@Jennifer I can relate to being an information junkie; though, with the internet age, I've met my match — there is far too much information to take in. Your religious history is fairly similar to mine, in that my mother was a non-practicing Catholic; my father grew up with Protestant influence, but never practiced himself. That is horrible about the teachers holding back capable students, to get funding. So many religious institutions turn into a façade of a once real thing; in essence, contradicting their very teaching, in order to get ahead. I believe that is the rule, not the exception, in the west, for most religious education institutions. I'm personally not too concerned with denomination (though I do have preferences), it's the truths being taught that is the value. As a child, the biggest religious influence outside of my mother's teaching was Baptist. As an adult, non-denominational, Christian churches I've attended most; today, I would call myself non-church going, though a believing Christian.
I've had Maple Hill yogurt, but I forget how it matches up with the others. If I recall, Alexandre and Kalona were better, but costlier. I'm not familiar with Family Farmstead. 4 liters is a lot of dairy. I've always wondered how much we really absorb and make use of minerals and vitamins by way of food; your results would show quite a bit.
I used a masticating juicer, so minimal heat. It was like a jolt of nutrition and energy, that I had not gotten from other foods — I'd say primarily due to poor digestion. That is crazy how sensitive a subpar, broken body is. Mine was broken pretty bad, but not as bad as yours. Time tends to heal all wounds; even physical, it seems. Though, I don't think my digestion will ever be wholly the same. I attribute that weakness to my inability to take most supplements. Speaking of, I am actually testing a variation of the Linus Pauling protocol, which consists of vitamin C, lysine, and proline. The lysine is really sedating for me, so if I come across as as zombie, that's why! I don't consume a lot of mushrooms, though I do like them. I have seen the Monterey brand, but didn't realize they had actually exposed them to UV light. I had read about companies doing that, but failed to find them at the stores. I'll keep my eyes peeled for them. Thanks for the suggestion! I think it's worth sharing, that I stumbled upon a study referenced (from the old RPF) that showed low levels of zinc were found to be a predictor of vitamin D deficiency. Though, the study involved only girls and women:
https://lowtoxinforum.com/threads/optimal-vitamin-d-intake-may-be-at-least-2-000-iu-daily.52621/post-985157
Indeed, I do have some Italian cooking influence; but minimal. I'd say my brothers are the ones who have gleaned that the best and put it to use the most. I'm the last to the cooking game, among my siblings. Funny...from your profile pic, I guess I could see Latin, or even Northern Italian. I'm not too up on 40's actresses, though I do know some; but not too many British. Margaret Lockwood comes to mind, but maybe she was after the 40's. I know of a character, from a cult-classic from the 80's, Better Off Dead, that maybe resembles you; or maybe I'm being influenced because she played a light skinned, French girl with dark hair....
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088794/mediaviewer/rm1305830400/?ref_=ttmi_mi_48_1
You're welcome for the olive oil info. With your research, I'm sure it will be hard to really pass along something you haven't discovered already. I mean the thread is, Cooking with Jennifer. What are you using for animal fat? I just purchased beef tallow, which makes for good French fries. I think better than coconut oil, but I will have to do more testing. I do seem to be doing okay with the banana bread. For me, it has surpassed the cinnamon raisin bread. It's richer and more like cake.
