Ginger Ale

Home made Ginger Ale (aka Ginger Beer)

Ginger Bug

Equipment
- Quart mason jar
- Breathable lid (ie; clean coffee filter or cheese cloth, rubber band)
- wooden spoon

Ingredients
- 2 inches of fresh organic ginger root, grated (include peel)
- 2 tablespoons organic unbleached whole cane sugar
- 2 cups filtered (chlorine & chloramine free) room-temperature water


Add water to jar and stir in sugar until dissolved, then add ginger.

Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature in out of the way dark place.

Each day stir in additional 2 tsp of grated ginger and 2 tsp of sugar.  Can add a couple tablespoons of water as needed in case of evaporation.

You can tell if culture is active if there are bubbles forming around the top of the mixture after the second or third day.  

If mold forms or it doesn't appear active after 5 days then discard contents, sanitize equipment, and start again.   

As it ferments it will "fizz" when stirred and it take on a sweet and mildly yeasty smell.  It will also become somewhat cloudy and opaque.  Bug is ready to be used after 3-7 days when is "foamy" after stirring.   Warmer temperature and stirring the culture more often can speed up the process.

To use the bug, strain out 1/2 cup of the bug to use for wort.  Then add 1/2 cup water back to bug along with 2 tsp ginger and 2 tsp sugar and stir and will be ready for next wort within a day or two.


Ginger Wort

Equipment
- 2 Quart (half-gallon) mason jar
- Breathable lid (ie; clean coffee filter or cheese cloth, rubber band)
- wooden spoon

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons organic ginger root, grated
- 7 cups filtered (chlorine & chloramine free) room temperature water
- 1/2 cup organic rapadura (or other sugar with minerals intact or with added unsulphered molsasses)
- 1/2 cup strained ginger bug

Optional:
- 1/2 cup organic lemon or lime juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or himalayan salt

Combine 3 cups of water, grated ginger, sugar and salt in saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes until mixture is dissolved and smells like ginger.

Remove from heat and add rest of water.

Transfer to 1/2 gallon mason jar and allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Add lemon or lime juice and ginger bug.

Cover jar and allow to sit at room temperature out of direct light for 2-3 days until observe bubbling.  


Ginger Ale - Bottling

Equipment
- Bottles

Ingredients
- Ginger wort

Strain and transfer to bottles with air tight lids.

Set at room temperature for 12 to 36 hours until desired level of carbonation.

Store in refrigerator and is ready to drink.

Can be stored in refrigerator for up to a month.


Variations

- Bottling is best time to add any fruit, herbs, or juice such as a tsp of concentrated dark cherry juice to each bottle.

- Can steep an organic tea in the wort while boiling and cooling for added flavor and health benefits of tea.

- To make a juice fermented soda, then replace juice instead of water, sugar and ginger for the wort.

- Warmer temperature and any added juices or flavorings will give the culture additional food and can impact the rate and level of carbonation.  If juices are used, they may become alcoholic faster.



Additional things:

- Recipe described is for making 1/2 gallon batch.  For larger or smaller batches use this ratio: For each Quart of water in Wort will need 1/4 cup ginger bug, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbs grated ginger

- The lactobacillus bacteria is naturally present in the skin of ginger root, so be sure to include the skin when first starting the ginger bug.  The skin does not need to be included when feeding the bug or for the wort.

- No metal should come in contact with the bug or with the wort after the bug is added.

- Equipment should be sanitized prior to use by boiling or running in dishwasher. Recommend removing of soap residues by vinegar rinse.

- Ginger used to start the initial bug should be organic and as fresh as possible, only rinsed with clean chlorine-free water.

- Ginger used to feed the bug after it is started and used in the wort can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, but should be room temperature before added to bug.

- Fermentation of wort beyond 3-5 days (when bubbling subsides) will result in alcoholic ginger beer. 

- For the bottled fermentation can use a small plastic bottle for one of the bottles and be able to tell carbonation is complete when bottle no longer gives when gently squeezed.

- The bug starter is similar to the kombucha scoby and may work better with white sugar with less mineral content.  The wort is more like a kiefer fermentation and will work better with a sugar (and salt) that has more mineral content.  Can even add unsulphered molasses to increase mineral content.

- Will ferment faster in warmer environment, but should not get too hot (over 100 Fahrenheit) as to kill the bug or wort.  Keeping a thermometer next to your culture will help.

- If taking a break, can store bug in refrigerator and feed it 1 tbsp. of ginger and 1 tbsp. sugar once a week. To reactivate bring to room temperature and resume feeding it daily.

Benefits of Collagen Gelatine

Benefits

Skin Health: Gelatin has amazing skin healing properties because it is a rich source of dietary collagen, which is the key protein in the body made up of amino acids. Gelatin makes up 25% to 35% of the total protein content of human body. This protein content is vital for skin elasticity, and tone, plus the continuous renewal of skin cells. Gelatin makes up the connective tissues of the skin that are responsible for giving skin its strength and firmness.

Anti-aging: Collagen depletion usually starts when we are in our late 20’s. It becomes more important to add gelatin to your diet after age 30 to help fight aging. Skin creams that contain collagen are useless because the collagen is too large to be absorbed by the skin. Taking it internally in form of gelatin is a good source of dietary collagen and can do wonders for the skin. Research performed at The University of Michigan shows the effects that collagen depletion has on the aging process. The study showed that collagen producing cells are key for supporting youthful¬looking, resilient skin. This information reinforced the idea that anti-aging treatments should focus on reconstructing and refilling collagen from the inside.

Wrinkles: Proline found in gelatin is a very important amino acid that abundant in gelatin. It is recommended as a supplement by many skin experts to keep up a youthful appearance. Degradation and loss of collagen is the real cause of wrinkles. Research confirms that collagen found in gelatin helped to reduce visible signs of wrinkling and treatments. Gelatin can stimulate and enhance production of new and non-fragmented collagen, which offers significant improvement to the look and health of wrinkled skin. Taking collagen from inside in the form of gelatin helps make skin much less prone to wrinkles.

Teeth, Hair and Nails: Gelatin provides beneficial minerals that are lacking in the overly processed western diet. This super food supplies abundant calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which builds strong nails, teeth, and hair.

Stretch marks: Gelatin helps prevent stretch marks by improving the skin’s firmness, elasticity and functioning. It helps by boosting collagen production, which is the key to preventing stretch marks.

Cellulite: Cellulite is caused by a breakdown of collagen, which can be exacerbated by nutritional deficiencies. Many people take collagen supplements that cost a fortune. It is much easier and tastier to get collagen in a food form from bone broth and gelatin powder.

Liver Detox: Gelatin is rich in glycine, which can be considered a conditionally essential amino acid. The human body needs a great deal of glycine for detoxification from exposure to chemicals in our toxic environment. People without enough glycine will not produce enough glutathione, which is crucial for Phase II liver detoxification

Weight loss: Gelatinis full of protein, which makes people full and can help them eat less of lower quality foods. Also gelatin can help with liver detox which will boost fat burning ability.

Digestion: The amino acid glycine in gelatin can help increase hyrochloric acid in the stomach which is needed for digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Levels of these vital digestive juices are lowered by stress and aging. Lowered HCL can contribute to malnutrition including anemia (a reduction in red blood cell production). A well¬known researcher, Dr. Gotthoffer, studied gelatin’s role in digestion and he found that it increases the utilization and assimilation protein from muscle meats.

Leaky Gut: Russian researchers found that gelatin healed the gut linings of mice after they had chemically induced intestinal damage. Doctors in the 1920’s had good results using gelatin to nourish Celiac patients who were malnourished from gluten reactions.

Strong Bones: Bones are actually living structures that can be built up or broken down daily by our nutritional choices.Gelatin contains easy to digest calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals which helps build a healthy bone matrix.

Arthritis Support: Gelatin contains Chondroitin, which has long been used as supplement for helping people with arthritis pain and stiffness.Chondroitin found in gelatin supports joints, cartilage and tendons because it is basically the dissolved connective tissue of animals. It has been discovered that therapeutic doses of cartilage, found in animal bones, (which always contains copious amounts of proline and glycine) dramatically improve rheumatoid arthritis as well as other degenerative joint conditions.

High Metabolism: Glycine can be considered a semi¬essential amino acid and should be taken as a nutritional supplement to boost metabolism. Amino acids help people build and maintain muscle, which stokes a healthy metabolism. Glycine also helps regulate insulin sensitivity keeping people from storing abdominal fat.

Adrenals: When our bodies are under extreme stress they actually need more minerals and amino acids, which can be provided by gelatin. Dr. Cate Shanahan suggests that the nutritional matrix in bone broths and gelatin may actually help rejuvenate the renal organs (kidney, adrenals, bladder) which help us deal with stress and cortisol.

Hormone balance: Gelatin provides the amino acid glycine, which helps regulate insulin and prevent hypoglycemia. Also glycine helps the body to make glutathione, which is crucial for helping to remove excess estrogen. Excess estrogen comes from several sources such as toxic body care products, environmental pollution, diets high in processed foods and from using hormonal birth control methods. Estrogen dominance has been studied extensively as a risk factor for female cancers.

Wound repair: Glycine and arginine found in gelatin are abundant in the skin and connective tissue. The combination of these two amino acids have been studied by researchers at Rutgers and it was found that injured mice healed much faster when they had supplemental amounts of these two amino acids in their diet.

Allergies: Gelatin can alleviate allergic reactions and sensitivities because it helps seal inflamed and porous gut linings. Many experts believe that a permeable intestinal lining is a core issue in allergies because it is an immune barrier responsible for keeping out pathogens. Read my article on how to help allergies here.

Get more nutrition out of each bite: Broth with gelatin makes small portions of meat very filling, which saves money on groceries. Gelatin draws in digestive juices to help break down meaty protein more thoroughly. This effect has the added benefit of saving money because gelatin will stretch protein portions.

Muscle maintenance: People who are on bed rest lose a lot of muscle mass during an illness. When gelatin is added to their diets it has the benefit of preserving muscle mass while ill. It can also be very restorative for athletes that are over training because it contains many amino acids that speed recovery.

Lowers Inflammation: Because of low fat dogma many people get too much lean protein in their diet. This imbalance can be remedied by adding gelatin (and healthy fats) to meals. Lean protein in excess can be pro¬inflammatory but gelatin provides proline and glycine that balance out the tryptophan and Cysteine.

Not all gelatin is the same

Gelatin in the local supermarket is cheap and readily available, but the problem is that healthy food cannot come from unhealthy animals. When animals are raised in feed lots they stand around in their own waste eating food that makes them sick and overweight. Living in unnatural conditions makes them prone to infections so they are pumped full of antibiotics. Antibiotics can lead to weight gain and dysbiosis (imbalanced gut flora) in animals and humans. Also when cows eat grains, rather than grass, they are more prone to bad bacteria, which fosters a ripe environment for food borne illness such as E.coli contamination. Another issue is that conventional feed which most livestock eat are full of genetically modified grains that are new to the food supply and have never been proven safe. Cows and other ruminants are supposed to be pastured on grass, which will keep them lean and healthy without need for pharmaceutical intervention. Cows raised on pasture provide the side benefit of fertilizing the soil and reducing the carbon footprint. Grass fed and pastured animals are really a win-win for all because cows have a healthier and more humane life. When a cow is raised in the proper way it will provides more minerals, essential fatty acids and protein when consumed. When an animal is malnourished it will not be able to pass on the same amount of nutrition as one that is eating its natural diet.

Keep Your Blood Sugar Even

Eat small amounts throughout the day

The body does much better eating smaller amounts of food, more often throughout the day. It's easier on the intestines, the pancreas, and the digestive enzymes.

Depending on your caloric intake you could eat 4-6 meals, of 400-600 calories each.  Or, three meals with a snack in between and a snack before bed. The key is to eat at least every four hours.

Also increase your water. Being chronically dehydrated is hard on the blood, the carrier of not only the blood sugar but also insulin itself.

Lower Blood Sugar by Getting Rid of Belly Fat

Belly Fat, Stress, and Insulin Resistance

Belly fat increases heart disease and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that the blood sugar stays in the blood instead of getting into the tissue cells.

Additionally, belly fat can increase dramatically under acute and chronic high stress because of the hormone release of cortisol from the adrenals.

The recommended waist measurement for men is less than 40 inches and for women, less than 35 inches.

Chia Seeds for Lowering Blood Sugar

Chia Seeds are a super food when it comes to health benefits. Along with balancing your blood sugar, it will keep your blood sugar from spiking throughout the day. Chia is high in fiber, protein, boron and magnesium. It's also great for weight loss, your thyroid (which can affect your pancreas, if it's not healthy) and intestinal regularity.  Chia Seeds are odorless and have no taste so can be mixed in with most anything.

Two amazing plants to help you with blood sugar stabilizing

Two food/dietary supplements are stand out helpers in improving blood sugar levels.

Salacia: This aryuvedic herb from India helps normalize blood sugar and insulin levels, and supports healthy blood lipids. Salacia contains two potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that may help regulate carbohydrate-metabolic imbalances. Salacia will bring down glucose levels within 20 minutes after taking. It's best to use this super helper as needed versus every day.

Cinnamon: has been shown to lower fasting blood sugar levels and balance cholesterol levels. Cinnamon is recommended at amounts of 1 gram a day and if taken for 40 days will continue to promote benefits for an additional 20 days.

Lower Blood Sugar by Eating Low Glycemic Foods

First and foremost, limit carbs.  Keep carbs at around 60 or less for a meal and 15 or less for a snack.  AFTER limiting carbs, then make sure the carbs you do get are the best quality carbs available.  Choose whole grain and low glycemic index (GI) carbs.

The glycemic index is a numerical system of measuring how fast a carbohydrate triggers a rise in circulating blood sugar-the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. A low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. Below is just a small list of foods to give you an idea of low, medium and high GI. Stick to low and medium to keep your blood sugar down. 

For the most part, low GI tends to be low carb as well.  However, just because something is whole grain or low GI does not mean you can have more of it -- you still have to limit the total number of carbs first.

Less Than 50

• Artichoke <15
• Asparagus <15
• Avocado < 15
• Broccoli <15
• Cauliflower <15
• Celery <15
• Cucumber <15
• Eggplant <15
• Green beans <15
• Lettuce, all varieties <15
• Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened <15
• Peanuts <15
• Peppers, all varieties <15
• Snow peas <15
• Spinach <15

50 to 70

• Canned kidney beans 52
• Kiwifruit 52
• Orange juice, not from concentrate 52
• Banana 53
• Sweet potato 54
• Brown Rice 55
• Linguine 55
• Popcorn 55
• Sweet corn 55
• Muesli 56

Above 70

• Bagel 72
• Corn chips 72
• Watermelon 72
• Honey 73
• Mashed potatoes 73
• Bread stuffing mix 74
• Cheerios 74
• Cream of Wheat, instant 74
• Graham crackers 74
• Doughnuts 75
• French fries 76
• Frozen waffles 76
• Pretzels 81
• Rice cakes 82