Traditional foods
Food as medicine column with Lynda McFarland
“ Let food by thy medicine and thy medicine by thy food", Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, 400BC.
Eating has become complicated! We have never had more choice but there has also never been more intolerances and allergies. The processing and genetic modification of food is often linked with this. If someone comes to see me for nutritional advice and they are totally confused about what to eat, I often try to simplify it for them by asking them to try eating like their grandparents (in my case) or great-grandparents (if younger!) did. Unprocessed, natural and chemical free food. In today's society this is mostly known as organic food but in our grandparents day it was just "food" before all the pesticides, herbicides etc came along.
Processed food became popular and more mainstream during and after the second world war when fresh food was harder to come by. Processed foods are foods that have been altered in some way usually to add flavour or extend their shelf life and whereas certain preservation methods such as fermentation and freezing can be viewed as processing and are beneficial, most processed foods are hard to digest, made with poor quality ingredients and have little nutritional value. Even today's milk is heavily processed. My mum often mentions how her father would milk the cows and give a bowl to the cats but these days we are told not to give milk to cats because they can't digest the lactose. That is because lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, is destroyed when milk is pasteurised and homogenised. So, if cats can't digest it, what about us? This makes me wonder about all the people who tell me they have a milk or lactose allergy or intolerance. Raw milk still contains lactase as it has not been processed and is gaining huge popularity, again something our ancestors consumed, and indeed received great nourishment from, with no difficulty.
Pasteurisation came along when farming became more intensive as the risk of contamination increased, so if choosing raw milk just ensure you get it from a good, trusted source.
Other traditional, unprocessed, highly nourishing foods that our grandparents thrived on would have included eggs, butter, live yoghurt and cream, pasture raised meat, offal and bone broth, fish and seafood, properly prepared grains, sea-salt and seaweeds, fermented foods, home grown vegetables and seasonal berries, herbs, ripe fruit and honey. All foods that are what they are, and don't come with a list of complicated ingredients.
A Super-Nourishing Smoothie:
1 cup organic raw milk or milk kefir*
1 piece very ripe fruit or handful berries
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon raw, local honey
Blend until smooth and enjoy!
Great for anyone who is very active or recovering from an illness.
*The Food Safety Authority of Ireland advises consumers not to drink raw milk given the potential risks involved.
Chicken Broth:
Carcass of a high quality roast chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 leeks
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (helps release minerals)
Water, to cover
Place everything in a slow cooker or stock pot and simmer until it is a nice rich stock, I use a 5 litre slow cooker and leave it on low for about 24 hours.
It is pure medicine and gives lots of flavour to stews, casseroles, soups or you can use it as a hot drink or to cook rice or pasta. Season well when using and add in some nice herbs. Great for the immune system, the skin, and the joints. I had someone come to see me once with bad arthritis and she felt bone broth worked wonders for her!
Lynda McFarland is a local nutritional therapist, cheft and co-owner of Lowe. & Co Organic Grocery on O'Connell Street, Athlone along with her partner Eddie Lowe. Lowe & Co. opened in 2016 to provide nourishing chemical free food that Lynda's nutrition clients were finding it difficult to source locally, such as sourdough breads and other fermented foods, organic vegetables, meat and dairy. Lynda manages the shop and Eddie manages their small-holding where they grow vegetables and keep chickens and pigs, and hopefully this year, bees for honey. Lowe & Co. is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm.