Monday, March 29, 2010

Know The Cause

Wow, this website is really really good... it's www.knowthecause.com
I'm learning a lot of new things here. And I'm currently following the "phase one" diet. If you have any symptoms that could be related to fungi in your body, then maybe you want to join me in this new endeavor. I'm no expert, but I'll tell my personal fungus story just in case it can help someone else. I've had a stubborn toenail fungus for at least the past 3 years, and I've tried a lot of techniques to get rid of it. I've tried soaking my big toes in peroxide each night for 3 months, I've tried taking tea tree oil and oil of oregano, I've tried soaking in vinegar. No, I didn't try windex. Hee, hee! And I've also tried two rounds (3 months each) of oral prescription medication from my medical doctor, complete with liver function blood tests at the end of both rounds to check for unwanted side effects (none present). And none of these attempts worked. Nothing changed it. It just kept progressing with a life of it's own. This led me to a podiatrist last summer who recommended that I schedule a procedure to get my 2 big toenails removed. Hmmmm.... what would you do? I cringed and made very surprised and confused facial expressions at the podiatrist as he showed me the little tools he'd use to pry and "pop off the nails," as he put it. My mouth stayed open for awhile because I just didn't expect to hear that remedy. And so I've been contemplating it ever since. Yes, I'm chicken. And it seems like forever that I've been searching for the cause and solution to my problem of yellowing thickening dying toenails. Well, I think I'm finally on to something. We'll see. Get on this website and listen to the 3 minute video. You might hear something that speaks to you. In my case, it sounds probable that there's a fungi problem on the inside causing the fungi manifestation on the outside. So, I'm going to try to starve the fungi by avoiding most all sugars, starches, dairy, yeast, and mushrooms for awhile. I don't know how long, yet. I think it takes 3 or 4 months for new toenails to grow, so I'm looking for external evidence as I seek internal cleansing. Meanwhile, I am enjoying lots of vegetables, clean meats, butter, coconut oil, eggs, grapefruit, chamomile tea, many herbs, homemade chicken and beef stocks for various sauces, reductions, and stews, lemonade made with stevia, almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc. It's a whole new way of doing things for me. We'll see what happens. I'm being vulnerable in telling you of my hopes before I see the results. I also just started using calcium bentonite clay as an external treatment and this is the only thing that I've ever seen visibly change my condition. It seems like it is drying it up and drawing out the fungus.... but I can't be sure until I see two new healthy toenails. I'm looking forward to that day!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Amish Ladies' Day

Hi-ho healthies!
Steve and I spent a good part of the day in Newmanstown, PA listening to speakers talk about preparing the soil for spring planting and permaculture (permanent agriculture). We learned about the importance of native mycelium (fungi) which decomposes wood into nutrient-dense soil. We learned about the details of composting manure. New to me. We walked around a few square-foot gardens and picked little spring greens and ate them.

Steve says, "It takes a strong man to go to Amish Ladies' Day." He's secure. And we had fun. I can't remember the last time we took a day off of normal life to do something unusual like this together. It was really fun. Some of the Amish ladies were selling interesting things. I bought a jar of cod liver oil "cinnamon gummy fish" vitamins for the kids, a bottle of homemade pure vanilla extract, and a stainless steel bread baking pan. Steve bought 3 packets of hierloom seeds: purple string beans, yellow watermelon, and popcorn. When we got home, he helped the kids plant them in their own little containers, and they were so excited about it! He has already planted lettuce, kale, and spinach in the garden. Last week, he helped the kids plant jicama in little containers. We have young kale growing leaves from last year's plants already.

I'm very thankful for my gardener husband. I've learned a lot from him over the years, and he's been really patient to wait for me to catch the vision. It's only in the last 3 years that I've become remotely interested in gardening... and now I love to see fresh food emerge from dirt. It's truly amazing.

The next Ladies' Day will be held at an Amish family's farm in Bird-in-Hand on Wed. July 14 at 10a.m.- 3pm. It is always a discussion format. The ladies said they'd like to hear more about these topics: dental health, food storage containers and staying away from plastic, and how to know which fats are healthiest for you and how to cook with them properly. So, one of these topics will be discussed at the next event and it will be advertised at Miller's Natural Foods on their bulletin board for anyone interested. It may feel like it will take an act of congress to re-arrange your schedule to attend one of these meetings, but it's worth it!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Whole Wheat Angel Food Cake

Hey, I just ground some whole wheat and barley in my new "Wonder Mill" today and made Angel Food Cake using rapadura and agave nectar as sweeteners (no white flour) and 8 eggs. It was great with crushed strawberries and whipped cream! I'd also love to share with you a recipe I made yesterday for Basil Pesto over chicken, spinach, and whole grain pasta. But I'm keeping my post short today due to carpel tunnel problems. Bummer. I'll have to post those recipes as soon as I get a secretary. Ha! I don't know if that will happen, but I might find a friend willing to type for me. I love friends. With that, good night all. And good health! ~ Amy

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tumeric, Brown Rice, and Black Beans

It's almost 6am, and I'm up for some personal time with "Ruah Mind and Body Movement." It's like yoga, and I love it. I have 2 DVD's... one is called "Warrior" and the other is called "Release." It's helping the carpel tunnel problem I have. I highly recommend them for strengthening, balance, and healthy range of motion. Here's the link: http://www.ruahmovement.com/

But that's not what I sat down to write about. Last evening, I threw together some rice and beans that turned out to be the best! So I had to share. In the mean time, I learned about all kinds of healing properties of the spice I used, tumeric, and you'll see that at the end.

Tumeric, Brown Rice, and Black Beans
Soak brown rice over night in water at room temperature in a container with a lid. Use twice as much water as rice. (For example, 1.5 c. brown rice and 3 c. water)

The next day, drain off water, and put rice in pot with the same amount of fresh water replacement (or a little more). You'll see that the rice has just barely started to sprout. That's the LIVING FOOD you'll be eating. How exciting is that! All kinds of potential energy has been put into motion just by soaking it overnight. Add sea salt to taste. Boil, then simmer with lid until rice has soaked up all the liquid... about 20-30 min.
While that's simmering, chop a medium sized onion and mince 3-4 cloves of garlic. Heat up about 1/3 c. light olive oil (it's a light yellow color... save your green extra virgin olive oil for raw recipes). Don't let your oil smoke... that damages the oil. Add onions first and stir until onions are soft but not carmelized. Add garlic and saute another two minutes. Don't add onions and garlic at the same time because garlic will burn before onion is cooked.

Add 1 tsp. of tumeric. Stir. Add 1 can black beans. Stir. Optional: add hot sauce to taste. Serve beans over rice. You won't believe how tasty the tumeric makes this combination of simple God-foods come together.

Here's some info. about tumeric from Dr. Mercola's website. He lists so many more benefits that just this list, so go to the link at the top (click on the title of this post) to see what amazing things are happening when you eat tumeric:

Turmeric’s Beneficial Effects in a Nutshell

Strengthens and improves digestion

Reduces gas and bloating

Assists in the digestion of protein and with rice and bean dishes

Improves your body's ability to digest fats

Promotes proper metabolism, correcting both excesses and deficiencies

Maintains and improves intestinal flora

Improves elimination of wastes and toxins

Monday, March 8, 2010

Cocoa-Coconut Cream

Wow, I just tried another recipe from the "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" book.  This one is a decadent dessert.  Kind of a cross between a chocolate cheese cake and a chocolate coconut mousse or pudding.  I like the balance of protein and carbs in this recipe.  I used maple syrup rather than rapadura because I was out of rapadura and it turned out great!  Keep this recipe in mind for the next time you have guests.  It's super fast and unique... but not too exotic.  All 3 of my kids loved it. 

Cocoa-Coconut Dream (I changed the name from cream)

2 c. ricotta cheese
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. rapadura, maple sugar, or maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBSP. coconut oil, melted
2 egg yolks
pinch of sea salt
1 TBSP. coconut rum
Put everything in a food processor except coconut oil.  Start her up!  Add coconut oil as it's running.  Process until smooth.  Divide among 6 parfait glasses.  Optional: top with unsweetened shredded coconut. 
Serves 6.  
295 calories per serving.  

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Kimchi

Hey, the kimchi tastes great!  It's a spicy cabbage and carrot based condiment that can be used to top sauted chicken or it could be put in a sandwich (instead of lettuce) or you can eat a few tablespoons on the side to compliment just about any meal.  This lacto-fermented food adds live enzymes to your digestive tract which makes movement and delivery of nutrients much more effective.  And since good health comes from the gut, it's worth seeking out foods with live enzymes.  Here's the recipe I used from the book "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Sallon Fallon and Mary Enig.  Thanks to everyone who has given me suggestions to help carpel tunnel syndrome.  It's been very helpful.

Kimchi
    1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
    1 bunch green onions, chopped
    1 cup carrots, shredded
    1/2 cup daikon radish, grated (optional)
    1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
    3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
    1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
    1 tablespoon sea salt
    4 tablespoons whey (or, if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

Place vegetables, ginger, garlic, chile flakes, sea salt, and whey in a bowl and pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transfering to cold storage.

Number of Servings: 10

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Aim High

"The higher the nutrient content of your food, the less you need to eat to satisfy your basic nutritional needs."               
Quote by Sally Fallon
President of the Weston A. Price Foundation

Hi friends - I love this quote by Sallon Fallon.  It's so encouraging.  Also, I wanted to let you know I'm having some carpel tunnel pain in my wrists (going down my fingers and up to my elbows and shoulders) so my posts will be short.  I'm praying for relief.  I'm also doing chiropractic care, acupuncture, exercises, and stretches.  But I find that the best thing for it is to greatly reduce my time on the computer.  Bummer.  

Enjoy the beautiful sun and it's gift of vitamin D to us!  Here's a great article on that topic.

http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d.html

Love,
Amy

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Curds and Whey

I always wondered what Little Miss Muffet was really eating.  I had no clue.  So, when I saw that I needed the ingredient "whey" for a new recipe, I decided to go for it.  It was quite simple.  In fact I remember my neighbor told me that she often made this when she was a child in Germany.  You merely put some raw whole milk into a glass bowl, cover it, and let it sit at room temperature for 4 or 5 days until it separates.  Then put the contents through a cheesecloth or flour sack towel inside a strainer.  What drains out is the whey and what stays in the cloth are curds.  The curds look and taste like a smooth cream cheese.  Mine tasted more like goat cheese for some reason.  And it was really good!  Very fresh, tart, and creamy.  I used raw milk from the grass-fed Dutch Belted Cows.  Click on the link above to learn more about where to buy raw milk.  And then I used the whey as an ingredient in my newest endeavor: I'm making kimchi.  This is all new to me.  Today, I enlisted my dad to help me chop up the organic napa cabbage, shred organic carrots and daikon radish, grate ginger, mince garlic and green onions, etc... while I added the celtic sea salt, whey, red pepper flakes, etc. into glass jars with rubber sealed lids.  Now they are sitting at room temperature to ferment for 3 days (then refrigerate).  I can't wait to try it on Sunday.  Lacto-fermented vegetables, like this kimchi, are so good for your digestive tract because they have wonderful live enzymes for healthy digestion and efficient nutrient uptake.  I'll let ya know how it turns out in a few days.