Personal Mentorship with
Susun Weed - Nutrition
"Finding, growing, preparing, and storing food has been women's work and women's genius since time out of mind."
http://www.wisewomanmentor.
The biochemical and energetic nutrients which we digest, absorb, and metabolize from foodstuffs are the foundation of all cellular activity in the body, including growth, repair, reproduction, resistance to disease, and maintenance. Good nutrition is critically important to every form of life we know. Finding, growing, preparing, and storing food has been women's work and women's genius since time out of mind.
The Spirit of the FoodNutrition begins with milk from mother's breast, from the breast of the Great Goddess. In earth-centered cultures, the harvesting and gathering of food is interwound with sacred threads, and the consumption of the food is a sacrament. This aspect of nutrition is invisible, unmeasurable, undiscussed, but of utmost importance to the health of the individual and the ecology.
Healthy Diets
When food choices are limited, women eat whatever is available. As long as adequate carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals are consumed and clean water is available, health is easily maintained.(1) Restricted diets (vegan, vegetarian, impoverished) generally fail to provide adequately for women, and the addition of milk products, eggs, or meat to these diets optimizes health. When the food supply is abundant and foods are highly refined, as is the case in most Western countries, food choices may adversely affect health. This is due in part to an innate (healthy) craving for sweet, salt, and fat (which are scarce in nature but commercially abundant, leading to overconsumption) and in part to the degradation of the foodstuffs themselves.
When food choices are limited, women eat whatever is available. As long as adequate carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals are consumed and clean water is available, health is easily maintained.(1) Restricted diets (vegan, vegetarian, impoverished) generally fail to provide adequately for women, and the addition of milk products, eggs, or meat to these diets optimizes health. When the food supply is abundant and foods are highly refined, as is the case in most Western countries, food choices may adversely affect health. This is due in part to an innate (healthy) craving for sweet, salt, and fat (which are scarce in nature but commercially abundant, leading to overconsumption) and in part to the degradation of the foodstuffs themselves.
Protein
After water, protein is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. Without protein we cannot create enzymes, antibodies, milk, menses, skin, hair, nails, muscle, brain, heart, or organs. We require twenty-two different amino acids (building blocks of protein), of which eight are considered essential nutrients. Animal foods contain all essential amino acids. No one food of vegetable origin contains them all, but combinations (such as corn and beans) do. Each and every amino acid must be present at once in the body, and in the correct proportions, for protein synthesis. If even one essential amino acid is low or missing, even temporarily, protein production slows or stops altogether.(2) Adult women can be healthy on low protein diets; however children, pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women require high levels of protein.
After water, protein is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. Without protein we cannot create enzymes, antibodies, milk, menses, skin, hair, nails, muscle, brain, heart, or organs. We require twenty-two different amino acids (building blocks of protein), of which eight are considered essential nutrients. Animal foods contain all essential amino acids. No one food of vegetable origin contains them all, but combinations (such as corn and beans) do. Each and every amino acid must be present at once in the body, and in the correct proportions, for protein synthesis. If even one essential amino acid is low or missing, even temporarily, protein production slows or stops altogether.(2) Adult women can be healthy on low protein diets; however children, pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women require high levels of protein.
Fats
Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in the diet. Found in vegetable seeds, beans, and nuts, fruits such as olives and avocados, and in all animal products, fat is vital to women's health. Unfortunately, many American women avoid fat. A recent study (1999) found 26 percent of women deficient in vitamin E due to low-fat diets.
Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in the diet. Found in vegetable seeds, beans, and nuts, fruits such as olives and avocados, and in all animal products, fat is vital to women's health. Unfortunately, many American women avoid fat. A recent study (1999) found 26 percent of women deficient in vitamin E due to low-fat diets.
Linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic fats are the essential fatty acids, but all fats, especially cholesterol, are vital for the formation of sex hormones (especially postmenopausally), adrenal hormones, vitamin D (for strong bones), and bile. Low cholesterol diets make women's skin and vaginal tissues dry and impede the functioning of the brain and nervous system.
The belief that saturated fats elevate blood cholesterol, causing blocked blood vessels, s-trokes and heart attacks has prevailed since the mid-1960s. Yet most researchers consider this idea simplistic and without scientific justification. In the Framingham Heart Study (USA), the greater a person's intake of total fat, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat, the lower their risk of stroke. And, while high blood cholesterol levels were a risk factor for heart disease, fat and cholesterol intake in the diet were inversely correlated with blood cholesterol. Swedish studies confirm that saturated fats promote breast health, while vegetable oils (such as canola, safflower, corn, cottonseed, and sunflower oils) promote breast cancer.
Animal fats are more stable than vegetable oils, which become rancid within days after press-ing. (Rancid fats promote cancer and heart disease.) Hydrogenation and partial-hydrogenation slow rancidity but create trans-fatty acids that create deposits on the blood vessels. Even unhydrogenated vegetable oils are unhealthy: They flood the body with omega-6 fatty acids (the primary fat component of arterial plaque), and contribute large amounts of free radicals that damage the arteries and initiate plaque deposits. (3)
"Healthy diets supply adequate vitamins so long as refined foods are rarely eaten.....In situations of impoverishment and famine, supplements have health benefits. They do not replace healthy food, however, and long-term use of vitamin supplements poses health risks....
Vitamins
Vitamins are small organic compounds made by all living tissues. They are found in whole, fresh foods. Vitamins are absorbed best from dried, fermented, or cooked foods. Some vitamins are fat-soluble (A, E, D); some are water-soluble (B, C). All vitamins are groups of related enzymes that function together. Eighteen hundred carotenes and carotinoids contribute to the liver's production of vitamin A, two dozen tocopherols function together as vitamin E, and only when ascorbic acid is joined by bioflavonoids and carotenes does it function as vitamin C.
Healthy diets supply adequate vitamins so long as refined foods are rarely eaten. "Enriched" flour is really impoverished, as it does not contain the entire complement of B vitamins and minerals found in the whole grain. When vitamins are synthesized in the laboratory, their complexity is reduced to one active ingredient. In situations of impoverishment and famine, supplements have health benefits. They do not replace healthy food, however, and long-term use of vitamin supplements poses health risks including more aggressive cancers (alpha tocopherol), faster growing cancers (ascorbic acid), and increased risk of cancer and heart disease (beta carotene).
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic compounds found in all plant and animal tissues as well as bones, hair, teeth, finger and toenails, and, of course, rocks. Minerals are also found in, and critical for, optimum functioning of the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems, and all muscles, including the heart. Our need for some minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, and calcium, is large. But for trace minerals, such as selenium, iodine, molybdenum, boron, silicon, and germanium, our needs are minuscule. (4)
Minerals are inorganic compounds found in all plant and animal tissues as well as bones, hair, teeth, finger and toenails, and, of course, rocks. Minerals are also found in, and critical for, optimum functioning of the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems, and all muscles, including the heart. Our need for some minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, and calcium, is large. But for trace minerals, such as selenium, iodine, molybdenum, boron, silicon, and germanium, our needs are minuscule. (4)
Minerals may be difficult to get, even in a healthy diet. Overuse of chemical fertilizers reduces mineral content. According to US Department of Agriculture figures, during the period 1963-1992, the amount of calcium in fruits and vegetables declined an average of 30 percent. In white rice, calcium declined 62.5 percent, iron 32-45 percent, and magnesium 20-85 percent. (5) Not only are commercially grown grains low in minerals, refining removes what little minerals they do have.
Seaweeds and herbs are dependable mineral sources when eaten, brewed (one ounce dried herbs steeped four hours in a quart of boiling water in a tightly covered jar), or infused into vinegar, rather than taken in capsules or tinctures. Many herbs, such as dandelion l-eaves, peppermint, red clover blossoms, stinging nettle, and oatstraw, are exceptional sources of minerals, according to researchers Mark Pedersen, Paul Bergner, and the USDA. (6,7) For instance, there are 3000 mg of calcium in 100 grams dried nettle.
Phytochemicals
Individual nutrients can be created in the laboratory, but they are unlikely to have the life-giving, spirit-enhancing properties of real foods. Hundreds of different chemicals occur naturally in foodstuffs, many of which avert cancer, promote cardiovascular health, improve sexual functioning, enhance energy, and promote longevity. Primary among these chemicals, especially for w-omen, is the class of compounds known as phytoestrogens.
Individual nutrients can be created in the laboratory, but they are unlikely to have the life-giving, spirit-enhancing properties of real foods. Hundreds of different chemicals occur naturally in foodstuffs, many of which avert cancer, promote cardiovascular health, improve sexual functioning, enhance energy, and promote longevity. Primary among these chemicals, especially for w-omen, is the class of compounds known as phytoestrogens.
When phytoestrogens are plentiful in the diet, breast cancer incidence is lowered significantly. Phytoestrogens probably also help prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure, congestive heart disease, and senility. Whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits are high in phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogen-rich diets also protect against the harmful effects of estrogen-mimicking chemicals in the environment and in our food.
(1) Price, Weston; Nutrition and Physical Degeneration; Keats Publishing, Inc., 1945
(2) Dunne, Lavon. Nutrition Almanac, 3rd Edition. McGraw Hill, 1990.
(3) Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. ProMotion Publishing, 1995.
(4) Ziegler, Ekhard & Filer, LJ. Present Knowledge in Nutrition, 7th Edition. International Life Science Press, 1996.
(5) Bergner, Paul; The Healing Power of Minerals, and Trace Elements. Prima Publishing, 1997
(6) Pedersen, Mark; Nutritional Herbology; Pedersen Press, (orig. 1987; republished in 1996)(7) (7)Agriculture Handbook Book # 456: Nutritional Value of Foods in Common Units. Dover reprint, 1986. Original by the USDA, 1975.
Johnson, Cait; Cooking Like A Goddess; Healing Arts Press, 1997
Lewallen, Eleanor & John; Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook; Mendocino Sea Veg Co, 1996
Mollison, Bill; Permaculture Book of Ferment & Human Nutrition; Tagari Publications, 1993
Sokolov, Raymind. Why We Eat What We Eat: How the encounter between the New World and the Old changed the way everyone on the planet eats. Summit, 1991.
Weatherford, Jack. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. Fawcett Columbine, 1988.
Weed, Susun. Healing Wise. Ash Tree Publishing, 1989.
Margen, Sheldon, M.D. & the Editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter.
The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition. Rebus, 1992.
'Nutrition - The Wise Woman Way'
Thankfulness - The Way of the Oijbwa
by Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt
Several years ago a Native Ojibwa Elder had been coming to our Waldorf School and my class of twice a year sharing age appropriate stories, teachings and songs with the students. A class teacher in a Waldorf School stays with the same class from 1st through 8th grade and teaches the majority of lessons through those years.
The students and I had developed a warm relationship with this charismatic and kind Elder since his beginning visit in first grade years. When we got to Sixth grade he invited us to camp for almost a week at his village that he (and others) had build on the Lac de Flambeau reservation in north Wisconsin. The class of about 20 students and I were there to experience the Ojibwa ways. During the days we were educated of the traditional village and ways of the natives. In the evening we went into the teaching lodge with our Ojibwa Elder. We would enter one by one through the East door, take tobacco with our left hand, sprinkle it on the fire as an offering before we sat down -boys on one side and girls on the other- completely quiet absorbed in reverence. No one was told to be silent or had to be reminded. We were simply wrapped in this Elder's presence of humility, receptive listening, and genuine integrity so deeply that it became us. It was as if holiness itself was present and pervaded us.
One evening, as he lit up his peace pipe and passed tobacco around for giving thanks, he spoke of the Rites of Passages and the responsibilities of these soon to be young adults sitting around him; their responsibilities as Keepers of the Fire, Keepers of the Heart and Keepers of Mother Earth. He told us that the way of the Ojibwa, Anishinabe people, was to always, always give thanks to the Great Spirit for life. He sang songs, drummed and told us stories that made us be filled with joy and veneration. We left the teaching lodge through the West door in the same reverential mood as we had entered through the East door, but this time a little more humble and in a cloak of awe.
The next morning, as I woke early looking out from my tent over the lake blanketed by a gentle mist, I heard loons call. I felt then that these calls, in a strange way, were connected to our evening lodge gatherings around the fire. Thankfulness visited me as an inner presence centered in the heart, where a felt palpable spaciousness unites 'the inner' and 'the outer'.
I enter this heart presence regularly through out the day. It has become a way of being -kind of being within Thankfulness - within the soul spirit Earth presence that is also us and is always here. It never goes away, it is us who leave this presence.
And as an outer gesture of this inner presence I place a tiny portion of food (a piece of bread for example) on a small platter before we sit down to eat as an affirmation that with the food we eat spiritual substances are assimilated as well.
Blessings on the Meal!
Our Featured Mentor
Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt is a Waldorf class and kindergarten teacher, biodynamic farmer, author and nutritional counselor. She has taught nutritional cooking and counseled for 25 years in her homeland Denmark, Europe and the United States.She trained as a macrobiotic cooking teacher and counselor and studied the principles of oriental medicine and the research of Dr. Weston A. Price before embracing the anthroposophical approach to nutrition, food and cooking.
"I have taught nutritional cooking and counseled for 25 years in my homeland Denmark, Europe, and the United States. I am the author of “Cooking for the Love of the World, Awakening Our Relationship to Spirituality Through Cooking.”
Cooking for the Love of the World: Awakening our Spirituality through Cooking
by Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt
A heart-centered, warmth-filled guide to the nurturing art of cooking. 200 pages, softbound
~ click here for more info ~
Baking Bread and Making Sourdough
with Annie-Marie Fryer Wiboltt
"Bread made with sourdough is nutritious and delicious. Caring for the starter will make it stronger and last for a long time. In Denmark I had a mother-dough that was over 100 years old; passed down though generations. Sourdough bread keeps well for 6-10 days in a cool place. Store the bread in paper placed inside a plastic bag. Week old bread can be sliced, toasted or steamed before serving."
Starter Dough Recipe ~ "The Mother"
1 cup freshly ground whole wheat flour
1 cup water
6 x 1/4 cups water
6 x 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
Mix 1 cup flour and 1 cup water in a glass bowl or jar. Cover with a cotton cloth and put in a cool place or outside in a shaded area.
Everyday, for the next 6 days, transfer the mother dough to a new clean bowl or jar. Feed the starter with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup flour, cover with a cloth and return it to the cool place.
Keep at least a cup of the mother dough starter, in the refrigerator. Use a jar with a lid that allows it to breathe. If kept longer than one week, feed it again as described above, and put it back in the refrigerator.
The day before baking, feed the mother dough with enough flour and water to make 3 cups. Two cups are for the bread, and one cup is to keep for next bread-making. The mother dough is always kept separate from the bread dough, and fed whole-wheat flour and water every week.
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
3 cups mother dough or starter
1 3/4 cups of water
1 tablespoon sea salt
4-5 cups whole wheat flour or half unbleached white flour
Avocado or olive oil
Place 2 cups mother dough in a large mixing bowl. Place the remaining 1 cup in a pint size jar in the refrigerator for next bread making. Add water and salt to the 2 cups of starter in the bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add flour a little at a time. Form a firm but moist, light dough, the consistency of an ear lobe. Too much flour will make the dough hard.
Cover with a moist cotton cloth and let rise in a warm place to double size, about 3 hours. The rising time may vary. Over-rising makes the bread sour.
Oil a bread pan with avocado or olive oil.
Moisten hands. Knead the dough gently for a few minutes. Place the dough in the bread pan. The dough should fill the pan about one-half to two-thirds. Let the dough rise again in a warm place, for 3 hours, or until double the size.
Bake the loaf at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.
Mentorship with Anne-Marie Fryer Wilboltt
~Culturing from the Heart~
and why it is important to include them regularly with every meal. You will be guided through the steps of making sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables, kefir, soft cheese, and yogurt, as well as get a chance to discover new fermented drinks such as kvass, wines, and beers. I will aim at answering personal questions around your culturing and fermenting experiences.
They add a bounty of nourishing, life-promoting substances and life forces, almost miraculous curative properties, and a wealth of colors, flavors, and shapes. They increase the appetite, stimulate the digestion, and make any simple meal festive and satisfying. The course will be highly practical with many hands-on activities.
Learn more about this online course and register here
http://www.In this Four week course you will learn about the nutritional needs of your growing child and receive delicious, seasonal, wholesome nutritious menus and recipes on affordable budget so as to encourage children to eat and live healthy.
During this course we will explore the nutritious needs for your growing child. We will discover how rhythm, simplicity and nourishing activities support a healthy child development. You will find new ways to encourage your child to develop a taste for natural, wholesome foods as well as receive and create delicious, seasonal nutritious menus and recipes that stay within the limits of your budget.
Learn more about this online course and register here
An article from Wise Woman Mentor, Anne-Marie
"Cooking for the Love...."
This course will explore how to create healthy eating habits and healthy meals for your children. Let me share a little story. For the pat 14 years I have been a kindergarten teacher. It is the most wonderful job imaginable. Everyday I am being met with big smiles and warm hugs from 16 children age 3-7. We serve a full hot and wholesome lunch in the kindergarten, that is nourishing for the children and meets the needs of every family. Some years we have children who are vegetarian, some years there are children with allergies, children that don't eat wheat or corn or dairy and some children who have never before seen some of the food we eat.
Once we had a sweet, sweet young girl with allergies, who also was a very picky eater. She would eat a big breakfast at home that would last until she could get home after school at 3 pm where she would eat a big bowl of mac and cheese. She refused to eat the meals we served at school. Partly because she wasn't hungry and partly because of power struggles and she was picky. We worked with the girl and the parents in different ways. One thing we did was to encourage her to eat a polite bite. We know that when children try different new tastes and textures over time they will often learn to like them. I can go into more details if you have a similar situation at home and would like to know more. For now I can tell you, that this girl learned to eat with all of us at lunch in the kindergarten and guess what her favorite food was? Sauerkraut! I found that very interesting. Sauerkraut has an unusual taste- a taste she was not familiar with. This little girl was naturally attracted to sauerkraut– when she was encouraged to try it. Sauerkraut is probably one of the best foods for people with allergies.
Actually all most all the children in the kindergarten love sauerkraut. I can barely keep up making the enough. I make it in a way that it turns a beautiful pink. It looks quite decorative and appetizing on the plate. What a gift it is for a child to develop a taste for natural, whole meals and fermented foods in at early age.
During the course Cooking for the Love of the Children, beside talking about healthy nutritious foods for children, what these foods are are and how to prepare them, I will talk about the quality of foods and why it is important to get excellent quality food for children. In Denmark, the country where I am from, organically grown foods were (still are, I hope) required in all institutions that serve meals to children before school age. I will also give you suggestions for healthy daily rhythms that support the children in their learning and growth. I will cover the importance of uninterrupted play and other healthy nourishing activities for children. We will discuss plant food, animal foods, proteins rich foods, healthy fats, sweeteners etc. I will give you recipes for making foods with and for children of all ages. I want this courses as well as the Culturing from the Heart course to help you in your life to meet the challenges and concerns you might have.
I would like to thank all the hard working women and men at the Wise Woman University for creating this space, where people from all over the world can participate in courses and social net working. In participating in these courses you will be able to develop skills and wisdom that will benefit you, your children and grand children. Our children and grandchildren are the ones who will carry on our society and much depends on them for creating a healthy world. I would like to thank especially Susun Weed, whom I have learned so much from in the past and also Kim, Allie and Justine who have worked ceaselessly on getting the Wise Woman University on line and available for everyone who wishes to learn and share with one another the wise woman ways.
Anne-Marie Fryer
Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to wisewoman@herbshealing.com.
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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed
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Special Feature From Our Radio Archives:
Listen to this FREE Tele-seminar with
Susun Weed and Anne-Marie Fryer Wiboltt
Fermented and Cultured Foods
Enjoy this delightful conversation and get to know our featured mentor; as Susun and Annie-Marie discuss 'Nutrition the Wise Woman Way'. Fermentation is a safe and easy way to help digest and store foods. The fermentation process enriches the nutritional value of the foods fermented and boosts your health in manifold ways. They are often overlooked or not mentioned when we describe what we had for dinner, and yet they are pivotal in creating a well-balanced, nutritious meal.
