Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Join the Wildtree family


Join the Wildtree family

Wildtree is an exciting direct-sales company whose all natural gourmet culinary blends, infused Grapeseed oils, dressings and sauces are sold through home Tasting parties.


Cinnamon Pecan Pull Apart Bread

Cinnamon Pecan Pull Apart Bread

 

 Ingredients

1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Click here for recipe!

 

Stuffed French Toast Rollups

Stuffed French Toast Rollups

Ingredients

2 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
8 slices bread
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk

What is Carrageenan ?

Carrageenan

Found in: Dairy products, non-dairy alternatives (coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk, etc.), processed lunch meats, and some supplements
What does it do? It’s a thickener, and especially used to replace fat.
Is it safe? Probably not.
Just from rat studies, you might think there’s nothing to worry about. The WHO has established an Acceptable Daily Intake of carrageenan as 0-75 mg/kg bw. Average daily intake is approximately 250mg/person/day, which falls well toward the low end of the “safe” spectrum.  In order to show any risk to humans, the studies supposedly showing a high risk would have to approximate this level. The animal studies linking carrageenan to intestinal inflammation and leaky gut don’t pass this sniff test. For example, in rats, an administration of either 9,690 mg/kg bw or 3876 mg/kg bw made colon tumors worse: no kidding! This paper  gives a useful overview of the problems with the rodent studies. But that doesn’t mean the stuff is good for you.
In human studies, some evidence shows that carrageenan increases intestinal permeability.  A study on isolated human intestinal cells found that carrageenan was inflammatory, and suggested it as a factor in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. In another study on isolated intestinal tissue, researchers found that carrageenan had a significant effect on the cells, although they didn’t link it to any specific disease.
Studies in real live humans would be better, but since these are obviously out for reasons of medical ethics, isolated human tissue is a lot more convincing as an experimental subject than rats. It’s probably safest to avoid carrageenan, at least until we have more research.

Benzoate (sodium benzoate)

Benzoate (sodium benzoate)

Found in: Fruit juice, carbonated drinks, pickles
What does it do? It’s an antimicrobial agent to prevent bacteria from growing in the foods.
Is it safe? Probably not. Sodium benzoate by itself is not dangerous, but when it combines with Vitamin C, it can form benzene, which is a recognized carcinogen. The food industry likes to point out that we also get benzene from breathing polluted air and drinking polluted water, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t eliminate it where we can! Fortunately, there’s not a lot to worry about for the Paleo crowd, since by far the largest source in the modern diet is soft drinks.

What do they do? BHA and BHT are antioxidants.

Found in: Fatty foods like nuts and lard
What do they do? BHA and BHT are antioxidants.
Is it safe? Possibly. Some studies  show that very high amounts of these chemicals cause tumors in rodents, but others failed to establish the same correlation at normal levels in humans. Other studies even suggest potential health benefits. But the major concern with BHT from a Paleo standpoint isn’t that it’s harmful in itself, it’s that it indicates a processed, low-quality source of fats. Avoid it as a marker for unhealthy fats like trans fats, or fats that have been poorly treated, not on its own

What is Calcium Chloride?

Calcium Chloride

Found in: Pickles, canned tomatoes
What does it do? It’s a preservative – it’s basically salt (one of our oldest known preservatives) but a kind of salt that doesn’t contain sodium, which pleases the USDA and everyone who buys into their misguided recommendation to reduce dietary salt at all costs.
Is it safe? Yes. It’s just salt. It’s also used on roads as a de-icer, but so is regular salt. If you inhale it, it’s toxic (just like regular salt), but using it as a preservative is fine.