Help for a research paper

I am currently taken English 2010 and am in the middle of writing a persuasive essay. I chose to write about dairy. My stance is that it should not be included in the food pyramid. What are some questions any of you have about this so I can be sure to include them in my paper. My target audience is mostly young mothers so we can teach our children there is another way to get calcium, but includes everyone.

Please please please let me know your thoughts.

Also, I am reading The China Study. I've wanted to read it for over a year now and am loving it. Totally enthralled/mesmerized/horrified/gladified (I made that one up) at the studies that link dairy consumption to so MANY diseases...

Ha!

Can I just say I hate gluten? No longer am I a wheatgeek. I am a wheat-sucks-why-have-i-never-thought-you-could-be-the-whole-problem-geek.

Seriously though, I have learned an important lesson. I don't think our health problems are ever caused by just one thing. It's always a combination, which is why I think it's important to treat it in more than one way. I've seen an iridologist where I learned I had candida, I have gone to Dr. Skagg's who practices N.A.E.T. and learned what I am intolerant to, I have gotten blood tests from my OB which I learned all my thyroid levels and insulin levels are just fine so I can rule out polycystic ovarian syndrome, and guess what? I relied on my intuition and learned that gluten is most of my problem. And my kid's.. interesting how life works. The answer was the most simple and cheapest, but I had to explore all other possibilities to recognize that. yay.. What an easy fix.

Is anybody else suffering from gluten intolerance?

Great websites

I can literally shut down my blog now. Now that it's anything amazing, but Hey I'm just sayin'.

I found this website: Simple, Healthy, Tasty. (It's always randomly that I find these websites, but to me.. it's inspired randomness :) I haven't found one thing we disagree on yet, but she says everything so much better than me. And her food actually looks like it tastes good to her family. That is my problem. I know what's healthy, I know what's not, but to make a great meal and have it taste good to almost everyone is beyond my capacity. I am way good at making things that send my children into dry heaves. This is why I'm glad I found her blog though: Getting frustrated at not knowing what to feed my kids makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and return to the Standard American Diet, but I CANNOT do that. So I make them eat stuff anyway that is healthy but maybe they don't necessarily like. Because it's food. And we should be grateful. But if there is a better way.. hey I am jumpin' on.

I liked this post a lot, and follow it almost to a T: substitutions

I hope you all like this site as much as I have so far..

Here's another goody that I have only read one post from (which is here), -It's about organizing.. but I'm excited to look into it more.

Insulin Resistant

I want to share a bit of happenings with you just in case someone else is suffering from this too. I've read on a lot of people's facebook postings that they are trying to kick the sugar habit and how hard it is. Believe me, I know. But I am so glad that I am no longer addicted to sugar. Sure there are times when I crave it, and there are times when I have it, but to not have it as a NEED anymore is an amazing feeling. But.. The reason I am saying this is because it has been 1 1/2 years since I started becoming very conscious of what I ate. And.. it has taken that long. Some people are good at cutting things cold turkey. I am not one of those couragous people, but IT'S OKAY. We all do things differently. If I think I am being deprived of something, it makes me want it more. So I tell myself this: "You can have this, but do you REALLY want it? Are you going to like how you feel after you eat this?" Sometimes I listen to that wise counsel I am giving myself and forgo the food. Other times I have a little. Sometimes I freak out and have a lot and feel like crap and start over. But it's a journey. It doesn't mean I'm a failure. It means I'm human.

That being said, my hormones are very freaked out. Aunt Flo hasn't visited since I got pregnant with Emmett (2 1/2 years now) Seems like a blessing, right? But I know it's not and I decided it's time to really get to the root of the problem. My sister was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome about 6 years ago. Basically, she is insulin resistant. I feared I had the same problem so I went to the doctor. (I love my doctor BTW) He did an ultrasound and found quite a few cysts on my ovaries and said that I most definitely had it. I haven't gotten the blood work back yet. I found this article on the internet that I am so glad I found. I liked that it said it's a syndrome so it's reversible, and it made sense that my body had basically forgotten how to metabolize carbs and I needed to retrain it. For six weeks I should be eating fats (healthy ones) because that is what my body is going to use as fuel. I didn't want to go to the doctor and act like I knew more than he did because I obviously don't, but I did ask some questions that helped me understand. He was ready to prescribe me birth control to correct my irregulation, and metformin to even out my levels. I am opposed to that because I think there's an alternative that is healthier.

So this is my battle plan:

I am trying to stay away from grains for 6 weeks, even whole grains and limiting myself to one fruit a day. Basically a lot of avacados, coconuts/coconut oil, and veggies. It sounds hard, but I feel different this time. When I think about how much better I already feel, something deep inside tells me I can do this. It's almost like I am getting a glimpse of a feeling of how my body is going to finally feel healthy and I am encouraged. I am taking one day at a time. I'm on day 3 and already I feel so much better. I'm not bloated, my stomach doesn't feel full and tender, and I have more energy. I also started on Macafem.

I feel really good about this plan. I am going to fix this. I do not want to deal with adult acne, bloating, weight gain, low energy, and generally not feeling right for the rest of my life. Our bodies are resilient if we give them what they need.

Must reads:

Macafem

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Green Goddess Dressing

I'm sorry, but I cannot get enough of this dressing! I use it as a salad dressing, dip veggies in it. At first I didn't know if I liked it, but now I'm slightly addicted!

2 avacados

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup water

salt

Blend all together.

Here's a tip for always having fresh lemon juice:

I buy a bunch of lemons when they are on sale, juice them all at the same time, and then put 2 TBSP. in each ice cube tray. When I need them, I let them thaw under warm water and then I'm set!

Kale Salad

A bunch of kale

2 TBSP. fresh lemon juice

2 TBSP. olive oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. chili powder

Shred kale finely. Mix the next four ingredients together and massage into kale leaves. Yum! Serve with a slice of avacado and you have a nice salad!

They sell curly kale at Kent's.. by the organic section.

Coconut Oil

Here is a link so you can read about the benefits of coconut oil. There is also a book called the Coconut Oil miracle I have heard is good. Coconut oil for me is like the lavender of essential oils. It has so many properties and uses.

Here are the things that intrigue me about it and how I use it:

As a cooking oil if I don't want to use olive oil

My 3-year old eats it by the spoonful - Hey I'm not complaining!

Lotion

Face moisturizer

Eczema

Bedroom uses :)

Hot oil treatment

To dilute essential oils

I have noticed when I bake with it, things are not as moist, but maybe I am not using quite enough. Also, when I measure a half cup solid, it is the same as liquid.

One thing to be aware of: it does change the flavors of certain things. You'll just have to try it out. I don't like to cook eggs with it because of the distinct flavor, but most everything else I like. Do not microwave it. You can put it in your hand and it will melt, or put it in a glass cup and heat it in warm water.

That being said, I think I have three gallons left if anyone is interested. $36/gallon. I think it will be here tomorrow.

Millett

I can't remember if I've posted about millet yet, but here are the directions to cook it. We use it plain with liquid aminos and olive oil, or as a breakfast with rice milk/pure maple syrup, and cinnamon. My friend cooks hers with oatmeal because her kids won't eat it plain. Great idea!

To cook millet as a grain instead of rice, just simmer 1/2 cup in 11/2 cups of liquid. If you leave it alone as it cooks, you'll get fluffy grains like rice; if you stir frequently and add a little extra liquid during cooking, you'll get a dish that resembles mashed potatoes. It takes about 25 minutes to cook millet by simmering.

P.S. Millet is alkaline.

Mormon Muffins

2 c. boiling water

5 tsp. baking soda

I have to be honest. I have not been as good as I should about no wheat/no dairy/no sugar since Halloween. And believe me my butt can tell! But I am slowly getting back on the wagon. It's funny to me that this recipe (the original one) used to seem healthy because it had bran flakes and all-bran. There is always room for improvement I guess!

1 cup coconut oil (originally 1 cup shortening)

1 1/3 cup honey (originally 2 cups sugar)

4 eggs *I used free range

5 cups whole wheat flour (originally 5 cups regular flour)

1 tsp. salt

1 qt. buttermilk * I used raw milk with 4 TBSP. lemon juice

4 cups All-bran

2 c. bran flakes

1 c. chopped walnuts

Combine water and baking soda; stir until dissolved. Cool. In a mixing bowl, cream together coconut oil and honey. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix well. Beat in the water mixture. Fold in cereal and nuts. Fill muffin tin 3/4 full, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until muffins test done.

Makes 4 dozen muffins.

NOTE: Muffin batter will keep in refrigerator for 1 week.

This was adapted obviously and these are so good I wanted to make them for my family, but not with shortening/white flour/white sugar. So it was a trial and everyone loved them! I am so happy when I don't spend an hour making something just to throw it away :)

Classes

Would anybody be interested in a monthly class to get out by ourselves, learn about more natural living (cooking, body care, budgeting, exercise, laughter) and get dinner too?

These are some of the things I want to learn more about and share:

Transforming our regular meals into a healthier version

Toxin-free shampoo, soap, lotion, lip care, makeup

Things we can make ourselves (I have a great thing to replace cotton squares)

Changing our thoughts to be more positive

Better skills for mothering

How to be a better wife

Green smoothies.. why are they beneficial?

Setting up a group (co-op) so we can save money on the things we buy.

A better way to budget and keep track of our money

The power of exercising

Basically, I want to improve on all these things, and I want to learn from people that have found things that have worked. If we could get together once a month on a set date, meet, and have a little lesson, share, and eat.. I think it would be LIFE-CHANGING!

So leave me a comment if you are interested, if you have other ideas, and if you would like to help in a particular topic. What are the things you are interested in learning more about??

Candida

I got to teach a class last night about candida. I am no expert, but I have been doing a lot of research the past year and a half trying to kick it out of my family. Candida is a yeast that lives in your body, but when overgrown turns into a nasty fungus. It actually turns into rizhoids that bore holes in your intestinal wall, which allows toxins to flow into your blood stream and raise havoc. One of the best ways to combat candida is to eliminate foods that aggravate it. At the top of the list would be white flour, white SUGAR, white rice, and dairy products. There is so much more on this topic I feel like I could talk about it for hours, but we need to be giving our body all the minerals and vitamins it needs. Dark leafy green vegetables, herbs, garlic, a little non-gluten grains, beans, and lots and lots of water to flush those toxins out. It can turn into very nasty problems. The symptoms I've noticed with it for me are exhaustion.. just so tired! A sweet tooth is an indication of it, acne, eczema, food intolerance. There are many, many more, but here's just a little info!

Almond Milk

Yay! I have finally found a homemade milk alternative that we like. I would say that rice milk from Costco is the cheapest alternative that is somewhat healthy, but I have made it at home and not found success. Anyway, here is the almond milk recipe:

3/4 cup raw almonds soaked overnight

Blend together in blendtec on power 10 for 30 seconds, scrape sides, pulse until it is a paste.

Then add 3 3/4 cup purified water

3 TBSP. molasses

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Blend on whole juice the whole cycle.

Strain through a four layer cheesecloth and voila1

I have found that almonds soaked overnight and drained, stay good in the fridge for about two weeks. You can take them out and rinse them every 3 days, but I didn't.

I am saving the almond pulp leftover from the almond milk to try and make some almond cookies..

I have been learning a lot about essential oils and am excited!

Here's a link to learn about them:

Doterra