Gluten Free. We are seeing and hearing it all over the place: in supermarkets, on radio talk shows, on TV, in advertising, in diets. I even recommend it to many of my patients. I stay away from American gluten as much as possible. But what if you were told you could eat bread and it would actually make you healthier? What if a healthcare provider actually gave you a prescription of bread, like “eat rye bread for xxx condition” and “eat spelt bread to treat xxx symptoms”? What if many of your digestive symptoms cleared up by eating bread???
Wouldn’t we all jump at the chance to go back to eating bread to our little hearts’ content? Well, there is a way to go back to eating bread, but not just any bread. 24-hour fermented bread. The way breads used to be prepared and baked. That’s the key. I know someone right here in Los Angeles who is on a mission to educate people about the health benefits of 24-hour fermented bread. I want to share information about her with my readers because her story is too good not to.
Mary Parr, L.Ac., is a friend and colleague of mine. I knew her when she was a student at Yo San University, where I teach. I remember her in her early days as a student, baking and selling her delicious breads. The other students bought the breads and they would sell out in minutes. Mary shared with me then how she was losing too much weight from digestive problems. She was often in pain. One day, she told me for her honeymoon, she and her husband were going to Europe. Mary mentions in her article how going to Europe changed her life because of the breads she ate there. I remember her clearly coming back very radiant. Well, a honeymoon in Europe would probably make anyone radiant, I know :-). However, this was the seed — pun intended — Mary needed to begin her quest to find out why the breads in Paris didn’t cause her excruciating pain the way American breads did. Fast forward about 3-4 years later, and Mary is now on a mission to educate the public. Her message is that 24-hour fermented breads really are the “staff of life” as we know it. By fermenting the starter yeast for 24 hours, the bread becomes a fermented food, kind of like sauerkraut, kimchi, or natto. This kind of bread is chock-full of probiotics, which we know has major gut healing and regulating abilities, plus, the gluten content is drastically cut down. Mary gives regular baking classes where she teaches people how to begin the starter yeast and ferment it. She educates her students about the importance of using heirloom and organic whole grain flours to make these “medicinal” breads. I went to one of her classes over the summer, and it was so much fun. The bread I baked at home after class was de.li.cious! It did not hurt my tummy.
As my patients and regular readers know, I am all about nutrition and Real Food. I am always talking about how food can heal, especially the right kinds of foods. What better way for people to be exposed to the power of Food as Medicine than by learning about Mary’s type of bread and actually trying it? So I proudly bring Mary Parr, Bread Doctor, to Iyashi Wellness! I have invited her to do a talk and demo of her breads on Saturday, November 7th at 2pm. I am including her unique “bread prescriptions” to whet your appetite as to what kinds of breads she bakes and the types of conditions they can treat. Come to the talk and you will learn more about the health benefits of 24-hour fermented breads and how to bake them at home. Mary will come with samples of her breads to try for free, and if you order ahead of time, her amazing loaves of breads and magical starter yeast will be available at the event.
Pre-orders of bread loaves and yeast are NO LONGER available through the registration link. No bread-making by attendees at this event.
Say Yes to Gluten!
Iyashi Wellness presents Mary Parr, the Bread Doctor
Sat. November 7th, 2pm
Location: Zip Code is 90045. Exact address will be provided after registration.