Why don’t we talk about revitalizing food?
What do we really find on our plates today?
A small state of affairs
Many studies show us today the degradation of the nutritional quality of most of the foods we eat on a daily basis. For example, the TerraEco website has revealed to us, referring to a number of studies published between 1997 and today, the effects of the depletion of our food for nearly 60 years.
Intensive agriculture, the repeated use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers have led to an ever-increasing depletion of soils around the world.
This depletion and degradation of the earth’s resources necessarily affects the food we eat on a daily basis. As the soil is the origin of the food chain, it feeds and develops the plants that themselves feed the living species.
It is through this evolution that the content of vitamins, minerals and trace elements essential to the proper functioning of our body has dropped considerably in recent decades. This loss affects fruits, vegetables, cereals, but also meat because of the interdependence of the constituents of the food chain.
Indeed, cereals are less rich in minerals and trace elements (zinc, copper, iron, magnesium…) than in the past, meat is also less rich in essential nutrients and its iron intake has been halved since the 1950s.
According to a 2003 University of Texas study, looking at changes in the nutritional quality of vegetables, 80 out of 25 vegetables studied lost calcium and iron (for example, the calcium content of broccoli was divided by four).
Thus, the phenomenon of crop intensification based on the industrial model produces foods that are mostly concentrated in water but depleted of nutrients. Intensive treatments make a significant contribution to the growth of food, sometimes at the expense of the slow assimilation of soil minerals. This system prevents the development of fertile soils, full of vitality created in particular by the presence of certain insects such as earthworms, essential for the sustainability of a rich and living ecosystem.
At this point, you may be wondering what can be done to stay healthy and eat foods that would be in a more natural and quality state.
This is despite the evolution of farming and breeding methods, which are constantly accelerating in a world where humans are developing and multiplying at great speed V. Yes… in 1950, there were about 2.5 billion men on earth, whereas we are now around 8 billion… We therefore understand that in order to combat, among other things, the world’s malnutrition and famine, it has become necessary to produce more and more quickly.
Fortunately, there are still actions and movements around the world that fight against this by proposing alternatives that can be easy to appropriate and achieve on its scale.
The solutions available to us to preserve one’s health
First of all, to compensate for the consequences of the intensive crops mentioned above, I advise you to move towards organic or reasoned agriculture from short circuits to obtain ripe and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Consuming local and seasonal allows us to harmonize with nature that offers us everything we need at the right time (nature is well done, let’s try to trust it;-)).
Seasonal plants produced in organic farming in a non-intensive manner ensure a much higher level of vitamins and minerals and offer a more pronounced taste. Fruits and vegetables that mature in the sun develop flavours that those ripening during transport cannot have. As you will have understood, plants from distant countries that have been picked early, lose some of their flavours and nutritional properties due in particular to the constraints induced by transport (variation of light, temperatures, multiple manipulations…).
At the same time, if, like me, you are aware of the environmental impacts, you surely know that the further away products are from us, the longer the transport will take and the more it will require a significant strain on our resources. Planet.
Organically grown products are also richer in antioxidants (molecules that protect our body’s cells from the aggressions they suffer every day: pollution, smoking, harmful UV rays, stress, etc.) and thus allow us to prevent cell degeneration, oxidative stress and the potential onset of certain diseases. Plants that grow in the sun under various climatic conditions must defend themselves, without the help of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This phenomenon generates a greater mobilization of their internal resources, creating a higher level of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Organic farming is also now using certain treatments… it all depends again on where you source… If you know local producers who offer you some transparency about their ways of producing or if you have organic cooperatives at your fingertips, it would be a shame not to take advantage of them!
The legacy of health-focused education
Now that you have a little more knowledge about the evolution of micronutrient bioavailability in the foods you ingest on a daily basis, I invite you to look at how to cook and consume them.
Before I revealed the ways to cook to preserve the nutritional quality of food as much as possible, I wanted to talk to you about the professors of medicine, doctors and other specialists in food and nutrition who guide me and have been with me for many years.
I was lucky enough to be raised in a family where health prevention through healthy eating has always been a strong value and a pillar in my education. 30 years ago, my mother was confronted with health issues that challenged all of her thoughts, beliefs and representations about how to eat. At that time, she looked at Health, to find it, exploring ancestral approaches such as traditional Chinese medicine or even softer and more natural methods for the body, thanks to the principles of life taught by Naturopathy.
Today, naturopathy is a lifestyle that takes into account the human being as a whole: healthy eating, regular exercise, relaxation, meditation, the use of aromatherapy (essential oils), phytotherapy (plants)… This lifestyle allows to be in a preventive approach rather than curative health, trying to understand what can trigger some body ailments see of the mind. These principles of life can be applicable to all and can help us understand who we are and how we function individually.
Health is an individual matter, on a case-by-case basis, insofar as some things work for one and not the other.
In this sense, each being is unique and has its own genetic heritage, a journey and a life story. However, I think that certain habits, especially related to one’s food lifestyle, can be generalized to some extent, such as the necessary intake of micronutrients, through what we eat, essential for the good health of our organization.
It is in this universe that I have grown, learned and integrated these principles of life, that I continue to discover thanks in particular to Professor Jean Seignalet , author of “food or third medicine”, a must in my opinion if you are more and more interested in Health. From this same perspective, Professor Henri Joyeux, a great surgeon and oncologist who has studied Food in depth, is for me a valuable guide in this field.
Healthy products are good… With healthy cooking is better!
The incredible discovery of Marion Kaplan’s Vitalizer
To make the most of vitamins and minerals, it is ideal to eat as much raw food as possible. However, having a diet essentially raw is difficult for several reasons: type of food, digestion, assimilation … And then, in winter I think we all want to have good hot meals to warm the heart and stomach.
Thus, there are a number of important cooking methods to cook the food we all know: the oven, the microwave, the pressure cooker, the pan, the cooking with water, the barbecue, the plancha…
But, do you know their impact on food and our health more broadly?
Si l’on regarde ce large choix de types de cuisson disponibles aujourd’hui, il est important d’avoir à l’esprit que les dangers de la cuisson augmentent en fonction de la durée et surtout de la température.
La plupart de ces types de cuisson, supérieures à 100°C ont tendance à attaquer les principes nutritifs des aliments et les transforment en créant des substances qui entravent leur qualité et qui peuvent devenir cancérigènes. Pour illustrer ces propos, savez-vous que le micro-onde modifie entièrement la structure même d’un aliment, rendant certaines de ses protéines toxiques pour les cellules de notre organisme.
In 1994, professor Professor Professor Henri Joyeux, whom I mentioned earlier. The author concludes that the superiority of gentle steaming does not exceed 95oC, in order to keep food in its almost natural state, to feed our bodies in the best way they can.
A large number of studies and books on this subject are available if you want to know more.
When I was a child, I saw my mother cooking all kinds of dishes, from vegetables to fish, breads and homemade cakes… thanks to a kitchen tool she used on a daily basis: “The Vitalizer”..
I quickly understood that this fascinating tool, which is the Vitalisor,allows you to cook everything you want, thanks to its own characteristics combined with the phenomenon of soft steam that offers a cooking method never exceeding 95 degrees Celsius.
To understand a little better what makes the uniqueness of this kitchen utensil, let’s go back in time, to the time of its creation.
The story and development of Marion Kaplan’s Vitaliser
The development of the first soft steam cooking machine with unique physical and chemical characteristics, was developed by a great Chemical Engineer, André Cocart.
Following her death, Marion Kaplan, who was her collaborator for the development of this steamed cook (promotion and creation of multiple cooking recipes), worked on its evolution and gave birth in 1985 to the very first Vitaliseur.
The Vitaliser consists of a container (containing water), a sieve (containing food) and a very specific dome-shaped lid.
These elements that make up the Vitalizer are based on biochemical and biophysical standards that respond to measurements of the number of Gold:
- A container with a height high enough to allow the volume of water to make the steam active,
- A Dome with remarkable characteristics, designed to allow water condensation droplets to run off along the walls, thus avoiding falling directly on the food (which preserves its quality and taste),
- A Sieve designed for unrivalled cooking speed. The diameter, number and spacing of the holes have been carefully reflected to allow temperature regulation not to exceed 95oC,
- The use of a healthy, quality and durable material that is Inox 18/10, adapting to any type of heat: gas cooking, induction, electricity or even ceramic.
The Vitaliser has had several versions since its inception. Having inherited the very first Vitaliser from my mother,this one is far from having the aesthetics of the latest model (existing in several formats with accessories available) especially if you take into account 25 years of service! However, its effectiveness is intact and I can not do without it, there is not a day without me not using it.
Cooking the Vitaliser with soft steam: the guarantee of preserved health
You may be wondering what is the difference between the Vitalizer and water cooking?
Lorsque l’on fait bouillir de l’eau pour y mettre des haricots verts par exemple, une fois qu’ils sont cuits, nous jetons l’eau.
Mais, savez-vous que vous jetez en même temps les sels minéraux et les vitamines contenues dans ces aliments ?
Indeed, these are very water soluble and we remove (without doing so on purpose!) a nutritional potential necessary for our body.
Cooking with a pressure cooker and all “hard” steaming (pressure steam, boiling water) make mineral salts unassimilable,kill enzymes and most vitamins.
The cooking that proves to be the most suitable is undoubtedly the gentle steaming, less than 95oC. If you think that foods cooked in this way become bland and tasteless, this is precisely a accepted idea that it is easy to demonstrate today. This type of cooking, as Christine Bouguet-Joyeux (the wife of Professor Henry Joyeux) so a good way says, is the only method of cooking “that respects the identity of the food”.
Benefits of Marion’s Vitalizer
- Food sweats (water removal) without being abused and denatured.
- The flavour and texture are preserved,as well as the color of the food, which is a good indicator of nutrient preservation.
- This cooking, very effective, keeps alive the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) present in food, including vitamin C, despite its important fragility.
- Toxic residues,additives or heavy metals from modern crop modes and industrialization processes (also contained in large proportions in the seas and oceans…), are cleaned and damaged.
Then, this mode of cooking has the advantage, not negligible, to be very fast. In our modern society where time becomes a precious parameter of our lives that turn at 100 per hour, many of us resort to the microwave for the sake of time.
Only is this a gain to promote speed at the expense of the quality of what you eat?
NOTICE OF MARION’S VITALIZER:
Je pense que nous aspirons tous (ou en partie), à pouvoir cuisiner rapidement des produits bons et sains qui en plus sont emplis de qualités nutritionnelles préservées.
L’avantage de la cuisson au Vitaliseur de Marion est que vous pouvez absolument tout cuisiner (cuire, décongeler, garder au chaud…) : légumes, légumineuses, céréales, pains, gâteaux, viandes, poissons, œufs… Que demander de plus ? Vous pouvez même cuire en simultané des types d’aliments (salé et sucré par exemple) sans que les goûts ne se mélangent, quel gain de temps !
In parallel to the temperature, it is essential to respect the cooking time,a key factor for preserving the micronutrients of your food. Indeed, the temperature-duration equation cannot be dissociated: the longer the cooking time, the lower the vitamin and mineral content and causes a degradation of nutritional quality.
If you are wondering about cooking times,I invite you to look at this very clear guide developed by our dear Marion Kaplan.
Now that you’re aware of this wonderful cooking tool, Marion Kaplan’s Vitalizer, you may want to know a little more and see the multitude of recipes you could make alongside other cooking methods.
Recipes with Marion’s Vitalizer
Vous pouvez aussi retrouver quelques recettes via mon compte instagram : pauline_charlon.
Si vous avez des questionnements ou juste l’envie d’échanger, n’hésitez pas à me contacter directement, je vous répondrai avec grand plaisir.
Pauline Charlon, Psychologist, passionate about cooking, gave you her opinion on the Vitalizer of Marion Kaplan.
