Moving Strongly Forward

More on Vitamin D Deficiency

The New York Times has a great article on Vitamin D deficiency. Based on the article, as least I am on the upper end of deficient, which is probably thanks to the fact that my family has shunned sunscreen for the last four years. Always a bright side, right? Here is the post regarding my deficiency: Vitamin D Deficiency – Geez! Ryan and Colson will eventually be tested.

WTF - Farmers that Lie

I haven’t done a WTF in awhile, so here goes.

I know a lying farmer. That farmer took thousands of dollars from me over almost three years and sold me food that was not as advertised. The farmer claimed that the “organic” vegetables were raised on their farm and the free range, pasture raised, hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats and eggs were raised on their farm. Most, and possibly all, the vegetables that I was sold came from other non-organic farms. Much of the meat and eggs came from farms in other parts of the country and most of it was not pasture raised or antibiotic-free. So much for the premium prices I paid for healthy, locally grown food!

I trusted that farmer. I trusted what the farmer told me, trusted their website, and trusted their literature. I never would have suspected they were liars until I visited the farm and began to put the real story together. It took a couple of months to verify my suspicions. I made many phone calls, spent lots of time thinking and reading and eventually the puzzle was completed.

Visiting the farm is the only way to verify that your food is what you think it is, and even then you can be misled. If I didn’t know this farmer and have a feel for the volume of business done, I wouldn’t have known I was being lied to. When I visited the people I trusted, the farm appeared to be in order and supportive of the claims the farmer made. Still, something was subtly wrong. I could see there was not enough product to meet the demand of the many people I had referred to them in addition to all the other customers, restaurants and stores that the farm serviced. The eggs from the pasture didn’t match the eggs being sold at the farmers market. The food had to come from somewhere, and down the rabbit hole I went to find it. It was a very educational and disappointing experience.

Even after all of my research and all the fraudulent representations I have uncovered, I have other suspicions. Were the animals that were raised on the farm really fed antibiotic-free feed and were they truly hormone free? I will never know the answers to those questions, but I will ask to see the feed labels of future farms I visit.

I hope to have an e-book written in a couple of months to help people verify where their food comes from. Counterfeit organic/pasture-raised/antibiotic-free food seems to be a growing problem and consumers need to be educated. Too many people are financially struggling and still finding a way to pay premium prices for what they believe to be exceptionally raised food. Those people deserve what they are paying for.

Kudos to the organic, pasture raising, antibiotic-free, hormone-free farmers who really do the right thing by their customers, and kudos to the farmers who tell the truth about their conventionally raised food.

Watermelon – Oh What a Surprise

My friend Ann shared an article about the nutritional value of watermelon. I was glad to read it, as my family was eating two medium to largish watermelons a week. That seemed like a lot, but I won’t worry about it now. Ann just laughed at me, as they were eating two smallish watermelons a day, let alone two a week!

It is amazing the brainwashing that our society puts us through regarding food. I was worried about eating too much watermelon. Even after all of this time, I need to remember that our bodies will tell us when we have had enough, and since we are still eating two watermelons a week, we haven’t had enough.  

Another Traumeel Victory

I blogged about Traumeel a couple of weeks ago: Traumeel for Injuries…and my First Barefoot Adventure, and shortly after that I was completely pain free and now I can run without pain. I have only run a few steps, but I am gearing up for a maybe 100 yards this weekend. I will have to see how it feels.

Now for the other victory. I sent some Traumeel to my parents, and my Dad has tried it. He has suffered with Bursitis in his shoulders for 30 or more years with no relief. He tried Traumeel and in two days he felt 60 to 70 percent better. My Dad says that he no longer has rusty shoulders and is enjoying the way he moves. Who’d of thought? I can’t wait for an update…now that I have a study population of two (my Dad and me).

McDonalds v. Free-Range Grassfed Burger Update

It has been almost 8.5 months since I purchased My First McDonalds Burger in Over 15 Years, and can you believe that I still have it and the free range grassfed burger? Our purchase video is kind of cute, given the music McDonalds was playing when we walked in: McDonalds Hamburger Purchased. We asked the question: Which Hamburger Will Tibbles Choose?, followed by Which Hamburger Will the Bugs Choose? Then we began to Learn from the Fungus that joined our experiment.

Granted, our “experiment” is not even remotely scientific, but it provides some insight nonetheless. Eight months have passed since my last blog about the burger and I thought I would check in. It is quite frightful in the bug proof cage where the burgers and bun reside. Some dust and cat hair have settled in, but what is most frightful is the meat. The McDs burger has shrunk, is hard and barely has grey mold just below the center. The free range burger has shrunk, is hard and has gobs of mold. I photographed the top side and the bottom of each burger and the McDs bun (see below). The first picture shows no mold on the McDs topside and some on the free range, but when you flip them over, YIKES! McDs has a funky, small grey mold colony and the free range has a robust, hairy white colony. The McDs bun has a bit of the funky small grey mold on it.

My camera stinks, so I couldn’t get super close-ups, but what a sight it is. I couldn’t wash my hands quickly enough when I was done. I am really surprised at how long it takes for the decomposition to occur. Granted, the burgers have not been exposed to water except for humidity, so I am sure that slows things down, but it has been eight months! I guess I will keep them and check on them for their one year birthday.

I admit, it is all a little weird, but what the heck.

Top of Burgers - Organic, Grassfed on left, McDs on Right

Bottom of Burgers - Organic, Grassfed on left, McDs on Right

The McD's Bun

Fermentation Update

Pickles

Fermented pickles are quite yummy! I followed the pickle recipe in Nourishing Traditions (NT), minus the whey and including garlic (recipe below). The pickles are crunchy and effervescent. After two batches of cukes covered in white mold, I decided to ditch it. A friend of mine just lost a batch to whey mold too. We must be doing something wrong with the whey, as it has probiotics and should be inoculating the pickles against mold, not producing mold. Any comments from those more knowledgeable are certainly appreciated!

Kombucha

Colson and I have kombucha nailed! After completing the NT recipe (see this blog entry: Written Instructions and Video) we poured the Kombucha into five bottles (bottles from commercial kombucha I previously purchased). In two bottles we added mashed blueberries, in two we added mashed strawberries, and in one we added fresh ginger chunks. We closed the bottles and left them on the counter for just over a day and then refrigerated them. The next day we tasted. Oh my goodness. We have the commercial brands beat! $3.60 a bottle for commercial brands v. the cost of four organic tea bags, one cup of organic sugar, and water. I figure that we save about $16 every five bottles when we make it on our own…and it tastes better. My friend Gwen is encouraging me to try blackberry and peach next, which I will do. The next batch of Kombucha is cooling on the stove as I write. Only ten days of fermentation and then on to Gwen’s favorites.

Bread

I bought the flour, but I haven’t done a thing to make it. I spend $5 a loaf at the farmers market for this amazing three day fermented sourdough mixed grain bread. It is sooo good! Even so, I should be able to make it for less…or so I think. Maybe next week will be my week to try.

Weight Gain

Funny thing to mention. Since eating the bread (one or two slices a day instead of the no bread diet I was on) I have gained five pounds. Hmmm. Maybe it is the corn on the cob too? I haven’t eaten corn on the cob for two summers, and that carb is back in a couple times a week too. Now I am converting carbs to fat? Maybe all of these carbs are causing my new back pain? Maybe I am going on the GAPS Diet for a few weeks to see if I can quickly drop those five.

Pickle Recipe

Ingredients

4 -5 pickling cucumbers or 15 – 20 gherkins

1 T mustard seed (optional)

2 T fresh dill snipped

2 T sea salt

1 or 2 garlic cloves, cut into large pieces

1 c. filtered water

Wash cukes well and place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar. If they don’t fit, you can slice them up. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over cukes, adding more water if necessary to cover the cukes. The top of the liquid should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temberature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. If cukes are sliced, keep at room temperature for 2 days and then transfer to cold storage.

Barefoot in the Woods

We have been walking in the woods barefoot for about two weeks, with occasional neighborhood walks thrown in. We have had a few unexpected bonuses while on our hikes in the woods, which we greatly prefer to the neighborhood walks.

First, walking in the woods is about being in the moment. We spend so much time trying to not hurt our feet that we think of little else. We don’t think of getting to the end of the walk, what we have to do before bed or what we have to do the next day. We just try to avoid the rocks!

Second, we have some great talks. Today our discussion strongly focused on what is cool to our seven year old boy, Colson. He thinks dark sunglasses and a baseball cap worn backwards are cool. And you have to strike a certain pose when you lean on a tree. If you wear a business suit and polish your shoes, you are just regular. If you are a girl who passes secret notes, you are uncool. This type of one-sided conversation goes on and on, and because we are spending so much time trying to not hurt ourselves, we can listen all night. Colson can talk all night because he has the super strong feet and is not even remotely bothered by all of the rocks on the trail.

Third, it is amazing to feel so much of the earth that Ryan and I haven’t felt since we were little kids. We feel every pine needle, twig, rock, and stretch of sand. This is really, really cool by our grown-up definition. It is soothing to take these walks, slow down and reconnect. As an added bonus, we saw the tiniest snake tonight. If we were wearing shoes we would have probably missed it. I am so thankful that we have discovered our forest sanctuary a few nights a week. To think it used to be a place that we rushed into for a dose of nature, only to rush home again!

Finally, our feet are getting stronger. Every time we go we make it further into the woods. Tonight we walked about a half hour. My ankles have stopped hurting, thank goodness, and I can even run now. In a few more weeks I am going to try some barefoot interval training runs on the soccer field.

Barefoot v. Vibrams…the Vibrams Lose

I have practiced going barefoot over the past eight days. I have walked in the woods and on the neighborhood streets. Only one splinter to show for it. I walk gingerly and am naturally a “Fox Walker” because the ball of my foot strikes first. This allows me to feel my way safely, to pivot when needed before placing my full weight on the sharp/painful object, and save my heel from stepping on painful things that I can’t pivot away from. Colson, my barefoot expert son, can run through the same terrain and not even flinch…until he really shows off by jumping into the air and crashing down on a pinecone to acquire his sliver.

This morning I wore my Vibrams for the first time for a morning power walk. I used to Love my Vibram Finger Shoes! until I overdid it and this happened: Vibrams – Injury? Thanks to Traumeel for Injuries I am finally free of pain and onto barefoot living. I moved from power walking combined with squats and lunges to biking, but today I wanted an old school walk. I threw on my Vibrams and off I went. I DON’T LIKE MY VIBRAMS ANYMORE!! Because the Vibrams mute the feedback my feet get from the road, I am pounding away, and it really, really bothers me. Looks like I am back to biking and will continue to follow the advice of Barefoot Ken Bob, as I reported here: Going Barefoot. Maybe in a few months I can try a short run.

Walking barefoot is immensely fun and relaxing. Colson is Ryan’s and my trip leader every evening, We have great talks and appreciate the outdoors more than ever.

Finally, here is another article which talks about what shoes are doing to our feet: How We're Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take -- New York Magazine.

Vitamin D Deficiency – Geez!

Never in my life did I think I had a vitamin D deficiency. I am in the sun with Colson daily. I don’t wear sunscreen, and I have a pretty good tan. I take fermented cod liver oil, which provides 190 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D, and I eat raw egg yolks, which contain vitamin D. It is well recognized that the RDA is the minimum necessary to avoid disease, but that doesn’t result in vibrant health, so I don’t place much stock in it. Even so I clearly get more vitamin D than the RDA.  

I had my yearly exam the other day and the Dr. wanted to test my vitamin D level because I had been diagnosed with osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, when I was 30. That diagnosis was unbelievable, given that I could bench press 120 pounds and run 10 miles! Over the last few years I have been remineralizing my teeth and bones thanks for nutrient dense food and butter oil and cod liver oil. The progress is noticeable in my teeth, which are no longer translucent and are filling in with a solid creamy color. My health has excelled, and I thought vitamin D wouldn’t be an issue. How wrong I was.

I have a fantastic gynecologist, and she was right with her suspicion. My vitamin D test score was 22. My doc says healthy is from 30 to 100. Serious deficiency is a score below 20. My doc prescribed 2,000 IUs of vitamin D a day. I emailed my incredible doctor of Oriental medicine and he agrees that my score is “quite low.” He says that some people don’t assimilate Vitamin D well and he is prescribing emulsified D-3 with cofactors liquid.

What Does Low Vitamin D Mean for Health?

Here are a few highlights for adults:

• 26% increased risk of death

• Greater risk of cancer

• Depression

• Heart-related disease

• Osteopenia/Osteoporsis

• Alzheimers Disease

• Colds, flu

• For kids, add rickets and diabetes.

Science Daily has a number of articles about vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D from the Sun

The Natural News has a great interview regarding the vitamin D we generate from the sun. It really doesn’t take that much sun exposure. In my case I greatly exceed the time recommended for healthy vitamin D levels, yet I am deficient.

How Many People are Vitamin D Deficient?

CNN reports on a Journal of Pediatrics article that 70 percent of American children are vitamin D deficient.  This USA Today article states that 36 about percent of Americans are deficient, with one doctor reporting that 95 percent of her patients are deficient. The article goes on to state that Americans were probably always deficient, but the trend is worsening due to poor sun exposure and diet.

Traumeel for Injuries…and my First Barefoot Adventure

The other day I mentioned I was Going Barefoot due to an injury I incurred because I overdid it my Vibrams. My Dr. of Oriental Medicine recommended that I use Traumeel, a homeopathic anti-inflammatory ointment to speed my healing. Even though my doc ALWAYS prescribes things that help me, I was doubtful this time.

Traumeel worked beyond my wildest expectations! My chronically aching ankles that shot bursts of pain throughout every day since my injury were 40 percent better the next morning. Yesterday, day two of the ointment, I was 75 percent better. So much so that I took Colson’s and my immersion nature walk, at Behold Nature with our homeschool group, barefoot. That was sooo cool! Thanks to my bare feet I was going so slowly that I found Sparky Turtoise, the half-dollar size baby turtle that was in the path. The kids fell in love with her, and Sparky must have felt the love, as she sought them out and let them all hold her.

Colson was a dynamo on the trail, not slowing for rocks or roots. It was amazing to study his stride and watch his feet grip the ground regardless of what came his way. Someday I will keep up with him.