Lucy. Sauerkraut. Our Telomeres

Lucy - singer, songwriter and my blog editor - made sauerkraut, the other day. I was surprised to hear of her first-time effort at this rather time-consuming, odorous yet yummy activity. Both she and her boyfriend, my son, decided to also exclude starches from all non-produce food sources, for two months, while augmenting their beneficial gut bacterial count with the addition of this homemade fermented food called sauerkraut. It soon became a delicious journey. Home made has never tasted so good nor has it ever been so important in our lives, as it is today. 

Fermented foods are excellent food choices for us, we now know. Even pickles can be star pupils, in our diet.. A gut microbiome teeming with beneficial bacteria - probiotics - keeps us healthy. It is a priceless connection. It is our life! Probiotics are created in the gut when we make sensible dietary food choices. Fermented foods are a part of that dietary picture, too. Yay to fermented foods, as Lucy might say! Probiotics are found in other fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi and pickled fish. My favourites, as a little girl, were pickled herring, hot banana peppers and sauerkraut. (My mom used to pickle the whole fish). Fermented foods never looked so good!!

The gut micro biome is a delicate balance of good and bad bacteria. Our food choices decide 'its' health. We must learn to take our gut seriously. There is also a special type of fiber called prebiotic fibre, found in onions and garlic, that aid in maintaining a healthy gut core. Momsey cannot live without onions and garlic. She can and does live, quite happily, without soda pop and candy, but not Italian Rum Cake! ... Making sudden dietary changes is not easy for many of us. It seems like we are denying ourselves something, but are we, really? We must begin this journey to dietary health for the benefit of health and longevity. When positive dietary changes are implemented, we 'risk' weight loss, reduction of inflammation and renewed energy. Inadvertently and without much thought, we are safeguarding our telomeres, those long strands of DNA that protect us from the big three health scourges: cancer, aging and death. ... Some of us are addicted to the carbs we are eating. That must change, however! We must learn to substitute for 'cleaner' choices, maybe eat them on certain days of the week and perhaps shorten the eating 'window', in our day, for all foods consumed. Our bodies should not be on digestive duty, all the time. Fat storage, lethargy, predisposition to diabetes, obesity and other ills can result from the overindulgence of foods, high in starches, assorted sugars and 'other things'. Michael Pollen refers to these products, in the grocery store, as food-like substances. That man got me thinking. Should we be listening and taking stock of what other 'experts', have to say, and act accordingly? Lucy and 'Paul' have. 

I was impressed by the couple's determination to make homemade sauerkraut with a schedule that defied imagination. They adore sauerkraut and making it was no big deal. (It was to me, knowing how my mom made hers, back in the day.) Trying to build a career, in the entertainment industry, is no easy feat. Talent is not the only commodity required. Networking is a critical element here, too. But here they were making sauerkraut, in the middle of it all, while planning the scenes for their next music video, shot in far off places and beyond. Paul was making 'homemade' real-life props, 'special effects' costumes and filming all the scenes required for their premiere on YouTube. He is a director, a cameraman, an all-in-one studio, while tending to the sauerkraut. ... They are a dynamic working duo, rehearsing then filming, non-stop, the videos earmarked for early 2016 release, while their second batch of sauerkraut was fermenting. Imagine that! (The first batch disappeared while Momsey was writing about it.)

In the last century, my mom made sauerkraut using a porcelain bowl left in a basement laundry tub. Here the salted shredded cabbage aged, over several weeks. It was my job to check on the 'impending' sauerkraut, daily, keeping the contents of the bowl submerged beneath the fermenting liquid, using a heavy plate placed on top. Homemade was the order of the day, in my 1950's/60's world. We never concerned ourselves with starch, ever. Everything was in moderation. Rye bread, with caraway seeds, was a staple in our diet. Fermented foods were also a staple and always homemade. Pickled herring was my homemade family favourite. ... (Fast food was a burgeoning industry back then, not the intrusive, pervasive 'refined' marketing machine it is today!) There are two bestselling books making the rounds today telling us we must not eat carbs, grains/starches of any kind. In Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, a respected cardiologist, we are reminded of the deleterious gluten-effect on our bodies when ingesting 'modern' day grains containing this protein compound. ... In Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist, the grain dance continues, with the emphasis now on the effects carbs have on our brain - command central. (A chocolate bar is supposedly a better choice than a whole grain slice of toast. When and how did that happen? Oh, my!)

Being mindful of our carbohydrate choices, in limited amounts, is the name of the dietary game. There are consequences to a diet high in sugar, starches and trans fat. Our bodies and gut have been trying to tell us, for years, that we are wrong in some of those choices. Give that salad a chance with a full fat dressing on top! The gut has a 'mind' of its own, I discovered. The brain in our head is not the only brain we have. Feeling blue, scared, uneasy, sick? Our gut brain is talking as 'Alex', our go-to-health son, has told me. Our digestive core, where trillions of bacteria reside, seems to be speaking to us. We should be listening. It has also been called an organ unto itself. Wow! What an epiphany for The Momsey! Keeping a diet rich in probiotics from a combination Paleo/Mediterranean diet of assorted plant foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, with the added probiotics and taste from delicious fermented foods and prebiotic fibre will help drive us in the right direction. Vitamins A, D, K, E are fat soluble. Where do they go when we eat a fat-free diet? They go nowhere and we suffer the ill effects of their shortfall in our diet. Remember, vitamin D is the cornerstone for a strong immune system.

Lucy is proud of their journey into world of sauerkraut. It is a delicious gourmet treat. In today's modern world, starches are here to stay. We should treat them with due diligence, however. They are our health's 'smoking gun', Momsey believes. Think ahead. Eat that salad when silly carbs enter your system.  Make a direct deposit into your health account whenever you make a health 'withdrawal'. Drink that ever-important water. Cooking at home should be as important as time with family. Put the gadgets away, from time to time. ...  None of us are that important, anyway.  Let us not sacrifice home cooking for that relentless dining-out or fast-food experience. ... Driving to that special restaurant, parking, waiting to be seated, waiting to be served, making our selections, waiting for the bill, all take time and can cost us dearly, in so many ways. Our lives depend upon the good health we can give them. Let them eat sauerkraut, salad, lean protein and healthy fats, too. Our telomeres deserve that much and more. Lucy would think so, too. ...

Next: 'What If Starches Disappeared?'....