A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPELT
Spelt is the grain lowest in phytic acids, easily digestible, and if it is harvested by low yield traditional methods of old, it can be carried on long trips and still provides nourishment. Spelt was the food the Roman armies carried with them to sustain them on their long tours. It is a grain with different amino acids than those contained in wheat. It is these amino acids that gives spelt its maximum assimilation. I think spelt is a wonderful grain for all humans, ((unless one has celiac disease then corn, rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, lentils and amaranth preferable.)
The mystic Hildegard von Bingen published her works on spelt, some 800 years ago. At that time it was unheard of for a woman to be allowed to publish or to be a learned person. It is a great accomplishment that we today have the availability of Hildegard’s published works.
According to Hildegard von Bingen, (St. Hildegard)–
“The spelt is the best of grains. It is rich and nourishing and milder than other grain. It produces a strong body and healthy blood to those who eat it and it makes the spirit of man light and cheerful. If someone is ill boil some spelt, mix it with egg and this will heal him like a fine ointment.”
She claimed it gladden the heart.
HISTORY OF SPELT Native to southern Europe, where it’s been used for millenniums, spelt is an ancient Cereal Grain that has a mellow nutty flavor. I have noticed if I take the spelt grain and put it in the food processor to roughly grind it, then soak it and cook it, its taste resembles a bowl of warmed chopped nuts. Sometimes I add a date to it for a little sweetness. The easily digestible spelt has a slightly higher protein content than wheat and can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies. Spelt flour, available in health-food stores, can be substituted for wheat flour cup for cup in baked goods. Spelt has a fragile gluten content, making it easier to digest, especially by those who are wheat-sensitive. When something is difficult to digest, it begins to compromise the immune system. Because of spelt’s incredibly hard hull, there is no need for pesticides, as insects cannot penetrate it. In Germany, the name for spelt is “dinkel” and was the basis for the names of such towns as Dinkelsbühl, Dinkelhausen, and Dinkelrode. In fact, the town of Dinkelsbühl has a museum devoted entirely to the grain; and, in the city park, there is a life-size monument of a farmer holding a sheath of spelt.
Interestingly, more and more consumers are finding that they may be suffering from some type of wheat sensitivity. This sensitivity ranges from a severe allergic reaction to the gluten in wheat to more subtle symptoms such as lethargy or a bloated feeling coupled with weight gain. New diets based on blood types (see Eating Right 4 Your Type) recommend that type O people avoid all modern wheat and eat only Spelt. In theory, it is the modern makeup of t wheat and its history of breeding and hybridization to improve yield and baking characteristics that has contributed to the creation of a gluten that is no longer friendly to some people’s bodies. Because of the different balance of the amino acids, Spelt is readily digestible by many people who have stopped eating wheat. However spelt does contain gluten and may cause symptoms with Celiac Disease.
Posted 12 years, 7 months ago at 1:22 pm. Add a comment
Wheat is high in phytates – phytic acids. All grains, nuts, and legumes contain phytates. The phytates is what makes these foods difficult to digest and with the indigestion, comes bloating, gas, and burping Wheat contains a higher proportion of phytates, much more than any other grain. This is especially true of wheat that has been ground into flour and then baked using a fast rising yeast. The addition of rising agents puts the grain through a very rapid hurry-up-process. Adding yeast, baking powder, or other rising agents does not allow the grain to fully, slowly release its own enzymes, which take time to begin to develop a truly natural nutty tasting fermentation. Non-yeasted breads made by this long slow deliberate rising have almost 90% of phytates removed. If one uses a grain such as spelt which is naturally low in phytates, the resulting bread baked by this method will be very low in all acids, especially phytic acid. When consumed, the bread will have an alkaline reaction within the individual’s body chemistry. The method used to convert grains into non-yeasted bread is called by many names. Some call it desem, levain, or sourdough, or stalking the wild yeast. By adding simple pure water to spelt flour, I utilize the abundant occurring yeast that naturally exists within my kitchen.
Phytic acid is a potent acid. As it exits the body through the intestines, the phytic acid molecule grabs much needed minerals from the body, almost stealing the calcium from the bones or the iron from the heme portion of the blood. These minerals cling for they are bound irresistibly to phytates. This is one reason I take great caution in eating wheat products.
As recently as the early 20th century, spelt was the grain of choice, grown abundantly by American farmers throughout the country. In their quest for greater efficiency, Spelt was eventually replaced by modern wheat. Modern wheat could be ground only once. Modern wheat is a “free hulled” grain, the outer husk or hull comes loose when harvested and falls loose in the field, while Spelt retains it’s outer hull during harvesting. Because of its tough hull, Spelt required two grindings: one to get rid of its tough outer husk, and a second to grind the kernel.
This tough outer husk is in part responsible for spelt’s superior texture and flavor. It helps to protects the inner kernel – shielding it from the sun and preventing the flavor and nutrients from leaching out.
On top of the contributions it makes to flavor, fiber, and protein, spelt is unique in that it’s very easy to digest. It’s such an easy grain to knead that bakers have to follow specific instructions when using it to bake bread, so as to avoid a glutinous mess. This easy mixability makes Spelt easy to digest.
Some individuals with wheat allergies are able to consume spelt. Oftentimes people allergic to wheat can manifest this as a sniffling or running nose after eating wheat products. The person can then become irritable, prickly, and bristly or the person can become more and more disturbed. Wheat, especially yeasted wheat products can produce depletion in the body’s minerals thus creating a chemical imbalance from within the very body, which is striving to find nourishment by ingesting the grains in the bread.
Spelt flour is a very ancient grain and as such, it has not gone through much manipulation in its farming methods. Spelt is such an early grain; one might say it is the great great grandmother of modern day wheat. This typically involves the use of pesticides and the removal of the husk during harvesting.
Spelt retains its outer husk right up until it is ready for milling, which ensures that maximum nutrients are retained and ensures ongoing freshness. Perhaps more importantly, the husk protects the spelt kernel from insects and pollutants and hence normally requires no chemical or pesticide treatment. When compared to wheat flour spelt contains more B1 and B2 vitamins, more iron, manganese, copper and zinc and has high water solubility thus ensuring these nutrients are easily absorbed by the body. Spelt contains special carbohydrates, which are an important factor in blood clotting and stimulating the body’s immune system. It is also a superb fiber resource and has large amounts of B-complex vitamins. Spelt is also rich in amino acids (protein content is 10-25% more than wheat) and is high in essential fatty acids that cannot be synthesized by the body. The total fat content of spelt is less than 2% and spelt is also high in complex carbohydrates and fiber. This grain was originally grown in Europe more than 2000 years ago. Spelt is known by many names: dinkle in Germany, farro in Italy, l’epeutre in France. It remains much more a part of European culture than it is in the USA. The mystic Hildegard von Bingen who lived around 1025, used spelt to heal and nurture the sick.
ORIGINS OF SPELT
The origin of spelt is controversial. While general agreement exists on the origin, extent, and utilization of wild and cultivated einkorn and emmer, archaeobotanists and cereal geneticists have proposed two primary hypothesis for the origin of spelt. One hypothesis suggests a single site of origin in the geographic region of present day Iran. The second suggests two independent sites of origin, the Iranian region and a southeastern European region. Suggested dates for the Iranian origin range from the mid-late Neolithic (Stone Age) 6,000-5,000 BC (Zohary and Hopf 1993). The majority of evidence indicates that the origin of spelt must have occurred when either wild or cultivated emmer (AABB) dispersed to regions where T. tauschii (Ae. squarrosa) (DD) was an indigenous wild grass species.
The data suggests possible validity to the claim that spelt may be easier for humans to digest than wheat. Recent studies have reported variations in protein, lysine, vitamins, crude fat, minerals (Abdel-Aal et al. 1995; Ranhotra et al. 1995, 1996a).
Some translations for: Spelt
Netherlands (Dutch)
grove tarwesoort, gespeld
Français (French)
épeautre, orthographié
Deutsch (German)
n. – Dinkel
Italiano (Italian)
farro, pronunciato
Português (Portuguese)
n. – espelta (f)
Español (Spanish)
n. – espelta, escandaSvenska (Swedish)
n. – spelt (tyskt vete)
This genetic engineering of wheat has resulted in a crop that is no longer classifiable as a plant, but is now considered a genetically modified organism (GMO).
Wheat has been and is being engineered to:
Produce greater yields
Improve quality
Be disease and insect resistant
Require less nitrogen to grow
Require less pesticides and herbicides
Increase the glutenin content
Be resistant to drought
Be tolerant of heat
Reduce wheat’s allergenicity
Increase the nutritional value
Be resistant to aluminium contamination of the soil
Enhance wheat’s lignans which may have anti-cancer properties and
Boost the human immune system using human genes!
Concerns about genetically engineered transgenic wheat include:
The introduction of DNA changes in humans that no one can predict.
The creation of super-weeds that will be resistant to herbicides as disease-resistance is transferred between plant species.
The creation of super-bugs as antibiotic resistance is transferred to microorganisms.
Contamination of conventional or organic crops, as wheat is pollinated by the wind.
In 1999 scientists in Thailand claimed to have found transgenic wheat in a grain shipment from the United States, even though at the time it had not been approved for sale and had only ever been grown in test plots.
The main claim is that such crops will require less pesticide, but so far this has proven unfounded and since the companies that provide the pesticides are the ones creating the transgenic crops, a true conflict of interest.
Transgenic crops become the intellectual property of the company that created them and farmers using such crops have to agree to stringent conditions including being unable to collect the seeds to replant. Monsanto has engineered crops specifically to require the use of their fertilisers and this means that farmers in developing countries in particular can be held to ransom by large multinational corporations.
Transgenic wheat produced by Monsanto is currently being grown in Argentina and the United States and has passed in-house environmental risk assessments and US government regulatory agencies have approved its use. Reception in the developed world has been cool and farmers have been concerned about the saleability of transgenic crops.
This has led Monsanto to appear to have set its sights upon penetrating the developing world markets – starting with India.
Posted 12 years, 7 months ago at 1:20 pm. Add a comment
Upon arising
One teaspoon of solé in a glass of water
To help balance your stomach, after eating raw fruit or drinking citrus, wait twenty minutes before eating again.
Freshly squeezed juice from one lemon. Add enough water to make ¼ cup.
Orange juice freshly squeezed (wait 20 minutes after citrus before eating).
Grapefruit juice freshly squeezed (Caution can interfere with certain medications). Throughout the day, if permitted, drink water equal to twice your output to turn off vasopressin, a hormone that stimulates cyst growth.
Breakfast Menu
To help balance your stomach, after eating raw fruit or drinking citrus, wait twenty minutes before eating again.
Fruit: Raw fresh in season fruit locally grown (avoid starfruit, rhubarb, strawberry, plum, prunes)
Fruit: Freshly sliced grapefruit (caution interferes with certain medications)
Fruit: Bananas and apples or stewed fruit.
Cereal: Spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, grits, corn meal, steel cut oats, oatmeal cereal (soak grains overnight).
Cereal: Corn meal with chopped dates (soak grains overnight).
Cereal: Cold cereal with almond, coconut, brown rice milk. Spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice or corn cereal.
Cereal: Prepare ½ cup of spelt kernels that have been soaked overnight to diminish phytic acid. Whole spelt kernels have a taste similar to a bowl of ground nuts. The following morning heat and top with banana or cinnamon apples.
Toasted non-yeasted English Muffin with all fruit cherry jam. Bread made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn.
Toasted non-yeasted bread with all fruit jam. Bread made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn.
Toasted non-yeasted bagel with a poached egg yolk when recovering from illness or surgery. Bagel made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn.
Toasted non-yeasted toast with tupelo honey, almond butter. Bread made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn.
Toasted non-yeasted pita: Stuffed with chopped cilantro, garlic, and avocado. Pita made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn.
Toasted non-yeasted pita: Stuffed with steamed vegetables.
Toasted non-yeasted toast with sautéed mushrooms. Almond butter, cashew butter or avocado are alternative spreads. Pita made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn and without yeast.
Waffle, crêpes, pancakes made from spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn and without yeast.
Non-yeasted breads made with spelt, rye, kamut, brown rice, corn: the dough (flour and water mixture) for baking non-yeasted breads is allowed to rise for about 7 hours before it is baked. Unlike yeasted breads which rise quickly; non-yeasted breads release their digestive enzymes in the lactic acid ferment that takes place. Lactic acid can be blown off by several deep breathes throughout the day. Other acids produced by the body increase the workload of the kidneys. After eating non-yeasted spelt bread many have noticed that they never come away with a bloated feeling. It is the same with nuts, beans, legumes and seeds that have been presoaked to lessen their phytic acid content. With large ever expanding cystic organs, it is useful to minimize bloating. Many with liver cysts take H2 blockers. In theory this slows down secretin and prevents liver cysts from expanding.
Liquids: Enjoy liquids after eating food.
Herb Tea: African nectar, chamomile, chamomile citrus, chocolate mint truffle, hibiscus, honey bush, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon water, lemon zinger, linden flower, milk thistle, red bush, rooibos, rose hips, saffron tea, silymarin, speedwell, sugar cookie sleigh ride, thyme, tilleul, veronica tea.
Roasted Grain Beverage: bambu, barley brew, barley cup, caffix, caro, carob powder, inka, java herb uncoffee, kara kara, organic instant grain, prewetts chicory, roma, spelt kaffee, teeccino, yorzoh.
Water: Lemon water, mineral water, water that has been standing for 24 hours to dissipate any residual chlorine.
Morning Snack
To help balance your stomach, after eating raw fruit or drinking citrus, wait twenty minutes before eating again.
Juice: Cabbage-almond, apple, beet-apple, green-apple, kale-grape
Vegetables: Raw carrots, jicama, (5) radish, turnip
Fruit: Twenty minutes before lunch have an alkaline fruit: apple, pear, kiwi, mango, pineapple, cherries, grapes, banana.
Fruit dried: Apricot, raisins, mango without sugar, cherries, dates, apples,
Grains: Unsalted organic corn chips, unsalted brown rice cakes, unsalted spelt pretzels, unsalted spelt crackers.
Nuts: (7) almonds unsalted.
Nuts: Young coconut water and enjoy the spoon meat.
Nuts: Roasted chestnuts
Liquids: Enjoy liquids after eating food. Herb Tea: African nectar, chamomile, chamomile citrus, chocolate mint truffle, hibiscus, honey bush, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon water, lemon zinger, linden flower, milk thistle, red bush, rooibos, rose hips, saffron tea, silymarin, speedwell, sugar cookie sleigh ride, thyme, tilleul, veronica tea.
Roasted Grain Beverage: bambu, barley brew, barley cup, caffix, caro, carob powder, inka, java herb uncoffee, kara kara, organic instant grain, prewetts chicory, roma, spelt kaffee, teeccino, yorzoh.
Water: Lemon water, mineral water, water that has been standing for 24 hours to dissipate any residual chlorine.
Lunch
Soup: Turnip, watercress, vegetable, squash, corn, broccoli, black bean, lentil, mung bean, white bean, or flageolet soup. Presoak beans for 2-3 days; by rinsing under running water, this diminishes phytates and makes beans more digestible.
Soup: Lentil soup with brown rice.
Soup: Coconut milk and vegetables with brown rice.
Soup: Sides-spelt toast, spelt crackers, corn tortillas, brown rice crackers.
Salad: Romaine lettuce, sliced radish, diced carrot, purple onion, mushrooms, jicama, turnip. Salad dressing lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and fresh leaf herbs.
Sandwich: Almond vegetable paté on non-yeasted bread made with spelt, kamut, brown rice or corn. or sliced cucumber.
Sandwich: Vegetable burger without soy, wheat on non-yeasted bread made with spelt, kamut, brown rice or corn. Sandwich: Almond butter and fruit spread on non-yeasted bread made with spelt, kamut, brown rice or corn.
Sandwich: Avocado and radish sprout on corn tortillas.
Sandwich: Avocado, onion, garlic, radish sprouts with a squeeze of lemon on non-yeasted bread made with spelt, kamut, brown rice or corn. Sandwich: Walnut vegetable Paté with romaine lettuce, thinly sliced purple onion, and cucumber.
Sandwich: Hummus on a non-yeasted pocket pita made with spelt, kamut, brown rice or corn.
Vegetables: Moroccan vegetable food brown rice and beans.
Vegetables: Steamed chopped vegetables in a spelt pita.
Vegetables: Vegetables wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf.
Vegetables: Buddha’s delight with brown rice.
Liquids: Enjoy liquids after eating food.
Herb Tea: African nectar, chamomile, chamomile citrus, chocolate mint truffle, hibiscus, honey bush, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon water, lemon zinger, linden flower, milk thistle, red bush, rooibos, rose hips, saffron tea, silymarin, speedwell, sugar cookie sleigh ride, thyme, tilleul, veronica tea.
Roasted Grain Beverage: Bambu, barley brew, barley cup, caffix, caro, carob powder, inka, java herb uncoffee, kara kara, organic instant grain, prewetts chicory, roma, spelt kaffee, teeccino, yorzoh.
Water: Lemon water, mineral water, water that has been standing for 24 hours to dissipate any residual chlorine.
Afternoon Snack
Juice: Cucumber juice, vegetable juice freshly made, carrot juice, Perrier mineral water with 100% cranberry juice.
Vegetables: Crudites, cucumber, carrots, jicama, sunchoke.
Vegetables: Corn tortillas wrapped around steamed vegetables or avocado and radish sprouts.
Liquids: Enjoy liquids after eating food.
Herb Tea: African nectar, chamomile, chamomile citrus, chocolate mint truffle, hibiscus, honey bush, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon water, lemon zinger, linden flower, milk thistle, red bush, rooibos, rose hips, saffron tea, silymarin, speedwell, sugar cookie sleigh ride, thyme, tilleul, veronica tea.
Roasted Grain Beverage: Bambu, barley brew, barley cup, caffix, caro, carob powder, inka, java herb uncoffee, kara kara, organic instant grain, prewetts chicory, roma, spelt kaffee, teeccino, yorzoh.
Water: Lemon water, mineral water, water that has been standing for 24 hours to dissipate any residual chlorine.
Dinner
Vegetables: Roasted root vegetables: rutabagas, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets.
Vegetables: Steamed array of vegetables: corn, squash, onion, garlic, celeriac, pumpkin, sunchokes, artichokes.
Vegetables: Brown rice risotto
Vegetables: Vegetables mixed with spelt pasta. To diminish symptoms avoid tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, potatoes.
Vegetables: All vegetable terrines
Vegetables: All vegetable tangine
Vegetables: All vegetable paté
Vegetables: Corn cakes with basil and walnut sauce, braised oxblood carrots with fennel pasta.
Vegetables: Mushroom tart with leeks.
Vegetables: Curries cauliflower with brown rice
Vegetables: Moroccan vegetable food
Vegetables: Brown rice and beans
Liquids: Enjoy liquids after eating food.
Herb Tea: African nectar, chamomile, chamomile citrus, chocolate mint truffle, hibiscus, honey bush, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon water, lemon zinger, linden flower, milk thistle, red bush, rooibos, rose hips, saffron tea, silymarin, speedwell, sugar cookie sleigh ride, thyme, tilleul, veronica tea.
Roasted Grain Beverage: Bambu, barley brew, barley cup, caffix, caro, carob powder, inka, java herb uncoffee, kara kara, organic instant grain, prewetts chicory, roma, spelt kaffee, teeccino, yorzoh.
Water: Lemon water, mineral water, water that has been standing for 24 hours to dissipate any residual chlorine.
Late Night Snack
Water: Place water by the bed with a lemon slice if desired.
Juice: Grape juice (all juice) with 2 ounces of Perrier
Juice: Cranberry juice (all juice) with 2 ounces of Perrier
Herb Tea: Chamomile tea with tupelo honey.
Herb Tea: Chamomile citrus, rooibos, lemon thyme, saffron tea, rose hips, veronica tea.
Herb Tea: Saffron tea without honey
Posted 12 years, 7 months ago at 1:16 pm. Add a comment
Egg Replacer
Sometimes individuals are allergic to eggs or have a high cholesterol or other reasons to avoid egg products.
Commercial Egg Replacer
Ener-G Egg Replacer
Ingredients: Potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening (calcium lactate [non-dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), cellulose gum, carbohydrate gum
Orgran Egg Replacer.
Ingredients: potato starch, tapioca flour, vegetable gum: methylcellulose, calcium carbonate, citric acid.
Both commercial egg replacers are a powdered allergen-free replacement for eggs:
· It Helps baked goods to bind but not to rise
· Not suitable for recipes requiring over 3 eggs
· Made from a combination of natural starches and gums
· Both products contain citric acid.
The difficulty for some with commercial egg replacers is that they contain citric acid. Some individuals, though highly allergic to citric acid have had good luck with the following as an egg replacer:
Homemade Egg Replacer:
1 c. potato flour
¾ c. tapioca flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Combine all ingredients, mix until well-combined. Store in an airtight container.
1 ½ tsp of mix + 2 Tbsp water = 1 whole egg
Mix the egg replacer first then add it to the batter. Or shake it in a screw top jar or whisk it in a small bowl.
Chia Egg Replacer
1 Tbsp Chia seeds
2 Tbsp Water
Allow to sit for 10 minutes to develop a gel consistency
Or grind chia seeds then add the water.
Dredging Without Egg
If you are trying to get spelt bread crumbs to adhere to a vegetable here are a few suggestions.
• Cover vegetable with spelt flour; dunk in reconstituted egg replacer, then in flour and roll or shake it with spelt breadcrumbs.
• Pat the vegetable slice dry. Press seasoned cornmeal to it or toasted spelt bread crumbs.
• Or make a batter of spelt flour and water; dip the vegetable in it, dip the vegetable in breadcrumbs; dip the vegetable in batter; dip the vegetable in cornmeal.
Egg replacer in Baked Goods
There are commercial egg substitutes for use in baking. Try one banana or ¼ cup applesauce for each egg called for in a recipe for sweet, baked desserts. These will add some flavor to the recipe. Be sure the flavors are compatible with the dessert.
Other Egg Replacement Options
• 1 egg = 2 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1 egg = ¼ cup canned pumpkin or squash
• 1 egg = ¼ cup puréed prunes
• 1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg = 1 Tbsp. ground hemp or chia seed simmered in 3 Tbsp. of water
• 1 egg white = 1 Tbsp. plain agar powder dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again
Some Egg Replacement Tips
• If a recipe calls for three or more eggs, it is important to choose a replacer that will perform the same function (i.e., binding or leavening).
• Trying to replicate airy baked goods like angel food cake, can be very difficult. Look for a recipe with a similar taste but fewer eggs, making it easier to replicate.
• Powdered egg replacers CANNOT be used to create omelets.
• If you want a lighter texture and you’re using fruit purées as an egg substitute, add an extra ½ tsp. baking powder. Fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.
• If you’re looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2 to 3 Tbsp. of any of the following for each egg: arrowroot powder, spelt flour, mashed sweet potatoes.
Thickening Agents
Use arrowroot for:
· Sauce recipes with acid such as lemon juice
· Dishes you want to freeze
· Recipes cooked at a lower temperature or for a long time
Use cornstarch for:
· sauce recipes with dairy
· dishes cooked at a higher temperature, such as pies
Cornstarch-Arrowroot Conversion Chart
(3 tsp.=1 T.; 12 tsp.=4 T.=¼ c.)
1 tsp. cornstarch= 1+ ¾ tsp. arrowroot
2 tsp. cornstarch= 3+ ½ tsp. arrowroot
3 tsp. (1 T.) cornstarch= 5+ ¼ tsp.(or 1 T. plus 2 + ¼ tsp.) arrowroot
4 tsp. cornstarch= 2 T. plus 1 tsp. arrowroot
5 tsp. cornstarch= 2 T. plus ¾ tsp. arrowroot
6 tsp. (2 T.) cornstarch= 3 T. plus 1+1/4 tsp. arrowroot
7 tsp. cornstarch= 4 T. (¼ c.) arrowroot
8 tsp. cornstarch= 4 T. (¼ c.) plus 2 tsp. arrowroot
9 tsp. (3 T.) cornstarch= 5 T. plus ½ tsp. arrowroot
10 tsp. cornstarch= 5 T. plus 2 + ¼ tsp. arrowroot
¼ c. cornstarch (4 T.)= 6 T. plus 2 + ½ tsp. arrowroot
⅓ c. (about 5 + ½ T.) cornstarch= ½ c. plus 1 + ¾ tsp. arrowroot
A thickener for stocks try gelatin(non-veg) or agar agar (veg).
Here are some other thickening starches.
If following a gluten free diet, and intolerant to corn and eggs these are some
Gluten free flours
bean flour
black rice flour
brown rice flour
buckwheat flour
chia flour
garbanzo bean flour or channa flour
Jerusalem artichoke flour
lotus root flour
quinoa flour (oxalates)
red rice flour
tapioca flour
*Gluten Free Flour Blend
6 cups (32 ounces) brown rice flour
2 cups (10 ¾ ounces) potato starch
1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch
Posted 12 years, 7 months ago at 12:40 pm. Add a comment
A paper published in 2010 Kidney International (Phisitkul et al., vol. 77, Apr. 2010, pp. 617-623), alkalinizing helped preserve GFR.
Kidney Int. 2010 Apr;77(7):617-23. Epub 2010 Jan 13.
Amelioration of metabolic acidosis in patients with low GFR reduced kidney endothelin production and kidney injury, and better preserved GFR.
Phisitkul S, Khanna A, Simoni J, Broglio K, Sheather S, Rajab MH, Wesson DE.
Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
Comment in:
Kidney Int. 2010 Apr;77(7):567-9.
Abstract
Metabolic acidosis often accompanies low glomerular filtration rate and induces secretion of endothelin, which in turn might mediate kidney injury. Here we tested whether treatment of metabolic acidosis in patients with low glomerular filtration rate reduced the progression of kidney disease. Fifty-nine patients with hypertensive nephropathy and metabolic acidosis had their blood pressure reduced with regimens that included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. Thirty patients were then prescribed sodium citrate, and the remaining 29, unable or unwilling to take sodium citrate, served as controls. All were followed for 24 months with maintenance of their blood pressure reduction. Urine endothelin-1 excretion, a surrogate of kidney endothelin production, and N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase, a marker of kidney tubulointerstitial injury, were each significantly lower, while the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate decline was significantly slower. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was statistically higher after 24 months of sodium citrate treatment compared to the control group. Hence it appears that sodium citrate is an effective kidney-protective adjunct to blood pressure reduction and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition.
* * *
Kidney Int. 2010 Apr;77(7):567-9.
A basic approach to CKD.
Simon EE, Hamm LL.
Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
Comment on:
Kidney Int. 2010 Apr;77(7):617-23.
Abstract
Metabolic acidosis often complicates chronic kidney disease (CKD) and adversely affects bone, nutrition, and metabolism. Phisitkul et al. demonstrate that sodium citrate may ameliorate kidney injury in CKD patients not on dialysis. Further, they provide evidence in humans that treatment lowers urinary endothelin levels, and hence increased endothelin may be part of the mechanism whereby acidosis hastens CKD progression.
* * *
And for those with kidney stones, here is an article
J Phys Chem B. 2009 Jul 16;113(28):9547-50.
The complexon-renal stone interaction: solubility and electronic microscopy studies.
Kustov AV, Berezin BD, Trostin VN.
Institute of Solution Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivanovo, Russian Federation. kustov@isuct.ru
Abstract
We have studied how complex formation between calcium and ethylenediaminetetraacetate or citrate ions influences the surface texture and the size of passed oxalate-phosphate renal stones. The four hour concrement treatment by sodium citrate or ethylenediaminetetraacetate aqueous solutions strongly affects the stone texture and provides a mass loss of 6-15%. We have found a significant decrease of the calcium and phosphor content on a concrement surface and formation of appreciable cracks. Our results do indicate that the Ca-complexon interaction can be effectively applied for disrupting some types of renal stones and, especially, residual concrements, which frequently occurs after a surgical operation or an extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy. This study provides an additional quantitative physicochemical basis for this slightly invasive therapy.
* * *
Atubular glomeruli in a rat model of polycystic kidney disease.
Tanner GA, Tielker MA, Connors BA, Phillips CL, Tanner JA, Evan AP.
Kidney Int. 2002 Dec;62(6):1947-57.
PMID: 12427119 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]Free Article
Citrate therapy for polycystic kidney disease in rats.
Tanner GA, Tanner JA.
Kidney Int. 2000 Nov;58(5):1859-69.
PMID: 11044205 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]Free Article
Potassium citrate/citric acid intake improves renal function in rats with polycystic kidney disease.
Tanner GA.
J Am Soc Nephrol. 1998 Jul;9(7):1242-8.
PMID: 9644634 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]Free Article
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