Cooking with Jennifer

[Jennifer]

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.

[Mossy]

@Jennifer OK, well, I put the onus on them for any confusion with being a library, given their name .  Seems like an interesting project, though very limited, beyond allowing people to get random books. Though, I could imagine a random book could be just the answer for someone in need of inspiration and prior having had no books at all.

Indeed, a little win mixed with a Darwin award, for absent mindedness.  Though, ultimately, the verdict is still out on my capacity to take supplements.  Based on the last 10+ days, I'd say my body is still not completely receptive to exogenous things. Though, time will really tell.

Wow, that is quite a testimony against doctors of any kind.  I think many people tend to have a sense that alternative doctors may have our better interest in mind, but your experience backs up my own, that many doctors and institutions are seemingly no better than the high-profit and ego-minded conventional doctors.  Where there are alternative doctors that don't necessarily have high-profit in mind, ego tends to drive them, which can be just as bad.  The moral of the story, is that to get something right in an imperfect world is very hard.  That's why those who are indeed good at what they do stand out.  But even then, only so much success can be had by a medical doctor: fixing humans is a very hard job.  I had considered going to a star naturopathic doctor, after my failure with a TCM doctor, but by that time I had soured on the idea of any doctors, for they only seemed interested in my money.  Apart from conventional medicine for emergency situations, I tend to still feel this way.

Yes, if there is one take away 15 years after my health decline, it's that reducing stress will do wonders.  Mental stress is number one, though eventually physical stress can break you down as well.  And stress in the sense of worry and incessant, anxious rumination; not just the working out and solving problems by the turning of the mental gears.  I see the latter as actually, generally, beneficial.

Right in line with my previous comment, I think caloric need can be based just as much on mental activity as physical.  Heavy mental activity tends to keep my metabolism high, even when not that physically active.  So maybe that is where part of your caloric requirements lie, supplying fuel for the mental activity.

I didn't make cornbread, but it's on my list to do every day.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet.  I'm undecided on the fat to use, though all three are on the table: bacon, butter, and coconut oil.  I think coconut oil will make the softest version, but maybe bacon or butter would be tastier.  If you can believe it, I didn't like the homemade English muffins!  My dad likes them, but I thought the taste was sub-par to store bought.  The only advantage I can see is the softness when you eat one freshly made.  But, with a whole batch, there are many left over that will not have the soft, just made taste.  Given the difficulty in making them, with a stickier than normal dough, if I can find store-bought with low PUFA and non-GMO, I'll buy those.  I think it would be too much to ask for glyphosate-free flour in store bought, though I'd prefer that as well.

Yeah, that Painterland Sister's yogurt is one of the best I've had.  I actually did buy another carton, because it was on sale.  There's something about full fat milk that seemingly gives me weight gain, but it's unmatched in taste.  Having learned about 6 months ago true full-fat dairy is far above 4%, I consciously look for it now.  I don't think it's the saturated fat specifically.  Could there be something else about dairy causing it?  My metabolism in general has slowed down, but I have been much less active; so, it may be that.  I realize the perspective is that saturated fat doesn't cause weight gain; and my brother's carnivore diet is proof of that.  Maybe it's simply the additional calories, as you mention.  Yes, I think I'd rather eat full-fat dairy, and less of other calories.  I've just remembered, that Ray consumed low-fat dairy.  How do you think that jives with his pro-saturated fat perspective—simply a desire to reduce calories, not saturated fat?

P.S. I did make potato salad with true baby/petite gold potatoes, and it was very good.