Cooking with Jennifer
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@Jennifer Haha, that is funny. Ice cream was the answer. I think in our very modern and very deficient world, love is a component in healing, beyond the technical and mechanical parts of healing needed. Love is indeed a powerful thing; even beyond the emotional response, the deeper security and hope that love provides. A strange coincidence, I received an email today for an ebook on sale on this very subject. I prefer physical books, but the price of ebooks is just too good to pass up for my budgeted life these days. I realize not everyone wants or needs everything broken down academically: to use an analogy I've heard, some just want to eat the apple, they don't have to look at it in a microscope. Books and authors are a personal taste, no doubt, but just in case it would interest you: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Loves-C-S-Lewis-ebook/dp/B01EFM8NI4
I was not aware of the cloudy egg white, as evidence of more CO2. Interesting. I did notice the egg whites were a bit cloudy just recently, but thought that was due to the cold of the refrigerator. I've never had Nounós yogurt, but it does indeed look to be the cream of the crop. I like the A2 and the glass container. Next time I make it to Whole Foods, which is hardly never these days, I'll look for it.
I agree with your egg perspective. I eat 2-4 a day myself. I've been considering adding some of Haidut's vitamin E several times a week, but since my PUFA is quite low in general, I don't worry too much about it. Wow, hives from the lichen-derived. (And I see I used the word mushroom-derived in error.) I think I'll look for lanolin-derived. I don't feel well on the vitamin D3 supplement I have, which I think is synthetic. But I don't feel well on any supplements. I think Haidut's D3 was a little better, but I don't completely remember. It's been years since I've had his.
Yeah, grounding.
I haven't done that is a while. That does look like good mayo that you linked, as far as store bought goes. And 17oz for $9 is actually not too bad. It would cost me a few dollars more to make it myself, but I see that I would be able to use a better olive oil. I promise, I'm not dogging your mayo 
, I'm just attempting to be objective in my evaluation. I would take your olive mayo over all the soy based mayos any day. Coincidentally, I did just make mayo after my last message and it didn't take at first. Really, it's one of my least favorite things to make. I can be a bit neurotic in my quest for quality, so I'll continue to do it until I really lose my patience with it. I believe the problem is that I was using bottled lemon juice versus fresh. -
@Mossy, exactly, and for me, love is the main component—in practice, basing my choices on a love for myself (and others by extension—man being a strand in the web of life and all) and my life, not fear, has proven to be the most healing of all. I believe there is no higher vibration than God and God is love. Thank you for sharing The Four Loves with me. I found a free pdf of it on archive.org and am currently reading it. I had never read anything by C. S. Lewis before, but I was aware he was a Christian apologist so I had some idea of what to expect—I’m not Christian, myself, but having grown up in a Catholic family and attended parochial school, I’m familiar with the Christian concept of God.
I think cold can have an effect on an egg’s cloudiness, too, because I’ve had cartons of eggs too close to the refrigerator’s fan that partially froze, and the half that froze and defrosted had very cloudy whites. It’s too bad you can only get the Nounós at Whole Foods. I’ve only found two stores here that carry it. If you can get your hands on Alexandre Family Farm’s whole milk yogurt and strain it, it’s similar. I used to strain the Alexandre’s, but it became too costly at $7.99 for a 24 oz container (roughly 12 oz after straining) daily. For comparison, I paid $5.99 for a 16 oz container of Nounós.
No worries. I knew exactly what you meant by mushroom.
I should clarify that my experience is not a reflection of the quality of lichen-based D3, but my health status, at the time. My thyroid was still recovering from the trauma of my mum’s passing and for whatever reason, when my thyroid tanks, I struggle with plants so practically everything plant-based was causing hives. I haven’t tried Haidut’s vitamin D, only because I like to take D3 orally for best absorption and don’t care for ethanol, but I appreciate that it doesn’t contain MCT, for those whose intestines would be irritated by it. Have you tried D3 in a base of olive oil? I’m wondering if you would be less sensitive to that excipient?Haha! I take no offense. As a recovering perfectionist, I understand neuroticism well and besides, you’re Italian so I trust your judgment. Now, if you try schooling me on butter, those are fighting words, mister. JK
I bring my people shame—I don’t eat butter. Mayo is my dad’s condiment of choice for sandwiches and he doesn’t like the coconut-based one, due to it solidifying in the fridge and needing to take it out in advance to soften it before use, which he doesn’t have the patience for, so I figure the Graza is a good compromise. What type of olive oil do you prefer? I get my dad the “fancy” made with 100% extra virgin olive oil. Is extra virgin not good? While growing up, my mum used mainly butter in her cooking and evoo in her baking—she did cake decorating and swore by oil for moist cakes—so that’s my only reference point. -
@Jennifer You're welcome. I can't help but reference these authors that have been such an influence on my me. I stress again, I know everyone is different, in that the paths we've been on have us favoring different voices and styles, though I believe truth is truth, which survives above style and preference. At the least, a truth discovered, even from an author who is not preferred, could lead us deeper into a subject, searching out an author we do prefer, who speaks to us better. I do like archive.org. I used to use them quite a bit, but then I got spoiled with how cheap some ebooks have become, and how the formatting allows for ease of use. But, I will give this to the PDF format, you get the images of the original pages of books, which gives you some of that physical book quality, which can't be replicated in a full digital format. I actually used to prefer the PDF for this reason, but now I can't resist the ease of full digital format. Though, I will still go to archive.org for books not yet available as an ebook. Your religious history is very common, having touched upon various aspects of Faith through family, and educational institutions. That's all of us, really; which is Lewis's story as well, until he became fully immersed.
I do like the Alexandre brand very much. I think there is hardly a better brand available for dairy, at least at a chain store. Kalona is a good brand too, but like Alexandre, expensive. Okay, so Nounos is cheaper, comparatively. So, you were basically making Greek yogurt from the regular versions, by straining it? I never thought to do that, but can definitely see how that is costly.
Yeah, stress is brutal on our health. I can see how your mother's passing was hard. Interesting, but kind of understandable, how plant-based foods were hard on your thyroid. When I was at my worst, raw foods were hard on me. Maybe my correlation is off, but the strong natural defenses of plants, and especially with raw, seem the culprit. Though, even as I type this, I remember raw juices made me feel good. Maybe the juicing broke down those defenses. This is my bro-science
...something worked by juicing them! I have tried olive oil based D3. A very lean version, with the only ingredient listed besides the D3 (cholecalciferol) being olive oil. And strangely, I still had issues with it. I've tried so many different versions. I forget which was the most temporarily tolerable — which is the only possible scenario for me. I can take nothing long term, and I really can't remember a vitamin D supplement that didn't make me sick for at least a week...haha. Funny stuff. I may go back to putting mushrooms out in the sun, but there isn't really a way to know the true potency, though it would still be more than I'm getting. Most of all, though, it would be costlier and more time consuming. Maybe Haidut's is worth another try (if he has a non-ethanol version).Funny. My only claim to being partially Italian is the claim itself (apart from my ancestors proving it): I don't think anyone would ever call me Italian by looking at me. I like butter as well; even better than olive oil. In most recipes, if I can use butter instead of oil, I'll do it. But, right on cue, since I've started making banana bread, I've switched to coconut oil, and it is more moist. From my limited experience, your mother is correct! My understanding of olive oil is that you want a single source, cold pressed, and minimal time from harvesting, to manufacturing, to consumer. This would eliminate, seemingly, as much potential for unwanted variables as possible. It seems olive oil imported from outside the US is very subject to being something other than what is stated. When I was researching this about a year or so ago, there were reports that the oils were not necessarily what was being claimed on the bottle, for non-US oils. There were claims they were mixed (i.e., contaminated with lesser or other olive oils); and if not that, prolonged storage and transit was reducing the quality. But, these days, who knows about the oils in the US. My rule of thumb, is you do your best research, then just go with what you have have access to, and don't worry after that. As for the 100% CA oil, it can be costly, but I only buy it on sale. I normally use the Amazon brand, which is cheaper than the other popular, 100% CA brand (California Olive Ranch). Olive oil is the one food item I consistently splurge on. I splurge because of the potential rancidity of oils and other negative factors. But, should my budget get even tighter, I'd simply buy a cheaper oil and not worry about it; though, always olive or coconut oil, not soy, canola, etc. It's worth adding, that even though the olive oil is a higher quality, it doesn't make the best tasting mayo, by itself. My understanding is that the blending breaks the fragile EVOO and makes it a bit bitter. I counter this by putting a little sugar in it.
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@Mossy, I can understand liking the ease of digital format, and referencing authors that have influenced you, sure. I will read almost anything that crosses my path because I’m an information junkie so I gladly welcome recommendations. My religious history may be a bit different. My parents weren’t practicing Catholics, just my extended family, which included a nun and priest. I was sent to parochial school to get a better education than public schools were providing at the time—teachers in our district were holding back capable students, just to get funding for a Readiness Program. My class had daily bible study, attended church every Wednesday, and I also attended church functions with a baptist friend because her faith was important to her so I’m familiar with Christianity, but it’s not a faith I ever adopted. It was separate from my own.
Oh, yeah, Kalona. I don’t know how pricy it is now, but I was getting a case of their yogurt weekly, just after my spine collapsed and I was recovering from veganism. I also got a weekly case of Maple Hill yogurt, and an East Coast brand that’s similar to Alexandre Family Farm called Family Farmstead. I averaged 4 liters of dairy daily during that time, and it worked wonders at building back my bone density. But yep, I essentially make my own Greek yogurt by straining regular versions.
Interesting. I haven’t looked into whether or not a plant’s defense chemicals are broken down by juicing, but their (supposed) beneficial compounds are degraded by heat, oxygen and light so I don’t see why not, especially with centrifugal juicers where more heat and oxidation are produced, less so with slow juicers like the two-stage hydraulic press juicers Norwalk and Pure juicer. I juiced using a 2-ton hydraulic juice press made by the Amish because at the time, raw fruit juice and coconut were the only plant sources that didn’t trigger a reaction, but then I started reacting to the juice, too. It was so bad that my hands looked like they had been burned just from handling the fruit, and my mouth blistered and bled as soon as it came in contact with the juice. I read that heating the juice for a certain amount of time would degrade the protein triggering the reaction, but it didn’t help. Regarding mushrooms and vitamin D, do you consume mushrooms regularly? If so, have you seen vitamin D mushrooms like the brand below at your local supermarket? I used to get them prior to supplementing thyroid when I had a low vitamin D level and was sensitive to supplements.
https://www.montereymushrooms.com/products/vitamin-d-mushroomsGotcha. I thought maybe traditions had been passed down so you might have had some Italian influence, but I understand not looking the part. LOL I get mistaken for Latin American (by Latin Americans) and British (I’ve been told quite often that I resemble two British Hollywood actresses from the 1940s). Thank you so much for sharing all that info on olive oil. I learned 15 or so years ago that many of the olive oils on the market are adulterated and had a short list of oils that were guaranteed pure. California Olive Ranch was my family’s staple oil up until my doctor put me on the ancestral diet dominant in animal fat, and I also used to order incredible raw olives from goodfaithfarm.com. You mentioned the banana bread—is it still treating you okay?
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@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:
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. -
@Mossy, I wish I could say I’ve met my match. The information overload of the internet age is real but for me, the internet just replaced the public library. I used to spend hours there. Just flipping through pages gives me a thrill, but then I get a thrill out of reading a menu so it’s safe to say it’s an obsession of mine. lol Just to clarify, though I agree that religious institutions have their problems, it was public schools that were holding back capable students, not the parochial schools. But yes, our religious history does seem similar, except it sounds like you’ve always been Christian? I was never Christian (of my own free will, anyway—I was christened). I have certain values I live by that align with Christian values, but it’s due to my nature more than anything.
Yes, 4 liters of dairy is a lot. I actually craved more, but the farm couldn’t supply it. I think in Western society, with its diet culture, it’s common to underestimate the body’s needs, especially for women—given what it takes to grow tiny humans, it’s my belief that we’re eating for two, even when we aren’t pregnant. My years of veganism left a major deficit. Personally, I prefer Alexandre over Maple Hill and Kalona, but the best to me out of all the commercial yogurts I’ve tried is the whole milk Icelandic Provisions skyr. I’m not sure if it’s because the company uses an authentic strain of bacteria from Iceland, but it digests just as well for me as the raw yogurt I get from the farm, and the extra creamy strawberries & cream and vanilla bean taste like dessert. I stock up on them when they go on sale for $1. My fridge is currently filled to the max with IP.
A jolt of energy from the juice is a perfect way to describe it. Like you, I think my poor digestion at the time was a factor because I no longer feel anything special when I juice. Do you? I had digestive issues since birth (so bad I required surgery at 3 weeks) that I was led to believe would be a permanent issue after sustaining my back injury, but my digestion is perfect now so you may be surprised at the level of healing you can achieve.
And no worries. You don’t come off as a zombie, but I am curious—do you mind sharing your experience so far with the Linus Pauling protocol? Do you have a family history of cardiovascular disease or…? And you’re welcome! I hope you’re able to try the mushrooms. Thank you for linking mosaic’s post. It’s interesting that zinc was found to be a predictor of vitamin D deficiency. I hadn’t read that before.I’m last to the cooking game, too. Not health, though. Ever since I could read, I’ve cared about ingredients and their effect on health. My brother has always loved cooking, but for me it’s mostly necessity. I went vegetarian around age 11 so I’ve been cooking for myself ever since, and though I like feeding others—knowing that they’re taken care of brings me peace of mind—I don’t like cooking for myself. I have to make my food up ahead of time in large batches because when I’m hungry, it’s impossible for me to restrain myself from eating the meal before it’s completed. For example, I soft boil a dozen eggs every 3 days to have for the following 3 days and I kept making the mistake of doing it before I had eaten anything so I would eat half of the eggs while peeling them and have to boil more. I blame a lifetime of hypoglycemia and a digestive disorder that forced me to restrict the types of foods I could eat.
I’ve only seen Better Off Dead maybe once (I’m team Say Anything :)), but I do recall the Monique character. My hair and eyes are darker than hers, but I can see a resemblance, sure. Certainly more than Latin. I think it’s my eyes that throw people off. Not only are they dark, I have a rare genetic mutation where I have extra rows of lashes, making them even more pronounced, and possibly giving me a Latin look? Like you, I’m not too up on 40s actresses, but I’ve been compared to Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh so much so that I had coworkers who referred to me as Scarlett O’Hara and a great-aunt who was convinced I looked just like a young Elizabeth in the movie National Velvet, she’d say it every time I saw her. I finally watched the movie and was shocked at the resemblance. We even had beauty marks in the same spot on our face, and though her eyes were light and mine dark, she apparently had the same lash mutation, giving our eyes the same contrast against our fair skin. Both actresses had very similar ancestry to me so that may explain our similar features but aside from when Elizabeth was a child, I’m not so sure we look that alike as adults.
I do research quite a bit, but I like to confirm if there is truth to what I’ve read so your info is very much appreciated.
For animal fat, I use butter for most of my cooking, and bacon grease when I roast potatoes. Do you mind keeping me updated on how tallow compares to coconut oil? I saw Wagyu tallow at the store that peaked my interest. I use Wagyu beef for my dad’s meals and the tallow supposedly has an umami flavor—we like Asian cuisine in my family so I try to incorporate all 5 flavor profiles in my cooking. It’s so true how cake-like banana bread is. I use bananas as a natural sweetener, binder and moisture retainer (I can’t think of the correct term lol) in baked goods. -
@Jennifer Haha. I'd say that is a good inclination—to have your interest piqued by all that is before you. I used to like libraries as well, which the internet age has all but eliminated for me. I've borrowed a few ebooks from archive.org, but that is about it, for my library usage these days. Ok, that still fits, schools prioritizing funding over the students—secular or religious. As much as I hate to say it, I don't see much of a difference between the two these days. I became a Christian in my youth, when I first learned of it, formally, so to speak. My mother's influence was my first introduction to Christianity, though my family was not practicing and I never went to church with my family growing up. Church and religion were quite foreign to me, until I went to church with friends at aged 10. I was never christened in my youth, surprisingly, given my mother's faith.
That's an interesting concept, that you feel females are always eating for two. Maybe there is some truth that: that the foundation of a female, at least of a certain age range, is to always be set for pregnancy. Yeah, veganism seems to be harsh on the body, in that it leaves it deficient. A TCM doctor had me reduce my meat intake, early on in my health decline, and I didn't like it. Though, it did reveal to me that I really like the grain millet...haha. I've seen that Icelandic yogurt, but I've never tried it. I'll attempt to one of these days. Apart from fresh apple juice, I haven't had that particular mix of juice in a long time. In addition to the clean up required for the juicer, which has a lot of parts, the cost of juicing keeps it to a minimum for me as well. Though, maybe I'll try it to test the jolt question. That is quite early in your life that you've had digestive issues. I'll tip my hat to Western medicine, considering it seems to have fixed you, in general. I don't mind sharing. Amazingly, I'm on my third dose of the Pauling protocol (I'm purposely taking 3 day breaks between doses), with the effects being only those which are to be expected from the given supplements: lysine sedates me, and now the added CoQ10 gives me energy (I've purposely combined the two to counter each other, not to mention they both fit the Pauling protocol). My problem for the last 10+ years has been with all supplements simply making my sick, beyond the expected effect. My body simply didn't like the exogenous influence. I don't want to speak too early, but maybe I've turned the corner. But, I'm definitely not ready to say that, and I've yet to test more problematic supplements. Maybe I can say that my father's side does have a problem with cardiovascular disease, though this is the first I've really thought of it. My reason for testing the Pauling protocol is for my father's sake. I'm the guinea pig, before he takes it. Though, I'll continue to take it, at least periodically, if I find I can with no negative effects.
How long were you vegetarian after starting at age 11? Those are such critical years, I wonder if they contributed to your health issues? Ok, so your hunger comes on strong, so you need food ready to go. But you say you no longer have hypoglycemia or digestive issues? Or, they're intermittent?
I had forgotten about Say Anything, but my subconscious have those two movies so intertwined, to mention one brings up images of the other; though, I hardly remember what each are about. Ok, so people mistaking you for Latin makes sense, with your features. I definitely know both those actresses, and your profile pic does look a bit like Taylor. I guess I had forgotten she was a 40's actress. I had forgotten what Vivian Leigh looked like; she does look a little like Taylor.
It's hard to do wrong with butter or bacon fat, for most recipes. As for the tallow, I've now made fries twice using it, and I do like it. It seems more robust of a fat, taking the heat better. After looking it up, it seems it can actually be reused, 2-3 times, after filtering out any residue; should you not mind that. I don't know if I would replace coconut oil completely with tallow, especially considering the higher cost, but for higher heat cooking, I makes sense. But, say for banana bread, I don't know if the beef tallow would influence the flavor too much. A refined coconut oil would seem to be more neutral.
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@Mossy, there are little free libraries in almost every neighborhood I pass when doing errands, making it even harder to break the habit. lol It runs in the family. My bother is like us—he reads digital format, but prefers physical books—and he always has a box of LFL books in his car. I’ll take your word for it that there isn’t a difference between secular and religious schools, these days. It has been a while since I was in that world. Not technically christened, but it seems that you have been christened by faith? I think it’s truly special that in this challenging world you have something to believe in.
Haha…I understand. I discovered I like millet while vegan, though, not nearly as much as beef teriyaki. With its caramelized crust, it’s like meat candy. So good! I was under the impression that meat is beneficial in TCM. Had you been eating too much of it for your constitution? But yep, even if we don’t want children, I do think fertility is foundational, for men, too. I’ve read studies showing a decline in sperm quality as early as a man’s 20s. Regarding Western medicine fixing me, it’s quite the opposite, actually. I spent the better part of two decades overcoming the devastating series of medical errors made by allopathic (and alternative) doctors. Thank you for sharing your experience so far with the Pauling protocol. Fingers crossed you have turned the corner. I totally get experimenting on yourself before trying it on your dad. I, too, won’t give my dad what I haven’t first tried on myself. It’s why I felt confident in giving him thyroid.
Nope, no more hypoglycemia, but hunger triggers panic, a feeling of scarcity, from all the years of dietary restrictions caused by clinical negligence so I’m like a starving refugee standing in front of an all you can eat buffet when preparing my meals hungry. I was vegetarian up until my early 20s when I started hiking, and I do believe it stunted my growth because my never veggie bother is much larger than I am (6’4” 200 lb vs 5’2” 99 lb), and my growth rate was on par with his up until age 11. I’m also the same size I was when I was 11, just curvier.Funny, I confuse Better Off dead with One Crazy Summer. Say Anything and 16 Candles are the only 80s films with Cusack that I remember well.
That’s what I was hoping—that the tallow takes heat better. I’ve rendered fat from beef before with my mum so I don’t mind filtering the tallow. I’m liking the benefits of animal fats on my blood sugar, sleep, mood, cognition, digestion, hair density and skin (my skin has never felt this soft before) so I’m trying to find ways to incorporate it more in my dad’s diet. I will definitely be sticking with coconut oil for most baked goods, but I find the flavor of rendered bacon grease works well for pancakes and cornbread so I’m excited to experiment with tallow.
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@Jennifer That is great, that you have those libraries. Much better than the digital online libraries, if they have what you're looking for. Maybe you're willing to compromise on what you're willing to read, given the benefit of getting to read real books and go to a real library. Interesting, I wasn't familiar with LFL books. Seems like a good program. Maybe I'm being unfair, with my remark about there being no difference between secular and religious schools. So, I take back my generalized statement, and say let each institution be judged by their own merits. I'd rather err on the side of grace, than possibly place undue blame with my criticism. I think christened by faith is the perfect description. I do believe it is the faith that is the real thing, and which is the true christening (as I believe your wording suggests), before the act of any formal ritual. Though, they could coincide. Believing in and trusting what are understood to be God-established, immutable truths, is indeed a special thing. I think it establishes both a foundation of what is true and guards against what is false; in a world with many narratives.
Funny, so all those vegetables only proved how much better meat is to you. Beef teriyaki is good. Coincidentally, I rarely have it. I have a long list of things to try again. The TCM doctor didn't eliminate meat in my diet, but he did significantly reduce it. He then had me make different dishes, throughout the week, in an effort to determine which foods I might be allergic to. I don't recall being able to determine if any foods were a problem. I have heard something to that effect, about men, but I think it was testosterone declining every year. Maybe there is a correlation. Ok, so I misinterpreted about your experience with Western medicine. Ultimately, though, certain alternative perspectives are what helped? I define Peat, Price, etc. as alternative; so, correct me if you're defining them differently. Thanks for rooting for my success with the supplements testing. I can report that it has gone better than in many years, though I did have a little malaise, after accidentally taking a large dose of K2. I thought I was taking Haidut's Tocovit, but I took Kuinone by mistake! All those white bottles look the same! (I know, I know...read the labels.) The ethanol in Kuinone I think is hard on my gut; I think you mentioned something about that. So, once I took K2, I had to execute a quick plan to help my body deal with it. My notes on K2 are that it will make your body burn fuel, and at the very least you need calcium, more calories, and salt. So, in addition to the K2, I took a calcium supplement. The ethanol and calcium alone I think caused gut distress, which brought on the malaise. I think if I just stayed on the Pauling protocol, I would've been okay. All in all, I still handled it better.
Just some thoughts by me, if I were to play doctor. With regard to your ravaging hunger, I stumbled upon the word polyphagia, or hyperphagia: an abnormally strong, incessant sensation of hunger or desire to eat. So, you don't think it's physiological—a real, biological imbalance that needs a particular nutritional deficit to be met; but, instead, psychological, a mental response, prompting over compensation, due to past trauma—chronic, deficient caloric intake? Or maybe I'm misinterpreting. There may be something to that, being vegetarian in your childhood and young adulthood, that stunted your growth. Though, it's fairly common for men and women, in adulthood, to be significantly different in build; though, you and your brother are on the more extreme ends. It is a bit comical that you can eat like a horse, yet remain at 99 lbs. Do you think thyroid contributes to your high metabolism?
I had completely forgotten about the movie One Crazy Summer. I remember seeing the poster before, but I've never seen the movie. 16 Candles is an 80's classic.
That's an interesting combo, the bacon fat with pancakes and cornbread. I remember bacon was very popular within deserts for a while. I will be making cornbread for the first time, probably tomorrow. To use butter, bacon fat, or coconut oil will be the question. I do like tallow for high heat, but I don't think it's as flavorful as those other three fats. I made English muffins tonight, for the first time. That was a project. It's a messy dough, with significant clean up. I will have to weigh out whether it is something worth doing on a regular basis.
As for the Icelandic, Skyr yogurt, I stumbled upon Painterland Sisters brand. I won't buy it too often, due to price, but the 6% milkfat lured me in this time. It is very rich and tasty. I know people say milk fat is like other saturated fats, in that it won't make you gain weight; but my experience is otherwise.
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My apologies for the confusion, @Mossy. LFLs aren’t actual libraries, but a global network of book-exchange boxes in neighborhoods (littlefreelibrary.org). Most of the LFLs I’ve seen look like oversized birdhouses so they can be easy to miss, but some are so creative they’re hard to like an English telephone booth LFL in Tampa, FL. To date, the most elaborate LFL I’ve seen here is a Victorian dollhouse. Regarding your initial criticism of parochial schools, I can understand it. I don’t think it unreasonable to question the integrity of religious institutions, given their less than righteous history.
Wow, what an experience you had with K2. It’s so true what you said about IdeaLabs bottles. I’ve only used one product at a time so I never had any mixups, but my dad has used two and would often confuse them. I’m glad to hear your experience overall with supplements has gone better than in prior years. You’ll take that win, huh?
That’s hard for me to answer. It would be like someone breaking your leg then handing you a crutch. They provided support that you wouldn’t have needed if they hadn’t injured you in the first place. Any benefits I experienced from medical intervention were ultimately negated by doctor negligence, their many gross errors, in some cases, almost lethal. I almost died twice under the care of allopathic doctors, but my nightmare started with alternative doctors whose carelessness led to my spine collapsing, and one was at the top of their field—the president of both the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the State’s Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
While I respect wholistic thinkers like Ray and Price, what ultimately helped was letting go of all the perspectives beyond basic diagnostics—the white noise of stress that went unnoticed until silenced by an information vacation. I’m experiencing the best health of my life eating an unrestricted diet comprised of foods that were discouraged. Every expert advised restriction, whether it be proteins, carbs, fats, life-force lol, but seriously, even at 30 kg, doctors placed restrictions on my diet, one even telling me that I only needed 1500 calories daily because I’m small, which I immediately tossed on the growing pile of best of intentions, but harmful recommendations.
Polyphagia…interesting. I’d say it’s psychological because I don’t experience it when making meals for other people, I don’t have a history of caloric restriction, and I continued to experience it even after a year and a half of refeeding on 6,000+ calories daily when my thyroid crashed, under the care(lessness) of the alt. docs. I question if I have a high metabolism or if, because of our dieting culture, people aren’t used to the amount of food a woman actually requires? I average 2,500 calories on days when I’m not climbing, roughly the same amount other non-dieting woman I know average.
Did you end up making the cornbread and if so, what fat did you decide to use? I’m impressed you made your own English muffins! Are they better than store-bought? I have a special baking pan I use to make eggs for my Dad’s egg McMuffin sandwiches that can also be used to make English muffins, but I haven’t tried making them because I get fresh bakery made muffins and wasn’t sure it was worth all the effort.
Oh, yes, Painterland Sisters skyr. I first saw it years ago at the natural market where I purchased my raw milk, but haven’t tried it. I’m glad to know it’s tasty! It’s sold at Whole Foods so I’ll be sure buy a cup when I do groceries. Regarding your experience with dairy fat, do you mean there is something inherently fattening about saturated fat or that it causes you weight gain because it leads to an increase of calories? I’m more likely to lose weight on full-fat dairy, but only because I find fat so satiating that I end up eating less calories if I don’t stimulate my appetite with carbs.
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