Food is good
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love food :). Honestly, you probably think I do nothing but cook & eat.
Actually, I do eat often. I love food!
Food as never been an “issue” for me. When I was younger, my metabolism and way of life supported my giant appetite. Even after I hit 30, had two kids, etc, I could pretty much eat what and how much I wanted.
It was not until a few years ago that I noticed issues when I ate certain foods. Foods that I have always eaten. I will feel slightly (or not so slightly) nauseous after eating, or, I will get a metallic taste in my mouth and become very fatigued. I tested negative for a gluten allergy, but realized that every time I ate (American!) wheat, I would have the metallic incident.
I have gained weight, have trouble sleeping, have dry & sallow skin, and am never thirsty , so I have to force/remind myself to drink water. I also get terrible inflammation pain in my nerves in my feet & legs.
And yes, I am over 40, and no, I don’t think it is age :).
Over the last years I have tried: no wheat, ancient grains, juicing, fasting, no carbs, with carbs, raw foods, not raw, inflammation diets, blood type diets, etc.
I have come to the conclusion that my body, and spirit, do not respond to any of these positively, so I am going to try one more experiment. I am going to include my husband, who, after quitting smoking a little over a year ago, has gained over 30lbs. I also do not believe in a restrictive diet (since I do not have medical issues), and I believe if you still love and enjoy the food you are eating, instead of seeing it as an enemy, it will nourish you.
My theory:
We are going to eat grass fed/free range beef, pork, & chicken (more beef, less chicken for me, as I can only eat it smothered in curry, otherwise I get sick. Not a big fan of pork, love bacon, though!), which we do already. I am going to “lightly” follow the blood type diet recommendations, as some of the “avoid” foods do hold true and make me feel ill. I am 0+, my husband is B. Protein is a major player.
We will eat lots of veggies (cooked or fermented for easy digesting), and smaller amounts of salad (since it is raw) and fruit (yummy, but lots of SUGAH!! :)). I will make more hearty salads that we can also have as snacks, such as bean salads, spelt, etc.
I will get my husband to eat joghurt, kefir, and drink kombucha :). I love all of these, he does not. He also has a terrible sweet tooth, and I am sure the fermented foods will help curb his outrageous sugar cravings. What human can eat 3 doughnuts at once without getting sick???? For this time, I will likely stay away from raw milk (...:(....), but have the fermented version of it.
Yes, we will have bread. BUT, again, only fermented. I make my own sourdough, and it is pretty tasty. It is very simple to make (you can find a no-knead recipe here: http://www.herbmagik.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-easiest-sourdough-bread-in.html. or, you can follow the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, which I use now). You can buy sourdough or traditionally fermented bread, but check your source. Many commercially made sourdough breads are not leavened the traditional way (12 hours or more).
So, I will make all bread, and also pasta. I will make the pasta with spelt or einkorn flour (this is new to me, will post as I make it!). Basically, I am making sure that the carbs we eat follow traditional philosophy, which is easy on the digestion.
My husband loves rice, I do not :).
We will continue to drink coffee, and eat small amounts of real cane sugar.
My hope is that through this diet, we will both loose 10+ lbs (he can stand a little more) without stressing our body. I also want to “recalibrate” our bodies to perform as it is meant to, so that we continue to nourish ourselves without restrictions.
As for my kids, they will just wonder why mama is cooking so much :).
Weigh in: 148lbs (I am sure that is ALL muscle...) Labels: bread, challenge, ferment, gluten, grassfed, joghurt, kefir, kombucha, meat, pasta, probiotics, real food, simple food, simple life, sourdough, weight, weight gain, Weston Price, wheat