Where Did Susan Go? Paleo?

dear readers,

I wrote the following two weeks ago and didn't finish it, but
reading it now I realize that I am greatly improved from my
first two weeks attempting a completely new food exploration.
Here is what I was feeling two weeks ago. Then I will update you:

                                *         *         *         *         *

For the past two weeks I have been traversing the dark forest of a Paleo diet.
I only call it a dark forest because it seems so foreign to me and
difficult to adjust to.

But I am trusting the wisdom and diagnosis of Amy Jenner regarding my
state of depletion which is great according to my low pulses - and
according to my very low enthusiasm for my life.

This seems like a very unlike me thing to say,
and yet, I am so tired that I find once I have done the things
of each day that must be done, I have nothing left to give to my own life.
Fortunately, I really enjoy the people I get to work with, so work has become my
entire social life. I am not getting in contact with beloved friends and even
family that I have been out of touch with for a very long time
because I simply can't pick up the phone. And when I get home I can barely
keep this three room  apartment together.

(Instead I am reading an  unconscionable number of stupid novels.)

So I am believing the diagnosis of insulin resistance and poor digestion
and cold damp spleen and I am giving the Paleo diet - which has been
prescribed especially for insulin resistance - my honest best effort.
I am told I am too weak to do cleansing or eat raw foods for a while.

Most readers probably know that the Paleo diet is quite similar to the Atkins diet.
I never liked the idea of Atkins and therefore never studied it enough
to be able to give an accurate comparison, but a couple of things I do know.
The main aim of each of these protocols is to switch the body's metabolism
from carbohydrate burning to fat burning. And that means severe
restriction of carbohydrates.

I takes a while, and in the meantime (and I'm still in the meantime)
one feels unsettled and unsatisfied and tired because the old energy fuel -
carbs - isn't there anymore, but the new system hasn't kicked in.

                    *         *         *         *         *         *         *

Well, I guess all that exhaustion is why I couldn't finish the blog.
It is true, I had a very difficult time adjusting but I now realize that
compared to two weeks ago, I am feeling pretty perky.
And not discouraged with my life anymore, which is the most
important thing.

Because of my macrobiotic and raw foods experience,
with animal protein in moderation added in later years,
THIS diet - which consists of animal protein, fats and
low-carbohydrate vegetables with NO grains in any
form and for the first month, nor any beans,
and worst of all, no raw food and almost no fruit -
has been RADICAL, to say the least.
Sorry for that difficult sentence.

At first, as written above, I had no energy, and I knew that
until I began using fat for energy I was going to stay FAT.
Since being fat - and incidentally unhealthy - was my original
reason for the experiment of eating only
my favorite strong 33 foods for 33 days,
and since I have been promised weight reduction
as a sure side effect of this regime,
I  am being very strict with this diet,
since I figured out how to do it - even though
part of me is shocked to be eating a Paleo?! diet.

*Also, of course, there is the fact that my beloved brother
has diabetes, and insulin imbalance is not to be ignored,
nor all the other belly fat related conditions.*

I haven't been able break my three year
long streak of gradual weight increase, so
I decided to go against all my predudices
and former understandings and try what was the only way
my parents ever lost weight. A very low carbohydrate diet.
Besides, I trust Amy. I think she is wise and I am willing
to obey for a serious trial run, even though I have been
grumpy and rebellious verbally.

And slowly my body has begun to change shape.
A little less  bloated around the middle more
each week, and finally I was able to button a
previously unbuttonable pair of pants.
Allelulia!
 
But no weight loss. Hmmmmm.
I don't actually know if I lost weight those first two weeks
because I didn't have a scale, but now I do. For the last three weeks
not an ounce of difference. Discouraging, but still
I look a little thinner to myself. And much more importantly,
(to everything except my ego) I am feeling better. More stamina.
I am sleeping more soundly and regularly.  This is also the
result of ceasless downing of my muddy chinese herbs, given to me
by Amy, and which I am actually developing a likeness for.

The most important result, however, is that I have recovered
some interest in life again.  I am, for instance,
really happy to be doing this blog again.

 But no weight loss. Since I was waffling around the
first two weeks trying to figure out how to do this and
giving myself too wide parameters, I decided to do the
Whole 30 program for a month which is a honed - down
version of paleo - stricter - which consists of mainly
animal protein, low-carbohydrate vegetables and FAT.
(Other versions of a Paleo diet are a little more broad,
including some beans and some fruit, etc.
but I needed the rigid parameters while settling into it.)

I think it is typical to over indulge in the fat part when you feel
so unsatisfied in the first two or three weeks of this regime.
And I have been typical. The first three weeks I allowed myself
as much fat as I wanted. Shockingly, I didn't lose weight.

One of my favorite snacks has been, for instance, a little 
peanut butter for taste mixed with twice as much coconut oil,
some chipotle pepper and salt, spread on daikon slices -
my justification for eating so much unnecessary but delicious
fat is that daikon radishes help dissolve, digest and move fat.
Uh Huh.

And I didn't skimp on coconut oil in the frying pan either - or ghee
on my vegetables, for that matter.

Somewhere along the line my body did move into fat burning, but
it couldn't get around to burning it's own fat because it had so much
readily available daily dietary fat.

I realized that all the people who have assured me in the past that
one never gains weight on this diet (and it's true, I haven't gained)
are all skinny. And never had been fat. And were mostly men.
I knew my fat indulging days were numbered.

After every meal I felt dissatisfied and every morning
I would wake up craving carbohydrates. So I didn't worry about
indulging in too much fat those first three weeks.

THEN my breakthrough.  After a month of being
very strict about limited raw and no cleansing,
for the health of my cold damp spleen (?) and my
general state of depletion, I disobeyed.
I did just one day of the raw cleanse I usually run without the
wheatgrass or the carrot beet juice, both of which are
very high in carbohydrates. So just a quart of the sprouts
and greens smoothie and a quart of rejuvelac (and a handful
of brazil nuts just to keep my fat up) and a colonic.

I had been feeling kind of - I don't know how to describe it-
gluggy, thick, meaty, too dense from eating at the top of the
food chain, dare I say a shade toxic? Not wonderful.

The day after my simplified cleanse, I woke up two pounds
lighter, two pounds which have stayed off so far,
and feeling cleaner -and here is the most important thing -
NOT THAT HUNGRY!

I am able to feel satisfied without eating so much.
I will tell you the truth, I wasn't sure that was going to
happen.  My fat intake has decreased dramatically,
and my Appetite is o.k. with that.

I am very glad to be writing again and I have been wanting
to share exactly what my creative mind has cooked up for me each
day, and I have to do that with pictures and stories - not recipes
exactly, but my early exhaustion combined with my resistance
to the simplest technology - in this case my lost camera battery
charger - has prevented me thus far.
  
I am dedicated to solving this problem this week
and then I will give you a blow by blow record of my meals
(most of which have been pretty tasty despite the low carb content). 
Because I have more moons ahead of me with this diet.
The 33 days will be Paleo. With a little forbidden cleansing
thrown in for good measure and good health.

And when this phase is over, I will still be searching for
my true diet. There must be some texting code for laughter
I should employ here.

 

cleanse protocol

I apologize for my long absence.
Several posts are partially done, but I have
lost the charger for my new camera and have been
stymied by this, not wanting to buy a new one, but
not being able to find the original.
And the blog needs pictures so I can truly record
my Paleo diet ordeal.

But this little blog is for the people who have expressed
an interest in doing a cleanse with me.

I frequently run four or five day raw and live food
cleanses combined with colon hydrotherapy and
am running one next this June 15th - 18th.

The cleanse takes a couple of weeks to prepare for because
everything is sprouted, grown or fermented ahead.

Here is the protocol, derived from the Hippocrates
Health Institute with colon-hydrotherapy added.

         

Food for Each Day:

1 quart of rejuvelac    This is a drink made from soft wheat berries that have been
             sprouted for a few days, then water added to the jar and
             fermented for a few more days.  It is very high in enzymes,
             protein, and natural pro-biotics. It tastes tangy and fermented.

1 quart of “Energy Soup”
             This is lovingly called “the green glop” by most of my clients.
             It is the mainstay of the diet and consists of 1/2 an avocado,
             an apple, lentil sprouts, mung sprouts, buckwheat and sunflower                
             sprouts, pea sprouts, a little dulse and greens like kale, spinach, etc.
             This is all blended.

1 pint of either fresh carrot, apple, beet, celery juice and/or, depending on weather,
             a pint of root broth.

one serving fresh wheatgrass

1/2 cup unsalted pink sauerkraut, laced with juniper berries. This is a liver cleaner.


                     *    *    *    *    *

These foods are prepared fresh each day and can be eaten in any order throughout the day, but I recommend leaving something for just before bed to give yourself a feeling of fullness (relatively speaking) - preferably a cup of the green soup.


                *    *    *    *    *

Each day participants also receives a colon-hydrotherapy session which helps release toxins quickly and efficiently.   The food  part of the cleanse and the colon-hydro therapy enhance the effectiveness of each other.            

If anyone has questions about it, please feel free to call me at 207 701 1817.

No gluten in WHEATGRASS

I  should have made it clear that wheatgrass contains
no gluten at all. It has all been transformed into grass.

This isn't true of Rejuvelac which is the fermented
drink made from sprouted wheatberries. There is some gluten
in that, and so I recommend that people with gluten
intolerance use quinoa for rejuvelac.

No danger at all with wheatgrass, however.

THE MOST POWERFUL FOOD

 WHEATGRASS JUICE

Imagine that this is a conversation between a mother and
her child - except they're both me.

     "It's time to drink some wheatgrass juice"

     "Yuk! I hate wheatgrass juice!"

     "I know you hate wheatgrass juice but you're having it anyway"

     "YUK!"

The truth is, I really love wheatgrass juice,
but I and lots of other people
have a difficult time with the taste of it.

It is cloyingly sweet and naturally tastes and smells
like grass. Really sweet grass. Which is exactly what it is.
It is also 70% chlorophyll and therefore is strong medicine.
The odor of it fills the entire head cavity and usually makes
me involuntarily shudder for a few seconds when I down it.
However, it is worth it.

It is a very powerful cleanser and has to be drunk with,
or followed immediately by, other liquids to dilute it -
otherwise it can make you feel a little nauseous because its
cleansing reaction can be so strong.  I have never had that
reaction when it is diluted. It just makes me feel alive
and clean and energized immediately. According to Bernard
Jenson it digests almost immediately.

Every time I try to write about wheatgrass
I get overwhelmed because there is so much information
to impart. I hardly know where to begin.

It contains vitamins A, C, the whole B complex including B12,
- good news for vegetarians - E, and K.
Vitamin K helps maintain healthy bones but also
clotting the blood so when using blood thinners or blood clotters
one has to consider the effects of dietary vitamin K. Coumadin
and Warfarin are drugs to prevent blood clots, and they
work by decreasing the activity of vitamin K.

Wheatgrass is capable of absorbing 92 of the 102 minerals
existing in soil, so it is important to get grass grown in good,
rich organic soil. Because of its high mineral content it is a very
alkalizing food. It's also kind of a miracle because most of those
minerals aren't in the seed. Life is so grand!

Because the chlorophyll molecule (70% of the juice, remember)
is very similar to the haemoglobin molecule in the blood, the body
is very easily able to transform the chlorophyll into haemoglobin
 thereby increasing the red blood count with regular intake
of chlorophyll - and quite quickly.  I am not now remembering the
source, of course, but I read that there have been experiments
with feeding wheatgrass to people with low red cell counts
and the return to normal count happening in days.
Because it increases red blood count it also therefore helps
the oxygenation of every cell in the body.

Chlorophyll is anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds,
internally and externally. It also protects the body against
carcinogenic substances more than any other food. It cleanses
the liver, helps prevent tooth decay, prevents graying of hair,
and stimulates the functions of the lymphatic system,
helping it to wash out toxins, mucus, and crystallized acids
from the tissues.

Experiments with farm animals have proven that
wheatgrass can provide the full spectrum of nutrients
necessary to keep them alive and well for two years.
Of course the animals can eat the entire grass, and we,
lacking a few stomachs, cannot. We must juice it.

But the very fact that it is so nutrient rich makes it
a good indirect aid in weight loss. Cravings come from
various imbalances and deficiencies. Because of its
dense nutrient content, cravings from deficiencies are
relieved. Also, several of the 19 amino acids in
wheatgrass are specifically needed by the body for
digestion. Many cravings arise from improper digestion,
and regular wheatgrass consumption goes a long way
toward healing many digestive ills.

Did I mention that Midwest many farmers feed wheatgrass
to their cows and bulls to increase their fertility?

It also helps with constipation due to its high
magnesium content and helps with the removal of heavy metals.

The list goes on and on.

Because it requires an auger type juicer to extract
the juice from the grass, most people will not find
it easy to get fresh juice unless you live down the street
from Whole Foods or are willing to invest in an
auger juicer.  I used to grow all my own wheatgrass,
and it's a lovely sight, but now living in this small place,
I have recently been buying it online.

Although it is not optimum,
you can buy it freeze-dried in capsules.

A few caveats about that.
     1. Make sure it is the powdered JUICE, not the whole leaf.
     2. It should be freeze-dried, not heat dried
     3. Make sure it's organic
     4. Make sure it is JUST wheatgrass with no other ingredients, not even good ones.

I hope I have encouraged one or two people
to begin incorporating another good habit.

I am sure there are places in this vast universe
where one does not have to worry about good habits.
I am planning to live there someday.

Beginning my 33 days

Hi all,

I still am unclear about the exact foods I AM eating,
but I know which ones I am NOT eating.
No grains, flours, sugars,
Almost no dried fruit nor raw fruits with a couple of exceptions
Almost no RAW!

So the day before yesterday I began to eat mostly
animal protein, nuts, seeds, and vegetables and for
the first couple of days my wild horse was feeling severely
deprived of her morning carbohydrates.

I have been finding it very difficult to break my nighttime
fast without some carbohydrate - anything from soft cereal
with kimchi and seeds, down to toast or my very
favorite breakfast - Pie. A rare but beloved treat.

The past two mornings I have eaten fish with vegetables.
Yikes!

But I am determined because two nights ago I actually
took my measurements for the first time in thirty years
and it was shocking! Shocking.
I am not telling what they are until they have changed.
Vanity. It's a good whip.

It was about six years ago that I first acquired a roll
of fat above my waist, which disappeared the next winter
when Rickey and I did our cleanse in Tucson.
But this past three years of huge stress, however, has
created another large creature around my waist which
perhaps I should name. It surely isn't me, is it?

But while it is not me, it certainly is my creation. I am its creator.
I have been trying to ignore it or at least be friendly rather than
be aggressively annoyed with its presence. However
three nights ago I had my first guests in this small apartment of
ours for dinner and at the end Jan took  some pictures. I only caught
a very quick glimpse because I could see in that photograph
in that flash moment that I am now shaped like my five by five
foot grandmother. I couldn't look at it. One's personality
can blind other people. but photographs? - They don't allow any cover.

I have become pretty good at disguising with clothes,
although there is only so much one can do.

I have come to the end of my procrastination and am now
dedicating my culinary skills to my new anti- spleen deficient,
Insulin -deficient diet.

And I finally got a memory card for my camera, so once I relearn
how to post photos, I'll record visually as well as writing my diet
for each day. Not that anyone cares, but maybe there will be
some meal that will expand someone's horizons a little.

Today, thus far I have eaten 2 1/2 oz. of wheatgrass juice,
(which I am writing about for tomorrow's blog)
a large piece of reheated fish from supper,
a small zucchini sauteed in coconut oil with two
teaspoons of diluted peanut butter.
Pretty good.

That was breakfast.

Curve Ball From Amy Jenner

Well, sorry to have been gone so long.
I was thrown a curve ball by Amy Jenner.

For those of you who do not know her, she is a
really talented Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine
practitioner in whose hands I placed myself just a couple of days
after my return from California.

Being that almost every pulse in my body was ticking so low,
and especially my spleen  (poor, cold damp thing),
she gave me the injunction to stay away from raw foods.
And all grains.

Well now what? Many of the foods on my 33 Foods
list were raw! Well not too many of them, but enough
to feel confused about how to proceed. No grains?

For the last two weeks, instead of just digging in
and beginning practicing what she suggested, I have been
in a state of confusion exacerbated by major rebellion.
I realize my eating habits have become like a wild horse
which I have been watching for the last two weeks running and
bucking around the paddock, and until today I have not
been ready to try putting on the halter, let alone mounting.

I have had to reconstruct my 33 foods list and it keeps changing,
but as of today I am actually trying a (dare I say it?) Paleo diet, pretty
much. Not quite paleo, but close.  For those of you who are not
familiar with a paleolithic diet, it involves a very low glycemic
approach to food, and quite a bit of animal protein. This is a stretch
for me. Every time I eat, especially with no carbs, I want to eat
sugar afterward. But Amy has given me some herb powder which
makes a dark earthy mud when you mix it with water
and which pretty much settles that craving after eating. 

And for the first time in my life I am keeping a food journal.
This may be a wildly over-optimistic statement, since I just
started it today. I am recording what I'm eating, how it effects
my energy throughout the day, bowel condition, cravings, etc.
Right now I just feel like taking a nap. Was it those daikon rounds
with peanut butter on them? More likely it was playing with my
Chinese herbs by trying stevia and cream in them.
Didn't make them taste better, either.

So I just wanted to let my ten or so readers know that I am back.
Thank you, for although you are few, you are very valuable to me
and keep me writing. More tomorrow.





















I have been practicing my most
undisciplined habits of eating. The worst, like going all day
without eating because I am too busy and then eating
anything in sight when I get home and then not sleeping.
Surprisingly, this has not helped my clarity.

The most difficult piece of my food misadventures
has definitely been the removal of raw from my diet.
Harrumph!

So I have been feeling lost momentarily about how to
proceed with this changing experiment.
Today Amy told me I actually have to make a FOOD PLAN!
ME! Food Queen! A food queen rather like Mad King George.
He wasn't fit to reign, either.

She did give me a little leeway in the raw department today.
Thank heavens. I can eat some sprouts!
And so now I am about to reconstruct my list.
But first: REJUVELAC!

Rejuvelac has always been on my list and
always will be. I hear most of you -
"what is Rejuvelac, anyway?"
It is for me a true medicine food.

Rejuvelac is a fermented drink that Is made from
sprouted soft wheat berries. These are the berries (seeds)
that pastry flour is ground from.  Pastry flour is not
just a different grind of flour, but a different variety
altogether. It has a much lower gluten content than
bread flour and therefore is less elastic and makes
a flakier baked good.

So, the wheat is sprouted in the exact same fashion as I have
described in my sprouting blogs, in this case until the sprout
is about the same length as the seed.

Then, if the jar can hold about four times the volume of
the sprouted seeds, add water to the jar to almost full.
This is your ferment.

For the next three or four days, (amount of time
is dependent up on the length of the sprouts,
amount of water and, most importantly, temperature)
stir the water and sprouts three or four times a day.

The water will begin to become cloudy and after
about three days it will begin to make a little foam and
become slightly bubbly.  Keep tasting it every day.
When it tastes tangy and just a hint bubbly, decant it.

Reserve the sprouts and refill the jar, using the same
seeds to make a second batch.  The second batch
will only take a day.  Sometimes I pull out a third
batch from the same sprouts. Also a one day ferment.
After that, throw the seeds onto the compost pile.
The second (and third) batch will need to be skimmed
of it's foam a couple of times.

The Rejuvelac will last in the fridge for a week although
it should be stirred up before using it after a few days.

 Now, I always describe Rejuvelac as tasting
somewhat like watered down beer and lemonade
mixed together, sometimes with a sock thrown in.
I just sold you, I'm sure.

In that case, why would you ever drink it?
Because, most bodies really love it, and after
you  have given yourself a chance to learn its
taste, you will probably like it too. Your body 
will be the one that asks for it, not your gourmand.
 ''''''

Here are some reasons why your body - if you
give it a chance - will override any of your family's
limitations that might be controlling your thoughts
about what you will or will not put into your mouth.

1. ENZYMES
2.Natural probiotics
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins -

Sprouts and Kirlian Photography

I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU A LONG STORY ABOUT SPROUTS. HANG ON.

Kirlian Photography

When I was in high school (early sixties) LIFE Magazine did an amazing story
about Kirlian photography, named after Semyon and Valentina Kirlians,
a Russian couple who developed a technology for photographing
the electromagnetic field of living objects.
The cover of that big LIFE magazine was an image
that has remained vivid for me all my life.
It was a full cover picture of a maple leaf which had had one of the
fingers of the leaf dissected and then photographed with the Kirlian technology.

The leaf itself photographed almost like a ghost background, because the real
photograph was of the electromagnetic field of the leaf which extended beyond
the actual earthy physical matter of the leaf. It was a brilliant light aureole
the shape of the leaf but larger, radiating out beyond the leaf.
The electromagnetic pattern where the finger of the leaf had
been dissected was totally intact.

The electronic blueprint of the leaf remained.  I think this was the
first time I began to realize that there are other dimensions to
these bodies we wear besides the densest level.

Many years later I became taken with the idea that since we are Beings of Light
- I do not state this as an airy fairy idea, but as a physically proven reality -
and that light itself, as demonstrated in these photographs,
must be a nutrient for us - not only sunlight but also
the light in the electromagnetic field of live foods. 

In order to explore that idea, I obtained a Kirlian photography machine
to do some research about the difference in the electromagnetic
fields of foods grown differently, harvested differently, prepared differently, etc.
It is one of the real regrets of my life that I didn't carry that experiment out
very far.*  A few things were evident, however, one of them being that the
electromagnetic field is far greater in sprouted seed than in unsprouted seed, 
and raw food has a much larger electromagnetic field than cooked food.

Sprouts, however, far outshine mere raw foods in their electromagnetic magnificence.

(Incidentally, not relevant to the subject at hand but so excitingly evident
in the few photographs I took that I have to share this, WILD foods have a
MUCH greater electromagnetic field than any cultivated food,
no matter how fantastic and healthy the cultivated soil is.) 


Now it may appear as if I am about to go even more off track,
but all this will come together
if you will resolutely follow me to the end.

Enzymes and the Electromagnetic Field

By this time almost everyone who is interested in true
health understands something of the importance of Enzymes.
I read several years ago in a book about enzymes
(that is still unpacked from moving, otherwise I could tell you its name) 
the idea that we are born with a certain lifetime capacity
for the production of enzymes, just as ancient Yogis believed that
we are born with a pre-determined number of breaths.

Enzymes are used in thousands of chemical reactions in the
body and not just for digestive uses. HOWEVER, since the
advent of factory food and the dominance of agribiz farming methods,
the majority of our food no longer has the necessary enzymes in it
for proper digestion due to over processing, over sterilization, overcooking, etc..
This means that our bodies' entire enzyme production is severely
over-taxed just for the digestion of food.  

At least some of our foods should partially digest themselves. 
That means having enough inherent enzymes to do the job.
Fermented and raw foods have always been part of
traditional and indigenous diets for that very reason.
Most westerners no longer eat enzyme rich foods.

So what are we to do? Keep stuffing ourselves with expensive
and really unnatural digestive enzyme tablets from a bottle?
I do recommend this to many of my clients to
re-establish better digestive strength, but I see it as a temporary
measure and would rather see people eating their enzymes

Sprouts are bursting with newly released enzymes that are not present in the 
ungerminated seed and are therefore one of the most efficacious ways to re -establish
good digestive enzyme activity. There is an enormous amount of information
about the actual chemistry that happens in the sprouting process on the internet,
which I was thinking of burdening you with, but you can look it up yourself
if you want to understand it more.


Now full circle. A few years ago, a good friend gave me a book about food
written by a Chinese PhD. and acupuncturist, (as well as other attainments)
named Dr Kim Le who stated in her book, The Simple Path, that
IT IS THE  ENZYME ACTIVITY IN FOOD THAT
PRODUCES THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD!!!

This means that food with a strong electromagnetic field has tons of enzymes.
It also means that food with lots of enzymes has a strong electromagnetic field
which shows up on film as a light field.
 
So I don't have to worry about some unproven, unprovable theory 
about needing to feed ourselves light-filled food. I just need to eat live 
foods that are filled with enzymes.  SPROUTS!



                                                                     WHEW!

Maybe you were wiling to learn sprouting before all of that.



*At the time that I acquired my machine,  one had to be interviewed to get permission to buy one by a brilliant (and I mean this in the spiritual sense. He's radiant) man named Mitchell May whose medical story was nothing short of miraculous and who has  produced some of the most gorgeous and amazing Kirlian photos I've ever seen.  Look him up on the internet.

Sprouting and Fermentation Class at High Mountain Hall

Next wednesday, March 20th, Robin MacCready and I will be teaching
a class on fermentation and sprouting
at High Mountain Hall in Camden from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00p.m.

Cost is $40

Call me at 207 701-1817   or  High Mountain Hall at 207 236-0003
if you are interested.  Thanks

In a couple of days I will be sending the "WHYs"  of sprouting
which has  been almost done but not quite finished for a week.
Thanks,
Susan

Photos of Lentil Sprouting

Here is a little photo show of sprouting lentils

Day one: I have a little more than 1 cup of dried lentils here
and filled the jar to soak overnight. You should start with 1/2 cup.
A much more reasonable amount. They really expand.

DAY TWO, A.M.:

I have not done anything here except let them soak overnight.
You can see that they have nearly doubled in size.
Now I will pour out the soaking water, re-rinse, and drain.

Next comes the MOST IMPORTANT PART of sprouting;  PROPER DRAINING!

 Notice that the jar is NOT completely upside down, but on a slant,
making sure that there is air room at the cheesecloth covered opening.
They need air to keep from getting soggy or moldy. Ruination.

Each time you rinse the sprouts - only twice a day is o.k. with lentils -
finish by leaving them at this angle to drain, and you will have good sprouts.

DAY THREE:
This next photo is the morning of day three, so really
only a day and a half after first putting them in the jar to soak.
It is difficult to see them in this photo,
(I'm not very good with my new camera yet)
but they have broken dormancy and the little sprout is just showing.

They are just barely sprouted but you can begin eating them now,
especially quickly blanched, which does, yes you are right, destroy
the enzymes, but sprouting has made them much more digestible.
However, for raw sprouts I like to wait until they are a little longer.
Watch out, though. At this point they grow really quickly.

(I have taken half of the sprouts out of the jar because I am not home and didn't have a large jar with me.)

Don't forget to rinse and drain a couple of times today.

DAY FOUR: Sprouts are really ready to eat. By this time they have become about four times
larger in volume than they started out.  (Remember I have taken half out of the jar).You can begin to eat them out of the jar, tossing them into salads or soups or whatever, and they will keep growing for another couple of days and still be prime. I throw them into every salad, and on top of cooked vegetables, everywhere.The jar will keep filling as they keep growing.
Keep occasionally rinsing and draining them.

 

NOW, you can put them into the refrigerator, cheesecloth and all,
where they will keep very well for many days so long as they are open to the air.
This is why you place them in the fridge with either the cheesecloth or a
sprouting jar lid if you have one. Every two or three days,
take them out and give them a fresh rinse and drain.

You can keep sprouting until they begin to show tiny leaf development.
Then stop the sprouting by refrigerating.

Hope this helps.

Once you get in the habit of occasionally throwing some seeds
into a jar and covering them with water overnight, the rest is easy.
And so is the part about thowing them into a jar with water overnight.

Good sprouting!

Just a couple of refinments of past posts

I have been corresponding with a few readers,
and there have been a couple of people who have
had too strong responses to the garlic tincture in
the later stages of the regime.

One of these was a cleansing response, and the other probably was also.
But there is no need to be uncomfortable with it.
If you get up to a drop dosage that feels too strong,
just back up a few drops until it feels manageable again.
Then stay on the lower dosage for a while until you feel
comfortable enough to increase again.
If you have to finish the whole regime
at a lower dose that's o.k. too.

The other question was whether or not to add
daikon radish to the sweet vegetable broth.

It won't hurt in any way, but it isn't part of Sweet Veg. Broth
- although Daikon is one of my 33 foods.
It has other great medicinal qualities which I will
write about, but pancreas balancing isn't its specialty,
and it certainly isn't sweet.

That's all for now.

Sweet Vegetable Broth for Curbing Sweets Cravings

Hi Blessed and Appreciated Readers,

Just knowing there are a few people looking in
consistently makes me want to keep writing.

I am in the middle of another longish post about spouting - but between
babies and cooking and sweeping I have not finished it.

However, this is a short intermediate post in response to a question
asked me today regarding a sudden onslaught of yin cravings (sugar,
alchohol,etc., you know the stuff). 
So I quickly offer Sweet Vegetable Broth.

This is a recipe developed decades ago at the
Kushi Institute for smoothing out imbalances of the pancreas
due to excessive consumption of sweets.  If taken regularly
for many days it definitely quells the monster sweet tooth.

It is easy to make but should only be made for two or - at the
most - three days, and can be stored in the refrigerator.

This recipe is always given to all newcomers at the healing
seminars given at the Kushi Institute in the amount of two cups
a day for a week for most people, and then down to one cup a day.
And that is the amount I would recommend for you.

Most people who take those seminars are dealing with serious
disease conditions and so the preparation of this recipe is done with
greater care than I will recommend for you, unless you are also
coping with other serious illness or weakness.

First I will give you the original recipe, and then I will tell you
my modifications and you can choose which works for you.

The original recipe:

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 cup finely chopped winter squash
4 cups water

     After mincing by hand each vegetable to about
an eight of an inch, (when dealing with sever illness
or weakness, using electric appliances when preparing
food whether to cook or chop or grate is not at all desirable)
place them with the water in a saucepan,
and slowly bring it just to a boil, then turn it down to simmer.

     Simmer for twenty minutes and turn off the heat. Let cool a little,
strain, and drink the liquid. You can put the left-over vegies into
other things if you  want to but, truth be known,
they are used up and pretty tasteless.
I have used them as filler in bean cakes successfully.
But usually I give them to the compost pile.

 My modifications:

Since most of us will not go to great lengths to do fine detailed
healing cooking unless we are in physical danger, the above
preparation sits in the back of the mind and never makes
it to the stove.  At least that it the case for me.

SO, I put each vegetable roughly chopped, one at a time,
into the food processor and process it until the majority of pieces
are about an eighth to a quarter of an inch big.
This takes about a tenth of the time it takes to hand chop that fine.

I put them in the water and proceed as above - with ONE
personal preference.  Since I don't like the flavor of raw
or even lightly cooked onions, I eliminate them.
In fact, I don't even like Sweet Vegetable Broth all that much,
unless I put in fresh ginger. 
NOT as much as the other vegetables, though.

Here is what it looks like:

1/2 cup processed carrot
1/2 cup processed cabbage
1/2 cup processed winter squash
~ 3 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 cups water

Same procedure as above for cooking.
I leave it in the water until it is cool,
because it becomes more flavorful
but reheat it for drinking.      
This is important. It is a bland (saltless)
drink and needs the warmth to make it taste good.

I usually make twice this amount,
and here is one more tip to make it easier.
Don't get too hung up about amounts!  
Here's the real skinny about my slipshod
method of preparation:

I just eyeball the amount of vegies I am processing.
Then I measure the whole amount combined and
quadruple the amount of water, and there you have it.

Drink this religiously for at least two weeks -
two cups a day for at least a week,
one a day for the next week -
for a feeling of freedom from sugar.

( real freedom from sugar takes a much longer time
which you, sugar addict, (me) know very well)

Sprouting - Beginner's Manual

I arrived in California late last night to be an extra hand for my step daughter, husband, and two babies, the younger of whom - an infant - had brain surgery not long ago. He is doing well, but Mama is a little overwhelmed, I think.  I am glad to be here.

Since my last post I have catered a wedding which took far more time and money than it ordinarily would have due to a perfect storm of circumstances. It was a beautiful wedding, but still not entirely negotiated even though it is over. Post wedding work was still happening two days later, and then I traveled here, so I am writing this post later than I planned.

SPROUTING

Several significant things happen when you sprout a seed.
Speaking succinctly but unscientifically, sprouting unlocks the life in the seed.

So what actually happens?

One of the most miraculous things about seeds is that they
contain several hormones that control dormancy and the breaking of dormancy.
Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates dormancy and suppresses germination.
It prevents the seed from sprouting until conditions in the environment
are optimum for growth - the right temperature, oxygen, light, and
especially water - so that the tiny plant will survive.

There are also several other hormones that help counteract ABA and promote
germination and rapid new growth, especially medial (central and upward) growth,
so that when conditions are right, the seed can sprout.

Regarding germination the main item is water control and air control.
The plant will not sprout until it has been in contact with water
long enough to signal that there is enough water in the
environment for survival of the seedling. And it will die of
suffocation if there is not enough air flow.


So to little jar of sprouting seeds on your counter.

SPROUTING 101

1.) Place a small amount of seed
(we will discuss options and amounts later)
in a wide mouthed mason jar with either a sprouting lid,
which can be obtained in almost any health food store,
or with cheesecloth over the mouth held on with a rubber band.

2.) No matter what seeds you are sprouting you begin the
same way - by soaking your seed in a jar overnight in
good water.  Make sure the seed is well covered with plenty
of water so the seed stays covered as it swells. At least four
times the amount of water as seed.

 3.) In the morning drain out the water and then rinse it again.

4.) HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING! Dump out the
new rinse water and place the jar UPSIDE DOWN on a diagonal
slant in the dish drainer and let it drain completely. The reason to
keep it on the diagonal is so that some air can circulate in the jar.
 I  try to keep the jar on a slant as I am pouring out the rinse water,
so the seed doesn't completely cover the mouth of the jar at the end.

Incomplete draining is the main reason people are not successful
with sprouting. If there is a little pool of water in the bottom of the jar
it will cause mold to form in just a couple of days. If you drain
completely this won't happen. I generally leave it in the dish
drainer if there is room.

5.) Repeat this rinsing and draining two or three
times a day until the sprouts are as big (long) as
you want them.  To clarify:

There is quite a bit of leeway in the length of sprouts,
but there are some optimum lengths for certain kinds.
For instance, the traditional mung sprout - which is what
most people have been educated to think of as "bean
sprouts" - are usually eaten about two inches long.
However, to sprout mung beans to 2" long takes a
special procedure, and I personally never make them
myself. Organically grown mung sprouts (bean sprouts)
are easily available at most grocery stores.
You can, however, easily grow and use them only a
half inch long. They just won't be as juicy.

Alfalfa sprouts are usually grow about 1 1/2" long, also
broccoli sprouts. Beans are usually only sprouted until
the actual sprout just starts to protrude out from the bean.
Except for lentil sprouts. They can be eaten at several lengths.

SPROUTING LENTILS

If you are new to sprouting I suggest starting
with the easiest seeds to sprout - lentils.
It can be any kind of lentils - those little green french ones
or the larger browner ones, so long as they are whole.
A broken seed is a dead seed.

The beauty of sprouting lentils is: 1. they can be eaten at
any length from a tiny sprout the length of the seed
or until they are long enough for the first leaves begin to
appear - over an inch. 2. because they are not delicate
like broccoli or alfalfa or radish sprouts, they are a
lot less prone to going bad either from mold or drying out
if you forget to rinse them enough.

Once they have started to sprout, you can begin to eat them
right away and continue to rinse, drain and eat them
until they have reached almost leaf stage. The jar stays the
same fulness for several days even though you are eating
them because they just keep growing.

Anytime you want to stop or severely curtail the sprouting,
put the jar with the the sprouting top or cheesecloth right
into the refrigerator. DO NOT PUT A CLOSED LID ON THEM.
They still need to breathe.  These are living plants and need air.

When my camera arrives here from Maine in a few days,
I'll sprout some lentils and show you pictures. I was too rushed
getting ready and forgot to pack it so Doug is
sending it to me tomorrow

Any specific questions, write and ask.
I'll be talking more about sprouts and sprouting
this week.
- like WHY do it!





 

Lost in Wedding Preparatioins

Sorry I have disappeared.

I am catering a wedding this week which would not ordinarily throw me,
but this is a non- gluten vegan wedding. Again, not ordinarily a situation
to throw me, since I have catered many vegan affairs.

It is the non-gluten wedding cake that is throwing me into despair.
Last night I cooked my seventh test cake. Every non-gluten cake
recipe I try looks great as it comes from the oven, and several times
I have thought "Yes! This one is it!" Then I cut into it and encounter
glue. And of course, I have had to try each one. The flavor of several
of them has been good, but the glue, the glue!

Today is my birthday, and I have asked dear God for a usable cake.
This is truly all I want.

The wedding is Sunday, and so I will be back on Monday.
And back to non-party food.
Hope to see you then.

More on Hydrochloric Acid and Green Smoothies

Sorry, this is two posts in one day. I thought I had sent yesterday's yesterday.

Once again, reference  to Victoria Boutenko's work.
She is the one who introduced me to the relationship of
Hydrochloric acid to our entire health.

RATS! I just erased an hour of work, so my replay
will be a little more perfunctory than the original.

Sufficient Hydrochloric acid is essential to our overall health. 
Re-establishing the optimum amount of HCL production
is one of the most useful things we can do to recreate optimal health.

HCL performs many digestive and protective functions.
It begins the digestion of proteins by breaking the peptide
bonds of amino acids.

It is necessary for the absorptions of several nutrients including
iron, calcium, zinc, folic acid and B vitamins. Since our
bodies naturally produce less HCL after the age of forty,
it isn't surprising that we then begin to lose bone mass and
experience hair loss and graying. We are not absorbing
enough minerals.

HCL also destroys harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites.
In fact, HCL is the only defense there is against orally ingested
parasites. This makes me wonder if this lack could also
contribute to a flowering of H.pylori, it being a harmful
bacteria when it gets out of control???It makes sense to me.

Madison Avenue would have us believe that we are producing
far too much HCL and that it is the cause of acid reflux. Americans
consume between one and three billion dollars worth of antacids
a year, while the symptoms and diseases of insufficient HCL run
rampant. What are these symptoms and diseases?

The first are the Gastro-intestinal disorders: acid reflux, gastric polyps,
ulcerative colitis, gas - bloating, belching, flatulence, celiac disease,
even stomach cancer. (Again that possible H.pylori connection.)
All of these conditions have been related to insufficient HCL.

Also, several skin disorders - dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema
and urticaria (chronic hives). Then deeper diseases:
autoimmune disorders, Multiple schlerosis,
diabetes, Addison's disease, and hepatitis.

There are some telling symptoms of insufficient Hydrocholoric
acid, some of the more obvious ones are mentioned above -
bloating, indigestion, etc, but also diahhrea, yeast infections,
dilated blood vessel around the nose or on the cheeks, hair
loss in women, weak fingernails, soreness in the mouth,
adult acne, nausea after taking supplement, and food allergies.

The stomach is the only part of the body where we want
acidity. Then why do we get acid reflux?  Heartburn does
not occur in the stomach, but in the esophagus due to
leaking at the gastroesophageal sphincter. It normally occurs
after eating too much, so that is one clue. Perhaps there is weakness
in the muscles of the valve.  According to gastroenterologist,
Paul Fieber, it is also a matter of the timing of the release of the
Hydrochloric acid.
 
In any case, almost noone is producing too much stomach acid.

I am not suggesting to never use antacids.  When I was recently
traveling with my son I had acid reflux, and he, being a frequent
sufferer had some TUMS with him.  They were greatly appreciated
at the moment when the real solution of dietary discipline was not
possible, but they should be understood as a stopgap - not a solution.
In fact they exacerbate the problem.

Once more I refer to the experiment carried out by Dr Fieber and
Victoria Boutenko - last blog - where in only one month of eating
a quart a day of green smoothies with no other dietary changes
had and overall increase in HCL production of 62%. Pretty astounding.

I haven't spent time at Victoria's website which I gave you a link
to yesterday, but her book has several great testimonials of people
recovering some serrious conditions by just from adding daily green
smoothies to their lives. You could try it for a week and see what happens.

A hint for making the daily process easier is to pre-wash and
pre-chop your greens for a few days ahead and place them
in a tight plastic container in the refrigerator. I do this for a friend
I cook for once a week, and although she probably hasn't noticed
the difference in her demeanor since she has been faithfully
drinking her green smoothie, I have. And at last I have begun to do
the same for myself.  Try some avocado in it.


I wonder what I forget to re-write?? Oh well, see you next post.

Green Drinks and Hydrochloric Acid

Dear readers,

Pretty soon I am going to learn how to use my new point and shoot
camera which came with 62 large pages of directions. Then this blog
will be more interesting to look at.

I intended to begin describing some of my 33 foods individually today, but instead
I am giving you another recipe - one of those power foods that can quickly change your condition - BLENDED GREEN DRINKS.


I say drinks plural because there are pretty much infinite permutations
of this idea. You can go online and find tons of recipes.
I give some suggestions below.

If I were to suggest one daily habit that would
absolutely change your health it is the intake of lots of greens.
Not occasionally. EVERY DAY.
There is no more economical way of getting a lot
of them into your body than by blending.*

Here is the easy version.
Put into the blender the basics:

at least one dark leafy green,
some sprouts (buckwheat, sunflower, mung bean, pea, etc.)
some romaine lettuce
and some fruit to ease the green
just enough water to make the blender go.

(Now what about food combining? Aren't fruits and vegetable supposed to be
eaten at different times?  Yes, except when the vegetable are leafy greens.
They combine with everything.)

Other possible additions: avocado, ground seeds,
cucumbers, anything fresh that will blend.  I usually like to put
in blueberries (one of my 33 foods) as my fruit,
but it turns the drink a kind of loden green color,
more appropriate for a Scottish jacket than breakfast.
You could try something like mango until you toughen up. 

Ground seeds or avocado will make it thicker and heartier.

I recently spent some time in CA with my beloved friend Rhea
who eats a green drink every day, and she was set up to do it easily.
Beside her VitaMix were little jars of different kinds of seeds to add to her drink every day -
ground flax, hemp seed, black sesame seeds, and chia seeds.
Because everything was right there it was easy to put together an amazing power
breakfast every morning.  Her version is not for sissies,
but it was really a meal for a whole morning.

                                         *               *                 *               *

The Hippocrates Health Institute version is the version
I have used for years as  part of the cleanses I run.
It consists of 1/2 and avocado, an apple,
fresh mung sprouts, buckwheat sprouts (often called buckwheat lettuce),
sunflower sprouts, sometimes pea sprouts, although they are not in the original recipe,
a couple of kinds of greens like spinach, kale, watercress, collards, etc.
and a small piece of soaked seaweed with enough water to be able to blend.
Not too much. You want it fairly thick. At certain times of the year -
at least around here - all the ingredients can be found in the health food store.
You can also grow them or order on line.

These things are all blended like mad until they are smooth.

I realize I have not given you amounts, but by the time you have managed
to get some of each of these things into the blender and enough water
to make the blender run, you will have about a quart. If you can get this down in
one day, you will have given your body enough nutrients to keep it from
having many cravings, and you can give yourself a merit badge for the day.

Now here is the thing. For some  people this version
can be bland. But it is possible to spark it.
If I have been drinking it for over a period of several days, I want
to put some cumin and chipotle pepper powder in it - or maybe a blob
of salsa. You can experiment, but go easy on the salt.
You will have fewer sugar cravings, the less salt you eat.

                                          *                *               *               *                                       

One powerhouse woman who has promoted the use of Green Drinks
is Victoria Boutenko. Her story is wonderful but I don't have time
to relate it here. She has, however, had enormous success helping thousands
heal with the use of her greens drinks. One of her most amazing stories in
is about an experiment run with a group of patients of gastroenterologist,
Dr. Paul Fieber, to test the effect of drinking a daily quart of
green smoothie on the production of Hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
He was working with people who had serious Hydrochloric acid
(HCL) deficiencies. In one month of consuming one quart a day
of the greens drink with no other dietary changes the increase of HCL 
was 62% overall in the experiment group.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the effects of low Hydrochloric Acid.
There is a chapter about this subject in Victoria Boutenko's book
called Green For Life which I highly recommend.
The publisher is Raw Family Publishing. I am guessing self published.

Also on her website there are green smoothie recipes. click here for Victoria Boutenko's website.


  * Not everyone can or should eat raw foods, because they are cooling which is not supportive for some conditions and constitutions, and some people have difficulty digesting them.  The concept of eating tons of greens still applies, but you will have to lightly cook or ferment them.

This is a test post

H. pylori - Tibetan Monastery Garlic Extract

Tomorrow I will get back to food, but today I am addressing an issue which is becoming more frequently diagnosed amongst my friends and acquaintances including myself - H.pylori.

H.pylori (Helicobacter pylori) is a bacteria estimated to exist in the stomachs of 2/3 of the world's population. It has been long associated with stomach ulcers* and according to the National Cancer Institute it has been identified as the primary cause of gastric cancers. So nothing to be ignored.

A couple of years ago I did a G.I. tract stools test and it showed that I had H. pylori. I had been having small stomach pains after almost every meal.  H.pylori is treated with antibiotics and so Deb Moscowitz  proscribed them for me. Wait! That was me who proscribed them. She prescribed them. I bought the antibiotics but, having had too many bouts of Lyme disease in the previous (and subsequent) years, and therefore too much antibiotic usage, I went on line to look for some other solution and found it - Siberian Pine Nut Oil.  I sent for some along with Sea Buckthorn Oil for good measure and began to treat myself. The H.pylori subsided completely.  I can't say if it disappeared because I wasn't tested again, but I had no more symptoms until this very stressful life passage right now. I am starting to feel uncomfortable after eating again. So I am about so send for come more Oils but in the meantime I am making:

TIBETAN MONASTERY GARLIC EXTRACT.

About six years ago I became acquainted (not personally - I wish) with Mikhail Tombak, a Russian biochemist who is a wonderful madman healer.  He has traveled and studied cultures around the world and compiled quite an array of cleansing modalities for every system of the body - even bones.The garlic extract formula is to be taken once a year for a full body cleanse. 

This particular formula is estimated to be 400 or 500 years old. According to Tombak "The extract cleans accumulated fat out of the body, rinses out insoluble calcium, radically improves metabolism, cleanses blood vessls, prevents heart attacks, ateriosclerosis and prarlysis, removes the sensation of buzzing from the head, improves sight and regenerates the entire body."

What have you got to lose?  It came to me yesterday that this formula would probably a good medicine for H.pylori, since very few bacteria enjoy the company of garlic.

Here is how to make it. It's easy.

Take about 3/4 # of fresh peeled garlic - the fresher the better. Freshly harvested fall garlic is the best although winter garlic is fine if it has been kept well.  Crush it into a pulp. I just chop it fine and put it right in the blender with about a cup of 80 proof vodka. I find that it takes a little more vodka than that to completely cover the garlic.  Place it in a tightly closed jar and put it in a dark place for  ten days.  Then strain the juice from the pulp. Using cheesecloth in a strainer works well. You have to let it sit for a while in order to strain well.  Then you place the liquid in another - preferable dark - jar and let it sit in the dark for another four days.

Now comes the fun part - using it.


Day One:    breakfast,  1 drop  - lunch, 2 drops - dinner, 3 drops,
Day Two:    breakfast, 4 drops - lunch 5 drops - dinner, 6 drops
Day Three:  breakfast, 7 drops - lunch 8 drops - dinner, 9 drops

etc., etc., etc. increasing one drop with every meal until you are taking 25 drops with each meal. And you stay with that schedule until the bottle is done. 25 drops each meal.

Surprisingly, unlike garlic capsules, this formula doesn't make you stink - well, except when you are making it. Fresh garlic is sticky as well as stinky, but this is worth it and only done once a year.

* When I was exploring H.pylori a couple of years ago there were some sources that questioned the cause and effect sequence of H.pylori and ulcers. Some researchers thought that the stomach chemistry caused by stress created an ideal environment for the H.pylori and questioned whether the chemistry of stress caused both the ulcers and the proliferation of H.pylori.

toxicity - Root Vegetable Broth

Last night I learned a great deal about how to maneuver on this site by accidently erasing my blog twice. Two hours of writing.



*************************************************************************************

O.K. It's morning and I will try again.

I have been musing about why, in spite of walking more this past two months than I have in years, and in spite of not eating much differently than usual, I have had such a rapid increase in weight. I believe there are two contributing factors in addition to too much food - Stress and Toxicity. Probably cortisol levels are higher than normal due to no kitchen counter space or breathing space. The relationship between higher cortisol levels and weight gain has been established.

The second non-food contributor may be toxicity. We live in a toxic building, and I have not yet saved enough money for a good air  purifier for this little apartment. This building is Doug's antiques store and houses a large workshop which is loaded with paints, thinners, etc. and also thousands of beautiful old moldy books. Doug has the liver of Hercules and doesn't seem to be bothered by these conditions - or at least he doesn't notice.  But I am the canary in the mine shaft and fall over dizzy if I breathe in too much poison.

I often refer people to The False Fat Diet by Nelson Haas, M.D. who has written several books about health. This particular one teaches an elimination diet to determine what foods we are sensitive to and which are creating inflammation. One of the tenets of the book is that when we are inflamed or toxic, the body holds extra weight in the form of water, and weight gain due to toxicity can be rapid and erratic. All this reminds me of poor beset Tucker.

TUCKER

My daughter Chloe used to have the largest cat I have ever known. He was truly enormous and evoked humor in whoever saw him, although he was a very dignified cat - not an easy thing to pull off at his weight. A few of you who attended cooking classes at my house back then still remember his waddling presence and how he used to fill the kitchen armchair from arm to arm when he sat in it. people still ask me about him. He was quite a presence.

The thing is, (except for the few surreptitious attempts by my  young teenage son to feed him bacon in order to attain the world record for fat cat) his eating was seriously monitored. But he just kept getting bigger and bigger until he died at an early age weighing around 23 pounds.  He was approaching the world record.

He was toxic. Very toxic.  When he was just a rambunctious teenage cat, he was kidnapped by a drunken neighbor of Chloe's who painted Tucker's whole body with blue paint. Since she was at work and didn't know his fate, he remained coated for several hours until she found him. I believe it poisoned his liver. He was never really able to release much from his body after that and just continued to balloon for the rest of his life.

I have seen this happening in many peoples' lives, the wildly fluctuating weight related to water retention. Water retention is always the sign that thing are awry. Although the toxins in this building aren't to olfactory levels most of the time, it is definitely not clean air in here yet. Detoxification is in order.

                                                      *     *     *     *     *     *     *

So back to 33 foods, 33 days.  Since I am going to California for over two weeks in March and the mini kitchen is presently under some construction, I will not be able to fully undertake the experiment until I get back, but I can begin by adding things daily. This way maybe I won't overwhelm you with too much information at once and lose you before I start.

Yesterday I started with root vegetable broth.  This recipe is an instant alkalizer and remineralizer, and made well, it is deeply satisfying.  It is one of those foods that can instantly ease an unsettled feeling of craving. People who eat it for the first time are usually surprised at how much they like it.
The body likes it deeply, but so does the tongue.

I always make a lot of the base broth and keep it in the refrigerator to pull out and quickly heat up when I need it. If you are ill or feeling run down or just don't know what to eat - which mostly happens when you are needing more minerals - this recipe is a blessing. It is one of the most common foods in my diet.  Please try not to be immediately intimidated by the unfamiliarity of these ingredients*. They are great foods to have in your arsenal of healthy foods.

The base broth consists of:

• Kombu Seaweed (Kelp)
• Dried Shiitake
• Burdock Root
• Fresh Ginger
• Carrots
• Rutabaga
• Daikon Radish

Every One of these foods is a healing food in its own right. I will elaborate in the future.

There are only approximate measurements for this recipe. Not only do several of these ingredients resist containment, (ever try to put dried seaweed into a measuring cup?) but it is very important to begin to cook by instinct - especially when it comes to healing foods, or medicine foods, as I like to call them.  Let me explain.

Today your body might need a little extra iodine, and so if you let your hands and eyes do the cooking rather than mentally belabor the process too much, you will add a little more seaweed today than you did last week. Maybe today three shiitakes instead of two. But here is a rough draft:

• 1/2 Gallon of Water
• 3" piece of dried Kombu 
• 2 dried Shiitake Mushrooms
• 2" or 3" piece of Fresh Ginger, cut into very small matchsticks**
• 6" piece of Burdock, also small matchsticks

Place the above ingredients in the water and simmer for at least a half hour.  Then add:

•  1 medium carrot, julienned
•  1 cup of Rutabaga matchsticks
• 5" piece of Daikon Radish, also matchsticks

Let these simmer another twenty minutes, then add

• Tamari to taste

That is the base broth. Now you can refrigerate it and just reheat a cup or two at a time when you are hungry and add anything to it - tofu, leftover fish, chicken, beef, greens - always greens, even if it is just a little parsley or a scallion. No rules that say you can't eat it plain, actually.
I reccommend making this at least once a week . It keeps for three or four days refrigerated.

I ate this twice today.

  * A word about buying unfamiliar foods. Just do it. Get in the habit of trying new things. People pride themselves on being picky eaters sometimes, but probably that probably doesn't apply to anyone who has lasted this far into this blog.

** The way to make matchsticks out of clunky roots is to slice the roots as thinly as  possible on the diagonal, then lay the slices flat and cut them into little thin strips. Viola!

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Breakfast today: an sliced apple with the very best kefir in America (Swallowtail), lots of pumpkin seeds, a couple of pecans and a few raisins.

33 days, 33 Foods

Today I think I learned enough computer stuff to begin the very scary expose called blogging, and while Sheila (my blogging coach) told me to play around for a few days to get the feel of things, I have reached a critical mass, quite literally, and I have to begin right away. I HAVE REACHED A CRITICAL MASS!

A couple of months ago, I attended a lecture by nutritional expert, John Bagnulo, who was talking about his favorite twenty foods. Being older than he is and having taught and cooked for so many years, my list is longer. Having gained a great deal of weight these last three years due to untoward personal stresses, I decided that if I only ate my own 33 favorite (by that I mean most powerful) foods for 33 days, it would probably be a very good way to take off some substantial weight safely. I decided also that I would blog this experience.

But I hesitated to get going with it, mostly because we have recently moved from our (too) large but comfortable home into a two room apartment - and unfinished rooms, at that. My husband sleeps in a nook in the very tiny kitchen. I cannot go into all the details of this Lilliputian existence, but suffice it to say that I AM SUFFOCATING! This situation is a pressure cooker. I have felt unable to focus on myself.

I have only been in this apartment for two months, but in that time I have put on ten more pounds upon the already extra twenty. This is not just any old extra ten pounds. This is the ten pounds which has brought me for the first time in my life to official obesity - me - health food queen! Perhaps my body is pushing out against the environment.

I am in shock.  I kept thinking that my cheap new scale was certainly wrong, but tonight I looked coldly and clearly upon my new glorious bulk. For the first time in my life I am truly, truly fat.  This is not a statement of self-denigration, but one of amazed wonder. It is a new experience. Sort of funny if it weren't so dangerous.

So even if I have no place to grow wheatgrass or buckwheat lettuce or many sprouts, so even if I have to stop cooking to please Doug or even for Doug, so even if this kitchen situation is seemingly impossible to me, I now - this very day - must cook and live, until I am healthy again, just for me. Did I happen to mention that this fatness has not made me robust? My critical mass is close to thirty pounds of extra fat on a 5'1" frame.

You are my witnesses. In return, I will give you my wisdom as I re-enter it. This is my diary. I quake to be seen. Thank you for helping me keep straight. I already feel that you are a blessing to me.

It is late at night. Tomorrow I will begin. And I have no idea what I will do.



p.s. thank you to Holly Noonan as well as Sheila Kennedy for your patience and support in launching me. And to many, many others for spiritual support in authenticity, most recently Tara Demere.