There is no doubt that lentils are one of the most versatile of all the legume family. Indeed it is not only their culinary usefulness that they are well known for.

In Egyptian times they were used as bubble packing for ancient artefacts and sculptures for shipping. The word lens is the Latin for lentil and derives its name from the shape of these little nutrition packed wonders.

The cultivation of lentils as a food goes back to well before the Egyptians, to Neolithic times (roughly 10.000 years ago). It was during this time that farming came about and lentils were one of the earliest crops to be cultivated, originating in the Middle East. It is no surprise then that there are so many references to the lentil in the Bible. The French dish Esau potage is a lentil broth named after Esau. In the Old Testament, Jacob bought the birthright from Esau with a dish of stewed lentils. Then there is the arguable notion that Lent was named after the lentil as the majority of people were too poor to be able to afford fish at this religious time and therefore had to rely on lentils for sustenance.

But it is for their culinary uniqueness that we are looking to this humble legume. There are few foods that are so versatile. They can be made into anything from pates, dressings, soups, dhals, fritters and salads.

They are packed full of beneficial nutrients as well as being a very rich source of soluble fibre, and being the third richest vegetable source of protein there is.

A study of dietry patterns and risk of heart disease following 16,000 middle aged men in the U.S., Finland, Netherlands, Italy, former Yugoslavia, Greece and Japan over a period of 25 years, found that after analysing the data, diets with a high legume content were associated with a huge 82% reduction in risk of heart disease!

Another study published in the ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ confirms that a diet high in soluble fibre, such as lentils, helps prevent heart disease. Out of 10,000 adults, those eating the most fibre (21 grams a
day or more) had a 12% reduction in coronary heart disease and 11% less cardiovascular disease. Those that ate the most water soluble fibre fared even better.

The fact that lentils are excellent for heart health is not only in the fibre content, but also the significant amounts of folate (folic acid) and magnesium they supply. Folate has long been associated with heart health as it helps to lower levels of homocysteine. This is an amino acid that damages artery walls and is a serious risk factor for heart disease. When folate is present it converts homocysteine into cysteine or methionine, both of which are benign. Folate is also a crucial nutrient for pregnant women. Up to 70% of birth defects such as, spina bifida and  neural tube defects have been shown to be due to a lack of folate in the diet. Most doctors advise women of child bearing age to increase their intake of folate as it is not just during pregnancy but also prior to conceiving that there is a great need for folate.

The magnesium content in lentils adds another heart helping dimension. Magnesium is known to help the arteries and veins ‘relax’ which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies have shown that not only are low levels of magnesium associated with heart disease, but that after a heart attack low levels promote free radical injury to the heart.

It doesn’t stop there either. Lentils are an important source of B vitamins, particularly B-3. They are also high in iron, zinc and calcium, which is why they are so popular as a substitute for red meat. The iron is better absorbed by the body when eaten with vitamin C rich foods such as dark green vegetables. One of my favourite dishes is Indian spiced lentils, or dhal, with spinach stirred in at the last minute. A bowl of that with a hot naan bread makes a substantial and very healthy lunch for about a $1.00 a portion! Frugal food needn’t be bland and boring. It is high in protein too, being as good a source as some cheaper cuts of meat. Whilst they are deficient in only two amino acids, this is not the case once they have sprouted. When sprouted they contain sufficient amounts of all amino acids. In addition to this, their nutritional value goes up in sprouted form too.

Apart from the fact that they get a bad rap as being boring ‘hippy’ food, there is not a lot that you can say bad about the humble lentil.

Packed with goodness, nutrition and incredibly versatile as you will see in the following recipes. As with the acorn and mighty oak parable, these little guys should not be underestimated……

Lentil Varieties

There are numerous varieties of lentils but some of the most common are:

RED SPLIT (CHIEF)

These are perhaps the most common of all. They are good for soups and purees as they tend to puree when cooked and don’t hold their shape. A good use for them is to thicken stews or casseroles. Instead of reaching for the gravy granules or artificial thickener, try adding a good handful towards the end of cooking when making your next casserole. You’ll find it absorbs the excess liquid and provides a good protein boost to your meal.

BROWN LENTIL

Again these break down and become mushy if over cooked, but if cooked carefully they will retain their shape. They are good added to sauces or broths.

YELLOW LENTILS

These are actually split mung beans and are very similar to red lentils except they are a bit firmer.

BELUGA LENTILS

These are an incredibly attractive lentil, so called because when they are cooked they glisten like caviar. They retain their shape and remain firm when cooked. Excellent as an accompaniment to meals and also in sauces or dressings.

PUY LENTILS (FRENCH GREEN)

These to my mind are the king of lentils. Small and robust, they too keep their shape after cooking and are adaptable to a whole host of uses from pates to stuffing’s for vegetables to sauces and dressings. Green and brown lentils are also higher in nutrients than their red and yellow cousins.

BKACK LENTILS (URAD DHAL)

Again these are actually a bean and if they are shelled and split they become white lentils. These are widely used in Indian cooking. It is no surprise that India is the biggest producer of lentils in the world. But it may come as a shock to know that Canada is the second highest producer!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 Big Green Outer Leaves Savoy Cabbage
• 6 oz Puy Lentils (French Green Lentils)
• 1 Small Onion or 3 Shallots Finely Diced
• 1 Clove of Garlic Finely Chopped
• 20 fl oz Mushroom or Vegetable Stock
• 8 oz Finely Sliced Mixed Wild Mushrooms
• Handful of Marjoram Leaves, Chopped
• Truffle Oil (Optional)

Method:

1. Take the central tough core out of the middle of the outer leaves and then plunge into boiling water for about a minute, and then remove and put into ice cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green colour.
2. Meanwhile heat a saucepan with a good shot of olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic until softened.
3. Add the lentils and then the stock. Simmer (Not Boil) for 20-30 miunutes or until the lentils are softened, (you may have to add a little more stock). There should still be a little liquid left in the pan with the lentils.
4. Blitz the lentils to a puree in a food processor.
5. Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil until softened. Add the marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Stir into the lentil mixture with a tablespoon of truffle oil, if using.
6. Allow to cool and set for several hours.
7. Take a 6 oz ladle and line with cling film.

Nutrition

The high fibre and folate content in lentils has been shown to be very beneficial in heart health. It is also rich in magnesium which helps the walls of arteries and veins to relax which helps with blood flow. Lentils are rich in iron which is better absorbed with Vitamin-C, dark green  vegetables such as savoy, are a rich source of Vitamin-C.

Mushrooms have long been associated with fighting cancer in Asia. In Japan lentinan, found in Shiitake mushrooms, has been shown to inhibit tumour growth. Mushrooms are also a good source of polysacharides , which help boost the immune system. Chinese black mushrooms (wood ear) contain an anti-coagulant substance which thins the blood and helps prevent clots. The effect has been likened to that of aspirin.

Chef’s Note:

These are an excellent, nutritious and very elegant way to cater for vegetarians or vegans at a dinner party. The fact that they can be made ahead of time and frozen is an added bonus. You can also make a wonderful meat version of this dish by very slowly roasting lamb shoulder with garlic and rosemary until the meat is falling off the bone. Shred it up and mix with a little of the fat and juices and use in the same way as you would for the lentil filling. Again it is superb with parsnip puree.

All ingredients should be organic whenever possible!

Ingredients (8-10 Burgers):

• 1 cup dry lentils, well rinsed
• 2½ cups water
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup rolled oats, finely ground
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 cup bread crumbs (we recommend sprouted grain bread, stale, and torn into small pieces and ground in a food processer)

Method for Lentil Burger Recipe:

1. In a saucepan place lentils, water, and salt, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until water is nearly gone and lentils are soft, with splitting skins (about 45 minutes).
2. Sauté the onion, carrot, and bell pepper in oil until softer (about 3 minutes) then add garlic and continue for 30 seconds.
3. Mix the lentils, onions, carrots, pepper, turmeric, and soy sauce in large bowl.
4. Add the ground oats and bread crumbs, mix.
5. Form the lentil mixture into patties (should still be warm), which can now be frozen, refrigerated for a few days, or cooked immediately.

Cooking (2 choices):

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan at ,medium to medium-high heat and place a burger on top. Fry until brown (1-2 minutes). Repeat on other side and serve.
2. In an oven at 400º bake on a greased baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

All ingredients should be organic whenever possible!

Related Reading:

• Lentils
• Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium
• Five Super Protein-Rich Vegan Foods for Healthy Living
• Lentils and Wild Mushrooms In Savoy Leaves

A few years ago there was an outbreak of salmonella from tainted almonds. This outbreak led to new laws causing the pasteurization of almonds. OLM talked to Seth Leaf at Living Nutz about pasteurization. Seth, what can you tell us about the reason why almonds are now pasteurized? The FDA in conjunction with the Almond Board of California and the USDA passed a mandate declaring that all almonds in the United States must be pasteurized.  During the comment period, when citizens are invited to give their input before a decision is reached and a law is passed, there were only 18 responses, and those were just from people on the Almond Board. No one in the public knew about it. In September the new law was passed. During the salmonella outbreak, Trader Joe’s and some of the more commercially based health food stores had to pull a lot of product off their shelves. But the contamination was in the conventional almonds, not the organic almonds. There was a whole lot of misinformation given out. How can almonds get salmonella? Almonds cannot get salmonella naturally. The way these almonds became tainted with salmonella was due to processing—to what’s called stockpiling.  That’s when these giant commercial farmers who are growing tons of different kinds of produce, meat, and whatever will put big giant loads of almonds near chicken droppings or something. Almonds don’t get salmonella without that kind of really sloppy big business agriculture.

McDonalds had a salmonella outbreak where people died, where children actually died. The government didn’t do a thing, really. But a few people get sick from eating almonds and it’s a bigger deal to the government somehow. Maybe they feel that McDonalds was doing everything they could, I don’t know. But it’s sad really, and it doesn’t make sense. Why are they targeting Almonds and not McDonalds? It’s the politics behind this. There are a couple of different motivation factors. A lot of people think that big business is shutting out the smaller business and that may be true to a certain degree. But what’s really going on is what’s called the Codex Treaty. What is the Codex Treaty? The Codex Treaty is a ban passed in Europe which will put big pharmaceutical companies in control of supplements. Of course supplements will be watered down, weakened, and/or made in a lab and basically be ineffective. Big pharmaceuticals want people to remain sick. They want a massive chain of codependence. They want to get rid of the life force, the healing properties in our food. That’s really what the almond pasteurization is all about. Almonds were becoming the most famous nut. They were so good for you before they were pasteurized. Right now in Canada they are trying to pass a bill stating that 60% of all supplements are banned. They’ve already banned a lot of them there. People are trying to prevent it, but they aren’t too successfully so far. And it’s going to happen here too. More people are learning about the power of the right kinds of supplements and healthy food, and these companies will put a stop to it if they can. It’s not a question of if, but when. It’s going to happen here. These are big players. Pharmaceutical companies are bigger then oil companies. And they only care about the bottom line, and nothing else. What can we do? People need to wake up and learn what’s really going on. This is such a brainwashed nation, it’s just unreal. This stuff is going right now. Mainstream media is not going to tell the truth about this. They are in the pockets of big Pharm. We have got to wake up! Go to naturalnews.com for the best source of alternative, honest, knowledgeable and true information about what’s really going on. Check out The Health Ranger, Mike Adams. He goes after any information that disempowers us. He’s not worried about a lawsuit, maybe because he’s not selling anything. The way this country works is that if you are selling something, no matter how honest you are, you can get into trouble. But he is not selling anything so he just goes for it. No holds barred. They went after almonds first, but this is just the beginning. No other nuts or seeds must be pasteurized, yet. They don’t want live, living organic food. Even our organic food is losing its nutrition now that big business is involved. People think it’s great because now organic foods are so much more readily available, but with the continued weakening of organic standards and things like monocropping, the organic food we purchase from big business doesn’t have the same nutrition. It’s all demineralized. It’s really just more expensive and has fewer chemicals than the conventional counterparts. Plants thrive on minerals; everything does. Plants transmutate minerals from the soil into bio-available nutrition; they turn non-assimable minerals into nutrition we can assimilate. Nut in order for crops to be well mineralized and to have a lot of life force in them, you need crop rotation. You have to grow different crops in the same soil to replenish the minerals. Big agricultural companies are growing organic food in mineral depleted, bland, lifeless soil. Tell us about your products. We have 19 different flavors right now. We germinate all of our nuts for at least 12 hours.  Then we add the flavorings—all organic ingredients. When you germinate nuts and seeds, you release enzyme inhibitors. But if you were to eat nuts or seeds that have not been germinated and you chewed them up really well, with lots of your own saliva, you would also deactivate the enzyme inhibitors. But germinating is a process that essentially starts the nuts and seeds growing. We “wake up” the nut or seed in this manner, like Mother Nature does only we do it faster. They become living foods and the nutrients are easier to assimilate. Anything else you’d like to tell us? This pasteurization of almonds ruling really shook us up. It’s our biggest seller. We started a petition. We are asking you to sign the petition but don’t stop there, bombard these sources; the Almond board of California, the FDA, and the USDA with emails, or even better, letters. We need to empower ourselves and self educate. We can stop this stuff, but it will take a lot of people educating themselves and speaking out. We are loosing our rights. We need to wake up, and educate ourselves. On his deathbed, Louis Pasteur said he was wrong about pasteurization. He fought to promote it most of his life, but he realized later that when you kill all of the bacteria, the bad bacteria comes back and you’ve killed the life of the food. It is all making us so sick. Seth Leaf is co-founder and co-owner of Living Nutz. OLM endorses and recommends Living Nutz. They are delicious and nutritious snacks from a small company with the highest integrity. www.livingnutz.com

Studies – Letter From the Editor

Ask OLM

Vaccine Studies

Refusing a C-section – A Mother’s Right?

Michael Edwards, Chief Editor –  Was Accused of Child Molestation

Clinical Trials and Scientific Studies

 This Just In – Study Proves that 9  out of 10 Studies Mean Nothing!

Is Milk Good For You?

Is Chocolate Good For You?

Is Red Wine Good For You?

Is Coffee  Good  For You?

Monsanto Company Profile part III of IV

Spinach

Spinach and Chickpea Spanish Tortilla

Raw Spinach Basil Soup Recipe

Raw Cardamom Sugar Snap Peas Recipe

Raw Stuffed Shiitake Recipe

Eat Less, Live Longer

Overweight People May Live Longer

Natural Flu Prevention

I find it both humorous and sad when people cite studies that allow them to justify their toxic lifestyles. Do you really need a study to tell you smoking is bad for you? Back in the 1950s and 1960s we did. It seems silly now that people didn’t realize inhaling smoke is unhealthy. Now we need studies to tell us whether or not an obscene number of vaccinations containing mercury, aluminum, antifreeze, and/or other toxins are dangerous. Apparently, many people need studies to prove eating organic is healthier. Where’s their common sense? Food laced with poison versus food without poison. Which is healthier?

People love to quote studies that claim coffee is a strong antioxidant so they can justify their coffee habits. If I developed cocaine that had vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin C, would you snort a few lines to combat the common cold? I have studies that will show you how important those three nutrients are for fighting a virus, so, what’s the problem?

We’re out of touch and not at all in tune with our bodies. Diseases that are said to be genetic are on the rise, spiraling out of control, increasing much more rapidly than population growth, and yet we need studies to tell us what we can and can’t do. But when we read about a study that tells us to stop doing whatever we consider convenient or normal, we’re quick to find flaws in it and we do everything we can to debunk it. Meanwhile some major corporation secretly funds a bogus study, gets all the peer reviews it wants, and we then use that study to show why we don’t need to change our habits.

The problem with studies is that they too often look for one correlation. It’s not solely vaccinations that are causing autism. It’s not only cell phones that are causing cancer. It’s not just high fructose corn syrup that’s causing diabetes. You can’t point a finger at any one thing. It’s the whole package, the blatant disregard for common sense in the name of profit and convenience.

If you accept the fact that our lifestyles are leading us down a road of poor health and medications, then the next step is to do something about it. This is where most people can get pretty overwhelmed.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: eat 80% fresh raw fruits and vegetables (more veggies than fruit). That’s step one. That’s your foundation. See how much better you feel. Keep learning. Keep an open mind. You decide what’s step two. You don’t need a study to tell you that this is a good move.

Michael Edwards

Editor in Chief

Headaches

I’ve recently started getting headaches whenever I get stressed out. Yoga takes care of them, but when I’m at work, I can’t really do that. The headaches aren’t too serious; I can still get through my day, but they sure do slow me down. Any advice would be appreciated!

~Melissa

RYAN HARRISON: First off, good work in pinpointing the cause of your headaches! Now that you know that’s how your body responds to stress, you can take steps to counter that response. Chances are the headaches in question are caused by tension in the neck and shoulders, which is one of the most common physical expressions of stress. Here are several things you can try:

1. Take a few minutes whenever you start to feel stressed to stand up or sit back from your work space. Swing your head gently from side to side a few times (think of a pendulum). Then slowly roll your shoulders in a backward circle five times, then forward five times. Carefully bend your head to the right as if trying to touch your shoulder with your ear – without raising your shoulder in response – and hold it to the count of 10. Repeat this stretch to the left. Shrug your shoulders, holding the shrug for a few seconds, and release. (Of course, you probably do know some yoga stretches you can do for your neck and shoulders that wouldn’t look too strange in the workplace. Who knows, you just might start a trend with your colleagues and improve everyone’s health!)

2. Keep a bottle of stress-relieving supplements with you, and take the recommended dosage at the first hint of tension from stress. Kava kava, skullcap, and lavender can all relieve tension without the negative health effects of OTC painkillers and anti-inflammatories. But be prudent and careful – many relaxant herbs (including those above) can also cause drowsiness. Experiment with them at home over the weekend if you suspect they might make you sleepy enough to impair your work and/or driving.

3. If you have isolated the stress to a particular situation, person, or other specific cause, you can greatly reduce your emotional response to the stressor by utilizing an energy psychology technique such as MTT or EFT (Meridian Tapping Techniques and Emotional Freedom Techniques, respectively). Disarming the energetic signature of the stressor may completely alleviate your physical response, ending your headaches.

Enlarged Prostate

My boyfriend recently found out he has an enlarged prostate. He thinks it’s from too much sex. He and I have sex at least once and up to three times a day, and he also tends to masturbate once a day as well. Is this much sex bad for his health? Is it bad for a woman’s health?

~ Anonymous

RYAN HARRISON: Most people hold it as a self-evident truth that one cannot have too much sex. And, as far as the relationship between sex and a man’s potential for prostate enlargement is concerned, the jury is still out. I’d wager, however, that just as the prostate is a part of a man’s reproductive system, there may be a connection between overworking the gland and related health  complications. How much sex, or rather, how many ejaculate-producing orgasms (since these are not always synonymous!) is normal? Who’s to say? All the same, here is my two cents’ worth:

An enlarged prostate is also called “benign prostatic hyperplasia,” or BPH, for short. It’s a health complication that is very common in men as they age, and is directly connected to age-related hormonal changes and to the two growth periods that a man’s prostate goes through. During the second period – commencing around the age 25 – changes in the way the prostate tissue is growing can cause the telltale symptoms (which don’t typically emerge until the mid-40s): weak or interrupted stream while urinating, feeling an urgency to urinate that produces only a dribble, leakage, and more frequent urination (especially at night).

Assuming that your boyfriend is seeing a physician for this health complaint, I’d listen carefully to what the doctor has to say. BPH can signal some serious health concerns that you’d both certainly want to be aware of. Beyond this, there are some additional things worth trying.

First and foremost, try reducing the amount of ejaculate-producing orgasms that he has. You can do this incrementally in steps, if sexual activities have developed into
something akin to an addiction. Try going from sex and/or masturbation several times a day to once a day. Then go from once a day to once every other day. It might be one of the hardest suggestions to try (who really wants to experience fewer orgasms?), but give this a month or two and revisit the physician to see if the condition has changed at all.

Try a few supplements. Zinc is certainly the first on my list, because a good deal of zinc – which is an essential mineral for health (meaning you can actually die without it) – is excreted with each ejaculation. I have counseled other men in the past to take a zinc supplement if they are very sexually active – even if masturbation is the primary activity – and that certainly goes for your partner.

One study suggests that omega-3s fromevening primrose oil have resulted in significant improvement for many men with BPH. Get him to try 1-2 tsp. a day of evening primrose oil or other botanical omega-3 oil sources such as sunflower, linseed, or walnut oils.

And in Germany, the herbal extract saw palmetto is given out just as often as other medications for BPH. It has been shown to shrink enlarged prostates and clear up symptoms in at least a dozen studies. Find a good quality supplement and follow its dosage recommendations. Increase this herb’s efficacy by adding someorganic pumpkin seeds to your man’s diet, as well. Among other things, they’re an excellent source of zinc: 8 mg per half cup serving!

As for you and your health…is “too much sex” bad for you? That really depends on how your body handles the expenditure of energy, hormones, fluids, etc., and whether you are developing any symptoms. If you are experiencing any symptoms of ill health that you think may be related to the frequency of your sexual activity, try reducing the activity and see what happens.

Email your questions to questions [at] organicmail.net. Questions may be edited for clarity or length.