Food offers not just energy and nutrition, but also pleasure. Combining pleasing tastes—sweet, fat, and umami—from nutrient-dense sources, with other nutrient-dense, living foods is a way to combine “business and pleasure.”
Tastes send various messages to the brain. Just as bitter foods alert us to the possibility of poison and activate the body’s defenses, sweetness indicates that food contains sugar and carbohydrates, which provide quick energy and calories; saltiness and umami tell us necessary minerals will maintain our proper electrolyte and mineral balance; and the mouthfeel of fat tells the body that a bundle of energy and dense nutrition is coming. Processed foods attempt to trick the body with synthetic forms of these real foods without offering their amazing benefits.
HEALTHY SWEETS
How many times have we as parents allowed our kids some junky treat, then felt guilty and promised ourselves we’d do better? There are alternatives to the junk. While refined sugar and artificial sweeteners offer no benefits, nature provides unprocessed plant-based sugars for our enjoyment and good health.
You’ve probably heard all sweets are damaging to your health. Not so. Naturally occurring sweeteners benefit the body in unexpected ways. While refined sugar, corn syrup, and agave nectar contain essentially no antioxidant activity, raw honey, evaporated cane sugar, date sugar, dark muscavado, maple syrup, and blackstrap molasses have high levels of phenols and antioxidants—in spades.1 Ultimately, some healthy sweeteners boost your antioxidant intake to a level greater than eating a serving of blueberries. Moderation is key; a little goes a long way. And always read the label, as industry is always looking for a way to spin products to you and your children. Be suspicious of “natural sugars” or “healthy sweetener” claims on processed foods because much industrial processing robs plants of their benefits. Avoid low-nutrient sweeteners: refined sugars, “raw sugar,” and even agave nectar, as they are nearly devoid of antioxidant and nutritional benefits. The quality of your sugar is critical—so find small-scale or local producers who care about their products.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup, rich in minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and phytochemicals, is produced by boiling sap collected from the sugar maple tree (and some other maple species). As recently as 2014, previously unidentified beneficial phytonutrients were found in maple syrup.2,3 Biological studies of maple syrup extracts suggest that its unique combination of compounds reduces inflammation. And believe it or not, its antioxidant value is higher than a serving of strawberries or oranges.4 Animal studies suggest that pure maple syrup protects the liver, helps to prevent cancers like breast and colon, benefits the microbiome, and has the ability to reduce plasma glucose levels.5,6,7,8 The phytonutrients in maple syrup and even maple bark extract counteract any negative effect from its sugars, and are being investigated as a way to prevent and even treat type 2 diabetes.9
I particularly like using organic maple syrup as a substitute for sugar when baking, to sweeten otherwise unsweetened breakfast porridge, or to drizzle over yogurt and kefir. Don’t be fooled by Aunt Jemima and other HFCS-containing imitators. Get the real deal only—the darker (grade B or darker) it is, the more nutrient-rich—for delicious flavor and health benefits.
Blackstrap Molasses
This dark, thick sweetener remains after the sugar is extracted from raw sugarcane. Sugarcane—must be bad, right? Not so fast! Sugarcane is a plant rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. More on that below. Suffice it to say that blackstrap molasses has more antioxidant properties than any other sweetener—five times more than a serving of raspberries and blueberries.10 Also, minerals abundant in molasses—including magnesium, calcium, and potassium—play critical roles in healthy carbohydrate metabolism, among other metabolic processes. For instance, magnesium deficiency has been correlated with insulin resistance,11 calcium supplementation has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity,12 and low potassium levels have been associated with increased risk of developing diabetes, particularly in young African-Americans.13 Blackstrap molasses is an exceptionally dense source of other nutrients, too. As a side benefit, it works like a charm to keep the bowels regular, even in some of the toughest cases of constipation. Add some molasses daily to your oatmeal or smoothies, mix it into sauces or marinades (I like it on chicken or steak, or in stir fries), or just dissolve it in hot water and add to drinks.
Date Sugar
Date sugar is simply dried dates—which are about 50 to 70 percent sugar—ground into coarse powder. Because the sugar is compromised of the whole fruit, it has the nutrient profile of dates—considerable amounts of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.14 Date sugar doesn’t readily dissolve in liquids but can be substituted measure for measure for brown or granulated sugar in baking.
Evaporated Cane Sugar
As we’ve discussed, unprocessed sugarcane is a plant that, like all plants, has tremendously beneficial antioxidant compounds. Some powerfully inhibit brain lipid peroxidation—one of the major avenues by which sugars damage the brain.15 One study showed that ingesting evaporated cane sugar can improve metabolic function and reduce glycemic response, while another study showed that fermented sugarcane juice kills human leukemia cells.16 While vast amounts of sugar do no one any favors, a bit of evaporated cane juice may help to maintain our health. Use it to replace white sugar for an occasional treat.
Honey
Raw honey has exceptionally high concentrations of enzymes (over five thousand that we know of) and provides an outstanding source of energy. It contains amylase, which helps digest food, and traces of bee pollen, which is rich in amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. Honey benefits the immune system, liver, and brain. It’s been studied as an effective treatment for infections, allergy, coughs, asthma, wounds, and neuroinflammation—even diabetes.17 Raw honey reduces the chronic sneezing and runny nose associated with allergies. Honeys from specific trigger plants (for example, birch trees) can relieve allergy to those particular plants—acting almost like a natural allergy shot.18Honey has proved as effective as over-the-counter medications in reducing sick children’s coughs and helping them sleep through the night.19Honey stirred into coffee is more effective than treatment with steroids or over-the-counter cough medication for persistent postinfectious cough. It’s even being tested in an aerosol form for chronic asthma with promising results.20 Honey also facilitates wound healing, from mild to severe.21 Honey has powerful antimicrobial properties.
Honey is even being explored as an antidiabetic agent.22 The phytochemicals in honey improve glycemic control and reduce oxidative damage.23 Honey flavonoids protect struggling pancreatic cells that can’t make insulin.24Animal studies reveal that a dose of honey and metformin lowers glucose more than metformin alone, also protecting organs that are vulnerable to complications in diabetes, like the eyes, brain, and testes.25 Low-dose honey also decreases complications in type 2 diabetes.26
Honey also promotes detoxification, protecting liver and kidneys from effects of numerous toxins, including cadmium,27 Tylenol,28 and melamine.29,30 Honey acts to turn off microglial activation—the cell danger response—which has powerful implications in neurological conditions. Honey does this because it’s more than just “sugar,” but a complex mix of living compounds that interact with the body in unique and powerful ways.
A note on buying honey: Most honey found in the supermarket is “commercial” honey, meaning it’s likely been pasteurized for easier filtering, a cleaner look, and to kill any yeast that might cause fermentation. Yet even fermentation boosts honey’s natural benefits. Heating honey, on the other hand, damages its delicate volatile compounds and destroys many enzymes responsible for activating vitamins and minerals in the body.
Most suppliers warm honey only slightly to avoid this damage. Raw honey looks cloudier than supermarket honey bear versions, and contains elements including particles and flecks of bee pollen, honey-comb bits, and propolis. Propolis is a resinous substance that bees collect from trees and flowers that reinforces the hive but also prohibits harmful bacterial or fungal overgrowth—and confers those benefits on us. Over months, raw honey may granulate and crystallize to a thick consistency but can be gently rewarmed to reliquefy.
No strict legal requirements exist for labeling honey “raw,” but you should seek out raw honey from a local apiary. Without knowing your source or testing pollen, it’s impossible to know whether honey comes from a legitimate source. Chinese companies have been dumping tons of their honey into the U.S. market after ultrafiltering it at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove pollen. Chinese honey—often contaminated with outlawed antibiotics like chloramphenicol—can’t be traced without its pollen.31 Imported honey can also be mixed with unhealthy, cheaper sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup.32
Raw honey varies considerably, ranging from glass-clear to dark mahogany and from watery to chunky to crystallized solid. Darker honey is higher in antioxidants and has more intense flavor. Differences in flavor stem from the flowers on which the bees forage for nectar. Engage your kids in taste-testing many varieties. Seek out apiaries that commit to humane treatment of bees and pesticide-free forage (or keep bees yourself!).
Warning: Do not feed honey to babies younger than 12 months of age, as it can cause botulism.
Chocolate
Cacao is a plant with potent health benefits. Its chief phytochemicals are the alkaloids theobromine (translated: drink of the gods) and theophylline (literally: love of the gods). Not surprising given how passionate many feel about this plant! Less stimulating than coffee or tea, cacao is also nourishing and filling and its bioflavonoids induce mild euphoria, relaxed focus, and ease of function. It lowers blood pressure, protects the heart, improves lipid profile, enhances cognition and memory, and protects you from inflammation and cancer.33 Theophylline ultimately became a pharmaceutical for treating asthma by relaxing and opening airways. A square of good-quality, fair-trade dark chocolate is an excellent treat. I adore powdered cacao in raw milk, almond or coconut milk, or water, with a bit of maple syrup or muscavado (don’t totally mask the bitterness with sweet!), and one or more of the following: cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, cayenne, or orange extract. Heat, froth in the blender, and drink.
HEALTHY FATS: EVERYTHING WE’VE THOUGHT ABOUT FATS IS WRONG
Fats make food delicious. In addition to the unique flavors of fat—from butter to olive oil to bacon fat to sesame oil—they evenly disperse other flavors like lemon, salt, pepper, and spices. Fats retain moisture in foods and prevent them from drying out when baking or roasting. And fat is nutrient-dense and nourishing.
We’ve thought of fat as something to avoid, but children’s bodies and brains need a constant supply. Their nervous systems are composed of more than 60 percent fats. The brain is built from lipids—or fats—and deficient or disordered lipids lead to disordered brains. Lack of fatty acids plays a significant role in depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, violent behavior, ADHD, autism, and seizures.34
It’s a myth (or a gross oversimplification) that eating fat makes us fat. Aside from it being purposely masked in processed foods, eating nourishing fats is more likely to prolong satiety and reduce our food intake.
Synthetic trans fats have gotten a bad rap, for good reason. But conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs)—the natural ruminant trans fat found in grass-fed butter and milk fat, along with fat-soluble vitamins A and D—have potent anticancer properties. They also reduce obesity risk,35 protect from atherosclerosis,36 reduce inflammatory markers in autoimmune disease,37 and help heal the damaged gut in celiac disease.38
Saturated fats, too, offer health benefits—despite their infamous reputation. Once upon a time, we were told that the best fats were polyunsaturated; monounsaturated fats were just okay; and saturated fats were evil. We imagined that for all time, “healthy” people only ate olive oil. Now we know that natives of tropical islands who ate more than 50 percent of their fats from coconut oil were lean, healthy, and long-lived. Yet when some islanders switched over to more “healthful” polyunsaturated fats, their dense LDL cholesterol shot up and beneficial HDL dropped.
Further, coconut oil fights viruses, raises HDL, and helps prevent neurological illness. Saturated fats like the lauric acid found in coconut oil have been shown to improve, not worsen, lipid profiles like triglycerides.39 Coconut oil also reduces abdominal fat when compared to soybean oil.40 The so-called good oils, like processed corn, safflower, and sunflower oil, actually lower beneficial HDL, increase inflammation, and predispose us to cancer. Lard and bone marrow, rich in monosaturated fat, lower LDL and maintain HDL.
THE ORIGIN OF THE MYTH THAT SATURATED FAT IS EVIL
People have always eaten fat from their animals. They saved lard from pigs and tallow from cows and ate every bit of fat from their chickens, geese, or ducks. Fat was valuable.
The demonization of saturated fat originated with the food industry.41 In 1911, Crisco was created from a combination of naturally saturated fats—tallow, lard, and coconut oil—and was heavily marketed to compete with lard and butter from farms. By the 1940s, however, Crisco switched to hydrogenated cottonseed oil, corn oil, and peanut oil to reduce costs. Hydrogen was added to liquid oil (hydrogenization) to turn it into solid fat, mimicking the texture that butter, lard, and coconut oil gave to processed foods. Blamed in the 1950s as having triggered the new epidemic of coronary heart disease, Crisco claimed that saturated fats—rather than the chemically altered hydrogenated (trans) fat it preferred to use—were the problem. Its aggressive public relations campaign stuck. From then on, saturated fats were seen as “bad” and polyunsaturated fats (corn and later soybean) as “healthy,” leading to the rise and reign of partially hydrogenated cottonseed, soybean, and safflower oils. To achieve the desired texture in processed foods, more of these replacement fats were required and more damaging fats were passed on to consumers. Ultimately, synthetic trans fats harmed human health in the extreme.
Eating animal fats has been particularly demonized. Olive oil is the “it” fat at the moment; many people use nothing else. But it is expensive, requires shipping great distances for many, and isn’t good for higher-heat cooking. Moreover, it only offers certain lipids and our cells require diverse fats—from mono and polyunsaturated to saturated.
When I was young, my mother would only serve chicken soup after cooling it, so she could skim and dispose of all the fat from the top. She told childhood stories of waiting by the stove to eat that fat, called schmaltz, on bread, which she called a “heart attack sandwich.” Now we know that the schmaltz—undoubtedly from pastured chicken in those days—was not just delicious but filled with beneficial fats. Next time you roast a pastured chicken or make a grass-fed hamburger, use the drippings to sauté greens. Let me know if any greens are left!
WHAT FATS SHOULD WE EAT?
It’s pretty simple, actually.
• Animal fats are healthy if the animals were raised outdoors eating pasture under healthy, humane conditions.
• Plant-derived fats are healthy if they were grown organically and cold pressed without solvents.
Healthy plant fats are rich in phytonutrient content. Animal fats are healthy when the animals have eaten rich amounts of phytonutrients and have had contact with sun, fresh air, fresh water, and rich soil. Beneficial fats are processed as little as possible. There is no specific prescription of how much fat one should or shouldn’t eat; it is individual. Most traditional cultures eat an average of 30 to 50 percent of calories from fat.
Avoid Oxidized Fats
Hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, and refined oils are all oxidized fats. Oxidized fats can’t be used for energy or structural needs, and often contain harmful toxic compounds. They also contribute to the formation of free radicals, which cause damage to healthy fats in your body. Any fat that’s overheated—for example, the oil in your skillet that’s started to smoke—is oxidized and can contain other harmful compounds. Saturated fats—coconut oil, butter, lard, schmaltz, or tallow—have higher smoking points and therefore are less likely to oxidize. The good news is that it’s safe and healthy to consume easily oxidized fats in their original packaging—as plants and seeds—rather than extracting them, which renders them vulnerable to oxidation. If you’re buying oil, opt for cold-pressed over solvent-extracted oils, and cook at lower heat.
Here’s a list of fats to seek out at the market.
Animal Sources
• Butter and ghee: When derived from animals that consume high-quality pasture from high-quality soil, butter becomes a “superfood.” Its fatty acids boost immunity, inhibit growth of pathogenic fungi, and disable viruses and other pathogenic organisms. Its high quantities of CLA protect us from obesity and cancer. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2 are essential for building healthy brain, bones, and body. Even with all the calcium in the world, without sufficient K2 (found only in milk from grass-fed cows) bones can’t calcify efficiently.
Ghee is clarified butter that has been simmered until most of the water has evaporated. It’s stable at room temperature for years. (Some ghee has lasted for a hundred years!) Because milk solids are also removed, ghee can be tolerated by some dairy-allergic people. Ghee has been used medicinally by Ayurvedic practitioners for thousands of years to reduce inflammation, aid digestion, and help transport medicinal herbs. Organic grass-fed ghee is easy to find in stores but it’s also easy to make at home.
• Tallow is fat from beef or lamb. It rarely develops free radicals or becomes rancid. Palmitoleic acid as well as stearic acid show promise as a treatment for type 2 diabetes by stabilizing blood glucose and insulin levels and reducing inflammation in fat tissue.42 Stearic acid also reduces dangerous visceral fat tissue.43 Additionally, grass-fed ruminants produce fat with substantially higher omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene than conventional counterparts. Rendered tallow can keep in your fridge for months. A little goes a long way—use a spoonful to sauté vegetables. Some specialty shops carry this, or simply use drippings from roasts.
• Lard is rendered pig fat, similar to tallow but with more saturated fat and higher propensity to become rancid if not handled properly. It, too, contains palmitic acid (with noted antimicrobial properties). It’s great for high-heat cooking and exceptional for baking.
• Schmaltz is rendered chicken, duck, goose, or turkey fat and—when these animals are raised on pasture—is excellent for cooking. Think the chicken soup remedy. We always roast veggies and sometimes even sprouted quinoa or another grain along with our roasting chicken to absorb the healthy juices. The fat slows the insulin spike associated with carbohydrate consumption and stabilizes blood sugar—plus it’s delicious. Schmaltz serves as a delicious spread on crackers or sourdough bread.
Plant Sources
• Coconut oil offers tremendous antimicrobial activity thanks to lauric and capric acids. It has been used effectively against measles, herpes, influenza, strep, staph infections, clostridia, listeria, and even HIV and hepatitis C when dosed medicinally. In the digestive system, palmitic acid boosts key antibodies and has been studied as an oral vaccine adjuvant, intended to stimulate the immune response to a desired antigen.44 Coconut oil’s medium-chain (as opposed to very long, long, medium, and short) fatty acids nourish energy-producing mitochondria most efficiently, which can improve seizures and many neurological conditions.45 It also aids weight loss and even can benefit diabetics by normalizing blood glucose levels after a meal.46
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but liquefies as it warms. The best-quality coconut oil is unrefined (that is, “virgin”), made by shredding and cold-pressing coconut while it’s fresh, fermenting it while the oil and milk separate, then gently heating it to remove moisture. A second kind is expeller-pressed, which is usually deodorized for those who dislike the taste and smell of coconut. Removing the aromatic compounds, however, impacts the oil’s health benefits.
• Olive oil is rich in antioxidants, which helps prevent it from turning rancid. The oil requires very little processing and retains its vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Olive oil also contains oleic acid, which regulates clotting in the body, balances cholesterol levels, and reduces inflammation contributing to allergies, asthma, autoimmune disease, and cancer. And it is delicious. Unfiltered olive oil is intensely flavorful and nutrient-dense.
Avoid olive oils labeled “100%” or “pure,” since those terms carry little meaning. Go for the extra-virgin instead. Less reputable distributors blend their olive oil with other oils and it’s difficult to taste the difference.47According to an investigation of 186 olive oils, many of us are spending big bucks for an adulterated product 69 percent of the time, even from trusted and popular stores.48 Imported olive oil is most likely to be pure when bottled and sold directly from the grower on family farms, rather than bought from a middleman or distributor who buys in bulk and combines oils from many growers to sell to corporate bottlers and distributors. If you are curious about your olive oil, UC–Davis Olive Oil Center accepts samples for testing. It is best unheated or used for sautéing at low heat.
• Sesame oil, made from sesame seeds, is exceptionally nutrient-dense. When the seeds are pressed into oil, their antioxidants work synergistically with others, like vitamin E, to enhance our health. A source of zinc and magnesium, sesame oil benefits skin, hair, and bone. When swished in the mouth, it reduces bacteria that cause cavities.49 Sesame oil prevents hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, and it protects the brain by reducing neuroinflammation.50 It also helps prevent cancer.51
A Heads-Up on Certain Vegetable Oils
Corn, soybean, canola, and cottonseed oils are nearly always genetically modified and are only recommended if certified organic due to excessive pesticide residue. Cottonseed is not even regulated as a food and therefore doesn’t meet minimum safety regulations for consumption, yet it is still permitted as an ingredient. Even organic, these oils are best avoided.
They’re also high in omega-6 fats. While omega-6s are essential for health in ratio to our omega-3s (the ideal ratio is 4:1), we can become susceptible to inflammation when we consume too many omega-6 fatty acids. Too much soy and corn make their way into our diets through processed foods and restaurant fare, high omega-6 fatty acids contribute to allergies, asthma, autoimmune, and neurological conditions, and even increase our cancer risk.52,53 High omega-6 fatty acids have even been linked to violent behavior.54
Most unrefined vegetable oils tend to oxidize when cooked, yet refined oils have chemical residues with fewer redeeming nutrients. Even safflower and sunflower oils are often refined, so it’s best to enjoy the seeds themselves rather than the oils. Minimally processed palm kernel and palm fruit oil—packed with beta-carotene and other antioxidants—are not unhealthy per se, but have problems in their harvesting. Their popularity has led Indonesia and Malaysia to clear-cut 18 million acres of biodiverse tropical forests, threatening extinction to orangutans. Unless the palm oil is explicitly labeled as certified fair trade, it is best avoided.
Healthy Sources of Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Omega-6 fatty acids aren’t always “bad.” Yes, when they’re out of balance with omega-3s, they can promote disease states from cancer to autoimmune disease. But you and your children need them to stay healthy. The key is to derive them from healthy sources that maintain a balance (around 4:1).
• Sunflower seeds: Omega-6 fatty acids in a nutritious package—and a great snack!
• Flax seeds and hemp seeds: These seeds, or their oils, are wonderful sources of omega-6 and -3 fatty acids. Use them unheated only—in salad dressings, drizzled over veggies, or mixed into granola. (Hemp seeds naturally offer a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 and -3. I love sprinkling these on salads or veggies.)
• Grapeseed oil: This neutral-flavored oil is rich in vitamin E. It’s best used cold or over low heat to avoid oxidation. Make sure to buy it organic because grapes are often heavily sprayed with pesticides.
• Evening primrose oil: This oil can have a beneficial effect on hormonal balance as well as skin and seizure disorders.55,56
UMAMI
Umami translates from Japanese as “yummy deliciousness,” and it is usually found in foods that have been cooked, fermented, aged, or even have a bit of mold (think aged cheese or steak). Otherwise known as the “fifth taste” (besides sweet, sour, salty, and bitter), umami offers a deep, savory, satisfying flavor that enhances enjoyment of food. From babies to adults, umami stimulates the orbitofrontal cortex, our reward pathway—which means eating it satisfies us. Both umami and sweet likely signaled to our ancestors that foods were rich in nutrition and energy. The elements of umami benefit us with intense enjoyment of our food. We have a taste receptor for umami, which detects certain amino acids including glutamic acid, i.e., glutamate (not to be confused with monosodium glutamate—the synthetic version that food manufacturers add to foods).
At low levels, glutamate acts as a neurotransmitter essential for normal brain function, including learning and memory. But a rush of concentrated glutamate overstimulates the brain and can trigger neuroexcitatory events like migraines, seizures, tics, and even anxiety and focus or behavioral issues in vulnerable kids. Even those who are sensitive to tiny amounts of synthetic MSG, however, usually can tolerate moderate amounts of foods with natural umami.
Babies start their love affair with umami beginning with amniotic fluid in the womb. Their exposure continues with their mother’s glutamate-rich milk—ten times more than in cow’s milk. Umami flavor in breast milk elicits a relaxation response in babies, likely due also to the amino acid theanine. Theanine—another component of umami also found in tea and chocolate—has calming properties that can help even the most sensory and agitated of children.
TIP
Umami foods require less salt—because glutamate enhances flavors in food—and yet dramatically decrease our perception of bitter. They therefore make ideal “companions” for harder sells like dark greens, especially for picky eaters and “supertasters.” It’s why kids obsess over ketchup or soy sauce! Season dishes with condiments like umeboshi vinegar or organic tamari, and use flavorful, mineral-rich foods like bone broths, mushrooms, seaweed, and nuts to quietly transform foods from bland or bitter to compelling.
Other umami foods include fermented fish or soy, cured meats or cheese, soups from meat or bones, vegetables or fungi, umeboshi vinegar (the pickling brine from making umeboshi plums), and products from ripe tomatoes. Here’s a more complete list of foods that you can add to your family’s repertoire:
Umami from the Sea
• Seaweed: Kelp, kombu, dulse (red algae), and nori seaweed are rich in minerals, but can be a source of heavy metals or radiation due to their incredible binding properties, so enjoy in moderation.
• Fresh fish: Anchovies, sardines, scallops, squid, mackerel, shrimp, roe, and anchovy paste.
• Smoked or fermented fish: Gravlax and bonito.
• Fermented fish sauce: Also known as nam-pla, nuoc mam tom cha, yu-lu, and ishir. Worcestershire sauce also has natural umami.
Umami from the Land
• Mushrooms: Varieties like shiitakes, morels, maitakes, turkey tails, and reishi can flavor vegetarian broths richly with a meaty umami—and powerful health benefits.
Tonics
Mushrooms exemplify how foods can be tonics, reverberating through our entire systems to create balance and harmony in the body, and, ultimately, build resilience. Many (though not all) tonics come from roots, berries, and mushrooms and have compelling, earthy flavors that work in hot, soothing soups and beverages: mushrooms, astragalus, licorice, hawthorn berries, cacao, and green tea, too. These foods and beverages whisper to the deepest levels of our beings and act as our epigenetic allies, protecting us from harm, minute to minute, day by day.
Mushrooms, as one example, are seemingly miraculous tonics. I’m not referring so much to white mushrooms here as to medicinal (and edible!) mushrooms like morels, maitake, shiitake, turkey tail, reishi, and others. They transform our internal terrain and create a physiological shift from bad to good and good to better. They are safe and gentle for children who are wrung out, fatigued, and inflamed. No pharmaceutical I’m aware of has the diverse range of action of mushrooms in reducing inflammatory and autoimmune disorders while simultaneously enhancing immune function against “bad players” like HIV, hepatitis C, herpes, and others. (Kind of like steroids and antimicrobials wrapped in one, and without the side effects of either.) The turkey tail mushroom suppresses inflammatory response, enhances the microbiome, and appears to be a powerful adjunct to cancer therapy.57 Reishi promotes cellular resilience, longevity, and self-repair.58 Elders in East Asia have lived well past a hundred years of age because they consume tonics made from red reishi mushrooms—which boost glutathione, protect mitochondria, and facilitate detoxification.59 Shiitake and maitake dramatically enhance immune function.60Mushrooms even are good sources of vitamin D!61 They also offer nervous system benefits: neuroprotection, more restful sleep, less irritability, and a sense of well-being.62,63 All this in a day’s fare! If you don’t like to eat mushrooms, simmer a handful in water for 6 to 10 hours, then use as a stock for a healing soup that’s filled with umami.
• Tomatoes: Glutamate and adenylate increase tenfold as tomatoes ripen. Ketchup and tomato sauce have concentrated umami flavor.
• Vegetables: Celery, cabbage, potatoes, peas, spinach, and asparagus.
• Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
• Corn: The only grain that has significant umami in its unfermented state. Eat only organically grown to avoid pesticide residue.
• Fermented roots, fruits, and vegetables: Pickled ginger, cabbage (sauerkraut), cucumbers (pickles), capers, olives.
• Fermented soybeans: Soy sauce, organic nama shoyu, or wheat-free tamari. Soy sauce traditionally undergoes multiple fermentations over nearly three years (which is why you want one that’s aged, with no need for cheats like sugar, alcohol, or preservatives). Miso, tempeh (fermented soy bean cakes), and fermented tofu like Chinese furu are also options. Tempeh and furu are called “Chinese cheese.”
• Green tea: Gyokuro and sencha are rich in umami as well as relaxing theanine. Matcha is a popular powdered green tea that’s whipped in warm water and served in a large drinking bowl.
• Rice vinegar: Delicious sprinkled over veggies or used in a salad dressing.
Umami from Animals
High-protein foods like eggs, milk, and meat (especially organ meat) have great potential for umami and can be enhanced through cooking, ripening, drying, curing, salting, smoking, and fermenting. Chicken, duck, turkey, game, and veal are highest in umami; beef and lamb the least. Other foods high in umami include mayonnaise (homemade from real eggs and olive oil, not sugar and soybean oil), aged cheese, blue cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan), bacon, sausage, ham, pastrami, and corned beef (nitrate-free). Liver is high in umami because it has high amounts of that powerful antioxidant and detoxifier, glutathione. Keep in mind that organ meats, exceptionally dense in nutrients and umami, can also concentrate toxins—especially liver, which filters the blood—so it’s worth finding a pastured, organic source.
Soups
Soups are an inexpensive source of unlimited umami and dense nutrition. To harness the greatest flavor, cook meat and poultry with vegetable bits or fish with seaweed. Soup transforms refuse into a meal—bones, skins, feet, fish heads, and the tops and ends and skins of vegetables that would normally be thrown out. Keep in mind that the most nutritious parts of our food are often parts we toss. Get over the “yuck” factor and make nutrient-dense concoctions with peelings and trimmings. One recipe for dashi—the grandmother of umami—simply calls for simmering water left from boiling potatoes with smoked shrimp head powder. It can be as simple or complex as you want. Be creative!
ABOUT SALT . . .
Salt has needlessly gotten a terrible rap over the years, mostly because industry has quietly loaded chemical sodium chloride into the most apparently innocent of processed foods. But our appetite for salt is driven by our body’s needs, not the foods we eat. A specific range of sodium, among other electrolytes, is needed to maintain adequate blood flow to the body’s organs; our brains determine when more or less salt is necessary. When our adrenal glands pump higher amounts of stress hormones, they activate our salt cravings. These cravings also reflect the body’s demand for increased electrolytes like sulfur as well as macro- and trace minerals—from salts of magnesium and calcium to zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, molybdenum, boron, and others—that many children need in spades due to excessive depletion of these minerals from soil and water. These minerals help build bones and teeth and act as cofactors in countless critical metabolic reactions throughout the body.
As such, high-quality salt is an essential part of every child’s diet. Unless otherwise noted, the sodium in table salt or added to processed food is industrial NaCl, the salt equivalent of processed food. Sea salt, however, is a superfood of sorts. It adds upward of 75 trace nutrients and electrolytes beyond simply sodium to your reserves. A child with excessive salt cravings may require medical evaluation for certain disorders, but otherwise children should use sea salt to taste.
NOTE: Iodine is a nutrient critical for thyroid and brain health. Chemical table salt is fortified with some iodine—often not enough—but sea salt and salt in processed foods are not. In any case, I recommend getting your child’s spot urine level tested, and administering an iodine supplement if indicated.
TAKE HOME
1. Animal fat can be your friend—specifically when it’s pastured and unprocessed. Be brave—render fat from chicken or duck skin (and enjoy the crispy bits of skin as a snack), save lard from frying bacon or tallow drippings from your roast—and keep it in a jar to spoon out when you want to fry or sauté. No need to feel guilty—enjoy deep nourishment and fantastic flavor. A little goes a long way.
2. Pastured butter and ghee are filled with dense nutrition. Some dairy-reactive children may tolerate small amounts of ghee.
3. Unheated and unprocessed vegetable fats like sesame and coconut oil are delicious and healthy. To ensure you’re getting the quality you paid for, buy domestic olive oil from single producers or olive oil co-ops; buy foreign only from family farms that bottle their own product.
4. Minimally processed sweeteners—maple syrup, raw honey, date sugar, and blackstrap molasses—have impressive nutritional and antioxidant benefits, including the potential to stabilize blood sugar and counteract diabetes. Cacao and dark, minimally processed chocolate act as tonics in drinks and desserts. Enjoy them in moderation.
5. Umami bases and condiments, prepared traditionally, enhance the appeal of food, from broths to tomato sauce to fish sauce to tamari to Parmesan cheese. They reduce the perceived bitterness of greens. As condiments, these can lure even the pickiest of eaters to sample what they otherwise wouldn’t.
6. Sea salt and other good-quality salts contains electrolytes, sulfur, essential macrominerals like magnesium and calcium, and countless trace minerals necessary for proper metabolic function in the body. Sprinkle these salts to taste. Examples of other sources of dense minerals are bone broths, seaweed, and blackstrap molasses.
PART IV
STEP THREE: Put It All Together
Create a Healthy Environment at Your Table, at School, and in Your Community
Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.
—WENDELL BERRY
My summers and holidays as a child began with my friends and me taking off on our bikes to meet up with other neighborhood kids. We popped home for lunch and then headed out again until parents yelled that it was dinnertime. Then it was out again until dusk. We spent our days outdoors, rolling down grassy hills, exploring creeks, playing hide-and-go-seek, and sucking the nectar from honeysuckles. We made mud pies in the summer and snowmen in the winter. At the end of the day, we came home muddy and grass-stained, or cold and pink-cheeked. We were truly “free-range kids.”
Most children today don’t live this way. They are often disconnected from the natural world. They spend days sitting indoors in classrooms with 20 minutes for running around on blacktops (or artificial turf)—if they’re lucky. If one kid misbehaves, a teacher may rescind recess for all, which means no outdoor time all day. At home, they then toil over hours of homework, to be rewarded with an hour or two of screen time before bed. Many children no longer interact freely and intimately with nature also because of their parents’ fears: of dirt, UV radiation from the sun, germs, potential injury, and stranger danger.
Yet numerous studies show that exposure to nature and soil enhances mood, cognition, and quality of life. Digging in dirt isn’t only fun, it makes your children smarter and happier. Children who spend three hours outdoors daily are much more likely to have perfect vision than kids who spend the same amount of time indoors.1 The vitamin D that they absorb through their skin from the sun promotes immunity in critical ways that oral vitamins cannot fully imitate. Studies show that children who spend recess time in a green environment, rather than on cement or blacktop, subsequently perform better on tests in the classroom.2
We have an opportunity to reconnect to a source of living nourishment grounded deeply in nature and reclaim our children’s vibrant health and happiness. Now that you know the why behind my recommendations, it’s time for the most important part: the how. As a working mom of three, I understand the wide divide between good intentions and best practices. But as you incorporate new foods and habits into your routine, they become second nature—and fun! The foundation for healthy children comes down to two simple concepts: healing from the inside out (buying and cooking good food) and healing from the outside in (being in nature). Or what you might call “treating your kids like dirt”!