Food

Life and Health – Whole Wheat Bread

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Welcome to our new Steps to Life and Health page. We welcome the opportunity to come into your home with the beautiful “right arm” of the gospel; and we earnestly pray, as you read the words of inspiration and medical facts, that the Holy Spirit will make you willing to be made willing to follow all of the light that God in His great tender mercy has allowed to shine on His people to prepare them for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit in these last days of earth’s history. We will be sharing our recipes with you, and we invite any of you who have healthful recipes to share them with us on this page in the months to come. Today’s recipe will be home baked whole wheat bread.

And God said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD they God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statues, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26. What a wonderful promise from our God! However, to each promise that He makes to us, there are conditions. We must do our part. Again from the Bible we read, “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments and His statues which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. Deuteronomy 28:15. These are the conditions which the LORD has laid down for us, and He invites each one of us to accept His promise to us in Medical Ministry, 221. “The Creator of man has arranged the living machinery of our bodies. Every function is wonderfully and wisely made. And God has pledged Himself to keep this human machinery in healthful action of the human agent will obey His laws and cooperate with God.”

“We have the example of ancient Israel and the warning for us not to do as they did. Their history of unbelief and rebellion is left on record as a special warning that we should not follow their example of murmuring at God’s requirements. How can we pass on so indifferently, choosing our own course, following the sight of our own eyes, and departing further and further from God, as did the Hebrews? God cannot do great things for His people because of their hardness of heart and sinful unbelief.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 172.

Today we have before us countless medical articles proving from current medical science the many things that God sent to His remnant people over 130 years ago. Shall we not praise God for this wonderful light that will enable us to have clear, undimmed brains, that we may receive the Holy Spirit in its fullness and not disregard it or repress it? For “it is impossible for those who indulge the appetite to attain to Christian perfection.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 400.

“Bread is the real staff of life, and therefore every cook should excel in making it.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 315. In future issues, we will share with you some of the ingredients of the majority of commercial bread, and you will see why it is for our health to make good bread. “Let us remember that there is practical religion in a loaf of good bread.” Medical Ministry, 270.

Whole Wheat Bread

Mix Together: Blend Together:

4 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup apple concentrate

1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1-1/2 cups distilled water

3 Tablespoons Do-Pep

1/4 teaspoon Vitamin C Powder

Warm liquid sufficiently for yeast to work, and place in mixing bowl.

Add 1 – 2 teaspoons yeast and let work.

Add dry ingredients and stir vigorously until well blended, then knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Push down, and let rise again until double in bulk.

Divide the dough, shape, and place in two bread pans to rise.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

For those who have an automatic bread maker, this is an ideal recipe. Place your yeast in the bottom of the pan, add the dry ingredients, then the liquid, and “start.” We use a “DAK” machine and the amount is perfect. The amount of yeast sometimes varies according to altitude. We use a rounded teaspoon and have the liquid slightly warmer when we add to the flour mixture on top instead of sprinkling yeast on top. If you have an older “MAGIC MILL” round breadmaker, this is also the right proportions.

Recipe – Banana Pudding

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1/3 cup raw cane sugar

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

4 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 very ripe bananas, sliced

1/8 tsp. salt

48 vegan vanilla wafer cookies

3 cups coconut milk,

Nondairy whipped topping for garnish, optional

  1. Place sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan and gradually whisk in coconut milk. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thickened, whisking constantly. Stir in vanilla, then banana slices.
  2. Line bottom of 11×7-inch baking dish with 24 cookies. Spread hot pudding over top, making sure bananas are submerged to prevent browning. Top with remaining 24 cookies, cover with plastic wrap, and cool. Refrigerate until cold. Top with whipped topping (if using).

Food – No meat, no dairy, no problem: is 2014 the year vegans become mainstream?

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As New Year dietary fads go, giving up meat, dairy and fish altogether might seem extreme for the average person looking to shed a few pounds. Yet there are growing signs that 2014 could be the year that veganism – often viewed as the preserve of hippies, animal activists and health obsessives – stops being a niche dietary choice and gains new followers, and not just because of soon-forgotten resolutions.

This year will see the German supermarket chain ‘Veganz – We Love Life’ opening its first branch in the United Kingdom (UK), offering over 6,000 vegan products. The store is hoping to take advantage of increasing interest in non-meat, non-dairy food.

Most UK supermarkets already stock vegan products, but Veganz is the first dedicated chain store of its kind in Europe. Set up in 2011, the company hopes to open a total of 21 stores across the continent by 2015 to meet growing demand.

The choice of not consuming any animal products at all is currently being promoted by Mark Bittman’s book VB6, which takes a “flexitarian” approach – advocating eating a vegan diet before 6 p.m.

Veganism has long been plagued by stereotypes of it proponents. But what will dedicated full-time proponents of the lifestyle choice – its title officially coined in 1944 by founder of the British Vegan Society Donald Watson – make of the part-timers and the potential for it to become the latest fad diet?

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/no-meat-no-dairy-no-problem-is-2014-the-year-vegans-become-mainstream-9032064.html

Recipe – Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

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1 large head cauliflower 3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
Olive oil for drizzling
1 sweet onion, diced 2 cloves garlic
7 cups filtered water ¾ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Place cauliflower onto ungreased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. In large stockpot, bring other ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.

Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender unto very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir.

Food – Veganism in a Nutshell

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What is a Vegan?

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs and dairy products.

The key to a nutritionally sound vegan diet is variety. A healthy and varied vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein as long as calorie intake is adequate. Almost all foods except for alcohol, sugar, and fats provide some protein. Vegan sources include: lentils, chickpeas, tofu, peas, peanut butter, soy milk, almonds, spinach, rice, whole wheat bread, potatoes, broccoli, kale.

Vegan diets are free of cholesterol and are generally low in saturated fat. Thus eating a vegan diet makes it easy to conform to recommendations given to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. High-fat foods, which should be used sparingly, include oils, margarine, nuts, nut butters, seed butters, avocado, and coconut.

Vitamin D is not found in the vegan diet but can be made by humans following exposure to sunlight. At least ten to fifteen minutes of summer sun on hands and face two to three times a week is recommended for adults so that vitamin D production can occur. Food sources of vitamin D include vitamin D-fortified soy milk and rice milk.

Calcium, needed for strong bones, is found in dark green vegetables, tofu made with calcium sulfate, calcium-fortified soy milk and orange juice, and many other foods commonly eaten by vegans.

Vegan diets can provide zinc at levels close to or even higher than the RDA. Zinc is found in grains, legumes, and nuts.

Dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables are especially good sources of iron, better on a per calorie basis than meat. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin C along with foods containing iron.

In order to maximize production of DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids), vegans should include good sources of alpha-linolenic acid in their diets such as flaxseed, flaxseed oil, tofu, soybeans, and walnuts.

Common Vegan Foods

Oatmeal, stir-fried vegetables, cereal, toast, orange juice, peanut butter on whole wheat bread, frozen fruit desserts, lentil soup, salad bar items like chickpeas and three bean salad, dates, apples, macaroni, fruit smoothies, popcorn, spaghetti, vegetarian baked beans, guacamole, chili. Tofu lasagna, homemade pancakes without eggs, hummus, eggless cookies, soy ice cream, tempeh, corn chowder, soy yogurt, rice pudding, fava beans, banana muffins, spinach pies, oat nut burgers, falafel, corn fritters, French toast made with soy milk, soy hot dogs, vegetable burgers, pumpkin casserole, scrambled tofu, seitan.

www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm

Because some people on vegan diets have developed vitamin B12 deficiencies, it is safest for a vegan to use sublingual Vitamin B12 tablets unless a vegan food is used regularly that has been fortified with Vitamin B12.

Recipe – Seared Polenta with Chunky Blueberry Sauce

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½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 ½ tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. honey

4 polenta slices

¼ tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

Combine blueberries, water, honey, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet. Cook polenta slices until golden on both sides. Top with the blueberry sauce.

Food – Best Good-for-You Foods

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It would be well for us to do less cooking and to eat more fruit in its natural state. Let us teach the people to eat freely of the fresh grapes, apples, peaches, pears, berries, and all other kinds of fruit that can be obtained. Let these be prepared for winter use by canning.” Testimonies. Vol. 7, 134.

“Intemperate eating is often the cause of sickness, and what nature most needs is to be relieved of the undue burden that has been placed upon her. In many cases of sickness, the very best remedy is for the patient to fast for a meal or two, that the overworked organs of digestion may have an opportunity to rest. A fruit diet for a few days has often brought great relief to brain workers. Many times a short period of entire abstinence from food, followed by simple, moderate eating, has led to recovery through nature’s own recuperative effort. An abstemious diet for a month or two would convince many sufferers that the path of self-denial is the path to health.” The Ministry of Healing, 235.

Green Beans

High-fiber foods like green beans can help you prevent weight gain and even promote weight loss—without dieting.

Boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1,000 calories consumed resulted in losing 4 ½ pounds.

Also try raspberries, chickpeas and strawberries.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a good source of vitamin C. It also has lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against heart disease and some types of cancer.

Eating foods that are full of water, such as watermelon (92 percent), helps keep you satisfied on fewer calories. (Interestingly enough, drinking water alongside foods doesn’t have the same effect.)

Also try cucumbers (95 percent water), salad greens (90 percent), and strawberries (91 percent).

Blueberries

The diverse range of polyphenol—health-promoting plant compounds that include athocyanins and ellagic acid—provided from berries, like blueberries, can help keep your heart healthy.

Eating just under a cup of mixed berries daily for 8 weeks can increase levels of “good” HDl cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Also try red raspberries and strawberries.

Tomatoes

Eating more vitamin-C-rich foods—such as tomato—may be a secret to smoother skin.

Vitamin Cs can have youthful effects on skin, like lowering the risk of wrinkles and age-related dryness in middle-age women. Its antioxidant properties help protect against ultraviolent in keeping skin firm via collagen synthesis.

Also try oranges, strawberries, and broccoli.

www.eatingwell.com

Recipe – Fruit on a Stick and Vege Kebab

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Fruit on a Stick

¼ cup pineapple chunks

¼ cup blackberries

¼ cup chopped apple

¼ cup peeled orange sections

¼ cup grapes

4 wooden skewers

Wash fresh fruits. Dress each skewer, alternating with different fruit.

Vege Kebab

8 cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup pineapple chunks

1/8 cup cucumber chunks

1/8 cup baby carrots

3 Tbsp. soy dressing

4 wooden skewers

Dress each skewer, alternating with different vegetables. Dip or spread dressing on each kebab.

 

Food – Vacation Plans or Weekend Outings

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When you think of summer weekends, what food pops into your mind? When you think of eating on the road, is fast food the first thing you think of? This summer, don’t eat foods that will leave you feeling depleted, bloated, and tired. Making better food choices will have a positive impact on your leisure time. Healthy food and plenty of water will sustain your energy levels, fuel your muscles, and help you recover quickly. The food you eat on the road will serve as your traveling repair kit.

Healthy eating starts where you stop – If you’re on the road and stop at a fast-food joint, your food choices will be limited to fast food. But if you stop at a grocery store that offers whole or healthy foods—fruits, bagged carrots, nuts, hummus—or a supermarket that features a salad bar, you quickly expand your choices (and reduce junk-food temptations).

Eat frequently, and in smaller amounts – Eating small amounts of healthy foods throughout the day sends a signal to your brain that the food supply is plentiful, so it’s okay to burn through those calories quickly. Limiting your calorie load at a single sitting also gives you lots of energy. Eating too much at one sitting can make you sluggish and sleepy.

Eat plenty of protein – Eating the right amount of complete protein for your weight and activity level stabilizes blood sugar (preventing energy lags), enhances concentration, and keeps you lean and strong. A complete protein for vegetarians is a grain plus a legume (such as whole grain bread with nut butter, or corn tortilla with beans).

Pack snacks so you’re not skipping meals – Often when we’re traveling, we don’t have access to food at regular intervals. The problem is, your body responds as if it’s facing a food shortage and your metabolism slows way down to prevent you from starving. To keep your mind and body humming, pack healthy snacks in your car or backpack. Examples are almonds, raw vegetables and hummus, soy yogurt and berries, fresh and dried fruit.

Avoid “feel bad” foods – These are foods you crave, but after you eat them you feel sick or depleted. When you’re on the road, it’s particularly essential to avoid foods that drain your energy and deflate your mood.

Drink lots of water – Yes, water is a food. The body needs water for virtually all of its functions. Drinking plenty of water will flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh, and help you eat less. It will also help you avoid travel lag, symptoms of overexposure to the heat or sun, and junk-food cravings. Believe it or not, many of the unhealthy cravings we experience on the road can be satisfied with a refreshing drink of pure water. www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat

Try cutting up fresh fruit and vegetables beforehand and leaving them nearby and handy as you travel.

Recipe – Living Cucumber Sunflower Seed Pate

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1 large cucumber, peeled

¼ yellow or sweet onion, chopped

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1-2 tsp. sea salt, to taste

1 large clove garlic, crushed

Blend cucumber to a liquid consistency and place into bowl. Add raw sunflower seeds into blended cucumber and soak overnight in refrigerator. Blend the mixture in the morning and add remaining ingredients (seasonings).