A day at the beach

What's better than a day at the beach? Probably nothing. The part I always hated about a beach day was coming home. I couldn't deal with being so exhausted. I felt completely drained, like I had sweated out every bit of energy and nutrition from my body.

Yesterday was my first beach day of the year. Getting myself ready to go was more of a challenge than in the past. Well, going anywhere is more challenging these days. Understanding how nutrient empty "outside" food is, it's easier to just avoid spending much time going out. If I'm going to the mall I know I can't just stop at the food court if I get a bit hungry, so I have to bring snacks. I always have to think about when I will get hungry and when I will eat. Annoying, but as I'm finding, well worth it.

I packed quite a bit of food for the beach. I chopped up goat cheese into cubes, I had some salami and some hot dogs (my packaged food splurge, but they are hot dogs from grass-fed beef and have no nitrates or preservatives or flavorings), a couple small sheep yogurts, and tons of fresh fruit. Lots of watermelon. I even brought a bottle of water kefir.

My other dilemma was what to put on my skin. I won't use SPF because I don't want to block the rays of the sun - that's where I get my Vitamin D. I usually never did use SPF anyway, but I would usually use a tanning lotion that would help me tan more. But I knew that would be loaded with chemicals and I couldn't do that to my liver. My Mom suggested coconut oil. I went with it. It was messy because in the heat it melted to a liquid and it's hard not to pour it all over the place. But it sure does smell good.

The beach was beautiful. Eating fresh watermelon on the beach was amazing. The simple pleasure of it was unbelievable. I've removed so many modern "luxuries" from my life and have found that these kinds of simple pleasures are so much more enjoyable.

What I didn't expect was the change in how I would feel after the beach. It didn't occur to me that the way I used to feel was wrong. Until I got home and felt amazing. I was full of energy. I felt amazingly happy and fulfilled. It was different than just feeling good after relaxing all day. It was more complete and deep. I have been having a very deep fulfillment when I eat right and do things that are good for me. I can just feel my body saying, yes, this is the way it's supposed to be.

My doctor said that because my diet has a lot of cholesterol in it, when I exposed myself to UV rays my body created Vitamin D. Makes sense. Once again, the way it was all created to work together. My doctor has also suggested adding more sea salt to my diet for energy. The sea salt does something to encourage the adrenal glands. I guess breathing in the sea air also helped my energy levels.

It's too bad I can't start every day by laying in the sun for 4 hours.

My Real Food anniversary

I've been wearing glasses since I was in first grade. I got contact lenses for the first time when I was 16. I remember being so amazed at how much clearer everything was, and I didn't have those blurry spots that went beyond the frames of my glasses. Everything was clear, everywhere I looked.

In a figurative sense, I've been feeling like this recently. I've been doing tons of reading about health; books, blogs, articles, whatever I can get my hands on. Not only that but I've recently had somewhat of a spiritual re-awakening that I cannot separate from my health journey. They go hand-in-hand. Everywhere I look, everything is clear. Everything is making sense and fitting together.

I really gave myself over to this way of eating about a year ago, when I visited the Amish farm where we get most of our food from. The farmer hosts a customer appreciation day once a year. I was mostly on the real food bandwagon when I went to the farm last year, but I had not had the epiphany I needed until I saw the farm and met the farmer and his family. There was something about the Amish people and something about the food that made everything click in my mind. Everything seemed clear.

I had been feeling the need to be closer to God, and in the Amish I saw an amazing closeness. Of course we can all worship in different ways and call it different things, but isn't the spirit behind it always the same? I saw in them the pure pleasure they got from doing what they considered to be God's calling for them. All the work they do is blessed and is a blessing to God. Nothing was more clear than that, and I realized the importance of following the natural order that God intended.

So this was sort of my anniversary. I visited the farm again this year, exactly a year later. I am much more involved in my food sources and I am much closer to God, but I also know how much further I still have to go. It's inspiring. It feels so wonderful to be eating food in its most natural state, the way God intended. I can literally feel my health improving, which I have never experienced before. I want to do all that I can to continue living this way and helping others live this way and eat this way. I can't imagine any other way to live now.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis 1:27-29

Your health: priceless

Wal-Mart commercials make me laugh. "We save people money so they can live better" and then they talk about all the great deals they have on horrible overprocessed food that's killing you. Sure, your cereal and your soda are super cheap but what are they doing to your body?

This topic has been weighing heavily on my mind recently. I've been talking up local farm food to people, from friends to fellow students. The number one objection is the price. It got me thinking. Is there a price on your health?

I've worked in stores selling epxensive salon-quality hair products and expensive designer bags. My selling line when people always complained about price was: you get what you pay for. Shell out some extra money for a nicer bag or pair of shoes, they will last you longer and you don't have to replace them every month. If you're going to buy the cheap stuff, the cheaper ingredients are going to damage your hair. Isn't it worth spending the extra money for a high quality product?

Food is no different, and I have to say it's even more important than hair or handbags. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. What could be more important than taking care of our own bodies?

I've gained so much clarity in the last few weeks. I've been feeling so much better and having so much more energy and getting so much done. It's made me realize how important it really is to be healthy. I'm at a point in my life where I'm still not worrying about the grocery bill - my parents are nice enough to do that for me. I'm a student and I only work one day a week, I can't really contribute much right now. But I have no doubt that when I'm working again or when I'm out on my own, I will have no problem spending money on real food. I'd much rather have food that nourishes me and makes me strong and healthy than any handbag or any of the crap I used to spend all my money on.

I could do a cheesy Mastercard commercial spoof. List prices of grass-fed beef and local vegetables. But it's really been overdone, hasn't it? But seriously, your health really is priceless.

Read this article also. It's good. Joel Salatin rocks.

It's all happening

The last few days have been really encouraging. I'm feeling better and finally feeling more useful around the house.

I've noticed that the days I feel good are the days I exercise. No surprise, really. I just have to keep that in mind when I wake up and I don't feel like getting out of bed, or doing anything at all. If I just push myself to get up and work out I will feel better the rest of the day. I've worked out 3 days this week, which is the best I've done in years. If I can keep that up consistently I think I'll feel a lot better overall.

I've been working with my Mom in the kitchen a ton lately. It's one thing for me to just help her with dishes or whatnot while she's working in the kitchen, but it's another thing to actually be involved and learning the whole process. I'm learning so much. Cooking, prepping, planning, and I'm finally learning how to make kombucha and kefir. I spent a solid 2 hours in the kitchen on Saturday and 3-4 hours on Sunday.

I started my own brew of water kefir. I drank nearly a quart of water kefir on Saturday and that's when I got my insane energy burst that fueled my 2 hour cooking sprint. I realized then that I had found the replacement for the diet soda I used to be addicted to. I plan on bringing water kefir to class with me instead of soda now. It should be helpful if any of my professors are too boring. Now I won't fall asleep.

My Mom and I made fermented ketchup from a Nourishing Traditions recipe. She had been getting a fermented ketchup that she really liked but it had whey in it, which I have always been allergic to. I've eaten a couple bites of it and not had a reaction, I think I might be OK with whey now, but I still don't want to rush anything. So anyway we made our own whey from a sheep yogurt I had, and then we made our own ketchup with that whey. It is so delicious. I love it. I've always loved ketchup, but I'm talking the crappy processed Heinz kind full of high fructose corn syrup. I switched to Heinz organic which is slightly better, but nothing like real, homemade, fermented stuff. Can't get much better than that. And I love it on everything. Seriously. Everything. So good.

Good and bad things

I had a great day last Friday. True to pattern, I then had a horrible day on Saturday. I was tired and cranky and miserable. All I could think about all day was Starbucks soy lattes.

I feel like a junkie sometimes. Like a recovering crackhead, or at least an alcoholic. When things get really bad all I think about is going to Starbucks, like an alcoholic thinking the bar is the only solution.

But I'm happy to report I've been seeing glimmers of hope. Like I said, Friday was good. I almost went to hang out with some friends, which I haven't done in a while, but I was afraid I'd push myself. I feel like I'm walking a tightrope. It's such an insanely delicate balance that I don't want to do anything that would push me over the edge. I'm not about to overdo anything.

I've noticed some major differences in the last week. My body seems to be reacting more...normally. I actually had a drop in blood sugar and got really lightheaded and fuzzy. I had always heard people talk about when they get really hungry they "can't think" and I had never experienced anything like that. I now believe that I was on a constant sugar high so my body never got to that point. Well it happened. My blood sugar got low, I got really hungry, and I couldn't think. I was spaced out and confused. It was really weird. I was at the grocery store, and as soon as I saw some candy I wanted it and I knew I was in trouble so I left. Again, like a junkie.

I, also for the first time, got a little bit of a buzz from drinking kombucha. My Mom's been making kombucha for years. I've never really liked it much, I was usually always grossed out by it, but I would drink a little bit sometimes. Obviously, with my tastes changing so much recently, I've started liking it. But so many people have always said kombucha gives them a little bit of a buzz, almost like alcohol. I never got that. Probably because my tolerance was too high from drinking too much. Well, that's no longer an issue. I think it's been just about a month since I've had a drink, but I can't actually remember exactly when it was. Now my new buzz is kombucha and water kefir. That's another new thing. I love water kefir. I drank a lot of it instead of beer on Memorial Day. And best of all, no hangover!

I've also noticed a change in my appetite. It could just be the warm weather, that usually happens. But it could also be the quality of food I'm eating. You don't need as much real food. You can't even force yourself to overeat it. It's the strangest thing. You eat as much as you need and that's it, you don't want anymore. It also has been keeping me sustained longer. It's pretty amazing.

Good things

I'm going to go out on a limb and say today is the best that I've felt since I started my recovery. It's been two weeks and a day. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've found some black teas that I enjoy almost as much as coffee. I don't get the same enjoyment as I did from my beloved Starbucks lattes, but I can live with it.

I really like Celestial Seasonsings Morning Thunder, and I usually mix it with Roastaroma. I like the taste of the Roastaroma on its own but it doesn't have caffiene, so I mix it with the Morning Thunder which has the caffiene but the flavor isn't as rich. So this way I get both, and it gets a nice bold, rich flavor that is almost like coffee. I also have been drinking Dandy Blend which I like a lot. It tastes the most like coffee, but it doesn't have caffiene so I mix it with black tea. And the dandelion is good for my liver.

Today I did discover an issue with my tea habit. I've been using a coconut milk coffee creamer in my tea. It's french vanilla flavor. I like the sweetness. I am used to using tons of sugar or agave in my coffee or tea. I had read the ingredients of the creamer before and I somehow missed the "organic evaporated cane juice" listed on it. Maybe I was just fooling myself into thinking it was OK to drink it. But no, organic evaporated cane juice is SUGAR. Do not be fooled. There's also guar gum and xanthan gum in it which I know I shouldn't have because they are too processed and they are made from corn. No good. There's also natural flavoring in it, which is also no good.

But y'know, it's literally the one packaged, processed food I eat. I am drinking a lot of tea so I guess it adds up, but probably only to about 5 tablespoons of it a day. It's really not a lot. I'm not going to drive myself crazy about it now. I'm going to try to use the plain flavor instead of the french vanilla flavor, and see if I can get used to less sweetness. I'm sure my taste buds will adjust.

Anyway. I was talking about how my day was, wasn't I? Yes. I had work this morning, and although I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I actually woke up (at 5AM, no less) perfectly refreshed and ready to go. I'm not sure that's ever happened to me. I felt good all through my shift at work, even though I was bored most of the time. I kept myself occupied. I walked on the treadmill for an hour, broken up into a 20 minute walk and 40 minute walk. I jogged a little bit. It was good. I got some stuff done when I got home, then I took a nap. Usually when I wake up from my naps I am still groggy and crabby and mean. I woke up and I was fine. Awake and alert and ready to continue my day.

So this is a taste of how I will fell all the time. Once my body is healthy and has gotten rid of all the built up toxins, this is what I have to look forward to. I like it.

When I catch myself, I do a 180

It's been a really long two weeks. Today was my third appointment with my doctor. It was allegedly some kind of turning point. He wanted to make sure I was "on board." I guess after reading my food log for 2 weeks and seeing that I'm actually listening to him, he realizes now that I'm on board. So maybe he's going to get more intense, which is kind of scary.

I've been reflecting over the past week how much I've changed within the last year and a half. When my Mom became a Weston A. Price chapter leader, I thought she had gone off her rocker. I thought there wasn't any way this kind of eating could be healthy, with all this fat. I was brainwashed by media and western medicine. I slowly started accepting it, little by little over the years. A year and a half ago, when I was without a job, I had no choice but to eat whatever she was cooking. I haven't turned back. But as I've said, I continued eating junk. Candy and coffee and alcohol. Overloading my body with toxins.

At first I was grossed out by real food. I mean, my Mom would be making stock with chicken heads. I was a prissy beauty school girl. Gross. When I first started eating it I thought everything was too greasy and gross. I slowly started dealing with it and being OK with it and eating it sometimes, but still eating the majority of my meals out. At the mall I worked at. Ugh. Talk about gross.

Now that I've fully given myself over, I can see the difference in my taste buds. When I go out to eat now, I notice that the food doesn't have any taste. We went to a diner for my Grandmother's birthday and I got grilled beef and vegetables. It literally had no taste. I dumped salt and pepper on it and even the salt and pepper had no taste. How can that be? It's fake. Fake food has no taste. Which is why they cover it up with MSG which causes neurological damage. Great. I'd rather just eat real food, thanks.

I told my doctor I'd like to be tested for food allergies. I only have been tested once in my life, when I was about 8 years old. Obviously my body has changed a lot in the last 20 years. He wants me to be more healed first. I complained that I still sleep half the day. He didn't seem too concerned. I guess it's normal.