First organic bananas from Tenerife, the 20 banana letters

• 1. Why cultivate bananas on Tenerife?
• 2. The 20 banana letters
• • 2.1. The beginning and contact opportunities
  • 2.2. Organic farming as compared to conventional production
  • 2.3. But the banana is protected by the peel!
  • 2.4. Our nutritional requirements — not 90% bananas
  • 2.5. Where did bananas originally come from and what is their story?
  • 2.6. Information about banana plants and their reproduction without seeds
  • 2.7. The work required to maintain good bananas
  • 2.8. The difference between fully mature and peak ripeness
  • 2.9. Transport under the right conditions and careful handling
  • 2.10. Our own packing center — 1986
  • 2.11. The nutritional value of bananas
  • 2.12. A closer look at the substances contained in bananas
  • 2.13. Do bananas have healing properties?
  • 2.14. Specific results showing the value of bananas
  • 2.15. Recipes with bananas
  • 2.16. Erb Muesli — recipe with sprouted grains
  • 2.17. More information about the basic recipe
  • 2.18. Ingredients in the classic Erb Muesli
  • 2.19. How to we maintain our ideal weight and what is this?
  • 2.20. Dessert bananas, plantains, and degrees of ripeness

For at least three years, my organic finca SA in Santa Ursula supplied Migros, Switzerland’s largest retail company, with what are called transitional products (Bio Suisse). These are organically grown fruits that are sold as conventional agriculture products.

This is good for many reasons. For example, residues of pollutants from previous production remain in the soil, and it requires a certain amount of time for the land to be free of these. Some of these can be persistent organic pollutants.

There were soon other organic banana suppliers, for example, from Israel, but it wasn’t until organic bananas from Central America came on the market that we were no longer able to offer competitive prices, and I had to give up the entire production.

You might ask why I am sharing this with you. We have had many customers visit us at our finca (span. for farm), and we can tell that there is often a lack of clarity when it comes to growing methods, transport, ripeness points for harvest and consumption, and the banana’s significant health benefits.

We have put a lot of effort into building our business up over the last several years, and now that it is beginning to bring us joy, we want to keep it working well.

In the future, we plan to regularly include “letters” with the bananas (and later perhaps also avocados) that contain practical information. We would ask the retailers to distribute these or hang them up in their stores, and the letters would be rotated regularly. The entire collection of letters would provide an overview of our business and products, which so far include bananas, dried bananas, and avocados—all of which are from certified organic production.

Tenerife is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, and at certain times of the year we have visitors almost daily who are interested in our work. People sometimes mistakenly assume that we have lodging for visitors.

Although we don’t offer this, we would be happy to arrange a tour of the plantation and large garden, where about 50 different types of fruit grow. At the moment, we are only able to offer tours one day a week, currently on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. We ask that you call in advance if you are interested in participating. In most cases, the tours are led by our agriculture engineer Annette Pott, or in the garden by my partner Margot.

We can only answer your letters personally in exceptional cases, but we will answer questions of a general nature in these letters. Even if you don’t receive a direct answer, please know that we have read and discussed your letters.

Please contact us if you are interested in doing an agricultural internship in our garden for a minimum of six months. Internships on the plantation are not possible as highly specialized work takes place there, and we are not able to obtain permission for these from the government.

We didn’t realize that our work would generate such great interest and hope we can answer your questions through this “new medium.”

I wish all of you good health and happiness!, Ernst Erb

I will not include the greeting or the closing in the following letters as they are always the same.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Bio Finca Rosario, Santa Ursula

The existence of many empty cow stalls and old x were confirmation that they had previously had two cows per hectare (2.5 acres) of bananas in order to generate the necessary biomass. The stalls were filled with pine needles, which were removed when there was danger of fire, and at certain times, with Erica {heather}.

I was lucky to meet and work with Manolito Exposito, a young Canarian agriculture engineer {agricultural engineering}, whose family brought more than 30 acres (12 hectares) of land to our joint venture.

As the amount of work grew, agriculture engineer Annette Pott also joined our company {agriculture science}.

For several years, we conducted a series of meticulous experiments that involved collecting the data on hundreds of plants each week and saving this on the computer (PC). We needed quite a bit of capital and time to convert all of the soil for our plants.

Before we discuss the details, here is an overview of our current production methods and the results:

• We use pine needles and branches from tree heathers as bedding for steer, cow, and horse stalls. Both of these materials can be found in a natural area at more than 3'280 feet (1000 meters) above sea level.
• At the beginning, we also got new soil here to provide the banana plants with a new environment. Their roots weren’t yet very deep, and they needed all the support they could get. With this step, we were able to neutralize the nematodes {round worms}.
• The cows and steers receive pseudostems (rolled bases of leaves), storage organs (rhizome), and parts of the harvested bananas as well as feed that we produce ourselves, which is also fed to the horses.

Thanks to this closed biological cycle, we can grow bananas without using any fertilizer at all.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Ernst Erb, Foundation Diet Health Switzerland

We now have rich soil life {soil biota}, whereas the soil of other plantations contain absolutely no worms or soil biota. Now that we have healthy plants, we have fewer problems with insects and do quite well using only natural means. We will report more on this in the next letter.

Perhaps we were particularly lucky with the soil, which we later even renewed by adding numerous truckloads of “virgin soil.” We would be interested in having more testing done on our bananas and also in seeing test results from other bananas. We would be grateful for any tips or advice you might have.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Ernst Erb, Bio Finca SA

The first years were difficult, and we had serious losses as it wasn’t possible to transport the bananas to Europe in such small quantities. As we will see, there are a variety of reasons why Canarian bananas are more expensive than bananas from Central America. Organic production also requires more work, and the yield is smaller than bananas “driven” by fertilizers. However, the nutrient cycle described here strengthened our plants so much that we could normally use plant-based broths to fight insects and only had to use tobacco in exceptional cases.

Since customs doesn’t let any fruit through that has traces of insect infestation, we lost some bananas. Although white louse {mealybugs} and “red spiders” {red spider mites} only suck on the surface, they leave spots on the peel.

We now avoid such losses by using these bananas to produce dried bananas for muesli manufacturers. And we also dry bananas that were ripe early to eat as snacks. I will discuss gentle drying methods later.

We were able to successfully convert three banana farms. Two belong to Germans who have moved here. Converting a farm on the western side of the island was not entirely successful, and the owner decided to start spraying it again. It seems that there are fewer problems with insects on the north side of the island thanks to the colder climate — the island is separated by a mountain that is about 12,195 ft high (3717 m).

However, the yields are significantly smaller than in the south or west of island, and minimal in comparison to the large yields produced in the “banana countries.”

Along with the air we breathe and physical activity, our body needs water, calories in the form of carbohydrates or fats, essential proteins for building, dietary fiber (roughage) to support our digestion, specific elements {e.g., trace elements}, vitamins, enzymes, and hormones. Alcohol {ethanol} comes under the category of calories, but is unnecessary. Proteins can also serve as a source of calories.

Even 20 years ago, it was said that we needed about 100 essential nutrients. But the newest scientific books now cite about 50 essential nutrients (Ernährungslehre und Diäthetik, 6 Handbücher [Nutrition science and dietetics, 6 volumes], Thieme Verlag).

Without these, we would show deficiency symptoms in the long term or in the worst case, we would die.

However, our body has a large buffer so that even longer (up to six weeks) periods of less than ideal nutrition or fasting don’t necessarily lead to problems. There is also a large difference between eating raw and cooked foods, and today an increasing number of experts are recommending that we eat a large proportion of raw foods.

One advantage of raw foods, which are rich in fiber, is that it takes an average of 20–48 hours for them to be digested, whereas “western foods” take 44–144 hours (Wissenschaftliche Tabellen (Scientific tables), Ciba-Geigy, volume 2).

However, you shouldn’t count on this being the perfect solution; digestion is only ideal when it takes place without gas {flatulence} and putrefaction.

But most people consume less than 40–45 % carbohydrates, which over time can lead to metabolic disorders. Fruit, bananas in particular, helps to improve digestion. According to Dr. X. Mayr, it is important to avoid fruit in the evenings.

Bananas can help to relieve constipation and also diarrhea, whereby the ripeness {ripening} of the bananas makes a big difference.

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© CC-by-sa 2.0

The origin and history of this most commonly eaten fruit on earth are fascinating. Bananas are one of the first fruits that humans domesticated.

We find them on many cultural objects (vases, frescos, and everyday objects) and in many legends of the ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Romans.

The musaceae family was named after Antonio Musa, the physician for the first Roman emperor Octavius Augustus (63 BCE–14 CE). The genus musa includes about 50–60 species and was originally found only in the Old World. T

he center of origin of our bananas musa acuminata (type A) lies in Malaysia/Indonesia and that of musa balbisiana (type B) around the Brahmaputra River (Bangladesh).

The plant itself is in the group of perennial herbaceous plants whose pseudostems are formed from overlapping leaf sheaths.

The tallest herbaceous perennial is likely musa ingens, which is about 50 ft high (15 m) (Heinz Brücher, Tropische Nutzpflanzen [Tropical domesticated plants, Springer Verlag).

Dessert bananas {Musa x paradisiaca} were originally classified into two species and have a triploid genome, or three complete sets of chromosomes. The fruit develops without fertilization via parthenogenesis.

Banana varieties achieved through pedigree breeding are male-sterile and seedless. The plants undergo a type of asexual reproduction called vegetative reproduction.

Natural crossings of both varieties include, for example, Latundan bananas (type AB, also called silk bananas and apple bananas, and Fr. figue pomme), cooking bananas (type ABB, also called apple plantains, and Span.: majoncho), and Malaysian cooking bananas (type ABBB, pisang batu).

The name “banana” comes from the Arabic and means “finger.”

All common types of bananas originate from the species eumusa.

There is also a species called australimusa that has its center of origin on the Maluku Islands. These cooking bananas are long and thin bananas used in Tahiti that are called Fe'i bananas.

Fiber bananas (Musa textilis, called Abacá or Manila hemp) are in the same seedless species (Brigitte Kranz, Das grosse Buch der Früchte [The large book of fruits], Südwestverlag).

Strelitzia (bird of paradise flowers) are also in the musaceae family.

© CC0, Berthold Werner, Wikipedia

We also grew Streliziea reginae (bird of paradise or crane flowers). This photo shows not only the blossom, but also the close resemblance the leaves have with bananas. According to Wikipedia, the plant comes from South Africa, but several varieties are also found in Indonesia/Malaysia. I have the feeling that Strelitzia only later migrated to Africa.

The Dwarf Cavendish grows to be about 10 feet high (2 meters) and is therefore more wind resistant than the Giant Cavendish (on average about 2 feet taller (70 cm)) and the Gros Michel (19–26 feet high (6–8 meters)).

Bananas grow out of a bulbous root stock (rhizome, corm), which sends out absorbing roots (Haustorium) horizontally near the surface.

A farm here consists of 1'400 to 2'000 plants like this per hectare (2.5 acres). In the north of Tenerife, we can only plant the smaller number, but the bananas have more flavor than those grown on the southern part of the island.

Shoots (suckers) grow out of the rhizome, and one of these is left to grow. Propagation involves removing a shoot and transplanting this, but the rhizome grows shoots practically “without end,” making propagation unnecessary.

The leaves grow out of the middle of the pseudostem; flowers appear, and then unfertilized fruit form and hang down like an “arm.”

If the arm with the many “banana hands” is cut off, it takes 12 to 16 months here until the fruit of the next shoot (daughter) is ready to harvest. In Central America, this process is a couple of months quicker.

Bananas are harvested year-round as each plant has its own cycle.

However, the bananas tend to be ripe in certain months in each climate zone, and about two-thirds of the fruit is actually cut in three months of the year.

In English, it is typical to use female designations, but in German the equivalent male designations are generally used (grandfather, father, and son).

In one of the next letters, you can read why some of the work on a banana plantation has to be done by men.

At about the same time, the “hermaphrodites” between the “male flowers” and the growing bananas are removed so that the juices can flow freely in the stalk. The “male flowers” are then removed several weeks later.

If a plant is hanging too low because of the weight of the bananas, it is tethered from the other side. A plastic sack is often placed over the arm and left partially open. This protects the bananas from insects and provides more warmth for the bananas to grow. And this is also the reason why some greenhouses are made entirely of plastic.

About six months after blooming, the arm can be harvested with its green, but mature bananas.

Since we so often hear people repeat inaccurate information about cutting green bananas, I will discuss this topic in a future letter in more detail and explain how we are actually harvesting at an ideal time.

The last work in the cycle of an individual plant is to cut off the old pseudostem. We wait several weeks to do this so that the nutrients can flow back into the rhizome.

The Hass avocado, for example, can remain on the tree almost a year before it is overripe and falls off. But even though it is “ripe,” it no longer tastes good. It has a mealy, fatty consistency and an off-taste. The avocado is still hard two months before falling off, but it won’t develop a flavorful taste because it was on the tree for too long.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Ernst Erb, Bio Finca SA

If avocados are harvested too early, even after additional ripening, they won’t taste as good or contain the typical amount of fat. The situation is similar with bananas. If they are left on the banana plant too long, they will start to go bad. The peel will split, and the banana itself will be mealy instead of sweet. This is the reason why people who know more about bananas and live in an area where they grow cut their own bananas when they are green and let them ripen in a shady place.

On the plant or hung up in a bunch, the individual hands don’t ripen at the same time, which makes it possible to eat from the bananas you pick for some time.

In the past, if you had a larger amount of fruit that you needed to ripen at the same time, you would have used carbide (still used today on the Canary Islands) as your ethylene producer.

In production today, growers use 0.1 ppm ethylene and make sure that the temperature remains stable at 59–64°F (15–18°C); this way, the process only takes four to five days until all of the bananas have almost reached peak ripeness.

The bananas do have to be transported and sold.

We can offer shorter transport times thanks to our relatively close location. And this is why the large producers have their packing centers for Europe on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

The bananas from Central America are transported with special, refrigerated banana ships {reefer ship}, which are normally painted entirely white so that less warmth from the sun is absorbed. Our bananas are also shipped by refrigerated transport. Bananas are the most delicate of all the fruits transported.

We ship our bananas in integral refrigerated containers, which are set to 53.5–59°F (12–15°C), depending on the season.

You wouldn’t believe it, but it once happened to us that a container was mistakenly set to 12–15 degrees Fahrenheit. When they arrived at their destination, they were frozen and black.

The transport of the bananas, in general, is something that gives us great cause for concern. In the winter, there are often storms, you can’t count on the departure and arrival times, and the temperatures often drop too low.

And distribution in the country of destination can also be difficult; in the spring, there are often strikes in Spain, and in the summer the bananas tend to ripen too quickly.

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When we bring the arms (bunches) into our packing facility, they are taken out of the “cages” and hung directly on a continuous conveyor chain that passes through a stream of pure mountain water, washing away the majority of the dust and impurities from the bananas and cooling them off.

Arm by arm, a worker takes the fruit bunches and separates them into banana hands, which are then placed in fresh water. They float in the water and more dirt is removed. The workers then take the hands and cut off bananas that grew irregularly or are damaged and, where necessary, cut off some of the “crown.” This is what the stem of the banana is called, from which the bananas hang. It should be as large as possible so that the grocers can cut some off if the crown has begun to rot (crown rot). If this isn’t done, the bananas will gradually turn black.

A conveyor belt then takes the carefully processed, blemish-free bananas through the water jets a last time. This station sprays them with water again to wash away any remaining impurities.

Other packing facilities add a fungicide to the water, for example, Benomyl as a way to prevent crown rot.

In our case, the water comes out of a 264-gallon tank (1000 L), to which we have added some thyme essence.

Unfortunately, we don’t have enough contact with the retailers to know whether or not this essence is beneficial. We recently also added vinegar to the water.

After the water jets, we have a powerful blower so that the bananas aren’t so wet for the transport. However, a certain amount of moisture is necessary since the bananas themselves lose moisture and end up losing more than a pound (0.5 kilos). This is why we calculate more at the start.

• They are relatively inexpensive all year round.
• And as they are naturally and hygienically packed in convenient serving sizes and very simple to peel, they are the perfect choice for a healthy snack.
• They make us feel full although they only contain 96 calories per 100 g (about the average size of a banana).
• They taste good even if you eat a lot of them over a longer period of time and they are easy to digest.

Bananas are made up of about 75% water (apples and oranges 85%), 21% carbohydrates, 3% fiber, and 1% protein. In addition, they also contain 0.2% polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Of course, the values do vary a bit.

We were very interested in seeing an analysis comparing our bananas with a brand of popular conventional bananas.

As concerns trace elements, bananas contain more copper than any other fruit or vegetable; they contain more iron than most fruits and have a good level of iodine. They are rich in potassium, phosphorous, and magnesium and have the highest manganese content of any fruit.

At the intermediate enzyme level, manganese is particularly important for carbohydrate metabolism. The way that vitamin B₁ is used in the tissues is also dependent on the presence of manganese.

Bananas contain pectin, an important soluble fiber.

And they don’t contain any cholesterol, but instead, only essential unsaturated fatty acids.

Measured as dry weight {dry matter}, bananas are 12% fiber.

They are practically salt-free (only 1 mg sodium per 100 g), have the healthiest sodium bicarbonate-potash ratio (1:1,748) of any fruit, and are free of purines.

They are a highly alkaline food and don’t contain any phytates {phytic acid}.

Bananas contain 0.7 mg oxalic acid, which is ten times less than the amount contained in, for example, strawberries or oranges. Oxalic acid inhibits the absorption of calcium and magnesium.

Although some of its “competitors” contain a superior amount of vitamin C, bananas are considered to be at the top of the group when it comes to classic vitamin values.

Compared to apples, for example, bananas contain five times more vitamin A, vitamin E {tocopherol}, biotin {alt.: vitamin B₇ or vitamin H}, and pantothenic acid {vitamin B₅}, and 20 times more vitamin B₆.

Bananas contain practically no undesirable substances, and only very few people have a food intolerance to bananas.

The above nine amino acids are classically essential, but today we know that only lysine and threonine are really essential (irreversibly transaminated) for healthy people.

Other amino acids contained in bananas: cystine 30 (can be used in place of methionine), tyrosine 29 (can be used in place of phenylamine {aniline}), arginine 84, alanine 50, aspartic acid 118, glutamic acid 104, glycine 47, proline 46, and serine 44 mg per 100 g.

© CC-0 1.0, Engin_Akyurt, Pixabay

About 90% of the calories in bananas are carbohydrates that are nicely divided into:

• 4.8 g grape sugar (glucose or dextrose) per 100 g,
• 3.7 g fructose (fruit sugar),
• and 12.7 g cane sugar (sucrose).
• In addition, they contain 1.2 g starch.

Glucose is absorbed immediately, fructose somewhat later, and sucrose slowly. The ratio between the different types of carbohydrates in bananas is therefore ideal.

If you assume a comparison with the dry weight of a food, all of the values listed here should be multiplied by four.

Although this letter contains somewhat “dry” material, I believe that it is important to know what you are eating, in particular, if you want to eat a diet that is different from that of the masses. Your doctor may also be able to help interpret this data.

Metabolic findings have become available that show the nutritional value {nutrition facts label}, good tolerance, and healing properties of bananas.

• Bananas help work against colitis, and they are given to patients who are exhausted, languid, anemic, or have lost weight.
• Bananas are also recommended in the case of “emotional diarrhea.”
• The serotonin contained in bananas is very well a reason why bananas are used for all bleeding diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (also for colitides and typhoid bleeding).
• The high alkalinity {base excess} of bananas is also helpful.
• In addition, they promote the "growing" of gram-positive gut flora. The pectin in bananas is thought to help enrich the gut flora with acidophilus bacteria.
• Additional substances in bananas help in the case of gastritis and gastroenteritis (gastrointestinal catarrh), celiac sprue, and also duodenal ulcers (Ulcus duodeni).

According to Archiv für Kinderheilkunde (Archive for pediatrics) (Volume 166, Issue 1, 1962, Ferdinand Enke Verlag), there have been excellent results using bananas to treat celiac disease (allergy to gluten, a protein composite found in wheat and rye).

Fructose continues to be metabolized even when the pancreas is damaged by diabetes or alloxan poisoning or the liver by hepatitis or phosphorous poisoning.

When you, for example, have a fever, are hungry, or are under anesthetic, glucose metabolism is impaired, whereas fructose activity remains consistent.

• Fructose has a protein-saving effect and can prevent potassium losses that often occur during stress. The potassium-sugar combination in bananas is ideal for a diet aimed at correcting a mineral deficiency.

Bananas have also been successful as a treatment for certain neurological diseases.

The optimal amount of protein per day and kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight is 0.34 g. To be safe, recommendations are usually made at 0.5 to 1 g per day and kilogram of body weight. This comes to 35 to 70 g per day for people with a normal body weight.

Hegstedt showed that adults must consume at least 3.2 g of the best protein for the essential amino acids. Other researchers have concluded that we should ideally consume 10 to 15 g of protein per day.

Just over 3 pounds (peeled) of bananas (1.5 kg) contain 18 g of ideal protein. And the same amount covers almost all of our vitamin requirements.

Bananas also contain enough of all of the trace elements except for calcium and phosphorous. And they don’t contain the fatty acids we need.

Just by consuming two slices of cheese (50 g), a carrot, and a few nuts in addition to the bananas would cover our requirements for a number of other substances. The cheese can be replaced by ¾ cup hazelnuts (200 g) and some chives or parsley.

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Ingredients: 4 cups of milk, 4 peeled bananas, and lemon juice

Preparation: Mix the bananas and milk with a dash of lemon juice in a blender. Add a little honey, if desired.

Ingredients: 4 bananas, 1¼ cups whipping cream (250 g), ¼ cup honey (80 g), and lemon juice

Preparation: Finely mash the bananas with a fork and then beat until fluffy. Add the lemon juice and honey. Beat the whipping cream until stiff and then fold into the banana mixture. Place in the freezer in a suitable container.

Ingredients: 2¼ cups low-fat quark (500 g), 1¼ cups buttermilk (250 g), 4 ripe bananas, lemon peel, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons honey, and 2 pinches cinnamon

For garnish: 2 bananas and 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation: Beat the low-fat quark and buttermilk until fluffy, grate the lemon peel, and add this and the cinnamon to the mixture. Mash the bananas with a fork and then beat together with the lemon juice and honey until fluffy. Combine this mixture with the quark. Serve chilled.

Garnish: Slice the bananas, drizzle lemon juice on top, and then arrange on top of the quark. Serve chilled.

Ingredients: 1 ripe avocado (peeled, pit removed, and finely puréed), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ ripe banana (puréed), ¼ cup wheat germ, and 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation: Combine all of the ingredients to make a thick mixture and then spread this on buttered slices of bread. The recipe should be enough for 4 slices.

Ingredients for 1 serving:

• 3-4 tablespoons ground grains (e.g., millet/flaxseed, buckwheat, and oats), with added anise, vanilla, or other spice (if desired)
• 2 tablespoons sprouted grains (30 g) (after sprouting, 60 g)
• 2 oranges, freshly squeezed, with pulp (approx. 150 g)
• 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, with pulp (approx. 25 g)
• 2-3 tablespoons ground hazelnuts, almonds, or other nuts (20 g)
• 2 bananas, mashed with a fork (approx. 250 g)

Preparation: Place the freshly ground grains, nuts, spices (if using), and spouted grains in a bowl. Add the freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice (you might prefer to use half of the amount specified for the lemon).

If oranges aren’t available, you can use a fruit juice such as acerola juice from Donath, some blueberry juice, or a dairy product. Add the bananas and mix well.

Garnish with berries or fruit slices (e.g., kiwi), and your muesli is perfect. It will taste delicious every day.

Notes: When you are grinding the grains, you can add a little anise or star anise, vanilla, or other suitable flavor, or you can use a little cinnamon.

In place of freshly squeezed oranges or as an extra addition, you can add a portion of fermented milk (such as buttermilk), cultured milk (soured milk, popular in Europe), or yogurt (organic yogurt).

You should eat the muesli directly after preparing it so that as few vital substances as possible are destroyed. The more valuable that a food is for cell structure and our performance (i.e., energy levels and productivity), the more quickly it goes bad after it is extracted from its natural environment through processing.

It is best to buy a BioSnacky seed sprouter or other type of special plastic container for sprouting.

Fill one tray and it will yield about 60 g, which is enough for two people. Pour about ½–1 inch (1–2 cm) lukewarm drinking water in the tray and make sure that the water drains down through the tray. At normal room temperature, the grains will be sprouted just right in 24 hours, and you can then start a new batch every morning.

Organic, sproutable grains, for example, sproutable barley, rye, or wheat from Donath or Demeter work well and contain very few pieces of grit.

A few extra comments are necessary here.

• The sprouts on the grains should only be about ½–1 inch (1–2 mm) long; at that point, the grains contain the greatest amount of “life energy,” which can be shown on the basis of the “life acids” (e.g., lactic acid and malic acid) (see Geschwülste (Tumors), Dr. Kuhl, Humata Verlag, p. 43).
• Sproutable rice is also a good option, but the sprouting process takes two to three times longer.
• It is important to make sure that the water drains down through the tray. If it doesn’t, the grains will start to rot instead of sprout. In principle, the same thing happens with coarsely ground and fermented grains. Here is life and there is death. If you feel a cold coming on, add a little honey to your muesli.
• Seven almonds or hazelnuts weigh about 10 g. You can use nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and other seeds to vary the flavor. I recommend that you add some pumpkin seeds.
• You can control the amount of calories by increasing or decreasing the number of nuts. The muesli tastes more savory when the nuts aren’t chopped or aren’t chopped too finely. You should never buy nuts or almonds in pieces or chop them to use the next day as they will oxidate.
• If you are in a hurry or if you don’t care if these products are denatured, you can use ¼ cup bran (15 g) or rolled oats instead of freshly ground grains.

Erb Muesli more than meets the daily requirement for Vitamins C and E. Of the 15 grams of fat, about 5 grams consist of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Half of the daily requirement for PUFAs is therefore also covered. The purine content (in uric acid) comes to only about 15 mg. The exact details on nutritional values and also vitamins and minerals will be explained in detail in the next letter.

This muesli has now been my favorite food for over 10 years now. I have even made in the Algerian desert, although I did bring the bananas with me from abroad. By varying the freshly ground ingredients and the fruit, Erb Muesli tastes new and fresh every day.

1. Nutritional value

Contains 650 calories.

2. Vitamins

Vitamin A (retinol equivalent) is listed in micrograms, and all of the other vitamins in milligrams. Vitamin E as a tocopherol equivalent, B₁ = thiamine, B₂ = riboflavin, C = ascorbic acid

Minerals in mg *

* The mineral amounts are listed in milligrams. Erb Muesli contains 0.084 mg fluoride (as potassium fluoride) or more if the drinking water contains fluoride (sodium fluoride). As protection for our teeth, certain groups recommend that we get 1 mg of fluoride daily.

** Erb Muesli contains practically no salt and can be integrated into low-salt diets (e.g., to lower high blood pressure).

If you eat the muesli, some dairy products, carrots, and some parsley or chives and drink plenty of water or herbal teas (2 liters), you will be getting all of the essential substances you need and will be able to successfully lose weight.

Prevention is indeed better than early diagnosis! Most (popular) weight-loss diets are unbalanced or make use of the fact that to convert protein, virtually the same amount of energy must be used as is taken in as calories. Both of these types of diets can be dangerous.

About 1½ cups of carrots (200 g) contain 2,200 µg of carotene (and 1.4 mg iron) and meet our daily requirements for vitamin A even if metabolism is low.

Iron deficiencies are quite common for people who eat a pure plant-based diet. Our iron levels are usually at 4 to 5 g, but each day we excrete 1 to 1.5 mg, and when we bleed even more.

The reabsorption rate is on average 10% (with meat 30%), which means that we should consume 10 to 18 mg per day. One bunch of chives (100 g) contains 13 g, two small bunches of parsley (100 g) have 8 grams, and just over 1 cup sesame seeds (100 g) contains 10 mg of iron.

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© CC-by-sa 2.0

© CC-by-sa 2.0

© CC-by-sa 2.0

© CC-by-sa 2.0