You have probably noticed that I line my baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper instead of cooking directly on the surface or lining them with aluminum foil.  And if I want to roast a head of garlic, I always wrap it first in unbleached parchment paper and then aluminum foil.  Since I have been fielding a lot of questions about this practice recently from some newbies in my cooking classes, I thought I would shed some light on it here.

There is research that suggests that when aluminum is heated (which is what we do when we cook, naturally), some of it leaches into our food.  The amount of aluminum that leaches increases with higher heat and acidity (e.g. wine, tomatoes, citrus.)  Although I use rimmed untreated aluminum or nonstick baking sheets almost daily for roasting vegetables or baking cookies, I always line them with unbleached parchment paper to provide a buffer so that my food does not come into contact with either of those materials.  I also never allow food to come into contact with aluminum foil when cooking.  If you own anodized aluminum cookware, this has been treated and sealed so that the aluminum doesn’t react or leach when heated.  This is ok.  There is, however, untreated aluminum cookware in restaurant supply stores and hardware stores and you should definitely not use these.

I will readily admit that any link between aluminum consumption and Alzheimers is controversial.  But aluminum is a known neurotoxin which means in excessive quantities, it disrupts the natural processes of a healthy brain and can lead to problems.  Um, no thanks.  We already consume aluminum whether we like it or not if we eat out or consume processed foods, drink municipal water, use vaccines or antiperspirants.  Many (not all) over-the-counter medicines such as antiacids and buffered aspirin, also contain aluminum although .   Read the product labels to know for sure.  This post isn’t intended to cover all sources of aluminum, but rather focus on protecting ourselves from this heavy metal in the kitchen.  So my point is that if I can control my exposure to aluminum at home in an easy way, I am going to do that.

I also want to specify using unbleached, and not bleached parchment paper.  Bleached parchment paper when heated can/may/might leach dioxin, which you can read about here and why I advise you to avoid it.  There are several brands of unbleached parchment paper which are available at your local grocery store or on Amazon.  I like Beyond Gourmet and If You Care unbleached parchment paper.  I also love these unbleached parchment baking cups for lining your muffin tins.  If you like to wrap a food in aluminum foil to roast in the oven or grill, simply wrap it in unbleached parchment first and then aluminum foil so it doesn’t burn like that head of garlic above.

Please be be warned that parchment paper is not the same thing as waxed paper which is not meant to be heated!  Another option is to use silicone mats on your baking sheets which are washable/reusable and do not leach any harmful chemicals when heated.  I sometimes use silicone mats for mild-tasting food (like cookies, not fish) or for an easy-to-clean food (like cookies, not balsamic-roasted cherry tomatoes.)

As always, feel free to shoot me your questions or add your knowledge to this subject!

Per my last post, nuts and seeds should be soaked for the same reasons as grains and legumes.  Nuts and seeds also contain compounds that impair digestion, reduce mineral absorption and nutrient levels.  However, by soaking nuts and seeds in water, those anti-nutrients are neutralized, thereby resulting in a much more nutritious food.

Nuts can be soaked in plain filtered water or water with a pinch of sea salt for a few hours or up to 12 hours.  Once they have been soaked, drain and rinse the nuts before proceeding.  Soaked nuts can then be blended with fresh water and strained to make an easy nut milk.   Soaked, blended cashews become very thick, creamy and neutral in taste and can be used in many ways as a , including sour cream, heavy cream, and milk.

You can dehydrate nuts in a dehydrator, which will dry out the nuts at a temperature of 115 degrees Farenheit or less in order to preserve any live enzymes, if the nuts were truly raw to start out with.  Keep in mind, most nuts in the US that are labeled “raw” have actually been pasteurized and heated to a point that destroys the live active enzymes and makes them “unsproutable.” (Sprouting can occur only with a live food and takes longer, e.g., a few days, than just soaking.)  Truly raw domestic nuts, such as almonds, can be purchased directly from the grower, either online or at your local farmers market.  Otherwise, it is possible to buy imported, raw nuts from the supermarket.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still dry out soaked nuts in an oven at a low temperature, such as 250 degrees to get them a little crispy.  It is still advisable to store dehydrated or baked soaked nuts in the refrigerator to ensure they stay fresh for longer.

Consumers, as well as food manufacturers, have responded to the demand for soaked nuts and seeds.  If you don’t want to do it yourself, there are now soaked, sprouted and dehydrated nuts available at many natural food stores, online, and at farmers markets.

Jenni Kayne asked me to share with her readers one of her favorite tips that I have taught in class — soaking grains.  So we have collaborated on a today’s post!  Do check out her amazing lifestyle website, ripplustan.com which is one of my favorite sources for learning about new products, entertaining ideas and of course, fashion!

I am a big fan of a mostly plant-based diet and more importantly, I emphasize as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible.  Whole grains can definitely be part of a healthful diet, but they are much more nutritious and digestible when prepared the way our ancestors did by soaking, fermenting or sprouting them before cooking or eating.

Whole grains contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which binds with certain minerals (e.g.  zinc, phosphorous, calcium and iron) and  prevents them from being absorbed by the body.  Phytic acid is also very hard on the digestive system.  Most of the phytic acid is contained in the exterior bran and germ layers of the grain.  Ironically, whole grains are much higher in minerals than polished or refined grains, but we won’t receive those benefits unless we neutralize the phytic acid.

Phytic acid is also an enzyme-inhibitor which keeps the grains/seeds dormant until the conditions for germination are just right.  Not only does phytic acid prevent seeds from sprouting, it also helps protect them from predators by blocking digestive enzymes so that the seeds stay untouched as they pass through our digestive tract.

Soaking, fermenting or sprouting your grains before cooking them will neutralize the phytic acid and release the enzyme inhibitors, thus making them much easier to digest and making the nutrients more assimilable.  Phytic acid can be neutralized in as little as 7 hours when soaked in water with the addition of a small amount of an acidic medium such as vinegar or lemon juice.  Soaking also helps to break down gluten, a hard-to-digest protein found in grains such as wheat, spelt, rye and barley.

Fortunately, grains are very easy to soak.  You just need to start the process the night before or the morning of the day you want to eat them.  Pour grains into a bowl and cover with warm or room temperature filtered water.  Add a tablespoon of something acidic, such as yogurt, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, whey or kefir, for example.  Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 7 hours or longer.   Change the water after 24 hours if you’re still soaking.  Drain and rinse the grains before cooking with fresh water.

Even though 7-8 hours is the minimum recommended for soaking, even a few hours is better than nothing.  An extra benefit to soaking grains is a shorter cooking time.  The longer you soak them, the less time is needed to cook and also less water.  There’s no formula to figuring this out, but usually if you soak 1 cup of brown rice for 8 hours, you can reduce the cooking time from 50 minutes to about 40 and use about 1/3 cup less water.  For 1 cup of soaked quinoa, you can cook for about 10 minutes and use 1 ½ cups of water.

If you’ve been eating whole grains, nuts and seeds for years without soaking, don’t stress.  A small amount of phytic acid is reduced just by the cooking process alone.  But for minimal effort, you can significantly improve the digestibility and nutrition of these important foods.

It’s a new year and chance are, you’ve made some resolutions.  I spent New Year’s Eve with my husband’s family, and when we went around the table sharing our goals for 2014, most of us had better health and a leaner body on our minds.  I once read some good advice about setting resolutions: don’t be vague and say, “I want to get healthier.”  Instead, set specific, more measurable goals for yourself, such as “I will drink 8 glasses of water a day,”  “I will exercise a 30 minutes/4 days a week,” or “I will go to sleep by 10:00 pm Sunday through Thursday.”

From my personal experience, I have found that to be good advice which has helped me stick to my resolutions better than before.  I have also found that fewer, smaller changes can gradually bring us to where we want to be and have a longer-lasting impact.  Of course, it depends on one’s personality, but I don’t have what it takes to make lots of drastic changes overnight.

One new year’s resolution that I made many, many years ago (which I learned from an ayurvedic practitioner) that is still going strong is starting the day with a mugful of warm water with fresh lemon juice.  Rarely does a day go by, no matter what the season, no matter where I am, when I don’t enjoy this easy, inexpensive, and health-supportive beverage.

Here are some of the benefits to drinking warm lemon-water at the start of your day:

1.    Rehydrates the body.   Sleeping so many hours without fluid intake generally leaves you slightly dehydrated when you wake up.  All the systems in your body need water to function properly and a glass of water warm helps keep everything running smoothly.

2.    Stimulates the digestive system for the day. The citric acid in lemon juice stimulates the production of gastric juices in the stomach.  What’s also interesting is that lemon juice has a molecular composition similar to digestive fluids such as saliva and hydrochloric acid and enhances their processes.  Lemon juice can also help relieve symptoms of indigestion and nausea.

3.  Helps finish the detoxification process the and clear the digestive tract.  Lemon also stimulates and helps cleanse the liver, our body’s detoxifying organ.  Lemon juice helps stimulate the production of bile which helps to eliminate toxins.

4.    Boosts the immune system.  Lemons contain incredibly high levels of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant and immune-booster.

5.    Helps beautify the skin. The skin benefits from hydration and detoxification, but in addition, the antioxidants in lemon also scavenge free radicals which contribute to premature aging.  Furthermore, lemon juice’s anti-bacterial properties are a natural cleanser for the skin, liver and gall bladder.

Here’s how easy this is:  First thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything else, wash a lemon (preferably organic) and cut it in half.  Squeeze the juice from one lemon half into a large mug or heat-proof cup.  Add warm, filtered water (not boiling water which will destroy some of the vitamins and enzymatic properties in the lemon) to the mug.  Drink slowly.  If it’s not inconvenient for you to wait 30 minutes to eat breakfast, do so.  This will ensure your body absorbs as many nutrients as possible.

Here’s to a healthful 2014!