by ElizabethAdams » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:38 pm Re: Nixtamal
Hello, Jeff...
As to "minimally processed starches," may I get your take on nixtamal,
the field corn that's been soaked overnight in lime (calcium hydroxide),
cooked the next morning, rinsed, ground on a granite metate and made
into tortillas for the past 10,000 years in certain parts of Mexico where
the pork that the Spaniards brought with them never penetrated?
I don't have a granite metate, but I do have a Breville food processor and
a connection to a chef who's doing what I want to do, which is make my own
tortillas from scratch. He tells me that the nixtamal (ground corn) made in a
food processor is too "wet" for making into tortillas, but that this can be
corrected by the addition of a small amount of masa harina (commercially
ground corn that's been soaked in lime).
This seems like the perfect solution to me, and I confess I'm looking forward
to trying his recipes for plant-based fillings because they've earned a reputation
for being full of flavor.
I've been following Dr. McDougall's program since I was first introduced to him
through the "Forks Over Knives" documentary over two years ago on my birthday,
September 25th, 2017, and I'm getting close to my goal. I've not had any wheat-flour
products like breads or muffins (#7 on your list), but I've started to experiment with
tortillas I make at home from masa harina I buy at the store, stir in some warm water,
shape into balls, press into tortillas, cook on a hot griddle and fill with freshly prepared
beans and vegetables. I really enjoy "tacos" made this way and, since they don't seem to
trigger overeating like baked goods made with wheat flour, I'd like your opinion as to
whether or to what extent corn tortillas made from scratch like I've described
will interfere with progress on this, the last leg of my weight-loss journey.
The way I have it figured, I cook up a big pot of beans every 3rd day, anyway,
so it wouldn't be a big deal to also cook up a big pot of field corn and just scoop
out what we need for each meal, whiz it up into nixtamal in the Breville, shape it
into balls, press the balls into tortillas, cook the tortillas to perfection on my griddle,
and top with various veggies...
...including my to-die-for salsa!
Mexico is experiencing the same obesity epidemic that we here in the United States
are experiencing. The Spaniards who brought pork--and port fat--to the western
and northern parts of Mexico have a lot to answer for.
And yet...
...well, there are still parts of Mexico where people prepare their food in the traditional way
I summarized above, and those people are as healthy and hardworking into old age as the
older generations of Japanese that Dr. McDougall found in Hawaii.
Plus...
...it turns out that I really prefer the taste of the beans/corn combination to that of beans/rice...
...and a freshly made corn tortilla piled high with beans and veggies and salsa and cilantro...
...is downright orgasmic!
One of the things I really appreciate about Dr. McDougall's program is how exquisitely delicious
all the food is. I never expected to actually enjoy the journey back to my ideal weight, but
that's what's happened. I think his wife Mary deserves the Nobel Prize for introducing
such good eating to so many people who are so starved for nutritious food.
To sum up...
1) Should I hold off on homemade nixtamal for now, or
2) Can I begin using it with my beans in lieu of rice?
warmest regards...
Elizabeth
Have been a bit embarrassed about posting since I fell off-track. My biggest issue was with allowing higher calorie density foods - including flour products and high-fat vegan options into regular diet. Also, I went from packing my own lunch everyday for work to going out or frequenting the cafeteria.
