Moving Strongly Forward

Bacon and Eggs - New Twist for Me

I have been writing about our Whole 30 Journey for almost three weeks, and how surprising it has been in some ways (see Redefining Our Relationship with Food). One of the surprises is that while the food tastes good, it has lost some of its zest. Well…not anymore thanks to homemade bacon!!

That is right, I made it myself. The meat guy at Whole Foods overheard me telling Colson that we couldn’t buy bacon because of the sugar and he directed us over to the prepackaged section with the pork bellies that he just received because someone else wanted sugar-free bacon. I had heard about making my own bacon with pork bellies, but I hadn’t quite gotten a handle on it - I was kind of scared of what a pork belly looked like. Well, it looks like a big brick of bacon. Yay!

I quickly bought three pounds (stage 4 on the Whole Foods animal welfare scale), sliced it up, soaked it in some water and Celtic sea salt for about an hour, and fried it. Double Yay!! It was the best bacon ever, and no sugar to deal with!

Soaking for an hour isn’t the official way to wet cure bacon, and we aren’t going to dry cure it either. My one hour way was quick and effective and now my official way (although I may try an official wet cure.) The seasoning options will be fun to play with too. The final really cool feature is that these three pounds of bacon cost us just over $4. So much for the $10 a pound I was paying for honey cured bacon, which was inferior. Ha! Next I need to see how much my local, grass-fed pork farmer will charge me.

Now for the eggs. This is a bit of a rant against store bought eggs. I haven’t bought eggs from the store in almost four years, only purchasing from local farmers, with my premier farmer not feeding soy (victory!). Last week I had to purchase eggs from a store because I forgot to purchase extra for our camping trip.

What a tough and disappointing purchasing decision. They were scrawny, expensive and from Texas! How fresh could they be? Even though they were organic from Organic Valley farms, the yolks couldn’t stand up to the eggs that I normally purchase from a local farmer: pastured, non-soy fed, eggs from bug eating chickens.

And the size…for the price…blew my mind. Most people are experiencing rising food prices, but my local farmers have not had to raise their prices, thank goodness.

Here are a few pictures for comparison. The white eggs are from my local farmer. I know the third picture with the cute boy’s eye in the picture doesn’t show much comparison, but hey, he is cute and he is mine!

 

Redefining Our Relationship with Food

This Whole 30 eating plan has been a trip. We were very healthy eaters before, following a Nourishing Traditions (NT) and GAPS diet, but the Whole 30 takes it to a new level, and as eaters Ryan and I are quite mixed up. After a camping trip this weekend (for which bringing home-prepared food was quite easy thanks to the Whole 30), we discussed at dinner (over some delicious salmon and roasted green beans), our newly forming and hard to grasp feelings toward food.

On the Whole 30, we aren't hungry, full, tired or energetic. We just are. Food tastes good, but it isn't remarkable or scrumptious. It seems strange to become so detached from food. Does it ever become really enjoyable on the Whole 30 – in a Paul Prudhomme/Cajun and decadent sort of way (which is perfectly fine according to NT guidelines and can be made GAPS friendly too)? Or is food only decent tasting fuel - which is what I imagine it is supposed to be but I can't wrap my head around that yet.

This is new territory for me. I enjoy preparing and eating really tasty and decadent food. Colson, our son, is rolling with the diet very well and doesn't seem to feel like something is amiss - maybe because he never ate the Standard American Diet (SAD). He is eating tons more, probably because of the loss of dairy fat on the Whole 30, but he seems fine.

When we were camping, sitting around the campfire telling team stories (which get more hilarious as Colson gets older), it seemed like we should be snacking (popcorn, organic dark chocolate bar, GAPS coconut cookies). Nobody was hungry, there was nothing to snack on, and to Ryan and me something was missing.

We haven’t been “full” on the Whole 30. Not once. We aren’t hungry or full. We found we could hike strenuously for six miles on a Whole 30 breakfast, eat lunch at 2:30 even though we weren’t hungry, and still not feel exhausted from lack of food. We should have been starving for lunch after that hike, but we weren’t.

The Whole 30 keeps us steady physically. Both of us crave that full feeling (that is psychological I suppose), but we can’t overeat because our bodies tell us not to eat one more bite of meat or veggies. It tastes good, but the thought of eating more than needed becomes almost sickening.

Physically, we are fantastic. Ryan is shedding body fat like crazy and he has just detoxed something, and I am almost as slim as when I was at my fittest (muscularly – my eating habits were awful then). It feels great to be this light inside and out and not physically wanting anything. I guess that is how we are supposed to feel? Scrumptious, decadent food wasn’t part of the human eating plan until recently, and it has been exploited by the prepared food industry, which in turn has caused disease to skyrocket.

Ryan and I were traditional SAD eaters for 35 years. We moved to NT, which is good, then to GAPS, which is better, and now the Whole 30. Physically, this way of eating feels the best, but psychologically it is odd and a little unsettling. We are going to continue and reassess at the end of 30 days. I think we have at least another 30 to go, but we will see.

Stay tuned for the 30 day assessment – Colson does want to go to the boutique chocolate store for a celebration treat (another nasty SAD habit – celebration treats). I think it will make him sick, but hey – the kid needs some free food will and experiential education is the best. Maybe Ryan’s and my psychology around the Whole 30 will adjust by then.

Any thoughts?

Crepes!

Amy turned my on to this recipe from Keeper of the Home. It is an excellent way to grab and eat some chicken or anything else that goes well with that villain called bread (see Wheat v. Sugar – Which is More Despicable?), and it has made our Whole 30 Journey that much better. We are still 100% on the Whole 30 and going strong. Thank you, Amy!

This recipe says it makes six to eight six inch crepes, but I found it makes more (maybe because my eggs are so large). I also don’t make a full recipe if I don’t have time – it can take an hour or more to use up all of the crepe mix.

Ingredients:
12 eggs (Yes, really, a dozen eggs)
4 tablespoons coconut flour
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
6 teaspoons refined coconut oil, to fry

Crepe Directions:
Mix all ingredients well, making sure all clumps of coconut flour are broken up. I like to use my blender or food processor when I am cooking with coconut flour- the lumps can be difficult to get out when just using a whisk or spoon.  Allow to sit for a few minutes so the coconut flour can absorb as much of the egg as it is going to.

In a skillet over medium-low heat melt 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, tilting pan to coat. Add about 2 tablespoons of batter and tilt to make a 6-inch circle. Cook until bubbles start to form and the middle of the pancake looks slightly cooked. Flip gently with a thin spatula and cook until the other side is golden; about 5 minutes on the first side, 2 on the second.

Whole 30 Update

Nine days ago, Ryan, Colson and I began the Whole 30 to try to reduce Colson’s sneezies: The Whole 30 Begins Today.

How are we doing on the most restrictive diet we have ever followed? Great. Easy, actually, with some new recipes from Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution book. All three of us have stayed true to the diet.

One glitch Ryan and I experienced is related to eating nuts – too many nuts when on this diet. They seriously messed with our digestion until we figured it out. Nuts are supposed to be treated as a condiment, not a munchy treat. They became a treat for us and we paid…so beware of the nuts.

Colson is still sneezing during the day, but he is sleeping peacefully at night. What surprises me about Colson is his willingness to eat eggs. He eats them for breakfast four or five times a week with no complaint. I am baffled as to why he is so accepting of them, but I will take it.

I considered removing eggs from the diet to see if they are causing Colson any allergy-related problems, but I really don’t think eggs are the issue. I think gluten, and wheat in particular, is the problem - wheat causes Colson’s and Ryan’s faces to swell ridiculously. We are going to try GlutenFlam, a product recommended by our doc of Oriental medicine, to see if that helps cool Colson’s inflamed nose and other body inflammation caused by gluten. The effects of gluten exposure can be long lasting, and I am all for helping Colson and Ryan recover more quickly if possible.

I explained to Colson that he and Ryan needed to stop eating wheat and other gluten products because they really hurt their bodies. I told him that wheat/gluten can affect the heart, the brain, the gut and so much more, and it can cause the body to attack itself (autoimmunity). I also explained that his Grammy and great-Grammy seemed to have these problems too – that Ryan’s family seems to have a genetic problem with wheat. I want him and his Papa to always feel good and be the first to not suffer because of eating wheat. Colson said he gets it and is ok with no longer eating wheat/gluten. He sometimes wants a gluten-free pizza once we are done with the Whole 30. I think we can all live with that.

It amazes me what kids can understand and accept.

P.S. We are following the Whole 30 longer than 30 days because Ryan is experiencing significant inflammation. Colson is fine with going longer and very supportive of helping his Papa. Because he wants to celebrate the first 30 days, Colson will make a quick trip to the organic chocolate store on Day 31 for a treat. I don’t like it, but I have to let him dictate some of the terms. I wonder what feedback his body will give him?

What If It’s All Been A Fat Lie?

If you are still convinced that non-industrial fat can be good for you, check out this Dr. Mercola interview with Gary Taubes, author of ­Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat: What If It's All Been a Fat Lie?

I only have my blood test results to go on, but a few years full of good fat has yielded fantastic, heart protective results for me: Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Thyroid – Oh my! I do have to give some credit to exercise, but food really is the basis for health.

I spent a decade living and eating the Fat Lie (ok, not actually eating, as I avoided fat), but now that I have embraced real fat (animal fat, coconut oil and olive oil), I am healthier at 45 than I was at 35. Getting older, jettisoning fake industrial food, reducing carbohydrates and embracing healthy fat  has meant getting healthier. What about you?  

Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Thyroid – Oh my!

I had some blood tests in addition to my my bone density scan. The coolest one, in my opinion, is my cholesterol test, followed by blood glucose and then thyroid.

Cholesterol

My 2009 cholesterol numbers are here: Victory – Cholesterol. While those 2009 numbers were good, they aren’t as good as the 2011 numbers:

                                    My score        Healthy Range

Total                           202                 100 - 199

Triglycerides             96                    0 – 149

HDL                            92                    >39

VLDL                          19                    5 – 40

LDL                             91                    0 - 99

My MD, who is wonderfully patient and giving of her time, spent about a half hour discussing my blood test and bone density results. She said that my cholesterol scores are awesome and I shouldn’t change a thing. My total score appears to be high because my HDL, which is linked to protecting against heart disease, is so high.

Another doc pointed out is that my VLDL is low. You can read more about VLDL here: What is VLDL cholesterol? Can it be harmful?, but to summarize, the higher your VLDL the greater your risk of heart attack. This doc said that based upon my cholesterol scores, my LDL particle size (you want big particles that don’t bind to your blood vessel walls) is expected to be large, further reducing the likelihood of a coronary problem. This Johns Hopkins article explains more about LDL particle size: The New Blood Lipid Tests -- Sizing Up LDL Cholesterol.

The great thing about these docs is that they do not follow conventional wisdom when it comes to food. They know that I eat a very non-conventional diet of animal fat, coconut oil, and full fat dairy, I avoid grain like crazy, and I cook my own food, and they both support my continuing to break from conventional food theology.

My Oriental medicine doc said in 2009 that my cholesterol scores were low and he would expect them to come up as I continue to regain health and vitality, and clearly he was right.

Blood Glucose

My blood was drawn shortly after eating lunch, so you would expect my glucose level to be inflated. I scored a healthy 91. Yay! Diabetes runs strongly in my family, with blindness and loss of limb a frequent occurrence.

Thyroid

Thyroid tested normal too, which is great given that my father lost his thyroid to cancer.

If your blood test results aren’t quite where you want them, you can almost certainly influence them. Give up processed food as a start and see what happens. If that doesn’t get you where you want to be, try giving up grains and sugar, except maybe small amounts of raw honey). And don’t be afraid of fat! Butter, raw cheese, coconut oil, you name it. Good fat is good for you!

Vibrant health is within your reach and should be expected. Eat well and live well. It really can be that easy.

And the Bone Density Drum Roll Please…

After my initial bone density scan in 1999 (long story – wasn’t planning on the scan but I was at a legislative health fair and got one for free), and finding out that I “had the bones of an 80 year old woman,” I freaked. At age 30 I could run ten miles and bench press my body weight, yet I had the bones of an 80 year old woman?!

After that original diagnosis (I now know was made with inaccurate equipment), I had a more thorough screening to find out I had osteopenia, not osteoporsis. Osteopenia (mild bone density loss, which is natural and expected) is a debatable diagnosis developed more than 15 years ago. Some, including ethical medical doctors, realize that the osteopenia diagnosis was developed by the pharmaceutical industry, which has built a sizeable and profitable drug menu to treat this “problem.”

Take this National Public Radio piece for instance – every woman should read and listen to it: How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription : NPR. This is truly one of the most important links on my blog, and it is absolutely worth the 10 minutes to read it or 22 minutes to listen to the story.

And I won’t get started on all the problems with one of the treatment drugs: Fosamax. Just search “Fosamax problems” and see for yourself. Once you get past all the lawyer advertisements to recruit for bone fracture, heart and eye problems you start to get into the real dirt. I wouldn’t take that drug for anything!

Upon my original osteopenia diagnosis in 1999, my doc told me to up my calcium supplementation and plan to take Fosamax at some point. I was resigned to my fate until I started to get educated ten years later. Before I began my bone healing journey I had another scan in 2005 at the recommendation of my doc, with little change.

My education really began in 2006 when I moved to North Carolina and joined the Holistic Moms Network, which led me to an incredible healer at Oriental Health Solutions (all three healers are amazing), which led me to the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), where I learned about the butter oil/cod liver oil combination that just pounds nutrition into your body and bones.

By the time I the found WAPF, I was eating pretty nutrient dense food, but not actually seeing changes. Upon introducing Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil, my healing really took off (see Visual Proof That Food Heals).

Unfortunately, I didn’t know that I had a chronically super low vitamin D level of 22, which affects bone development and density. I was taking fermented cod liver oil a vitamin D source daily, getting tons of sun exposure and not wearing sunscreen, and still I had a very low level (see Vitamin D Deficiency – Geez!) It turns out that Colson does too (see Vitamin K2/X-Factor – Why We are Recommitting to Butter Oil for an overview of Colson’s vitamin D journey and must read information on Butter Oil). Due to layoffs and financial challenges we were not always able to maintain our butter oil/cod liver oil regimen and at times the gap in butter oil was up to six months.

So what are the New Bone Density scan results?!?

Even with the absence of butter oil probably half the time over the last few years and low vitamin D levels…I have increased my bone density at age 45! Yes indeed. Better bones than when I was 40. I do still have the diagnosis of osteopenia, but so what. I know how to build bone density with food!

I wish that I could compare all of today’s results to 1999’s, but the measurements were a bit different then. I do know that I did have bone loss at one point in my body from 1999 to 2005.

My teeth have visually improved since the photo I posted on my blog 2.5 years ago.

No supplements – just nutrient dense food, cod liver oil and butter oil. The Fosamax people can stuff it and I am doing the happy dance. The bone density increase would have been greater if I would have had continual access to butter oil and actually tried to raise my super low vitamin D level, but I will happily take these results!

Here is how it works. My density was checked in three places: Lumbar Spine, Left Femoral Neck, and Left Total Proximal Femur. I increased my bone density at the Left Femoral Neck and maintained it in the other two places. My doc says that maintaining bone density at my age (45) is as good as building it, because women are normally losing bone density.

What to do with these results? I don’t know. I want to blast them all over the drug pushing American medical culture in hopes that medical professionals will start recommending a food cure. How many different ways can I find to convince people to eat real food and shed disease? How do I convince them to romp through life after 40 instead of expecting to fall into a painful and sickly decline? How do I get them to believe that life after 40 is supposed to be vibrant and fun?

I don’t know, but I will keep on trying, taking and sharing every victory I can.

P.S. If you want to see my favorite Happy Dancer, check out Where the Hell Is Matt 2008. It is worth all 4 minutes you will spend watching it.

Assumptions and Day 1

Yesterday we completed Day 1 of our Whole 30 day experiment. It was easy and I make bad assumptions. I thought Colson would be cranked about eggs for breakfast, but he was quite pleasant about eating three scrambled eggs, a carrot and tomatoes instead of his kefir smoothie.

Ryan and I dropped Colson off at a friend’s house and then went to the Durham Farmer’s Market, where we met up with our doc of Oriental medicine. I told him we started the Whole 30 and asked him if he heard of it. He said no, but it sounds a lot like the Apex diet, just not quite as restrictive. I don’t know what the Apex diet is, but that was exciting until he said that eliminating eggs, nuts and nightshades would make the diet even more healing. Eliminating eggs, however, might not be that necessary, as Colson is minimally vaccinated, making his exposure to the egg junk in vaccines minimal and any likelihood of egg-related problems smaller. And Colson LOVES tomatoes (a nightshade), and nuts are our crutch that allows us to have some semblance of normalcy here and there via nut flour crepes and pancakes (which you need eggs for). So, we will ditch the nuts (except coconut, which affects the body differently – how I am not sure and need to research), ditch the tomatoes, and ponder eggs and sunflower seed butter.

Our doc said that working this out through a more restrictive diet was great, as we can hopefully figure out what triggers Colson’s allergies. I am grateful that Colson is just rolling along so far without any complaint.

The Whole 30 Begins Today

Yesterday I put my kefir grains away for the first time in over two years. Kefir has been a part of our lives almost every morning and we are going to miss it. So are the dog and cats. Other than the occasional almond flour pancakes we have had almost nothing else for breakfast for two years!

Why this drastic change? Why are we saying goodbye to our kefir, raw cheese, raw honey, butter, soy sauce and more? Why are we leaving the GAPS Diet behind – an eating plan that has cured so many problems for us (see One Year Anniversay – A Year of Healing in Review)? Because of Colson’s sneezies.

We are starting the Whole 30, a 30 day healing diet to hopefully bring an end to or greatly reduce Colson’s sneezies so that they are average and not atomic (see GAPS for the Nose Again).

It was a bit intimidating to wake up and not have kefir waiting for us. Kefir smoothies are a simple, power packed breakfast we all love.

The Whole 30 would be quite easy if Ryan and I were the only ones doing it, but Colson complicates things. He won’t suck down a can of tuna on some salad, for example (and yes…I can’t stand the BPA lining the can, so we won’t be doing a lot of that).

Food preparation becomes more difficult. Colson is going to flip this morning when he wakes up to scrambled eggs, but that is what we have that is quick. We are off and running early this morning for some major blueberry picking (hopefully to carry us to May when strawberry season begins), so there isn’t time for a more elaborate breakfast.

Even with these concerns, Colson has bought into the Whole 30 and hopefully breathing more easily.

I have a friend who told me he did the Whole 720 because he liked it so much, and he eats close to the diet now. He says it is amazing how you feel so he just kept going. Then I read about some other people’s experiences, and they raved about it too, including at least one MD.

I don’t think we are 720 people, but we probably have more than 30 days in us. We were already on GAPS, so physically the transition should be easy.

Now off to freeze that five gallons of raw milk and ten pounds of raw cheese I just purchased prior to learning about the Whole 30, then walk the dog, go to the farmers market, pick blueberries and try to fast until noon and not eat a blueberry until then. I have to be honest, though, I don’t think I will avoid the berries until noon.

Teen Revolution 2011 - State of the Ocean Update

In June I posted about the State of the Ocean Report – Time to Act and State of the Oceans – What I am Doing About It. Humans have ten years to turn it around, and with each passing year it will get harder. My generation (born in the 1960s) has failed to maintain the momentum gained in the 60s and 70s to protect our planet, and in fact we have lost immense ground. I wouldn't look to us to save the planet and our children.

So who should we look to? Our kids. It is a burden that they have inherited, and I am here to tell you, the teens with whom I am working are remarkable, inspiring and up for the challenge. They range in age from 12 to 16, and they are focused, mature and vibrant. They bring many different talents and interests, and now that we are up and running it will only get better. 

So what are we going to do? Try to stop the North Carolina General Assembly from approving a horrific piece of environmental legislation that will prevent North Carolina from better protecting its environment by more strongly regulating greenhouse gas emissions than the federal government. Our newly republican General Assembly didn't get a chance to complete its dirty, environmentally destructive work before the 2011 session ended, so they will try to finish up in the spring of 2012. We have about seven months to make a difference. 

^{How are we going to do it? That is an interesting question. We have to play within the rules of the General Assembly, but we don't have to follow the usual playbook. I broke away from the playbook (that was a first) earlier this year when stripping a bad health care bill of its bad provisions. While that was new, exciting and refreshing, it isn't enough this time. My challenge will be to facilitate these kids through the process while not getting in the way with my old advocacy paradigms.}  

The kids I am working with are homeschooled, so we have the flexibility and time to do this right. Their focus and energy last night (our second meeting) were more than I remember when their age (I attended public school). We crammed an entire year's worth of standard government into one night and their penetrating, analytic and creative thought exceeded mine. 

This is going to be a wild ride and we are reaching high. Hopefully with a couple more months behind us we can begin to transplant the effort to other teen groups.

If you are interested in growing a similar teen group in your area, please contact me at movingstronglyforward@yahoo.com.

Wheat v. Sugar – Which is More Despicable?

That is a question I have been asking myself for a few months. The other day the answer hit me. I can’t stand wheat. It drives me crazy. It makes the best bread, the best cake, the best pizza crust. And it makes my family sick. And most of America for that matter.

Avoiding wheat is hard. Just two slices of bread and lunch becomes so much easier. Eating it leads to swelling sinuses and faces, old injuries become inflamed, and blood sugar gets jacked up.

Sugar, on the other hand is easy to avoid. Just give me some raw honey and problem solved.

So, what is a person to do? Go on the Whole 30 and get rid of the grains and the sweeteners. We are starting the Whole 30 Saturday morning in an effort to seriously tackle Colson’s sneezy allergies – and it just seems like a fantastic idea in general.

GAPS for the Nose Again

Seven days ago we started the GAPS Diet AGAIN to help Colson’s sneezie, stuffy, runny, Darth Vader sounding nose. This has been a rough allergy season for Colson and we have tried some chinese herbs and homeopathy, with no change. Last week enough was enough and Colson easily agreed to GAPS again.

For a synopsis of Colson’s sneezy journey and previous cure read this post: Sneezing with Every Bite He Ate.

Last night, day six into GAPS, we had a breakthrough. Colson was sleeping, breathing through his nose and not snoring. This morning the sneezies were back, but at least he slept peacefully last night. It had been about two months since he hadn’t snorted and gasped in his sleep.

Why do I think this happened? Because Colson ate the occasional flour from pizza crust, corn chips, organic flour tortillas, rice, ice cream, chocolate and non-fermented raw milk. They all cause inflammation.

Inflammation is the root of so much disease. Even off the GAPS wagon we are very low grain, sugar and dairy consumers, but what little we do consume is enough to disrupt Colson’s life.

What are we going to do? As far as I can figure we have three options.

1. Continue GAPS until Colson’s adenoids, which are inflamed and blocking his airway, naturally decrease in size when he becomes a teenager 5 years from now. I am not sure how well that one will fly, and there will certainly be some non-GAPS eating.

2. Have Colson’s adenoids removed. Based on my reading, adenoids are important for a young child’s immune system, but not so important now and he can do without them. I have spoken to other alternative-minded friends who had their adenoids taken out as children and they say it improved their lives tremendously.

3. Continue to seek a homeopathic solution.

That’s it. I am out of ideas. If anyone has others, please let me know.

Thank you!

Smiling All Week and Beyond (I Hope)

I am a pretty upbeat and smiley person by nature, but I don’t even come close to the Buddhist teachers at the Kadampa Center in Raleigh. Our teacher, Geshe Gelek, has an amazing smile and incredible laugh. I like to hear his teaching on Sundays just to hear his laugh, and along with that comes a wisdom that helps me take myself less seriously. Geshe-la’s teacher, Khensur Rinpoche, is at the center teaching for six weeks, and he is always smiling. And, of course, there is the Dalai Lama, whose smile is infectious.

Today I sat in the audience, and as Geshe-la came in I noticed his radiant smile more than usual. He was followed by Rinpoche, who has the most warm, peaceful and joyful smile. When he speaks it feels like he is hugging you with his voice, even though I don’t understand a word of what he is saying – Geshe-la translates. Geshe-la and Rinpoche are two of the most joyful people I have been fortunate to hear teach.

Their smiles stayed with me, and I realized that I need to up my level of smiling since I was thinking so much about theirs. This week I am going to try to smile more. As with any new habit, I am sure I will need a warm up time to get in the groove. Each time I enter and leave a room I will smile, each time I am in close proximity to a person, even a stranger, I will smile, and I will even smile at my dog after she tears up the bathroom garbage, a new three day old habit of hers.

Wishing you many smiles for the week!

More Fasting Lessons

I haven’t blogged about fasting for a few weeks, but I have learned a couple of more things. If you want to see how it all began, you can start reading here and work your way back with the links in that post: No Fast Week 4.

I can easily forget I am fasting, and fasting on farmers market day is a BAD IDEA for me. Three weeks ago it was a no-spray peach that messed me up, and today it was half of a fig. Oh my gosh...I have never had figs. YUM! Today I ignored that indiscretion and kept right on fasting.

Two weeks ago I learned to not fast when my sone has a birthday party that I also attended. If it was just any old mainstream birthday party, the fast would have been cake, but this was an organic birthday party, complete with sauerkraut at lunch. Still, I held strong and didn’t break it until 3:00 that day. It was tough.

I shouldn’t fast if I haven’t slept well. Sleep deprivation combined with food deprivation is tough, and that day took real willpower to complete the fast. I hit 18 hours and broke it.

Following the GAPS Diet makes fasting easier. GAPS is a super low carbohydrate eating approach, which we have started again and about which I will blog later.

I find that I crave fat as my fast window comes to a close, and a raw chunk of cheese is what I eat first.

Most importantly, fasting really makes me appreciate having food. By that I mean that I am surprised at how little fills me up after 20 or so hours of fasting. It really signals how I eat too much the rest of the week, how horrifically gluttonous Americans are, and how a little bit of food can make a difference someone who is starving.

Earlier this year my family donated to Heifer International, and it seems like it is time to donate again. If Ryan and I eat a little less each week, we will easily cover the cost of a donation.

Awesome Kid's Sweet Potato Experiment about Eating Organic

Love this girl and would love to know what she does when she grows up! If you need another reason to seek organic, and preferably local organic food, here it is: Sweet Potato Girl.

While the label organic provides some assurance of the food’s quality, it doesn’t mean everything. There are great local farmers using organic and better farming techniques that don’t have the certification because they are small farmers and certification is too costly. Be sure to question your farmers thoroughly.

Government Food Raids – Is this America?

Unbelievable. Do I still live in America?

Thank you to all who have gone to protest on behalf of those arrested in California. It worked in Michigan and here is hoping it will work again!

Here is a press release on the California raid: Rawsome Farm Buying Club Raided Again

You can read more and see pictures at Natural News.

To read about the victory in Michigan, go here: Health Ranger interviews Julie Bass - NaturalNews.com.

Goodbye Plantar Wart!

It is officially gone. It left about five days ago, but I just haven’t had time to blog. You can read about the beginning of this 13 day wart annihilation effort here: Plantar Wart and Clay Success.

Basically, I applied a calcium bentonite clay paste that I made to the wart and covered it with duct tape twice a day. Within four days the clay took out the affected skin, and it took about eight more days to kill the wart’s roots. Being the alternative health geek that I am, I had to watch the progress every morning with a magnifying glass. The roots maintained a height above the affected tissue as it was falling off. Then they were like little buildings – red and angry. Eventually they turned brown, then black, and over night about half the mini-crater in my foot filled in. By the next morning the crater was gone, with three little black dots (the base of the roots) at the surface. Five days later they are almost gone too.

My foot no longer has that dull ache in the wart area and there is the definable wart hardness is gone. Could it be any easier? If so, please let me know your method.