Free as a Bird!

 Free Range Chicken? or Factory Farmed? 

It's a well known fact that we consume an excessive amount of meat and poultry in this country and with this mass production comes the need for rapid growth.  America has created these disturbing food factories in an effort to bring chicken to your local Kroger, Applebees, Outback, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

But what are we exactly eating when we go out to dinner with our family on a Friday night? Those boneless wings taste quite "explosive," to the tongue, but unfortunately your insides register this food as something not so nourishing. 
 
Did you know, through the use of modern technology, commercial chickens are forced to grow faster than normal causing their heart muscles to fall behind the growth of their body tissue? This results in something called ascites: "resulting in heart failure, preceded by dehydration and respiratory failure and ends up costing the poultry industry up to $500 billion per year." 

Industrial hybrid chickens reach adulthood and are ready for processing at between 40-50 days from birth. A free-range chicken, on the other hand,  takes 5-6 months to reach adulthood. 

Free range chickens derive up to 30% of their nourishment from grass feed and are rarely sick. Factory raised chickens- yikes; antibiotics are administered daily just to manage the effects of the poor 14 square inch living space and poor feed. 

Not to mention the treatment of the birds in these factory farms. Due to the confinement of the chickens (overcrowded and bored) they become carnivorous animals, resorting to cannibalism. Yeah. They start picking each other apart in a frenzy. "The beaks of chickens, turkeys and ducks are often removed in factory farms to reduce the excessive feather pecking and cannibalism seen among stressed, overcrowded birds."

  

So what happens when we consume that stressed out chicken that was medicated for its  full "40 day" life?  Consider, the first law of Thermodynamics, "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed."  The antibiotics, trapped stress, underdeveloped tissues, etc, we ingest.  

Traditional Chinease Medicine,  suggests that all foods have a distinct energy and characteristic properties that either help to balance our bodies and make us healthy, or that create imbalances which ultimately result in sickness.  Consuming unhealthy animals raised in supressive enviornments results in the human nervous system recording all of those negative qualities of those animals. 

 

Animals, like people are at their best when they are free to enjoy a natural life. Steve Gagne states, "While most humans have a tendency to be detached from their relationship with nature, animals harbor no such illusion. It is only through humans that animals are cut off from their natural lifestyles. When removed from their environment, they become physically and mentally ill." 

What can we do? 

Think about your body. Free yourself from digesting an unnecessary tapestry of illness and chemicals. Think about the bird. Free the bird from living a ridiculously altered (torturous), fragmented life. Yes, before you eat a chicken breast, they were living beings (they are just as living as your dog or your child's pet toucan) that provide fuel for your body. Your body is exceptional, your body is important. I suggest we give the animal that is going to nurture that body, an exceptional (natural) life. 

You can find an afforable way out from the mad mass-meat manufactures by checking out the following sites for meat purchasing: 

wholefoodsmarket.com  (supports sustainable farm/agriculture) 

localharvest.org (Join a CSA- save money and save YOUR body)

craigslist.org (find a local farmer) 

Resource: Food Energetics/2008 By: Steve Gagne 

Sweet Nutrition Savers!

Planning on preparing any holiday treats this month? Slim down your sweets while getting some extra nutrients into your loved ones tummy, using some veggie and fruit puree alternatives. Your guests will never notice the difference, except the after glow from some added nutrient density. 


(Really Ripened) Bananas: My favorite add in/sugar substitute. I will use bananas to enhance the moisture of my cookies and also cut the sugar input in half.  Did you know, really ripe bananas have naturally changed their composition into a higher sugar player? Fructose content changes once the banana ripens on your counter for a few days (hence the oxidized brown look AND better player in banana bread). Bananas are ready to jump into your muffins, cakes, or cookies in place of sugar (speaking of which, maple syrup and agave are AMAZING exchanges for "refined sugar").  You can also try substituting half the amount of the oil the recipe calls for with the same amount of mashed banana.
*Bonus: Bananas provide 487 milligrams of potassium, which helps protect your heart


Applesauce:
Works best in muffins and cakes. Use an equal amount to replace  some of the butter, oil, or shortening. I tried using this in brownies and unfortunately it dries the brownies out. Stick to the muffins and the cakes.
*Bonus: Added fiber! 1 cup delivers 3 grams. :) 

Coconut Oil: I said goodbye to vegetable oil a year ago and my pallet thoroughly enjoys the gift of coconut oil and grapeseed oil in consumption of baked goods.  


Unrefined (virgin coconut oil) vs. Refined:  Unrefined (or virgin and extra-virgin) coconut oils are made from the first pressing of fresh, raw coconut without the addition of any chemicals. And will have more of a "coconutty" taste.

Refined coconut oil is usually tasteless and odorless. Because it has been refined, it can usually withstand slightly higher cooking temperatures before reaching its smoke point. Refined coconut oils are excellent for cooking foods where you need lots of clean, pure, malleable fat without a dominating coconut flavor (i.e. pie crusts). Note: refined coconut oils do not offer the same health benefits of a virgin, completely raw coconut oil, but they are still a source of most of the beneficial fatty acids.
*Bonus: Rich source of medium chain fatty acids, shown to enhance immune response, inhibits many chemical carcinogens. Medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil support healthy thyroid function, promoting healthy weight management. Coconut oil has a POWERFUL anti-inflammatory effect and supports healthy brain and nervous system function. 


Canned Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Puree: Susbstitute either one for fat in a one-to-one in spice breads, spice cakes, or chocolate desserts. You can also add a can of pumpkin to a box of brownie mix in place of the eggs and oil.
*Bonus: Huge dose of immune boosting vitamin A and C


Prunes or Dates: These add richness and deepen the color of gingerbread and brownies. Blend a half cup with six tablespoons of water until smooth, then use the puree to replace an equal amount of fat.
*Bonus: Prunes are a good source of iron, and dates provide nearly two grams of fiber each.  
Also adds sweetness to the treat! 


Flaxseed: As an egg replacement (this one has been around for a while). Mix one tablespoon of omega-3 rich ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water (as one egg).

Beet it:  Beets add sweetness and moisture without taking away from the flavor! Add in 2/3 cups of finely grated raw beets to brownie batter and you can reduce the sugar by a quarter cup.
 *Bonus: Beets are captains in circulatory system management 


Have a veggie/fruit substitute you use at home in baking?  Please share below!  We can all use the extra nutrition!