@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.
