DIY Carbs 🍞

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One of things I’m most interested in this coming autumn is cooking my own food with carbohydrates. When I started down my path to eating healthy, I quit virtually all bread and rolls, wraps and biscuits mostly because it was hard to get them without added sugar, excessive salt and fats, and whole grains. My carbohydrate of choice became brown rice, if only because it was easy to make and control my intake of unhealthy food.

I used to think it was hard and very time consuming to make one’s own bread, requiring hours of hard labor, complicated ingredient lists and equipment I don’t own and don’t want to purchase lest I clutter my life up more. But fundamentally at a reductionist perspective, most bread and bread products are quite simple – water, flour and yeast or baking powder or baking soda depending on what exactly you want the finished product to be. Everything else is for taste and texture, you can choose to add it to your baked product or not.

I don’t have diabetes and I don’t want to get this nasty lifelong disease that is far more deadly then HIV / AIDs these days. I also don’t want to get overweight or obese again or have to hold back my hunger cravings or sugar crashes. So I go for low glcycmetic value foods that don’t spike your blood sugar – especially foods rich in protein and fiber to avoid those hunger pains and crashes. The bloating caused by beans and lentils also helps. But in general, whole grains are what is called for in such an application.

Brown rice is easy, just let it cook on the stove for a few hours. Oat flour produced by grinding traditional oatmeal in a food processor is another option, bound by bananas, low fat yogurt and potentially risen by baking powder. But whole wheat flour offers many other options, whether it be kneaded, traditional whole wheat bread, biscuits, wraps, pizza crusts, home made pasta and so forth. I was always told you need a fancy pasta press to make pasta but that’s really a lie. Just need flour and eggs, knead, allow to sit, and roll out flat and cut. Maybe not traditional fancy pasta but you can control what your putting in your body.

It’s not to say you can’t use salt or sugar or other sources of flavor like honey, fruit, garlic and spices in any bread recipe. But I’m in the driver seat, I can figure out how much taste I want while weighting the health benefits. A corporation or distant bakery isn’t making the choice for me – commercial products and widely posted recipes are generally biased towards taste over health as they have product to sell. I want to be able to choose what fuels my body.

Plus DIY Carbs is a way to limit carbs. If something is difficult, time consuming and expensive you will do it less. Not going to have pasta every night or fresh bread every day if I have to make it myself. People used to eat a lot less bread, meat and milk back before you could buy it wrapped in plastic from the supermarket. When fruits and vegetables are the more convenient option, they’re going to be a bigger part of each meal.

Since getting into cooking dried beans, chickpeas and lentils, I’ve learned that soaking food overnight isn’t a big deal. It takes a little bit of planning but honestly not a lot. Slow cooking beans on the stove isn’t rocket science either, and once you set them up they do their thing with little attention paid yourself. Just set an alarm on your phone, don’t need to be actively monitored while cooking – it’s not like frying something in oil where you have to constantly watch. The same is generally true with baking and rising bread. And if you’re making biscuits or pancakes, or even pasta its even less effort.

Maybe I’m becoming a cook but I’m very dissatisfied with 10 or 20 item recipes larded down with sugar, salt, fat and butter. But I am quite aware now of the basics, I’m in control not the unhealthy tyranny of a distant commercial kitchen or a recipe book trying to sell you junk food.

Labor Day Origins 👷✊

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Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated in various countries around the world to honor the contributions of workers and the labor movement. In the United States, Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September, and its history is closely tied to the labor movement’s efforts to improve working conditions and workers’ rights.

Here’s a brief overview of the history of Labor Day in the United States:

  1. Labor Movement Emergence (late 19th century): During the late 19th century, as industrialization was transforming the American economy, workers often faced harsh working conditions, including long hours, low wages, and unsafe workplaces. Labor unions began to form to advocate for better conditions, fair wages, and reasonable working hours.
  2. The Haymarket Affair (1886): One significant event that influenced the Labor Day movement was the Haymarket affair, which took place in Chicago. On May 4, 1886, a peaceful workers’ rally advocating for an eight-hour workday turned violent when a bomb was thrown at the police, leading to deaths and injuries among both police officers and civilians. The incident resulted in the arrest and conviction of several labor leaders, some of whom were later executed. The Haymarket affair is remembered as a pivotal moment in the struggle for workers’ rights.
  3. Labor Day’s Origins (early 1880s): The idea of having a dedicated day to honor workers and their contributions gained traction during the early 1880s. Labor activists and unions began organizing parades and demonstrations to demand better working conditions and recognition of laborers’ contributions.
  4. Oregon’s Initiative (1887): The state of Oregon became the first to officially recognize Labor Day as a public holiday in 1887. This was followed by several other states adopting similar measures.
  5. Federal Recognition (1894): The push for a national Labor Day gained momentum, and in response to pressure from labor unions and workers, the U.S. Congress passed an act making Labor Day a national holiday on the first Monday of September. President Grover Cleveland signed the act into law on June 28, 1894. Labor Day was thus established as a day to honor and celebrate the contributions of workers to the nation’s growth and prosperity.

Since then, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday of September each year. It’s often observed with parades, picnics, barbecues, and various recreational activities that mark the end of summer. The holiday also serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to protect workers’ rights and promote fair labor practices. While the historical context and specific events may vary in other countries that celebrate Labor Day, the overarching theme of honoring workers and their contributions remains consistent.