down, and I wouldn’t open this back up for another week.

Can you imagine what it has been like for me to try and buckle down and stick with a diet?! I will tell you that I failed my first attempt going full keto. It’s has been a struggle to get off the “fast food bus.” As you know, Ashley is super strict Keto. I barely have had the will power to give up bread! I continue to procrastinate and just tell myself I’ll do better tomorrow. But I still struggle every day. For now I just tell people I’m cutting the carbs! Better than my old standard of mac ‘n cheese every night. So, if you’re reading this, let me just tell you that you can do it! There’s a healthier, more sustainable way to eat everyday!

It’s All About Insulin!

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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It’s All About Insulin!

After taking my training to be a Nutrition Network Practitioner with The Noakes Foundation, the leading international research organization on a low-carbohydrate/ketogenic way of eating, I learned that Meghan Trainor was right. It IS all about the bass…oops…I mean insulin! (*Clears throat*) It’s all about that insulin!

Why do I say this? Early in my keto journey, I read the life-changing book by Dr. Jason Fung (my personal hero!), The Obesity Code. With this book and with Dr. Fung’s continued research on insulin, I learned that timing of our food consumption is just as important as what we are eating (which is hopefully a low-carbohydrate, low-glycemic whole foods diet – a.k.a. a ketogenic diet). And, later, when I continued my education as a Nutrition Network Practitioner, I learned that the average eating episodes a day in America is 10.5 (Fung, 2019)! That means that we essentially are eating once every hour we are awake – never giving our body a chance to rest from a constant flood insulin, which is something our bodies are not designed to withstand and which create a dysfunctional experience caused “insulin resistance“. It is this problem that created part of my issue with severe reactive hypoglycemia.

The Evidence

When I first read about the number of eating episodes a day, I couldn’t believe that it could be that high. But, once I started to pay attention, I totally believe it!

I recently attended an all-day professional training (a hazard of the job of being a psychotherapist) where this was clearly demonstrated. Although I was fasting until lunch, I simply took note of people’s eating habits around me. What did they eat? A family sized bag of M&Ms. Multiple sodas. A bag of pretzels. A granola bar. A cookie. When did they eat? Ummm… ALL THE TIME! From the beginning of the training in the morning until the end of the training, the 100-something people attending the training were eating so constantly that I actually felt awkward not eating (a huge and well-loved change coming from how often I used to have to eat when I was actively hypoglycemic!).

The sad part? I likely did not even see all of their eating episodes throughout the day. They probably ate on the way to the training and had yet to have dinner. And, it was not uncommon for me to see people just mindlessly repeatedly reaching into a bottom-less bag of chocolate candies throughout the training. It wasn’t mindful eating. It was just eating. Repeated eating. Even when I pay attention during shared meals with loved ones, I am amazed at how soon (and constantly) a snack is initiated!

The Risks of Insulin

You may be asking “So, what’s the big deal?” Insulin serves an important function of eliminating excess sugar from our blood stream. We have around two gallons of blood on our bodies but only have around one teaspoon of blood sugar in our blood stream. So, when we consume something with calories and our blood sugar naturally spikes, insulin swoops in to save the day. But, too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing.

Aspects of metabolic dysfunction (i.e. blood sugar and insulin levels) have been linked to inflammation, an increase in cell damage related to free-radicals (which damage DNA), and actually correlate with death rates (Kajee, 2019; Wellington, 2019; much more on this information can be found in the resources section of my website, especially from books by Dr. Nasha Winters and Dr. Joseph Mercola). So, the higher the metabolic dysfunction (i.e. measured by things like Body Mass Index, waist circumference, and insulin levels), the greater the health risk, regardless of if there is a formal diagnosis of Diabetes or not.

My Challenge to You

Here is my challenge to you: Don’t change anything about your eating patterns but keep track of how often you eat. How many times are you eating during the day? How much time is in between when you consume something that has calories, whether it’s a soda, five lonely jelly beans, a meal, or a bag of chips? Is it 10.5 times a day? More? Less?

It is only once we become aware of our eating patterns that we can address them. And, since it’s all about insulin, remember when we eat matters just as much as what we eat. So, see if you can eat mindfully and ask your self “Am I really physically hungry right now?” Or, because there is no medical reason that we need to snack (Cywes, 2019), is it time to give your insulin a break and let your body rest naturally until you are physically, and not emotionally, hungry again?

References:

Cywes, Robert. 2019. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 3: LCHF for Practical Medical Applications”.

Fung, Jason. 2019. Intermittent Fasting [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific and Evolutionary Evidence”.

Kajee, Hassina. 2019. Metabolic Syndrome in the HCU [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific and Evolutionary Evidence”.

Wellington, Neville. 2019. Treating T2D with Nutrition instead of Medicine. A Consultation [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Nutrition Network Training, “Module 1: Scientific and Evolutionary Evidence”.

What Foods You Don’t Need to Buy Organic

Ashley Carter Youngblood
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What Foods You Don’t Need to Buy Organic

One criticism you may hear about a whole food, ketogenic way of eating is that “it is expensive” to buy organic, non-processed food (a bit more on busting this myth in a minute). I both realize and honor the fact that not everyone is rollin’ in the dough. Some have large families to feed on a limited income. We have a LONG way to go related to issues of food justice and helping everyone have fair access to food, regardless of race, socioeconomic class, or any other factor. In the meantime, for those of us who are not living on the edge of just surviving and are simply looking to save money where we are able, let’s pause to remember that, when it comes to our health:

We can either pay the farmer or the pharmacist.

For me, I would much rather pay the farmer!

Before I move on to the practical money-saving tips on what foods you don’t need to buy organic, I want to pause here to comment on this criticism. Where one directs their money tends to reflects their values. So, as Maria Emmerich (a vocal keto supporter) and Michael Pollan (a well-respected food journalist who is not exactly keto) remind us, it’s a matter of priorities.

How is eating a whole food, ketogenic diet expensive when it would be maybe $2 more expensive to purchase a whole-food organic rotisserie chicken for you and/or your family that could last a couple meals instead of that $5 highly-processed Hot-N-Ready pizza that will be gone in the blink of an eye and will cause you to be hungry again in an hour or so anyway? (Yes, research does show that carbs actually cause us to be more hungry, craving more carbs and continuing this vicious cycle of carb-dependence.) Plus, you could then use the bones from the organic chicken to make a bone broth soup for later! Talk about bang for your buck!

Or, why eat out at breakfast (an easy meal that can be naturally very cheap) when you could simply make that meal at home with quality, whole food ingredients? Better yet – why not skip breakfast with intermittent fasting to boost your cellular health? Do you really need that fancy new smartphone or that many TV or music channel subscriptions anyway?

In the end, you get what you pay for. After going keto, I am eating better quality whole foods that leave me fuller for longer and I fast intermittently, which has cut my grocery bill in at least a third, even when buying more-expensive, higher-quality products! So, keep in mind how a ketogenic/low-carbohydrate lifestyle will shift multiple aspects of your life even beyond your expectations. In the meantime, let’s see what you can pay a little less for without skimping on quality.

Help is Here!

Every year, The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit third-party organization that focuses on consumer awareness and environmental safety, comes out with two lists that are essential to keep in mind when looking to save some extra cash on groceries. The first list, “The Dirty Dozen,” is a list of the top 12 produce items that you will want to buy organic due to contamination and health risks related to pesticides and herbicides that are used on the vegetables. For instance, when EWG released this year’s list in March of 2019, they describe how they found chemicals that have been linked to cancer on over half of the samples of Kale that they tested! So much for not needing to think about not only what but the quality of what you are putting in your body, huh?

We are what we eat. And, I know you don’t want to be a cancer-causing chemical!

“The Dirty Dozen”

Here is the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” of 2019, which you will want to make sure to buy organic in order to avoid potential health risks that defeat the whole purpose of choosing a whole foods ketogenic/low-carb lifestyle in the first place. The best news here is that the foods that tend to be on this list are fruits, so many of them aren’t even keto-friendly anyway.

  1. Strawberries (only keto-friendly in moderation…like 5 actual berries)
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale
  4. Nectarines (not keto)
  5. Apples (not keto)
  6. Grapes (not keto)
  7. Peaches (not keto)
  8. Cherries (not keto)
  9. Pears (not keto)
  10. Tomatoes
  11. Celery
  12. Potatoes (definitely not keto!)

Although “greens” like lettuce, swiss chard, collard greens (my personal favorite!), or herbs in general are not on this list, I would ALWAYS recommend you to splurge and buy these organic as they are produce that take a lot of water to grow and, therefore, may have a greater risk of contamination.

“The Clean Fifteen”

“The Clean Fifteen,” on the other hand, is where you can capitalize on some money-saving opportunities. There are often repeat items on this list over years, like avocados, given that the thick shell of the fruit (yes, avocados are a fruit!) prevents contaminants from being readily absorbed into the part of the food we actually consume even if pesticides and herbicides are used. So, save your money and don’t buy organic for any of the following items (unless you want to be an over-achiever):

  1. Avocados (one of my favorite whole food treats!)
  2. Sweet corn (definitely not keto!)
  3. Pineapples (not keto)
  4. Frozen sweet peas (not keto)
  5. Onions (keto in moderation)
  6. Papayas (not keto)
  7. Eggplants
  8. Asparagus
  9. Kiwis (not keto)
  10. Cabbages
  11. Cauliflower
  12. Cantaloupes (not keto)
  13. Broccoli
  14. Mushrooms
  15. Honeydew melons (not keto)

Some Afterthoughts

To be clear, the above lists doesn’t mean that other foods not listed are “safe.” If you can afford it, buy as much organic produce as you can (and locally in order to support your local farmers and economic systems, of course!). One other thing to note is what “organic” actually means. As I detail in a previous blog titled the “Ethics of Eating,” if something is certified organic it means that no GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), even for seeds, can be used at any time. However, organic growers can still use “certified” allowed herbicides and pesticides. (You can find a list of the “Organic Materials” approved to be used on organic products by the Organic Materials Review Institute here.)

Lastly, while this article focuses on produce (e.g. vegetables and fruits), if you are curious about what animal products to by organic (hint: it’s ALL of them!) and why, you can find a guest blog written on this topic here. It’s even written by the CEO of Greenbury Market, an American-sourced direct-to-consumer craft butcher shop that sells USDA Certified Organic Grass-Finished beef and other proteins. You can even get 10% off your first order if you enter code “LotusLifestyle” at checkout.

Happy shopping.

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