'fessing up

For the past month, I've been eating like a cave-girl.

That's right, I've been eating Paleo. And not just Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol Paleo (AIP). It's not that I have an autoimmune disease (that I know of), but the hows and whys behind it made sense to me. So after my last bowl of homemade yogurt, I was off!

I'm calling this "'fessing up", because I was a little afraid to write it after this post. I had just said I didn't have any serious health problems and was happy to eat rice casserole. Well, I guess that wasn't strictly true. I did have some health problems (though maybe not as terrible as the ones I'd mentioned) that I sorta brushed aside or didn't want to admit to. I had some digestive issues and felt tired a lot. 

I'm not denying that God sent me peace. He did and I still agree with what I said in my post. There is not a perfect diet out there that is going to make me feel like Supergirl all the time. I will always have bad days and good days. But eating AIP has helped me. I don't feel tired anymore and my digestive stuff is much better. 

This post isn't to make you all eat like I do. It was just to spill the beans, so to speak (or berries, since I can't have beans, haha). It will obviously cause changes on the blog, since my recipes will now be AIP or Paleo. Also, I felt like I should write it just to clear up any confusion about the other post.

So anyways, that was my little "confession". :) I hope you didn't start wagging your finger at me. I must admit, I felt rather silly after switching over to AIP. I thought I had decided against grain-free, let alone dairy-, nut-, egg-, legume-, and nightshade-free! But things happen....

Note: I am not eating Paleo because I believe our Paleolithic ancestors ate this way and therefore I should. I am basing my decision off information from this book, blogs like these, and personal experience. 

Oh, and thanks, Wondermark. Why eat Paleo if you can't make fun of it too?

On health and life. Sorta.

I'm interested in health and can get obsessive about it, like I said in this post. I believe food is important and definitely has an affect on your overall health. However, it needs to be kept in balance with everything else.

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I like reading about probiotics, fats, flour, and hydrogenated oils. I like making (and eating) fermented foods and nutritious breakfast goodies.

Unfortunately, since I enjoy it so much, I can let health control my life. For the past couple months I have been so stressed out, had an overload of information, and felt like I don't know what to believe. I want to be 100% sure of whatever I believe, or else it is guilty until proven innocent. It isn't fun.

I've researched and read and thought and doubted while trying to find the "right healthy". The one that really is true. The one that can't be contradicted. The one that is perfect.

I've been researching and reading and thinking and doubting for the past couple months. Then, two weeks ago, God sent me an incredible, incredible gift.

Peace.

Peace in the realization that there isn't a perfect healthy out there. That I need to accept what I have and live life to the fullest. Live life to the fullest for Him. He's the one who made me and loved me and saved me. He should be my life and He is. ("When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:4).

You wouldn't believe what it feels like after months of stress, fear, and doubt to be at peace. It feels like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I can now eat this delicious rice casserole in peace and am free to enjoy the rest of my day without (for the most part) analyzing my every bite.

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I really don't have much to complain about in the health realm. After all, when I think about it, I am healthy and God has blessed me with the means to be so. I haven't been sick in over six months. I'm not overweight. I don't suffer from any chronic illnesses or fatigue. Thanks to this website, I'm getting stronger too. And I'm thankful and should use this health to live my life for the Author of life. 

So I've realized there isn't going to be a perfect diet, workout, or whatever that will solve all my problems. You know what else? I've realized that there isn't a perfect life. Not yet, anyways.

Now that isn't as despairing as it sounds. It's helping me to face the problems of life and not be as naive about it. 'Cause I can be. And I know that through all these imperfections, God is perfecting me, making me "...to be conformed to the image of His Son...". (Romans 8:29) One day, I will have a perfect life and be in glory. I'm yearning for that day more and more.

I hope you are discovering this in your life. I have by no means become a saint overnight, without any problems. This is simply a truth the Lord has shown me and I wanted to share. I hope I'm able to remember and rest in it.

Kitchen adventures

There's been a lot of fermenting going on in the kitchen. What's fermenting, you ask? Basically it's putting some ingredients together and letting it sit around for a while. For grains, fermenting helps make them more easily digestible and makes more of the nutrients available. The fermented-ness keeps your gut flora happy and healthy. Same with the dairy and vegetables you'll see later in this post.*

Least ways, that's what I understand. Go do your own research and find our what I haven't mentioned. Feel free to reprimand any inconsistent information. I'm ready to learn! :)

Exhibit a): Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.

These are based off a Kitchen Stewardship recipe. I just added blueberries, sour cream, various spices, and sprinkled some almonds on top. They're very fall-y apart-y (as we like to say) and apparently eaten better in a bowl with milk, as a sort of cobbler.

Exhibit b): Sourdough Bread.

This is what's left of the loaf I made yesterday. A delicious recipe from the Cultures for Health blog. Mostly. I added two tablespoons of butter and decreased the water a little bit. Because butter.

Needless to say, I made more today. :)

Exhibit c): Yogurt. 

Simple (we make it in the crock pot like this), delicious, nutritious, and it saves money!

Exhibit d): I told you there was a lot of fermenting! This time it's milk kefir. 

Even simpler and nutritious than the yogurt, but, alas, not as delicious. That's why you hide it in a smoothie. Or ice cream, which I'm going to try this weekend. 

Exhibit e): Pickles. Two different kinds actually.

Number one is from The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark (classic homeschooling material), which we've made several times.

Number two is from The Nourishing Cook. This one uses whey (leftover from the yogurt) and doesn't use sugar. We'll see how it tastes.

What strange things have you been experimenting with?

*does this mean I'm an amateur zymologist? Now that would be something cool to put on an about page.

Free to eat.

A couple evenings ago I enjoyed a gooey chocolate magnum bar for dessert. I was a little unsure if I would have one, but in the end I just went for it. Why did I hesitate? Well, I'm interested in health and nutrition, and these...aren't. (high fructose corn syrup? What!?!)

I've struggled with finding a balance between eating healthy and enjoying my food. Now, I'm not saying healthy food is icky (it can be quite delicious), but I still want to be "free" enough to eat magnum bars with my family. After all, it's not something we have in the house very often and meals are a time to share things with my family, be they magnum bars or some chia-kale-coconut-liver mush. (just kidding)

We shouldn't become slaves to our food: it's something that nourishes and delights us. I can get very conscious and even a little paranoid about my food: Oh, does it have too much sugar? Ack, it has modified corn starch! We're all gonna DIE!!!

I don't want this interest in health to get in the way of savoring my food. If I'm constantly thinking of food in regard to their micro and macronutrients, I might as well open a can of calcium and order protein in bulk. See what I mean? It takes the joy out of eating if I'm simply thinking what vitamins I'm getting out of this and how I'm going to be affected by that.

All this isn't to say we should eat cupcakes for breakfast and ignore the veggies. We should be good stewards in taking care of the body God gave us. We just shouldn't become slaves to this task or become so preoccupied that we don't enjoy our meals anymore. It isn't a "sin" to eat a french fry. Jesus Himself declared all food clean (Mark 7:18-20). This doesn't necessarily mean that we should go and binge on sugar, but that we shouldn't feel like we're "defiling" ourselves if we have some birthday cake. 

I went grain-free for a couple months, but I just stopped two weeks ago. I've never been unhealthy and I don't think I was better off not eating grains. In fact, I think I was worse off emotionally! I would keep questioning my decision, which led to many tears and anger at God. I was mad that He'd given me this interest that was causing me pain. I also felt left out if my family was eating something I "couldn't". And remember that paranoia? I got so bad that I would even pick out the individual grains of rice that somehow got into the leftovers. So I went back. 

I'm still finding a balance between caring for my body and enjoying my food. I'm sure I'll never find the perfect balance, but I hope I will not be so preoccupied that I cannot enjoy a magnum bar with my family.