Eggs: The Perfect Food. Feel free to eat them. Every. Single. Day.

Yep, I said it.  Every. Single. Day.  


So I was doing a little research on eggs and their benefits this morning.  I know, I know, I'm a big nerd.  It actually all stemmed from a conversation I was having with a girlfriend who was talking to me about her egg-whites-only breakfast.  I just couldn't imagine throwing out the yolks!!  It's the most delicious part, not to mention it gives us the most health benefits.   I googled some quick info for her.  She's actually a super healthy person and turns out, she knows the yolks are healthy, they just gross her out and she doesn't like them.  Oh the shame. 


But I wanted to share this study I found....  

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19369056

Basically, it is saying that the subjects all did a carbohydrate restricted diet and some of them also ate lots of eggs.  They all saw healthy benefits, but the subjects eating eggs everyday had even more positive results!  Not only did the low carb eaters lower the very small particle LDL (the worst kind) for all of the subjects, the egg eaters also raised the HDL (the good) and the larger LDL, which also raised the plasma lutein and zeaxanthin in their blood!! That's amazing! Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin helps in the prevention and improvement of visual disorders such as macular degeneration and helps to support healthy eyesight!

It's also interesting to note that the study I posted is from a government website.  Funny how most of their own studies contradict what they say we should be eating.


Eggs are especially good for growing children and egg yolks are the perfect first food for babies!


BTW, most of the health nutrients are found in the yolk!!  Just check out this awesome article all about eggs!

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

And it's a good thing too.... Eggs are pretty much the only food I can eat every single day and not get sick of.  

Okay, I could probably eat bacon every day too.  

And chocolate.   

Chocolate covered bacon anyone?  

Have You Been Considering a Water Filtration System?

I have been looking into getting a new water filtration system for our kitchen sink.  We gave up the water bottles a while back.  Not only to save some bottles from ending up in the land fill, but we are trying to get away from as much plastic as possible.  In the meantime, we have been relying on the filter on our refrigerator until we figured something else out.

There are several different types of filtration systems out there.  I wanted one that removed as many chemicals and heavy metals as possible, but also leaving the natural minerals that make water important for drinking.  For example, a reverse osmosis system removes pretty much anything harmful, but it also removes everything beneficial, like calcium and magnesium.  Unless you add them back in yourself, it just doesn't seem like the best option to me.

I have been researching them for a while and had settled on one that I really liked.  Here's an excerpt from their site:

"The winner of Health Magazine's "Healthiest Product" award for 2010, this water filter uses Aquasana's unique selective filtration process: a combination of carbon filtration, ion-exchange and sub-micron filtration to produce clean, healthy water. Our drinking water filter products install in minutes and are certified to NSF standards 42 & 53 to reduce sediment, chlorine, lead, herbicides, pesticides, cysts, VOCs, SOCs, THMs and bad taste & odor. Our unique filter also leaves in healthy minerals for optimum hydration. Since Aquasana filter cartridges last 6 months or 500 gallons, you're getting the healthiest water and the best value."

http://www.aquasana.com/product_detail.php?product_id=1

I was also wanting a system that removes flouride, but without getting something like reverse osmosis, i wasn't having much luck finding something that would remove it all.  The Aquasana system removes anywhere from 40-60% of the flouride in the water.  What I do like, is that it removes all of the chemically added flouride, and only leaves the naturally occurring flouride.  That's definitely something.

I found several comparison charts on other websites that helped me to decide as well, along with reviews from other bloggers.  Here are some of the sites that I found to be the most helpful in my decision.

http://www.waterfilterresearch.com/

http://reviews-results.com/aquasana-water-filters/

http://aquasanareview.newhealthmedia.com/

http://www.aquasanareviews.com/

http://www.prissygreen.com/2009/08/aqusana-water-filters-review.html

http://www.homeinnovation.com/review/index2.php?item_id=72

I also love that it has a lifetime warranty offer and a no questions asked, 60 day money back guarantee.

So anyway, I have been wanting to take the plunge and order the system for some time, but with the upfront cost of $125, I have been waiting.  Today, though I saw that they are running a special in July.  If you order their system and sign up for their filters for life you get 50% off plus free shipping.  They will ship you the new replacement filters every 6  months automatically (which you need to do anyway and costs only $48 when you autoship) and you get a complete lifetime warranty on the system as well.  You can also cancel the auto shipping at any time, as there is no contract.  This brings the water filtration system down to about $63!  That is a really good deal (Amazon currently sells the system for $99). You also get a free glass water bottle thrown in.  So yeah, I ordered it right away.

This deal also extends to their other filtration systems.

I will give my full review on how much I actually like it after I have used it for a while.  I wanted to share with everyone the special though, since it's only through July, incase anyone else had been considering getting a water filtration system as well.

Bacon and Eggs - The Hangover Cure

Saturday was a big drinking day for me.  I started out at a family gathering, where everyone was drinking, so I myself finished up a bottle of wine.  Later that evening I met up with a friend and we went to a beer garden at our old grade school.  Having never acquired much of a taste for beer, I brought my own little bottle of captain Morgan.  I started getting the munchies really bad and by the time I got home, I was craving bacon and eggs.  I whipped some up, sarfed them down, then promptly passed out.

The next morning I felt better then I had expected.  I don't drink alot, so I'm kind of a lightweight and usually have a pretty harsh hangover if I drink a little too much, so I was expecting to feel like dog poop.  I made myself some more bacon and eggs (because that is what I was craving) and felt even better.  I couldn't believe how good I felt considering and I knew there had to be something more to it.

So today, I did a little research and found some pretty interesting information.  Apparently there is some scientific reasoning as to why the bacon and eggs pretty much cured me of having a hangover.

Some of the interesting info I found:

“Bingeing on alcohol depletes brain neurotransmitters but bacon, which is rich in protein, contains amino acids that top these up and make you feel better,” explains Elin Roberts of Newcastle University.

The University researchers themselves were actually quite amazed to discover that not only the actual consumption of the bacon sandwiches or bacon and eggs with toast meal immediately helped to cure the hangover, but simply the mere act of just smelling the bacon cooking, actually begins the healing process, long before the meal is in one’s mouth.

Then be sure to get yourself a nice, big, hot breakfast of Bacon and Eggs, either in a sandwich or in a meal, that can also include cheese, beans and any other high protein, high amino acid food to start putting back into your body all of the important nutrients that drinking “too much” can rob your body of and make you weak an sick.

Some scientific studies have suggested that eggs are good for hangovers. Why? Because they contain an amino acid called cysteine that, according to some studies, helps break down toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism. 

And a quote from Jamie Oliver himself, in regards to his hangover cure:

"I have always maintained that a double serving of eggs and bacon works for me".

Just more reasons for my to continue my love affair with bacon and eggs! 
Sources:
BaconToday
JamieOliver

A Hospital Scare = Major Changes

Today I was ten minutes late to work. I also walked in with my hair, un-brushed, thrown up into a sloppy bun. I have no make up on. I smell like chicken stock.

I am a hot mess.

I also only got about 5 hours of sleep. I am a 7 or 8 hour sleep type of gal and I don't do well with much less. I am Tie-erd.

Let's back up a little.

Last Friday, while out at a mouse race fundraiser for breast cancer, I had already had more then my fair share of drinks and wasn't quite in my right state of mind. I received a text from my mom. "Dad went to the Dr today... been in alot of pain... has diverticulosis."

Let me give you a little background on my dad. He was diagnosed with chrone's disease years ago, although those symptoms have been somewhat better the last couple of years. He also has a hiatal hernia and barrett's esophagus, amongst other things.

This was alot to take in, especially given my current state, and 45 minutes away at a fundraiser. I wanted to go home, but that really wasn't an option since I went with some friends and Joe was at home with the munchkin sleeping. So I did my best to straighten myself out and then I gave my mom a call.

This is his third flare up of diverticulosis and apparently it was getting pretty bad. The doctor wanted to see how he did over the weekend and on Monday would determine their plan. It wasn't looking good though, and most likely they would want to admit him into the hospital and remove part of his colon.

I hate that my dad is always feeling so bad all of the time. It seems like he is always in some sort of pain due to all of this stuff going on. He keeps eating all of the bad foods that agitate it and things just get worse. I told my mom to tell him that we were taking over. That he was just going to shut up and eat what we give him. That was it, end of story. The doctor already wanted him on liquids only over the weekend, so it was the perfect time to bring it up. I have been reading alot about the GAPS diet over the past few months and really felt it would be the best thing for him to do. We would stick with liquids over the weekend, while I did some more research on the diet.

If you are not familiar with the GAPS diet, and most people aren't, here's a great link with a good summary of it.

The blogs and stories I have read about what this diet has done for people and their families is truly amazing.

My dad was willing to give it a try. He had to do something or he was going to end up in the hospital again, undergoing surgery and removing body parts.

So I asked my girl Amber to drive me by the grocery store at midnight on the way home so I could grab a few supplies. I called Joe and had him dig up the soup bones out of the freezer from our grass fed cow that we had bought. The were all packaged up separately and ready to go. I threw them in the crock pot along with some onions, celery, a little apple cider vinegar and some herbs and garlic. The gelatin and the marrow from the bones are especially healing to the walls of the gut and colon. I let it simmer overnight.

In the morning, my mom came and picked up the bone broth and brought it back home for my dad. The broth was strong and tasted pretty gross to him but he choked some of it down regardless. Over the remainder of the weekend he sipped on that along with some chicken broth and not much else. By Monday morning, he was actually feeling better. He was hungry and still sore but he was better. He ever went to work.

He talked to his doctor who literally couldn't believe he was at work. He told him to keep up what he was doing and to see how things went.

He sent out an email, reporting what the doc had said, and then at the end he said "GAPS here we come!" It seemed he was ready.

We had ordered the books over the weekend with more information and recipes, but we had no idea how long it would take for them to arrive. I had read alot about the diet, how it worked and why, but I hadn't concentrated much on the specifics of what all he needed to be eating and doing. It was all a little overwhelming, trying to figure it out all on the same day that he wanted to start the diet. And we needed to start it right away. He had already been on liquids all weekend, so he was halfway there and it would make the transition easier. In the intro part of the diet, all you get is meat and bone broths and soups with boiled meat and non fibrous-vegetables. No spices, but you can use fresh herbs and salt and pepper. He will also be taking a probiotic each day, along with dairy and veggie based probiotics. He can also have ginger and peppermint tea.

We started looking online, gathering info and recipes and trying to figure out what we needed to do. Thank goodness for my bloggie friend Sarah, over at Nourished and Nurtured, who was a wealth of knowledge and so willing to send me lots of good info and links through email, along with some great recipes.

Monday evening I packed up the munchkin and we headed down to my parents house (thank goodness they live less then a mile). I gave my mom a list of supplies for her to pick up on the way home and me and my dad collected the big stock pots and I cleaned them out and got them ready. Once my mom got home, I cleaned up the chickens, and got them going in the pot. I did as much as I could and then, already an hour past the munchkin's bed time, headed home. I gave her a list of instructions and headed home, hoping I had explained everything good enough.

I talked to her on the phone around 11:30pm and she seemed a little daunted. The chicken was a big mushy mess she said and it was going to take forever to pick through everything and get it sorted the way I had asked her to. I told her to relax, just set some strained stock aside for him to drink, then pull out enough chicken, throw in with the stock and veggies to make up some soup and leave the rest to worry about the next day.

I was in bed barely by midnight, trying to gather more information and figure out what we needed to be doing. The next morning I woke up to an email from my mom.

"You don't sew...... I don't cook. This is not something I do well and I almost always fuck it up!"

I felt awful for her! She was obviously overwhelmed and tired. The email arrived around 2:00 am. I wish I could have stayed to help her, but everything had to cook for several hours and I had to get the munchkin home and Joe was at school...

Luckily the next day, my dad tried the broth she had made, and the chicken and veggie soup. He told me it was really good and that he really liked it. Whew! I was so relived. Mostly for my mom. I knew that had to make her feel better. So now we had some stock and some soup, but with that being the only thing he could have for right now, it wasn't going to last long.

I asked Joe to pick up the munchkin from the sitter for me so that I could run by 2 stores and my parents house and be home in time to still make dinner before he left for school. I bolted out the door right at quittin' time, flew to costco, then to the grocery store, by my parents house to grab their stock pot and some of the stock she had made so I could whip up some soup for him before my stock was finished. I rushed home, got the chickens in the pot, cut the squashes in half and put them in the oven (I was making butternut squash soup, courtesy of a recipe from Sarah), then started on our dinner. I decided to keep it really simple and whipped up some shrimp scampi and green beans. As you can imagine at this point the kitchen was a huge mess. Joe helped me some before he shuffled out the door for class and I cleaned up the rest while the munchkin finished her dinner.

About the time I had the munchkin and the kitchen cleaned up, the squashes were done cooking and it was time to make the butternut squash soup. While I was getting that together, the munchkin started getting pissed at me. She was not happy that I was so busy in the kitchen and she was bored. Plus she had been teething really bad and was crabby from that as well.

I finished up the soup as fast as I could and tried to concentrate just on her until she went to bed. It was a nice break. We hung out in the living room, played with some blocks and some puzzles and I watched part of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Right after she was down for the night, the chicken finished cooking and I started getting it cooled off and then the fun task of picking everything part.

He needs to eat almost everything from the chicken. Animal fat is especially important. I was putting the bones back into the pot with the stock to continue simmering overnight and separating the meat and different parts out. I was throwing away the cartilage and some other chewy questionable bits, but everything else was being saved.

My mom came by to pick up the butternut squash soup, after some more grocery shopping, to bring back for my dad. She was not looking forward to going home to the huge mess she had left in her kitchen from the night before. I guess my dad really was feeling a little better because he had the entire kitchen cleaned by the time she got home!

I threw some meat, fat and veggies in another pot to make some more chicken soup. Joe had just gotten home and started to help me clean up the mess. Then once the chicken soup was done, he took it down to my parents house to drop it off. While he was gone, I made the munchkin's and my lunch for the next day, finished cleaning up the kitchen again and got ready for bed. I set the alarm fro 5:30am so I could get up and turn off the stove so the stock could cool enough for me to put it in jars before I left for work. I laid my head down around 12:30am.

I barely remember getting up at 5:30 to turn off the stove, but thankfully the mission was accomplished successfully. Before I knew it, it was 7:00am and my alarm was going off. I meant to hit the snooze, but I guess I accidentally turned it off. I woke up later and saw that it was 7:40! Shit!... I jumped out of bed, got ready as fast as I could, I ran into the kitchen and started straining the stock into the mason jars. This was a HUGE pot of stock and in my rush to get everything done I splashed some up into my hair and all over my neck. Yuck! Luckily there weren't many other casualties and I managed to get everything in the jars and into the fridge. I quickly fried some eggs and threw them onto a sandwich with some cheese, grabbed my stuff and flew out the door eating in the car on my way to work.

Somehow I managed to make it to work at 8:38, only being 8 minutes late. I seriously have no idea how I pulled that one off. No freaking clue.

So today, I am keeping a safe distance from anyone else, not wanting them to have to catch too big of a whiff of me. Hopefully no one will notice what a mess my hair is or that I am not wearing any make up. I am going to pretend no one can tell.

Some people prepare for weeks to start this diet. We had absolutely no time to prepare at all. So it's a little hectic right now, trying to figure everything out, but it will get better once we have a better handle on things. Hopefully we can make more food on the weekends, to have throughout the week, instead of cramming everything in on a weeknight.

I am really winging it here and kinda flying by the seat of my pants, so hopefully it's "so far so good". I want to do right if we are going to do it, so hopefully I am on track so far. I will feel better once the books arrive.

I am really excited about what is going on, though. I am feeling good about what we are doing and know that it is all going to be worth it. The idea of my dad getting better, to be able to feel good again is very exciting and I would love so much to see him not have to deal with so much pain all of the time any more.

I am hoping he can stick to this, he seems like he wants to and that he can. I am sending prayers and wishes out into the universe that things really start turning around for him. If you have any extra to send our way, I would really appreciate it. I will keep things posted on how things are progressing.

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at changes!" ~ Wayne Dyer

I was having a conversation the other day with my girl Anna about food/nutrition. We were discussing sugar for the most part. I won't bore you with the details, but at one point, she asked me a question and didn't like the answer. I could tell she was frustrated. Not with me, but with the information. I could understand exactly how she felt and had been there many times myself. Usually on a daily basis. I told her that what I do, is use the information to guide me most of the time.... we still have to live!

She told me how it just added to her frustration with the food system as we know it, that it makes her sick, and no wonder so many people are overweight!

I have given up most sugar and removed it from my life (other then naturally occurring sugar in fruits and things like that), but I realize that this isn't something most people can/will/want do. I think though, that the majority of the population just doesn't realize how bad sugar really is for them, especially for children and I also think it's not entirely their fault.

I have another friend, who told me that I act like food is the enemy. I can see, from the glasses she is looking through, why she would feel that way. I actually feel quite the opposite. Food, real food, I do not see as our enemy at all. It is the fuel for our body that will keep it running smoothly, help us to avoid sickness and disease and can help us to age gracefully and comfortably into our old age. This seems more like an important ally to me. What we feed our children when they are young, plays a huge role in how they will view food and it's importance in their life. It also plays an even bigger role in their health and livelihood as an adult. You don't have to believe me, but it still won't change the facts.

When I first started on this journey, I was worried that it would be hard to give up things like processed sugar and conventional bread. That it would be too time consuming to make each meal from scratch and not be able to rely on pre-packed boxed or canned food items to come up with quick and easy meals. These were huge staples in my diet and I wasn't sure how many things I would be able to come up with to eat, that were good, once so much stuff was removed. I started out by telling myself I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do, that I could try it for a while and see how it went. And as I removed things that weren't good for my body, as I read more and more information as to why they weren't good for me, and as I felt the results from doing so, it became easier and easier and easier.

I have never felt so empowered and helpless at the same time. It's an overwhelming feeling sometimes. The more I learn about food, and it's different roles and effects on our body, the more empowered and in control I feel over my situation and my health. It gives me more confidence to be able to feed and fuel my daughter's body as well. She is completely reliant on me and what I am feeding her now is going to have a lasting affect for many years to come.

I also sometimes feel helpless, the more I learn, because I realize how little our country and our government cares about the health and well being of its people. Everything is run by money and power and it's all based on the bottom line. They don't care how misleading or tricky they have to be to get you to buy what they are trying to pass off as "food". And unless you have hours and hours to dedicate to researching and educating yourself about it, you have no clue what is going on. You won't know how it's affecting your body negatively, or your child's, until it's too late and something has gone terribly wrong. And it isn't until too many people have been caused harm by something and raised enough stink about it, that they will then finally pull it off the shelves. Unlike most other industrialized countries, where "better safe then sorry" is more the motto, and things have to be rigorously tested before it is sold as food to the public, things are pushed into our food system where we are used as the guinea pigs. Do you have any idea how many preservatives are allowed to be placed in our foods and products that are actually banned in other countries?

Like I told my friend Anna though, I have to give myself a reality check here and there and know that I am doing the best I can, and it's a big improvement over where I used to be. I try to take the information and the things I have learned, to better my life and my health, but I try not to let it frustrate me or upset me if I can't always do everything like I want to. We just don't live in a society that is conducive to that.

I do have hope though, that this is changing. I hear more and more stories all the time about other people starting to stand up and take notice and each time I do, it gives me hope. One of our clients came in the other day to get some booklets printed for the city that included rules and regulations for citizens of the community. She wanted to add a section in the back that listed the guidelines for setting up a chicken coop and raising chickens. She said they had been getting so many calls about this recently, people wanting to raise chickens in their backyards, that they wanted to go ahead and include it in their booklet. There are more and more groups popping up in my area all the time, like "Slow Foods", and there are many restaurants that are starting to serve all natural and healthy food items. The more and more people that care, that realize the importance of the food that we put into our bodies, the more and more the companies that are responsible for our food will care to make it healthier. If people are willing to pay their hard earned cash for over-processed, preservative laden quick and easy meals, and the companies can sell it to them for such huge profits, then certainly their conscience isn't going to stop them from doing it. And if the government is going to let them get away with it, then the only way to stop them is to quit buying their food.

When I first started drastically changing my eating habits, it was a bit of a lonely road. I had no one to bounce ideas off of, no one to discuss what I had learned or to share new ideas and recipes with. It wasn't until I started to follow other like-minded bloggers, that I finally was able to find a sense of community. It's so much easier to hang in there, when you have others to share with and learn from. Most of my friends and family, had no problems with my new eating habits, even if they thought I was crazy. But there were some (and still are), that would sometimes react so strongly, they seem almost angry about it. I honestly feel now, that it's more because they think I am trying to either push my agenda on them, that I think I am better then them because of my decisions, or that I am judging them because of theirs. I have gotten a little better at blowing these reactions off, now that I am more used to it. Anyone that really knows me, knows I would never judge them for their choices or think that I am better then them because of mine. I have realized I can't take it personally, because honestly it's not my issue.

What a change time can bring though. I now have so many more people in my life joining me on this path. Whether they have found the path on their own terms or have been around me long enough to see there might be something to this, I have been so inspired lately by the enthusiasm and interest in others. I am swapping recipes and information with friends and family members. In the beginning, I didn't have a single person (other then my husband, who, thank goodness, puts up with me through just about anything), that I could call or talk to when I would find out something really crazy or disturbing. I mean I could have, but they didn't want to hear it, so I kept it to myself.

And the the thing is, it's not that I want to "teach" someone what I have learned (although I am more then happy to if they want to know anything), I just thrive on discussing these topics. I find the subject of health and nutrition, although often frustrating and overwhelming, to also be fascinating! It's like when someone is really into photography, or a sport, or anything else people spend their time really involved with, it is just really amazing to me, how it all works together, and the impact it has on our lives.

The more I know, the more I want to know. I have come a long way on this journey and now, at this point I actually LOVE the food I eat. I honestly can't imagine going back to the way I used to eat. I feel energized after each meal, instead of sluggish or tired. I used to get the shakes really bad if I went too long without eating. I couldn't even tell you the last time that happened. And I haven't been sick, other then a snotty nose in over a year. I no longer have to worry about my weight. I eat everything I want to, and it is never an issue. My tastes and preferences have changed and I crave the things that are good for me. So if you see me at a party, and I am munching on my own snacks that I brought, or passing on the cake at the wedding, please don't feel sorry for me, I couldn't be any happier about it!

I shared this post on Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday

Danger of GMOs

I hate being a debbie downer, but this video is something everyone should watch. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of being a guinea pig all for money and greed. Seriously.

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” ~ Buddha

The quote in my title really resonates with me and where I find myself today. The subject of this post has been a long time coming and I could never articulate how important of a role it has come to play in my life.

After the birth of my daughter I started becoming more concerned about my diet and nutrition. I had always tried to eat healthy and had always tried to keep weight off. It was something that was always a work in progress for me, actually, and I was always jealous of other people that could eat whatever they wanted and never seem to gain any weight. I wish I had been more concerned while pregnant, but unfortunately I wasn't. I do feel more confident going into our next pregnancy. After gaining 70 lbs while I was pregnant and only losing 45 after delivery, eating healthy and 5 months of breastfeeding, I knew something had to be done. Even more important to me, I was starting to worry about what I was going to feed the munchkin to give her the best start in life.

So I started making little basic changes. Eating even more fruits and veggies, cooking more from scratch. I think the most significant thing that sticks out to me, the turning point to the complete overhaul in our family's diet, was when I started to look up ideas to get more protein into the munchkin's diet. I had been reading some ideas on websites about giving babies tofu. It was soft and plain and could be easily mixed with other foods. I had tried tofu before and had always been turned off by it, but I thought if I could mix it with other yummy stuff, this could be an option. Since I wasn't very familiar with tofu, other then that it was a product of soy, I started to do some research. My findings were disturbing to say the least. To be honest, they kinda scared the shit out of me.

I am not going to go into a lot of detail here about soy, other then that it is truly toxic for your body on many levels and particular on the bodies of children. You don't have to take my word for it, simply google "dangers of soy" and you will come up with all the information you need. Just a little research on the FDA's database of trials and studies of soy will show you the disturbing results and all of the studies that warn about its dangerous effects on the body.

Here's a list of studies that have been going on since the 1930s

I could give you links to hundreds of articles, with plenty of references and researched information with lots of stats and studies to back up this info, but if you really cared enough you could find it for yourself pretty easily. I will give you one link that sums it up pretty good, along with references and then you can decide for yourself. This explains how and why it has infiltrated our market so aggressively and how it is has been passed off as edible health food.

Soy Dangers

It took me a few months of digging and research to finally believe it. It wasn't any easy pill to swallow. I loved edamame. I had even given it to the munchkin a couple of times. I went through every item in my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer and threw out any item that had soy or a bi-product of soy in it. I couldn't believe how much stuff I had to throw out. This shit was every where. I was pissed to say the least, that this crap was being passed off as a health food and was being eaten in such large masses by unsuspecting people.

Luckily organic fermented soy is somewhat okay, as in miso soup and soy sauce (what would I dip my sushi in?!) and might actually have health benefits. Fermenting the soy changes the composition of it. Organic insures it is not made from GMOs.

My anger and the shock of what I had been learning really got me to thinking. What else were we eating that I wasn't aware of? Were there other things in our diet that were really bad for us. This started my quest to learn as much as I could, good and bad, about food and it's effects on our bodies, both emotionally and physically. I wanted to be educated and provide my family with food that was good for us, food that would make us feel good and live longer, healthier lives. After over a year of pretty intense research on the subject (seriously, almost all of my free time has been spent on this, I became pretty obsessed), I feel confident in my knowledge and where this path has lead me to today. There is still so much to learn and find out, and I get really excited about new discoveries every day. It's not just the food that I am so interested in, but the science behind how it effects our bodies and what happens to it once it gets past our mouths.

I also have to remind myself, almost every day, that not everyone is as passionate about this subject as I am. I too, was once much less concerned, and I have to try to keep that in mind. I sometimes catch myself going on too much about something (like the dangers of soy) and have to tell myself to shut up. Just because you care, doesn't mean they do. But the problem is, I care about them, and I sometimes just can't help myself. But I really don't want to be that person who is always talking about something no one wants to hear about. So for the most part, I keep to myself unless it happens to come up in conversation or someone wants to talk about it.

I don't want my blog to turn into a "food and nutrition blog". I just want to add to what it already is. My blog is a story about my family and our lives. Its a place where I can go to share my thoughts and ideas. A place I can blow off steam or share my passion about a particular subject. I would be absolutely thrilled if some of the information I relay about this could help someone else, but whether it does or not, it is such a huge part of my life now, that it will naturally become a part of my blog as well.

It's not just cooking healthy, but cooking in general that I have really come to love, even more then ever before. I spend so much time in the kitchen now, trying new recipes and experimenting with old ones, that I have more fun with it and have alot more confidence. I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, but now it's with a purpose. I feel what I am doing in the kitchen is having a huge impact on the livelihoods of my family and my daughter's future. I really do feel that what we eat on a daily basis is that important! I can't help but take great pride in that and to feel accomplished when I am done preparing a meal.

“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.”
~ Earl Nightingale

I have cut out processed foods, refined sugars and flours, and preservatives. We are eating real, whole foods and I have never felt better in my life. I buy mostly organic, to avoid the toxins from foods sprayed with pesticides, and have recently started buying 100% grassfed beef from a local source. Basically, if it doesn't grow from the ground, come from an animal, or have ingredients in it that are man-made or chemically concocted in a lab, I most likely will not eat it. To some, it might seem extreme (at first), but I know it is making a huge difference in our lives and our health. I see proof of it over and over.

We simply eat more simply. That's the simplest way to put it.

Here is a great overview:
Nutritional Guidelines

I am not, however, a total nazi about it that I will never eat anything with preservatives in it or won't eat at a restaurant. I just do what I can, when I can, and don't worry about it when I can't. I still go out to eat on occassion and have dinner with friends or go to parties and eat whatever is on the spread. I pretty much go with the 80/20 rule. I don't want to have lot of posts similar to this one, I just wanted to put this out there. I know it will turn some people off and that really sucks, because I hope that I won't be judged negatively for it. It's something I have become kind of accustomed to though, it's really strange and I am not really sure why it happens. Just bringing a healthy appetizer to a party, has gotten me some really odd reactions, but there's really not much I can do about it. I am grateful for my amazing, wonderful friends that do share in this same passion, along with the ones that don't and have atleast humored me.

So there you have it. An overview of my journey and how I got to where I am now. I still want my blog to be about me, whatever that may entail, about my family (especially the munchkin) and about whatever I feel like sharing, I don't want it to take a new direction, but I do want to share more about what I have learned and some good recipe concoctions. I hope others will take from it what they will and maybe even be inspired to do some research of their own. I want to be all preachy about what people should or shouldn't be eating. To each his own. I just wanted to give a basic background of where all these new recipes and ideas are coming from and also to explain why I have been so MIA for a while.

Although eating really healthy and following my new guidelines would have eventually gotten me to my weight-loss goals, it doesn't explain how it came off so quickly. My current eating habits will keep my weight from going back up, but I did get some help. In July of last year, my sister told me that she was going to do the Homeopathic HCG diet and gave me a brief overview of what all that entailed. To be honest it didn't sound healthy. I started to research it heavily because I was worried about my sister. The more I read, the more I understood it, and the better it sounded. I did 3 rounds of the diet between July 2010 and January 2011, taking a few months off inbetween around events and holidays. I lost 45 lbs total between the hcg diet and my new eating habits.  Knowing what I know now, however, I would NOT recommend the HCG diet as a healthy way to lose weight.

Where have I been, you ask? Well, let me tell you....

I have been neglecting my blog terribly! Whats new right? But this last dry spell has been worse then usual. I have been so busy lately and blogging just hasn't been in the cards.

So what has been keeping me away from blogging.... food! It's official, I am now becoming an extreme real foodie. The more I learn, the more I want to learn and its been keeping me in the kitchen from the time the munchkin goes to bed to the wee hours of the night. I spend all of my free time researching food and nutrition, then testing recipes and I have been so engrossed in it. It has become my passion and I really have been learning alot!

Last night I made brownies with coconut flour and cookies with coconut oil and almond flour (Gina these are gluten and dairy free!). I also made crackers with almond flour and fresh grated cheddar cheese. All were fantastic and I can't wait to share them at the bachelorette party I am going to on Saturday. I hope to start incorporating things into my blog more along with the recipes so anyone can try them if they are interested. The most exciting part of this week though... I made my own whey and cream cheese from yogurt, then used the whey to make my own mayo and then some of the mayo to make my own ranch dressing. All soy free! Yay!!!!!

I also wanted to share that I made it! On my journey to become more healthy and to keep my family more healthy, I have reached my goal and am now back down to my favorite healthy weight. It was a fabulous journey and I came out on the other end not only thinner, but much more educated about what is good for my body and what will help me to live a longer more healthy life. My very most favorite part of all, is that I now know how to feed my daughter to get her off to a healthy start in life and to give her a good base for her future!

In my search for info on cod liver oil, I came across this giveaway. I am sharing to enter a chance in the drawing. But you don't have to check it out... it just gives me a better chance to win if you don't. Ha!

Green Pastures Giveaway

The munchkin has been growing like a weed! She is such a big girl now! I will post some pics soon, but in the meantime friend me on facebook (if I know you through blogging already) and check out the latest pics there...

Laura's facebook

I miss my bloggy friends and will be checking in on you today to see whats going on. I started back up on twitter, but even that is hard for me to stick with. I have a very small stack of work to do today and I am going to take advantage of the extra free time to see what is going on with everyone. I am not promising anything, because I don't want to be a liar... but I am hoping to be back on blogger much more now. I have so much to catch up... and a ton I want to share!

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life" ~Shinoda

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was on a mission to lose weight and get fit before the munchkin's first birthday (9-09). I am proud to say that I am nearly there. So far, I have lost 27 lbs. I'd like to lose about 10 more.

I wanted to lose my pregnancy weight. Going into this, that was my main goal. I didn't anticipate all of the other wonderful things that I would learn along the way and the other big changes that would become an integral part of my life from now on.

I have always tried to eat healthy on a regular basis. Any time I would need to lose weight in the past (like before my wedding), I would implement a low calorie, low fat diet and lots of exercise. I knew exactly how many calories I needed to stick to in order to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time. This works. But it is hard, it's not REAL food and it's alot of work to prep and make food that doesn't really taste all that good anyway. And the calorie counting.... ugh!! I hate counting my calories. I found a website that would keep track of everything for me and it was definitely easier, but who wants to have to pay that much attention to every single detail about every single bit of food that they are putting into their mouth? After I had the munchkin and realized that the weight wasn't going to just fall off on its own, as I had hoped, I turned to my old tried and true weight loss methods. But without being able to have all of the time I had before to work out and go to the gym along with the diet, I was only maintaining my weight.

Then my sister and her husband started the HCG diet (homeopathic version). I was more then skeptical. In fact, being concerned about her health, I begged her not to do it. It just didn't sound like a good idea. After extensive research, I did a complete 180 and decided to try the diet myself. I ordered my drops, followed the very strict eating plan and the rest is history. I am not going to go on and on about the details of the diet and how it works. That information is readily available all over the internet. Plus, that is not the part that I am the most excited about. That is not what I really wanted to share with everyone. The diet helped to kickstart my weightloss quickly, but it was what I have learned along they way that will stick with me forever.

Update: Knowing what I know now, however, I would NOT recommend the HCG diet as a healthy way to lose weight.

I started to do alot of research about food and how it all works and breaks down in our body. The dynamics of the diet, really got my wheels turning and I wanted to learn more about my body's relationship with food. I didn't want to have to "diet" ever again. I never want to count my calories. I just want to be healthy, to eat healthy, to maintain a healthy weight without really having to try hard to do so, and to set a good example for my daughter. I want to be able to feed her everything I am eating without having to worry about the decisions I am making concerning her health. I didn't want to eat to stay thin or maintain my weight. I wanted to eat to nourish my body, along with the rest of my family. I wanted the food we put into our bodies to help us live longer and to feel good.

Is that too much to ask? Was that even possible for someone like me who had a very long history of working hard to not become overweight?

I think it is very possible. I feel so empowered and excited about everything I have learned. Not only have I lost weight, but I feel amazing. It may sound silly, but I feel like I have discovered the fountain of youth or something.

I am no longer counting my calories or paying attention to how much I eat. I eat whenever I want and as much as I feel that I need. And I am still losing weight. If I had to guess, I would say that I am probably taking in somewhere around 2,000+ calories a day right now (it could be even more then that). I also eat 3 pretty good size meals, along with several snacks, throughout the day. And I am eating real food. Real butter, real cheese, real cream in my coffee. Natural Peanut butter, not to mention my love affair with almond butter. And lots and lots of olive oil.

I am staying away from most starches and sugar in any form, except those found naturally in fruit and vegetables, and those with almost as much fiber as the carbs (like flax seed), making a net carb count of close to zero. The only sweeteners I use are stevia and erythritol (and splenda on a very, very rare occassion). Other then that I am trying to stay away from anything artificial and unnatural.

I have been making my own crackers, muffins and other "faux starches" using almond flour, coconut flour, and flax seed. I am still eating desserts and sweets. I haven't given up carbs completely, I am just trying to cut out all the bad ones.

What is the most amazing part to me is that I not only feel better then I have felt in many many years, but I am enjoying my food more then ever. And I am enjoying it all completely guilt free! I am not just eating food that is keeping the weight off, I am eating food that tastes delicious and that is stocking my body with everything it needs to be healthy. I feel like I am nourishing my soul. I am also going to be setting a good example for my daughter, which has admittedly made eating healthy more important then ever.

Whether you think it sounds like a boring menu of options and alot of work cooking and making everything from scratch (this was me before), or you are already a veteran in this area and are saying to yourself "nice that you finally caught on"... I feel like I have made an enormous revelation.

To me, this is HUGE. And I just wanted to share my excitement. I plan on sharing some of my new creations and recipes as I go.