Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Four (Ham and Cheese Fitaya)

Warning! These are not for the vegan and Kosher folks out there. I don't eat ham, but my kids do and they loved these.

Here's our next variation on our soon to be famous spelt triangles: the ham and cheese stuffer. Take a thawed Spelt Right pizza dough and follow the same technique as described in previous posts. We used Applewood Uncured Ham Steak (no nitrites or nitrates added) and cubes of aged Australian Cheddar Cheese. Chop ham and cheese in small cubes. Scoop about 2 teaspoons more or less in the center of the dough. Shape the triangle. See earlier posts for more explicit directions. Bake them at 450 for 10 minutes or until brown. These should be refrigerated or frozen if not eaten right away. Good if warmed with a microwave or toaster oven, but also fine cold. Two-thumbs up from everyone who tried them!!

Think Twice About What You Eat

Sometimes it simply blows me away that people are still in denial that what they eat will impact their health (either positively or adversely) and will do the same for their children. With children like my son, however, the reactions are more than just about physical health, they are also about behavioral health. This is a reality for many children and it is often overlooked by the schools, health care providers, psychologists, coaches, etc. as a trigger behind the symptoms we often label as ADHD, Asperger's, PDD, OCD, etc. It is up to you as a parent to question the alphabet soup of diagnoses and look to the real causes why our kids are feeling lousy, both physically and behaviorally. Ditch the highly processed and artificial ingredients for the more natural whole foods and you'll be surprised by the difference you will see. It may take a little time, but it is worth the effort. Here is link to a great article about the deleterious effects of fructose, especially high fructose corn syrup. It's worth the read. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/13/richard-johnson-interview.aspx

Spelt, An Ancient Grain. A Panacea for Better Health?

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Could spelt, an ancient grain, be a panacea for what ails the American diet?

Perhaps not a panacea, but it surely can help. With 24 million Americans with diabetes, and approximately 230 million worldwide, perhaps, this growing disease is a result of our modern diets rather than some unknown phenomenon. As more of our food supply becomes genetically engineered, processed, and bereft of natural nutritional value (not fortified), perhaps it’s the time to rediscover ancient foods that have nourished civilizations for thousands of years. Spelt is one of those incredible ancient foods, which is known for his high fiber content, 8 essential amino acids, and “is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganese, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper.” World’s Healthiest Foods website. According to World’s Healthiest Food’s article “this particular combination of nutrients provided by spelt may make it a particularly helpful food for persons with migraine headache, atherosclerosis, or diabetes.” www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=143

Spelt products are generally found in health food stores, but one small Maine Company, Spelt Right Baking, www.speltrightbaking.com has entered into mainstream markets. Spelt Right frozen spelt bagels are available at Hannaford Supermarkets throughout the Northeast. Hannaford also sells Vita Spelt in bulk, the spelt flour produced by Purity Foods, Inc. of Okemo, Michigan. Spelt Right products are also available at Whole Foods throughout the Northeast. Because of a demand for healthier breakfast options, Spelt Right bagels have even made their way into Portland, Maine local eateries, such as Becky’s Diner, North Star Café, Hot SuppA, the Pepper Club/Good Egg, Bintliff’s Café, Aurora Provisions, Mousse Café, and Artemisia.

What Your Kids Eat Does Make A Difference

You would think that I know this by now...that what you feed your kids can have a huge impact on their mental and behavioral health (as well as yours). I spent years studying this; we experienced this in our own home; we fought schools over this; I even changed my career path from being a lawyer to an entrepreneur making wholesome all natural spelt (ancient grain) breads, bagels, and pizza dough as a result of this. See www.speltrightbaking.com detailing our story. Yet, something about certain holidays -Christmas, Halloween, Easter - I get lulled into a stupor thinking that perhaps "just a little bit" of the commercial crap (artificially flavored, colored, and preserved candies) won't make an impact. But, inevitably they do. And, the crash is hard. For more information on how additives can impact you and your kids, see www.feingold.org

Our entire family's life changed when we finally realized that our young son's diet was directly impacting his health and behavior. We have told our story many times, but are telling it again because we believe that this is such a huge issue for families.

From 2-8, our son had many health (many digestive issues) and behavioral problems, and received numerous provisional diagnoses. I was very skeptical of the diagnoses, because he did not fit the diagnostic criteria all of the time. Sometimes, he was fine; others not - either distant, miserable, off-the-wall, hyper, upset. I wanted to know what was triggering him. It all seems to obvious to me now, but it wasn't at the time.

He is very sensitive to one food in particular (common wheat - but not all gluten based products), and definitely cannot tolerate certain additives in foods: the preservatives: BHT, BHA, and sodium benzoate; artificial reds and yellows; high fructose corn syrup. Our response was to remove wheat (and substitute with spelt) and remove ALL artificial food additives. There are just too many artificial additives out there, so to be safe, we removed them all.

The results have been profound. Our son no longer experiences the health and behavioral problems he did as a younger child and he is not on any medications.

There are plenty of studies out there demonstrating the connection between diet and behavior and I will post them as I find them. One such study was published in the Lancet (the British equivalent of the American Medical Association journal) in September 2007. Here is a link. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607613063/abstract

Please check out our website for more details on our story. www.speltrightbaking.com