Some Knowledge

Here is a hilarious report on the effects of eating a diet rich in algae.  Scientists were interested in if they could supplement the diets of poor people with algae as a cheap source of nutrition and protein.  What they found is that algae is basically not edible for humans, or even for rats.  The report describes in detail what they did and what the results of this experiment were.

There are a lot of places selling algae supplements for outrageous prices.  AFA bluegreen algae flakes sell for $195 a pound.  The report above describes in detail the effects of eating 500 grams of algae a day.  It is not a pretty picture.  There are some things people just should not eat, and algae is one of them.

There are many creatures in the sea that live on a diet of algae.  These creatures are usually invertebrates.  Shrimp, as I recall, eat a lot of plankton and algae.  Some species of fish even filter algae out of the water.  In general, it is very tiny creatures that feed on this green soup.  Human beings might eat algae as a treat, sometimes, if they have nothing better.  In general, algae has a foul taste.  It upsets the gastrointestinal system because it is indigestible. I have tasted algae, as in kelp, and it is disgusting.  Nobody who wasn’t desperate would want to eat that stuff.

Of course, there are many kinds of algae in the world.  There is also genetic engineering, which works pretty good on one-celled organisms.  Perhaps, if scientists want to feed algae to people, they could create an edible strain.  They could put the gene that makes muscle tissue into the plant, so that it produces digestible meat proteins.  They could put the gene that makes gelatin in bones into the plant so that it produces a gelatin coat instead of a cellulose coat.  They could remove the gene that produces the bad taste.  Of course, they would have to leave the genes for photosynthesis.  With a lot of work they could get a plant that tastes like hamburger, and that would be digestible.  It may take a thousand years before people can do any of this.

Algae is not food.  It has been proven by experiment that people can not eat this stuff and survive.  The thing to do would be to grow algae and feed it to shrimps.  Poor people could then eat shrimp and be happy.  I think they might already do something like this with fish farming.  Then again, the whole ecosystem of the seas works on this principle.  All I can say is after reading the report of that experiment, I have no desire to try to eat algae.

Animal foods are part of the diet of most Americans.  In the world at large, there is an increasing use of meats and animal products.  What is the cost to the environment, the economy, and our health of eating a diet rich in animal products?

In the first place, it takes a lot of food to grow meat.  An animal will only add a percentage to its weight of the food it consumes.  For pigs, they have to consume approximately seven pounds of grain to gain one pound of body mass.  For chickens, this is slightly less, and for cattle it is more.  Ruminants like sheep and cattle can be raised on a diet of grass and hay, but they gain weight at a slower rate and take longer to come to market.  Still, this use of grazing land can offset the reliance on grain feeds that could be used for human food directly.

Aside from the increasing costs of grains for feed, there are other problems associated with raising many animals for food.  There are health problems associated with large concentrations of food animals.  Their waste products can pollute the soil and atmosphere.  High densities of animals feeding on a plot of ground can cause loss of valuable pasture.  There are many environmental problems caused by raising animals in too crowded conditions.

Then, there are the health effects of eating a lot of animal products.  Meat, milk, eggs, all are high in saturated fats.  Aside from fats, there are high concentrations of cholesterol in some products.  Doctors tell us we should limit our intake of saturated fats and cholesterol.  Meat and animal products are good sources of protein, but the associated fats can offset any benefits of added protein to our diet.

Plant foods are much more efficient at providing food for people.  Plants can provide carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fiber.  Plant foods have more vitamins and minerals than most meats.  The only vitamin missing from plant-based foods is vitamin B-12.  This can be supplied with supplements, or by brewer’s yeast.  Feeding grains and soy products to people directly is a much more efficient use of available nutrients than cycling them through the systems of an animal.

Many people object to eating meat because they view it as being cruel to animals.  You have to kill an animal in order to eat it.  Many high-density farms house animals in cramped and crowded conditions.  Farm animals often are fed large quantities of antibiotics and hormones to increase their productivity.  There is some question as to whether this is good for human health or not.

With the cost of food rising and the supplies dwindling, it might be time to re-evaluate our use of animal-based foods.  Some meat can certainly be grown on pasture land and provide food from a resource that can not be utilized by humans.  Rising grain prices may make meat un-economical in the future.  It would be better for the environment, for health, and for the people of the world if we did not rely so much on an inefficient and possibly cruel source of food.  As a protein source, meat is a good supplement, but as a main food it is lacking in balance.  Better utilization of crops could be effected by using plant sources of food for human nutrition.

I just now got around to dismembering Sunny Bunny the chocolate Easter rabbit.  It seems to have a different taste than a regular chocolate bar.  I know it tastes different then the chocolate eggs I bought.  I’m wondering:  Do they use a different formula of chocolate in the bunnies?

Of course I started with the ears.  The ears are the best part of the chocolate rabbit species.  This was a small rabbit, so it didn’t have much in the ear department.  They tasted good, so I continued and decapitated the little bunny and ate her head.  I swear, it tasted different than most other chocolate.  I think they put more wax in the rabbit chocolate so it molds better.  Maybe it’s just the way the chocolate is tempered before they mold it.   Maybe I’m mistaken and deceived by the cute cartoony form of the creature into thinking it tastes different.

Perhaps there are some readers who have performed a detailed chemical analysis of chocolate bunnies.  Perhaps it is a special strain of cacao that is used in the rabbits that gives them a distinctive flavor.  Maybe the candy companies use some adjunct flavoring to give their rabbits a special Easter taste.  I don’t know.  All I know is that chocolate rabbits taste different than normal chocolate.  I may need to do more research on this phenomenon.

Many people these days are allergic to wheat.  For some of these people, spelt is an alternative grain they can consume without allergic reactions.  Some people also might want to use spelt because it is an alternative to the highly-processed and possibly genetically-altered wheat that is available.  Whatever your reasons for using this grain, here is a good recipe for bread I have used many times and that produces a good loaf of bread.

Measure one cup of warm water.  Add one teaspoon of sugar and two level teaspoons or one packet of dry yeast.  Stir the yeast and sugar in the water with a spoon until the yeast dissolves and no lumps are present.

In a medium-sized bowl measure two and a half cups white spelt flour.  (Spelt flour is available at Whole Foods for about nine dollars for a five pound bag.)  To the flour add one or two tablespoons olive oil.  Pour the water and yeast into the bowl and mix all together well until a light dough forms.

Use kitchen spray oil like Pam to grease a bread pan.  If you are making pizza, spray a cookie sheet.  Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl with the spoon into the bread pan or onto the cookie sheet.  Spread the dough evenly in the bread pan with the spoon, or oil your hands and spread the dough over the cookie sheet.

Let the bread rise in the pan for twenty minutes.  That is all the time it takes if your yeast is active.  There is no need to knead this bread.  While the pizza crust is rising add sauce and toppings.

Cook bread at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on how thick you like the crust.  Cook pizza at 450 degrees F for fifteen minutes.  When bread is finished turn out on a rack to cool.  When pizza is done, slice and eat.

That is all there is to making decent spelt bread.  Your own product will be fresh and delicious, and will not cost you five or six dollars a loaf.  You can add Italian herbs to the pizza crust and bake it up with a bit of cheese for delicious foccacia bread.   You can form the dough into pretzels and add salt if you want pretzels.  This recipe also makes good bread sticks.