{"id":19856,"date":"2013-12-12T21:51:51","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T21:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?p=315208"},"modified":"2013-12-12T21:51:51","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T21:51:51","slug":"8-tricks-your-ancestors-knew-about-preparing-healthy-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leedpoints.com\/green-building-blog\/8-tricks-your-ancestors-knew-about-preparing-healthy-food\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Tricks Your Ancestors Knew About Preparing Healthy Food"},"content":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Traditional food preparation techniques do more than just preserve food. They remove natural toxins and increase nutrients, as well as the body’s ability to fully use them.<\/p>\n

Here’s a list of time-honored food preparation and preservation techniques, some of which you can try at home:<\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_315211\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]\"Photo<\/a> Arugula sprouts. Photo credit: Shutterstock<\/a>[\/caption]\n

1. Fermenting—<\/b>Acetic acid, lactic acid, and alcohol act as natural preservatives. Improves digestibility because microbes have predigested. Can create new nutrients, especially B vitamins. Adds helpful bacteria.<\/p>\n

2. Soaking—<\/b>Improves digestibility. Reduces phytic acid, allowing absorption of more minerals, such as iron and calcium. Soaking grains breaks down phytic acid, a substance that prevents the absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Also, as grains soak, vitamin content increases, especially B vitamins.<\/p>\n

3. Sprouting—<\/b>Deactivates enzyme inhibitors, making the sprouted seed more digestible.<\/b><\/p>\n

4. Nixtamalization—<\/b>Soaking corn with lime (calcium hydroxide) or wood ashes (potassium hydroxide) increases digestibility and bioavailability of niacin, protein, and calcium. Decreases phytic acid and harmful mycotoxins.
<\/b><\/p>\n

5. Pounding—<\/b>Removes the bran or hull of a seed or grain, which contain most of the antinutrients. Increases digestibility.<\/p>\n

6. Drying—<\/b>Removes moisture, slowing bacterial growth. <\/p>\n

7. Salt curing—<\/b>Draws water out of cells, killing microorganisms and preventing spoilage. Salt denatures meat proteins and produces glutamate, which enhances flavor.<\/p>\n

8. Smoking—<\/b>Dries meat and adds phenolic compounds that bind to the surface of the food and act as antioxidants, preventing rancidity.<\/p>\n

Visit EcoWatch’s <\/strong>FOOD<\/strong><\/a> page for more related news on this topic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/newsletter-signup\/\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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