Sunday, January 25, 2004   8:00-9:00 PM PST TALK 910 KNEW SAN FRANCISCO
http://www.910knew.com/listenlive.html

Radio Interview with Sue Gregg

The Q & A outline which follows is a condensation of the general content not the actual transcript of the interview.

Q: Why is it important that we stay close to nature in our choice of foods?  For example, using whole foods, vegetables, fruits, and grains?
A: What is important is that we maximize nutritional value of the food we eat.  The first step is to eat the whole food and not just part of it.  For example, white flour is only part of the wheat grain and not even the most nutritious part.  Yet 50% or more of the average diet are foods made with white flour.

Q: Why can’t we just take a good multi vitamin-mineral supplement and be done with it?
A: Nutrients work best synergistically (that is, together) in the whole food.  There are other nutritional components of whole foods not duplicated in supplements.  There is just no match for the real whole food package.

Q:  I heard about a rat experiment that illustrates this principle.  Can you tell us about it?
A: Four sets of rats were given special diets.  The 1st: plain whole wheat, water, vitamins and minerals.  The 2nd: Puffed wheat, water, vitamins and minerals.  The 3rd: water and white sugar.  The 4th: water and chemical nutrients.

Q: Okay, how did they do?
A:  The whole wheat rats: lived over 1 year.  The water and nutrients rats: lived 8 weeks.  The white sugar and water rats lived a month.  The puffed wheat rats lived 2 weeks.

Q:  Revealing!  Where did you hear about this study?
A:  From Nourishing Traditions  by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.  This is a MUST read resource.  It will answer every question you need to be asking.  Nourishing Traditions reports research on food traditions that healthy peoples in many different cultures have followed for centuries.  

Q:  I hear you advocate that whole grains should be prepared by a two-stage process to maximize nutritional value.  Could you summarize this process for us?
A:  Whole grains should be soaked, sprouted or fermented for 7 to 24 hours before cooking or baking to maximize nutritional value. A variety of problems many people are having with whole grains will be minimized or eliminated in this way

Q:  How does this process affect the nutritional value?
A:  All whole grains (and dry beans, as well) contain phytates.  The phytates bind up key nutrients so they can’t be absorbed in the digestive system. This includes calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Q:  You’ve written some cookbooks that incorporate this process.  Tell us about some of your favorite recipes.
A: We do several quick recipes with the whole grain in the blender, for example: blender pancakes and waffles, blender crepes, blender muffins and blender coffee cake. 

Q: So how do you do this 2-stage process with whole grain in a blender?
A: We pour the whole grain into the blender with the liquid--usually buttermilk, blend several minutes and then let it stand for a day or overnight before completing the recipe.

Q:  Sounds good.  Isn’t that a lot of work?
A:  No, it is very convenient because the blender does the work. This method cuts the preparation time just before cooking or baking in half.  That is when most of us are in a rush to put the meal on the table.

Q:  Can I expect this stuff to really taste good?
A:  Good taste is our bottom line.  Actually, the two stage process makes whole grain breads even lighter in texture.

Q:  How can we get some of your recipes?
A:  You can order our free recipe sampler of about 20 recipes off our website. You will also find step-by-step picture demonstrations of a number of the recipes on the site.

Q:  Since starchy carbohydrates like breads have a lot of calories, how can a person lose weight on them?
A:  There are at least 3 ways whole grains will assist weight control: First, the fiber calories don’t count on your weight.  Second, whole grain breads more filling than white flour breads so you will eat much less.  Third, the complete nutritional package of whole grains supplies more resources for better metabolism and consequently more  energy.

Q:  Since we have been discussing whole grains, what is your take on the current low-carb diet fads?
A:  It is a good challenge to extreme vegetarianism.  It can pull us back to center to a good balance between the high protein and the high carbohydrate-low fat diet.  This is where we focus in our cookbooks.

Q:  Then you are not against the low-carb diet?
A:  I have strong reservations because it lacks variety, is expensive and boring.  I believe we were created for family dining and not short-order cooked meals.  We need better balanced meals including a wide variety of whole foods for the long term. 

Q:  What do you think then is the most positive aspect of the high protein-low carb diet?
A:  It challenges us to regain an appreciation of animal foods--high quality, of course, and of saturated animal fat.  We’ve been fed a lot of misinformation on fats and animal foods.  Again, Nourishing Traditions is very informative on this issue.

Q: Give us an example of what you mean by high quality.
A:  Meats that have been raised on grasses, organic feed and without growth hormones and chemicals would be one.  Unfortunately, it is inevitable that about 99% of people on high protein diets do not eat this quality.

Q: What do you think of all the low-carb breads now being offered commercially?
A: They are created by adding extra fiber to the bread and then subtracting the fiber calories from the total.  Certainly those made from whole grain are not done by the two-stage process that allows the phytates to release the nutrients.  It is best to use the whole grain without adding extra parts of fractionated grain.

Q:  It sounds like we need to get back to our own cooking and baking!  What other food preparation tips do you have for us that will increase the nutritional value of the foods we eat? A:  Sprouting and fermenting foods actually increases the nutritional value.  For example, cultured milk such as yogurt can be more nutritious than milk. Sprouts have greater amounts of nutrients than the grains or beans they are sprouted from. Lacto-fermentation of vegetables also increases the nutrient value and digestibility.

Q:  What is this lacto-fermentation and what does it actually do to the food?
A:  Vegetable starches and sugars are converted to  lactic acid which preserves the food and increases the nutrients and digestibility.  Making sauerkraut out of cabbage is one good example.

Q:  Where can we get more detail about these processes along with good recipes?
A:  We recommend both our cookbooks and Nourishing Traditions. These resources will give you a lifetime of nutritional information with the research to back it up and a wealth of recipes and menus.

Q:  What can people expect from your cookbooks?
A:  With over 900 recipes and over 200 menus, we focus on convenience, cost control, nutritional value and appetizing taste to meet a broad variety of needs.