Lovely Lard

Eating animal fat is important to our body's health. But eating enough fat can be challenging, especially when there is a dairy allergy. Lard is a great alternative to butter, and its taste is more mild than that of tallow.

You can buy lard at the store, but it is expensive and may be hydrogenated or of poor quality. Making your own lard is simple and easy, and can be done for a fraction of the price.

To make lard, you first start out with pig fat. This can be obtained from a butcher, or even trimmed off of fatty cuts of pork like the Boston butt. The process of turning fat into lard or tallow is called rendering. In this post I describe rendering lard, but the process for rendering tallow (which is fat from beef, bison, deer, lamb, or elk) is the same, although for tallow it may take a few more hours.  

There are two kinds of pig fat. Leaf fat is from fat surrounding the internal organs. It is very mild in taste and used to be reserved for making pies and pastries. Body fat is from the layer of fat beneath the skin. This has a slightly stronger pork taste, and is better used in cooking meat and vegetables. Along with a different taste, there is a different look to the two types of fat. Body fat is in large pieces, and appears more dense and flat. Leaf fat is in smaller pieces, has a fluffier texture, and may contain membranes. The fat you get from a butcher may contain both types of fat. If that is the case, I recommend separating out the two types of fat and rendering them separately so you can use them for different purposes. However, there is no problem in mixing them and rendering them together.

Leaf fat

Body Fat

Watch the video below to learn how to make lard and then scroll down for the recipe and directions!

Making Lard:

First, cut up the pig fat into small 1-2 inch sized cubes. If using leaf fat, remove as much membrane as possible.

Put the fat cubes in a medium saucepan on low heat. You may use a crockpot, but it must have a very low setting or the fat will burn. Stir occasionally and watch closely. Don't let the lard smoke!

With time, the solid pieces of fat will get smaller, and the liquid will increase.

After a few hours, when the lard is liquefied, set up your strainer and cloth. A metal strainer is best because the lard is hot! For extra strained lard which will last even longer you can additionally strain through a cloth. You can use an old napkin or other cloth, or several layers of cheesecloth. I have a dedicated cloth I use just for straining lard because you can never really wash out all the grease.

Pour the liquid into the strainer. The liquid will go into the jar and the cracklings will stay in the cloth or strainer.

Squeeze the rest of the liquid out of the cracklings.

Once cracklings are separated from the liquid lard, salt and fry them. You can eat them like bacon bits, or just by themselves.

Allow the jar of lard to cool on the counter.

When the lard is cool you can move it to the fridge, or leave it on the counter.

If you are careful not to contaminate the jar, the lard will last for several months, even left out at room temperature. Use the lard in your cooking— it is a wonderful thing to fry up vegetables or meat and add fat to your diet. Bon appétit!

Onward!

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How to Make Lard

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

instructions:

How to cook How to Make Lard

1. First, cut up the pig fat into small 1-2 inch sized cubes. If using leaf fat, remove as much membrane as possible.
2. Put the fat cubes in a medium saucepan on low heat. You may use a crockpot, but it must have a very low setting or the fat will burn. Stir occasionally and watch closely. Don't let the lard smoke!
3. With time, the solid pieces of fat will get smaller, and the liquid will increase.
4. After a few hours, when the lard is liquified, set up your strainer and cloth.
5. Below you see pictured a jar, jar funnel, and metal strainer. Metal is best because the lard is hot! To finish it off, place a cloth. You can use an old napkin or other cloth, or several layers of cheesecloth.
6. Pour the liquid into the strainer. The liquid will go into the jar and the cracklings will stay in the cloth.
7. Squeeze the rest of the liquid out of the cracklings.
8. Cracklings separated from the liquid lard. Salt and fry these. You can eat them like bacon bits, or just plain.
9. Allow the jar of lard to cool on the counter.
10. When the lard is cool you can move it to the fridge, or leave it on the counter.
11. If you are careful not to contaminate the jar, the lard will last for several months, even left out at room temperature. Use the lard in your cooking— it is a wonderful thing to fry up vegetables or meat and add fat to your diet. Bon appétit!

Created using The Recipes Generator

The Influence of Diet on Concussions

Concussions

From 2001 to 2012 the rate of concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children aged 0-19 years (as diagnosed in the emergency room) more than doubled. Males are statically more likely (almost twice) to get concussions as females, and concussions or TBIs in children under 20 years of age make up about 70% of all traumatic head injuries in America (source). I didn't quote these statistics so you will pull your child from sports, or make them wear a helmet every minute of the day, but because there is a reason for this trend, and if it is addressed, this harmful trend could be reversed.   And that reason is... you guessed it... related to diet!

Here are some factors that play into the increasing risk of concussions and TBIs:  

• A decrease in the consumption of nutrient-dense foods and saturated animal fats.

• An increase in consumption of processed foods and trans-fat vegetable oils.

• A decrease in sun exposure due to a fear of skin cancer and the heavy application of sunscreen.

• An increase in toxins, including aluminum and glyphosate.

  Let's look at each one in a little more detail...

Nutrient-dense Foods and Saturated Fat

When we began eating less red meat and animal fat, we started seeing deficiencies in nutrients important for brain health. This includes sulfur, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, the B vitamins, and omega-3, especially DHA. That is because, in general, these are more nutrients present and/or bio-available in animal foods than in plant foods. Not only do we need all these nutrients to maintain healthy cells, but we need omega-3 fatty acids to buffer the effects of glutamate, a neurotransmitter released in response to inflammation, among other things (source).

Processed Foods and Trans-fat Oils

We have replaced many of the animal foods we used to eat with processed products. Not only are these foods low in bio-available nutrients, but they contain chemicals, dyes and preservatives, many of which are known neurotoxins. Around the same time, we also started commercializing real food, and vegetables, grains and animals began to be raised with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and dyes. Additionally, unstable vegetable oils high in trans-fats, free radicals and unstable bonds were sold as "healthier" animal fat replacements.

Sun Exposure

It has only been in recent human history that we have worn sunscreen. For a time we believed it prevented skin cancer (this has been proved untrue). What we do now know is that sun exposure is necessary to build up sufficient levels of sulfate (the oxidized form of sulfur), which helps our brains clean and repair, as well as make hormones like melatonin, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Sun exposure also helps us make some of our daily vitamin D3 (source).

Toxin Exposure

We are exposed to significantly more toxins today then we were 50 or 100 years ago. Two toxins that have a know link to brain damage are aluminum and glyphosate. Exposure comes food, water, cookware vaccines, even the air. Both of these toxins are harmful on their own, but when they are both present there is a synergistic effect, which increases the damage done to the brain (source).

So what can you do?

You can take steps to protect your child's brain. Eating a diet high in good quality animal fats, meat, and other real food will provide their body with what it needs to keep the brain clean and functioning as designed. Avoiding processed foods, especially those containing dyes, chemicals and pesticides, decreases the brain's exposure to neurotoxins. Spending a lot of time in the sun (without sunscreen) will increase sulfate levels and allow the body to cleanse the brain and produce proper levels of hormones. And exercising caution in vaccine administration and exposure to aluminum foil and weed killers like Round-Up will help keep the levels of these harmful toxins low. Over time, a return to a traditional way of eating will decrease the amount of time your child needs to recover from a concussion or TBI, and it may even prevent them from getting one in the first place. So pass the cod liver oil and butter!

Onward!

Zucchini Bread {GAPS legal}

Zucchini... if there is one harvest that defines summer, it's zucchini.

Zucchini is great because of its versatility: it can be used hot or cold, baked or fried, and in soups, salads, breads, or even as a noodle substitute.

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a zucchini bread that is legal on the full GAPS diet, WAPF diet, Paleo diet and Whole30. I want you to remember (and take hope in) the fact that I am not primarily a chef. I am just average in the kitchen. If I can make this, so can you! This recipe is very forgiving—so try it!

There are a couple keys to this recipe that need to be followed. Don't shortcut them...they are what make this recipe forgiving, and the bread yummy! The first key is also the first step: fermenting the almond flour. Have you eaten baked goods made of almond flour that are dense and dry? Fermenting the flour creates a lighter, fluffier end product. But that's not all! Fermenting is one of the three processes that can be used to make nuts more digestible.

For more about soaking, sprouting or fermenting, watch this video.

The other key is using sour cream (you could also substitute in a full-fat yogurt) for the fat. As a cultured food, sour cream helps make the bread lighter as well.

Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour (organic preferred)

• 1/2 cup whey (strained from yogurt or kefir)

• 2 cups zucchini (grated and squeezed to remove the liquid)

• 2-3 eggs (chicken or duck)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp sea salt (source)

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 2/3 cup date syrup (source)

Directions

24 hours (or more) before

Mix almond flour and whey together in a bow.l Cover and set on the counter for 24 hours

This fermentation, which takes place at room temperature, will change the texture of the "flour." At the end of 24 hours you will have something that resembles dough more than wet flour. This is a base that can be used for many recipes. It will keep in the fridge about a week, so many people make this ahead of time and keep it in their fridge for future use. With this step done ahead of time, you can pull it out, add ingredients, and have a fermented baked good in about an hour.

The Next Day

Preheat the oven to 350° F Grate more than 2 cups of zucchini. The zucchini is very wet, so squeeze it dry using a cloth or towel (you can see it in the picture below).

Next, measure 2 cups of the zucchini (dry, but not compressed) and mix it into the 24 hour fermented flour. Add 2-3 eggs (it depends on the size of your egg, those pictured are duck eggs, which are larger than chicken eggs).

Mix in the rest of the ingredients (sour cream, date syrup, salt and spices).

I used date paste instead of honey because cooking honey is thought to turn the honey toxic. You can also make your own date paste in a strong blender like a Vitamix.

Pour into a greased pan (I prefer lining mine with parchment paper, but this is optional).

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting into the bread. This allows the steam to finish the cooking progress, and will make the texture of the bread better. Add butter, and enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links. Your trust is important to me, and I only recommend products that I trust.

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Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

Author: Amy Mihaly, Be Well Clinic

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour (organic preferred)
• 1/2 cup whey (strained from yogurt or kefir)
• 2 cups zucchini (grated and squeezed to remove the liquid)
• 2-3 eggs (chicken or duck)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp sea salt (source)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup date syrup (source)

instructions:

How to cook Fermented Almond Flour Zucchini Bread

24 hours (or more) before

1. Mix almond flour and whey together in a bow.l Cover and set on the counter for 24 hours
2. This fermentation, which takes place at room temperature, will change the texture of the "flour." At the end of 24 hours you will have something that resembles dough more than wet flour. This is a base that can be used for many recipes. It will keep in the fridge about a week, so many people make this ahead of time and keep it in their fridge for future use. With this step done ahead of time, you can pull it out, add ingredients, and have a fermented baked good in about an hour.

The Next Day

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F Grate more than 2 cups of zucchini. The zucchini is very wet, so squeeze it dry using a cloth or towel (you can see it in the picture below).
2. Next, measure 2 cups of the zucchini (dry, but not compressed) and mix it into the 24 hour fermented flour. Add 2-3 eggs (it depends on the size of your egg, those pictured are duck eggs, which are larger than chicken eggs).
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (sour cream, date syrup, salt and spices).
4. I used date paste instead of honey because cooking honey is thought to turn the honey toxic. You can also make your own date paste in a strong blender like a Vitamix.
5. Pour into a greased pan (I prefer lining mine with parchment paper, but this is optional).
6. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting into the bread. This allows the steam to finish the cooking progress, and will make the texture of the bread better. Add butter, and enjoy!

Created using The Recipes Generator

Garden-fresh Vegetables Without the Garden

Summer is the time that vegetables shine! Many people are pulling beautiful zucchini, tomatoes, beans, peppers and greens out of their gardens. Fresh vegetables are in season, and you may find yourself desiring them more than usual. Go with it! Until the recent days of automobiles, airplanes and refrigeration, our bodies were used to getting fresh vegetables only during the short months of the growing season. Thousands of years of eating does leave an impression, and a healthy body will naturally crave more fresh fruits and vegetables in the summertime.

Side note: I have observed that people who are in a focused time of healing don't have this craving for fresh produce, and people who are needing to focus on detox can have fresh vegetable cravings year-round. That's okay, your body knows what it needs! Listen to your body's innate intelligence!

But depending on your situation, you may not have a garden, which makes fresh vegetables a little harder to come by. This is the case for me again this year. So today I thought I would share some ways to get fresh vegetables.

#1 Find a friend who gardens

Now, I am not telling you to mooch off a friend, leaving them to do all the hardwork. But many gardeners find themselves overflowing with vegetables right about now. Some of them may be happy just to see their hard work end up in a grateful stomach, while others would appreciate some help harvesting, preserving, or weeding in exchange for some produce. This is the best way to get vegetables, in my opinion. You will get to spend time in the wonderful sun, get to know your friend better, and maybe even learn a little about gardening. And nothing beats a fresh, hand-picked vegetable served up for dinner!

#2 Join a CSA

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. In a "working share," individuals come together under the leadership of the organizer and spend a set amount of time working around in a garden or farm for a share of the produce. There is usually a monetary investment as well. Most CSAs accept members only around the beginning of the year, so look for one to join for the next growing season. Some CSAs also offer a "non-working share," which allows an individual to pay only, and is a great option for those with jobs or situations that don't allow them the flexibility to work in the garden.

#3 Visit a local farmer's market

This one is an option for most people, but it can be a little tricky. Just because it's at a farmers market does not mean it was grown in a way that is different than the commercial food. That being said, there is going to be some benefit from eating local, naturally-ripened food, so don't rule it out if it's all you can get. The best way to know what you are buying is to talk to the farmers. Ask them how where they are located, and about their farm or garden. See what types of things they use for pesticides (organic food is often grown with organic pesticides), and what other farming/gardening practices they use. While it is not a guarantee, you may be able to find amazing and fresh produce, and at the same time provide support to that small local farm.

#4 Buy local produce at your grocery store

Here is Colorado, at the peak of the season, stores carry many things that are "Colorado Proud," meaning they are grown in Colorado. Not all stores label where their produce comes from, so ask your grocer which items are grown in your area, state, or in the United States. Made in the USA does not automatically make that food better, but knowledge is always power!

So there you go! Four ways to get garden-fresh produce without a garden. How about you? Where do you get your garden-fresh produce?

The Lost Art of Reheating Food without a Microwave

Microwaves, advertised to be "the greatest cooking discovery since fire," can be found in almost every American home.

And I recommend that you never use one!

There are many reasons why microwaves should be avoided (read:  remove them from your house), including lost nutrition, creation of free radicals and carcinogens, and radiation leakage. These effects are well documented in studies. If you are interested in researching this more, try starting with this article and it's references. But today we are not going to debate the safety of microwaves, but bring back the lost art of reheating food without a microwave.

When I first decided to ditch my microwave I had to experiment with reheating food. Before that moment I don't think I had ever reheated food outside of a microwave. I had a lot to learn. But that was years ago, and reheating food without a microwave is second-nature to me now... I don't have to think about it.

Today I want to share with you what I've learned, so you too can practice this lost art. Choosing which reheat method to use depends on several factors, but in reality, there is more than one way to reheat a dish!

With practice you will be choosing your reheating option without thinking about it.

Basic reheating options are:

• Stove-top (pan)

• Stove-top (skillet)

• Oven

• Toaster oven

• Slow cooker

The method that you choose depends on what you want to reheat, how much time you have, what options you have available, and how hot your house is already (this is a real consideration for me in the summertime because I do not have central air). Again, with time you will figure out which methods work for you. There are no wrong answers—just ones that work better than others.  

Use these guidelines to get started:

• Keep the heat low: high heat = greater risk of dry, burnt food

• Cover the food to retain moisture

• Use a steamer basket to reheat vegetables or pasta

• Add a little water or fat if your food is dry

• Reheat your food in animal fat (bonus: this adds to the nutrition)

• For larger amounts a slow, covered reheat in the oven is efficient

• Use a toaster oven or oven to make food crispy

• When bringing food to a party in a slow cooker, heat before leaving

• Reheat in a slow cooker using the medium or high (not warm) setting

• Place glass jars of frozen soup in water and bring to a boil together

Tips for cleaning and caring for your cookware:

• Soak glass and metal cookware to save on scrubbing time

• If food is stuck in the pot or pan, add a couple of inches of water to it and bring to a boil; allow to boil for a few minutes then wash the dish in hot running water (be careful not to burn yourself!)

• Avoid putting cold water on a hot glass or cast-iron dish

• Wash pots and pans (including cast-iron) immediately using hot water

Special care for cast-iron:

• Do not use soap

• Dry immediately after washing (may use the stovetop)

• Always renew the fat "seasoning" on the cast-iron after every rinse

I hope this has given you the courage to begin reheating your food without a microwave. It is not difficult, it is simply a habit change. You can do it!  

If you're unsure of how to reheat something, ask in the comments below!

It's Not Always Best to be Perfect

Grass! It's a wonderful thing to lay in the grass and look up at the sky!

Until this weekend, there have only been a few tufts of grass on my property. Most of the landscaping is river rock and mulch. But there was one area of dirt that I have had my eye on for grass, and on Friday it finally happened!

With some (okay, a lot) of help from my sister, we laid patio stones (for a fire pit), pounded in metal edging, and hauled and laid 50 rolls of sod (transported in two trips in the back of my Santa Fe).

Viola! Instant lawn!

Padfoot was quite interested in the goings-on... although he preferred supervising from on top of the rolls of sod still in the back of the car (sorry, I was too dirty and tired to think about getting a picture of it, you'll have to take my word for how adorable it was) or playing in the dirt. Silly puppy didn't want to be on the grass until we were almost done.

In keeping with my desire to be as chemical/pesticide/fertilizer free as possible, I did some research about grass to find out my best option. A quick internet search revealed: There probably isn't such a thing as organic sod, or if it does exist, it would be WAY more expensive. It's possible that sod contains significantly lower amounts of chemicals than I was expecting. While dogs do eat grass, they eat little of it. It would be unlikely that a little grass eaten from a non-organic lawn would be a problem unless I regularly put chemicals on it (which I don't plan on doing). It appears to be possible to get organic grass seed (about $40 to cover 1000 square feet), but I still had questions about what they put in the seed mixes. There was not a huge price difference between any sod company, especially for the small amount of ground I needed to cover (about 500 square feet). So then I was faced with the question... do I just get sod (and take whatever chemicals may be included) or do I get seed so I can get an organic yard? The decision may seem very black and white...the only option for organic grass is seed. So you may think that of course my choice was seed. But first I had to factor in what I call "the reality of life."  

Here is my reality of life:

I am not very good at watering and there is no sprinkler system. If I did seed, the chances of needing to re-seed at least once are high. This adds more time and money. I would have to research if I needed fertilizer or other additions to make my seed grow, and then pick from the available options. It is now the middle of summer. I was planning on doing grass right when I got so sick two months ago. Now it's July. If I want to enjoy a lawn this summer, sod would be faster. My landlord sprays for weeds. He is spraying less with me here (I'm pulling weeds as much as I can), but the ground already has years of stored chemicals in it. It's not organic soil. I've never seeded, but I have laid sod. My brain can only handle so many new things to learn at one time. And learning how to raise an organic lawn didn't feel like the correct focus for me right now. If I sod, I can immediately put up and use the clothesline I bought a month ago (this truly factored in to my thought process, I love line-hung clothes, and I don't have an electric drier).  

So I decided to buy sod.

From Home Depot. I paid with a credit card. I picked it up and put it in the back of my car. You can't get any less alternative than that. But my goal is not to be alternative. My goal is to be healthy, and to make conscious choices. I really want an all-organic yard. And one day I hope I can. But right now (and in the future) I need to make the best of what I've been given. Maybe I could have succeeded in an organic grass seed lawn. Maybe. But I want to do other things with that time. Things that feel more important right now. Because taking time away from important things to do something "perfect" isn't better.  

My plan for making this grass as healthy as possible:

#1 No more chemicals!

I'm sure there have been some chemicals on this grass, but that stops now! Any "fertilizers" will be food-based (like old milk or yogurt, or the Green Pastures product below). Any weeds will be extracted by hand, providing me with sunshine and some light exercise.  

#2 Add back microbes and nutrients!

I purchased a by-product of fermented cod liver oil from Green Pastures called Liquid Fish Soil Rescue to re-vitalize my soil. I actually meant to put some in the ground right before we laid the sod but I couldn't (reality of life check: I was not strong enough to open the container, my neighbor-with-all-the-tools was gone, and I don't own a pipe wrench). So later (when I get it open) I will spread it over the top of the grass. It will be a little fishy for a day, but fish oils smell is not new to me!  

#3 Water to encourage deep roots!

It's recommended to water sod frequently at first, but to still let it become just a little dry to encourage the roots to reach down and establish. Here in Colorado we are having 90 degree days, so I'm needing to water 1-2x/day, and the grass is still getting a little dry in between waterings. Soon I will be able to water less often, and next year I should be able to water once every 2-5 days.

Today's lesson?

You don't have to do everything perfect.

Sometimes the "best choice" is outside your budget for money or time, and sometimes there are circumstances that happen outside of your control.

That's okay... it's normal. That's life. And today, life is good!

Onward!

Thankful for Our Freedom

I am a patriot through and through. My favorite place in this entire country is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It is a historic town, an exact replica of what it looked like in the 18th century. There you get to walk among the buildings and people that took a stand against tyranny. And if you pay attention, you will feel the profoundness of it all.

These were real people who decided they needed to take action against wrongs. They weighed the cost, asked challenging questions, and decided that they needed to stand for what was right. They did this knowing they may have to sacrifice wealth, families, even their own lives in order to do what is right. Invited in, you can hear their debate and experience what they were fighting against.

You can see what freedom meant to them. The rights of freedom—what we take for granted—that they believed in and fought for. They took a stand and said people should be treated differently than animals because they are made in the image of God. They rebelled against the tradition of title, land, money and power—believing instead that people should be given equal opportunity in a free market to work hard and keep what they work for. They believed in representation—that the people who's everyday lives are affected by the government's rules should have a say in what those rules are. They believed that every person has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You may be yawning now. Because you have been living with these rights since the day you were born. But don't make the mistake of thinking that these "normal" rights are commonly accepted everywhere.

Because when you look at the rest of the world, you realize that our experience is unique.

In many other countries you are only protected by your money and power. Here, the poor and weak are protected equally by law.

In many other countries you are told how you can think and believe. Here you can think and believe however you want to.

In many other countries most women and children are abused and dominated over, and the attacker often goes unpunished. Here women's rights are being fought for, and we punish those who harm a woman or a child.

In many other countries, it could mean death to speak out in any way against the government. Here every person has the right to voice their non-violent opinion against anything or anyone.

Here we are safe. Here we are not afraid.

I am thankful to live in this country. Thankful to the men who founded it on Biblical principles, recognizing that humans have rights just by being born. Thankful to every person who sacrificed for my right to disagree... or agree... as I choose. Thankful for those who are still fighting for my freedom.

And Onward!

The Root Cause of Asthma {Video}

Asthma

It is currently one of the most common diseases in the civilized world. But did you know that despite all of our medical advances, the occurrence, as well as complications and deaths related to asthma have skyrocketed? Asthma is more common than it used to be, and it's also more severe. Since 1980, the death rates for asthma have increased by more than 50% [1] In fact, asthma deaths were considered rare in the early 1900's [2]. So what changed?  

There were three major changes:

First, our world became more toxic. The effects of industrialization had taken its toll on our air, water and food. Additionally, we began to manufacture food-like substances to replace real food. These food-like substances are full of chemicals and preservatives, which had an unknown effect on the human body.  

Second, we replaced saturated animal fats with hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans-fatty acids. This was a double whammy on our lungs. We removed the substance it relied most heavily on to function properly (saturated fat) and gave it a replacement fat full of toxins and unknown substances that it now had to deal with.  

Third, medications like bronchodilators and other inhalers were invented. This forces the airways open against the body's desire to close off an area to allow for lung repair. Before medication were invented, asthma rarely caused death and was generally considered a benign condition.   To find out more about the root cause of asthma, and how the body works, check out my new video below!  

References: [1] http://www.asthmamd.org/asthma-statistics/ [2] http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.200402-185OE

Making New Ruts

We often get stuck in ruts. It's easiest to keep doing the same thing—once a pattern (good or bad) is established, we tend to keep doing things the same way. One of my deepest ruts is how fast I live my life. How much I try to squeeze into each day to live up to my own expectations. How hard it is for me to be okay with down-time. I have been consciously making different choices to try and get out of this rut for the last 3 years, but because it is so ingrained, it has been slow going. Of course there has been progress! I have become so much more okay with slowing down, saying no, and doing things just for fun. But a recent event has given me the opportunity for some concentrated time in the new ruts.

The event? Being sick! Sicker than I have ever been in my life. Sick and recovering for 2 weeks! Sick enough that all of my energy went just to taking care of myself.

It was hard to do. Taking care of myself is something I have only really learned to do in the last few years... when I found the GAPS protocol. It was then that I started to believe that it is important, and right, to take care of myself. And I began learning how to do it. I have been a slow learner... being busy and productive was so deeply ingrained in me that it has required a lot of purposeful energy and conscious thought to make choices that take me out of that rut.

I still considered myself a beginner at self-care. But after these two weeks I may be about to level up!

I had to let go of so many things as I allowed my body to heal. And I mean really let go. I could not catch up, make up, or push through like I usually can. I was focused on one thing: me. And that focus was obligatory, I had no real choice in the matter.

As I canceled my schedule day after day, I had to remember that my worth was unattached to my productivity or presence.

As I thought about everything on my to-do list that was not getting done, I had to remember that God is in control of growing my business.

As I gave my body the best support I could using herbs, essential oils, vitamins, and meat stock, I had to remember that healing is complex, and our bodies are amazing!

As I wondered at times if my body was strong enough to handle whatever was going on, I had to remember that it was okay to ask for help, and to receive it.

I was sick enough for long enough that I also needed time to recover. That means I couldn't jump back in a full speed once I was feeling better. I had to evaluate my important tasks, and be realistic in what I could accomplish in between naps. Part of me thinks that I will go back to how I was before. But most of me doesn't want that. Slowing down is refreshing and freeing. Tasks are so much easier when I let God carry the burden, instead of trying to bear it on my shoulders alone. I don't know if I can stay out of my old ruts, but I pray that I can. I want to keep making these new ruts deeper.

As I go, Onward!

Food Allergy? Or Something Else?

Food allergies are a popular topic right now, and it seems like more and more people are reacting to foods. If you don't react to a certain food, then you probably know someone who does.

First, let’s clarify what I mean by a “food allergy.” The technical definition of a food allergy is a specific immune response to a protein that is in contact with, or is inside, the body.

For the purposes of this article, I am referring to a food allergy in the popular sense, which means any reaction that happens after eating a certain food.

Food reaction symptoms can include itching, hives, headaches, fatigue, cough, runny nose, breathing difficulties, bloating, upset stomach, flatulence, diarrhea or constipation, fever, reddened ears or cheeks, nerve pain, irritability, mood swings, blood sugar instability, and sleeping problems.

And it seems like food allergies are increasing. The questions is, why? There are many theories:

• It’s just a fad, simply the latest craze to jump on.

• We have gotten better at diagnosing.

• It’s a government conspiracy.

• Our bodies have changed, or maybe our food has.

These are all good theories, but what is the truth? I think there is sometruth in many of these theories, but I think it has the most to do with the last one.   Our bodes and our food have changed.

I do not believe that doctors are better at diagnosing disease, and the increase is too significant to be written off for a health fad. But if we look at our modern methods of raising, preparing and eating food compared to any other time in human history, we see that there are huge differences!   Let’s look at the way we grow, prepare and eat food to find out.

Food: Is it a Digestibility Problem?

There is a difference between an food allergy, and a digestibility problem. How food is grown and prepared makes a huge difference in how easy it is for our body to digest it.

For example:

• Hybrid breeds and GMOs may not be recognized by the body.

• Pasteurization and canning change the protein structure.

• Soaked or sprouted nuts and grains are more digestible.

• Meat from animals eating inappropriate foods can cause reactions.

• Soy is highly indigestible unless fermented for a long time.

• Mold (often found on nuts and grains) is often undetectable.

So sometimes a person isn’t actually allergic to a food, but is reacting to the modification, processing, or lack of processing that a food has gone through. So before you write off whole, real foods like eggs, dairy, meat, and even grains, look at how it was raised and prepared. You may find that you don't have to limit those foods!

Body: Is it a Leaky-Gut Problem?

Most of the time, an allergic reaction is not the fault of the substance (allergen) itself, but comes from a leaky gut and overactive immune system.

Here's how it works:

Substances we come into contact with (or eat) are supposed to be stopped by barriers (skin, mucus membrane, or gut lining). If the substance is beneficial to our body, it is broken down, and then allowed to be absorbed into the bloodstream. If it is harmful it is kept out and removed. When we have damaged membranes (like a leaky gut), substances enter the bloodstream without being analyzed or broken down. This causes an inflammatory reaction, including the symptoms listed above. When the problem is corrected by healing and sealing the gut lining, substances can no longer get into the bloodstream to cause a reaction, and the reaction disappears!

Food reactions don’t have to be forever!

Every food reaction has the potential to be reversed. So before you limit yourself to a gluten or dairy-free life, consider changing your food sourcing or preparation, and addressing any underlying issues in your gut. You may not need to avoid that food forever! If you or your child has food reactions, here's what you can do about it:

• Eat more animal fat, especially grass-fed butter

• Drink meat stock regularly (directions)

• Remove the food you react to (until your gut is healed)

• Start taking a probiotic (see which ones I recommend)

• Start buying food that is raised naturally

• Prepare food properly (check out Nourishing Traditions)

• Find a practitioner who understands how to heal allergies

As with all change, healing takes time. Be patient with yourself and your body. You will likely notice a positive change right away, however you may not see significant changes for months. Press on! Keep going! You can do it!

Keep on the journey, Onward!  

Note: Some reactions to foods are very severe, and are not so simply reversed, such as in anaphylaxis. Sometimes these reactions can be overcome, and sometimes they cannot. If you have an anaphylactic reaction to a substance, I do not recommend trying that substance on your own. It’s best to work with a practitioner. Disclosure: Contains affiliate links, which help support my blogging. Your trust is important to me, and I only recommend resources I trust.

Real Food: More Than the Sum of Its Parts

Every time I learn more about the complex interactions between the human body and different nutrients, bacteria, and dozens of other factors, I am blown away! Not sure what I mean? As an example, this was mentioned in my latest post. A seed has enough intelligence to protect itself from being digested, but then is able to release those protections when the conditions are right to grow! All while it's still a seed! And that complicated process relates only to the seed. We haven’t even begun to explore the combining of that seed with some other food, or in a different form, or after the seed grows up. Not to mention the effect stomach acid levels, digestive enzyme activity, and different gut flora have on that seed. And the list goes on and on. Therefore we see that our bodies, and the processes that happen inside them, are incredibly intricate. And it begs the question:

Are vitamins, or carb/protein ratios really what it’s all about?

Eating real food is more than eating food-shaped packages of vitamins, proteins, and fibers. Real food is dynamic, and what you get from a particular food is conditional, and depends on several factors.

Growing Conditions: The actual nutritional value of that particular piece of food depends on the conditions it was grown in, including sun exposure, water quality, and the amount of vitamins, minerals and healthy bacteria in the soil or food the animal was eating.

Preparation Methods: After it is grown, different ways of preparing food will make it more or less digestible; helpful, stressful, or even harmful to the human body.

Individual Body Status: Even if it’s prepared properly, each individual body's environment has a role in determining the amount of benefit or harm that food will have.

In fact, a food's helpfulness to an individual body is dependent on the season, metabolic needs, current hormone state, and a myriad of other factors that are going on in the body at that moment. So what's helpful to your body in the summer may be harmful in winter. Or what's beneficial to eat at noon may weigh your body down at dinnertime. Every minute your metabolic needs may be different.

This is why "eating healthy" cannot be reduced to fortifying processed foods with vitamins, or taking the "perfect" supplement mix. It is so, so much more! Now that you know all this, eating healthy may sound like an unattainable goal. And in some ways it is. Even if we are extremely in tune with our bodies, it is unlikely that we will think “I need 5.78 mcg of calcium and 4.24 mg of vitamin D at 2:57pm”… and so on. And this is my first point.

There is no magic pill or secret supplement!

Even if the advertised effects are real, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you! Your body may need something else entirely. If anyone tells you that they have the one product that will fix all your ills, run the other way! On the other hand, the innateintelligence inside our bodies does know what it needs, and how to get it. We can work on listening to what our bodies are telling us. I call this becoming an expert detective (for more, see chapter 7 of Notes From A GAPS Practitioner).

As we renew the partnership with our body, we will begin to understand its signals about what foods will best support our bodies at that moment. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride talks about this in a wonderful article, One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s Poison. In it she shares how important it is to listen to your body telling you what food to eat at the moment, and how much of it to eat. Becoming an expert detective does not happen overnight. It is a commitment to observe, experiment, create theories, and modify them as needed. It will get easier with time and experience, and every time you learn something, your health will benefit. And you will have taken one more step in your journey toward better health.

Onward!  

Disclosure: Contains an affiliate link, which helps support my blogging. Your trust is important to me, and I only recommend resources I trust.

Why Soak Grains? {Video}

Ever wondered about recommendations like "soaking," "sprouting," "fermenting," or "properly preparing" your nuts or grains? Ever wondered what that meant, or why it's better? I did! In fact, when I first heard about "sprouted bread," I thought it was made-up. But there are real reasons why eating properly prepared seeds is better for your body. Check out the video below to find out why.

Did that make sense?

This is just one example of why food preparation matters. And while food preparation techniques used to be passed on from generation to generation, our modern western culture has largely lost that heritage. But some do remember. And some do research. And some teach. And some write it down for us. That is the entire reason behind the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. Traditional ways to prepare foods in traditional recipes are recorded in this helpful resource. If we want to return to health, we need to start understanding these principles. Our health depends on it! Still have questions? Have another food preparation question? Ask it in the comments below.

Disclosure: The link in this post is an affiliate link. Links like this help support my blogging. Your trust is important to me, and I only recommend resources I trust.

Spring! And Natural Allergy Management

Spring has come to my neighborhood! Over the last week, things have been budding and growing. Green has been showing, and flowers blooming. The sounds of spring have been happening for awhile, but are now in full force—birds chirping, squirrels chattering, and children playing. I took an sunset tour around my neighborhood to enjoy the spring evening, and I want to share with you some of the pictures I took. Then keep reading for some natural ways to manage your spring allergies!

There is another way I know that spring is here… my allergies have started to flare. Since going through the GAPS diet, my allergies are mild compared to what they used to be, but they still cause minor irritation—enough that I need to address them. So today I am going to share with you what I do to manage my allergies naturally. But before we discuss management techniques, let’s review what allergies are. Allergy symptoms are a product of the immune system. And we can think of them as a signal from our body to let us know that something is going on. Basically, they signal two things:

The first is that an allergen (a protein chain that is usually referred to as an antigen) has bypassed the body’s protective mechanisms. When this happens, the body mounts a non-specific immune response (an inflammatory response) against that allergen. In this process, certain cells (called mast cells) are degranulated, and release things like histamine into the bloodstream. Histamine travels to receptor sites in the GI tract, respiratory tract and the skin. These receptors then trigger a further response to the allergen, and we see symptoms like hives, mucus production, and swelling.

The second is that our liver is unable to keep up with processing mediators (like histamine) that have been released in the inflammatory response. As we saw above, histamine triggers the symptoms we are accustomed to in an allergic reaction. Histamine is not a problem when it is being processed and removed by the liver fairly quickly. But when it continues to circulate (because the liver isn’t pulling it out fast enough) it will continue to cause unpleasant symptoms—sending you signals that your body needs some assistance.

Okay, now that we are on the same page about what allergy symptoms are, let’s talk about ways to support your body so you don't suffer from them! Again, these symptoms are signals that your body needs some help. So what can we do to help support the liver and immune system?

Feed it Fat

The immune system is a very hungry organ, and what it likes best to eat is fat! Especially the Vitamins A and D that it contains. These are both found in abundance in butter, as well as lard, fermented cod liver oil, and other animal fats. The cholesterol found in these fats also plays an important role, for it is cholesterol that helps the body repairdamage from inflammation (watch this video for more on this).

Eat Sauerkraut

There are two benefits to eating sauerkraut (or fermented cabbage any way). The first is the probiotic benefit. The root cause of allergies is a leaky gut. Bad gut flora has everything to do with this. (This is too much to discuss in this post, so if you have further questions, I recommend chapter 6 of my book Notes From a GAPS Practitioner.) So eating probiotics will help the allergy problem, both long-term and short-term. However, if you are unused to eating large amounts of sauerkraut, I recommend you work up to it slowly. The second benefit of sauerkraut is the high amount of Vitamin C available in it. Lacto-fermenting cabbage increased the bioavailability of Vitamin C by about 4 times. Our immune system also needs Vitamin C to function well. So consuming large amounts of sauerkraut is like taking Vitamin C daily (which you could take in other ways, like arceola cherry powder). I enjoy sauerkraut, and find that if I eat between 1-3 cups a day (broken up with meals, or as a snack), my allergy symptoms are fairly well managed. I generally feel that my itchy eyes and throat are calmed down within about 20 minutes of eating it.

Apply Lavender Essential Oil

This is my quick-acting go-to if my symptoms are overwhelming. Lavender is a powerful antihistamine. If I run into a situation where my allergies flare up quickly, like having a cat rub against me, or when the cottonwood trees are seeding, I pull out my lavender oil. There are several ways to use it. You can apply it topically near the area that is affected (best for skin issues) or on the bottoms of your feet (if you don’t like the smell). You can diffuse it, so you breathe it into your mucus membranes and calm the histamine response there. Or (if you have a pure and safe brand like the one I use), you can take it internally. I prefer to place a drop or two under my tongue and let it absorb sublingually. This is the quickest way to get it into the bloodstream. Lavender tastes about like it smells, but the quick relief I get far outweighs the bitter taste it leaves. I usually feel relief from my symptoms in 2-5 minutes, but for most people it may take 10-20 minutes to feel the effect.

Support Your Liver

There are ways to help the liver when it is overtaxed. First, reduce the amount of toxins you are asking the liver to process, thus adding to its workload. In the spring I am more careful about what I eat. There are some foods I have “graduated” to that can be too much for my body to handle when it also has to deal with extra histamines in my “allergy season.” In the same way, it is good to be cautious about other toxins from chemicals in the environment (or on our skin) that are overloading the body. It is also important to use other methods of detox, such as detox baths and juicing, to help remove toxins and thus reducing the workload of the liver. Finally, eating liver (consuming the animal organ that matches our struggling organ is always helpful) regularly can be helpful. If you don’t like it, you can take desiccated liver. And for a little extra support, I will sometimes take the Standard Process supplement Antronex.

Try Something New

I have not tried this yet because I just learned about it, but this season I am going to try lacto-fermenting honey! Most of us have heard that honey can help with allergies, but it turns out that lacto-fermenting the honey increases these benefits even more! I’m interested to see how it turns out, and if it helps. The honey does have to be local to have a strong effect, and I fortunately have a little honey left over from the year I tried beekeeping. If you want to learn more about it, I would recommend starting HERE.

If you have tried lacto-fermenting honey, found success with any of these natural means, or want to share other things you have found helpful with the community, then leave it in a comment below!  

Onward!

References: McCance, K. and Huether, S. (2006). Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. Elsevier Mosby. Philadelphia, PA. Pg. 249-255. Lavender and the Nervous System. Koulivarnd, P. Ghadiri, M., Gorji, A. (September 4, 2012) Retrieved March 20, 2017 from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/681304/

Cholesterol Explained {Video}

One of the most frequent things I talk with people about it about cholesterol. It's usually in response to something like:

"But I have a family history of high cholesterol."

"Eating that much butter sounds great, but I can't, because I already have high cholesterol."

"Won't bacon give me a heart attack?"  

What I recorded in this video is what I share with them... and want to share with you... about what the role of cholesterol truly is in our bodies.

Enjoy!