Ultra Simple Diet

[gaman]

We slice the sweet potatoes thin and fry them in olive oil in the pan until they are just a touch crisp and they are delicious!

 

[cholas]

Thanks for the info on sweet potatoes. Never knew.....something about the word 'sweet' I guess.

I had somehow missed this:

...
• Fish: sardines, herring, wild salmon, black cod or sable fish, sole, and cod. No tuna!!!

Just curious, why no tuna? I thought maybe it had to do with gill-netting but is there another reason? I had been eating fresh, locally caught tuna about once a week as a protein-provider.

Thanks.

 

[aragorn]

Hi cholas. Tuna is not recommended because it's a large predatory fish, which means that it's higher up in the food chain. This in turn means that tuna have higher levels of mercury and other heavy metals. I'm not familiar with the exact science behind this, but I'm sure others can fill in.

 

[Gaby]

Yeah, in the Ultra Simple diet, species such as sardines, herring, wild salmon, black cod or sable fish, sole and cod are considered nonpredatory, hence lower in mercury.

In general, the bigger the fish, the more mercury it will have. Then, we have studies like this one:

No fish can escape mercury pollution
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/192303-Study-No-fish-can-escape-mercury-pollution

There seems no way to really avoid mercury toxicity, so that is why detoxing is really important. Here is more about the science:

How mercury becomes toxic in the environment
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/191570-How-mercury-becomes-toxic-in-the-environment

 

[cholas]

Thanks for the links/info Aragorn and Psyche. Sounds like switching to a smaller non-predatorial type is a good idea.

I'll have to look into it in more detail.

Very much appreciated. :)

 

[Laura]

Yeah thanks Psyche, I didn't know sweet potatoes were so healthy. I had stayed away from them because I thought they were related to regular potatoes, but they aren't even nightshades.

Occasionally, we eat them deep-fried in duck fat... It is quite a treat! ;)

Sweet potatoes revealed, for me, to be the perfect snack. They are delicious and quite filling. Your deep fried version in duck fat sounds very tempting Psyche.
Though I have to admit having some resistance to eating food that is fried, I suppose occasionally won't hurt :D

Ya'll PUH-LEEEEZE get over your fear of fat that has been inculcated into you by the propaganda of the AMA and the surgeon general. Please note that since they started the "anti-fat campaign" that the rates of the diseases they claimed to be fighting have gone through the roof!

Figure it out!

You need to learn about fats. Read Sydney MacDonald Baker's book "Detoxification and Healing" and pay close attention to the part about fats. Also notice that our bodies evolved to handle animal fats.

Frying in olive oil is not optimal because the oil breaks down when heated. The best oils for frying are lard and duck fat. You just need to balance them with other fats. NEVER use vegetable oils for cooking!!!

 

[dugdeep]

Other good resources for fat information:

Know Your Fats by Mary Enig
The fats section to Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (this one goes into a lot of detail about the history of how saturated fat became the whipping boy of modern dietary advice).

A quick fats primer:

Fats for cooking - lard, duck fat, coconut oil, palm kernal oil, ghee
Light sauteeing - any of the above or olive oil or butter
Cold applications - cold processed vegetable oils (flax oil, chia oil, sunflower, etc.), olive oil, grapeseed oil

Never Use - margarine, vegetable shortening, hydrogenated oils of any kind, "vegetable oil" (usually soy or cottonseed; not fit for human consumption), "cooking oil" ie. anything sold in plastic containers in the grocery store for the express purpose of cooking. Canola and soy oil, although some will say are fine because monounsaturated fat content, are almost always genetically modified so are best avoided.

Stick to these rules and there really isn't any reason to avoid fat in your diet at all.

 

[3DStudent]

Is using olive oil for making pancakes and hash browns ok? This is what I normally use, but olive oil does have a low burn point. I also have ghee and coconut oil.

 

[LQB]

Is using olive oil for making pancakes and hash browns ok? This is what I normally use, but olive oil does have a low burn point. I also have ghee and coconut oil.

There is a very tasty (to me) coconut oil/grass-fed ghee blend that you can buy by the gallon from Green Pastures. We use it for lots of cooking/baking/sauteing. It goes great in the buckwheat bread.

 

[3DStudent]

There is a very tasty (to me) coconut oil/grass-fed ghee blend that you can buy by the gallon from Green Pastures.

Thank you for the suggestion. A gallon seems like it would last quite a while. I've actually made my own coconut oil/ghee mixture before after reading how to make it on the internet.

 

[dugdeep]

Is using olive oil for making pancakes and hash browns ok? This is what I normally use, but olive oil does have a low burn point. I also have ghee and coconut oil.

Hi 3D Student. I think pancakes and hash browns would fit within the light sauteing category, (unless you're cranking the heat), so olive oil should be fine. If in doubt, switch to ghee or coconut oil (or a blend, as mentioned by LQB).

 

[3DStudent]

Thank you dugdeep, I think I'll just stick with olive oil. I know you're not supposed to deep fry with it, because it would burn. I might be able to get a hold of some duck fat at the local butcher too.

 

[cholas]

I think I'll just stick with olive oil. I know you're not supposed to deep fry with it, because it would burn.

Pretty much my thoughts atm too 3D. Getting guaranteed organic animal fats of any kind is pretty hit and miss in my locale. From what I understand, toxins are stored in the fat and non-organically raised animals would probably be pretty loaded, I would think.

I haven't had a problem with burning olive oil per se but it does change when heated to high temps. I seem to recall it loses many beneficial vitamins and minerals, at least. ??

Lard used to be very common in these parts but for years I was a picky vegetarian so a big no, no. It kinda went the way of the buffalo and now it's hard to find the real thing but there is plenty of crisco.

And it's probably 'vegetarian'.

 

[Mike]

Frying in olive oil is not optimal because the oil breaks down when heated. The best oils for frying are lard and duck fat. You just need to balance them with other fats. NEVER use vegetable oils for cooking!!!

I had been using olive oil for cooking eggs and sauteing vegetables and will have to look into finding some lard and duck fat. I just started using macadamia nut oil because supposedly it doesn't breakdown at high temps. The brand I found at the store is pretty expensive and I'll be looking into finding it cheaper.
http://www.naturalnews.com/004653.html

Where exactly should you use this oil? Start with using it as a cooking oil. Macadamia nut oil is especially useful for cooking, because it is resistant to the chemical alteration that normally takes place in oils at high cooking temperatures. Macadamia nut oil can go up to 450 degrees without undergoing this alteration, making it one of the healthiest choices for cooking oils. This puts it on par with extra virgin olive oil, which is also an excellent choice for cooking oils.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Frying in olive oil is not optimal because the oil breaks down when heated. The best oils for frying are lard and duck fat. You just need to balance them with other fats. NEVER use vegetable oils for cooking!!!

I use oil oil but not at high temps, mostly just med-low. Don't think I can easily find duck fat around here, but is "lard"just the Crisco stuff? Okay after a quick search, Crisco has got some nasty stuff in it. Seems lard comes from a pig. Hmmm, I don't suppose it's readily available on the local grocery store shelf unless you ask for it at the meat counter. I wonder if they'd give it to you though. I'm going to the store later and I'll find out.