42 Flowers You Can Eat

All blossoms from the allium family (leeks, chives, garlic, garlic chives) are edible and flavorful! Flavors run the gamut from delicate leek to robust garlic. Every part of these plants is edible.  By Dr. Mercola

Edible flowers are ordinarily associated with haute cuisine and wedding cakes, but you may have several tasty varieties right in your own backyard.
Adding flowers to your meals will not only make an ordinary dish look gourmet, they can be quite flavorful and nutritious.
Historically speaking, many different cultures valued fresh flowers in their culinary endeavors; rose petals were popular among Asian Indians, daylily buds often appear in oriental dishes, Romans used violets, and stuffed squash blossoms were popular in Italian and Hispanic cultures.¹
If you're used to adding fresh herbs to your food, adding in a sprinkling of fresh flowers is not much different, but there are some unique guidelines to be aware of.

Not Every Flower is Edible

Before eating any flower, you need to make sure it is edible. As a general rule, assume any flower from a florist, nursery or garden center is not edible, as these are nearly always heavily treated with pesticides. The same goes for flowers you find near a roadside or in any garden that has been treated with chemicals. Stick to organically grown flowers, or those you grow yourself (without pesticides/herbicides).
Some flowers, however, even organic ones, can make you very sick if eaten. Daphne, foxglove, daffodils, and hyacinths are just a few examples of poisonous flowers that should not be used for food purposes. The slideshow above contains 42 examples of flowers that are safe to eat, but there are many others. Consult a reference book on edible flowers, or ask an expert in this area, before branching out further, and if you're not sure, don't eat it.

Flower Power: Are Flowers Good for You?

Flowers are natural plant foods, and like many plant foods in nature often contain valuable nutrients for your health. For instance, dandelions contain numerous antioxidant properties and flavonoids, including FOUR times the beta carotene of broccoli, as well as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. They're also a rich source of vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, pyroxidine, niacin, and vitamins E and C. Other examples include:

• Violets contain rutin, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that ay help strengthen capillary walls
• Rose petals contain bioflavonoids and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, B3, C and E
• Nasturtiums contain cancer-fighting lycopene and lutein, a carotenoid found in vegetables and fruits that is important for vision health
• Lavender contains vitamin A, calcium and iron, and is said to benefit your central nervous system
• Chive blossoms (the purple flower of the chive herb) contain vitamin C, iron and sulfur, and have traditionally been used to help support healthy blood pressure levels

Flowers are Fragile, Handle with Care

Flowers are extremely perishable and do not do well when stored in the refrigerator. Ideally, pick them fresh and serve them as soon as possible (store them upright in a glass of water while preparing). If you must store them, place them carefully between two moist paper towels, wrap in plastic or place in an airtight container, and put them in the fridge. When ready to use, rinse each flower gently with water, and blot it carefully dry. You can use a knife or tweezers to remove the stem, leaves and pistil, then separate the petals (generally only the petals are eaten).
Flowers can be eaten raw in salads (nasturtiums, dandelion and primrose are popular for this purpose), added to appetizers or infused into sauces and other dishes. Every flower has a unique taste, so you will find the ones that appeal to you most just like any other herb or spice. For instance, bee balm tastes similar to oregano, carnations have a clove-like flavor, and marigolds are sometimes called "poor man's saffron" because of their peppery, saffron-like flavor.
If they're not available for free in your own backyard, you can find edible flowers at gourmet food shops, farmers' markets and other specialty food shops.

Start Slowly When Eating Flowers

Flowers are tiny but they can pack a powerful punch, especially if they're new to your diet. Introduce them sparingly at first to avoid any potential digestive upset or allergic reactions. This is especially important if you have allergies to pollen, as eating flowers may exacerbate your symptoms. Even high-quality, nutritious edible flowers can cause an unexpected reaction in some people. Try them one at a time and in SMALL amounts to see how your body is going to react. 

                                   

(The flower is the key identifier for determining herbs and plants.)

Dr Mark

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Back pain and Sciatica tips for the Holidays

Traveling can be rough on the body. Whether you are traveling alone on businessor on your way to a sunny resort with your family, long hours in a caror an airplane can leave you stressed, tired, stiff and sore.

"Prolonged sitting can wreak havoc on your body," says Dr. Scott Bautch, immediate past president of the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) Council on Occupational Health. "Even if you travel in the most comfortable carrier opt to fly first class, certain pressures and forces from awkward positions can result in restricted blood flow. One of the biggest insults to your system from prolonged sitting is the buildup of pressure in the blood vessels in your lower legs. Contracting and relaxing the muscles helps the blood flow properly."

Dr. Bautch and the ACA suggest the following tips and advice to fight the pains and strains of travel before they occur.

Warm Up, Cool Down

Treat travel as an athletic event. Warm up before settling into a car or plane, and cool down once you reach your destination. Take a brisk walk to stretch your hamstring and calf muscles.

In the Car

• Adjustthe seat so you are as close to the steering wheel as comfortablypossible. Your knees should be slightly higher than your hips. Placefour fingers behind the back of your thigh closest to your knee. If youcannot easily slide your fingers in and out of that space, you need tore-adjust your seat.
• Considera back support. Using a support behind your back may reduce the risk oflow-back strain, pain or injury. The widest part of the support shouldbe between the bottom of your rib cage and your waistline.
• Exerciseyour legs while driving to reduce the risk of any swelling, fatigue ordiscomfort. Open your toes as wide as you can, and count to 10. Countto five while you tighten your calf muscles, then your thigh muscles,then your gluteal muscles. Roll your shoulders forward and back, makingsure to keep your hands on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road.
• Tominimize arm and hand tension while driving, hold the steering wheel atapproximately 3 o'clock and 7 o'clock, periodically switching to 10o'clock and 5 o'clock.
• Donot grip the steering wheel. Instead, tighten and loosen your grip toimprove hand circulation and decrease muscle fatigue in the arms,wrists and hands.
• Whilealways being careful to keep your eyes on the road, vary your focalpoint while driving to reduce the risk of eye fatigue and tensionheadaches.
• Take rest breaks. Never underestimate the potential consequences of fatigue to yourself, your passengers and other drivers.

In an Airplane

• Standup straight and feel the normal "S" curve of your spine. Then userolled-up pillows or blankets to maintain that curve when you sit inyour seat. Tuck a pillow behind your back and just above the beltlineand lay another pillow across the gap between your neck and theheadrest. If the seat is hollowed from wear, use folded blankets toraise your buttocks a little.
• Checkall bags heavier than 5-10 percent of your body weight. Overheadlifting of any significant amount of weight should be avoided to reducethe risk of pain in the lower back or neck. While lifting your bags,stand right in front of the overhead compartment so the spine is notrotated. Do not lift your bags over your head, or turn or twist yourhead and neck in the process.
• Whenstowing belongings under the seat, do not force the object with anawkward motion using your legs, feet or arms. This may cause musclestrain or spasms in the upper thighs and lower back muscles. Instead,sit in your seat first, and using your hands and feet, gently guideyour bags under the seat directly in front of you.
• Whileseated, vary your position occasionally to improve circulation andavoid leg cramps. Massage legs and calves. Bring your legs in, and moveyour knees up and down. Prop your legs up on a book or a bag under yourseat.
• Do not sit directly under the air controls. The draft can increase tension in your neck and shoulder muscles.

Safe Travel For Children

• Always use a car seat in a car when traveling with children below the age of 4 and weighing less than 40 pounds.
• Askthe airline for their policy on child car seat safety. Car seats forinfants and toddlers provide added resistance to turbulent skies, andare safer than the lap of a parent in the event of an unfortunateaccident.
• Makesure the car seat is appropriate for the age and size of the child. Anewborn infant requires a different seat than a 3-year-old toddler.
• Carseats for infants should always face the rear. In this position, theforces and impact of a crash will be spread more evenly along the backand shoulders, providing more protection for the neck.
• Carseats should always be placed in the back seat of the car-ideally inthe center. This is especially important in cars equipped with airbags. If an air bag becomes deployed, the force could seriously injureor kill a child or infant placed in the front seat.
• Makesure the car seat is properly secured to the seat of the vehicle and isplaced at a 45-degree angle to support the head of the infant or child.

(From our website http://claremontchiropractic.com/)

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Food Synergy

                                                                                

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Food Synergy

Scientists have tried to isolate exactly what it is about whole grains that makes them so great.

Is it the fiber? The vitamins? But they were surprised to find that if you just add the fiber, by itself, 

back into your diet, these whole grain benefits don't return. Nor do those benefits if you add just the vitamins.

A survey of studies by David R. Jacobs and Lyn M. Steffen published in The American Journal of  Clinical Nutrition in 2003 concluded that components of whole grains are good on their own,but when combined in exactly the quantity found in whole grains, they have an added benefit. The whole is literally greater than the sum of its parts.
Science is starting to uncover how complex and perfect the natural process of wheat growth is. Its hundreds of natural chemicals all works together to power human health. When just one of these chemicals is eaten by itself, it doesn't have the same benefit. You could take some vitamins in pills, eat the fiber on its own, and get your calories from white bread. You could find some way to still get all the components that make up whole grains, but that still wouldn't be as good for you. When eaten inside the natural, untouched grain, these chemicals are mixed together in the perfect ratio to give us the maximum health benefit.
Jacobs and Steffen called this food synergy. It should be noted that Dr. Royal Lee of Standard Process, felt that there was some unknown food nutrient destroyed when you process food too much. (He was about 80 yrs ahead of his time). One might say our creator knows more than scientists in drug labs making synthetic vitamins.
So, knowing this, why do the drug companies make synthetic vitamins and/or fraction off a piece of a vitamin complex and tell people "this is the most important part"? With over 35yrs of research and study in nutrition, what I've found is: (1) the law states "you cannot patent a natural substance". (2)
Patents mean millions even billions of dollars. What you end up buying is a patented product disguised the hope of health.
More on this subject later.

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A Brief History of White Flour

Society's understanding of just how good natural food is has grown slowly over the past couple of centuries. Consider the exampl of white flour. 

When we first began milling white floour, it was said to be an improvement over brown...better for you, and without the nasty, dirty, gritty stuff. Science, however, quickly proved that wrong.

In 1826, the Lancet medical journal detailed a study where one dog was fed " coarse" bread exclusively and another ate white only. The first dog was reported to be healthy. the one that ate white bread died within 50 days.

More rigorous studies followed. Scientists realized that refining white flour stripped out not only the germ and the bran, but also the fiber, vitamins, and minerals, leaving only calories.

 Instead of nourishing people, white bread made them ill. By the 1930's, it was clear that white bread was not giving people the nutrients they needed. However, rather than getting to the root of the problem...that refined flour simply isn't good enough to eat--- governments and millers came up with a quick fix. Now, the law in many countries requires that food processors add certain nutrients back into the white flour(and synthetic nutrients made in a laboratory at that).

Enriching the flour prevented some of the new illnesses caused by refining flour.But nutrtionists still didn't see all the other benefits of whole wheat.

Over the last couple of decades, many studies have shown that eating whole grain improves overall health. It can lower blood pressure, aid weight loss and digestion, and help prevent heart disease, diabetes and several types of cancer. One fourteen year health study suggested that anyone who avoids smoking, exercises 30 minutes a day, avoids being overweight, and eats a diet containing, among other things, a high amount of whole grains and a low amount of heavily processed fats will experience dramatic benefits: 80% reduced risk of coronary heart disease, 90%  of type 2 diabetes, and 70% of colon cancer. Even after adjusting for factors like weight, sex, and lifestyle, those who habitually eat whole grains have a mortality rate 15% lower--- in other words, they tend to live longer. Why, though, are whole grainsso much better for us? Scientists continued to press for answers.

Next topic: Food Synergy

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Why Eat Whole Foods?

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Why Eat Whole Foods?

Does your diet include this simple ingredient? The health benefits are too great to ignore!

Why is healthy eating so complicated? One month, a product is heralded as the latest miracle food, the must have for every diet. The next, it's a leading cause of cancer. Never has so much been written     about diet. And never has bad diet been so wide spread.                                                 

Straight out of science fiction have come edible substances grown in labs and dispensed from machines, formulated to be convenient, taste great and make a profit. Yet these concoctions, (like margarine, high-fructose corn syrup, refined flour, genetically modified foods (GMO's), and the like.) are huge failures. They may taste good, but they are destroying our health. Diet-related  diseases like diabetes and heart disease are more common than ever. A third of Americans are overweight and another 36 percent are obese. The link between our diet and these diseases has been shown to be quite strong.

Still, the question remains: Amid all the confusion and misleading information on the subject, how can you really improve your diet?

Here is a wonderful truth you can count on. It is simple, and it is powerful. All it takes is a dash of humility about the limits of food science. You have to acknowledge that the healthiest food is natural food as it was created. one has to also consider that newer foods in the ecosystem; such as milk, milk products, and soybeans take thousands of years for us to adapt to fully digesting them. Soybeans, for example, have only been in the european diet about 500 yrs.  The orientals usually ferment it as well,(which helps make it more digestable). Americans almost never ferment it.

The key to a healthier diet is this: eat whole, natural foods and in as ancient a form as possible. GMO's, pasteurization, hybrid foods even can be a problem. Why is there so much talk about gluten sensitivity? Did you know that wheat used to be about 3% gluten? Through hybridization, we now have strains of wheat with 50% gluten. How natural is that?

Our next blog will include:A Brief History of White Flour

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Election Cake: A Touch of American Culinary History                          

(thought you might have a little fun with this.  Dr Mark)

November 2, 2012 By jenny 5 Comments

Election Cake, like a bite from American history, makes its rounds every November. I make it every year, but only once a year – just before the election. Preparing Election Cake is a celebration of love, of patriotism, of politics and of history. And for those of you who’ve read Nourished Kitchen for some time, you know that I keep my politics to myself (and think you should too), but share my love of vintage and historic recipes like staititai, buttermilk biscuits or cream of chicken soup. We’ve even hosted whole dinner parties based on historic cuisine. Among all the historic cookery I’ve sampled in my kitchen, this Election Cake recipe is one of our favorites.

Election Cake: A History

In early America, the electoral process brought communities together in festivity and revelry. Families traveled from the far reaches of their region to town centers where they enjoyed a holiday – visiting neighbors homes, dancing at balls, drinking, carousing and mustering for the local militia. Indeed, for a time before America revolted and became a nation in her own right, these celebratory spiced cakes that we know (or used to know) as election cakes were called muster cakes.
After the revolution, mustering for the occupying forces no longer proved a necessity, but festivities still surrounded the electoral process and these spiced and fruit-studded cakes were renamed for the annual elections. Election cakes commissioned by local government could often command several hundred dollars by today’s standards, as they were massive – intended to feed an entire community of voters. By the middle of the 19th century, states and municipalities no longer commissioned the cakes and what was first a symbol of conviviality and festivity began to take on an ulterior motive: slices of election cake were provided as an incentive to vote a straight ticket or for a particular candidate.

Election Cake: A Traditional Sourdough Cake

A charming old-world recipe, preparing an election cake is a slow process – a process that fell from favor once by the late 19th century when cakes leavened by baking powder became all the rage. Now, it’s all but forgotten.
Cakes of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were typically produced through soaking or sour leavening – like sourdough breads, while those cakes that weren’t prepared in this manner, such as Portugal cake, excluded wheat flour in favor of blanched almond meal. Interestingly, it’s these traditional methods – soaking flour in sour milk, leavening dough with sourdough starter or blanching nutmeats and removing their papery skins – that optimized nourishment received from these foods.
The simple, traditional acts of soaking and souring grains and flours degrades antinutrients such as food phytate which would otherwise bind up minerals, particularly iron and zinc, preventing your body from best absorbing these vital micronutrients2. Despite what ill-informed detractors have stated, the processes of soaking and souring cereal grains is so effective that researchers in human nutrition suggest that a return to traditional methods of grain preparation such as soaking, fermenting or sprouting result in improved nutrient status, increased lean-body mass and increase in resistance to infection – particularly among those populations who adhere to a largely plant-based diet either from necessity or from choice. (Learn more about the value of soaking grains). Traditional foods nourish.
Not only were election cakes prepared through a long soak in fresh or sour milk coupled with sour leavening, but they were filled with wholesome fats – raw butter, farm eggs, and served with a heavy seasoning of wine and brandy or molasses, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. Cooks studded the spiced cakes with dried fruit – mostly prunes, raisins and currants.

Traditional Election Cakes could feed an entire community.

A special occasion food, cakes were prepared in magnificent quantities – enough to make a modern cook blush. In one of the first recorded recipes for election cake, Amelia Simmons calls for more than three dozen eggs, a quart of brandy and fourteen pounds of sugar. Incidentally, both sugar and flour available in early America would have remained whole and unrefined – refined foods were a luxury few colonialists could afford.

Election Cake: Thirty quarts of flour, 10 pound butter, 14 pound sugar, 12 pound raisins, 3 doz eggs, one pint wine, one quart brandy, 4 ounces cinnamon, 4 ounces fine colander seed, 3 ounces ground alspice; wet flour with milk to the consistence of bread over night, adding one quart yeast; the next morning work the butter and sugar together for half an hour, which will render the cake much lighter and whiter; when it has rise light work in every other ingredient except the plumbs, which work in when going into the oven. - Simmons, American Cookery, 1796.

Now that elections are upon us again, go vote and while you’re add it, soak some flour in milk, stir it with spice and brandy and take a bite of American culinary history.

Where to Find Sourdough Starter for Your Cake

Modern versions of Election Cake typically veer away from the traditional method of sour leavening – after all, sourdough baking is a bit of a lost art and most modern cooks who have even the faintest interest in sourdough usually relegate it to the realm of breads alone.
To prepare a traditional election cake, you will need sourdough starter.  The election cake recipe below uses my method for making a sourdough starter which involves water, bread flour or high extraction einkorn flour (find it here) and a bit of an established starter to kickstart the fermentation process (you can find sourdough starters online here).

Election Cake

• Yield: 1 cake (8 Servings)
• Prep: 10 mins
• Cook: 45 mins
• Ready In: 8 hrs 55 mins

Election Cake is a traditional cake historically served at the time of mustering or elections in early America. It is a sour-leavened caked sweetened with unrefined cane sugar, molasses, dried fruit, brandy, white wine and spices. This recipe calls for sourdough starter which you can find online or make yourself.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups sifted spelt or soft white wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk
• 1/4 cup proofed and bubbly sourdough starter
• 1/2 pound butter
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped prunes
• 1 cup dried currants

Instructions

1. Combine four and one-half cups spelt or soft white wheat flour together with one and one-quarter cups sour milk and one-quarter cup bubbly sourdough starter until a thick dough resembling the texture and consistency of bread dough is formed. Form the dough into a round ball, place it in a bowl and allow it to rest, covered, at room temperature for eight to twelve hours.
2. After the dough has rested for eight to twelve hours, beat one-half pound butter, one and one-quarters cup unrefined cane sugar, one-quarter cup blackstrap molasses together with one tablespoons white wine and two tablespoons brandy. Once the mixture of butter, sugar, molasses and liquor is thoroughly combined and fluffy, stir in two beaten eggs.
3. Beat butter, sugar and egg mixture with dough, adding one tablespoon ground cinnamon, one tablespoon ground coriander, one-half teaspoon ground allspice, one-half teaspoon ground nutmeg and one-half teaspoon unrefined sea salt to the mixture, until the batter resembles a that of a thick cake then fold in dried fruit.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the dough to rise until doubled in bulk while the oven preheats.
5. Bake the cake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about forty-five minutes to one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean. Serve with plenty of butter and a pint of hard cider.

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