Well, hopefully you’ve been able to implement a few of the changes I mentioned in part 1 of “Tips for healthier baking”. Just like with everything, take it one step at a time, make changes slowly and over time you will be amazed at how far you’ve come.
Today I’ll cover a few more categories of simple changes you can make to prepare more wholesome baked goods.
Dairy – This is a topic I will cover in greater detail in a future post, but for now I will say that dairy is NOT our best friend like the Dairy Industry would like for us to believe. Especially pasteurized, homogenized cow’s milk – it is extremely hard on our bodies and is highly mucus-producing, leading to problems like ear infections, coughs, respiratory infections, acne and eczema. It is best to avoid it entirely. There are fantastic substitutes out there. Our family’s favorite is almond milk, but rice milk and coconut milk are also great choices. Soy milk should also be avoided because of the high estrogen content (again, a subject for a future post!). It may be hard to switch your family cold turkey to a different type of “milk”, but if you start out by doing 1/2 cow’s milk and 1/2 milk substitute and increase the amount of milk substitute over time, your family will adjust. If you are one of the lucky ones that has access to RAW cow’s milk or goat’s milk, by all means drink up! In your baking, you can simply substitute any kind of “milk” for cow’s milk.
Oils/fats – Similar to the bleached, enriched all purpose flour, that nasty can of Crisco/shortening needs to be tossed out! It is full of hydrogenated oils that are very bad for our bodies. When your recipe calls for “shortening”, you can almost always substitute softened butter (organic butter, please!). Or, coconut oil is a also good substitute (this is best to use in its “refined” state so that what you’re baking doesn’t end up tasting like coconut. Also, during the summer months coconut oil turns into a liquid, so isn’t as good of a substitute. You could keep it in the fridge and let it sit out a bit before using it to bake so it is in a semi-solid state). There is also an organic shortening made by Spectrum Naturals that is a much better alternative to Crisco. It is made of non-hydrogenated palm oil. This can often be found at a Natural Foods store.
Do you often wonder what kind of oil is best to use? In general, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) is the best oil to use when it’s NOT BEING HEATED. If you need an oil to make a salad dressing with for example, then EVOO is your best choice. But, EVOO is extremely sensitive to heat and loses its health benefits when baked or cooked with. Canola, soy, corn and safflower oil should NEVER be used, they are the worst oils to cook/bake with because of the trans-fatty acids introduced during the hydrogenation process, which result in increased dangers of chronic diseases such as breast cancer and heart disease. The best, all around oil to use (and this can be used heated or unheated) is virgin organic coconut oil. I will be honest, I have tried cooking with virgin coconut oil and the coconut taste was just too strong. Whatever I was making tasted like coconut. So, unfortunately, I’ve had to settle for refined organic coconut oil. You might be one that doesn’t mind the hint of coconut in what you’re cooking/baking. Give it a try and if you can’t stand it, use it on your skin instead. Virgin coconut oil is extremely nourishing for the skin.
Butter vs. margarine – There is very little about margarine that is “natural” and is yet another thing that is best thrown in the trash. It is full of trans-fats, free radicals, synthetic vitamins, bleach, artificial flavors and lots more yucky stuff. Butter from grass-fed cows, on the other hand, is full of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids – lots of good stuff to nourish our bodies. Want more information on the differences between the two? Check out this article.
Baking powder – Most baking powder sold in stores contains aluminum – a heavy metal that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer, among other things. Make sure to look for Aluminum-free baking powder. Most larger grocery stores should carry it.
Salt – Ordinary table salt undergoes a great deal of processing between the factory and your grocer. It is approximately 97.5 percent sodium chloride and 2.5 percent chemicals such as iodine and moisture absorbents, dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. This high heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt. What remains after ordinary table salt is “chemically cleaned” is sodium chloride, an unnatural chemical form of salt that your body recognizes as something completely foreign.
By contrast, unrefined salt is 84 percent sodium chloride and 16 percent other naturally occurring minerals, including many trace minerals like silicon, phosphorous and vanadium. Unrefined natural salt is critical to many biological processes, including carrying nutrients into and out of your cells and helping your brain send communication signals to your muscles. Salt is absolutely necessary for your body, but make sure you are buying it in its natural state. Look for sea salt or Himalayan Salt instead of table salt.
Feel free to send me a comment if there is a baking ingredient I missed that you are wondering about.
Happy (healthy) baking!
