Blueberry Bars

This recipe could be modified to use more standard ingredients, but as made, (trial one), it is gluten free, corn free, egg free, dairy free, and incorporates a number of healthy, nontypical ingredients, with some extra protein from almond meal.

Optional but healthy – fruit peel tea – could use boiling water instead.

Step one – make a batch of fruit peel tea – rough draft recipe/directions included towards the end of this document, before the reference section. (Foods & Phytonutrients that might benefit T-cells)

Dried fruit, soak in advance stage, takes the longest.

Add to one cup of the hot tea & let soak for about an hour, stirring occasionally – one cup dried blueberries, one cup almond meal.

Wet ingredients & the egg substitute

Add to one cup of the hot tea in a sauce pan & stir over low heat for a couple minutes – 3 tablespoons Gumbo File, 3 tablespoons Golden Flax meal; then add 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of Coconut oil, stir occasionally as the coconut oil melts and work it into the emulsified Gumbo File mixture; as it is mixed remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup of coconut sugar or cane sugar, 1-2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

*or you could use 6 tablespoons Golden Flax meal, or 6 tablespoons Gumbo File, however they each have health benefits & slightly different emulsifying power and flavor.

Combining the wet ingredients

Once the dried blueberries and almond meal have absorbed most of the hot liquid, add the emulsified sugar mixture and 3/4 cup applesauce or a milk equivalent would also work. Mix it all together thoroughly.

Dry ingredients – mix and wait to add until the dried fruit is thoroughly soaked and combined with emulsifier.

  • 2 cups Gluten Free Flour mix – corn free – or 2 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup Tapioca flour/starch (good source of resistant starch once cooked and chilled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda (Baking powder has corn starch so I don’t use it – and that is why there needs to be lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as an acid, to react with the Baking Soda)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt, rounded

In a large enough bowl, combine the dry and wet ingredients together and stir thoroughly.

Pour the batter, (it should be fairly wet, but not as runny as a pancake batter, more like a wet cookie dough or muffin batter) into an oiled cookie sheet or jelly roll pan – a large flat pan with sides. Bake in a preheated 350’F oven for about 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan and cut into bars. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Resistant starch content is increased once a cooked starch is chilled. It is then still present even if the bars are served at room temperature. For best texture eat within a week or freeze some of the remaining bars.

Made ~ 48 bars, two or three would be a reasonable serving.

Revised recipe if it were more standard ingredients:

Soak 1 cup dried Blueberries and 1 cup Almond Meal in 1 cup of boiling water for about an hour.

Wet ingredients

  • 3 Eggs, whisk/fork mix
  • 1-2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 1/3-1/2 cup Olive Oil, melted Coconut Oil or melted Butter
  • 1 cup Milk equivalent or Applesauce

Dry ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour or your choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt, rounded
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

Mix wet and dry ingredients together, spread into a cookie sheet with sides, or jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 350’F oven for approximately 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan, cut into 48 bars, store in air tight container in the refrigerator. It is a moist recipe compared to cookies and wouldn’t keep as long at room temperature. Use within about a week or freeze some to the extra.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

ACE2, Diarrhea, & COVID19 – it gets complicated.

The reason lung edema and diarrhea and other digestive symptoms (30) are potential symptoms of the novel coronavirus, (SARS-CoV2, also called COVID-19), and not infrequent as a way for the symptoms to start, (13); is because the virus is infecting cells by entering at ACE2 receptors. ACE2 receptors seem to have a role in cardiovascular health and they are more prevalent within the lungs and in the duodenum of the GI tract. ACE2 receptors also tend to be present in more quantity in men, in smokers, (people with excess weight will also have more, due to having more adipocyte/fat cells which also have ACE2 receptors, (32, 33)), and in people taking one of two different groups of medications.

It has also been confirmed…SARS-CoV-2 uses the same receptor, the angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2), as the SARS-CoV [11]”  “a 3D structural analysis indicated that the spike of SARS-CoV-2 has a higher binding affinity to ACE2 than SARS-CoV [23]

Xiaolu Tang, Changcheng Wu, Xiang Li, et al., On the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2. 29-Feb-2020. (academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwaa036/5775463)

The ACE Inhibitors (list) block an enzyme involved in the chemical pathway and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs, list) inhibit the ACE2 receptor in addition to inhibiting Angiotensin Receptors. Angiotensin is involved in the chemical pathway which gets complicated – watch the video: Coronavirus Pandemic Update 37: The ACE-2 Receptor – The Doorway to COVID-19 (ACE Inhibitors & ARBs). (1) (And for more information: an overview article on the ACE2/Angiotensin chemical pathway. (6))

Part of the complicated part is also the question of what to do about those medications while there is risk of infection – the consensus is, more information is needed. While having been on one of them may increase the risk of infection due to there being more ACE2 receptors than usual, stopping abruptly wouldn’t immediately get rid of the extra ACE2 receptors and the medications, particularly the ARBs which block the ACE2 receptors may have a protective effect once exposure to the virus occurs. (1)

As the viral infection advances in severity – more and more virus have been replicated and many cells are infected – the patient’s symptoms tend to become similar to genetic knockout mice bred to have zero ACE2 receptors. The mice don’t do well over time, developing cardiac problems and other symptoms similar to COVID19 patients with more severe cases. (1) If the viral load was very large than the patient’s ACE2 receptors might all have been filled with virus – making the patient phenotypically similar to a mouse with zero functional ACE2 receptors.

ACE2 enzyme is also present in the body in a free floating form, not just as a receptor embedded within cell membranes. A potential treatment possibility early in exposure would be to give the patient large amounts of the soluble ACE2, (7), – the free floating enzyme would attract virus to lodge into the enzyme but it would have no cell to enter and it is our cells, or another infected species cells in which virus are replicated. The viral design takes over our own gene replicating processes within the cell and set our own body to work making many many copies of the virus. When a cell is maxed out on replication of the virus the cell bursts and the many, many virus are free to circulate looking for more cells with ACE2 receptors to enter and set to more replication.

Symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing, a feeling that a breath isn’t really getting oxygen (because it isn’t, lung function is significantly reduced, requiring a ventilator or other breathing support). With more severe illness, all those infected cells that burst to release virus are dead and the area would have inflammatory damage from the cellular debris. Some patients who recover have been found to have continuing decreased lung function by ~ 20-30%, enough to leave them winded, short of breath, after minimal exercise such as walking. Reinfection also seems to be possible as the antibodies against the virus don’t seem to last very long. (4) Which suggests that pinning our hopes on a vaccine or herd immunity would be foolish.

Addition: As many of half of patients who tested positive for CoV-19, in nations that have been doing mass testing, have been found to have no symptoms or only very mild cough or fever, or even oddly, a loss of the sense of smell or taste – the virus may be affecting the olfactory bulb area of the nose and brain, which may be blocking nerve signals from the nose or mouth to the brain. (27) The brain has ACE2 receptors also, the significance of this symptom to long term health of the brain is unknown at this time. (29)

Of the patients testing positive two studies have shown an average of 17.9% had no symptoms and over half of people became infected in contact with some who had not developed symptoms yet. (28) This is why we need more testing to help stop spread of infection by people who don’t realize they are infected. In the meantime it would be cautious for everyone to practice Universal Precautions – avoid body fluids and respiratory droplets from everyone.

Diet tips that might help inflammatory GI symptoms.

Now, change of topic, what to do about diarrhea and other digestive symptoms? The digestive symptoms may include stomach pain/nausea, vomiting, and intestinal pain after eating, particularly after some types of foods. Inflammatory digestive conditions can be helped by eating foods that are similar to the layer of mucus that lines the intestines during normal health.

Foods that are mucilaginous – a little sticky and gooey – include:

  • the vegetable okra and the powdered sassafras leaves used in Creole gumbos known as Gumbo File.
  • Slippery Elm Powder is an ingredient in some herbal teas designed for use with a sore throat. Marshmallow Root Powder is very similar in healing benefits and a little less expensive than Slippery Elm Powder (and yes, marshmallows were originally made from Marshmallow Root Powder, now marshmallows are just another corn product).
  • Flax meal powder (21) when mixed with boiling water and stirred for two minutes will become mucilaginous and can be used as an egg replacer as it can act as an emulsifier. Gumbo File can also be mixed with boiling water and used in place of eggs as an emulsifier. It has a stronger flavor than flax meal powder but is a finer grind. Golden flax meal is slightly less gritty in texture than regular brown flax meal. Flax seeds are very tough and will not be digestible or chewable unless ground before use.
  • Egg replacer ratio that I use- 10 tablespoons water, bring to a boil and quickly remove before over-evaporating, stir into a bowl with pre-measured two tablespoons of Golden Flax Meal or Gumbo File. Stir for two minutes until thickened and the flax meal would turn the water from clear into an opaque creamy white color. Gumbo File is greenish and dark, and would be least noticeable in a chocolate brownie type of recipe.
  • Gelatin, bone broth, Jello (TM), are all mucilaginous from the collagen/gelatin from animal products. Agar is a vegetarian gelatin substitute made from seaweed and Irish Sea Moss can also be used to make gelatin like desserts. Tapioca starch can also be used to make a gelatin like dessert that is slightly more dense in texture than Jello (TM). The Gumbo File could be used to thicken fruit juice or fruit also for a gelatin dessert like effect but the flavor again might be more noticeable than if Agar, Tapioca Starch or traditional animal derived gelatin were used.
  • Psyllium Husk powder is a mucilaginous fiber sold as a fiber supplement and stool softener. (21) All of these mucilaginous foods could help with constipation by increasing moisture content of the bowel movement or help with diarrhea by helping absorb water content of the bowel movement as well as by reinforcing the mucus like lining of the intestinal tract.
  • chan (Hyptis suaveolens L.), chia (Salvia hispanica L.), or basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), all belonging to the Lamiaceae family, are applied to drinks or food with beneficial health effects. ” (21)
  • Aloe, cactus, Lotus Root, Chinese yams, See: Word of the Day: Mucilage.
  • Artichoke hearts/artichoke leaves are a better source of insoluble fiber (thedailymeal) which adds bulk to a bowel movement so it isn’t too watery and helps everything move along a little faster. A diet that has little fiber and more processed foods, refined grains, and meat and dairy products can take many days to pass through, increasing risk of cancer and constipation pain and hemorrhoids.
  • Jerusulem artichoke, carrot, turnip – (1850) These root vegetables would be a source of soluble fiber. Sweet potato and oat bran are also good sources of soluble fiber. (Mucilage/ScienceDirect) Black beans and other beans, nuts, seeds, broccoli, pears, nectarines, apricots, apples, guava, barley, figs, (Top 20 Foods Rich in Soluble Fiber)

Hydrolyzable tannins along with gelatin like foods can also be soothing during a diarrhea illness. (8) They help reduce inflammation by reducing the amount of the inflammatory chemical lipo-polysaccharides. (16) An excessive amount, an overly large serving of hydrolyzable tannins may increase irritation of mucus membranes so the rule holds: dose makes the poison, dose makes the cure. Hydrolyzable tannins are tannins that can bind with water and other molecules and form large complexes.

Condensed tannins don’t bind with water and are even more prevalent in leaves, making up as much as fifty percent of the tannin content within leaves of most plants. (12) Plants tend to make either condensed tannins or hydrolyzable tannins, but not both. The plant makes more in response to hotter sunny summer days, and in response to insect damage – the plant’s protection against cancerous effects of UV light, and a toxin if eaten in quantity by the insects. (17) See the Reference list for a longer list of plant sources of hydrolyzable tannins. (18)

Hydrolyzable tannins may help protect against cancer cells and other damaged or infected cells by promoting apoptosis (9) – the killing and engulfing of debris or a damaged cell by white blood cells. They have antiviral capability. (31) They also act as antioxidants and help reduce levels of oxidative chemicals. (19) Hydrolyzable tannins also act as COXII inhibitors (20) as do other antioxidants (last post).

Tannins are typically found in tea (tea leaves) and other tree leaves such as Sassafras leaves made into Gumbo File or Bay Leaves that are added to a soup broth at the beginning of cooking and removed before serving the food. Condensed tannins don’t bind with water and are even more prevalent in leaves, making up as much as fifty percent of the tannin content within leaves of most plants. (12)

Oak leaves are also a source of tannins, and are traditionally used to “tan” hides – with the tannin rich oak leaves. The initial soaking process with the tannin rich leaves prepares a deer skin so the hair can be scraped off the leather hide more easily – it still is a lot of work to tan a hide in the traditional way. Oak barrels are used in the aging of wine and liquors possibly because of the gradual addition of tannins to the aging alcohol product.

Walnuts also have hydrolyzable tannins and the binding of water and other nutrients is visibly noticeable when walnuts are cooked with sweet potatoes in a casserole – the dish can turn brown in color instead of the pretty orange color of sweet potatoes. It has not turned bad, it has hydrolyzed the tannins. The hydrolyzed tannins bind with other nutrients too and can slightly reduce nutrient availability for absorption out of the intestines , (15), – however if the goal is to heal inflamed and painful intestines than having more nutrients stay in the intestines may be part of the benefit – literally reforming the mucus lining of the GI tract that would be continually lost when severe watery diarrhea is an all day problem.

A larger quantity of tannins can also be obtained from pomegranate peel. The white inner part of the peel has slightly less than outer peel which makes it less bitter in flavor and less of a diuretic. Tannins have a diuretic effect and a larger serving of pomegranate peel products can have too much of a diuretic effect. I use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer reddish-purplish rind and then I separate the white membrane from the seeds and trim away any bad spots from the white membrane and remove any discolored or spoiled seeds.

The white membrane of the pomegranate peel can be minced and added raw to a salad or added to a soup. In foods that are acidic the color of the membrane and the dish you are preparing will become more reddish in color or might turn brownish if the tannins are hydrolyzing with other ingredients and the water content. In foods that are alkaline the color will turn brown. This is least noticeable in black bean soup, white beans will have a brown broth and greenish split pea soup looks odd (warning – foods are chemistry and this is kind of fun).

The red part of the peel can be used in tea or to make a liquid concentrate that is used in small amounts but it is too bitter to eat and the diuretic properties can be potent – have the extract or tea early in the day and drink plenty of water throughout the day to help it pass through before you hope to sleep through a night. Why would you bother then? Pomegranate peel has a long list of medicinal benefits potentially including cancer treatment or prevention. It is antimicrobial, anti-worm, etc, a long list, see this webpage for health benefits, preparation and menu ideas: G13: Pomegranate. A bean soup recipe using dry beans is the last recipe on page, G8: Cookies and Bean Soup.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

Reference List

  1. Roger Seheult, MD, Coronavirus Pandemic Update 37: The ACE-2 Receptor – The Doorway to COVID-19 (ACE Inhibitors & ARBs). March 16, 2020, MedCram.com, https://youtu.be/1vZDVbqRhyM
  2. ACE Inhibitors Drug Class Side Effects, List of Names, Uses, and Dosage, MedicineNet.com, https://www.medicinenet.com/ace_inhibitors/article.htm
  3. List of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, (ARBs), (Angiotensin II Inhibitors), drugs.com, https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/angiotensin-ii-inhibitors.html
  4. Menachery, V., Yount, B., Debbink, K. et al. A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence. Nat Med 21, 1508–1513 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3985 https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985
  5. The ASCO Post Staff, Pulmonary Pathology of Early COVID-19 Pneumonia Identified Retrospectively in Two Patients With Lung Cancer, ascopost.com, March 5, 2020 https://ascopost.com/news/march-2020/pulmonary-pathology-of-early-covid-19-pneumonia-identified-retrospectively-in-two-patients-with-lung-cancer/
  6. Carlos M. Ferrario, Jewell Jessup, Mark C. Chappell, et al., Effect of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers on Cardiac Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2. Circulation. 2005;111:2605–2610 https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.510461 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.510461
  7. COVID-19 Science Report: Therapeutics, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, March 12, 2020, https://sph.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-19-Science-Report-Therapeutics-13-Mar.pdf
  8. Frasca G, Cardile V, Puglia C, Bonina C, Bonina F. Gelatin tannate reduces the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide in human intestinal epithelial cells. Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. 2012 ;5:61-67. DOI: 10.2147/CEG.S28792. http://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3358810
  9. Hydrolysable tannins had cytotoxic effec on leukemia cells, caused apoptosis https://books.google.com/books?id=uRHwlkQVS2QC&pg=PA764&lpg=PA764&dq=Blastocystis+hominis+hydrolysable+tannins&source=bl&ots=CKm1JLwdhj&sig=ACfU3U11YQo6Plk3wjd-KsihXREUtNwjIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjNiaKL7PHnAhUDP6wKHcsBByIQ6AEwGHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=Blastocystis%20hominis%20hydrolysable%20tannins&f=false
  10. Punicalagin – an overview, ScienceDirect.com Punicalagin – ScienceDirect.com
  11. Neuroscience/Punicalagin, ScienceDirect.com www.sciencedirect.com › topics › neuroscience › punicalagin
  12. Tannin, Wikipedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin
  13. Study Suggests Digestive Symptoms May Be Associated with COVID-19. drugtopics.com, March 18, 2020, https://www.drugtopics.com/latest/study-suggests-digestive-symptoms-may-be-associated-covid-19
  14. Word of the Day: Mucilage, Nov. 2, 2011, FoodRepublic.com, https://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/11/02/word-of-the-day-mucilage/
  15. Anti-nutritional Effects of Condensed and Hydrolyzable Tannins, 1992, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-4615-3476-1_40 
  16. Frasca G, Cardile V, Puglia C, Bonina C, Bonina F. Gelatin tannate reduces the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide in human intestinal epithelial cells. Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. 2012 ;5:61-67. DOI: 10.2147/CEG.S28792.  http://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3358810
  17. Erick Paul Gutiérrez-Grijalva, Dulce Libna Ambriz-Pére, Nayely Leyva-López, Ramón Ignacio Castillo-López, José Basilio Heredia Review: dietary phenolic compounds, health benefits, and bioaccessibility. ALAN 66:2 2016 https://www.alanrevista.org/ediciones/2016/2/art-1/ *Hydrolyzable tannins “In the case of tannins, hydrolysable tannins are characterized by a restricted taxonomic distribution and are mainly associated with dicotyledonous plants; it has also been observed that most of the plants that can synthesize hydrolysable tannins are unable to synthesize condensed and vice versa (100).” Tannin production is increased with more UV radiation to the plant and in response to some insect damage. (Note to self, 5, in this doc)
  18. Susan G. Wynn, DVM, Barbara Fougere, Veterinary Herbal Medicine, Elsevier Health Sciences, Nov 29, 2006 https://books.google.com/books?id=iLbZDzumqt0C&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&dq=sassafras+leaves+hydrolyzable+tannins&source=bl&ots=qSTuWQ1XbN&sig=ACfU3U0cgrerOFCe7IFXq2xp49NPrgXKuQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC5u73rZ_nAhXBB80KHQEXAXUQ6AEwDXoECA4QAQ#v=onepage&q=sassafras%20leaves%20hydrolyzable%20tannins&f=false Sassafras leaves book page – Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Tormentil, (Potentilla tormentilla) , Blackberry, (Rubus fructosis), Cranesbill, (Geranium maculatum), Artichoke, Bayberry, Bilberry, Black cohosh, Blue Flag, Borage, Cascara, Cassia, Chamomile (German), Cinnamon, Clivers, Comfrey, Cornsilk, Elder, Ephedra, Eucalyptus, Eyebright, Feverfew, Gentian, Hawthorn, Hops, Horse chestnut, Juniper, Marshmallow, Meadowsweet, Nettle, Pilewort, Plantain, Poplar, Prickly Ash, Raspberry, Rhubarb, Sage, Sassafras, Saw palmetto, Skullcap, Slippery elm, St. John’s Wort, Tansy, Thyme, Uva ursi, Valerian, Vervain, Willow, Witch Hazel, Yarrow, Yellow Dock. book page
  19. Proanthocyanidins and hydrolysable tannins: occurrence, dietary intake and pharmacological effects. https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bph.13630Tannins exert several pharmacological effects, including antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity as well as antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-nutritional and cardio-protective properties. They also seem to exert beneficial effects on metabolic disorders and prevent the onset of several oxidative stress-related diseases.” “
  20. Hydrolyzable tannins as COX2 inhibitor, dif book page 
  21. José Manuel Cruz-Rubio, Renate Loeppert, Helmut Viernstein and Werner Praznik, Trends in the Use of Plant Non-Starch Polysaccharides within Food, Dietary Supplements, and Pharmaceuticals: Beneficial Effects on Regulation and Wellbeing of the Intestinal Tract. Sci. Pharm. 2018, 86(4), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/scipharm86040049 https://www.mdpi.com/2218-0532/86/4/49/htm
  22. H. Panda, Handbook on Drugs from Natural Sources, Asia Pacific Business Press Inc., Oct 1, 2010, https://books.google.com/books?id=2qRaAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT115&lpg=PT115&dq=sassafras+leaves+hydrolysable+tannins&source=bl&ots=uX153bFwL_&sig=ACfU3U3ZFst6bHi2I7YIePs1AUF8kA0Cag&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZi9TgxJ_nAhUUG80KHepcAXYQ6AEwF3oECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=sassafras%20leaves%20hydrolysable%20tannins&f=false
  23. Christian Kogler, Why You Should Be Eating Artichoke Hearts and 9 Ways to Cook With Them. Feb 18, 2016, thedailymeal.com, https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/why-you-should-be-eating-artichoke-hearts-and-9-ways-cook-them
  24. Mucilage, ScienceDirect.com, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/mucilage
  25. Keith Imray, A Popular Cyclopedia of Modern Domestic Medicine: Comprising Every Recent Improvement in Medical Knowledge, with a Plain Account of the Medicines in Common Use, Gates, Stedman, 1850 https://books.google.com/books?id=8-QrAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=artichoke+mucilaginous+food&source=bl&ots=F88wll8DOg&sig=ACfU3U31lUeCt3WobMiO6M8TmMULu-iyMQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjvwZCgzKnoAhVSS6wKHa5vBBAQ6AEwCnoECAwQAQ#v=onepage&q=artichoke%20mucilaginous%20food&f=false
  26. Fehr AR, Perlman S. Coronaviruses: an overview of their replication and pathogenesis. Methods Mol Biol. 2015;1282:1–23. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2438-7_1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369385/
  27. Ryan W Miller, There’s a new symptom of coronavirus, doctors say: Sudden loss of smell or taste. March 24, 2020, usatoday.com https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/24/coronavirus-symptoms-loss-smell-taste/2897385001/
  28. Bruce Y Lee, Study: 17.9% Of People With COVID-19 Coronavirus Had No Symptoms. March 18, 2020, Forbes.com https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/18/what-percentage-have-covid-19-coronavirus-but-do-not-know-it/#10bd1c187e90
  29. Abdul Mannan Baig, Areeba Khaleeq, Usman Ali, and Hira Syeda, Evidence of the COVID-19 Virus Targeting the CNS: Tissue Distribution, Host−Virus Interaction, and Proposed Neurotropic Mechanisms. ACS Chem. Neurosci. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122?ref=vi-chemistry_coronavirus_research
  30. Lei Pan, Mi Mu, Pengcheng Yang, et al., Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with digestive symptoms in Hubei, China: a descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Preprint. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/Documents/COVID_Digestive_Symptoms_AJG_Preproof.pdf?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=in-text-link
  31. Pietro Buzzini, Panagiotis Arapitsas, Marta Goretti, et al., Antimicrobial and Antiviral Activity of Hydrolysable Tannins. Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 8(12):1179-87 · December 2008 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23319589_Antimicrobial_and_Antiviral_Activity_of_Hydrolysable_Tannins
  32. Jia, X.; Yin, C.; Lu, S.; Chen, Y.; Liu, Q.; Bai, J.; Lu, Y. Two Things about COVID-19 Might Need Attention. Preprints 2020, 2020020315 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202002.0315.v1). https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202002.0315/v1
  33. Sanjum S. Sethi MD, MPH@sanjum· Thread with observations about obesity and renal deaths due to COVID19, https://twitter.com/sanjum/status/1249374582110408712?s=20

Cookies are great but so are crackers

 

Poma Bread – not quite a cracker, a little like Pita Bread. This is the last few of try number two at making crackers.

 The Gumbo File works so well as an emulsifier in the Molasses or Chocolate Cookies that it likely would help hold a crumbly cracker together too. If and when I set up my kitchen again here is a draft version of the cookie recipe as a potential cracker recipe – the exact amount of water/soup stock that would be needed would need to be determined by the texture of the dough.

Crackers are rolled out and cut into shape or pressed very thin before being baked. Some leavening with baking soda is traditional in the popular white flour square “Soda” crackers that are served with soups or topped with sliced cheese or other toppings. The gluten protein found in wheat flour and a few other flours forms a fibrous fabric like structure in a kneaded bread dough or cracker dough. Gluten free baking requires some other type of fiber to help form the fabric like structure that traps bubbles of air from the baking soda leavening long enough to be baked into an airy crisp texture. Whether or not Gumbo File could help serve the purpose would be an experiment. Gluten free crackers tend to be crisp and flat with only some airiness depending on the type of ingredients used.

Try number two is the same basic recipe as follows except I didn’t use any coconut oil or extra water. For liquid and added oil content I used a 13.5 ounce can of Organic Coconut Milk – full fat version, creamy instead of watery, 14 grams fat/2 grams carbohydrate per 1/3 cup. Try number two was baked in an oven set at 375’F for 20-30 minutes, Switch pans from top to bottom rack at 20 minutes bake time. Let cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator – they have a taste and texture similar to Pita Bread except are more the size and shape of crackers. Gluten free baked goods tend to fall apart more easily than gluten products and don’t hold air from leavening as well. When I try the recipe again I will go with the shorter bake time rather than attempting to get a crisp dry cracker – the recipe is not producing that quality but does make a moist square flat bread that is good with hummus bean dip or peanut butter type spreads.

Basic Cracker recipe draft

*Try number one worked basically. I had less coconut flour on hand and made up the difference with more of the other flours to equal a similar amount and I added about 3/4-1 cup of coconut oil and 1 1/2 cups water to make a cookie like dough. Making a single batch with half the ingredients would be easier to shape. I pressed rounds of dough flat in extra almond meal and they puffed slightly but remained moist inside with a skillet cooking. A longer slower baking might make them more cracker like instead of like a moist flat bread. Extra water in the dough to make a thinner batter would likely work for pancakes.

– the use of cardamom is somewhat of a pepper replacement and whether I used it or some other savory seasonings could be modified for a variety of cracker flavors if the basic recipe worked.

Dry ingredients, stir together in a large bowl:

  • 1 1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Coconut Flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Almond Meal
  • 1 cup Tapioca Flour/Starch
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Emulsifier step- gently heat Pomegranate Extract or Juice to a simmer in a saucepan then remove from heat and stir in the Gumbo File Powder.

  • 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Extract or Vegetarian Soup Stock or Water (If Pomegranate Extract is not used then add 4 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice later – when the rest of the liquid is added. Baking Soda requires an acidic ingredient in the recipe which Pomegranate Extract provides.)
  • 6 Tablespoons Gumbo File Powder

Wet ingredients – in a another large bowl combine the thickened warm emulsifier liquid with the Brown Sugar and then stir in half of the remaining juice. Reserve part of the juice to add to the dry ingredients after first mixing in the emulsifier/sugar mixture. (This method is more like making a cake than a cookie, you combine small amounts of the liquid at a time for a smooth cake batter that is not over-stirred. In a kneaded bread dough or traditional Soda Cracker recipe the goal is to fold the dough repeatedly in somewhat regular motions and directions in order to ‘weave the fabric’ of the gluten structure. In gluten free baking without gluten the fiber network is not as regular and gentle handling and folding might support some leavening air bubbles but the traditional kneaded structure is not really possible. The goal with cake batter is to gently support a more delicate sponge like texture for air bubbles without a tough fabric dough formation.)

  • 2 1/2 cups Vegetarian Soup Stock or Water
  • (4 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice if Pomegranate Extract is not used)

The dough should be moist and able to be rolled or spooned into a sticky round shape that doesn’t crumble – a soft playdough-like consistency.

Sprinkle a counter top with some brown rice flour and roll the dough into a thin 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick sheet and cut into squares – or roll spoonfuls of dough into rounds and then flatten on a surface that is sprinkled with brown rice flour or sprayed with oil using a flat glass or plate. Place the crackers on a baking sheet that is covered with oil or sprinkled with brown rice flour. Brush the surface of the crackers with a lightly salted water mixture. Bake at 400’F for about 20 minutes, rotating the pans at a half way point, or until crispy.

Disclosure: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance. Please seek an individual health care professional for the purpose of individualized health care guidance.

 

Cheerful Chocolate Cookies

Having chocolate cookies is likely going to be more cheerful than not having chocolate cookies, however these cookies may contain an extra helping of cheerfulness. I made another batch of the Gumbo File/Choctaw Spice/Sassafras Leaf powder Spicy Molasses Cookies https://transcendingsquare.com/2018/03/29/spicy-molasses-cookies-revisited/ with cocoa powder as the main flavoring in place of the Blackstrap Molasses. This time however I wrote out a recipe based on the latest experiment and my latest version of Chocolate Cookies. The calculations revealed that inadvertantly in doubling the batch I had forgotten to double the Baking Soda which is the actual leavening- agent in the recipe, as well as not doubling the emulsifier- the egg replacer, which was the Gumbo File Powder in the experiment and Golden Flaxmeal in my typical egg free versions.

For allergy or digestive intolerant patients it can be nice to have a few substitutions available in case they can’t have one they might still be able to have a different one. The Gumbo File seems to be a more potent emulsifier than the Golden Flaxmeal. The recipe worked with double the amount but still didn’t rise much even with the correct amount of leavening-. The lack of oil or butter and substitution of liquid instead makes the cookies more Brownie or Fudge like, very moist and dense- Energy Bites.

The pomegranate extract and pomegranate juice are likely giving the cookies their increased helping of cheerfulness mood boosting power, beyond the normal yum, it’s chocolate effects. If you want to try the recipe and don’t have Pomegranate Extract on hand then just substitute Pomegranate Juice; 100 percent, unsweetened organic, is what I used and it isn’t low cost – $12/32 ounces. The recipe as I made it this time used 2 1/2 cups juice – 20 ounces, and 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Extract – 12 ounces; so the double batch, 92 cookies contain 32 ounces of juice/pomegranate peel extract. *Sweetened pomegranate juice would be fine to use, this is a reduced sugar recipe compared to typical cookie recipes. Cherry juice would probably also taste good in this recipe and also has medicinal/functional food benefits. 100 percent juice also means no water is added which could make a tart cherry juice too strong, I typically dilute 100 percent tart cherry juice with some water when I drink it as a beverage, and sometimes the 100percent pomegranate juice but it isn’t quite as tart as the cherry, consider either as somewhat of a concentated juice compared to the milder blends that are available which frequently are based on apple. white grape, or pear juice. Pure fructose can be more difficult for people with digestive sensitivities than a blend of fructose and glucose/table sugar, as the fructose can promote more gassiness occasionally. Smaller portions also can help, a fruit or fruit juice serving is typically four to six ounces and yet bottles sold as individual portions are frequently twelve to twenty ounces-recap it and save some for later.

The Baking Cocoa I used is the  “Dutched” type that is pre-treated with an alkali, similar to the Native American method of treating corn with alkali wood ash (Nixtamil flour) which increases the B vitamin content and helps protect against deficiency of Niacin and pellagra, Niacin deficiency. The process also may help preserve B1, Thiamin content and B2, Riboflavin content (Thiamin content of three sources of corn and arepas…. )(Beriberi- is caused by thiamin/thiamine – B1 deficiency,, the processing of brown rice into a polished low fiber white rice led to large numbers of people developing BeriBeri in early history of Asian food processing.  Thiamin). The “Dutched” cocoa powder is smoother in flavor and a little darker in color then cocoa powder that is not pte-treated with alkali. I don’t know if the B vitamin content is modified in the same way as with Nixtamil  corn flour — but somehow the combination of ingredients made a very dark chocolate cookie:

Cheerful Chocolate Cookies, baked and raw dough – no they are not overbaked.

The raw Cheerful Chocolate Cookie dough.

The baked Cheerful Chocolate Cookies are not overbaked but you have to flip one over in the oven to check the crust in order to tell if is is close to being baked enough – is it crisp with some increased darkness of color.

Dry ingredients, stir together in a large bowl:

  • 1 1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
  • 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder (Regular or “Dutched” would work similarly)
  • 2 cups Coconut Flour
  • 1 cup Almond Meal
  • 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour/Starch
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Emulsifier step- gently heat Pomegranate Extract or Juice to a simmer in a saucepan then remove from heat and stir in the Gumbo File Powder.

  • 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Extract
  • 6 Tablespoons Gumbo File Powder

Wet ingredients – in a another large bowl combine the thickened warm emulsifier liquid with the Brown Sugar and then stir in half of the remaining juice. Reserve part of the juice to add to the dry ingredients after first mixing in the emulsifier/sugar mixture. (This method is more like making a cake than a cookie, you combine small amounts of the liquid at a time for a smooth cake batter that is not over-stirred.)

  • 2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice, (100 percent, unsweetened organic is what I used – with the goal of a functional/healing food in mind)

The dough should be moist and able to be rolled or spoonef into a sticky round shape that doesn’t crumble – a soft playdough-like consistency.

The Baking time is longer than for a cookie dough made with butter or coconut oil – 20-25 minutes for those became 30-35 minutes for these Brownie or Fudge like Energy Bites. I bake two pans of 24 cookies at a time and rotate the pans from top shelf to bottom shelf and turned around front to back at 20 minutes to get a more even baking. These low fat juice containing cookies then take an additional 10-15 minutes. My typical coconut oil/ butter cookies are rotated at 15 minutes and then left for another 10-15 minutes. If baking only one tray use the top shelf and rotating the pan is less important as the oven heat is directed at the top and bottom of the pan more evenly.

Most of the ingredients in this recipe may be providing beneficial phytonutrients that might help promote our own production of NRF2 which then helps promote our own anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer abilities. Health may never have tasted so good – enjoy!

Disclosure: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian it is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance. Please seek an individual health care professional for the purpose of individualized health care guidance.