Tuesday, 1 January 2019

January 2017: eggs is eggs?






EGGS IS EGGS

or are they?

Eggs are an excellent food. Unless your principles forbid because you’re vegan, in which case skip this bit (but take your vitamins! [1]) and go straight to: what to eat/sow in January.
Eggs are easy to eat and cook, well-tolerated by young and old, adaptable and inexpensive. The white contains high-quality protein, riboflavin and selenium. The yolk offers:
  • vitamin D, critical for bone health and immune function. 
  • choline, essential for functioning of all cells, but particularly important during pregnancy to support healthy brain development of the fetus.
  • lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that reduce the risk of developing cataracts and slow down progression of age-related macular degeneration. 
  • phosphorus, vitamin B12, and all nine essential amino acids [2].
Experts used to say we they should limit the number of eggs we eat because they contain cholesterol, but now it has been found that cholesterol in food does not increase the risk of heart disease in healthy people in any way [3].
However, not all eggs are created equal. 
In the UK we eat more than 12 billion eggs per year, very roughly half of which are 'cage type' eggs, meaning: not free range [4].
Just a quick search on the internet tells us that: 
  • antibiotics have been used in poultry farming in large quantities since the 1940s. The use of fluoroquinolones, classed by the World Health Organization as ‘critically important’, increased by 59% in the UK poultry industry in just one year! - despite urgent calls to reduce antibiotic usage. In general, "we are about to reach the point where more antibiotics will be consumed by farm animals worldwide than by humans,” says Mark Woolhouse, at the University of Edinburgh. Meaning: more resistant bacteria, which could be a big threat [5].
  • poultry feed can also include roxarsone or nitarsone, arsenical antimicrobial drugs that also promote growth.
  • even free range hens are routinely beak-trimmed at 1 day of age, to reduce the damaging effects of aggression, feather pecking and cannibalism. In January 2016, a proposed ban on beak trimming was rejected by farming minister, George Eustice. Scientific studies shave shown that beak trimming is likely to cause both acute and chronic pain [6]. 
  • In the wild, hens would only lay 20 eggs annually; on modern farms with near constant lighting and high protein feed, this is raised to over 300. Some egg companies are pushing this number up to 500. This is 25 times as much as a chicken would lay if left alone [7].
I expect that most people who read Thought for Food, when given the choice, will buy free-range. Which is, however, rarely much better than the cage kind. Contrary to popular belief, free-range regulations only require that the hens have access to the outdoors, not that they actually spend time there. This access may be for very brief periods; the outside area may be small. Stocking densities tend to be high, and many chickens stay inside as dominant hens prevent them from going out [8].
So, I'm afraid, organic eggs are your best bet [9]. Unless you have friendly poultry-loving neighbours with a surplus like we do - or, of course, your own flock. 
All this is one more reason not to eat too much processed food. It rarely says ‘free range eggs’ in the ingredient list ….

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The days are getting longer - really! Are you walking? Are you walking enough? Walking helps for all sorts of things. How and why, see http://www.realfoodforlife.com/walking-them-blues-away/. 

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And another one: Prof. Paul Cosford, medical director at Public Health England, told MPs that children are 12 times more likely to contract drug-resistant infections in the three months after being prescribed antibiotics, suggesting that their current use poses a direct risk to individual patients as well as a broader threat to society as a whole.
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EAT:
Veg: Brussels', beet, sprout tops, cabbage, celeriac, celery (with Stilton!), corn salad, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, salsify, kale, kohlrabi, landcress, leeks, parsnips, pumpkin/squash, rocket, spinach, swede, turnips, winter radish, endive, winter purslane.
Meat: wood pigeon, pheasant, wild duck, goose, grouse, partridge, venison. For (Christmas) game recipes, see www.gametoeat.co.uk/.
Fish: coley, megrim, clams, crab, cuttlefish, mussels, oysters, scallops, whiting.

PLANT:
Shallots are traditionally planted on the shortest day. You can still plant garlic. Buy heads from a proper supplier to prevent disease.
If you leave veg in the ground, apply a thick mulch (straw, bracken or newspaper) for protection, and so as to get them out easily.
Still feeling antsy? Check http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/your-organic-garden-december-and-january?dm_i=4UO,4NFGO,JCJBU,HC8AU,1 for what else to do in the garden in January. 


RECIPES

Brussel’s sprouts: mash with parmesan and cream, or fry with garlic and almonds.
Or stir them up, when cooked and hot, with finely chopped rosemary, crispy bacon and crumbled chestnuts. Season well with pepper.

BAGNA CAUDA - will feed lots as a starter. Not expensive, though it’s worth using the best quality of anchovies you can find.
One jar of anchovies, boiled potatoes, cabbage, eggs, celery, endive. You can replace the endive by salady winter greens, or lightly cooked ones.
Melt anchovies in olive oil and butter. Fill plate with sliced potatoes, thin wedges of raw cabbage, wedges of soft-boiled egg, lightly boiled celery, and leaves of endive. Spoon the anchovy sauce over as you eat it.

BRIE, KALE and MUSHROOM OMELETTE for 2
4-5 eggs, kale, mushrooms, 50g Somerset brie. You can add some ginger if you like. 
Sauté kale and mushrooms until wilted - don't overcook. Beat the eggs and pour into a pan over medium-low heat. Once they start to cook, put the brie, followed by the veg, over half of the eggs. When the eggs are set, flip half over the veg. Cook for another few mins until the middle is set. Cut in half and serve on a plate with the remaining sautéed vegetables.

SIMPLE WINTER MEAL for one
1-1½ leek(s), potatoes, egg(s), spices/herbs, grated cheese.
Cook the chopped leek and 100-200g chopped potatoes. Beat an egg or two with spices (pepper, salt, paprika powder, mustard, for instance) and some grated cheese. When the veg are both done (make sure the potatoes are nice and soft), drain and put together.
Pour a tiny bit of the drained liquid in with the egg, and stir this into the potato/leek mix. Heat the whole lot through, till the egg is reasonably solid. Serve.
If you like, you can first fry up the whole lot for a few minutes, as a sort of pancake. 

For more December recipes, see other years (click on 2016 and then on December, on the right hand side). Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which does have eight recipes for this year. 


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[1] Especially taking vitamin B12, cobalamin, is vital, for you can only get this usefully from animal foods. It will take up take up to 5 years, but once you have been short of it for a while, you can never undo the damage. At only slightly low levels it will cause fatigue, depression, poor memory. Later deficiency can affect the peripheral nerves, leading to loss of sensation/weakness in the legs, spinal chord problems, mood change, loss of memory, and early dementia.
Take vitamin B12 away from vitamin C, for this degrades it. So even if it is in your multivitamin, take some separate as well! 
[3] Dietary cholesterol found in eggs has little to do with the amount of cholesterol in your body.
The trouble is that "cholesterol," is used to describe two different things. The fat-like molecules in animal-based foods like eggs doesn't greatly affect the amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream. Your body makes its own cholesterol, so it doesn't need much of the kind you eat. Instead, what fuels your body's cholesterol-making machine is certain saturated and trans fats. Eggs contain relatively small amounts of saturated fat. So, cutting eggs out of your diet is a bad idea; they're a rich source of 13 vitamins and minerals. https://www.egginfo.co.uk/eggs-and-health/eggs-and-cholesterol; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_as_food




Next month: death. If you want to see this now, go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/february-2017-death/.





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