kefir / egg yolk combining

[jules]

i'm still trying to experiment with how to tastily use kefir and raw egg yolks in my menu, and get them to digest well. i've not had luck in combining them with fruit. i know shelley suggested lecithin to help, but i like to try to find a way to do things without adding any supplemental helpers to cope with it'. researching this hasnt been easy because very few resources refer to combining with the specific properties of KEFIR (or yogurt) as opposed to MILK, and RAW EGG YOLKS, as supposed to cooked whole eggs. the little i have seen them mentioned by various schools of thought, the more i am led to believe that they do actually digest quite differently than their whole/cooked counterparts.

i didn't want to believe in 'food combining' but i've witnessed it affect how i feel after eating countless times. maybe if my digestive system were perfectly strong and my liver was doing great, i could digest everything, but its not, and furthermore having weak digestion has also helped me to hear what my body is saying a bit more clearly. whereas before, when my system was working better, i would eat whatever i want, not get as much indigestion, but still not feel great after a meal, and i wouldnt know why. now my body is a little more confrontational with me when i dont combine my foods well, and im partially thankful for that.

my favorite 'mango lassi' inspired mix was

1 cup kefir
3 raw egg yolks
1 ripe mango

just blend up the mango to a cream and mix it in to the yolk/kefir mix in a bowl. i've read many times to not put proteins (esp. egg yolks) in the blender as they are fragile and easily damaged and altered. who knows, but ill take the advice. (ive even heard that bananas are the same way)

however, this recipe wasnt sitting well in my stomach and the more i researched it, the more i realized that the FRUIT/EGG/YOGURT (kefir) was a bad combination even according to Ayurvedic traditions. mango lassi's are a popular treat in india's tradition, but are specifically not recommended for health and digestion impaired. Ayurvedic principles specifically say not to combine eggs with milk. and also not to combine fruit with yogurt/milk. western combining principles also advise to take milk alone, and not to combine fruit with dairy. similarly, i can't think of a delectable way to use raw egg yolk with vegetables, which again, is what it is supposed to digest well with. its also important to digest the egg yolks well, because i dont eat meat or fish, and really need to absorb the small amounts of B12 in the yolks.

on http://www.kefir.net (the official commercial kefir site) you can see they are even aware of combining kefir well:

2. Use proper food combining techniques to make kefir less mucus-forming (see the Body Ecology Diet 7th Edition).

i found this body ecology diet chart to see what they thought about it:
http://www.alderbrooke.com/ecooutline.htm

you can see that body ecology does not recommend to combine kefir with fruit either. and only non-starchy vegetables. this concurs with my search for health concious indian recipes that use 'yogurt'. i couldnt find any! well, not true, i found very very few. because they recommend that yogurt be taken alone, as a lassi, and only with spices like cumin added.

the only recipes i found primarily combine the kefir/yogurt with only green leafy vegetables and spices, which agrees with everything else ive discovered. (see recipes below)

if anyone comes across any more information or ideas for combining egg yolk and kefir well into their menu, please do share.

[jules]

i'm going to try something along these lines today! my only gripe with them is that spinach is a super high oxalate green. meaning anything eaten within a couple hours of it will have its calcium absorption decreased by the oxalic acid in the spinach. and the calcium in my kefir will not get absorbed. spinach is not a good source of calcium. cooking does not significantly reduce this effect of oxalic acid.

for more information on this:
http://www.holisticbird.org/diet/foods.htm
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=george&dbid=48
http://www.aquarianonline.com/Wellness/bones.html


Spinach and Yogurt Blend (substitute kefir for yogurt)

You will need:

* 1/2 cup fresh yogurt
* 1/2 cup spinach, wilted and blended in a blender to a coarse puree
* 1/8 tsp sweet paprika
* 1 tsp whole cumin seed
* 1 tsp ghee
* Rock salt to taste (optional)
* 1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk the yogurt into a smooth paste with a whisk.

Heat ghee in a pan until it is clear.

Add the whole cumin and stir briefly to release aroma. Add the spinach, salt and paprika, stir once and remove from heat immediately.

Fold in the spinach mixture into the yogurt and mix well.

Garnish with the fresh cilantro.

Enjoy cool or at room temperature.

(Serves 1)


Arabian Nights Spiced Spinach Stew with Yogurt
More Main Meal Recipes Solutions

Adapted from Mediterranean Vegetables by Clifford A. Wright (Harvard Common Press, 2001).

The author collected this rare recipe during his travels in Syria. It combines ordinary kitchen-cupboard spices in an exotic way, creating a dish so flavorful it could have been served to an Arabian Nights princess on her wedding night. Walnuts and yogurt add protein, calcium, and omega-3 nutrition.

You won’t believe what a magical blend of spices can do to simple spring spinach!

2 pounds flat-leaved spinach, washed well and trimmed of heavy stems
1 cup high-quality full-fat plain yogurt
2 large garlic cloves, mashed in a mortar with ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1. In a large saucepan or stewpot, place the spinach with only the water adhering to it from its last rinsing. Turn the heat to medium high, cover, and cook the spinach until it wilts, about 5 minutes. Drain in a strainer, pushing out excess water with the back of a wooden spoon.

2. Stir the yogurt and mashed garlic and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and cook the spinach and spices over medium-high heat until heated through, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Transfer spinach to a serving plate or platter, spoon several dollops of yogurt over it, and sprinkle with the walnuts. Serve immediately with Arabic flatbread.

Serve 4.

[shelley]

Jules, I think the real issue here is that you're asking your body to digest 3 egg yolks at once. I couldn't do that when my digestive system was weak and liver clogged, I could only handle one. Now I can handle two whole eggs in kefir with no problem whatsoever.

And adding lecithin isn't a cheat, it's good sense. It cleanses the liver, adds vital nutrients - especially for men - and aids with fat digestion, which seems to be your problem. Why do you insist on ignoring a very real solution? As Spock would say, it's simply not logical!

[jules]

this morning i had the egg yolks alone for the first time in ages and they seemed to sit much easier. i'll keep trying this out. they are my only source of B12 which i don't want to take supplements for. it would take me 5 yolks a day to get the RDA, and i dont even have them every day, more like 4 or 5 days a week, so i wanted to try to get at least 3 or 4 yolks those days. whenever i really buckle down on my diet, and stop drinking fortified rice milk completely, i notice after awhile that my limbs start to tingle much more easily. coincidentally, since i started the egg yolks, i dont seem to notice this anymore!

i'll keep looking around on the lecithin. i guess the thing about it was that everyone i'd seen that worked it into their regimen soon phased it back. i'd never seen a positive response about it, and saw quite a few who claimed that it made their skin get worse, so it particularly scared me off. i'd been making so many adjustments to my diet recently that one more questionable addition didnt seem like a good idea.

i think you are right that my issue seems to be regarding the digestion of certain fats, i'm working up complete cleansing plan at the moment which i hope will really help! cant wait to try those chinese bitters or gold coin grass!

[shelley]

It's true that some people are sensitive to lecithin and get plenty in eggs and don't need to supplement. Some acne-prone people are warned to avoid it for good reason, but not everyone has that sensitivity.

I found I really did need it for a good 3 months, and then when my liver was clean I was able to phase it out. Now I just use it if I get a tongue coat, which is pretty rare. I'm currently eating a lot of cleansing meals - mostly grapefruit. For some reason, even tho I'm a vata, my body is really wanting light meals like the kefir smoothies and grapefruit! Then every-other day or so I'll need something heavier with a lot more ballast and that's when I go for meats. So what with eggs, meats and nutritional yeast flakes, I think I'm doing pretty well with B12.