Moving Strongly Forward

The Wine Smackdown

Yesterday I blogged about going beyond my dreams when considering my health. I was quickly brought back down to Earth, if ever so briefly, because I had red wine for the first time since probably June 2011.

It was only a glass and a half, but now that I am eating and drinking really clean, even that little is enough to throw me for a loop. I seriously didn’t like how it made me feel that evening and the next morning. I didn’t have a headache, but I was sluggish and fuzzy. I like crisp and powerful, which is not in reach yet this morning.

In his book You Are Here, Thich Nhat Hanh discusses being present in everything you do, including eating and drinking. He talks about paying attention to your body when you eat and drink and really listening for its reaction. Regarding drinking, he mentions alcohol specifically and how your body will protest as you are drinking it. Unfortunately, very few people can even hear their bodies, and I couldn’t until now.

Wine and other alcohol is such a part of our culture, and giving it up permanently isn’t something I intend…but maybe I will. Crisp and powerful v. sluggish and fuzzy, if only three or four times a year – I am not making any commitments and may choose sluggish and fuzzy every now and then. I don’t yet know.

Primal with Mark Sisson

I started exploring Primal when I tripped on Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple. For whatever reason, though, I purchased Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution book. Yesterday I was able to pick up Mark’s Primal Blueprint at the used bookstore. There was only one copy of Mark’s book and none of Robb’s, which I think reflects the growing paleo/primal movement – yay!

It is a real kick listening to these two guys get together and talk paleo, as they have in this podcast , (click on Episode 102). Definitely worth the few minutes if you are wondering about it all.

If you want to see more of Mark, check out this video cast: Healthy Power TV with Mark Sisson. This 20 minute video was great for workout context for me, and there are references to other videos that I will watch.

Back to the workouts. Mark emphasizes that there is very little working out to do, and I needed to see it in video to “get it.” I finally achieved my 50 military pushups the other day after being derailed by an exceptionally busy schedule, and I can’t get over HOW EASY IT WAS to get there. Very little working out. Now that I have done it, though, I have to do it every pushup day regardless of whether or not I want to work that hard – kind of a weird way I am wired I guess.

The workout at the end of that Healthy Power TV interview looks fantastic, and a pull-up bar is in my near future, as it is now too cold outside to do pull-ups regularly at the park. I have replaced the squats with wall sits to mix it up a little, and I have added some lunges for muscle balance.

I have explored healing foods for over three years in an effort to find the “right” eating approach, and the Whole 30, which is a little tighter than paleo, accelerated my family’s health beyond my dreams. How often does that happen – going beyond your dreams?

Stunning Food Experience – Almost Raw Butternut Squash Pie

Every now and then Erin contributes to my blog, thank goodness. The other day she was tinkering in the kitchen and came up with the most joyous fall dessert I have ever eaten! EVER! She brought me a piece yesterday, and I am making it TODAY! And I am going to look for a food competition where Erin can submit that recipe, as it is that excellent.  

Thank you Erin!

Almost Raw Butternut Squash Pie

Ingredients:

FILLING

• 2 lg, or 4 small butternut squashes--enough for 3-4 c of roasted flesh

• 2-3 T melted coconut oil, plus more for brushing on squash

• 3-4 T chia seeds (finely ground, using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle)  OR  1/4 c to 1/3 c ground flax seeds

• Sweetener to taste. I used 2 T maple syrup and 1 T molasses, though honey or sucanat would work well too.

• Spices. I used 2t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, 1 t clove, and 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds (all finely ground) plus a teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger generous pinch of salt. Laura’s note: Except for the cinnamon, Erin freshly grinds all of her spices and it is worth it. I am going to be purchasing a grinder, as the mortar and pestle is too much work.

CRUST

• 2c of nuts--I used all pecans, but a mixture of any would work

• 1/2 c (6-8) pitted medjool dates

• Generous pinch of salt

• Optional grated coconut

Instructions

Roast squash

Wash squashes, chop in half lengthwise, and scoop out strings and seeds.  Brush squash and pan with melted coconut oil and roast them cut side down until fork-tender at 425°F. Large squashes will take about an hour, small ones as little as 30 min.  When cool enough to handle, scoop/scrape out all of the cooked flesh.  Set aside.  You can definitely roast the squash ahead. If you do this, and store it in the fridge, allow it to re-warm in a warm water bath while you make the crust. This will allow the later step of blending with coconut oil to go smoothly.

Crust

While the squash roasts (or re-warms), make the crust.  Using a coffee/spice grinder or food processor, process nuts with salt and dates until uniformly and finely ground, and slightly sticky. Taste and adjust flavors. You can sprinkle grated coconut on the bottom of a pie plate to help the crust release when you serve it. Press the crust mixture firmly to the bottom and sides of the pie plate to make a solid crust. Chill in the fridge.

Filling

Scoop 3-4 cups of warm butternut squash flesh into the food processor. As it is running, gradually add salt, spices, melted coconut oil and sweetener(s) and process until well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Then add the thickener, about 1 T of ground chia per cup of squash flesh. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes (~20 min, so the coconut oil gets close to solidification temp., 76 deg). During the wait, stir/blend a few times to redistribute the chia/flax. The mixture should gradually get a bit thicker.  

Assembly

Scoop filling into the cold crust, spread evenly, and return to the fridge. After about an hour, you will notice that the surface of the filling loses it's wet "shine" and should be firmer to the touch.  It can be eaten immediately, though it will probably be its best at 24 hours.

Another Halloween Idea – THE BEST ONE!

My friend Melissa reminded me of this great Trick or Treat idea: “You can also trick-or-treat for UNICEF... we've done that before, instead of asking for candy, we ask for some change as a donation. :)”

Melissa is my wonderful friend who first got me thinking about diet and health over three years ago and then guided me as I assembled my new foods and learned how to cook with them. We will be getting our UNICEF box today I hope. You can get them by going to this link: Trick or Treat for UNICEF.

Human Body/Mind Connection – Great Stuff

A few days ago I was reflecting on human relationships (see Humans), and Shannon, a really smart and generous person, emailed the response below to me. Shannon has been educating me on Candace Pert, the subject of her email below, for a few years, and I think I am finally ready to dive in, listen to her CDs and learn more.

I am always amazed at how long it sometimes takes me to get moving on something, but we all get there when we get there and I can’t do it all at once, which is my natural and always unfulfilled desire. I love aging - it has given me the wisdom to accept that I will get to things when I can and no longer beat myself up for not getting it all done when I initially think I should.

Speaking of humans, a birthing educator friend was explaining to me that when humans learn something new that very personally affects them and requires a change of beliefs or actions, they often go through the stages of grief before possibly changing their behavior. They have to hear the idea more than once so that they can process it and then possibly act on it. That would explain why it is so hard for people to buy in to changing the way that they eat, care for themselves and so much more.

For my family, the food and healing journey was a gentle one until we hit the point when Colson’s allergies flared so strongly while he was running through a tall grass field with friends, when his face and neck swelled to unbelievable size. Really strong fear that his windpipe could swell and close while we were a couple of hours from medical care pushed us right through the resistance to change barrier when it came to healing his allergies through diet. Nothing like a fear for your son’s life event to accelerate your change in perspective!

Now for Shannon’s email:

Your blog blew my mind in a great way, you see so clearly!! As I sit here drinking my bone broth and I read your blog I’m reminded how easy it is to forget that there is more to health than just food/nutrition. It is also a person’s outlook. The two are linked. Candace Pert’s “Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind” CD really delves into how the body and mind are one (she calls it the body-mind) as they both effect each other. If your body is a mess, your mind will be a mess - if your thoughts are bad, it feeds into the body mind cycle and hurts your body.

Candace is all about neuropeptides (neurotransmitters, hormones, all are neuropeptides, insulin, serotonin, gaba, etc) and how every cell in our body releases them and has receptors on them to accept them from the outside. It is intercellular communication. She says 98% of all communication in the brain is via neuropeptides, only 2% is via the nerves. Wow.

So basically you have a thought, your brain releases neuropeptides which are received by other cells in the body which then release their own neuropeptides in response, and so on, and so on, until the brain then receives neuropeptides from the body in response to that thought as well as in response to what the body just ate, did, etc. The different neuropeptides create different responses, and there are over 300 different neuropeptides so this gets very complex. Plus, what receptors are where makes a difference and she said she has never seen something vary so much from person to person. Only the heart and brain contain receptors for all neuropeptides. She says emotions are the bottom line result of all this intercellular communication.

This is big because it explains chemically how what you think changes your health and how your health impacts what you think. The thing is, with a frontal cortex, the only part of the brain unique to humans, we are able to “choose what we pay attention to” we can choose what we think about.

Another thing Candace discusses is cellular memory and how the body actually remembers trauma. She says body work can do a lot more healing to resolving trauma than psychoanalysis. I would suspect both together make a powerful healing tool.

However, as you point out in your blog, everyone has their own “stuff” to process the world through. Insecurity, anger, unresolved emotions. It all blocks and taints our perception. The frontal cortex is also responsible for explaining the world to us. Our brains seem to need an explanation in order to process the world, so much so our eyes will fool us. Candace says there is one neuron between the nose and the brain which is why smell memories are so vivid. However there are seven neurons between the eyes and the brain, giving the body seven chances to alter our perception. When the Indians saw the boat from Spain coming over the horizon, they had no way to explain it and they saw something very different if anything at all. (There are about 3 neurons for ears I think). If we cannot explain our universe, we live in fear, even a wrong/bad explanation seems easier for people to handle than no explanation, and it’s amazing how strongly people will hold onto it out of fear of change.

So I find refuge blaming the frontal cortex LOL! At least that is in my perceived universe for today. ;-D I think being able to adapt to new information and not letting it crumble one’s world is key to growth. To reject all that is new, while it may feel safe at the time, limits understanding, but fear can be a strong motivator.

What to Do About Halloween (and all those other holidays that follow)

A really wise friend and healer framed Halloween and the upcoming holidays this way: we are entering the sugar season and our culture is “profoundly youthful and immature” in relation to how we eat during the holiday season. Could he be more on target? Sugar - public enemy number two after wheat (see Wheat – Cut that Shit Out!) - spreader of disease and death.

The past four months have brought tremendous healing to my family (amazing how much healing there is to do given the strides we have made in the last three years!) and we can see more clearly than ever what sugar does to us. Best of all, we are much more capable of resisting it because we have overwhelmingly broken its grip. In fact, we are sweetener free. No sugar, honey, maple syrup or any other sweetener.

Just so you don’t think we are only hard core food freaks with super sugar avoiding powers (which we are), we didn’t get here over night – it took five years. And we stumbled A LOT! You can read about the stumbles and many lessons here: So Much Sugar in Two Years! Mistakes happen, and we have to be kind to ourselves. Breaking from the American sugar/food/emotional reward system is tough!

Now on to Halloween - the Sugar Bowl Kickoff. What to do about it? Most kids are going to pound their candy and their parents will be enjoying some too. I lived that frenzy all of my trick-or-treat years and beyond, and I have the mouth full of crowns and mercury to prove it.

Because the candy that people normally eat for Halloween is just plain nasty – full of wax, colors, preservatives and who knows what else – I have never let my now eight year old eat it. We trade his trick-or-treat haul for a toy and an organic dark chocolate candy bar. The funny thing is that this year, when our eating is as good as it can get, he doesn’t even want the candy bar. He is just in it for the romp through the neighborhood and the toy. If an eight year old rejects really yummy chocolate, you know that breaking the sugar addiction is possible.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years will quickly follow (talk about a one, two punch – all of that wheat AND sugar), and what are you going to do when those treats start popping up everywhere you go? I will be blogging some more between now and then, so stay tuned.

Until then, just do your best to help your kids (and yourself) break away from the usual Halloween nonsense. Make it fun. Get a substitute for the candy – it doesn’t have to be a big thing. It doesn’t have to be a thing at all – it can be an event. Maybe bowling or putt-putt golf. Just something besides sugar.

If you want to do some advanced reading and get a head start on kicking the holiday junk food in the pants, check out the Whole 30. If you dare to take this healing food adventure, your life will be powerfully, profoundly and positively changed.

How My "Bacon" Made Me Feel Lousy

I thought I was quite clever with my new bacon: Bacon and Eggs - New Twist for Me. The problem (or the solution) is that the longer I stayed on the Whole 30, the less I liked the bacon. I began to feel sluggish and weighed down, and now I don’t want it.

In the back of my mind (ok – at the front) was the warning from a really knowledgeable friend regarding unhealthy farming practices when it comes to pigs – even those “healthy” pigs purchased by Whole Foods. Even with his warning in mind, I purchased the pork. My husband and son “need” variety and pork improved the weekly food rotation.

So what was causing me to feel lousy? It turns out that my lack of proper pork preparation causes inflammation and my red blood cells to clump together. I suppose that the red blood cell clumping would affect my oxygen transport and make me sluggish too.

Pork either needs to be properly cured of properly marinated in order to not harm the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Who knew? You can read all about it here: How Does Pork Prepared in Various Ways Affect the Blood?

What to do now? I don’t know. I doubt I will actually cure my own bacon. I can easily marinade other cuts of pork, but that nagging problem of unhealthy farming practices is still there. It feels like a salad night tonight.

Grandpa

We just finished up a wonderful visit with my Dad and Colson’s Grandpa. Nothing gets Colson going like a visit from his Grandpa.

Those two were up to nothing but trouble – losing golf balls and a golf club at putt-putt golf, playing laser tag and eating ice cream (without corn syrup or wheat). And Grandpa gets the award of the decade for taking Colson to Johnny English Reborn, an awful movie, and sitting through the whole thing without complaint. As always, it was a fun few days and they went far too quickly.

With Grandpa here we deviated from the Whole 30 a bit, but not too much. Grandpa actually moved over to our side, eating Gruel, raw apple pie (see Oh What a Food Season (time for pumpkin and apple desserts)!) and nothing processed when we were at home. He liked the Gruel better than his usual oatmeal and really enjoyed the pie.

My Dad is diabetic, and while he was here those few short days, his blood sugar continuously improved even though he ate bread at restaurants twice, a scoop of ice cream and drank a diet Coke. As quickly as he responds to the food he eats when visiting us, I can almost guarantee that if he ate what I fed him for a month his blood sugar would normalize, he wouldn’t need his medication and he would enjoy every bite. Maybe some day.

Speaking of bread, Colson and Ryan had bread twice at the restaurants too. If you have been following our journey, you know that wheat is just evil for those two (see Wheat – Cut that Shit Out! among many other posts). The power of society and hanging out with Grandpa at a restaurant is, well, powerful, and those guys made a decision to eat hamburger buns. They each took a dose GlutenFlam (see Whole 30 Update) and the wheat didn’t seem to affect Colson at all and it minimally affected Ryan.

Finally, those were the first hamburgers those guys ate at a restaurant in a couple of years. If you search my blog for hamburger you will see that hamburger is one of the most frightening foods at restaurants and grocery stores. The two restaurants where they ate theirs served only local, North Carolina grass fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free burgers and the meat was ground in-house. That is the only way we will eat burger that doesn’t come from the quarter cow that we purchase twice a year (see “Little Bit” – My Fall Beef).

My Dad has about seven hours to go on his ride home. As always, I cry when he leaves and I miss him a lot. I moved away from home 24 years ago, and you would think I would be over it by now, but I am glad I am not. I cherish that Attachment, but life keeps moving on. It is time to get ready for teaching about Delight at the Kadampa Center this morning and preparing for the crazy eight year old kid Halloween Party this afternoon.

Humans

Human beings are a difficult species compared to the others. The other species just go about living and dying – it is simple (unless humans mess it up for them). Humans tend to not accept a lot of responsibility, have all of these expectations about each other and strong attachment to those expectations. The emotions that weave through our relationships are often not without cost.

For whatever reason humans as a whole can’t seem to face life, death, goodness and tragedy for what they are. They create gods that reward, punish and care for our species and explain away why our expectations aren’t fulfilled or tragedy strikes us. Our self-centered selves (especially those from richer countries) are enslaved by expectation, entitlement and attachment.

There are several people in my life right now facing difficult life outcomes and each will choose their own path. I have been reflecting on that the last few days. This article in the New York Times goes to the heart of what we all face at some point: Notes from a Dragon Mom, whether it is in relation to children or others. The best we can do is love each other unconditionally, live in the right now and take responsibility for our lives.

I have worked hard to reject expectation, attachment and entitlement, often with many complaints and stomping of my feet. It has been a good year and at times a hard year that has made my journey so much easier. I am far from perfect about living in the present and letting go of situations, but I am much better and no longer the biggest grudge holder you know. In fact, I don’t think I have any grudges, which is amazing. I am even over George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and I am not ticked by the Koch brothers, which is doubly amazing given my strong sense of justice and fairness.

The last few days have been good in a lot of ways. For some reason people have been seeking me out and asking for help to quickly find ways to improve their health and the health of loved ones. Right now in my exceptionally small part of the earth and my even smaller reality, taking responsibility, caring, reaching out and inspiring dominate. If I can just stay in the present and appreciate each of those actions for what they are, not what I expect or want them to be, I suspect my peace will grow. But I am not attached to that. 

More Butter Thoughts

The Whole 30 folks came out with a lengthier butter article today. They reminded me of one more fat that I would cook with if I took the time to make it: clarified butter. Maybe some day…just not yet. Too many other things to do, like soak some nuts for some gruel tomorrow morning.

No Butter – What Now?

Donna asked me to write a post about what I use instead of butter after reading this post: Halloween… with an Eight Year Old.

First, I love butter. Absolutely love it – on Brussels sprouts, popcorn, almond flour pancakes and in chocolate coconut cookies are just a few examples. But we don’t eat it now. Some of the problems are easily solved because we no longer eat the foods that I love to put butter on, like popcorn. Still, that doesn’t solve all of the adjustments we have to make.

Until yesterday, I hadn’t baked a thing needing butter since being on the Whole 30. Baking has been a non-existent activity because we aren’t using sweetener (until yesterday) and without sweetener or butter, there isn’t much reason to bake. Sure, I could make some savory, non-sweetened almond flour bread, but what good is that without butter? Actually, now that I think about it, it may be good with some olive oil (I purchase from Chaffin Family Orchards).

What fats do I use? As of yesterday, coconut oil replaces butter in baked goods. I also use coconut oil to coat chicken skin before I bake it. I fry sweet potatoes and eggs in pork fat rendered from bacon I make myself. I sauté some veggies in olive oil and sometimes in pork fat, depending on the veggie.

And what about not using honey in baked goods? Really ripe bananas have been an acceptable replacement, but I think Colson would have had a full-on freak out if I would have messed with his chocolate coconut cookies by using banana. With our fully recalibrated taste buds, it takes little honey to make these cookies good enough for him.

Feel free to add other butter replacement suggestions.

Halloween… with an Eight Year Old

Halloween has not been a big challenge for us in Colson’s eight years, because we always trade his loot for some relatively healthy organic dark chocolate or some Playmobil figures (or nothing when he was really little). This year is different because (insert: scary Halloween sound) Colson is having a Halloween Party – and he is on the Whole 30! Talk about tragic combination. No corn chips or popcorn (we know he is allergic to those), no traditional wheat-based cookies (definitely allergic to wheat) and no other junk. And six other relatively normal eating kids (at least compared to us). NO PRESSURE!

Ryan and I are pretty resourceful, and we will make it about the experience and not the food, but even so, kids want snacks. Yesterday we tried turning his favorite coconut flour chocolate cookies into pumpkin shaped cookies and it went pretty well once we figured out how to roll out the dough and cut the cookies.

 

I told Colson I would insert this picture too, as he prefers to be seen more this way:

It took us awhile to figure out that the secret to rolling and cutting these cookies is to sprinkle shredded coconut on the work surface and on top of the dough before rolling it. Refrigerating the dough also helps.

Recipe Modifications

The great thing is that because we are on the Whole 30 we used half the honey called for in the recipe. The other modification we made was to use coconut oil instead of butter. Colson hadn’t had butter or honey (or any other sweetener) in almost 60 days. Talk about retraining your tastebuds! I wonder what the other kids will think?

I know this almond flour brownie recipe is a good one, because our mainstream food friends love it, but Colson doesn’t. I think I will whip these out too. And perhaps we will serve some Izzies. There will definitely be apples and nuts too, and I am exploring cooking with tapioca (pudding and flour).

Wish us luck and please share any tapioca recipes that you like, as I am always looking for new inspiration.

“Little Bit” – My Fall Beef

I am more appreciative of all the food that my family eats. Twice a year we purchase part of a cow from a local farmer, Bill Dunlap, and those purchases keep us in beef all year. Here is Bill’s email if you are interested in purchasing from him: growersnc@yahoo.com.

Yesterday I finished the last of my beef, and my new beef is due to arrive on October 28, thank goodness. It is so much more cost effective than purchasing cuts of beef at the local Farmers Market. We pay about $4.40 a pound, compared to the market, which can hit as high as $22 a pound for filet mignon.

I try not to know much about who I am eating next, and I wish that humans didn’t need to eat meat, but I know we are better for it and no amount of vegan passion will convince me otherwise, not to mention that grains were destroying the health of my husband and son.

This fall, for some reason, Bill sent me a little bio about our soon to be beef. This was a little upsetting at first, but then I realized I couldn’t truly honor and appreciate this cow, who would be feeding my family for the next six months.

Bill says:

Here is "little bit" the day he was born, June 18, 2010, with the herd looking on. He weighs over 900 now. I got his momma as a 3 month old calf in 2000. My sons and I trained her to let us milk her and we drank her milk for 6 years. We also taught her to raise other calves and raised 56 including 6 of her own. She was old for a cow, got down and I had to bury her this January. She was the foundation of my herd and the reason we are in the business.

Bill

If you are wondering where the grass is for this grass fed cow, this is what Bill wrote when I asked:

“The cow was up in my 100 by 100 catch lot, with hay so my wife or I could supervise the birth and look after her.”

Bill sent me another picture of Lillie and her calf after they were moved out of the 100 x 100 and then he sent me the narrative below regarding pasture health.

I am immensely grateful for my farmer. I grew up hearing the stories of my Grandma and her 12 brothers and sisters when they were kids on the farm. It was part of life to kill a chicken, pig or other animal and eat it, and they used every last bit of each animal. Even when they moved to the city, they were respectful of the animals they bought at the grocery store in that they always used all of it. I am not that good as I am still struggling with liver and don’t appreciate the fat and gristle the way they did. And killing the animal? Heck no! Amazing what the city can do to a person’s food preferences.

Finally, here is Bill’s email to me on pasture health:

Laura,

Since I went back to college at 48 to finish my degree in agronomy, this is one of the things I do know about.

All plants will seek the correct balance of nutrients required for their health and maintenance. If one element is lacking, it may affect fruiting (IE seed production) or overall production level, but not the nutritional balance of the crop itself. The farmer before me had applied chicken and turkey manure at reasonable rates, I have plenty of Phosphorus and Potassium, plus a good balance of micro-nutrients.

The only thing missing was calcium (I applied two tons of lime per acre last year) and nitrogen (for protein and total growth). Without adequate Nitrogen, plants can not build good protein and use all the sunlight they receive for carbohydrate capture/manufacture. Therefore I use Crimson clover in the fall to provide organic nitrogen in a balanced way for the rye in the winter/spring. In summer I plant pearl Millet and apply about 20 pounds (1/3 the standard rate) of N as UAN or 30% Urea/amonimum nitrate. Then I wait about 6 weeks before grazing to allow the plants to use the applied nutrients. I do not try to control every single weed, because weeds use different nutrient balances, animals will eat them if they have a need. That is why weeds grow. If a soil is imbalanced a weed that can tolerate that imbalance will correct the problem over time. I also allow my cattle to run in a wood lot. Tree leaves are full of B vitamins and help reduce stress such as heat and weather changes. I also feed a good mix of salt and lime, free choice for the cattle to use as they need it. We water the cattle from a well and stock tank, rather than have them drink from a pond they have been peeing and pooping in.  I could use some rain, but right now my cows are running in 4 foot tall millet and looking good.

Thanks for asking, drop me a line any time you have a question,

Bill

More on Pull-ups, Dips, a Minor Injury and Homeopathy

Today I tried pull-ups again (See So Strong!). One pull-up seems to be my limit and three is my goal. Looks like I will be doing a lot of negative resistance training to do more. I wore workout gloves but still lost skin on my hand.

Ryan and I moved on to dips, which I haven’t done before. Ryan just stepped up and whipped them out. I, on the other hand, had to try four times to figure out how to do them and then managed three. I pulled something around my shoulder/collarbone area, so I will be resting it for a few days and taking some homeopathic Arnica to hopefully speed healing up. I also need to purchase the homeopathic cream, Traumeel, which works wonderfully for me and my highly skeptical, anti-complementary and alternative medicine Dad (see Another Traumeel Victory).

This paleo workout stuff is tough! Isolation movements seem so much safer, but the body work isn’t even close in comparison.

For those not familiar with homeopathy, Sloan-Kettering recognizes the effectiveness of Arnica (see Sloan-Kettering - Arnica), for example). Keep in mind, though, that some medical studies say it is ineffective and many studies across the spectrum of medicine are flawed (see Lies, Damned Lies and Medical Science). That said, the Nobel Prize winning MD who discovered the AIDS virus is a big homeopathy supporter (see Homeopathy – Great Explanation at Last!)

What to do? Figure it out for yourself – there is no getting around personal experience. Arnica, Traumeel and other homeopathics may not work for everyone (I know that Traumeel works better than Arnica for me) for a variety of reasons too long to detail. And even if it is just all in my head, as violent critics of homeopathy claim, who cares? If my head makes me better faster, I am all for it.

Weston A. Price 2011Conference

Oh how I wish I was going to the conference, but it is not to be. I had an absolute ball at last year’s conference, and this year’s is going to have some amazing speakers (see Weston A. Price Conference 2011). This post gives an overview of my impressions of the 2010 conference: Weston A. Price Conference – WOW! If you have the ability to attend, I am almost certain you will have a ball.

Clearly, I am a foodie, and this part of yesterday’s announcement for the 2011 conference cracked me up:

WISE TRADITIONS 2011:  MYTHBUSTERS
12th Annual Conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation
November 11-13, 2011 Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, TX

THURSDAY PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
Wondering what to do for good eats, fun and catching up with friends on Thursday, before the conference starts? Join special guests Dr. Joe Mercola and Sally Fallon Morrell in the fun at the FTCLDF FundRAISER Dinner, Concert and Dance on the Thursday, November 10, 2011right at the conference hotel!

This event has it all!  Organ Meat Appetizer Cook Off! Grass-fed Steak Dinners! Kombucha Bar! Fermented Cod Liver Oil Jello Shooters! Custom Scarecrow Contest! Fiddling Fingers of the Quebe Sisters Band! Country and Top 40 Dancing!

Kombucha bar and Fermented CLO shooters…only at a WAP conference (oh - and the the Organ Meat Appetizer Cook Off). After being on the Whole 30 and alcohol-free for more than 55 days, I am sure the Kombucha would make my legs wobbly. I love that stuff (and not for the wobbly factor).

Strange Husband Smell – What’s That All About?

Last night after a game of Ultimate Frisbee, Ryan came home and showered. After the shower he came out of the bathroom saying that he smelled bad. Then he approached me and boy did he SMELL! I could smell him three feet away and he hadn’t even toweled off yet. It was THE MOST ROTTEN ONION SMELL EVER!! The man was squeaky clean and he smelled. I almost booted him from the bedroom. Strangely, the smell came only from his left side and BY MORNING IT WAS GONE without Ryan taking a shower.

Ryan and I go through periods where only our right side has normal body odor and requires showering to get rid of the odor. Our Oriental medicine doc says that right side odor is probably caused by our livers detoxing something. I asked him about this strange onion smell coming out of Ryan’s left side and he said he had no idea.

The body sure is strange, eh?

Thoughts, anyone?

So Strong!

I can’t believe the profound difference the Whole 30 has made for me. Energy is high, I am at peace with food, and my strength…oh my! I am closing in on my 50 military push-up goal, with my best being 47., Ryan, my husband, said that when he was in the Army his best was 75, and I am contemplating making that my new goal once I complete 50. That is kind of daunting, though, as I am really struggling around 47.

Today, while playing soccer with Ryan and Colson (and lighter on my feet than ever), I tried a pull-up on the soccer goal. Keep in mind that my Dad called me Grace as a child for a reason. My coordination is pretty poor for most new physical challenges, even a pull-up. If only I could be more like Ryan, whose movements are powerful and poetic.

I have NEVER completed a pull-up and it wasn’t due to lack of trying. Until today. I did a Marine pull-up (palms facing away), not some wimpy normal one (palms facing me), according to Ryan. I was floored. I stretched up, grabbed on, and amazingly, I went up! What the heck?!!

I was so shocked that I stood there in disbelief and tried it again, and up I went again! Then I tried a third time and grabbed something sharp, so we moved to the playground equipment. At the playground I did three more single pull-ups, still amazed. No aches in the joints and I just went up! Then I tried a normal pull-up and they are easier.

I don’t know how many I can do, as I had to stop and acknowledge my accomplishment after each one…and eventually some skin ripped off of my hand, preventing me from doing more. Fortunately, I was able to take on a few Colson and Ryan monkey bar challenges before pushing my hands too far.

In another day or two I will know how many I can do before exhaustion. I may be reaching high, but I am hoping for three Marine pull-ups. It is funny – I chose those over normal pull-ups because I learned those first and my less than graceful self has imprinted on them.

At age 45, I am stronger than my late 20s or early 30s when I was spending two hours a day in the gym working out with heavy weights and running or biking. I now spend 20 minutes every other day strength training with no weights other than the weight caused by different uses of my body, and 35 to 45 minutes every other day interval training with my dog. Poor girl – as I get faster my dog’s walk time decreases.

We started the Whole 30 on August 13, 2011 (see The Whole 30 Begins Today) and today is Day 54. I can’t believe how dramatically improved my little family’s health is in just 54 days…and we were already among the healthiest.

What could 54 days mean for you? If you live to be 75, that is just 0.2 percent (0.002) of your life. A new life in 54 days in exchange for 0.2 percent of your time.

“I Told You Sunglasses Are Bad For You!”

The following conversation has been repeated numerous times over the last three weeks.

Colson: “These sunglasses hurt my eyes. Just the littlest bit of sunlight bothers them now. Even sun coming through the window shades in the house. I am not wearing them anymore.”

Me: “Oh, come on. You have been wearing sunglasses since you were born. That is how they sent us home from the hospital in Florida – wearing sunglasses. You’ll get cataracts like Grandpa some day if you stop wearing your sunglasses.”

Colson: “I don’t care. My eyes are too sensitive when I wear them. I will have an operation.”

Me: “You need to wear your sunglasses.”

How many times did we have that conversation until I got it? Too many. Finally, Colson said this: “The Native Americans didn’t wear sunglasses and their eyes were fine.” That stopped me in my tracks. I don’t know the cataracts rate of Native Americans before they were victimized by the Standard American Diet, but yeh, it was worth investigating.

Colson came up with this gem on our way to the Farmers Market this morning, where we usually see our Dr. of Oriental medicine, and sure enough we saw him today. Colson asked him if sunglasses were good or bad because Native Americans didn’t wear them. Our doc said “It depends. It depends on the type of sunglasses and when you wear them.” Our doc only wears them when it is hazy outside. I am not sure why – it must have something to do with reflection/refraction in hazy conditions. Our doc also said that cataracts are not caused by the sun – they are caused by diet. In fact, our eyes are nourished by sunlight and sunglasses prevent some of that nourishment from reaching us.

Colson’s response? “I TOLD YOU SO! SUNGLASSES ARE BAD FOR YOU!!! SEE??? SEE!!!!”

He gleefully removed his sunglasses and has been celebrating that he has bested me all day. Just wait until his Papa gets home – he is in for it too.

I came home and did some research. I learned that if the sunglasses are not quality UV blockers (whatever that means), then eyes are at greater risk for UV damage, including cataracts. With sunglasses on, the pupils are unnaturally wide because of the darkness caused by the glasses, thus allowing more UV in than if the person did not wear sunglasses and causing more damage. I have no clue about the quality of Colson’s glasses, but given that he was complaining about them I bet it isn’t great.

And what about diet? This article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that a high carb diet is linked to early onset of cataracts: "Carbohydrate intake and glycemic index in relation to the odds of early cortical and nuclear lens opacities." Many sources say that high antioxidant levels help to prevent or cure cataracts.

I went to Pub Med and searched for more journal articles – and there are a lot of them. High milk and meat intake are linked to cataracts, for example.

Many studies are flawed, however, as highlighted in this article: Lies, Damned Lies and Medical Science. There is another person, a reporter I believe, who has uncovered vast flaws in medical research, but his name escapes me. I am not putting that much weight on the Pub Med articles.

That takes me back to Colson’s point – Native Americans didn’t wear sunglasses and didn’t suffer cataracts. Based on an internet search it seems that modern indigenous people are more likely to develop cataracts than non-indigenous people. That still doesn’t tell us about the eye health of early indigenous people. Did diet reduce their cataracts rates? I saw one report of Native Americans conducting cataracts surgery in the early 1500s, but who knows how reliable that is or the rate it was needed in their population? According to Wikipedia, the first cataracts surgery was performed in India in the 6^th century BCE.

I have searched for cataract surgery rates, cataract frequency, historical cataract rates and more. I haven’t found data that are comparable between centuries or decades. This study on Pub Med provides good reasoning regarding why data between eras are not comparable: Prevalence of major eye diseases among US Civil War veterans, 1890 - 1910.

I am at a standstill now. I haven’t looked in the right places to get the information I am seeking, or it doesn’t exist or it isn’t comparable. We eat so darn well that if diet and low levels of oxidized particles are important, then we are in good shape. I am going to ask my doc for more guidance regarding why sunglasses are rarely needed and would appreciate any feedback others may have. In the meantime, Colson is not wearing his sunglasses.