Category Archives: nutrition

Link for more info on healthy fats

nutrition

Some of you are wondering about what I wrote about coconut oil – how can it be so healthy if it’s a saturated fat? Well, we’ve been fed a line about the role of fats in our diet, and what constitutes a healthy fat. I’m not going to write about it, since there is so much written that documents this very important point. Instead, I’ll share with you a site that is the most helpful site I’ve found about nutrition.

Here’s a link for a bunch of articles about fats – http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html. Warning – many of these articles are scientific in nature, and don’t make quick and easy reading. But they are really worth the time; they weren’t written to do a quick sell on some ideas, but to put forth scientifically documented facts.

Reading all of this research meant that I had to totally redefine my idea of what was healthy – we now use butter, coconut oil, and animal fat for most of our cooking. These used to be things I stayed as far away from as I could! I now use as few vegetable oils as possible, the exception being virgin olive oil in salads. Most of the vegetable oils that you buy in the supermarket (sunflower, canola, safflower, soy, vegetable) are all processed and inherently bad for your health. That’s not to say I don’t use them at all – I do still use them when I bake yeast breads (for quick breads I use coconut oil) – but I don’t fool myself that they are good for us. They are just cheaper and sometimes easier than alternatives that are actually beneficial for you.

Happy reading!

Avivah

Candida die off

nutrition

Hope you haven’t thought I disappeared! As you may remember, I alluded to an anti-candida diet I was considering committing myself to a few weeks ago, and I actually stuck with it for three weeks. Three weeks is nowhere near long enough to kill off candida – it takes about a month for every year you’ve had candida, so it’s a long term process.

I was feeling pretty good about doing it, since it was a big change from my usual way of eating, and wasn’t prepared at all for what’s known as Herxheimer’s reaction, or die off, when it hit. I knew about die off, but didn’t expect I would be hit by it, since I already wasn’t eating sugars and flours, plus I had taken out all starches for a couple of weeks a short while earlier and not had any die off reactions. I thought it was for people making very radical changes to their diets, and I didn’t put myself in that category.

Well, let me tell you, die off is seriously no fun. I was feeling increasingly tired, and by the third week, was really dragging. By the last weekend, I was so exhausted I was sleeping 18 hours a day, and severely nauseous every single minute. My husband was worried when he looked at me; he said he had never see me look like that – I looked really ill. I felt too sick to drag myself to the computer and research if it was normal, and after the second day of feeling this terrible, I had a potato (the only things I could think of eating were things that weren’t on the diet).

Amazingly, that ended the die off.  The reason is with die off, what your body reacts to is the candida dying off, and as they die, numerous toxins are thrown into your system (most of which are alcoholic byproducts, which results in massive hangover like symptoms). It’s an important cleansing reaction, but can be very hard, as I found out for myself. As soon as you feed the candida, even something seemingly healthy like a baked potato, they stop dying and start growing again, and you feel better.

So the following day I did the research and it turns out that it was all very normal and healthy because the body was cleaning out toxins and to be expected – but I hadn’t been ready for it. It took a week of eating my usual way to feel back to myself, which leaves me discouraged that after all my effort, I undid all my gains. Since I really still believe that the candida issue needs to be addressed, I see this as just a short term approach to relieving the unpleasantness. With something like this, things have to get worse before they get better. Knowing that , I don’t emotionally feel good about not getting back on the candida diet. I know I should go back on the anti candida plan, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was totally non functional when I was going through die off, and even though now I’ve read about how to do it more gradually so the reaction doesn’t hit so hard, I’m really afraid to put myself in that position again.

I’ll share some links sometime over the weekend about nutrition that may interest some of you, and then get back to sharing some more thoughts on parenting and navigating through the wonderful opportunity we are given every day, called life!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Avivah

My humongous coconut oil order

homemaking, nutrition

For the last year and a half, I’ve been using organic, non hydrogenated coconut oil in place of oil, margarine, shortening – it’s wonderful to make fun foods that are actually good for the kids now! Things like biscuits, cookies, and other things I used to put solidly in the ‘pure junk’ category are now in the ‘pretty healthy’ group.

When I started using coconut oil about a year and a half ago, I decided I needed to buy it in a big enough amount that it would be reasonably cost effective (since we have so many people to feed!). So I contacted a bunch of coconut oil companies until I found one that sold what I wanted at a price that was somewhat affordable. They didn’t know what to do with an individual who wanted to buy amounts of the oil that only restaurants purchased, and it took a few phone calls for them to figure out where in the computer system my order should go. But we got it worked out and I bought a 5 gallon pail of coconut oil (40 lb), which we go through increasingly fast as time goes on. It took me nine months to go through the first pail; now we are at the bottom of the second pail and it’s been only five months. It does get costly! But I really feel it’s worth it.

Today I decided to find out if the same company would sell me the virgin organic (has a coconut flavor and smell that the regular organic doesn’t have) in a large amount. For almost two weeks, I have been sticking to my anti-candida diet, and surprisingly, really haven’t been finding it so difficult. The hardest thing has been getting in enough fats; it is really taking a very conscious effort. I was thinking about how to make it easier, and it occurred to me that if I got the higher grade of coconut oil, I could use it as a food instead of just as an ingredient to cook with. When I first called, they of course told me that the largest size is 1 lb containers (which has often been the standard first response of companies), but they passed me on to someone who assured me that I could get this stuff in the 5 gallon size, too (after I told her I was already buying 5 gallon pails of the other stuff).

So I ordered a bucket of each, which is 80 lb of coconut oil, half the regular for cooking, the other half the expensive stuff. I hope this will get us through at least the next six months without needing to place another order. As expensive as it is, it is still a third of the price that the retail buyer pays in the health food store. I tend to keep a pretty tight food budget, and this would seem to be outside the limits that I’ve established, but I look at it like this: I am careful with what I spend on food so we can eat plenty (quantity), and eat well (quality). I save in lots of other areas, which helps create enough financial room to make large orders like this.

After I made my order, I learned something interesting. The representative said that the oil will be processed specifically for my order – I assumed that they just had buckets of this oil sitting around, but actually, this is considered a custom order, so I will be getting very freshly processed coconut oil. That was a nice thought!

I am really, really looking forward to getting the virgin organic coconut oil. If you don’t know about the many fantastic benefits of coconut oil, do some quick searching on Google. I was amazed at what I learned about something I had always assumed was bad (because it was a saturated fat). It is really great stuff – and unlike lots of things that entail major changes to improve our nutrition, this is really easy. Just use coconut oil to replace all the bad fats in your diet (and it is even good for frying with, since unlike other oils, it remains stable at high temps).

Avivah

Buying grain mill, treating candida

homemaking, nutrition,

It’s snowing!! After a winter that hasn’t felt like winter, snow has finally appeared. Just a few days ago it was so warm that it felt like spring, and I was wondering why I wasted money at the beginning of winter buying everyone boots. It’s now cold enough that even my child who insists he’s never cold just told me that his ears are painfully cold, and actually took my advice when I mentioned that hats are made for this kind of weather. The kids are so excited!

Today has been a mellow kind of day so far. I’m preparing my order for the bulk foods distributor that I go to every few months. I found a huge place that sells to the stores, but was also willing to sell to me as an individual. It’s a 2.5 hour drive to get there, but the prices are so much cheaper than the health food store, and I buy such large amounts that it’s worth it (I buy 50 pound bags). I found another potential source that is in the same small town as a surplus store that I also like to go on the days that I do this shopping in a neighboring state; I will give them a call tomorrow and see if I can order grains from them. I would love it if I could consolidate my shopping to a smaller radius than I currently now have to travel to, but I will have to wait for tomorrow to give them a call.

After thinking about it for a year, I finally ordered a grain mill on Friday (it should be here at the end of this week), so for the first time I will be getting 50 lb of hard red wheat, 50 lb of hard white wheat, and 50 lb of soft white wheat, to make fresh bread with. I also ordered 25 pounds of buckwheat and 50 lb of millet, as well as the usual 50 lb of oats and cornmeal. I buy brown rice closer to home, only 20 lb at a time. My kids like buckwheat (kasha) as a side dish for lunch or dinner with coconut oil and salt, and for breakfast with milk and sweetener, but since I usually buy only five pounds or so at a time at the health food store, I end up not having it around for long, so I finally decided to just buy a big amount so I won’t have to think about it so often. Also, my oldest son is sensitive to gluten, so I’m planning to grind the millet and buckwheat and make fresh gluten free flour to bake with for him.

I was thinking what a funny juxtaposition it is, in buying all of this grain right now, while also trying to decide what to do about eliminating grains altogether from my diet. I have been on what most people would call a fairly restrictive food plan for over a year and a half. No flour, sugar, wheat, sweeteners of any kind, fruit juice, sweet fruits…but I’ve gotten used to eating like that and I don’t find it restrictive anymore. When I started eating like this, I had hopes that the fungal toenail infection I’ve had for ages would be helped (that wasn’t the reason I did it, but I hoped it would be a side benefit). Although there were lots of other benefits, that wasn’t one of them. Years ago, I asked both a naturopath and an acupuncturist who I was seeing how to deal with the toenail issue. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but both of them told me it’s difficult to treat, because it’s caused by an overgrowth of yeast internally.

Recently, I tried the Maker’s Diet, stage one, which wasn’t a big deal for me since I don’t eat most of the stuff that needs to be eliminated, so it just meant replacing all my current carbs with squash and having kefir instead of milk. I thought that would address the yeast issue, but no luck. Dh told me that he thinks I did it for too short a time (the book recommended 2 weeks, but the purpose was to realign the body’s sugar levels, not expressly for this issue). I’ve been somewhat reluctantly researching how to seriously address the candida, which I’m sure is the source of the problem, and at this point, I’m pretty sure how to deal with it. Why am I reluctant? Because I don’t yet feel willing to follow the advice on how to take care of the problem. Basically, it means eating only proteins (no beans, dairy), non starchy veg (no carrots, beets, squash, sweet potatoes), and no fruits except for lemons and limes in moderation – and it will be probably 3 – 6 months until I see results, possibly longer. I know it will do the job, but I am very intimidated by the idea of taking on a food plan like this for such a long time.

If all of this were just about the toenail, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I believe that problem is a sign that something is internally imbalanced, and imbalances left unresolved get worse over time and start manifesting themselves as disease. So I’m trying to work up the internal resolve to commit myself to following a candida program; I’ve given myself the deadline of Tuesday night to make a decision by so that I don’t draw the decision out for so long. I think I will do it, I just need some time for my mind to get used to the idea!

Now I need to get back to the big fun of researching algebra textbooks for oldest ds!

Making broth from scratch

nutrition, recipes

I’ve been feeling tired the last couple of days, and I’ve been frequenting parenting boards more than usual since it’s easier to be online than to be actually doing stuff when I’m this exhausted. Tonight I just have had enough. It’s like a huge ocean of lousy parenting suggestions. 🙁

So I decided to shift mental gears and instead of writing about parenting I’ll share with you how to make chicken stock. Especially in the winter when kids aren’t feeling good, it’s great to have some germ fighting chicken soup on hand! Lots of people think that making chicken stock from scratch is hard and think that adding soup mix is necessary to give it flavor. I don’t know where this idea came from, since there’s nothing much easier than homemade stock. My kids make ours on a regular basis, and every time, it is delicious! I had a couple of turkey carcasses in the fridge today, and this is the perfect use for them.

Put the chicken/bones/whatever you are using in the pot, covering it with at least a couple of inches with water. Some people like to skim it after bringing it to a boil, to make the soup clearer, but I stopped doing that years ago. Once it is boiling, add your veggies – onions, garlic, parsnip, carrot, celery, turnip, rutabaga, squash, tomato – use as many or as few of these in combination as you like. Personally, we use most of the veggies listed – they make for an incredibly rich flavor. Just peel the vegetables and pop them in the pot; don’t worry about chopping them up.

Once the soup is boiling again, turn it all the way down and let it simmer, for hours. I sometimes start a large pot before I go to sleep, and leave it on the lowest setting overnight. When I wake up, the house smells amazing and there is a delicious pot of soup waiting for us. The long cooking time is really important in giving the flavors a chance to meld and deepen.

If you want to put a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in when it’s cooking, that will help leach vitamins from the bones and adds to the nutritional value. I like to use Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar for this. If you don’t, it will still be good for you. Some people also like to let it cool in the fridge once it’s finished cooking and then skim off the fat from the top so the broth is clear- I don’t do this, but just in case it’s something you want to try, I’m mentioning it.  Then you can put the fat that you skim off in the fridge and use it to cook with!

When it’s finished, I take out the carcass, and take all of the turkey meat off of it. Then I use it in a turkey pot pie for another night’s dinner. I end up with so much soup that we have soup as a first course for one meal, and then later in the week, add rice to whatever soup is left for a hearty lunch meal. Amazing how much good eating can come from a turkey carcass that most people would throw away!

Avivah

A Busy and enjoyable day

homeschooling, nutrition, parenting,

I often think at the end of a day what a wonderful feeling it is, knowing that your day has been productive and your time well spent. Today was another great day – not only did we get lots done, but we had fun, too!

I’ve been working on varying breakfasts more – I’ve gotten into a boring routine of cooked breakfast cereals, which my kids have been finding tiresome. This morning I made raisin oatmeal scones – sounds elegant, doesn’t it? My kids really liked them, and I liked getting something healthy into them.  I made them with whole wheat flour and oatmeal (of course!), but for the first time I soaked the flour overnight to remove the phytic acid, which binds with the nutrients and keeps the body from utilizing them properly. I learned about this from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon – a great book, filled with recipes and info. Then in the morning I just had to add in the other ingredients, pop them in the oven, and served them fresh and hot. The raisins added sweetness – there was no added sugar. I also made a couple of large pans of banana bread while I had the mixer out, and that will be for tomorrow’s breakfast.

After breakfast I had a ping pong marathon at the community center with one daughter. I usually reserve the mornings for homeschooling, but she wanted to use her gift coupon (I mentioned them here already) for a session of ping pong with me, and the last two days things kept coming up. My husband was home this morning to hold down the fort with everyone else while I was gone, so we were able to go, and had a great time – we played five games, and she won the last one. She really loved that!

We got back and I did academic stuff with everyone who still needed help. Afterwards, some of the kids took advantage of the unusually warm day and roller bladed and biked. My oldest son did a major reorganization of the garage – he worked really hard and it looks fabulous now. He had to move at least 50% of the stuff that was in there to a different part, but now the things we don’t use much are to the side and the workbench is in the center, with lots of room to actually use it. One daughter cleaned the oven while another prepared the pizza dough for dinner. I decided to do my own major reorganizing of the kitchen cabinets. I had been planning to replace all of the kitchen cabinets, even though they look fine, because I needed more cabinet space and I can’t buy cabinets to match what we have since they are ten years old. Today I moved a bunch of things around, and have managed to use the space so efficiently that I don’t think we need to replace the cabinets any more (which is really good, since I like my kitchen as it is for the most part)! The space wasn’t efficiently organized, which is important to me, but I used my frustration about the current inefficiency to think about the space differently and find a good solution. We now have a baking center, where the mixer, bowls, flours, sugar, etc. are all in one location, so I won’t have to go back and forth anymore from one end of the kitchen to another. This is so helpful since I do a nice amount of baking. For a while this afternoon, when we were all working in the kitchen, it looked pretty disastrous, since I’ve often found that things look worse before they look better (eg, I emptied the contents of a number of cabinets onto the counter, but was then able to clean the inside of all the cabinets and reorganize). But now it looks great.

Then I took one daughter to her piano lesson, then took my son to his tutor, and after I picked him up, decided to do some quick shopping after taking care of business at the post office. I enjoyed shopping with him – I love being with all of the kids as a group, but it’s really nice when I get time with each one. We stocked up on a bunch of baking supplies, which are always good to have around here, especially with the bas mitzva for dd coming up. Fortunately while I was doing this, my older girls were on the ball and had the pizza in the oven while I was out (although I hadn’t told them to, since I hadn’t planned on shopping then) so we were able to eat dinner on time.

We haven’t made pizza for dinner for ages – I used to make tofu pizza, but then stopped using tofu when I learned about the hazards of soy. For many years I avoided dairy almost entirely, using it just once in a while. About a year ago we changed that, and for tonight’s pizza we used cheddar cheese. A couple of nights ago I discussed the new menu plan I was preparing with the kids, and we decided to have a weekly pizza night. Tonight was the first time – they loved it!!! We made 4- 9×13 pans, and it was just the six older kids eating it – and they still all wanted more!

I also spent some time researching the craft activity for my daughter’s upcoming bas mitzva. We really wanted it to be something that could be donated to charity, and got some good suggestions from a homeschooling email list I am on. One of the suggestions in particular appealed to my daughter, so tomorrow we will go shopping for all of the supplies.

After dinner, my almost 8 yo son asked if he could go with me to my Toastmaster’s meeting. Toastmasters is a public speaking organization, and I go twice a month. This son had accompanied me for the first time several weeks ago, and apparently enjoyed it because he really wanted to go again! So then we got to enjoy the night out together. He voted along with all of the adults for the best prepared speech, impromptu speech, and evaluator.

When I got home, he headed straight for bed, while I took the opportunity to chat with my mil, who had come over while I was out and stayed talking with my mom. We haven’t had a chance to talk in a while, so it was probably 11 or 11:30 before we finally said goodbye. As soon as I post this, I will be very ready for some sleep!

I’ve often found it’s not the days we go out on trips that fill me with a sense of peace at the end of the day, but rather the days that we stay home, enjoying one another and making our home a place we feel good to be.

Avivah